Time in the Low Country

The Low Country of South Carolina was naturally a place of coastal rivers, cypress swamps, and maritime forests. Historically, it included rice fields and indigo growing and plantations.A visit today to Magnolia Gardens and Middleton Place (part of a Garden Writers regional meeting) brought largely...

Read More

A brazen woodchuck

If the squirrels eating the kale weren't enough, a woodchuck appeared in the back garden yesterday chewing on buckeye leaves. They're full of nasty compounds.  Amazing.At least the squirrels don't seem to like spinach, Japanese red mustard, or parsley (at least not yet).This is quite a sub-par...

Read More

Moving forward

As we get ready to pass on an old house (built in 1929) and relatively new garden (we've been here 22 years) to the next owners, I'm happy and wistful.  We accepted an offer last weekend, so it's now "contract pending."My dad, not a sentimental sort, reminded me this morning via email of Robert...

Read More

Sassafras and dogwood

The flower buds of sassafras and dogwood are visibly swelling.  Sassafras flowers, both male and female, should be open any day, with the return of warm weather.Today brought chilly and rainy weather as a cold front pushed against warmer air.Flowers on our rabbit-eye blueberries are ready to open,...

Read More

Bloodroot in flower

Coming back to the Piedmont today, I was delighted to see bloodroot in full flower.  I've made so many posts about bloodroot -- it's a favorite early spring flower.  Here's a post from last year.We planted it in various places around the garden, starting with one plant. Ants have spread the...

Read More

A chickadee's view of the garden, indeed

Doug Tallamy has been a passionate advocate for expanding our landscapes to support native insects, and therefore birds, etc.In this piece in the NYT, he made the case, again. Links to the article appear below.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/opinion/in-your-garden-choose-plants-that-help-the-environment.htmlThis is good stuff.  We need to be good stewards of our gardens, adding back more native...

Read More

Ready for a new gardener

I cleaned up the main vegetable garden in the Piedmont today.  I meant to get a photo this afternoon, but time got away, with pulls of other things.This is what it looked like getting ready a year or so ago.prepped for planting (main vegetable garden)It didn't need much prep, as I'd prepared and...

Read More

Remarkable resurrection ferns

Resurrection ferns dried and hydrated.Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides)While I'd seen spare populations of resurrection ferns when I lived in Maryland, I really became aware of them when I read "Light a Distant Fire," an historic novel about Osceola and the Seminoles by Lucia St. Clair Robson....

Read More

Cool-season vegetable gardening (and moving forward)

I really like to promote 4-season vegetable gardening here in the Carolinas.There's no reason not to grow winter-hardy vegetables (kale, collards, and the like) through the winter, if you like greens.   The last two winters, though, have not been kind to even normally hardy (without any protection)...

Read More

Signs of spring

It's March.It's time here in the Southeastern U.S.The blueberry buds are swelling. Carolina jessamine flowers on the front porch railing are about to open (normally they'd have opened already).  Red maple flowers have come and gone (I think). Some of the earliest spring natives have emerged, although...

Read More

Honoring an old house

I signed the listing papers today for our house in the Piedmont of SC.The house looks good.It’s a great house, with good presence. Built in 1929, it’s not old, compared to living places in many parts of the world, but it’s an old house (even historic) house here.Our university (why our small college...

Read More

Downsizing your garden

I spent the day at the Davidson Horticultural Symposium.  It was great, full of thought-provoking presentations and interactions with fellow gardeners.But a couple of the presentations, by very accomplished landscape architects, had me thankful for the opportunity and encouragement to downsize...

Read More