Fall Plant Sale Preview: Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'

Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'. Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens.

By Katherine Hale

The finest gardens offer more than eye candy—they engage us on multiple levels by offering a feast for all of our senses. With its sweet scent and distinctly textured leaves, ‘Cat’s Meow’ ornamental catmint perfectly fits the bill, packing a strong visual punch unmatched by any other perennial on the market. Honeybees, butterflies and hummingbirds—not to mention your cat and any human visitors—will agree.

Despite the gorgeous blue-purple flowers, this catmint is no shrinking violet. Deer prefer to avoid it, and with decent drainage it’s remarkably disease-resistant. More upright than other varieties of catmint, ‘Cat’s Meow’ stands tall where its competitors flop, and it requires no staking or pruning—though a tidy dead-heading now and then will promote another round of blooms. Vigorous and drought-tolerant once established, ‘Cat’s Meow’ loves heat, but it will also do well in areas with light afternoon shade. Because it’s a sterile hybrid, there’s no need to worry about errant seedlings volunteering where they aren’t wanted or taking over your perennial border.

The dense, compact shape and trouble-free requirements of ‘Cat’s Meow’ make it perfect for edging, containers, rocky patches, herb gardens or any place where a colorful touch is needed. Children will love the fuzzy, aromatic leaves, and its bright flowers liven up any floral  arrangement. Catmint is also a great choice to underplant with roses, as we do here at Duke Gardens, because it offers a delightful contrast that doesn’t interfere or compete with them for space and resources. Unless your backyard is densely shaded or a boggy swamp, you really can’t go wrong with it.

They say you can never have it all, but ‘Cat’s Meow’ catmint comes pretty darn close. Check out this and other amazing perennials at Duke Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale.

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Spring Plant Sale Preview: Peonies

Paeonia 'Emma Klehm'. Photo by Chris Holaday.

By Annie Yang
Duke class of 2020

Peonies are always a crowd-pleaser at Duke Gardens' Spring Plant Sales. So local gardeners will be thrilled to hear that we will have a whopping 17 cultivars at this year's sale, from 'Moonstone' to 'Coral Sunset' and 'Pink Parfait'. The sale is Saturday, April 7, with a preview sale for members on Friday evening (details below). Here are two cultivars that will surely pique gardeners' interest.

Paeonia ‘Emma Klehm’

The deep, rich pink petals of Paeonia ‘Emma Klehm’ are guaranteed to attract the attention of any garden visitor. This striking flower gets its name from Emma Klehm of the Klehm family, who have had a long history of growing flowers and producing new hybrids. One has to wonder what kind of woman Ms.  Klehm was to inspire the name of such a bold peony!

‘Emma Klehm’ is a later bloomer, showing off its splendid colors from late spring to early summer, but the wait is quite worth it. Long-lived and relatively easy to grow, this plant prefers moist but well-drained soil and, in a warmer climate like North Carolina, thrives under partial sun.

Its vibrant colors make ‘Emma Klehm’ an easy choice for cut flower bouquets or as a border plant. Consider grouping it with other plants so its striking hues can really pop out and brighten up any garden.

Paeonia 'Monsieur Jules Elie'. Photo by Chris Holaday.

Paeonia ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’

This peony was first introduced in 1888, but its huge bloom, ruffled light pink petals and wonderful fragrance have made it an enduring garden favorite. Perhaps inspired by French painter Jules-Élie Delaunay, this peony cultivar is truly a work of art.

Long-lived, virtually pest free, and resistant to deer and rabbits, ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ is an ideal plant for gardeners looking for intense color and vibrancy but relatively little hassle and maintenance. ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ enjoys partial to full sun and fertile, well-drained soil, like many of its peony cousins. Some staking may be required to support its large, heavy blooms when they appear in late spring or early summer.

The beauty of ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ can be showcased as a cut flower or in a number of different roles in the garden. It can stand on its own as a specimen plant, work together in groups of other plants, dot the border of a walkway or driveway, or serve as an informal hedge. This versatile and dependable plant is a delightful addition to any garden.

