In a couple of months, a couple little starts of Gardenia 'Sweet Tea™' are going to wake up on a snowy morning and realize they are not in the south any longer. They are in my Garden of Southern Follies and Delights, nestled in with two camellias that have so far survived one winter, three "big box" crepe myrtles sold as perennials, and a bunch of dandelions. The dandelions are ruining the party, so to speak, so I'll be evicting them soon and adding some more mulch. They are why I can't … [Read more...] about Additions to the Garden of Southern Follies and Delights
shrubs
Dear Southern Camellia Sisters
Dear Southern Camellia Sisters, Hello from the Midwest. We cannot believe it has been six months since we last wrote to give you an update on our adventures here in the Midwest. First, we need to report some sad news. It appears that our dear sister camellia 'Kuro Delight' did not make it through the winter. 'Snow Flurry' and I ('April Delight') watched and waited for her to leaf out but sadly, she did not. We wondered for the longest time if Carol noticed that 'Kuro Delight' didn't … [Read more...] about Dear Southern Camellia Sisters
All my thoughts are in the garden
Where are my thoughts these days? I never have to wonder too much about where my thoughts are because most of the time, I can find them in the garden. I've been thinking lately about attracting more birds to the garden, not by setting up "fast food" stations like hummingbird feeders, but by planting more plants that provide food for them. One such plant is a Sundenia® Dipladenias. It's in a hanging basket and likes to vine up and all over. I've seen one hummingbird enjoy its blooms and hope … [Read more...] about All my thoughts are in the garden
Another week closer to spring
Camellia 'April Remembered' Hang in there, Camellia! You just got through another week of winter which means you are a week closer to spring. It was a cold week, but I'm feeling pretty good about your chances of surviving it. Your leaves look green and your buds actually look a little plumper than a few weeks ago. We did get some snow and it got pretty cold there for awhile, but you still look good. Hang in there, Camellia! I'm hopeful and I will continue to believe in you and … [Read more...] about Another week closer to spring
Dear Southern Camellia Sisters
Camellia bud Dear Southern Camellia Sisters, Hello from the north! We thought it was high time we should write to let you know we arrived safely in the Midwest months ago and are more or less settled in our new home, a place called The Garden of Southern Follies and Delights. It's part of a garden known as May Dreams Gardens. We had a lovely spring, a wet, for the most part, summer, and so far, a mild fall. Or so they tell us. This weather is all quite new to us! As near as we … [Read more...] about Dear Southern Camellia Sisters
What does it do?
"What does it do?" is a question a friend of mine often asks me when she goes with me to a garden center. As we walk among the trees and shrubs, I'm thinking Fothergill gardenii, great fall foliage, Syringa, love the smell of the blooms in the spring and mom really liked those flowers, Rhodendendron, rarely a good choice around here, Potentilla fruticosa, related to roses Cotinus coggygria, weird flowers supposed to look like plumes of smoke from a distance and needs to be whacked back to … [Read more...] about What does it do?
