Sovereignty Farms

Workhorses of the Garden (for the sun)

Yesterday I was speaking with another Master Gardener who posed an interesting question.  She has recently moved here from the North and asked me what flowers are the workhorses here in the South - aside from the Daylily, which is obvious.

I recall from a seminar of Tara Dillard that she calls the workhorses of the shade - or the holy trinity perennials - as follows: Fern, Hosta, Hellebore.  And the holy trinity of shrubs for the shade - Azalea, Camellia and Hydrangea.  But what about sun gardening?

So I have put some thought into this and here is what I have come up with:

1. Sedum, specifically Autumn Joy.  Good texture, drought tolerant, fall color, low maintenance

2. Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, Shasta Daisy, Gallardia - these have long bloom periods, make good cut flowers, divide well for further proliferation, attracts bees and butterflies

3. Lambs Ear - great color and texture

4. Zebra Grass (or any grass for that matter) - Saw zebra grass in a vase of cut flowers the other day - mostly grass with a few Gallardia - and it was beautiful

5. Balloon Flower - These flower for a long time.  Just have to remember to cut them back to get another flush of blooms

6. Ajuga - really a ground cover, but great for color and weed control, survives drought, offered in a variety of shades and sizes now

7. Canna - Personally, I am not a big fan of these.  I have a few; I might like them more if I had the ones with pretty foliage.  I threw some rhizomes out a few months ago, into the burn pile.  They are blooming now. Nothing can kill this beast.

8. Agastache - drought tolerant, long blooming, pretty purple-blue

I thought about the following but decided aganst them:

1. Yarrow, Monarda, Solidago - Too invasive

2. Bearded Irises - Too short a bloom period, labor intensive since you can't mulch them

3. Perennial Hibiscus - Not very drought tolerant

4. Hardy Geranium - I kill this plant every chance I get, although others do well with it

Give me some feedback...Agree? Disagree? Any more to add to the list?

GardensOyVey Post Pt 3

Here is the third article...
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It has been more than a Month
since I have written you all about Hydrangeas!

By May 15, here in Zone 7 we started seeing our Macrophylla and Serrata Hydrangeas Bloom. Along with Oak Leaf Hydrangea. These continued and were followed by Arborescens...Annabelle, Hayes Starburst, White Dome and the Native Arborescens we discovered on our property here in N.W. Shelby County 20 years ago.
It has been a Stellar Year for Hydrangeas. No late frost. Opulent spring rain. MMMMMMMM.

As promised I will share with you what I know about the Panicle Hydrangeas.

I First came upon them in 1980 when I helped my Italian American Father Maintain Formal Estate Gardens on the North Shore of Chicago. The Panicle Hydrangeas Pee Gee or P.G. (Paniculata grandiflora) were commonly used there as "Standards" against stone posts at the entrance gates to many of the North Shore Gardens.

They were limbed up or sculpted to reveal 3-5-7 sturdy legs or branches up 3-5' and then the tops were allowed to grow at will. The P.G. have a weeping or flopping habit and this created tall cascades of White Mophead Flowers. The P.G. sold in the U.S. can reach up to 12' tall. By using this "standards" style of sculpting your P.G. we can create architecture in the garden using shrubs.

So let me begin...again...to generally describe the Species of Paniculata Hydrangea.

In General the Panicle Hydrangeas tend to be more woody than any other of the previous forms discussed.
Woody!! I feel it is their woodiness that gives them new interest and sets them apart from the other forms.

They can be manipulated like Crepe Myrtles, which are "limbed up" or "sculpted" to form tall leggy shrubs that create focal points or vertical interest. You can Sculpt them Nov. thru Feb. and again in Midsummer if you like. Sculpt not Shear! (Shearing is cutting 3-6'' from the top to produce bushy green foliage.)

They can also be cut to the ground...3-6'' to create short floriferous shrubs of approximately 3'. This is sometimes called "Stooling", which means cutting a shrub or tree nearly to the ground to create multiple young branches. In this case it is done to produce the most blooms on short shrubs. I prefer to Sculpt the Panicles to create architectural interest.

They bloom on New Wood, which is the wood produced in spring, and early summer of each year.
(Unlike the Mac.'s, the Serrata and the Oak Leaf Hydrangea, which bloom on the previous year's wood, (the wood produced the previous mid-summer and fall...after they have bloomed.) Whew!!! Did you get all that??!!

They can take Full Sun! For Zone 7 and South, I am reluctant to say this, always keeping August of 2007 in mind; However, I do know they can take at least 3 hours of miserable afternoon Southern Summer Sun and have grown them successfully in a full sun Western exposure. Zone 6 and North, I am confident they can take all day sun.

They Begin Blooming After All of the Others Have Finished! The first to bloom in my Garden are 'Limelight' and she has been blooming since July 7 here on the edge of the county...earlier I would suspect in the City.
As you can see, by using all of the species of Hydrangea: Mac., Serrata, Oak Leaf, Arborescens and Panicle Hydrangea; you will have blooms From May thru August.

They are Drouth Tolerant! As with everything in our 5 acre Nursery/Garden, P.G. and Tardiva were planted here prior to our water system being installed, 14 years prior. So the Panicle Hydrangea as well as many of the other trees, shrubs and perennials we planted were planted in Fall, Watered by 40 inches of Winter Rain, and survived our Annual Summer Drouth for 14 years.

I have grown the following Panicle Hydrangeas In the Memphis Area for 20 years: P.G., Tardiva, and Chantilly Lace. In the last 5-7 years many more varieties have become available to local nurseries.

Their Forms include Lacy Vertical Pyramidal Panicles to Fluffy, Vertical and Cascading Mophead Like Forms. They range in height from 4-18 Ft. I feel the Panicle Hydrangea are very important in creating structure and height in the Garden and will become more popular as they are more understood.

We currently have P.G., LImelight, Chantilly Lace, Little Lamb, Pinky Winky, Pink Diamond,
Tardiva, Kyushu, and a few others available.

GardensOyVey Post Pt 2

This is a great article from GardensOyVey's newsletter.  Here is the original article.  However, you never know when someone is going to remove something from their website, so I copied the content in this post.  Please check them out - here is their home page.
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We started an article series two weeks ago about Hydrangeas.

In the first newsletter we talked about Hydrangea serrata
and Hydrangea macrophylla as these are the first to bloom here in zone 7
in the Mid South. They are in Full Bloom and Color This Weekend.
If you missed the first one get it here.

This week we will discuss Hydrangea quercifolia commonly known as Oak Leaf Hydrangea and

Hydrangea arborescens sometimes called Smooth Hydrangea.
This year the Oak Leaf Hydrangea are blooming With the Serrata and the Macrophylla.
The Arborescens Hydrangea are budding now in mid season of the Serrata and Macrophylla to pick up and
shine as they begin to fade. I believe this is how they behave in most years.

Next week I will write about Panicle Hydrangeas which will begin blooming Mid June? and continue into July.
As you can see if you mix these species you can have a long season of bloom.

Another Design Consideration is that all of these have different sizes and shapes which serve different niches and create interesting vertical and horizontal arrangements.

Example: Panicle Hydrangea can be pruned up like Crepe Myrtles and you can plant Dwarf Serrata at their feet
in afternoon shade, for a sweet little arrangement, or big bosomy Annabelle for a dramatic sun tolerant hedge.

Another possibilty would be to punctuate a bed every 8-12 ft. with Panicle Hydrangea (vertical) then add an Oak Leaf far left and far right. (Dramatic filler with fab foliage).

In between each Panicle Hydrangea, fill with a mophead, a lacecap, and a dwarf lacecap, mophead or star form Serrata of complimentary colors. Perhaps shades of blue or shades of pink, white and red.

Arrange the sizes and forms to create clockwise and counterclockwise sweeps towards the middle. Plant the middle with Annabelle, Hayes Starburst, or White Dome. (Arborescens.) Wow!

So FINALLY let's talk about Oak Leaf and Arborescens Hydrangea.

Both Oak Leaf and Arborescens are Native to the Southeastern United States. Both are most often found on Dry, Shady Slopes in Native Populations. Both are extremely drouth tolerant. Although Arborescens goes in to early dormancy in very dry years without irrigation. Both of them HATE a deep, rich, wet hole. (Remember we are a rain forest in the winter...44 inches and a desert, most years, in the summer...under 6 inches.)

After killing about 30 myself I visited the Big Hill Pond State Park near Pocahontas, TN. I noticed (in August)
that they were living on a slope of about 45 degrees. Very steep. Eureka! They must have good drainage!
So I religiously began adding 4 inches of pine bark to 4 inches of native soil (clay) and building raised planting hills for Oak Leaf and Arborescens. Since then I have not lost any.The Oak Leaf Hydrangea are perhaps the most refined of all Hydrangea. They have fantastic foliage, brilliant white flowers, excellent fall color, and interesting exfoliating bark for winter. They average 4-6 ft. in height and 4 ft. in spread. There are also selections which are Dwarf, 2-3 ft. (Pee Wee) and Giants that go 8-12 ft. (Alice). There are Vertical Forms (Snow Queen) and Weeping Forms (Snowflake), as well as fragrant (Ellen Huff). They again are drouth tolerant, and prefer shade or morning sun and zones 5-9.

