a charlotte garden

Cranefly, A Native Orchid

2012-02-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

Cranefly Orchid by zxgirl, on Flickr Years ago, I saw a spike of something sticking up out of the ground with what looked like flies hovering around it. As I got closer, I discovered the "flies" were just tiny brownish flowers fluttering in the breeze. Incredibly, the flowers looked like orchids! I didn't expect to find an orchid in my backyard, so I went inside to look at a plant key.

windowsill lettuce

2012-02-17T12:39:00.002-05:00

Over the years my children and I have tried all sorts of grocery store gardening, growing all the typical ones you hear about for fun and foliage in the wintertime -- carrot tops, sweet potatoes, avocado pits, citrus seeds, lentils, peanuts, etc. But recently I ran across a comment on Facebook that suggested putting romaine lettuce in the ground and getting a second flush of leaves. That one

bloom day by cell

2012-02-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

I know the weather has been exclaimed over all winter, but wow is it warm today! We've had about a week of really low temperatures so far. I heard it called The Winter That Never Was this morning on the local news. But, I'm not complaining! I took a few steps around the garden just now and snapped some shots with my phone for Bloom Day.* Come and look at my blooms! I have hellebores,

botanical valentines: capsella

2012-02-09T09:35:00.001-05:00

Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) original photo By Beentree via Wikimedia Commons edits mine ... By H. Zell via Wikimedia Commons Today's valentine is for those who pay attention to small details, who appreciate the minute. Shepherd's purse produces tiny heart-shaped fruits all along the flowering stem as the flowers fade and the seeds begin to mature. Shepherd's purse is a

botanical valentines: sarracenia

2012-02-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

Coppertop pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava var. cuprea) You would have to look hard to find a more unlikely valentine than carnivorous Sarracenia flava. These weird plants tend to have more of a Halloween vibe. But, those are distinctly reddish, heart-shaped hoods atop the tubular leaves of this intriguing plant. I think they make rather exciting botanical valentines. ~*~ Sarracenia in

botanical valentines: cercis

2012-02-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

Redbud (Cercis canadensis), April 2011 Bright green hearts float along the branch of this redbud tree in my backyard. Redbuds are understory trees that have edible flowers and seedpods as well as good ornamental value. They are relatively short-lived trees, but they grow quickly, producing magenta flowers directly from the branches and trunk in early spring. In my garden they reseed

botanical valentines: cheiridopsis

2012-02-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

Cheiridopsis pillansii McMillan Greenhouse, UNC Charlotte, 2010 This valentine comes from South Africa where it grows in the arid, pebbly soil around Steinkopf, the northwestern corner of the country. Dormant during the heat of summer, winter rains bring about active growth and cause the plant to bloom. In the photo above, you can see that each "heart" is composed of two lobes that

january roses

2012-01-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

This is the centerpiece of the largest formal rose garden in Florida, part of the Henry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando. I was here a couple of weeks ago, delighted by roses and 70 degree weather in January. It will probably be April before we see roses like this in North Carolina, but this garden was a sweet reminder of what's coming.

Snowdrops

2012-01-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

Galanthus elwesii Snowdrops (Galanthus), like orchids and tulips, have their wildly passionate advocates. They can become an obsession. Author/blogger John Grimshaw recently posted on his blog that a galanthophile had purchased a single bulb of Galanthus 'Green Tear' for 360 British pounds (that's $564 USD)! I can't say I would pay large sums for a bulb, but I am among the

indoor farming

2012-01-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

Years ago we had a pair of gerbils named Limp and Bizkit. Did she say Limp and Bizkit? Yes, she did. They were named by my (then) fifth-grade son for a band he deemed worthy of ... something ... I'm not sure what. I guess naming gerbils after. These gerbils lived a long time, in spite of fifth-grader's inconsistent attention; one of them was twice as old as an average gerbil when he

blame it on susan orlean

2012-01-24T15:08:00.000-05:00

I've been re-enamored of orchids lately, for a couple of reasons. For one, it's that time of year. You can find them on display everywhere right now, from botanical gardens to restaurants, malls and airports. hotel lobbies, too Orchids get their chance to shine during winter when we're more focused on indoor gardening than outdoors; once they start blooming, the flowers can last an

