The Backyard Plant Sale

Sweltering in the garden

I have a friend who says something like this about gardening in Ashland, VA in the summertime:

The spring is beautiful, you get all excited and plant lots of stuff, and then you get slam-dunked in the summertime!

Well, as much as I love to garden, it's pretty true; especially if you don't have an in ground sprinkler system. I do a little hand watering, especially of new plants, but I try to plant stuff that does fine without additional watering. And generally it all comes back happy as a clam in the springtime.

So last night, I was walking around my yard, and decided to make a list of stuff that looks fabulous even at the hottest and driest time of year. And I would love your opinions on what looks great in your garden so we can get a nice big list. My garden goal has always been to have a beautiful four season garden so here is part of the equation.

Here's what looks great in my garden (or my neighbor's garden) right now:

Trees and Shrubs
Abelia
Red-tipped Photynia
Caryopteris
Aucuba
Laurel 'Otto Luyken'
Crape Myrtle
Nandina
American Boxwood

Perrenials
Blue Fescue (Festuca Glauca 'Elijah Blue')
Miscanthus 'Morning Light' (most grasses look great this time of year)
Pennisetum 'Hameln'
Sea Oats (Chasmanthium Latifolium)
Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia Mirsinites)
Sedum (many varieties)
Russian Sage (Perovskia)
Blackberry Lilies
Baptisia
Liriope
Rue
Dianthus
Artimesia
Begonia Grandis
bright pink Yarrow -- I cut it back when it was finished blooming and now it is back blooming like crazy again!
Rosemary
Fennel
Evergreen Comfrey
Amsonia
Variegated Solomon's Seal

Annuals
Cleome
Cosmos (I love the bright orange variety)


front to back: liriope, sedum, sea oats, baptisia, american box (dang, I should have weeded that potato vine growing on the box -- oh well, too hot.)

Would love to see your list -- either email me or add a comment to the blog -- only add stuff that you don't water regularly and if you don't have a sprinkler system -- and no invasives, please!

09 Aug, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 0 -

TY from Chesapeake Rivers

I'd like to share with you a portion of a card I got from Andy Lacatell, the director of the Chesapeake Rivers Program. Your plant donations and purchases at the sale are responsible so this is for all of you who have participated in the sale:

"We have completed several projects on the Mattaponi and Pamunkey, and your contributions have been used directly to move those projects forward. You can confidently say that you have had a hand in protecting our Chesapeake Rivers."

Click here for more information on the Chesapeake Rivers Program.

12 Jul, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 0 -

2008 Plant Sale Results

It always takes me at least a month to sit down and process the plant sale and put some words down (and to mail the checks!) Sorry if you were looking at your check book and saying “why hasn’t she sent in those checks?!” All checks should be processed by now by TNC.

Each year I keep thinking and saying that the plant sale has “plateaued” in terms of its results and proceeds but each year I am proved wrong. Surely this year is the plateau! What a great year!

A number of things kicked in to make this a special year. One of my plant donors. Lindy Keast Rodman, a photojournalist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, recommended to the paper that an article be written. A wonderful article resulted with a large response from the reading community. I am aware of folks from Chesterfield, the West End, Bon Air and Richmond that responded to the plant sale because of the article. Thank you Lindy! Other things that helped were an incredibly beautiful spring (lots of rain and therefore abundant happy plants!) and drop dead gorgeous weather which put everyone in the mood.

This year the plant sale netted over $3900 bringing the 8 yr total over $15,000 (100% of the proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Rivers Program). I had about 60 plant donors, over 1200 plants and at least 5000 bulbs from Lewis Ginter. Wow. This is shocking to me, especially when I think back to the first sale. And what fun it is!

I had great help this year! Ricki is a new and very knowledgeable helper who took great care of the LG daffodils for 2 months and made sure everyone purchased some! Judy and Suzanne just showed up and kicked in on Thursday when I had more stuff to do than time to do it. There was also a guy from Midlothian who showed up in the middle of the day Friday and said “do you need help?” and I put him to work digging plants in my yard. He may have regretted his offer! He also corralled the early shoppers on the front porch for a social so we could finish setting up for Friday’s sale! My mother and Deborah and Adam and Henry and Doris and Maggie also were excellent helpers.

Thanks to all of you for your interest in the plant sale. Please note the 2009 sale dates which are posted in the banner of the blog.

The following pictures were taken this spring and show plants I have gotten at the plant sale in years past:

06 Jul, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 3 -

Watch this space!

I will be adding plant sale results here hopefully this week and most likely continuing to post other things periodically throughout the year.

Thank you for your support of the plant sale.

05 May, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 0 -

Still taking plant donations.

The preview sale was a great success but I still have a lot of wonderful plants left and will be getting a lot more today. You donors are AWESOME!

Anyone who donates plants today will still be able to take advantage of free plants tomorrow at 1:00. So get your shovel out and come on by!

I have updated the plant sale list -- see the entry below.

If you see an X next to a plant you donated, feel free to bring more!

02 May, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 1 -

Details

See April 15th entry for more details.

Location: 203 Howard Street, Ashland, VA

Directions from rte 95:

Rt 95 to exit 92 rte 54 West.
Follow rte 54 west approx. 1 mile to the train tracks.
Cross over the tracks and make a hard left next to the train tracks.
Follow the tracks down a few blocks and make a right on Howard Street.
Go one block to the stop sign, cross over Duncan Street and I am the second house on the left.
203 Howard Street.

There is gravel parking in front of the house or park on the street.
(You can also park on the street behind the house and come in the back gate)

27 Apr, 2008 | Julie | Leave comment - 0 -