I'll Take One

You can't do this in the shade in the summertime and a good half of the garden becoming is pretty deep shade. You can get close for a few weeks in early spring with the woodland wild flowers. I have been adding those. I am always on the look out for plants for the shady part of the garden. Today I found one.

I went on a shopping spree for a client's new woodland garden. I love spending other people's money on plants. I was getting the usuals, hosta, astilbe, tiarella, ferns when something different caught my eye. What is this?

It's Aralia cordata 'Sun King'. It's a shade loving herbaceous perennial that can get 3x3, maybe bigger, with big bold chartreuse foliage. It blooms white umbels in late summer and then makes nice purple black berries. I'll take three. Two for the client and one for me.

My online reading says a couple hours of sun is best. The place I chose for it gets early morning sun I think. I'll have to look tomorrow. If not, I'll watch to see how the color holds. Maybe I can find another place for it if need be.

I'll take one or maybe a dozen. I saw the Strawberry Eater in the roadside vegetable garden this morning. Last week I saw one of its tiny offspring while weeding the day lily patch. I need turtle fencing for the strawberries. Then what will they eat? Is that thing eyeing my shelling peas?

I know they have nested at least twice in the roadside vegetable garden. The box turtles it seems are just another garden crop.