Hidden Hills Garden

Coral Bells (Heuchera)

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Peggy Hill

I wrote a ‘Hot Plant’ article about Heuchera for the September issue of Alabama Gardener Magazine, and I promised more pictures on my blog. I have grown a dozen different varieties.

Heuchera 'Frosted Violet' is my favorite.

R.I.P. 'Purple Petticoats'

After I wrote the article I met Dan, president of Terra Nova Nurseries, and he told me a few things I didn’t know back then. For instance you need villosa and/or Americana strains in the breeding to produce plants that tolerate the kind of heat and humidity we have here in the heart of Dixie. That’s why my ‘Purple Petticoats’ died.

The ruffled gene comes from micrantha which is native to the West coast. How well any Heuchera will do in a specific area of the country has to do with who’s the baby mama and who’s the baby daddy. My best advice is to rely on your favorite local nursery to choose varieties that perform well in your area of the country, or do some research before you are enticed by a pretty picture in a catalog and end up ordering something that dies within a few years. (I speak with the voice of experience.)

Heuchera 'Southern Comfort' is another favorite. The leaf color changes some with the season. It would look better, but branches dropped on it in the spring storms.

Heuchera 'Obsidian' is another favorite

Flower of Heuchera 'Palace Purple'

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Heuchera 'Palace Purple'

I have gone through the Terra Nova catalog and made a list of the following Heuchera they recommend for Southern landscapes: Berry Smoothie, Electric Lime, Georgia Peach, Midnight Bayou and Southern Comfort. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, as other breeders will have their own picks.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding'

Heuchera 'Black Beauty' has been here for 2 years, but he's not looking so beautiful this year. Now that I know the ruffled varieties don't do well in my area of the country, I'm worried.

Heuchera longiflora - planted a few weeks ago

Heuchera 'Rasberry Regal' is new this year. It looks a lot like Heuchera longiflora.

Heuchera 'David' is new this spring

******** I’m reluctant to give growing information because it depends on where you live and the variety you grow. Heuchera require afternoon shade here in the sunny South, but some can grow in sun up North. All the varieties that do well here need excellent drainage, but others are more tolerant of wet feet. Once again, my best advice is talk to someone at your local nursery or another gardener in your area.

For the last 2 years, when the impatients are killed by frost, I replace them with Heuchera 'Citronelle' for the winter.

Heuchera is a fabulous evergreen perennial, and there is certainly a variety to suit your needs.

Posted in I love this plant | 3 Comments

Pampas Grass

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Peggy Hill

I once hired a landscape designer who said, “You should dig up that pampas grass and throw it off the bluff.” Can you believe that? I would have saved myself a bunch of money if I had fired him right then and there. Instead I paid him for some landscape plans I will never use.

The pampas grass is the star of the late summer show.

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My dad visited last fall, and the pampas grass was his favorite thing in the garden. He said the only thing that would make it better would be a second pampas grass to balance the first. We tied one of the plumes to a stick and moved it around the garden until we found the perfect spot. I planted it this spring, but it may not flower until next year.

I categorized this post as ‘spinning in the backyard’ because I’m standing in the designated location and these are the 1^st and 2^nd pictures in the series, but all the other pictures look about the same as last time so I’m not going to repost them.

Posted in Spinning in the Backyard | 2 Comments

Plant-people are the Best

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Peggy Hill

In my last post I talked about the plants I brought home from the Garden Writers Association symposium. But I also want to tell you about some of the people I met.

My new BFF Karen has a website called Proper Gardens and a blog called Even Proper Gardens have Dirty Little Secrets – cute huh?. She would be exactly like Martha Stewart if only Martha was a nurturing, southern belle. One day she convinced me to drink several glasses of wine with lunch – if you know me, you know that wasn’t hard. I’m a bit ashamed to admit there was a little giggling and note passing going on in the backseats during the next lecture. Joe noticed and whispered, “Passing notes? Really? Are you in first grade?” So I handed him this note “It’s better than your whispering. Burn. Commence crying.” He passed me, “Stop or I’ll pull your pigtails.”

