Camellias Are Easier Than You Might Think

Just when you've tucked everything in for the winter, prayed for a mild season and begun to peruse the seed catalogs, low and behold the Camellia out does itself in the back garden! What a joy to find these beautiful blooms when everything else is dormant. Not only do they brighten up a dreary landscape but they are wonderful in the house as cut flowers too.

I have long lost the variety name of this pink one but it is the first to bloom of my several hardy Camellias. Look how many flowers it has this year!

 



Early in January the big red one beside my basement door will be covered with flowers - sometimes in the snow! Around late February or March the two toned red and white one will flower. It looks like a peppermint candy dripped all over it. It is one of my favorites because it is the same variety as the one my mom tenderly carried to Alabama when we moved from Florida when I was about 10. That bush bloomed in our laundry room the first winter. Mom had placed it there until she could plant it in the spring. I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen.

 

 

Camellias are in the same family as the tea plant that we get our favorite southern summer drink, sweet iced tea. There was a time when no one north of zone 4 or 5 could grow camellias outside a greenhouse but with the culture of the new cold hardy ones, we all can have a bush or two in a sheltered place in our yard. Mine are under tall oak trees or planted near the foundation of my home. They do like a little shade and water but I must admit the ones out under the oak trees (the pink one above) are growing in dry shade and in clay soil. They must be pretty hardy to survive our hot dry summers and my neglect.

 

Look for cold hardy camellias in your local garden centers in the spring. I bought nearly all of mine at Lowe's. Camellias are beautiful even when they are not in flower, the leaves are dark green and glossy. Give them a sheltered spot and acid soil and they will live happily for years. If you can grow azaleas, you can grow camellias.  

My Christmas Cactus Always Blooms at Thanksgiving

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera) are readily available in garden centers and big box stores all over the place right now. I love them and they are super easy to grow and propagate.

They come in several colors from white and gold shades to the hot pink pictured above.  The original Christmas Cactus  that this plant came from was purchased at Christmas several years ago. When I got it it was in bud and I enjoyed it all through the holiday season. When it had dropped the very last bud, I put it in a sunny window kept it barely moist and waited until the outside temps were above 60 degrees. I potted it up into a larger pot  and out it went to a shady spot on my porch where it suffered much neglect - intentionally! I watered it when it got wilted or sooner if I remembered.

If you live in a warmer zone than my zone 6B you might get away with keeping yours outside all year. I have to bring mine in before frost. I keep lots of plants over winter in the big sunny windows we built into our art studio and this is where the cactus goes. Within two weeks the buds begin to pop out on the ends of every stem. When I see the first bloom open I put my plant in a showy place in the house . The picture above was made Thanksgiving Day. All my Christmas Cacti have always bloomed on or right after Thanksgiving. They give me much joy!

tiny roots

 

planted back into the pot

When I brought this one in from the studio, One branch was wilted but I noticed roots on all its' leaf joints. I poked a hole in the soil of the pot and pushed the end of that wilted stem into it. It will take root in a few weeks and be a new plant. All one needs to do to make new plants from a Schlumbergera is make cuttings anywhere there is a leaf joint, place the cutting (with or without rooting hormone) into a pot, keep it moist and you will have a new plant in no time at all. If you look closely at your mature plant you will probably see tiny roots growing out of many of the leaves, any of those leaves will root in a pot or tray of soil.

See the little roots here

If you've never grown a Christmas Cactus or you tossed them out in the past because you didn't know what to do with it, now is the time to get started with a new one. I think I might have room for another color myself.








My Backyard Nursery

Sale Yard at Mimi's 

I've talked about my greenhouses and little backyard nursery for quite some time. Today I want to show you some of the plants I will have for sale on the Internet by spring of 2014. I am really excited about selling and shipping plants to folks outside of my neighborhood!

 has been growing and selling plants from our middle Tennessee location for the last 3 years and in the past at our former location in Robertson County. By the spring of 2014 we will be ready to ship our herbs, perennials, Hosta and other plants to most USA locations. States we Cannot Ship to are Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho.

Mimi's will be adding pictures, descriptions and pricing for spring sales soon. Following are a few that we know should be available to ship in late April of 2014.

Herbs:

Greek Oregano, Spicy Hot Oregano, Golden Oregano, Italian Basil, Spicy Basil, Rosemary,  Lavender, Garlic chives, more

PERENNIALS 

Hosta:

Blue Mouse Ears, Hush Puppy, Sweet Innocence, more

Hydrangea:

Blue Lacecap, Rainbow, Blue Mophead, French Mophead

Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia)

Attraction, Pink Profusion, Griffon Blue, Honey bells, White Profusion and some new surprises too

Oxalis

Purple leaves/hot pink flowers and Green leaves/pink flowers.

