Create a Secret Garden using Woodland Wildflowers

I have always loved secret gardens. There is something enchanting about passing through an archway or space between two shrubs into a little clearing surrounded by wild violets, deep green ferns and fragrant wild azaleas. Picture yourself entirely surrounded by evergreen shrubs, blue sky above, sitting in a comfy chair invisible to the rest of the world.

We have been working on a secret garden at Native Nurseries for several years. The major backdrop is formed by some large mountain laurels that were planted in the early 1980s. When we started the garden a few years ago, we had to plant 3 more mountain laurels and a Florida anise to make the rest of the backdrop and they have not filled in yet; this is a work in progress. There is also a magnolia and agarista that help form the secret garden as well as a homemade cedar/bamboo fence along one side.

We created a short path and small stone patio on which sit two chairs and a low table. We added wild azaleas, native ferns, lots of Indian pinks, wild phlox, bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit and other woodland wildflowers. This is a quiet retreat where my husband Jody eats lunch on a busy Saturday. Once I noticed that one of the chairs was missing from the secret garden and I soon found the chair along with Jody deep inside one of the big mountain laurels which enveloped an excellent hiding place. He was reading his book in peace.

You don’t need to have a secret garden to enjoy a wildflower garden. To start your own woodland wildflower garden, select a shady spot in your yard. Dig into the soil. Is it well- drained? Is it easy to dig down? If not, you may need to add organic matter to the area. If the shade is high (large pines or hardwoods), you may want to plant a native shrub or small tree. A wild azalea, Florida anise or Ashe magnolia would make a nice centerpiece. Then plant a variety of woodland wildflowers around it.

One of the shady islands in our parking lot is fun to watch throughout the seasons. It is anchored by an Ashe magnolia tree which sports huge leaves and equally huge white flowers with purple markings in April. The wildflower parade begins in late winter.

First up are the mottled green leaves and deep maroon flowers of trillium and the dainty white flowers of bloodroot. Wild violets are blooming at the same time, as are the bright yellow trout lilies. Soon to follow are the green hooded flowers of Jack-in-the-pulpit. Woodland phlox is just beginning to bloom; by March its purple masses will be very showy. About the same time, the red and yellow bells of wild columbine will appear over taller fern-like foliage, attracting the first of the ruby-throated hummingbirds to return this spring. By May, Indian pink is in full bloom, its red tubular blossoms also attractive to hummingbirds.

Bloodroot

Wild Columbine 

Rue Anemone

Woodland Phlox

Do not mulch the garden except with the leaves that naturally fall there. This will enable the wildflowers to spread by seed over time. If they are happy, they will spread! Set up a chair or bench nearby to enjoy your tranquil garden.

Rain Gardens

It seems a good time to discuss rain gardens since we have had our share of rain this year. A rain garden is simply a shallow depression positioned in your yard to collect rain water that runs off your roof, driveway or patio. The water flows in and is absorbed slowly by the plants in the garden and through the soil as well.

A rain garden is one way of slowing the flow of rain water run-off. Other ways include planting groundcovers such as liriope or ferns on shady slopes and using mulch (leaves, pine straw or wood chips) on exposed soil and terracing steep slopes. You can also build gentle berms to direct run-off away from your house and towards your rain garden.

There are several good choices of plants to include in a rain garden. Choose plants that can take standing water for a few days and that can also live in average garden soil because, most of the time, the rain garden will not have water in it. If the rain garden is in the sun, you can grow native blue flag iris, Louisiana iris and the native wildflower red swamp mallow. Another wildflower for consideration is blue-eyed grass, which is evergreen with dainty blue flowers every spring. Black-eyed Susan is often used as well.

If you prefer to have a tree in your rain garden, river birch or bald cypress are good choices. Observe plants that grow in river flood plains or in cypress domes. These plants are adapted to periodic flooding and periodic dry times.

If you prefer shrubs, consider buttonbush which will get large and has showy white spherical blossoms that butterflies adore. A more compact and evergreen shrub with white winter flowers is the compact form of Walter’s viburnum, known as ‘Best Densa’ or ‘Whorled Class’ Viburnum.

