The Various Faces of a Garden

One of the signs of good garden design (in my opinion-just like everything else on this blog) is the fact that the garden can look good all year long. This is not an easy thing to do. The gardener must be intimately familiar with plants, textures, structure, form, color, line, repetition, and focal points AND must be able to put it all together. This is not an easy feat. Most all gardens will look good at some point during the year. I have many gardens like this in my landscape but during other seasons or months they might not look so good. Enter the Greenhouse Garden.

I was so enamored with my Greenhouse Garden this year I decided to document its progress throughout the growing season and beyond. I thought it looked great all the time! I'll try to outline the changes you see in the garden as the months progress but the one thing that is consistent in this garden is that it works, and it looks good all year. A little background info first. I designed this garden to be viewed from above. Since the area slopes down I placed taller plants at the back and to the rear of the front of the garden tiered upwards. This process works to balance out the sloping ground. I wanted the ground to be full all year long and I wanted interest. Interest does not necessarily equate blooms and flowers but there are some of them in this garden as well.

The Greenhouse Garden is three years old and is a delight to me. Each year it has gotten better with growth. I do sometimes have to adjust but this year I honestly did nothing to it at all. No watering, no weeding, only light pruning of the 'Limelight' hydrangeas and that is it. No maintenance and lots of beauty is the kind of gardens I desire in my landscape-what about you?

June 3, 2013
We start in early June where the garden looks like a bunch of mounds you can easily make a bed in and get some sleep. The grass reminds me of a bed! That ornamental grass is 'Adagio'. It is my go to grass of choice in landscapes. We do have some color in the form of 'Tango 4U' Asiatic lilies. The bottles are a constant presence and were placed there to highlight the pink coneflowers that will bloom a bit later in the season.


July 9, 2013

The coneflowers are now blooming and the Asiatic lilies have faded away. Cannas are beginning their long season of bloom and the 'Limelight' hydrangeas in the back are growing larger. It is at this point I trimmed them a bit.  Joe Pye weed is hiding behind and the right of the hydrangeas way in the back. It does not make its presence known until a bit later in the season.

July 21, 2013

Coneflowers are still blooming and now the sedum is forming its buds. Sedum is a must have plant in all perennial gardens. It looks good all year round and as a bonus is drought tolerant and attracts bees and butterflies. Everything is getting fuller and more lush as the season progresses.

  August 8, 2013

Then comes the WOW effect! The 'Limelights' are now beginning their bloom, the Joe Pye weed in the background has made its presence known, 'Goldsturm' rudbeckia is perking up, and 'Adagio' has begun its bloom. The bold leaves of cannas help to offset the finer foliage of the grasses and peonies here. 

August 26, 2013

The sedum is getting closer to blooming and the 'Adagio' grass has grown even taller. Everything is quite happy here now but the beautiful Joe Pye weed has gone by. That is one complaint I have about Joe Pye weed-it does not have a long season of bloom.

September 8, 2013

Now in September our sedum is in full bloom and the 'Limelight' hydrangeas and 'Adagio' are still going strong. The rudbeckias are on their way out. The cannas are still a presence and honestly I plant cannas more for foliage than for blooms but some cannas do have great blooms. 

This is a long shot of the landscape area where the Greenhouse garden is located. The path through the middle used to house a 24' above ground swimming pool a few years ago. Regular readers might remember my challenges with taking that pool out. We just had too many trees to make having a pool all that worthwhile for us. The garden area on the left is under a large cedar tree and gets more shade than the Greenhouse Garden. I did carry some plants over to that area mainly in the form of my wonderful 'Limelight' hydrangeas.

November 13, 2013

I had to wait a long time to get this final picture because I was out of town. Unfortunately I did not get any good shots of the garden in October. This picture was taken upon my arrival home. The perennials such as the peonies are mostly gone, The cannas are still there but are all brown, the sedum is still in the garden but is fading to yellow. The grasses and the 'Limelight' hydrangeas are still there tho. They will carry this garden through until February when the hellebores, pulmonaria, and bulbs begin their bloom. I leave most of plants standing until then especially if those same plants have good winter interest. Plants that provide good winter interest and which I leave up are: coneflowers, mums, asters, sedum, rudbeckia, and grasses. I cut all peonies, cannas, crinums, etc. 

I'm going to leave you all with this post and wish you all Happy Holidays!

in the garden....

