Earthforming a Rustic Urn

The circular patio holds a 1,000 pound urn. We made it. It’s a seating bench, a place to rest a drink or plate and it is an urn for a Japanese Apricot tree.   The earth-formed texture, (as well as patio texture) come from our farm’s clay, roots and thick weave burlap.  In the sides, there…

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September is Still Summer

Late summer here extends  into September and October. Plants love it. This is the best time of year for gardens in the south. I like to garden visit now, everything is full and flowing, purple and orange, dripping with the weight of summer growth and buzzing with moths and the energy of life. Here are…

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The Otherside of the Web Page

I’d like to introduce you to three fellas who keep our website running. They are important in our life. And in your life too. Without the guys who do tedious, frustrating and creative web stuff, I couldn’t focus on growing good bulbs, nor could you read about or buy them for your garden. What’s behind…

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Sand Dune Meadow; A Plea for Stewardship in Gardening

Our beautiful barrier islands have been landscaped beyond recognition. Typical “landscapes” seem designed to demonstrate that people can dominate nature. We can. We do. For a moment in time. But in making and keeping up typical landscapes, we’re doing harm to the life on the islands, in the soil and in the water. We can…

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Plant Sale For Crinum Farm Field Day

Leonotis menthifolia ‘Savannah Sunset’ Bright orange, fuzzy flowers in a perfect whorl around the stems.  Loves hot dry places and flowers all summer.  Perennial in warm parts of zone; great annual in other parts.  $10               Crinum ‘Bradley Giant’  This is a big growing lily, reaching 4 feet tall…

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I Will Survive! Flowers for a Disco Queen

When a horticulturist (or anyone) comes up with a new plant, they get to name the plant.  Older, more genteel generations named plants to honor their wives or Alma-matter.  Think of Azalea ‘Mrs. G.G. Gerbing’ or ‘Clemson Spineless’ Okra. When I found a special crinum, I got my first chance at naming. Decades ago, I’d…

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Welding Projects

I like to imagine what a plant would do if it had a certain type of fence, trellis, tuteur or sculpture to climb. Here’s a slide show (and below some videos) of recent welding projects.   [Not a valid template]   yt videos:

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Parking Lots Become Parking Gardens

Form might follow function.  But too often in designing parking lots, many important functions get ignored. In parking lots, nothing but parking and getting customers in the door seems to matter.  Whatever happened to the very important functions of pedestrian safety, rainwater run off,  shading cars and providing beauty? And whatever happend to the function…

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Time or Money

Years ago, Dr. J.C. Raulston did a presentation for me at Riverbanks Botanical Garden which he called Time or Money. It was about how in gardening some people think the later can substitute for the former. He showed that you can plant little plants and take care of them and wait or plant big plants…

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