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Welcome to the Featured Plants Page.
Here you will find in depth information about plants that we have in the nursery
that we think you need to know more about. Right now we are featuring the
following items, some for planting now, and others for you to look forward to
planting in Spring. I am rolling over the featured plants onto the Catalog
page, so if you like something, and you come back here and can't find it, go
there...
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Mohr's Rosinweed
Silphium mohrii I
have been trialing this plant for two full seasons now, and wow, I am
really impressed. A L-O-N-G season of bloom (late May to early
September), absolute impervience (is that a word?) to pests of all
types, a nice size (about 5 feet), wonderfully fuzzy texture to the
grey-green leaves, and it doesn't become unsightly after the blooms
finally fade, either. Drought tolerant, and apparently loves clay,
too. Buttery yellow blooms are easy to love. Plant is tall but not
crazy tall, and its stems are sturdy and strong even on my wind driven
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The Mountain Mints
Everybody who knows me very well knows I am a little loopy over mountain
mints. They offer aromatic foliage, they attract a bazillion different
types of tiny bees and wasps which are good to have around, they grow easily and
are low- maintenance (when you choose the right one for your needs), and they
are native. Here are three that I offer in the nursery.
  
Starting from the left, Hoary Mountain Mint. Hoary refers to the
frosted leaves (think hoar frost). It is a very aggressive spreader, and
so must be relegated to natural types of plantings, or areas where it can be
allowed to take over and form a mass planting. Tolerates sun to part
shade, average to dry soil (never tried it in wet areas...) including clay soil.
Grows three feet tall, and makes a great cut flower, fresh or dried. In
the center is Threadleaf Mountain Mint, a much better behaved garden plant.
Forms a non-spreading clump, and grows about 3 feet tall. Flowers are
attractive to butterflies. Great filler plant, and nice for tea, too, as
are all the mountain mints that I have grown. On the right is another
relation that I assume is also called Hoary Mountain Mint, although I have not
keyed it out, myself. It is native to western South Carolina, where I
collected my first specimen by the roadside. Very pretty, and not invasive
like the first selection. Grows to about 2 feet tall.
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Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum An
indispensable grass for the new low-maintenance garden. Switchgrass is
one of my top three favorite grasses. It is native. Easy to grow in
sun to part sun, wet areas, dry areas, clay soil, sandy soil, normalish
soil (as if anyone has that...). It is available in a number of named
varieties, which vary in size (from 4 feet tall and wide up to 8), color
(shades of green tinged with varying degrees of red, and varying degrees
of bluish green), and habit (from more lax to quite reliably columnar).
Most that I have trialed are quite vigorous, hardy, and easy to love.
Excellent for fall and winter interest, when they just light up the
garden with their color, texture and movement. Great backdrops for a
number of other excellent plants. As for maintenance, just get it
established and forget about it is my motto. In front is a "Summer
Wine" Ninebark, just planted this spring. This is already a pretty
pairing, and I can't wait to see it when it is more mature. |
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African Blue Basil
Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!
From the day you plant it to the day it dies with fall's first good
freeze you will enjoy this plant. Cut it for the vase, cut it back just
to keep it in check if needed, and it just keeps on blooming. Becomes a
three foot tall and wide mass of "gorgeous" and stays that way. Great
with borage, blood veined sorrel, red yarrow, onion family plants. I
keep several of these through the winter as stock plants so that I am
sure to have some plants for you in the spring.
Coming for 2009, we will also
have a variegated version, below. |
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