Blooming Today: Jelena Witch Hazel

2012-01-23T10:12:00.001-05:00

Last spring we added four witch hazels to our garden, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'. I had only seen pictures of these but loved the unusual flower form, the great color of the blooms, and the intense hues of the autumn leaves. I crossed my fingers that the ones we got were correctly labeled; you know how it is with tags sometimes. early fall, Hamamelis 'Jelena' Just a few days ago, I

Free-Range Chicken Gardens: New Book and Contest by Timber Press

2012-01-20T10:59:00.001-05:00

Keeping chickens in your backyard has become quite the hip thing to do these days. Have you considered it? Timber Press is releasing a new book this month, Free-Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom. The cover of the book and this cute one minute video of author (and award winning garden designer!) Jessi Bloom in her garden, have got me trying to figure out how I can possibly add chickens to

did i fall asleep in the tub?

2012-01-18T20:18:00.001-05:00

Looks like you could step right off the edge of the world here at the north end of Anna Maria Island, doesn't it? I got an unexpected treat when my daughter invited me to meet her in Florida for the weekend. She had a conference to attend, so during the day we went separate ways, meeting at night for dinner and the chance to catch up. On Monday, I drove across Florida to the gulf coast

just like dandelions!

2012-01-13T16:56:00.004-05:00

The last flower left from Christmas was this Gerbera daisy. I kept it all alone in a vase because it was so stunning by itself. But the petals had finally begun to droop, so I pulled them off, and then watched in amazement as the seeds expanded their wings in slow motion and prepared to take off! The fluffy structure is called a pappus; the seed is in the ovary just below. All

little bowl of christmas

2012-01-12T14:28:00.001-05:00

My husband and I are always out of sync when it comes to the Christmas decorations and when they should go. He is ready to tear them all down and haul the tree to the curb on the 26th. I would really rather leave them up until at least New Year's Day. I am so focused on getting ready for Christmas that I enjoy them most after the rush. Lots of spouses are like this, aren't they? What do

echeveria

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

echeveria with picnik's winterize effect applied ~*~ wordless wednesday

Poppy

2011-12-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

Flower and seedpod outside the McMillan Greenhouse classroom, April 2010. ~*~ Macro Monday

december in the garden

2011-12-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that in the middle of December, after numerous frosty nights, there are still summer-blooming flowers in the garden plugging along, hanging in there? I thought this month's bloom day would have to rely on houseplants! This time last year I had several pots of amaryllis opening up. This year, except for my gorgeous Schlumbergera, which I posted pictures of yesterday, all the

Schlumbergera 'Caribbean Dancer'

2011-12-13T18:33:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday ~*~

Take a Look at Native Holly

2011-12-08T08:15:00.001-05:00

Image in the public domain, via Vintage Catnip A vintage postcard with a sprig of holly says Christmas, words or not, doesn't it? Usually the holly represented at Christmas is English holly (Ilex aquifolium). Our landscapes are full of exotic hollies from around the world, particularly Asia. I was pleased to find out, though, that we have a native American holly that looks perfectly

Poinsettia Flowers Up Close

2011-12-02T07:27:00.001-05:00

photo copyright Frank Tiemann The poinsettia's secret is out, so maybe you know already that the red "flowers" are actually modified leaves called bracts. The true flowers are clustered at the the center of these bracts and that's what you're looking at in these beautiful photographs from Flickr. photo copyright Martin Heigan Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) share these very

Camellia 'Yuletide'

2011-12-01T09:37:00.001-05:00

Just in time for the season my Yuletide camellia is blooming! (Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide') I'm especially excited about this because it's the first year it's bloomed. And, the whole truth is that I had one before this one that never bloomed until it finally died. That one was mail ordered and wasn't in great shape when I got it. And I didn't place it very well, or water it enough.

what's that bug with the green sweater?

2011-11-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen anything like this?! It was crawling on my sweetshrub (Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine') a few weeks ago. I found out it's a saddleback caterpillar, native to eastern North America. That little green sweater likely serves to protect it from potential predators in one way or another. I thought it looked cute colored like that. Fortunately I looked it up before I tried to

Baby Toes

2011-11-29T07:11:00.001-05:00

Any time the weather is gray, rainy or cool outside, a stroll through the McMillan Greenhouse at UNC Charlotte makes me forget all about it. Inside the eight rooms, air is heavy with oxygen and the scent of growing and composting greenery; it's heaven as far as I'm concerned. The succulent room has tables and shelves full of all sorts of amazing and unusual plants from all over the world.