Story and Photography Yvonne Lelong Bordelon White-flowering turnera is a useful ornamental native to tropical America. These sturdy shrubs are adaptable to many growing conditions and are drought and salt tolerant once established. The showy white flowers are pollinator magnets – especially to honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies – making it a welcome addition to the …
Story and Photography by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon Native spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata), one of the remarkable members of the mint family, is a beautiful short-lived perennial herb that is a must-have for the pollinator garden. Butterflies, bees, solitary wasps, and other beneficial insects flock to the gorgeous, nectar-rich flowers. It is also deer resistant and …
Story and Photography by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon You’ll enjoy growing garden balsam, an easy-to-grow, upright heirloom Impatiens species that was a favorite in Victorian gardens. Both the showy single-flowered variety and the double camellia-like form are making a comeback. The lovely flowers attract pollinators, including bees and butterflies, to the garden. Balsam does well when …
Story and Photos by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon Passiflora caerulea, a native of Brazil and Argentina, is a fast growing, semi-evergreen flowering vine that is quite cold hardy and will come back from the roots after hard freezes. If the showy, exotic flowers are cross-pollinated with another species or cultivar, blue passionflower vine will produce egg-shaped …
Story and Photos By Yvonne Lelong Bordelon Native swamp spider lily (Hymenocallis occidentalis) is a moisture-loving perennial plant that sports clusters of 6-8-inch, ghostly white, richly fragrant flowers. The gorgeous spring blooms also attract pollinators, including hummingbirds, and the plants are highly deer resistant. Who could ask for more? In the wild, this easy-to-grow member …
By Yvonne Lelong Bordelon The beautiful fragrant flower clusters of native Piedmont azalea put on a show in early spring just as the leaves are emerging. These hardy, deciduous shrubs, which grow along creeks, swamps, bluffs, and in moist flatwoods, can form colonies and will also hybridize readily with other native Rhododendron species. In the …
