Gone with the Lawn

At my house we have been in the process of renovating the exterior for many months. This work required that we move many plants both to make way for change (a new patio) and to keep them out of harm’s way. Sadly, because the renovation took so much longer than expected, some of the plants in the nursery didn’t survive Georgia’s drought and watering restrictions. However, now that the worst of work on the house is complete, I’m finally able to get into the yard and work on the landscaping in earnest.

For the front yard we have decided that growing grass is a losing proposition. There is too little sun. And without the ability to irrigate (due to the drought) there is too much competition from large maple and crepe myrtle trees.

Instead we are going to create a combination woodland and cottage style garden. The entire front yard will become one big garden (see the mulch) with paths running through. As I mentioned in my Inkslinger Chronicles blog post this week, we are creating rustic paths with leftover brick and pavers made of concrete and pea gravel.

In the shady areas we will plant fern, hosta, cardinal flower and other shade loving herbaceous plants, along with some native shrubs such as azaleas, hydrangeas, and sweet shrub. In the tiny corner of the yard that receives several hours of sun each day, I have already planted a rose bush, a couple of peonies, several varieties of flocks, some Route 66 day lilies, and one of my favorites, bee balm. I’m also thinking about a short wrought iron fence across the front – probably just knee high – to give the space more definition.

After the 9/11 tragedy many people were talking about the increase of American flags flying on front porches – ours included. I decided to take that a step further and create a color garden (red, white and blue). Now I have a chance to do that on a larger scale.

As with all gardens, this will be more of an evolution than a revolution, but at least I have some of the bones in place (paths and some shrubs). I’ll wait for cooler weather and the hope of fall and winter rains to plant more.

Some of the bones are in place for the back yard landscape as well. The patio is finally complete, and I have started to lay new edging and paths. Many of the plants are in position, but the whole is lacking in fullness and a couple of tons of mulch. Hopefully by spring both the front and back yards will be lush and worthy of photographs.

If Only You Could Smell the Jasmine

I wandered out into the garden this morning intending to get one quick picture. Here is my photo essay of what happened next…

For several years I’ve been trying to convert the front yard into a red, white and blue color garden with mostly native plants. Problem was, I couldn’t get native plants with all three colors to bloom at the same time. Well happy day! This morning I realized that my



















Indian pinks (Spigelia marilandica),


Foxglove beardtongue (penstemon digitalis),






















and Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) were all blooming in the little corner bed by the driveway.






Don’t I have a cute dog?

Here she is stalking a squirrel.

Oh look, the first daylily bloom of the season. This one is Stella doro (Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’)

It’s a shame how the rain knocked down the False indigo (baptisia australis). They were really looking great last week.

Oh. What’s that over there? Have the clematis started to bloom?

Is this the sweetest plant? Viticella alba luxurians is one of my favorite clematis.

The purple center and lime green edges to the petals are really striking.

Oops. You caught me. Just a quick peak through the fence to see if the neighbor is doing anything with his garden yet.

Looks like the Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is really going to town. I can’t wait to see what this will look like in a couple of years!

Finally! I’ve been waiting for this native Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) to bloom for three years. I almost lost it in a late frost last year, but this year I covered it.
















It’s about time this Climbing hydrangea (decumaria barbara) finally decided to climb. It’s been wandering around on the ground for ages.




















Don’t you love American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens). It’s so much better behaved than its Chinese cousin. That stuff will eat your house!





















Through all my wandering, Lady strikes a peaceful pose and looks on.

Most of all, I wish I could let you smell the jasmine. This Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) isn’t native. It was introduced and has escaped gardens to grow wild in a few spots in Florida. I probably should rip it out of the pots (it’s growning up the posts of the carport). But, I just can’t do it. The scent is too sweet.

Plant Profile: False indigo (Baptisia australis)

Nursery Update
What a difference a few weeks make. At the beginning of the month, I had just started to dig the plants that were in the way of renovations. Now more than three weeks later, we are still waiting on the City of Atlanta to issue a permit for our new patio, the nursery spots we selected to hold over shade and sun perennials are overflowing and everything else is up and blooming.

Though we are still suffering a level 4 drought here in the Piedmont region of Georgia, we fortunately had a great deal of rain over the weekend, which has left everything looking lush and me eager to get planting. Ah well. In the absence of a renewed nearly native garden to show you, let’s talk about one of my favorite native plants that is just starting to pop in an undisturbed area of the garden.

False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Baptisia is a stiking member of the pea family that blooms here in my garden from late April through early June depending on the species. This photo taken today doesn’t do it justice as the deep indigo blue flowers are just starting to pop out, and you can see how many more there are to come on each flower stalk. These three to four foot tall flower spikes rise high above the trifoliate (three leaflets) foliage mound of blue green leaves.

How it grows
Native to the United States, Blue false indigo or Wild blue indigo is present in all of Eastern, Central and Southern states with the exception of Louisianna and Mississippi, though it may have been introduced to New England. While it is present in a wide range the plant is classified as threatened in Indiana, Maryland and N. Carolina, endangered in Ohio and of special concern in Kentucky. As the common name suggests, this plant was used by early settlers as a substitute for indigofera, a dyestuff from the West Indies.

Baptisia will self sow, and seed can be collected when seed pods turn charcoal black and seeds can be heard to rattle within. These seeds can be directly sown in the ground in the fall or in the spring. However, older seeds will benefit from immersion in boiling water to begin to breakdown the hardened seed shell. The tough roots can also be divided in fall or early spring while the plant is dormant. If sown from seed, the plant may take up to three years to bloom but once established will form a spreading colony that is three to four foot wide. The preferred environment is full sun with well drained soil, however Baptisia will accept part day shade and drier soils, and has proven quite drought tolerant here in Atlanta.

Though B. australis bears dark blue to purple flowers, other species and cultivars are commercially available with white, yellow and smoke (white crossbred with blue) flowers. The flower shape is reminiscent of a lupine bloom or that on an English pea. In my garden, the white plant (B. alba) blooms a bit earlier. This photo taken today shows that the bloom is quite advanced compared to its neighbor.

Seasonal interest
I’m always looking for native plants that provide multi-season interest and Baptisia does not disappoint. If not cut back after bloom time dark charcoal colored seed pods will develop which provide interest in the garden, great additions to dried flower arrangements, and wonderful rattles for the amusement of children and pets.

Having said that, False indigo is on the FDA’s list of toxic plants. There have been no reports of poisoning in humans and none in animals since a report published in 1930. Also, it is supposed to be quite unpalatable to animals. Nevertheless, close supervision is required in the garden as both toddlers and puppies tend to explore their environment with their mouth. Even if the worst that happens is a belly ache, it is best avoided.

More information

Check out this Plant Delights Nursery webpage for Tony Avent’s wonderful article on the different species, hybrids, and selections of Baptisia.