Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Going Native~~GBBD April 2009

My friends, you know that I have a love affair going on with native plants!

Scorpion Weed/Phacelia bipinnatifida, a biennial that looks best massed

Did you know that when ever it was possible they have been grown in Middle Tennessee?

Iris cristata a gift from a nearby private woodland garden~~15 years ago!

This insures that these hard workers are adapted to my climate and growing conditions.
Phlox divaricata 'May Breeze' and Tiarella cordifolia

A valuable characteristic considering the roller coaster weather rides we've had recently.

Shooting Star

They have been able to survive droughts, late freezes, difficult soils, disease and pests....
Almost anything Mother Nature and I have thrown at them.


But, I do have native plants that aren't endemic to this part of the world, too. Plants like


Camassia quamash~~A member of the lily family. Bulb planted, but seed spread...They grow well here because the soil is damp in the spring and then dry in the summers.




Camassia is a difficult purple/blue to describe. If you enlarge any of the photos you can catch the water color effect on the petals...they do look best when massed.

Then there are the natives that were already here~

Like Columbine

Self sown here with Scorpion Weed, Solomon's Seal and Lunaria annua (please click to enlarge)

Columbine is happy in almost any aspect at C&L. Here it is growing with Senecio aureus, Tiarella and even an old German Bearded Iris in the Screened Porch Garden.

Looking at the red spurs tipped with golden yellow ...
I wonder how anyone could not like red and yellow in the garden!
It's just lovely!

Aquilegia canadensis~~You want hummingbirds, then plant this one!


This is the view a hummer gets...We have to lie down to see this!


Another lovely native blooming right now is Senecio Aureus

Golden Ragwort is a semi evergreen plant in the garden...I love it with the darker colored iris and columbines.


It looks spectacular with a deep burgundy heuchera. If you enlarge this photo you can see that it is a magnet for aphids..they never get on anything else when senecio is around! You can spray them off with water if they bother you!



Thank you for stopping by to see the C&L blooms! If you were here we could bundle up and walk around the garden...Spring has decided to play a little hide and seek with us! But, soon the sun will shine and the days will warm up...Stop by then and we can have tea on the patio and look at PPPP together! Phlox pilosa, Practically Perfect Pink Phlox just beginning to shine...Just you wait!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is brought to you on the fifteenth of each month by Carol, May Dreams Gardens! Head over there to link to more then one hundred...yes that is correct, way over one hundred garden bloggers participating in Bloom Day! Congratulations Carol!

I wish you all a wonderful Bloom Day....and, here is a favorite native friendly exotic!

edit! OOPS...I forgot to say hello to Mr I Don't Garden or Blog! It's our 29th anniversary. Happy Anniversary to the best friend, ahem...etc......a girl could want!
Gail

66 comments:

  1. Looking super great. You have been a big influence on me in that I have been adding more and more natives lately. Including some gifts from nearby woods. They are so lovely. Have a good day. Hopefully it will warm up!

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  2. It is nice to see some things I am not familiar with like the Scorpion Weed and the Shooting Star. I am not that knowledgable about native wild flowers. When I go camping I now take my tree ID book, it has been a big help and makes for good campside reading. Maybe and need to get a good wildflower book.

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  3. Good morning Gail, it was nice to see that exotic at the end, what would spring be without some tulips even if they don't return? Your garden vignettes are fabulous. I need to move the senecio here, it hasn't bloomed in several years but I did find one plant still alive. The camassia is wonderful, maybe mine will flower this year. You are ahead of me in many things, including your blooming plants! HA Happy bloom day!
    Frances

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  4. Gail girl ! It looks like your garden is already having a party : ) .. I love seeing all the natives and a pinch of wildness in how they are grouped together .. the colour combinations are perfect .. they have to be to keep up with the perfectly pink phlox don't they ?? LOL
    I will have my bloom day much further down the road .. maybe I should organize one for all of us nothern gardeners ? LOL

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  5. Love the Shooting Star! I like the columbine, they are so interesting little blooms. They look like little pixie caps.

