The beautiful — and frustrating — corydalis

POSTED BY KIM — Have you ever planted a perennial that died, so you planted it again, and it died again? So you planted it again?…  How many times are you willing to buy the same plant before you realize that no matter *how much* you love it, this plant just isn’t going to make it in [...]

Hydrangea ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ — the new pink ‘Annabelle’

POSTED BY KIM — All you hydrangea lovers have probably already heard about ‘Invincibelle Spirit,’ the world’s first pink ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea. You can’t open a magazine almost without seeing an ad for it, so we expect it to be a big big seller next year.  I say “next year” because it hasn’t been released for [...]

Everyone needs a turtlehead

POSTED BY KIM — Given this rainy weather, I think it’s appropriate for me to write about my turtlehead.  If you have children or grandchildren, I think you need a turtlehead in your yard or you might be breaking the law.
Chelone lyonii loves the shade, loves the water (although if you don’t water — like me — [...]

It’s Time to Twist and Shout

POSTED BY PEGGY:  Hydrangea ‘Twist and Shout’ is the latest in the everblooming Endless Summer Series of Big Leaf Hydrangeas.  Endless Summer Hydrangeas bloom on old wood (last year’s growth) and new wood (this year’s growth).  This means if you accidently prune your Big Leaf Hydrangea or a cold winter kills last year’s growth, it will [...]

Yellow Impatiens: fun, fresh, tropical and exotic

POSTED BY PEGGY: I just love the Fusion Glow Exotic Impatiens. They are soft yellow with a orange eye.  I paired mine up with a yellow striped Hosta, multi colored Coleus and a gorgeous yellow Nonstop Begonia. I love the way they look in my green ceramic pot with the red drip.
 
The Fusion Impatiens series [...]

Looking for a shady groundcover with lots of texture? Try sweet woodruff.

POSTED BY KIM — We have lots of shade gardeners in our area — lots of big trees — so I’m always up for the challenge when someone comes in with a problem area and they assume the worst — like they might be stuck having to plant ivy or <gasp> more hostas.
A great little [...]

For the woodland garden, Solomon’s Seal is required

POSTED BY KIM — I justed wanted to share some pictures of my Solomon’s seal.  I planted a quart-sized plant three years ago, and this is what it looks like today.
Solomon’s Seal — or Polygonatum – is a very graceful, understated plant, I think — no flashy red or orange flowers here.  Just these dainty [...]

My show-stopping azaleas

POSTED BY KIM — Much of my garden looks like a crazy person planted it.  There are so many plants at the nursery that I just can’t resist, so I have lots of “onesies” stuck all over — I enjoy it, but it does make certain areas of my yard look a little…schizophrenic.
I did spend some [...]

A tiny little groundcover for the shade

POSTED BY KIM — I was so excited to walk outside today and find my iris cristata in full bloom.  I don’t know if you can tell by the picture, but these little woodland iris are only about 5″ tall.  I bought a 4″ quart plant about three years ago, and today I have the [...]

My Garden, part 1

POSTED BY CALEB – I find it intensely irritating to read other people’s writing about their gardens when I have no idea what their gardens are like.  For that reason, I’m going to tell you a little bit about my garden before I start blogging about my latest plant excitements and disappointments. 
I live way out in the country, [...]