Spring has Sprung in South Carolina

Last week I returned home from a week-long trip, and my garden has exploded with spring blooms and fresh green foliage on the trees. My trip was to the beach and a visit to Brookgreen Garden, more about that in another post. First let's see my favorite views in my garden.

As you come down my driveway you will see six Spirea x vanhoutei in bloom. Beyond is a mature dogwood, Cornus florida. Closer to the house is a fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus. White flowers in many forms dot the driveway.

The view from the front door might be my favorite. The weeping redbud, Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls' is just starting to leaf out with its burgundy leaves. A little closer to the door is a Loropetalum chinese 'Purple Pixie' (I got it when I went to my first Fling in Asheville!!). Planted around the loropetalum are Bletilla striata 'Big Bob' and Dianthus- maybe Firewitch?.  From left to right beyond the redbud is an unamed Japanese maple, a very large tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans, on the corner of the shed, an unknown Viburnum, a pink dogwood, a burgundy redbud, and another Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Butterfly'.

I was happy we got a little bit of rain, love the raindrops on the Dianthus. Their clove fragrance is wonderful!

In the lot where our bee hives are placed are a handful of Paw paws. This is not the Asimina triloba but Asimina parviflora, a small fruited Paw paw. See the tiny flowers?

In the backyard one of the native azaleas is blooming, this one is 'Admiral Semmes'. The deer have not totally eaten this one, thank goodness. 

I think this is the first time this Barrenwort has bloomed. Epimedium x rubrum. The Epimedium x vericolor 'Sulphureum' bloomed earlier in March. There is a third one in the woodland garden, somewhere, but it may not be with us any longer.

The Solomon's Seal is up and blooming. I have some native ones that appear every so often, these are not native. Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum'

The Pieris japonica 'Cavatine' is doing well, at least two of the three. One had a limb fall on it, breaking a third of the shrub apart. The bumble bees love this shrub!

There are three different Serissa foetida in my garden, a double, a single, and a single with variegated leaves.  Here are two of them. It is a nice small shrub, semi-evergreen. The blooms are about the size of my thumbnail. 

Another Epimedium, Epimedium wushanense 'Caramel' is thriving in my side yard. Love those spidery blooms.

The Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia, is blooming, making the hummingbirds happy as well as the Hummingbird moths. I brought two seedlings with me from Seaford when we moved here. One is doing better than the other, though both are about ten feet tall. 

Finally, Amsonia x 'Seaford Skies' is blooming and it is before I was able to cut back last year's stems, so it will be a little messy this year. Oh well. 

This is just a portion of what was open in my garden when I came home. It has been an explosion of spring. I am enjoying every corner of the garden as more and more plants come alive. How's your garden? Are you under snow or well into spring?

©Copyright 2026 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.

Yesterday

While I have a few posts in the 'hopper' I wanted to talk about yesterday. Yesterday was the perfect fall day to work in the garden. The sun was shining the air was cool, just lovely. My garden was suffering from total neglect since July, it looked like crap. Why you might ask. It gets stinkin' hot in South Carolina and the bugs are in full force, making being in the garden less than pleasurable. The last few weeks I have been becoming reaquainted with my garden. The shoreline was a mass of weeds, so I decided to work a couple hours each day, dragging out four or five large garbage bags of weeds and crabgrass out the the shoreline garden. I am almost finished. Maybe Monday? Who knows. 

Yesterday was a planting day. I had visited a local garden center and found a sweet little Itea virginica 'Little Henry' and was looking for a spot to plant it. There were multiple stems coming up around the circumference of the container. I know I can get a couple plants in this case. I had the main plant and three 'babies' to place in other spots.  Don't you just love the bright red fall color?

While figuring out where to plant some of the babies, I took a critical look at my native azalea, Admiral Semmes. Planted a few years ago it has failed to thrive. The first year it was gorgeous, it had big yellow blooms in the spring. I had visions of years down the road, this beauty would fill the space where it was planted. Well that didn't happen. Each year since it has declined, it has been maybe two years? Well, yesterday I dug it up, telling myself it needed to be in a better area and I could put a little baby Itea in its spot.  The azalea was about the size of the main plant of the Itea in the above photo....pretty small for a shrub that has been in the ground for a couple of years. 

