Our Mountain laurel is out along the creek in a beech-maple forest. For the most part, it grows just inside the woods. The tallest plants are up to 10 feet or more in height. Spots right along the creek are occupied by sweet pepperbush or clethera (Clethra alnifolia) and some of the blueberry/deerberry (Vaccinium spp.) relatives that I haven’t sorted out yet. The woods is about 10 or 12 feet above the water at high tide.

The flowers are carried in corymbs, and crimped, starry buds open into pleated bowls. Most of our plants have white flowers, although I saw a plant or two with pale pink ones. I need to take my Macro lens out into the woods to try to get a better picture of the individual flowers.

Despite the delicate looking flowers, these are tough plants. They’ve had a hard time with summer droughts in recent years. Plus snow loads and crashing trees have splintered branches and trunks. Fortunately, they resprout from very mature wood. If you look closely at the base of this plant, you’ll see lots of new sprouts. I was happy to see regrowth everywhere.

I surprised a young eagle out on the point, and I also heard a great blue heron flap away across the creek—their prehistoric croaking is an incredible sound. Pileated woodpeckers called and drummed in the treetops, although I didn’t spot any of them. Finally, this lovely box turtle crossed my path. He would only stick out the tip of his nose for a picture, but he is actually one of the largest ones I have ever seen. Very handsome!

ABOVE: View from the kitchen door, April 26, 2012. Spiraea ‘Magic Carpet’, lavender, golden marjoram, and self-sown wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata).

For me, putting plants together and seeing what they do is at the heart of my gardening obsession. Collecting as many interesting plants as I can get my hands on is high on my list, too. These pictures of the front garden at Hackberry Point are meant to show how those two passions—or obsessions—have come together thus far. I hope you enjoy them.

Above: Variegated lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis ‘Striata’) with foamflower (Tiarella ‘Oakleaf’), crested iris, ferns, epimediums, and wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata).

Above: Alas, I can’t find the label for this gorgeous purple-leaved heuchera. Name or no-name, it’s a keeper! It is growing with heuchera ‘Autumn Bride’, Caryopteris ‘Hint of Gold’, an Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’ seedling, and enthusiastic-to-invasive self-sowing bronze fennel (Foeneculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’).

Above: Spiraea ‘Golden Elf’ adds a splash of gold to this combination and grows happily with tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis ‘La Crema’), Heuchera ‘Caramel’, a variegated sedum, and purple-leaved Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Ruby Glow’. Self-sowers Lychnis coronaria ‘Angel’s Blush’ and wild blue phlox fill in.

Above: Chinese ginger (Hexastylus splendens, formerly Asarum splendens) with ajuga, European ginger (Hexastylus europaeum, formerly Asarum europaeum), rue anemone (Anemonella thalictroides), and dwarf mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicusi).

Above: A favorite hosta that came down to Maryland from my garden in Pennsylvania, Hosta montana ‘Variegata’. It is underplanted with European ginger and foamflowers (Tiarella cordifolia ‘Susquehanna’)

Above: This is the bed that forms the oldest part of the garden. It’s under an elderly redbud and on the edge of a steep drop off that starts just beyond the tree’s trunk. Hellebores, double bloodroot, and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) are first to bloom here. By April 20, yellow trillium (Trillium luteum), originally from my mother’s garden, and Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) are in bloom. Hellebores,  large merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora), and stinking gladwyn (Iris foetidissima ‘Citrina’) foliage cover the ground around them.

Above: Colocasia ‘Black Beauty’ spends summers in a container of water in the garden, and winters in the greenhouse.

I cleaned up the mess a bit so I could share a picture. (Please don’t try to imagine what this looked like before I straightened things up!) As a comparison, here’s what it looked like last summer, after everything was out in the garden

Above: Casey helping in the greenhouse in spring.

Seedlings have also taken over the garage bay that adjoins my greenhouse. We recycled a Thermopane picture window from the house when we renovated, so I have a lovely space to hold seedlings where dirt and a bit of water don’t make much difference. I keep this space cooler than the greenhouse—in the 50s—so it’s great for germinating seeds that don’t need too much coddling. The greenhouse stays at about 60°F, and I have heat mats that keep roots a bit warmer.

I check daily to see what new surprises have appeared. This year, one of my favorite pots has tiny seedlings of angel’s fishing rods (Dierama pulcherrimum. ) I also have a thriving pot of tiny summer hyacinth (Galtonia candicans) seedlings. The angel’s fishing rods aren’t hardy, so they’re destined for permanent container life. On the other hand, the summer hyacinths should be fine out in the garden, and something new to experiment with. I know I have a bit of a wait for blooms—a couple years, probably—but still, I love watching them come along.

Out in the garden, there’s lots to do, too. My hairy bittercress weeding blitz didn’t take care of all the weeds that are springing up—far from it, in fact. I’m trying to get the garden weeded and mulched before hot weather arrives, so most afternoons I spend part of my time pulling weeds. As soon as we have a still, windless day, I’ll try to get some pictures of plants that are looking especially nice this spring.

