Bounteous or Skimpy

Most plants reproduce and get bigger over time. Some increase very slowly, others increase faster. This post is about one of the latter.

I have  several medium size irises. Like all bearded irises, they make new shoots every year, and I divide them every three years or so.

However, not so with the purple one below which is twice as prolific as all the others I have.

Tall Campanula

Ideally we should know the names of all the plants we grow. Unfortunately, this is not how it works.

Labels go astray, you forget a name you were sure to remember, a plant was a gift and the giver did not know the name, plants are mislabeled, etc...

This post is about  tall campanula, one of our plants that you could say has "obscure origins".

Campanula (First year)

Ruellia humilis - the perennial petunia

As its common name of “perennial petunia” implies, Ruellia humilis does look like an unimproved petunia, although it is no relation to the petunia since it belongs to the acanthus family. 

To me, the blooms are more attractive than those of the petunia, even if they are only about 1 ½ inches across. The colour is said to be lavender to light purple, but from the ones I have seen (all in cultivation - although it is a native North American plant), I would say the colour is pale blue.

Ruellia humilis

Plant Portrait – Wall Germander

Teucrium chamaedrys has been described as a garden workhorse. It certainly not demanding and very reliable. It is a low shrub rather than a perennial. Traditionally grown as a medicinal herb, nowadays it is valued both for its flowers and its evergreen foliage.

Teucrium chamaedrys “Summer Sunshine”

Garden Job Priorities

You get a phone call from people you do not know who are in the area and would like to visit your garden.

You were not expecting visitors and the garden is not in the shape you would like it to be before you show it to unknown gardeners. You only have a few hours to make the garden presentable.

What do you consider the most important jobs you first have to tackle since you do not have time to do everything you would ideally want to do?