Back At It

BY SKEETER

 I have finally finished Posting about the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling! I know some of you are saying FINALLY! But it was such a wonderful event that I wanted to share every thing with those of you that could not make the visit to Asheville, NC. I hope I have inspired you to get to that beautiful city as it is worth a visit. Or at least be a bit more open minded about different types of gardens.

Now I am back in my Georgia Gardens and a lot has been going on. With all the Fling talk, time did not stand still and my gardens are ever blooming and expanding. As I sit at the computer in the sunroom, I look to the right and this is my view out the window!

 I am ever so happy to see Hibiscus Luna is doing well and getting bigger and stronger each year. She is filling my eyes with lots of beautiful blooms.

 Not dinner plate size but about dessert plate size. I will take this on my plate any day.

 I am not happy to see this guy. Japanese Beetles have been showing up the past few weeks. I have been squashing them as fast as I find them. It appears this one has been in this spot eating for a while. See the poo behind him? This one succumb to my fingers just after me snapping this photo. I did not know there was a second one under the leaf until I saw this photo loaded on the computer. That is the beetle that got away! Bugs are really bad this year especially the grasshopper and crickets. But to be expected with such a mild winter.

Right in the middle of composing long postings on the Fling, the McCorkles "Giant Plant Sale" (Open to the public) took place. The Saint took the day off from work and accompanied me to the event! We had agreed we would not get any trees as this is not the ideal time of year to plant them with the heat taking off and our continued drought conditions. The first plant in our little red wagon; A darn tree! The Saint grabbed a 10 gallon Leyland Cypress for $8.00. He said he could not resist and the hole was already dug and ready. The tree is now in the spot where we lost a leyland from last years drought. It did not take me long to get my wagon full several times. Once I felt there was nothing more for me to see and I was starting to melt from the heat of the day, we cashed out and left. I came home with a nice haul.  

 Knock Out rose's for $9.00 in colors of red (double knockout) and yellow. Hosta @ $3.00. Butterfly Bush @ $3.00. Hydrangea Mini Penny @ $5.00, Deep purple (rare) Crepe Myrtle @ $12.00, A huge Agapanthus, Barberry, Plumbago, etc.

 A return trip had me taking home some small perennials and annuals as well. $7.50 for a flat of 12. Fun things such as Salvia, Sage, Coneflower, Phlox, Purple Queen, Moss Phlox, Angelina Serena, Coleous, etc.

And my pride and joy find was this Persian Palm @ $8.00! I have seen them priced at this size for $29.00 and up! I happen to be at the truck when it came in from the fields. I am a seasoned veteran with this sale and know that when a closed truck comes in from the field that you better be by it when the back doors open as you may miss out on something great. I was there when the worker took the Palm off the truck and I said to just hand that one to me rather then stock it. He said I was the lucky winner as it was the only one they had from the greenhouse's! As I walk to my truck with it, people kept oohing and aahing and asking me about it. It is hardy in zone 8-11 and I fear it will perish if I plant it outside. We do have mild winters and I may plant it. At that price, it will not be a great loss. I may weaken up and bring it inside and into the NO NO Room away from the cats for the winter. Only time will tell as to my decision.

I also found Silver Berrys @ 6.00 when I normally pay $15.00 for them Retail. Yes, this is a bargain hunters world, this twice a year Open to the Public Sale! McCorkles grows for Companies such as "Southern Winners" ... "Gardens Confidence Collection"... "Southern Living"... "Knock Out Rose" amongst others. These are some of the goodies I have in my collection.

Mark your calendars for the next sale this fall where we plan to rack up on some evergreen items. September 21-22, 2012. You can find Magnolia's, Leyland Cypress, Giant Green, etc in 15 gallon pots for $15.00! There are bargains galore and you never know what they will be bringing in from the field next! I spotted an Atlas Cedar Tree in 15 gallon pot for $75.00. Garden centers have them at retail in 10 gallon pots for $128.00 and up!  

They have lots of bushes also but I do not know much about them. I so need for someone that knows these plants to come to GA for a visit and go with me! Tina, Janet, are y'all listening? You will have free Room and Board.

I have most of my new goodies in the ground as I have been working my rump off the past few days. We had a low humidity spot and I took total advantage of it. I have a few remaining items that must find a hole but I have decided it is time for The Saint to dig a hole or two as I am not a good hole digger. 

As you can see, I am BACK AT IT, In the Garden...
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

One of My Favorite Nurseries-We Du Natives

Are you a plant collector? If so it is possible there are many plants on your list of must haves that you might not be able to find locally. I myself have this problem. It seems most of the usual suspects (viburnums, hydrangeas, evergreens, and spiraeas, etc) are mainly what I can find locally in any big box store. I rarely shop at local nurseries but when I do I find they rarely have anything all that different from the local big box stores but they have much higher prices so I pretty much only buy the majority of my plants at big box stores-generally marked down 50-75%. Yes, I am a bargain shopper and you might call my garden a bargain garden but the plants don't know I purchased them cheaply-shhh-don't tell them okay?





