Author Archives: talesofanashvillegardener

This lovely shrub is Hypericum “Blues Festival”. Its blooms are not long lasting, but if this plant never bloomed it would still be striking because of its blue, shapely leaves and its superb form. I put this in the Goffstown Historical Society garden last fall. It was very small, but has tripled in size. IContinue reading “Good Form and Structure are Priceless”

Canna Ehemanii, an heirloom from the 1800’s, put up its first spike a few days ago, and today it bloomed. Usually its flowers dangle from 6 to 8 feet up, but this spike was smaller. It is rare, and available in limited numbers in the US. Our plant came from Old House Gardens in AnnContinue reading “Blooming Today at the Goffstown Historical Society- A Canna Like No Other.”

Above is the front porch garden of the Historical Society in Goffstown last year. Overgrown with weeds, blackberry bushes, and the invasive grass Rumex. The saponaria, or “Bouncing Bet” and the daylilies were preserved. and they are blooming now. / Here is a photo of the renovated beds. Yet to bloom in this border areContinue reading “A Year Ago- and Now”

In the Sunset Garden above, Agastache, French Marigolds, lantanas, crocosmia “Lucifer, and the Blue Porterweed are blooming. The porterweed is planted in butterfly gardens all over the country. It is a tender perennial, along with the tropical butterfly weed also shown here and a mainstay of bird, bee, and butterfly gardens. Rounding the corner, theContinue reading “Goffstown Historical Society Garden- Blooming Now.”

A few years back, when helping a friend restore and replant her garden , I put this canna in a bed on top of a retaining wall. When it bloomed my friend told me “I usually hate cannas, but I changed my mind when I saw this one”. This plant came from Plant Delights inContinue reading “Canna “Blueberry Sparkler””

In spring and early summer here in New Boston a pop up garden center appears beside the hardware store and Dodge’s grocery. It is not large. It is not open for long, but I drop in when I can because I have found plants there that I have not seen before and am afraid IContinue reading “Some Little Marigolds”

My sister and I drove to Spring Ledge in New London yesterday. She was searching for two shrubs to plant in her front border. I did not know what I was searching for, though I always know what it is when I see it. There was an incomparable pale pink scaevola in some of theContinue reading “The Chocolate Cosmos”

Note- Time Stamp is wrong on some of these photos. Purely an operator malfunction! “Morden Centennial” is a rose out of Canada, so I was not surprised that there was no dieback through this past winter. No disease either, though the leaf holes and damage come courtesy of the wicked Sawfly which lays its eggsContinue reading “The Month of Roses”

When I work in the garden I volunteer in, I can hear a Wood Thrush up in the trees, Canada Geese honking on their way to the river, the argumentative back and forth of the House Sparrows. But nearest and loudest of all is the bubbling song of the House Wren, familiar to people everywhere.Continue reading “The House with the Stovepipe Hat”

I have over three dozen pots of zinnias, marigolds, and cosmos in my front dooryard. They are in Sterilite boxes that are easily covered when the chill and storms come. All are going to a small public garden at a local historical site in around two to four weeks or as soon as they areContinue reading “Seedling Army”