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The Garden Awakens

Anise 'Woodland Red' ( Illicium floridanum ) A few weeks ago, I thought spring would never arrive, but now the change is astonishing. The nights are still cold (40s and sometimes even 30s) so planting tender annuals and vegetables is unwise although I have already succumbed, but covering and uncovering things gets old quickly. Someone made a wise comment last week and I must agree with them - "Don't plant anything tender until after May 1". Several plants are blooming like never before. One is the Anise shrub (above and below). I don't know if the recent tree pruning, which is allowing more sun into the woodland path, is affecting it or perhaps it is just age, but I've never seen so many blooms. Michael refers to this as "the stinky fish shrub" and I have to admit to smell of the flowers is quite unpleasant. It is so beautiful that I can overlook that. The old pink dogwood tree, which was already here, shades our woodland path and it too is prett

Pamela Harper to speak at Memphis event

I have long been an admirer of this woman - her book "Time Tested Plants" has been a revelation and has made me aware of many fabulous plants. I can't wait to hear her in person and hopefully get to meet her. 

Here are the details

Pamela Harper
‘Hydrangeas and their Companions’
Noted plantswoman, author and photographer
7:00p.m. at the Memphis botanic garden
After we announced that Pamela Harper would be our October speaker, one of our members mentioned coming across an issue of Horticulture magazine that featured Pamela in their “A Gardening Life” series. I happened to have that July/August 2005 issue and was delighted to read again Bobby J. Ward’s celebration of the life of this truly great gardener. 


After her arrival in the United States from England in 1968, Pamela began gardening on two acres near the tidal creeks of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. She has tended that garden for more than 40 years and shared her experiences through her lectures and writings. She has authored five gardening books – The Story of a Garden, Perennials: How to Select Grow & Enjoy, Designing with Perennials, Color Echoes, Time-Tested Plants: Thirty Years in a Four-Season Garden – and earned awards from the Garden Writers Association of America and the America Horticultural Society.


Please join us for this rare opportunity to spend an evening with such an fascinating and knowledgeable gardener. 


OF INTEREST. . .
Fans of HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary” may remember when Erica Glasener visited Pamela Harper garden. To view a segment from that much-missed show, just go to: http://www.hgtv.com/video/garden-guru-plant-tips-video/index.html


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Today was a crazy day catching up on things at work with lots of phone calls, including one from Pamela Harper looking for a Jalena Witchazel. And now you post about her visit, what serendipity. She is a marvelous plantsperson and has a fantastic garden.

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  2. I so enjoyed that video from A Gardener's Diary. I have that show programmed into my Tivo. Love it!

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  3. What a perfect speaker for the two of you to enjoy~Could anyone love hydrangeas more! gail

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  4. You will LOVE Pam Harper. I have been to her garden a couple times and it is a wonderful retreat. Before I moved to SC I lived a few streets away from Pam. I have heard her speak a few times as well. Her plant collection is incredible.
    I bought an Amsonia 'Seaford Skies' for my new garden. It is one she cultivated.

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