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Black-eyed susans try to conquer our zone 7 garden with volunteer plants popping up in other beds. An invasive root system branches in all directions to expand the colony in that way. We attempted, several seasons back, to eradicate the plant, but black-eyed susans find a way to grow. After witnessing the number of pollinators […]
Unable to find a specimen in local garden shops I mail-ordered a bare-root witchhazel, witchhazel vernal, with its promise of orange and yellow blooms during the drab days of winter. Our eastern-most front garden had the perfect opening created by the move of a Black Diamond crape myrtle. What better place to share a bonfire […]
Coneflowers are my favorite entries in our flower garden, well, along with our extensive hosta collection and the various salvias adorning our landscape. The coneflowers bloom profusely all summer and attract a host of bees and butterflies. As summer winds down the goldfinches arrive to feast on the seeds and entertain us with their acrobatics. […]
From Proven Winners comes another outstanding cultivar – allium millennium. With a compact growth pattern (15”-20” tall with a similar spread) this plant serves well as a border plant or in a mass planting for visual effect. We added it to the garden in summer of 2020, and the blooms were a hit with my […]
Hummingbirds flock to the garden when cardinal flowers (lobelia cardinalis) are available. Bees find it difficult to navigate these tubular flowers so the hummingbirds handle pollination in exchange for the abundance of nectar produced by the flowers. Specimens of cardinal flower can be found along creek banks and lake shores across North Carolina though the […]
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), a native North Carolina perennial, can be found in the woods and clearings around the state. The plant prefers dappled shade, rich soil, and plenty of moisture. Some gardeners have enjoyed success growing it in the home garden. My stand, originally a single plant donated by a farm owner and […]