I do occasionally order hard to find plants from mail order nurseries that have fabulous prices. If a nursery has shipping costs higher than my order for plants I am most definitely not going to buy plants there-even if their plants are on sale. I just can't justify the expense so I am very careful with where I order my plants. Enter We Du Natives, aka Meadowbrook Nursery in Marion North Carolina.


I first came to be aware of this small nursery in the mountains just off from I40 at exit 85 when I was looking for witch hazels back in 2006. There were two nurseries I found that carried witch hazels. One was the We Du Natives and the other was a nursery in Louisville Kentucky. Both were doable for a road trip but since my in-laws live just east of Marion North Carolina around exit 110 I decided that upon our next visit with them that I would make a trip to We Du Natives. I was not disappointed and purchased two witch hazels for my garden. Ever since then whenever I could I would travel to We Du for more unique native and non-native plants. Some of the plants I have purchased there are: Japanese roof irises (the best iris of all!), silverbell tree, heath aster and a few more that don't come to mind right now. While visiting the nursery I signed up for the emailed newsletter.



This month's newsletter said their hydrangeas were on sale. Hydrangeas are a favorite shrub of mine so I decided to investigate further. Come to find out they had two gallon 'Silver Dollar' and 'Phantom' Hydrangea paniculata on sale for $9 each. I researched the two hydrangeas and found that 'Phantom' was the one for me and went to order it. Well, when I ordered I was informed the nursery has a $35 minimum order. Ah ha! That meant I could do more shopping and shop I did. I really only wanted the hydrangea but managed to find two other shrubs that I thought would make good additions to Tiger Gardens-especially since I was reworking a rather big bed that needed some structure in the form of shade and drought tolerant shrubs. Those two shrubs are Adina rubella, aka Chinese Buttonbush and 'Reifler's Dwarf' Littleleaf Viburnum, aka Viburnum ovatum. The Chinese buttonbush is pictured above and the Littleleaf Viburnum is shown below exactly as they came out of the huge box they arrived in from UPS. The dried seedpods (I'm guessing) on the buttonbush look just like spent blooms on brown eyed Susans and really make the shrub very interesting even without leaves! This buttonbush is supposed to be more drought tolerant than our native buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and is also supposed to be shade tolerant. It will slowly grow to about 10 feet tall with an 8 foot spread.

The littleleaf viburnum is supposed to be a small viburnum that will grow to about 3-5' tall and wide. It is supposed to have good year round interest and hey, I believe it since it is a viburnum. Viburnums are a genus I am particularly fond of due to their ease of cultivation and wide variety of types. The fall color on this viburnum looks great so I am already impressed.



I chose the 'Phantom' hydrangea because it is supposed to be similar to 'Limelight' but with bigger and better blooms. I love love love 'Limelight' hydrangeas so this one will fit right in. This shrub arrived with a few leaves still attached and I was so excited to see this! All three shrubs look great and were well wrapped. They looked as though I had simply driven to a local nursery and picked them up in person. I was so totally shocked by the good condition and LARGE size of all three of these shrubs for $54 (shipping and cost of the large shrubs) that I decided I should finally write a post dedicated to We Du Natives. I had been promising I would do a post on them to Jamie Oxley for like forever but somehow it always slipped through the cracks. The size of the plants shocked me because normally when I order mail order plants-even from good quality nurseries-the plants arrive looking dead (many are) and are so small they succumb to the shock and give up the fight pretty quickly. I then wind up losing the money I spent on the plants. This is very frustrating. Have any of you received pitiful mail order plants that died no matter what you did? If so you might check out We Du Natives for great prices, good selections, and fantastic shipping and handling. These three shrubs are all safely tucked into my Front Perennial Garden and I am looking for good things from them in the future. It is not too late to plant shrubs in Middle Tennessee-this is actually an ideal time to plant most shrubs. The ground is still wet and fairly warm so the roots will be able to establish rather quickly.


There is another reason I am writing this post now. The gathering of all garden bloggers (who so desire to gather) will be held in Asheville North Carolina from May 18-20. Both myself and Skeeter already have our hotel reservations and are looking forward to meeting all other garden bloggers who attend. I also wanted to let you all know about this nursery that is very close to where our meet up will be held. I for one plan to visit this nursery during my visit and personally thank Jamie for taking such good care of my mail order bargain plants....


in the garden....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

P.S. I did not receive any compensation in any form for this post from anyone. I paid for all of my plants I purchased at We Du.  

