Saving Plants For Fall Planting

It is plant sale time in all the local stores. It seems that come summer when it is so not gardening time in Tennessee, that many stores that stock perennials, shrubs, and annuals find themselves with an overabundance of plants that did not sell during the big spring season. Additionally, even if plants are stocked for summer planting or even for fall planting, if they are in stores right now in all this heat they are not looking too good due to the difficulty of keeping everything watered. Being watered by a hose while sitting on a shelf on concrete just isn't all that good on plants. Markdown time here we come! This is the best time to find some good buys if you know what you are looking for. Don't purchase plants just because they are on sale if you do not have a location for them in your garden. A good sale is not a good sale if you can't use the item. If, on the other hand you have a great location for some very large hostas (like I do) you might want to pick up a few pots. Tip: always try to buy in groups of three, five, seven, etc in order to get a good display. I have learned a small trick to help keep plants alive that I find on sale in the summer until I can plant them in the fall. A hard plastic kiddie swimming pool placed in the shade does just the trick. Grouping the plants and ensuring there is an inch of water or so in the bottom of the pool will keep your plants happy until garden season returns....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Hydrangeas, Lilies, and More

This is a very busy month for me and this week is probably going to be the busiest. I need to take a break from blogging for a bit and like I normally do, I will leave you with a few pictures from Tiger Gardens. Above and below is the wonderful 'Husker Red' penstemon in my Northside Shrub Border. This is a fantastic plant that is very versatile, drought tolerant, and tough. Skeeter posted on it here.




Coreopsis 'Domino' was a late addition last fall to my new Yellow Garden in the front yard. Coreopsis is also a very nice drought tolerant and sunny plant. Some varieties do better than others so you must first do your research or experiment with cultivars. Experimenting is what I mainly do though I will tell you I have found that the only threadleaf coreopsis that is tough and lasts is 'Moonbeam'. I never mess with 'Limerick Ruby' or 'Cream Brulee' anymore.




Irises in the pond add a spot of color to contrast nicely with the koi.

My mother's hydrangea is blooming. What a pretty blue!






A couple of late blooming clematis are still strutting their stuff on the arbor entering the backyard.

Gardenias rival sweet bay magnolias and 4 O'clocks for my favorite scent. My friend Naomi gave me this one I grow in a pot on the driveway.

Prickly pears are a great little plant for planting near the road where you don't normally garden but where you want to have interest. These are evergreen and a neat architectural plant.

The nearly two dozen oak leaf hydrangeas are in full bloom along with the mopheads. Next up will be the 'Annabelles', then the paniculatas ('Limelight', 'Pink Diamond', 'Tardiva', 'Phantom', 'Quickfire', and 'PG'). I love hydrangeas!

I saw a squirrel busy in the plum tree so I decided to take a look and see what was so interesting. This year the plum tree is loaded with plums; which the squirrels are quickly devouring. These plums are quite tart but they must be okay with the rodents and I don't really begrudge them eating the plums. Before long this tree will be skeletonized by the Japanese beetles but until then we can all enjoy it.

Spireas are blooming and I really like spiraeas even though they can be invasive and have to be watched.

Finally we close out with oxalis and Asiatic lilies in full bloom in the Front Center Garden. I hope you all are having a super good spring and are staying busy living life....


in the garden....


See ya soon...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

My Favorite Hostas

Hostas are a must have shade garden plant. Having as much shade as I do you know I have hostas. I guess I probably have about 30 cultivars growing in Tiger Gardens. Each year I get ambitious and try to document them all. And each year I fail miserably because trying to identify them is just a pain in the a#$. I just don't have the time or the need to really know what is what. Lately I have gotten better with labeling hostas as I plant them though so maybe one day I'll know all the cultivars, maybe not. 


At one time I did know what cultivar the above hosta is but it, like a lot of information, has slipped from my mind. I know this is a fragrant hosta that has wonderful blooms in mid-late summer. This hosta is huge and does not fade away in the garden when the summer really gets hot. If anyone recognizes it please chime in and tell me what you think it might be. I think it is 'Guacamole' but I am not sure. It is an excellent hosta!


I mention the above hosta because it is a hosta that is not only large and fragrant, but it stays looking good all season long. The problem with most hostas here in my gardens is that many of them emerge looking great in the spring only to fade away to ratty looking barely there plants come July or August. What fun is that in a shade garden? So, despite hostas being a must have shade garden plant they are a plant I do not ever go out of my way to buy or to plant. The ones I have are divided and spread around and I satisfy my need for hostas in this way. There is however a very wonderful hosta that I thought I would share with you all besides the above one.



