Summer Plants & Flowers in Far Northeast Georgia

Photographer Nada Powers Bunnell and I took a road trip into Rabun and Habersham counties yesterday. Lakemont Village was our specific destination, but we also drove through Tiger (another friend once co-owned an herb farm there), Batesville (stopped at The Mark of the Potter), and Clarkesville (where I bought a few pieces of yard art at the Clarkesville Corner Market). The flora along the way was too lovely to keep for myself, so here you can enjoy it also!

The dog was friendly, the chairs were uncomfortable, and the little blue birds were merrily chirping away!

Not everything bloomed . . . . .

. . . . . but a lot did, including a gorgeous Crape Myrtle:

And a bank of Cleome deserved a picture:



As The Snow Melts . . .

. . . I’m playing with a spring garden lay-out and packets of seeds. After vowing to leave tomatoes well enough alone this year, I’ve got four different varieties to try, including “Black from Tula” (Tula International, which has nothing to do with tomatoes or gardening, is one of my clients). I’m also going to give a pepper named “Medusa” a try this year. All these from a source in Florida. From California, I have several herb seeds (e.g. a basil called ‘Profumo di Genova’), ‘Monet’s Garden Mesclun with a mouth-watering image on the packet, and old-fashioned flowers, including ‘Love in a Mist” – all from Renee’s Garden. From my own 2009 garden I harvested seeds of the Hyacinth bean vine, a spectacular dill that was a gift from Cheryle Maddox, and Monarda, Cleome, Baptisia and more. No matter how I approach this, it seems to me I need more space. Solution: more containers!