Happy Mother's Day!

Windy, cool and wet today. I wonder how many visitors are wandering the gardens today? The plant above is golden sedge (Carex elata 'Bowles' Golden') that comes up and flowers early. Sedges (Carex sp.) are not true grasses but offer a nice "grass-like" plant in shadier areas. This golden sedge is one of my favorites. However, if you start to dabble in sedges, be sure to target what are termed clumping sedges. There are many sedges that are spreading and so vigorous that they are very difficult to control once they've established themselves. There are some nice options out there.

This sunflower sculpture is another of Brady Lueck's creations. We installed it recently and will put some perennials around the base to "visually anchor" the sculpture itself. This is a result of a donation that was accepted by our garden development committee. We have installed some nice art around the gardens and are currently waiting on another piece (tulips I believe). Gardens are more than plants and sculptures like this are positioned as garden accents and/or focal points.

Barrenwort (Epimedium sp., see below) is blooming now and once done, still forms a nice perennial for the shade garden with clean foliage. For those with shady gardens, there are a wide range of hardy barrenworts out there that can be great contributors in your garden.

nts.