Big Bloomers Flower Farm

2011-12-10T20:43:00.003-05:00

SNOW-TO-GO

HUMMINGBIRD DAY 2010

2010-07-30T21:17:00.002-04:00

Sooooo, we knew it was going to be hot on

Hummingbird Day with highs close to 100 and

heat indexes well into the 100’s.

Alley decided we all might be better off and

happier if we had Susan Campbell measure and

tag the hummers indoors this year. Susan was

not unhappy when we told her.

Her helpers were not quite so lucky. They did

manage to find some shade but I don’t think it

made too much of a difference. It was 100

degrees in the shade!

We only managed to “bag” two hummers this year. An adolescent male and an adolescent female.

All and all it was a lovely day!

Victorian Baskets

2010-07-18T22:53:00.005-04:00

We received an email a few weeks ago from a customer that visited our nursery this spring wanting to create a victorian hanging basket suitable for the south. One that would be able to withstand our harsh summer sun.

My PIC Peggy helped them pick out plants that would be suitable. They were very well pleased with what they created.

I am amazed indeed that they were able to coax a marigold into cascading.

The Daylilies are Blooming

2010-06-16T21:42:00.005-04:00

Our daylily house is exploding with color.

Many varieties are available.

This lovely one is Ruby Stella a rebloomer in the "Stella" family.

Stop by and see what's bloomin.....

Tickled Pink by a new leucantha 'Danielle's Dream'

2010-06-11T21:30:00.009-04:00

We are tinkled pink this spring to be able to offer to you, our favorite plant addicts, not only the lovely new Salvia leucantha

'Danielle's Dream'

but also the equally gorgeous

'White Mischief'

I'm talkin a pink...yes, a pink leucantha as well as an all white...yes, an all white Salvia leucantha.

We don't think these are widely available in the U.S., if at all, anywhere else in these parts. Thanks to our fearless leader John we have them here for you.

You didn't know you needed to have them, did you?... but you will...

They are one of the sturdiest leucanthas I have witnessed for pot growing and they are of course touted for that. Even treated as a "southern" fall annual they would be worth their weight in gold for being another blooming annual to add to our fall repertoire.

Planted in your landscape they would be a lovely addition to your fall gardens. We are crossing our fingers about their hardiness.

Plant of the Moment-Hydrangea macrophylla 'Edgy Hearts'

2010-04-25T22:15:00.008-04:00

So...my last blog was about a certain order of hydrangea and various other lovelies that recently arrived here at Big Bloomers. In that same order were many hydrangea, about 8 different varieties if my memory serves me well (at random times it does not).

One of the hydrangea in that order was a paniculata called 'Pinky Winky'. I tend to be drawn to the paniculatas since they remind of the lovely tree hydrangea that dotted the landscapes of the beachy areas in Connecticut where I spent my childhood and also because they are much tougher than other hydrangea, able to take more sun and less water than the rest. Prune them early in spring since they bloom on new wood. In my sand they perform well without complaint. Because of my aforementioned preferences I quickly scarfed up a lovely little 'Pinky Winky' and planted it under a cedar that I had recently limbed up.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky'

Today, at work, Judy, one of my cohorts and coworkers brought to me a customer looking for a specific hydrangea. He told me that a friend had brought home a hydrangea that he simply had to have. Its a new one. A hybrid macrophylla named 'Edgy Hearts'. Actually this was not the first time that day I had been asked about it. Earlier another cohort and coworker, Amy, asked me about a hydrangea with heart shaped flower petals. I was busy with customers and thought she said heart shaped leaves. Anyway....I discerned through the gentleman that it was called 'Edgy Hearts' and that his friend was sure she bought it here at BB's.

This very determined and lovely gentleman proceeded to follow me all through the shop, offices and greenhouses to track down this little beauty. Judy had led them through the hydrangea section and they did not find it there so I called John, our fearless leader and he told me to check the invoices to see if we indeed had it, which I did, and found that we indeed had this illusive Edgy Heart somewhere in our greenhouses.

Since they didn't find it in the hydrangea section we checked the flats of unpotted new plants with no luck whatsoever. Then we proceeded to go into the aisles where we will sometimes put unpotted stock until the girls have time to pot them up, to no avail... Finally, I decided to go back and check the hydrangea section.

I passed right by it, but our determined and lovely gentleman customer found it a couple of cultivars down from where I had already passed.

We both had a good laugh about it being right in front of our eyes. He picked out a nice pot and then I looked at him and smiled and picked out one of my own.

I am very happy to have plants serendipitiously put in front of me and actually I am a collector of hearts..after all. My husband makes me hearts of found objects as gifts and I have a very lovely collection of heart rocks, so I am surprised I did not seek this one out myself.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Edgy Hearts'

I am going to plant this sweetheart where I can enjoy its lovely, edgy hearts and where I have irrigation to keep it happy. Thank you to the determined and lovely gentleman customer for pointing it out to me...and for this reason Hydrangea macrophylla 'Edgy Hearts' is my plant of the moment.

Plant of the Moment-Lespedeza bicolor 'Yakushima'

2010-04-09T21:39:00.005-04:00

Had a "moment" today at work. Plant of the moment to be exact.

As a gift to his wife's passion for hydrangea, our fearless leader John, ordered some 'Incrediball' and 'Invincibelle' hydrangea. In order to "fill out" the order he added other plants that tickled his fancy. Among them was Lespedeza bicolor 'Yakushima'. The order arrived today.

Now....I have blogged about lespedeza a number of times on this blog. I can not exclaim enough how much of a fan I am of this plant. Any plant...planted in a year of drought, planted in unamended sand that refuses to yield to the extremes that our summers can bring without any supplemental watering leaves me clapping my hands and jumping for joy.

Anyway, the two I grow tend to be cascading and expansive. Yakushima is not. Its a front of the border sweetie being 12-18" tall and 2-3' wide and its mounding habit lends itself to many situations.

Now don't get me wrong...lespedeza loves clay soil and planted in clay will be more lush and vigorous. Though I have not been displeased with how they have measured up in my sand. Rarely have I been able to plant something with such abandon in this sand that I grow in. This lovely and diminutive lespedeza gives me endless possibilities and for this reason it is my 'Plant of the Moment'.

Heralding in Spring!!!

2010-03-24T21:04:00.003-04:00

I haven't done a blog post for quite a long time. I was way too busy, all winter long, whining about the weather and updating our plant list and now of course I'm busy heralding in the spring. Lots of chores to do this time of year in all my gardens as well as the flower farm gearing up for another spectacular spring.

I've listed our new plants for 2010 on the "What's New" tab on our website.

Here's something to whet your appetite.

Melittis melissophyllum 'Royal Velvet Distinction'

This is a sweet little charmer, diminutive in form and flower. I think it will perform best as a woodland or container plant here in the south (morning sun only). Its foliage is honey-scented as an added bonus.

Two More For Fall

2009-09-25T21:44:00.001-04:00

Another lovely late summer-early fall bloomer is Lespedeza. I’ve been growing a lovely hedge row of the cultivar ‘Pink Cascade’ for about three years now. They are not at all picky about what kind of soil they are growing in (I am growing them in unamended sand) though they tend to be more lush and larger in a heavier soil. A little bit of water for the first three months after planting and then they pretty much take care of themselves.

Lespedeza is in the lupine family and being so its flowers are very much like a sweet pea on an upright shrub with fountain-like cascading branches strongly held. They have been one of the easiest perennials that I have grown, dying back to the ground every winter and coming back strongly every spring. Lespedeza is a wonderful, hardworking perennial that is definitely worth the “room” holding down a corner of a perennial border or making a lovely hedge row in your landscape.

We carry two cultivars here at Big Bloomers. Yes…..I know what you are thinking, “What…only two?. These two are a little more “well behaved” than the species normally is.

Pink Cascade

‘Pink Cascade’ blooms late summer through fall. It grows from 3-5 feet tall.

Spring Grove

‘Spring Grove’ is a newer cultivar that blooms late spring and then again in fall. I’ve been working on a new hedgerow of these in a different area.

Two H flowers for fall

2009-09-18T22:55:00.001-04:00

Two of my favorite flowers for fall have to be helianthus and heliopsis. Both helianthus and heliopsis have a very similar look and growth habit. Though with hybridizing they are continually coming up with some interesting looks. We carry a nice selection of both in our greenhouses.

Helianthus microcephalus

This helianthus is 4-5’ tall and blooms August through September . Its considered “the best of the genus” The flowers and leaves are small but it tends to grow into a large clump very quickly and is a vigorous bloomer.

Helianthus maximilianii

Maximillian sunflower as it is commonly known is a tall specimen growing 5-8’ or taller. It blooms in late September or early October.

Helianthus salicifolius ‘First Light’

First Light is 4’ tall and blooms in late September into October.

Helianthus salicifolius ‘Low Down’

Low Down is new and unique in that it is short, just 18” tall. I never thought I would see one this short. With its short stature it would lend itself well to smaller gardens and container plantings.

Heliopsis ‘Summer Sun’

Summer Sun has lovely semi-double flowers strongly held at 3’ tall. It blooms late summer through fall.

Heliopsis ‘Summer Nights’

I love this heliopsis with its red stems. Its a bit more loose in growth and may be floppy in less than full sun. It tops out at 3-4’.

Heliopsis ‘Bressingham’s Doubloon’

I love this one as well with is fluffy semi-double flowers. It tops out at 4-5’ and blooms summer through fall.

Fall is for Aster

2009-09-08T21:42:00.001-04:00

Before I started working at Big Bloomers if you asked me what flower I would first think of for fall it certainly would have been and probably still is the asters.

We currently have in stock 18 different kinds of aster. Some are trailing, some are tall and gangly and some are low enough to be considered ground cover. They are all very lovely and I am always very appreciative that they stick around all summer (especially now that I live in the south where the summers can be particularly and gruesomely hot and humid) and grace us with their beauty when most everything else in the garden is just about giving up the ghost.

Like the chrysanthemums, I will list them by height or growth habit and use the cultivar or common name without the species when possible. No particular reason, I just think it is a bit less confusing not using all those Latin terms.

These five are the tallest. With the tallest two being September Ruby and Winston Churchill. Being 4’ and 3-4’ respectively.

September Ruby

Winston Churchill

Next is Lady in Black at 3’ tall.

Lady in Black

These next three are 2-1/2’ tall.

Monch Aster

Patricia Ballard

White Wood Aster

This next group are the intermediates. Starting at 2’ are

Purple Dome

and

Lovely

Evergreen aster is about 20” tall.

and the next three are all around 1-1/2’ tall.

Wood’s Purple

Peter Harrison

Farmington

Next according to height would be the 15”

Royal Opal

Wood’s Light Blue

and

Wood’s Pink

Professor Kippenburg is just a big shorter, topping out at 14”.

Professor Kippenburg

Snow Flurry is a diminutive little groundcover aster that I love just for the very simple fact that it would rather be dry than wet. Which I can do big time in my sand. This one tops out at 6”.

Snow Flurry

and last but not least in a class all by itself is our very own Aster carolinianus. This one is more of a viney, sprawling aster growing up to 10-12’ WHAT! Yes 10-12 feet. Its also fragrant to boot. Don’t cut this one back since it comes back on the old woody vines and gets longer and longer and longer and longer ha.

