The Sugar Hollow Plant List

Echinacea (also known as coneflower) attracts butterflies and in late fall, gold finches.

Taking stock in the garden at season's end! I got 50 more daffodil bulbs planted last weekend and could probably plant 50 bulbs every season for the next 20 years and still not make a dent in the landscape. {I would love our land to be a sea of yellow every late February.}

What is on your wish list? What do you recommend?

HONEYBEE, BIRD AND BUTTERFLY ATTRACTORS

Catnip, white and lavender varieties
Butterfly Bush
Liatris
Glossy Abelia
Sunflowers
Echinacea
Bee Balm
Zinnias
Caryopteris ‘Blue Beard’
Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’
Salvia ‘May Night’
Russian Sage
Black-Eyed Susans
Shasta Daisies
Goldenrod (wild)
Yarrow (wild)
Thistle (wild)
Violets (wild)
Ironweed (wild)

BENEFICIAL INSECT ATTRACTORS

Love-in-a-Mist (self-seeding patch)
Daffodils, common and several other fragrant varieties
Iris, common and a variety that smells like grape Pez

NATIVES

Fringe Tree
Eastern Red Bud
Virginia Sweet Spire
Virginia Bluebells
May Apples
Wild Phlox
Trillium

HERBS

Plantain
Lavender (also good for honeybees)
Lemon Balm (also good for honeybees)
Sage
Rosemary (also good for honeybees)
German Chamomile
Thyme
Oregano (also good for honeybees)
Dill
Garlic
Mint, Common
Mint, Apple

ORNAMENTALS

Lilac, Common
Hydrangea ‘Endless Wonder’
A variety of small, ephemeral bulbs
Hollies, ‘China Boy’ and ‘China Girl’ varieties
Liriope
Dayliles, native, 'Pandora’s Box', 'Wineberry Candy', 'Jolyene' and several other varieities
Grape Hyacinths
Sugar Maple
Willow Oak
Eastern Red Cedars
Japanese Maples (3)
Azalea
Bridal Wreath
Rose, Climbing Antique 'Jeanne LaJoie'
Roses, Knock Outs
Coreopsis, Rose
Plumbago
Hollyhock, Common (deer fodder right now, but I hold out hope)
Veronica Speedwell
Tulips, Rembrandt and basic red variety

PERENNIAL FOOD PRODUCERS

Fig 'Chicago Hardy'
Juneberry (seriously chomped down by deer, but still living)
Black raspberry
Blackberries
Strawberries (in containers, for now)
Wild persimmons
Asparagus 'Mary Washington'
Elderberry
Rhubarb

REMAINING WISH LIST and FINAL THOUGHTS

A weeping mulberry shrub.
'Korean Spice' viburnums for along the front path.
A peony (or two).
More irises.
More Black-Eyed Susans along the ridge above the daylilies.
More compost under the walnut to help plants thrive?
More varieties of daylily for under the walnut.
A better okra crop.
Plant cucumbers for pickling.
Grow squash for the *blossoms,* too.
Find a spot for the elderberry that will let it thrive.
More native phlox.
Plant calendula – for botanical beauty potions.
Don’t plant green beans. (I just don’t love them enough to can and freeze.)

In Which I Groove On Racemes

I'm on the hunt for this over the weekend.

Virginia Sweetspire. Itea virginica. The ideal summer shrub. Drooping, deliciously fragrant racemes (those cylindrical flowers) lure pollen-drunk bees during the month of June.

Their bzzzzz's will go with the lazy summer-day zzzzz's I hope to catch on a blanket in our garden.

Oh, yes. And the Sweetspire's fall show is nothing to sniff at . . .



When I'm not searching high and low for Itea virginica, I will be out there weeding, weeding and weeding, as the days of rain have left us with a jungle on our hands.

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Photos from Wikimedia.

Over The Mountain To Garden Shop!

This is the view from my favorite nursery of all time. Milmont Greenhouses in Stuarts Draft. As if the rows and rows of plants aren't enough? Look-at those mountains.

I feel that I must write of Milmont each and every spring, as each and every gardener should have the good fortune of experiencing the mind-numbing assortment of horticultural goodies that they offer. Maybe it is new to you.

Willa and I even went this past Wednesday, during the cold and the rain. But never-you-mind, it didn't matter. We got some parsley (a cool weather loving herb) and strawberry plants. I'm putting those in big glazed containers as I do not have it in me to fight the good fight of a strawberry patch. Been there, done that, and it sucked.

