cool gardens in a hot climate™
August 31, 2012 If you brave the West Nile-carrying mosquitoes at dusk, you can enjoy the unfurling of datura’s lightly scented trumpets. Under a full moon last evening, I took these images of one of my datura (Datura wrightii) in … Read More
August 30, 2012 To the tune of the Thin Lizzy song, let’s sing: The bulbs are back in town! Which bulbs? Those velvety red heralds of fall—oxblood lilies, also known as schoolhouse lilies (Rhodophiala bifida), a name that’s particularly apt … Read More
August 28, 2012 Not that long ago, native plants got little respect. They were considered weeds, inelegant scrub, and surely harbored ticks, chiggers, and rodents. Ahead-of-their-time native-plant enthusiasts faced resistance from neighbors concerned about an unkempt look. And even if … Read More
August 23, 2012 While touring Fearrington Village near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, earlier this month, I was charmed by the lovely landscaping—not just the gardens surrounding Fearrington House Inn but the pocket-sized, colorful gardens found alongside the shops and restaurants … Read More
August 22, 2012 Lovely strolling gardens wrap all sides of the country inn at Fearrington Village, near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which I visited earlier this month. I spent a happy hour early one morning exploring its grounds, which include … Read More
August 21, 2012 My dad lives in Fearrington Village, a planned community of mostly retirees outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It’s a lovely community of 2,000, built on wooded, rolling hills, anchored by an English-style village square with a … Read More
August 20, 2012 As the days grow shorter in late August and early September, garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) burst into bloom, with clusters of starry, white flowers held aloft on long stems, like 4th of July sparklers. They’ll bloom for … Read More
August 19, 2012 August is a waiting game for central Texas gardeners—waiting for fall rains to arrive, waiting for the muggy blanket of heat to lift and a cool breeze to blow in from the north, waiting for nurseries to … Read More
August 17, 2012 On Monday I posted about the swarm of honeybees that had moved into our screech owl box over the weekend. Yesterday evening beekeeper (and high school teacher) Jim Hogg of Daddy’s Bees came over and carefully removed … Read More
August 16, 2012 What’s sweeter than a bluebird of happiness for Foliage Follow-Up? Join me in posting about your lovely leaves of August for Foliage Follow-Up, a way to remind ourselves of the importance of foliage in the garden. Leave … Read More
August 15, 2012 Last week I took a quick trip to central North Carolina to visit my dad, who lives in the charming Fearrington Village planned community. (Pics of the Fearrington House Inn garden coming soon.) Many of his neighbors—and … Read More
August 14, 2012 There’s not one perfect lawn alternative for the whole country, right? After all, good plant choices are highly dependent on local conditions: high and low temps, soil, rainfall, etc. So for the Regional Plant Recommendations section in … Read More
August 09, 2012 OK, so my days haven’t been too lazy. I have been working on my book, after all. But as summer winds down (by the school calendar, not by any actual cooling from the 100sF), I’ve given myself … Read More