Favorite Flower Combinations in 2012 - Part One

Cottage garden. May 1, 2012

Shades of purple and pink tumble and intertwine along one of the paths in the cottage garden. In the correct zones, these perennials are reliably drought tolerant and will provide a long bloom season.

To recreate this combination in a hot, full sun location, use the following plants (Click the links for each plant to read previous in-depth articles):

Perennial heliotrope (heliotropium amplexicaule). Zones 7-11, deer resistant
Wine cups (callirhoe involucrata). Zones 3-9, NOT deer or rabbit resistant
Salvia greggii 'Diane'. Zones 7-9, deer resistant
Salvia nemorosa Bordeaux 'Steel Blue'. Zones 4-8, deer resistant

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Coreopsis (and Company) in the Cottage Garden

Coreopsis 'Star Cluster' in bloom with companions
Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' (foliage left)
 echinacea (multiple varieties back)
 and purple phlox 'Nicky'.

Three plants of Coreopsis 'Star Cluster' PPAF were added to my cottage garden in 2011. I was so impressed by the performance and beauty of this coreopsis, that I purchased five more plants this spring.

This 2010 introduction in the Big Bang ™ series is from Darrell Probst. For several years, I've happily grown his taller Coreopsis 'Red Shift' in the deer resistant meadow garden. 'Star Cluster' is shorter at 18-14 inches high and wide, making it more suitable for the scale of my cottage garden.

A few months ago, Darrell sent me an email about my experience with the color of the 'Star Cluster' here in the southeast. As expected, the coreopsis begins to bloom a creamy white and the deep purple eye spreads from the center during the cooler weather in the fall.

Deadheading isn't required for this long-blooming perennial, but I do a bit of shaping of the plants when I'm tidying up the garden.

Suitable for zones 5-9, this full sun plant is a great performer, being reliably rabbit and deer resistant. In the cottage garden, the coreopsis grows in rich soil, but is suitable for average soil such as in the drier meadow garden.

Given the long bloom season, I've surrounded the coreopsis with a number of blooming perennials to complement the plant. Those include garden phlox, coneflowers (multiple varieties), daylily 'Joan Senior' (similar bloom color) and salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'.

The dark foliage of eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' is especially pleasing to me in combination with 'Star Cluster' blooms. This is the first year for eucomis in the cottage garden, so the blooms are just beginning to form. I anticipate that this duo will be one of my favorite combinations!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Refreshing 'Little Lime' Hydrangea

First bloom of 'Little Lime' Hydrangea. June 28, 2012.

What's the most refreshing bloom color on a 100°+ summer day?  My vote goes to the huge, cool snowballs of 'Little Lime'™ hardy hydrangea from Proven Winners®. 

I know! I know! I'm obsessed with refreshing lime and refreshed light green garden benches to cool down my garden!

After seven years of waiting for shade, I finally have a spot for hydrangea, my favorite summer shrub. At previous homes, I grew so many different varieties, but here in my small cottage garden, the small sliver of all-day shade requires a small shrub. In late May, while on a plant shopping trip to Big Bloomers in Sanford, I asked for 'Little Lime' and they had it in stock! Fortunately, with deep watering, it is well-established in time for this run of triple-digit heat.

'Little Lime' is not that tiny—the height and spread will be between 36-60 inches. I'm totally okay with a bit of overlap onto my path and through the fence, but since it blooms on new wood, size won't be much of an issue. With a zone rating of 3a-9b, I'm also encouraged by the hardiness since I'm in 7b. My theory is that if a plant can handle at least two zones colder and two zones hotter, then it should be a stellar performer.

In my excitement to show you this hydrangea, I took photos before the shrub is in full bloom. None of the companions are in bloom, but my color scheme is simple—use lime-to-white with blue-lavender-purple flowers.

There's an existing clematis 'Jackmanii' on the right that blooms purple in late spring.

To the left (and not shown because the plants are newly planted and not blooming), I'm using white phlox 'David', white milkweed (asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet') to provide flower form similar to the hydrangea.  The blue mist flowers of hardy ageratum 'Wayside' were transplanted to fill in around the perennials to provide some separation between the lime and white blooms.

In front of the tall phlox and milkweed, I've added purple/blue hardy geranium 'Rozanne' because this combination, with white phlox, is a favorite in another bed in the cottage garden. 'Rozanne' mounds and scrambles as well as provides another leaf shape.

For a bit of foliage filler in front of the blues, the green/white leaves of annual 'polka dot' plant echoe the white theme.

On the outside of the fence, the row of lavender blooming crepe myrtles (probably 'Muskogee') are assisting the weeping willow to provide shade.

What's your favorite color of cool?

Blue-purple geranium 'Rozanne' scrambles up the tall, white Phlox 'David'
in another location in my cottage garden. June 28, 2012.