Moon Flower Plant

Night blooming yellow fragrant flowers open like time-lapse photography!  See it in action in this video

http://www.mimisgreenhouse.com/

Sheffield Daisies - An Alternative to Chrysanthemums

These pretty flowers have been growing in my shady back yard for several years. I got them at a plant swap and had forgotten what they were. They grow bigger each year but not to the point of being invasive. I looked them up and found they are Sheffield Daisies.  Here is what Ellen Barcel says about them: "Sheffield daisies aren't really daisies at all, but a variety of chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum koreanum. Their delicate pink color really stands out against the more vibrant colors usually associated with autumn. Hardy as far north as zone 5, they are perennials which will come back year after year. They make beautiful cut flowers and are attractive to bees and butterflies. Like Montauk daisies, they tend to be deer resistant. And, yes, they like full sun."


As I mentioned above, mine are happy in mostly shade, They get about 4 hours of sun in the summer. The picture at left was made at 10 AM on October 21. You can see they are still in part shade, I do absolutely nothing to them all year - not even fertilizer.  I plan to root some in my greenhouse this winter. I'll post how that works in the spring. Maybe if I ever get my web site up to sell plants, you can buy some from me.

Raised Herb Beds Update

The first season for my raised beds of herbs is almost done. The oak leaves are falling and will soon cover the beds with a warm blanket for winter protection.I wanted to give you an update on how the plants did and what I've learned.

I wanted these beds to be as maintenance free as possible. I only watered them once or twice all summer and we had some severe heat and dry weeks. I think the compost helped keep moisture in the beds. I also did not add any additional fertilizer - again the compost was all the plants needed. Herbs don't need much fertilizer anyway and they like dry and well drained.

Oregano growing under Lavender

The Oregano is the happiest plant in the gardens. It has almost covered the bed where I planted it under Spanish and Goodwin Creek Lavenders. I have dried lots of oregano and will use it in the gift baskets that I make for family and friends at Christmas. I'll post the pretty packaging I make when it is done, Maybe give you a printable label you can use yourself.

Coleus Suprise

I was happy with my little sage plant's progress too and I had this little surprise come up in one of my beds. I'm sure the seeds for this coleus were in my compost.

Sage

 

Some of the lavender plants have done well and some not. the Provence all died. Goodwin Creek is happy and Serenity too. The Spanish lavender is very healthy and full but I will be pleasantly surprised if it survives our winter temps.

Goodwin Creek

Spanish lavender growing around Goodwin Creek

 

The Thymes are holding their own. Honestly, the thyme I planted in large pots seem to do better than ones I planted in the ground. Elven and Wooly thyme are growing well but they are more ornamantal than culinary. I do like them in my rock gardens and they have added interest to my raised beds. I planted Purple Sage late in the season and it is doing well considering the short time it has been in the ground. It should make quite a show next year. To see how I started these beds see my post titled Raised Herb Beds Part 1  and Raised Beds Part 2. Are you growing any thing in raised beds? Post a comment and tell us about it.  



 

 

 



                                                                                                                                                                                       


 

Protecting your Plants with Frost Blankets

Our beautiful October days will usher in those frosty mornings soon. We all will scurry around looking for sheets and whatever else we can find to protect our plants. I have discovered the perfect solution to keeping my tender perennials safe over the winter and have them up and blooming earlier than my neighbors. I use Frost Blankets.

Frost blankets are inexpensive, easy to store after winter use, water passes through them and the temperature under them will be about 10 degrees higher than the outside air. I use them in my nursery in order to have my shrubs, hosta and blooming perennials ready to sell in early May. Here is a picture of some of my plants under frost blankets already this year. We have had danger of frost this week so I didn't leave anything to chance. I will remove these for a week or so now that it looks like we will get 70's the rest of the week -  life in the mid-south! The clip is how I secure them to my raised beds. Landscaping pins will work to hold them to the ground. Some people make mini-hoop houses from bike flag holders or PVC pipe too.

 

I store mine in a big plastic tub in the summer. I just slide it under a shelf in my greenhouse but it could go in a garage, shed or anywhere you have room. Heck, you could put them in a drawer somewhere too. These handy blankets come in various sizes and are readily available on line. One of my favorite suppliers is Greenhouse Mega Store . Below is the one I bought.

