Hoot Owl Hollow

Lycopodium

2012-01-28T21:23:00.002-05:00

When I used to take walks in the woods as a child, I always loved this plant. Lycopodium was more commonly known to me as ground pine or ground cedar, though it is neither. It is in the clubmoss family and more closely related to ferns. One or more species can be found growing in most places in the world, usually in moist woods or boggy places. Lycopodium is low growing, not much more than 6-8 inches tall and is evergreen. It is the fruiting heads (you can see them in the picture) that bear the spores that are the lycopodium powder of medicine.

The powder has actually had many uses over the years, from a dusting powder for abraded surfaces, in microscopy as a standard for measuring the comparative sizes of substances (it would take 750 of then laid side by side to cover an inch), and even due to the extremely explosive nature of the spores, to produce lightning effects in the theater and in early flash photography. The spores are extremely water repellent, and if you were to dip your hand into the spore powder and then into water, you hand would not become wet.

The powder has been used both to kill lice and to improve bad wine and as a stabilizer in ice cream. One writer in an old herbal recommended it for 'female disorders', and another valued it as an aphrodisiac.

Of all of the uses, it was probably used most often as a dusting powder for eczema, and to prevent chafing in infants.

Not many of the plants I've written about have had such varied uses, both medicinal and practical - and this one you can buy on eBay for less than $12 for 25 grams, should you feel the need to experiment.
Next time - Malva rotundifolia, which here is more of a weed than a wildflower, but pretty just the same.
Jane

Iris versicolor

2012-01-19T22:54:00.006-05:00

We grow several different Iris versicolor cultivars here, the one above being 'Mint Fresh'. It is a rather small plant, as irises go, probably no more than 15 inches tall with a smallish bloom. The plain species is often taller than this cultivar. Size, though doesn't matter all that much, as this is such a lovely blossom.

Iris versicolor is commonly called Blue Flag, at least that's what I knew it as growing up. This one has variegated leaves, but the blossom is the same as the straight species. It is native to wet swampy places from Canada to Florida and west to Arkansas. We grow ours at the edges of ponds, or in low spots that tend to collect water, or even in mini-bogs that are just kiddie wading pools sunk in the ground and filled with a soil/peat moss mix to create a small swampy place to keep swamp loving plants happy. I know the people at K-Mart wondered what we might be going to do with 10 kiddie pools when we bought them.

One of my favorite versicolors is the photo above - 'John Wood'. We have a couple of clumps of this one growing under various conditions and all are doing well. The foliage (below) is also quite pretty in the spring when it first emerges.

As far a medicinal uses for the plant, it is the root or rhizome that is collected in the autumn and dried. Much care should be used if you consider using this plant for medicinal purposes since all parts of it are poisonous when fresh if taken internally. Still, it was considered useful as it was listed as an official drug for over a hundred years. It was used by the Native Americans who passed the knowledge of its usefulness on the the Colonists.

In addition to its uses as a diuretic, emetic, purgative and cathartic, the flowers yield an infusion that may be used to test for acids and alkalies in place of litmus paper. Some people have used the powdered roots in tooth powders.

So, a useful plant, though probably not one I'm going to use personally. Just being pretty in the garden is all that I require of my irises.

Jane

Impatiens capensis

2012-01-17T22:12:00.004-05:00

Impatiens capensis - aka Jewelweed, Balsam, touch-me-not, snap weed. It grows wild here along creeks and in woods, usually in a quite shady spot. Along the creeks it can be 3 feet tall, in the woods, a little smaller. This is an annual that self seeds generously (I weed a good bit of it out, just leaving a nice clump here and there) and whose seeds are spread as the fruits explode, shooting the seeds for quite a distance. We loved making them explode when we were kids.

