Category Archives: wildflowers

Tatters of Winter, Songs of Spring

Posted on February 12, 2018 by aheronsgarden

Sunny Days Slip in Between the Raindrops! Winter took a long time coming this year. In fact, I was so lulled by spectacular fall colors and balmy temperatures that I quite forgot to put the garden to sleep. Then I … Continue reading →

Posted in garden maintenance, Native Plants, snow storm, spring bloom, Uncategorized, wildflowers, Winter | Tagged seeds, Wildlife, winter | 8 Comments

Missing Summer — Already?

Posted on November 11, 2015 by aheronsgarden

I can’t believe I spent most of the summer fretting about too much heat too much humidity too much sun and not enough rain, and now that cool weather is here, I am already wishing I could have another go … Continue reading →

Posted in fall bloom, Native Plants, wildflowers | Tagged beautyberry, Blue Mist, boltonia, Devil's Walking Stick, Japanese anemone, joepye weed, Magic Lily, Naked Ladies, native swamp hibiscus, obedient plant, Rain lilies, rhexia, Rose of Sharon, sneezeweed, Swamp Sunflower, Turks cap, woolly summersweet | 1 Comment

Midsummer Madness

Posted on September 7, 2015 by aheronsgarden

The thing about spring is its order. There is a natural progression starting from bare twigs, bare earth to lovely bloom. There is space, precious precious space, for plants to expand and show off. Insects are usually a little behind … Continue reading →

Posted in summer bloom, Uncategorized, wildflowers, yellow flowers | Tagged confederate jasmine, joepye weed, lantana 'Dallas Red, Missouri Sundrops, perilla, salvia guaranitica, shrubby st johnswort, sweet autumn clematis, woodland sunflower | Leave a comment

The Bee Report

Posted on August 31, 2015 by aheronsgarden

We owe the beleaguered honeybee and his friends Bam! Statistics on honeybee survival leave you reeling. Take a look at some news items released this year. (Bold italics my emphasis.) From Reuters in May, 2015 comes this alarming report: “Honey … Continue reading →

Posted in butterflies, Hobby Beekeeping, Honeybees, Native pollinators, Neonicotinoids, wildflowers, yellow flowers | Tagged Bee Informed Partnership, beekeeping, butterflies, honey bee colonies, honeybees, native plants, native pollinators, neonicotonoids | 1 Comment

Serendipity Twice Around

Posted on October 22, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Fifteen years ago I did a piece for a garden column about three native fall-bloomers that I discovered in the rich remains of a defunct compost pile. The trio tickled me each time I passed them. They seemed to hum … Continue reading →

Posted in Native Plants, summer bloom, wildflowers | Tagged aster divaricatus, chelone glabra, chelone lyonii, great blue lobelia, lobelia syphilicita, pink turtlehead, white turtlehead, white wood aster | Leave a comment

A Pollinator’s Heaven

Posted on September 7, 2014 by aheronsgarden

I wish we could say we were brilliant and actually planned this little bit of heaven. Like everything else in our garden, it simply evolved. It happened this way. Several trees, their structure internally damaged by Hurricane Isabel, had to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creating a Garden, fall bloom, Native Plants, Native pollinators, summer bloom, Uncategorized, wildflowers | Tagged boltonia, Cutleaf Coneflower, Daylily, fall bloomers, Hidcote st johnswort, joepye weed, native plants, native pollinators, perilla, salvia guaranitica, shrubby st johnswort, skullcap (scuttelaria), summer bloomers, Swamp Sunflower, Tatarian aster, Turks cap, wildflowers, woodland sunflower | Leave a comment

The Taming of the Garden

Posted on August 2, 2013 by aheronsgarden

The other day I turned my back on the garden—just for a moment, mind you. Well doggone it, that corn grew as high as an elephant’s eye. You are thinking, perhaps, What a bonanza of good eating. Not so. No … Continue reading →

Posted in garden maintenance, invasive vines, Summer, Uncategorized, wildflowers | Tagged crossvine, Daylily, decorative fencing, elephant ear, invasive vines, lizard tail, mullein, rudbeckia goldsturm, swamp iris, trumpetvine, weeds, weigela, wild aster | Leave a comment

Sunbeams in my Garden

Posted on June 26, 2013 by aheronsgarden

Overheard in the garden after a long rainy spell. . . You’re looking lovely as ever, dear Mrs. Cottontail. Tell me, can you help me find the sun today? No, I’ve not seen the sun, Wolf. And don’t sweet-talk me … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, fall bloom, Native Plants, Seeds for birds, spring bloom, Summer, summer bloom, wildflowers, yellow flowers | Tagged Boston Ivy, Columbine, coreopsis, Cutleaf Coneflower, Daffodil Tahiti, Daylily, fall bloomers, Golden Ragwort, Goldenrod, goldfinches, Missouri Sundrops, native plants, Rudbeckia Irish Eyes, Southern Indian azaleas, spring bloomers, St. Johnswort, summer bloomers, Swamp Sunflower, Yellow Flag Iris | Leave a comment

Intrigue at the Blue Mist Discos

Posted on September 14, 2012 by aheronsgarden

It’s September and Blue Mist Discos are open everywhere, reminding me that, yes, it is September, and it is their time to open. Next spring I’ll be pulling tired old skeletons left from fall carousing and waiting till next fall … Continue reading →

Posted in wildflowers, Wildlife | Tagged anemone, butterflies, coreopsis, fall bloomers, gallardia, insects, mistflower, roadside weeds, wildflowers | 1 Comment

More Meatballs and Lollipops, Please

Posted on August 4, 2012 by aheronsgarden

Years ago, a certain company offered two types of fantastic seed tapes. Each one was guaranteed to produce instant results for cottage gardeners and formal gardeners alike. In case you want to follow up on this terrific offer, the order … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Creating a Garden, Hosta, Hydrangeas, Native Plants, Summer, Uncategorized, wildflowers, Wildlife | Tagged agastache, cardinal flower, crepe myrtle, deer, elderberries, fennel, Garden Paths, hummingbirds, New York ironweed, spider web, trumpet creeper vine, wildflowers, Wildlife | Leave a comment