Hardy ageratum (shown from another garden section)
is to provide filler between the white and blooms of phlox, milkweed
and the lime hydrangea.

A row of three lavender crepe myrtles outside the cottage garden
provide shade for the new hydrangea
(inside the fence and away from the deer). June 28, 2012

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Benches Refreshed

Many, many years ago at a property that I no longer own, a neighboring farmer teased me when I was painting my old, weathered barn. He said "A little bit of powder, a little bit of paint will make it look like what it ain't."

It was true that the old barn had warped boards and a rusty metal roof. It needed more help than a coat of paint. Fortunately, my metal garden benches were showing only a bit of rust and faded color—easily remedied by a good scrubbing and a coat of fresh paint. After seven years in the garden, I was ready to use some color.

I bought the spray paint, Valspar® Satin Leafy Rise, as my color of choice. It's a pale green that looks so much cooler than the dark bronze of the cottage garden bench or the black of the gravel garden bench. I also painted a rusty metal plant stand and a pot.

I'll have a solid color deck stain mixed to match the benches to use on our two wooden bridges. One wooden bridge is in the cottage garden over the flowing stream and the other is over the dry stream in the gravel garden.

For the last few days and the last cool temperatures of June, we've enjoyed sitting on both benches. With temperatures soaring to above 105°F today and tomorrow, we won't be sitting outside on the benches again soon!

Cottage garden bench was painted from bronze to green.
The willow tree has matured over seven years. I removed a jasmine
from the stone fence column as well as two large shrubs on either side of the bench.
I've been replanting the areas with perennials and will finish the make-over in the fall.

The gravel garden bench was black (and rusty) before being painted.
I'm still using containers that I had on hand, but continue to look
for upgrades that I like (or paint all containers to match).
The lavender plants in the urns have just been trimmed and a
few annuals were added around the juniper.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden View from Street and Above

Left of house is west and driveway with entry gravel garden.
 Right is east with the red/white and orange/yellow flowers.
Front is south-facing with 2 acres of open meadow grass.
There is no garden in the back (north) as our woods (2.5 acres) come up to the back deck.

Paved driveway (west) ends in the gravel entry garden.

The gravel entry garden is the first thing a visitor sees when arriving. There is sufficient space for a car to park in front of the bench. In a few years, the dwarf Burford 'nana' hollies will create a hedge to separate the gravel garden from our concrete parking area for our garage. A large oakleaf holly and a crepe myrtle flank the bench area. A row of rosemary lines the opposite side of the gravel parking space. 

The gravel entry garden along the front of the garage wall.

From the gravel parking area, a hedge of hollies line the garage wall. The arched bridge crosses the dry stream to the meadow grass. A crepe myrtle on the lower right is underplanted with dusty miller and sedum. A ground-level birdbath is not shown from this window shot. Crepe myrtle, nepeta, buddleia, monarda, amsonia and salvia greggii are planted in the gravel garden.

The flagstone path splits.
One goes into the cottage garden and to the front porch.
The other goes to the right along the front
deer resistant meadow garden.

Perennial scutellaria suffrutescens 'Texas Rose' and thyme are planted as ground cover at the base of the right stone column at the garden gate. Just inside the gate, along the fence, I'm redoing this narrow strip. My project is on hold due to ground bee nests! I pulled out nigella and was fortunate not to be stung. On the outside front of the fence, three more crepe myrtles and carissa hollies are growing in the gravel and that is why the flagstone is pushed to the right in the deer resistant garden. We are leaving space for the trees and shrubs to mature.

Larger round decorative rock is used on the horseshoe-shaped
cottage garden path (only half visible here).

In the cottage garden, the flagstone goes to the porch while rounded, small rock is used on the loop around the front and back of the running stream. 


I recently planted a new narrow strip (right of bench) of phlox 'David', asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet', hydrangea 'Little Lime', geranium 'Rosanne', sweet alyssum, hardy ageratum and annual polka-dot plant. I removed two shrub roses that were no longer receiving sufficient sun as the trees are maturing. 


I also removed a jasmine from the stone column behind the bench. It had begun to be nearly uncontrollable as the willow limbs provided a place to climb. I have plans to extend the narrow strip around the corner behind the bench to fill space where the jasmine was removed.


A few days ago, I spray painted the rusting bronze metal bench and a small iron table to a light green. There are false agave in the matching concrete urns (stained light green). I'd like to stain the bridge, but I'm having trouble finding a deck stain in light green and hesitate to use paint since we walk on this bridge so many times each day.

I'm redoing the corner, having painted the bench and changed out
the plantings on either side while removing a jasmine from behind the bench.

