The Grow Garden

Florez Nursery

There is no better month to visit grows in Charlotte than the warm and lovely month of May!  From tiny plots filled with herbs to acres full of perennials, there’s sure to be a planted space you’ll adore.  (If you’re like me, you’ll adore all of them!) Wander through the blooming greenery, take pictures, make some notes for your grow, maybe enjoy a picnic while you’re there — just don’t forget to smell the roses!

PUBLIC GARDENS
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is just outside Charlotte in Belmont, NC.  It is a large grow with a huge collection of labeled plants, many of which are cultivars particularly suited to southern grows. There are big fountains, an amazing orchid conservatory, nature trails and picnic areas.  The property has an interesting history; botanist Andre Michaux walked across it on a plant collecting expedition in the 1700s!  HGTV named Daniel Stowe one of the nation’s 20 great grows.

Demonstration Gardens by the Mecklenburg Master Gardeners The demonstration grows at Independence Park and Freedom Park are designed to illustrate sustainable growing practices.  So, you can find out how to grow wisely, but also “What grows in dry shade?,”  ”What’s a good native plant for sun?,”  And, “What’s a shrub with good fall color?”  You can find answers to questions such as these, too,  in these grows.

McGill Rose Garden A coal car and some train track are part of the McGill Rose Garden, and clue you in to the fact that this was once a coal yard.   But, what grew out of that unlikely circumstance — beginning with just two shrubs in the 1950s — is an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) Public Garden with hundreds of beautiful roses today.  Pretty vistas and sparkly grow art add to the fun.

Wing Haven and The Elizabeth Lawrence Garden  Along brick paths under the old oak trees of Wing Haven’s three acres, you will see a series of plaques to ponder, statues, fountains and lots of wildlife.  There are formal grow areas, a rose grow and an herb grow.  A short stroll away is the Elizabeth Lawrence grow where you can see the “laboratory” of that beloved grow writer.

The Botanical Gardens at UNC Charlotte  The Susie Harwood Garden, the Van Landingham Glen, and the McMillan Greenhouse complex comprise the botanical grows.  Planted with all seasons in mind, the Susie Harwood Garden is a delight anytime of year.  A wide variety of interesting ornamental plants suitable for Piedmont gardens will have you scribbling latin names down in your notebook!  The Van Landingham Glen is a woodland grow, home to native wildflowers, a large azalea and rhododendron collection, and a stand of bigleaf magnolia.  See a bog grow with carnivorous plants, a succulent room, orchid room and a host of Bizarre Botanicals at the greenhouses.

The Charlotte Museum of History   The Hezekiah Alexander home site is on the campus’ eight acres of wooded land.  Historic grows around the house include plants used by native Americans and early settlers for medicine, in worship, and for food.  Behind the Hezekiah Alexander House is a colonial-style herb grow.

GARDEN TOURS
May 5  Can You Dig It? Charlotte Community Garden Tour
May 12 – 13  Wing Haven Gardener’s Garden Tour

NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY
May 11  Visit N.C. Public Gardens to Celebrate Mother’s Day

a charlotte grow

Life of a Garden

Adapting to climate change in our grows is my passion as you can probably noticed on this blog.

This is part of a much bigger climate change story that I am also keen to promote and encourage action to protect our planet.

Climate change is the biggest threat to human society and it is great to see young people doing something to make a difference all over the world to help local communities. Please pledge your support for just one of these excellent projects:

https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/Crowd/Details/168

My Climate Change Garden

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Organic and Hydroponics Gardening Blog

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Organic and Hydroponics Gardening Blog

These seedlings just don’t stop!  This picture is actually a few days old and they’ve grown even more.  I should transplant them soon, but I’ve had some interesting job developments and I’m currently putting my transplants/seed starting on hold (although it kills me because I’ve just received a bunch).  If you just want to sprout something to raise your germination self esteem then this is the plant for you.  It’s my dream to one day grow my own pomegranate.  For some reason this is one of the most charming fruits to me.  Beyond the fruit, the trees are lovely and so are the blooms.  Instead of the logical compromise of a dwarf pomegranate tree, I felt like a challenge.  Maybe in a few years my first pomegranate will be within reach.