My kiwi plant

I really like Dan, President of Terra Nova Nurseries. He helped me identify the mystery vine that popped up in the front garden 2 years ago as a kiwi – my life just keeps getting better and better. I’m fairly certain he was flirting with me when he asked, “And what do I get for helping you out?” If there’s a Mrs. Dan out there, I’m sure I was mistaken, and he just meant I had not yet thanked him.
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One of the gardens we visited

I attended a blogging lecture, and in rereading my comments about Dan, I think I should have paid more attention to Mary Ann Newcomer’s advice about professionalism. I really like her blog Gardens of the Wild Wild West.

p.s. Before I posted it for all the world to see, I actually did email that paragraph to Dan, and he said, “There is indeed a Mrs. Dan and with such a fun group, I tend to flirt with everybody.” I knew he was harmless. I won’t mention what else he said in the email 😉 Sorry Dan. I’m making myself laugh.

One of the gardens we visited

Posted in In the Neighborhood | Leave a comment

The Weekend That Changed My Life

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Peggy Hill

Last weekend I wore a “First Timer” sign around my neck at the annual Garden Writers Association symposium in Indianapolis. It was awesome! As I tell you a little about it, keep in mind the old saying, “Don’t hate me because you ain’t me.” And if your jealously rises to hurricane proportions, you can always come along next year.

The people I met were wonderful, the gardens I visited were inspiring, and I learned so much from the writing workshop and lectures. But I have to admit, what puts the biggest smile on my face is free plants.

Checking out. The bags that are hanging from the top bar are full of freebie plants and those on the bottom are the ones I begged for.

I ran up 2 flights of stairs to drop a load and back down to get more before all the other greedy gardeners gobbled up the large sample plants. Clockwise from upper-right is cabernet (Berberis thun atropurpurea ‘Moretti Select’), forever & ever white out hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘White Ball’), nandina ‘Flirt’ and vanilla strawberry hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renhy’).

The very best part – I do a little happy dance every time I think of it – is some of the plants are so new you won’t be able to buy them until 2012. I get to try them first. Now stop hatin’ on me, or I won’t tell you what I got.

If I had gone last year I would have a ‘Pink Lemonade’ blueberry. It has delicious PINK fruit, but this year they gave out ‘Pink Champagne’ blueberry. It has frosty pink fruit.

If I was a plant breeder and I was giving plants to a bunch of garden writers, I’d want to give them only my biggest rockstars. Following is a list of the give-aways so you can check them out if you want.

E chinacea ‘Southern Belle’

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Everlasting Garnet’

Elephant ear (Colocasia ‘Bikini-tini’) hardy to zone 6

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Rose ‘Oso Easy Cherry Pie’

Daylily ‘KokomoSunset’

Heuchera longiflora

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Baby Lace’

Hosta ‘WHEEE!’

Rose ‘Sundance Kid’

Sedum ‘Razzleberry’

Crinum – unidentified variety

Dwarf Korean fir

You may be wondering how this weekend changed my life, well so am I. But I have a strong feeling that somehow something I learned or someone I met is going to open a new door for me. I’ll let you know when I walk through.

Posted in In the Neighborhood, Plant Ho | 9 Comments

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Peggy Hill

If you came to my house, stood outside the side door of the garage and looked at my garden through zoom lenses, this is the lovely view you would see.

Unfortunately most visitors use their eyes more than zoom lenses, and this is what they see. I’m trying to use solar sterilization on the area in the foreground that is partially covered in plastic. While waiting to be transformed into a fabulous, environmentally friendly, water garden, it was invaded by every weed known to man, and they all had babies. I heard of using solar sterilization to kill weeds and seeds, so I decided to try it. This really is a desperate measure because the process will also kill beneficial organisms in the soil. I’m not sure how good it is going to work because I didn’t follow all the instructions. In the June 2007 issue of Alabama Gardener Magazine, Dr. Kessler says to remove any existing vegetation, add organic matter, till deeply, water thoroughly, cover with plastic, weigh down the edges and wait 4-6 weeks. I only pulled a few of the tallest weeds, and I didn’t add anything or till. My plan is to just leave it covered longer and hope for the best. (I took a class from Dr. Kessler at Auburn once, and he said the best method of weed control is the Santa Clause method … hoe hoe hoe) Looking back from about halfway down the path, you can see the garage door where I stood to take the other pictures. The remaining pictures in this post are taken within 10 feet of where I’m standing now.

The blue Ageratum is a transplanted volunteer seedling. Last year I grew 6” ‘Blue Danube’ and 15” ‘Leilani Blue’ from seed, but I didn’t get around to planting the seed for 30” ‘Blue Horizon’; maybe next year. The 6” ‘Hawaii Blue’ I bought at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens plant sale this spring is planted near the rose arbor. All these Ageratums did great. I love how this one has spilled over the narrow leaf zinnia.
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If you think of the picture as a clock, 9:00 is the silver foliaged catmint (Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’), 10:00 is mountain laurel, 1:00 is an October glory, 3:00 is false indigo (Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’), 4:00 is red salvia (either ‘Hummingbird Red’ or ‘Lady in Red’), 6:00 is purple Verbena bonariensis, and 8:00 is more narrow leaf zinnia. There are several other plants in here, but they are still so small you can only see them from above.

