October 11, 2005

The Exquisite Lady Slipper Orchid

I've waited so long for this!!! A nursery-grown source for this rare and beautiful plant. This shy woodland orchid is native to North America and has been heavily poached in the wild, to the point of endangering its survival. Never, never, never buy one from a source that is not CITES-certified. (That's the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.) These from Wayside Gardens are four year old, nursery-grown bare root plants costing $99.95 per plant, which is not surprising for one of the most exquisite of all nature's flowers.

THE Lady Slipper Orchid
The CITES Website

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August 18, 2005

Snapdragons

This delightful flower comes in every shade under the sun except blue. Its botanical name, antirrhinum majus, means snout-like ("anti" meaning like and "rhinos," snout.) For generations children have loved watching the dragon jaw snap shut when opened up in just the right place. Gardeners love the variety of colors, sizes, hardiness, tendency to re-seed, and beauty for cut bouquets.

Snapdragons will act like short-lived perennials in certain climates and have the additional advantage of being deer-resistant. I have many of them planted in pots under the ponderosa pines by my kitchen door, and my deer and their ravenous fawns pass them right by. Not true of the roses and geraniums, which are the Belgian chocolate of the deer world.

Flower Gardens
My First Garden

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