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Busy week ahead

By SKEETER
Lucky me to be able to find "back-up" evergreens for the two that may not make it here in my Georgia Gardens. The harsh summer has taken its toll on the June planted beauties but they are still hanging on for me. Not only did I pick up two replacements (if need be) but also a nice 15 gallon Holley filled with berry's. McCorkles Nursery "Sale to the Public" had these on special for $15.00 each, again! Wow, I love a bargain...
I came home with this Chamaecyparis Sungold (False Cypress). I had recently seen these in the Garden Centers at prices of $25.00 or more. This one cost me less then half that price!
I love butterfly bushes and this Pink one makes 5 different colors to my collection. I am still looking for that Orange colored one.
Anthony Waterer Spirea's blooms caught my eye and I could not resist.
One thing I was on the look out for was Mexican Petunia and I found it! Daisy, Ajuga, Sage, Bee Balm, Sedum, Hollyhock and Silver Grass will now call my gardens home as well.
Hosta, Asiatic Jasmine and Schizophragma will be added too. Schizo vine was so healthy and I could not resist the name.
I have been eyeing Black and Blue Sage in the garden centers but would not let go of the money they wanted for them. Here I found them for bargains of $1.99. I hope they are happy in my gardens as I so enjoy their colors.

I do not know much about some of these plants and normally I just read the tag and stick the newbie into the ground and let it be. This go round, I have been doing some research on the Internet. I find it funny how the tags and professionals say one thing while people on blogs or forums tell a different story. I find the tags and info on the Internet only a guideline but fun to read about them just the same... Now, I need a bit of help with this one. Somehow, I could not find the tag on this plant. That is my only complaint about this Sale. Some pots are not marked with tags or prices. The prices can be found by going by a price guide of pot sizes unless a special plant, like variegated. But without tags, one is left to a mystery at times.
Here is my mystery filled with beautiful dainty white sweet scented blooms. They smell as sweet as Jasmine!
The foliage is dark green.
Can anyone give me help on this beauty's identification? I cannot believe I picked up a plant without a tag. Well, yes I can. This is not the first time. Duh....

Our ground has had 4 inches of rain in the past week so I am sure the ground is soft enough for me to now dig. I will have a BUSY WEEK AHEAD, In the Garden...

Note: The next Public sale of McCorkles Nursery will be June 14-16, 2012.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

McCorkle's Nursery 2011 Fall SALE...

By SKEETER
I shared a great discovery with you all back in June. The McCorkles (Open to the public) Nursery Sale! Click HERE and also HERE to see the 2 part Post on the great bargain's I and our neighbor brought back to our Georgia Gardens.

Above, you see the Black Elephant Ear thriving in the spot I chose for its new home. Next to the Air Conditioner Unit for free watering during the hot, drought summer we had...Other happy plants from this awesome sale were the fringe plant's and,
The 3 Rose of Sharon's just to name a few. I shall show you more in time.
This Red Rooster Crepe Myrtle is healthy but not so large right now.
Branches and Blooms keep falling off the Myrtle. What is causing this you ask?
Well, this little toot of course! Grrrrrrrrrr...
Due to the extreme heat, drought condition and hard ground, I have yet to plant 6 Monkey Grasses, a Rose Bush, a Canna and...
This flat of Ivy. They will find their homes in my garden once we have rain and the ground softens up a bit. Thank goodness the extreme heat is gone.

Anyway, even though I have yet to get these items into the ground, I am headed to MCCORKLES NURSERY FALL SALE, In the Garden...

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NOTE: For anyone in the Georgia area looking for super bargains, get to the Nursery this weekend!

McCorkles Nursery Fall Sale 2011

Friday Sept.23 from 8:00-5:00

Saturday Sept. 24 from 8:00-3:00.

Bring a wagon to assist your haul to your truck!

McCorkles Nursery Info Click HERE.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

McCorkle Goodies

By Skeeter
This past Tuesday, I showed you a post on McCorkles Nursery. Today I will show you some of the things we picked up for our Georgia Garden... Sorry but I failed to snap a close up picture of the Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja) before we put them into the ground. Here you can see three of the 5 we purchased. 15 gallon pots for $15.00 each! See how tall they are as the Saint is standing nearby them. I am planning a natural fence between us and the neighbors for privacy. Right now with summer and the trees in full foliage, you cannot see much over there but during winter, I see an eyesore of a yard next door. I want to see evergreen beauty and I think these Green Giants will do the trick. We planted them fairly close for quick gratification.

The Saint has never liked Magnolia trees. He does not like the thick leaves that will not be mulched with even a mower blade. Being a Southern gal, I have always wanted my very own Magnolia tree. Imagine my surprise when the Saint said okay to this 15 gallon $15.00 Little Gem Magnolia! My parents have one in their yard and it blooms all summer long. The little Gem is not as large as the Southern Magnolia but I will enjoy it all the same. Thank You Saint for this wonderful gift! Don't worry, it will not be planted where you see it located in this picture. We had to put it in a safe place during high winds of a passing storm. Oh, we are getting a bit of rain so thanks to any of you that said prayers for us to enjoy a drink from Mother Nature.

