Russian Sage - Perovskia atriplicifolia

I think I've posted something on the Russian Sage once before, but due to the horrible growing season of 2011, I felt it merits another post. It is a garden 'must have.'  It was named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association in 1995,

And don't let the name fool you - neither is it true sage, nor is it from Russia. See? I'm not the ONLY weird gardener!

The plant is actually from Asia and named after the Turkestani Governor, B.A. Perovski.

This is a deciduous plant which begins growth in the early spring and reaches about 5' high and about that wide in a short period of time. Each stem grows directly from the ground and its habit is mounded-airy form.

Due to its location, I forgot many times this year to get water to it. But as you can see, it's done just fine. It gets morning sun only and is planted at the drip line of an ornamental crabapple tree. I've decided that I'm gonna divide these plants next spring and make a continuous hedge around this tree. As you can see, the leaves of the crabapple tree turn a golden yellow in the fall and I think the blue/purple/white flowers around it will make a superb showing!

The leaves have a silvery tinge and they are fantastic when they are billowing in the breeze. Various shades of blue, purple and white blooms grace the end of each stem. The blooms are at least 8" long with most of them being 12". It begins its show in late September and continues until frost.

After the frost kills it back, leave the stems on the plants until you see new growth the next spring. Then cut them down to about one foot.

Bumble bees were working like mad when I took this photo . .unfortunately none of them are visible in the photo.

Add this to your xeriscape garden!

Good Memories!

Sometime in the '80's mother sold her home in Atlanta and moved to a condo in Marietta. Mother had this Sanservia and I'm almost (emphasis on almost) certain it originally came from my grandmother's house. The lighting in the condo was not the best in the world, therefore, mother asked me to bring it home with me.

At the time I took possession, it was planted in a two pound Maxwell House coffee can. I brought her home and repotted her and within two years she was this big. I've divided and repotted her umpteen times . .and she just thrives!

The Sanservia is also known as the snake plant and also the Mother-in-Law's tongue.

She demands very little attention. I give her about 1/2 gallon of water with 1/4 teaspoon of Miracle Grow twice a month during the growing season and limit the water to once a month in the winter with no fertilizer.

She is turned 1/4 of a turn each week. She will grow toward the light if you neglect to do this. And if she starts growing toward the light, she will eventually fall over and is not pretty at all. Sometimes you'll have a frond to fall over no matter what you do. Cut these off even with the soil - do not try to stake.

Did you know the Sanservia blooms? I didn't . . until one day I smelled this fantastic aroma when I would pass a certain area. I couldn't locate where the aroma originated, so I took it on as a project to find it. Well, at the back of the plant was a stem with tiny white blooms on it. Very insignificant blooms . ..but very fragrant!

Notice that chair? I'd always wanted one for my dressing table, but never went to the trouble to find one. We went to my bosses house one afternoon and saw two of them sitting on his carport. They were filthy and covered with rust. I asked him what they used them for and he said 'nothing - but sometimes we do take them down to the pond to fish'... ..I asked him if he'd be interested in selling them (he looked at me like Id lost my mind) and a couple of days later he told me he had them in back of his truck and his wife wanted $10 for them .. .happily, I laid a $10 bill in his hand - with him shaking his head all the while and muttering, 'can't imagine why you want those things!'.  I brought them home . .and scrubbed them down good then started sanding .. then painting . .then upholstering!

My sister's (Hellon) husband had just passed and I did the same for the second chair and gave it to her - but I did allow her to select the fabric she wanted. The last I noticed, she was still using hers at her dressing table.

I just LOVE good memories

A Day Without Learning is a Day Wasted

A day without learning is a day wasted. If you'll remember last weekend I did a post about Loropetalum. But I learned some new things about it today.

This mornng I was watching The Georgia Gardener and he had a lady from the University of Florida as a guest speaker and she was talking about the old-fashioned, white witch hazel; which she apparently loved.

