Thursday, June 23, 2011

McCorkle Goodies

By Skeeter
This past Tuesday, I showed you a post on McCorkles Nursery. Today I will show you some of the things we picked up for our Georgia Garden... Sorry but I failed to snap a close up picture of the Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja) before we put them into the ground. Here you can see three of the 5 we purchased. 15 gallon pots for $15.00 each! See how tall they are as the Saint is standing nearby them. I am planning a natural fence between us and the neighbors for privacy. Right now with summer and the trees in full foliage, you cannot see much over there but during winter, I see an eyesore of a yard next door. I want to see evergreen beauty and I think these Green Giants will do the trick. We planted them fairly close for quick gratification.

The Saint has never liked Magnolia trees. He does not like the thick leaves that will not be mulched with even a mower blade. Being a Southern gal, I have always wanted my very own Magnolia tree. Imagine my surprise when the Saint said okay to this 15 gallon $15.00 Little Gem Magnolia! My parents have one in their yard and it blooms all summer long. The little Gem is not as large as the Southern Magnolia but I will enjoy it all the same. Thank You Saint for this wonderful gift! Don't worry, it will not be planted where you see it located in this picture. We had to put it in a safe place during high winds of a passing storm. Oh, we are getting a bit of rain so thanks to any of you that said prayers for us to enjoy a drink from Mother Nature.

Another in the tree category, which could also be a bush if you desire, is the Rose of Sharon. We had these at the old house when a child. My parents had one of my brother's dig a few of them to take to their current home and they are thriving. I had two of these at our Gartenplatz when we lived in Germany. Imagine my shock to find them missing one day. Our partner, which knew nothing about gardening thought he was doing me a favor by taking out the dead trees. It was winter and the trees were only dormant. He had taken them to the compost dump and I never saw them again. Grrrrrrrrr. I love hibiscus and never made the connection until now that Rose of Sharon is in the Hibiscus family. Silly me, the blooms pretty much tell all, Duh. Such bargains that I got one in Pink, White and Blue!
I was happy to find Red Rooster Crepe Myrtle. I have wanted a red myrtle for some time but they are way too pricey for me. I was shocked to find them at $10.00 for a 3 gallon pot! The Saint and I were so happy that we picked up 5 of these. I plan to take one to my mom in Tennessee as she has wanted one of these since seeing them here in Georgia. Unfortunately, I think they are mislabeled. They are blooming in bright Bright Pink which is beautiful as I have one but I really wanted Red. Sigh...

Moving on to bushes, I have my very first Oak Leaf Hydrangea! Ellen Huff in a 3 gallon pot for a mere$6.00. I have seen these for $23.00 and passed on that price.
I also picked up an Endless Summer Twist and Shout Hydrangea! I hope with our acid soil that I will have blue blooms some day. It has a bud now so who knows, I may get a blue bloom this season. I don't know much about Hydrangea's so I hope I do right by these two additions to my garden.
The Saint found this little gem. A Dwarf Variegated Gardenia. So cute and unique that we picked up two of them. I plan to put them with the Endless summer.
As soon as I spotted this beauty, I grabbed it up quickly. My parents have this bush/tree in their yard and I love the thing. My parents call it the Blue Bush better known as the Chaste/Vitex though. A hole was dug and the pot is sitting inside for safety during the storm. Saints idea and it worked as nothing fell over!
I was on the look for a Yellow Butterfly Bush since seeing one in the Saints Parent's Garden. I found one and only one at the sale! Happy Day for me...
Many Blogs have recommend "Knock Out" for those of us scared to attempt to grow rose's. I decided it was time to give her a go. Pink was my color of choice for this 3 gallon pot of beauty.
Strange looking Elephant Ear (unmarked) but I had to have one.
Also unmarked is this Black Elephant Ear. I had a Black ear in the past but she never returned after winter. I don't know if not hardy or if a Vole had a good meal that winter. This one, I plan to plant by the AC so it should have plenty of water. The Variegated Monkey Grass will accompany the ear.
Canna made me think of you Lola! I am adding these in your honor sweetie!

