Posts Tagged ‘long lived perennials’
Rayless Sunflower Needs A Sexy Name
Black flowers always seduce us. I’m not sure why but there’s a mystery to them. This one is a seductive garden plant for so many reasons. It also has sway. It bends and bounces and moves like a pendulum but it always stands right back up. Rub your hand across it and it bends down. …
Read MoreSeptember 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…
Read MorePlants for Deep South Meadows
You know those meadows that you see in magazines? The ones that beckon pick-nickers with knee high whispering grasses and painterly masses of wildflowers? The kind of meadow you might skip through, roll in, take off your shirt and nap with your dog in? In the Deep South, we only have those in calendars and…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreMy First Crinum Lily is About 75 Years Old
After tons of delicate spring flowers, I’m ready for some bold color and big textures. Every year, I feel the same. In garden design, I always seek contrasting textures— which is kind of tough in spring since we have lots of new, tiny leaves and delicate flowers. Crinum bulbispermum is pushing into flower this second…
Read MoreCemetery Lily in Medicine, Art, and Memories
Through recent trials, we know one species of crinum lily thrives in unexpected places like the mid-west, high plains of Denver, in Ohio and New York. Three foot tall pink or white flowers top sculptural gray leaves. You can see the universal quest for life in its robust growth. Ironically, the same species has long…
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