August already!

Well, again a long drought between blogs and lots of rain on the flowers -but the summer has been crazy with a trip to Aruba and the Aloe Vera Farm -that was so interesting.  I have already bought 2 aloe vera plants and planted them in warm sheltered spots in the garden. Hope they survive. They are really easy to use -just cut a leaf and it them like a fish and rub the gel on your skin -no sticky finish; your skin will drink up the wonderful gel feel so soft!

Also TWO trade shows, a big one in Columbus OH that was really busy- but 3 days on the trade show floor gets a bit too much.  Then the 2 day show in the newly revived SNA -Southern nurserymen's Assoc in Atlanta GA -2 days is great and I love the interaction and the chance to meet with friends, customers and fellow booth staff -old and new.  It is a great talking place and a good opportunity to see a lot of people in one place and in a short space of time.  I always think trade shows are very good value for the networking chances they offer.  There is a lot more optimism in the industry too which is very encouraging.

 

Of course I was also in the play, The Red Velvet Cake War as a German Psychologist -one minute very prim and proper and the next falling in love and chasing the guy!!!

But, back to the garden at home -yet more huge weeds -with so many trips away and so much rain this year the weeds have really taken hold.  Some pull up so very easily and others as you know I'm sure are tougher and deeper.  The crusher run drives are  a mess too with so much grass and weeds growing through.  I really have to use round up; I can't see a way round that unless anyone can offer advice on killing weeds on paths and driveways -quite a large area too as I love walkways through the various garden areas.  I love to get in among the plants not just see them from a distance and paths through beds beckon.  They say so clearly "come and see"

Brave Delight

Narcissus Grand Soleil d'Or -At last you can see what I am talking about!!! (The feature to add a picture from my computer seems to have returned )This little treasure has been blooming since early December.  Just got back from the GGIA Atlanta trade show to a lyer of freezing rain on the roads around the Greenville SC area and temperatures around 26 degrees F and this morning these brave little souls have STILL perked up their heads in defiance of the weather to bring the sun out in the garden!!  I now have 3 blooms of Narcissus Rijnelds Early Sensation  too.  The smaller early daffodils make such wonderful landscape additions to cheer us onour way at this time of year.   They are so underused.   Similarly the miniature tulips are coming up and are a great additon to rock gardens and pots.  Once they start to bloom I will add their joyous faces to the blog.Crazy weather though -it is forecast to be 70degrees again by Tuesday.    How the  poor garden can cope with such dramatic variations never fails to amaze me.

Anyway, I brought back a beautiful specimen of Edgeworthia Winter Gold from our dear friends at Cam Too Camelia nursery in NC and some wonderful organic coffee and organic pecans from Cleveland Organics of GA.  You should check out their stuff I promise you it is worth it.  It was a good trade show, busy and as always, it was fun to see old friends and catch up with their news

There is still time to get bulbs to plant before Christmas or help work off that huge Christmas meal! Or as last minute Christmas gifts -the gift that lasts and lasts. We still have a good range of minipacks with their beautiful color picture -just right as stocking fillers or put a few in a basket as a lovely gift. The mini tulips and the small bulbs also work so well in pots -they can be planted up, left outside and then brought in just before they bloom to enjoy inside.  They are also gret planted in layers over larger bulbs such as tulips or daffodils in pots.  And of course we still have some awesome Amaryllis. Don't forget, here in the south, they can be planted outside in the garden after the last frost date to give joy in coming years outside. Further north keep them until the leaves dry out then stop watering and repot in the fall for next year.

The rain here was really welcome -just what we needed to wake up those dormant bulbs already in the ground. It has been so dry in South Carolina this fall.  My first giant snowdrops are already blooming though and the winter honeysuckle with its heavenly scent is displaying its gorgeous little white blooms -they will last for a couple of months. It is a straggly bush but is a great addition to the winter garden if tucked away and the blooms will fill a room with their fragrance. Let me know if anyone locally would like any cuttings!

 

To purchase bulbs  or request a catalog, you can email me or call 1-800-999-0567 or locally of course 864 229 1618 or email info@marlborobulb.com  You can call also and arrange to visit the warehouse  -Marlboro Bulb Company, 2424 Hwy 72 - 221E, Greenwood SC 29692  www.marlborobulb.com is our website.  Our new spring catalog is also out now and the Christmas holiday is a great time to sit and relax with the new catalog and choose items to plant in the spring for keeping those blooms coming through the summer.

