Viewing comments posted by LoriMT

This plant does not work particularly well in my Zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. In some summers, I am able to get spring-planted corms to bloom, but many times in first season, and almost always in second season and onward, the foliage spikes grow, but there are no flowers. When the spikes do bloom, only one or two flowers open at a time, with the previously opened blooms dangling as unsightly blobs, distracting from the beauty of the open flower. For me, this plant is not worth the space or effort to grow.

I planted Blueberry Candy in March 2017 in a terraced garden dedicated to daylilies in my Zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. Some of the daylilies multiplied, forming big clumps and many scapes. Blueberry Candy never thrived. In summer 2022, it had just 2 fans and no scapes. I removed it from my garden.

Hello Screamer is a star performer in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. It is a prolific bloomer with many buds per scape, and it quickly spreads to form significant clumps. The durable blooms stand tall on strong scapes. The blossoms do not fade in the harsh Georgia sun. This variety starts blooming in early midseason and continues through late midseason.

Although most perennial phlox don't last more than a season or two in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden, I am pleased to have found this reblooming phlox. I planted it in November 2021. It bloomed in early May 2022, then I cut it back after the first flush finished, and it rebloomed in mid June. After colder than usual winter, this phlox emerged and bloomed beautifully in May 2023.

First the past 8 years, Juliet tomato has been the star performer in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. It starts producing early, continues during the hottest days of August, and doesn't stop until October frosts. The fruit has an excellent flavor, not too sweet. I use these tomatoes for canning salsa, and also fresh for salads.

After 3 years in my zone 7b North Georgia Garden, this variety has formed a small clump with 2 short scapes.

This daylily has not thrived in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. I planted it in March 2017, and 5 years later it is still only a small clump with 1 short scape. The flower is pretty, but not worth the space in the garden.

This daylily has not thrived in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. I planted it in March 2017, and 5 years later it is still only 1 fan with 1 short scape. The flower is pretty, but not worth the space in the garden.

This bright bloomer does well in my North Georgia Mountains garden. I stays compact, with minimal branching. Provided it is dead-headed, it blooms throughout the summer. It benefits from bi-weekly liquid Bloom Booster fertilizer.

Mystic Spires thrives in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. It has wintered over for 3 years in a row, with temps down to 12 degrees. It blooms continuously from June to October, with no deadheading. It mixes well with coleus for summer-long color.

This flowering annual performs well in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. It blooms throughout the summer in full sun, despite the intense heat. No deadheading needed. It benefits from bi-weekly application of liquid Bloom Booster fertilizer.

This flowering annual thrives in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. This variety spreads throughout the summer, and continues to bloom with no deadheading needed. Blooming is enhanced with bi-weekly liquid Bloom Booster fertilizer.

This perennial grows vigorously in my zone 7b North Georgia mountains garden. The first year, it grew to only about 2 foot tall, but the second year it grew to 4 feet, and this year it is over 5 feet tall with lots of branching. I have also seen this plant growing and blooming vigorously in the Alaska Botanical Garden in Anchorage. It is a pollinator magnet. By cutting back the initial flush of blooms after they are done, I get a second flush of blooms later in the summer.

Although interesting, the blooms for this lily have mottled colors and are misshapen in my zone 7b North Georgia garden.

In my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden, this late spring bloomer gets over powered by daylilies, lilies, hostas, and other glitzy bloomers. Rather than forming a big clump like common Oxalis, this "Iron Cross" variety stays small and has faded away in most of the places where I planted it. For some of the remaining leaves, the deep purple cross has receded to a thin outline.

I planted Eryngium about 8 years ago, and it thrives in my zone 7b North Georgia Mountains garden. The plant is a pollinator magnet, and it freely self-seeds into seedlings with long tap roots (needed to hold it up on the wind-swept coastline of its native habitat). The flowers and leaves are prickly like thorns, so plant at the back of a border to avoid being pricked by this spiny plant.

Usually considered a weed, Purple Dead Nettle can be found throughout the southeast in sunny to part-shady areas with moist fertile soil. It has square stems characteristic of the mint family of which it is a part. It blooms in spring, followed by an abundance of self-sowing seeds. Attractive plant, but very difficult to contain.

In the fall after harvest, cut plants back to the strongest six or eight canes about 1 foot high, and remove any dead canes. In spring let side branches grow to about two feet long, and then cut them back to ten inches to encourage a strong bloom and abundant harvests in summer and fall. Mature plants (2-3 years in the ground) will produce 2 crops per summer.

Early/mid-season daffodil with 4" blooms. Greenish-yellow petals are accented with lighter yellow crowns that gradually develop a white-banded base. Large cups mature to a rich yellow-orange hue as they age.

Albizia julibrissin is found commonly throughout Georgia, where it reseeds easily, grows quickly and shades out native plants. It is a category 1 (most serious) invasive plant in Georgia.