SPRING PLANT SALE INFO:
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2018
Time: 8 a.m.-noon
Preview sale for members: Friday, April 6, 4-6 pm.
Membership plant sale benefit: Duke Gardens members get 10% off & a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Class Preview: Make Your Garden Sing

Add "music" to your garden with ornamental grasses.
Photo by Bob Ayers.

By Rose James T'20

Plants whisper, seed pods clack and the wind rustles through leaves outside your door. A bird trills and a frog croaks, perhaps bringing you back to childhood games of hide and seek in your favorite neighborhood garden. A nearby brook bubbling might bring you back to a pleasant afternoon catching toads with your cousins or fishing with your grandfather.

Plants that attract birds will make your garden sing.
Photo by Charles Twine.

Our sense of sound is one of the strongest triggers for memories. A sound can bring to mind a person or place that you loved, or a favorite pastime. Sometimes this can be a happy accident. But like a composer, you can also shape your own environmental symphony to spark joyful memories or create new ones.

Whether your garden spans many acres or a small bed, consider adding sound to your design principles of form, function and color. Hilary Nichols can help you weave those sounds in a new two-session class at Duke Gardens, “I Need a Plan: The Musical Garden.”

Nichols is garden manager at the Durham nonprofit SEEDS, an urban sanctuary focused on promoting the principles and practice of sustainable agriculture, organic gardening, food security and environmental stewardship. She strives to live her life intentionally, and she loves sharing her design and horticultural expertise to help gardeners at all ability levels create gardens that sing to ears and eyes alike.

Streams and rain gardens are perfect to add a croaking frog
or two to your chorus. Photo by Sue Lannon.

The plants you choose, and the way you arrange your plants, will influence the musicality of your garden, Nichols says. Enjoy the wind strumming the blades of ornamental grasses or rattling autumn leaves. Place a large-leafed plant near your favorite window to enjoy the rain pattering on the leaves. Select plants that attract insects or birds to add a percussive buzz and lilting song. Study the life-cycle of your plants to create a garden in bloom throughout the year, drawing animals to your garden in different seasons.

Sign up for “The Musical Garden” and Nichols will have your garden singing in no time.

“I Need a Plan: The Musical Garden” meets on two Tuesdays, Oct. 11 and 18, from 6:30-9 p.m. To register, or for more information, please call 919-668-1707 or email gardenseducation@duke.edu.

Blogger Rose James is a Duke freshman and work-study marketing assistant at Duke Gardens. 

2016 Spring Plant Sale Preview

Iris tectorum.

Edited by Sarah Leach Smith
visitor services coordinator

The Spring Plant Sale is this weekend! We've been sharing Facebook posts highlighting some plants that we'll be selling, and we thought we'd share them here, too.

The sale will be Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon for the public, and Friday from 4-6 p.m. for Duke Gardens members (you may join on site). Hope to see you here!

Iris tectorum (Japanese roof iris)

Passiflora caerulea.

"Iris tectorum is a beautiful colonizing perennial," says Jason Holmes, curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens. "The flowers are a stunning blue-purple that open wide and reveal a white to light purple beard on the outer petals. This iris blooms consistently from late April through May, with the flowers standing around 18 inches. For the rest of the year, this iris holds fan-like clusters of leaves that are equally attractive in the landscape. It is best grown in full sun to part shade and prefers well-draining soils. Roof iris received its name because it was found growing on roofs in Japan."

Passiflora caerulea (blue passion flower)

Phlomis russeliana.

"Every time I see this plant bloom, I feel like I am in the tropics," Jason says. "The flowers of this perennial vine emerge throughout summer and well into fall. The flowers are unique - there are white petals, but each flower also has a host of other colors, including blue, yellow and purple. This vine is best grown on a fence, trellis, obelisk, arbor or anywhere you can appreciate the flowers up close. It is hardy here in Durham but does drop all of its leaves in the winter. Plant it in full sun in well-draining soil or even place it in a container for the summer."

Phlomis russeliana (Turkish sage)

"Turkish sage is native to the mountainous regions of Syria and Turkey, "Jason says. "In summer it is adorned with spikes of yellow flowers that are held in whorled clusters. It grows in colonies 2 to 3 feet wide, and its flowers are 2 feet high. The large, plush leaves are not a favorite among deer, so it is certainly a must in gardens of this area!"