Cross the cottage garden bridge and open the gable gate
to the secret patio waterfall garden. A bistro table and chairs
aren't showing up in the photos, but this is the perfect spot for
morning coffee or evening wine.

The waterfall patio garden is now totally secluded since we built it in 2005. With all of my sunny gardens of blooms, the focus of this garden is foliage. There are three containers of heuchera, heucherella and tiarella and a planter of trailing tiarella and a pulmonaria. A hanging basket includes another heuchera and purple heart. Gold creeping jenny softens the rocks along the stream bank. 


Variegated carex are still going on one side of the waterfall, while those planted on the other side are getting shaded out. This will require a re-do in the future. Calla lilies grow in the waterfall. The large green trees are cryptomeria and there are gold mops on the right side across the stream.

Not possible to photo from above is yet another patio, sunken lower to the left that has a large teak dining table. Just as well not to photo as we're redoing the gardens there as the curly willow and sweet bay magnolia are now mature. In other words, I'm not showing you the weeds! With a theme of fragrance from white blooms—other plants surrounding that patio include butterfly ginger, jasmine, gardenia and osmanthus fragrans.

The east deer resistant garden (couldn't be photographed from house) has been undergoing renovation this year with wider paths and a gravel section. Sun-loving plants have been moved from beneath the willow to open areas. There are two color scheme gardens here—a red/white garden and a yellow/orange garden. There is much yet to do beneath the willow and back to the dining patio. Those projects will be tackled in the fall or in spring 2013.

East side deer resistant garden of red/white and yellow/orange...and a lot of green.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Favorite Accent Plant: Wine Cups

Deep rose wine cups (callirhoe involuncrata) scampers over
lavender perennial heliotrope, gold leaf tansy and purple sedum.

Wine cups splash a long way in the garden—literally! The tender stems of lacy foliage are far-reaching. The blooms lightly dance over, under and around other plants. This isn't a monster plant that takes over. You can easily cut or reroute the thin vines to your liking.

This native perennial, callirhoe involuncrata, isn't a specimen plant. This is a mingler, a socialite that loves to engage fellow plants in pleasant combinations. Place it where it can party in the garden in zones 3-9.  Speaking of party time, wine cups are early to bed, closing up in the evening and opening again with morning light.

Rabbits have a taste for wine cups. I've never tried this among deer, assuming that they'd like to attend a wine cups tasting, too. I have only one plant inside the cottage garden fence, purchased in 2010 and then moved to position it away from the prying noses of bunnies. I use a rabbit repellent. Wine cups is growing among perennial heliotrope (heliotropium amplexicaule), salvia, lambs ears and tansy—disgusting appetizers to a rabbit palate!

I have a fondness for monochromatic groupings where I use the same bloom color from different plants. Shaped like the California poppy, the wine cups are the same color as my petunias and salvia greggii 'Diane'. Soon, my gaillardia 'Grape Sensation' will be in full bloom, adding to the deep wine mess—mass.

Don't drink to take this test.

Splash! All of those wine cups blooms are from one plant.
There are also California poppies, salvia greggii 'Diane'
and petunias in the same wine color.

Stemware. Wine cups with salvia farinacea 'Victoria'. 

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Frilly Bloomers

Peony poppy

Frilly blossoms weren't intentional, but reading the May Dreams: Finished with the Frilly Flower Phase post prompted me to take a look around my own garden. Yes, there are some fru-fru flowers tucked here and there that are blooming right now.

I don't grow peonies, but I grow peony poppies and that was my criteria when selecting this poppy. The full flowers fit the frilly flower formula. Peony poppies self-sow if you allow the seeds to ripen. Just shake the pods around and wait until next year.  I'm still hoping my pale pink and nearly black (purple) ones will bloom. We had an incredibly warm winter and the poppy germination rate has (so far) been disappointing. Unlike me, poppies like a bit of a cold winter.

A mix of dianthus.

I scattered seeds of "mixed" dianthus in the cottage garden, for the fragrance, not the frill.  These sweet little pinks are so easy to grow and now that I take into account the frilly factor—I do find the form flattering on this flower.  These frillers are great fillers. I like to use a mix of colors because I cannot make up my mind as to which color I prefer. I don't usually transplant the dianthus around, though I did pilfer a solid white to relocate with a blue salvia.

Spirea, stipa, spirea—with a dash of blue nigella.

There's a whole lot of frill going on with the spirea blooms. The frilly pink blooms on two varieties of spirea  are filtered by the flowing stipa grass. There's a dash of blue nigella, another frilly fru-fru flower that was pulled after I took this photo—it just didn't belong there and I have hundreds of other nigella. A still photo doesn't do this spirea-stipa vignette justice. I should take a video. The stipa is especially lovely with a bit of glistening morning dew, backlit by the rising sun and swaying in the breeze.