Jewelweed is listed as a medicinal plant because of its ability to releive the itch of poison ivy. Strange as it may seem, it often grows right alongside the plant for which it is an antidote. You pretty much just boil the plants in water to make a concentrated 'tea' that you then apply to the rash. I can vouch for the fact that this works. I haven't boiled down any myself, but our family doctor used to give it to patients as his 'secret poison ivy cure' back when my kids were very little. It is also reported to work as just the juice of the plant without boiling it down - you inadvertantly get into some poison ivy and you just crush some Jewelweed and rub it on the spot. Potter's Cyclopaedia says that it can also be boiled with lard to make a salve to relieve hemorrhoids, and that the raw juice of the plant will remove warts and corns and cure ringworm. In New England Rarities Discovered, and American herbal written in 1672, it was written that the colonists considered it a remedy for bruises.

It's a pretty plant that I've loved since I was a child, and despite its propensity to spread a bit too enthusiastically, I'll always allow it to grow here, especially as long as we still haven't managed to get rid of all of our poison ivy.

Impatiens pallida, the yellow flowered form, is also effective. At least around here, though, it seems less common. It is a larger plant and seems to have no problem growing in the sun, as we have several patches along the road that seem to do just fine.

This has to be one of the easiest medicinal plants there is since it grows often right next to the plant for which it is an antidote and requires no preparation for use, unless you want to have a supply on hand for winter, which is when I often get in trouble with poison ivy when I come in contact with the roots while clearing a new space for a garden. And yes, I'm ready for spring; enough winter already. And I've been planning several new garden beds and renovation for as soon as I can get out there and start working. The days are getting longer so it can't be too long yet, can it?

Jane

Hypericum perforatum (and some others)

2012-01-16T22:04:00.006-05:00

Not the showy St. John's Wort, or the shrub ones, but a rather unassuming wildflower that grows here. It's a European native, but was brought to this country early and now can be found in many places, along roadsides and in fields. It even seems to grow in light shade. It's only a foot or so tall in my gardens and for years I didn't know what it was. I finally took the time to find out and was pleasantly surprised. It was too pretty to be classified as a weed and so it got to stay. It didn't spread around or get in the way. I'm glad I left it since it has turned out to be a pretty little thing growing in a daylily bed where it is a little out of place, buy lovely just the same.

It was used as an infusion for coughs and colds, or made into an ointment to be put on bruises, scratches or insect bites.

The plant has been historically associated with John the Baptist, hence it's common name. John the Baptist's birthday was at the summer solstice, an important day even in pre-Christian times, and some think that the bright yellow flowers were associated with that day. In addition to the medicinal uses, plants of this herb were hung over doorways and used in exorcisms.

Since I've started on Hypericums, I might as well show you some of the others that we grow.

Hypericum 'Blue Velvet is a small shrub with blue green leaves and the bright yellow flowers that are typical of the Hypericums. Ours grows in light shade where it gets a half day of sun and seems quite happy.

This one is 'Hidcoat Variegated', about which I know nothing, I hate to admit. Hank bought it (I think he'd buy anything as long as it was variegated) and it seems happy here so far.

And last, this is 'Tricolor', though in sun, there are surely more that 3 colors, the pink, white and several shades of green. This, I think, is a zone 7 plant, but because we like it so much, we go to great pains to keep several of them alive. Without a wrap or cover of burlap over the winter, they wouldn't make it until spring. It has been very slow growing and took many years to finally flower. Still, it seems worth the extra fussing we need to do for it in the fall to prepare it for winter. We've had it in the gardens for at least 15 years, so we must be doing something right.