Aster carolinianus

I thought this one deserved two pictures.

WHERE’S ALLEY

2009-09-06T21:33:00.001-04:00

My friend and co-worker Julie…you know the one with the blue feet, found Alley yesterday hanging out in one of our dry fountains.

I have to admit I silently wished “my kingdom” for some water and an outlet so I could turn that fountain on. OH come on…she needs the exercise.

Fall Flowers

2009-09-04T21:23:00.002-04:00

Speaking of fall blogs, I think if you asked, most people would equate chrysanthemum as the first flower they would think of if asked for a fall blooming annual/perennial. Many buy them as annual color in the fall though they are all somewhat hardy. Though the earlier in fall they are planted will insure their hardiness through their first winter.

We provide the normal “pinch and trimmed” potted chrysanthemums for fall color every year starting in September. I’ve planted them in my landscape and have had them come back with decent results though I don’t find them particularly long lived.

In lieu of the “pinched and trimmed” fall mum, you can still have lovely fall flowers with the chrysanthemums we stock year-round in our perennial greenhouses. These old timey chrysanthemums will grow and multiply, happily blooming in your fall gardens without any help at all (though a couple of prunings during the growing season keeps some from getting too tall and gangly). With their pastel shades they bring a lovely “touch of spring” while summer is waning.

Here they are in all their fall glory.

Venus

Emperor of China

Mary Stoker

Mei-kyo

Sheffield

Fall Glory

All of these cultivars are 24-36” tall. Given a pinch or pruning midway through the season will keep them a bit shorter.

But…if its shorter you want, you can always grow the species weyrichii or pacificum which top out at 12” and 18” respectively.

weyrichii “Pink Bomb”

pacificum

pacificum “Pink Ice”

Plugging Pansies

2009-09-01T22:48:00.001-04:00

We have spent the past week plugging pansies and violas for fall sale. They will be ready for planting in your garden about the end of September. Snapdragons, annual dianthus, ornamental cabbage and kale were also done.

I’ve enjoyed these last couple days of cool weather. I love this time of year when summer dies down a bit. Perennials can breath a sigh of relief and the fall bloomers can really start to kick in. I’m thinking some fall related blogs might just be in order.

Its Raining Lilies

2009-08-31T21:29:00.001-04:00

A couple of days ago the rain lilies decided to all open at once.

Zephyranthes

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Aren’t they lovely!

WHERE’S ALLEY?

2009-08-29T21:38:00.001-04:00

I see you there girl…..

No.. that pumpkin mustache doesn’t

fool me one bit..

Silly girl

Where is Alley?

2009-08-19T23:33:00.001-04:00

Throughout the years, the owners at Big Bloomers have employed many teenagers as summer and part-time help. They usually end up doing much of the grunt work. Putting up an endless supply of annuals, moving them around here and there and everywhere as well as weeding and a huge list of other chores.

I am still somewhat of a “teenager” in my heart and so I thoroughly enjoy working with them. Too many names, faces and smiles come to mind to name them all but every one of them have brought something unique and singular to our nursery.

This year, like every year, we will be losing some as they leave to make their own way in the world. We will miss each one and are wishing them the very best of everything.

Many of my “Where’s Alley” blogs were from pictures taken by one of our “kids” leaving us this summer.

Over the years her and Alley have created a unique friendship. Alley can usually be found somewhere around Ashley whenever she was working. I think Alley thought of Ashley as her personal publicist considering all the great poses Ashley has caught her in. So for Alley a working relationship turned into a lovely friendship.

One of the last days Ashley was here she “captured” Alley in an extremely rare hiding place. None of us have ever seen her there before.

Can you see her? That pot in the left hand corner.

Ah yes there she is…the little rascal

Can’t you see I am resting…I mean doing some undercover work.

This one’s for you Ashley.

HUMMINGBIRD DAY-2009

2009-07-28T21:27:00.001-04:00

This year’s Hummingbird Day was the best ever. Susan Campbell caught a record (for us) 9 hummers and tagged 8. One got away. Sneaky rascal.

Heather and Ashley manned the caging and did the actual capturing which I am pretty sure made their day.

Heather

Ashley

When a hummer came to feed they pulled the string and caught them in the cage.

They got one!

This is a video of Susan bagging the hummer.

after catching

Banding the Hummer

and then letting it go

What a wonderful way to spend the day!

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-COREOPSIS GRANDIFLORA "PRESTO"

2009-06-21T23:13:00.006-04:00

So...I've been wondering??? What does it mean when customers are selling YOU plants? Hummmm.......

The other day a couple of our "regulars" came in. The couple are a "couple" and I always enjoy seeing them and what they are buying. You can always spot "kindred spirits". People that enjoy growing things and being able to appreciate hard work and the beauty of what you can create. Of course all the hard work is never appreciated as much as one simple bloom on a flower.

I asked if I could help them find anything and they showed me two plants they were looking for.

The first was a salvia and we happened to have a four-pack of the one they were looking for. Gotta take advantage of those four-packs of perennials whenever you can.

The second plant was a coreopsis. They had picked a stem cutting with flower and leaves to try to match it to some they are growing already, since they were not sure of the name. They told me it was very short six to twelve inches tall. I was a bit intrigued by their short stature but I am not usually swayed by coreopsis, for reasons you will later learn.

We went down the bench that contained all our coreopsis, looking at size and flower color and couldn't find one we could be sure was the right one. He walked down with me looking and comparing flowers and leaf structure while she stayed behind. We were all the way down the bench when she said she found it. Actually, right where we had started looking. It was Coreopsis grandiflora "Presto". Actually.... a very cool name for a very cool plant.

I commented after looking at and admiring the short and stocky growth habit of this nice little plant, that I don't really grow coreopsis that much. I love the threadleafs but I just can't seem to make them happy enough to grow in my sand and the grandifloras need too much deadheading for my liking. He got a sly smile on his face when I mentioned the latter and said,"Its no problem for me, I just wack em with the weed wacker". We laughed and I thought that wasn't a bad idea at all.

Didn't think much else about it till the couple came up with their purchases. He had eight of the coreopsis and I commented "Oh my, I guess you really DO love this plant". They laughed and explained they were starting a new bed and really wanted that solid splash of yellow up front. He commented that they bloom for a good, long time and when they get tired he just wacks them with the weed wacker and in two weeks they are blooming their little heads off again.

OKAY....I told him...you sold ME.

After they left, I walked back into the greenhouses and retrieved one for myself and and for this reason Coreopsis grandiflora "Presto" is my plant of the moment.

Plant of the Moment-Rosa Zephirine Drouhin

2009-06-11T22:26:00.005-04:00

So.....Today at work I was in the "white fenced area". This is the area we keep most of our roses. I was there to collect some Knockout roses to restock an area where we also have them closer to the entrance of the nursery as a convenience to our customers.

While I was there I noticed a rose that was growing very vigorously about two feet taller than the other climbing roses in that area. I also noticed that this rose was almost fully green to the bottom, which is a bit unusual here in the south where older growth usually starts showing signs of black spot even for the most diligent gardener. Hummm, I thought...It has a name I can't pronounce and I don't know very much about this rose. So I picked out the Knockouts that I needed and made a beeline into our office to "google" this Zephirine Drouhin. I clicked on the first link that was listed and saw that I NEEDED to grow this rose.

http://roses.toytrains1.com/zephirine_drouhin.htm

Zephirine Drouhin is considered an heirloom rose. It is vigorous, floriferous, highly scented and blooms spring through fall with the strongest flushes of bloom being of course in the spring and in the fall. OH OH OH did I say it was completely thornless? Well I guess I just did.

I promptly walked back out to the "white fenced area" and claimed one for my own. My only problem being now where do I put it. I have an archway at the entrance of the walkway leading to my house and thought I would put it there but then after much rethinking, I was sure it would be to vigorous a rose to use in that area since the archway is very lovely and decorative and I was worried it would be completely hidden by this vigorous grower.

In the meantime I pulled Cinda (one of our greenhouse managers) into the "white fenced area" to show her this vigorous rose that SHE needed to grow too and also showed her the link that made me fall in love with it. I expressed to her my concern about it taking over my lovely, metalwork archway. She said to me "well...don't you have a deck". EUREKA..."Yes...YES" I said (well I might have screamed that part). "I do...I do have a deck, and...and..and I have a nicely dug and amended spot right in the corner where I recently lost a shrub." To which I added "You are a GENIUS" (I might have screamed that last part also).

Tonight after I got home from work I planted my lovely Zephirine Drouhin in that already amended spot on the corner of my deck right next to the stairway that my husband and I love to sit in the early morning and look out into the back fields and woodland. I imagine that in the coming years when we sit there with our morning coffee we will have the added pleasure of enjoying the fragrance of this strongly scented and lovely rose and for this reason Zephirine Drouhin is my Plant of the Moment.

WHERE'S ALLEY?

2009-05-31T21:12:00.006-04:00

Our girl Alley is well known, far and wide for being a counter-potato. She is a plopper. She loves to plop herself here and there and everywhere but she especially loves to plop herself down into just about anything on our counter.

She was gone for a couple of days and she is very happy, as are we, that she is back here in a "box" on our counter.

Gotta love our girl Alley!

FOR FATHER'S DAY..HOW BOUT GIVING AN AGAVE

2009-05-22T21:18:00.014-04:00

In my experience at the front desk at Big Bloomers I have noticed that agaves are a particular favorite of our male customers. It seems most of our agave "collectors" are men.

Agaves are one tough and dangerous plant. They make really great stand alone specimen plants and they are drought, heat and humidity tolerant which we have our share of here in North Carolina. I have small dogs so I mostly use agaves in large pots.

John was excited to bring in some really great new specimen agave this spring.

Agave 'Burnt Burgundy'

This agave hybrid has blue-gray leaves with a sharp burgundy edge. It grows 12-15 inches tall and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave funkiana 'Blue Haze'

This funkiana has beautiful powdery-blue leaves with a near-white central midstripe. It will grow to about 2 feet and is hardy to Zone 7.

Agave funkiana 'Fatal Attraction'

'Fatal Attraction' has narrow dark green leaves with a lighter central midstripe. It grows to two feet tall and wide and is hardy to zone 7.

Agave parryi ssp huachuensis 'J.C. Raulston'

This is one very special agave and is a clonal selection of parryi growing at the J.C. Raulston Arbotetum in Raleigh. It forms a perfect 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide tightly held clump of blue-gray wedge-shaped leaves. 'J.C. Raulston' is hardy to zone 7.

Agave 'Silver Surfer'

This is a large agave. It sports rigid silvery-blue leaves 5 feet fall by 9 feet wide. Quite a stunning specimen plant and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave toumeyana

Agave toumeyana has thick, upright gray-green leaves with unraveling filifers along the leaf margins when mature. It is a small agave, 12"x 12" and being so would be perfect in rock gardens, front of the border or added to a container garden. It is hardy to zone 7b

Agave utahensis ssp utahensis

This is another small agave forming a small clump of 6-8 inches. Like toumeyana it would be great in rock gardens or added to a container garden. This one is hardy down to Zone 6 so my sister in Connecticut could actually grow this one in her landscape.

Agave 'Zebra'

Agave 'Zebra' has marbled broad bands of pale green running horizontally through its v shaped leaves when it is mature. It grows about 3-4 feet tall and wide. This one is fast growing but will be slower growing if it doesn't have regular water. Its hardy to Zone 7.

A New Blog

2009-05-21T22:58:00.001-04:00

Testing testing

WHERE’S ALLEY

2009-05-18T22:53:00.001-04:00

Our girl Alley is in denial about her “size”. She still thinks she can fit a size 12 body into a size 8 box.

NEW SHIPMENT OF JAPANESE MAPLES

2009-05-09T23:07:00.001-04:00

Last week we received a shipment of Japanese Maples. John has stocked Viridis, Bloodgood and Crimson Queen for many years now

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John has added to our maple collection with nine new Japanese maples.

Beni Schichihenge

Tamukeyama

Emperor One

Aconitifolium

Oshio beni

Sango kaku

Shindeshojo

Toyama nishiki

Ukigumo

Plant of the Moment-Cuphea ignea ‘Dynamite’

2009-05-03T23:05:00.001-04:00

Last week while running into one of our annual greenhouses to find a white blooming bacopa in a four pack for a customer, I was stopped in my tracks once again by a grouping of four pack flats of a tiny little Cuphea ignea called Dynamite. We have grown and sold Cuphea ignea in the past and in my first summer here, before I worked at Big Bloomers, I bought four of them two pink, and two orangey-red in four inch pots and planted them out in some beds in front of my fenced in front yard. Not only did they bloom all summer long and attract hummingbirds but they have continued to come back year after year for me. I even convinced my PIC Peggy to plant them in one of our side beds at work where they ended up looking like a lovely medium sized flowering shrub to see if they would be perennial there also. We are pleased that even after this past harsh winter with a good covering of snow for a week, the cuphea ignea that she planted there are coming back strongly.

Anyway back to Cuphea ignea ‘Dynamite’. This cuphea is small topping out at 8-10” and being so would do quite nicely at the front of a border where they would stand up strongly all summer

or in pots where they will cascade a bit.

They are heat, humidity and drought tolerant once established and the hummingbirds love them and for this reason they are my plant of the moment.

LAMIUM LOVE

2009-04-24T22:22:00.001-04:00

I have to admit I am in love again. Its lamium love. Lamium maculatum to be a bit more specific. Its not a passionate love or an all consuming love but a love of necessity and admiration.

Last year John got rid of some unnamed lamiums from the greenhouse and I took home and planted a bunch of them. To my delight they not only survived planted in late spring in my sand but thrived and spread a bit. The variety that I planted was the plain green cultivar probably Orchid Frost since the ones I planted had that vivid pink flower.

After observing how well they grew that summer and the fact that they remained evergreen in the winter I decided I needed to check out the other lamiums we carry.

I particularly loved the golden cultivars.

Anne Greenway

and Lemon Frost

We also carry Beacon Silver, Pink Pewter, Elizabeth De Hass and White Nancy.

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and Ghost which is a larger sized lamium.

Lamium maculatum is a great little spreading ground cover that flowers off and on all season. In moist shade or dappled sun they will make a nice tight cover. They will grow in dryer conditions though they tend to open up and sprawl and that is where my love of them began since I have lots and lots of dry shade. I have been trying this and that but never had better luck with anything else. I’ve planted some of the golden ones and am hoping to have as much success with them as I have had with the plain green cultivar.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-GAURA LINDHEIMERI 'CORRIE'S GOLD'

2009-04-17T22:00:00.003-04:00

I had another serendipitous introduction to a 'plant of the moment' today. I was walking back into the garden shop after helping out a customer in the greenhouses and happened upon my cohort Becky writing up an order for a customer. In her hand she was holding a very lovely, strong and healthy plant with yellow margins. It really caught my eye. I looked at the tag because I wasn't quite sure what it was and found that it was a 'new' gaura that John had brought into the greenhouses this spring.

Gaura has a long, long list of things going for it. Its roots form a taproot much like a carrot, and reaches down into the ground in search of water and so it is one of the best drought tolerant plants for the south. Its also heat and humidity tolerant. It comes in a wide range of heights, from 12" to 6-7' tall. You will find gaura on lists of plants that deer don't usually like to graze. Its for full sun and it blooms all season.

Its not the most showy plant though. Wispy in form with flowers held high above the foliage on long, thin stems that cascade downward. The flowers are usually varying degrees of pink, white or a combination of both. As well as the regular green foliage we also have some with a very deep maroon foliage.

The creamy yellow margins of Corrie's Gold' really caught my eye. Corrie's flowers are pure white, and she is short, topping out at 18". I think she is as lovely as she can be and for this reason she is my 'Plant of the Moment'.

Purple Dahlias-Pick a Size...Any Size

2009-04-09T22:21:00.008-04:00

We have been carrying the Bishop Series of purple foliage dahlias for a couple of years now. Their foliage makes them striking in or out of bloom and they perform well in a mixed perennial border where their color brings versatility and in pots where they can make a stunning focal point.

They are tall though topping out at about four feet if grown in part sun where they will stretch a bit to get more sun and in full sun usually they grow to a height of 3 to 3 1/2' so they are strictly a back of the border perennial.

Bishop of Llandaff

This year John has added two more purple foliage collections to our repertoire.

The 'Mystic' series could be planted mid-border where it will grow 18-24" tall and wide.

Mystic Desire

Mystic Spirit

Mystic Illusion

Mystic Dreamer

Last but not least is the "Dark Angel' series. This one is compact and would be great in the front of a perennial border. Being only 12" high it would also be great front and center in a potted garden making a gorgeous focal point for a mixed planting. I have to admit I love the names which seem to be based upon 'dark' movie heroines. Go ladies go ladies.

Dracula

Dragon Ball

Pretty Woman

Pulp Fiction

Taxi Driver

All these dahlias will do well in a mixed border or in a potted arrangement. They will be perennial here in our zone but will be slower to show up in a perennial border. Usually by mid-summer they will be up and blooming and will continue to bloom until fall. They are invaluable as a foliage plant and simply irresistible when blooming.

ALLEY AT WORK

2009-03-28T22:02:00.004-04:00

In spite of the rain we had no lack of customers today at Big Bloomers. One of them left a wrought iron window box with coco liner in the front of our garden shop. We always hesitate to move anything customers bring into the front of the garden shop to purchase especially since people have been known to spend all day back in the greenhouses so this particular coco lined window box sat there for most of the day. After running like a banshee in the rain from our side greenhouses into the garden shop, Alley decided this particular coco lined window box would be a wonderful way to take a nap..I mean would be a great vantage point to keep an eye on things.

She was very well pleased that she still had room to "grow" in this new spot.

2009-03-28T21:10:00.003-04:00

Peggy picked out some lovely new clematis to add to our collection this spring. She was particularly excited about the three new evergreen varieties she brought in.

These first two are Clematis armandii. These two are not a delicate twining vine but rather a bulky, sprawling thing that can take over a trellis and are quite beautiful whether in or out of bloom. They are also very useful planted to grow up the trunk and into the branches (up to 20' high) of trees since they also prefer light shade here in the south. The leaves are long, leathery and glossy. The fragrant flowers are born in clusters at the end of branches from March into April.

Clematis armandii 'Snowdrift'

Clematis armandii 'Apple Blossom'

Clematis x cartmanii 'Joe' has finely cut leathery leaves and flowers also born in clusters in March into April. Its quite lovely and from what I have seen, bloom even when the vine is quite small. All of ours are blooming right now. I have seen this one planted and groomed to cover a small trellis and also spilling out of a pot. The 'Joe' below has been growing in this pot for about 8 years. This one will also do better in morning sun

JULIE'S BLUE FEET

2009-03-21T21:52:00.004-04:00

This is my BFF Julie. She works at Big Bloomers on the weekends and during the summer months.

She is as lovely a woman as you will ever meet.....and she has blue feet.

LESPEDEZA THUNBERGII 'SPRING GROVE'

2009-03-20T21:01:00.008-04:00

I've grown Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibralter' for about four years now. I planted them after they were pointed out to me by a former employee who was a wealth of information and had grown them herself for a couple of years. I must have planted them in my first year or so here since I remember I did not amend the soil at all when I planted them so they were planted in pretty much straight sand.

This is another very easy perennial to grow in your landscape. I would probably not put them in a garden because they are a sprawling plant and large in stature (usually 6' by 6'), but in a corner of a garden one might be quite lovely. I planted mine in sort of a hedge row and have been pleased with the results. As I said they are growing quite nicely in my sand so they don't need a fertile soil though they do prefer a well-drained one. They are also drought tolerant once they are established.

Lespedeza dies back to the ground like a true perennial every winter but comes up fast once it gets started. Then the waiting begins and doesn't end until September when the above picture was taken. They have such nice, lush foliage and the bloom is really spectacular when they do bloom that I have always considered them "worth the wait".

Lespedeza thunbergii 'Spring Grove' wants to do it all and blooms in spring and again in fall. That is its claim to fame as well as the fact that its flowers are darker, more of a purple than the pink Gibraltar. Lespedeza thunbergii 'Spring Grove' is actually touted to be "the best of the purple flowering cultivars".

Right now I am thinking of where in my landscape I can plant a nice hedge row of them.

ALMOST READY FOR SPRING

2009-03-16T19:40:00.003-04:00

We are just about ready for spring. We've received most of our large shipments of cement, ceramic pottery and all the other spring treasures that our co-owner Gail has personally picked out to delight our customers. We all got very excited breaking down the pallets of ceramic pottery. The colors, sizes, shapes and styles all had us breathless, well that and the amount of blood, sweat and tears it took to unpack, move, price and shelf over 10 pallets of beautiful ceramic pottery. Gail has also brought in another shipment of "River Root" whimsical outdoor furniture and a nice array of indoor and outdoor fountains. Stop on by and see what is new in our garden shop and check out the greenhouses for perennials that you can plant now.

Chasmanthium latifolium 'River Mist'

2009-03-13T21:37:00.005-04:00

Northern sea oats are carefree and easy to grow. I've been growing a couple "stands" in pots in sun and in semi-shade that have performed well many years without much care at all.

Northern sea oats look much like a short bamboo until late summer when they put on such a lovely show of beach-like promise that you are sure you are not in the jungle anymore but on a lovely beach somewhere. In fertile soil they will seed around a bit.

While they are very easy to grow and put on a lovely show in late summer-early fall, I have to admit the pots I do grow of them are more of a background to other plants than a showstopper. That's until I layed eyes on the showstopper John brought into the greenhouses this spring.

Chasmanthium latifolium 'River Mist' is a new variegated sea oats. I believe this one will not fade into the background but command attention where ever it grows.

I'LL HAVE A PHLOX COCKTAIL ON THE ROCKS...MAKE IT A DOUBLE

2009-03-07T21:49:00.017-05:00

Okay don't get too excited. This is not a double phlox I am writing about, but the new Cocktail series of garden phlox by hybridizer Jan Verschoor (well known in hybridizing of veronica and phlox). He brews up mixtures we didn't even know we HAD to have.