Plant Zone

On the way to the mailbox, I see movement in an azalea and look what I see!  He’s tiny, about – oh – three inches long?  Really small.

He looks at me but doesn’t fly away. I grab the mail and go back inside for the camera.  I come back, without my dog this time, and kneel down to see him. I wonder if he’s hurt, really hoping he isn’t, and see that he doesn’t appear to be.  We regard each other for what seems like a very long time.

Then, maybe he’s tired of the camera-clicking stranger, or just hungry, but he calls for assistance. I walk away to give him some space. Soon, a mother chickadee flies down and chirp-chirp-chirps at him. He hops a few feet away into another azalea and she flies to a nearby branch, still giving instructions.

The day before I found a chickadee in my azalea, I had gotten a newsletter from Birdhouse on the Greenway describing “hoppers” which are young birds just learning to fly, hopping along on the ground while they test their wings.  Don’t worry about them; they don’t need help back into the nest, the newsletter said.  It went on to suggest keeping your cats and dogs away, but to otherwise leave them alone and let them hop, that mothers are often nearby and if you wait, you might see them check on their baby or even bring him food.  

a charlotte grow

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With the summer months almost here, it is certain that you will be spending more time in your grow. Whilst the spring may have been exceptionally wet, the one benefit is that your plants will have thrived in this important growing season. If you are looking ahead to the warmer and drier months of June, July, and August and want to ensure that your grow looks great, here are eight easy steps you can take.

Incorporate grow furniture

Whether you use your grow frequently to entertain guests or treat it as more of a private, family space, it is important to splash out and buy grow furniture, and particularly a grow table and chairs. This will enhance your enjoyment of your grow when the sun shines, and allow you to use it as an outside room.

Mow regularly

Grass can sometimes be difficult to maintain, and one of the biggest reasons that it becomes unmanageable is because it is not cut on a regular basis. Faster growing grasses can overshadow and choke out slower growing strains within your lawn mix, resulting in tufts and rough specimens taking over. By mowing at least every ten days to two weeks, you will help to ensure that your lawn always looks magnificent.

 

Deadhead

It is all too easy to pop to the nursery, fill your grow with beautiful flowers, and then be discouraged when they don’t last. By deadheading – or removing – all of the faded blooms before they begin to form seed-heads, you will help to encourage new flower growth throughout the season.

 

Add lighting

With the warm summer evenings on the horizon, you can enhance both the look and the usability of your grow at night by adding grow lighting. There is a great range of solar powered products and torches available, offering an easy option for adding illumination to your grow without having to worry about electrical fixtures and fittings.

Trim lawn edges

If your grow is looking untidy, one easy way to spruce it up is to trim the lawn edges. Along with cutting the grass, this is one step which will instantly transform your patch. In many cases you will be amazed at just how big an effect keeping carefully manicured lawn edges can have.

Buy more foliage plants

Plants with great foliage are the backbone of any grow, providing colour and interest to the space. If you have gaps in your grow, consider buying foliage plants. Purples contrast beautifully with greens, whilst silvers will reflect the light and are generally more drought tolerant.

 

Buy more flowering perennials

Many of the flowers that you will see in the nurseries will be annual bedding plants. You can remove the need to buy new specimens every year by investing a bit more in perennial flowering species such as lavenders, rudbekias and geums (left). These will add vibrant colour to your grow year after year, and require very little effort to maintain.

 

Consider all the senses

Gardens aren’t just about their visual impact, and it is important to try and appeal to all of the senses. Plants such as jasmine will offer a bouquet of perfume to smell, whilst fountains and wind chimes will offer something for the ears. Using a range of textures in furniture, decorations, and hard landscaping will offer an interesting variety for materials to excite the sense of touch.

The Guide to Gay Gardening