Another in the tree category, which could also be a bush if you desire, is the Rose of Sharon. We had these at the old house when a child. My parents had one of my brother's dig a few of them to take to their current home and they are thriving. I had two of these at our Gartenplatz when we lived in Germany. Imagine my shock to find them missing one day. Our partner, which knew nothing about gardening thought he was doing me a favor by taking out the dead trees. It was winter and the trees were only dormant. He had taken them to the compost dump and I never saw them again. Grrrrrrrrr. I love hibiscus and never made the connection until now that Rose of Sharon is in the Hibiscus family. Silly me, the blooms pretty much tell all, Duh. Such bargains that I got one in Pink, White and Blue!
I was happy to find Red Rooster Crepe Myrtle. I have wanted a red myrtle for some time but they are way too pricey for me. I was shocked to find them at $10.00 for a 3 gallon pot! The Saint and I were so happy that we picked up 5 of these. I plan to take one to my mom in Tennessee as she has wanted one of these since seeing them here in Georgia. Unfortunately, I think they are mislabeled. They are blooming in bright Bright Pink which is beautiful as I have one but I really wanted Red. Sigh...

Moving on to bushes, I have my very first Oak Leaf Hydrangea! Ellen Huff in a 3 gallon pot for a mere$6.00. I have seen these for $23.00 and passed on that price.
I also picked up an Endless Summer Twist and Shout Hydrangea! I hope with our acid soil that I will have blue blooms some day. It has a bud now so who knows, I may get a blue bloom this season. I don't know much about Hydrangea's so I hope I do right by these two additions to my garden.
The Saint found this little gem. A Dwarf Variegated Gardenia. So cute and unique that we picked up two of them. I plan to put them with the Endless summer.
As soon as I spotted this beauty, I grabbed it up quickly. My parents have this bush/tree in their yard and I love the thing. My parents call it the Blue Bush better known as the Chaste/Vitex though. A hole was dug and the pot is sitting inside for safety during the storm. Saints idea and it worked as nothing fell over!
I was on the look for a Yellow Butterfly Bush since seeing one in the Saints Parent's Garden. I found one and only one at the sale! Happy Day for me...
Many Blogs have recommend "Knock Out" for those of us scared to attempt to grow rose's. I decided it was time to give her a go. Pink was my color of choice for this 3 gallon pot of beauty.
Strange looking Elephant Ear (unmarked) but I had to have one.
Also unmarked is this Black Elephant Ear. I had a Black ear in the past but she never returned after winter. I don't know if not hardy or if a Vole had a good meal that winter. This one, I plan to plant by the AC so it should have plenty of water. The Variegated Monkey Grass will accompany the ear.
Canna made me think of you Lola! I am adding these in your honor sweetie!

And these as well. I have started dividing my cannas and have made a new area behind the swing so these will go with those canna.

Hypericum Calycinum better known as Saint Johns wort, is new to me. I have seen it on the blogs and just had to give it a try as we have a new area for this ground cover to take off and run. Research tells me that I can clip it with the mower if need be just like Liriope (Monkey Grass). I am hoping it remains in tact with our mild winters.

The Saint has a thing for Ivy. He loves it. Well, English Ivy but not poison ivy. He is dealing with that on his eye at the moment. Doctor has him back on track though. I am not sure where he plans to put this ivy. We planted 15 sprigs two years ago and the Deer ate well.

I could not resist this huge Begonia. I have never seen one so large before. I was chatting with two other ladies about this beauty. One said she gets them at this sale every year!

I picked up other fun things as well. Loropetalum (Fringe Plant) Howard Ligustrum, Leyland Cypress, Zinnia, Beard tongue, Honeysuckle, Clematis, etc.
I also found these lovely bargain priced Penta's at Wal-Mart. I must stop walking through the garden Center when running in for a few things. i love Penta's as they call in the butterflies, bees and hummers.
We have been dealing with 100-Plus degree temps and the humidity makes it worse! With the humidity, we are getting a pop-up storm or two so some rain is falling on the gardens. HA, just enough to keep the weeds happy! Grrrrrr. I am getting things into the ground a little at a time. It is hard work in this heat and it drains me. Today I had a good day with digging out two new areas! I hope to carry on until I am finished. I can't wait to see what thrives in my Georgia Gardens. Only time will tell as a lot of these plants are new to me. I have read about many of them on the blogs and thank you all for sharing your gardens with me as you are encouraging me to add these things to my life. My garden is ever growing and I cannot wait to get all these MCCORKLE GOODIES, In the Garden...
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden