Your Home, Garden and Travel

Coreopsis 'Star Cluster' in bloom with companions Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' (foliage left)  echinacea (multiple varieties back)  and purple phlox 'Nicky'.

The last rays of the sun shine on the willow at the end of lower path. There is order to the path edging plants, but there are"wild" flower pairings mixed in the rest of the deer resistant meadow garden.

1. Around 8:00 pm on a June evening in the deer resistant meadow garden.

OVERVIEW: Red and white garden, straight ahead, left. Orange and yellow garden on the near left by a new path cut-through. Green shrubbery (osmanthus fragrans and hollies) on the right.  June 2012

Purple milkweed (asclepias purpurascens) attracts bees and other pollinators. A Monarch Butterfly host plant. May 2012

Coreopsis is surrounded by ground covers with near-twin blooms of light purple verbena 'Imagination' and heliotropium amplexicaule.

Shades of pink, purple and blue have dominated my cottage garden over the years. I shook things up a bit this year with addition of bold gold in the form of a native wildflower, coreopsis. Yet, I'm not quite sure of the circumstances. The seed packet (I took a photo) said "coreopsis palmata" (prairie coreopsis), but the flowers look like coreopsis lanceolota to me. What do you think?

Sown from seeds last year, the success rate has been almost overwhelming! While the coreopsis is great for poor soil, given the good soil of the cottage garden, the mounds are huge, full and extra tall (close to three feet high).

There is another possibility regarding the seeds. I sowed a packet of "mixed cottage garden" seeds that included annuals and perennials. Perhaps this coreopsis came from that mix instead? The hint at this possibility is that coreopsis is also growing among hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket) that must have come from the mixed packet—along with a barrage of susans (yet to bloom).

Before you all attack me with your gardening hoes, Dame's Rocket is not yet on the invasive list here in North Carolina. The plant is invasive in other states and countries. I'll have to manage it properly to prevent it from escaping the confines of the garden.

The coreopsis blooms have been going strong for at least three weeks, but I've not had to deadhead at this point. Yesterday's heavy rainfall beat the plant down a bit, but it is bouncing back and not drooping too much given the beating.

I've not seen any rabbit damage, but I've not seen any rabbits in the garden so far. There is a feral cat hanging around, not to mention a few black snakes and a hovering red-tailed hawk. This coreopsis is also growing out in the deer resistant garden and I have seen many deer. So far, so good.

I'll let the coreopsis grow as a test this year. If it performs well, I may just let it remain in the cottage garden. I have enough already, so I will deadhead the coreopsis and not let it go to seed.

As for the color gold—right now, I'm enjoying the glowing brightness among the purple blooms.

Coreopsis with Dame's Rocket (invasive in some areas).

Coreopsis with purple larkspur (and buds of purple cornflower, not yet opened).

The "back side" of the coreopsis as viewed from the porch after the rain. The "faces" of the coreopsis follow the sun, just like sunflowers.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

A mix of salvia greggii and salvia nemorosa  in the cottage garden, viewed across the blooms, but there are many companions surrounding these sages.

I'm not a collector of plants, but one look across my garden in spring, a visitor might think that I have a sage in every color. My favorite variety is salvia greggii and there are many reasons why I love this plant.

When I began my research into deer resistant plants, salvia topped the list. The first salvia greggii planted in my garden is the beautiful 'Navajo Bright Red' (difficult to find). A grouping of five is still flourishing and delivering masses of blooms in spring and fall. During the heat of the summer, the blooms are sparse, but the foliage of the plant, evergreen in my zone 7b garden provides year-round satisfaction—characteristics of all greggii varieties.

Maintenance is similar to butterfly bushes (buddleia). I cut back and shape salvia greggii in late winter, removing the dead wood and to keep the plant flexible and full of foliage to produce the blooms.

The plants are tough as long as they aren't overwatered or stand in wet soil. Drought-tolerant, deer and rabbit resistent, the results of using the sages for gardening in full sun is rewarding.

I now grow salvia greggii in the cottage garden, the deer resistant garden and in containers—in planned vignettes, randomly mixed and literally contained. For the versatility and low-maintenance, salvias are among my perennial favorites.

Is there a downside? Yes—salvia greggii is very difficult to photograph! My photos are rather dark because I had to wait for evening or cloudy days to capture the colors and shapes of the blooms!

