National Pollinator Week!

It's been National Pollinator Week and I've had fun participating in garden tours, attending talks, and will do a program tomorrow about native plants for pollinators -- great fun for an excellent initiative.I started gardening for butterflies three decades ago, but rapidly expanded my interest to native...

Read More

Native azaleas

Most of our deciduous native azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) in the mountains and piedmont of the Carolinas have already flowered (there are just one or two species yet to come).This natural hybrid (from Gregory Bald in the Southern Appalachians) has been in flower the last week and a half on the slope...

Read More

A Celebration at Sunrise Jubilee Farm

Signs lead us to the farm at the northern border of Florida. To get there, youneed to enter Georgia for a while before turning into their road back into Florida.This Saturday afternoon celebration was a change of pace from my other book tour events. The Sunrise Jubilee Farm, a new organically run operation,...

Read More

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)

Along with Silene virginica (Fire Pink), Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink) is one of my favorite "red" flowers of late spring.The striking tubular flowers are remarkable -- I'd imagine ruby-throated hummingbirds would visit them, although I've not seen that.  This plant was at the Botanical Gardens...

Read More

Swiss chard

I've grown what I thought was OK Swiss chard in the past. Certainly, I've managed to enjoy the harvest enough to post about it.But this year's cool spring and abundant rain has produced leafy robust red chard that's been amazing.  Now maybe the extra mushroom compost (the real thing) along with...

Read More

A Chunk of Lawn Becomes a Native Garden

The showy tickseed coreopsis decorates the edge of the front meadow. Native bees & butterflies love it!The view from my office has been improved dramatically since I removed a 12 x 14-foot section of lawn and added native plants. "Last September I began this set of garden adventures with the purchase...

Read More

Spiderwort and carolina rose

I've been busy doing other things, aside from gardening, but have been enjoying the lush green of spring, without the hot dryness that summer will bring.  My gardening companion and I had an opportunity to talk about wildflowers and gardening with native plants last week on Your Day (listen...

Read More