Welcome to the

Pith   Vigor

blog

+

the Book

buy

CONNECT:

Hey There! I’m Rochelle Greayer. I’m a garden designer on TV and IRL. I’m also an author and entrepreneur who thinks she can save the world by teaching everyone a little something about landscape design.

rochelle

meet

REgister now!

A Free Master Class

THE 7-STEP SYSTEM TO DESIGN A

Gorge-
ous
Garden

STOP WASTING MONEY ON ALL THE WRONG PLANTS  

Join the Course Today!

Mix & match plants like a pro!

Snow in Summer, baby

6/11/2014

School is almost out for the summer here in New England. Thankfully, our kids only have two snow make-up days so they are getting out next Monday. With four kids and two working parents, planning out their summer activities can require the skills of a major event planner. A major part of our kids’ summer will be spent at theater camp. Boothbay has a wonderful arts program and they have really loved getting involved with theatrical productions. Their favorite show on Netflix is the London performance of Phantom of the Opera. The girls now walk around the house singing “Masquerade!”

In the spirit of our theatrical children, I would like to introduce this week’s plant with a short screenplay.

Cerastium tomentosum

Husband and wife walking through garden: “What is this beautiful plant? I have never seen anything quite like it.”

Plant: “Yo, yo, baby.” (in Bronx accent)

Wife: “Excuse me?”

Plant: “Yo, yo, baby. My name is yo yo.”

Husband: “What kind of name is that?”

Wife: “Yeah, what kind of name is that?”

Plant: “Do I look like snow in summer to you?”

Wife: “Not really. But you do have nice, white flowers. And silver foliage.”

Plant: “The person who found me called me Yo Yo. That is my cultivated name. I am better behaved than some of my relatives. And besides, do I sound like a snow in summer kind of plant to you?”

Husband: “Not really. Who are your relatives?”

Plant: “Carnations. Cheddar pinks. Nice family but real pushovers. People practically walk all over them. I wanted to present a stronger image for my family. Deer and rabbits do not eat me. Once I am settled, I can handle full sun and well drained soil.”

Wife: “Where do you like to grow? Can you take the cold?”

Plant: “Boy, do I like the cold. I am one tough hombre, yo. Your hardiness zone maps have me down from 3 to 7.”

Husband: “Can you grow down south?”

Plant: “Fuhgettaboutit!”

Cerastium_tomentosum

Ok, obviously I should not quit my day job and become a playwright. Snow in summer or Cerastium tomentosum ‘Yo Yo’ may never become the leading man in your garden, but it will make a nice edger for a sunny pathway or even amongst a stone wall. We planted several plants last year in the Rose and Perennial Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. After one of worst winter in years, all of the plants came right back to life as soon as the snow melted. Now, in early June, the patches of grey foliage are covered with white flowers. Each plant is covering a 30″ space and looks to be a spreading perennial of a moderate rate. From what I read about the straight species, it appears to be a rapid spreader while ‘Yo Yo’ is slower with deeper grey foliage.

Have you grown snow in summer or its improved cousin, ‘Yo Yo?’

– Rodney

Images: Enrico Blasutto, Jerzy Opiola

REgister now!

A Free Master Class

THE 7-STEP SYSTEM TO DESIGN A

Gorge-
ous
Garden

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Does Your Garden Need a Makeover?


Learn my 7-step system to design and build a stunning garden anywhere in the world.


Understand The 5 mistakes EVERYONE makes when creating a garden.
(save yourself time, money, & headaches and get much better results!)


See How to work directly with me (but at a DIY price!) to
design and create YOUR own gorgeous garden. 

SIGN ME UP!

Join my Free Class!

join the FrEE 10-day garden Design challenge

Your Garden will look waaayyy better in less than 2 weeks - Promise!

in the weeds?

Sign me up