Moxie Gardener

A mother "hen" and her "chicks."

Found the hen and chicks in the photo at left growing on a north-facing hillside among some rocks. I think there’s a gardener involved because there were other perennials and even a rose bush. It’s hard to tell. But they look very healthy, don’t they?

This particular variety of hen and chicks is classified as Jovibarba globifera but are sometimes called Sempervivum. The hen and chicks part comes in because the larger mother plants (the “hens”) produce the smaller plants (the “chicks”).

When a hen is about three or four years old, she’ll send up a flower stalk that’s about two feet high. The bloom is a cluster of star-shaped flower buds in colors ranging from dark pink to yellow. The flower blooms for several weeks after which the mother hen dies, her mission in life having been accomplished.

Plant hen and chicks in full sun to partial shade. They like sandy, well-drained soil and will rot if the soil is heavy and clay-like. This is a low maintenance garden gem. Plant them and forget them. Don’t divide them because they like to be crowded. In a few years when the “mother hen” blooms, remove the plant after it dies off. The “chicks” will soon be “mother hens” and produce many more chicks.

There are many varieties of hen and chicks in colors ranging from lime green to maroon-tinged. They also vary in size from as small as a centimeter up to a foot and a half across. The leaves can be thick or thin, rounded or pointed.

These evergreen ground covers grow and thrive in USDA Zones 3-11.

And they’re absolutely perfect for lazy gardeners: they thrive on neglect.

We like that.

The flowers on vinca cover up the foliage when they bloom in spring.

Vinca minor is one of the rare plants whose Latin name is used as its common name. Also called creeping Myrtle or periwinkle, vinca is an evergreen perennial ground cover. It blooms in spring with charming purple flowers that cover the plant.

Vinca is native to northern and central Europe and is hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 9. In some areas it can be considered invasive.

Vinca prefers to grow in full shade to partial sun. The leaves will fade and the plant will lack luster if grown in full sun.

Planted on a hillside,  vinca will help to prevent erosion. Its roots will cling to the soil and it will crowd out almost all weeds. It will spread out and provide you with purple blooms in spring and evergreen foliage the rest of the year.

Vinca will even grow and thrive under an evergreen tree.

Space vinca transplants about 18 inches apart in rich soil in partial to full shade. Water well the first year after planting and thereafter vinca will take care of itself.

Expect your vinca groundcover to grow and spread into a mat about 2 to 3 feet wide and 6 to 12 inches high.

Folklore tells us that vinca is supposed to inspire love and signify early recollections or pleasures of memory.

What pleasant memories does vinca evoke for you?

Pink lily of the valley found growing in the neighborhood. Thanks to a generous gardener, it's now growing at my house.

Lily of the valley is one of the many sweet-scented, spring-blooming flowers. Its Latin name, convallaria majalis, is derived from the Latin convallis, “valley” and majalis, “May-flowering.” It’s the official birth flower for the month of May.

I happened upon a patch of the less common pink ones (convallaria majalis Rosea) and stopped to take their picture. The gardener saw me and insisted on giving me some for my garden. I’ve planted them in a bed that gets shade for part of the day.

Lilies of the valley prefer a shady location that gets only a few hours of sun each day. They like moist soil but don’t like standing water. Make sure the area you plant them in is well-drained and no water sits there after a rainfall.

Grow lily of the valley from “pips,” which are small bulbets that form underground along the roots. They spread easily and will fill up an area in just a few years.

Plant the pips 4 to 5 inches apart in moist, rich soil. Fertilize with a granular fertilizer in spring and mulch with leaf mold in fall. Other than that, your lilies of the valley will pretty much take care of themselves.

Divide them every five years so they don’t choke each other out. Do this in early autumn. Dig up the entire bed. Cut apart the roots so that there is only one pip per plant. Replant 4 to 5 inches apart in all directions and water well. In late fall, mulch the bed with leaf mold or autumn leaves. Remove the mulch in early spring.

Pick bouquets after the first few “bells” have opened, like the one in the photo. That way, the buds near the top of the flower stem will be more likely to open up in the house.

One small bouquet of lilies of the valley will perfume an entire room. Their charming, petite size blossoms are perfect for small vases set on nightstands or the bathroom vanity.

If you have a large patch and enough patience, you can also dry them to use in potpourri. The dried flowers will hold their scent for many years.