Boltonia asteroides “Snowbank” to be precise! Never heard of it? Neither had I until this past July when I saw it at the garden center. But this plant has some history. It’s an American wildflower! Nicknames for it are White Doll’s Daisy and Wild Aster. It definitely has the qualities of both an aster and a daisy. It is also sometimes called Starflower. The clump shown in the photo isn’t all that impressive because I planted it only a couple of months ago. It just started blooming for me in mid-September. At full-strength, this plant should get up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. This will be something else to look forward to on the cusp of fall when many of my other flowers are waning.
Archive for September, 2010
Plant of the Day: Boltonia!
Posted in Uncategorized on September 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »
(Not so) Obedient Plant
Posted in Uncategorized on September 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
We gardeners love to make jokes about this flower, because the name is so at odds with its behavior in the garden. I’m told it was named this way because the flower stems are easy to bend and work with in flower arranging, which may be true. I’m not one for bringing cut flowers indoors so I haven’t tried it myself. What I do know is that it is very easy to make more Obedient Plants. Just wait a year or two and the clump will be big enough to divide. Which is actually kind of nice. I love flowers that make more of themselves, and as this is clump-forming, it’s easy to control. This bushy, robust plant is 2-3 feet tall, hardy to Zone 3, and starts blooming in late August/September. Its flowers are most commonly found in purple, but there are white and pink varieties out there. It’s one of those plants that you don’t truly appreciate until September, and then you are very glad you have it. And if you don’t have it, seriously, just ask another gardener. I would bet money they have a clump to spare. There is no need to ever buy an Obedient Plant!
Sweet Autumn Clematis
Posted in Uncategorized on September 11, 2010| 1 Comment »
Sweet Autumn Clematis is one of the few things we Zone 5 gardeners have to look forward to in September. This vine doesn’t start blooming until late August and continues until a hard frost. As you can see, the tiny, star-like white flowers form clouds all over the vine. And the flowers, as the name would imply, have a sweet, honeysuckle scent. This vine does well in sun or part-shade and tolerates all sorts of growing conditions. To keep it full, trim in the spring. One note, this vine propagates by seed, so you do end up getting many little baby vines starting up every year. But I think the risk is worth it. And in the interest of full disclosure, the photo above was taken in my mother’s yard. I have recently started growing my own vine (from a seedling from her yard) and it is not yet ready for its close-up. However, I look forward to hiding more of my unattractive chain link fence with this helpful vine next season.
What’s Eating My Pepper Plant?
Posted in Uncategorized on September 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Cait's Garden 