Normal and Not?

By Skeeter
I have not been in my Georgia Garden for a bit as my parents were visiting and we had other fun things to do. So I find it well into November and time to peek at the Garden. I find the little people in the woods are ready for Fall...
Then I find this Fern still standing tall on the stump. Hum, I think normal for this time of year as it is protected from the cold by the trees above...
Okay, this Hosta is turning yellow and Browning up and getting ready for its winter nap. This is normal...
As is the fading black of this elephant ear...
But this sure is NOT normal! The boat hooked to the truck and ready to take off to the lake? It is Nov 8 on this picture snapping day right? A beautiful warm day in Nov for sure...
A bit of color at the lake but nothing as last year. With all the Georgia pine trees, we really don't see much color at the lake anyway...
Here is a close up of the yellow in the trees...
Berry's on the Monkey Grass is so normal for this time of year...
Honey Suckle blooming is so NOT normal this time of year...
Leaves falling on the patio table is so normal...
Petunias blooming is kind of normal as long as we don't have freezing temps... After Tina's post on Tuesday, we know this Camellia is normal for this time of year...
All 4 bushes are full of buds and really starting to bloom for us now...
With no freezing temps yet, they are keeping their white color while dropping petals on the ground. I hate when they get cold and turn brown...
This is so NOT normal for this time of year... Why does blogger turn my pictures around? Arggggg
Not sure if this is normal or not as this is my first year with African Daisy...
The Loquat blooming with bee's visiting are right on time with its blooms...
Cosmo's still giving a show...
Lantana in purple, yellow and mix are still showing their heads. Blogger, stop turning my pictures around will ya......
Begonias still blooming this time of year is not normal as I usually don't have luck with them in my garden! But I have the past two years...
Not sure if Serena Angelonia is a normal bloomer this time of year as she is new to my garden...
Ah, Red Dogwood Leaves and Berry's are right on target with their colors...
Mexican Heather is a normal bloomer this time of year since no frost as of yet...
Gaura is blooming and again, not sure of her timing as she is new to my garden...
Canna are still popping up and I guess will continue until the first frost...
Butterflies in my garden this time of year are so normal. I have seen them in Dec and Jan as they drop by on warm days during the winter months...
Blogger, stop that messing with my pictures will you!!! Geranium in November? Not normal for me but the Granddaddy long legs on it is so normal...
Butterfly bush continues to bloom as it will until the front hard frost...
And of course my Pretty in Red Nandina's are on target with their red berry's...

So what is NORMAL AND NOT anymore, In the Garden...

Thank You to all Veterans

By Skeeter
Photo above, borrowed from the internet.

Veterans Day initially was called Armistice Day.

Armistice Day recognized veterans of World War 1, which came to an end at 11am on Nov. 11, 1918.

It was first recognized by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. However it wasn't until 1938 that congress recognized Armistice Day as a national holiday.

Following WW2, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day to honor all the men and women who had served or still serves in the American military.

President Dwight Eisenhower officially proclaimed Nov 11 as Veterans Day in 1954.

In 1968, Congress changed the observance of Veterans Day from Nov 11 to the second Monday in November, despite public outcry.

President Gerald Ford, who was a veteran, changed it back in 1975.

Info above borrowed from the Augusta Chronicle Newspaper...
Today, I would like to step out of my Georgia Garden and say THANK YOU TO ALL VETERANS (such as my very young Saint above) for your sacrifices and time served in our military.

In the Gardens very own Tina has been through sand and tough times keeping us safe at night and her wonderful husband, Roger continues to do so. Who knows where we would be today without such protectors?

Take a minute and say thanks to a Veteran today.....

*Note: I will be off the computer today as I am scheduled for surgery. I am having some massive "non-cancerous" tissue removed from a breast. So I am taking a moment to remind you all to be sure to get those mammograms as they are important to find such abnormalities before they do become dangerous!

Plant of the Month November 2009-Camellias

From In the Garden

Do you all know how gardeners just have to have that one plant the 'experts' say they cannot grow? You know the one. It's usually hardy in one zone warmer or colder than yours. Or it is the plant that likes acid soil and you have only alkaline soil. Well for me it is the camellia. And the fact that camellias absolutely shine when they are in bloom or out of bloom coupled with their ease of care make them a favored plant of mine. In fact, I have chosen the camellia as my Plant of the Month for November. I think the bees agree don't you?

