Far From Loam

You’re getting warmer…

brendapharm — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:05:33 +0000

In news that’s sure to get global warming advocates gloating, the USDA has issued a new zone map for the first time since 1990, and the big change is that half of American gardeners will learn they’re now in a warmer zone. The truth is that the revision owes more to improved computer technology than to actual climate change; today’s tools allow more accurate measurement of geography-driven micro-climates and the like.

So for those of you who are already zone-pushing experimenters, it’s not your imagination (or necessarily your green thumb…ouch!) that outdoor sub-tropicals are sometimes within your reach.

For me, on the other hand, it changes little in that dark, muddy, toxic microclimate I call “my backyard.”

USDA has provided a handy interactive tool here that allows you to take a closer look at your own state.

Thanks to the always-informative Margaret Roach at the delightful awaytogarden.com for the heads-up.

Breathtaking Border

brendapharm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:38:28 +0000

From a gorgeous article in Fine Gardening magazine, about Jimmy Williams’ “Tennessee Dixter” garden in Tennessee, inspired of course by the late great Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter. The link goes to a plant list.

Liven Up Your Long Border – Plant IDs – Fine Gardening Article.

Cheekwood Botanical Garden, Nashville, TN

brendapharm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:23:14 +0000

iI’ve used this photo from Garden Design magazine as my screensaver for years without knowing where it was taken. I was just cleaning out some old magazines and lo and behold, there was this photo in an article about the use of grasses in containers at Cheekwood.

This lucky discovery has inspired me to create a new category for this blog, Gardens to Visit. A girl can dream, can’t she?

Grasses as Container Plants | Garden Design.

Ribes sanguineum: Winter flowering currant

brendapharm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:03:18 +0000

A gorgeous easy-care shrub native to the Pacific northwest. I’ll have to research how it does here in the northeast.

Aralia elata ‘Silver Umbrella’ , variegated Japanese angelica tree

brendapharm — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:23:45 +0000

I discovered this lovely shrub at awaytogarden.com, the incredible site of author Margaret Roach. Because it’s variegated it’s more sensitive and slower-growing than the green variety, but what beauty isn’t worth special care?

Lespedeza thunbergii: Bush Clover

brendapharm — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:16:13 +0000

Click on the photos for link to a great description of this shrub from the site awaytogarden.com.

Amazing garden sculpture (and a great blog)

brendapharm — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:56:33 +0000

Fascinating tale of a visit to the home of Burpee President/Owner George Ball in Doylestown: View from Federal Twist: Connections: Trinity Root and a Visit to Fordhook Farm. These images show the work of the sculptor Steve Tobin in a wonderful natural setting. Thank you to blogger James Golden for this article and photos, and for a blog that Iknow I’ll be visiting again and again.

Cross-cut timber “tiles”

brendapharm — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:37:57 +0000

From the Garden at Paxson Hill Farms, in PA.

Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’: Japanese blood grass

brendapharm — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:35:38 +0000

A gorgeous photo from the Garden at Paxson Hill Farm, north of New Hope, PA.

Rohdea japonica: Sacred Lily

brendapharm — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:39:37 +0000

Evergreen, shade-, drought- and, most critically, juglone-tolerant! And each plant spreads to form clumps. Be still my heart! I think I’ve found the ideal plant for my challenging yard. Time to start saving my pennies for next spring.