#plantlust

Assembled this succulent bowl as a wedding shower gift a few months back. A key to creating a strong composition (in a round container like this) is to pack the plants as tightly as possible without damaging the roots or breaking the foliage. So look for plants that haven’t been over-potted by the nursery - which is becoming a problem as retailers try to make their products look bigger by planting them in pots that are much bigger than the root ball. (Too much leg room!) Most succulents don’t need a lot of space below the soil line to thrive as they hold their moisture up top. I then fill in all the cracks with my own custom potting medium which is fast draining, non-peat based desert soil. After that it gets a good soak & is placed outdoors in a sunny spot for a few days for the foliage to plump up & blush. This particular piece traveled with me by plane to our destination & although it was heavy, there was no damage to any of the fleshy leaves. Then again I packed it very well & guarded it jealously throughout both legs of the flight.  

Echinacea ‘Fiery Meadow Mama’ was planted as a plug only a few weeks ago as part of our EPA water quality restoration project but it was determined to bloom before our first frost this year and succeeded. Look for more of these lovelies — bigger & bolder next year! . . . . . . #echinacea #echinaceafierymeadowmama #fierymeadowmama #rva #plantlust #rvablooms #rvagardentrail #conflower #fall #autumnblooms (at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Nzk6WJZg4/?igshid=1ve014438wdtb

To brighten my day I decided to plant some moss I collected last summer at a friend’s cottage & tended over winter. An antique copper pot my dad picked up at a local yard sale is the perfect container for this low-maintenance composition that is perfectly safe outdoors year round.

THIS is why I’ve always wanted a faux bois console! My grouping of shade loving mosses & ferns has found a happy home on my covered porch.

A narrow glass trough becomes home to a group of five small snake pants (Sansevieria samurai). Without drainage holes, an improvised drainage layer is required to keep the soil from becoming sodden while a top layer of red poultry gravel draws moisture from the base of each rosette. Sansevieria must be kept dry to remain healthy & firm. (This variety is so hard to the touch it could almost pass as an agave!)

It’s not every day you see azaleas blooming in January! Look for these beauties to the left of the Conservatory. Free admission to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden continues through Sunday. . . . . . . #RVA #RVAGardenTrail #Azalea #plantlust #encoreazalea #rhododendron #rhodododendronxAutumnAmethyst #Conlee #AutumnAmethyst #january #WinterBlooms #RVAblooms #blooms #plantsofinstagram (at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsdltJ6jvT6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ba98z1b7r9qh

I definitely get some purty fleurs to model for me (#Schizostylis for those who wanna know) . . . #naturalbeauty #plantlust #SkyNursery #flowerstagram #greenthumb #blossom #plantsofinstagram #macrophotography #summer #color #pnw #Seattle (at Sky Nursery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2XgLvjhPdR/?igshid=o3xwf03p2urf

There's something so fulfilling about growing a tree from seed; nurturing a proud giant in its most delicate and vulnerable time and caring for it for decades to come. Grow well, little Mimosa tree! . . . #plants #gardening #naturalbeauty #plantlust #seed #pnw #mimosatree #albiziajulibrissin #horticulture #tree https://www.instagram.com/p/B0wOIMehxE2/?igshid=q7c0behz6gqe