Phlox sp.

Phlox sp. (phlox)

"Butterflies and hummingbirds love our native phlox species!" says Beth Hall, our plant collections manager. "Many of these spring bloomers are fragrant and range in color from blue to purple to pink. For the woodland garden, Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox) puts on a stunning show of blue flowers from April through May and the sweet fragrance is a show-stopper. Also pictured is creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), a species native to the Appalachians that grows in full sun to part shade and blooms pink in the spring. It blooms a week or two later than blue phlox, so a combination of the two is a great way to extend the display."

Trillium sp.

Trillium sp. (trillium)

"Native to woodlands throughout the eastern U.S., trilliums can establish themselves well in shady gardens," curator Jason Holmes explains. "Trilliums have leaves of three and a solitary flower that may be white, red or yellow, depending on the species. Some even have mottled, spotty leaves that can be as pretty as the flowers. They are best grown in rich soil that retains good moisture. Trilliums can handle sunlight during spring, but shade throughout summer is a must."

Contributions by Jason Holmes, curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens, and Beth Hall, the Paul J. Kramer plant collections manager.

"Zoom In: Grass Family"

Grasses provide gorgeous color, texture and architecture. Photo by Jason Holmes

Miscanthus flowers backlit by the sun.
Photo by Jason Holmes.

By Sarah Leach Smith

You may simply think of mowing your front lawn when someone starts talking about different kinds of grasses. Be prepared to have your mind blown – there are more than 10,000 species in the grass family! With varying heights, colors and floral displays, grasses have a lot to offer the home gardener beyond turf. 

However, having that many species to choose from can be overwhelming. Where to begin? Our upcoming class, “Zoom In: Grass Family,” may be just the ticket. This class will be taught by high school teacher Robert Thornhill, who is a passionate promoter of ornamental grasses, and will be held on Thursday, November 5. Thornhill was more than happy to oblige when we asked him to tell us more about his experience with this versatile plant family.

Thornhill teaching a class.
 Photo provided by Robert Thornhill.

 Q: Tell us about your background and experience.

A: I'm a high school science teacher during the week and a plant-lover on the weekends.  I fell in love with the floral world during undergraduate school in Alabama and then had the opportunity a few years later to pursue that passion as a graduate student at N.C. State, where I earned a master's degree studying the flora of longleaf pine savannas in the N.C. Coastal Plain.  For that to have counted as research, and not just pure pleasure, was inexplicably wonderful to me! 

Q: What can we expect from your class, “Zoom In: Grass Family”? What do you think participants will gain from this class?

The magical flowers of pink muhly grass.
Photo by Micaela Unda.

A: The class will provide an overview of the grasses, starting with their relationships to other, more familiar plants and then proceeding to their cultural and economic significance.  We will then delve into the morphology of grasses, with special emphasis on the unique flowers and fruits of the family (Yes, grasses produce both flowers and fruits!).  We will then proceed with a survey of some of the most commonly encountered grasses, including those used in landscaping and those growing wild.  Finally, we'll conclude with an examination of grass specimens--either pressed specimens brought into the classroom or living specimens in the garden (or, time permitting, both!).

Q: What are you most excited about in this class?

Close-up of Miscanthus flowers.
Photo by Micaela Unda.

A: Grasses are everywhere, occurring worldwide in nearly every environment--even Antarctica (which hosts only one other flowering plant species!).  They are the 5th largest plant family on Earth and the most economically important, providing over half of humanity's calories.  Yet despite their abundance and unrivaled importance, they are poorly known by almost everyone except well-trained botanists.  But this is totally unnecessary and even tragic, as grasses are far more accessible (and beautiful) than most people realize.  What excites me most about this class, therefore, is the opportunity to share the "secrets" of grasses with people who may not know their graminoid brethren--yet!

Space is still available in "Zoom In: Grass Family." For more information, you may visit the Duke Gardens website. To register, give us a call at 919-668-1707.