Southern Gardening

November 29, 2015 Today I’m visiting our friend Kathy who has created a fun landscape with the help of so called mythical creatures. Garden gnomes are those creatures of woodland legend and represent a most elemental spirit of the earth. Gnome is a derivation of the Greek word for “earth dweller”. In eastern Europe they are called dude, which sounds a lot like a greeting in California? With their help Kathy has created some very interesting combination plantings. Just look at this plant combination using this Treebeardesque planter.

Today we’re visiting Dunleith Historic Inn, one of the grand mansions in Natchez. What do you say we explore the grounds a bit? One of the interesting ideas I like are the huge baskets hanging from the live oaks. Have you ever seen a basket hanging from a 30-foot chain with mixtures of vinca, salvia and Swedish ivy hanging over the edges? Moving around back, we find the courtyard surrounded by the perimeter boxwood parterre and plantings featuring heritage type flowers. In the center, the multi-tiered fountain adds the soothing sound of moving water.

Southern Gardening continues our late fall tour of the gorgeous landscapes and gardens of Natchez. Today we’re visiting our new friend Jerry and his terrific walled garden retreat. One of the things I like about period landscapes is the attention to detail, from the boxwood parterres around the classic cistern, to creeping fig covered walls which needs to be manicured to keep it flat to the wall. Entering through the iron gate we find a garden room perfect for sitting in the shade under the Drake elm and the interest the exfoliating bark creates.

Mississippi has a rich architectural and landscape history, and we’re in Natchez, enjoying some of its fine gardens. Today we’re at Greenlea Bed and Breakfast, which dates back to 1795. This property has a lovely walled courtyard, which you enter by taking the curved brick path by a row of namesake Natchez crape myrtle. The closely sheared Foster Holly hedge creates the perfect background to show off the exfoliating outer and dark cinnamon inner bark. We’re used to seeing liriope in the landscape but not like this.

Fall is in the air and harvest related displays must have a pumpkin or two. But there’s a lot more to choose from than the traditional jack-o-lantern. Today I’m at Courtney Farms in Ocean Springs where the garden center has been transformed into a pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are a member of the cucurbit family that also includes squashes and gourds. Besides orange, colors include red, yellow, white, blue, and multi-colored stripes. They can be miniature, flattened, necked, smooth, winged and warty. The Cinderella pumpkin is a variety from France.