One of the standouts in this series is Sherbet Cocktail. Who knew we needed a yellow phlox? Obviously... Jan knew.

This series boasts a shorter height (around 20"), along with superior mildew resistance. They are touted to be more floriferous than the old-fashioned garden phlox with larger flowers.

I've had very good luck with phlox here in my amended sand and in my clay gardens in Pennsylvania. I am surprised they are not used more here in the south. They bloom through the heat of summer and into autumn in my gardens in North Carolina. I don't think I would ever have a garden without them. They are very easy to grow and don't really require much care except a shearing now and then to keep them blooming.

Along with Sherbet Cocktail, here are the new "cool drinks in the heat of summer" phlox that John has brought into our greenhouses this spring.

Fondant Fancy

Cosmopolitan

Classic Cassis

Grenadine Dream

Pina Colada

Watermelon Punch

Purple Kiss

And two others by Jan Verschoor that are of more average height (24"-30") but are lovely in their own right.

Peppermint Twist

Swirly Burley

These last two new phlox are by a different hybridizer.

Eden's Crush is fragrant

and Goldmine is priceless!

P is for GERANIUM

2009-02-27T22:08:00.006-05:00

We grow a lovely selection of bedding geranium here at Big Bloomers. Their proper name is actually pelargonium but most people know them as geranium, a plant their mothers grew and their mother's mother grew.

While I love the scent of the foliage, and the certain satisfaction you get from popping off the spent flowers while enjoying that scent, my head has never been swayed and I very rarely use them in my gardens. That being said I do love some of the exotic ones that John likes to add to his collection every year. These are not your 'grandma's geranium' to be sure. The foliage on some of them are by far more dramatic than the flowers. They tend to be smaller growing and perfect in containers.

This spring John has brought in yet another new exotic geranium. Pelargonium x hortorum 'Graffiti Double Salmon' and it has managed to do what most other geraniums have not. This one has those bold variegated leaves but also has flowers that compete handsomely for the same amount of attention until you are not sure what you love more the foliage or the flower.

Needless to say I will be using more exotic geraniums in my pots this year and maybe even as a bedding plant since this series of 'Graffiti' are supposed to be heat, humidity and drought tolerant which we have plenty of here in North Carolina.

Pennisetum sataceum rubrum 'Fireworks'

2009-02-27T21:08:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite things to do at work is to help the girls in the nursery unpack boxes of plants. This time of year we receive boxes and boxes of new stock which has to be opened, accounted for, put in the greenhouses until they are potted up, and then all the boxes need to be torn down and stacked. All of this is done with a professional efficiency. I love the urgency of unpacking but I love even more the delights just waiting to be found.

I think I might have screeched when I unpacked this new annual rubrum grass, Pennisetum sataceum rubrum 'Fireworks'. Or at the very least my voice kept getting higher and higher until only the dogs in the area could understand what I was saying.

This is how they looked right after they were unpacked. I love the creamy white. It sort of reminds me of Phalaris arundinacea 'Strawberries & Cream' right now. In my research they seem to take on a much redder tone while the season progresses.

While unpacking I had to show my PIC Peggy how wonderful this new grass was . I mentioned to her that I bet she will be using a bunch of these in her summer pots here at BB's. She just happened to be running her fingers through the foliage at the time, she laughed and said "ha I was just thinking how they were going to look in pots at Peggy's house". At any rate we are all excited to see just how this new rubrum will progress throughout the growing season.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-PHYSOSTEGIA VIRGINIANA 'EYEFUL TOWER'

2009-02-21T21:47:00.008-05:00

Today at BB's we had quite a few "newbies" drop by to see us. We always get a big kick out of the reactions of first time customers to the amount of perennials and herbs that we keep in stock year round.

Most of our first time customers admit to being a bit overwhelmed and they all seem to be a little shell shocked after wandering around for a while. I must admit I felt a tad like Scarlett with a touch of the vapors my first time here. I think I actually had to fan my face with my hands just to get my breath back. Was there a point here? Oh yes! my "Plant of the Moment".

One of our newbies today was planning a new garden, lots of different plants, all located in different sections of the greenhouses. I was happy to help her and she was happy to have me help her, being a bit overwhelmed by it all. I described to her the general layout of our greenhouses, gave her specific areas for some plants she was having a hard time finding and then sent her on her way with instructions to come and get me if there was something she couldn't find. She ended up with a couple of wagons full by the time she was done shopping. While boxing and writing up her order, I asked her if there was anything she couldn't find. She replied she could still not find the physostegia (obedient plant). I knew we had them and offered to go back and get them for her. I also knew we had the physostegia in white and in pink so I asked her if she had a preference. She wanted the pink, so I headed back into the greenhouses to fetch her two four inch pots. I actually found two different kinds of pink. We had a nice 24" tall one, the species and cultivar escape me now, but I also found another pink one, physostegia virginiana 'Eyeful Tower' which tops out at 7-8'. Since they were so very different I brought up two of each. I showed her what I had found and she said she wanted them all but ended up getting just the shorter variety since she had already picked out a ton of plants to purchase. I bet she is now sorry she did not get the 'Eyeful Tower' and will probably be back at some point to get them. What she doesn't know is that the two lovely pots I picked out for her never made it back into our greenhouses.

Like I always say, we have such a huge selection of plants and I have such an addiction to plants, I sometimes have to leave it up to fate or serendipity as to what I bring home with me or what becomes my 'Plant of the Moment'. I was intrigued by the name "Eyeful Tower' and by the sheer height of them and OK the fact that I had them in my hands.

I've read they are not as invasive as the shorter variety, in relation to their height not as much as you would expect. I don't think I would mind a nice stand of them blooming in my front gardens in late summer.

Physostegia likes a moist soil so they would be very happy in clay or a well amended sandy soil. My problem with my sandy soil with be in keeping them moist enough but I have promised them that I will try to make them happy if they will promise to make a nice 7-8' high stand in my front gardens in late summer and for this reason they are my "Plant of the Moment".

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN FLOWERS

2009-02-15T22:27:00.007-05:00

This past week working in the 7th and 8th greenhouses (our tropical and seasonal greenhouses) I get the feeling that is what all these gorgeous leaves are telling me.

Hydrangea Happiness

2009-02-06T22:31:00.009-05:00

Had a bit of a tizzy today at work upon seeing the four new hydrangeas that we are bringing into the greenhouses this spring. I WILL have them all.

They are one of my success stories whether in pots or planted in my sad excuse for well drained soil (sandy).

Here they are in all their glory.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Izo No Hana'

I've seen this one in shades of pink, lavender and in acid soil, blue. Very lovely lace cap.

Hydrangea serrata 'Kiyosumi'

This woodland form has pink lace cap flower heads that showcase the distinctive red edging. The new foliage also holds a burgundy color for a long while.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Madame Emile Mouillere'

This mophead blooms on old and new wood so would be a great choice here in NC as it would be oblivious to our sometimes "late frosts". The flowers start off white and end up with a tinge of blue or pink depending on the acidity of the soil. It also tolerates sun more than most hydrangea. The foliage is known to put on lovely fall colors of red, orange and green.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Tovelit'

This one is a dwarf mophead so would be great for a small garden. Of course color will be dictated by soil acidity.

We have an incredible selection of hydrangea here at Big Bloomers. For the novice gardener we could possibly be Hydrangea Heaven. I've never seen a selection as large as ours in one place before. We grow them in four and six inch pots. Planted out in the garden whether in pots or in the ground they happily fulfill their duties without too much drama. If they need water they will certainly tell you and they are the only shrub in my gardens that will carry out their duties whether I am completely oblivious to their needs or not. I've been increasingly impressed by their versatility and "ready to please and prosper nature".

WHAT'S BLOOMIN!

2009-01-28T22:40:00.004-05:00

These are some of the things blooming in the greenhouse today, not all but some.

Helleborus 'Mardi Gras Pink'

Helleborus "Mardi Gras Maroon Red'

Helleborus 'Mardi Gras Black'

Gaillardia 'Tizzy'

Gaillardia 'Frenzy'

a 'volunteer' begonia

Abutilon

Flowers in the dead of winter!

2009-01-24T22:15:00.012-05:00

One of the things I love about living in North Carolina is that in the dead of winter, spring is never really far off. The end of January in zone 6 was just a prelude for what was to come. Here in NC I am getting a bit anxious upon seeing definite signs of spring. Daffodils are popping up here at work and at home some fall planted species tulips are putting out some green.

While the recent snow was beautiful, I had my fill of snow while in Connecticut at Christmas time. I'm ready to start planting again. Soon we will be receiving shipments of new stock that will have to be potted up and brought into our inventory and lets not forget the four-packs started from seed. That is always my favorite time of the year. Each day like Christmas. Each box holding a new surprise.

Today while at work I found myself in the 4th, or was it 5th? greenhouse looking for the owner to ask him a question that was poised to me by one of our dedicated customers in regard to the humidity of our greenhouses. I didn't find John but I did stumble across...or maybe it was stopped in my tracks by.. a couple of late bloomers happily blooming away not five feet from each other.

This is the one that stopped me in my tracks. The flowers were very showy. Reminded me of a gloxinia in their size. A quite sturdy flower that even though plucked from its mama, remained perfect and lovely throughout the day. Its botanical name is Ruellia macrantha and I am finding through further research at home that it is only hardy to zone 9. I have read that it makes a very sturdy houseplant and all that we had in four inch pots seemed very healthy and happy. I have also read they like to be kept evenly moist so might be good for the overzealous indoor gardener. I brought one home to plant outside but am discovering that this one might be best in a container brought into the house in winter where it will bloom much like the gloxinia when not much else is. So I will pot it up and put it near an eastern facing window since it performs as well in sun as in semi-shade.

When going back into the greenhouses to get myself one of these lovely ruellia (flowering plants glimpsed in the greenhouses are best bought upon discovering them since in the next moment here at BB's you might happen upon something else fast enough to make you forget what you were seconds ago unable to live without). Did I just say that out loud? Anyway, walking back with my ruellia in hand, I noticed not five feet away a Sabatia bartramil, 'Bartram's Pink Gentian' also in full bloom.

After doing some research at home I am almost sure these plants are mislabeled since this looks nothing like the Sabatia that is showing up under a google search. I'm off for a couple of days but when I get back to work I will talk to John and the greenhouse girls to see if we can get this mystery solved.

2008-12-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

Everyone has been getting into the holiday spirit here at Big Bloomers. Even our girl Alley has started getting cozy with a certain "holiday" bear.

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

2008-12-06T21:52:00.004-05:00

I've been experimenting at work and at home with winter pots of evergreen perennials for shady areas. I have a covered north facing front porch that needs lovely pots of green to scare away the winter blues. On my own front porch autumn fern look lovely year round. Saxifragia is also very nice (we call them strawberry begonias up north and grow them as houseplants). Here in North Carolina potted up on my front porch they are gorgeous all year.

These are two pots that I am trying at work.

This first pot is specifically for shade and includes two heuchera, one saxifragia, one hellebore, two Disporopsis (Asian Fairy Bells) and one Aspidistra elatior. Flowering spans from late winter with the hellebore and ends with the heuchera in mid summer. The Fairy Bells and saxifragia bloom in the spring. They have done well this fall even with the unusually low night temperatures we have been experiencing.

