December

Boy, did I drop this blog! I usually have so much to talk about in the garden. Things just kinda got away from me this year. I didn't get as much done as I wanted, didn't even get the things that needed doing done.

I have a bag of daffodil bulbs that never went in the ground. Now the ground is freezing. I might just pop them in the perennial pots on the porch.

We got the first real snow of the season yesterday. A good 4" or more that piled up so prettily on everything. I think this is the most snow I've seen since I've been here.

I've been indoor gardening so I can talk about that. A pot of paperwhites is blooming on the table. These smell so sweet, it's almost sickening sweet. Definitely would be overpowering en masse. I've created a garden in the corner by the computer desk. I'll get pix and talk about that next time.

tnt
Natureschild

Hydrangeas

The hydrangeas are blooming so I'll talk about them today.

Up north, about the only hydrangeas you'll see are the white "snowball bushes". I don't know for sure what species they are. Pink or blue hydrangeas just don't happen.

Hydrangeas change color in response to soil ph. You can prove your soil ph with them. Acidic soil makes them blue. Alkaline makes them pink. In Tennesse, it's nearly impossible to have pink hydrangeas. Even if a hydrangea is pink when you buy it, it will surely turn blue in the TN soil. I currently have 3 hydrangeas.

"Endless Summer" is a large mophead with rich color. It's a reblooming cultivar that blooms on both old and new growth.

"Lady In Red" has a smaller lacier and paler flower. It gets its name from the red stems and leaf veins.

"Blushing Bride" is the newest one, and I think the most beautiful. It's creamy white with a blush of color.

I should mention the Rhododendrons while I'm here. The forest around me is full of them and they are blooming now. The plants are very large and the flowers start with a pink blush and then turn pure white.

I have a few dwarf rhodies, and azaleas, which are related. These are also plants you won't see much up north.

tnt
Natureschild

June

Where have I been? I'm so bad about keeping up a journal! I start out with the best of intensions, but then I let it go.

If you go to the rabbitry blog, you can catch up on the animal happenings.

We've been getting plenty of rain and the gardens are lush and blooming. It's so good to see after the 2 yr drought! I've been sick, and some things have been neglected. Just now getting my wind back and plan to get real in the yard and garden.

I've got some new things sitting in their pots waiting for me to get to it. Some new grasses, butterfly bushes, and other perennials. I'm expanding the garden at the east side of the porch, and have some shade things for that.

Have a lot of transplanting to do as well. It's high time I got the daylilies that have been in the nursery bed for 2 yrs to go to their permenant place. Good thing daylilies can be transplanted anytime.

What's in Bloom:

Daylilies
Lilies
Lavendar
Coneflower "Razzle Dazzle"
Husker's Red Beardtongue
Roses ("Fairy", "Knockout Pink")
Hydrangea ("Endless Summer", "Lady In Red")
Sidalcea
Spiderwort
Coral Bells
Honeysuckle

The coneflower is a pleasant surprise and blooming before the other coneflowers. It's a double that I didn't really expect to make it back from winter. I haven't had any luck with other specialty coneflowers. But it's doing great and quite impressive! * Note to self...get photo.

The veggie garden is coming right along. The cuke plants are nice and healthy. Onions can be dug anytime. The patio tomato has some green fruit already. I always put one of those in because they produce so early.

I was sooo MAD! The strawberry patch is doing great this year. Finally. I got a handful of berries to eat (like 4). And then the guineas discovered them! They eat every single berry, even the green ones! Grrrr! I will be putting a better fence around it next year.

At least it looks like a nice wild blackberry crop this year. There's been enough rain, the berries should be juicy and sweet. The drought ruined them the last 2 yrs. They were as hard and dry as nuts.

Well, all for now. I'm going to try and get something done out there today and this week and here on in.

tnt
Natureschild

Just checking in

Not a lot new to report. I've been waylaid by other things and haven't spent as much time in the garden as I'd like.

What's In Bloom:

Daffodils
Flowering Almond
Persian Lilac
Yoshino Cherry
Okame Cherry
Crabapple
Apple
Redbud
Moonlight Broom
Dogwood

Today I'll talk about some of the trees and shrubs that are in bloom now.