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  6. Hi Gail, I too love native plants! The seeds I ordered of PPPP have arrived, and I also ordered shooting stars from the same place. And isn't golden ragwort cool? I love how its buds are purple but its flower is bright yellow. In any class I teach (on any topic) I always have a slide entitled "1000 Words about Native Plants" which shows how long the roots are of various native plants versus that of lawn grass. It really drives home the point.

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  7. Your garden looks like a happy bouquet, Gail. That shooting star is pretty cool. I haven't seen that one before.

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  8. ooooou!!! So pretty! Your irises are blooming so early, is that another advantage of planting natives? I love the trail of pink and white tulips. Lovely.

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  9. Good morning Gail -- love seeing your PPPP and all the other natives in your garden. Your blooms are all so delicate and cottage-like. I just love the wispy look of all your blossoms this Bloom Day. Hope you escaped the recent storms - your garden certainly looks beautiful.

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  10. Gail, You are becoming quite an accomplished photographer! Just as I finished oohing and aahing over the scorpion weed, you show the aquilegia, and then finally wow me with the tulip shot at the end. Fantastic!
    I'm learning so much about native flowers from you; this is something I want to learn more about and try to plant more of. As we read more and more about the problems in our environment, it just makes sense to plant lots of natives. Besides, they're so pretty:)

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  11. Beautiful Gail! I can't wait to see the senecio you gave us blooming here. The camassia is definitely one to add to the list!

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  12. Oh how beautiful Gail! You have so many wonderful natives. Columbines have always been favorites of mine. I've learned to enjoy the designs of the leaf miners - gives the foliage a nice variegated look! ;)

    Spring's been playing hide-and-seek here too, doing decidedly more hiding than we'd wish.

    I'll just grab my jacket hanging on the kitchen chair and head for the patio with you. I'd love to see PPPP and visit awhile before going off to work. It would be nice if the sun shows up - it's been MIA here for a few days.

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  13. Gail, your garden is just lovely. My Dad is giving me some Camassia this year. I'm excited about that. They don't have a long bloom period but they are so pretty.
    Marnie

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  14. Gail,
    I love your collection of native plants. They provide such a natural look in your garden -- as though they grew there naturally.

    Cameron

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  15. If I were there I would so bundle up and walk with you through your beautiful gardens!!

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  16. Hi everyone, I am having a splendid time visiting your gardens and seeing your April blooms! They are all wonderful! I've seen tulips, Virginia Bluebells, critters, native plants, flowering cherries and hyacinths, daffs and helleboresin the northern gardens ....and the day is just beginning!

    Thank you for stopping by to visit....Next time the sun might be out and the temperatures will be warmer then the 47 degrees it is now!

    Gail

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  17. Gail, your garden is superb! So much spring color.--Randy

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  18. Beautiful post Gail. I love your flowers. Beautiful photographs too.

    I think the natives have a delicacy and grace that is so perfectly suited to a woodland garden. They have a particular brand of beauty that isn't like anything else.

    I love your iris and tulips too!

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  19. I love phacelia too, Gail! But it's that shot of your Screened Porch Garden that's making my heart beat faster. So lovely!!!! thanks for sharing.

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  20. Hi Gail~
    Your garden looks like a magical place! I love the scorpion weed, I've never seen that bloom before. I wonder if it grows here in Florida?
    Happy day~ Karrita

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  21. You have some fabulous looking natives in your garden Gail! I've been slowly adding more each year for the past few years. They are wonderful, and so much easier than the exotics in adapting to the climate, etc...Happy Bloom Day! And as usual PPPP looks as beautiful as ever. ;)

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  22. It's all so lovely, but I actually gasped at the shot of the Shooting Stars. You have so many! Mine have failed to spread at all & I feel lucky to still have the 3 that I planted. Happy Bloom Day!

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  23. MMD, I am glad you like the Shooting Star! They are perfect for cedar glade conditions...if you have an acid soil they might night make it! gail

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  24. I love Columbine. I'm not seeing buds in my zone 6b garden. Maybe next week.

    Your pictures are a perfect pick-me-up for a cold and rainy day in Pennsylvania.

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  25. dear gail,

    i am loving the natives these days. really trying to gravitate towards them myself, it seems to only make sense to grow what is used to this climate...less work and more pleasure. i want to visit a native nusery in fairview sometime in the near future. do you have any native nuseries near you.