I have no doubt about the cultivar of this wonderful hosta; it is 'Christmas Tree'. This hosta is my most favorite hosta for its vigor, its good looks, and its ability to stay looking good all season long with no care from me. I started with a few pots years ago but have worked hard to spread this hosta around to all of the gardens. 'Christmas Tree' is a large hosta that has substantial leaves which I think helps it to stay looking good during the summer. 


There are a few more hostas I have luck with in Tiger Gardens but they will have to wait until I identify them and that might not be for a long time....


in the garden....




Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

More Springtime Pictures of Tiger Gardens

'Carolina Moonlight' Baptisia

Japanese peony and Irises

Japanese Irises

'May Night' salvia and 'Rolly's Favorite' silene

Iris virginica

Peonies

Irises-note the cow pasture in the distance. The trees in my yard make all the difference here in the south--just look at that bright sun outside of Tiger Gardens proper.

Solomon's Seal

Smilacina racemosa

Colombine

Virginia waterleaf

'Raulstonii' sweetshrub

Irises and colombine in the Rear Center Garden

The Greenhouse Garden

Irises in the Crabapple Garden looking toward the backyard and Foundation Gardens

Lamb's ears, hostas, and colombine

Hostas in the Shade Garden north of the deck

Irises in the Front Sidewalk Garden.

A sweet robin bathing in the birdbath. Until I moved here to Tennessee and installed birdbaths I never knew how wonderful they were for attracting birds.

Another picture of the Crabapple Garden looking toward the Northside Shrub Border.....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Yellowroot

Have you ever heard of yellowroot? Let me clarify it a bit for you, have you ever heard of Xanthorhiza simplicissima, syn. X. apiifolia? No? Me neither until one spring Perennial Plant Society meeting. There was a whole bag of yellowroot free for the taking. Not knowing what yellowroot was I was a bit hesitant to grab a start but one of the members (Joanne) is very well informed about wildflowers. She explained yellowroot grows in the shade and only gets to about two to three feet tall and has little blooms in the spring. It suckers slowly. Grows in the shade? The perked me up and I grabbed a start for my garden.



Once I got home from the meeting I researched yellowroot a little more on my own. There is only one member of the genus xanthoriza and this is it. It is native and is actually on the endangered list for wildflowers in Land Between the Lakes. Wow! I felt like I got a real gem for my garden. I planted my start under an oak tree in a low area of the yard. As promised it bloomed and looked nice for most of the summer. However, late in the summer my yellowroot appeared to go dormant (I hope it comes back next spring!). I wasn't sure if this was normal or not so imagine my surprise when on my visit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens I found a whole stand of yellowroot. And this yellowroot was not dormant. It is quite healthy and looking great for September. 

Wikipedia says yellowroot is toxic in large quantities and deer do not eat it. Yellowroot does have some medicinal uses though. I think it is a neat native and am looking for good things to come of mine come next spring.....


in the garden....

Have you any experience with yellowroot?

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Success at Growing Bellacamda, aka Blackberry Lily

Walking through the garden while barely breathing in the stifling heat of this summer I was stopped in my tracks by a surprise bloom; that is the bloom of blackberry lily or Belamcanda chinensis.



I have tried for years to get blackberry lily established in my garden because the beautiful flower are followed by shiny black seed pods that look like blackberries. These seeds are wonderful for using in flower arranging and for interest in the garden. I enclose the long shot so you all can see that blackberry lily resembles an iris. I had started these lilies from seed about two years ago and planted them in the garden last year. The area I planted them had caused them to be shaded by some peonies so this spring I moved them to outside the vegetable garden on the southern side in order to provide them with more sun. While walking along I noticed the plants were knocked down (Mr. Fix-it drives in this area:(. I bent to pick up the plant when I spied the beautiful flowers.

What a feast for my eyes and the success of growing this is even more sweet since I started them from seeds-seeds I probably received from a fellow garden blogger. Thank you to whoever gave me those seeds!

The new buds have a unique curl to them and make the plant even more interesting to me....


in the garden....

For my local readers who have access to the military base I have to let you know the plants at the PX are marked down 75%. The PX normally has nice varieties, many Proven Winners plants, and unique selections. Check them out if you are looking for new plants to fill some spots in your garden. The plants won't last long-so hurry!

I am going to be taking a little break from blogging but you can bet I'll still be in the garden.....be back soon. 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The Many Faces of Spiderworts

'Blueberry Sundae'

Unknown

'Sweet Kate'

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

It always surprises me when I see the variety within plants-even within the same plant. Spiderworts, aka Tradescantia virginiana. This is one genus I love not only for its variety but for its toughness and ability to procreate itself-even in the darkest depths of my gardens. It is a great plant for home gardening. This plant is beloved by the bees and helps to bring a fantastic presence to the garden in the form of a filler or weaver or even the queen...

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden