Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel

Favorite Plant: A Sedge for the Edge

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

There are few plants in the garden that are virtually maintenance-free. My favorite foliage plant is carex hachijoensis 'Evergold' that can be used in sun or part shade, zones 5-10 and is both deer and rabbit resistant.

I have several varieties of carex in my garden, and 'Evergold' is the best for hot summer sun in my zone. The plants along my waterfall have been growing for four years and are shaded only in the late afternoon.

Other great sedges growing in my garden include Carex dolichostachya 'Kaga nishiki', Carex morrowii 'Silver Sceptre' and Carex testacea 'Orange New Zealand Sedge' - though all require more shade and less sun than 'Evergold'. Shade is rare in my young garden, so all of the sedges are having to tough it out while waiting for shade to grow! Nonetheless, they have been surviving these harsh conditions for several years.

While I have not cut back my sedges at all so far, they can be cut back in very early spring to prevent seed heads from forming. I have had no problem with reseeding, so I don't concern myself with this chore.

The sedges are growing in normal garden soil, moist soil and even wet soil, in my garden.

The graceful, large mounds are wonderful for ground cover as well as edging a garden or as an accent companion plant. The blooms of an orange rose really stand out against the backdrop of carex 'Evergold'.

The thin, colorful foliage works well with plants with wide leaves such as hosta (if you don't have deer) or calla lily (growing in the waterfall).

How much do I like carex 'Evergold'? Enough to recently plant an entire flat of it! More about that project in the future...

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home garden; all photos taken November 2009 unless otherwise indicated.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:49:00 +0000

I hope everyone has a happy, safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Can Dig It, He Can Dig It, We Can Dig It (The Garden Edge)

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Six inches of rain and the ground was soft. Nature provided the perfect condition for digging a nice, clean edge around the outer gardens. I got out the flat blade shovel and started cutting straight down through the grass to dig out a perfect edge. Only 160 feet. No problem. I was enjoying the cooler temps and misty days for this task. The lyrics to Grazing in the Grass kept playing in my head as I made fast progress. I can dig it!

I was having great fun and was more than halfway around the garden when... along came my dear husband who had just finished up his daily five-mile run. I ran/walked/cycled last week. Enough of that - I was getting "real exercise" by gardening again.

Obviously, my task looked either too difficult and he felt like he should help... or, it looked like too much fun and he was missing out.

I'm not sure which it was, but he can dig it, too... only, he wanted to add a stone edging inside my perfect trench! My husband has been after me for three years to add a stone edging. I didn't want to spend the money. Call me cheap, but I just didn't see the benefit.

He persisted. I agreed, but said that I wanted to use square pavers and place them below the grass level to create a mowing strip. We had to dig the trench deeper as well as wide enough for us to work with pavers. We can dig it!

At the hardware store, he found a different cast concrete edging that he decided would look better and loaded up the cart with forty (yes, 40) "samples" to take home. That's a forty foot long sample! He removed twenty pieces at my request (pitiful begging). He said the edging matched the stone in our chimney, foundation and fence columns. True. He immediately laid the twenty stones in a section of the trench and declared the result to be fantastic.

At this point, I realized that he'd made up his mind and I was just going to have to surrender control of my project. Okay, I'll admit it. He was right and he was helpful... but, I really could have done this all by myself!

I can dig it, he can dig it
She can dig it, we can dig it
They can dig it, you can dig it
Oh, let's dig it
Can you dig it, baby

- lyrics by The Friends of Distinction

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home garden; November 2009; Lyrics referenced - The Friends of Distinction. Home, Garden and Travel Tips

Free Yourself and Your Oven; Grill the Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:27:00 +0000

It all started with Thanksgiving 2006. Expecting a crowd for the big meal, I couldn't work out a way to get everything in the oven since the turkey was so large.

We had to figure out how to get everything cooked on time. The microwave wouldn't do it. Ah ha! What about using the grill? Would that work? My husband placed the turkey (in the pan) on the grill to see if the lid would close. It did. Since it was already Thanksgiving morning, I frantically searched the Web for turkey grilling instructions. After finding several versions, my husband and I created our own variation.

All of our guests showed up. We announced that the turkey was on the grill. Amazed, all the men went out onto the grilling deck to witness what they'd never seen before -- a turkey on the grill!

They didn't bother with the games on TV, they wanted to watch the turkey. There was a problem with that. The guys kept opening up the grill lid to see the turkey! Opening and closing the grill lid slows down the roasting with all that cold winter air. It took longer than expected due to the spectator interference and the meal was still late. However, the results were fabulous and we agreed to grill the holiday turkey in the future.

Fast forward to summer 2007. I was shopping for a new gas grill for my husband's birthday. After all, if he was going to grill the turkey from now on, he needed a better grill.

I asked the salesman if grills came with windows. No.

I asked if I could buy a "turkey cam." He laughed hysterically! No, they don't make cameras for the inside of a grill.

I bought the grill in spite of the lack of desired features.

A few days later, I went to my favorite kitchen gadget store. Telling the salesperson about the problems with the spectacle of turkey grilling, she had a brilliant idea...buy a remote digital thermometer!

When I enthusiastically presented that thermometer to my husband, he was skeptical. Very skeptical. I was tempted to return the thermometer with such a reaction, but we kept it. It was several months later before the debut of the remote thermometer at Thanksgiving 2007.

I prepared the fresh turkey by rubbing it with olive oil and Herbes de Provence--a mix of basil, savory, fennel and lavender. I placed the turkey in a standard roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. I put chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan to create moisture during the roasting process. The culinary sage in the garden was still looking great, so I added fresh leaves to the chicken broth. I handed the turkey off to my husband. He programmed the remote thermometer and agreed to keep the grill lid closed.

I was free and my oven was free! I worked on the side dishes without having to worry about the turkey.

The remote radio control sat in the kitchen. Several hours later a voice said "your food will be ready in five minutes." The thermometer had worked! We double-checked the temperature with another thermometer and the two agreed...the turkey was done.

The Herbes de Provence and the fresh sage provided great flavor. The turkey was moist from the method of grilling. Our guests all agreed that it was the best turkey...even if they didn't have the fun of watching it grill!

Story by Freda Cameron, November 2009; Photo added Thanksgiving 2008;

Baffle the Squirrels and Feed the Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:56:00 +0000

The IQ of a squirrel is greatly underestimated. They solve problems with logic and they know how to use tools. There's a "think tank" of great squirrel minds out in our woods right now, putting together a plan for how they can get an easy meal from our birdfeeder.

Gardeners and other bird lovers hang their feeders hoping to attract, and feed, a variety of beautiful feathered friends over the winter. My husband and I take down our hummingbird feeders in the fall and bring out the birdseed. Our birdfeeders are positioned so that we can view the activity from our garden room while we enjoy our morning coffee by the warmth of the fireplace. Our Peterson's Field Guide® is handy so that we can quickly look up any unfamiliar birds.

From our view of the garden, we have personally witnessed many successful schemes of seed-stealing by the squirrels. We started out with a simple, inexpensive birdfeeder mounted on a simple, inexpensive hanger pole. The birdfeeder was filled with expensive, gourmet, premium wild bird seed. It didn't take but a few hours to realize that is equivalent to a neon "Open All Day" sign for squirrels.

We went back to the store in search of a solution. We saw a rather amusing video of a battery-operated feeder throwing squirrels around like a mechanical bull. We took one home. We replaced our cheap feeder with the animated attraction. We took our seats ready for the morning entertainment, confident that the squirrels would be unable to steal the seed.

The first squirrel was a bit stunned by his merry-go-round ride. He sat on the ground staring up at the new feeder. We "high-fived" thinking that the only seed for that squirrel was going to be what was dropped on the ground from bird beaks. He attempted his thievery a few more times, then went up on the roof to survey the situation. He sat up there for awhile pondering how to get around this new contraption. He came down with a new plan and told all his squirrel buddies.

The next thing we knew, a squirrel was on top of the feeder, where there is no flipping mechanism. He struggled and struggled to try to open the top. Unsuccessful in getting the lid off, we thought for sure he would give up. Instead the squirrels regrouped and sent their scout back on the roof to gather more intelligence about this new machine.

The next trick was to hang onto the pole with hind feet, stretch across and hold onto to the feeder trough instead of the flipping mechanism. The squirrels took turns eating from the feeder, ever so persistant and patient. The crew spent an entire day working systematically to reach the food. In the process, they managed to empty the feeder of seeds, replenishing their troups for another day's raid.

It was time for us to go back to the store. This time, we asked for assistance. The experienced salesperson pointed out a cone-shaped pole baffle. This purchase also required the purchase of a larger, taller pole to fit the baffle.

Having spent a considerable amount of money on this defense system, we were cautiously optimistic about our new fortress. With our mechanical feeder, a better pole and a new baffle, we were ready for the next onslaught.

The squirrels huddled together at the bottom of this new pole and baffle. From their vantage point, they could see the feeder, but it disappeared into darkness with every attempt to climb the pole. They tried to hang on the edge of the baffle, but there was no grip. They tried tipping the baffle to no avail. The sentinel on the roof had no battle plan for dislodging the baffle. Without trees close enough to launch an airborne attack, the defeated squirrel troop sulked back into the woods.

Through all of last winter, the baffle continued to baffle the squirrels while the birds got plenty to eat. We did show a little sympathy now and then by spreading a little seed around for the pitiful squirrels. We're ready for the attacks this year. Unless the squirrels bring a ladder, we think the birdfeeder is safe.

This is a repeat of last year's popular story by Freda Cameron

My Best Low-maintenance Plants: Part I (Salvias)

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Time is a luxury. Although I throughly enjoy working in the garden, I like to spend more hours - just being in the garden.

When I began my extreme makeover garden project this fall, I realized that not only was I keeping the best bloomers, but the easiest plants to maintain. I ruthlessly culled out poor performers, aggressive or high maintenance plants and threw those on the compost heap.

My garden conditions:

Zone 7b
full sun all day
outside the fence, deer resistance is critical
drought tolerant, once plants are established

Salvias

Salvias provide a long bloom season and there are varieties available for many growing zones. This is important - choose salvias that are appropriate for your zone. Salvias that grow in New Mexico may not grow in your zone.

To help the perennial salvias overwinter, I do not cut them back in the fall. Some varieties of salvia require slightly more attention than others, but I still consider all of those in my garden to be low-maintenance. There are also annual salvias that can be grown for color all summer and then pulled out if they don't overwinter.

Photographing salvias is difficult, but otherwise, they are great plants!

It is November and almost every salvia in my garden is still in bloom. Only the salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' and uliginosa (bog sage) are not in bloom. The nemorosa blooms in spring and may be deadheaded for lesser repeat blooms (they reseed, but that's okay). I'm not a big fan of nemorosa because there are so many other salvias that bloom longer, however I like 'Caradonna' for the spring blooms and nice foliage.

The bog sage blooms non-stop all summer and takes a break only when the temperatures drop. It can be aggressive, but the stolons are easy to pull when it wanders too far.

For year-round, the salvia greggii varieties are my absolute favorites and I have them in violet, dark purple, deep red, cherry red, magenta, white and grape. They are semi-evergreen to evergreen in my garden. These salvias will put on a big spring bloom display, bloom off-and-on all summer and then put on the best display in autumn when so many other flowers have stopped blooming. In very late winter, all I do is a little shaping of the shrub-like plants to prevent stem breakage.

If you asked a hummingbird to select their favorite, it would be salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' so I have at least fifteen of these! This is a tender perennial for my zone, but I've had good luck with overwintering. This salvia can take a bit more summer moisture, richer soil and partial shade than other salvias. Still, it cannot be in a wet winter location in the garden. Black & Blue blooms from summer until fall freezes.

I've added salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' as well as it's larger parent 'Indigo Spires' to the garden this summer. I have high hopes that these non-stop bloomers will overwinter here as they are truly beautiful and the color works with all other colors.

There are literally hundreds of salvias from which to choose, but I don't consider myself a collector, just a gardener who loves to grow great plants. These low-maintenance, deer resistant, rabbit resistant, drought tolerant plants work hard for me, so I'll keep them!

For more information on salvias, I can think of no better resources than Robin's Salvias (United Kingdom) for an incredible gallery and Rich Dufresne, a salvia expert right here in North Carolina who has introduced so many salvias to gardeners. Both gentlemen participate regularly on the GardenWeb Salvia Forum.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home garden; 2009

Azaleas Bloom Again in Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 +0000

I think that I enjoy my azalea blooms as much in autumn as I do in the spring. My six Encore® Azaleas reliably provide blooms twice a year. My azaleas bloomed in April and have been repeat blooming since September. All the while, they provide evergreen foliage for the cottage garden.

These azaleas work great for my south-facing garden where the azaleas get plenty of sunbeams and some afternoon shade. Three of the azaleas are planted beneath a Kwansan cherry tree. The other three are standards (tree form) up against the garage wall beside the front porch.

While there is plenty of space outside my cottage garden for azaleas, I can't really grow them successfully due to deer foraging. There's nothing I'd like more than a garden full of native azaleas. However, I have to accept the things that I cannot change!

When it comes to growing azaleas in small spaces such as my cottage garden, having two bloom seasons from the same shrubs is very rewarding.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home garden; November 4, 2009

The Shifting Faces of Coreopsis

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:15:00 +0000

From butter yellow with a red center to a deep burgundy, Coreopsis Big Bang™ 'Redshift' has been changing faces in my garden all summer. This coreopsis influenced my decision to redesign an area of the butterfly garden around the colors of blue, yellow and burgundy.

Out with my camera this morning to photograph (and document) my redesign, I noticed that the coreopsis was showing three colors on one plant. I haven't deadheaded this coreopsis since I planted it, so all of these non-stop blooms have been happening on their own.

The coreopsis has been reliably upright until recently when the abundance of blooms weighed down some of the stems. I think I'll give it a few light trims along the sides next year. I like the height of 24-30 inches so that I don't have to use this coreopsis along the front of the border.

The 'Redshift' is said to bloom July through September, but I'm sure that is for colder zones as mine have been blooming since planted in June and they are still blooming for November! The location is very sunny, with east and south sunbeams most of the day.

The deer haven't touched the coreopsis though their hoof prints indicate that they are responsible for breaking a few stems while they trudge through to reach our manmade stream for water at night.

As mentioned before, this coreopsis influenced the overall color theme and companion plantings for this redesign, but I'm now calling this section "done" until I see the results next spring and summer!

To recap the redesign:

Seeds of annual salvia farcinacea 'blue bedder', nigella 'Miss Jekyll', larkspur 'Galilee Blue' and 'Blue Spire' as well as cornflower 'Blue Boy' have now been sown around the perennials to provide spring blooms.

More seeds for the perennial gaillardia 'Burgundy' were added since I have only three plants there right now. Seeds for perennial gaillardia 'Yellow Queen' were also sown to provide more yellow with the blue and burgundy.

Other perennials include achillea and another coreopsis variety for more yellow, agastache 'Blue Fortune', nepeta 'Walker's Low' and dark red salvia greggii.

Dutch irises in blue/yellow and iris pallida (blue blooms and variegated foliage) were relocated to this area, too. I noticed a lot of the Dutch irises around my gardens are sprouting already! They won't bloom until April, so I suppose they are loving our weather.

For the next week, we'll have fabulous warm sunny weather with little rain which is great for gardeners, but too warm and dry for seeds! Everyday for the next week or so, I will mist all the seeded areas to prevent them from drying out. A time-consuming activity, but well worth the efforts to increase the germination success rate.

As for the coreopsis, I want to see just how much longer they will bloom with a freeze expected for Thursday night!

How Did You Spend Your Extra Hour?

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:51:00 +0000

After adjusting the clock (fall back) and gaining an hour, I put it to good use. Sunday was a very, very rainy day, so we went to see the movie Paris starring Juliette Binoche (of Chocolat fame). Actually, the movie took two hours!

Anyone who loves visiting Paris may find this film quite insightful into the daily living in the city. This French film (with subtitles) explores the old versus the new in so many ways - social structure and building structure as well as views on sibling and romantic relationships.

Paris is my favorite city, so it was highly interesting to see the familiar sights onscreen as well as the back streets and neighborhoods that are seldom seen by visitors. The cinematography rewards viewers with long shots of the city from the high vantage points such as the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower and from the steps of the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.

There's another French film out that I plan to see on the next rainy day - Coco Before Chanel.

Meanwhile - back in the garden today, the weather was perfect for sowing seeds. There's something about sowing seeds that is perfect fun. It's not exact and that results in imperfect surprises!

Words and photo by Freda Cameron; Photo taken May 2009 in Paris.

Annuals in Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There are annuals still blooming boldly in the garden, even after several light frosts. There are zinnias, ageratum, cosmos and marigolds that still look great. I don't think marigolds know when to stop. Besides that, they've never looked ragged.

Granted, the marigold seeds were sown the first two weeks in July so that there would be fall color.

There are autumn colors of yellow, gold, orange and red. If you think marigolds look too gaudy for summer, try them for autumn. The combination of the annual (in my zone) purple fountain grass with the tall marigolds works well enough that I may actually plan this combination again for next year.

Please don't ask me to identify the marigolds in my garden. I picked up packets at stores, ordered online and didn't take the time to document any of these. I faintly remember sowing seeds from a 'Crackerjack Mix' somewhere in the garden.

I never cared for marigolds until I planted them this year. Previously, my impression was a vision of straight rows of plantings outside commercial buildings.

I just scattered the seeds - literally and liberally - in any blank space available. I don't advise this. I definitely got carried away and there are still little marigold seedlings sprouting everywhere. Next year, there will be a little more order and attention to my marigold seed sowing. I've already ordered a packet of lemon yellow single blooms for next summer.

As for my favorite bloom shape, I prefer the single blooms of the French marigolds over the carnation type double blooms.

As for the bees and butterflies, they love all of the marigolds. The Monarch butterflies are particularly attracted to the single marigolds and big bumblebees love to sleep on the cushions of the double blooms. And for the late-arriving Monarch butterflies that have been showing up all fall - thank goodness for marigolds.

Some of the marigolds are short and some are very tall. They've exceeded my expectations for the common marigold. I'll no longer look down my perennial-loving nose at these common annuals. They've added plenty of punch and pizzaz in the garden for autumn.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home garden; late October 2009

BYOB (A Garden Makeover)

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:15:00 +0000

"Bring Your Own Blooms" is my mantra for redesigning the butterfly garden this fall. As much as possible, I am shuffling plants around to utilize what I already grow in order to reduce the cost.

After moving the orange and purple flowers to another new garden area, I had holes to fill in the butterfly garden. Two perennials already in the garden became the focus of the makeover color scheme of burgundy, yellow and blue.

The main players (click the photo to enlarge) that influenced the makeover are:

Coreopsis Big Bang™ 'Redshift'
zones 4-9, full sun, deer resistant, 30-26" x 24-30"

Gaillardia 'Burgundy'
zones 3-9, full sun, deer resistant 24" x 12"

The reds in all of the flowers are on the blue side, showing as burgundy in person.

Other plants that remain are the large green/white miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan', a yellow-blooming hypericum shrub and a mass planting of red salvia greggii.

Another existing perennial is a light yellow yarrow (achillea). The mass planting of yarrow overlaps into a small area with nepeta and verbena bonariensis that, along with crocosmia, serves as a buffer to the adjacent orange and purple bed.

I decided that spires of blue blooms would work well with both the shape and colors of the existing perennials. Of course, the decision was partly based upon suitable plants that I could move from other areas of the garden.

But first, there was a huge problem! There was a monster bronze fennel that was too tall and out of place. Having another mass planting of fennel to serve as host plants for Black Swallowtail caterpillars, I decided to dig up this one. What a surprise! The thick and long roots were undermining the surrounding perennials! This must be the reason for the poor performance near the fennel. I had to do a bit of rearranging of the gaillardia and one coreopsis to save them from the fennel roots.

Once the fennel was removed, I transplanted agastache 'Blue Fortune' to serve as a backdrop to the burgundy gaillardia. Another red salvia greggii was placed next to the miscanthus. Next spring, I will add deep blue flowers using both salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' and salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'.

There are a few yellow daffodils somewhere in this area! I may sow seeds (since I have them) for red poppies for early spring blooms.

The agastache, salvia, coreopsis, and gaillardia bloom all summer and into fall. They are still in bloom. The agastache required deadheading for re-bloom, but this has resulted in a prettier blue (not as dusty looking as in summer). The yarrow blooms great in early summer, but with our humidity the silver foliage tends to turn black, requiring it to be cut back to the ground. It looks good again by fall, but doesn't re-bloom. I have seeds for pale yellow marigolds to help hide the yarrow foliage in late summer through fall.

I have even more makeovers in the works. I've been very, very busy in the the garden!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home Garden

Shuffling Plants for a New Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Have I told you lately that I love to combine purple and orange blooms in the flower garden? I put together a design idea and the new color-themed garden is now almost finished.

To help me visualize the color and plant combinations, I looked through my photos and matched up bloom times. I played with the photos until I had my spring, summer and fall bloom plan. I started an inventory of the perennials in the photos. With some garden rearranging and plant shuffling, I could fill the new area quite easily.

Except for allium 'purple sensation' bulbs and annual larkspur seeds, all of the plants came from my existing gardens. In other words, this was an inexpensive project.

I claimed prime real estate that was being used as a holding bed. The new garden area is at the top of the slope above our large willow tree - in deer country, bordering the meadow between the south and east gardens. It is also a full sun, southeast location so all plants were selected for similar growing and water requirements.

Spring color will kick off with purple blooms of nepeta 'Walkers Low', allium 'Purple Sensation', salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', verbena 'Homestead' and larkspur 'lilac spires' (annual).

In summer, orange blooms of agastache aurantiaca 'Navajo Sunset', echinacea 'Sundown', crocosmia and asclepias tuberosa will be accented with purple spires of agastache 'Purple Haze' and ground-hugging verbena 'Homestead'. If I need additional purple blooms, I have plenty of skinny verbena bonariensis as well as petunias that can be transplanted.

The foliage of the other perennials, as well as stachys 'Big Ears Helen von Stein' will keep the garden from looking barren after the purple spring bloom. The existing nepeta has frilly foliage while the existing crocosmia provides blades as well as a buffer to the red in the butterfly garden. The existing asclepias tuberosa foliage may be eaten by the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies, but that's part of the plan, too. The larkspur will be pulled after blooming and the allium foliage will disappear.

I have allowed enough space to relocate a few plants for fall bloom, probably using my salvia greggii 'Ultra Violet' (short) and salvia leucantha (tall) to bring more purple back to the garden for the final bloom season. Those are too tender to move now and will have to wait next spring.

Dark purple foliage would be a nice accent in this area. It is difficult to find dark foliage that can stand up to the full sun and the deer. Unfortunately, deer will eat the taller sedum that I would love to use in this garden. I have a sufficient supply of sedum 'Purple Emperor' that I could move. Purple salvia officinialis or purple basil are potential candidates for adding next spring, too.

The primary perennial players include:

Tall background plants, over three feet tall, consist of agastache 'Purple Haze' and agastache 'Navajo Sunset'. I have enough of each to create a mass planting, though I wish I had enough 'Black Adder' to use instead of 'Purple Haze'. The agastache pair are suitable for zones 6-9, need full sun and well-drained soil and are deer and rabbit resistant. These will provide a long bloom season from summer until frost.

A meandering planting of orange echinacea 'Sundown' wind between the tall agastache and five purple salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'. The coneflowers (1 - 3 feet high) are fine for zones 4-9, full sun and well-drained soil. I haven't had a deer problem with these, but I have to watch out for the rabbits. The coneflowers will bloom in June and will bloom again with deadheading.

Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' is a good spring-blooming perennial with dark purple, upright spikes. Suitable for zones 4-8, it works in a variety of soil types (even clay). It is deer and rabbit resistant. I am using five plants and have another group of three. If the spikes are left on this salvia, they will reseed. The plants are about 24" high and 18" wide. The foliage is pretty after the blooms are gone, so a mass planting of 'Caradonna' makes a nice ground cover, too.

Since it is fall, I will keep the plants watered well to help the roots establish before it gets too cold. Here in zone 7, perennials that can be safely planted in autumn are much larger, and bloom better than spring-plantings for the first season.

I'm pretty excited over the purple-orange color theme garden since these are familiar plants that I can count on for good performance next year. I do have a lot of holes to fill in the other gardens from where I stole the plants - I try to view those as more redesign opportunities rather than wrecked spaces!

Photos and words by Freda Cameron; Home Garden

Blazing Bloomers!

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

The blazing red blooms are over five feet high and wide, creating quite a bonfire! The fire has been raging out of control for weeks now. Several light frosts this week haven't extinguished the blooms on the salvia elegans (pineapple sage).

This is one of those plants that may be an indicator for global warming, though we had a very cold winter last year. Pineapple sage is considered an annual around here, more suitable for zones 8-11 than my zone 7 garden. I planted this one (and a few others that didn't survive) three years ago.

I never expected this salvia to survive, so I totally ignored it and literally planted agastache 'Blue Fortune' and clumping bamboo on top of it two years ago! In mid-August, I gave the agastache a trim, the salvia got to see the sun and took off like a wildfire. The hummingbirds went nuts over this plant before they packed up their tiny bags and flew south. Deer and rabbits ignore the plant.

The salvia is in a section of the butterfly garden that is getting a makeover. The space is now getting partial shade as the bamboo, a chaste tree and miscanthus have matured. I have relocated some heat-seeking plants to make room for plants that don't have to heat roast all summer. Next year, there will be colocasia and amsonia hubrichtii with the salvia. I may try some of the butterfly ginger or a canna here as well. The colocasia blooms in fall and has dark purple stems and a yellow bloom. The amsonia turns a brilliant gold in the fall. Of course, my PLAN will go up in flames if the salvia doesn't survive this winter!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home Garden; October 2009

A B C: A Favorite Flower Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I could grow fields of this garden combination and be perfectly pleased... if only it could look this good to enjoy all summer long!

A = agastache 'Purple Haze' (or 'Black Adder'): zones 6-9, full sun
B = bee balm (monarda) 'Raspberry Wine': zones 4-9, full sun
C= coneflowers (echinacea) 'Prairie Splendor': zones 3-9, full sun

This trio bloomed beautifully together all of June. The combination consisted of 3 agastache, 1 bee balm and 5 coneflowers when planted in September 2008. This was the first year of bloom, an example of how fall planting can provide great results as the perennials have a chance for root development.

Unfortunately, the agastache 'Purple Haze' grew far too tall to continue in the current location. For some reason, this agastache didn't like to be deadheaded after getting so lanky. I moved the agastache out to the butterfly garden.

By also growing agastache 'Black Adder' in the deer resistant garden all summer, I have decided that it is a better agastache choice for this location and has the same purple spires. A better agastache in my opinion, 'Black Adder' has looked full all summer, still has rich purple spires and taken to deadheading quite well.

This particular bee balm 'Raspberry Wine' has very large stems that are noticeable when deadheaded. I recommend cutting it back severely after it finishes blooming if it is in a prominent location (this is by my front porch). Use annuals (I had zinnias here until yesterday) to fill in the space if you are left with a hole in the garden. An aggressive grower in rich soil, you only need one of these plants. You can divide it in autumn or spring, but I find I get the best blooms from monarda if it is divided in autumn.

These coneflowers (Prairie Splendor) will bloom after deadheading all summer. I still have blooms on these plants. The 'Prairie Splendor' reseeds in the garden, so I also have plenty of kids to transplant to other locations next spring. You could direct sow seeds now and have a few blooms by late summer of next year.

I love the color combination of purple, deep pink and raspberry. The different bloom shapes add interest to the grouping, so repeating these plants in a different color scheme, could also provide interesting results. I will definitely repeat this combination... somewhere in the outer gardens, if I can find some space!

Clematis and Roses: A Favorite Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:35:00 +0000

It is quite the scramble in May as the clematis climb over the roses. Just select your favorite clematis and your favorite rose and mix them up.

In my garden, I use two common varieties. Clematis 'Jackmanii' and Knock Out™ Rose 'Radrazz' are planted along the inside of the cottage garden fence. As with many combinations in my garden, these provide the purple and deep rose bloom colors that I love so much.

The clematis is rated for zones 4-9 and is a Group 3, meaning to prune back in late winter at the same time as roses. I have good results by leaving a few leaf nodes when pruning. There are three along the inside of my front fence.

The roses are suitable for zones 5-9 and are tough, drought-resistant roses that bloom off and on from May through a few frosts. I've had them bloom up until Thanksgiving. The only real maintenance problem is due to Japanese beetles that attack in the summer. I've tried a number of solutions, but cutting off the rose blooms while the beetles are around worked better, and was easier, than other methods. It took a few weeks for the roses to push new growth and bloom again, so there was some down time.

Yes, the deer will normally eat clematis and roses, so the plants need to be inside a fence. In May, there tends to be enough food in the wild that the deer allow me to enjoy the blooms that spill over, outside and through the fence.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron

Purple and Deep Rose: A Favorite Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:36:00 +0000

I do love to combine deep rose with purple-blue blooms in the garden. In fact, I'm probably growing too many deep rose (includes magenta and fuschia) and purple flowers, but I tend to gravitate toward the colors. I think the combination is soothing and easy on the eyes.

Could it be because these colors are analogous or adjacent on the color wheel? Cornell University has an excellent tutorial on Using Color in Flower Gardens.

Deep rose flowers in the top photo include:

Salvia greggii 'Dark Dancer'
Spirea 'Neon Flash'
rose campion
larkspur 'Carmine Rose'

Purple-blue flowers in the photo:

Buddleia 'Adonis Blue'™
Japanese iris (not sure which one)
larkspur 'Lilac Spires'

I have a tendency to create the look of diagonal swaths across the slope in my garden. This is an example where the monochromatic grouping of deep rose blooms shows this illusion. This is the view when walking along the lower path from the butterfly garden into the front garden. Since I prefer to mix different bloom sizes of the same color, the diagonal line isn't just one particular plant. Perennials, shrubs, and annuals are used together.

All of these plants are keepers, too. This vignette happens to include many favorites that I can easily recommend.

The buddleia blooms and re-blooms all summer if deadheaded. I have tried to be diligent about it this summer and am still being rewarded with fall blooms. It is suitable for zones 5-9, full sun, and the size is a fairly compact 5' x 5'. It is deer resistant and drought tolerant, once established. Of course, it is a butterfly magnet!

Spirea 'Neon Flash' is for zones 4-8, full sun and is a deciduous shrub that blooms abundantly in early June and will re-bloom lightly if deadheaded. I like the foliage, too. Spirea is one of the first deciduous shrubs to grow leaves in spring. The size is easily managed, though it can grow to 3' x 3'. It is deer resistant in my garden, but there is the occasional bloom tasting party. They spit out the flowers between tastings.

Salvia greggii 'Dark Dancer' is one of my favorites. This evergreen salvia loves hot climates such as zones 7-10. It is a heavy bloomer in spring and fall with sporadic blooms all summer. Although it can reach 4' high and wide, it is easily kept smaller with a shaping before blooming in early spring. It is definitely deer resistant and loves full sun and good drainage.

The Japanese irises provide beautiful early summer flowers and the foliage remains attractive until after a few frosts. It expands rapidly to create large clumps that have to be divided when the "donut hole" shows in the middle. These irises are suitable for zones 4-9, full sun to part sun. I grow these where they can have very wet feet on rainy days and be in drought in the summer. They are tough! The deer may taste the fully opened blooms now and then, but it hasn't been a significant problem. They seem to avoid the buds and the foliage.

The rose campion and larkspur are reseeding annuals. I planted three rose campion a few years ago and have never had to plant more. I move the seedlings around wherever I like. The larkspur seeds are sown directly where they are to grow - in late October in my zone. I will never garden without them again!

Not in bloom in the photo, but worth mentioning since the foliage and flowers are important. On either side of the spirea are patches of monarda 'Blue Stocking'. When the spirea starts to fade, the bee balm, along with purple coneflowers and purple agastache, will add blooms to the grouping. The monarda can be grown in zones 4-9 and grows to 30" tall. You only need one if you plant it in rich, moist soil! It is reliably deer resistant in my garden.

I could go on and on... as there are even more flowers on either side of this grouping that fall into the same color range!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home Garden; Summer 2009

Allium and Iris: A Favorite Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:20:00 +0000

It is great to walk through the garden on April mornings and see the happy pairing of allium and Dutch irises. Now is the time to plant those bulbs for next spring.

This is my first year with allium 'Purple Sensation' so I don't have photos of mass plantings to show you. I do have more bulbs to add to the garden later this month to increase the display. I'd like to add some of the taller allium, but I haven't gotten an order together so far.

Dutch irises were first planted here in fall 2005 and they have not disappointed me. This is my first fall without buying more to plant. If I can locate my existing clumps without too much digging (this is where using blogging and photos as a journal can help), I will divide my oldest clumps. I have several other colors that include blue, yellow, bronze and lilac.

Although the foliage of the iris and allium wasn't a distraction, I planted hardy geranium 'Rozanne' around the feet so that there would be no bare spot in the garden in that location. The geranium begins to bloom in early summer, just after the irises and allium have finished blooming. I guess I should include it as part of the combination, but there are other so many other options (nepeta, coreopsis, etc.) for planting at the feet of the irises and allium.

This perennial geranium sprawls a bit and that's okay as it is a nice ground cover that bloomed all summer long and is still in bloom. The loose sprawling habit also makes it easy for bulbs to emerge through the geranium. The only problem with the geranium is that I have to keep rabbit repellent on it for a few weeks in the spring. It is rated for zones 5-8, although it will need more water and afternoon shade in the hotter zones during the summer. I interspersed taller annuals to provide a bit of relief for my geraniums on the west side. Knock Out® Roses shade the geranium on the south side.

Dutch irises and allium can be planted at the same time in the fall. They like the same conditions, making them easy companions to use together.

The irises are rated for zones 5-8 and the allium for zones 4-8. They need good drainage, especially in the winter. I lost a few last winter by planting them in an area that was too wet, so don't do that! Both perennial bulbs are deer and rabbit resistant.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home Garden

Garden Overview (As Seen From Above)

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

This has been a busy week in the garden. I have divided and transplanted daylilies and Japanese irises. I have pulled annuals that were spent, or had to be removed to make room for fall seed sowing. I have moved plants from holding areas into their new homes in the garden. I've been amending soil as I go since these tasks remove soil. I mixed new garden soil with organic compost to boost the existing perennials and refresh the soil for sowing seeds.

I moved a crepe myrtle that had been in a holding area to the fence line outside the cottage garden. Yes, I dug that big hole and moved that tree all by myself! I don't plant many things in rows, but we need some shade relief and front porch privacy, so there are now three crepe myrtles planted outside the front fence. I added Japanese irises and finished adding nepeta that was in holding for the area after a Lady Banks was removed.

In an effort to rid the garden of anything that has been bothering me - I dug out that overgrown Lady Banksia Rose at our front gate. The deer could reach it and it was just out of scale for that gate. I was constantly trimming it. There is another Lady Banksia over the gable gate that I'm going to have to trim by reaching outside the window of an upstairs room!

Since I've been writing about the changes that I'm making to the garden, Gail at Clay and Limestone asked if I had any photos taken from above.

This morning, I went upstairs and took photos. I also took photos on the ground so you can follow along two sections of the garden - the front, deer resistant garden and the cottage garden that is inside the fence. These gardens are in front of the house. Between the gardens and the road is our large meadow that must remain in grass (and kept mowed below 9").

Keep in mind that this is mid-October, so there isn't a lot in bloom. Zinnias, marigolds, salvias, a few mums and swamp sunflower are providing the only color right now. Also, I have removed so much to make the changes that there is a lot of empty soil, awaiting seeds, bulbs or future pots of plants.

The first set of photos was taken as I stood at the top edge of the front deer resistant garden, looking back to the cottage garden.

The next set of photos was taken from the upstairs windows.

Gail asked about the diagonal planting space that I mentioned when describing my seed-sowing plans.

Why diagonal? I discovered, through trying to get good photos of the deer resistant garden, that if I stood at the top left edge of the garden and looked diagonally down to the front gate, I had a better view. (As an example, see the photo at the top of my left sidebar.)

The garden is long, so strolling the path, it isn't easy to get a good view. By planting diagonally, I hope to alter the view as I walk the path at the bottom of the garden.

That said, the meadow is south of the garden. Therefore, the blooms face south. Taking photos from the top of the garden means that most of the blooms are looking at me! Not so, from the path at the bottom. This is why we start our daily garden walk around the top of the meadow and loop back around on the paths.

There are more gardens than shown here, and all are deer resistant. Those include the dry stream garden (being renovated), the parking island bed (it has been a catch-all and will be renovated in spring), the butterfly garden (hot colors, but includes some large plants that need to be moved), the waterfall garden, and the fragrance garden. Much to be done...

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Home Gardens; October 9, 2009

Larkspur and Any Other Plant: Favorite Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:46:00 +0000

That's right, I'd plant larkspur with just about any other annual, perennial or shrub! Well, maybe not anything, but pretty close.

To grow larkspur in the spring, I have to plan ahead a few seasons for my zone 7. Fall is the time of year to sow the seeds and my larkspur packets are lined up on the dining room table waiting for the perfect day. We're still having days in the 80°F, so I'm waiting for cooler daytime temperatures.

When spring rolled around, I found that I loved larkspur so much that I didn't plant nearly enough! I was pleased with all the colors except for the deep pink that seemed to be weak and very short. I'm sure that some of my larkspur reseeded, but I bought more seeds. This year, I have seeds of:

'Galilee Blue' (violet-blue)
'Blue Spire' (deep blue)
'Lilac Spire' (lilac)
'White King' (white)

Larkspur grows between 3-4 feet high and is a slender annual, making it easy to squeeze into the garden for spring color. While recommendations are to let it reseed before pulling it, I found out that in cooler climates, gardeners deadhead it to keep it blooming. I experimented with both ways. Indeed, deadheading prolonged the blooms in my garden, although the plants were smaller.

I used larkspur inside the cottage garden fence and in the outer deer resistant garden. The deer never touched the plant. All parts are poisonous, so you need to watch your dogs and children, although a bunny did sample a bit of the foliage. That little bunny didn't die from tasting the larkspur, having met an early demise from an attack by a red-tailed hawk.

This time, I have a multi-step approach where I will sow larkspur with other spring-blooming annuals and then replace those with a second sowing of summer-blooming annuals in the same location. My vision is that the spring, then summer, annuals will keep the color going as the perennials come and go. I'd rather sow annual seeds instead of buying plants next spring. A packet of seeds for $2.95-3.95 is a bargain.

It is important to prepare the soil for annual seeds before sowing and then do not mulch on top of the seeds. Many seeds are just pressed into the ground and others require a small amount of coverage. A thick mulch will smother the seeds and prevent germination. This is also true with reseeding plants. If you mulch thickly in late fall or early winter, then you will prevent the seeds (of weeds, too) from sprouting.

What will I change to make room for more larkspur?

I have already cleared irregular, diagonal swaths across the slope of the deer resistant garden to create space for sowing annual seeds.
I moved 4 of the 6 spirea for a better design as they were getting lost in the middle of the border.
I pulled plants that were under-performing, or that were already too plentiful to add any extra value to the design.
I have added a few inches of amended soil to refresh and replenish what was lost in all of the transplanting.
In other garden areas, I will randomly sow the seeds for a cottage garden look, amending the soil before planting.

What companion plants will be used?

All colors of the larkspur will snake through the mid-to-late summer blooming perennials of asclepias incarnata, agastache, and salvia guaranitica to provide spring color.
I am going to sow seeds of the annuals nigella and centaurea cyanus to increase the spring display of blue and white simultaneous blooms.
White larkspur will be added to the butterfly garden with red blooms such as salvia greggii and crocosmia 'Lucifer'.
When the spring blooms of larkspur, nigella and centaurea begin to fade, I will pull the plants and sow tall zinnia and marigold seeds in the same swaths. I will use yellow, deep rose and purple in the deer resistant garden and white and red zinnias with orange and yellow marigolds in the butterfly garden.

Nigella and centaurea cyanus will be experimental for my garden and for deer resistance. I tested the larkspur, Benary's Giant zinnias and several varieties of marigolds this year with great success in both the bloom results and the deer resistance. Not only have these annuals provided color, but the bees and butterflies are very happy with the nectar. My fascination with sowing annuals continues!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; Photos taken in spring 2009

Grape Salvia and Gaillardia: A Favorite Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

My garden is young (2005) and most of my planting over the last few years has been experimental while I worked with the growing conditions and identified the best performers. I've arrived at a series of combinations that I want to use as primary plants in the redesign of the gardens.

Located inside the cottage garden fence are two, tough Texas perennials that love full sun, good drainage and are rated for zones 7-9. The two bloom together, off and on, from spring until frost.

Salvia greggii 'Diane' and her companion Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri 'Grape Sensation' have an identical bloom color, too. Not only that, but they both grow 18" high x 36" wide. Both are deer and rabbit resistant, so they could go outside the fence.

These perennials are coincidentally from Texas, although I purchased them from Plant Delights Nursery's open house last fall. I'd like to tell you that these are easy plants to find, but not so. There are very few plants in my garden that are difficult to find, but these two fall into that category.

Gaillardia 'Grape Sensation' blooms profusely like other blanket flowers. However, the blooms are an appealing, deep grape color. Even the centers are beautiful round grapes, so without petals the plant still looks attractive.

Salvia greggii 'Diane' is the same grape color. Unlike many greggii colors that grow to three feet high, this one is a nice, compact plant for the front of the border. It is semi-evergreen, with remaining green foliage throughout most of the year. It is a hummingbird favorite, too.

So what will I change to improve the design around this favorite pair? Why?

These plants are in a narrow bed that flanks the right bank of our water feature (stream) and cannot be outfitted with drip irrigation. So, it is best for me to grow xeric plants in this flower bed. By using xeric plants, I won't have to spend so much time hand-watering plants.
Right now, the spring color scheme is pink, followed by yellow and then magenta and purple. I'd like to simplify and unify this border with a purple/pink bloom scheme.
Complimentary foliage colors (green, silver, purple) and shapes (small, wide, wispy) that look good most of the year will be important since this bed is literally in our front yard.

What plants will be used?

There are yellow daylilies that will be moved to another location. The daylilies will perform better where there is drip irrigation. I have already transplanted the yellow leucanthemum 'Broadway Lights' to the outer gardens. The yellow blooming plants will be teamed up with blue in their new locations.
Along the front of the bed is an established edging of dianthus (Cottage Pinks) that I will keep for the fragrant blooms and good behavior. The blue foliage and pink flowers of the dianthus works well with the salvia and gaillardia.
I'm going to add lavender 'Munstead' to the same flower bed. Lavender likes the same growing conditions and the silver foliage as well as the blue-purple blooms work well with the color combination.
I have already transplanted tips of sedum 'Purple Emperor' to the flower bed. I like the wide, succulent foliage shape to complement the wispy silver lavender wands, the blue foliage of the dianthus and the small green leaves of the salvia and gaillardia. Like the salvia, gaillardia, dianthus and lavender, the sedum will perform well with the same conditions.

As with any design or redesign, it will take time to tweak the plantings and give them time to mature. Maybe I won't change my mind again until I see the finished results!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home gardens; October 2009

Favorite Plant Combinations: The Series

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:43:00 +0000

by Freda Cameron

Tired of reruns? Me, too. Isn't it great to have new shows on TV to entertain you in the fall?

I'm tired of writing about the same plants ten times over. There is a limit to the number of plants that I grow, so there's a limit to my blogging material. It seems as though all of my photos are starting to look the same. My garden blogging is photo-driven. If I don't have good photos, I don't have good material!

I'm not going to expand my garden for the sake of blogging. I can't hire gardeners, like actors, to come in and help me put on a new show for my readers.

Without a new garden to create a new blogging show, all I can do is freshen up the characters in my garden and ditch the ones that aren't performing well or just plain boring or too prima dona to be worth my efforts to keep them in the show. This "editing" (a genteel term for "ripping those suckers out of there") is underway with the fall planting season.

I was planning to stop experimenting and finish designing my garden vision anyway, so why not make it a documentary series of slow-action garden installments?

If I want to take a good nap, I turn the TV to a documentary. Usually, the announcers voice is so monotone it sends me into a deep sleep. If nothing else, my series will serve as good nap time reading.

Here's a preview of the next show:

Two purple hotties team up for a steamy tango. Short and tough, salvia greggii 'Diane' dances and mingles with her Texas companion Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri 'Grape Sensation'. The choreography is so tight, it looks as though there are different blooms on the same plant. Stay tuned for the close-up shots and planting instructions!

