Today we’re visiting with Carol Lim, who gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where she grows some beautiful and unusual plants.
Sarracenia ‘Daina’s Delight’ (pitcher plant, Zones 5–9) is in the large bog container, with a seedling of Prunus ‘Bonfire’ (Zones 5–8) in the background. I brought the two bog container gardens from Pennsylvania in 2009 when I moved to North Carolina. I had some instruction from a North American Rock Garden Society group led by Larry Mellichamp where we made a bog garden.
The colorful leaves of pitcher plants lure in insects, which are caught and then provide nutrients the plant. The flowers rise up above the leaves to attract pollinators for a less dangerous interaction.
A swallowtail butterfly rests on incredibly colorful pitcher plant leaves. Don’t worry—the butterfly is too large to get trapped by the pitchers.
I also have an extensive collection of native Clematis. This is Clematis texensis (Zones 4–8).
Another native Clematis, Clematis viorna (Zones 4–9)
Here is Clematis texensis growing with C. versicolor (Zones 5–9). I also grow C. carrizoensis, C. ochroleuca, and C. pitcheri. And I have some hybrids of those that have self-sown in the garden.
Clematis ‘Carol Lim’ was named for me and registered with RHS by Roger Van Loon, a friend in Belgium.
A large-flowered clematis hybrid
Pink flowers of Penstemon smallii (Zones 5–8) with a yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora, Zones 3–8)
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Comments
Your bog gardens are fantastic!! I’ve tried some of the pitcher plants with limited success. They exist but don’t thrive for me. Yours look great! Love the twiggy sculpture above the clematis too!!! The clematis too are really beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing your unique and wonderful garden!
Wow Carol, you certainly garden outside the box! Such rare beauty! Absolutely love that gnarly branch sculpture that you have for your clematis to climb on
Those pitcher plants with the butterfly are gorgeous, as is the photography!
I loved seeing your unusual plants- such an interesting post!
Your garden is "wonder"full!!! I have one pitcher plant that I am babying along, hoping it will thrive one day. That structure of tree limbs is fantastic as if your collection of clematis. I'm taking notes...
Carol - thank you for sharing your beautiful collection with us. Regarding: "Clematis ‘Carol Lim’ was named for me and registered with RHS by Roger Van Loon, a friend in Belgium." - That is so special! Congratulations! Reminds me of Ronald Liesner over at Missouri Botanical Garden. He has 78 plant species and one genus named after him.
Carol,
I am sitting in Zirconia right now. I came up for the garden festival. While hiking in the area I see plenty of may apples and a few pitcher plants, but you surely take your clematis and our NC natives to another level. Thanks for sharing.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in