Now I've heard of witch hazel all my life - mostly as a healing astringent. She stated that the many loropetalums we enjoy today are hybridizations from the old-fashioned, common witch hazel, which was sometimes call the 'fringe flower'.

Of course, I did a search on witch hazel and was totally amazed at how much it's used for hybridizing and medicinal purposes!  More colors, shapes and sizes than a person can imagine! It's health benefits are touted as beneficial for everything from soothing teething infants gums to curing toenail fungus!

The most difficult thing about this plant is learning to pronounce her name, but it's pronounced just as it's spelled.


lor o PET a lum.

When I finally learned how to pronounce it, I'd take EVERY opportunity to work it into a conversation and would even say it when I was just strolling the yard! I'm so comfortable with it now, it just rolls off my tongue.

Oh, and it's on my xeriscaping list!


http://www.natural-soap-making.com/witch-hazel-uses.html
http://www.absolutewonder.com/loropetalum.html

Rain - Real Rain

After agonizing through a summer of drought, we finally got some rain last night. This week I've been watching the national weather maps and seeing rainfalls all around us while looking up at blue, beautiful skies! How Frustrating!

Then last night I thought I heard water running through the downspouts and when hubby came to bed he asked, "Is it raining?" (His hearing isn't what it used to be so he was definitely unsure.) I told him I thought I heard water in the downspouts, but was afraid to go check - afraid my mind was playing tricks on me! He opened the french doors to the balcony and hollered, "Come and look at this!"

It appears to be about three inches. But in view of the fact that we've had less than two inches since the end of March, it's not enough to pull us out of the drought - we need several days of rain to soak the soil through and through! But I am grateful that I don't have to drag the hoses all over the yard for a few days.

For those of us interested in xeriscaping (gardening to reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water),  I'm gonna spend the next day or so checking for plants that have survived/thrived during 2011 with a minimum of care. Then I'll be compiling a list plants/shrubs that have survived this period and hopefully will get it posted early next week.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates!!

Ogon is a small succulent plant that can be used as a house plant or as a ground cover.  It's winter hardy and will thrive almost anywhere, but like all succulents, prefers a sandy, dry soil.

If used outside, it will tolerate almost any type lighting - full or part sun as well as shade. But as a houseplant, it should be placed in a sunny window. As with most all succulents it requires less water in the cooler months.

Several years ago, BS gave me a few sprigs off her Ogon. From those few sprigs I had these two pots in a matter of a few weeks. It eventually trailed (can't find those photos) to about halfway down the table and the bottom plant trailed to the floor. Both containers did great for several years and suddenly it began to deteriorate. I have no what caused the deterioration, but I struggled to keep it going - to no avail.

She had told me that wherever you dropped a leaf, a new plant would begin. So I took a few leaves and sprinkled around my elephant ears (one of many gardening mistakes I've made). Sure enough, after a short period, the area around the elephant ears was covered with Ogon, but then it was GONE - quite suddently!!!

But at least I know why I lost that - I was just NOT thinking! The elephant ears require a ton of water and fertilizer on a regular basis and the Ogon requires very little of either .. . . . .how 'duh' can a gardener get????   .therefore, that Ogon gave up the ghost as well . . .so here I was with no Ogon!

Until . . . I went out to my flower pit yesterday and guess what I found? (drum roll please) Yep, a small sprig of Ogon. How it got there, I have no idea. . did the wind take it there? Did a bird take it there? Who knows? And how it's survived with no care, I have no idea . .think maybe this should tell me how to 'care' for it?

Now I'll just enjoy the little "Box of Chocolates" the plant gods gave me . . .and try to propagate more. And much to my chagrin, I have to say BS was right again!

Oxalis (Oxalidaceae)

The Oxalis is of the woodsorrel family. There are many, many varieties of the Oxalis. I have only two. Both plants produce pink flowers but the leaves of one are green; the other has wine colored leaves. Because the leaves are clover-shaped, they are sometimes referred to as 'false shamrock.'

Oxalis propagates by tuber, much like the iris, only smaller. The tuber looks like a small potato and has been used for many medicinal purposes over the centuries. Since the tubers are loaded with Vitamin C, it is said that the sailors of old used the tubers to prevent scurvy. They are supposedly good for mouth sores and sore throats. The women of old used the tubers as a dessert - they cooked them with sugar and fed them to their families. Keep in mind that I've never used it for any of these purposes and don't intend to; therefore, this is NOT recommendations - only statements!

The green-leafed oxalis that I have starts showing her leaves in October or November. Once the leaves are well-established, they produce pretty, small pink flowers all winter long. This flowering continues until the mid-summer of the following year. Once the temperatures get hot, the plant goes dormant - but is back in the fall bigger and brighter than the previous season. She seems to perform just as well in full sun or full shade. She is not particular about the soil she's in nor the conditions under which she grows. She is 100% reliable and requires absolutely no special treatment.

The other Oxalis that I have is Oxalis regnellii atropurpurea, commonly called Wine Oxalis simply because her leaves are wine colored. She is just the opposite of the green-leafed. She is dormant in the winter and starts emerging in early spring and puts on her show from spring until frost. The hot summers here in SW Georgia don't affect her at all.

 

But she is a little more particular than the green leafed oxalis. While she does OK in the sun, she flourishes in the shade. I use her as a specimen plant in and around my ferns, heuchera and hellebore. The burgandy leaves along with the pink flowering brightens up any shady area you place her. She's not fussy about the soil - just the light. Each of them will 'tell' you when they want water. The leaves and blooms will lie down on the ground - much like the peace plant. Soon after you give them some water, the tubers absorb it and send it to the plant and it immediately stands up again.

Both stand about 12" tall and their growth habit is mounded and neat. She makes a wonderful border or specimen plant.

Try them - you'll like them!

Nothing About Gardening

When I get something that I love, I also love to share it with others. Kevin has captured some beautiful photographs of some wildlife in his yard. I asked for and received permission to share them with you!

He is a fantastic photographer and I'm totally envious of his capabilities! What I'm really envious of is that he can have wildlife like this and a pretty yard as well!

Below is my favorite!  Ellen, Kevin's wife, 'rescued' this gorgeous cat from under their porch. Ellen found the poor thing sick and hungry - and together, they brought him back to health. And of course, gave him a good home!

They make good veterinarian nurses, huh? The cat's name is Cuy!

hmmmmmmmmmmmm.. . .wonder what Cuy will do with that thing (or what that thing will do to him) if he catches it?

Did I mention that Kevin's a fisherman, too? Well, look at this jewel!!! (Kevin - I"ll bet you're surprised that I still have this photo). Notice that since I didn't have 'permission' to post this one, I sorta blotted out your face.

And Ron, BS's hubby, is also a good photographer, but wildlife isn't his forte. Ron mostly shoots old buildings, courthouses and sunrises. But he does a good job on whatever he's shooting. I didn't ask him permission to post these, but I don't think for a minute he'll mind.

They live in the city so there's not a lot of opportunity to shoot wildlife. In his second childhood he's developed a strong passion for hummers . . .here's a couple of shots he got through their patio doors this summer.

My Newest Toy and Lorepetalum

At one time in my life I used the good old-fashioned, arm/shoulder-operated trimmers - whew.. .glad those days are OVER. Then I graduated to the electric shears. The electric shears weren't bad, but it was unwieldy and you always had the electric cord strung across the yard and had to be aware of the cord when you were trimming. When the electric one played out, I purchased a Black & Decker (B&D) lithium battery-powered hedgetrimmer.

Today was the first time I've had to truly put it into action. It's lightweight. It has a dual-action safety switch. It will operate only when both switches are engaged and will stop if either switch is released. It comes with two batteries and a charger - so if you run out of power, you don't have to wait for a charge to start back up. I dearly love it.

I'm not proud of what I'm showing you, but you need to see it to get an idea of what the B&D is capable of doing.



Lorepetalum Before


Within in 25 minutes using the B&D trimmer I had it looking like this - including the debris removed.



