For as long as I can remember, I have been an avid gardener. It all began when I was a child and when I realized that my grandmother had the most exotic garden anywhere around my little town. My grandmother was a country lady, and she had a typical cottage or kitchen garden, but she…
Four O’Clock Flowers Are Perennial in Garden Zones 7 – 10
Last summer, I had a healthy bed of four o’clocks growing in my garden in the Ozark Mountains. I had never grown four o’clocks before, and several things surprised by about these little, fairy-like flowers. The first thing that surprised me was the size of the four o’clock’s blossoms. The blossoms of a four o’clock…
My New Old House Is on Cherry Street – To Celebrate, I’m Planting A Cherry Tree Garden
Although I like all flowering cherry trees, I am particularly attracted to the cherry trees that “weep,” and I especially like it when they weep over a water feature. The above image is a Higan Weeping Cherry. The Higan has pink blooms, and it grows to a height of 15′ to 20.’ The Yoshino Weeping…
How to Garden Near a Black Walnut Tree
Plants Susceptible to Juglone The following plants are observed to be susceptible to juglone produced by walnut trees. This list is based only on observation and experience, not scientific experiments. It should be used for guidance only, not regarded as definitive. From K State Extension and Master Gardening Program Here Trees Intolerant of Juglone Alder,…
It is January 12 — 3 Months Away from the Time of the Last Frost — Time to Plan My Next Garden
It is only 3 months until time to plant another garden! There is something encouraging and comforting about the fact that even when it is cold outside and when the world seems to be frozen and barren, that there are forces deep within the earth urging new plants to be born again. Jacki Kellum Cottage…
Focus on Westerland Climbing Rose
Westerland Climbing Rose I was shopping at a nursery center today [November 5], and I was immediately attracted to the purplish-red leaves on a few roses that had been added to the clearance table. Mind you, the plant had no blooms, but the foliage alone on this particular rose bush made it seem to…
Encore Azaleas Have It All! – 4 Seasons of Color – An Instant Garden
I have lived most of my life in Mississippi, and nothing spells spring in the South more than azaleas. The problem with the old azaleas, however, is that they are not evergreens and their annual bloom time is very brief. The rest of the time, the old traditional azaleas are either a mound of nonexpressive…
Fall Is the Best Time to Transpalnt Hollyhocks – Plan Now to Deal with Japanese Beetles & Powdery Mildew in Next Summer’s Garden
This past year, my hollyhocks grew fairly well in my garden. Japanese beetles gave me fits, however, and by the end of the summer, my hollyhock leaves were dried and skeletonized. Yet, by fall, all of the old and stripped leaves were gone, and new hollyhock babies had begun to grow again. I am in…
Morning Glory Is A Weed That I Love, But Not All Morning Glories Are the Same
When I was a little girl, my grandmother grew light blue morning glories over a large metal arch in the back of her yard. Although most gardeners insist that morning glories are noxious weeds, I have a nostalgic affinity for them. I used to love to spend hours lounging in the shade of the sky…
Ideas for Small, Intimate Gardens
Jacki Kellum Garden August 2019 – Quickfire Hydrangea, Magic Pink Canna, California Giant Zinnias, Rudbeckia [Black-Eyed Susans], and Sugar Pumpkin Vine Jacki Kellum Garden May 2019 – Gene Boerner Rose Jacki Kellum Garden August 2015 Jacki Kellum Garden September 2017 Jacki Kellum Garden Gate 2016 “When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown…