Wildflower Wednesday: Clematis viorna

I love Clematis and when I discovered that there were native Clemmies I had to have one or two or more. So far I've planted three in my garden: Clematis virginiana, C pitcheri and C viorna. I wasn't surprised to find out that like other Clematis they can be placed in groups that determine how and when to prune. Clematis viorna is our star and it fits in group 3, which means it blooms on new growth and you need to give it a hard pruning in late winter. Be sure you've harvested seeds or enjoyed their frothy fall look before pruning.

But, I digress, let's start with getting you acquainted with this delightful herbacious vine native to rich wooded banks and thickets throughout the north, central and eastern United States.

Clematis viorna has many common names, but the one I am most familiar with is Leatherleaf. It's a delicate looking vine given to irregular branching that will scramble across the woodland floor looking for someplace to climb. Expect it to reach ten to twelve feet in your garden when given a sturdy structure. "The scattered 1 inch flowers are mostly solitary at a branch tip or a leaf axil. Each is purple-rose in color, the usually 4 sepals (no petals) being very thick and fleshy (leathery) with the shape of the flower being a "closed-looking" vase or urn with slightly turned up sepal tips, usually facing downward." The tips are creamy white. (source)

Photo by Fritz Flohr Reynolds

One of the many characteristics that I love about Leatherleaf is its long bloom time. The first bloom at Clay and Limestone was May 26 and it still has buds today. That's three months of charming flowers, cool buds and delicate twining stems.

last week in July 2022

 It climbs by twining petioles/leaf stalks, so give it a structure or even a shrub to climb on that will accommodate its mature growth. The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies and then mature to become beautiful, dramatic seed heads for birds to enjoy. The achenes with their feathery tails extend the attractiveness of the vine into the fall, so hard prune it once the seeds have been collected, eaten or wind dispersed. (source)

Seeds starting to feather fluff up which helps the wind disperse them

It's happily growing in a large container in morning sun where I can see it every day and keep it well watered. It likes moist, rich soil that is well-drained. Clematis viorna is a classic woodland plant and would have gotten lost in my habitat of rough and tumble wildflowers which I manage by letting them go to battle for garden dominance. Also, it needs to be watered regularly in what has turned out to be a brutal summer of drought and heat.

I plan to collect and sow seeds, eventually planting them among the smooth Hydrangeas and Hamamelis vernalis.  I think it will look smashing scrambling along the ground and eventually climbing into the shrub's branches. Planted in that bed assures that this delicate Clemmie will get the filtered sunlight and moist soil that makes it happy. 

I sure hope you give this sweet Clematis a try. It's worth the hassle of trying to locate one online! Nashvillians try GroWild. While you are looking try a few other native Clemmies. Thanks for stopping by.

xoxogail

 The Particulars

Scientific Name: Clematis viorna L.

Common Names: Leatherflower, Vasevine, Northern Leatherflower

Family Name: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)

Plant Type:  A small, mostly non-woody, herbaceous perennial vine.

Light Requirement: Full sun, Partial/sunny, Partial/shady

Bloom Times: May, Jun, Jul, Aug

Flowers (or reproductive structures): Single, bell-shaped, perfect flowers 1" across by 2" long, in various shades of pink, violet to dull purple, with thick, fleshy, reflexed, petal-like sepals (no petals), creamy white interior. 

Flower Color: Pink/rose

Soil Conditions: Moist, well-drained soil with a neutral to a slightly alkaline pH. 

Fruit: Large seed head with many individual seeds, each seed attached to a fuzzy plume of a tail for wind distribution. 

Natural Distribution: rich woods, thickets 

 

 

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9 

Comments: Great for naturalizing, meadows. Showy fruit, with great fall interest

Wildlife value: Bumblebees pollinate the flowers. Other insects (thrips, midges) feed destructively on the flowers. Butterfly, moth and fly larvae feed on the foliage and stems. The foliage is probably poisonous to mammalian herbivores. All Clematis provide useful cover and nesting habitat for many songbirds in open wooded areas.  Attracts bees, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts birds, Showy fruit, 

Pharmacology: All parts of this plant are toxic, causing internal bleeding of the digestive tract if ingested in large amounts. Foliage has bitter taste and is therefore safe from pets. It is also reported to be deer resistant.  