Lorepetalum After

  A little hand shaping and it will be good as new!

The lorepetalum has proven to be a very reliable hedge for me. They were purchased about 10 years ago to hide an ugly 1,000 gallon propane tank. It took about four years to accomplish this, now I only have to shape her periodically and give her some food/water.. In spring the entire bush is covered with crimson colored honeysuckle-type, fragrant blooms for several weeks. It's one of the first shrubs the hummers hit when they return in the spring! The shape, color, and fragrance of the blooms beckons them.

I know you've heard it said - and probably from me - a good rule of thumb is to prune a spring blooming shrub immediately after it blooms. But, since the stems of the lorepetalum bloom from bottom to top - even on the new growth, this rule is an exception for the lorepetalum.

The leaves are a deep bronze in the fall/winter.

These shrubs can stand alone, they can be grouped, hedged, or most anything else you want. I have one that I'm allowing to grow into a tree.


I have seen them shaped into a ball. The trunk was allowed to grow to about three feet then allowed to bush. The top was maintained in a round shape. It was absolutely beautiful. I thought about trying to do it, but I'm not sure I have the discipline to maintain it .. . .

Some of the newer hybridized lorepetalum bloom periodically throughout the growing season.

At any rate, I'm sure you'll love the B&D trimmer and the lorepetalum! Happy Pruning!

Yummy, Yummy!

We had a neighbor, God rest his soul, that used to get our pears. He would make preserves and relish for days on end - then share them with anyone who wanted some. I miss him. He would prepare pears for me any way I wanted them! Oh, to be able to train hubby that good!!

Yesterday, hubby came in and told me the pear trees were loaded. He isn't prone to exaggerate and I don't think he has it in him to lie (unless maybe to save his hide - or to keep me from spending money), but because of this horrendous drought, I didn't really believe him.

So I went and checked myself! Those trees are about to fall over with pears. This photo was made back in the spring. I think every bloom must have made a pear. They are blemish free as well.

Man, the limbs were hanging almost to the ground with fruit!!! So I came back to the house - got two 5-gallon buckets and headed back to the pears!

All afternoon on Sunday, I peeled/cored/halved some/sliced some until my fingers ached! While he watched football, no less! I soon realized I was overzealous with my quantities (who can peel/core/slice 10-gallons of pears??)

I made a few phone calls to folks I thought might want be interested in having some. There were a few 'takers', but most people in this area have their own pear trees and I'm sure their's produced just as well! The remainder went on the compost pile!

Got up this morning and cooked them. Put some in the freezer for pear salads and cobblers during the upcoming holidays and prepared some for yummy,yummy fried pies that I intend to do first thing tomorrow!. I considered making some pear relish but since it's so much trouble, I decided against it.

Tonight I got my dough ready for the pies and have it in the fridge so it'll be ready to go first thing in the morning . ..can't wait! Sure wish you were here to share!!!

I truly can believe this harvest during the worst drought we've had in years!!! So, friends, if you want a tree that gorgeous in the spring, provides fruit in the fall and requires no care, this is the tree for you! By the way, I have Bartletts.

Now if I could just train hubby as well as the neighbor was trained. ..sigh

Pregnant Onion (Ornithogalum longibracteatum)

Several years ago Kevin, one of my followers and internet gardening buddies, and his wife Ellen sent me one of the most unique plants I've ever seen!

Never would I try to pronounce the botanical name.. .Pregnant Onion suits me just fine!

This is another easy-care plant that requires little attention. The pregnant onion is a great conversation piece as well. When people see it, their first question is "What in the world is that?" I wait for that question because I LOVE to show and explain how it got its common name!!

See those little nodes on the right of the onion? They're baby pregnant onions! These babies drop to the soil and make new plants. Pop a couple off - hand them to your friend and tell him/her to drop them in a container (no planting necessary) and just watch them grow! Hardly any care is required for these plants, but it is not cold hardy so winter protection is required.