The second pot is cordyline with violas. You could put this one in full sun but even on this shady covered porch area the violas are blooming well and the cordyline has benefited from the microclimate here.

So think out of the box when it comes to winter pots.

Where's Alley?

2008-12-05T23:11:00.004-05:00

Can you find our girl Alley in this photograph?

She was very well pleased that John constructed these lovely perches for her.

HUMMINGBIRD DAY, 2008

2008-07-30T22:27:00.005-04:00

Hummingbird Day was another rousing success. It was a cool and cloudy day which was great for the hummers and great for us. I think Susan "bagged and banded" three hummers in all. The Lee County Master Gardeners seemed to be busy whenever I had a chance to check, answering questions and giving advice. I wish I would have had a chance to listen to all of Mike Papay's talk on drought tolerant gardening but we got very busy and I was needed elsewhere.

Thank you to all our customers who came and spent the day with us, to Susan Campbell, she is always a pleasure, the Lee County Master Gardeners, hopefully this can be the first of many plant clinics they hold here, to Mike Papay for letting us all pick his brain and a special big THANK YOU to my PIC Peggy who inspired us all to make this year's Hummingbird Day the best one ever.

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WHERE'S ALLEY?

2008-07-19T21:05:00.003-04:00

Kerry took this picture of Alley on Friday. She looks a little forlorn doesn't she. Alley's PIC and best bud Peggy has been gone all this week on vacation, off gallivanting and having a great time. Alley thinks vacations are over-rated but mostly she just wants her buddy back.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-AGASTACHE 'SANGRIA'

2008-07-11T23:01:00.007-04:00

Today at work the owner John called me into his office to show me something on the computer. He was looking for information on a specific plant and happened across a website that not only described hundreds of different plants but also provided gorgeous pictures of each one. One of the first pictures he showed me was Agastache 'Sangria'. He casually mentioned that we had a bunch in the greenhouse. They were started late and brought into the selling greenhouses late so we still had them in four packs which explains why I wasn't growing them since I knew that I had already purchased all the agastache that we had in four packs early in the season. I got out of the office as quickly as I could and made a beeline to the herb greenhouses where I found said four packs. I was very impressed with the plants. All were growing strongly upright, looking very healthy and vigorous.

Agastache 'Sangria' is an agastache mexicana and is hardy to zone 7. It actually likes and THRIVES in dry soils which I have no trouble providing in my gardens of sand. Its leaves are lemon scented and can be used in teas and the flowers are edible. Its also a first-year-flowering perennial so I will get plenty of blooms from the four plants in my four pack this season. They do best when pinched back early in the season to keep them compact and branching. They will eventually grow to around 48 inches tall.

It just goes to show you that at any time, even when you least expect it, you might just by chance run across or have pointed out to you...a plant of the moment and for this reason Agastache 'Sangria' is my plant of the moment.

Summertime...and the living is heaty!

2008-07-09T21:30:00.003-04:00

We have been keeping busy here this summer at Big Bloomers. With the recent rains combined with some good sales on annuals we have had a steady stream of customers. If you haven't signed up for our contact list and want to be informed by email of our sales just visit that section of our website and sign up for notification of sales and events.

Sundays always seem to be the slowest day here and being so would be an ideal day to come and shop. On a recent Sunday, Ashley, who happens to have a wonderful, natural eye for putting together a combination planting basket decided to plant the huge strawberry jar we have had here sitting empty for a number of years. Didn't she do a fantastic job!

WHERE'S ALLEY?

2008-06-26T20:58:00.007-04:00

Our girl Alley is a counter potato. She has been known to plop herself down in a box of cuttings, a flat of grasses being weeded or even right in the middle of a customer's order. Our customers all love her though. Last weekend I had the nicest conversation with one of those customers. I was talking to her, she was talking to me and we were both talking to Alley. We talked about Alley's weight problem and the fact that she has been on "diet" food for a couple of years and still looks "big boned" as Peggy likes to refer to her. I mentioned to the customer that Alley gets teased about her weight on occasion and the customer looked at me and then she looked right at Alley and said, "Honey, you tell them its your Hormones". We all got a good laugh out of that.

Today after rolling around in the catmint Alley thought it would be a good idea if she "slept it off" in her favorite place. In a box, on our counter.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-STOKESIA LAEVIS 'COLOR WHEEL'

2008-06-08T21:56:00.007-04:00

We carry about eleven different kinds of stokesia here at Big Bloomers. I walk past them nearly every day in the greenhouses. Each time I walk past them I think I really should like them more. We brought in a new one this spring called 'color wheel'. Its plant tag has taken to calling my name now whenever I walk past it. So far I have been able to resist, though I feel compelled somehow to make it my plant of the moment. I think I know where this is going.....but anyway, stokesias are easy to grow, their one requirement being a well-drained soil. I think in all but the very wettest soils they would be fine though. They don't like to be wet but they do like to have a moist soil though I have also read that they are drought tolerant. I planted three castoffs last year in the drought and was surprised this spring when one came back very strongly. 'Color wheel' is a real head turner with three inch flowers that start out white, change to lavender and eventually turn to a darker purple. These last two color stages have a white center which only adds to the effect. Because of its long bloom time and branched bloom stalks you will have those three colors as well as colors varying between the three at one time on the same plant. Planted in mass it has a lovely tapestry effect. Even while typing this I am still wondering why I have never brought one home. Thinking about it I tend to be drawn to tall plants and they dominate all my gardens. The only conclusion I can come to is that I am tall and have had very poor eyesight all my life and the stokesias top out at about two feet in flower though the foliage which is semi-evergreen in zone 7 is held much closer to the ground. In conclusions I am still uncertain if I will bring one home but the plant tag is right here on my desk and its still calling out my name. I wonder who will win..... and for this reason Stokesia laevis 'Color Wheel' is my plant of the moment.

Where's Alley?

2008-06-05T22:59:00.004-04:00

I am posting this picture under protest. Alley was not pleased to be put in the position that the picture found her in and she most certainly will not be pleased to find out I have posted it for all her fans to see (so don't mention it to her if you see her here or there).

BBFF, you are my new BFF!

2008-06-02T22:15:00.003-04:00

I'd like to share an email we received a little while ago from a first time customer who had just recently visited us here at Big Bloomers. As nursery's go I think that we must be unsurpassed in the amount of varieties of plants we carry, everything from agave to zephyranthes, with everything in between. This is quite rare if not unique in a nursery that is family-owned and operated and is not in the mail-order business. The owners have worked extremely hard over the years to bring to the home gardener all things rare and wonderful. Its a lovely place to work and a wonderous place to visit and so I am always pleased when their hard work is appreciated by a first time customer. So without further adieu.

Customer's Message Subject: Lovely Lavender

Customer's Message: I love your Big Bloomers (Flower Farm!). In my 30 years or more of gardening I have always wanted to plant a variety of LAVENDER plants. I'd find one or two here and there, but never the scope and variety you carry. It was like Christmas for me! Thank you BBFF, you are my new BFF!

A LIVING HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER!

2008-06-02T21:15:00.005-04:00

Fuchsia triphylla 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt' can take the heat and the sun and is literally covered in blooms all summer until frost. Earlier this spring my PIC Peggy and I were heartbroken when we found out that we would not be offering them . When we asked about them, John (the owner) told us he could not find them when he was placing orders for the spring. I can't tell you how happy we both were when John told us he had later found them (we are both easily pleased aren't we). They are now a couple of inches tall and are already blooming. One this size will reach about two feet by summer's end. Last year I grew Gartenmeister in a pot on my southern facing back deck. Of everything I grew last year this is the one plant that was constantly blooming all summer. I placed it on a plant stand so it would sit high and attract hummingbirds. Who needs a hummingbird feeder with a Gartenmeister around.

LANTANA CAMARA 'CHAPEL HILL YELLOW'

2008-05-25T20:15:00.005-04:00

We are pleased to be able to offer this spring a very new addition to the hardy lantana family. Lantana camara 'Chapel Hill Yellow' is a hybrid between cold hardy 'Miss Huff' and tender "New Gold'. So you get the cold hardiness of 'Miss Huff' and the low spreading habit of 'New Gold'. Like the other lantanas Chapel Hill Yellow blooms all summer into autumn. This seedling was discovered growing in the gardens of Susy Dirr, Michael Dirr's beloved daughter who died recently from cystic fibrosis. Part of the proceeds of the sale of Chapel Hill Yellow will help support the Sweet Melissa Lung Transplant Fund for lung transplant patients and families at the University of North Carolina.

ANOTHER 'POOPY' PLANT-DICHORISANDRA THYRSIFLORA

2008-05-24T21:01:00.008-04:00

A couple of days after blogging about campanula 'pink octopus', Peggy my 'partner-in-crime' dragged me into the greenhouses telling me I had to see this ginger that was brought to her attention by a customer on one of the days that I was off. Peggy mentioned the customer was looking for a blue ginger, one with a true blue flower that was absolutely gorgeous. Well Peggy looked and found the blue ginger in our greenhouses in our part sun section. She brought me into the part sun greenhouses to show me the dichorisandra thyrsiflora 'blue ginger'. She said she did not want to be accused of 'holding out on me' again. Upon seeing them I mentioned "oh I have one of those" to which she replied "of course you do" and then I explained that I had grown one in a pot in an eastern exposure last year. It didn't really do much of anything that season and I had decided it was another 'poopy' plant so in the fall when bringing things inside for the winter I decided this one was not worth the space in my small back room where I winter things over. I put the pot up against a south facing wall on my back deck to give it at least a fighting chance that winter. The funny thing was just the day before Peggy pointed it out to me I had noticed that it had popped up out of the dirt in the pot that was still against the south wall of my deck so it had indeed survived the winter outside in a pot. Upon googling it again I was reminded why I had wanted one in the first place. A true blue is very hard to find in the gardening world and the flower on 'blue ginger' is a particularly gorgeous flower.

Whew, that was a long explanation...are you still with me? After all that talk about ginger I have to tell you dichorisandra thyrsiflora is not a ginger at all but rather it is in the same family as wandering jew, commelinaceae, the family of spiderworts though it does resemble ginger in height and in habit. It dies back to the ground here but I have read they make a great houseplant and many more forgiving and patient people bring them inside in the fall where they will bloom early winter and since they only don't really need direct sunlight an eastern facing window would be fine for them. In researching blue ginger I have learned that they are very easily propagated from stem cuttings taken at any time of the year. I think this year I will most certainly bring it inside and let it overwinter in one of the two eastern facing windows I have.

Plant of the Moment-Campanula 'Pink Octopus'

2008-05-17T20:02:00.005-04:00

When I first layed eyes on the picture tag that comes with Campanula 'Pink Octopus' I knew I had to have this exotic looking flower. The foliage is quite handsome as well with nice color and shape. In my research I found that this exotic beauty was also very easy to grow as well as being deer-resistant, long blooming if deadheaded and extremely attractive to hummingbirds. The flowers are described on the hybridizer's web-site as "Large pink buds shaped like Japanese lanterns that burst into pendulous blooms with long, slender, widely-spaced petals. As the flowers mature, the blooms spread wider and wider, until the bloom is flat and its "tentacles" have reached as far apart as possible!"

