today's flower: dwarf iris

the first dwarf iris of a bunch shot up this past weekend.

weekend gardening events

there is much to do this weekend in the garden and out, coast to coast.

Coastal Growers' Market Saunderstown, RI

Saturday, May 14, 2011 — Saturday, October 29, 2011

Designing with California Friendly Plants Irvine, CA

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Knowing Native Plants: Trees of BHWP New Hope, PA

Saturday, October 29, 2011

2011 Green Industry Conference Louisville, KY

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 — Saturday, October 29, 2011

how to make an umbrella from a plant

from my friend barry at sunshine farm & garden comes this wonderful shade loving 'american umbrella leaf' plant, Diphylleia cymosa. reminds me of a may apple, and rightfully so as they are related, but barry says the umbrella leaf is like a may apple on steroids, though! i love the idea that woodland creatures and birds take refuge under the umbrella-like leaves during rainstorms. the plant sounds easy to grow and propagate as the umbrella leaf is native to several southeastern states and apparently is hardy in all 50
(even hawaii?!): wow! 

forest of ferns

i snapped this photo of native ferns while out on yesterday morning's walk with oto. we had our first freeze warning last night here: i wonder how they fared!

beautiful beauty bush

How gorgeous is this beauty berry bush? purple and green is one of my favorite color combinations!

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farm fresh market near the white house

grab some fresh stuff on the way home tonight at the farm fresh farmers market near the white house.

own a share of your farmer's market

if you missed yesterday's liberty farmer's market and cant make it to the fresh farm market near the white house tomorrow, head to clagett farm to pick up your share of the bounty. Clagett Farm is a working farm, owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. they grow vegetables for their Community Supported Agriculture program, raise grass fed cattle and have a native tree nursery on more than 285 acres. you can purchase a `share’ to become a member of the farm, and each week, from mid-May to mid-November, they divide their harvest by the number of shares. members can visit the farm at any time to check it out or to harvest as much as they want from the items on the you-pick list. The you-pick list might include flowers, herbs, and any vegetables in abundance, such as tomatoes or collard greens. maybe, pumpkins? i think i am going to do this if only for the vegetable-growing-knowledge i hope to gain...not to mention the deliciousness!

what is this shrub?

i love this plant, i just dont know what it is! it's not that i am lazy: i dont have any of my books over here in virginia...i do have the internet though...ok, maybe it is because i am lazy...this is a lovely shrub that blooms daisies in october! i have to water this woody guy (like a hydrangea) a lot during summer, so it cant be a native to this semi-arid area.
really pretty.

Virginia creeper

how gorgeous is this Virginia creeper?
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iris alert

when we bought the place, there was this very small patch of beautiful green and blue mini iris-type leaves near the entry steps: a few weeks later lovely little purple flowers shot up! after four years, the patch has spread to about 2'x3' and its annual blooms are one of spring's highlights around here! i had never seen the plant sold anywhere, so i planned on digging and dividing it this fall. searching sunshine farm & garden's website this afternoon, i see they are selling it! it is called iris verna, and it is a native species wild flower to many east coast and mid atlantic states. i ordered a bunch for the upcoming river bed garden, but i think i will still divide the patch i already have.

blooming postage stamps

they have been around for about a year, but i still love the idea of the blooming postage stamp put out by the dutch postal service. not that i am getting anything other than bills these days!

short and sweet

iris verna is gorgeous! a wild flower native to seventeen eastern states, hardy most everywhere: you can find this diminuitive doll at sunshine farm and gardens. short...sweet... and deerproof, too!

native plants of matyland

this past thursday, i attended maryland master gardener annual training day held at the university of maryland's college park campus. it was awesome to meet all 600+ attendees from all over the state! the volunteers from the native plants of maryland group were so wonderful and had gorgeous specimens! you can get all their info and their, i mean "our" plants, too.