Not only is the plant entertaining, it puts on one of the most magnificient and aromatic blooms in the plant world.

When the stalk emerges from the plant it's covered with tiny buds. These buds open from the bottom upward and provides aroma and beauty almost the entire summer. Notice the tinge of green on each petal in the photo below . . just gorgeous!

During my entire experience with it, which has been several years, I've seen no insect on it and I've seen no disease on it! The only special care it gets is a little Micacle Grow during the growing season.



Thank you Kevin and Ellen - I say a little prayer for you each time I look at it!

Camellia Seed (capsule) Propagation

If you really and truly love a gardening challenge and patience is one of your strong virtues, try propagating a camellia seed (capsule). Of the 11 camellias I have, only ONE seed was formed this year (due to the drought?) and it was on my Professor Sargent. Since I only had one capsule to form, I felt it incumbent to do my best to help this baby live.

Odds of getting a truly unique, pretty, hardy camellia run from very slim to none. My plants are polinated by nature which reduces these odds even more. The Professor Sargent is a deep red, slightly ruffled petal, fast growing shrub. Some of the blooms last season meaured 5" in diameter! Close to it is a solid white with small deeply ruffled petals and a deep pink of no unique qualitites. I don't know what I"ll get from this capsule, but, hey, I've been told that even a blind hog finds an acorn sometimes . .maybe I'll stumble on something really unique.

Horticulturist polinate their flowers in a controlled environment and they know exactly what the male and female virtures are, and even they are sometimes disappointed with the results. To increase their odds, they polinate several hundred flowers each year. But, nothing ventured is nothing gained.

Keep in mind that it takes from four to 20 years for a camellia propagated from capsule to bloom. In fact, I have one that I germinated for BS that is about five years old and I haven't seen a bloom yet! BS'll be moving into a new home this fall and hopefully I'll see some sign of a bloom this season! I'd sure love to see it bloom before I turn it over the her! And I certainly don't have 20 years to wait!!!!

In the early summer you will begin to see the seed capsule form. It will be wrapped in a dark green hull. It will be fall before it's mature enough to remove from the tree. When you see the hull begin to turn brown and break off from the capsule.. . .you'll know the time is right for harvesting.

Below is the capsule with the hull completely removed.

Soak this capsule in clean water for about 12 hours. Remove from the water and wrap in a moist papertowel.

Place the moist papertowel wrapped capsule in a bag labeled with the date and the plant from which it was removed. Place the bag in a warm area. I put mine on top of the refrigrator. In about four to six weeks, you will begin to see roots emerge from the capsule. I wait until the roots are 1.5 to 2 inches long before I transplant it to a pot. A few weeks after moving to a pot, you will begin to see the plant emerge. From there it's just wait and wait and wait!!

I love the Professor Sargent camellia so much that this summer I did three airlayerings on it. I haven't checked it yet to see if any or all of them 'took', but it's getting close to show time! PrayPrayPray!

English Ivy

An Old Southern garden just would be incomplete without English Ivy. And mine is no exception. I use the ivy mostly as a ground cover under my hickory trees. I allow it to grow up the trees to about eye level and keep it maintained at that height. It takes about an hour three times a year to keep it within bounds. When it tries to climb the trees, I use an icepick to get under the stem and pull the tentacle's from the trees then cut it at eye level. I use a shovel at ground level to break and remove the runners to ensure that it doesn't get into the lawn. I maintain a moat about eight inches wide to prevent the ivy and lawn from getting intermingled. Hedge trimmers are used around the circumference to keep it tidy. Mine has been on the hickory trees at least 20 years or maybe even longer.

Residue from these trimmings is either soaked in charcoal lighter and burned or bagged until they're completely dead.

Several years ago we had to have a dead tree removed from the lawn. Of course the tree removal company wouldn't take responsibility for the stump and that was as unsightly as the dead tree . . .since the stump was hollow (evidently reason for the demise of the tree) I decided to make lemonade from the lemon nature had left given me! I filled the stump with compost and garden soil - inverted a tomato cage over it - then planted some ivy.