The fine print:

All deer resistant plant suggestions come with the disclaimer of "if my deer don't eat this plant, your deer may like it" as any herd that is hungry enough will eat things they don't really prefer.

All of my plant combinations are my opinion and you may not share my taste in color schemes.

All of my plants are growing in zone 7 and you may be gardening in colder, or hotter, zones.

My garden is in full sun and must tolerate inferno-like summer conditions with minimal irrigation.

I am not paid to recommend any plant, but if I have received free plants to trial, I'll always tell you.

Bloom List and Photos of Early Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Autumn 2009 marks our 4 year anniversary in this house. Very little gardening was done the first year, but I've been expanding the areas and rearranging plants ever since. The gardens are still a work in progress, so just give me another 10 to 20 years to get it right!

What's in bloom? Here's a quick list and I'm sure that I've left off a few plants.

Benary's Giant Zinnias (annual)
Impatiens (annual)
Marigolds (annual)
Cosmos (annual)
Hyacinth bean vine (annual)

Agastache 'Black Adder'
Agastache 'Purple Haze'
Agastache 'Navajo Sunset'
Agastache 'Coronado'

Coreopsis Big Bang 'Red Shift'
Echinacea 'Prairie Splendor'
Gaillardia (4 varieties)
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Hardy mums
Helianthus angustifolius 'First Light'
Perennial heliotrope
Sedum 'Green Expectations'

Encore® Azaleas
Knock Out® Roses
Osmanthus fragrans
White Butterfly Ginger
Gardenia 'August Beauty'

Salvia greggii 'Autumn Sage'
Salvia greggii 'Diane'
Salvia greggii 'Dark Dancer'
Salvia greggii 'Cherry Queen'
Salvia greggii 'Navajo Bright Red'
Salvia greggii 'Ultra Violet'
Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'
Salvia uliginosa
Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue'
Salvia 'Purple Majesty'
Salvia 'Indigo Spires'
Salvia leucantha
Salvia elegans (pineapple sage)

Words and photos by Freda Cameron

Agastache Combo of Purple and Orange

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Take a mass of airy orange blooms and add a dash of purple spikes. Two agastache have turned into a great combination in my fragrance garden. The foliage is minty, in case you are wondering why I categorize agastache as fragrant. Just brush up against the leaves of agastache aurantiaca 'Navajo Sunset' and the air is filled with the fresh scent.

In addition to the color combination, the flowers have different forms that work well together. The agastache x 'Purple Haze' has wider leaves (typical of a hyssop) and bottlebrush blooms while the agastache aurantiaca has narrow, airy leaves and tiny, tubular blooms.

Why I love agastache - let me count the ways:

It is deer resistant
It is rabbit resistant
It is pest resistant
It is drought tolerant
It blooms from midsummer until fall
It smells good
It is available in many colors
Butterflies love it
Bees love it
Hummingbirds love it

It is best to plant agastache in the spring so that it can get established before winter. The 'Navajo Sunset' and 'Purple Haze' are suitable for zones 6-9 in full sun location with well draining soil. Some agastache varieties can be grown from seeds and others have to be propagated.

In my experience, I've found that the narrow-leaved varieties such as aurantiaca and rupestris need leaner, drier soil and more full sun than the wide-leaved varieties such as 'Blue Fortune', 'Purple Haze', 'Black Adder' and 'Golden Jubilee'. The wide-leaved varieties have done well in rich soil with more watering than the narrow-leaved types. Prolonged winter wetness is a problem for any agastache.

I have added so many new agastache this summer, including official trials for a plant breeder, that I'm excited to see what next summer brings!

Garden Inspiration: Poppies in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:52:00 +0000

For fields or gardens filled with poppies in the spring, sow seeds in autumn!

Annual poppies are easy to grow from seed. Last year, I sowed seeds in mid-October and had seedlings in December. In May, the poppies bloomed and created a nice display in my cottage garden. I played it safe last year and planted pink poppies.

After seeing the outrageous riot of orange, white and yellow poppies at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris this spring, I decided to go bolder and plant red this year.

The papaver rhoeas 'American Legion' were chosen to bloom along with my red salvia greggii in spring. With 8,000 seeds in the packet, I will plant around the red salvia in the butterfly garden and around the red salvia on each side of the garage path.

Last year, I mixed the tiny seeds with clean play sand (bought in a bag at the big box store) and put them in a spice shaker to try to distribute them evenly. With my best efforts, I still ended up with too many seeds too close together, but I gently transplanted quite a few of the poppy seedlings for better distribution.

Poppies will self-sow if you leave them in the garden when the seeds ripen. So, I will probably have a few emerge in the cottage garden and don't plan to sow more seeds there this year. I have very limited space in that garden, so the new poppies will have to go outside the fence. Poppies are deer and rabbit resistant.

If I only had enough clear ground, I would plant the orange, white and yellow combination in big swaths as seen in the gardens of Paris!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France; May 2009

Fragrance Fills the Fall Air

noreply@blogger.com (Cameron (Defining Your Home)) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Fall is a fragrant time of year in my garden. Ginger, gardenia and osmanthus are in bloom at the same time, yet the fragrances are complimentary.

The white butterfly ginger has been blooming non-stop since early August. Rated for zones 8a-11, I grow mine in a protected spot against the east side of the house. The ginger spreads by rhizomes and can be divided in the spring into 8 inch sections. It grows 4-6 feet high, so it is great for filling up a moist location in part sun.

Gardenia 'August Beauty' is also blooming right now. This fragrant, evergreen shrub is rated for zones 8b-11 in partial shade and grows 4-6 feet high and wide. Since I am in zone 7b, I am really pushing the zone on this one! The gardenia is located in the fragrance garden with the "mother" ginger and a large osmanthus. Other fragrant plants in this section bloom at different times. Those are Confederate Jasmine and Sweet Bay Magnolia. The Winter Daphne died this summer after blooming gloriously for several years in the middle of winter.

The sweet scent of osmanthus fragrans is everywhere in my garden as these shrubs are located on all sides of the house. Osmanthus blooms in the spring and again in the fall. This evergreen shrub is rated for zones 7b to 10b, so it is marginal for my zone. That said, I've been growing this shrub for years here in this garden and at a previous house with no problems. It has proven to be quite tough with no pest problems and can handle a variety of sun to partial shade conditions. This one grows 8-10 feet high but I've seen them even larger in other gardens.

All three of these fragrant plants are deer resistant in my garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; All photos taken September 26, 2009