The Garden Buzz

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: February 15

Once again while I'm down south for winter, I am "borrowing" blooms for GBBD. Hope you don't mind. 

One of my favorite past times is poking around old cemeteries. It's more about history and heart than the macabre. My daughter found this secluded cemetery when we made a quick return trip to Charleston for some J. Crew and another round of shrimp and grits at the Hominy Grill.

Down a shady, narrow path, tucked among the shops on King Street, you enter a cemetery much different than many in the low country. Often the graveyards here are a contrast of bare dirt and billowing azaleas; draped in gray Spanish moss with hot pink flowers popping against aging stone.

The Unitarian Cemetery at Archdale Street is lush with flowers and vegetation, the greenery knitted together almost as if to hold the leaning stones and crumbling tombs together against the slow passage of time. What a hidden gem.

Cemeteries are known to be the repository not only of souls but that of tough and sometimes long-forgotten plants. I would love nothing more than to spend a year researching all the species thriving in this intimate space. With only a few hours, I settled for a stroll among the late-winter and early-spring flowers.

Spring snowflakes, (Leucojum vernum) , the "poor cousin" to Snowdrops (Galanthus)

As I find so many southern plants I can't grow up north, I made a mental note to plant some of these delightful little bulbs next fall. Hardy to Zone 3! The little white petals on these bell-shaped blooms are tipped with a spot of green, resembling little fairy hats.

These old-timey narcissus literally glow in the soft golden light of late afternoon.

I did do a little research later, coming to the conclusion this variety of daffodil is a southern heirloom called Grand Primo, harking from the 1800's.

 

 A soft pink, single-flowered camellia by this inviting bench

A recently planted, young Edgeworthia chrysantha, commonly known as paper bush, this may be the cultivar called 'Snow Cream'.

The unique blooms are cherished for their lovely fragrance.

Azaleas are just beginning to bloom

Not flowers, but still noteworthy, ferns of all sorts.

Toppled stems blanket these graves

The church and cemetery have survived a fire, an earthquake and hurricanes. The damage is still seen here and there. Large trees fell on many of the graves crushing stone and ironwork.

Even with all of that turbulent history, it seems a peaceful resting place. The kind of place where a gardener might want to turn in her trowel.

Hearts in Nature

                                          Happy Valentine's Day

 

 

 

 

Inspiration for Spring 2012: My Latest Window Box Photos from Charleston!

 

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Who doesn't love a window box? Considering the popularity of last year's post on Charleston window boxes, not many. Charleston is an easy 2-hour trip from Savannah, a hop, skip and a jump to a whole 'nother horticultural paradise. You might remember my first visit there last year and the garden tour photo fiasco.

After that I decided all the window boxes on the street were fair game, and occasionally I poked my camera through the conveniently-spaced bars of a wrought iron gate. This year I followed a similar plan and saved myself those $45 tickets! Sorry Charlie, I mean Charleston, no photography, no tour.

Charleston is known as the Holy City due to the large number churches, and seeing all the majestic spires rising above the historic district, I can see why. But I think it should just be known as the Pretty City. Even the people are pretty. So many of the women walking on King Street have that pulled-together look of Parisian ladies. And the men, well, nobody rocks a bow tie like Charleston men.

Anyway, here it is February and Charleston's spring window boxes are already in fine form.

It may be too early for many of you to start planting window boxes, but it's not to soon to be inspired by these beautiful plantings.

Enjoy....

Love this fresh green/white combination, notice the sedums.          The Garden Buzz

 

Cyclamen, torenia, kale and alyssum; the yellow bloom on the kale sets off the gold lettering so beautifully 

 Ivy, lobelia, violas and some spiky thing in cheerful orange and blue shades

A storefront box with foxtail fern, dragon-wing begonia, is it an animal theme? 

The street was perfumed with this alyssum arrangement, I suspect it's the prolific, new 'Snow Princess' from Proven Winners. 

Viola, rosemary, holly fern and snapdragons along Church Street 

Begonia and ivy just taking off in this box attached to magnificent mansion 

Edible landscape: Window box filled with herbs in another storefront planting      

 These red shutters and scrolled ironwork set off this new planting

 And these green shutters complement the white petunias and and orange violas

 Simple pansies look like little smiling faces.

If you can't get enough of Charleston window boxes, I suggest Southern Living garden writer, Steve Bender's (AKA The Grumpy Gardener) blog post showing more window boxes at their summer peak. I especially like his window box "recipe"..

Join Me on an Early Morning Walk?

Don't worry I'm not walking for any kind of cause. You can join me without forking over a donation. I was just out wandering around, like I do, seeing what I could see. I'm used to heading out each morning to see what's going on in my garden. Here I can partake of the greater communal garden that is Savannah. 

I go on and on about the hidden gardens of Savannah I long to see, but in spite of my constant complaining, there's plenty of gardening right on the street to enjoy. 

Of course, if you want straightforward, pretty pictures of Savannah scenes, I'd suggest you buy one of the hundreds of books for sale about this city. When I go walking I'm on the lookout for a unique perspective and sometimes a one of kind moment.

I never know what I'll find. And if I don't find it that time, I keep a mental note of how the light might work better at another time of day, whether a bloom or shadow might be more fully developed the next time, you know.

And then there are the moral dilemmas...there's a fading bouquet of magenta roses on a table, in a mansion, that keeps their drapes open, showing off their gorgeous white upholstered furniture right at eye level. And this bouquet from through the wavy glass, well it's weighing on me as potential photos I covet sometimes do. I could go back tomorrow when the light is the same but then all the churchgoers across the street will see me. Hmm. The next day the roses might be gone.

Of course, with the iPhone, photos like these are easy and discreet. Here's a little glimpse of what I encountered this morning:

I hadn't seen this vining curtain-like window box before.

Love how these ferns just spring out the brickwork.

An odd assortment of things outside an antique store with an aloe bloom bonus.

I always think this courtyard looks forlorn and in need of some love, I used the "antique" filter to emphasize this. Wish I could tend it for them.

Always amazed at the different ways this creeping fig is used, love the garland effect.

Ok, one pretty garden picture. This is a favorite of mine, in May this fence is festooned with yellow Lady Banks roses. Dreamy.

The camellias have a few weeks of blooming left. I've got just a few weeks left down here too. If I were the kind to use sad-face icons, I would insert one here.