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

Snow on the Mountain Stops Traffic

Before we get to traffic stopping, heart pounding, plants on the side of the road can you please help me to identify the above plant? It is growing in the same garden I will feature today and my friend Helga would surely like to know what it is. It has not bloomed, is about 5-6 feet tall, and has been growing in her garden over one year. 

Christy (a local reader and gardening friend) has identified this mystery plant as Paulonia tree, aka Princess tree and I agree. It is indeed an invasive exotic as Randy commented below.   

Now to traffic stopping, heart pounding WHITE! I was visiting my really good gardening friend Angie, when I decided to stop by my other really good gardening friend's house as they both live in the same neighborhead-imagine that! As I was driving to the house I saw this brilliant, and I mean BRILLIANT, white on the hillside behind Helga's house and wow!

I could scarcely contain myself because I just had to know what the white plant was that was growing so beautifully with the crepe myrtles. Helga just smiled and said, "It is Snow on the Mountain. Hasn't it gotten large?"  Note: Snow on the Mountain is a common name for several plants but this one happens to be Euphorbia marginata. Wow is all I can say. At one time Helga had given me a plant or two of this lovely but mine died out. I don't think I have enough sun for it. Some people say this plant takes over but when I searched Dave's Garden the biggest complaint about this plant seemed to be the irritating sap you can get on your hands if you work around this plant. So, if you grow this beware and wear protection. I love how this plant shines when everything else seems to be slowing down for the season.

Helga also has some lovely Lycoris radiata blooming....

in the garden....

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

Wildflower Wednesday: Heartleaved Asters and Perennial Ageratum

From In the Garden

This month I will spotlight two native wildflowers that grow in my garden. I am including them both because they grow next to one another and because they are both blooming now! The two are heart leaved aster, aka woodland aster, (Symphyotrichum cordifolium aka Aster cordifolius) and the other is perennial ageratum (Conoclinium (Eupatorium) coelestinum). Both of these plants are in the aster family so it makes sense they bloom at the same time-late summer to fall.

From In the Garden

I grow these two in part shade in a moist area of my greenhouse garden. This garden is transitioning to a woodland/native garden due to the limited sun it receives. So far it has been an easy transition but once I am finished with some major rehabbing we shall see how it all works out.

I planted both of these natives last fall. So far this year they've not received any supplemental watering, though they did wilt quite a bit; especially the ageratum. I have been most happy with the ageratum but not as pleased with the woodland aster. The woodland aster flops much more than I'd like it to but perhaps it is more of a groundcover than an upright perennial or perhaps it is not getting enough sun. I'm not sure but as long as it blooms it is a keeper in my garden. I like these plants so I intend to spread them around a bit more.

There are many more great natives blooming or getting ready to bloom soon but my garden is kind of in between blooming periods. We have the detritus of the summer garden (daylilies, coneflowers, brown eyes, etc) and the lush foliage of blooms yet to come (pineapple sage, anemones, asters, and mums) so I am happy to have these two native wildflowers blooming as a bridge between peak periods here at Tiger Gardens.

See Gail for more Wildflower Wednesday posts....

in the garden....

Skeeter is out of the net for a while and will be back as soon as she is able.


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Wildflower/Native Wednesday-Phlox Paniculata

From In the Garden

It's that time of the month-Wildflower/Native Wednesday. For more posts on this subject see Gail at Clay and Limestone. I am highlighting tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) in this month's post. While phlox is probably not considered a wildflower it is surely a plant native to America. Not only is tall garden phlox native to most of the United States, it is a queen in the summer garden and this time of the year is when it shines most brightly.

The cultivar pictured above is a new kind of phlox commonly called 'Spinners' (Patent PP 17380). The Spinners phlox is very resistant to mildew, a definite bonus in our humid summers here in the south. In the year it has been growing here it has shown no issues whatsoever. I have even moved it a few times this season and still it is doing well.

From In the Garden

I grow several cultivars here at Tiger Gardens. My favorite ones are the ones that do NOT get mildew. In addition to the Spinners phlox (very reminiscent of peppermint candy) another mildew resistant phlox growing here is 'Flame White'. Flame White is a dwarf garden phlox and quite a stunner in its own right. It is a Proven Winners selection and rightly so because it is a winner here.

From In the Garden

I also grow 'Starfire', 'David', a white phlox, and an unknown light purple phlox; which gets mildew in a big way. Grrrr! I have not been pleased with David or the unknown purple. Starfire could do better in my opinion but as long as it blooms and does not get mildew it is a keeper here.