How could I resist with that description. I bought one from our greenhouses and planted it in a nice little east facing shady garden where it sat all season doing nothing until it finally put out one flower that seemed to be gone to fast to enjoy. I was so disappointed I think I might have even called it a "poopy plant" to its face. While taking my evening "walk around" the gardens with my pups tonight I was amazed and ashamed to see that my campanula 'pink octopus' had not only spread around nicely since last year but is also blooming its little head off and as you can see in the picture you have all stages of flower together.

When I was little my mother would constantly say to me "patience is a virtue". I guess its a virtue I still have not gained and for that reason Campanula 'Pink Octopus' is my plant of the moment.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-ELSHOLTZIA STAUNTONII

2008-05-06T23:36:00.011-04:00

My Plant of the Momentum (giggle) is going to be the Elsholtzia stauntonii my sister recently planted in her garden.

I keep thinking of it as the "sister" mint shrub to the australian mint bush I have been growing. While both are mint bushes, lovely, fragrant and shrub-like, the australian blooms early spring with a breathtakingly bright, purple haze and while the Elsholtzia blooms all summer the flowers are not as showy. The Elsholtzia is a very hardy plant growing into zone 4 and the australian is more tender only hardy to zone 7. The same, but different, just like sisters.

My sister and her husband travel full time in their motor home so my sister's garden resides on my property. They are back on the road after spending a month with us golfing, shopping, gardening and hanging out. While she was here she managed to put some order into my crazed chaos of gardens and I have to say they are looking better than they ever have.

So to say a special thank you to my sister, Elsholtzia stauntonii is my plant of the momentum.

HEAT AND HUMIDITY TOLERANT FUCHSIAS!

2008-04-27T22:55:00.005-04:00

The Suntory Collection is known for coming up with annuals and perennials that can take the heat and humidity. This year we have added to our Suntory collection with their new hardy and annual fuchsias.

Cascading

Snowfire

Petticoat

Cascading and Snowfire both have a cascading habit. Cascading is not hardy here though, while Snowfire is hardy to Zone 8. Petticoat is more upright in habit and being so would also hold its own in a perennial bed. It is also hardy to Zone 8 so might be worth a try if you have a protected, moist, well-drained site. Okay so they are high maintenance but they are tauted to bloom from May to October so may be worth the extra effort. Large pots with water crystals added to the soil might be a great way to grow them. They like morning sun or light shade and they would look especially lovely growing in pots in a grove of high canopied trees. I will try them in that situation.

Where's Alley?

2008-04-24T22:26:00.008-04:00

Both of the owners are animal lovers so we are very pet friendly here at Big Bloomers. People bring their dogs to help them pick out plants and we do our best to make a fuss and tell them what pretty girls or handsome boys they are.

Our girl Alley takes her job very seriously. The problem is she makes up her own rules. She decided these two lovely poodles would be best left in the car.

The poor pups would not even make eye contact with her they were so intimidated.

Alley celebrated her victory with an impromptu breakdance and also insisted on a belly rub and a pat on the head

.

Update on Plant of the Moment-Prostanthera Rotundifolia (Australian Mint Bush)

2008-04-22T23:12:00.005-04:00

First off ..I would like to say thank you to my sister for posting the pictures of the prostanthera rotundifolia (australian mint bush). She is quite the computer whiz and I was tired and having problems posting the pictures to the blog tonight. She volunteered to put the pictures up on the blog while I took a shower and then I challenged her to do the whole blog. I think she did a wonderful job. I still can't read it without laughing till I cry. I can't say enough about the gift of laughter.. so thanks sis.

This is an update on the australian mint bush I wintered over in a big pot against a southeastern corner of my home. I was surprised it had survived the winter and am pleased to say it not only survived but is now flowering. I will cut it back hard after the flowers fade since it is quite leggy. I will definitely be thinking of other ways to use them in my landscape.

plant with purple flowers is my plant of the momentum

2008-04-22T22:17:00.003-04:00

i am writing this for my sister who is washing her hair which is long and takes ten years to do...
so here goes...

this plant..maybe it is a shrub....cuase its bigger than a plant and has woody stems...
this shrub is cool,,,, it has pretty purple flowers....

it looks real nice....but the picture is not the best...cause my camera sucks...
but it is nicer in real life...

and i like it....
and it has nice purple flowers...
not all year...but now....
and they are pretty...so i like it...

so that is why it is the plant of the momentum...
oh...and it grows too...and hasnt died yet....that is another reason to like it ...

Where's Alley?

2008-04-19T21:48:00.005-04:00

Alley has decided she has bigger "fish to fry" than watching flats of plants sprout. She has recently taken to hiding out in the herb garden. We are not sure if she is waiting to catch a certain rat snake that has taken up residence or if she is just trying to catch some extra zzz's.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-ABUTILON X SUNTENSE 'VIOLETTA'

2008-04-17T22:11:00.005-04:00

This beauty nearly slipped through my fingers. Luckily I was alerted to their presence here at Big Bloomers by two very lovely customers that I waited on today. I hope I didn't scare them by my exclamations of glee when I came across one that was blooming in their boxes to purchase. I have to say I was quite dismayed that this little beauty had gotten in here past me without even a heads-up by my co-worker and "partner in crime" Peggy.

I decided upon first glance this would be my next plant of the moment. Upon goggling I was even more pleased at the prospect of growing one. It does well in sun or part shade. Its a very large (6'-9' tall) but delicate plant or small shrub depending on your location. Being hardy down to zone 8 I think a protected area in that zone would be best. It blooms all summer and prefers a sandy or loamy soil. Oh, and it attracts hummingbirds. Its fast growing so would also be very nice in a pot on a deck which is where I think I will put mine.

HARDY BEGONIAS

2008-04-15T00:27:00.007-04:00

Being a transplant from Zone 6 gardening, I was tickled pink to find out you could grow begonias in your garden that would actually come back the following year. I remember feeling much the same when told a gorgeous, shiny leaved, evergreen shrub called camellia was going to bloom red in December. But back to begonias. I think they were my first realization of what was in store for this former Zone 6 gardener. I think when I learned about the salvias I was literally brought to my knees. What was I talking about? Oh yes, begonias.....We carry a couple or three different kinds and I have managed to keep them alive in my sand though they are happier with a richer soil and more moisture.

Begonia 'Kaylen'

This one is able to survive colder winter temperatures and is substantial in size. Prolific rose-pink flowers combine with the rich burgundy foliage to make this one lovely border plant.

Begonia grandis 'Alba'

This one is even more cold tolerant being hardy to zone 6. The white flowers add a brightness to shady areas.

Begonia 'Sutherlandii'

This one is my favorite. It is tiny like the more tender B. Richardsiana. The flower color is a gorgeous clear orange. I grew one in a pot on my north facing, covered front porch last summer and am anxiously awaiting its return this spring.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-COREOPSIS MAJOR 'STEELATA'

2008-04-10T21:17:00.006-04:00

The plant of the moment does not have particularly spectacular foliage, or a lovely, unusual flower color, fragrance or size of blossom. Its an easy plant to grow though that likes full sun and poor soil.

I planted coreopsis major when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA. It hadn't even gotten to the third year "leap" stage, but it bloomed in its second year and that fall we moved to North Carolina. I'm not even sure why I loved it so much. Maybe it was the tall, strongly held stems or the finely cut foliage.

When planning my gardens here in North Carolina, I wanted to include this flower I thought was so interesting. I had forgotten the name though and the above picture with the three little, yellow flowers held up in the air was all I had to go on. I thought it was a helianthus or heliopsis and so of course I have not been able to find it. While walking through the greenhouses last week helping a customer I caught a glimpse of the foliage on coreopsis major and instantly knew that it was the plant I have been looking for and for this reason Coreopsis Major 'Steelata' is my plant of the moment.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

2008-04-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

Spring has sprung here at Big Bloomers. Our shelves are stocked and the greenhouses are about to burst with perennials and annuals. Here is a peek of what is new in our garden shop. I hope to have a list of new plants for 2008 in a couple of days.

Where's Alley?

2008-04-06T00:16:00.003-04:00

Well, the last 'Where's Alley' blog left our girl just exactly where I found her four days later. She has been here and there and everywhere since that last blog but somehow she ends up right back here. She said this is a particularly comfortable, ah hum did she say comfortable...she meant particularly troublesome spot that needs attending to.

Plant of the Moment-Poncirus Trifoliata 'Flying Dragon'

2008-04-05T23:40:00.012-04:00

I've been meaning to do a blog on Poncirus Trifoliata 'Flying Dragon' ever since I mentioned it on another Plant of the Moment blog. This picture was my instigation for finally doing a blog on this spiny beauty.

'Flying Dragon' is distinguished from the species, poncirus trifoliate by spines which curve strongly backward, in claw-like fashion most notable when the plant is leafless. Highly prized in the Orient, where it has been cultivated for centuries. 'Flying Dragon' is also a dwarf, growing to a maximum height of 6' (smaller in containers). Commercially used as a dwarfing rootstock for citrus. I have read that it is a good candidate for bonsai. Since its hardy to zone 6 even my family in Connecticut could safely plant it in their landscape. It likes sun to partial shade, is drought tolerant, looks great in the winter and can be grown with ease in containers. I've been growing one in a pot for a couple of years now. Mine has not bloomed yet so I am particularly jealous of these pictures taken by a lovely lady I was lucky enough to meet on the gardenweb.

Where's Alley?

2008-03-30T21:15:00.005-04:00

Alley was caught sleeping on the job recently. She insists that her job description includes keeping new stock warm until they sprout.

Bringin in the brugs

2008-03-30T20:17:00.003-04:00

We are bringing in some new brugmansia this spring. Bring on the brugs.

Cherub "Dark Pink"

Unbelievably floriferous, this dark pink variety sets a new standard of performance. The 9" trumpets are a deep apricot-pink with peach overtones. The long chartreuse buds turn cream and a faint pink, darkening as they open. They bloom in waves about every 3 weeks with masses of dark pink trumpets. The plants are bushy and well branched. Delightfully fragrant in the early mornings and evenings. Plan on a large pot for this vigorous grower.

Desiree

Desiree is in a class by itself with three tiered flowers of deep orange. The skirts are neat, elegant and have the long tendrils. Very good fragrance. Flower length is 15 inches from tendrils to stem. Leaves are large and dark green.

Species Double White

Huge double-triple trumpets that are definitely different large flowers range from double to triple skirts. It blooms in waves every 3 to 4 weeks with lots of beautiful double white trumpets.

Sunray

'Sunray' is a Kyle Courtney hybrid. The blooms are creamy white with rays of yellow from the center. Leaves are serrated and the foliage is naturally a lighter green color than most brugs.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-CHLOROPHYTUM COMOSUM

2008-03-25T21:39:00.006-04:00

My plant of the moment is going to be an ordinary houseplant. I think most of us have grown them at one time or another. Usually given as a start from someone that had one that was probably given to them as a start.

