Pleioblastus variegatus

I think I'll stick with Pleioblastus and show you this one. It is variously more green or more white, depending on what I don't know. Simply called variegatus or sometimes listed as Dwarf White Striped Bamboo. It is a bit taller than the last one, up to 3 feet, and a bit more of a spreader. It is still quite well behaved compared to the large bamboos. It prefers shade and seems to like a damp spot. I don't think I mentioned it with the last one, but they are both deciduous. Some of the larger ones are evergreen here, especially on a mild winter.
Pleioblastus variegatus is widely cultivated in Japan, but unknown in the wild, so the supposition is that it is a selection of an all green form. I have been told it is hardy only to zone 7, but it grows just fine here in zone 6.
Jane

Pleioblastus viridistriatus

Pleioblastus viridistriatus is probably my favorite bamboo. The leaves are pretty nicely striped in the spring, but by this time of year they are more of a gold/chartreuse color.
This is a small bamboo, about 2 feet tall, which prefers shade. The leaves will actually curl up in hot afternoon sun. It also likes ample moisture. There are very few bamboos which I would recommend for the garden and this is one of them. That's not to say that it won't try and take over eventually, but it is small and the underground runners are just below the surface, so it is easy to control. It is also slow getting around to spreading beyond its original clump. One of the easy tricks to controling any of the bamboos is to have them in a place where you can mow around them. Mowing keeps them from spreading beyond the area where they are supposed to be growing. Forget underground barriers unless they are thick steel and go down a foot or so into the ground. Bamboo runners have an extremely sharp pointed end that can go through most materials. Of course you can always grow one that is tasty and use the bamboo shoots for Chinese cooking, which will also effectively stop the growth of that stem, at least temporarily.

You might also see this one listed as Pheioblastus auricomus.

Gentle rain right now and much less heat than yesterday. Yeah!

Jane

Bamboo flowers

This is the flower at the end of a bamboo stem. You rarely see it bloom, and that's a good thing because the clump will usually die after blooming. The whole planting will usually flower (and die) at the same time. On this clump we had a few blooms last year and now some this year, so I'm not sure that is always true. This one is barely hardy here and has always struggled. If it does die, I'll probably find something else to take it's place rather than replanting this Fargesii.

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with our bamboos. I love how they look and they serve many useful purposes in the landscape, but most are just so unruly that they are difficult to love sometimes. Over the next few days, I think I'll write about some of the easier ones to grow in a garden and keep under control.

Off now to pick some green beans and take some photos before it gets too hot.

Jane

Cyrilla racemiflora

Cyrilla racemiflora, otherwise known as Titi (rhymes with bye-bye) Shrub. This is a small tree or large shrub. It is native to damp places on the east coast of the US from Maryland south. The usual height is 10-15 feet though in optimal conditions they can be twice that tall. In nature, they prefer to form a thicket, but a single specimen is quite a handsome tree/bush. It is deciduous in the north, evergreen in the south. Leaves, which are a shiny green, turn orange/red in the fall. It prefers acidic soil and a damp place, but once established it can tolerate a more dry location, so if that is all you have, just keep it well watered for the first season or two. It can be propagated from seed or root cuttings. The flowers are quite fragrant and contain a large quantity of nectar which the bees just love. The trunk eventually becomes quite gnarly and interesting and so pruning the lower branches back after a few years will expose the trunk and add yet more interest to the garden. These are not seen all that often in garden centers or even catalogs and are probably best found from someone who sells native plants.
Jane

Hibiscus

A photo of the bog where a lot of the perennial hibiscus grow. These are the ones with the huge flowers; the ones that you cut back after frost. They are gorgeous right now in shades of pink, white, red and purple. These are tall plants, most taller than me and some up to 10 feet tall. The bog is pretty much always damp except in the dryest summers and wet in winter. It's where lots of frogs lay eggs in the spring. There are also iris and ferns growing there along with a few other things along the edges. It's so nice to have all of this color just when the daylilies have about finished up. They are easy to grow and the only pest I've seen on them would be the occasional Japanese Beetle, though we have very few of those little bugs here since spreading Milky Spore many years ago.

