tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176036208413827132024-03-18T23:47:43.365-05:00Garden of AaronAdventures in gardening on Tennessee clay soilAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-58273595107457061302021-08-15T12:25:00.002-05:002021-08-15T19:44:07.832-05:00Meet the Burr Gherkin That's not a hedgehog in my palm -- it's a burr gherkin!It looks like a little spiky cucumber.(And to be honest, it kind of tastes like a little spiky cucumber.)But it's not really a cucumber (same genus, different species).It's my first year growing burr gherkins after I was gifted some seeds by a kind farmer friend (Thanks, Brittney!).They have not been all that productive yet (I've only Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.58044737.2072574638211577 -121.7366973 63.827725136178849 -51.4241973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-16712395987662405662021-03-10T17:38:00.002-06:002021-03-11T07:19:00.066-06:00These Buds are For YouSome buds are still wrapped tight, but flowers starting to unfurl...Spring is a time of hope and promise in my Middle Tennessee garden.Prunus tomentosa (downy cherry, bush cherry) Ribes aureum, Ribes odoratum (golden currant, clove currant)Ribes aureum... I expect the flowers with their delicious clove fragrance to start opening in the next few days. If you're looking for a shrub with Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.58044737.2072574638211577 -121.7366973 63.827725136178849 -51.4241973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-76373554259214842392020-06-17T19:28:00.003-05:002020-06-18T11:00:31.942-05:00Evenings with a Blue Bird"Blue Bird" rose of Sharon, that is... 😏(Mea culpa... I originally identified the shrub below as 'Blue Satin'. There is a 'Blue Satin' rose of Sharon, but the one I have is called 'Blue Bird', as pointed out by Dottie in her comment below.)
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-3139251998908593632020-06-13T09:46:00.001-05:002020-06-13T09:46:18.081-05:00Butterflyweed or Bumblebee weed?
Asclepius tuberosa is commonly known as butterflyweed.But as this photo shows, that might be a misnomer.Check out my video on YouTube for other evidence that "bumblebee weed" might be a better name for this marvelous perennial. 😉Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-17955424207191513042020-06-10T17:23:00.000-05:002020-06-10T17:23:39.022-05:00Penstemon Party
Penstemon digitalisI've been experimenting with using more Penstemons in the garden recently.I grew Penstemon digitalis (foxglove penstemon) in the garden years ago and removed it for reasons that I can no longer recall. I think in those days I might have been obsessed with long bloom cycles and maybe wasn't impressed that P. digitalis bloomed for 'only' a few weeks in the spring?PenstemonAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-84727378109792900212020-05-21T12:09:00.001-05:002020-05-21T12:09:30.058-05:00Three Shots in the Garden - May 2020 Edition - Carefree Beauty rose, oakleaf hydrangea, smooth phlox
'Carefree Beauty' rose.The rose is truly carefree in terms of being tough and self-sufficient, but......it can get enormous if not cut back and has vicious thorns......so best to take some care when pruning it. 😬
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) flower panicles
Smooth phlox (Phlox glaberrima) in bloom
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-59929161997003998142020-03-05T17:52:00.002-06:002020-03-05T17:52:52.153-06:00Early spring flowers and foliage -- hyacinths, wild bergamot, hoary mountain mint, redbud buds and more! Happy 2020.
Yes, it's already March, but frankly there was not much that I wanted to document in my Middle Tennessee garden in January or February.
Now, though, things have changed.
I limbed up some of the volunteer redbuds (Cercis canadensis) this winter. It looks like they should bloom soon. The buds are very pretty.
The hyacinths are blooming. On warm, sunny, still days, the Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-83452191664789830422019-07-08T11:24:00.001-05:002019-07-08T11:24:13.801-05:00Bees and Partridge Peas
Every day, I count my lucky stars when I go into the garden and see the buzzing bumblebees in the partridge peas (Chamaecrista fasciculata).
I started with just a few partridge pea seeds - from Kansas Native Plants, I think - and now I have more partridge pea plants than I could count. They do self-seed with abandon, but it's easy to pull any excess volunteers and they're so beautiful and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-23833198766897242272019-04-14T15:38:00.001-05:002019-04-14T15:38:54.322-05:00Rose Petty Rules!
Apologies for the wind noise in the video, but the rose petty (Erigeron pulchellus) flower stalks sway so prettily on a blustery day...
If you garden in this plant's native range, I highly encourage experimenting with it as a groundcover!
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-5706177813400871252019-03-12T15:23:00.002-05:002019-03-12T15:23:19.527-05:00Happy 2019 and Happy Almost Spring!Happy 2019!(OK, so it's March, but it's the first blog post of 2019, so I'm sending happy wishes regardless.)
As Spring peeks around the corner, I thought I'd send this encouraging photo of a Camellia japonica blossom.
You don't see too many camellias around here in Middle Tennessee. They're marginally hardy - susceptible to extreme damage if we have a winter with below-average Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-8963753651604179542018-07-19T07:05:00.000-05:002018-07-19T07:05:07.590-05:00Turtle TimeSo happy to see this turtle enjoying a walk in the rain on my back patio a couple of days ago:
I'm no herpetologist, but it looks like an eastern box turtle to me.
Do you have turtles in your garden?
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-18921785027790603182018-06-15T08:00:00.000-05:002018-06-15T08:00:03.295-05:00Another Wonderful Groundcover - Golden Groundsel, Packera speciesIn April of last year, I profiled one of my favorite groundcovers - Robin's plantain (Erigeron pulchellus).
Well, here's another beauty - golden groundsel.
There's just one problem, I've ordered and planted two species of golden groundsel (they have the same common name) - Packera aurea and Packera obovata.
