Echinacea purpurea Eastern purple coneflower (Su,M,A,N) 2 – 3 ft H x 1 – 2ft W. Pinkish purple daisy-like blooms in mid summer on single flowering stocks. Flower center is burnt orange spikes that become dark seed heads in fall. Dark green leaves and stems have course hair. Stems remain upright throughout winter and seed… Continue reading Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
Lovely neighbor tree gets a crew cut
Today I was in distress. My favorite tree in the neighborhood was at risk! All over the ground were long branches. Was it being cut down? This healthy tall majestic beauty, whose unusual white bark is especially lovely in spring against a pink flowering crabapple? No no NO! Whew okay, it was only a few… Continue reading Lovely neighbor tree gets a crew cut
2021 A Colorado fall to remember
September 2021 As fall begins to settle in I have time to reflect on the highlights of the year’s garden. Side-oats grama is blooming with little red blossoms and big bluestem’s turkey feet soar above the darkening seedheads of Echinacea purpurea. Every year is different in Tidy Chaos. This year so much changed as I… Continue reading 2021 A Colorado fall to remember
Recipes for big Plum and Purple Cherokee tomato harvests.
Moving the raised bed was quite a success this year. I had pounds and pounds of two varities of tomatoes. Cherokee Purple I purchased seeds from an organization I love to support, Seed Savers. Cherokee purple is a pinkish brown heirloom from Tennessee, though not from the Cherokee tribe whose lands originally covered much of… Continue reading Recipes for big Plum and Purple Cherokee tomato harvests.
Actaea rubra – baneberry
Actaea rubra – Baneberry (Sp,M,CL,N) Blooms Spring (Sp) Soil moisture is medium to wet (M) Grows in loamy soils (CL) Native – feeds birds and mammals Poisonous to humans A nice plant for the woodland garden it has white flowers in late spring and fruits in red or white. Actaea rubra is an understory herbaceous… Continue reading Actaea rubra – baneberry
Cotinus coggyria – European Smoke Bush
Purple Smoke bush or Purple smoke tree – This is a variety from Europe that is from the Anacardiaceae (Sumac) family. This large bush / small tree can be pollarded to produce a multi-trunked specimen.
A new gardening club
2021 keeps bearing gifts with the formation of a new gardening club in my neighborhood. With so many lovely gardens, I was excited to see what wonders lie behind privacy fences. Unfortunately I missed the first day of tours. Maybe next year. Nothing is more fun than sharing your garden with friends. Like all artistic… Continue reading A new gardening club
Nicotiana sylvestris – Annual
Nicotiana sylvestris (Su,M,LC,XA) Night-scented tobacco 24″ tall x 12 – 36″ spread, mounded with bright leaves and white summer blooms from June to October. An annual in Colorado, it’s native to the Andes region in Argentina and Bolivia, in South America. Blooms: Summer (Su) Moisture: Medium (M) Soil Type: Loam and Clay (LC) Range: Non-Native… Continue reading Nicotiana sylvestris – Annual
Ever see a tan mantis?
Mantids are known to change color to match their environment. This one matched my yellow/tan house perfectly… reminds me of a wax bean! He hung out at the front door for a couple days. I never knew there were over 2400 species of mantid across the world. This one I guessed to be a praying… Continue reading Ever see a tan mantis?
Cleaning up teasel in the Meadows
Cutleaf Teasel is a tall, (6-10 foot), spiky single stemmed large leafed herbaceous perennial from Europe. Its composite flowers form a sausage shaped head on long multiple stems growing from leaf nodes. Cutleaf teasel An escapee from gardens, it is now considered invasive in Colorado due to its prolific reseeding in open areas. To help… Continue reading Cleaning up teasel in the Meadows