All the Dirt on Gardening

Proven Winners is introducing their new Invincibelle   Spirit II   Smooth   Hydrangea   arborescens and I would love to have that hedge in the photo, wouldn't you? PW calls this one an overachiever because it blooms and re-blooms - just what we need our Hydrangeas to do! I confess to a deep love affair with Annabelle the original Hydrangea discovered in 1910 in Anna Illinois. Her huge white snowball blossom clusters are durable for drying and the plant itself is trouble tree. Invincibelle Spirit is a hybrid of  native Annabelle, durable and reliable but with pink flowers. It's cold hardy to zone 3 and happy up to zone 9. It is said to enjoy full sun but I think in our zone 7 heat, a bit of afternoon shade would no doubt work well, too. The pink flowers start out dark buds that open to hot pink clusters, fading to soft pink as the flowers age. Then, wonder of beauties, they become green. No deadheading, heat tolerant, care-free, Invincible S...

In the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, in northwest Arkansas, Devil's Den State Park offers great hiking trails and native plant viewing. Here's a bit of what we enjoyed - Blue Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) named for Jean Ruelle, the French herbalist Devil's Den Trail Native Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens L. Leather Flower, native Clematis viorna available from Brushwood Sensitive briar, catclaw, Mimosa quadrivalvis Guide to OK Wildflowers Black swallowtail butterfly on Arkansas beardtongue, Penstemon arkansanus Caves at Devil's Den State Park In a good year, this is a dramatic waterfall. Lovely!