Noontime at the Oasis

Why go at midnight when you can’t even see the plants? Besides, the Oasis is closed at midnight. I’m talking about the Native Oasis Botanical Garden in Fayetteville, GA, of course. It is part of the grounds of Nearly Native Nursery there. I went recently about mid-day and thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the blooms this time of year.

My favorite: hairy spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis) in a sea
of green & gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)

Even during this pandemic, responsibly-distanced people are welcome to visit during business hours (9-6, Wednesday through Saturday). The owners have created charming areas to showcase both sun and shade plants. As a permanent garden, they are able to illustrate how fully grown, in-ground plants will look and perform. Here are just a few of the beautiful things in bloom that day.

They are still selling plants too!

The garden and the nursery flow together like an old friend's house

Two pygmy fringe trees (Chionanthus pygmaeus)

A magnificent spread of Solomon's plume (Maianthemum racemosum)

Their blooming collection of baptisia starts with Baptisia alba 

The lesser known Baptisia bracteata was gorgeous in bloom

Baptisia spaerocarpa coming up through a chair, with old seedpods

Looks like poison ivy but it's wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata),
host plant for giant swallowtail; with a coral honeysuckle bloom

I think they are the hairy spiderwort capital of Georgia;
all colors can be found and they pop up like 'weeds'

This buckeye (Aesculus) was gorgeous!

The native smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)
was in bloom

Points to those of you who got the reference to Maria Muldaur's 1974 hit 'Midnight at the Oasis.'