Thursday, May 29, 2014

Atlanta Trip Report #2 - Atlanta History Center Gardens featuring American Ginger, American Smoke Tree, Indian Pink and More!

Just a humble place to call home...  Atlanta History Center's circa 1928 Swan House

For a gardener visiting Atlanta, it's hard to top the allure of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

But there are other garden attractions in Dogwood City, including the gardens at the Atlanta History Center. These gardens include both the formal gardens around the 1928 Swan House, as well a variety of Georgia native plants nestled into a wild and wooded ravine. Here are some glimpses into these two very different types of gardens:

Formal Swan House garden, Atlanta, Georgia
The formal side garden at the Swan House. Fountain? Check. Statuary and columns? Yep. Boxwoods and crape myrtles abound. It's not my style at all, but I can appreciate the symmetry and the clean lines.


This wild garden in a woodland ravine was more to my liking with some beautiful Oakleaf Hydrangeas
The woodland garden contained this lovely thick carpet of native Asarum canadense, American Ginger. I understand that this plant needs shade to survive in the South, not sure how much moisture it requires. Unlike cooking ginger (Zingiber officinalis), A. canadense is typically described as toxic or inedible, but Hank Shaw at Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook has done an interesting analysis suggesting it may not be as toxic as some people fear - particularly if used to make tea and drunk in moderation.

Cotinus obovatus, American Smoke Tree is high on my list of coveted trees that I hope to add to my garden. I've usually seen it described as a full-sun plant, but it seemed to be growing happily in this shady ravine at the Atlanta History Center

Light filters through the canopy of Cotinus obovatus, American Smoke Tree. The "obovatus" name comes from the egg-shaped leaves.

Here's a close-up on the Smoke Tree's smoky flowers. I suspect that trees grown in the shade will have fewer flowers than those in full-sun settings. 

A healthy, beautiful patch of Spigelia marilandica (a.k.a. Indian Pink or Pinkroot). I have three little newly-added Indian Pinks in my garden, so it's fun to see how large these plants can get!

Thelypteris hexagonoptera, Broad Beech Fern
Thelypteris hexagonoptera, Broad Beech Fern, apparently native throughout Eastern North America, reportedly makes a good deciduous groundcover in moist, shady settings. Clemson says it prefers constant moisture, but can withstand some drought.
Woodwardia areolata, Netted Chain Fern
Woodwardia areolata, Netted Chain Fern, native throughout Eastern North America (zones 5-9) in wet, swampy marshes, woodlands and flood plains. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center calls it well-mannered, but Missouri Botanical Garden says it can spread almost to the point of being weedy.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Atlanta Trip Report #1 - Exploring Imaginary Worlds at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

The view from the Alston Overlook at the Atlanta Botanical Garden


In mid-May, I took a weekend trip to Atlanta to catch a symphony performance, try some restaurants and most importantly, see some gardens!

I saw way too much to pack into a single blog post, so this will be the first of four blog posts this week chronicling my Atlanta adventures.

To kick things off, here are some of the highlights from the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which has an amazing exhibition going on right now called Imaginary Worlds that features giant fantastical living topiary sculptures scattered throughout the gardens.

Giant ogre head at Atlanta Botanical Garden
Giant ogre head at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Good to know.


Now here's a shaggy dog story for ya.

Frog @ Atlanta Botanical Garden, Imaginary Worlds exhibit
Frog @ Atlanta Botanical Garden, Imaginary Worlds exhibit

Snake @ Atlanta Botanical Garden, Imaginary Worlds
Plenty of visitors were charmed by this towering snake, part of the Imaginary Worlds 

Imaginary Worlds butterfly @ Atlanta Botanical Garden
Imaginary Worlds butterfly @ Atlanta Botanical Garden

Another butterfly at Imaginary Worlds, Atlanta Botanical Garden
Another butterfly at Imaginary Worlds, Atlanta Botanical Garden

These Imaginary Worlds fish not only are standing on their tails and spouting water, but they also can spin!

Some big berries in the Edible Garden section of the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Some big berries in the Edible Garden section of the Atlanta Botanical Garden


Clearly I was impressed / amused / fascinated by the Imaginary Worlds exhibition, but I also was bowled over by some of the plants in the Atlanta Botanical Garden collection. Here were some of the highlights for me:

Bee in a Southern Magnolia blossom. I didn't even think that Southern Magnolias were pollinated by bees. (I'd read that they were pollinated by beetles.) But apparently this bee - and some others that I saw buzzing around the Magnolias - didn't know that it wasn't supposed to pollinate a Magnolia. 

Head-on view of a Southern Magnolia blossom
Another view of a Southern Magnolia blossom

Orchids in the tropical Fuqua Orchid Center. How I wish we had a tropical greenhouse in Nashville!

Cephalotaxus lanceolata, Yunnan Plum Yew
I'm kinda fascinated by Japanese Plum Yews these days. I added three Cephalotaxus harringtonia plum yews to my garden this spring, but this is a different species - Cephalotaxus lanceolata, Yunnan Plum Yew. It's hard to find much information on the Yunnan Plum Yew -- and I can't imagine it's easy to find at nurseries either -- but apparently it could be hardy through zone 7 and into the warmer parts of zone 6 (per Arnold Arboretum)

Convolvulus sabatius (a.k.a. Convolvulus mauritanicus), Ground Morning Glory, a marvelous-looking groundcover, but sadly it only seems to be hardy to zone 8. Story of my life! 