The root ball was equally small. The mass of roots was less than a softball in size and inside the small roots was a tangle of fairly large roots, circling the stem/trunk area. It had clearly been rooted in a small container, left too long and the roots were growing in a small circle.  It was time for some root pruning. I first dunked the root mass into my watering can as I didn't have other water close by. See the hole at the top of the can? The roots fit in quite easily. 

Repeated dunkings and washing away soil and old potting mix and still the roots would not release. Have you pruned roots before? If you find a plant that has circling roots, you need to either uncurl those roots and pin them apart in the ground OR cut those roots apart. I tried to manually separate the roots over and over again. I was unsuccessful. I felt bad cutting so many roots...but kept telling myself that left alone the shrub was not going to do well. I cut straight down on two sides and repeated the dunking and pulling process. Once done I put the azalea into a new hole and spread out the remaining roots, covered with soil, and watered. 

I have done this before, another azalea that I bought earlier this year had severely girdling roots and needed some tough love. (see below) The one thing you must remember is to water frequently as the roots need soft moist soil to grow into. The azalea from earlier this year looks pretty good. The leaves held on and the stems are strong, no drooping.  I look forward to this having a great presence in the garden.

As for Admiral Semmes- see the photo below....sad. I will let you know how he does this spring -- there might not be blooms but if I get a lot of spring growth I will be happy. Root pruning, taking out girdling roots, is beneficial for the growth of shrubs and trees. Imagine if those closely circling roots never were cut, just growing larger and larger, squeezing tighter and tighter, not allowing water and nutrients to travel to the body of the plant. 

I am trying to make it a practice, when planting new woody shrubs and trees, to check the root structure-- all the way to the center of the root ball. A little prevention early in the life of the plant will allow strong growth. 

Have you pruned roots?

©Copyright 2014 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Couldn't Ask for A Nicer Day

After many days of rain, drizzle, and the lack of sun, today started off with the sun shining brightly.  We have a lot of bird activity in the morning and the evening...so I am always on the lookout for birds in the backyard as well as while walking the dogs.  Monday I was out on the deck before dinner and saw a Scarlet Tanager. I had never seen one here before.  Know where the camera was?  Yes, in the house out of reach.  Well, this morning I was looking out the window, enjoying the sunshine when I saw one again!!! Quick tell Charlie so he can see it and run for the camera.   Today I was able to get a number of photos of Mr. Scarlet Tanager, though they are zoomed in of the trees, and then I had to crop the photos, so not as crisp as one might want, but successfully photographed nonetheless!

He flittered from one branch to another, hiding behind the leaves, making a clear shot almost impossible.

Isn't he a beauty?  Last summer and the summer before we had Summer Tanagers in the garden, so this is a new sighting.  Hope to see him and hopefully his mate more often.

Today's great weather was a stroke of luck because a few of my fellow garden bloggers had planned on getting together.  Julie, from Growing Days and DJ from Meander Mountain and I met at Hatcher Gardens for a visit and a garden fix.
I had stopped at Hatcher Gardens with a couple Master Gardeners on our way back from SC Arbor Day celebration at USC Upstate.  December it was still gorgeous, May it was thick and lush.  You can see my posting on the December visit here.
Here are my fellow blogging buddies, under a huge pecan tree.  I love the maturity of the trees in this garden, they certainly have been around for a long time.

The front area of the Hatcher Garden is nicely planted with colorful conifers, Japanese maples, and some ornamental shrubs that offered either texture or color to add to the landscape.  

This longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, looks almost like a cactus or yucca.  

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon' adds some nice color interest to the front edge of this garden.  Not sure what the shrub behind it might be, but to the right is an Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia.  This was a dominant plant in the forefront of the garden near the parking area.  

This mixed bed has Heuchera...maybe 'Lime Rickey', Japanese painted ferns- Athyrium niponicum, another Heuchera, maybe 'Carmel', some nice full herbaceous Peonies, a sedum- probably 'Angelina'  and some Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana.    There is so much texture and color appeal, without any blooms...though the peonies are about to pop.

Doesn't this pathway draw your eye to follow the dominant yellow?  One side had the Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' and the other was a color echo using hostas...not sure of the variety but it was a large leaf, maybe 'Guacamole'.

You could tell the Liriodendron tulipifera, Tulip Poplars, have bloomed, petals littered the walkway.  