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  26. Marmee, I go to Growild in Fairview...I will be there during their open house may 1 and 2...You will have a great time. Maybe we can meet there! There used to be more nurseries selling native plants but not anymore! They all sell the same old same old plants! gail

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  27. I love the picture of the iris and ragwort. Beautiful! Purple and yellow combinations are my favorite,

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  28. Dear Gail......I to have a thing for native wildflowers.....I have fallen in love with your shooting star, what a delightful little flower....

    The Aquilegia is worth putting in any garden....and as you so rightly say the colour is just perfect. Wish I was a hummingbird.....

    Your garden is looking beautiful and it is so good to see PPPP...

    Hope the weather warms up soon.....have fun Gail.....

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  29. I have a clump of Phlox divaricata given to me by 2 elderly women about 20 years ago. I don't know how long they had been growing it themselves. There is nothing like this Phlox to say spring is finally here.

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  30. That iris cristata is fabulous, I'll have to get some for my garden someday.
    And a 29th anniversary is a rare find nowadays - congrats!

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  31. Happy Anniversary and what beautiful blooms you have to help you celebrate. It is just beginning here but we are off and running...or strolling although the weather report says 70's on Saturday.

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  32. Your natives are gorgeous Gail. I wish I could grow tirella. I have tried it several places but haven't been able to get it going. Maybe I will try one more time. I think I won't but then I look at your pretty stand of it growing so well and think I might try it again. Congrats on your anniversary. A great milestone.

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  33. Very nice Gail. The scorpion weed is so pretty. I just planted the camassia last fall and I love it. It is blooming for me this week too.

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  34. Gorgeous, glorious post. I left comments on your Blotanical page. All best, Alice

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  35. What a gorgeous “weed!” I’m all for growing native plants after seeing the foreign invasives take over Maine. Battling the Norwegian maple is a royal pain.

    I love your Queen of the Night below – they were popular at Oxford University but even darker in hue.

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  36. It looks like blue is the primary theme in your garden at the moment, which makes those columbines all the more cheery. And I'll add my congratulations on your anniversary, too!

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  37. Wow, I love your plants that would crater in my Austin garden. And happy, happy 29th anniversary! That's the best "root" anyone could every hope to plant. Linda

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  38. Happy anniversary my friend. I hope you have many more together. It's wonderful when you find someone you want to spend that many years with. I'm still looking!! lol. Back to the blooms... Your beautiful natives are looking fabulous. You're so right about it being hard to beat anything that can survive Mother Nature and us. The shooting stars are really pretty. Do they multiply? I've tried several times to get them going here but I think they must not be a good fit?? As far as your non-natives, the Camassia is particularly spectacular. It reminds me of agapanthus??? Do you think so too?? Columbine of any color is always welcome ~ I didn't know the hummingbirds liked it. They don't arrive here for several more months yet (long after the columbine is done). Amazing that you have bearded iris blooming. That is a late May/early June bloom here. Have a wonderful bloom day and anniversary.

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  39. It all looks very elegant Gail!
    I like the Iris cristata, and the columbine, oh and the shooting stars!
    Happy Anniversary to you both.
    K

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  40. Anyone with a garden that lovely is indeed truly blessed!

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  41. I'm in awe visiting your stunning garden, Gail! Your Iris resembles Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), our Michigan State Wildflower(replacing Trillium) ... and columbine ... another favorite! Happy Anniversay, dear Gardening friend! Tomorrow the sun will shine and I will think of you :)

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  42. You have so many pretty flowers. I love that you have so many natives, I'm trying to slowly add them to my shaded area. Love shooting stars, I think they grow wild here.

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  43. What lovely blooms you have, Gail! I love the camassia! I don't think I've seen that before. I grew that kind of columbine where we lived 12 years ago. It seeded itself all over the place.

    I enjoyed your last post about feeling fortunate, too. Thanks for your comment on my GBBD post, and yes, it has been a cold spring so far, but spring it is, and I am so excited!