I also purchased some False Blue Indigo, yarrow, coreopsis and butterfly bushes for the front garden. (All LOW maintenance and drought tolerant - good plants for the newbie gardener.)

I'm at-the-ready for the spring-fever weather that they are promising this weekend - spade in hand. Bring it!

Fall Planning and Friends Who Inspire

I am fortunate enough to only have to work four days a week. Wednesdays are my day with Willa. And, yesterday also brought new ooomph to my garden thinking in August.

First, the White Flower Farm Fall 2008 catalog arrived. Filled to the brim with bulbs galore. Alliums, ephemerals, tulips and daffodils of every shape and size and smell. I gazed at the colors with my cup of tea during an unseasonably cool Virginia morning.

Then, a visit with Kris and Kristin - fellow mamas who love all things green.

Kris is an artist acutely tuned into her natural world. She creates magical terrariums. She also encourages me to consider trying new things - like planting beets and raising chickens. Photos of her mid-summer container garden last year reminded me about the beauty of coleus - and I planted some of my own this season.

Kristin's garden in the city of Charlottesville is jaw-droppingly tidy and efficient. Eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, edamame. I also noted that the afternoon shade offered by the trees in her backyard would be a good idea out in the Holler. It would extend the time me and my Irish skin could spend out in the vegetable garden - even as things got steamingly hot in July and August.

And finally, a phone call from Leora inviting me to a Virginia Native Plant Society outing on Sunday. An area gardener is opening their property so we can come and gawk. Leora is a painter and sees colors and hues that go over my head unnoticed. Visits and walks with her always expand how I see our corner of the world and I cherish them. I can't wait.

Thanks, dear friends. You've injected me with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Garden Questions Answered: Native Plants

A question from a LISH reader:

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Tracey -

I'm pretty new to central Virginia, a novice gardener, and I find myself with a big blank-canvas yard for the first time in my life. I'm hoping to start up some new flower beds and I'd like to keep to native varieties, but I'm not having any luck with the local garden stores. Do you by chance have any suggestions on where I could look, or on easily available flowers that happen to also be native? I'm especially interested in finding an assortment of VA wildflowers, but any lead would be extremely appreciated.

Thank you!

I.R.
Charlottesville, VA

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Hi I.R.,

How cool . . . and exciting. On both your love of natives and your 'blank canvas.'

Two suggestions . . .

Although they have closed for business, Hyla Brook Farm's website feature details on natives, and only natives, for our area . . . perennials, vines, shrubs, ferns, trees. With photos. Very helpful.

The Virginia Native Plant Society. Their website is a great resource and they have a native plant sale every spring - over at Ivy Creek Nature Center. Also - check out their "Growing Native Plants" section - it includes a list of nurseries that specialize in native plants, as well as a recommended list of plants for our state.

Sometimes, I will find natives at nurseries such as Milmont Greenhouses (in Stuarts Draft). If you stick to the Latin names of each variety, it will ensure that you are getting the correct plant.

Have fun - sounds like you have a busy spring ahead of you!

Very best . . . Tracey

A Blank Slate - The Sugar Hollow Homestead

The big machines and work boots are through with their tromping and their bravado. The piles of seedling-smashing construction materials have disappeared - as each piece was gradually incorporated into the building of our home. And the drone of the mitre saws, compressors and sawzalls have fallen silent.

Now, it's my turn. A blank slate. A chance to take a crack at a small garden in this much-abused (and ignored) space. And an opportunity to inject a little femininity and estrogen into the landscape.

Favorite front-yard garden spaces have always been those with designs based in shrubs and small trees - to compliment the larger, more established trees and a smattering of perennials and bulbs.

My wish list is comprised of mostly native plants - trees, shrubs and woody vines that will offer color and interest throughout all of the seasons. And a few old-fashioned favorites because, well, gardens (for me) are also about nostalgia. Click on each highlighted plant for photos and details.

