Don't assume I've grown every flower you can grow in my hardiness zone just because I've been gardening pretty much my entire life in the same zone. For example, I just started to grow what I like to call "summer alliums" a few years ago when an old friend gave me two big clumps of Allium 'Millenium' that he pulled out of a container planting. I split those clumps into the individual bulbs and planted rows of them along several flower beds. I took this picture a few weeks ago, … [Read more...] about Don’t Assume I’ve Grown Every Flower
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Barnardia japonica
Barnardia japonica is one of my favorite late summer flowers. The foliage comes up in the spring and then around mid-August, there are these lovely flowers. Dee Nash and I talked about this flower on our latest episode of The Gardenangelists podcast. I got my plants as passalong plants from the curator at the Elizabeth Lawrence gardens in Charlotte, North Carolina about five years ago, give or take. I went looking for a source to buy plants of this little late summer charmer so I … [Read more...] about Barnardia japonica
On Becoming a GardenComm Fellow
This past weekend, I was honored to be named a GardenComm Fellow at GardenComm's virtual conference. "GardenComm fellows recognizes a member in good standing who has demonstrated exceptionally high degrees of skill, professional ethics, and dedication to the GardenComm mission and values." If we had been together in person instead of virtual, I would have been invited up to the stage to say a few words of thanks. In lieu of a few spoken words, I thought I'd post some thanks … [Read more...] about On Becoming a GardenComm Fellow
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – August 2021
Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for August 2021. Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, USA, we were enjoying rain when we needed it... until a few weeks ago. Now, we could use a bit of rain, and that's what we've gotten. An early morning rain shower brought .15 inches to my garden, prior to that any rain has been just enough to wet the ground. Anyway, let's move on from the Surprise Lilies, Lycoris squamigera, pictured above, which have been blooming … [Read more...] about Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – August 2021
Garden Fairies Provide Updates
Garden fairies here. We are garden fairies and we have come here to provide important, meaningful, relevant updates, and a bit of news. First, we are sounding the alarm that the surprise lilies are blooming, though with those big pink blooms, they don't actually need sound to set a gardener's heart a-flutter. No, not a-flutter because they are so pretty! A-flutter because they bloom at what we garden fairies like to call the beginning of the end of summer. Now, no one should be running … [Read more...] about Garden Fairies Provide Updates
Dr. Hortfreud Discusses Obsessions
A visit with Dr. Hortfreud, my therapist for all things gardening. Hello, Carol. I'm pleased to see you... what's on your mind today? Hello, Dr. Hortfreud. Not much on my mind today. Just thought I'd stop by for a friendly visit. Oh, well, in that case, do you mind if I refer to my notes and ask you a few questions? Um, okay. Carol, I see that you've recently become obsessed—more obsessed—than usual with violas and all members of the Viola genus. Define obsessed, Dr. … [Read more...] about Dr. Hortfreud Discusses Obsessions