Propagation: From seed/Achene (dry, flat seed, in this case dark brown) or, by semi-hardwood cuttings, or by layering.     

Don't forget our Wildflower Wednesday monthly challenge!  The first part of this challenge is to do something every month during 2022 that supports native wildflowers, pollinators, and the critters that visit and rely on our gardens. The second part of the challenge is to post about it somewhere: Your blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or even your neighborhood listserve. 

Why post it?  Because positive publicity is needed to educate our friends, neighbors and communities about how important even the smallest changes we make as gardeners can be for pollinators, birds, insects and mammals that live all around us. 

An incomplete list of things you might consider doing or changing in your garden

Shrink your lawn and make your planting beds larger.

Plant your favorite native perennials and shrubs. Leave them standing after they've gone to seed to continue to provide for wildlife. What you plant in your yard makes a difference to wildlife. I garden for wildlife so every tree, shrub and plant is chosen with wildlife in mind.

Plant more natives and then consider planting even more. "A typical suburban landscape contains only 20-30% native plant species. Try reversing that trend in your own landscape by using 70-80% native species." (source) 

Commit to never, ever, ever, ever using pesticides in the garden.

Stay away from native plant hybrids and cultivars that are double flowered. They are sterile and have no pollen or nectar for insects and no seeds for the birds. If possible plant “true open-pollinated native wildflowers”

If you want to garden for wildlife and pollinators, don't let lack of space stop you! Plant your favorite wildflowers in large containers. You just might have the prairie or woodland garden you've always wanted...in a pot!
 
Create a water feature. Provide water year round that is accessible to birds, bees and other critters.

Show some soil! Our native ground nesting bees nest in bare soil, so don't mulch every square inch of your garden. 

Invite bugs into your garden. Plant annuals that attract beneficial bugs.

Learn to tolerate damaged plants. Imperfection is the new perfect.

Don't be in a rush to clean up the fall garden. Leave plant stalks and seed heads standing all winter. Leave those fallen leaves or as many as you can tolerate! Insects over winter in the fallen and decaying leaves.

Leave a layer of leaves as a soft landing material under trees for moths and butterflies to over winter. Many caterpillars drop to the ground from the trees in the fall.

Make a brush pile. Stack fallen brush, cut tree limbs, broken pots for ground beetles. Ground beetles are excellent at eating "bad bugs'. They're also good bird, toad and small critter food. 

Rethink what you consider a pest. Lots of good bugs eat aphids. Spiders are important predators and bird food!

Add nesting boxes for birds.

Plant shrubs and small trees that provide berries and nuts.

Keep a nature journal: Observe visitors to the water feature, make note of when they visit. Notice which flowers attract the most pollinators and which ones are just pretty faces. 

Volunteer to remove invasives in a local part or natural area.

Join your state native plant society.

Join WildOnes even if there's no local group.

Take an online course on tree, fungi and wildflower id.

Take a walk in your neighborhood and observe nature. To quote Joanna Brichetto in Sidewalk Nature "Look Around. Nature is here, is us, our driveways, our baseboards, parks, and parking lots."

Buy the best wildflower, butterfly and bird id books for your state.

Read nature books to your children and grandchildren. 

Read! There are hundreds of books on gardening for wildlife, the environment, and rewilding our world. There are delightful blogs with wonderful and informative articles.

Turn off your porch lights, eave lights and uplights to help mammals,  birds, critters that live in the dark survive.

If you live in Nashville join the Facebook ReWild Nashville Group and the Middle Tennessee WildOnes

 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most.

Please leave your links in comments,  I am not using Mr Linky any longer.

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.

