I feel in general that the Buckwheats (Eriogonum) are woefully underutilized both ornamentally and as important plants for providing habitat in the garden. As ornamental perennials/subshrubs (small woody plants), they are dependable garden plants in terms of cold hardiness, ease of cultivation and reliable blooming with flowers that turn into attractive seed heads. The flowers [...]
With the recent extreme winter cold that gripped much of the Intermountain West, Texas and beyond several weeks ago, this topic is on the front burner of gardening conversation. While most of the country uses the USDA winter cold hardiness numbers as a measure of cold tolerance, this system should only be used as a [...]
Continue reading about The Winter Cold Hardiness of Plants; It’s More Than Just the Cold
It’s hard to believe that September has arrived. Just where did the summer go? Here in the high elevations and mountains of New Mexico, fall is in the air. The light has changed, with the sky turning bluer and clearer and the air getting drier and cooler. It was 50°F this morning in Santa Fe. [...]
I stayed home today to work on plant descriptions for next year’s 2011 spring catalog. As I was taking a late morning stretch, I stepped out back into one of my gardens where I encountered a flurry of pollination taking place on three plants of Agastache ‘Blue Blazes’. This is my second year testing this [...]
Late summer is a time of the year for gardeners here in New Mexico when we are waiting for our life giving “monsoon” rains and the return of the hummingbirds. We get about 60 to 70% of our annual precipitation here in New Mexico in July, August and early September. The rains were late to [...]
Finally, there is some good news regarding protection of our precious bees. This is from the July/August issue of The American Gardener, the fantastic gardening magazine from the American Horticultural Society. (If you don’t have a subscription, you’re missing a lot a great articles and information about plants and gardening.) Share on Facebook
The Eriogonum (pronounced eri-ög- ōnum) are a wonderfully beautiful and useful group of plants. Commonly known as the Sulfur Buckwheats, I have come to really rely on them to provide my gardens with long lasting color, structure and provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. My initial encounters with the genus many [...]
Lavender is one of our greatest garden plants. It combines soothing color and fragrance with durability, structure and texture into a perfect package. Here in the cold, arid high desert of New Mexico I use it in practically every planting and grow at least 20 cultivars of cold hardy types at High Country Gardens. I [...]
It’s no secret that tomatoes are the most popular of all the vegetable crops for the home gardener. Indeed, few plants can inspire the passion and devotion lavished on the tomato. I love a good homegrown tomato as much as the next person and always try to plant a few plants in my small home [...]
Traditionally, we think of the balmy days of spring or summer as the time to sow seeds in our gardens. And while this may be true of many annual flowers and vegetables, seeds of perennial wildflowers are best sow in the late fall or winter! Why? Many perennials have seeds that require a period of [...]
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