I Get Your Garden

Nothing makes me smile more than hearing a fellow gardener say "I get your garden." That was exactly what happened when a gardening friend stopped by last week.  Those simple words made my heart sing.

It's gratifying when others appreciate the work that has gone into creating this garden for wildlife. My goal is to have a four season garden that is a delight to me as well as the critters. But, Clay and Limestone is not appreciated by everyone. I’ve seen the puzzled looks on visitors faces and watched them struggle to find something to say! I know they enjoy the spring drifts of Phlox pilosa and later the Penstemon calycosus, but, after the intense bloom of spring and before the late summer aster explosion, a shady Middle Tennessee garden is a lot of green! Some people have said it's too natural for their taste, others think it's not floriferous enough and one dear friend asked if Nashville had weed laws.

There was a time when I might have agreed with them.

just a bit ago in the front garden

But, that was once upon a time. Now, a conventional garden with neatly weeded beds that are filled with exotic plants is beautiful to behold, but, it's not the standard by which I measure my garden success. When I discovered the beauty and wildlife value of native plants, my gardening standards changed. Nowadays, decaying grasses and seed heads are left standing all winter, the beds are mulched with shredded leaves, and the Danthonia spicata lawnette is dotted with critter friendly 'weeds' like clover, dandelions and Salvia lyrata.

It looks beautiful to me and the critters that live and visit here seem pretty happy... that feels like success.

But, that doesn't mean that I am not deeply touched when you all 'get my garden'.
I am...

Thank you.

xxoogail

"And it's all right now
yeah, I learned my lesson well
You see, you can't please everyone
so you gotta please yourself.
- Rick Nelson



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Garden Catalog Season Is Here!

It's that time of the year again.

Porteranthus stipulatus

Catalogs with seductive plant photos promising outstanding blooms and easy care arrive in my mailbox everyday. How's a plant starved gardener able to resist! (I've written about catalogs  before go here)

Guidelines!  You've got to have guidelines.

The guidelines fit the spirit of this garden and the spirit of this gardener. 

Without guidelines, I would be stuffing my cart (online or at the nursery) with plants that might be seductively beautiful, but, not make sense for Clay and Limestone.  My guidelines are quite simple;  before I  place any in the cart I like to make sure:

• It has a good chance to survive the difficult conditions at Clay and Limestone?
• It's a nectar or pollen source for pollinators?
• It's  a host plant for pollinators?
• It will add to the diversity of my pollinator friendly garden?
• It isn't available locally.

Witch hazel with pollinator~Must Be The Season of the Witch

Not all natives make the cut!  To make it to the checkout cart they need to be able to survive in my nearly neutral shallow clay soil that's sticky icky wet all winter and dry as concrete all summer.

 Hypericum frodosum

   Central Basin (Middle Tennessee) natives do. They hardly ever let me down. They are tough, they don't get root rot in our wet winters or burn up in our dry summers.

 The Susans never fail to bloom and charm.

  I love Central Basin natives.  Just look at those Susans!

Of course, guidelines can be amended~I shy away from any plant with "must have moist well draining soil" (Moist Well Draining Soil) or most plants that "need sharp drainage/will not survive in wet clay" (Not The Climate For Xeric) I will make an exception for a few of them.

Lobelia is an exception to the guidelines.
It's a powerhouse pollinator magnet and the late summer color is too wonderful to pass up

 Exceptions are saved for plants that are pollinator magnets,  like Lobelias, Agastaches and Salvias.  They will  get extra special treatment to make sure they survive,  like a big gulp of water once a week; planted in containers where their special growing requirements are easily met; or planted in soil that's been heavily amended with  a product like shale for sharper drainage.  Are they ever worth it!

There's one other way a plant makes its way to the cart.

It makes me smile.

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."

Seattle Garden Bloggers' Fling~A Feast For The Senses

DRAGONFLY FARM

It's going to be weeks before I come down from this high! Seattle Fling was a trifecta of delights: good friends, old and new; perfect weather; and, fantastic gardens. This was my fourth 'fling' and they keep getting better!

THE EPPING GARDEN VIEW

The gardens we toured were outstanding~A veritable feast for the senses.

DELIGHTFUL ERYNGIUM AND BUMBLE

As always, there were one or two plants that caught my eye and tempted my resolve! Like eryngium~What a beauty and it was covered with bees! But, dear readers~I wasn't fooled; just entranced! (My Garden Agreements)

KATE FARLEY GARDEN

Wouldn't you have been tested/tempted by those Alstroemeria! They prefer cool climates and well drained soils! Of course, they make nice container plants~ Imagine them next to the Purple Waiting Bench.

SHELAGH TUCKER'S SEATTLE GARDEN

Each garden was creatively designed and filled to capacity with fantastic plants, wonderful hardscape and artistic touches that teased the senses. I wish that I could see them again!

The cheerful colors of the Birrell Garden shed must light up the garden and the spirit on the coolest gray days.

MOSAIC PEBBLE LANDING~SHELAGH TUCKER GARDEN

Shelagh Tucker has combined the colors of her house, garden plantings and hardscape into this beautiful pebble landing.

DENISE LANE GARDEN

What I enjoyed the most was how brilliantly the gardeners used sculptures/containers/other art pieces with their plantings and hardscape. They all came together to inspire, delight and entrance visitors.

EPPING GARDEN

I'll be looking over my photos for months!

DRAGONFLY FARM

Projects are already lining up!

SUZETTE AND JIM BIRRELL GARDEN

A metal smith has been charged with making a rebar bender! Curly Ques will be the rage at C and L!

LORENE EDWARDS FORKNER GARDEN

Neither Nashville's weather nor those danged mosquitoes can keep this excited gardener from attempting to make a version of this marvelous column seen in Lorene Edwards Forkner garden....I can't wait to see her new book!

THE SEATTLE TEAM PLUS JANET ENDSLEY

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Lorene Edwards Forkner, Debra Prinzing, Marty Wingate and Mary Ann Newcomer for a magical time in The Emerald City!


xxoogail

PS I hope to see you all at the next one!

This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.