I lived in southern Alabama for a hot two years during my Army career. When I say hot, I mean hot. Really really hot and humid. I did not do much gardening there at all, but I did plant a a camellia. I had never seen camellias growing anywhere else I lived. They weren't in North Carolina, Maine or Germany (at least not in the areas I lived in). I had visions of seeing my camellia grow into a tall and handsome shrub while living in Alabama but I never did see that shrub grow because we had to move due to a new assignment. That's okay though because I figured I would at some point have another chance to grow camellias.
Once I moved into my current home I thought a camellia would be a nice plant to have here as well. Never mind I did not know they could not grow in my zone. The plants did not know they could not grow here and neither did my local big box stores. Nosirree. Lowes and Home Depot stocked camellias just like they stock oakleaf hydrangeas. Surely if they sell plants in my local big box stores then they must grow here? Right?I purchased my first camellia in a one gallon pot in 2002. I had no idea where I should put it but found a spot for it and in the ground it went. It grew and grew for about two years when I decided it needed to move 5 feet over. Big shock for the camellia yet it survived and even thrived and still it grew. Years went by and I became more involved in the garden circles and certain plant societies here in Middle Tennessee. I even attended a seminar by a local camellia expert that said camellias don't usually grow in northern Tennessee, but breeders are working on new ones that are more hardy (there's hope for you northern gardeners). Harumph I thought. Don't tell my little camellia it can't grow here. It was now over 10 feet tall and faithfully blooming each year. It has bloomed with snow on the ground, in frigid winds and hailstorms and has come through unscathed. It blooms in the sun and shade and lights up this side of my home.
In fact, the little camellia I first planted in 2003 has become a 12' tall camellia and invited several of its cousins and distant relatives to come here and live. I now have seven camellias growing happily in my garden. All of them are Camellia sasanquas with the exception of two; which are japonicas. I specifically seek out the sasanquas because my first camellia was and is a sasanqua. Besides its hardiness I just like saying the word sasanqua:) My first camellia is an unknown cultivar. I have the label that came with it but the label simply says 'camellia sasanqua'. It happens to be a camellia that blooms in the fall/winter time frame and is the one I am featuring in this post. There are many sasanquas that also bloom in the spring time as well. Oftentimes folks think camellias only bloom in the winter or spring or vice versa. They don't know about all the varieties that bloom at different times, and neither did I until I started adding more camellias to my garden. I currently have three camellias blooming. The other four will bloom in the spring and because all seven of my camellias are different cultivars they usually bloom at different times but sometimes overlap the bloom period. Needless to say I have camellias blooming here for a pretty long time. The one above is my most spectacular camellia because it is the biggest so it is usually the featured one on here. I have posted on the others as well though. Remember, one of my criteria for choosing a 'Plant of the Month' is that the plant must have more than one cultivar or variety that blooms easily and rewards the gardener because of its low care and spectacular bloom and growth habit. Camellias fit the bill when grown properly.

I wanted to share a few tips I have for growing camellias. I am no expert on growing camellias nor have I ever claimed to be an expert on anything I post on this blog. These tips are simply lessons learned through growing my camellias in different spots in my garden. They may not work for everyone but have worked well here. Remember, camellias are marginally hardy to my zone and are 'not supposed' to grow here. Here is the secret to successfully growing camellias in a cold zone-shhh-plant your camellias on the north side of something so as to protect them from the southern sun during the winter. What?? That doesn't make sense! It seems counter intuitive that you would plant camellias on the northern side of something (in my case my home and evergreen trees) because that area would be coldest. Yes! That is the point. Here is what happened when I planted a camellia in a protected southern exposure in my garden next to my deck. The sun shined on it during the winter and warmed up the leaves. Then the sun went down and the plant froze. The leaves turned brown and the plant began to decline right in front of me. I quickly moved the plant and it is doing fine now on the northern side of my deck. You do not want the plant to warm up and start its juices flowing only to be frozen at night. Therefore keeping a camellia on the northern side of a house ensures the sun never reaches the camellia and it will stay dormant-at least the above the ground part which is what counts in the winter.

