A is for Yes! at Nasami Farm. Yes, is what I wanted to say to almost every plant set out at the special opening of Nasami Farm yesterday. I am not the only one saying yes as members of the New England Wildflower Society got a special invitation to tour the Nasami Greenhouses and get a headstart on our shopping. Nasami Farm will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from now until October. There is a wonderful selection…
X is for the Xerces Society. "The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs." What are invertebrates? All creatures without a backbone which includes, bees, butterflies and other creatures you might find in the garden like worms. It is the…
W is for Waldsteinia fragarioides, otherwise known as barren strawberry. Indeed, the leaves resemble strawberry leaves and there is some similarity of the small golden spring blossoms to strawberry blossoms, but this is a native groundcover and produces no edible fruits. In Heath I had Waldsteinia fragarioides growing in the shade where it ultimately covered a sizeable swath of soil. It is obviously hardy (it thrives in Heath) and the deer pass it by. It is a trouble free plant…
V is for Violets on the A to Z Challenge. Violets have always been a part of our lawn, more correctly called a flowery mead because of the all the 'weeds' growing in it. And yet dandelions, clover and violets provide nectar and pollen for pollinators in the early spring when very few plants are blooming. Of course, there are many more types of violet and you can read all about them on the American Violet Society website. …
U is for Umbelliferae. Umbelliferae is the family of plants that includes carrots, cilantro/coriander/ dill, lovage, parsley, parsnips and Queen Anne's Lace. As well as a few others. I hadn't thought about the range of this family until I read Vegetable Literacy, a wonderfully informative horticultural book - and cook book filled with delicious recipes. The name Umbelliferae refers to the type of flower form - umbel. I wrote about Queen Anne's Lace here and identified it as Daucus…
Annual climbing vines add an important dimension to any garden. We have trees reaching for the sky and flowers and vegetables covering the ground. Climbing vines as simple as scarlet runner beans or morning glories and as elegant as clematis add something very special to our gardens. I have a friend who made a small arbor for herself in the middle of her garden, where she put a chair to give herself someplace to rest between bouts…
T is for Troillius europeaneus, or Globeflower on the A to Z Challenge. I bought my Trollius at the Bridge of Flowers Plant Sale a few years ago. It is the sunniest, happiest flower I know. Bloom season is the end of May into June. I did not move it to the new garden in Greenfield, but I just looked up its requirements, and while it prefers a neutral soil, it also doesn't mind wet or heavy soil.…
S is for Snowdrop and Snowflake. The snowdrop is a tiny delicate flower, one of the first of the little bulbs to bloom in the spring, often rising through the snow in February or March. One of the most common snowdrops in the catalogs in the Giant or Elwes Snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, but it just a slightly more robust version of Galanthus nivalis, the 5 or 6 inch tall common snowdrop. G. nivalis has been gracing the early…
Q is for Quiet in the garden. The older I get the more I look to the garden for green serenity. Of course the quiet of the garden contains the whisper of breezes, ecstatic birdsong, the patter of falling rain, and perhaps a burbling fountain. Water is considered to be one of the essential elements in a garden This is a section of the quiet and serene Japanese Garden is located behind the Buffalo and Erie County…
P is for Peonies. Peonies are fabulous! Peonies are glamorous! Peonies will bloom for generations. Peonies are easy care. In the olden days you had to plant peony roots in the fall, but nowadays you can buy potted plants in the spring - and possibly even get a bloom your first season. I have bought and planted many peonies, but most of the names have been lost. The Peony Border in Heath had about two dozen varieties. I…