I heart Hydrangea arborescens

H arborescens

Hydrangea arborescens, commonly known as smooth hydrangea or wild hydrangea, is a gangly limbed deciduous shrub with large, opposite, toothed leaves and grayish stems. The dome shaped flower head is composed of sterile and fertile flowers that begin to bloom in June in my garden. It's native to woodland slopes, hillsides and stream banks in the Eastern US.

 ...and I adore it.

H arborescens has a lace cap look with large sterile flowers

I love the large, cloud-like clusters of early summer flowers that start out pale green and turn to white, then eventually fade to brown. I especially love that it resembles a fancy lacecap Hydrangea.

It grows wild on the wooded hillsides near our house and I was lucky to have some given to me. It's been in my garden for about 30 years and although, it can colonize, it hasn't gotten out of hand at all. It likes a moister soil than most sites in my garden, so I planted it along the sidewalk to the front porch where there is enough of a slope to give it the good drainage it needs and the faucet is close enough to give it big gulp of water during our dry summers.

Most of you know I garden for wildlife, so the wildlife value of plants I bring into the garden are important. Wild hydrangeas have pretty good wildlife value: they're pollinated by many species of native bees and beetles and it's a host plant for two moths, Darapsa versicolor/Hydrangea Sphinx Moth and Olethreutes ferriferana/Hydrangea leaf-tier moth.

 I love that little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.), Halictid bees, masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), miscellaneous wasps, mosquitoes, Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies, Muscid flies, dance flies (Empis spp.), tumbling flower beetles, and long-horned beetles (source) visit the flowers, but, watching a bumble bee race back and forth is fabulous.

About a decade ago I started adding H arborecens cultivars. I am particular about what I add to my garden and these cultivar are not only good looking, they also have good wildlife value.

H arborescens 'White Dome'

H arborescens 'White Dome' was the first one I added. Its lacecap flower looks exactly like the straight species with those sterile white flowers around the edge of the inflorescence. The only differences I can detect from the species are the longer stems that hold the flowers up higher.

The flowers are a mixture of sterile and fertile flowers

 H arborescens 'Ryan Gainey' is another cultivar you might like. It is reminiscent of a smaller 'Annabelle' and is perfect for my woodland. In my opinion, the giant flower balls of 'Annabelle would look silly here! You might feel differently.

H arborescens 'Hayes Starburst' with double sterile flowers and lots of fertile ones

One of the most interesting cultivars in the garden is H arborescens 'Hayes Starburst'. Hayes Jackson found this sport while walking his property in Alabama. The serrated leaves are a great contrast to the greenish white blooms. Those double flowers are beautiful, but, the stems all flop over in my garden soil, so last winter I transplanted it to a tall container. It gets more sun and has excellent drainage and the flowers are no longer flopping on top of the soil.

bees and other pollinators visit this beauty

 'Riven Lace'/'Emerald Lace' lived for two years in a large container and last fall I planted it along the front garden path across from the original Hydrangeas. The flowers look exactly like the straight species, but, it's the leaves that give it more personality.

The leaves look nothing like the species, instead they're very deeply lobed in an irregular fashion and are a deep emerald green. I think you'll be looking to add this one to your garden.

Invincibelle® Spirit II is the most colorful.

 Proven Winners sent me several H arborescens to trial and they add a bit of color to the white and green palette. I was surprised at how much I liked Invincibelle® Spirit II.

It's bright color doesn't last long, but, it does have a sweet mixture of sterile and fertile flowers and yes, I have seen bees and other pollinators on it.

Smooth hydrangea or wild hydrangea, which ever name you prefer,  are delightful plants for every garden. The green flower buds and creamy white flowers are stellar.

If the creamy white flowers and light pinks aren't enough color for you, do what I do. Plant a lot of wildflowers beneath them.

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. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Growing Wildflowers in Containers

 I used to think my garden wasn't sunny enough for the prairie wildflowers and Central Basin natives that I adore. Not anymore, now I plant my favorite wildflowers in containers and place them where ever it's sunny.