And these as well. I have started dividing my cannas and have made a new area behind the swing so these will go with those canna.

Hypericum Calycinum better known as Saint Johns wort, is new to me. I have seen it on the blogs and just had to give it a try as we have a new area for this ground cover to take off and run. Research tells me that I can clip it with the mower if need be just like Liriope (Monkey Grass). I am hoping it remains in tact with our mild winters.

The Saint has a thing for Ivy. He loves it. Well, English Ivy but not poison ivy. He is dealing with that on his eye at the moment. Doctor has him back on track though. I am not sure where he plans to put this ivy. We planted 15 sprigs two years ago and the Deer ate well.

I could not resist this huge Begonia. I have never seen one so large before. I was chatting with two other ladies about this beauty. One said she gets them at this sale every year!

I picked up other fun things as well. Loropetalum (Fringe Plant) Howard Ligustrum, Leyland Cypress, Zinnia, Beard tongue, Honeysuckle, Clematis, etc.
I also found these lovely bargain priced Penta's at Wal-Mart. I must stop walking through the garden Center when running in for a few things. i love Penta's as they call in the butterflies, bees and hummers.
We have been dealing with 100-Plus degree temps and the humidity makes it worse! With the humidity, we are getting a pop-up storm or two so some rain is falling on the gardens. HA, just enough to keep the weeds happy! Grrrrrr. I am getting things into the ground a little at a time. It is hard work in this heat and it drains me. Today I had a good day with digging out two new areas! I hope to carry on until I am finished. I can't wait to see what thrives in my Georgia Gardens. Only time will tell as a lot of these plants are new to me. I have read about many of them on the blogs and thank you all for sharing your gardens with me as you are encouraging me to add these things to my life. My garden is ever growing and I cannot wait to get all these MCCORKLE GOODIES, In the Garden...
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

23 comments:

  1. First, thank you for sharing your garden adventures with us. I'm relatively new to blog following but find those of fellow southern gardeners particularly of interest as we share hot, humid, dry weather issues. Wish I lived closer to McCorkle's, bargains are unbelieveable. I purchased an oak leaf hydrangea this year as well; however, much smaller plant for a much inflated price. I think you will love hydrangeas, I'm addicted and please let us know about your success with the ever blooming as I've heard very good things but was not successful with my one attempt. I particularly love the Nikko Blue and Annabelle. Here in VA, I have been able to overwinter the angel wing begonia, so you may want to place it in a protected area of your garden in the fall as they are quite beautiful.

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  2. Hi,
    I am a fellow southerner and grandmother, who loves gardening and I am looking forward to following you.
    Laura

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  3. Wow you and the Saint really picked up some wonderful specimens for your garden Skeeter. You will love the Hydrangeas, their my favorite ornamental shrub and not hard to take care of. Just plant them where they get afternoon shade and a little extra water during the dry spells of summer. :)

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  4. Holy cow! That's a lot of great new plants. Beautiful selections too. I hope all settle in beautifully and you get a nice rain for them but not for the weeds. Ha!

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  5. It looks like you are well on your way to getting everything in the ground-even in this heat. Good job! Wow on all the great plants. So glad you are getting rain. Those red crepes are so hard to find. Cool yellow butterfly bush!

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  6. Skeeter,
    This is a lot of watering for sure. Great deals though. I passed up a 5 gal camellia yesterday trained to grow up a wall, for $30. Not nearly as good a deal as you got.

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  7. I must say that you got really good deals on the plants you posted. Lot cheaper than I find around here! I just planted some Canna in the Asian garden (of course I will have to bring them in in the Winter) but the leaves as with yours do add color accents. One that I want to try but can not because I do not have enough shade is you Oak Leaf Hydrangea. The sun will ruin it here until my trees get larger and more shade. As for Magnolia, just posted the other day a photo of the Star Magnolia here with the lake in the background. People liked that picture. Jack

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  8. Good Morning everyone! My body aches today from all the work yesterday but I plan to take two Asiprin and get back at it. I have so much to do, Yikes....

