Seeing the first hummingbird, hearing lawn mowers again, dropping tax forms—and a check—into the mailbox, or having to hunt again for an open parking spot at the local garden center, we each have our own way of knowing when it's truly spring, when it's time to shrug off our heavy coats, relax our shoulders a bit, and breath in deeply again. Winter is over. Since I was a child, seeing Spring Beauties, Claytonia virginica, in bloom was my way of knowing it was spring. I still look for those … [Read more...] about We Must Not Dig It All
wildflowers
Morel Mushrooms, In My Garden
This is the absolute truth. I was out weeding in the garden on Saturday and discovered a morel mushroom growing near the base of... ... I just remembered a good morel mushroom hunter never reveals the exact location where they find mushrooms. I'm not a good morel mushroom hunger. I'm going to tell you all where I found this one because I trust you not to go tromping through my garden looking for more morel mushrooms. And I'm open to theories about how this came to be in my … [Read more...] about Morel Mushrooms, In My Garden
Solomon’s Seal for Wildflower Wednesday
I like digging into the topics that Dee Nash and I discuss on our weekly podcast episodes of The Gardenangelists. Last week, we decided our flower would be Solomon's Seal. Great! A native wildflower! Perfect! Well, not so fast. I did a little checking and found that indeed, there is a native Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum biflorum, which is usually found in wooded areas in the Eastern United States. I bet I saw it once or twice when I was a kid and we'd go to a woods to hunt … [Read more...] about Solomon’s Seal for Wildflower Wednesday
In Search of Violets
There, my friends, are the first violets blooming at May Dreams Gardens this season. They are growing approximately six inches from the foundation on the west side of the house, a spot I assume warms up a tiny bit sooner than other spots in the garden. I am not sure about the variety, but I think these are what is left of some remnants of Viola mandshurica 'Fuji Dawn' which I grew from seeds 20 plus years ago. Normally, 'Fuji Dawn' has variegated leaves, but as we all know, sometimes the … [Read more...] about In Search of Violets
Amsonia: Gird your loins
There are some garden tasks that require you to prepare yourself physically and mentally, to gird your loins. One of those tasks in my garden is cutting back Amsonia tabernaemontana, Bluestar, after it has flowered and formed seed pods. Those seed pods! They must be removed at any cost or my entire garden would be Amsonia. I do not want those seeds to ripen, fall to the ground, and germinate. The Amsonia seedlings, which don't look all that big, have roots that rival those of nearly any other … [Read more...] about Amsonia: Gird your loins
Mayapples
I have a little puddle of mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, growing in my garden. It's the plant with the umbrella shaped leave in the picture. The other plant, with the red bloom, is a Trillium. Both plants were rescued from a wooded area that was going to be dammed up to form a lake. Otherwise, I would have never dug them up and brought them to my garden. I wanted the mayapples, especially, because they remind me of going mushroom hunting with my siblings and my dad when we were … [Read more...] about Mayapples
