NOVEMBER IS NOT THE END OF GARDENING

"Most people, early in November, take last looks at their gardens, are are then prepared to ignore them until the spring. 

I am quite sure that a garden doesn't like to be ignored like this.  It doesn't like to be covered in dust sheets, as though

it were an old room which you had shut up during the winter.  Especially since a garden knows how gay and delightful

it can be, even in the very frozen heart of the winter, if you only give it a chance."

-   Beverley Nichols 

I used to dread the month of November when I lived and gardened in Chicago as it was without doubt the end of the gardening season. I'm so delighted that here in Chapel Hill we can garden year round.  

As we Southerners are always " aiming and fixing to " I've finally achieved something in bloom all season .  

            Early December and the 'silver and gold' Japanese mum displays her cheery yellow button flowers and does the 'sunshine ' privet shrubs behind the bird bath.

I'm a big fan of viburnums and dogwoods and both are gracing the garden with their brilliant Fall leaves.  Below is 'Korean spice ' ( the most fragrant of all ), 'arrowood ' viburnum and Kousa dogwood.

Even the 'sheffield pink ' mum has colorful foliage. The weather forecast calls for a warmer than normal winter and the month of December predictions shows temperatures at around 50 daytime highs.  This means that my newly planted shrubs will be busy setting their roots.  

Found an unusual shrub on my visit to Big Bloomers Flower Farm, an hour- long trip away.  'Serendipity ' Magnolia, from Raulston Arboretum,  has a very relaxed structure and is filled with fragrant blossoms.  It's also dwarf, at around 8-10 feet tall. You would never guess it was a magnolia if you just happened upon it.  Can't wait to see it in full bloom.

Also blooming in the November garden are the Camellia 'sasanqua ' to be soon followed by 'japonica'. All of my six camellias are white with yellow centers and pink edges.  If I had to name a favorite it would be 'hana jimani ', below .

Since November has been so warm I've put off planting more Spring-flowering bulbs.  I'll probably have to order them online as it seems most garden centers have replaced them with Christmas stuff.

Looking forward to the last month of this year.  The garden is full of red-berried hollies and nandina and I clip them for the Christmas holiday arrangements.  

OCTOBER -THE SWEETEST MONTH IN THE SWEET GARDEN

"October inherits summer's hand-me-downs: the last of the ironweed, its purple silken tatters turning brown, and the tiny starry white asters tumbling untidily on the ground like children rolling with laughter; stiff, drying black-eyed Susans whose dark eyes gleamed from July's roadsides; coneflowers with deep yellow petals surrounding brown pincushion centers from which bumblebees still are sipping honey.  The assignment of yellow is taken up now by thin-leafed wild sunflowers and artichokes."

-   Rachel Peden 

  My garden in early October -'autumn joy ' sedum, purple heart, 'profusion ' zinnia and 'bolero' mums in bloom.

October is one of my favorite months.  The heat of summer has eased and it's time to take a critical look at what needs to be divided and transplanted.

I invited the Carrboro Garden Club to my garden in mid-October.  In the midst of the meeting and tour rain suddenly drenched us !  We quickly took cover under the roofed deck area until it stopped.   Many of our members were surprised to see so many flowers still in bloom.  Pollinators swarmed around the autumn sage, mums, asters , zinnias and lantana .   They also found it amazing that my super tall banana tree had bananas !  Below is the bud forming .

I divided and transplanted the purple heart, autumn joy sedum, black eyed Susan's and  Japanese roof iris.   After the mums finish blooming I'll also divide them as they have spread quite a bit.

I got some passalong anemones and planted them in the roadside garden.  Also some swamp milkweed for the monarchs.

Days are getting shorter and nights have grown colder.  Soon it'll be time to put the garden to bed.  Weather forecasts for this winter predict a milder than normal one.  Hope they're right !

I'm planning to put in a lot of daffodils and alliums this Fall when the weather gets colder, probably late November.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the beautiful blooms of my 'hana jiman ' camellia .

                                                  

SEPTEMBER HANGS ON TO SUMMER

"Happily we bask in this warm September sun,

Which illuminates all creatures..."

- Henry David Thoreau

SO many things going on in the garden this last month of Summer. I've been busy dividing and transplanting overgrown perennials and adding new ones .  I planted my first anemone which I had never considered before because they grow so tall -3 -4 '.  BUT I found one that only gets to 2 - ' red robin hood '. 

 

I was also surprised, for the second time. by my extra-tall ( 12-15 ') banana palm that produced a big, fat flower bud .

I love coreopsis and found an unusual red blooming one that I had to have.  ' Red Elf ' will be a good contrast to the common yellow coreopsis .

 My 'ham and eggs ' lantana and annual profusion zinnia has attracted quite a few monarch butterflies this month, not to mention the many hummers that visit these pollinators.

