Hey fellas, the next thing’s a trellis Story and photo by Jay D. Carter We indeed are expanding our butterfly garden. My wife hit it full-bore and we have six butterfly habitats from which my dear has raised and released no fewer than 78 fully developed butterflies! Hopefully the hatching of dozens of chrysalises in …
Story and Photos by Alan Pulley Many gardeners would agree that marigolds have been making a comeback in recent years, and why not? New varieties have ben introduced in more colors and bloom sizes. Combine that with their long flowering season and how easy they are to grow – what gardener wouldn’t want all that? …
Story by Russell Studebaker Cockscomb (Celosia) plants have a crested form that looks like the comb on a rooster. But newer and hybrid plume types, like the cultivar ‘Dragon’s Breath’, look like ostrich feathers dipped in vivid red paint and are dramatic knock outs in the landscape. These annuals are in the amaranth family and …
Story and Photos by Andrea Dee Swamp sunflower, perennial cousin to the popular annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), is a stately specimen that reaches 6 feet more with flowers that may be on the small side at 2-3 inches, but it blooms for an extended period of time. Thin dark green leaves adorn coarse burgundy stems …
Story by Peggy Hill I asked Blair Durant, owner of Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to suggest a plant for this article. Blair said, “Baptisia (false indigo) is a fantastic, long-lived, native plant for many reasons. It’s one of the first perennials to bloom in the spring, providing food for early pollinators. It …
Q&A with a lifelong gardener Story by M.J. Van Deventer Photos courtesy of Larry Hoffman M.J. had a short Q&A session with Larry Hoffman, Retired State Farm Insurance Agent, President of the Muskogee, Oklahoma Garden Club and Civic Volunteer. He lives in the Zone 7 garden area. How long have you been gardening? Not including …
Would you like to attract more bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators to your garden? Do you like to grow your own cut flowers for arrangements? Story by Denise Pugh If you answered yes to the questions above, Verbena bonariensis might be the plant for you. Tall verbena, sometimes called Brazilian vervain, stands tall without …
A family tradition in botany Story by PJ Gartin Photos by Richard Porcher Dr. Richard Porcher comes from a long line of gentlemen planters who embrace scientific knowledge. His family has been part of the agrarian fabric of Berkeley County, South Carolina, for centuries. However, he doesn’t view his zest for botanical adventure as simply …
Three favorite summer-blooming beauties Story and Photos by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com June is hydrangea season in Tennessee. Sure, there are hydrangeas that begin flowering as early as May and continue through August and even September, but June is peak flowering time for my personal favorites and the time of year I enjoy them the …
This master gardener transforms her family acreage into a wildlife paradise Story and Photos by Susan Albert Judi Hively of Hominy, who gardens on the land where her grandparents once lived, said she must have inherited the gardening gene from her mother, who liked flower gardening, and her grandfather, who always tended a vegetable garden. …