Shrubs and Trees
Fringe Tree (incredible fragrance in the spring)

Sweet Pepperbush (incredible fragrance in the summer)

Witchhazel (winter interest)

Sweetbay Magnolia

Piedmont Azalea (a much more delicate version of the typical azaleas)

Pinxterbloom Azalea (honeysuckle fragrance and an azalea in one!)
Hydrangeas
Lilacs

Roses (but not the fussy varieties)
Quince
Glossy Abelia

Peonies

Vines

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Passionflower
Carolina Jessamine

If we get three of these plants in the ground this fall, I'll be thrilled. Okay, two. One?! Meh. I know better - it may not happen until next spring. Or the following fall.

But I'll always have the delicious anticipation associated with blank slates. New beginnings. And big plans.

Native Plant Spotlight: Black-Eyed Susan

I planted a small bunch of Black-Eyed Susan seedlings about three years ago and had long given up on trying to grow anything in that particular patch. I hadn't amended the soil and it was premature of me to think of a garden in that part of our land. I thought nothing of it as the riding mower whirred over the spot, as our tractor bowled over the spot and then as the bush hog violently ripped through the spot.

But, several years later, they have resurfaced and they live! And they are as sweet as ever. I keep looking out our windows to see their sunny faces reaching for the sky. I'm hoping that they will keep multiplying from year to year.

I have a feeling they will do just fine. Lord knows, they don't need my help. They've had enough of our loud, aggressive machine-like ways. And with grace and aplomb, they haven't batted an eye.

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Latin: Rudbeckia hirta
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade. Dry to moist soil.
Growth Habit: 1'-3' high
Bloom time: Summer
Zones: 3 - 9
Contributions to wildlife: Loved by butterflies; seeds are cherished by songbirds

Native Plant Spotlight: Mayapple

I am always intrigued when a plant comes up on my radar, after years of missing it.

That is the case with the Mayapple.

Have I simply hiked past it for years and years? Hmm. Funny, now it is all I see these days. These photos were taken during a walk in Sugar Hollow earlier this week.

Latin: Podophyllum peltatum

Other Common names: Devil's apple, hog apple, Indian apple, umbrella plant, wild lemon, and American mandrake
Annual or perennial: Perennial
Description: Pairs of 6" - 12" rounded leaves with a single white, waxy, fragrant flower, followed by a small yellowish-green fruit. With the exception of the berry, the plant is poisonous!

Growing Conditions: Full sun to shade. Evenly moist, humus rich, slightly acid soil.
Growth Habit: Groundcover; 1 - 1-1/2' high and spreads 1 - 2'
Bloom Time: Spring
Zones: 3 to 8

Holy Cow! *Lightbulb* Seed Balls!!

I get it. I get it. Finally!

Seed balls (a.k.a. "seed bombs") are a sure-fire way of introducing and establishing native plants - from seed. As quoted from the very cool website, Path to Freedom, "seeds balls are a great way to seed waste areas in your yard."

Being that our land has been a construction zone for years - that's us! The site adds, "They (are) useful for seeding dry, thin and compacted soils and for reclaiming derelict ground. This method takes a fraction of the time or cost of other methods to cover large areas and is also very applicable in small areas."

The seed balls, a mix of compost, clay and native wildflower seeds, prevent the seeds from drying up, blowing away or being eaten by birds and the like. They are especially successful in areas with low rainfall.

You don't even need to bury them - just 'bomb' the area with seed balls by setting them on top of the ground. Here are very simple instructions to make your own, from the Path to Freedom website.

Or, you can purchase pre-made seeds balls here.
I just picked up some terracotta clay at lunchtime. I have black-eyed susan and echinacea seeds at home. I may also try sunflowers. Desperately waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around - when The Man releases me from his grip and I can go p-l-a-y!

Native Plant Spotlight: Wild Blue Phlox

Uh-oh. I have a new favorite native plant. Not surprisingly, it is blue. I am starting to feel like a one-trick pony. But, as many of you might have picked up, this obsession has been going on for about fifteen years. Alas, it's not going anywhere.

Latin: Phlox divaricata

Annual or perennial: Perennial

Description: 1-1/2" blue flowers with fragrant notched petals.

Growing Conditions: Filtered sun to full shade. Well drained, humus rich, slightly acid soil. Think woodlands.

Growth Habit: 8 - 18" high and spreads 8 - 12"

Bloom Time: Early spring to early summer

Zones: 4 to 8

The North American Native Plant Society offers some sources for native plants - broken down by region!

Doesn't Look Like Much . . .

. . . . but I had to throw elbows with probably the sweetest older ladies in our county to secure these goods.

