Plant of the Week:
Aronia melanocarpa
Often I choose a plant I grow as the Plant of the Week. That way, I know it better, and I won’t be led off in handcuffs for pirating someone else’s photo of it.
As I sat down to write this blog, I realized that I had no photos of this plant, but the good folks at Unsplash.com have more that made up for this lacuna.
Who knew that so many talented photographers have chosen the chokeberry to hone their craft on a royalty free photography platform?
Thank you, is all I have to say to that.
Next, beautiful fall foliage and luscious looking, if not tasting, fruits.
Photo by Minna Autio on Unsplash
And last, a super food! That makes you choke! Don’t forget to consider granola with your tarts.
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash
Aronia melanocarpa is a native plant that can handle boggy soil, that feeds the birds, and that can feed us, if we are very brave or if we choose to add butter and sugar.
I don’t grow it now, but I intend to!
Artist Karen Blair
You heard me mention my friend Karen Blair on the pod. Karen is a local Charlottesville artist who sponsors Into the Garden with Leslie
Have a look at what Karen can do— she worked with one of my listeners, Anne Brooks Rudzki, of Capital Roots Containers, and created this beautiful commission of Anne Brook’s garden.
Brie Arthur on Native Gardening
Brie with the two books she has written.
Brie the Plant Lady is on a new venture! She has taken the house and property next door to her home, where she practices edible foodscaping, and made it into an Air BNB.
Every new project needs a garden, so she chose to plant a native shrub garden at the new house.
In this episode, we talk about the process, the decisions, and how everything is coming together. I got Brie’s opinion on native vs non-native vs cultivated natives, and she gave us some planting tips, because she has been doing a LOT of that lately.
Here are some links to follow up on from our talk…
Preparing the bed with an under gardener.
and after!
Brie is the Pied Piper of gardening— many neighbors came together to put in the new native garden.
She makes it all look pretty glam.
Coffee Time!
Please consider supporting Into the Garden with Leslie by buying me a cup of coffee.
OR! Becoming a member of I’m into the Garden too!
I will send you some LH Gardens gear if you become a member!
The Renaissance evoking Wyndham double tulip.
The Play List
Wyndham Tulip from Brent and Becky’s (shhhhh! ColorBlends doesn’t sell that type so I am not cheating on them.
Nancy Lawson, author of “The Humane Gardener” and “Wildscape”
Here is some wizardry of the ladies of various local garden clubs who augment the gardens on the Historic Garden Week tour with their amazing creativity. .
L-R top: a rusty old birdcage fancied up in my garden, 2021, Karen Blair’s fire pit creation, also here in 2021, the Disney-fied swing at Upper Bundoran 2023, and the bottom row contains shots of the ‘Gnomenclature’ creation from the 2023 tour.
Lastly, I promised a photo of my white oak grove that exists in my lawn.
It’s a look!