Salvia greggii 'Navajo Bright Red' began in full sun and is now partially shaded by a mature weeping willow. Companions, monarda 'Jacob Cline' and crocosmia 'Lucifer'. April 2012.

Salvia greggii 'Texas Wedding' is a creamy white. Planted at the edge of a path in front of roses, a potted hosta (shaded), daylilies and saliva farinacea 'Victoria Blue' (yet to bloom) are companions. April 2012.

Salvia greggii 'Diane' (dark purple in front of burgundy loropetalum) surrounded by other sun-loving companions in the cottage garden. April 2012.

Salvia greggii 'Autumn Sage' and 'Dark Dancer' randomly mixed across the deer resistant meadow garden. April 2012.

I purchased this salvia last week, but when I got home, there was no ID tag! The color is a creamy white with pale peach tones and dark stems. Planted with salvia officinalis 'Purpurascens' and thyme. April 2012.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Verbena tenuisecta 'Imagination' blooms spring, summer, fall until...

It's supposed to be an annual, but I'm not convinced!  Verbena tenuisecta 'Imagination' bloomed from early spring 2011 and there were still blooms around in December in some pockets of my garden.

Rated as an annual by most sources, every plant returned, making this verbena as hardy as any zone 7b perennial that I grow. It must take a seriously cold winter to kill it off. Thinking that 'Imagination' was a tender annual, I allowed it to self-sow.

Wait—there's more! I sowed seeds again in fall 2011. Maybe too many seeds! While it is lovely, meandering around tall plants and over short plants, it could easily takeover the garden. That said, it's easy to pull out. The color is a soft-purple, making it compatible with every color in my garden.

Don't worry about watering or babying this 'annual' as it is a tough plant for full sun to partial shade. Never drooping or complaining, it blooms continuously for three seasons.  Deer, rabbits, voles and even a groundhog passed on this plant.

If you don't know what to plant as a meandering ground cover, just use this 'Imagination' verbena.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Yellow yarrow (achillea), Purple salvia 'Caradonna' and Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' Achillea, salvia and nepeta are three easy perennials for a colorful combination. While I'm fond of purple and yellow/gold, there are other colors of achillea and salvia that pair well. The nepeta is just a great all-round companion for many designs. When walking through my garden on this rather warm November day, the basal foliage of all three plants was easily recognizable. Seeing these hardy favorites today was a reminder to spread the word to other gardeners. The yarrow and nepeta are easy to divide and the salvia 'Cardonna' is a self-sowing favorite.  Would you believe—there are still a few remaining blooms on the nepeta in my cottage garden! Deer, rabbits and drought don't faze this plants. Plant all three in the spring in full sun. Well-drained soil is important to keep the plants happy. Achillea 'Moonshine' zones 3-9 Salvia 'Caradonna' zones 4-8 Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' zones 3-8 Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

A Bright Morning: Encore® Azaleas, Persian Shield and Mums

Simple mums (chrysanthemum morifolium) with repeat blooming azaleas and annual Persian shield (strobilanthes diyeranus).

It all started with one hardy garden mum that I divided and divided and divided...

This is the east wall inside the cottage garden that receives afternoon shade so most plants want to lean away from the wall toward the sunshine.

The mums were transplanted in the spring. I rounded up all the offspring and planted them together for this mass. I was surprised that all the little plants matured in unison for the fall bloom.

During the summer, the mum foliage stayed green and pretty with minimal water in this rich soil location. I shaped the mounds until July 4th and will be a bit more severe with the trim next year to prevent the falling over from so many heavy blooms.

Here in zone7b, the mum foliage will be evergreen through the winter. In case you're wondering, I've not had a problem with deer or rabbit munching the mums. I have additional mums growing in the deer resistant garden. I even have a four foot mum about to bloom.

No grumblings here!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

White butterfly ginger. September 2011

Huge blossoms of white butterfly ginger, hedychium coronarium, fill the air with fragrance each September. My gardenia 'August Beauty' and my osmanthus fragrans are also in bloom and highly fragrant. It's tough competition among the white bloomers!

For zones 8a-11, I have a mass planting of ginger against the east side of my house. The ginger was a passalong plant from a friend, just after we finished building this house on Labor Day 2005. In spring, I divide the ginger into eight inch sections to transplant around the garden.

Because of being up against the house, the ginger likes to lean out toward the sun. This spring, I decided to cut it back after it was just over one foot high. This worked well, so I won't hesitate to reduce the height using this method for 2012. Uncut, the ginger easily grows to six feet in height.