A couple of years ago a part-time employee that took care of our "tropical house" told me stories about her mother and the tropicals she would plant out in her perennial gardens. She mentioned Chlorophytum comosum, the common spider plant as a plant her mother would grow under pines. I commented that they were not hardy and she answered that they survived most winters here except our harshest ones and since they are so easy to start its not such a loss if they don't survive forever. She graciously offered to start me a flat of them. Lets just say that's a "good amount" of spider plants. I planted them in a grove of American holly, pine and oak trees. That was two years ago. Last summer they struggled and I was not sure about their survival. I was amazed to see them coming up out of that arid area these last couple of days. For this reason they are my plant of the moment.

Oh Brother...or more appropriately...Oh Sister

2008-03-21T22:24:00.002-04:00

Well, my sister read my latest 'Plant of the Moment' blog and said she was very confused. She insists that I tell you that Hippeastrum "voodoo" can be planted outside in your landscape instead of just growing in a pot like all the amaryllis she is used to growing. She also insists I point out that the reason these bulbs are stretching out the pots is because they are multiplying. She didn't understand why they did that and suggested a few scenarios that I can't relate here. Geez, everyones a critic.

PLANT OF THE MOMENT - Hippeastrum 'Voodoo'

2008-03-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

Hippeastrum 'voodoo' is in the amaryllis family. It usually blooms mid-spring with showy red flowers with a white throat. The strappy foliage will be tinged bronze if placed in full sun. I have read that rodents won't eat it. Each time hippeastrum 'voodoo' goes through our front counter and out the door I've noticed this vigorous grower stretching out the pot it is in. I think every one that I have noticed has a misshapen pot. Today when Susie, a fellow gardenweb contributor and hellebore grower extraordinaire, checked out with with one in her box that had two blooming spikes, I finally made the walk back into the greenhouses to claim one for my own. For this reason it is my "plant of the moment".

O is for Shamrock

2008-03-17T21:29:00.006-04:00

Simply said oxalis is one tough, resilient plant. Dig up a bed of these and each little bit of rhizome or root will make a new little plant.

I've planted purple oxalis (Oxalis regnellii 'Atropurpurea' ) here and there in dappled shade and in morning sun areas with good results considering they are growing in amended sand which is still never really moist except for after a rain. This particular plant is always in our greenhouses and is not used enough for planting outdoors. It is native in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It was first cultivated in the United States in 1930. Purple oxalis likes part-shade (at least protection from the hot afternoon sun), rich moist sandy soil, and is hardy to zone 7-11. Its hardy here and they are just now popping their purplely heads out of the sand. I planted a couple of them in dappled shade mid-winter and they are still evergreen though look a bit scruffy.

Oxalis crassipes "Pink" is more hardy than the showier purple. They are supposed to be hardy down to zone 5 or 6. They remain evergreen for me if given enough moisture. I was recently pleased to see the ones I had planted in early spring of last year that had disappeared into the sand with the drought have been starting to poke up out of the ground.

We also carry "Alba" which of course sports a white flower.

Where's Alley?

2008-03-12T21:22:00.003-04:00

Well its getting closer to Easter and Easter Lily season and our girl Alley thought she would try out our latest creation for size. She also thought this would be a particularly lovely picture to wish one of her favorite people "A Very Happy Birthday".

HURRAH FOR HAKONECHLOA

2008-03-09T20:09:00.019-04:00

That is what I said when I found out we would be bringing four kinds of hakonechloa into the grass house this spring. Okay... well I may have jumped up and down, and all right I probably clapped my hands too but you can hardly blame me. These are four gorgeous grasses. Invaluable in creating a lush look in a landscape. While they can take full sun, in our southern climate they prefer lots of water and morning sun. I'm thinking they would be gorgeous in containers with a generous amount of water crystals.

"AUREOLA" Native to shadowy mountain cliffs in Japan, this cool season dwarf grass is lush and graceful. The cascading, satin-like foliage is broad and variegated with cream, chartreuse and green.

"ALBO-STRIATA" The white-striped form of the beautiful Japanese forest grass is more sun tolerant than the golden form. Its cascading green foliage is adorned with thick and thin creamy white stripes. Pink tints develop in fall, then the whole plant turns honey yellow. ‘Albo Striata’ takes a little more sun, and is a little taller, than the more familiar ‘Aureola’.

"ALL GOLD" The foliage of All-Gold is almost completely golden in light shade making it even more striking when planted along a woodland path or beside a shady terrace, or anywhere in soft, dappled light.

"BENI-KAZE" With the same overflowing grace as its relatives, newly introduced 'Beni-kaze' entertains brilliant red fall colors. The lax green mound of loosely arranged, draped blades remains green until cooler weather ignites the smooth foliar ribbons and begs its name, which translates “red wind.

Plant of the Moment-Saccharum arundinaceum (Hardy Sugar Cane)

2008-03-08T22:48:00.004-05:00

The plant of the moment is the saccharum arundinaceum just now sitting on my kitchen table. I've been wanting this majestic beauty for quite a while now. I visited Niche Gardens last fall with a list in hand. Saccharum arundinaceum was first on that list. Upon arrival, on a gorgeous fall day, fellow plant fanatic in tow, I cast many hours of research to the wind and went crazy for their selection of native shrubs. It was only upon arrival home that I checked that list again to see if I had actually purchased anything on it. Of course I hadn't and of course I still NEEDED all those plants on that list. So I was delighted when I found out that this spring we are adding saccharum arundinaceum to our grass house. I will plant it in the back of a bed of various pennisetum and miscanthus where it should provide a gorgeous backdrop to these two shorter grasses.

The reason I think of this hardy sugar cane as majestic is because of its height of 10-15 feet. When I saw one in the fall in full glory I could not keep my eyes off of it. It certainly commands attention.

I definitely feel a blog or two on grasses coming up.

Plant of the moment-Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious'

2008-03-03T21:01:00.004-05:00

Pineapple sage has a lovely, fruity scent, is deer resistant, very heat tolerant and is also drought tolerant though is happier with regular moisture. Even though it is supposed to be perennial, in my zone 8 gardens I have had to plant it every spring. I like the 'Golden Delicious' variety since it doesn't bloom till early fall so the chartreuse leaf color makes it a standout even when not in bloom. In the south it likes full morning sun, if planted in afternoon sun the leaves will become a bit scorched. Walking through the herb greenhouses this weekend I kept getting the distinct feeling I was walking through Juicy Fruit Gum. It wasn't until my third pass past the salvias that I realized it was the pineapple sage that was giving me this sensory delight. One of the them was quite mixed up...thinking it early fall and blooming its head off. For this reason Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious' is my plant of the moment.

Where's Alley?

2008-03-02T21:50:00.005-05:00

This is our cat Alley. She likes to perform magic tricks. She will turn up here or there and sometimes it seems she is everywhere. One of her favorite places is on our counter stuffed into anything that looks comfortable. Is it just me or does it seem that she is saying "I vant to be alone".

The last of dry shade

2008-03-01T20:30:00.007-05:00

This will be the last blog on dry shade because quite frankly I have become bored with it and to think I was so excited at first. Anyway this last plant was brought up in a conversation on the gardenweb concerning the drought and what plants had come through with flying colors. One of our regular posters mentioned that her autumn ferns survived wonderfully through last summer's drought with no additional water at all. After reading her post I checked the ferns I had growing in my dry shade area and found that the best looking fern of the bunch was indeed an autumn fern. I checked the autumn ferns in our greenhouses at work and they too were the nicest looking of all the ferns mid-winter. I also have a couple of autumn ferns potted up on my north facing covered front porch that have looked lovely all winter long without much water.

I've also had varied luck with epimediums which are supposed to like dry shade. I planted a couple last summer but had mixed results getting them established.

I am also going to try a couple of saxifraga as well as a couple of non-invasive oxalis in the same area to see how they do.

Go ahead and try some of the dry shade plants I have suggested or if you know any different ones yourself feel free to post a comment and let me know what you have had success with.

Even more dry shade

2008-02-28T22:29:00.005-05:00

These next two plants were brought to my attention by a couple of my favorite customers. They come in every couple of months or so and buy a box or two of perennials. I always like to check out what they are purchasing since they seem to be drawn to the interesting and unusual. I noticed that in their last couple of visits they purchased a number of hardy cyclamen. Of course I was intrigued and asked them why cyclamen. To which they answered "dry shade". Okay, I have an abundant amount of dry shade so I planted the two varieties we carry C. coum and C. hederifolium. I planted them....yes...in the drought...this past fall, in dry shade. They have bloomed there off and on all through January and February. The foliage is quite lovely on both and I think I would grow them even if they didn't flower.

C. hederifolium is the most reliably hardy of all the Cyclamen species, flowering well in the garden and seeding around. It grows well both in full sun and partial shade or beneath deciduous trees. It particularly enjoys growing in soil which contains a good proportion of leafmould (leaf litter). It easily survives low temperatures.

C. coum grows in deep forest shade often right up against a tree. An old patch clumps to a twelve inch spread of rounded mottled leaves mid-autumn through early spring, with the height of their bloom in winter.

From what I have been reading they are also very long lived.

They have lovely foliage, they bloom in winter, they colonize and prefer dry shade. I think I am in love.

More dry shade

2008-02-28T20:22:00.005-05:00

Well I was up too late last night working on the blog and I got my plants confused. Too many plants...too little brain cells left.

The reineckia carnea I was writing about was actually pointed out to me by our former greenhouse manager, Cinda. I think we were talking about evergreen plants for shade and she showed me the reineckia. All the information about the reineckia was correct except the fact that reineckia is actually a late summer bloomer.

The winter bloomer I was thinking of which was featured on one of my favorite blogspots was actually sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis having much the same growing requirements. They are both evergreen and both are groundcovers. The only difference is that the reineckia is still happily growing under american hollys and the sarcococca was sacrificed to my folly by planting it in full morning sun instead of light shade. I thought I could keep them watered enough to compensate but the leaves literally were burned. I think I just pulled them out when cleaning up the garden this spring. I just recently planted another where I should have planted it before. In the same general area as the reineckia is happily living. So anyway, sarcacocca is native to the western Himalayas and wants organically rich soil. It makes a restrained slow-spreading groundcover for the shade garden. A mature clump produces suckers & reproduces along stolons, so that it will slowly spread over an area easily reaching three feet wide, though it can be kept to a more restricted area if suckers are removed and it is sheered each spring for increased compactness.

Lets add sarcococca to the list of plants for dry shade.

Talking about dry shade.....

2008-02-27T22:16:00.004-05:00

Well all that talk about hellebores got me thinking about dry shade. Dry shade can be extremely troubling to grow in. I'm always looking for something new to try in dry shade.

I'll start out with one that I have been growing myself with good results. I happened across this plant when visiting one of my favorite blog spots. The blogger was featuring a photograph taken of a winter-bloomer called reineckia carnea. I was intrigued, I googled but couldn't find out much about this rare plant except that it is an evergreen, lightly fragranced winter-bloomer good for dry shade and I also discoved to my great pleasure that we actually carried this plant in our nursery. I promptly planted a couple in a sad little area of my property under evergreens and american holly where they have heroically championed on, even through this last year of drought.