Late September brings the  welcome and cheerful blooms of my 'bolero ' mums which I will need to divide after they cease blooming.

Mornings have grown cool as the days grow short and I use them to do gardening chores before the heat of the day arrives.

I also planted my third rhododendron  ( hoping that the third time is charm ! ) - of the catawbiense variety that suppose to be tough.  In addition I'm on my third variety of gardenia after losing most of them due to yellowing of the leaves.  I've tried everything to prevent it but to no avail.

Looking forward to October and Fall.

AUGUST MUSINGS

 When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn."

-  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

August in North Carolina is the last true month of summer with average temperatures in the high 80's and 90's.  The one respite is its frequent rains that bring some cooler days in between and much needed moisture in the garden.

My boulder garden this August has flourished with the abundant rainfall.  The hummingbirds and bees visit the flowers of autumn sage , lantana, phlox, catsmint and coneflowers.

This month marks the first year since my beloved garden companion Duke passed away.   While he can never be replaced in my heart and mind I brought home a new puppy which I named Odie. He is a sweet, smart and affectionate Schnoodle that follows me about the garden, investigating the many wonders of nature .

As August wanes, I, too am reconciled to the cool of Autumn as September leads the way .

A COLD DAY IN JULY

 "The Summer looks out from her brazen tower, Through the flashing bars of July."

-  Francis Thompson, A Corymbus for Autumn  

July is the rainest month here in the Piedmont and it lived up to it with generous amounts.  It is also one of the hottest months but we actually had that "cold day in July " as the old country saying goes - a cool 59 degrees for a daytime high !

The garden, of course, loved the cooler July temps and the ample rain.

The blackeyed susans are spreading their cheery yellow heads this month, as are the coneflowers.  Lantana has begun her bloom as well and attracts hummers and bees.  I gave many of the perennials a haircut , such as the catmint and autumn sage, and they are beginning to bloom again as well.

While garden center hopping I found a willowleaf cotoneaster, a rare find around here, and planted it in a semi-sunny area to highlight its arching spreading branches and red Fall berries. 

 

As usual the Japanese beetles are munching on many plants, their favorites being the Wisteria vine , apple tree and roses.  I pick them off each morning and evening and feed them to the chickens.   The traps I place at a distance from the garden has attracted and killed many of them.  Next year I think I'll try an insect spray with pyrethium, a Mum derivitive.  

I've had no luck with growing lavender even though I tried the touted 'phenomenal ' variety.  I think my soil is too heavy .  I bought a Spanish variety yesterday and will try that but first I will amend the soil so that it is better draining.   I also bought some more varieties of coneflowers that are dwarf  and some charming phlox paniculata.  The 'flame white eye ' phlox is a dwarf and its color  outstanding .   I love phlox and it's long bloom time.  

Another bee and butterfly pollinator plant is 'rosie posey ' agastache  ,  the hummingbird mint , an extremely long blooming two-toned  selection. Plump plumes of rosy pink flowers with rich purple calayxes  top neat mounds of mint scented foliage. A vast improvement over older varieties, it may be the longest blooming Anise Hyssop ever. The calyxes are very long lasting giving the plant the look that it is blooming long after it has finished. One of the easiest perennials to grow.

July was so cool and rainy  ( with an exception of a very hot week ) that the Magnolia and Viburnum produced its second bloom this year .  This is often referred to as a second Spring.

I transplanted my Cross Vine to a sunnier location to grow up a tall trellis to block the view of the neighbors yard.  This member of the Trumpet family is a fast-growing, self-clinging, prolific bloomer and is evergreen. It is also an attraction for hummers, bees, and butterflies due to its bright colorful tubular-shaped flowers.

Goodbye July, hello August !

WHAT IS SO RARE AS A DAY IN JUNE ?

 "And since all this loveliness can not be Heaven, I know in my heart it is June." –  Abba Woolson 

June brought rain  and relieved us of the 3 week drought of  May.  

For the second June in a row my Asters bloomed !  What is so rare as a day in June -Asters in  bloom !

June is a lovely month in the garden with many flowers in bloom -the autumn sage, daylilies, catsmint, shasta daisies, brazilian verbena,yarrow, euphorbia, bellflowers, and dianthus to name a few.

                  My roadside garden is happy with the abundant rain and mild                                temperatures of  June .

June also brought the Japanese beetles that I wage war on every year.   Their favorite plants seem to be crepe myrtles, wisteria, roses and fruit trees.  I just pick them off every morning and evening and drown them in soapy water.  I also place beetle lures/traps a distance from the garden and that attracts many of them. The good news is that their season will soon be over and the plants will recover.

Surprisingly, July is the rainiest month of the year here in North Carolina.   Let's hope it lives up to that.

The Merry Month of May

"A delicate fabric of bird song 

Floats in the air, 

The smell of wet wild earth 

Is everywhere. 