The ginger likes moist soil and it is situated beneath one of our outdoor faucets where it catches whatever drips fall when the garden hose is in use. I've not intentionally watered the ginger at all this summer. It does just fine as you can see in the photo of the mass planting.

Part-shade works best, but I also grow this out in other areas of the garden in full sun, including planted directly into our water feature. The leaves can get wilted and scorched in the hottest areas of the garden, so you'll have to keep an eye on it during the summer. Heavily composted, rich soil is super for this ginger.

No critters eat the ginger—the deer, rabbits and voles haven't touched it.

White butterfly ginger is a great companion plant for a fragrance-and-white themed garden. I also grow star jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides) and sweet bay magnolia (magnolia virginiana) in the same garden, and those bloomed in the spring. The gardenia bloomed in spring and is repeating now. The osmanthus blooms in spring and fall, too.

I plan to sow seeds for the white, honey fragranced, sweet alyssum for next year. The annual alyssum blooms all summer unless the temperatures are too hot. It is now blooming again.

All of these fragrance plants—perennial, vine, shrub, tree and annual—are wonderful performers. I'm happy to recommend these white bloomers!

Better give ginger lots of space! September 2011.

Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow'

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'

If there was ever a perennial that mimics a sunburst, it has to be yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' when backlight by the rays of the morning sun. Planted at the top of my south-facing garden, the yucca glows when the sun rises and shines through. The wispy hairs add to the unusual beauty of a plant whose sharp points must be carefully handled with gloves.


I fell in love with this yucca when I was looking for a companion for coreopsis 'Redshift'. The yellow in the yucca blades echo the coreopsis blooms. Other companions include the yellow and green variegated osmanthus 'Goshiki', lantana 'Athens Rose' and three agastache 'Salmon & Pink'.

Just before a rain, and when temperatures are between 70-90° is my favorite time to plant during the summer. I've had no problems planting or transplanting xeric or drought resistant plants in August through September as long as they are rated for at least one zone colder (to establish over the winter) and two zones hotter (to survive the shock of planting).

This yucca is suitable for zones 4-10 in full sun, is rabbit and drought resistant. Is it deer resistant? We shall see how it does in February. I have a common yucca that is nibbled by the deer in winter, but comes back without any indication of damage by the time it blooms. The rest of the year, the deer leave the yucca alone, so go ahead and plant one!

The color is too good to pass up and the structure of 'Color Guard' adds so much to a full sun garden that is packed with so many plants with small, wispy leaves or blooms. I can think of a few more places where I'd like to plant this yucca. The yellow and green would look great with blue or purple blooming plants!

Yucca 'Color Guard' (middle) Coreopsis 'Redshift' (left/front) Osmanthus 'Goshiki' (left) Lantana 'Athens Rose' (right/back) Purple fountain grass (right)

Coreopsis 'Redshift'

Osmanthus 'Goshiki'

Lantana 'Athens Rose'

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Blue flowers for spring, pretty foliage through summer, repeat bloom in fall—easy to achieve by sowing the seeds of perennial blue flax. This self-sowing perennial is wonderful for dry, sunny gardens. A deer, rabbit and drought tolerant perennial that can be mixed with other perennials as well as annuals.

It is time to order seeds for fall sowing!

Flax is a perfect partner for the blooms of annual poppies, larkspur and cornflowers from April until June in my zone 7b garden. I sow seeds anytime between September through November for spring bloom. I have allowed some of the plants to self-sow and gathered seeds to plant in specific spots in the garden. In 2010, I planted some seeds in summer instead of waiting to the sow the seeds in fall. The foliage sprouted and was evergreen through winter, then bloomed the first time this spring.

If you try to collect seeds, it is a tedious task. Wait until the pods are brown and dry, then you must carefully pull the flat seeds out of the pod. I took the time for the task last year, but now I'm doing the "chop and drop" with the foliage and letting the seeds sow without my help.

Perennial blue flax blooms with annual California poppy in April 2011. Seeds for both were planted in autumn in zone 7b.

To keep the foliage looking good through the summer, I cut the flax back by one third. Today, many of my flax plants that bloomed beautifully in spring are beginning to bloom again.

Throughout our days of 100° F and with no supplemental watering, all of my flax plants have survived and thrived. They never look wilted. This is truly a "hell strip" plant for xeric gardens.

