Botanic Garden of the Piedmont, Six Great Fall Plants, 80

Plants of the Week:

Drunken Baby Choices

If you have listened to Episode 80 already, you know that I was a little scattered at the beginning of the episode. I could not and did not choose a Plant of the Week. I simply walked around the garden and came to the conclusion that these six plants are making me happy right now,.

Left to right from the top, we have someone else’s Sedum Autumn Joy that did not flop, Dogwood foliage of the indescribable fall color that I should not have tried to describe, because I don’t think I met success, Amsonia hubrichtii, Begonia grands that has NOT started to decay like my description, Solomon’s seal, and Dahlias. Such was my lack of organization and preparation that I left town without having taken photos of these plants in my own garden, and if I am thrown in jail for quickly grabbing these images off of the web without asking for permission or giving credit, I hope you will come visit me and bring me baked goods. .

Above is the Dos Amigos window well project that I referred to. With my grandmother eyes looking at a small screen, I really thought there was NO window well on the before photo. That would have provided a cross section of soil something like the old ant farms we used to have as children, but that is not what was going on here,. The bottom photo, however, clearly improved the situation.

Above, other window well ideas of various and dubious taste. Still, probably better than just nothing.

Painting and Plant Pairing

from

Karen Blair

You heard me mention my friend Karen Blair on the pod this week. Karen is a Charlottesville based painter whose work I know you would love. She is known for her joyous use of color and for exuberant mark-making. Her own garden and those of friends inspire the flowers and trees that are prevalent in her paintings.

I am so excited to have this partnership with Karen, and each week I feature here one of her paintings with a corresponding garden photo! Follow this link to see more of her paintings.

And follow her on Instagram here.

Magnolias!
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Consi Palmer and Carol Carter of The Botanic Garden of the Piedmont

The Botanic Garden of the Piedmont has just gotten going, and we learn from Carol and Consi that the timeline of a garden like this is long. From conception in 2008 to now, when a plan is in place, but no buildings are, so much has happened and yet there is so far to go.

This was an interesting conversation about what it takes to get a huge project like this going, and what sort of community services it will provide and is already providing in its nascent form.

Botanic Garden of the Piedmont web site.

The garden’s history (to date!)