A Few Of My Thoughts On Gardening...
The more you know, the more you know you don't know.
Hello Folks...just a few of my thoughts on gardening. Hopefully, I'll periodically have another thought or two to share with you... not sure though, as I am having many "senior moments" as of late *grin*I place as many perennials as possible in the garden... that way you always have flowers from year to year with not too much maintenance... however, every 2 to 3 years you will need to divide and separate them in order to keep them at their best. Besides, that way you always have plenty of plants, and if YOU run out of room for them... you can give them to family and friends!
I also TRY to choose flowers that won't work me to death deadheading them. Wave Petunias, Impatiens, and Vincas, are all lovely plants that bloom like crazy from early Summer into Fall and they clean themselves up. My kind of flowers :0) Blue Salvia and Snapdragons are also favorites to mix in with other flowers in the beds, and though you have some deadheading, it is worth it. The Coreopsis is one of those "work you to death plants"...but I keep some around anyway... let's face it, there has to be SOME work to this gardening thing!
I just love the tropical look & feel that Cannas have in the garden. I also love the fact that they bloom all Summer & into Fall. I choose most all my plants for their long Summer bloom time, as that is when I enjoy them the most. My Exbury Azalias however are a Spring blooming plant, but they are always full of huge, gorgeous very long-lasting flowers during their 'show time'. I will tell you, if you want to know what color your plants will be, you need to see a bloom on them when you purchase them...as you cannot always trust the nursery to be accurate about the color. My Exbury Azalias were supposed to be RED!
Stella De Oro Day Lilies are wonderful, they have the longest bloom time of any day lily I know of, and they are great for naturalizing the garden. Hostas are great if you have some shaded places, and it is almost impossible to kill them, they are a very attractive plant that also have a tropical look and feel to them. Lavendula Munstead (purple lavender) is a good looking plant for the garden, with lots of blooms and the sweetest fragrance ever. Mother of Thyme is also a very fragrant plant that I like to put in between the stepping stones in the garden, and when your feet brush across the plants it releases a yummy fragrance. For while I love all the color, fragrance is an important part of 'the garden experience'.
Of course, you would not want to forget the butterflies and the hummers, so you if you want an abundance of those in your garden, I would suggest you plant a few Butterfly Bushes and some Clematis. The photo showing my back arbor gate, on the main garden page was taken before we planted Clematis beside it... now it is covered every Summer with beautiful purple blooms that the Hummers really like.
by Lou Carter
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