Perennials on parade in May 2011: Salvia 'May Night' (back) Linum perenne flax (middle) Agastache 'Cotton Candy' (front)

I grow two varieties of blue flax and have mixed the two so much that I no longer pay attention to the minor differences. Linum narbonense 'Heavenly Blue' (zones 5-9) and linum perenne are both great performers, with the latter growing a bit taller and suitable for zones 4-9.

Flowers open in the morning and drop by noon during the bloom season. You'll have to take a morning garden walk with your camera to capture the beauties in bloom. I recommend sowing the seeds thickly and close together for a mass planting that is sure to please!

Blue flax with another salvia variety.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Light textures. Movement. Soft brushes of delicate threads form a fountain of fluff among the heaviness of shrubs.

A favorite ornamental grass is stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass). Shown with two different spirea varieties, the grass texture breaks up the monotony of the shrubs. Stipa gently sways with the breeze, glistens with morning dew and lightens up the density of the surrounding plants.

Ornamental grass, stipa tenuissima, separates two varieties of spirea flowering shrubs in May.

Deep pink blooms of Spirea 'Neon Flash' are backed by a fountain of stipa grass.

When growing ornamental grasses, I proceed with caution. My husband will ban any grass that sows seeds prolifically in the gravel driveway or garden paths. So far, he has banned eragrostis (love grass). He says there's nothing to love about that grass!

In 2010, I planted six stipa.  Given that this grass is considered invasive in some of the western states, I am closely monitoring it for seeds.

Three stipa are planted with the spirea and three are in place for another garden spot that is undergoing renovation. So far, I've found no seedlings in the garden. However, I've decided to be cautious when the garden wanes this year and proactively deadhead the tips. As gardeners, we must always be aware of the risk associated with the plants we grow.

This grass is rated for zones 7a-10b, but if it doesn't overwinter again, I will grow it as an annual grass. Stipa is deer, rabbit and drought resistant, making it a very suitable plant to grow—provided it doesn't misbehave.

What's your experience with stipa? Love it or hate it? Well-behaved or a thug?

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Cleome is a tall summer annual for filling big spaces.

Temporary help is needed to fill in garden space during the heat of summer. The perfect candidate must be tall, colorful and play well with perennials. Additional skills required include deterring deer and rabbits while attracting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. A big gap in my deer resistant garden needed a summer filler to add color and height among the foliage of the fall-blooming perennials. The annual, Cleome hassleriana, fit the job description—planted among Joe Pye Weed (native eupatorium purpureum), solidago 'Fireworks', helianthus angustifolius 'First Light', stipa (grass), asclepias incarnata and a tall pink mum. Without cleome, there would be nothing but foliage in the midsection of my front garden during the summer. In spring, rose campion and larkspur provide blooms for this space. When the temperatures rise and the rain is scarce, I can count on cleome to deliver! This is one annual that I don't grow from seeds because I am still developing the space. I buy the tall annual in bloom at a local greenhouse so that I can transplant directly into the summer garden where needed. I don't have a greenhouse to do this myself and I find the price affordable and worthwhile given how barren the garden would look without cleome. These are hybrids (I don't even bother to remember/save the name), so I've not had any self-sowing seedlings pop up. This is three cleome, purchased and planted when already 4 feet tall and blooming. There are five cleome filling in the section of autumn perennials. In the above photo (click to enlarge), you cannot see the three Joe Pye growing between the cleome. The cleome not only provides height and color while waiting for the Joe Pye, it shades the roots of the companion plants, helping to retain moisture in this south-facing garden. I like a mass planting of at least five cleome. Without cleome, there would be a nothing but a low hole of foliage in my summer garden. Cleome bridges this gap from June until August, when the late summer flowers take over until frost. As for maintenance, I provide water only when the cleome leaves droop. There are no supporting stakes around the cleome, and while they are packed in among perennials, I've not noticed any need for support of these strong plants. Colorful, carefree and cheap. Deer, drought and rabbit resistant. I'll use cleome for temporary garden help every summer! Cleome shines in the middle of bee balm in late June. View is looking uphill from the garden path. View looking downhill. Foliage of amsonia hubrichtii (spring bloom) below. Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Back to Front: Echinacea purpurea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' Salvia farinacea 'Evolution' Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' (not quite)

Yellow, purple and raspberry—a combination of color and form so stunning that I wish I had thought of it! Actually, I did plant something very similar and there are a few interesting twists in replicating these blooms in your home garden. I photographed this labeled combination while out and about on one of my day trips around North Carolina and hope that my similar combination will look as lovely when mature.

