Tina from (In The Garden) asked me if I planned my plant purchases or if it was chance. I do keep a list of plants I would love to have, but, the truth is most of the time it's chance (impulse purchases). I get them home and then spend days dragging them around the garden trying to find the perfect spot. Sometimes they stay in the plastic nursery pots until fall, which is a better time to plant in my yard. Our summers can be brutal on spring transplants.  read more »

New plants for the front of the house include: Sedum 'Purple Emperor' Common name : Purple Autumn Stonecrop The border varieties of Stonecrop are a dependable choice for the late summer and fall garden, offering foliage interest earlier in the season, then a colourful display of flowers in the fall. This recent introduction features branching heads of dusty-rose flowers, over a mound of rich purple-black leaves. Sedum spectabile 'Purple Emperor' - Purpur-Fetthenne Spektakulre Sedum-Neuheit mit dunkelpurpurrotem, fast schwarz wirkendem Laub und roten Blten. Neben der schnen Blte sind ganz besonders das dunkle Laub und die roten Stngel bemerkenswert. Ein wirklicher Blickfang mit ornamentaler Wirkung und etwas ganz Besonderes. Sehr dekorative Spitzensorte, jedoch anspruchslos. Fr gut durchlssige Bden und warme, vollsonnige Standorte.  read more »

Upturned faces looking toward the sun*

Last fall when we began to add more cedar glade plants to our landscape, Sarah (garden coach) suggested I visit a local glade (Couchville Cedar Glade). She described a field of Tennessee Coneflowers with their 'upturned faces looking towards the sun'. It was a charming description and I promised her and myself to get out there as soon as possible.  read more »

There is a large range of plants with colored foliage available to the gardener today. Reddish-purple, golden-yellow, silver, and grey-leaved plants, not to speak of the many types of variegated leaf, abound in nurseries and garden centers. Amongst all the plant forms - from trees to ground covers, one can find varieties that have brightly colored leaves. The challenge is to use them wisely and not be carried away by false notions of novelty or originality. In fact, peppering the garden with such plants is the first sign of design navet. Green is the foliage color that should dominate most planting schemes, while plants with colored foliage should be used very sparingly as an emphasis, a contrast, and even a focal point in the garden.  read more »

Last week, I had to have my diseased Prickly Pear removed. It was hard to watch as it was chopped down and hauled off by the landscape maintainence crew. I had tried everything to rid it of the blight killing it, but to no avail. It had to be removed to protect all the other Prickly Pear species in my garden.
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Even if you have a lot of lamps or lighting in your home, most areas away from windows are still considered low light. Technically, anything farther than eight feet away from a large window with no direct light is defined as low light. Examples of these areas are hallways, foyers, stairs, basements, and rooms with dark walls or rooms with large draperies over the window. Luckily, not all plants thrive in strong lighting conditions. The houseplants described below have evolved to survive in low light conditions. These plants will not likely grow quickly, but they will still be healthy. The following plants are just some of the many options that you have for growing houseplants in low light.  read more »