Garden Journal: June 14, 2009
Karen Warm, humid, sunny days ending in thundershowers have given the garden good conditions for growing and thriving, especially the fungi. Some plants, like the spiderwort (Tradescantia) and yarrow (Achillea) have…
Ten Terrific Father’s Day Gifts for Gardening Dads.
When it comes to a Father’s Day gift for a dad that is a gardener, do you want to buy something that is useful? Or something that will make Dad…
Plant Profile: False Spirea (Astilbe x arendsii)
When the astilbes come into bloom, my secret garden takes on a soft and delicate look and I take special pleasure in spending time there. The feathery panicles of flowers…
Five Favorite Weeping Evergreen Trees
I love weeping plants so when I visited the demonstration gardens at Saura Nursery in Pinnacle, North Carolina I thought I had died and gone to heaven. There were so…
Plant Profile: Cardinal Vine ( Ipomoea × multifida)
Also called hearts and honey, this annual twinning vine is a hybrid of Ipomoea coccinea (scarlet morning glory) and I. quamoclit (cypress vine) and is a member of the morning…
Garden Journal: June 7, 2009
More rain mixed with some sun and warm temperatures have made lilies come into bloom big time! Both the daylilies and the true lilies have responded with equal vigor and…
How to Pick the Perfect Petunia for your Gardening Needs
When I go to buy petunias I am tempted to buy the inexpensive six packs but remembering my bad experiences with such petunias in the past I stop. Rain ruined…
Plant Profile: Red Valerian/Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber)
If you like the look of flowering plants growing out of old walls or brickwork you will probably like Red Valerian. It is drought tolerant and a lime lover and…
Six Special Plants with Chartreuse Foliage
Chartreuse has always been one of my favorite colors when selecting plants. Most of those that sport chartreuse do so with their foliage so I have many of them, less…
Plant Profile: Spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana aka T. virginiana)
Native to North, South, and Central America, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the dayflower family, Commelinaceae, a family of 731 species. The plants grow in clumps up to…