The heat of this past week was hard on the Jonquils and Daffodils. Many of mine have dried and the show is over. I have a few late varieties that have yet to bloom, so I’m lucky that there are more blooms to come. This is one of Mama’s. She has a friend who used…
It’s fun to buy a new Amaryllis bulb and have it bloom just in time for Christmas or shortly after, but when you’ve had the bulb for a few years, it can be difficult to get them to re-bloom in winter. Mine decided to wait for spring to put on a show. The foliage on…
Many types of bulbs can be planted in pots, chilled in a refrigerator or garage, and then forced into bloom in late winter or early spring. Bulbs to force are best planted before December 1, so the end is coming for this fun project. Good bulbs for forcing include Hyacinths, Crocus, Tulips, Narcissus, and Dwarf…
One thing that I love about fall is Chrysanthemums. I love the colors, the bloom shape, the smell, and the joy of one last shot of blooming color before the first hard frost. Over the years I’ve transplanted many a pot of mums into my flower beds. Sometimes they make it through the winter and…
One of my favorite fall blooming plants is ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod, Solidago rugosa. Don’t worry about Goldenrod bothering your allergies, that’s a myth. This plant rewards a gardener with beautiful yellow cascading blooms in the fall and best of all, the deer leave it alone. It is aggressive and spreads easily, but it’s easy to pull…
Lycoris squamigera, commonly known as Magic Lilies, Surprise Lilies, or Naked Ladies are in full bloom in my garden. These bulbs send out masses of strapping foliage in the spring that dies back making one forget that the bulbs are under the earth waiting until the time is right to bloom. Like clockwork, the beautiful…
My running buddy has a giant, completely organic vegetable garden. He just built a new house and this is the first year that he has had his garden in this spot. Last year he started the spot, enriched the soil, and put in strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and asparagus. He spent most of the winter enlarging…
It’s nice to finally have a wet spring. My flower beds are lush and full of blooms. June is probably the peak for flowers in my beds. It’s cloudy and looks like rain again today, but I took pictures anyway to capture some of the prettiness before it is gone. I have a terrible deer…
I’m taking a moment today to be thankful for soldiers serving our country either now or in the past. Sometimes it is easy to be happy that Memorial Day is a day off from work and not to remember the real reason that today is a holiday. We fly our flag nearly every day. This…
The rain interferred with my gardening plans yesterday! I didn’t accomplish anything outside because the second I walked out the door to start, it started pouring! Today is not looking promising, either. After the heat that we’ve had, I’m thankful for some moisture. I did my usual Saturday routine: run and then tennis. Elsie and…
This is my favorite time of year for flowers. I love Peonies and Iris. The best thing about them for my yard is that they are deer proof! This Iris is a pass-along from my mom. I am 100% sure that it was passed-along to her as well, probably from her sister. Sharing plants is…
I was lucky enough to be able to attend two garden tours this week: Lynchburg and Roanoke. These tours are a part of “Historic Garden Week in Virginia” and are hosted by local garden clubs. I took the day off on Tuesday for Lynchburg’s tour. The Lynchburg garden club ladies did a fantastic job with…