More cultivation tips I have learned are that camellias appreciate a good mulch (I try to use pine needles I gather from the wild or from gardens but I also use oak leaves), they don't like to be disturbed, and the soil should be acidic (5.5-6) and contain a good amount of organic matter and be well drained. I do add a good acidic fertilizer in March to all of my camellias and hydrangeas as well. If you provide these conditions your camellias will reward you admirably each and every year and perhaps they'll be your plant of the month.

I hand prune my camellias lightly after bloom each year. I prefer the natural look so I mainly prune out errant branches. I have also limbed up a few camellias so that I can see the great structure of the trunks (note the picture of mine above); which are attractive in their own way. Camellias do seem to lend themselves to more formal pruning but why would you want to? The evergreen leaves themselves make this a shrub worth growing in the garden.

It is a clear winner and the most stunning specimen for November's Plant of the Month here at Tiger Gardens. Runners up were: Pineapple sage and mums.

What is your Plant of the Month for November?

in the garden....

SHRIEK! Invasion of the Cave/Camel Crickets

From In the Garden

Shriek! Scream! Help! Can you hear me now? Perhaps not but if you had been any where near my little town in Tennessee you may have heard my shrieks when I encountered some cave crickets in my outside storage shed. It wasn't so much the cave crickets themselves, but the fact that when I ventured to move this axe they were resting on they jumped-at me and everywhere else! Panic! I am not normally a squeamish type of person-hey I've been to Iraq where the guys caught scorpions and centipedes and let them fight it out in an 'arena' and it never bothered me. I squish grubs bare handed and have run into many insects in the garden that usually have no effect on me but these prehistoric things creeped me out.

Mr. Fix-it helped me to identify these crickets. At first he thought they may have been mole crickets; which would have been just as bad. Upon further research we have identified them as cave/camel crickets. Cave/camel crickets like dark and damp areas. They do not chirp and can barely see-figures since they live in caves. My outdoor building is similar to a cave since it is dark and damp due to all the recent rains. In fact the shed was so dark I did not know what kind of insects these really were until my flash caught their mugs. The cave crickets must find the area to their liking because there were quite a few of them. Each time I would open the shed door I would hear a rustling and some movement-creepy. I just chocked it up to the field mice because we also have them in the shed. Nope, not on this day. It was the crickets and my oh my do they ever scuttle and make some intimidating noises! And don't disturb them-if you do be prepared to shriek and run because it is not a pleasant sight to have these ugly things jumping at you....

in the garden....I'm still shaking from my encounter! Grasshoppers have nothing on these fellas! But hubby says they would make good fishing bait. Perhaps he'll go take them away?? Nah, he's busy in his gargage-no crickets there:)

Too Many Straight Bladed Plants-Time for a Redesign & Blue Star Memorial

From In the Garden

Too many straight bladed plants? Can you have too many? This is how my 'Rear Sidewalk Garden' looked in May of this year. It is not too bad really, but when you look at it now can you see the problem?

From In the Garden

You don't have to look too hard to see it, that's for sure. The issue is with all the straight bladed plants-too many of them so there is no contrast and interest in this garden and other plants are crowded. Back in May the straight bladed plants were well behaved and actually did not look half bad, but now they don't look so good. They've had a really good year and have grown beyond their bounds and are crowding one another and other plants in this garden. Believe it or not these are not all the same types of plants. Starting from the left next to the peony there is a mystery iris, then gladiolus, scads of 'Lucifer' crocosmia, and finally an ornamental plume grass. Too much straight blade overload for me so it was time for a rework. I will not even tell you the story of how this mess occurred but it had something to do with trying to plant the right plant in the right spot-namely a sunny area. I forgot about the surrounding plants being the same type:( Fortunately the situation can be fixed rather simply.