If your rain garden is in the shade, Virginia sweetspire is a wonderful choice. It has white flowers that attract butterflies in spring and bright red/maroon leaves in autumn. It spreads by underground runners so you will eventually have more than one in your rain garden. Bluestem palmetto is another interesting plant for a shady rain garden. It has white flowers in spring and lots of berries for birds in fall. I also love spider lily, a native Hymenocallis. Senecio is another native wildflower that is evergreen and sports showy yellow flowers in springtime.

Some of the native grasses and rushes work nicely in rain gardens. Plant Fakahatchee grass in sun or shade, river oats with its gracefully arching sea oats-like seed stalks in the shade and soft rush in sunny gardens. All three have interesting textures, but be careful with the river oats. It will spread readily by seed and become a mass planting.

For more information, pick up from area nurseries the brochure, Rain Gardens: A How toManual for Homeowners which is produced by the TAPP Campaign (Think About Personal Pollution) of the City of Tallahassee’s Stormwater Management Department. See their website at www.TAPPwater.org.

Heirloom Tomatoes-Taste the Rainbow!

Once again, it’s time to start putting out your tomato plants.  If you’re hoping for a crop with the old-fashioned full-bodied tomato flavor like the ones your grandparents grew then your best bet would be to plant heirloom tomatoes.  So what are heirloom tomatoes?  And which ones grow best here in Tallahassee? In general tomatoes fall into two categories; hybrid and open-pollinated.

Hybrids are the first generation offspring of two distinct parents. A specific “mother” flower is pollinated by specific “father” pollen. The resulting seed produces a tomato plant and fruit that is different than either parent plant. This involves a lot of work and partly accounts for the high cost of hybrid seed.  Hybrid tomatoes have been bred for uniformity, disease resistance and the ability to withstand mechanical harvesting, packing and shipping. Unfortunately this usually comes at the cost of flavor. The biggest disadvantage of hybrids in my opinion is that they don’t come true from seed. This means you have to buy new seed every year. If you try to plant seed saved from your hybrid fruit, you will end up with an entirely different and unpredictable plant.

Open-pollinated tomatoes are varieties that have been genetically stabilized by someone patiently selecting desirable fruit and growing out generations of tomatoes. This usually takes several years, but once a variety is stabilized it will come true from seed.  That means the plants and their fruit will be the same from year to year.

Heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties that have been passed down through several generations of a family or community because of their valued characteristics. These varieties are dynamic, that is they mutate and adapt to your environment as you save seed from year to year.  Therefore the ‘Cherokee Purple’ your neighbor has been growing from year to year is likely to be better adapted to Tallahassee weather than the ‘Cherokee Purple’ seeds you order from a seed farm in Iowa.  Ask your nursery if it gets its plants from local growers who save seed.

Heirlooms come in a myriad of colors, sizes and flavors.  So what varieties of heirlooms should you plant?  I like to plant a few tried and true varieties that I have saved and grow every year, along with a few new ones to experiment with.  I am looking for tomatoes that not only taste great, but are productive and reliable enough to earn their space in my garden.

Here are a few of my top tomatoes:

• ‘Jaune Flamme’ is an old French heirloom bearing abundant, early crops of 4oz fruits with bright orange skin. Its excellent flavor is a perfect blend of sweet and tart! They are delicious fresh in salads or dried. This “yellow flame” has been the first to ripen in my garden for the last two years.

• ‘Speckled Roman’ has gorgeous long red fruits with jagged orange and yellow stripes. These paste tomatoes produce heavy yields of 4-5oz fruit with meaty flesh and few seeds. They have a great “tomato” taste and are great for processing and fresh eating. They also store well once they are picked.

• ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ these small red cherry tomatoes are packed with an intense, sweet and full flavor. Originally from Mexico, these large plants produce copious quantities all season. Great for fresh snacking in the garden and in salads or pasta.

• ‘Paul Robeson’ is a beautiful, “black” beefsteak tomato that is really a dusty, dark red. This Russian heirloom has a luscious, earthy flavor with a good sweet/acid balance. I’ve been very impressed with its productivity.

And these two I am excited to trial in my garden this year:

• ‘Mandarin Cross’ a Japanese variety that produces bright orange 6-10oz round fruits with a mild sweetness.

• ‘Costoluto Genovese’ an old Italian heirloom with very large, stunning tomato with deep ribbing that is known for its intensely flavorful deep red flesh.