The Persian Lilac is at the front corner of the rabbitry. As I walked out of the barn the other day, the scent hit me. I've always loved lilacs for the fragrance. It's a small shrub, and the flowers are smaller than the Old-Fashioned Lilacs. I planted a few of the Old-Fashioneds, but they have yet to bloom. I had read that they don't do as well in the south, preferring very cold winters, but since they are available in local nurseries, I have to try.

Okame Cherry is also in front of the rabbitry and I am in love with this tree. The bloom time isn't real long, but so pretty in palest pink. It has the odd habit of throwing out a few blooms in the fall. I thought at first this was in response to unusual conditions, but now know it's just its nature. What I especially like is how fast it's grown. I've been pruning the lower branches to showcase the interesting bark and form.

I planted 3 apple trees last year. They were fair-sized, and 2 are in bloom. I'm not sure if the other one made it as I haven't seen much sign of life. My main reason for apple trees was the rabbits. They will enjoy the prunings for chewing wood. I plan to get a few more this year.

Moonlight Broom is a lovely pale yellow shrub. It's just kicking in. The flowers are like pea flowers, growing all along the branches, and have a rich scent. It's overpowering if you are close to it. I wasn't that impressed when I first planted them, but then they gave their first real show last year. The bloom time is quite long, as well. I also planted "Minstead", a purple, but it has failed. For some reason it kept falling over and uprooting itself. I moved it last year and have seen no sign of life this spring. The 3rd broom is "Paulette". This has red/yellow bi-color pea flowers that appear peach from a distance. It tends to grow taller than Moonlight and blooms a little later and not as profusely. One of the things that attracted me to the Brooms was the growth habit. The leaves are tiny along slender green branchs and it gives a sort of flowing grass look. It looks great next to the large grasses, giving a different texture in the similiar form.

The Dogwoods - Tennessee's signature tree. This is a native, but it defies the usual native directive of being easy and tough. I've been struggling to get some established and so far only 2 have made it. They apparently cannot handle drought. Due to my water situation (that's a whole nother story), and the drought, I was unable to keep things watered the last 2 yrs. I still tried to get trees going, and some are barely making it. The dogwoods bit the dust, except the 2 at the corners of the back deck. These were the first ones I planted, and closer to the water hose. They are blooming now (dark pink), but not greatly. The one's main leader died and broke off last year, but it had suckered. I figured the suckers would be white, but they are pink. I guess this one won't be the canopied tree form I had planned. I'm so jealous of the Dogwoods I see as I'm out and about, and I want in my yard.

In my last post, I mentioned the possible late freeze. Yay! It didn't happen. We've been getting quite a bit of rain. I have high hopes for a better gardening year.

tnt
Natureschild

Brrr

Ok what happened to spring? It snowed yesterday,and the cold snap is supposed to last through tomorrow. The snow didn't amount to much, but it stuck to the ground. It could be a hard freeze dipping into the 20s. This feels like MI in spring not getting here fast enough.

This is like the late April freeze we had in 2007. That was rough. It killed the dogwood bloom, and stunted everything else. The drought followed, and everything is still recovering from that. In MI, this would be normal, and plants wouldn't even be up much at this time. Here in the south, most things are going strong already. Global warming? Not from where I'm sitting. Could be another sad year in the garden.

What's In Bloom:

Daffodils
Flowering Almond
Persian Lilac
Yoshino Cherry
Okame Cherry
Crabapple
Apple
Newport Plum
Cistena Plum
Redbud
Moonlight Broom

I saw a mockingbird the other day. I wish they would stick around. I love their songs. I only see them rarely as they pass through. Hoping the apple trees will interest them someday. I want to get more apples and crabs this year. These types of trees seem most attractive to birds, and I like them, too.

Made a few visits to the nurseries, but haven't bought much yet. I picked up some new hostas that I found pretty cheap. I'm expanding the garden at the covered porch, and will fill it with shade lovers. That faces east and most shade lovers will be happy there.

I took some cuttings from the Dappled Willow I planted there last year. It's a really pretty shrub. It has varigated and pinkish leaves and likes the eastern exposure. I put the cuttings in a bottle of water, and there are roots now. Cool. I'm going to try getting a few other things to root that way like Forsythia and the hybrid willows. The Forsythias are just finishing their bloom so I'll take those soon. The willows I can take anytime. I might try just sticking a few in the ground to see what happens. We've been getting good rain so it might work.

