Description: Resurgent bee balm, Jacob Kline Background: Bee balm has a unique flower. It strikes me as looking like a court jester’s cap, the kind with bells and such. When people passing by pause to ask a question about the garden, invariably, they point to a bee balm bloom and ask whatContinue Reading
Dig, if you will, these pictures of a few things purplish. Yellows and magentas surround them—now can you, can you picture this? Purple is the dominant color in my garden. There is actually an assortment of purples, and I have no idea what the correct names are. I’m still notContinue Reading
When I heard tropical storm Claudette was headed to Atlanta, I panicked, remembering how past storms had bowled over my flowers. Those flowers never recovered. Years ago, when I moved to Atlanta, dodging tropical weather systems was not high on my list of concerns. But these days, I pay veryContinue Reading
Description: Early season gardenia in soft late-afternoon light Background: We have a large gardenia tree. It regularly grows to more than six feet in height. When it gets this tall, I chop away six to eight inches or so and hope I’ve done a good job with no damage. I tried lettingContinue Reading
There is nothing quite like watching and waiting for the first blooms to appear. This spring was more colorful than usual because the scarlet and magenta verbena forgot they were annuals and came back in force. I love spring, but I planned the garden to peak in summer because ofContinue Reading
Description: Pink Flirt Daylily Background: I grew up seeing orange and pale yellow daylilies everywhere. We had a huge mound of the orange ones in our yard. I always considered them as little more than weeds, as yard background noise. My attitude toward daylilies didn’t change until I discovered there were othersContinue Reading
Every label I have read clearly states verbena is an annual in zones 4 to 7. I read labels and used to believe them. But, I am beginning to think labels are best thought of as educated guesses—more like what the grower believes about a plant rather than botanical facts. Continue Reading
Phloxes are great garden flowers. They have beautiful blooms and smell as if they could be an ingredient in Sweet & Sour Tarts. I have had good luck growing regular garden phlox and creeping phlox, but I’ve planted dwarf phlox multiple times, and it has never made it past aContinue Reading
I love tomatoes. As a child, tomatoes were a treat in the same way as other fruit. I was picky about my tomatoes—they had to be fresh from the vine—store-bought tomatoes were just not the same. Tomatoes, warm from summer sun, seemed juicer and tangier than those from stores, despiteContinue Reading
The deck is a staple of American life. It’s the designated place for grilling, drinking, and socializing. We have a deck, not a big one, but it has served its purpose. Having a deck is my right as an American, so would someone please explain this to the carpenter bees. Continue Reading
