Gardens by Kelly Productions

From time to time, the biodiversity of the world imparts pearls of planty wisdom.  Gardening is a lifelong learning experience, one that never ceases to amaze me.  Though I’ve gardening for around 19 years of my life–at one time on a scale of marigolds and pumpkins, and at present on a scale of acres–I’m still just a learner.  The beauty of this buzzing 21st century life is that we grow together as a community of learners in a more connected way than we ever have before.

A few that have come to mind again lately, particularly during recent browsing on Annie’s Annuals website (a truly great source of plants)…

1) If it’s a kickass Salvia that I like, it’s naturally, not hardy. See here. I’m afraid this applies to more than Salvia.

2) It wouldn’t take much (only a truly suitable climate) to be completely beguiled by “hardy” Impatiens.  See here.

3) Certain specific epithets make you go “woah, that’s gotta be cool”.  Three I’ve encountered lately:  kilimanjari (from Mt. Kilimanjaro), namchabarwensis (from Namcha Barwa Canyon), michauxii (named for French botanist Andreas Michaux).

4) True plant nerds scour every public landscape for sports and mutants–constantly. (reminded after a student today goes ‘what are you doing?’ as I casually gawked my head at every overgrown viburnum, dogwood, lilac, etc. we walked past on campus)

5) We need to grow more bush clovers (Lespedeza spp.).  At first guess, I’d say they get a bad wrap because a few are weedy and invasive, but I’m not sure that many know even those.  The slender bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) blooms in July and has glistening foliage, a native of the Midwest.  I have found forms with superior, silver coloring than wild-type specimens that virtually shine.  Any mention of bush clovers must include ‘Samindare’, a cultivar of L. thunbergii.  I’ll take a photo of me doing a mosh pit in this thing in a few weeks.  It’s too damn terrific for words.  For now, a photo of flowers from last year.  Cultivation note–cut back to a foot high in spring (it’s a pseudo-woody kinda plant).