Crocosmia - A hummingbird lovin', summer color perennial that will easily grow in your yard

It is this time of the year; hot and humid, sticky and sweaty. Being out in the yard during July and August can wear on you, but being around a plant in flower can make it more pleasant. Compared to spring and early summer, there aren't as many plants blooming in mid summer that can engage you and divert your attention from mosquitoes and the 100+ heat index. One such plant is the little used Crocosmia.

PHOTO LEFT: Crocosmia will definitely attract hummingbirds and butterflies





Crocosmia are actually from the Iris family. They are perennial and grow from corms (bulb shaped roots). The foliage is somewhat gladiola-like, but the foliage isn't why you plant Crocosmia

The Crocosmia I have in my yard just started blooming in the last couple of weeks. These plants are not on my regular watering route, yet they grow and bloom, every year, without fail. Crocosmia blooms are typically orange or red. Mine are orange and really stand out because the hue is bright and solid.

PHOTO ABOVE: Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

There are several Crocosmia varieties to choose from including Lucifer (red, of course), Bright Eyes (orange w/ red throat), Emberglow (orange red), and Babylon (deep reddish orange). These varieties and others also vary in bloom size, plant size, etc.


PHOTO RIGHT: Crocosmia 'Babylon'




What else is there to know about Crocosmia? They are notorious attractors of hummingbirds and butterflies. They're easy to divide and move throughout your yard or give away. They make great cut flowers. Crocosmia usually fall in the Zone 6 to 10 range, making them perfectly suited to our Southeastern climate. Try to plant them in full sun ot part shade and avoid particularly wet areas. Spring is a great time to pick up Crocosmia from your local nurseries. I can't say that I have seen it at the big box stores, so give the real nurseries a call and see what they have. Give it a whirl!

Do not scroll down if you have a bad case of arachnophobia

Grand Daddy Long Leg Convention

PHOTO ABOVE: Click on photo for an enhanced view.

Thank you, Linda, for taking this awesome picture of these spiders enjoying the shade of fig leaves.

Recommended Quick Trip...

PHOTO LEFT: Here is a shot I took of the Horton Mill Covered Bridge, located just a few miles down the road from the Oneonta Wal-Mart












If you just happen to be in the area or want to make a day trip out of it, Oneonta has a lot to offer... for such a small town. There are several covered bridges in Oneonta that you can visit. As for driving across them, I'm not sure about that. I do remember driving across the Horton Mill Bridge several years ago. I had my son, Jake, along for the ride the last time I crossed over the bridge and I have to say, it was exciting, scary, and nostalgic, all at the same time.


VIDEO ABOVE: Would I have driven across the bridge if it hadn't been roped off? Sure, adventure is my middle name!



One block off of main street, there are several cool shops where you can browse local folk art (Donna and I are the proud owners of a beautiful brown hand made fruit bowl that we purchased a few years back), antiques, old time hardware, and more. And there are more than just a few good eateries around town that will satisfy any craving you might have.
A few miles outside of Oneonta, you can visit Palisades Park. There are some awesome rock outcrops and bluffs there. Palisades Park is a great place to go rappelling or simply take in the awesome scenery.
If rock peaks your curiosity, stop in at one of the many stone companies located in Oneonta. You can kill a half hour or more just dreaming about what you could do in your yard with a pallet or two of rock.
For more information on Oneonta and Blount County, try this web site: http://www.blountoneontachamber.org/

New Photos from Judy

The use of garden art, containers and well placed perennials
is a good way to soften stone work.(Click on the picture for a closer look)

About a couple or so years ago, I met Judy and Johnny about doing some work at the home they were building in Shelby county. I ended up building a wall around their parking pad area (actually, the wall came first) along with steps and a flagstone walkway. I also dug up some of Judy's plants from the home she previously lived in for her to plant at her new home. It wasn't long before I became keenly aware that Judy had a wonderful touch with plants...she's quite knowledgeable and has a great eye!

Judy was nice enough to send me some updated pictures of the work I did at their home along with all the landscaping she has done herself to make it all look so much nicer than it did those two years ago when I mortared in the first stones. I'm thrilled to see how she's made the whole area really flow. I hope you enjoy the pics and here is a link to see what it looked liked before Judy's eye took over - http://themanfromearth.blogspot.com/2008/01/stone-and-brick-can-work-together.html


A long, pretty drive leads up to Judy and Johnny's home.

This is the view from below the parking pad where I believe

I see some hosta, maidenhair fern, holly fern, nine bark and

several other interesting plants to go along with some nice

raised stone beds she installed herself (I'm sure with Johnny's

help, when he wasn't fishing)

My brush with fame....

It's a stretch, I know. My buddy, Jimmy Rockett of Bug Juice Gardens on Shelby Hwy 43, does a television spot on gardening every Wednesday on FOX 6 and today he did a spot on ponds and waterfalls. The pond he featured? It was one I built about 5 years ago. Here's the link:

http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=A96D00BB407E6279B0A21F9C7C38D46B?contentId=6895094&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1
(my blogspot "insert a link" option isn't working for me, so you can simply copy and paste this address to your browser, and it will take you to the video)

Thanks Jimmy! You did a great job!

Water through a wall

A client of mine had a retaining wall built along the back of his house and he left a 5 or 6 foot wide hole in the wall for me to put a water feature in. Sorry about the video quality...I kind of just wanted to see if the video feature from my phone (I've only dropped my phone into a pond once, so far) could make it to my garden blog.
As for the noise at the end of the video clip...my wife, Donna asked, "is that your stomach?" No, it isn't! Ha Ha Ha!

Purple Cone Power!

No, I meant to say power...the flower with power! The power to lure you closer for a look see; urging you to say out loud, "Wow! I love your purple coneflower!". Ooops, sorry I was getting a bit over dramatic, there.

But indeed, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an eye catcher, and on my scale of "easy-to-grow" perennials, purple cone flowers rate pretty high. They like full to part sun and a nice, well-drained soil. I really like the idea of working organic matter such as soil conditioner or even bagged top soil into the the area I'm planting purple coneflower to a depth of 12" (or more, if the soil is compacted). After they become established, purple cone flowers are pretty drought tolerant.
Once planted, dead heading the first batch of blooms, which first appear in mid-June to early July, will likely lead to some extra blooming later in the summer. If the situation is right, you'll find purple coneflower to reward you by spreading to form a nice colony of plants that will make a great show in your garden for years to come and also allow you to dig up some to move to another locale. By the way, purplecone flowers really attract butterflies!
Finally, extracts from Echinacea are said to provide valuable medicinal properties. All parts of the plant, including the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc., have been used to treat a variety of ailments. It's a very popular plant amongst herbalists.
There are quite a few varieties of Echinacea purpurea that you may want to try:


'Magnus' purple cone flower (photo,right)

'Magnus' - 1998 Perennial Plant of the Year. Large, 6 inch rose-magenta flowers with petals that are more horizontal, rather than than the pendulous nature you see quite often in seedling purple coneflower.

'White Swan' - An Echinacea with white petals. I've found it just as easy to grow as the species and varieties such as Magnum.


'White Swan' Coneflower (photo, right)

'Evan Saul' - A non-purple purple coneflower! This cone flower came from a nursery in Atlanta, GA, as a result of some cross pollination between E. purpurea and E. paradoxa. It is said to be a vigorous grower. I have not, as of yet, seen it available in our local nurseries.



'Evan Saul' Coneflower (photo, left)