Purple Coneflower

A North American native, Echinacea purpurea has a multitude of uses. It has been documented as one of the worlds most important medicinal herbs. It has been shown to increase the body's resistance to infections by boosting the immune system. Other therapeutic uses include relief from allergies and skin infections.

Of all the essential uses this pretty pink daisy-like coneflower has, my all-time favorite is as a supplier of nectar to butterflies, like this beautiful Black Swallowtail. It does not matter what I have in mind for my camera when I walk out the door, there is always a butterfly in my little blooming patch of Echinacea purpurea. Always.

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Maryland State Flower

When the Rudbeckia blooms I think of my first family and my first home. I think of my brothers, my mother, and my maternal grandparents. I think of the gentle and constant rolling hills, the family dairy farms, and the four full seasons.

Rudbeckia hirta, or Black-eyed Susan, is the State Flower in my home state of Maryland, and I remember staring at it in full blaze as we zipped past it down the highways and byways in my youth. Such a beautiful sunny coneflower, and loved by all. I have planted Rudbeckia (moreso fulgida than hirta) in many gardens in North Carolina, and it thrives in most U.S. climates.

Many poems and songs have been written about this flower. It is considered a staple in the signature designs of acclaimed architects Oehme and Van Sweden, amongst many other well-known designers. It's used for prairie restoration, erosion control and lasts 10 or more days in cut vase arrangements. Though she does not stand upright during her full bloom season in my yard (we know by now I have a lack of sun), she does continue to bloom in full with her warm yellows and spreads for me more each year. A summer perennial bed does not seem complete without this show-off, especially for this Maryland girl.

My husband and I make an annual trip to visit family in Maryland, and I am grateful that it always seems to be while the Rudbeckia are in bloom.

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Hedera Entangles

Morning has broken here on our wooded lot. I love nothing more than to sip coffee while I watch the constantly changing sunbeams cut through the trees. But the Ivy is blocking my view this morning.

My predecessor planted quantities of English Ivy (Hedera helix) on the floor of the natural space to help prevent erosion. Indeed we are the low spot of the neighborhood, but thirty years of growth is a lot of Ivy growth. As lovely as it may have looked to me at one time, I am in the process of trying to remove the Ivy from our trees.

In addition to reducing the biodiversity in the area and destroying the habitat for native wildlife and creatures, Ivy can kill trees by climbing into their canopies and shading out sunlight. It will also make them so top-heavy they become weak and eventually fall over. We must always try to take care and be responsible gardeners.

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Scarlet Begonias

I love scarlet Begonias. I plant a variation of scarlet Begonias every year. Their waxy green leaves are resistant to all pests. It is an absolutely beautiful sun-loving foliage annual. But Jerry Garcia is the real reason I keep them in my garden. We miss you, Jerry.

"As I was walkin' round grosvenor square
Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air,
From the other direction, she was calling my eye, It could be an illusion, but I might as well try, might as well try.

She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes.
And I knew without askin' she was into the blues.
She wore scarlet begonias tucked into her curls,
I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls.

In the thick of the evening when the dealing got rough,
She was too pat to open and too cool to bluff.
As I picked up my matches and was closing the door,
I had one of those flashes I'd been there before, been there before.

Well, I ain't always right but I've never been wrong.
Seldom turns out the way it does in a song.
Once in a while you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right.

Well there ain't nothing wrong with the way she moves,
Scarlet begonias or a touch of the blues.
And theres nothing wrong with the look that's in her eyes,

Wind in the willows playin' tea for two;
The sky was yellow and the sun was blue,
Strangers stoppin' strangers just to shake their hand,
Everybody's playing in the heart of gold band, heart of gold band."

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Herbaceous Astilbe Chinensis

Nothing brightens a shady spot in the early summer more elegantly than the white Astilbe.

This perennial does not need much of a footprint to grow to a nice 2' spread in the summer. It likes rich and moist soil and is resistant to all the problems a hot and humid climate can bring. It takes such good care of itself that you might forget it is there, until it blooms. In full bloom at the beginning of June, it reaches a height of over 2' tall. The plumes are large and feathery and sway in a slight breeze.