Oh I must pass nothing by 

Without loving it much, 

The raindrop try with my lips, 

The grass with my touch; 

For how can I be sure 

I shall see again 

The world on the first of May 

Shining after the rain?" 

-  Sara Teasdale, May Day  

This May has been one for the record books -the driest Spring on record and the coldest temperature  ( 40 degrees ! ) .  Nevertheless the garden , which I've been watering due to the drought, has flourished.

My goal is to have something evergreen in the garden year round so that it looks good even when not in bloom.  Azaleas, 'soft caress' mahonia, japanese cypress, autumn sage, Irish yew, Chinese viburnum 'snowball ', 'chindo' viburnum,  ' spring bouquet ' viburnum, and yuccas , to name a few.

While browsing in the garden one day I noticed a strange growth on my beloved 'peggy clarke ' flowering apricot that blooms in late January - a black knot fungus covered all the branches.  Research on the fungus indicated I should remove all branches and use a fungicide to prevent recurrence.  As a result my two flowering apricots are reduced to a 4' naked tree.  I added plant tone as advised to help it's new growth.

                           

                 'Peggy Clarke ' flowering apricot is an early pollinator attraction to the many bees that swarm around its fragrant blossoms in late January when hardly anything else is in bloom.  

My new garden buddy, Odie, loves chasing the bees buzzing around the Lamb's ear and Catmint.  

May is always a merry month of celebration, not only in my garden, but my family as well-my birthday, my son and daughter's birthdays , Mother's Day and Memorial Day.  

APRIL'S PROMISE

"No Winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn. April is a promise that May is bound to keep, and we know it." - Hal Borland

   

April never fails to deliver on her promise of beautiful flowers -above is 'bee's jubilee' a prolific repeat blooming clematis.

The hellebores have been blooming since late February/early March and their lovely bobbing heads greet me as I walk the garden path.

Daffodils have faded but another cheery perennial-the Japanese roof iris, shows her pretty head.  I love their short, sturdy stems and the spiky texture of their foliage and have spread them through-out my garden.

The boulder garden in early April is filled with  blooming woodland phlox and ajuga . I am planting more Ajuga along the border of the pathway to get an even better Spring show next year.  The Japanese roof iris kept its green foliage all winter and evergreen sedges add texture as well.

By late April the garden had filled in considerably.

   The 'lady banks ' rose on the arbor  ( the only evergreen, thornless rose ! ) bloomed beautifully this month as did the Chinese  'snowball ' viburnum . The 'autumn sage ' ( salvia 'greggii' ) on the upper left side kept its greenery all winter and will soon put out her cheerful red blossoms.

True to her promise, April brought ample rainfall and as a result the garden was lush with new growth.  

   And what is April without lilacs ?  Lilacs are fineky about our Southern heat but I found a hybrid that was developed to endure it - 'pocahontus '  is among the earliest blooming.

" April is a promise that May is bound to keep ..."

MARCH TOWARD SPRING

When I posted the above photo on my facebook page I got hundreds of hits, much more than my usual gardening posts.  Go figure !

Anyhoo, March marks the official beginning of Spring but of course it doesn't always happen  according to plans.  This March has been very rainy and the temperatures fluctuated from very warm to freezing, which of course plays havoc on emerging plants.  One day of 80 degrees fried the blooming daffodils.

I love to watch Spring unfold in my garden -begining in late February when the two Japanese ornamental apricots  ( prunus mume ' peggy clarke ' ) is covered with double-pink blossoms.   Edgeworthia, aka, Chinese paperbush has its overwhelmingly sweet fragrance and beautiful blooms as well.  I have three kinds of viburnum that are early Spring-blooming :  Chinese 'snowball ', Korean Spice and a rare evergreen variety, 'Spring Bouquet. '  The 'pocahontas ' Lilac's bloom emerges as it is a very early blooming variety and one  that can take the Southern summers.

Chinese 'Snowball' Viburnum

In the woodland garden daffodils, hellebores and red buckeye emerge, along with the cobalt blue Ajugas and various ferns. 

                                    A Carolina native -Red Buckeye

The evergreen clematis 'armanii ' was spectacular this March and its fragrance as I walk along the garden path is very pleasant.  

                                                   

                                      Korean Spice Viburnum

Late  March and Kerria japonica has put on its sunny yellow dress in the deep shady area of my backyard garden.

Another end of the month bloomer is the Viburnum 'mariesii ' a lovely shrub that has lateral branching filled with white flowers and followed by red berries. 

                                                       'Mariesii ' Viburnum

                                        

                                       'Spring Bouquet ' evergreen Viburnum

To say I love Viburnums is an understatement.   They have so many wonderful attributes -lovely flowers, foliage and berries and  are very hardy and low maintenance.

Now onward and upward to the month of real Spring in the Piedmont - April.

