All lined up in the garden

The past few days have been spent shifting and sorting all my potted shrubs. Over the years, the pots get mixed up and the name tags fade and I can’t tell which is Which- Now, with concentrated efforts, all the blue lace caps are in one row. The pink in another row. All white snowball-like Annabelle has its own row.

The viburnums are worrisome – especially if the marker is faded or missing. They all look alike. The double file ‘Shasta’ and the old fashioned snowball closely resemble one another. The “Summer Snowflake” is usually in bloom and easily recognized.

The single and double flowering Oak Leaf hydrangeas look alike. Easily mixed up unless they are in bloom. This year I have had problems lifting the three gallon sizes- My strength isn’t what it used to be.

The odds and ends plants- Smoke tree, paw paw- I don’t have enough to make a row, so I just put them at the end. They probably won’t remain unsold at summer’s end.

Stewartia malacadendron (Silky camellia ) is just starting to bloom. One of the South’s rarest wild shrubs. It will only last about a week.If you have never seen  one in bloom, it is a sight to behold. It is not a camellia by the way, it just resembles one.

Also just starting to bloom is the rare and endangered fringed champion. It is illegal to sell or ship it out of North Carolina.

Most of the phlox have done their thing, as has the wood poppy and Kerria. But the large plantings of gold/lime grasses and shrubs still add dramatic color and depth to the garden. Walking the winding paths from one area to the other, one forgets what they have just seen because of what is now grabbing their attention.

N.A.

N.A. Booko- gardening in Chatham County since 1972- my knees are more aware of it than my brain . . .

Date: Tue, 5 May 2020 16:52:27 -0400
From: “N.A. Booko”
Subject: All lined up in the garden , . .