Joe-pye a few summers ago spent two seasons in a container

I have been gardening this way since I realized that the sunniest sections of my garden were also the ones with the shallowest soil. When I say shallow, I mean three or four inches of decent soil that sits on top of enormous limestone boulders and bedrock.  I've been able to pry out smaller rocks and plant a prized wildflower, but not always. It used to be maddening, then, I figured out that those shallow spots were opportunities for me to add my favorite native wildflowers to the garden...in containers!

April 2018

In this front garden bed (April 2017) I have two containers of Boltonia,  a lovely glazed purple pot with Phlox 'Jeana' and several pots of Liatris spicata. Early this summer I added two large containers planted with non-native Salvias and African Blue Basil that bloom until frost. The pollinators love them.

Where ever there's sun I place containers. You'll find dozens of wildflowers planted in containers at the top of the driveway. There's also a ten foot culinary bay tree and a large Rosemary. I've even  planted evergreen shrubs in large galvanized trash cans to use as room dividers and to hide the real trash cans.

The only way I can keep Helenium alive is in a container.

I've successfully over wintered Pycnanthemum muticum, Heleniums, Echinaceas, Boltonia, Asclepias,  Coreopsis, Liatris, Phlox, Rudbeckia, Penstemon, Monarda, Physocarpus opulifolius, and Hydrangea arborescens cultivars.

overwintered outside in a container then planted in the spring

More often than not, plants thrive in the containers for years. Occasionally, I will transplant them into the garden to replace any plants lost over a too dry summer or too wet winter.

For long-term container planting, I use a mix of real soil (yes, real garden soil), compost and soil conditioner. When sharp drainage is essential I add expanded shale to the mix. I mulch with leaf mold or mulch, just like I would in the garden.

 I use an assortment of containers: colorful glazed pots (frost proof), terracotta, galvanized trash cans and faux terracotta (plastic). I have even planted ferns in hollow logs.

Frost-proof containers add color to my gardens all year long. Simple painted bamboo poles light up this spot when the pretty fall color have disappeared.

 Here's an idea you might try. This terracotta pot (above) lost its bottom to winter freeze/thaw, so I placed the container in the garden, added soil and planted Echinaceas. The roots have grown further into the shallow soil and appear to be quite happy.

Containers are a great choice for plants like Agastache and some Penstemons that need sharp drainage.  They used to drown over the winter, but, not anymore. To make sure the soil is fast draining, I add expanded shale to the potting soil. So far the plants are very happy.

 I've had great success growing shrubs and trees in containers. Two of my favorite H arborescens cultivars-'Emerald Lace' and 'Hayes Starburst' have thrived in pots for years. Another cultivar (seen below) was sent to me to trial. It arrived too late in the season to be planted in the garden, so it over wintered in a container. It's now been transplanted to the woodland garden and is doing fine.

overwintered outside in a container then planted in the spring

Containers don't have to be  jam packed with non-native annuals, nor do they have to make a seasonal statement! If you want to garden for wildlife and pollinators, don't let lack of space stop you! Plant your favorite wildflowers and see what happens. You just might have the prairie or woodland garden you've always wanted.

xoxogail

The Particulars:
Perennials and shrubs
Native

Zone: Middle Tennessee is Zone7a, but, when I first began gardening in containers it was 6a/b. Most of the wildflowers and annuals I plant can tolerate the occasional Zone 6a winter.  I do cover them with sheets and protective cloth if we have a late spring frost/freeze and they've broken dormancy.

Aspect: Sun, part sun, shade and full shade.

Soil: Good soil is essential. I don't like potting soil, it's too light and dries out too quickly so, I make my own container soil of real garden soil, soil conditioner (finely ground bark) and compost. The soil conditioner makes the soil aerable.

Bloom: Spring until late fall. If you plant a winter blooming native shrub or tree, you will extend the bloom time.