On the railing of one of the small bridges was a crab claw.  Where did that come from???  

On this 4 x 4 post there were twigs attached with a piece of hardware, why you might ask.... to give the Confederate Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, something to grab onto as it climbs up the post.  Pretty clever if you ask me!

There were some blooms to see, love this yellow Iris.  I don't know my Irises well enough to say what variety it might be....maybe a Louisiana Iris? 

The last of the seedpods of the Fatsia japonica are providing some nice eye candy.   You can see the pods forming in my post from the last visit. 

These deciduous azaleas were still blooming, and nicely fragranced.  What a great shade of pink.

See the pond beyond the azalea bloom?  Look at the residents on the log!  I love turtles.

Like I said, it couldn't have been a nicer day.....great time with DJ and Julie!


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Wildflowers - Some Found, Some Purchased

Earlier this month I was able to go up to the SC Native Plant Society plant sale.  There were lots of great plants to be purchased.  I missed the sale last year, so I was ready this year....I even brought my wagon with me.

The haul included two Ilex verticillata- deciduous hollies- one male one female, two Lindera benzoin- Spicebush, a native azalea, a green coneflower- Rudbeckia laciniata, Vernonia noveboracensis- Ironweed, and a pitcher plant- Sarracenia rubra.
Last year when we were at the North Carolina Arboretum I was drooling over the beautiful pitcher plants.  One might even say I coveted those beauties.  As I made my first lap at the native plant sale, it was the first thing I put in my wagon.  Hot dog.   I had been thinking about a spot for it since last year...before I knew I could find one for sale.   It seems to be quite happy in a low spot in the full sun in my backyard.  Cross your fingers that it stays as happy as it seems to be so far!

Planting native plants makes such good sense to me.  These are the plants that need no extra coddling once established.  They are beneficial to the animals or insects in your garden.  For example, the Lindera benzoin, spicebush, is a host plant for the Spicebush butterfly...who wouldn't want more butterflies in their garden?   The hollies will be a food source for birds in the winter and who doesn't love those red berries?  Great color in the winter landscape.
More updates on the other newbies as they grow and flourish in the garden.  

The first spring we lived here I found some Leucothoe Doghobble,  growing in the lowlands by the lake.  I moved some into the garden part of the backyard and hoped it would take hold.  There are three different Leucothoe... L. fontanesiana, L. axillaris, L. racemosa....all of them native.  I am not sure which one mine might be, but sure love the delicate white blooms.  They are similar to the little bells of the native Vaccinium and Pieris japonica.

 The leaves are arranged alternately along a crooked stem, hobbled...hence the name Doghobble.  Sometimes common names are so unflattering.

You might remember the Aesculus pavia Red Buckeye trees (six inch tall) I brought with me from Virginia.  I have nurtured these little guys for the last three years....this year one of them put forth a flower stalk.  This is a great tree to have in your garden as it is one of the early bloomers that attract hummingbirds.

Hoping next year that the second one will put up a flower stalk as well.
Another red trumpet flower that attracts the hummingbirds this time of year is the native honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens.  I cut this one back hard last year to replace the support it was growing on with a larger one.   Didn't seem to bother it too much, there are lots of flowers.

Two deciduous azaleas in the garden have been blooming in the last few weeks.  This one is Rhododendron x 'Tallulah Sunrise'

A new one this year is Rhododendron x 'Lemon Lights'  Sure glad this one bloomed, my other yellow one, 'Admiral Semmes' hasn't bloomed this year....looks like the flower buds were nibbled.

This time of year in the South the non-native Wisteria are blooming...those that are taking over the landscape... can you say invasive?   I am a sucker for purple blooms....so when I found this native Wisteria, I  tried to figure out where I could plant it, finally deciding along the driveway.  Meet Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'.   More on this one when these buds open!

There are other vines blooming in the woods now, this is one I had hoped to find on my property, but so far no luck.  This one is on the property a couple lots over.  Bignonia capreolata, Crossvine...another trumpet shaped bloom frequented by those cute little hummingbirds.

This find in my front woods is a nice surprise...I believe it to be Amelanchier arborea, Serviceberry.  Maybe it is not... but for now that is my ID.   Any other ideas as to its identification?