Verbena bonariensis and red salvia

I’m glad I was behind on weeding this spring or the purple flower would not be here. I had read it would self sow, so I was on the watch for babies around the mother plant, but this one is 10 feet away, and I also have a few volunteers in the front yard, which is about 50 feet away. I’m wondering if it’ll be so weedy that I’ll regret planting it.

Posted in The Side Garden | 2 Comments

Spinning in the Backyard

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Peggy Hill

‘Spinning in the Backyard’ is a new category. All posts in this category will be of pictures taken while standing in the same place and spinning around. I want to track changes from season to season and year to year. This set of pictures was taken on 7-29-2011.

I love this view. If I walk through the arbor and stay left, I'll head to the pier, and if I go right, I'm at the Star Light Lounge. It's a win-win situation!

The orange flower is narrow leaf zinnia, the yellow foreground is lantana 'New Gold', behind that is Agastache 'Blue Fortune', and the purple foliage on the far left is pineapple lily 'Sparkling Burgundy'.

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This is not looking as good as I would like. A landscape designer suggested I plant a ‘Lady Banks’ rose to climb up the post and soften the corner of the deck. That was fine for the first couple of years, but after a few years she really got going, and she wasn’t just softening the corner of the deck; she was taking over, blocking the view and smothering my butterfly bushes. I cut her back hard after flowering, and I’m debating where to move her. I’m considering a nice clematis to replace her. Maybe the fragrant, evergreen Clematis armandii.

Don't look here. It's an opportunity for improvement and a future project.

Don't look here either.

Back where we started from.

Posted in Spinning in the Backyard | 2 Comments

My How They’ve Grown

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Peggy Hill

He's so big, he almost sinks the lily pad.

We were thrilled when we first noticed him at the end of June.

Is it odd how much we love the frogs??? When we sit on the front porch at night and light the tiki torches, they are usually chatting, but when it rains they get really excited. One day I left the soaker hose on a little long. It flooded the area and flowed into the pond. That night they were having a very loud, big time, throwdown, frog party. We giggled the next morning when we saw eggs in the pond.

It seems like only yesterday my baby boy was crawling toward me laughing!

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Now look at him!! Where did the time go??

I’m an empty nester. We dropped Jesse off at the University of South Alabama last weekend. I’m going to miss him more than I thought I would. He has grown to be a fine young man. I love him, and I’m very proud of him. His best quality is that he truly cares about other people, and he is always kind. (If anyone wants to send prayers, well wishes and/or positive energy, they are all very much appreciated!)

On a related topic, I follow Phillip Oliver’s blog, Dirt Therapy, and he was giving away a lawn mower. My comment was “Please enter me in the drawing. My lawn mower is about to leave for college, and I need a new one.” and I won!!!!

Posted in Family | 1 Comment

Now You See It. Now You Don’t

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Peggy Hill

I like to start all blogs with a pretty picture. I think the front garden looks very good right now.

Jesse (my favorite son) said I’m wasting my time; I can never defeat the forest. I know he’s right. It will always live to fight another day, but I can make it retreat for awhile.

Now You See It

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Now You Don't

I try and simply weed young samplings from the beds, but most of this is re-growth from stumps too large to be dug out. I’m not going to spray anything and risk damage to all the lovely mountain laurel Mother Nature planted for me, so I cut everything down and paint the stumps with Bayer Advanced Brush Killer Plus. There are a lot of similar products; this one has 8.8% of the active ingredient Triclopyr, triethylamine salt. This product can be mixed with water and sprayed on anything you want to kill, or used full strength and painted on fresh cut stumps. (Always read the instructions and follow all precautions.)

I’m writing about this now because summer is the best time to do this work, followed by fall, which is second best. I used to do this in spring, because after a long fall and winter with unobstructed views, the new growth was extremely annoying and I felt it had to be removed immediately. But then I attended a fundraiser for Greengate School (it’s an excellent non-profit school specializing in helping children with dyslexia) and was the successful bidder on a lunch with Harvey Cotton, chief horticulturist and vice president at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. (Since I knew Donna wanted the lunch also, my strategy was to bid up the price on the quilt, but let her have it at the last minute. Then she would be tapped out when it came to bidding on lunch with Harvey. All’s fair in love and charity auctions!!) I came to lunch with 2 pages of questions, and this was one of them. Now, I no longer waste my time doing this in spring, and I don’t want any of my blog readers to waste their time either. (Speaking of blog readers, thank you for reading my blog!!)

