Six years ago, I was living in New Jersey, and if you asked me what to do in my winter garden there, I’d say: “Nothing.” Gardening was not a January thing to do in New Jersey, but in Mississippi, the issue is a bit more complex. In fact, until today, I have worked in my…
Category: Jacki Kellum Garden
Yarrow – A Naturalized Pollinator Plant for Gardens
Yarrow ‘Cerise Queen’ (Achillea millefolium) Image Credit: Eden Brothers Yarrow is a native of Europe, but it has been in the USA for many years, and in many ways, it behaves like a native plant here now. “Yarrow is considered an herb, a perennial and a leader for cut-and-dried flower arrangements, yet it is still…
Butterfly, Bird, and Bee Gardens – Plans and Plants – Consider Native Plants
I planted Swamp Milkweed in my New Jersey garden, and I had a host of monarch butterfly visitors who laid eggs there. It was thrilling to watch the monarch caterpillars become glorious butterflies in New Jersey, and I am ready to start my Butterfly Garden now in Mississippi. As I plant my butterfly garden, I’ll…
Mississippi Native Wildflowers – What Are They? A List
Black-Eyed Susans [Rubeckia] in Jacki Kellum’s Garden Several years ago, I wrote a post saying that I am a Black-Eyed Susan kind of gardener, and I suppose that is why I love native plants. That post begins as follows: “I have a very distinctive taste in gardening–it is a bit like me. My garden is…
Native and Other Plants to Grow in Natural Hedgerows
Hedgerow – Image Credit Mississippi Extension “Hedgerows, also known as shelter belts or wind breaks, are living fences of trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines, and other plants.” Mississippi Extension A large, mature willow oak is growing on the outer extremity of where I plan to create my hedgerow. Willow Oak Leaves – Image Credit Jersey Yards…
How to Grow a Children’s Sunflower Garden
Years ago, I discovered the following free garden plan online at Better Homes and Garden. it requires a space that is about 6′ x 6′ and although it is supposedly a garden plan for children, I also think it is precious. 6′ x 6′ Because it is a beginner’s kitchen garden, I believe that…
How to Grow Lavender
This is an update on my attempt to grow lavender in Mississippi. “Attempt” is the opperative word. While I was able to grow lavender in New Jersey, my attempts to do the same thing in Mississippi failed. Bottom line: It is too hot in Mississippi to grow lavender. According to Gary Bachman, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist…
Church in My Garden – A Jacki Kellum Garden Journal Post for Autumn
The grasses are arching above the places where the perennials had bloomed only weeks ago. The Purple Fountain grass is darker than most of my garden now, which is still a lush, verdant green. Like icing on its cake, feathery festoons topple from the tips of each spire of the ornamental grass. Some of the…
How to Create a Garden Journal – More about the Nature Writer Dorothy Wordsworth’s Nature Writing
If you are wondering how to create a garden journal, the most obvious answer is: Write. As usual, however, obvious answers are hardly ever true answers. Many times, they are insults thrust toward what a true answer might be, and while I often tell journalists and writers to do just that — just write! Nature…
Autumn Garden Chores – Getting Ready for Next Year’s Garden
The 2023 garden season is almost over in North Mississippi, and since I moved to my current home too late to have a successful garden here this year, I am doing several things now to get a jump on next year’s garden. For one thing, I have set up several raised beds, and I have…