Have a wonderful and happy Christmas, and if you are traveling -keep safe.

Happy Planting

Fall harvest

Still picking gorgeous dahlias and beautiful colored caladium leaves for indoors.  Also picked 2 figs today -mmm delicious.  There are still a few peppers ripening.  I tried the new sweet pepper Merlot in my 'alcoholic' garden -all the plants have the name of alcohol!!: Caladium brandywine, Viburnum Brandywine, Atropurpurea Burgundy Glow, Deutzia, Chardonnay Pearl, Colocasia Mojita among many others.  I also have a white garden, an Asian garden, a South Carolina Garden, a rock garden and so on.  Having fun with the garden means spending more time there and it is amazing how other people help you look for plants or suggest them, or even pass along plants that they know will fit into a theme.  It is a great talking piece too for a party.

What ideas do you have for garden areas or themes?

Presentation

I will be at the Greenville  SC Women's Garden Club on Wednesday October 3rd.
Our next presentation will be at the Hayden Center for the Iris Garden Club.  This will be on 'Fall for Fall Bulbs' on Thusrday Oct 11th.  It is always fun to go on the road with a presentation and meet other keen gardeners and those just starting out.  We all have so many tips and ideas to share.  It is a great way to find out more about your local growing area as well as more general hints on varieties and tried and tested ideas and experience.  Everyone has some knowledge to share or some question to ask.
After this it will be Columbia on November 13 but more on that one later -though you can always ask for more information any time -that will be open to the public. Call 1-800-999-0567, email info@marlborobulb.com or ask in the comment section for more information, for a catalog or if you would like presentation at your function or garden club.

Lycoris

As the days shorten and the nights are turning cooler we are rewarded with an explosion of color from Lycoris Radiata.  The red version is headturning and en masse definitely breathtaking.  Be sure to plant right near the surface in a sunny site and then leave them alone! They are fine in grass too as you can see.  They don't like being mulched or planted too deeply nor do they seem to respond too well to fertilizer.  What an awesome perennial bulb.  Common names include Spider lily, naked lady due to the lack of leaves until after the blooms are done, though that is generally attached to the pink variety for some reason.  The yellow variety is a little more unusual and not quite so hardy.

Spring Bulbs

At last, the first of the species crocus is coming through and was shining bravely in the sunshine yesterday.  It was bliss to get out there and do some gardening.  It was not just the effect of the awful weather this winter keeping me out of the garden but also number of trade shows -it is a busy time of year for that with trips to Atlanta, GA and Greensboro, NC and also to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina -I was so hoping to get my walk on the beach and collect black rocks and oyster shells for my Asian garden -I have a dry river bed -my Black river I call it.  Well it poured with rain sending everything dripping and steaming but finally on sturday morning despite the mist it was not raining! Hurray!  I dragged on my jacket -it seemed to be warm enough to be with a hat so I left that on the seat in the car and headed for the pier. At least I started off in that direction across the sand, the pier was still shrouded in a white misty swirling haze. No tickling my toes in the sand this year  -still, I was enjoying the sound of the water and watching all the seagulls delving their long beaks into the wet sand. I arrived at the pier and guess what?  Yes the rain came down faster and faster.  My hat was in the car -but heck rain water is good for your hair -so they tell me!  Fortunately I hadn't checked out of my hotel so was still able to go back to my room and dry my dripping hair.  It was unpleasantly dripping down my neck by this time.  But iDID get mey walk on the beach -no shells though this time. 
Back to planting bulbs -we planted about 5000 Oxford tulips yesterday -my method -the easy plant way. I have been saving cardboard to lay on the insiduously creeping Bermuda grass we call lawn.  After wetting it with thehose the tulips are dumped unceremoniously in a heap over it and then raked to spread out in a single layer.  Next come a few wheelbarrowfuls of topsoil and compost and finally a layer of shredded tree mulch.  that's it -that's how to plant a brand new flower bed -the very easy way.  Several layers of newspaper will also help to supress grass and weeds if you don't have enough cardboard.  This a great way to start a new bed or do landscaping. I know it is a little late to plant tulips but it has been so cool and the left over bulbs at Marlboro Bulb Company, SC are in good shape -so we will see.  I will keep you posted.  Daffodils are still fine for another couple of weeks in many areas too by the way. Happy plantings!