Ivy has a reputation of being invasive and it also has a reputation of 'sucking the life' out of trees. Nothing could be further from the truth. It only takes about three hours a year to keep my ivy within its bounds. And the roots do NOT take its nutrients from the tree. Ivy gets it nutrients from the soil in which it's planted and from the air.

But left to its own volition, I'm sure it would take over in a few seasons. I have read that left to grow up into the trees, ivy will act as a sail and help dislodge the tree roots in high winds. I don't know this for a fact - but I'm not willing to take the chance - besides I like the manicured, neat appearance rather than the 'natural' look.

I have a list of plants for my oldest son (my only true gardener) to remove if I'm ever incapable of caring for my yard - and the English Ivy is on that list.

I love the evergreen beauty of ivy as well as its stately appearance on the outside. Plus, when decorating for the holidays or special occassions, nothing is more useful. A gentle spray from the hose will wash off loose dirt or insects. A dip in the sink with cool water and a mild detergent gets them squeaky clean. A coat of Plant Shine brings it to floral quality making it suitable for almost any occassion!

Not only does this eliminate the need for silk ivy, when the occassion is over, I can just toss it out. No storing for future use - no taking up space in my decorations storage area. It's beauty lasts at least two weeks inside.

Love/Hate Relationship

Ever had something in your yard that you sometimes love and sometimes hate? Well,  I deal with that almost year round!!! In my yard are several large hickory trees with which I have the love/hate relationship.

Spring is horrible because they produce tassles that you have to deal with. They're light weight therefore get blown into the gutters, on the porches, on the porch furniture. Just anywhere they happen to fall! I really don't mind dealing with them anywhere except in the gutters! In a two story house, the gutters are not really too easy to get to . . besides I don't like 'walking the roof' to clean these gutters - but I do because if you don't they will pack down and are possible to remove.

But in the summer time, I dearly LOVE them. In normal years they provide enough shade and coolness that the AC is not activated until late June. As you know 2011 was the exception! I think the AC has been going 24/7 since April! !!! And I have established a 'rest' area under them that's really nice when I want to cool off prior to coming inside or just rest a few minutes and admire my work.

Then comes August. The hickory nuts begin to fall!!!! What a mess!!! Not only is it a mess, you have to be careful walking or you'll turn an ankle pretty quickly! Not only that, the squirrels sit in the trees and break the shells and dump the leavings to the ground. This lasts sometimes through October. But even during August through October they're still providing that wonderful shade - so you can't get too disgusted with them!

Better not walk out there barefoot (as I LOVE to do) when the squirrels are feasting or your feet will be cut to pieces. What nuts the squirrels don't eat we have to rake into piles - get the wheelbarrow and seed shovel - pick them up then deliver them to the woods. I think the squirrels just think we're providing a foodbar for them! But the hickory trees do provide some usefulness other than shade in the summer.

In October they provide this brilliant golden yellow color throughout the yard!

Then the leaves fall  . .. and it's mulch, mulch, mulch! (As I type this, I'm beginning to wonder why in the world I even want a yard!). I use a vacuum/mulcher to gather and store the leaves which converts into some fine, fine compost by spring of the next year.

In the winter they let the warmth of the sun plus plenty of light into the house.

Plus, my oldest son loves to grill - to watch him 'work' you'd think he was an artist preparing a painting for the one he loves most! He loves to put the nuts in with the charcoal to give his meat the real hickory flavor.

He resides on the Gulf and is home for the weekend.

One reason he's home is to get out of all that rain on the Gulf right now but the main reason is to meet his new grandson, Waylon, who was born last month.

He's grilling ribs for the family as I type . . .can't wait until he says "Let's Eat!"  But when he's grilling, patience is the operative word. He's like the Hanes underwear inspector. It isn't Ready until HE says it's ready . .(settle down tummy) . . .his significant other is making us some corn grits (which I've never had - but looks and smells great ) and a gorgeous salad . . .oh, have I died and gone to Heaven???? Life is Great! It's just a shame that I can't stay this happy 24/7!!!!

