Echinaceas are real dazzlers in the late-summer border: sturdy daisies standing erect with flowers that resemble sets of spinning saucers. The colourful sun-ray petals surround bronzed, almost metallic cones. These prickly centres also give echinacea its name, for Ekhînos is Greek for hedgehog.
They’re insect-friendly, too, each central disc containing between 200 and 300 florets with a nectar pot at its base, which makes the flowers ideal for butterflies and bees. It doesn’t end there though: the buds resemble intricate coronets and, after the flowers have faded, the dark central cone persists into winter and forms a dramatic silhouette. This ability to fade gracefully into winter has made echinaceas essential for those wishing to emulate Piet Oudolf’s prairie planting style and it’s the seed-raised echinaceas that do this best.
There are nine echinacea species and four subspecies distributed across the eastern and mid-western states of America. They’re found naturally on prairies, and the area of greatest species richness is in the grasslands of Oklahoma and Missouri. Both get hot, humid summers and long, cool winters but hardiness isn’t generally a problem, because they are often protected by snow cover. The wet, stop-start winters in the UK, however, don’t suit them as well.
The most commonly grown garden type, known as the purple coneflower or Echinacea purpurea, has fibrous roots and will flag in dry conditions. In the wild it’s often found on wetter soils adjacent to rivers and streams. Echinacea purpurea arrived here in 1699 when the English clergyman-naturalist John Banister (1654–1692) sent seeds to Jacob Bobart the Younger, Keeper of the Oxford Botanic Garden, from Virginia. The roots were already being used as a
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Georgia, with its varied ecological landscapes, is an ideal place for wild plant enthusiasts. The state, from the mountains to the coast, primarily spans USDA Hardiness Zones 6b to 9a, with pockets of 6a in the mountainous regions and 9b in the coastal plains. This wide range of zones fosters an array of Wild Edible Plants in Georgia that you can also grow in the garden.
Are you dreaming of an exotic garden full of flowers with hard to pronounce names that will awe your guests? An understandable dream. But most tropical green life are not meant to grow in the weather conditions that the UK offers.
These are perfect to use in BBQ parties, birthday party or even weddings as a table decoration piece and to light up the party when the sun goes down. It's very easy to do it and will cost almost nothing.
Herbs to make a bouquet garni can be grown at home and used later for cooking. All these herbs you can grow in the garden or on a suitable windowsill. The ingredients for our basic Bouquet Garni are the herbs Parsley, Thyme, Bay and a clove of Garlic. Tie them together with undyed string. Then add other herbs that are specific to the dish you want to cook.
Colorful ferns can be an excellent addition to any garden or indoor plant collection. These plants are characterized by their beautiful, vibrant fronds ranging from shades of pink, red, yellow, and even purple.
Regrettably, the number of hedgehogs in Britain has been in decline for over two decades. 2020 saw hedgehogs classified as vulnerable to extinction as large-scale agriculture replaces hedgerows and trees, destroying their natural habitat.
No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
This heirloom grain, together with the skilled knowledge and forced labor of West Africans and their descendants, made South Carolina very, very rich. From 1720 to the outbreak of the Civil War, rice was the most economically valuable crop for this state. White landowners, who thought rice would do well in the low country, themselves lacked practical knowledge of rice cultivation. Instead, they paid a premium to slave traders to capture and transport laborers from the well-established rice region of West Africa to Carolina. During the 18th century, many enslaved people brought into Charleston came from this rice-growing area. These people and their descendants created the Gullah-Geechee culture in the low country.
THE LATEST BOOK GIVEAWAY–which was a smashing success–ended at midnight Sunday, but there’s a “win” for everyone, it turns out. Collaborator and author Katrina Kenison and I asked commenters to tell us about books they’d relied on in times of transition…and wow, did they ever.