The echinacea, salvia and rudbeckia are all seed-grown plants. As such, the seeds may not always produce the plants to match the photo on the packets nor images you find in searching online. I am growing rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' with echinacea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' and salvia farinacea 'Victoria (instead of 'Evolution' as shown in the photo).

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' (maybe)
perennial zones 5-10
full sun

In my case, my 'Prairie Sun' blooms look just like those in the inspiration photo above—brown-eyed susans. My seed packet showed a green eye, instead of a brown eye. If you've grown 'Prairie Sun' from seeds, did you get the green eye or the brown eye? I'd love to know.

At any rate, I still love these sunny plants, no matter what color the eyes! I cut these susans to bring indoors and the blooms last and last and last. These susans behave like annuals, such as zinnias. The more I cut, the more branching and blooms I get in the garden.

The deer have nibbled a few blooms out in the garden. However, the plants have continued to produce lots of blooms and the deer are now ignoring the new flowers, so I'm not unhappy with the deer tolerance test. I've not noticed the rabbits eating these susans (and they love to eat the rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm').

This rudbeckia variety is definitely drought-tolerant. I've not seen any wilting in the heat and I'm rating these as preferable over the fulgida type. The susans in the most direct sun have reached three feet before I cut them back. The ones in part shade have remained under two feet.  The Goldfinch love to eat the seeds and I do expect considerable self-sowing. That's okay with me!

Echinacea purpurea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry'

Echinacea purpurea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry'
perennial zones 3-8
full sun

I'm still waiting for my echinacea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' to bloom as they were grown from seeds in a local greenhouse. Unless sown early, coneflowers tend to bloom in the second season when starting from seeds. The leaves on this echinacea are huge and rough compared to other varieties that I've tried—'Prairie Splendor', 'Ruby Star', 'White Swan', 'Sundown' and others. The deer and rabbits haven't eaten the leaves so far. Not a tall coneflower, it should stay around two feet in height.

The 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' that I've seen in bloom are indeed impressive, so I have high hopes for similar blooms in 2012. My 'Prairie Splendor' in my cottage garden were under vole attack over the winter and I've been unable to find more plants, though I do have seedling replacements coming up for next year. I am hoping that 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' will be as wonderful as 'Prairie Splendor'.

Salvia farinacea 'Evolution'
perennial zones 9-11

The salvia in the inspiration is 'Evolution', a perennial in warm zones of 9-11. I am growing salvia farinacea 'Victoria' that overwintered for me here in zone 7b from 2010. I have 'Victoria' growing in multiply locations in my garden—out in the open garden on the east, south and southwest as well as protected in a warmer microclimate in my cottage garden. The blooms on 'Victoria' are heavy in early summer, then after deadheading, I'm waiting for the second flush. In 2010, the 'Victoria' looked great in late summer and fall.

The 'Victoria' have been reliably deer, rabbit and drought resistant in my garden. If the plant needs water, you'll know by the drooping leaves. The plant perks up quickly after watering.


Whether or not you select the same varieties, I do believe this inspiration can easily be replicated in color and form with similar plants.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria) is a short-lived perennial for zones 3-9 but may behave like a biennial or an annual—depending upon your gardening zone. One way to make sure that you never run out of Rose Campion is to collect seeds or allow her to self-sow.

If you heavily mulch and compost your garden in autumn, then you are likely to cover over seeds that disperse naturally from the pods. I find Rose Campion seedlings growing next to the base of other plants, in gravel and in my dry stream, so it doesn't take much soil for the seeds to germinate. In other words, this is an easy plant to grow from seeds. My garden is filled with Rose Campion because I gently scrape up the shallow-rooted seedlings and transplant them to better locations in my garden.

I rely upon self-sowing and have never started the seeds indoors nor had to sow later in the fall, so here are planting instructions from three other sources (I have no affiliation):

Diane's Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests

Rose Campion has long, silver stems. This variety has magenta blooms, but there are also white and pink/white colors available from suppliers.

Seed pods are dry, shriveled and ready to harvest. To collect the seeds to save, cut off the pods and place them in a paper envelope. Cut the stems and discard.