    Anonymous, Welcome to In the Garden and the world of Blogging. I am one of two commenter’s here with Tina being our Master Gardener. I hope you enjoy our venture together. I have learned so much from blogging and find the experience of talking to gardeners all around the world so much fun. Give yourself a name as others use anonymous and that gets a bit confusing. Welcome....

    Laura, Hello there Southern lady and welcome to In the Garden! I was born and raised in TN but currently calling GA home. I hear that a tornado hit KY yesterday setting some beautiful horse free. I hope all is okay in your area as well…

    Racquel, I planted the hydrangeas yesterday. They will not received any sun after 2:00 as I watched the area close for several days before planting them. They are near the water spout so should be easy to keep happy with water during drought periods. The first hydrangea I ever saw were at my Great Aunts house in Louisiana. I thought they were the prettiest things I ever saw. Don’t know why it has taken me so long to add one to my gardens…

    Sherlock, I have never really added evergreens or bushes to my gardens. I am creating some beauty on the East side of the house that normally gets neglected due to the route of the visiting deer. This huge sale has encouraged me to make beauty on that side of the house. If only bargain finds were not in the middle of heat on the moon! As my Saint says, “Strike when the fire is hot”…

    Tina, Have I enticed you to visit us during the next sale? Probably not as I believe you have most of these beauties in Tiger Gardens. I am hoping they will have perennials galore at the fall sale. Rumor has it they are a dollar per gallon. IE, 1 gal=$1.00, 2 gal=$2.00, etc. I am planning to go to see for myself. The drive is only 20 minutes from our house so not like we are burning that much gas to see. I am seeing more and more of the Red myrtles at business landscapes but it does not look as though I have found them, Sigh…

    Randy, I am a sucker for those bargains. I cannot walk past them. I have added so many new things that I really know very little about. But I am a learn as you go gardener so this will be a learning process. I just hope I don’t have a heatstroke trying to get them all into the ground. Not to mention the water bill to come. Yikes…

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  9. Jack, I am so excited about my first hydrangea's. I should have added them years ago. I will drop by and check out your magnolia pic. I have not been visiting blogs lately due to so much going on in my life. Thanks for the heads up....

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  10. You guys sure made a great haul. I look forward to seeing where they all go and with that much new stuff it will change the looks of your landscape for sure!

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  11. I forgot to mention, but for you folks that used to read Dawn's blog, she is back with a post today.

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  12. Skeeter, Skeeter, Skeeter, I know you are tired and sore. The Saint and you scored big time with these plants. The natural fence you are going to love. I adore the Althea--Rose of Sharons too. I have always had at least one. Don't know that this will happen in your gardens with the Oakleaf Hydrangea or not. I have little Oakleafs popping up all around it. I had to give it an area all it's own. If you let the other hydrangea bloom in the container, don't be surprised if it's pink. Looks like your Knock Out is a single, they are pretty I have yellow one but my pink ones are double knockout and the flowers are bigger and last longer. Love the tropicals..that looks like an angel wing begonia or a dragon wing begonia--one has white spots on the leafs the other does not? I have the one with the spots. They root easy peasy....Love everything still. Okay, that's my redneck two cents worth. Happy digging!

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  13. Afternoon all.
    Skeeter that is a great haul you & The Saint did. You will love the green "fence". I have the red/green leaf canna, not sure about the other. I sure need to redo my canna bed.
    Love those pentas. I lost all mine. I have plenty of Ivy. It is growing up the side of my shed from the urns that they are planted in. Brother brought me 2 Begonias. The light leaved one is blooming a pretty pink bloom.
    I bought a Crepe Myrtle that was tagged red but it is a dark pink. I do know where there are a couple red ones. A shame I don't know how to propagate them. They are a very deep red.
    Glad you are getting them in the ground even with the heat. Try to stay cool & drink a lot of water.

