All the Dirt on Gardening

Stokes’ Aster, Stokesia laevis, is native to the Southern US, from North Carolina to Louisiana, where they grow in wetlands, bottomlands, and ditches. The Stokesia Blue Frills in the photo is in its third year in our garden, without winter protection.   Stokesia laevis plants are cold hardy in zones 5 to 9 and a light winter mulch will ensure their return the following spring. The blue flower varieties are the most commonly grown by gardens and gardeners although there are pink, purple and white varieties available. Stokes’ Asters bloom in June and July in full sun. Since they spread only to one or one-and-a-half feet wide, they are ideal for the front of a shrub bed.  Stokes’ Asters are easy to grow in average soil with medium moisture. They will tolerate part sun but have more flowers and stronger stems when grown in full sun (6 hours a day).  Drought tolerance is one of the advantages of Stokes’ Asters. They prefer the good drainage of a ...

Bowman's Root or Indian Physic The flowers in the photo belong to a native perennial that is attractive to butterflies but not eaten by deer or rabbits. Called Indian Physic and Bowman’s Root, Gillenia trifoliata has loose clusters of star-like white flowers on dark red stems from late spring to early summer. Gillenia is a sub-shrub of the rose family or the spirea family, depending on which expert you consult. Native from the east coast to OK, Bowman’s Root is disease and insect free and cold hardy in zones 3 to 8. Since they prefer filtered shade and grow two to three-feet tall and wide, they are suited to the front of a shrub row or native plant bed. Bowman's Root is also widely used in bouquets and dried for arrangements. It only flowers once but the blooms last up to three-weeks. After the flower petals fade and fall, the red sepals (outer part of the flower) stay for a while. In the fall, the leaves become red-orange, adding another season of appeal.   The see...

Some of the most beautiful and watchable life in our gardens include butterflies, moths and skippers. To attract them to your garden, provide flowers with nectar for the adults, plants for caterpillars to eat, muddy places for the males and a pesticide-free environment. Our butterfly habitat  Generally, butterflies are more likely to gather in  mass plantings. A bed full of zinnias or petunias will attract dozens, if not hundreds of skippers and butterflies while they are in bloom. White flowers attract night feeders such as moths. Red, orange, pink, purple and yellow flowers attract butterflies. Some nectar plants: Spring: Carrots, violets, native cherry, vetch, clover, lilac, lunaria, catnip, coreopsis, blackberry, sweet pea, sweet William, daffodil, Dame’s rocket, and hyacinth Summer: Dill, Queen Anne's Lace, pentas, goldenrod, lemon balm, milkweed, butterfly-weed, coneflower, petunia, mint, marjoram, bergamot-Monarda, sage, marigold, black-eyed Susan, ...

Salvia Azurea seeds started Nov 2017 Salvias are one of the best plants for my big back yard because they are reliable perennials that bloom in blues and reds that make me stare. There are at least a dozen Salvias that will make you stare at their little flowers this summer. And the butterflies love them so butterfly watching is part of the joy. Salvia Azurea I've posted photos of my best ones - the ones that are reliable in our Muskogee yard with minimal care. I'm sure other gardeners grow more and you are invited to share which Salvias work well in your gardens. Pineapple sage is one I received as a plant so I take cuttings at the end of every summer to ensure its continuation in the flower beds. Pineapple Sage My other really successful Salvia is another tall blue one with large leaves. I started them from seed several years ago and they return both from the roots and from seed. Blue Salvia Hot Lips Salvia does really well here also. So well in...

When we think of pass-along plants we have received from family and friends, we think of daffodils, salvia, lilies, roses, daylilies, coral honeysuckle, hosta, lily of the valley, iris, crocosmia, blackberry vines, sedums, succulents and a dozen other plants that have to be divided to remain healthy. Those are some of the plants from our yard that now grow in others' gardens. Phlox paniculata in our garden Pass-along plants are divisions of gardeners' favorites that have been divided from their gardens. Most of us have a wide variety of these local favorites growing in our gardens, yards and borders.  The one reminder I have for you about pass-along plants is that they are being divided and shared because they spread in their previous garden home. In my case, that doesn't always mean they thrive in the conditions we have on our rocky soil and casual watering schedule. Pass-alongs are a great way to share and experiment with new varieties because they are proven t...

