Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria)

The Rose Campion is not a favorite of mine but was a staple in my grandmother's garden . . .I can remember seeing it as a child and wondering why she wanted this in her garden! On the other hand, there is a lot to like about this plant. It does have its own beauty and has its place in the sun as well as a place in history. Lychnis is the Greek word for 'lamp' and the leaves were once used for lamp wicks.


The beauty of the flower is lost
in the sun in this photo



I have a couple of old oil lamps from my dear mother-in-law, but I don't think I'll be picking the leaves of the Rose Campion for emergency lighting - think I'll stick to a flashlight!

The leaves are felt-like in texture and silvery-gray in color. They reach a height of 2 to 3 feet and the clumps spread to about 8 to 12 inches. The plant clumps close to the ground with brilliant red blooms all along the tall stalks. In mid-spring they put on a blaze of eye-catching color.

After these initial blooms deteriorate, take the time to cut the stalks back to the plant and you'll probably get another flush of color in the fall when the weather begins to cool.



But this photo gives you
an idea of the vibrant color



They are short-lived plants; normally living about three years. But they reseed readily. Each spring you'll find plants growing in surprising areas! You can let them grow where they're happy, transport them to an area where you'll be happy, or they can go to the compost pile.



Bloom of the Rose Campion



Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi)

The ice plant is a favorite in my gardens. According to USDA, it's hardy in zones 9 and 10 but I live in zone 8 and have one that's lived in my garden for at least eight years.



Closeup of the Ice Plant

 This low growing succulent grows to about 3- inches high and spreads up to 15 inches. The thick, glossy, needle-like leaves are evergreen and catch the eye even in the dead of winter! It begins blooming in early spring and continues until frost. It produces best during hot, dry conditions. Full sun is the main requirement of the ice plant. . and the best part is that NO deadheading is required.

Late in the afternoon, the flowers begin to close. By nightfall, they are completely closed, but open again in early morning.

It is used as an accent, border, or potted plant. And is an exceptional rock garden plant.



Mound of Ice Plant



When used as an accent it makes a beautiful mound of 1-inch purple blooms. When used as a border, it requires frequent thinning to keep it within bounds.

It is fabulous in a pot as the long, blooming stems cascade over the sides - it literally looks like a purple fountain when light reflects off the glossy leaves!

Even if you live in a colder climate, it's certainly worth the effort to grow it as an annual!

I Want to Live!!

Be Careful! If you remember this movie in the header, you'll reveal your age!!!

As I told BS many, many times, plants are like people in that they want to live and will do almost anything to survive! Most times all you have to do is provide them a comfortable environment and they'll do the rest.

Sometimes, as with the plant below, they will go to extremes to live!

While spring cleaning my outdoor furniture I spotted this little begonia in a crack in a cast iron washpot!

Most of you are too young to remember when mama used to have to wash clothes outdoors in a washpot (but I'm not). Monday's were always wash days for our grandparents. .the older children of the family would get water from a well or creek and firewood from the woods. When they got all their 'supplies' together, they built a fire under the pot!  Meanwhile, mama was segregating the clothes; whites and colors. Since there were no synthetic fibers at that time, they didn't have to segregate for water temperature; all got washed in HOT water.

When the water was boiling, using lye soap, mama would immerse the clothes and use a stick to 'agitate' the clothes. For the life of me, I don't remember how they rinsed the clothes, but I do remember them hanging on a clothes line to dry! And you talk about STIFF!!!! Drying with a towel washed and dried in this manner was like drying off with a steel wool pad!!! Absolutely nothing like drying off with a towel that has been finished with Downy!

I'm telling you all that to tell you this . . .the pot the little begonia made her home is the same washpot hubby's mother used to wash his clothes!!!  Hubby, being the oldest child in his family, was 'elected' to draw the water, gather the firewood, and start the fire! Do I see 'child abuse and child endangerment' here??!!! My, my! How opinions and outlooks have changed! But I'll tell you one thing; This abuse and endangerment molded hubby into a man that's never afraid of that four-letter word - WORK!

He got the pot after his mother passed. It had a big crack down the side (visible in the photo), but hubby wired it together. That was at least 20 years ago and the wiring is still holding! I cleaned off the rust and sprayed it with black enamel paint and it has served as a focal point in my outdoors sitting area since. It has many very special meanings to me!

Last year I had begonias in the pot and I'm assuming a little seed found her way into the crack and made herself a home and a comfortable place to live!

Ahem . .. as soon as I'm finished with spring cleaning my outdoor living room, I'll post and add photos on the entire area.

Recommendation

Since recommendations are subjective, I try to refrain from making a whole lot of them, but I really want to share this with everyone. I have used this pesticide both in my house and gardens for years.

The underside of ALL my outdoor furniture is sprayed each spring. Even though the instructions recommend using this product once every nine months, on the outdoor furniture I use it monthly. This prevents wasps from building nests under the seats and/or crevices. The furniture is turned downside up . .and literally flooded with this insecticide. The plants close to sitting areas are also sprayed to prevent wasps and other insects from building nest inside them.

My porches and porch furniture are also sprayed with this . .all the nooks and crannies are drenched to the point of runoff. And since I've been using it, I've NEVER seen a wasp trying to build a nest on my porches.

