Good day, gardeners! I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and well. Here’s some knowledge and inspiration I wanted to share with you.
This week, I write about one of my favorite asters for the late season—Symphyotrichum drummondii. It’s an insect magnet, and the froth of flowers looks great.
A heads up if you are in Fort Worth, TX area. I’ll be presenting “Naturalistic Planting for the South” to the Fort Worth Garden Club at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden at 10:00 am Friday. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi!
When I was in Louisiana a few weeks ago, I learned of vegetable called a mirliton or chayote (Sechium edule). This squash family member is used in cooking similar to how you use summer squash. I’m eager to get my hands on some seed and try it.
Making the garden look older is a great way to add a sense of permanence in design. If you’re wanting to make your garden look older, this list of ideas from Garden and Gun will be helpful.
This week at Ephemera Farm, I’m cutting down the annuals and tropicals that frost wiped out a few weeks ago to start a new compost pile from the debris. These guides from South Carolina and Ohio are nice refreshers on the process, and I always go back to this wisdom Christopher Lloyd shared many years ago.
As always, thanks for welcoming me into your inbox each week to share what I’m learning about plants.
Cheers, and keep growing!
Dr. Jared