Plant Profiles: Posts on Individual Plants
Sweet Gum Trees
”O land and soil, red soil and sweet-gum tree, So scant of grass, so profligate of pines,” ~Jean Toomer, Song of the Son The Sweet Gum tree is a truly beautiful tree for your landscape, although not everyone is a fan. The Latin name is Liquidambar styraciflua , while the common name can also be known as “Redgum”. It is a native American tree from the eastern part of North America. Several years ago I planted several Sweet Gum trees on my property. Of those, I lost one, for an unknown reason. The three that I...
read moreEnglish Ivy
Beloved of some and bane to others, English Ivy, Hedera helix, is a groundcover/climber that I happen to love. It is on the PCA “Least Wanted” List, so caveats are sprinkled through this profile. One way I love to use English ivy is in containers, they will readily grow in any type of plant container; indoors as well as out. Good as groundcover, especially where bulbs are planted, I would not use it in areas where delicate plants are wanted- the ivy is just too vigorous. So don’t place it in your rock garden, as it will...
read morePhlox Subulata Planting Hints
Another Plant Profile from ilonasgarden.com Once upon a time I grew pink Phlox subulata in a rock garden; in my garden, now, the blue variety is grown as a ground cover. It produces a beautiful bright spot of color in the spring, no matter where you situate it. Later, it has a pleasing textured green carpet of foliage, earning the “moss” appellation. Phlox subulata is native to Eastern USA, a fairly tough plant, and quite easy to grow and propagate. Clear colors of pink, white, and blue are available. Here are the...
read moreThe Weed I Love To Grow, Dill Weed
Dill Weed. I love this plant, and it is so easy to grow… as easy as a weed! If you plant Dill in a cultivated area such as an annually tilled vegetable garden, the seeds will come up for you year after year. Both the seeds and the finely divided feathery textured leaves are edible. The flowers appear on broad umbels and turn to seeds that can be harvested for flavoring recipes ranging from pickles to potato salad. Little sprigs of the fresh leaves are perfect for fish and as garnishes. They are a marvelously ornamental...
read moreHellebores: Christmas and Lenten Roses
During the winter of 2009, I purchased some potted hellebore plants on clearance from Whole Foods Market. I had read about the Christmas Rose many times in gardening books over the years, and their fresh creamy white blooms fairly sang out to me, so I promptly snapped up three pots (one is featured in my photo, below). I kept them on a sunny windowsill until it was time to plant them in the spring, and wrote in my blog: I don’t know why I like hellebores so much, they bloom when I have little to do with my garden, and the ones outside...
read moreMugo Pine, Swiss Mountain Pine
Mugo Pines are dwarf trees, and they keep their shape well with yearly attention in the spring. . The right way and time to prune a mugo is when the new growth (candles) sprout out in mid spring; it doesn’t take very much time to trim them, then. This is the biggest question I get on the blog: when and how should I prune a mugo pine? The tip growth is called a “candle” due to its appearance; these light gold, slim spikes should be pinched or tipped back about two-thirds each year. Please don’t cut back into old wood...
read moreAmelanchier, The Service Tree
I wondered why this tree was called the “Service Tree” or the “Serviceberry”. One story tells it that its bloom signaled when the graves could be dug in the spring in Appalachia. These types of trees are also called “Juneberry” and “Shadbush”, and it is in June that you find the pretty blue hued berries. Whatever name it is known by, this small, ornamental tree is a choice addition to anyone’s homeplace. The Serviceberry trees are lovely in the garden, in wild places, and I have seen...
read moreThe Beautiful Annabelle
There have been times when the full blossomed Annabelle fairly burst forth in the garden, and I was embarrassed by her almost obscene abundance of giant orbs of bloom. Ah, Annabelle, “my darling, my darling” – as the famous Poe poem goes, in the right place is no longer brazen, but a sumptuous hydrangea which can look lovely lining an allée, or in an awkward space created by the jog of a house corner. It has a very long blooming season since the pale cream inflorescence of sterile florets turns a soft green white, and then...
read moreBlue Flax, Linum narbonense
Blue Flax is a piece of summer sky fallen into the garden, shimmering blue flowers reflecting clear unclouded heavens. Opening during the sunny days and dropping its petals by afternoon, only seems to add to its charm; Genus Linum narbonense. Linum narbonense is native to the foothills and mountains of northern Spain I’ve grown both Linum narbonense and Linum perenne, and although they are almost identical in the garden, the L.narbonense seemed the better. To me, it appeared bluer and fuller than the perenne. Thompson & Morgan...
read moreAquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine is a woodland plant of springtime. It blooms mid to late spring in my garden. It grows in partly shady, partly sunny openings and waves in the brisk breezes. Native to the U.S. and Eastern Canada, this columbine grows in rocky ledges and slopes, and low woods. Also known as “Eastern Red Columbine”. USDA Distribution Map. [ The Look ] Aquilegia canadensis is one of those plants that seem filled with grace and charm, something belonging to fairy scenes in the open woodland. The base of leaves...
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