It is also used inside the house and I follow the nine month (sometimes more frequently) recommedation inside. My ceilings are twelve feet and of course I have an extension for my dustmop - keeping webs off the ceiling was an impossible task. Prior to using Spectracide, it seemed I was forever dusting the corners in my ceilings to keep the cobwebs at bay. But using the Spectracide on a regular basis completely eliminates this task. And unlike so many other advertisements, Spectracide is true to its claims. There is no odor and it does NOT stain! Initially, I was reluctant to spray it on my ceilings; afraid it would leave a stain or even run down the walls and leave an obvious mark. Not so!!! There's absolutely no staining and there is no odor either.

About every six months or so, I'll upturn my furniture where spiders tend to setup housekeeping; making an ugly mess - particularly when the sunbeams hit them just right!!!! For furniture that's impossible to upturn, I just hold the sprayhead underneath and spray the bottom of the furniture. There's been no damage to my furniture.

All around the windows and window trims are sprayed as well - the 'invisible' barrier the Spectracide provides keeps out those aggravating nighttime insects - everything except but those pesky little ladybugs - I don't think anything deters those bugs!

An added bonus is that when unexpected company drops in, the fear of unsightly spider webs at your ceilings and under your furniture is eliminated . . .

Cockscomb (Celosia cristata)

I became familiar with this beauty when they were used in an arrangement sent to my mother during a hospital stay. I had no idea what these beauties were, but went on a search. Two years went by and I still hadn't determined what this flower was! But I never stopped looking.

Then, one day as I was riding down the road I saw a bed of these beauties! The caretaker of the garden was outside so of course I stopped (hubby hates it when I do this - but he's learned and now his complaints are moans under his breath). This nice lady was good enough to give me some of her younger plants. Within weeks, they grew into 4 foot beauties. Not only did I get my plants, I made a new gardening friend.

This celosia makes a fantastic show in the garden. Getting 4 to 4.5 feet tall and literally covered with the blooms you see to the left.

See the little black speck in the palm of the glove? Well, it's a seed of the Celosia Cristata! It just staggers my imagination that the little seed can produce such large, beautiful flowers - and produce them abundantly!

The plants are very sturdy and require no staking. The nice, long, sturdy stems make them fantastic in arrangements. They dry beautifully and keep their color for years and look great in dried flower arrangements as well!

As far as I know they come in three colors: Yellow, red and ivory. I've had all three colors, but my favorite is the red.

I dearly LOVE the RED Celosia cristata!



Gaura - aka Siskiyou Pink

I talked about this plant in 2010, but since it was my first year with it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to recommend it or not. But after three seasons, I recommend it highly.

This is another 'no-care' plant. Just give it a good home in a sunny location and water until it's established, then it will take care of itself. It produces tiny pink flowers along a myriad of five foot stalks all season long. In the winter, the leaves turn a gorgeous burgandy color that helps brighten the garden during the drab winter months. It comes in various colors, but pink is my preference. Each year it gets wider and wider. The first blooms of 2013 appeared on mine in early April.

These particular stems have almost bloomed out, but others will take their place. I've seen absolutely no problem with this plant except to water during extended droughts.

Last spring (2012) I divided this plant by exposing the tuber and slicing off a piece of the tuber. This is probably not the recommended way to divide this plant, but it works for me.

I planted it in this pot. Right now the fronds look kinda bad, but I'm hoping it's because it's young and in a pot. If the fronds refuse to straighten up as it matures, I'll move it to the garden.

Last year I purchased two more plants to fill in some areas that needed color. And I highly recommend the web site below as a source. Their price is the best I've seen and their plants are superb!

/ghttp://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/ProductCart/pc/Siskiyou-Pink-Gaura-Plant-p3776.htm

SnowBall Bush (Viburnum opulus "roseum")

Yes, I know I've been away for a while! Those that know me, know why. I won't bore those who don't know me with details. . . .but suffice it to say I am happy, happy, happy to be back.

This spring has been miserable in SW Georgia . ..the tulips and other spring blooming bulbs didn't display the beautiful array of colors as usual. A late frost got the buds of many spring bloming shrubs and trees. It was a very disappointing spring but I think it's finally catching up!!! We've had plenty of rain so I'm anticipating a beautiful summer and lots of new growth on everything!!

I'd like to share my beautiful SnowBall bush. My oldest son gave me this jewel several years ago . .when it was only about 18" high! Never did I think I'd see it this big . . .ahhhhhhhhhh This gorgeous shrub is hardy in zones 3 through  8.

Seldom do pests or disease bother these shrubs, but sometimes aphids will attack (Neoceruraphis viburnicola). This insect is easy to control with natural predators such as parasitic wasps or lady bugs. If this doesn't work, a gentle pesticide should take care of the problem.

You don't want these bugs to remain on the shrub. They suck the fluid from the leaves, which leaves the leaf twisted and curled - not very pretty and it also opens the door for disease.

The most prevalent disease is Bacterial Blight but it doesn't happen often. It's most active during wet, humid weather. When it does make an appearance, about the only control is to prune back to healthy areas with aseptic shears. Be sure to destroy the infected parts you prune off. Left unattended, blight could kill the shrub. And since we've had such a wet spring, I'll watch mine very closely for a while and post if I detect any problems.

It has proven to be an easy care shrub in our area and I haven't had to deal with any of the problems mentioned above. I usually feed her in the early spring and late summer. So far, she hasn't failed to make my heart sing each spring! At the present time, I'm considering severely pruning her simply because I want the cuttings to make a hedge of these beauties.

But, I may just leave her to her own devices and see how she does next year and forego my hedge for now.

DecisionsDecisionsDecisions!!!!!