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  44. You've taken some beautiful scenes to show us, Gail. The Camassia is spectacular, and what a color! I love the pretty natives in your woodland setting.
    I think we might've actually been warmer here than you today. Imagine that!
    I'd love to sip a cup of tea and look at Miss PPPP with you. Thank you for asking :)
    I'm imagining you laying on the cold ground for that last luscious pink and white shot. Don't catch cold! ;)

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  45. I'm always blown away by your beautiful photos. Loved, loved seeing the Shooting Stars. I remember them growing in the woods behind by parents' house when I was a kid. Happy Anniversary to you and your best friend.

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  46. Happy Anniverary to both of you! Isn't it wonderful to be married to your best friend.:) Your natives are so beautiful-makes me lng for more in my garden. You have done a great job in putting them troughout your gardens. I like the colombine color, mine are mostly blues. I saw a deep red one the other day that may just follow me ho,e when it gets warmer. Happy bloom day and thank you for sharing your lovelies.

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  47. Happy Anniversary and Bloom Day, Gail! Thanks for showing all of your native lovelies as well as the fresh pink tulips. I love that you let so many plants self-sow and naturalize in your garden. I do the same, although most are not natives, alas. I should get some going. Those shooting stars are the cutest! And the camassia are amazing.

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  48. thanks so much for sharing your lovely and unique spring blooms. you've inspired me to be on the lookout for similar looking natives - and i must admit, some non natives too, like camassia... beauties!

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  49. You've got such gorgeous things blooming, Gail! I LOVE natives, as well. My Iris cristatas aren't blooming yet, and I really look forward to seeing them again this spring. Love the tulip photo!

    Happy GBBD!

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  50. Happy Anniversary!! And what a way to celebrate; what with all the beautiful flowers. :-) I love the shooting star. I'd tried it in a "wrong place" long ago. I need to try again! Beautiful post!

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  51. Thanks so much! What better advertisement could natives have than your beautiful garden (and the stunning photos you make). Happy anniversary, too. I'll have my 30th this summer, if things go according to plan ;->

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  52. Many people grow native plants, Gail, but few of them grow them as beautifully as you do- I've never seen phlox divaricata look that robust and happy. You also reminded me how much I used to love growing Lunaria!

    Happy Bloom Day- and Happy Anniversary, too...one more year of being married to your best friend and you'll be classified as "Ruby".

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  53. Wow, what nice combinations. You are at least a week ahead of us in Maryland. Particularly nice photos of the Camassia. I knew there was a reason why I planted those last year!

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  54. Such gorgeous blooms ... Thanks for bundling up and braving the chill to share them with us!

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  55. I love those shooting stars. Love. Love. Love.

    I grow some native plants and a lot of adaptive plants. Basically I grow anything that will survive Austin's tough conditions even some plants others might call weeds.

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  56. yeah, there are a lot of advantages to native plants. Wet spring, dry summer? sounds familiar, and I love those Camassias.. I'll check them out for my yard, too! thanks for visiting at my place!

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  57. Happy Anniversary Gail!
    I enjoyed walking among your native plants!
    Thanks for visiting my blog and your comments.

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  58. Gorgeous flowers! And Happy Anniversary too!

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  59. Wow! Your photos are amazing. I agree totally with you: planting native plants has so many benefits for both sides - for us and for nature.

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  60. What a parade! Love them all Gail. I found something really really nice and interesting, Camassia quamash - it's gorgeous, must find out more about that one - funny name too.

    xoxo Tyra

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  61. Happy happy blooms indeed, Gail. I'm with you on the Canada columbine; one of my favourites, so delicate looking and yet so sturdy. And a hummingbird magnet for sure.

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  62. Glad to see all of your blooms too, I especially love the iris. :)

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  63. You're really lucky to have access to so many lovely natives. I wish I did! I especially love your columbine photos. Well actually, all of your photos!

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  64. Now that's what I call a flower show. I always think that those folks who tend to the natives and encourage them are the best gardeners. I too like to plant masses of color. You are so right cause it does make a little soft color like that watercolor blue stand out.

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  65. Gail, I LOVE that you laid down to give us the hummer's view of the columbine! Very cool. :)

    Your garden in Middle Tennessee is way ahead of mine in Northern Ohio. My groundcover phlox is just now emerging from the ground--it will be a few weeks, at least, before I see any blooms.

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  66. Beautifully blooming natives, Gail. So enjoyed this GBBD post. I'm very late getting around to it.
    Meems

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