Benefits of the Backyard nursery

This is my friend Lisa in front of one of her flower beds. She showed up one day in my backyard - literally! I can't remember if it was early this spring or last when Lisa followed the signs to one of my plant sale days. We hit it off right away and spent a lot of time talking plants and gardens. On another sale day, she came at a time when no one else was there and we sat on my porch swing and discussed all sorts of things for over two hours! One of the things on her wish list was a Blue Sky Vine -I didn't have one and had no idea what one was. When she described it to me, of course I wanted one too.

Blue Sky Vine

Low and behold, my phone rang a few weeks ago and Lisa had found a Blue Sky vine! She invited me over to see it and get a cutting. I was thrilled! Not one to go empty handed, I took her one of my Peggy Martin Rose bushes that I knew she had wanted but I had sold out of this spring.

Oh My Goodness! I just thought I had a lot of plants! She will never get all the plants in the ground that she has every where in pots. Pot on the patio, pots in the driveway, pots in the yard! Blue pots, clay pots, decorative pots and nursery pots! I loved the beautiful chaos!

We even walked across the street to her neighbor's to look at a mystery plant that my Back Yard Nursery Forum buddies later identified as a Butterfly Bush Buddleja lindleyana . It looks more like a wisteria than a buddllea. I want one of those too! 


In addition to the blue sky vines, I brought home cuttings of Allamanda vine - they have already rooted and are potted up into gallons, seeds from a cool night blooming plant, lots more stuff! The people I meet in my own backyard are the best thing about my little nursery business! 

Please Don't Squash the Catapillars!

I found these beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars on my Bronze Fennel this week. I have really enjoyed this herb all summer and this was the icing on the cake. It brought back a very painful memory for me though, Many years ago, I lived out in the country and was happily watching over a patch of bright orange butterfly weed (Milk Weed). You know, I should have gotten a clue from the name - BUTTERFLY WEED! Duh! Anyway, on that particular day I went to visit my patch of butterfly weed that was in full bloom. The plants were covered with these awful green, orange and black caterpillars! Not only that but they were destroying my pretty flowers! Well, I began picking them off and squashing them flat. No telling how many I killed. It makes me so sad now to even think about it. I found out later that they were Monarch butterflies.  I still wonder if I am responsible for the decline in this beautiful insect.

So plant plenty of fennel, parsley, butterfly weed, butterfly bushes and other host plants and don't squash the caterpillars!

Remember too, that Sevin Dust  kills all the good bugs as well as the bad! I figure that I don't have a single plant that will not recover from a bug attack and I want to have the honey bees and butterflies around for a long time.

Gardeners on a Mission

The cabin at Coldstream Christian Camp

I've written before about my "Thursday Girls" who meet at my house for fun, fellowship and support.. Well, last week we went on a mission trip together. A gardening mission trip! I bet you think of going to Africa to save souls when you think of missions. That is not always the case. God can and does use all our gifts to help others.

My long time friends Jo and Linda Goodman from Adams, TN, donated their farm years ago for a Christian Camp so kids who normally could not attend camp could come and enjoy the camp experience. They called it Coldstream Christian Camp because the wonderful big spring that rushes out of a stone bluff near the center of the property. The camp has evolved over the years to include many other aspects of "outdoor and nature retreat" ministry. Rowena's cabin there is one of my favorite places for a personal retreat. It is close to home, quiet and beautiful. The perfect place to get away, regroup and refresh!

For a year or so, I've wanted to landscape the front yard of the cabin. It is on a hillside, water rushes through it down to the lake when it rains and the deer in the woods are frequent visitors too. Grass refuses to grow there (too shady) so it was a challenge. I had lots of nice Purple Winter Creeper here in my little Back Yard Nursery  so Jo and Linda gave me permission to come plant it in the yard. I figured it was the perfect opportunity for my "girls" to dig in the dirt and have a weekend away too.

Shirley, Kay, Me, Cyndi (baby of the group!)

Turns out the young ladies in our group couldn't make it so the four "mature" girls went and got it all done in record time!

We planted the whole yard with Winter Creeper, added a couple of Gold Mound Spirea and two Dark Knight Bluebeard shrubs near the porch and I planted a Graziella Miscanthus by the road. We are going to come back in the spring and finish the little porch garden. We had time left over to eat the yummy lasagna that Cyndi made, drink lots of tea and coffee and have lots of "girl talk". Everyone but me was going to attend Sunday School Sunday morning so they left me alone Saturday night and I had a wonderful night and early morning - just me and God on the big deck overlooking the lake- Bliss!!