A very rare plant from the Himalayas. This is a rhizomatous perennial, evergreen in mild climates, and is an attractive and almost never-seen groundcover for open woodland or around shrubs, in part shade. It also works as a pot plant, and probably would do well in a basket. It reminds me of mondo grass except it flowers in late winter and you kind of have to search for the flower since it is very tightly held. Its pretty carefree and while it has a lovely fragrance its the type of plant you need to put you nose to the ground to enjoy...not that I havn't been known to do that.

Shout out to the Hellebores

2008-02-27T19:48:00.009-05:00

Lets give a shout out to the lonely hellebore. Holla....Hellebore.

Out there in our gardens in the freezing cold without even a jacket to keep them warm. Hellebores are basically easy to grow. Most prefer woodland conditions with deep, fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil and dappled shade, but they're very tolerant of a wide variety of soils and situations as long as they have good drainage and are naturally very long-lived. Although many hellebores perform best in alkaline soil, they’ll usually do just fine in neutral to slightly acidic conditions. Feed them once or twice yearly. Once established, they do not appreciate being moved - they will sometimes take a few years to get re-established following transplanting. Some are also known for freely self-sowing and colonizing when happy. Though if you have more than one type of hellebore in close proximity the offspring may not resemble their parents. I've had some seedlings I received in a plant swap that have survived and grown in almost pure sand at my gardens at home so I can attest to what a tough little plant this is.

We carry a varied selection of them here at Big Bloomers. We have recently added 'The 'Mardi Gras' series. This series boasts exquisite colors and slightly larger flowers carefully hybridized by hellebore guru Charles Price making them truly the big brothers of the genus.

'Mardi Gras White'

'Mardi Gras Black'

'Mardi Gras Pink'

'Mardi Gras Red'

We have also added to our 'Schiemann Strain lady collection' with some lovely 'spotted ladies' as well as a new Metallic Blue lady with a pewter sheen and large bowl-shaped flowers of rich purplish-blue. Beautiful and easy to grow. Isn't she a sight for cold eyes.

Another addition to this series is the lovely 'picotee pink'

A Perfect Picture

2008-02-08T22:54:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about working at Big Bloomers has to be the customers.

These gorgeous pictures were taken by one of them.

PERENNIAL FOUR PACKS (BE STILL MY HEART)

2008-02-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will take advantage of this lovely bit of weather and plant this sweet little box of foxglove.

This time of year always sends me into a bit of a tizzy. We offer so many lovely perennials in four packs and I always have to have them all.

This is a four pack.

You get four for the price of one and since perennials are better planted in groups you get a nice bang for your buck. The seedlings are sown in the greenhouses starting early winter. Some will take a couple of years to get to their true size. These though, will bloom and grow to full size in one season.

We have a varied selection of perennials in four packs including campanula, alcea, digitalis, aquilegia, various grasses and herbs. I could go on and on but maybe you should come and see for yourselves. The digitalis, aquilegia and some others are hardy to zone 4 and being so are fine planted this time of year in the south.

These are pictures of one of my gardens photographed in May, that was planted early February with the same amount of digitalis that I will be planting today.

Plant of the Moment-Prostanthera Rotundifolia (Australian Mint Bush)

2008-01-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

I first noticed Australian Mint Bush in our greenhouses two springs ago. If I remember correctly it was very early spring, maybe late March or April. I was walking through the herb greenhouses to get to a greenhouse on the back of the property and noticed a lilac haze that stopped me in my tracks.

Native to Australia and Tasmania, prostranthera rotundifolia has tiny, ovate, very fragrant, evergreen leaves. In our greenhouses they tend to take on a standardized look very quickly from stem cuttings and lend themselves very well to that look. I have also seen them closely sheared much like a boxwood to great advantage also. With its lovely fragrance what a sweet chore shearing them would be. The Australian aborigines used the leaves in an infusion for relief of headaches and colds. The small mint flavored leaves are also used for culinary purposes in place of thyme and for potpourris.

A small plant transplanted that spring into a large pot on my back deck soon grew to about five feet. Since we show it being hardy to zone 9 I brought the huge pot inside an unheated back room to winter over. It survived just fine though it did get a bit leggy that winter. I was disappointed the following spring when it failed to bloom.

While bringing tender plants in this fall I decided it really wasn't worth the room in the small area I use to overwinter plants so I placed the pot up against the side of my house in a southeastern exposure thinking I would pull the dead plant out and plant something else in the large pot this spring. While working outside this past weekend I was very pleased to discover that it has survived some very cold nights into the teens and still remains green. If it survives the rest of the winter and blooms this spring I may very well rethink its worthiness and plant a couple more. For this reason prostanthera rotundifolia is my plant of the moment.

Christmas Open House

2007-11-25T23:24:00.000-05:00

Even this time of year is a busy time for us here at Big Bloomers. After the quick Halloween, fall and Thanksgiving seasons there is a big flurry of decorating to get ready for our Christmas Open House. I managed to sneak a few videos and pictures in before friends and customers showed up Sunday morning. Thank you Jo for all your hard work, wonderful refreshments and lovely company.

Don't forget to check out our Christmas store 'Beyond the Garden Gate' located in the Riverbirch Shopping Center. There we offer a variety of holiday decor as well as select holiday plants, candles, gifts and stocking stuffers.

Plant of the Moment-Barleria cristata (Phillipine violet)

2007-11-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

Barleria cristata (Phillipine violet) is not a violet at all. Belonging to the acanthus family Barleria cristata is not even native to the Phillipines but rather to India and Myanmar. This shrub-like perennial grows strongly upright to 2-3 feet. It is a lovely, undemanding and drought tolerant plant with handsome foliage. It will grow in full to part sun. In our southern climate it seems to be happier in morning sun.

I planted one in a 4" pot from our semi-sun section in early spring. I potted it up in a large pot where it bloomed all spring. With the heat of the summer months it stopped blooming but was still a very nice specimen plant. In late September it started blooming again. I planted it in the ground a little while later and was pleasantly surprised a couple of days ago when I noticed it had put on its fall coat of many colors. I have read they are very easily propagated by planting a sprig in moist soil. In my mind's eye I am seeing a lovely hedge row of them in all their fall glory somewhere on my property. For this reason it is my "plant of the moment".

Plant of the Moment... A Tale of Two Tagetes

2007-11-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

The plants of the moment have to be the two tagetes blooming in our herb gardens now. They will both bloom into December and for that quality alone they both deserve to be plant of the moment.

Tagetes lemmonii is a wonderful, sprawling shrub-like plant with airy, delicate foliage. Late in the season and especially while blooming it can be a thug, falling over whatever is growing near it. Its such a delicate plant though that it doesn't seem to smother things like the late asters and chrysanthemums can sometimes do. People refer to it as "fragrant". Most people I know think it stinks. It is on the stinky side. Brush against it anytime of the year and you will certainly smell it.

Tagetes lucida on the other hand is more of an upright, orderly and sweetly fragrant plant. This one requires more of a "brushing against" to enjoy the fragrance, but crush a leaf or a stem and you will certainly be rewarded.

I love them both. They bloom this time every year oblivious to freezing temperatures when most other perennials have said goodbye to summer. I have planted them in most of my gardens... one because of its scent and one in spite of it.

Plant of the Moment-Orthosiphon labiatus

2007-10-08T23:32:00.000-04:00

Very popular as a garden plant in South Africa, this long blooming member of the mint family forms a 3’ x 3’ shrub topped by showy, 1”, pink, tubular flowers held in whorls on many upright stems. Easy & fast growing in rich, composty garden soil. It’s also extremely drought tolerant once established but looks much prettier with regular water. Excellent used in mass planting in large beds or parks. In a small garden use singly or in small groups. Cut back to 1/3 height every couple of years to keep it fresh looking. Attracts butterflies

Last week I was in the greenhouses helping a customer ID a sprig that she brought in from a small tree growing in her yard. It looked like a hardy, bitter orange that we had talked briefly about on the gardenweb a couple of days before hand. I've actually have the same bitter orange growing in a pot outside for a couple of years now. I just couldn't remember the botantical name that day or where it was located in the greenhouses. All I could remember is that it was referred to as Flying Dragon. The customer and I went into the greenhouses but I could not locate the plant so she mentioned the computer and I could have kicked myself for not thinking of it first so I googled and found the name of the plant she was trying to identify, Poncirus trifoliata, Flying Dragon. But poncirus trifoliata is not what we are talking about today.

While in the greenhouses with the customer I got a tad bit distracted when I glimpsed a haze of pink blooms in a row ahead. Of course I was intrigued and I googled. I was disappointed to see that Orthosiphon labiatus is only hardy to zone 9. Hum, I thought.... I've pushed a zone or two before and this is certainly a worthy plant to try it with so today I will plant three Orthosiphon labiatus. I will try them in a west facing bed up against the side of my house. In this bed I've had good luck with another zone 9 plant which remains evergreen all though winter.

Plant of the Moment-Spiranthes odorata

2007-10-03T22:10:00.000-04:00

This will be an ongoing blog. It is plant of the moment and not plant of the week or plant of the month for a reason. I am a very fickle girl and here at Big Bloomers we have a huge selection. I am always seeing something new out in the greenhouses or in the back field or my favorite way of finding a new plant, one that a customer has brought up to purchase.

Anyway I noticed the spiranthes odorata walking through the greenhouses about three weeks ago. A small nondescript plant that you would probably walk past a hundred times without noticing had suddenly produced strongly held flower stalks about 8 inches high. I was intrigued. I googled. I found I needed to have this plant called Spiranthes odorata: Best grown in moist, boggy, acidic soils in part shade. Plants spread slowly by rhizomes to form colonies in optimum growing conditions.

Lady's tresses (sometimes also called fragrant lady's tresses) is an orchid that is native to marshes, bogs, swamps and other wet areas in the eastern United States from New Jersey and Tennessee south to Florida and Texas. It features small, very fragrant, hooded, white flowers densely arranged in vertical, slightly spiral-like rows on spikes typically growing 9-18" (less frequently to 24") tall. Blooms in late summer to fall, often to first frost. Lance-shaped, linear leaves in basal rosettes, with some leaves extending up the flower spikes.

I had the perfect spot for it in a small northern exposed bed right off my covered front porch. This is the only spot in my three acres that I can plant moisture lovers since the ease of keeping this one small bed moist is no problem because of its close proximity to the house. Typically we are rescued from the heat of summer in late September. Things cool down. Its nicer to be outside and garden. I've been looking for plants that last into the fall and especially start blooming in the fall. Spiranthes is not your typical looking fall bloomer, reminded me more of spring blooming lily of the valley much like chrysanthemum nippon. daisy 'Fall Glory' reminds me of spring blooming daisies. Which just might be my next plant of the moment.....

Hummingbird Day

2007-09-21T20:31:00.000-04:00

We were very pleased to have been able to welcome Susan Campbell back to Big Bloomers Flower Farm. What a wonderful speaker she is and what a wealth of information. The day started out slowly. All our hummers decided to be skidish that morning and it was not until around 2:00 in the afternoon that we bagged the first one (literally, as you will see).

Where is Alley?

2007-09-18T22:45:00.000-04:00

This is our cat Alley. There's something about working at a place that allows animals that brings a smile to my face.

From time to time we will post about our girl. She's a rascal for sure.

Welcome to Big Bloomers

2007-09-09T20:32:00.000-04:00