From In the Garden

A very new addition to the phlox repertoire here is 'Nicky'. Nicky is a stunner! While it is not as tall as I'd like it to be I believe it will be a bit taller next year. I have read that 'Nicky' is mildew resistant but since it is so new I am not sure yet-but just look at that color! It is reputed to be the darkest purple of all phloxes. I personally like the deeply hued summertime perennials such as red and orange daylilies rather than pastels. Pastels just tend to get washed out in our hot sun here in the summer. Nicky is a perfect summertime perennial with her deep color.

Tall garden phloxes do well in full to part sun, the more sun the better, and rich clay soil. In my experience they will require some additional watering during particularly hot and dry summers. I don't do anything special to my phlox except perhaps add some compost and bonemeal once in a while to the soil. Phlox are heavy feeders and do require good soil. I have read where some gardeners cut their phlox back in order to keep the phlox shorter and blooming in a bigger way, but I do not cut my phlox back though I do deadhead. I have never sprayed for fungal diseases but I may just begin and see how that goes on my older phloxes. I do think it is wise to buy the newer cultivars because with the newer ones I have I have had no issues with mildew whatsoever.

Now a question for you, who knew tall garden phlox was a native American wildflower and what is your favorite cultivar....

in the garden....?


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Artemisia 'Powis Castle'

I have talked about 'Powis Castle' only briefly before, but I think it deserves a full posting all of its own. Plus, I am getting a little low on postings as I know not when the Blogger account will be deleted.

In one of my classes this term we are studying perennials. Nancy asked each of her students to provide her with a name of a perennial we want to see added to her list. It took me about a minute to think of 'Powis Castle', and that was the only perennial which came to mind.

I love this plant. Probably every single one of my gardens has a few Powis Castles in them because Powis Castle is such a great structural plant. Additionally, since I like a LOT of color in my gardens, my gardens can be riotous and will keep my eyes busy, the Powis Castle gives my eyes a resting spot and helps to calm down the color while unifying the garden. Gray is a good filler color in all gardens as it combines well with almost anything. At least I think it does.

Another great feature of Powis Castle is that it is deer resistant and vole proof. No plant is completely deer proof but I am betting that as fragrant as the foliage is, no deer will eat it. It is also a plant I can speak for personally regarding the voles. I have grown Powis Castle for more than five years and nary a leaf has been bothered by the voles. This is a feat in my garden as those hungry critters will eat everything else from hostas to iris rhizomes to sedum and everything in between.

When I try to offer my friends some of my Powis Castle you can almost see the hives beginning on their arms. "No thank you Tina, I think I will pass." is what I usually hear. Simply because the very word artemisia conjures up fear in knowledgeable gardeners. Artemisia is VERY invasive. I have learned this the hard way when I planted some very pretty 'Limelight' artemisia. It self seeded and ran all over my garden and spread to other gardens in the yard as well. I finally ripped that out last year and am hopeful it will not come back again.

There are two ways of spelling artemisia. Generally I would spell it with an e as in artemesia, but since my Southern Living Garden Book has it spelled with an i as in artemisia, I have chosen to also spell it this way.

Powis Castle will not spread and is not invasive. It will grow quite large though so be sure to leave lots of room for it to spread. Some don't like this feature (what is wrong with them), but I definitely like large perennials. I mean, we wait and hope for our perennials to grow large don't we? In full sun when it is mature I am betting it can easily grow to 4-5' wide and only about 2' tall. My speciman above got quite large this past year but I loved it and specifically planted it on the corner of this bed to anchor that side. It has worked well.

Powis Castle is a semi-shrub like lavender. It will not completely die back to the ground each year. You should cut it back in early spring to spur new growth and never cut it back in the fall. Cuttings are easily rooted with fall cuts if the gardener was so inclined.

Powis Castle is drought tolerant, as are most silver or gray foliaged plants. It's bloom is so insignificant I have never even noticed one. But oh do I love this plant. It works great as a groundcover and a mixer in the border.

in the garden....

Happy Valentines Day!

Holy Heucheras!

Heucheras are such a neat bunch of plants. I have a whole collection because it seems they are just a collectible type of plant-if there is such a thing. I know there is because many gardeners collect special groups of plants. Some like daylillies (I do too), some like hostas (who doesn't), some collect evergreen trees (like Paul James-The Gardener Guy), some collect roses (Yuck!) and so on. I like heucheras.

If you are going to collect plants, the heucheras are the best because they are small. Which means of course, I can fit more of them into my garden! Heucheras are also evergreen and bloom in the spring. Now is the time of year they are begining to really wake up in the garden. What more can a gardener ask for?