Above: A pre-weeded shot of primroses: Primula veris ‘Sunset Shades’, left; and an old “hose-in-hose” or double-flowered selection from my mother’s garden. Between them, Lamium ‘Purple Dragon’.

Above: Hellebores (Helleborus x hybridus) at Hackberry Point

Also added are the 2012 Maryland House and Garden tour dates. Scroll down the calendar to look for them, or search for Baltimore City, St. Mary’s County, Talbot County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County. From the looks of the descriptions on the website, organizers in Talbot County and Anne Arundel County have put together great tours for gardeners. Other tours seem more architecturally oriented.

There is so much going on this spring! Have a great time getting inspired!

As always, please let me know of any errors you spot or links that don’t work!

Innocent looking hairy bittercress in the garden.

How could I possibly identify this small, innocuous plant as my enemy du jour? In another week or two, the flowers from the main spring crop will fade and seed will ripen. Trying to pull plants with ripe seed is simply an exercise in futility. The authors of Weeds of the Northeast describe them as “explosively dehiscent, propelling seeds over 3m.” That’s nearly 10 feet, so pulling seedlings—or even walking through a patch of plants—is basically an exercise in seed distribution. So far, getting angry at the little boogers hasn’t helped at all, so I’m on a pulling mission.

When I’m weeding, I tend to focus on a single species. In this case, eliminating flowering plants cuts back on seeds for next year’s garden. Theme weeding also means I don’t have to change tools from plant to plant: Weeds like dandelions and wild onions require a gardening knife for digging, while hairy bittercress can just be pulled and tossed into a collection basket. (It does mean I have to go back over the beds again, though.) And while my aim is eradication, I know that’s impossible. In reality, I’ll just cut down on the hairy bittercress next season, but that’s good enough for me!

A day’s weeding. More planned for tomorrow!

I hope something on the list piques your interest!

Above: A live oak with Spanish moss and resurrection ferns gracing the plantings of Brookgreen Gardens outside Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I’ve recently had plenty of time to think about it. My husband and I just returned from visiting family in Florida. For various reasons, we drive, and I enjoy the time spent looking at plants and landscapes. (Once again this trip, I contemplated compiling a horrible pruning errors blog post, but stopping and taking pictures of people’s yards seemed rude. Suffice it to say the pair of tightly sheared camellias that had been shaped into dense giant green gumballs studded with struggling red flowers won this year’s prize!)

We travel back roads as much as possible, since 95 is boring and hectic. (Did you know Route 301 goes the entire way, only joining up with 95 for a couple short sections?) I started thinking about iconic plants as I watched spring roll in as we drove south.

One plant that seemed to signal spring is Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens), whose yellow, trumpet-shaped blooms were much in evidence by the time we reached the Carolinas. A native, evergreen to semievergreen vine that reaches about 20 feet, it grew along fences and climbed up through trees and shrubs lining the roads. It’s a lovely plant, hardy in Zones 7 to 9, that should be grown more often.

I added improved cultivar ‘Margarita’ to the garden here at Hackberry Point a couple years ago. I got my plant from North Creek Nursery, who report the cultivar has larger flowers than the species and is reliably hardy to Zone 6. Its clear yellow flowers appear in early summer. (See North Creek Nursery for more information and a photograph.) In a “do as I say, not as I do” move, I finally installed a permanent trellis for it last year—luckily, without major damage!

Camellias were also much in evidence both on the way down and the way back, and as we rolled back onto the Eastern Shore, I noticed the first signs of spring up here as well. There were early daffodils, especially in warm, south-facing spots, along with cherry trees in full bloom. I also spotted a Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas) strutting its stuff in Chestertown yesterday.

Above: American holly along with tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) in full fall regalia.

As for iconic plants and plant combinations for the Eastern Shore, marshes along the Chesapeake Bay spring to mind. As a horticulturist, though, I decided to pick a native plant that most of us can grow, and for me, that’s American holly (Ilex opaca). I’ve never lived anywhere that it grows so well. Plants thrive in our beech-maple woodland along Worton creek. I’ve seen hollies combined with all sorts of plants, and grown alone, but its native companions in the woods are my favorites. There, it grows with summersweet clethra (Clethra alnifolia), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and what I think is deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum) filling in below. In the patches of sun beneath the shrubs is a ground cover of emerald moss and partridge berry (Mitchella repens). Hollies anchor a more subtle combination than live oaks provide, but it is one that grows on you. I’ll happily claim it!

Above: Mountain Laurel blooming in June, with gardening companion Casey.

A travel note: If you’ve always wanted to see manatees, plan a trip to Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida. My picture isn’t great, but if you look you can see one of the many manatees we spotted. (Reminder to self: Check your camera battery before you go so you can take better pictures next time!) Best time to visit is during cold weather, from late November through early April. Blue Spring is a consistent 72°F, and when the weather gets cold, manatees from the St. John’s River gather there. One person I talked to saw over 300 on a day when it was 26°F in the morning!