So being too cold to work in the yard, I'm trying to catch up some things in the house.

tnt
Natureschild

Out Like a Lamb

March is nearly over and spring is really here. It's been mild...50s-60s, although it got pretty cold the last couple mornings. Still above freezing. Last frost date for this area is supposed to be around April 15.

What's In Bloom:
Daffodils
Okame Cherry (pale pink)
Yoshino Cherry (white)
Redbud (pink)
Newport Plum (pale pink)
Forsythia (yellow)

I really cut back on mail orders this year. I usually spend way more than I should. I decided to back off this year, and make most of my purchases from local nurseries. However, I couldn't stop myself for ordering a few new daylilies. I never can.

The first order came last week. This was my 1st time ordering from Oakes Daylilies, and I'm so pleased. I will definitely come back. The plants were large and healthy. I ordered a bit late so they already have greenery. When I first looked through the catalog I got a bit of sticker shock at some of the prices. I found several that fit my budget, and after seeing them, I won't be afraid to try a more expensive cultivar. I can easily split each cultivar into 3 plants. What a deal! And they should bloom this year!

Not only that! They gave me the option to list some substitutes in case my order was out of stock. They stated they give bonus plants. I couldn't believe it when the bonus was one I had considered ordering and put first on the substitute list. Oh yeah, I'll be back.

Oh forgot to mention. Oakes is local just outside Knoxville, and they have a daylily festival in June. Just might drive up there and check it out.

The new daylilies from Oakes:
Prairie Moonlight (huge white). You might remember I said I was adding more of the huge-flower varieties.
Spider Miracle (huge pale yellow).
Jolly White Giant (huge white).
*Bonus - Pink Attraction (medium ruffled pink).

I only ordered a few things from Roots & Rhizomes this year. This has been my main daylily supplier for many years. Haven't received the order yet, but expect it anytime.

Over the Top (large ruffled pink)
R&R Night Prowler (black)
Helianthus "Lemon Queen" (pale yellow perennial sunflower)

So what else is new? I have to get the tractor fired up. The one thing I don't like about the south...the mowing season is longer. We've had a fair bit of rain lately and the grass is a-growing. I got side-tracked by a few things (like rabbit shows), and it's time to get back on my knees and get those gardens cleaned up. I want to split some of the grasses and spread them around. There's some daylilies on the slope I want to salvage.

The slope? This was a hard to mow area. A long slope that goes up to the higher back of the property. When I first moved here, I killed off the grass and most of the daylilies from MI went there. I added things to it over the years, like grasses and shrubs, and a lot of unauthorized things made themselves at home there. There's some interesting wildflowers around here. After I had the fence installed (it went in front of the slope), I abandoned it to nature. I want to move some of those things down in front of the fence which will pretty much hide the whole thing anyways.

BTW, there's a lot of abandoned parts of the property. It was all mowed (1.5 acres) when I moved here. I've cut mowing time from 3 hours (on the riding mower) to about 1.5 hrs. If I don't go there, I don't mow there. I call it wildlife habitat.

In case you're wondering where the pictures are. There's my old garden site... Natureschild Gardenworks... but I will be moving it to the new domain soon. When I get to it. The pix are old, but most of the info is still valid.

tnt
Natureschild

The Perfect Perennials

Daylily. Why perfect? So easy, anyone can grow them anywhere. They don't care about soil, drought, cold, or neglect. They look good all season. Almost infinite variety of colors and form. Some rebloom so you can have flowers from mid-spring to late summer. Deadheading keeps the flowers coming. They come in dwarf and tall varieties, and everything in between so they fit anywhere. They can even serve as small shrubs. If you need more, just dig one up and split it. They are so tough, you can split at any time of the year. Even while blooming, which is handy if you need a particular color, but can't remember where it is.

The best fertilizer for daylilies is water. They do suffer a bit from a prolonged drought as I discovered during the bad drought the southeast went through the last 2 years. They don't die, they just don't grow and bloom very much. I hope the drought is over so we can get back to business.

I even dabbled in hybridizing and have 2 of my own that I created several years ago. One is a pale yellow Stella D'Oro x Ice Carnival (my oldest "white" variety) that I named "Lemontime". It's about the same size as Stella and reblooms as well. The other is a little reddish double that I named "Rose Doublet". Its parents are a small double peachy thing and a red. I lost the original names of the parents. I want to get back into hybridizing. It's so easy and fun.

