• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

The Garden of Southern Follies and Delights

August 6, 2014 By Carol Michel 17 Comments

And so it begins… the Garden of Southern Follies and Delights.

I’ve been thinking for quite some time about clearing out the hodge podge of shrubs and perennials around the sun room and replacing them with plants normally grown in the south, including camellias, crepe myrtles and possibly crinums.

I actually started to call this area of the garden “The Garden of Southern Follies and Delights” a few weeks ago, even though I wasn’t totally set on replacing those plants with marginally hardy southern plants.

Then I went to the grocery store for some salsa, just one jar of salsa. The entrance to the grocery story is a minefield for gardeners because they always have some tempting plants on display out front. Good plants, too.  I’ve found some interesting plants in front of the grocery story over the years.

As I walked up to the grocery store, I tried my best to keep from looking at the plants, from making direct eye contact.  But a flash of pink caught my eye and I looked.

It was a crepe myrtle. Specifically Lagerstroemia indica ‘Strawberry Delight’. I tweeted out “Temptation, thou takes the form of a crepe myrtle.” I wanted it. But I didn’t buy it. Instead I made a deal with myself. We all make deals with ourselves when there are temptations tapping us on the shoulder, don’t we?

I made a deal with myself that if I went back to the grocery store the next day and they still had a crepe myrtle out front, I would take it as a sign to proceed with my plans to plant The Garden of Southern Follies and Delights.

The next day, I went back to the grocery store. I was delighted. There were three crepe myrtles sitting out in front of the store.  It was the sign I was hoping for, times three.  I looked from one to the other to the next one. Should I buy all three? Should I buy two? Or should I just buy the one with the nearly black leaves called ‘Midnight Magic’? 

I bought Lagerstroemia indica ‘Midnight Magic’. 

Depending on who is selling it, this particular crepe myrtle is advertised as either hardy to zone 6 or zone 7.  If it is only hardy to zone 7, then I have purchased a lovely annual crepe myrtle. If it is hardy to zone 6, then some winters it will probably die back to its roots but grow back in the spring.  It will likely never get to its full height of four feet. 

I’ll plant this crepe myrtle soon and then I’ll have Midnight Magic in the Garden of Southern Follies and Delights. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

Now that the new garden has been started,  I’ll pull out the hodge podge of shrubs growing there and prepare the border for camellias.  I’ve been reading about camellias for over a year thanks to Eudora Welty so I know there are actually some winter hardy varieties that should survive my zone 6 winter. Should.  

I’ll plant the camellias this spring to give them a good chance of establishing roots before winter arrives.

Crinums? I haven’t quite figured those out yet. Perhaps I can dig them up each fall, like we dig up dahlies and cannas each fall?  I’ll do my homework on those this winter when I plan out the rest of The Garden of Southern Follies and Delights.

I sure hope it grows more delight than folly… or I won’t be whistling Dixie. 

Stay tuned.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: gardening

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie at the Lazy W says

    August 6, 2014 at 3:46 am

    How funny! Saw your article on Twitter, couldn't resist clicking. Best wishes with your new adventure. Whistling Dixie! xoxo

    Marie at the Lazy W
    Oklahoma

    Reply
  2. Covegirl says

    August 6, 2014 at 11:52 am

    good luck!

    Reply
  3. dezignlady says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    My crepe made it thru last winter (can't remember which it is but got it from Southern Plants booth last year). It's set bud but hasn't bloomed yet, probably needs a tad more sun. Interesting about the camellias, didn't realize there was a zone 6, have a small one in a pot that is just getting going. Love me my southern roots (plants)

    Reply
  4. Irvin says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    The crepe myrtle will reach 4 feet many if not most years I bet. The camellia will be the tricky one.

    Perhaps add a rose tree of China. Some of the more southern hibiscus.

    And a blue bottle tree of course.

    Reply
  5. Rose says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    Everyone needs a few follies:) I've envied Southern gardeners for years for their crepe myrtles, so I would have had a hard time resisting temptation, too. Hope it brings you lots of delights!

    Reply
  6. Cindy, MCOK says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    Do not buy any crinums! I'll send you some.

    Reply
  7. Lisa at Greenbow says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    I cracked up when reading the part of how you traverse the lurking plants outside the grocery. They always put the prettiest blooms right there to tempt you. I hope your Crepe Myrtle grows like magic.

    Reply
  8. Layanee says

    August 6, 2014 at 1:01 pm

    Much of gardening is an experiment.You have got to experiment! Can't wait to see the whole garden.

    Reply
  9. Dee Nash says

    August 6, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    It's fun to have a folly or three. Rock on!~~Dee

    Reply
  10. betsy says

    August 6, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Carol- If you dig up crinums and keep them in for the winter they will never bloom. They are homebodies. Plant them against the south facing foundation of your house and mulch them heavily. They are tough.

    Crape myrtles are hardier than people think they are, especially if they get some hardened wood on them. They can become trees in Nashville.

    Reply
  11. Mary Linton says

    August 6, 2014 at 10:53 pm

    Midnight Magic is a beauty! I can relate to this post, just in the exact opposite longing–to grow things like tulips and hostas that almost always get fried here in the hot-as-Hades summers in 8b, Austin, TX.

    I relate to grocery store temptations, too. I've given in more often than I should, but some grocery store plants work out great.

    Love the name of the southern garden, too! Have fun.

    Reply
  12. Sally says

    August 7, 2014 at 12:43 am

    This zone 6 gardener will be very interested to see how your Southern garden does. Keep us posted!

    Reply
  13. rose gardner's momma says

    August 7, 2014 at 1:22 am

    I live outside dallas, and I grow lots of crinnums. their bulbs are Big. you might try growing them in a pot. good luck.

    Reply
  14. Kathy says

    August 7, 2014 at 1:50 am

    I agree with Layanee: gardening is all about experimenting!

    Reply
  15. Sue Link says

    August 7, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    I wish we could grow crepe myrtles up here in New York. I know that in some places downstate (near New Jersey) I think they are able to, but not so much up here in Central/Northern New York. It's fun to try new plants though. Gardening is always an experiment. You never know what's going to make it year-to-year. Good luck with your new garden.

    Reply
  16. Lee Ann says

    August 13, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    The least hardy crape myrtles here in Texas are Country Red (which no one plants any more), and the three which everyone loves: Muskogee, Natchez and Sioux.

    You might check to see if your crapes are one of these and being sold under a nursery name.

    Reply
  17. Lee Ann says

    August 13, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    While ultra cold may not kill your crape myrtle it will certainly cause it not to bloom the next year. So you may be left with a plant that just never reaches its potential.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,065)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Sign up for my new substack newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT