Neon purple flowers for late summer through fall. I named this plant for horticulturist Jim Martin and of course for my favorite birds.
Archive | seeds
Overly Enthusiastic Children and Vines
Pay attention, indulge, wait and be delighted. This month my buddy’s pre-teen boy is into magic. He’s been through Egyptian mythology, dinosaurs and bigfoot. His dad’s endless patience amazes me. The magic show commences with an elaborate introduction, “On the death-day of the great Houdini, I honor the risk he took to share magic… Read More
Transition from Turf to Meadow Using Spring Annuals as First Step
When I first meet with the owners of Blue Poppy Farm, we stood surrounded by endless turf. They said, “We ride the horses into the woods around here and it’s so beautiful out there. ” Can you make this look more like that?” The transition will take years. The long term goal includes Sandhills meadow… Read More
Getting Houses Ready for Purple Martins
Believe it or not, they know us. Not just that but they get all happy, they come out and sit on their perches, talking and greeting when they see us coming. Nothing animates a quiet day in the garden like a colony of purple martins. These migratory birds have long lived in association with people. … Read More
Winter Cover Crops for Farm, Yard or City Garden.
On the farm, we do all the work by hand; no tractors, no plows, no till. Our crew includes interns, volunteer kids from down the dirt road, city cousins and some well trained farm animals. But we also use plants to do lots of work. All year long, cover crops do the tilling, pest control,… Read More
Plant Evaluation — Selecting New Crinum Varieties
I’m a tough critic when it comes to plants, especially when evaluating plants we’ll sell or share or use in gardens, streetscapes or bioswales. Nothing floppy, nothing wimpy, nothing that doesn’t make a great all around garden plant makes the cut. Because I know their potential well, having grown them since the 70’s I’m especially… Read More
Garden & Dog Road Trip
Thousands of pictures wait to be edited: high end malls with extravagant palm plantings, blue water swim days at the dog beach, vine laden tropical gardens, and brilliant displays of plants at the Tropical Plants and Landscape Show. Friends and gag pics. Dog profiles and gardens. A 1,700 mile road trip to south Florida with… Read More
Conjunction Junction; A Lady who Loves Her Function….
A young family who’s trying to mix modern needs into the garden of a historic Mediterranean Revival home. An 86-year-old gentleman, from the wrong side of the tracks, who enlisted in the US Navy at 16 having lied about his age. The person who organized fundraising events and presentations for the New Orleans Botanical Garden…. Read More
5 Favorite Flowers to Seed-In Now for Spring Flowers
As with fall leaf veggies, seeding in spring annuals, now, gives you green ground cover and texture over winter; then flowers come in the spring time. There’s just no better value; in Deep Rooted Wisdom, I tell the story of a mentor who bought a pack of red poppy seeds in 1959 and still has… Read More
5 Favorite Salad Greens to Seed-In for Fall
Easy-to-germinate cool season leaf crops yield beauty as well as nutrients. There may be lots of choices in seed catalogs, but over decades of gardening, I’ve weeded out the the ones that take too much work. With these easy fall and winter greens, scatter the seeds then make sure the little seedlings stay moist. Then… Read More