Size: Size and depth of containers depends on plant requirements. You can find large and extra large containers almost everywhere. Your budget and whether they can be overwintered outside will determine how large you want to go. The bigger the container, the harder it is to move indoors.

Maintenance:  The one constant is watering. I don't have to water the big pots daily unless temperatures are extreme (July and August), but as the containers get smaller they do require  a daily big gulp (15 seconds of hose watering on average for most containers, longer for shrubs and trees). The Rosemary and Bay tree spend the winter in my unheated garden shed and get watered a few times.  I don't move the wildflower containers inside. If you live in a colder hardiness zone, I recommend that you move the containers to a protected spot (garden shed or garage) or transplant the perennials into the garden.

Wildlife value: What you plant in your yard makes a difference to wildlife. I garden for wildlife so every tree, shrub and plant is chosen with wildlife in mind. Plant your favorite native perennials and shrubs. Leave them standing after they've gone to seed to continue to provide for wildlife.

Containers: Use your imagination when thinking of containers. I use colorful glazed pots (frost proof), terracotta, galvanized trash cans and faux terracotta (plastic).  I have even planted ferns in hollow logs.You might enjoy formal urns or contemporary containers.

Plant combinations: Plant a hummingbird container with Aquilegia canadensis, Monarda didyma, and Lobelia cardinalis.  Prairie planting with Panicum virgatum and Solidago and Rudbeckias. The possibilities are endless.

As a reminder to all! Never, ever, ever, ever, ever use pesticides. I mean NEVER. Also, never, ever, ever dig plants from the wild. Purchase them from reputable nurseries.

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most.



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.

Wildflower Wednesday: A Fine Native Hydrangea

It's hard for me to believe that I've never written about Hydrangea arborescens, it's my favorite hydrangea and the first shrub I planted in this garden 30 years ago. I first saw wild hydrangea while hiking a ridge not too far from my house and thought it was charming and just what was needed in my garden. It was clinging to the side of a slope and towering above it were hardwood trees like the ones at Clay and Limestone.

the sterile flowers stay attached after flowering has finished

Hydrangea arborescens, commonly known as smooth hydrangea or wild hydrangea is a gangly limbed deciduous shrub with large, opposite, toothed leaves and grayish stems. It is native to woodland slopes, hillsides and streambanks in the Eastern US from New York to Florida, west to Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and as I shared earlier in middle Tennessee woodlands. Some maps show it growing as far west as New Mexico and Arizona, but, I can't corroborate that information. In warmer climates it's happiest in dappled shade with moist soil, but, it is tolerant of damp soil, dry soil and even rocky soil. The fact that it grows so well on slopes indicates to this gardener that drainage is important! So keep that in mind when you plant it. Adequate moisture is an ongoing issue in a middle Tennessee garden all summer long, be prepared to give this plant a big gulp of water every now and then, it can tolerate some dry spells, but don't expect it to flourish if it's dry all the time.
 

planted with Hypericum

Hydrangea arborescens is planted in three different beds. My favorite is the one planted with witch hazels, Hamamelis vernalis and a non native H x intermedia 'Diane'. Also in that section of the bed is a Fothergilla, Oakleaf hydreangea 'Ruby Slippers' and a cultivar H arborescens 'White Dome' they're underplanted with Seersucker sedges, camassias, ex-asters, Trilliums and Green and Gold.

Flat-topped clusters of white flowers (corymbs to 2-6”across) are produced in early summer.

What do I like about this hydrangea and why would I recommend it for your garden?

For lots of little reasons and for two big ones.

Dehiscent seed capsules ripen in October-November

First, I am wild about its "lacecap flowers". They're not as lacy as non native Hydrangea, but there's enough sterile flowers to make me smile. The flat topped clusters of creamy-white fertile and sterile flowers start out pale green and turn to a creamy white and eventually fading to brown in late summer.

The white flowers appear on tips of new growth, so you don't have to worry about winter's harsh blast killing the flower buds. Feel free to cut it back to control growth and encourage stronger stems in early spring.