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  14. I missed the post about McCorkle's (or else I've just forgotten...) What I don't think I'll be able to forget are the prices on these mature & large and wonderfully diverse trees, bushes & plants! I could study this post all night and still not be able to identify all of them...but I have a good start. Congratulations on such great additions to your yard & flower beds.

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  15. Good Evening everyone! We had rain today and I lost a tree. Sigh, will show you on Tuesday....

    Jean, the landscape will change for sure especially on the East side of the house. Oh goodie, I will run to see Dawn now!!!

    Darla, Redneck 2 cents, LOL. The begonia is green leaf. Some one picking up a begonia said they are easy to root to over winter. The Knock out Rose is Rosa Radcon Pink. They had double but I decide to give the old fashion a try. If I have luck, I may add more of the Knock outs in time and a double for sure. I do expect the Hydrangea to be pink from the pot but after me surrounding her with pine needles, she should be blue next year…

    Lola, I am sure you are dealing with the same heat as well. I hope you are getting some rain. We are finally getting afternoon storm and today was a good rainfall. The grass is so lush and green right now. Strange how a good rain or two perks up the Southern Grass. Too bad it perks up the weeds too. Just when I get one bed weeded, another needs it. A never ending saga around here. I was sure to get pots of canna with lots of babies so I will send you some of the light green ones this fall when things cool down a bit. I just love how pretty the foliage is on the canna as much as the blooms…

    Rebecca, I only know the names due to the tags! Ha, I have a more difficult time remembering all the names of my beauties with adding so many over the years. I have to stop and think for a minute as to the names of something when the Saint ask me. The bargains on the trees were the best bang for the buck for sure. Scroll down on the blog and you should see the post from Tuesday or the link for older post….

    Night all…

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  16. You must be sore from all the digging and watering you are doing. What great prices and great plants. I really like that yellow butterfly bush!

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  17. Fabulous plants! What a job to plant everything! I know you'll be greatly rewarded with all that you found.

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  18. You really did get a big load of plants didn't you?!!? Wooowww. Love the Oakleaf hydrangea...like Darla said, give it room to grow. There is one I drive by that is larger than the Ford F150 that parks in front of it.

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  19. You sure got some steals! $6 for an Oak Leaf Hydrangea wow - I'd be getting several!

    Those arborvitae will look great this winter! You need to get some red twig dogwoods to plant in front of them and some Winterberry hollies to plant kind of in between then you'll have a ton of winter color!

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  20. I can't believe all the great bargains you found, Skeeter! Your garden is going to look gorgeous with all these new additions. And yes, you can't go wrong with Knockout roses--they're the only kind I'll attempt to grow.

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  21. Catherine, Yes so sore and not even finished. I have so much more yet to plant. And putting on the blinders when I walk through the garden center of Lowes and Wal-Mart now. I am tickled pink over the yellow butterfly bush. I have wanted one since seeing that one in VA at my MIL yard. Now I am on the look for a orange one…

    Cameron, Planting all these makes me think of the day we sale the house. We do not plan to sell any time soon but I still cannot think of that sad day for me. All the work only to pass it along to someone else some day. Am I the only one to think of such things???

    Janet, Ops, the Oak leaf is already in the ground. I am giving it some room but probably planted it too close to another planter. I can trim that side though I recon. The Saint had the hole dug before we stood back and really examined the area. That happens when you dig holes at the end of a hot tiring day…

    Dave, thanks for the suggestions but they are already in the ground. I did not see any J.Maples but the Saint said he did but the pricey ones so he did not point them out to me. Yes, a red twig would be awesome against the green backdrop. I planted them with two of the red crepe myrtles in front and a Fringe bush centered out front of that.....

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  22. Rose, I have heard the Knock outs were the way to go. My grandmother had a beautiful Rose Garden and I know she would be so disappointed in me for not having a rose in my gardens. So I just had to get this one to give her a try. If I have success, I may add more in time...

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  23. what a varied lot of plants. Good luck and enjoy the planting and making them feel welcome. Glad you have the chance to replace those rose of sharons that your well meaning partner dug up for you! (that's why my partner is discouraged from using his initiative in the garden) cheers, cm,

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