Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wild Bergamot



One of my favorite wild flowers, Bergamot is a member of the mint family and blooms late summer. It is always a beautiful purple, all though perennial varieties from nurseries come in a vast array of colors and heights.

Some know the flower as Bee Balm. You might be surprised to learn that the oil from this mint has been used in folk medicine as a tea ingredient to treat respiratory and digestive disorders.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Coneflower - Big Sky Sundown

I planted a coneflower garden on one side of my house this year, with about 10 different types of coneflowers. The Big Sky Series has some amazing colored coneflowers and it took me all summer to finally find one of the Echinacea "Sundown" varieties. The photo really does not do it justice as the color is just more vibrant in real life. The color is dark pink and orange and pretty fragrant.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Hydrangea - Pinky Winky

I planted the Hydrangea Pinky Winky in my yard this year. It is a very pretty shrub as all the blooms start out white and then slowly turn to a dark pink as the flower ages. I placed it at the corner of the garage since it is supposed to get six to eight feet tall, as well as very wide. It was a pretty hard bush to find in stock this summer, but I was able to finally find it at Bachmans.