Verbascum 'Southern Charm'

Verbascum 'Southern Charm' casts a frilly eye upon the garden. The stem even looks frilly with buds and blooms on the spike. This dainty flower is quite the trooper, returning every year and never asking for anything except to be cut back after the first bloom is finished—only to rebloom.

Amsonia hubrichtii frilly foliage and flowers.

Native plant, amsonia hubrichtii's wispy foliage and star-quality flowers qualify as frilly in my book. Not ruffle-skirt frilly, but delicate and feminine. Another tough plant, this amsonia blooms in spring, then the foliage looks great through rain and drought, cool or hot temperatures. In autumn, the foliage turns gold. This is a great plant for frill-seekers. If you want more amsonia, let the seeds ripen and drop to the ground. If you don't want more, then wear gloves to prevent the milky sap from getting on your skin when you deadhead.

Verbena 'Imagination'

I've already bragged about verbena 'Imagination' in a previous post. Again, this is a plant with frilly blooms and frilly foliage. Tough as nails, this verbena is a ground-sprawler that blooms non-stop from spring until hell freezes over. And, yes—it self-sows. It is easy to pull, so no worries.

Itea 'Little Henry'

If bottle-brushes are frilly, then itea 'Little Henry' is another fine candidate. This part-shade small version of a sweetspire shrub has a tendency to run about, so pull the sprouts to keep it from filling up the area. The white blooms go every which way, but are charming nonetheless.

While I never intentionally purchased frilly bloomers per se, each delivers a dose of delight in my garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.  All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Cottage Garden Goes to the Gold

Coreopsis is surrounded by ground covers with
near-twin blooms of light purple verbena 'Imagination'
and heliotropium amplexicaule.

Shades of pink, purple and blue have dominated my cottage garden over the years. I shook things up a bit this year with addition of bold gold in the form of a native wildflower, coreopsis. Yet, I'm not quite sure of the circumstances. The seed packet (I took a photo) said "coreopsis palmata" (prairie coreopsis), but the flowers look like coreopsis lanceolota to me. What do you think?

Sown from seeds last year, the success rate has been almost overwhelming! While the coreopsis is great for poor soil, given the good soil of the cottage garden, the mounds are huge, full and extra tall (close to three feet high).

There is another possibility regarding the seeds. I sowed a packet of "mixed cottage garden" seeds that included annuals and perennials. Perhaps this coreopsis came from that mix instead? The hint at this possibility is that coreopsis is also growing among hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket) that must have come from the mixed packet—along with a barrage of susans (yet to bloom).

Before you all attack me with your gardening hoes, Dame's Rocket is not yet on the invasive list here in North Carolina. The plant is invasive in other states and countries. I'll have to manage it properly to prevent it from escaping the confines of the garden.

The coreopsis blooms have been going strong for at least three weeks, but I've not had to deadhead at this point. Yesterday's heavy rainfall beat the plant down a bit, but it is bouncing back and not drooping too much given the beating.

I've not seen any rabbit damage, but I've not seen any rabbits in the garden so far. There is a feral cat hanging around, not to mention a few black snakes and a hovering red-tailed hawk. This coreopsis is also growing out in the deer resistant garden and I have seen many deer. So far, so good.

I'll let the coreopsis grow as a test this year. If it performs well, I may just let it remain in the cottage garden. I have enough already, so I will deadhead the coreopsis and not let it go to seed.

As for the color gold—right now, I'm enjoying the glowing brightness among the purple blooms.

Coreopsis with Dame's Rocket (invasive in some areas).

Coreopsis with purple larkspur
(and buds of purple cornflower, not yet opened).

The "back side" of the coreopsis as viewed from the porch after the rain.
The "faces" of the coreopsis follow the sun, just like sunflowers.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Favorite Garden Photos of 2011

There's much to enjoy (and learn) from reviewing garden photos. Here are a few of my favorites from 2011 that I love for the colors. Some photos were taken near while others far away. Click the photos to view in a slideshow lightbox.

Hemaris thysbe (hummingbird moth)
visits the liatris ligulistylus in my meadow garden.

Zinnias in my cottage garden.

Fiery colors at Dole® Plantation in Hawaii.

Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France.

Leopard's Bane in a garden in Paris, France.

Pink prevails in my deer resistant
meadow garden in June.

Rich red monarda 'Jacob Cline' in my east garden.

Blue nigella and pink autumn sage
in my cottage garden.

Battery Park in New York City.

In a North Carolina public garden.

Bright colors in my
meadow garden.

Stipa (grass) and spirea (shrubs) in
my front deer resistant  garden.

Ring around my sundial
in my cottage garden.

Agastache, flax and salvaia
in my deer resistant meadow garden.

Larkspur and rose campion
in my cottage garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.