Hi GPODers!
For some gardeners the question, “What is your favorite plant?” is an impossible one. With so many different plants with vastly different attributes, how could you pick just one? For other gardeners, like Alan Weisberg in southeastern Pennsylvania, the answer is easy and most visitors to his garden would likely know his answer before the words came out. Alan has shared his stunning garden in the foothills of Haycock Mountain with us in the past (Alan’s Rural Garden Beauty), but today we’re looking at one plant that brings him so much joy he has sprinkled throughout his designs: cleomes.
Located in the foothills of Haycock Mountain in rural SE PA, I’ve been gardening for 40 years on 3 acres of what was once a 100-acre farm with a fieldstone home and barn built in 1741. The restoration of the structures, landscaping, additions, vegetable and flower gardens have yielded almost as many failures as successes with plenty of lessons learned.
Among 100+ varieties of plants, vegetables, shrubs, and trees on the property, my favorite plants are clearly the spider plants (Cleome houtteana syn. Cleome hassleriana, Zone 9–11 or as an annual). These mere annuals bloom profusely from early summer thru late autumn, are very hardy, deer & rabbit resistant, and the bees, butterflies, and smallest garden birds love them.
Great for mass plantings in river pebbles, gravel, or almost any soil, cleomes re-seed themselves every year with a high degree of reliability.
The seed pods are plentiful & easily stripped at the end of the season for planting elsewhere or gifting to like-minded gardening friends. Large flower heads are commonly pink, lavender, and white, though a red variety is also available.
Note that I’ve found it far more prolific to scatter the seeds on a scratched bed in early winter rather than to wait until spring for planting. They need the cold temperature exposure to condition the seed skin for successful germination. And better to lightly press them in the soil, rather than cover with soil.
Easily growing 3 to 5 feet tall, cleomes love full sun but will tolerate partial shade, though you should be prepared to support them as they will bend down to reach out for more sunlight.
Colorful, aromatic, critter resistant, and easy grow… it makes good sense to add a few cleomes to your landscape. I’m confident you will not be disappointed!
Thank you so much for sharing this ode to an incredible bloom, Alan! While all flowers are unique and exciting, the cleome makes a big impact and it’s fascinating to see how you’ve utilized it in your rural landscape.
Can you name your all-time favorite plant, and how many plantings and different cultivars of the genus can be found in your garden? We have several contributors who have shared their plant collections over the years, and we would love to welcome more to Garden Photo of the Day. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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