How about awesome color and a wide variety of foliage and blooms? Now let's add in some really cool names like Key Lime Pie (the first picture). Can you guess why it is called that? Hint: It has everything to do with the color. There is also a 'Snow Angel' (the second picture). Now let's add in some 'Mocha Mint' (the last picture).

These are but a few of the varieties out there in the market; there is a flavor for every gardener's palate. I have mine combined in a 'Heuchera Garden'. Heucheras are also known as Coral Bells; which may be easier to remember. My heuchera garden is under a cedar tree in a shady area on the north side of my backyard. It is in an area visible from the house and deck and I just love this little garden.

Heucheras are not fussy about maintenance or water. Too much sun can burn the foliage and even when in shade heucheras can start to look pretty fried by summer's end here in the south. Regardless, as soon as rains come and the shorter, cooler days of fall show up, the heucheras rebound quickly. The one thing I have found to make sure they stay vigorous is they need dividing every other year or so. You just pull the plant and separate the baby plants from the older woody material and replant. Make sure they are well established before the winter and I like to divide mine in the fall, though you can do it in the spring as well.

in the garden....wishing for maybe not SO many collections, but enjoying them nonetheless.

Mums the Word

I know I said I would try to keep on the pruning track this week, but I am running short of time so it is a good thing I have so many posts already prepared. This is one of them. I will still get some pruning posts prepared (of course, what would you expect from a Citizen Forester and tree lover?) and post them later. So much to talk about and to do-in the garden....

It is so hard to beat Chrysanthemums in the garden for fall color and interest. I have a lot of favorite plants, but mums have to be one of my all time favorite ones. And of course, there is a story behind it.

I lived in Germany many years and tried to garden wherever I was living. While living in Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg Germany, I purchased and planted a few mums. They were beautiful and I enjoyed them that fall. Little did I know at the time they would return the following spring. I had no idea they would survive the harsh German winters but those mums came back every year I lived in that apartment building. For all I know, they may still be blooming.

Some people here in Tennessee and surrounding states do not realize most mums are hardy and will come back year after year. I have lost a few over the years but mostly because they were not well suited for the location, or were under stress. I think to be sure your mums return you must plant them in a well drained soil. They cannot be allowed to sit in water and freeze repeatedly over the winter.

Another really great thing about mums is they are so easy to propagate. You must cut them back and keep the plant size to around six inches until mid July or so if you want them to be bushy and full of flowers in the fall. If you don't cut the mums they can get leggy and will bloom less heavily. When you clip them back, plop the cuttings in some soil on your deck or porch away from direct sun, water well, and by the time September rolls around you will have more mums to plant out in your garden. These same cuttings taken in June will bloom the very first year!

Mums are heavy feeders and in order to have a great show give them a balanced fertilized in July or August. So the next time you buy mums for your porch, don't give up on them after their bloom has passed by and throw them on the compost heap, plant them out and grow them for many more years.

The mum pictured above was a gift from one of the master gardeners (Mrs. Moody) during the 2006 Master Gardener tour. She had a beautiful garden and was very gracious by putting out freebies for the touring gardeners to take home with them. This is by far my favorite mum and even though the picture does not do it justice, this mum is different from most of the mums I grow. First of all, it doesn't even start blooming until all my other mums have gone by, then it blooms for over two months, all the while looking like it has just started blooming. This mum still had color in January, so I will have to say mums can be great for winter color AS WELL as fall color. The center of the bloom looks like a dandelion (Geri's view), but has distinctly different outer petals surrounding the cushion part of the flower. I thank Mrs. Moody for sharing her garden with me by giving me such a great plant. And, Mrs. Moody, if you read this blog, can you tell me the name of the mum if you know it? Thanks!

in the garden....

Prickly, Prickly, PRICKLY PEARS!

As you all know, I was out of town for Thanksgiving. I was in western North Carolina area for a visit with Mr. Fix-it's family. While there we all went out shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Not sure what you call this Friday. On the way to the big double decker mall I could not help but turn Mr. Fix-it's truck around practically in the middle of the highway to stop and take pictures of this very unique and (I think) beautiful community garden. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were a bit shocked I got out in the road to snap these pictures. (There were no cars around I promise)

You can tell from the two pictures it is all of what appears to be cactus. It is in fact cactus. The common name is Prickly Pear Cactus and the scientific name is Opuntia humifusa. My Southern Living Garden Book says this is a southern heritage plant and it is native from Canada south to Florida and eastern Texas.

