High Tide

It is time to write about one of my favorite trees, the Holly. They are so glorious this time of the year and they grow so well in our area they deserve a yearly applause.

One of my favorite plants of the Cape May area is Bayberry. They are a native and one that the birds help to spread. Bayberry says seashore. Traditionally the berries of these evergreen plants have been used to make candles.

The roses that smell the best are the almost flat type blooms found on the Rugosa rose shrub. They are in both white and deep rose in my gardens and do well in sandy soil.

Whether you garden in a pot or a plot, it is time to take notice and give the plants one last feeding if you do not already have time-release fertilizer on the plants. Clip or deadhead blooming plants so they will continue to flower. Trim back vegetables if they need it and plant some fall crops.

Butterfly weed is a beautiful fiery orange plant that is now blooming all over southern New Jersey. It has always been one of my very favorite wild flowers. It is known by many different nicknames, but most old timers call it “Railroad Annie” because it often grows along railroad tracks or in vacant fields. Butterfly enthusiasts call it butterfly weed because its colorful blooms attract butterflies.

We all know them. Geraniums are truly an old-fashioned summer plant, but did you know that you can enjoy these beauties all year long?

Herbs are fun. They smell good and they are useful. They make me think of a peaceful sunny garden of long ago, and they are among the oldest plants grown by man.

People are always looking for the longest blooming shrubs as well are for plants that bloom in sun or in shade. Well, this versatile plant is one that really fits the bill.

Often the very first blooms of the spring go unnoticed in a secluded woodland spot, but wildflowers are tough and hardy to weather when grown in woodland conditions.