I believe that their foliage is essential to a shade garden as it is large and bold and anchors the landscape.

Arborescens Hydrangea is not to be overlooked. When we purchased our 5 acres the native plants were choked by Chinese Honeysuckle and Privet. Once we eradicated these vicious pests the native plants slowly began to emerge again from the forest floor. Red Buckeye, Dogwood and Redbud, Christmas Fern, Wood Phlox and Hydrangea Arborescens.

Hydrangea Arborescens is perhaps most familar to us all as 'Annabelle'. I would like to also introduce
to you 'Hayes Starburst' and 'White Dome'.

Hydrangea Arborescens is robust and bosomy as 'Annabelle' (Huge Mopheads), and refined and demure as 'White Dome' (subtle lace caps). 'Hayes Starburst' is a variation in between with double star sterile inflorescense. I cant imagine a Southern Garden or any Garden within zones 4-9 without 'Annabelle'. While she may be showy...she has a subtle dignity. She is Drouth Tolerant, Sun Tolerant and requires a well drained planting hill. She is 5x5 ft. but benifits from an annual shearing TO THE GROUND each Valentines Day.
She repays you with more flowers and smaller size shrub. (4 ft.?) DO NOT DO THIS TO ANY OTHER HYDRANGEA! 'Annabelle' has unfortunate ankles so underplant her with Deciduous Southern Shield Fern (Thelipteris kunthii)
or Autumn Fern.

I think 'Hayes Starburst' will be an exciting selection. We will see this year as they are maturing in our Gardens and our containers.

A dry shade woodland garden would not be complete without 'White Dome' or the species arborescens lacecap for its' subtle beauty and place in our southern ecosystems.

Finally try to place the right hydrangea in the right place. This will release you from the necessity of shearing.
If you must shear, do it immediatly after they bloom for most hydrangea.
However Arborescens and Panicle bloom on new wood which is forgiving of mistakes.
The Panicles are best limbed up 30 to 50 percent from the ground up.

I am sure I have missed something. Perhaps I can address all my mistakes in a separate article.
That will be one very long article.

Best Wishes. Diane and Wolfgang. GardensOyVey

Strange Summer

I just updated the look of the site - hope you like it. 

I have not written for a while. I have quite a few pictures to post, but I cannot find the USB connector to my camera.

Basically I wanted to share how horrible this summer has been, veggie wise.  It has rained non-stop, and is now scorching hot. The tomatoes hate it. We are already out of them and didn't get too many to start with.  I canned up some rotel (we tried it a Stephanie's this past weekend and I  put WAY too much sugar in it, so that is ruined), some stewed tomatoes and some spagetti sauce.

I did not learn my lesson from last year.  When I cut up the first batch of habenero peppers this year, I neglected to wear gloves. My hands were burning all night. I'm pretty sure I will not forget again. But with the peppers (about 12 diffferent kinds) we made several batches of salsa. It is really good - I put it in the food processor and it makes it like the kind you get at a restaurant, but better and more fresh. We made several kinds of hot sauce, too.

At first it looked like we were going to be really successful with cantaloupes this year. The first two were so sweet and juicy.  Justin and Ashley ate them all up in one sitting. We had a few more growing in the garden, but before they could ripen, the rain turned them into mush.

We have had about 6 watermelons. Much better than last year - only problem is that I don't like watermelon. And apparently no one elese in the family is fond of them, as 4 are just sitting out there, all ripe and everything, without any interest from anyone.

Several pumpkins have grown too. I am almost afraid to make a pumpkin pie though. If you recall, I made one last year and it was horrid. Maybe this weekend.

We grew butternut squash and spagetti squash. I am making a butternut squash casserole tonight. Last week I made a sp. squash casserole.  It was a winner with Dan. It had chicken in it too, so it was very hearty.

Carrots and Okra - heh. We haven't been eating them really. I love okra so I don't know why we haven't been having it. Sometimes, after you do all the harvesting, you just don't want to cook. I need to get better at using the veggies.

The raspberries are out of control and taking over. I need to round-up them very very soon. I ordered seeds for a fall  garden today. Pretty soon I need to pull everything out and make way for the fall plants. I hope to have more success with them than with the summer veggies.

Not About Plants

This has nothing to do with gardening but I like the picture (sent by stephanie) so much that I had to put it up so everyone could see it.

HOLY COW!!!

Last night I got the letter in the mail that I have been waiting for.......................

I made it into the Master Gardener's Program. Woo hooo.

Click here if you are interested in learning about this program.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I cannot believe all this rain. It is horrible! I think this is more than last year. The sun is never out, the flowers are being beaten to death....