This is a really, really cool plant. I was fortunate to visit a great gardener here on the south side of Clarksville (Lucy) who gave me the prickly pear. My garden club friend (Nancy) set up a visit to Lucy's wonderful garden for Geri, myself and another friend in early spring. It was a gorgeous garden and Lucy is so knowledgeable about so much.

Lucy was reworking some areas of her garden and happened to have just thinned out her prickly pear. She asked us all if we wanted some. Of course you know I had to have some. My friends kindly said,"No way. We will just see how it does for you in your garden Tina." A bit squeamishly I might add. I think the spikes scared them silly. You can see them in the first picture this cactus has some spikes.

I hurried over to where the pile of discarded leaves were and went to pick out some choice samples for my Wal-mart bag when Lucy screamed, "NO! Don't touch it!" Geri got quite a kick out of this and loves telling this story. I jumped about out of my skin because I was not expecting this. I though I had done something wrong. Come to find out Lucy was just protecting me and my bare hands. She approached the cactus with long gloves and an even longer skewer fork to pick up the leaves. She pierced the leaves mercilessly and threw them in triple Wal-mart bags. You see, it is not the big spikes that will get you but the little ones you can't see. Lesson learned. Jimmy has also learned about the little spikes you cannot see, the hard way. I don't know what it is about cactus that makes us want to touch it just to see if we will get pricked.

I had just the place for the cactus-right next to my prickly low maintenance yucca next to the road. Lucy told me to just throw it down and it will root. How right she was! It didn't take long either. I love this stuff.

When my mother came in August the one thing Dawn, my sister, requested was some prickly pear from the beaches in Florida since my mother was heading to Florida to see the other sister after she left my house. I told her don't bother, I would just cut a leaf off from mine and skewer it into a triple Wal-mart bag and she could take it to Dawn. Dawn kindly sent me a picture of her prickly pear and you can see it is doing just fine. She rooted hers differently than I did. I just literally threw mine down and the roots grew out of the side but this cactus is very adaptable and doesn't care how it roots-it just does. Dawn, I think you can safely plant out your prickly pear next spring. It should do fine in Maine.

I have seen this cactus all over town and in a lot of my travels but I am sure I have never seen its fruit. It flowers a lovely yellow flower but then the fruit comes out a dark purple as in the first picture. Isn't it cool? The entire garden in Hickory consisted of nothing but prickly, prickly, PRICKLY pear. If the garden had been next to the restaurant it fronted, a burglar would never stand a chance!

If you grow this cactus make sure it is in a location you and small children or pets will not accidentally run into. I would not plant it near my house that is for sure. It would work as a good deterrent for errant adjacent property owner's dogs and children if desired, along a border in a sunny area. It does do well in part shade as mine grows in mostly shade. I am thinking the pesky deer will not eat it either!

I have some bad news. I saw a dead fox on Dover Road not far from the bypass. I am wondering if it is the same one I almost hit over two weeks ago. Please be careful out there when driving as animals are out in full force looking for food and dashing across busy highways. It is heartbreaking to hit and kill an animal. I have done this only once and will never forget the thumps. So I feel bad for both the dead fox and the person who accidentally hit it.

in the garden....

Yuccas

Yucca filamentosa, aka Adams Needle is an excellent architectural plant for the landscape. The yucca does not disappear in the wintertime like most of the other perennials I have planted in my garden. I warn you though, wherever you plant it you are likely to have it there forever. My friend Deb and a few of her neighbors don't like their yuccas so they gallantly volunteered the plants to me-if I wanted to dig them out. Dig them out I did! My friend Gerianne also dug several as well. Digging and transplanting them does not seem to harm either the transplanted yucca, or the roots left behind. You see, after a small length of time, the yuccas resprout in the exact same location where they were dug. I am afraid Deb and her neighbors are stuck with their yuccas.

I transplanted the some yuccas in July 2006. They did not require any water this year and have thrived in this inhospitable location next to a busy road and my driveway. I think near a road or a driveway are really good spots for these stalwart natives and got the idea to plant mine here from several local houses with yuccas prominently displayed near the road for all to see. Another alternative is in a dry hot garden designed with xeriscaping (low water garden) in mind, or in a desert themed garden. This yucca is hardy here and requires no maintenance other than cutting off the flower stalk after it has bloomed in June. You can leave the stalk on, but I prefer to cut mine off. The bloom is beautiful but I find it doesn't last long. Also, sometimes the yucca will bloom more heavily one year and not the next, which is a drawback in the year of light blooms. The yucca root is a tuber somewhat resembling a potato, which I am sure gives it staying ability in dry inhospitable conditions. Digging yuccas and coming across the root can be shocking if you are not sure what it is-so be prepared.