The only colors not yet perfected in daylilies is pure white and true blue, but they get pretty close. I've been collecting "whites", and also the "blacks". Another color not perfect, but close. The only color I don't have a lot of in the gardens is orange. It just not a favorite of mine in any flower. I have one sort of orange daylily. It's one of my oldest varieties and I've lost the name. "Golden Gate" sticks in my mind so that's what I call it. It's a light glowing orangish gold, and it really does glow like neon no matter the light level.

I have several of these "heirloom" varieties, and they introduced me to the wonder that is the daylily. "Hyperion" is a very old-fashioned cultivar and one of my favorites. It's a tall plant with light yellow fragrant flowers. "Ice Carnival" was my first "white". It's as tall as Hyperion and blooms about the same time. "Golden Gate" also blooms then, and the 3 look great together.

One of my other favorites is also the tiniest. "Siloam Sampler" is a dainty gold with a maroon eyezone. The flowers are only about 2" across and the plant about 12" high. It's very prolific for growth and flowers although the bloom time is too short. There's always plenty to split.

Oh gosh, I could go on and on about some of my favorites. Here's a quick list.

"Little Grapette". An heirloom given to me many years ago. Deep rich purple 3-4" flowers on a compact plant.

"Moonlight Masquerade". Another dwarf. Small white with deep burgandy eyezone.

"Siloam Tiny Tim". Dwarf, dark purple.

"Siloam Plum Tree". Another dark dwarf purple.

"Sun Capers". This is one of those I've lost the name and picked one out of a catalog that looked most like it. A highly fragrant heavy substance yellow.

"Citrina Hill", "Multiflora", and "Dumoriterii" are species daylilies. "Dumoriterii" is also called "Early Daylily". It blooms even before Stella D'Oro. The flowers are different from other daylilies, being more trumpet-shaped with gold petals that have a maroon streak on the outside. The other two are clear yellow.

"Stella D'Oro. Can't leave golden Stella off the list. The first reblooming daylily, and likey the parent of all the ones that came later.

"Barbara Mitchell". Heavy pink with interesting "corderoy" texture.

This year, my catalog orders include more pinks. I realized I don't have a lot of pinks. And some more whites and blacks. Some of the newest cultivars are coming out with huge flowers. I have an enormous (8 1/2" across!) yellow called "Big Bird" acquired a few years ago, and I was so impressed I've started adding to the big flower collection.

Ornamental Grass. My newest passion. Tough, easy, and beautiful all year round,. Yes, even during winter. I leave them to provide visual interest and cover for the birds. They can serve as graceful shrubs. All they need is to be cut back in early spring so the new growth can reach the sun. The plumes make wonderful dried arrangements.

My favorites are the Miscanthus. These include Maiden and Silver grasses. I have several in my collection now. "Cosmopolitan" and "Cabaret" are big variegated cultivars with heavier leaves. The slightly smaller "Morning Light" is a beautiful variegated Maiden grass with fine textured leaves. It sparkles in the sunlight. "Porcupine" is an upright Miscanthus with barred leaves. It looks great alongside the fountaining varieities.

Another favorite are the Switch Grasses. These are lovely native grasses. My very favorite is "North Wind". It's a tall upright bluish green. The foliage is no wider than the rootball so where the root fits, it fits. It sways gracefully in the breeze. "Dallas Blues" is newer to my gardens, and has wider more blue leaves.

I also have smaller dwarf grasses that fit right in the front of gardens. "Little Kitten" and "Adagio" are dwarf Miscanthus. The leaves are almost wire-thin. The Feather Reeds, "Karl Foerester", "Avalanche", and "Overdam" have very attractive shorter foliage, although the plumes get pretty tall. There's even some grasses for shade. The Japanese forest grasses and Carex have wonderful flowing forms for the front of a garden. They fit right in with the hostas.

Can't forget the Pampas Grass. Couldn't grow this up north. Now I can grow this incredibly large and beautiful grass. I also have Ravenna Grass. This was our northern version of Pampas, sometimes called Hardy Pampas or Plume Grass. Mine are young yet, but in MI I had one that grew plumes over 12' tall!

Hosta. I have to include these in the perfect perennial catagory. As tough and easy as daylilies. All they ask is some shade and decent water. Some can even take full sun.

