The distinctively-colored leaves of the Hydrangeas
aspera ‘Plum Passion.’

By Bob Gilbert

Currently, there is a trend among gardeners to lean toward adding only native plants to their collections and landscapes. Of course, this is not a bad idea, but it can be considered limiting. I once was at a garden club meeting and someone said to me “I am new at gardening, do not know much except that I am only going to grow native plants.” These thoughts are re-enforced daily by roadside examples of invasiveness, Kudzu, Japanese Honeysuckle, Privet, Nandina and others. These plants were introduced a long time ago and had not been thoroughly tested and evaluated. And, some of these nonnatives brought with them insects and diseases that have no natural controls in their new locations. (more…)

by Shon Cameron

As we say goodbye to April and its showers… we head into May’s vast assortment of lovely leafing trees along with multitudes of blossoms here at Smith Gilbert Gardens.  If you haven’t visited SGG recently, this is as close to a perfect time as you will find here.  Weather conditions are most pleasant and with all there is to see, now is the time for you to be here!  The vegetable garden has been planted; our orchid and begonia collections are on full display having been moved from their winter quarters.  Our Koi are actively celebrating the warmer weather swimming like languid clouds through the clear water. (more…)

By Bob Gilbert

There is nothing prettier than large drifts of daffodils, a signal that spring is just right around the corner. In North Carolina many highway intersections have been heavily planted with a mixture of daffodils and daylilies. That is a perfection combination. As the daffodil leaves start to turn yellow after blooming the daylilies are just getting tall enough to hide the yellowing leaves. Also daylily leaves produce some shade when the bulbs are dormant resulting in cooler soil. Daffodil leaves should never be cut off until they are completely brown as they create energy for next year blooms. Another poor idea is tying daffodil leaves into bundles. This suppresses energy production. Thus daylily/daffodil plantings are ideal.

But this is not altogether a happy story. In theory when daffodils are planted they should multiply and keep multiplying for years. This is referred to as naturalization. However that does not always happen for a multitude of reasons. One cause of naturalization failure is that the fancy hybrids-cultivars are not bred to naturalize but have been selected for bloom size and color. A friend explained that they do not have the ‘genetic guts’ to survive. Orchid growers use pollination techniques to create new and exciting plants. Very few of these new cultivars could survive in the wild where the parents came from. They were not bred for naturalization. Other examples are roses and rhododendrons. (more…)