Just a quick break from weeding - back to work

Jane

Lobelia cardinalis

First, I'll admit that this photo isn't up to my usual standards, but the blooms were getting a bit past (quite a bit past, actually) their prime when I decided to use them for the blog. I kind of have a love/hate affair with these. For years I tried planting them in various places, both the red flowered one and the white, but they never proved 'perennial' for me and never seemed to come back the next year. Finally, a few years ago, one appeared in a place where I didn't plant it. Seemes these can self seed. This year I have them in at least 3 places, none of which is where I would have thought of planting them. One is seeded within a clump of Sensitive Fern, one is in the middle of an iris bog/pond and the other is in a rather dry place. I'm thrilled to have them finally being happy here since they add a nice splash of color this time of year.
Despite my problems with getting this to be happy here, according to descriptions of what it likes, there shouldn't have been any problems. It grows from zone 3-9, in full sun or part shade and in medium to wet places. It is native to many places in North America. It is 2-4 feet tall, mine being on the taller side. They have taken over providing red color now that the Crocosmias are done.
I would encourage people to try this one if you haven't since it is pretty pest free - bugs, diseases and mammals. They do attract hummingbirds and butterflies, which also makes me like them. Our hummingbirds have increased in population with lots of babies now drinking at the feeder.
And speaking of birds, we had a major population explosion of woodpeckers this year. Lots of baby Red Bellies and Downies. So cute sitting there on the suet feeder, still waiting for mama to peck some out and feed them. Most have now figured it out, so I expect they'll be moving on to their own territories soon and our population will be back to normal.
Jane

Crinum amabile

Crinum amabile, known around here as 'the monster', is really a huge thing. We got this one about 4 or 5 years ago, maybe longer, and have been watching it get bigger and bigger. The bulb was about the size of a softball when we got it, but they said to put it in a large pot because it grows so quickly, so it was potted in one that was about 5 gallon size. It didn't take long before it had filled the pot. The bulb now pretty much goes to the sides of the pot. I don't think I'll repot it, though, because it seems happy. Including the pot, it is about 5 feet tall and almost that wide.
This Crinum is not hardy here, only in zone 8 and warmer, and so it needs to be brought into the house every winter before frost. My sunny warm window where there is room for it is upstairs in the front of the house. This things now weights at least 50 pounds and is a real pain to take up the steps (one step at a time, resting every few steps). This spring I told the plant that if it didn't bloom, finally, this year, it was going to have to live somewhere else. The guys at Glasshouse Works promised to give it a good home if we didn't want it any more. That sounded good to me. Wouldn't you know that as soon as I threatened the plant, it would decide to bloom.

Here is the beginning ot the bud. The ferny foliage around the plant is Rhus typhina 'Tiger's Eye', a sumac.

Here's a closeup of the bud as it was just emerging. Not all that pretty at that stage.

Here it is again as it started to grow. Shortly after this we had to stake it up so it didn't break off. The pot won't fall over since it is sitting in a larger pot filled with water. Crinums seem to like a lot of moisture, at least in the summer. I've always kept it drier in the winter.

Here is a closeup of the bud as it started to open with all of the separate buds inside.

And here as the separate buds grew bigger.

And the final bloom which I waited so long to see. It has really been wonderful since it wasn't just one bloom, but a series of blooms which have continued to open for 2 weeks now and seems like it will continue a bit longer still. The scent is heavenly and spreads for quite a distance around the plant, especially in the morning and evening, though when you walk past it during the day you also get a hint of scent.

As much as I've enjoyed it, the last time I lift this one up again will be to put it in the car and take it over the Glasshouse Works once it is done blooming. They have a lot more greenhouse space for it than I do so it will have a nice home. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy it. I'm glad I finally got to see it bloom.

Jane