Heuchera (Coral Bells). This is another tough perennial. It's main attraction is the foliage, which is becoming more varied as new cultivars come out, and it fits in either sun or shade. It has lovely airy spikes of tiny bell-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds. Easy to propagate by splitting.

There you have it. The "bones" of my gardens.

Oh I almost forgot.

Happy 1st Day of Spring! (frost this morning)

tnt
Natureschild

Spring Has Sprung

This will be a garden and nature journal. I'm a nature-watcher so expect lots of critter sightings as well.

According to the Hardiness Zone Maps , I'm in Zone 6, but it's so borderline to Zone 7 that I can push the zonal limits for many things, and I will try. Looking around the area, I see many things I wouldn't consider hardy, happily growing and multiplying. Cannas and gladiolias are 2 that come to mind. I'm still working at getting a stand of cannas established, and will try glads someday. I'm not much for digging and storing tender bulbs so don't really mess with them otherwise.

So what about the gardens? I'm an avid perennial gardener and a bit of a collector. If I don't have it, I want it. I've been doing this for over 20 years. When I moved from Michigan to Tennessee in the summer of 2004, I brought a lot of plants with me. Mostly daylilies. I can't stop myself from ordering a few new varieties every year from my favorite daylily catalogs. I'll talk more about the daylilies in another post.

My latest passion is ornamental grasses and that collection is growing yearly as well. I loved discovering all the new things I can grow in this milder climate zone.

My place is off the beaten track so curb appeal is not a consideration. I design gardens for MY views. There's something to see out of every window and from every porch. The gardens are constantly changing, expanding, and evolving. I love birds and butterflies, so many plants are included for them.

Most of the gardens also serve another purpose. Cutting the grass is my least favorite thing to do in the yard. I detest trimming even more. I don't even own a weedwhacker. If it's hard to mow, it becomes a garden. I design edges so the mower easily moves around them. No sharp inside corners here.

Some of the gardens have names.

The Bird Garden. This is a large semi-circle at the front the house on the south side. I can see it from 3 windows, 2 in the kitchen/dining, and 1 in the living room. I can watch it from my computer desk in the living room. It was designed for birds. There's several bird feeders and a bird bath. Flowering shrubs like Crape Myrtle, Althea, and Nandina around the outside edge give the birds some cover. Daylilies (of course) and other bushy and spreading perennials fill it in. 2 of the stars are large red and pink Hardy Hibiscus.

The White Room (with Black Curtains). An evolving garden seen out the back doorwall (north side) in the living room. It started out as a symetrical circle. It has a 3-sided gazebo-like trellis over it. Clematis grow on the trellis. The theme is mostly black & white. In MI, I had a similiar garden. White themed gardens glow in low light. I have a fascination for "black" flowers, and have included every black flower I come across. I've also included scent as a feature. There's a place to sit in the middle so I can enjoy the fragrance up close. Rosemary, lavender, and a few other high scents are included.

This garden now has an another feature. I can't dig anywhere without finding stones. I had seen dry stream beds and other uses for rock mulch so I added a moon-shaped space to the side of the original circle. It's basically a place to throw the stones I find as I dig. I planted large and small grasses, butterfly bushes, and other things around the edge to give the illusion of a pond. 2 metal crane sculptures and a gazing ball are highlights in the stone bed. Some day this might actually be a pond, but for now, it's low maintainance.

Speaking of ponds. Off the back deck (yes, garden all around it) is a little water garden. It's a round raised bed made of stacking pavers with a small 3' liner inside. A little fountain and some goldfish. The goldfish have been multiplying on their own. It's too small for plants in the water, so there is just a potted reed in there now. There's space around the edge for planting and I put short plants there so as not to block the view of the fountain.

Porch View. I like to sit on the covered porch (east side) and this garden gives something to look at. It's still in progress. It features some of the larger things like the big grasses and shrubs.

The Rabbitry. Yep, garden around it, too. I can see it from the porch as well. 2 of my favorite things in it are a "Little Gem" magnolia and a "Okame" cherry. These provide some shade for the barns. There's also Crape Myrtles, a little Korean Lilac, and more grasses, daylilies, hibisicus, hydrangeas, and other smaller perennials. This garden faces west, but the trees provide enough shade for the things like the hydrangeas. A very robust Passionflower vine grows on the chainlink of the outside part of the rabbitry.

So there you have an overview of what going on in my yard.

tnt
Natureschild