And I can't tell them apart in my garden. Or perhaps only one species survived? Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-91268368439318570162018-06-12T10:44:00.000-05:002018-06-12T10:44:17.939-05:00A Bevy of June Blooms and Pollinators -- Anise Hyssop, Milkweed, Monarda and More!
It's been a HOT start to summer in Tennessee.
In fact, since mid-May we've been running 5 to 15 degrees above normal every day -- that means lots of days in the high 80s and low 90s with high humidity. At the same time, we've had less rain than usual, so plants are being asked to cope with the double whammy of higher than normal temperatures and less water than usual.
Nonetheless, as you can Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-28453533461659639812018-05-29T16:20:00.001-05:002018-05-29T16:21:51.917-05:00The Redbud is the King of Hearts
Redbuds mostly (and deservedly) get love and appreciation for their eponymous buds and the springtime flowers that festoon their branches.
But check out the leaves on this Cercis canadensis! Here's a tree with a lotta heart...
PS - You know the other great thing about redbuds? Free seedlings! We started with four redbud trees. Now we have eight, plus a number of new babies that sprouted Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-40115322588105023052018-05-23T10:59:00.001-05:002018-05-23T10:59:37.782-05:00In the Merry Month of May...
...there are arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) buds...
...and blooms.
An arrowwood viburnum volunteered next to the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) in the front foundation, which is fortuitous since they both have complementary white flowers and bloom around the same time...
I planted that oakleaf hydrangea way too close to the house. (I was young and foolish in those Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-79843135732968849722018-04-24T21:51:00.000-05:002018-04-24T21:51:27.648-05:00Life Could Be a Dream
Cue The Crew Cuts...
My wife chooses the tulips for our garden. I've gotta admit, she knows how to pick some beauties...
Tulipa 'Dream Touch' from Brent and Becky's Bulbs
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.ig-b-v-24 { width: 137px; height: 24px; background: Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-81210894276010510202018-04-17T08:00:00.000-05:002018-04-17T08:00:09.136-05:00One of the Best Groundcovers - Erigeron puchellus, Robin's plantain
I've sung the praises of groundcovers for years.
But it's hard to find the right groundcover - one that is assertive enough to spread and block weeds, but not so aggressive that it rampages over the landscape.
I tend to prefer and seek out native plants -- because I think they contribute to a 'sense of place', because I think they tend to fit into an intricate web of ecosystem services that I Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com14Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-67280653871449518532018-04-13T21:02:00.004-05:002018-04-13T21:03:19.021-05:00Long Live Moss!
Sorry I've been remiss about posting recently. I blame the long, cold, wet winter / early spring. (I may have proclaimed winter dead back in February, but it came back with a vengeance in March.)
Anyway, I have a backlog of photos I've been wanting to post, including these shots of moss in its sporophyte phase.
I really like moss. A lot. I wish I had more of it. It's soft. It's carefree. It's Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com2Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-56687963968465616842018-02-26T08:00:00.000-06:002018-02-26T08:00:30.355-06:00The Stages of a Blue Hyacinth
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@media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com2Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-48735760293825252342018-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:002018-02-28T18:58:14.811-06:00Winter is Dead
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
"Winter is dead."
- A. A. Milne, When We Were Very Young
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.ig-b-v-24 { width: 137px; height: 24px; background: url(//badges.instagram.com/Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-23600624018721488822018-02-18T18:47:00.002-06:002018-02-18T18:49:29.262-06:002018 -- Let's get this party started with some clove currant!
Hello and a belated happy 2018 to all you cheerful chipmunks out there! 🐹
Sorry for the radio silence recently. The garden was relatively dormant. The weather was chilly and/or windy and/or rainy. And I had a busted camera that kept me from documenting the winter landscape.
(Don't worry... you didn't miss much.)
So now I'm back with a new and improved camera in hand.
So come along forAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-18053970973267901582017-12-05T17:42:00.001-06:002017-12-05T17:42:35.629-06:00The December Salad
Don't get too excited -- I didn't grow this whole bowl of salad goodness. The bulk of the green leaves came from the amazing organic farmers at Bloomsbury Farm. But the Shin Kuroda carrots, Rouge d'Hiver lettuce and corn salad (all grown with seeds from Sow True Seed) came from the backyard and were pulled about 10 minutes before they made their way into this bowl. I think I would have gotten Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-81005629351271972162017-11-20T11:05:00.002-06:002017-11-20T11:05:58.148-06:00The skinniest carrot ever (and two decent daikon radishes)
The daikon radishes shown above are volunteers from a spring crop. They grew bigger in the spring, but these are still a decent size. Recently, the deer have discovered the crop and are munching away at the top growth, so I don't know if the roots still in the ground will get much bigger.
The carrots were sown in September. I've since learned that University of Tennessee does not recommend Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-47159602883977095342017-10-02T17:57:00.001-05:002017-10-02T18:02:33.271-05:00Strawberries Must Go!
Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) doing what it does best - covering ground. Photo by Patrick Standish
I thought that I had it all figured out.
But that's what gardening is good at -- Just when you're feeling cocky, it pulls the rug out and shows you who's boss.
At first, I thought wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) would be the answer to my prayers. I've been searching for a tough Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com0Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617603620841382713.post-41859450836934171002017-07-23T07:30:00.000-05:002017-07-23T07:35:41.049-05:00The Mad Seed Starter
Considering hanging up my indoor seed-starting hat forever...
I'm hopping mad --- at myself.
I'm mad at myself for failing - consistently and repeatedly - with my efforts to start plants from seed indoors.
I don't have any problem raising plants (at least certain plants) from seed outdoors, but I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to starting seeds in pots indoors.
Well, actually, my first Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07402416428574401646noreply@blogger.com8Tennessee, USA35.5174913 -86.580447328.9331698 -96.9075958 42.101812800000005 -76.25329880000001