Above: A manatee glides through the clear water of Blue Spring off the St. John’s River in Florida.

I’ve included a variety of events that are on the Western Shore, but still close by. April 19 to 21 (Thursday to Saturday) the American Daffodil Society will be holding its national convention and a flower show in Towsend. The list also contains several seminars and lectures, plus bonsai and Ikebana events at the National Arboretum. There also are plant sales at Adkins Arboretum, the University of Delaware Botanic Garden in Newark, and at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

I’ll continue to look for more events to add, but I hope you will all peruse the list, and plan to attend an event or two. NEW EVENTS. If you know of any lectures, plant sales, or other events that would interest Eastern Shore Gardeners, I would like to know about them! Please send details to me at hackberrypoint@gmail.com so I can add them to the calendar.

Attention proofreaders: This is obviously not my specialty! I had to choose between making it perfect and making it available. Please let me know if you find anything egregious or if any of the links don’t work.

Above: Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis)

Despite these early bloomers, I don’t have many bulbs over all in the garden yet, and if you are in the same boat, I hope you’ll take the pledge I’ve taken: I swear I’m going to get more of them planted this year! When I build beds, I prepare site and soil then add shrubs, trees, and perennials. I plant bulbs last, because I find it’s too easy to dig into them by mistake when I am planting something else. I’ve now got enough ground prepared that I no longer have an excuse.

Above: Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

There’s nothing more lovely than spring bulbs blooming in a winter garden. Winter aconites and snowdrops are among the earliest, but crocuses, Siberian squill (Scillla siberica), and early daffodils are not far behind. Plan to make space for some of these early treasures. Bulb catalogs now arrive in spring, so you can order and plan where bulbs are to go in the garden while plants are up and growing. It’s also helpful to look at  bulbs in the gardens of neighbors and friends for ideas and plants to try.

One of my favorite bulb sources is Brent & Becky’s, who grow bulbs over on the Western Shore in Gloucester, Virginia. (They have open houses, anyone up for a road trip?)  In addition to a spring bulb catalog, they also have a summer bulb catalog with great cannas, dahlias, and other summer-blooming plants.

The snowdrops in my garden are the plane-Jane species, but I have been sorely tempted over the last few days by a fancier sort: Carolyn of Carolyn’s Shade Garden has been posting about rare snowdrops and the galanthophiles that prize them. The differences are subtle, but that’s to be expected for bulbs that bloom this early. I may have to add one or two of these treasures to the garden this season as part of my bulb build-up!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012

Perennialy Inspired: Perennial Plant Association/Horticultural Society of Maryland Seminar

Speakers include David Culp, Carol Long, Allen Bush.

When: Saturday, February 25, 2012; 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Where: Sheppard-Pratt Conference Center, 6501 N. Charles Street, Towson, Maryland
Cost: $89 for members ($99 after February 3); $99 for non-members ($109 after February 3). Lunch and snacks are included.

The Perennial Plant Association and the Horticultural Society of Maryland have a great speaker line-up for this all-day seminar. Speakers include David Culp of Sunny Border Nurseries; Carol Long from Winterthur; Allen Bush of Jelitto Perennial Seeds; Dan Benarcik of Chanticleer; and landscape architect Thomas Ranier, who is one of my favorite bloggers.  For full details on the program, see PPA/MSH Seminar.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012

Half-Day Seminar: Native Plants: Design and Maintenance

Tracy DeSabito-Aust, author of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden and The Well-Designed Mixed Border

When: Saturday March 31, 2012, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; (Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.)

Where: Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Center for Applied Learning and Technology, CALT Building, Arnold, MD 21012.

Cost: $60.00. A light breakfast is included. Book signing after the seminar.

This half-day seminar on Maryland native plants, design, and maintenance is sponsored by Unity Gardens, an organization dedicated to “empower local groups to build leadership and partnership through the creation of neighborhood greening projects that enhance the quality of life throughout Anne Arundel County.” The seminar is approved as advanced training for Maryland Master Gardeners. For more information, see Native Plants.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Outdoor Living Extravaganza: A Retreat and Seminar with Proven Winners

When: Saturday, April 21, 2012; 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Airlie Conference Center, 6809 Airlie Road, Warrenton, Virginia 20187

Cost: $80.00. Includes a catered luncheon and snacks.

This day-long seminar is organized by people who bring us Proven Winners brand plants and focuses on using color and getting the most out of the garden. Speakers include Proven Winners Program Manager Kerry Meyer; garden designer and speaker Kerry Mendez; Walter’s Gardens Marketing Manager Susan Martin; and gardening expert and TV host Joe Lamp’l. Participants will receive a gift bag and the chance to win a wide variety of prizes. To register, go to provenwinners or call 877-865-5818.