Author: Laura Lee Rose

The signature plant in many southern landscapes is Azalea. These are southerners’ answer to peonies and lilacs even if they don’t smell good. They are beautiful and as varied as any group of plants, but when are they also Rhododendrons?

In South Carolina we celebrate Arbor Day on the 1st Friday of December, and that seems strange to some folks who are used to planting trees in April. The reason for planting in the fall or winter is that roots have a chance to establish for 5 or 6 months before the spring flush.

When we garden, even though it’€™s not rocket science, there is good science on which to base our plant’€™s needs. All plants need air, light, water and space to grow. This article is about amounts and timing of these needs.

Fall is a cheerful time of year, mostly, with beautiful wild flowers and gardens blooming across the state. I have been known to rave about beautyberry bush with clusters of purple berries growing close to the stems.

When designing a garden we want to look at the mature size of plants. It doesn’€™t do to have a sprawling tall plant at the front of a border or under a low window. Choosing the right plant for the right place is all about form, height, width, seasonal interest, and ecological services.

The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;...

We garden for a variety of reasons. I love flowers. I also enjoy the wildlife, insects, butterflies and birds that come to visit the flowers.

Lent is a time for letting go and getting ready (penitence and fasting). Unseasonably warm weather for the last month of winter has me wondering what’s in store.

Normally my house plants are happier outside than inside. I keep them outdoors in filtered light with normal rainfall as long as possible. It is a challenge for me to maintain tender tropical plants, because I prefer more independent hardy low maintenance plants.

Gardening is a metaphor of life. There are so many actions, reactions, and outcomes. The process and progress of our gardens can be slow, like waiting for seeds to germinate, flowers to bloom, or the landscaper to show up. It is sometimes a gradual process as one season/year slips into the next or . . . the pure chaos that we have after a storm, or flood, or both.