(Judy Green has a dream. In her dream garden, the gate opens onto a green pathway, a carpet of frog fruit, and a creeping, native groundcover you can walk on or even mow. Judy knows this sort of stuff because Judy is a herpetologist. The path slopes downward under a snakebark maple. Its trunk is smooth as baby doll skin and has milky green and wavy white striations—think Lizardman-Barbie legs.
When I created a rock garden on the bottom of part of the driveway, I interrupted the flow of water to a drain at the low point. The consequence was some standing water at the front of the rock garden. I learned to elevate my pots to keep them out of the water, and it was not long before I discovered, I had created a toad habitat. Sometimes, when I am gardening, I surprise them and other times they surprise me. In either case, there is some small amount of jumping involved!
I remember hearing about frog fruit as a great native groundcover from Patrick McMillan of Juniper Level Gardens at a talk and thinking it is actually very cool looking. I have held off because it might swallow up too much space as an aggressive plant and frankly I have yet to see one at any nursery (and I go all over). If I do find it (and I now have a localish lead) I will definitely put a patch in amongst some disturbed soil where the deer have decimated the small, variegated hostas that I no longer even care about. I can find no information about why this plant has frog as part of one of its common names, however. But it is easy to imagine them hiding amongst the plant. Thanks for this delightful profile, Jenks.
I have loved toads since I was a barefoot little girl. Tom and his brother made a temporary "toadaterrium" when they were wee boys. I still smile whenever these guys show up and when I hear them squealing. Summer brings all our herp friends. Anoles, salamanders, toads, at least 5 frog varieties and all the small snakes. Sometimes a big one. Love them all!
Wonderful! I live in a subdivision but thank goodness there is no HOA. My back yard is one big experiment!
I’d love to buy some Lippa! Looking for lizards tail
Now searching for frog fruit and a tiny swimming pool!
When I created a rock garden on the bottom of part of the driveway, I interrupted the flow of water to a drain at the low point. The consequence was some standing water at the front of the rock garden. I learned to elevate my pots to keep them out of the water, and it was not long before I discovered, I had created a toad habitat. Sometimes, when I am gardening, I surprise them and other times they surprise me. In either case, there is some small amount of jumping involved!
I remember hearing about frog fruit as a great native groundcover from Patrick McMillan of Juniper Level Gardens at a talk and thinking it is actually very cool looking. I have held off because it might swallow up too much space as an aggressive plant and frankly I have yet to see one at any nursery (and I go all over). If I do find it (and I now have a localish lead) I will definitely put a patch in amongst some disturbed soil where the deer have decimated the small, variegated hostas that I no longer even care about. I can find no information about why this plant has frog as part of one of its common names, however. But it is easy to imagine them hiding amongst the plant. Thanks for this delightful profile, Jenks.
I love getting info and wisdom from a garden disruptor.
I have loved toads since I was a barefoot little girl. Tom and his brother made a temporary "toadaterrium" when they were wee boys. I still smile whenever these guys show up and when I hear them squealing. Summer brings all our herp friends. Anoles, salamanders, toads, at least 5 frog varieties and all the small snakes. Sometimes a big one. Love them all!