Posted in Tips and Stuff | 2 Comments

Container Gardening – Part 2

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Peggy Hill

I have more containers than I could fit in one blog.

In Container Gardening part 1, I posted pictures of my potted garden at the garage. This first picture is a close-up of a portion of the right-hand side. (I had to show it again because it is too good not to get an encore.) In the upper left is a little bit of the dark foliage of ‘Mona’ Lavender (Plectranthus). Next to it you can see the elongated purple flowers of Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee.’ It’s foliage is a match for the chartreuse color of sweet potato vine ‘Margarita,’ the plant to its right is Persian shield (this is the first time I’ve grown Persian shield, and I LOVE it!), continuing right is heliotrope ‘Marine,’ on the far right is a dark foliaged pepper plant, and the red is a penta.

In the article on container gardening that I posted in part 1, I mention briefly that if you want to plant perennials in your containers instead of annuals, you should amend a good quality potting soil with shredded bark (soil conditioner.) To take this concept one step further, check out this article in Fine Gardening Magazine. It gives 6 different potting soil recipes for specific plant types.

This is planted in a container and sits on a ledge in the pond. The 2 frogs that live here like to hang out on the lily pads. It makes me smile whenever I walk by and they hop in the pond.

This hosta ‘Blue Angel’ had been in ICU recuperating from a vicious vole attack, but he seems to be feeling better. I love the color of the pot next to the coral bells (Heuchera ‘Frosted Violet’.) The picture is from a couple of weeks ago when the coral bells were still blooming.

This pot is a larger version of the ones on my deck. It’s planted with a purple smoke tree.

This simple arrangement of Dracaena and asparagus fern sits on my deck. Last winter I conducted a little experiment and over-wintered one Dracaena in the garage and the other in the kitchen. The one from the kitchen looked great, but the best I can say about the other one is that it was still alive. I won’t do that again!

This arrangement is on the basement patio. The large blue-flowered plumbago and the orange narrow leafed zinnia each have their own pots, and the third pot is planted with Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ (it is a little like baby’s breath), spicer lily (Hymenocallis ‘Tropical Giant Sister’) and the purple foliaged Alternanthera.

: This is the lowest maintenance container I have.

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If you stand in front of my refrigerator and look out the side door, this is what you see. All the plants are relocated volunteer seedlings from last year’s garden. The white is vinca and the red is either ‘Hummingbird red’ or ‘Lady in red’ salvia. I’ve bought both and been unable to tell the difference. I suspect that they are, in fact, the same plant and it’s just a marketing thing. Someone either thought the name ‘Lady in red’ was too racy and wanted to tone it down, or someone thought ‘Hummingbird red’ needed a little spicing up. I’m curious which it is.

Posted in Container Gardening, I love this plant, The Little Picture, What's Blooming? | 1 Comment

Gifts from Mother Nature

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Peggy Hill

I am always pleased when Mother Nature gives me gifts. This is butterfly pea (Clitoria mariana). Last year I collected and sowed some seed, and although that didn’t work, now there is a second plant next to the first! Thank you nature!! (And thanks to Leandra’s favorite high school teacher for the ID on this one.)

This is perennial narrow leaf blazing star (Liatris microcephala). About half of what grows naturally on the rocky point is this plant. He’s pretty tough; there is not much soil here. And when Plant Delights Nursery describes him as drought-tolerant they are not lying! I have NEVER dragged a hose this far.

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I usually end up having to relocate Mother Nature’s gifts. (She plants things willy-nilly, paying no attention at all to my color scheme or any design principle what-so-ever.) But this time they are all exactly where they should be. Except maybe, since I have so many Joes, I could remove 1 or 3 of them to make room for the improved cultivar ‘Gateway,’ which is supposed to have a nicer flower and stays closer to 3’-6’. Other than that, it’s perfect.

Posted in It Just Grew There | 3 Comments

Hidden Hills Garden

Coral Bells (Heuchera)

Pampas Grass

Plant-people are the Best

The Weekend That Changed My Life

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Spinning in the Backyard

My How They’ve Grown

Now You See It. Now You Don’t

Container Gardening – Part 2

Gifts from Mother Nature

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