Month: May 2024

Sly Foxgloves

| Flower Roberts

Digitalis purpurea is one species of plant that is unpredictable. It changes location and form. Just when you think it is in the right place in a border, it moves or changes height or color. Then you have tall plants in the front and short plants in back.

Where you planted a soothing white ends up hot pink with spots. I will not complain simply because I love them any where they show up no matter the height and color.

I did count on a white version called Dalmation to brighten a shady spot, but pink has been just as nice.

The blooms are magical to me. The ones with the pointed bottom lips remind me of elf hats and the ruffled blooms look like fairy bonnets.

It is one plant I intend to have in my garden forever. Shifty and sly as they are, they are still one of my favorite flowers.

FLOW

An Arboretum in North Carolina

| Flower Roberts

If I could stop time, I would have done it on Saturday. I was with my husband and two children in the midst of 8,000 different plants. This is where I belong. I was among the familiar faces of many of my green friends. Every turn of the paths was a new discovery of delight.

We visited J.C.Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina which has an amazing collection of plants. I wish I had been more able to focus on the flowers, but was distracted by a bride and dozens of beautiful young folks in prom attire. They were like human flowers moving through the gardens in their colorful and sparkling garments.

I have a habit of photographing the plant and then a close-up of its markers. I will pair up the photos and names of some of my favorites. You may want to click on the markers to enlarge them.

Attention Local Friends. I have two Century Plants that produce pups each year. You can adopt one.

Here are some I that I found unusual.

This is a giant version of a Bee Hotel that was lovely.

Random flowers in good light.

I am always interested in garden art. Here are some concrete leaves that add interest.

I loved this lady in blue. She reminds me of the lady sitting among the flowers in Blowing Rock.

What a perfect day!

FLOW

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit jcra.ncsu.edu

Using the Rain

| Flower Roberts

It is raining again for the third day in a row. The gardens are much too wet to be in them.  Everything is green and thriving, including the weeds.

I use cardboard as a weedblock under mulch. I prep it by removing all tape and labels. Then I season it in the rain so that it is less stiff and more rough to adhere to the soil below and mulch above, especially on hills. This cardboard block lasts a year or more before it decays.

I also have various containers to catch rain for house plants and potted plants. I cover these to keep out oak chains, leaves or curious lizards.

The rain is doing its work while I am dry inside.

FLOW

Cereus Cuttings

| Flower Roberts

If you have ever seen a Night Blooming Cereus in flower, you will want one.

My Wondrous Cereus

My friend Madge, The Fairy, gave me my plant years ago. Since then I have shared plants with others. I have read about several ways to root cuttings. Last fall I tried several methods and all were successful. The new way was just cut pieces and stick them in water. I do this with other plants but usually harden off cacti and succulents and then stick them in quick draining soil. There are warnings about some cuttings rotting in water.

Here is proof that Cereus pieces root instead of rot if places in water.

Now I potted the pieces and will let them adjust to being semi-dry.

FLOWER does not always believe what others tell her.

Learning from a Memory

| Flower Roberts

I was working outside on this cool and overcast day when I had an epiphany that required sharing.
There are two “family plants” in my safe-keeping. The first is a pink peony we call ‘ The Pearson Peony’ and another house plant we call ‘ The Gran Plant’ which is a Christmas Candle plant/ Euphorbia tithymaloides.


I am anxious about keeping these alive to share with family.
I had trimmed my Gran Plant down last fall to share with an Aunt Gail and cousin, Jamie. These two new plants are already leggy,  so I cut them back again.

Candle Candle cuttings


This is what caused the epiphany. My Gran always kept cuttings of this plant in a squatty green wine bottle. I thought she was rooting it to share. Now , thirty years after her death I realize that she was not cutting it to share her Euphorbia, she was cutting it to shape it.


Wow! FLOW is slow.

I would like to add that this Christmas Candle plant is also called Devi’s Backbone and Red Bird plant because of its red flowers…which I have NEVER seen.
Help me out plant people. What else am I doing wrong?

SLOW FLOW needs to know.

P.S. Gail and Jamie. Its sap is poisonous to dogs.

Karl, Sarah and the Duchess

| Flower Roberts

I went away for a few days. There was a storm which dropped almost 2.5 inches of rain on my garden while I was gone.

The timing was bad for my big bloomers. I circle the garden with stakes every day I am home… but I was gone.

Big blooms do not fare well in heavy rain and wind. There were heads bent down and blooms on the ground. The double peonies had the most damage.

Karl Rosenfield was full of big floppy blooms that had to be gently shaken and supported.

Sarah Bernhardt only had a few blooms again this year. A move is in her future. I have mulched, fed and watered without much progress on her part.

Sarah Bernhardt peony

The Duchess de Nemours is thriving in her prime spot. She lost many blooms with buds on the same stalks.

Duchess de Nemours peony

I love double peonies but they do require extra support, especially in rain and wind. The doubles are worth the trouble.

Karl Rosenfield peony

They are the stars of May.

FLOWER

Moonstruck by Moonscene

| Flower Roberts

May is Amaryllis time here. I will share many of these throughout the month, but none will be more quietly gorgeous than ‘Moonscene.’

This is the flower of dreams. Perfect shape and luster. Lovely coloration and patterns. I have been stalking its stalks for weeks. Watering and staking and waiting to see those lovely faces.

I must admit that I have referred to many of my Amaryllis/Hippeastrum varieties as the “clowns of the garden.” I am ashamed of this harsh judgement. They cannot help being over-hybridized. They have been manipulated genetically to be big and showy. This is their purpose as a holiday flower in the fray of holiday decor. (Stay tuned for those.)

However, when these specimen are transferred to outdoor gardens they seem comical and out of place. They must be placed properly so as not to clash with the other plants. My favorite grouping is by a pond surrounded by ferns.

If you want an Amaryllis that stands out without flash and clash. I do hope you can find yourself a ‘Moonscene’ to add interest and beauty.

Moonscene

FLOWER

My Daddy’s Wind Spinners

| Flower Roberts

We tried to keep all the truly special items from our parent’s home place. The perfectly wonderful house on Enwood Drive in Charlotte is still on the market and showing several times each week. We must sell it to pay for our Mama’s care, but I still have trouble believing it will not be our ‘home’ anymore. No price is high enough for me. I am a big baby about change.

I brought my Daddy’s wind spinners to my house. We have a lot of wind here on the water. Seeing these dynamic pieces of yard art spinning around makes me smile.

The yellow plane does not make any noise. Daddy wanted me to paint this red and yellow to be like his old Piper Cub. Someday, I will get around to it.

The Windmill also needs a new paint job. That will have to wait until gardening season is over. It creaks as it whirls. Maybe it will deter some deer.

The one that did get a new coat of colors was the bicycle.

Seeing it flying in the wind always makes me smile. I gave this to Daddy years ago. It was red. but I painted it bluebird blue because that is Daddy’s favorite color. Daddy thanked me for this bicycle over and over again. I can still hear him adding to the end of a conversation…”and thank you again for my bicycle.”

Its wheels spin so fast the spokes are a blur. It makes a whizzing sound. I really miss my precious Daddy!

FLOWER in the wind