From In the Garden

I dug divided and replanted the irises a bit further away from the peony. I'll be posting on them Monday because I need some help identifying them. I completely removed the glads and the crocosmia. They have found homes in pots for the time being. I then added a catmint plant and stood back to look at my work. I like it so much more now that most of the straight bladed plants are gone. I did leave the ornamental plume grass as a focal point in the center of the bed as a divider. This garden looks completely different on the other side of it but we'll perhaps save that picture for another post.

From In the Garden

What you don't see are the pink lady bulbs under the soil. If you look in the first picture you can see the foliage that looks pretty nice in May. The picture above actually shows the pink lady bulbs in bloom in July. They are a bit crowded and lost aren't they? Yes, it was indeed time for a rework and redesign in this 'Rear Sidewalk Garden'. Now that the straight bladed plants have been removed all the remaining plants have some breathing room and room to shine....

in the garden....

Any gardening design issues you are working on this fall?

Remember when I posted on the Blue Star Memorial Marker in January? Monday marks the dedication of Clarksville's very own Blue Star Memorial Marker. All three garden clubs will be represented. The bugler and color guard from Fort Campbell will also be present. As a veteran of three wars and a member of one of these garden clubs (Beachaven) I am most proud this dedication has come to fruition. Many thanks to all who worked on the project in all three (Beachaven, Clarksville, and Les Candides) garden clubs. As a personal note I'd like to thank Peggy, Lola and Sandy for working on the project as part of the committee to plan the dedication. I'd also like to thank Lola's husband (Harold) for getting the bugler and color guard to participate. Hope to see you all there, Monday 10:30 at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Come show your support for the veterans AND the gardeners (us!) just in time for Veteran's Day.

Speaking of veterans, it is with great sadness we learn of the shootings at Fort Hood. I remember when this happened at Fort Bragg in 1995 (one killed and 20 wounded) and I can tell you it is a terrible thing for soldiers everywhere to think they can be targeted while on base and doing normal everyday activities. It is an especially horrific thing for these days in this time of war. Such a senseless loss for us all.

Periwinkle and Vinca

By Skeeter

On Tuesday, I talked about my Volunteer Periwinkle. I made the mistake of calling it Vinca Minor. If you go to this Web Site, you will see why I called it Vinca Minor. This site's Classification reads,

Genus: Vinca L - Periwinkle
Species: Vinca Minor - Common Periwinkle.

This site also says this is a vine plant. I do have the vine plant of Vinca in my Georgia Gardens as you can see in the above and below pictures. Now, if you go to this Web Site, you will see that Vinca Major seems to be the same plant as Vinca Minor! The classification reads,

Genus: Vinca L-Periwinkle
Species: Vinca Major-Bigleaf Periwinkle.

And notice this is the same source Web Site! Are you as confused as I now? I have since removed the word Minor in Tuesdays posting.

The Blogger "How It Grows" was the first one to step in with assistance on this issue. Second came "Mothernaturesgarden" with only writing the words, Catharanthus Roseus. I finally found time to search Catharanthus Roseus and this site reads,

Genus: Catharanthus
Species: C. Roseus
Synonyms: Vinca Rosea
English names: Cape Periwinkle, Rose Periwinkle, Rosy Periwinkle and Old Maid.

Okay are we straight now? Ha, I am now more confused then ever but as with all plants, I know there are more then one called the same thing. The tag on the plant that I purchased says, Periwinkle/Vinca for the continuous flowers plants. There was no tag for the Ground cover plant I have as it was taken from my parents house and they told me it was called Vinca. So to keep things straight in the future, I will call my Catharanthus Roseus, Periwinkle.

