Virginia Sweetspires

Virginia Sweetspire
"Henry's Garnet"

One of my favorite native plants is called Virginia Sweetspire. The variety I planted is called "Henry's Garnet," named for the rich garnet red stems that can stop traffic during the winter. Leaves of this variety turn a deep rich velvety merlot color in the fall, wearing well the diamonds of frost.

Virginia Sweetspire naturalizes through root-suckering process, which can become a nuisance if planted in the wrong spot. Full sun keeps them more compact with the promise of scads of spring blooms. Springtime leaves are bright, chartreuse green that mellows and remains a light green throughout the summertime. Tassels of white flowers attract butterflies and bees, while the arching branches dance in the winds.

A Question mark butterfly dines
on Virginia Sweetspire in the spring

Virginia Sweetspires are perfect native plants for naturalized gardens and especially grand for erosion control. Drought doesn't bother them. I miss my Virginia Sweetspires and vow to plant some here this autumn so that I can bring some LIFE into this yard. Without flowers ones yard is simply lifeless. Birds, butterflies and bees just don't bother visiting. That will change.

Enjoy my autumnal and springtime Virginia Sweetspire pics!

Frosted Garden

Possumhaw Holly

Ilex decidua

Watching snowfall from the front porch of my mom's lake house, I was struck mute by the sheer beauty of my possumhaw hollies across the street. The bright red ilex decidua was heavily laden with plump, red berries. Fluffed up Mockingbirds would alight within its drooping branches, pick off a berry and fly off into the heavy flurries. Snowfall is rare here, and one of such beauty - sans ice - beckons this Southerner outdoors and across the street, to her home, her yard, to witness this miraculous dusting and record it for all time.

Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginica

Seed pods leftover from spring still adorn the mass planting of Virginia Sweetspires that ramble along the foundation of our home. Such sweet magic when I looked at them and the the hollies, topped with snow, through my new macro lens. The snowfall didn't consist of pretty little rounded circles of ice but instead sharp shards like broken glass.

Byer's Golden Possumhaw Holly
Ilex decidua

The golden possumhaw holly was not to be outdone by its red relative. The golden berries and slate gray leaves dusted with icy crystals is nearly mouth-wateringly beautiful.

Roads were closed for a spell, therefore road trips were infrequent. Did I see white pelicans?

...stay tuned...

The sign on the door reads...

Three years of drought and no real spring and injuries and no gardening all came to a screeching halt several weeks ago. We have had the most glorious, perfect, exhilarating Spring we've seen in a long, long, long time. Folks, I had to go out and garden! I've hauled rocks for new borders, I've planted roses, lantana, geraniums, tomatoes and herbs. We've cleared the bank and are preparing it for the native azaleas. I've weeded and mulched and pruned and created paths. Every day I hit the garden before dawn and worked most of the day. I simply could not sit down in front of a computer - it was not possible!

Today, it is raining so I have to stay inside and do indoor stuff....hence my first post in weeks. I've taken a few shots and will take many more in days to come.

My front porch with the ferns, coleus and geraniums and sedums and dwarf alberta spruces, fresh mulch, new rocks. Time to pressure wash the ole' sidewalk, I see.

I love the way the sweetspires cascade over the sidewalk. These long white blooming tassels attract all manner of butterflies, especially the Red-Spotted Purple swallowtails which I've not seen yet but watch for them with great anticipation.

This is one of two baby Rainbow Knock-Out Roses. They bloomed on the second day after planting and have bloomed every day since! These will be exquisite when they're fully grown. This particular rose will only get up to 4' high and wide, is completely resistant to black spot, mildew and rust. How perfect is that?

My guilty pleasure - sedums. I blew too much money early this spring on sedums simply because I love them. The kind of cabbagy looking plant in the tall blue pot is called "Hobbit's Foot," which is all I had to read - that was going in my yard in some capacity. The green pot upper left is a Silky Dogwood received for free from TVA upon attending a seminar on riparian zones. That will go on my bank along with the native azaleas. Most of the rocks I'm still in the process of placing came from a bank next to Wheeler Dam and are filled with all manner of fossils.

These are Virginia Sweetspire "Henry's Garnet." They are indigenous, sporting chartreuse leaves and white tassel blooms in spring. The word "garnet" comes into play during the winter, as the leaves shed to expose these amazing reddish-purple/burgundy stems. They turn 5 years old this year, and this is the prettiest they've ever been. They are literally stopping traffic. If I'm outside people ask what they are. Why they're not planted more I'm not sure. They do tend to colonize, so I'm constantly uprooting new shoots, but they root easily and I sell them in the Master Gardener annual plant sale. And give to friends! They're great on our banks.

Just so you all know that I'm still alive. In fact, I'm more alive than ever and outside playing in the dirt! (excuse me..."soil," for all you master gardeners out there - LOL!)