Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
You can find the perfect plant for a shady garden if you have part-shade or full-shade spots in your garden. Shade-tolerant plants can have flowers, colorful leaves, great patterns, or a combination. Choose between perennial plants and annuals for shade gardens.
The white-tailed deer population in Mississippi is pretty high at around 1.75 million. I think about a third of those are in my neighborhood. It certainly seems like there are that many when they start munching on my garden plants. They leave nothing but the roots. Hostas are like deer candy. I had several hosta plants that I was quite fond …
Continue Reading about Of Ferns and Fiddles – No Hostas Here
Despite the name, you’ll find this ‘weed’ in more and more gardens. Joe Pye Weed is a good garden staple for attracting pollinators from bees to butterflies. I planted it last fall and this summer the blooms have been prolific and I have seen all sorts of bees, wasps, and flies feeding on the nectar. Joe Pye weed flowers are gorgeous. The stem …
Continue Reading about Joe Pye Weed: Native Plant that Attracts Bees & Butterflies
A few years ago, I acquired a new plant that has quickly become one of my favorites - Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis). These stunning purple-blue flowers simply captured my heart. I really like incorporating native plants and flowers into my garden. They are easy to grow and very hardy AND they attract butterflies and hummingbirds. (Read my top …
Continue Reading about Stokes Aster – Native Plant With Beautiful Blue Flowers
In late spring and early summer, scentless mock orange (Philadelphus inodorus) is covered with bright white, 4-petaled flowers with a yellow center. These deciduous shrubs make a great privacy screen and are easy to grow. They can reach a height of 12 feet, so prune them back in summer, just after the flowers are over. (The blooms are produced …
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 a river or stream, in wetlands or boggy places, and …
Continue Reading about Spotted Jewelweed: Touch-me-not plant
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is a favorite of native plant gardeners for many reasons. If you're looking for a shrub that is hardy, produces beautiful flowers, can grow in the shade, and has lovely fall colors, look no further. Here are just a few of the reasons why I love this shrub: #1 The large white flowers (in the …
Continue Reading about 3 Top Reasons to Love the Oakleaf Hydrangea Shrub
