moist soil Archives - Garden Experiments

The First Spring Wildflowers

Garden Experiments — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 10:44:59 +0000

The first flowers to show their faces after winter are the native wildflowers. By mid to late-March, they are usually in full bloom, even after a quick dip in the temperatures. Choosing to incorporate native plants in to your garden is a great idea if you want hardy plants that can tolerate the local soil […]

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Japanese Honeysuckle vs Native Honeysuckle Vine

Garden Experiments — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 14:12:16 +0000

Have you ever plucked a honeysuckle flower, turned it around, and gently sucked the nectar from the tube-shaped back of the flower? If you grew up in the southeastern U.S., I bet you did. That taste of super-sweet honey nectar always makes me think of summer nights spent chasing fireflies and summer days spent running […]

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Obedient Plant – Physostegia virginiana

Garden Experiments — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 15:11:00 +0000

Deer-resistant AND it can grow in clay soil – what’s not to love about obedient plants? Native plants are favorites of mine because they are particularly suited for the local conditions (soil, heat, drought or rain, clay soil) of my area. When I find those native plants with particularly pretty flowers, I add them to […]

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Buttonbush for Wet Soils and Cool Blooms!

Garden Experiments — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 21:56:07 +0000

Nature produces some interesting shapes, which is true for the flower of the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Common buttonbush (or buttonwillow) produces these crazy-looking little spiky ball-like blooms of compound florets. They’re pretty cool, actually, and both bees and butterflies agree. I recently caught this skipper butterfly feeding on a buttonbush flower while hiking in the […]

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Virginia Spring Beauty – Claytonia virginica

Garden Experiments — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 14:57:29 +0000

When I reach my limit with the bleakness of winter and cold temperatures, the tiniest pink striped flowers start to poke their heads out of lawns and ditches. To me, the Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is a harbinger of spring and warmer weather. These wildflowers bloom just before the false garlic – so they […]

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Spotted Jewelweed: Touch-me-not plant

Garden Experiments — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 22:39:07 +0000

If you’ve got soil that stays wet most of the time, then spotted jewelweed is the plant for you. It’s native to most of the lower 48 states and prefers shade to part-shade – even better! In its native habitat, you’ll find it alongside roads in ditches that stay wet most of the time, alongside […]

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Louisiana Irises

Garden Experiments — Sat, 30 May 2015 22:27:51 +0000

If you want an iris that has a lot of color but is very low maintenance, maybe the Louisiana iris if for you. The wide variety of colors and shapes in these irises make them very popular. This is a favorite of mine and I find the unique flowers gorgeous. The leaves are attractive, providing […]

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Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus coccineus): Hardy Native for Wet Soils

Garden Experiments — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 23:24:14 +0000

Have you got swampy soil? Then this is the perfect flowering plant solution for your garden. Native to the marshes and swamps of the southeastern states – from Louisiana to North Carolina –swamp mallows (Hibiscus coccineus) prefer wet soil and even standing water. Swamp Mallow is Perfect for Wet Soil I had one spot in […]

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