Far and Near

BY SKEETER

 I am forever showing close up photos of blooms in my GEORGIA GARDENS. Close-ups give glory to the bloom while the plant seems to be lost.

 So today, I will change things up a bit and show some plants currently blooming. Hydrangeas are new to me as I have only been adding them to my gardens the past two years. I knew nothing of the plants but know they are a staple in a Southern garden.

 McCorkles Nursery (Giant Plant Sale) has Hydrangeas at such great prices that I decided to give them a try. I just love this "Mini Penny" above in my newest of gardens.

This Mini Penny is a Repeat Flowering Hydrangea and has hints of a creamy yellow with the blue coloring. 

 This Mini Penny is in the Semi-Formal Shade Garden.

This Mini Penny is the same plant as in the before plant but has more Blue to its flowers. More pine straw in this area for sure. 

 Midnight Duchess, as well as all my hydrangeas, had a rough start being planted during the peek of our 3 year drought. I really babied the Hydrangeas in my small collection during the drought. 

 Plentiful rains during Spring and into Summer have them shining. I really do like those purple-black stems on Midnight Duchess!

 Vitex  or Chaste Tree was added a couple of years ago and is doing great! 

 Bees love these blooms. Can you see the 2 bees in this picture?

 Rose of Sharon is a favorite of mine as it reminds me of my childhood home in Tennessee.  

 Here you see Sharon in the color of purple. I also have her in the colors of White and Pink. See the bug on this bloom?

 Balloon Flower has been with me for several years but will not seem to fill in for me.

 Even though it seems to be a slow grower for me, it does bloom each year. Am sure the recent rains are helping to make it stronger as the drought is finally over! Well, for now...

 I have 2 Trumpet Honey Suckle that are doing wonderful.

 Their bright red color attracts many pollinators.

And they are producing the most beautiful berry's as well.

I almost removed this Lantana from my garden this spring. It was late to return and I was clipping what appeared to be a dead bush when I spotted new growth. YIKES! 

I am so happy I spotted that bit of growth. I would have missed out on some beautiful blooms had I kept cutting the bush.

 Crepe Myrtle is now blooming. This tree is in the mending stage as it is "Miss Myrtle" that did the Splits on me in 2011. Click HERE to see that mishap.

She is bouncing back and blooming FAR AND NEAR, In the Garden...

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

The Pot Leaflike Chaste Tree: Dichotomy or what?

No silly! Not a real pot leaf! I promise! It sure does look like a pot leaf doesn't it? Or so I have been told. Geri and I visited the Nashville State Flea Market a few years ago where she purchased a Vitex agnus-castus, aka Chaste Tree. You should've seen the looks and questions we received as we walked around. Needless to say the 'pot plant' was quickly placed in the car. It is kind of funny that a tree with a name of 'Chaste' would have a leaf that looks just like a pot leaf (or at least I think it does).

All kidding aside, the Chaste tree is an OUTSTANDING and beautiful tree. It is right up there with crepes. The Chaste tree blooms at about the same time as the crepes, but its blooms are blue and shaped a bit differently-more loose.

The overall shape of a chaste tree is somewhat squat and rounded. It can grow to 25 feet tall. My Southern Living Book tells me these vitex can stay smaller in the upper south (our area), but I have seen many large specimens so take the advice for what it is worth and plan accordingly when siting your chaste tree, these guys will grow well here.

My little seedling pictured above is a new addition which I purchased from the Clarksville Garden Club's Plant Sale last fall. Unbeknownst to me, this seedling came from my friend Sandy's garden. I already have many plants growing in my garden that came from her garden. You can just make out the shape of the leaves with the characteristicly palmately shaped leaves. It is growing well and drought tolerant and I hope it gets big fast!
Now this little Chaste tree pictured both above and below has been growing in my garden for a few years now. At least I think it is a Chaste tree as that was what it was labeled when I bought it. It is an enigma to me though. I at one time had the type and variety but have long since lost that information. This is the second year it has bloomed and I just love the bloom. The bloom also has a spicy smell.
I purchased it at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show and just knew I had received a jewel. I have been happy with it but it is not growing in a tree form at all. It tends to grow prostrate and I have had to trellis it to be able to enjoy it fully. Does anyone recognize this vitex? Is it even a vitex? Honestly with the way things are marked now a days it might be something else. The leaves are quite different from my other 'pot' tree, but nonetheless it was marked as a vitex.

Both of these trees are growing in the Northside Shrub Border in part sun in the driest area of the garden. Not only does the area not get rain, but the neighbor's tulip poplar sucks whatever moisture there is out of the soil. Can you say dry?! Very dry. Yet I have never had to water these vitex. How great is that?
Now to show you a mature specimen. This vitex grows on the campus of Nashville State Community College right in front of the library. All students walk past it when they go to their classes. It is a lovely tree with great blooms and I can envision mine looking this good one day.

in the garden....

Update: Janet from Queen of Seaford Blog identified my mystery vitex as Beach Vitex, an invasive beach species. I am not sure what I will do with mine, it might meet the compost bin very soon, we'll see. Thank you Janet!

Boy this post is getting a bunch of edits today. I wanted to add in a picture of Skeeter's parent's Chaste Tree, aka the 'Big Blue Bush' and aka 'The Pot Tree'. Isn't it beautiful?? Skeeter's parents took the picture-thanks!