This false spirea comes in a variety of pretty whites, pinks, reds and lavenders. For the most impressive display, plant several of the same variety together in a front border of your garden bed. The foliage is deeply cut and unique and turns to bronze in the fall. A must for every moist shade garden.

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A Beautiful Garden is Earned

One day we are tiptoeing through the tulips. The flowers are blooming, the pests are away and the weeds are at bay. There are photo opportunities at every turn and nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the beauty. Reap the rewards. But our toil does not last forever. The beautiful gardens require at least some constant attention.

Today I woke up and found Japanese beetles on my banana tree and leaf spot on the roses. The ladybugs are helping decrease the aphid population, but the white flies on the Hostas are multiplying. We put too much nitrogen on the lawn, the newly transplanted Yoshino cherry is losing color, and the Monarda is covered with powdery mildew.

The garden enthusiast will spend hours upon hours tinkering for fun, but helping the plants fend off the pests and diseases is necessary too and does not take as much time as we anguish. One to two hours today, and once every two weeks in the growing season is all the garden requires to shine.

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Friends Don't Let Friends Plant Annuals

Except a few. Where do I get my high color? What can I rely on to be in bloom no matter what day an unexpected friend stops by? Annuals. No matter how large of a variety of perennials or blooming shrubs you have, you can always count on a hardy annual to show for you.

Most of the re-seeding varieties can not be counted on to come back naturally, so I do not plant many, but I do plant some amongst the trees, shrubs, vines, and all sorts of pretty plants in my container garden. Having that bright splash guarantees a smile on your face every day in the garden.

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Roadside Orange

For as unromantic of a name as 'Roadside Orange' is, I have come to love and look forward to this hardy Hemerocallis. It is also called 'common' and 'original' orange but they grow hardy in masses along the highway here so I call them my Roadside Orange. These daylilies bloom in late May and early June atop noticeable 3' stalks. The vibrant orange against the red carpet of groundcover roses makes me look forward to summer.

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Eradicating Invasives

Sometimes it's necessary to just focus on maintenance and not spend all spring buying new plants!

This is the year I eradicate invasives. It's a convenient year to focus on maintenance since I'm an unemployed student. I'll get to the Pachysandra and Akebia later, but I've started with the lovely variegated Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata). It seems it was just a small clump when we moved in seven years ago. I admired the heart-shaped leaves, ablaze in yellows, greens, and reds with a delicate white and noticeable flower atop. Just a lovely multi-colored ground cover. Now it's coming up everywhere, including in the lawn. The narrow bed areas just can't withstand it's growth habit so I am getting rid of it altogether.

Chameleon plant is impossible to dig up. It breaks easily just under the surface of the dirt and the tiny roots and runners are left. I began pulling it up and spraying it with Roundup as soon as it started to emerge in March. I pray one year will be enough to be rid of it forever. As sad as I am to see it go, I am already getting anxious for new plantings in that highly visible spot.

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Confederate Jasmine

The lovely Trachelospermum jasminoides is in full bloom and fragrance on the back deck railing. I adore this evergreen spreader. It needs plenty of room to grow or it will require annual pruning. Otherwise, it's a wonderfully low maintenance plant. Very resistant to drought, pests, and diseases. A must in the garden.

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Sweetspire

Oh Boy! An idea for my little island bed is finally starting to formulate. Sometimes it just takes patience and a few trips to the nurseries.

I stumbled across the Itea Virginica today at the Raleigh Farmers Market and decided that was the little beauty I wanted. I got 3 1-gallon pots for $5 each. Needless to say, I am thrilled with my prizes and the beginnings of my new planting bed.

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A Dixie Dew Morning

The place to be at dawn is in the garden. The world still sleeps. There is only you and the birds. Just sit, sip your coffee, and listen.

I take my coffee to the glider on the front deck. I am protected from the weather there. I don't have to sit there long before the front yard birds revisit. This morning there is a lovely blanket of dew. So calm. It's the only place I want to be. The fog starts to lift slowly. The longer I sit, the more I sip my coffee, the more the fog lifts. We rise together. Me, the dew, this new day. Creatures become active, photosynthesis resumes, but the garden is never more whole than the wee hours of a dewy morning.