A NEW FEBRUARY FACE IN THE SWEET GARDEN

 

Last August I lost my beloved Mini-Aussie Duke to lymphoma.  He was a young, spirited 5 year old and my constant companion in the garden.  While I still grieve for him on February 20th  I decided to get a new puppy to fill our lives with joy.  Meet  9 week old Odie, a Schnoodle ( Schnauzer/Poodle ) with the dog whisperer, granddaughter Lea. They're already great pals.   She wants to be a Vet when she grows up, a good choice given her great love of all animals.

This year we've set a new record for the rainest winter -38 " and counting, the annual rainfall of rainy Seattle and close to our annual rainfall of 43-48 ".   We've had a light dusting of snow which quickly melted away and few temperatures below freezing so this winter was also rather mild.

Blooming in the Sweet Garden this months are 2 Prunus mume 'peggy clarke ', Edgeworthia, Hellebores, daffodils and evergreen Viburnum ' spring bouquet. '  There are big, fat buds on the evergreen Clematis 'armandii  '  that will burst forth in a few warm days.

                      

                        The double pink blossoms of Prunus mume 'peggy clarke'

             attracts multitudes of bees.  It's a rare and welcome sight in the

             midst of January /February .

This last day of February we had 75 warm and wonderful degrees !  What we need are more sunny days to dry up the saturated ground. 

Looking ahead to March the long-range forecast shows mild weather.  Once the ground has dried I need to get out to the vegetable garden and sow seeds.  I've got 4 boxes of wildflower seeds that need to be planted in my roadside garden.

Meanwhile I'm watching my favorite Bluebirds fill the many nesting boxes I've put up -a sure sign of Spring ! 

 

GARDENING BEGINS IN JANUARY

One positive thing that the dreadful pandemic that has so profoundly impacted our nation and the world, is a renewed interest in gardening.  Walking about my neighborhood I witnessed so many homeowners doing gardening projects and starting their own vegetable gardens.  As a landscape designer I was also  kept busy with consultations and installations.  

As Elizabeth Lawrence declared in her  A SOUTHERN GARDEN book, there are two months of winter here in central North Carolina -January and February and that even during those months there are many pleasant days to enjoy.  This winter has been mild with no appreciable amounts of snow, but ample rainfall.

My daffodils are already up this year and I've seen some older established ones in bloom in neighbor's gardens.   The blooms on my Prunus mume 'Peggy Clarke ' have formed but several below freezing nights have given them pause.  Edgeworthia, aka, Chinese paperbush is in full bloom and the blooms of the Chinese Snowball Viburnum still linger on the bush .  

Last Fall I edited my backyard boulder garden, removing shrubs that had overwhelmed their space and replacing them with lower-growing evergreens  and long-blooming perennials that give more structure to the garden.  

                            

  A few of my long-blooming perennial  favorites -'purple knight ',  lambs ear, autumn sage, sedum, euphorbia, Japanese roof iris and perennial mums.

I'm pleased to say that my garden now has year round interest with something blooming or evergreen each month of the year.  My plan for this New Year is to plant more wildflowers in the roadside garden, replace a grapevine with an evergreen flowering one  ( Carolina Jessamine ? ) and start vegetables early from seed.  

I also need to work on my frontyard rose garden .  I have tried various cultivars but none have done that well despite planting them in a raised bed with recommended soil preparations.  The Camellias in that bed have done very well and I know there's enough sun for roses .  I have avoided planting the sensational 'Knockout ' roses that are so widely popular because I prefer something out of the ordinary.  Oh well, I haven't given up yet and will attempt once again this New Year with different varieties in my search to find the right one.  

Here's to hopes for a better, brighter New Year in which we defeat and put behind us the devastating  plague of last year.  I wish you good health and happiness.

DECEMBER'S BARENESS EVERYWHERE

 "How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!

What old December’s bareness every where!
And yet this time remov’d was summer’s time;
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widow’d wombs after their lords’ decease:
Yet this abundant issue seem’d to me
But hope of orphans and unfather’d fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And, thou away, the very birds are mute:   
Or, if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer,   
That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near."
- William Shakespeare, How Like a Winter Hath my Absence Been

Despite the bareness of December there is still joy to be found in the garden -the fat buds of the Chinese Paper Bush, the Camellias and the Hellebores.  The sedges are still green with life as are the hollies and the ferns.  

                         Edgeworthia chrysantha

                      A most welcome sight in the deep of                                     December

My boulder garden is still filled with textures from the Evergreens and other hardy perennials.

                        Lots of green in December.  The Autumn Sage still has blooms on it .

This last month of the year is time to reflect on the terrible pandemic that affected not only our country but the entire world.   My garden and art have kept me sane and occupied and I am grateful for my children living nearby.

I hope that the New year will bring peace and prosperity for everyone.