Summary: The native Louisiana swamp Iris is a brilliant star of the floral world, admired for its airy grace and beauty but too often unappreciated as a suitable garden subject. One of the most brilliant stars to blaze across the floral horizon over the years is the native Louisiana swamp iris. For centuries this native … Read more
Of the hundreds of species of iris, one of the most interesting is the lovely Iris dichotoma or Vesper Iris (also called Pardanthopsis). Vesper flowers last longer, and the plants produce more blooms than any other I know, and has many other endearing characteristics. Its delicate blossoms come in lavender tints, pale blue, and rose … Read more
Bearded Iris flowers capture the color symphony of the universe – the blue of sea and sky. The deep turquoise of clear mountain pools, the shining yellow of sunlight, the pure white of snow, the red, gold, and bronze of autumn leaves. The purple merging into the black of the night sky. The jewel tones … Read more
Have you been troubled with your prize iris buds turning brown and mysteriously dying? The chances are that Iris crown rot may be the culprit. Unfortunately, some iris hybrids are more severely attacked than older varieties. Iris Crown Rot Above-ground symptoms of crown rot vary somewhat depending on the particular organism causing the trouble. Wilting, iris leaves … Read more
Among the most beautiful American plants is a sturdy and distinctive shrub native in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and southward through the Blue Ridge. This is mountain stewartia (Stewartia ovata), and fortunately enough, it has a variety that is even more beautiful. With their high Appalachian background, both these shrubs are dependably hardy, … Read more
Like the morning sun, morning glories greet the new day. Unlike the sun, though, they are to be enjoyed for only a few hours, but each successive morning brings more and more flowers that will brighten the garden and greet you with a cheery “good morning.” At the turn of the century, morning-glories, or ipomeas, … Read more
For more than a century the camellia has been held in high regard as a magnificent evergreen shrub and a cut flower. Soon after its introduction to this country (about 1820) from Asia via Europe, it became the pampered pet of northern greenhouses and the aristocrat of southern gardens. A little later, western homesteaders found … Read more
Do you have a partially shaded spot in your flower border or rock garden where a true vibrant blue would make all the difference? If so, then let me urge you to try Anchusa or summer forget-me-not. Anchusa is a biennial, but it can be treated as an annual. Starting Anchusa Seed Start the seed … Read more
There’s a special sparkle in the garden when you plant annual poppies. It’s impossible to duplicate it with any other annual, for the poppy has a built-in charm and showiness quite different in effect. Being among the few annuals that thrive on heat and drought, resent pre-planting and transplanting fuss, and shrug away insects, poppies … Read more
Editors Note: This article was first published in 1961 but does give us some history of growing Camellias. The fame of camellias in the deep South and along the Gulf Coast has been worldwide for more than a hundred years. The magnificent old plants at Magnolia, Middleton and other long-established gardens in very mild regions were, … Read more