Bee habitats

I've been thinking about doing some interpretive work around native bees and other pollinators.I was reminded of this wonderful "bee habitat" exhibit that I saw last year in the University of Osnabruck Botanical Garden just over a year ago.  I was a post-doc there (three decades ago) and it was...

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Biltmore walled garden (2)

I've loved seeing how the Biltmore Estate has expanded and experimented with their horticulture over the last few years.  Hooray!It's always been a great place to enjoy the expansive grounds, the wonderful landscape, and preserved viewscapes of the surrounding mountains, thanks to the stewardship...

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A sedum wall planting

A lovely display outside the Biltmore Garden Shop -- I love sedums and it's always great to see how they can be used.Although, they can get around -- they can get established very easily in mulch from fragments -- I just scooped up some last weekend in that category.  H...

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Biltmore walled garden

I never would have thought I'd be blown away by mums, but Biltmore's horticultural staff created an over-the-top design for their walled garden fall display.This photo doesn't really do justice to the extraordinary colors and textures that they've created, and the color patterns, too. (Click to get...

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Vase with dried flowers

I had refreshed this arrangement recently -- it looked so pleasing in this light, I couldn't pass on a photo.  (The flash version washed out the color, so this is the hand-held, non-flash, blurry on...

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View towards the forest (ravine)

We love this view, converted from weedy overgrown ivy-ridden trees to developing native woodland garden.The view from this window convinced us to buy our small house in the mountains, within walking distance of downtown Asheville (and it wasn't even cleared of invasives, then).  We'll eventually...

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Edging project: risks & rewards

Some ongoing fall projects are re-edging the lawn along the back yard and weeding out the shady triangle area. I last edged the shady triangle in the spring, but it's been a couple of years since I edged along the lawn east of the triangle.Risks of weeding with beggar lice or tick-trefoil.Rewards of...

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Still hummingbird visits!

There was still lots of hummingbird activity today on the feeder and the Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage) outside of my study window.  Apparently, I'm not alone, based on this Journey North e-newsletter.The migration is winding down, though, and it won't be long.I enjoyed thinking about plants...

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Final hummingbird visits

A young female hummingbird visited the feeder today. It always feels a bit wistful to say goodbye to them for the year.This is the time, though, that we "normally" see last hummingbirds.  They're cued to photoperiod, apparently, not so much temperatures, in their journey south, so pretty much on...

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Rayless sunflowers, fall seedlings, & more

Rayless sunflower & native bee.When I replaced a 10' x 14' section of lawn with a native garden, I planted several rayless sunflowers (Helianthus radula) as part of the mix. Months later, they are blooming much to the delight of the butterflies and native bees.These flowers are not showy from a...

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Salvia x 'Anthony Parker' and other Salvias

Flowers of Salvia x 'Anthony Parker'Pathway to HCCSalvia elegans & Salvia x 'Anthony Parker'Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage)It's time for wonderful fall-flowering sages, and all the rain over the summer has resulted in dramatic growth.  Pineapple sage (S. elegans) and a wonderful sage that...

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An early fall compost pile

Some of the new chips had been sitting in the truck for a few days so they'd already started composting. They were steaming hot and had turned gray.Normally I do my major compost building later in the fall when we have lots of dead leaves on hand, but several events occurred this year to speed up the...

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