In the above pictures you see the Vinca which is a ground cover creeping all over the place in my shade garden. I have planned a posting for it for months but it keeps getting pushed back for other topics. I had planned to get a topic on it today but since the confusion and my research, I decided to once again push that topic aside for now. I will get it up soon though...Here is how my Periwinkle got started as Volunteers in my gardens. I had thought this planter had been talked about at In the Garden but when looking back to link it, I did not find one. Ha, I sometimes wonder how I manage to keep a household running smoothly when things such as this happen. This area in the corner of my yard was bare and a pain to keep mowed so a planter came to mind. Free Bricks from a construction sight work well as planters. This picture was snapped after planting my first Periwinkle in April 2005. I count 15 plants which was way more then this planter needed but it was my first planting and I learned my lesson. Two months later, they were filling in for me. I don't have another picture of them that first year but they outgrew the planter!
Here is a close up of the Pink and White blooms.
The following year, I planted Red Periwinkle in the planter. The white and pink you see are from self seeding.
The color Purple was added on another year.
And here is another planter full of Volunteer colors as Red was the color planted that year. This planter was cleared of Periwinkle for new Castle Rock sides and to become my Pepper Planter this year. We had some yummy peppers but I missed the flower blooms. However, I had plenty of blooms from the seeds that jumped outside this planter.
Here are the results of some of those jumping seeds from planters onto the ground. OJ kitty enjoys them with me.Back to the Triangle Planter, you see this years growth. Only the dark pink Periwinkle were planted by me. The remainder of the seedlings you see are Volunteers from self seeding from years past plants! I keep telling myself I am not going to plant any new slips but they are so slow to pop up for me and I want color sooner then the seeds please me. Maybe next year I will not plant any new slips and just be a patient gardener.
Look at how thick they were. I had to take out many seedlings and toss them into the compost pile as I had no more energy left to transplant them in the Georgia heat! They may be slow to get from seeds to seedlings but once that heat gets to them, they grow really fast.

Look at the shapes of the blooms in these two pictures. the one on the left looks a bit pointed at the ends while the one one the right looks more fan shaped. Different flowers but are they the same flowers? Hum, did you understand the question? Same Species or not? Here is a closer peek at what I am talking about. The smaller pale pink looks pointed as does the bloom below it while the white bloom on the top and very bottom look fan shaped. And I never planted a Pale Pink Periwinkle. I think the dark and lighter pinks cross breed so I made my own pale pink flowers with the help of bees and butterflies!
Looking at the wider picture, maybe my eyes see the new blooms standing tall and pointed while the older blooms are starting to curl, thus loosing their points. Hum...
Here you see Bright Pink, Light Pink, White and Purple blooms happily together. Only one color was planted here, hum, which one? I am guessing the Bright Pink as those blooms are larger then the others. Wrong! These are all self seeders!
Here is a pretty good example of the glossy green foliage of the Periwinkle.
And here is a picture I snapped yesterday of the planter! Way over loaded with plants after having many plucked, transplanted and tossed.
Look at the color remaining in my corner planters on November 4. I have a mirror image of this planter on the opposite side of the house front. I am not looking forward to our first frost as they will all go bye bye then. They should still be with us a bit longer as the little pods have yet to pop open and scatter seeds for me. On a happy note, I know they will return again next year!

I enjoy my PERIWINKLE AND VINCA, In the Garden...

Note: Thanks to "How it Grows" and "Mothernaturesgarden" for the information and getting my brain to dig deeper...

Lightening Struck Tree Trunk and Seed Swap

From In the Garden

I posted about my 'problem trees' on Monday and spoke of a tree we thought got hit by lightening. I have been trying to figure out if that was indeed the problem with no luck. All the information I can find on lightening strikes says the liquid inside of trees is instantly heated to an extreme temperature that usually causes the tree to explode in some manner or form. This was not the case with this tree. No instantaneous loss of limbs or explosion or even loss of bark occurred in a sudden manner. The tree did lose limbs and bark over a period of about two years but the first thing that was noticeable was the sudden browning of the full canopy of leaves. I just assumed it died due to the drought of 2007.

When the tree was finally cut down though I noticed an awful lot of charring in the center of the tree. It would appear the tree did take a lightening hit that traveled down the core of the tree to its very roots. What do you all think?

in the garden....

Dirt Princess at Trials and Tribulations of a Southern Gardener is hosting a seed swap. She is asking us to post on the seeds we have to swap then link the post back to Mr. Linky on her blog. I have the following seeds available to swap: cleome, nicotiana, orange cosmos, purple columbine, tall maroon hollyhocks, pink 4 O'Clocks, annual red salvia, and perhaps a few more I am not sure of right now. Sorry. I really need to label better. So if you all want to participate-all are welcomed not only bloggers-go check out Mr. Linky. My email address is located on this blog if interested in these seeds.