Columbine is a lovely flower to see in sun or part-shade garden spots. The bell-shaped flowers are a gorgeous red-hot-pink with yellow center and anthers.  Mary Ann King at Pine Ridge Gardens said in Plant of the Week -  " Eastern columbine is native to Arkansas and all states from the Midwest to the eastern shores with the exception of Louisiana.  Zones 3-9.   There are several misconceptions surrounding this lovely native.  Most folks think it is delicate – and I agree that it looks fragile.  But let me tell you it is one TOUGH plant.   It will grow in the full sun, out between two rocks, or it will grow in the shade or anywhere in between.  I’ve seen it growing out of boulders where it has almost no soil.  It is certainly drought tolerant.   I think it probably wouldn’t like soils that are too wet.  Hummingbirds adore it.  Bumblebees as well.   Grows from 1 to 3’ tall.  After flower...

Wingstem or Ironweed is classified as a weed by the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide but we planted it intentionally as a butterfly nectar food for our yard since its flowers are abundant in the fall when there is little else for our flying friends. Ironweed or Wingstem is Verbesina alternaefolia One if its other common names is Ironweed and there are several other plants with that common name, including Veronia novemboracensis which has blue-purple flowers in the fall. Pine Ridge Gardens in NW Arkansas was the source for our original plant. It has taken several years for it to become 12 feet tall and begin to sucker out into the dry bed where it lives. Since the blossoms are small we find a lot of skippers nectaring on the flowers. Oklahoma's Bina Flower Moth and Aluring Schinia Moth use these plants to raise their caterpillars. Wingstem, a member of the Aster family, is definitely an American native plant and can be found flourishing in open fields. O...

Bottlebursh Buckeye Cold hardy in zones 4 to 8, Bottlebrush Buckeye is a lovely addition to shade and rain gardens. Paige Nugent at A Girl in Her Garden said, "It holds dark green leaves in the summer and throws up white flower spikes over them in June to July. Unlike other buckeyes, it holds its leaves well into autumn when they turn a brilliant yellow. Late summer it makes buckeyes which begin by looking like bright yellow spiky pears on the plant. The seed is poisonous to humans so don’t try it as a snack."  Bottlebrush Buckeye is a southern native but can do pretty well in zone 4 or 5 climates with care, especially supplemental water during our drought months. Our shrub came from a home vendor at the farmer's market in Fayetteville , Arkansas. He dug it out of his back woods so I'm confident in saying it is not a hybrid  of the native variety. It's in its third year with us and this is the first year it has made such a nice flower. The first two y...

The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Poteau OK, has provided an online library for us to learn about which native plants are best for providing nectar and caterpillar food for our native pollinators. Here's a link that will take you directly to their resources and other helpful information. http://kerrcenter.com/conservation/native-plants-pollinators/native-plant-pollinator-publications/ If that interests you and you want more, go to their main site and look at the hundreds of free resources they offer to the public. http://kerrcenter.com/ We have taken a couple of their workshops and found them to be worthwhile for our gardening needs.

Yarrow (Achillea or Achillia) comes in many colors and heights so there is something for everyone and every garden style. Cottage gardens are usually planted with the bright yellow and citrus colors; and, tidy and tightly planned gardens usually feature swaths of red and pink Yarrow. Some recent colors that will stimulate your imagination include: Pineapple Mango, Peachy Seduction, Pink Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Queen Elizabeth, Cerise Queen, Wexer River Sandstone, Fire King, Lilac Beauty, Altgold and Summer Gold. Seeds can be purchased in mixed packets of summer pastels, bright colors, all yellows, creams, etc. All Yarrows love heat and will bloom for several months. Another one of their endearing qualities is that they prefer to be on the dry side so you can leave for summer vacation without worry. And, they are perennial, returning year after year, with minimal care. Soil and fertilizer preferences are minimal. Lean soil and no fertilizer are best. Yarrows are also ...

Yellow Iron Weed is one of the tall, native beauties we have planted our gMuskogee garden to feed flying wildlife and to shelter crawling wildlife. We picked up ours from a plant sale someplace - it spreads with delight so many gardeners are happy to divide theirs for your garden, too. If you enjoy learning about wildflowers, subscribe to the Arkansas newsletter, "Know Your Natives" at http://anps.org website where you will find the subscription form on the right side. Here's their article about Yellow Iron Weed. Click here's a link to the article itself . Sid Vogelpohl's informative article and spectacular photos are worth congratulations. Tip of the Trowel to Sid! Yellow wingstem or yellow ironweed ( Verbesina alternifolia ) of the aster (Asteraceae ) family is found in the U.S. from Texas to Nebraska to Wisconsin and thence east and south.   In Arkansas, the species is found throughout much of the state, though is less frequent in the Mississippi Alluv...