PSA: Clementine says WEAR YOUR MASK!

Lots of folks are not wearing masks in NC as well as other states. If you wear a mask you protect others, and if others wear masks, they protect you. It’s not 100% but if both people wear masks, transmission of the virus is very low. So simple. An act that shows you care, you respect, you are doing one very important thing you can do personally to impact this pandemic. 

With thanks to my daughter for sharing this photo!

What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 52: threadleaf coreopsis

I’m finally getting back to identifying this. It’s a lovely plant and is doing very well in the pollinator beds here!

More info:

Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' 

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Common Name: threadleaf coreopsis  

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Family: Asteraceae

Zone: 3 to 9

Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet

Spread: 1.50 to 1.50 feet

Bloom Time: May to June

Bloom Description: Bright yellow

Sun: Full sun

Water: Dry to medium

Maintenance: Low

Flower: Showy

Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil

Garden locations

Culture

Easily grown in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Thrives in poor, sandy or rocky soils with good drainage. Tolerant of heat, humidity and drought. Prompt deadheading of spent flower stalks can be tedious for a large planting, but does tend to encourage additional bloom and prevent any unwanted self-seeding. Plants may be sheared in mid to late summer to promote a fall rebloom and to remove any sprawling or unkempt foliage. Species plants can spread somewhat aggressively in the garden by both rhizomes and self-seeding.

'Zagreb' can spread in the garden by rhizomes and self-seeding, particularly in moist fertile soils.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Coreopsis verticillata, commonly called threadleaf coreopsis or whorled coreopsis, is a rhizomatous perennial which typically grows in dense, bushy clumps to 1-3' tall. Features yellow, daisy-like flowers (1-2" diameter) with yellow untoothed rays and yellow center disks. Flowers appear singly in loose clusters (cymes) in a profuse and lengthy late spring to late summer bloom. Shearing plants in mid-summer will promote a fall rebloom. Palmately 3-parted leaves with thread-like segments lend a fine-textured and airy appearance to the plant.

The genus name comes from the Greek words koris meaning "bug" and opsis meaning "like" in reference to the shape of the seed which resembles a bug or tick.

Specific epithet means having whorls in reference to the leaves.

Plants in the genus Coreopsis are sometimes commonly called tickseed in reference to the resemblance of the seeds to ticks.

'Zagreb' is more compact (to 1.5' tall) and features bright yellow, daisy-like flowers (1-2" diameter) with untoothed rays and darker yellow center disks.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Slugs and snails may occur. Tends to sprawl, particularly if grown in moist and/or fertile soils. Crown rot may occur if grown in moist, poorly drained soils. Uncommon diseases include botrytis, aster yellows, powdery mildew and fungal spots.

Garden Uses

Borders. Also effective in naturalized areas, native plant gardens or cottage gardens. Good plant for areas with poor, dry soils.

What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 51: foxglove beardtongue

This is a delicate flowering pollinator plant, and I’m happy to have it in the potager, already blooming though just planted two weeks ago. 

More info:

Penstemon digitalis 

Common Name(s):

 

• Foxglove Beardtongue
• Tall White Beardtongue
• White Beardtongue

Phonetic Spelling

PEN-stem-on dig-ee-TAH-liss

Description

Penstemon digitalis is a clump-forming perennial in the plantain family that can be found in the mountains of NC. It grows up to 5 feet tall in prairies, wood margins and open woods of eastern and central USA. In late spring to early summer tall clusters of showy white tubular flowers appear that attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. No serious disease or pest problems.

This plant adapts easily to cultivation and prefers well-drained, moist to dry loamy soils and tolerates clay soil if it is well-drained. Plant in full sun to light shade in small groups in the native/pollinator garden, naturalized areas or borders.

Bloom update: wild bergamot and rattlesnake master

These two are in the same bed and are really getting going now. The wild bergamot is subtly different from the Appalachian bergamot in the potager. I need to take photos either early in the am or late in the day so they’re in the same light, and once the spotted horsemint (also a Monarda) blooms, I’ll do a comparison post with all three.

But today, I’m enjoying these newly blooming native pollinators in the larger of my two pollinator beds by the house.

Appalachian bergamot bloom update

The first bloom is opening up today, and it has a tiny spider nestling inside!