I had this posting all ready to go when over the Thanksgiving weekend I discovered this beautiful grouping of yuccas at Mr. Fix-it's parents home in North Carolina. I already knew of it, but thought the coincidence of being able to photograph the grouping BEFORE I did this posting was a good thing. Comparing my little yucca I planted last year to my in-law's yuccas is like comparing a cherry tomato to a beefsteak tomato-really no comparison. But unlike the cherry tomato which will never catch up to the beefsteak, my little yuccas will someday grow into beautiful specimens like those pictured here. I think yuccas look best grouped together and this grouping is very effective with the added bonus of a lacecap hydrangea thrown in the mix (to the right and rear of the yuccas).

I want to thank my friend Deb for her yuccas and give you all the idea that if you feel you want some yuccas and have a friend who has some-ask her if you can dig them and I am sure the answer will be yes because in all likelihood the yuccas will grow back.

in the garden....

Dividing Perennials

Dividing perennials is one of my least favorite chores in the garden. I think my favorite chores are raking the yard and pruning with my hand clippers. Anyhow, now is the time to divide perennials. There are two general reasons to divide perennials, one is to make more of the perennial and the other is to rejuvenate an overgrown perennial. Fall is the ideal time to divide because the plant is usually ready to go dormant, there is plentiful moisture, and the soil is still warm enough for good root growth. I think it is important to time the division so that the perennial can get reestablished before really cold weather sets in, but as long as there is moisture in the ground and the ground is not frozen, you can probably divide up to December, then begin again in February.

Some perennials which should be divided at some point are: Red hot Pokers, daylillies, shasta daisies, hostas, sedums, irises, coreopsis, yarrows, lambs ears, oreganos, cone flowers, brown eyed susans, dianthus, phlox, ornamental grasses, gladiolus, crocosmia, spireas, alliums, ferns, and peonies. This list is not all inclusive, just some that come to mind in my garden. Notably missing perennials include: Russian Sage, salvias, mums (although I have had success in dividing some mums), and gaura. I start these from cuttings because they do not divide well.

I have a very long and wide and perennial border on the north side of my property (pictured above). This border has been sparse for many years to say the least as it is so large and my budget does not allow for instant gratification. I have started shasta daisies from seed and planted them, divided daylillies and stuck them in here and many other plants but the border has not been full because I have had to spread out the plants. My plan was to repeat everything in a uniform manner. I made sure I planted one daylily every five feet and one shasta every five feet and so on. The problem is one of anything does not work in a large garden, even if it is repeated every five feet. My saving grace was the fact I knew all of the perennials I planted would eventually grow enough they could be divided. The time has come! Where I had just one shasta I now have five or six. They will still be thin for a year or two but they will fill in and make the impact in this border I am seeking. The cost in dollars to increase your plantings from division is ZERO-so what a bargain. The costs wind up being the amount of time of you are willing to wait before you can divide your one of everything.

in the garden....

Allium senescens 'Glaucum'

In my horticulture class we are watching a series of videos on perennial plants. Jim, our instructor says most people take horticultural classes because they like flowers, so it makes sense to discuss flowers. A few years ago an acquaintance (Petra) gave me three types of plants. I was not familiar with any of them. I planted all three in my vegetable garden because I did not know what type of plants these were, and if they would be invasive. Since I have had to move my vegetable garden, I had to move the only surviving plant. I moved it out of a vegetable bed and to an edging ornamental garden still in the vegetable garden. I noticed the roots had onions growing on them, but still I was not sure of the type of plant. Finally, in that video Jim showed this plant was identified! It is Allium senescens 'Glaucum', aka swirling allium. I probably have an email somewhere identifying the plants Petra gave me, but it just didn't click. Sometimes that happens-hopefully not just to me! Like I said in my introduction, I learn something new every day. Imagine growing a plant for several years and not knowing what it is called!

Swirling allium looks good year round with grayish foliage that is low growing. It blooms August through October or even November. The drought had no effect on this plant and this allium combines well with other perennials in the garden. It should be used as an edging plant. The flowers are useful in flower arrangements. I highly recommend it. It can grow in light shade-which is a must for my garden. I was able to make several new plants out of this one clump. It will slowly spread and does not get as big as its more famous cousins-drumstick alliums and allium gigantum (both of which I have discussed before).

Those pass-a-long plants are sometimes the best plants and surprises!

in the garden....