I kid. But gardeners were all a-flutter yesterday at this year's native plant sale - pulled together by the Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Last year, lore has it, they sold out within the first 30 minutes of a two-hour sale.

I was most excited about coming home with one or two Blue Wild Indigo plants. Got 'em!

I also found (and bought) Virginia Bluebells, Celadine Poppies, Erigeron (pictured below), Wild Blue Phlox and Spring Beauties.

Sigh. So many plants. So little time. A-hem. To garden, that is.

Native Plant Spotlight: Blue Wild Indigo

I was nothing short of thrilled when I learned that Blue Wild Indigo is a native plant. Yipee kicks all 'round.

Also Known As: Blue False Indigo, Indigo Weed, Rattleweed
Latin: Baptisia australis
Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Description: Spikes of blue-violet, pea-like flowers with gray/green foliage. Legume pods for winter interest.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full sun. Well-drained, evenly moist, slightly acidic soil.
Growth Habit: 3-4' H; 1-3' W - almost shrub-like with 6"-9" flower spikes.
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Zones: 3 to 8
Range: From Nebraska to New Hampshire to northern Georgia and west to Texas

Local nurseries that sell Baptisia australis:
Hyla Brook Farm
Milmont Greenhouses

The above image is from Wikimedia.

Virtual Field Trip: Hyla Brook Farm

Hyla Brook Farm
Louisa, VA
Local Native Plants
http://www.hylabrookfarm.com/
540.967.6160

Fast forward a few months and cue the following: The sounds of songbirds, the scent of phlox and the sight of butterflies and bumble bees happily hopping from one vibrant native plant to another. Life is plum for the wildlife on Hyla Brook Farm. And with good reason. They have been provided a nurturing habitat - with its roots in native plants. The way nature originally intended.

Started in 2000 by Brian and Marcy Wagner, Hyla Brook Farm is located in Louisa County, VA. So they truly know about what is native to this area. And what works. And what thrives.

They offer over 300 native plants through their mail-order catalog - including shrubs, perennials and vines. Brian and Marcy have backgrounds in environmental education and biology - so spreading the love about native plants comes naturally to them.

Their 2005 catalog is available on-line, with an updated appendix for this year's additions and new plants. And it is drool-worthy. Every year, I try to catalog information on several more native plants - just to learn - and this is where I start. They deliver within 150 miles of the nursery.

Hyla Brook also offers open-houses and inspiring but very applicable and functional workshops such as Butterfly Gardening (June 9th); Creating a Drought Tolerant Garden (August 25th - yes, indeed!); and Creating a Deer Resistant Garden (October 13th). You can also call them for an appointment to visit the farm.

Remember that natives are particularly important in the organic and sustainable gardening scene because they don't need much in the way of fertilizer or pesticides, they require less water, and they attract the wildlife that contributes to the optimal ecosystem for your land.

For me, one of the most exciting things I experience while visiting their site is learning that some of the plants I have always loved are actually natives. Now I can lust away - guilt-free. My wish list for this year includes the Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), False Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis), Phlox (Phlox paniculata), Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) and Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). Oh, yes - and a backyard full of butterflies . . .

Local Color: Virginia Native Plant Society

Virginia Native Plant Society
Boyce, Virginia
http://www.vnps.org/

Native plants are a big part of organic gardening - as they acclimate to your garden site without needing pesticides or fertilizers. They also don't require as much in the way of watering and coddling. They know the land, they know the conditions. Drought? Sure thing. Clay soil? No problem. Bring it on.

I'm planning a small native plant/sitting garden and have found that the Virginia Native Plant Society site offers just what I need to learn the basics. They have an extensive list of native plant nurseries and, on the flip side, a list of invasive and alien plant species of Virginia. And the group isn't preachy - just excited about the possibilities of introducing natives to your gardening world.

Visit this section for a detailed overview on why planting natives is so important - but also why it is so rewarding - . One of the points that got me was the thought of attracting more butterflies, song birds . . . and hummingbirds!

The Virginia Native Plant Society also increases awareness of these plants through workshops, newsletters and the Wildflower of the Year.

These Wildflower of the Year photos are courtesy of the Society. Counterclockwise from bottom; Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) - photo by S.G. Shetler; Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) - photo by W.S. Justice; and Large-Flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) - photo by S.G. Shetler.

Next year - a woodland garden! Be still my heart . . .