If you would like to take a retreat at Coldstream yourself or help them out financially or otherwise, there are ample opportunities to do both. Check out all the things going on there including the Potter's House, a great facility for a large group retreat. http://www.coldstreamchristiancamp.org/ 

My Newest Favorite Gardening Book

David Culp has been lecturing, writing and speaking about gardening for at least 15 years. I first heard about David from his sister who worked with me at Nashville Wraps. I saw him on a Martha Steward TV show and I fell in love with Hellebores because of David. He is famous for his Brandywine Hybrid strain of Hellebores. The one in this picture blooms in my shade garden every February. I was fortunate enough to meet David a couple of years ago when he came to Nashville to visit his family. He is as personable as he is knowledgeable.


David has written a new book called The Layered Garden.
It is all about how to have color, texture,

blooms and more in all seasons of the year. I am using it as a reference for a new section of sunny garden in my own yard. I highly recommend this book for gardeners experienced or not. It is full of helpful information and David's fun personality comes through in his stories of growing up with gardening grandmas and mother who gave him the freedom to play in the dirt! It is beautifully photographed by Rob Cardillo - truly a feast for the eyes as you can see from this picture of the inside of my book.

David's web site is http://www.davidlculp.com/ you can purchase the book there. I promise The Layered Garden will become one of your favorite reference books! It would be a much appreciated gift for any gardener on your list too.

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Fall is the Time to Divide - Tips for Dividing your Overgrown Perennials

I received this tip for dividing perennials from Jerry Baker's newsletter. It and other good advice can also be found in his book, Terrific Garden Tonics:

Some flowers are a little too vigorous, and they'll take over the whole backyard if you don't divide 'em. Others grow better after dividing them because you get rid of the old, weak growth that produces puny blooms and attracts pests and diseases. Best of all, dividing is a great way to get loads of new flowers for free!

Early fall is the best season for dividing crowded perennials, so now's the time to start chopping up those overgrown clumps. My Perennial Transplant Tonic will get your new divisions back on their feet without missing a beat.

Mix 1 can of beer, 4 tablespoons of instant tea granules, 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, and 2 gallons of warm water in a bucket. Soak your newly divided perennials in this tonic for about 10 minutes just before replanting them. When you're finished, dribble any leftover tonic around your newly settled divisions to get 'em off to a supercharged start.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I recently had to dig up my entire foundation landscaping because we needed to waterproof our basement. The picture is of my grandson, Tad, helping his daddy Josh (the one who did my foundation repair -Patterson Foundation Services) Sorry, but I had to get that plug in.

It was a good opportunity to divide and move some overgrown plants. I had a large Dawn Clematis vine that I divided into 3 new plants. I put a cup of Epsom Salts mixed with a cup of white sugar into the hole before I replanted the one in the front yard. I had cut it back severely and in 2 weeks it has grown about two and a half feet and has buds on the tips of all the stems! I'm pretty sure it was the Epsom Salts mix that gave it a power boost. I gave one of the vines to my brother-in-law and told him about the Epsom Salts trick and his is growing great too. I put this mix into the planting holes of all the Lilies that I put back in place and not a one shows any signs of stress.

For you folks out there who live in Middle Tennessee, I'll be speaking about plant propagation at the Middle Tennessee Plant Swap on Oct. 17 at Henry Horton State Park. It is a fun event and a chance to get some good plant trades.

This Bug is eating my plants!

Damaged Hibiscus 

I have searched all my books, the web and asked everyone I know and I have no idea what this pest is but I can tell you what it's doing. It's eating it's way through my garden as well as the garden's of many of my friends and customers! It acts like the rose slug but is eating everything EXCEPT my roses! It's a tiny (almost invisible) Caterpillar on the underside of the leaves and as you can see if left untreated, the leaves become skeletons.

Neem oil and Insecticidal Soap did not work. Neem is what I always try first because it is recommended for organic control. I don't like using chemicals but I also can't afford to lose all my stock plants either. Mimi's Greenhouse Nursery would be out of business without my stock plants for making cuttings and new plants to sell.

After about six weeks I resorted to Malathion spray on underside of leaves. I was careful not to use this around where the butterflies and Humming Birds were feeding.  The before and after can be seen on the two plants below. The top growth is healthy - Finally! If this had only been on a few plants I would have let them be and hoped for regrowth in the late fall but it was all over my plants both in the ground and potted plants - spreading since May!

If any of you have any idea what this pest is, I'd appreciate a comment.

new growth on Hibiscus

Angel Trumpet getting new healthy leaves