Now how did I go from hickory trees to family and food??? Does it really matter?

Lawn Grasses

We've had less than four inches of rain since the end of March. In mid-July we had three to four inches . .and since the first of August, we've had nothing. Pair that with 100 degree or better temperatures and you can see why I've had such difficulty doing anything except trying to keep things alive much less maintaining the 'perfect' lawn . ..which I LOVE! So today I'll just talk about lawn grasses!


I'm a real stickler about the perfect lawn. So much so that my offsprings warn their friends to "Keep off the Grass."  I'm not really that bad, but I'm close! Nothing softens my heart more than to see children playing on my lawn!

Or better yet, see them working!

There are tons of lawn grasses out there for homeowners to choose from. However, there is only two out there that I am 'intimately' involved with; therefore, those are the only two I'll discuss here. One I love - the other I dislike immensely!

My love is for the centipede grass. It's a low growing grass that doesn't look too bad even if it's unmanicured. Four inches is about as tall as it grows and it grows profusely in the shade.

Centipede propagates by above-ground runners therefore you can always see where it's headed.

Approximately every inch on these runners are nodes. From these nodes other runners will begin and run in four directions, from those other runners are developed. Soon there's a carpet of grass. When we first planted mine (hubby helped me plant), we planted plugs on 12" squares and it took a couple of seasons to get the carpet effect. Once centipede is established it's almost impossible for a weed to germinate in it, much less thrive. I think that's because of the thick, dense root structure.

Centipede Grass

Since centipede runners travel on top of the ground it's also easy to control. When I see a runner headed for a flower bed or shrubbery planting it's quite easy to reach down and pull it out. The centipede is also very hardy and can tolerate abuse and dry periods but doesn't like extended droughts like we're in now. During drought periods it goes dormant but as soon as a good rain comes, it greens up. I have found that during these droughts, weeds and Bahiagrass can penetrate. I do my best not to let mine stay dry for too long, but in weather like we've had this year, it's impossible to keep EVERYthing hydrated.



Centipede Grass



Now to get to the one that I dislike immensely. That is Bahiagrass. Some well-meaning farmer brought this grass from Brazil in 1914 for use as a pasture grass. It's a shame the Bahiagrass doesn't remain in the pasture! Like the kudzu, left to its own volition it overtakes EVERYTHING.

The southeastern US is literally covered with this stuff and it will take advantage of any bare, sunny spot it can find!! The Bahiagrass is very, very drought tolerant, requires no fertilizer and when the centipede goes dormant due to lack of moisture, the Bahiagrass will literally take over the sunny areas if you let it.

It's ugly - it will not 'carpet' and even though a lot of people in this part of the country use it as a lawn grass, it's seedheads are atrocious!!!! I think the main reason they use it as  lawn grass is that it's so difficult to destroy - and unless a person is willing to be combative, in this dry, acid, sandy soil, the Bahiagrass will win.

After a rain those atrocious seedheads pop up. Cut them today and they're right back tomorrow. Don't even try to walk through it in nice slacks when it's seeding. .they 'll be ruined!!!

Until it puts on those ugly seedheads, it's difficult for the untrained eye to pick up the difference in the centipede and Bahiagrass. But I've trained my eye to pick up the difference in the color as well as the size and texture of the blades. I can spot Bahiagrass trying to get started a mile away (I've been known to exaggerate some). Also, the seedheads are murder on lawnmower blades. If you use this as a lawn grass, be sure to have a good grinder handy or be prepared to replace blades frequently!

There are two things that I do like about it though. One is that it's non-competitive. Other grasses, particularly centipede, will push it right out of the ground during good growing conditions. It has a thick fibrous root system that grows just under the top of the ground and any competition literally destroys it. Two is that it will NOT grow in the shade and since the majority of my lawn is in the shade, I don't have to deal with it there. But I do have to be vigilant in and around the flower beds - which are in the sun.