Hardy plants for hardy souls
After ordering every colchicum offered in this country that I didn't already have for several years running, I thought this was the year I wasn't going to order any. No one was selling colchicums that I didn't already have. But then I was able to obtain some from an unexpected source. Come see the new colchicums that bloomed in my garden this fall.
Just in time for Halloween: the creepiest native plant I know! Do you dare to read about it? Don't blame me if you have nightmares!
A goldenrod that grows in the shade? Yes, there is such a thing!
Need some "buttercup cheerfulness"? Sundrops are the plant for you--and me.
It's so easy to think that nothing is living or growing under the snow, but all you need is a January thaw and a stroll in the woods to see that there are plants that have not given in to the onslaught of cold and snow. On my strolls over the years I have noticed that there are two ferns that remain evergreen in our woods during the winter. I know a fern when I see one, and that's about it. I thought it was about time I taught myself a bit more. Join me as I try to identify these two ferns.
There is probably a machine that does what I did today, and does it faster, and maybe even does it better. But I don't know where I would find that machine, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it, not even to rent it. So it doesn't make any difference, except if I had done it with a machine, no one would think I was crazy. But I had a Vision of what I wanted to see come spring, and I was determined.
November started out marvelously with highs in the 50s(F) and one day even hit 66°(19C). The second week the switch flipped and the real November showed up with a vengeance. Most nights have been in the teens, but we also got two nights that dipped into single digits (9F=-13C)--that's unseasonably low for November and was [...]
Can anyone improve on nature? Maybe it's better to admit that what I'm doing isn't natural--it's gardening. Gardening in the most naturalistic way possible. Gardening to make the woods more easily enjoyed by humans. Tinkering and tweaking to yes--make it more beautiful.
Every flower is a wildflower--a native plant--somewhere, though this is easy to forget when that "somewhere" is on the other side of the world. On the other hand, it's easy to take our own native wildflowers for granted, or even despise them as weeds. And many popular garden plants native to North America had to be recognized as garden-worthy by gardeners in other countries before they were adopted by gardeners here. So, how do you tell if a plant belongs in the garden, or is a wildflower--or a weed?
Colchicum season has started! In this post I highlight the earliest blooming colchicums in my garden, sharing what I like best about each of them. And guess what? I'm opening my garden to the public, and you're invited! Yes, it's true! Read more to learn all about it.
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