This weekend I was able to sneak in a few things. I pulled the weeds out of the yellow and pink bed. The Asiatic Lilies are blooming like crazy. And I planted 36 Japanese Painted Fern in the bed by the driveway. Most of the Ajuga I planted there are coming up well. There were so many seedlings from the trees in that bed though. So I added a few inches of pinestraw. I hope that helps.

I pulled more carrots from the veggie garden. Also planted the strawberry bushes. There is a watermelon and 3 pumpkins growing. I was sad not not see any cantalope, though.

The cucmbers are really coming in. Sunday Dan canned some dill pickles with many of the cukes. And Saturday I made ro-tel with the tomatoes and peppers from the garden. When we get back from vacation we want to try some sweet pickles too.

I am afraid of what that garden is going to look like after a week of no harvesting. There will be plenty of squash, beans and tomatoes gone bad.

Farm Fresh

Last night Dan made very good fried chicken with mashed potatoes and we had green beans from the garden. I sauteed them with butter and garlic. It was an incredible meal.
I counted 14 bean plants in the garden this morning - 3 different varieties. 11 snap and 3 bush. I think that is a good number for us - a family of four (although Justin doesn't like them). I picked another meals worth this morning already.
Here is learning mistake #1 - I planted WAY too many zucchini for us, especially since it isn't our favorite (ok, we don't really like it). I planted 7 plants. This morning alone we picked 10 huge squash. I guess we are going to give them away at work. I hope someone likes them.
The watermelon is growing out of control and was covering the pumpkins, which are still petty small. #2 - make the melon rows even further apart than I did. I made them the minimum recommended width apart, but they need to be a bit wider.
It looks like the summer squash will be the next thing to harvest, but it has a week or so to go. The corn is looking great with both male and female flowers visible. Tomatoes are still good. The ones I picked the other day are 'Patio Tomatoes' which are smaller than most and grow in groups like cherry tomatoes do. There are another 2 red ones on the vine that need another day before being picked. And more peppers are forming but jut not ready yet.
I need Dan to make cages for the new sweet potatoes I planted, before someone or something comes and chews on the leaves again.
Yesterday I planted 2 purple bell peppers and 3 yellow bell peppers. They are small plants. I have seeds to green and red ones too that I need to start.
There are beautiful flowers on the eggplant. I am anxious to see them fruit. Carrots still look good. I read that I should not be cutting back the asparagus so the flowering fronds are showing now and I have kept them there.
That is all - it is very rewarding to eat from our own garden! And there is only more to come.

I love Hydrangeas

So if you know me, you know how much I love these shrubs. Saturday there is a sale at Aldridge Gardens in Alabama. I am going to go out there even though Dan can't go :<

They will be selling 80 different varieties. I am so excited. I have to bring my sheet so I get ones that I don't already have, although I pretty much know them by heart anyway.

I can't believe how excited I am. WooHoo.

The garden is looking great, but there is not much new going on in it, hence no pictures lately. Plus, well, the weeds are out of control and frankly, it would be embarrassing to show you pix of that.

If I get new plants this weekend ( ha! "if" hahahaha) then I really need to make a new area for them over by the daylilies. The back area is getting full. I want to make sure they all have enough room to grow big and nice.

The soil back there is pretty good, but I keep wondering if I should pull them up and re-ammend the soil. Probably not. I just get paranoid that they won't make it. It is just going to be so beautiful back there when they are all in bloom, even now while they are small.

New Plants

I have a really sad story to tell. A few months ago Dan and I built a birdhouse together. It was kinda a half-ass job. We didn't even put a perch on it, but we sat it on the fence. A couple of weeks ago I looked in the house and there was a nest. The bird had used Zoe hair, twine, moss....it was a good nest. A few days later, I look in and see eggs! They are small pink eggs with little spots. We were so happy. About a week later, Dan opened the top to show the kids and there was a bird sitting on the eggs looking up at them. Amazing. It was so wonderful knowing she trusted us and was sitting in OUR birdhouse.

Sunday morning we went out to start our chores. I noticed the birdhouse on the ground. Somehow it had fallen. The eggs were broken and there was some blood on the inside of the house. I could not believe it. I wanted to cry. It stayed with me all day and even today. The poor little bird worked so hard and trsted us with her home and her children and I feel like we let her down.

So what do I do to get through this sad time? Plant!!
Today I planted some great hostas. I didn't have time to take pictures, so I will show you the pictures from the internet of the same ones.

Amber Tiara

Lunar Orbit

Marachino Cherry

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Radiant Edger

Red October

Tok Flavo Circinalis