It took me years to learn to appreciate winter browns, now that I do, I never want to cut back my garden until the very last minute in spring! Just look at what I would miss if I cut the stems of this Hydrangea to nubs in late fall!

nectar and pollen attract pollinators

The second reason I recommend wild hydrangea is for its wildlife value. Planting native plants that have high wildlife value is one of the guiding principles of this garden. Lots of plants are critter friendly, but some are absolutely better than others and those are the ones I plant.

Wild hydrangea has great wildlife value. It's a pollen and nectar source for pollinators and a host plant for two moths, Darapsa versicolor/Hydrangea Sphinx Moth and Olethreutes ferriferana/Hydrangea leaf-tier moth. I keep watching for them, but so far have missed their offspring and the moths.

bees across the flower making it hard to get them and the flower into focus

If you've ever watched a bee race over/work this flower you would guess it has a lot to offer. I love that little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.), Halictid bees, masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), miscellaneous wasps, mosquitoes, Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies, Muscid flies, dance flies (Empis spp.), tumbling flower beetles, and long-horned beetles (source) also visit the flowers.

Hydrangea arborescens 'White Dome'

Some gardeners think Smooth Hydrangea cultivars are more attractive than the species, they usually like the larger flower heads over the straight species, but, a big flowered cultivar like 'Annabelle' does nothing for me, nor does it look right in my woodland garden. But, if that's one you like go ahead a add it to your garden. If you can't find the straight species, you won't be disappointed with Hydrangea arborescens 'White Dome'. The flower head is also a "lacecap" shape with sterile and fertile flowers and it's equally attractive to pollinators.

 The yellow color of the wild hydrangeas are a perfect complement to the other fall tones

I think of Wild Hydrangea as offering year round appeal, except for very late in winter when I've cut the stems back. But, before long it's greening up and setting buds. The large serrated leaves and tall stems stand up straight and tall in my garden with flowers on every tip. As i shared earlier, they start out green, then they're turn a creamy white and once they're pollinated they fade to a sweet parchment color that lasts all winter.

Wild hydrangea has a nice yellow in the fall, that helps light up a dark corner in a woodland garden and acts as a supporting player to the more dramatic fall gold, reds and oranges. It looks charming with blues, even if it's only a container.

What do you think about its yellow leaves when planted with lilac ex-asters and the red leaves of a Japanese maple and Florida dogwood?

I love it.

source

Do give this native shrub a chance, it's really quite special.

It's a lovely, easy care,  year round pretty shrub.
It tolerates winter's cold blast.
It's a pollinator magnet and host plant.
It makes sense for a woodland garden.
xoxogail

The particulars

Common Name: smooth hydrangea, Wild hydrangea
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Native Range: Eastern United States from New York, into the mid-western states, south to Texas and Florida
Zone: 3 to 9
Height: 3.00 to 5.00 feet, occasionally to ten feet
Spread: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Bloom Time: May/June to September
Flower: Flat-topped clusters (4 to 6 inches across) of small white flowers, larger sterile flowers may be present along edges of cluster, appearing in early summer. Flowers on new growth.
Fruit: Dry, light brown capsules appearing in early fall
Sun: Part shade, dappled sunlight, full sun with moist soil 
Water: Medium
Soil: clay soil, wet, dry, shallow and/or rocky soil. Acid to neutral ph.
Maintenance: Low, prune in late spring to control growth, can colonize
Suggested Use: Naturalize, Rain Garden, woodland garden, edge of woods, massing, stabilizing a hillside or slope.
Comments: Showy cultivars that I like 'Ryan Gainey' and 'White Dome', check to make sure you get a cultivar that is not just showy sterile flowers. There are two pink cultivars, but, I am not sure if they are just sterile flower heads. Its roots have been used for hundreds of years in folk and Native American medicine for the treatment of various ailments

Thank you for stopping by and welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.


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.