Uses For Sawdust

  A friend of mine bought a property that had a workshop that was used by the previous owner for cabinet making.  There are piles of sawdust laying around everywhere and we were wondering what in the world to do with it so I went to work searching the web and I found this great article on 'Gardens Alive'  What can you do with sawdust? 
It was very informative on the do's and don'ts of what sawdust can be used for and how to handle it in your garden.  I know from my early wood working experiences that sawdust can be a major pain if you just sweep it up and dump it in a flower bed.  I mean, it's like wood chips only on a much smaller scale, right?
Wrong!
Turns out sawdust is very high in carbon and can suck up essential nutrients in the soil.  And it can take up to a year or longer before it finally starts breaks down, so you definitely don't want it near any of your precious flowers or veggies.
And sawdust from black walnut is the absolute worst thing in any garden.  It contains juglone that acts almost like a weed killer since it stunts growth or worst case...actually can kill your tender flowers and vegetable plants.
Which leads me to wonder, why couldn't you put a layer of sawdust (I think pine would be preferable) on your garden paths for weed control.  That way you get rid of those pesky piles of sawdust from all those fun building/wood-working projects and have some nice, neat paths and walkways for practically no cost.  Beats waiting for bags of cypress mulch to go on sale.
A word of warning for my neighbors in low lying areas that get those torrential downpours like we do.
Make sure you install a good garden border or edging along your pathways so the sawdust doesn't wash or float into your beds.  Then after a suitable period of time, you can rake up the decomposed sawdust and use it for a top-dressing or soil amendment.
Your plants will thank you!

~ Happy gardening from Clamshell Cottage ~

East To Grow Irises - An Old Standby and Gardener's Best Friend

Gardener's with brown thumbs take note:
It's almost impossible not to be able to grow irises.  They're so easy.  Some of my best performing irises were those that had to be taken up in a hurry and moved so that a large insect riddled oak could be cut down.  Black carpenter ants just love tunneling through the center of those pin oaks.
I didn't have time to meticulously plant them and since rainy weather was setting in, I just placed them on top of the ground and covered them with shredded leaves.  Over the next couple of weeks they started putting down roots so I just left them there over the winter and come springtime, they were lush and beautiful with buds popping up all over.
So you see...it's near impossible to go wrong with these beauties!

Iris 'Stepping Out'

 These irises were given to me by my uncle, Harold Campbell over 30 years ago who had rows and rows of different types so they have a lot of sentimental value not to mention memories from my childhood of playing tag up and down the rows with my cousins.
There are a lot of plicata irises out there but the rich amethyst and snowy white of Stepping Out are so clearly defined.

This one I bought many years ago was labeled 'Afternoon Delight' but the colors seemed so much moe vivid than some other examples I've seen.  I have a soft spot for it because when hubby and I were dating 'Afternoon Delight' was our song.  We're going back to the mid 70s here, folks and the song was probably a one hit wonder.

Iris 'Afternoon Delight'

'After The Dawn' is one of the more muted pastels that makes me think of the sun rising over the ocean.  A very pretty iris that shows very well in a more shaded area.

Iris 'After The Dawn'

And this wouldn't be a page on irises without my sweet 'Edith Wolford'

Iris 'Edith Wolford'

This elegant ladies is the winner of numerous awards Honorable - Mention: 1988
Award of Merit: 1990, Dykes Memorial Medal: 1993, and President's Cup: 1986.
The soft yellow standards set off by the wonderful periwinkle blue of the falls are the perfect tribute to the arrival of spring to chase away those winter  doldrums.

And no matter how many irises I have, I'm always on the lookout for more additions to my garden.  Back in August, I received my first shipment from Blue J Iris.  I can hardly wait til spring to see what they look like in bloom.  The tubers were nice and healthy and the roots were plump and not all dried out like some places you buy from.

I'm looking forward to share more pictures of these beauties with all you iris lovers out there!

Until then ~
Much gardening joy,

Pamela

Precious Jewels Flower Garden

This is my 'precious jewels' garden with it's colors of white diamond, ruby, and amethyst.

Clematis Duchess of Edinburgh with Red Weigela & Homestead Purple Verbena

 The clear white of the clematis makes such a nice contrast against the background of the reds and purples.  May is such a lovely time in our gardens - all the flowers are at their peak and the color palette is a feast for the eyes.  It's almost as if they know the heat of summer will be upon them and they want to enjoy the moist and misty spring mornings while they last and put on their best show.

Enduring Columbines

Mother Nature does her own thing in my flower gardens.
I could never bring myself to pull up a seedling when it sprouts in an inconvenient place and if I'm unable to transplant them I'm sometimes rewarded with a nice surprise.

Blue Woods Columbine pops up around Dutch Iris

When I first started growing Columbines I was amazed at how hardy they are.  They look so fragile, but they're fairly drought tolerant even here in South Carolina where we can have very hot/dry summers.  When they're established they have a fairly long taproot that reaches down to where the soil is more moist.



Sometimes nature knows best.

Creating a Cottage Garden

It's hard to make a mistake when creating a cottage garden.  Their loose and informal structure hide a lot of flaws.  Sometimes I think I over do it.  When I find a new plant I just look for a blank spot and there it goes.  My garden will probably never be completely done - when I think I've got it just right, I move things around again!

Butterfly Gardens ~ How To Attract Butterflies

Verbena 'Estrella Voodoo Star' 

Butterflies love Verbena. 'Estrella Voodoo Star' shown at right is an annual. The annual types of verbena come in some beautiful color combinations but unfortunately aren't as cold tolerant as the perennial types.  I've mulched over the winter, but have only managed to keep them going for a few years.  Also, their stems don't seem to be as rugged as their perennial cousins.  Isn't that just like mother nature? Beautiful but fragile. Perennial Verbena 'Homestead' is a butterfly magnet.  One year we had a row of them planted at the base of a garden wall and the air was just alive with Swallowtails and Monarchs.

  

Verbena 'Homestead'

And when we have a milder winter or early spring it cheerfully pops out in bloom with the daffodils to let us know winter is nearly over. Homestead Verbena performs better when it has been rejuvenated after being dormant for the winter months.  When the weather turns milder; I turn my husband loose on it with the lawnmower set on high to get rid of the dead, leggy stems and it forms a more compact plant.

This variety of verbena isn't an invasive ground cover but also roots easily where it touch the ground and if you pull mulch up around the lower stems you'll have a new plant in no time.

Verbena Homestead forms a nice ground cover or filler for your flower beds and that lovely amethyst color really pops.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis are very easy to grow. A friend gave me seeds from her coreopsis so I'm not sure of the variety, but it had such a pretty fern-like leaf and the butterflies went wild over it.  This type had a larger flower than my smaller coreopsis and grew to about four feet tall.

I can't say I've seen the butterflies show as much interest in the dwarf types but I'll keep an eye out and let you know!

Maximilian Sunflower Helianthus maximiliani 

When October arrives it's time for this large shrubby flower to put on a show and the cloudless yellow sulfur butterflies go crazy.  I waited to long to get a photo, but the look and growth habit is similar to the larger coreopsis types.  I will update this if I can manage to get a decent picture of it.

Well, I'm heading back out to my gardens now~

Clamshell Cottage Vintage

It's Camellia Time!

The Japonica Camellias bloom through January and February here in the deep south.  It's a welcome splash of color when other flowers are deep in slumber.  I spent my childhood years growing up in the Virginias so when my husband's job relocated us to South Carolina, I was amazed and delighted to see these beautiful blooms that look as if they're fashioned from silk.

Camellia Japonica 'April Tryst'

Camellia Japonica 'Charleane'