I like whimsical garden art like this weathered iguana-looking critter.

Close-up on the striking foliage and interesting pine cone of Pinus parviflora ogon "Miyajima"
Close-up on the striking foliage and interesting pine cone of Pinus parviflora ogon "Miyajima"

A step back for a broader view of Pinus parviflora Ogon "Miyajima"
A step back for a broader view of Pinus parviflora Ogon "Miyajima"

Punica granatum "Purple Sunset"
I'd never seen a pomegranate plant in person before! The flowers really are as pretty as they look in the books and magazines. This was identified as Punica granatum "Purple Sunset", which apparently is a dwarf pomegranate that produces relatively small purple fruit. An article in Nursery Management magazine describes Purple Sunset as being hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit and thus christens it as acceptable for zone 7, but personally I wouldn't plant any pomegranates north of zone 8.

Saxifraga stolonifera, Strawberry Begonia, very pretty both in terms of its foliage and its airy flowers. Looked like a marvelous groundcover in this shady setting. I've held back due to concerns over lack of drought tolerance (though Troy Marden lists it as "surprisingly drought tolerant" in his book Plant This Instead

Sciadopitys verticillata, Japanese Umbrella Pine
Sciadopitys verticillata, Japanese Umbrella Pine, reportedly native to Japanese cloud forests, I'd heard that this plant would struggle in hot, dry settings (like my garden in summer). But it seemed to be doing great in Atlanta. Perhaps it receives lots of supplemental irrigation here as necessary? 

White and green variegated tropical groundcover
I couldn't find the tag for this stunning variegated groundcover. It was growing in a tropical greenhouse.

Trachelospermum jasminoides, Confederate Jasmine, Star Jasmine "Madison", had a lovely intoxicating fragrance. Most sources only list Star Jasmine as being hardy to zone 8, but some gardeners do report success in zone 7.

Premier Rabbiteye Blueberry
These Premier Rabbiteye blueberries were ripening nicely in the Edible Garden

Can you feel the magic at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens? Even after the rest of the Imaginary Worlds exhibit wraps up, this Earth Goddess sculpture will remain as a permanent, living part of the gardens. Brilliant design!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

17 More Great Foliage Plants: Geranium sanguineum, Lady's Mantle, Fothergilla gardenii, Amsonia hubrichtii, Baptisia australis and more!


Can't get enough in the way of amazing leaves? In addition to all the wonderful plants showcased a few days ago, here are 17 more plants with beautiful foliage:

Juniperus virginiana "Grey Owl"
Juniperus virginiana "Grey Owl" 

Agastache foeniculum "Golden Jubilee" foliage
Agastache foeniculum, Anise Hyssop "Golden Jubilee" foliage

Hexastylis arifolia, Heartleaf Ginger foliage
OK, this is just a single leaf, but what a beauty! Hexastylis arifolia, Heartleaf Ginger, planted in spring of 2013, it disappeared, but has reappeared this year with two leaves (one off camera)


Fothergilla gardenii foliage
Fothergilla gardenii foliage

Epimedium x perralchicum "Frohnleiten" foliage
Epimedium x perralchicum "Frohnleiten" foliage 
Dianthus gratianopolitanus "Firewitch" foliage (and flowers)
Dianthus gratianopolitanus "Firewitch" foliage (and flowers)
Creeping Raspberry foliage
Creeping Raspberry foliage. Sure I lambasted Creeping Raspberry when I assessed its winter performance 5-6 weeks ago, but it seems to have bounced back nicely. Perhaps I just need to temper my expectations and think of this more as a die-back perennial than an evergreen groundcover on the zone 6-7 border?  
New red foliage on unknown crape myrtle
Most people plant Crape Myrtle for the flowers, but the foliage is looking darn good this year too -- especially on this unknown smallish crape on the north side of the house. It's gotten powdery mildew pretty bad in previous years, but the foliage looks clean so far in 2014.

Baptisia australis, Blue False Indigo foliage
Baptisia australis, Blue False Indigo foliage

Aronia melanocarpa, Black Chokeberry foliage
Aronia melanocarpa, Black Chokeberry foliage

Thuja occidentalis, American Arborvitae, DeGroot's Spire foliage
Thuja occidentalis, American Arborvitae, DeGroot's Spire foliage
Amsonia hubrichtii, Arkansas Bluestar foliage
Amsonia hubrichtii, Arkansas Bluestar foliage

Alchemilla mollis, Lady's Mantle foliage
Alchemilla mollis, Lady's Mantle foliage

Ajuga genevensis foliage
Ajuga genevensis foliage 
Agastache rugosa, Korean Mint, Honey Bee Blue foliage
Agastache rugosa, Korean Mint, Honey Bee Blue foliage

Geranium sanguineum "New Hampshire" foliage and flowers
Geranium sanguineum "New Hampshire" foliage and flowers

The felted leaves of Lamb's Ear "Helene von Stein" contrasts with the feathery foliage of Love-in-a-Mist
The felted leaves of Lamb's Ear "Helene von Stein" contrasts with the feathery foliage of Love-in-a-Mist