May Farm Walk-About

It’s been a Goldielocks spring at Green Pastures Farm! Not too hot, not too cold, not too rainy, not too dry . . . . just right . . . plenty of brilliant blue skies and clear ‘need a light jacket’ evenings! Earlier in the year, the daffodils and irises put on a stunning display accompanied by the spectacle of blossoms in white and all shades of pink covering our blueberry bushes, redbud, pear, and apple trees.

Today I took my camera along as I did a little walk-about the farm so as to capture and share with you what’s going on here.

First stop is in the side garden right outside my studio.

Acer palmatum  [Japanese Maple]. I believe this is the cultivar ‘Emperor 1’. This Japanese Maple has brilliant scarlet/purple lobed leaves with finely serrated edges. Unlike many Japanese Maples, this one stands up to our South Carolina sun almost the entire day and still maintains this gorgeous color well into late fall.

Gaura lindheimerii 'Whirling Butterflies' [Guara] . With even the gentlest breeze, the white and rosy-pink tinged flowers of Guara seem to dance just like tiny butterflies on their slender stems. Guara have a deep tap root and thus are very heat and drought resistant.

Tradescantia pallida [Purple Heart]. The deep purple leaves grow slightly upright but mostly trail in dense clumps. While the leaves are the main attraction, Purple Heart also produces dainty pink blossoms. It looks great most of the year in our milder climate but a winter frost will nip at the top growth; nothing an early spring hair cut can’t remedy.

Same garden area with several containers clustered under the shade of a large crepe myrtle that was growing on the farm when we moved in.

Lavender blooms fronting oregano growing in the kitchen herb garden.

Allium tuberosum [Garlic chives] and fennel in another herb bed. I enjoy the light pinky/purple blooms on the chives but try to snip them off before they go to seed otherwise I have MUCH volunteers where I’m not particularly wanting them.

Peach Drift® Groundcover Rose along our dry creek bed garden. This rose has the softest peach/pink blooms covering the bush from mid-spring to the first hard freeze of late fall.

On the other hand, this rose is boldly crimson red, a showstopper smothered in blooms that I can see just outside my studio window.

It pairs wonderfully with the brilliant chartreuse and lemon yellow leaves of Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' [Glossy Abelia]. Kaldidoscope is the perfect name for this shrub. As the days move into summer, the foliage matures into golden yellow still maintaining its variegation and then deepens further into shades of orange and red as fall approaches and then continues these colors through the winter.

In the foreground is Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy' [Eucomis, Pineapple Lily]. In spring, strap-shaped, dark burgundy leaves emerge followed in mid-summer by a tall flower stalk with wands of soft pink florets resembling a mini purple pineapple. I love bulbs!

This birdhouse hangs under a very old dogwood which makes a safe haven for a pair of bluebirds to nest and raise their little ones.

Nepeta ‘Walker's Low’ [Walker's Low Catmint] flowers almost year round here with its dark lavender-blue blossoms and gray-green foliage. It is one of those ‘tough as nails’ plants standing up to the cold but also the heat, drought, and DEER!

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' [Golden Variegated Sweet Grass] is sprinkled throughout several areas along our dry creek bed garden. It maintains its yellow/chartreause color in both sun and light shade and naturalizes relatively easy. For the most part it is evergreen here in zone 7b.

Cotinus coggygria [Smokebush]. I adore the fluffy pink blossoms against the deep burgundy leaves. You can see I had some difficulty capturing them as they really do look like smoke. This is ‘Royal Purple’. In the fall the foliage changes to shades of glorious red and orange.

Spiraea japonica. I can’t remember the name of the cultivar, but this one has hot pink flowers.

Cercis canadensis ‘Silver Cloud’  [Redbud] . Redbuds fascinate me with their vibrant fuchsia flowers tightly covering bare branches in early spring. But ‘Silver Cloud’ continues to provide a beautiful show with heart-shape vibrant green leaves edged with white and soft pink. Wow!

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' [Little-leaf Sage] is a fun little salvia growing in my cottage garden at the front of our home. It is adorned with bicolor flowers with red tips and white lips When the nights warm in summer, the new flowers are all red with an occasional solid white one. As fall approaches, the flowers again are bicolored red and white.

Also in the cottage garden is Clematis 'Jackmanii' (Large-Flowered Clematis). It is currently covered with a profusion of velvety dark purple flowers. The blossoms are 3-4 inches wide.

Growing on the same trellis is another light lilac clematis, can’t think of its name right now.

Another cottage garden resident is the sunny yellow blooms of Coreopsis [Tickseed, Pot of Gold], a native perennial.

Amsonia hubrichtii [Arkansas Blue Star] is one of my favorites for its multi-seasion interest. The bright green feathery foliage emerges in early spring, and shortly thereafter is covered with pale blue star-shaped flowers. Come autumn the foliage turns the richest yellows and bronze. It does the best in the full sun of the cottage garden and along a stone wall, but I also have it growing fairly well under the partial shade of my black walnut tree. In that location it is a little less bushy and has a few less flowers, but pretty none the less.

Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess'  [Japanese spiraea] is a rounded, deciduous shrub. This one features clusters of dainty pink flowers. It has already been in bloom for several weeks and will continue its display throughout the summer.

Dryopteris erythrosora [Autumn Fern] is a semi-evergreen/evergreen fern with coppery-red and green fronds. Although the fronds turn solid green as summer progresses, new growth continues to emerge with pink to bronzy tones intermingling with the older green fronds.

Trivia

The scientific name of this fern describes its preferred growing site as well as one of its physical characteristics. Dryopteris is from the Greek words drys (tree) and pteris (fern), referring to its preferred spot under the shade of a tree. Erythrosora is from the Greek words erythros (red) and sora (sori) in reference to its red sori.

Farfugium japonica 'Giganteum' [Leopard plant] Another semi-evergreen perennial and in mild winters, it remains evergreen. This plant always draws attention from visitors to the farm. It’s on the driveway side of the house (shady), so its humungus glossy green leaves capture the attention of all who walk by it. ‘Giganteum’ leaves can be up to 15" across!

An Aquilegia [Columbine] passed along by a fellow Lexington County Master Gardener.

Azalea satsuki 'Chinzan' [Chinzan Azalea] a dwarf evergreen azalea with hot pink flowers. Like the Encore Azaleas, 'Chinzan' flowers two times a year; a full flush in spring and a lighter bloom again in the fall.

Well that’s the flora, now for some fauna.

Our chicken numbers and hence egg production was dwindling both from old age and a rare predator. So to replenish, fifteen chicks arrived last week; six Buff Orpingtons, six Ameraucana, two Dominiques, and one Black Australorp. We have done well with each of these breeds in the past, great egg producers! The photo has a yellow cast because for the first week of their life chicks want a balmy 90-95F so they have a heat lamp on all the time!

The girls are enjoying all the fresh vegetation in the pasture.

Jenny and the boys (Zig is hiding behind Jenny) are lovin’ springtime too!

I hope this post has brought a smile to your face as wide as Willie’s!