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In early spring when there are no garden flowers available, I am so grateful when I look under the leathery leaves of my hellebores and find flowers to pick for the house. It is a wonderful joy. Read More »
There are some plants that are so aggressive in the way that they spread in a garden bed that they are called over-zealous and invasive.
Many perennials like to be divided in the fall, especially if they have outgrown their space or have ceased blooming well.
Making potpourri from flowers is an easy dried-flower craft. It smells lovely and makes a great gift and looks pretty in bowls, baskets, and jars, reminding us of summer.
The marigold flower is used abundantly today in Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead, when both fresh and dried flowers adorn cemeteries and graves. The flower heads are also used to make a tea to drink.
Plant symbolism from ancient times is still noticeable in our language as well. We talk of the strength of an oak, the purity of a lily, and an olive branch for peace.
No one has been able to discover the identity of the Susan who gave her name to this easily grown garden perennial.
One spectacular lily is Lilium superb, spelled “superbum,” but it is not pronounced as it is spelt. Its petals recurve, so a common name is Turk's cap.
The Latin name “Physostegia” refers to the calyx, which covers their seed pods. “Physa” means bladder and “stege” means a covering.
When goldenrods are in bloom, it indicates that fall is in the air...and they do NOT cause hay fever (That is ragweed!), as the pollen of goldenrod is too heavy to be dispersed by the wind.
The lobelia family is extremely diverse but there are two American natives that are hardy perennials: Lobelia cardinalis and Lobelia siphilitica.
Many years ago, I bought a perennial plant at a nursery, and after I planted it, found that there was a ride-along plant in the pot. It was a wild petunia.
There are few flowers like liatris in the flower world, as the blooms open on top of the stalks first, and the ones on the bottom open last.
Coral bells flowers from spring into fall if it has moist, rich soil. Plant masses of coral bells in the front of your borders and water them well.
Our native Eupatorium purpureum, commonly known as Joe Pye weed, flowers in late summer and fall, producing tall clusters of fluffy purple flowers.
Ground cover plants are a bit like area rugs in our homes, as we can mix and match them or plant many of the same type of plant to cover bare patches.
In a cultivated garden, Helenium looks best with other yellow or bronze flowers that bloom in the fall, and they light up a flower bed as the growing season draws to a close.
If you especially enjoy delicate, airy types of flowers, then you should grow Gaura to enjoy in your garden and in flower arrangements.
The word Coreopsis is from the Greek word koris meaning bug and opsis meaning resemblance to. This is because the seeds of coreopsis took like small ticks.
Farmers don't care for wild carrots that grow in their fields and on roadsides and produce thousands of seeds that produce more plants.
Coneflowers bloom from mid-summer to early fall and combine well with most other flowering perennials.
Vita Sackville West's white garden at Sissinghurst Castle in England is world famous. Here's a quotation, describing it in her own words.
Many butterflies that visit zone 6 gardens can also be found as far north as Canada and as far south as Mexico. It is amazing that a monarch butterfly, for example, looks so delicate but can fly from here to Mexico and back.
The botanical name for feverfew is Chrysanthemum parthenium because according to Plutarch a worker fell during the construction of the Greek parthenon, and his life was saved by this plant’s medicinal properties. The common name of feverfew is because it is used to reduce fevers.
In 1995, the patents’ length of time was extended, so that now breeders can collect royalties on a plant for 20 years.
Today, I am quoting from Vita Sackville West who is discussing planting a border with flowers ranging in color from pale mauve through rich purple.