When taking the dogs for a walk I always have my eyes open-- never know what little blooms will come into view.  This is a Sisyrinchium albidum, White blue-eyed grass.  We have the Blue-eyed grass growing here as well, though right now it is the white one blooming.  

Today before we went out on the boat I was pulling weeds (lots of them!) along the bank.  I came upon a new flower, a mystery.  I have never seen this blooming in my yard before.   The petals are shiny and the foliage looks like flat leaf parsley.  Any ideas?  I like these little surprises.  Hope it comes back again next year.

For those of you who are interested in more native plants and wildflowers, head over to Gail's blog- Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday.  I know I have learned a lot from her posts....and those who also participate in the Wildflower postings.  

You never know who is eating bugs in your garden.....Eastern Fence Lizard-- make sure you don't use pesticides.

©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Update on The Family and A Few Others

Many of you know I have a family garden.  I searched for plants to have in my garden that have the same name as members of the family.  We are a family of four, Charlie, me (Janet), Rachel and Rebecca.  Soon to join the family is Alex, Rachel's fiance.  

I thought it was time for an update of
the family garden.  A few plants were bare root shipped last fall, so it is exciting to see them popping up.  Both  Paeonia 'Charlie's White' and Paeonia 'Rachel' came last fall and I crossed my fingers that they would be happy in the family garden hill.   My quest for finding 'Charlie's White' was a long one, finally found it in stock at a nursery just outside of Charlottesville, VA.  The closer you live to the place from which you order, the more likely your plant material will do well in your location.







Paeonia 'Rachel' was also purchased online, but the place was in Olympia WA.   'Rachel' is smaller than 'Charlie' right now.  Could be the variety or could be the different area of the country.  'Charlie' is a white bloom, 'Rachel' is red.

From last year, now in fullly leafed out -- Rosa 'Janet'    This afternoon Janet had some aphids on her, but since I took this picture we have had about 3/4 of an inch of rain.  Hoping that knocked off a good number of them.

 Also from last year, Clematis 'Rebecca' ...you know how they say vines sleep the first year, creep the second year, and leap the third year?  This is Rebecca's second year and she is really creeping well!  Last year she bloomed right after Rebecca left to go home after spring break.  Hope it opens for her this year.

Being the plant person that I am,  I couldn't pass up another 'Charlie'.  Found this at Park Seed last fall, really pretty lavender bloom.  Clematis 'Prince Charles' -- how perfect is that?

Additionally, I stumbled on another 'Janet' earlier this month.  OF COURSE I bought it!  It was through our locally grown farmer's market.  My buddy Julie from Garden Delights was the seller.  She is such a sweetie, she shared couple more!  Lathyrus odora 'Janet Scott', Sweet Pea.  I have 'Janet' growing next to Rebecca, so she can use the trellis as well.

So, what about Alex you ask?  Well, after searching long and hard I have found the perfect plant.  Hemerocallis 'Alexander the Great', a daylily!  There is a place up the road that sells it and they will be open soon.  I have the perfect place saved for Alexander the Great...right next to Rachel of course.

I found a Croc in the woods in the lot next to us last fall and ventured in once the colder weather came.  I also have an old pair of Crocs that I broke.  All three of these have been in the garage over the winter, waiting for me to do something with them.

Today I decided to harvest a few of the various sedum and other succulents I have in the garden.  We have an old tree stump along the edge of the garden in the backyard...perfect spot for the lone Croc.

I will have to get some other succulents for the pair of Crocs and figure out where to place them.  One step at a time!
Another 'person' in the garden I wanted to share is Admiral Semmes, one of my native azaleas.  Rhododendron 'Admiral Semmes' is blooming now and seems to be very happy with his planting location.  Bold color and fragrance as well, can't beat it!

Fragrance in the front yard with Admiral Semmes.  Fragrance in the backyard with Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy'.  If you don't have Fothergilla in your garden, you are missing out.  This honey scented bloom is outstanding in the spring and the fall color is out of this world.

As I was working in the backyard before the rain, I couldn't figure out what fragrance I was smelling, the Edgeworthia are about done, so it wasn't them.  This bloom is really a sweet one to have.  Buy it, buy it now!!
So, once Alexander the Great is added to the garden I will do another update.  Are YOU planning a family garden?



©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.