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Louisiana Surprise

I am sad to say I do not know where I got this plant. It's been in the garden for at least four years, in the most random spot, and beginning to be encroached upon by the liriope spicata. The spiky foliage stays, but this is the first time I've seen it bloom. I knew it was an Iris but it was more a mystery plant to me. It's an absolutely lovely Louisiana Iris, cool blue atop the strong 3' stems. I will need to transplant her soon.

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Gardener's Gold

Ah leaf mulch. How did I garden before it? We live in zone 7b, the Piedmont of NC. Amending clay soil by tilling in bagged soil conditioner and mushroom compost just seemed so unnatural, although commonplace.

A fellow Raleigh landscaper introduced me to leaf mulch some time around 2000. The city of Raleigh collects leaves from the curb, churns it through three heats, and sells it back to us as this heavy nutrient-rich mulch. It's very affordable but you have to move the pile one wheel barrow at a time. We spread it 6" deep on top of clay, with a dusting of lime to regulate the pH. It breaks down the clay and works it's way down in to the earth, taking roots with it, making for stronger and healthier plants. After a year, the mulch seems to have disappeared like most mulches, but this one has changed the composition of the soil. Clay is becoming good dark soil, a few inches at a time. New applications several years in a row and I'm left with fantastic dark gardening soil, as deep as my shovel will ever need to go. I plant my own trees now, without the help of my stronger half. How did I garden before it?

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Voodoo Lily

Amorphophallus konjac. This voodoo lily is about 4 years old. It first bloomed for me the 2nd year and every year since. It is in bloom right now, and my husband describes its' fragrance as 'dead animal'.

What a fabulous show. The flower will die back completely pretty quickly, and the leaves emerge in late June even more showy and unique than the flower. This is one of the plants I bought from Tony Avent that is thriving in my yard. I love it and always look forward to it!

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The Untended Flowers Bloom

It is so nice to come home weary after dark to find the plants taking care of themselves.

Our first rose bud opened today while I was away. Seeing the little red beauty brought me happiness. It will be a gardening-perfect 80 degrees this weekend, but my studies will keep me from the flowers. It is good to know everything will be happy and bloom while I am away.

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The Azaleas We Kept

There were so many Azaleas in that back row when we bought this house. This stand extended another 15' but became smaller and thinner the farther left you looked. We took out 25 Azaleas, but I'm pleased as punch that we kept these. They make such a lovely show in the spring.

I have fertilized them just once and deep soaked them maybe twice in 5 years. The volunteer honeysuckle and wrens call this hedge home and I thank Mrs. Kelly for planting them. I sometimes wish she would come by and walk her old property with me. I do not know if she would be pleased that I removed some of her plants; I know the toil and love that tending can take. But I think she would smile at the care we take, especially if she came in April.

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The Carolina Wren

photo from web

The Carolina Wrens that live here are the first happy sounds I hear in the morning. With their notable white "eyebrow", they have become one of my favorite backyard birds. They are small and sweet and gentle, and they are happy just being, and they let the other birds just be as well. This is probably why I have come to prefer their kind nature at my feeders.


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Rainy Mondays

Sometimes it seems that only gardeners can find gladness for rainy Mondays. God is taking care of our garden today. I do not have to drag hoses around to pots or transplants, and Scott's seed is damp without effort. The pollen has been washed out of the air. What a little relief. What a gift.

When all the gardening is caught up is when I won't find gladness in the rain. That makes me chuckle. When is gardening ever caught up? God willing, my garden will never be done. It's an endless and unconditional sort of love affair, this hobby of mine.

One day I will have an irrigation system, but I will make sure it has a rain sensor to spare us the wasted water. There will always be room for gladness for the rains.

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. - John Updike

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And the Iris Blooms

A garden is always delightfully surprising. New or old, big or small, a garden is always surprising. Every time you step into your garden, there is something to see that you didn't see yesterday. Today, the Iris blooms. The pale purple bearded Iris. She starts slow but constant throughout the day. By dinnertime she is in full bloom.

I want to take Paige some of the white Iris's. It's time to separate them. Big Dan commented on them every time he saw them in bloom. He really liked them. I think that would make a nice garden gift for her.

Scott's grass is finally becoming a lawn. We're glad. Barefoot is best. He's been somewhat diligent, and he's finally getting to reap some reward. Kudos and thanks, my love.

Until tomorrow. The birds have been fed and the shrubs have been soaked.

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