Jane

Hydrangea arborescens

2012-01-14T21:37:00.003-05:00

Such a lovely flower, Hydrangea 'Annabelle'. I just love these. The blooms last almost forever on the plant, and then if you cut them, they do last indoors all winter, and if you don't mind the increasingly brown, then very dark brown color, they will last in the house until they are just too dusty to deal with any more. Luckily, there is an abundant new crop of blossoms every year. I think the new pink flowered one will be just as lovely - if the deer will please stop eating the buds so I can enjoy its flowers.
I guess I was a bit surprised to find this hydrangea in a book on medicinal herbs. The species, as opposed to 'Annabelle', has smaller blooms but still is lovely. In its native range, from New York south to Florida and west to Missouri, it can be found growing in moist, rich woodlands, and I find that here in our zone 6ish garden it grows best in light shade where it gets sufficient moisture. I also have one growing at the base of a large mulberry tree where it gets much less moisture unless I remember to throw a 5 gallon bucket of water on it, and though it grows well, it is not nearly as large, nor are the flowers as large, as the one in better, moister soil.
The part of the plant that is used medicinally is the root, which has variously colored layers of root bark that can be peeled back, one layer at a time, and which gives it the sometimes used name of seven-bark. When a fresh root is dug, it is cut or crushed to be used in an unfusion, 1 teaspoon of root to a cup of boiling water, taken a mouthful at a time throughout the day. Although the book says that it was known that it wouldn't get rid of gall stones, it was taken to get rid of 'gravelly deposits'. It was also know to the Cherokee tribe for that purpose. It was thought that it would assist in removing brick dust deposits from the bladder and so was a popular remedy in areas with brick factories.

Even if you have no need or desire to use this shrub medicinally, it is still well worth growing for its beauth and ease of cultivation. It doesn't seem to have pest problems, doesn't mind a little drought, though in very dry spells it would like a drink every couple of days. Expect it to get about 4 feet tall and maybe 6 feet wide in time.

What do you mean it's blooming in January???

2012-01-13T22:10:00.005-05:00

Though I often tell people that there's something of interest in the gardens 12 months out of the years, that something isn't always a plant with flowers. We're still a bit away from even the snowdrops (Galanthus) and though the Hellebores have buds, none are what you could call open flowers yet at this point. This year, howeve, is different in many ways. We haven't had the horrible cold, and until today when we got about an inch, we hadn't had snow either. We've had more than enough rain, 2011 being one of the wettest years I can remember. And, we have blooms on Hamamelis (Witchhazel) and Lonicera (Honeysuckle). The one above is Hamamelis 'Rochester'. It is always one of the first to bloom, mostly owing to its position on a sunny, protected bank above a pond. It has become quite a large bush, allowing me to cut a generous quantity to bring into the house so that I can enjoy the wonderful fragrance without freezing my buns off sitting on a bench outside.

This Hamamelis is 'Girard's Purple'. It is also a large bush, but for some reason the scent isn't nearly as stong as that of 'Rochester', but I cut some anyway for the contrast in colors. There are years when the Witchhazels don't bloom until March, and then their bloom season is quite short because the flowers fade with the first warm/hot sunny day. With blooms starting in January, we should be able to enjoy them for a couple of months this year. Only a few are out so far, but all are quite well budded and so we should have lots of bloom soon.

The other shrubs that are blooming are a couple of the bush honeysuckles. The one above is Lonicera fragrantissima. It's probably about 6 feet tall and as wide. The blooms, though different in appearance, have that wonderful honeysuckle smell that reminds me of warm nights in early summer, when the fragrance wafts in the open windows on a light breeze. This can start blooming here any time between January and March. It will sucker a bit and can also tip root, so unless I need some extra plants, I try to prune it a bit after bloom, and dig any babies so that it doesn't crowd out its neighbors.

The other bush honeysuckle that is blooming right now is Lonicera purpusii. I originally bought this one because the catalog copy said that it bloomed in January, and anything that will bloom here in Ohio in January can have a place in my garden. This is the first year that it has ever done so. It is always nicely budded and looking like it will open those buds in January, but until this year, the buds never opened before the middle of March. Maybe it has finally adapted to our climate, or maybe it's just this weird weather year. Either way, I'm very happy that it's blooming right now.

Tomorrow I'll get back to the medicinal herb series, but I just had to share these wonderful plants today.

Jane

Helianthus annuus - Sunflowers

2012-01-11T21:30:00.003-05:00

Common sunflowers, nothing fancy; the ones that come up in odd places in the garden where the chipmunks have buried seeds or the birds have dropped one. I have much more luck with critter planted sunflowers than with ones I plant myself. I think that the critters like to plant them, but also like to dig up ones that other people plant. Just my theory, but it would explain why theirs come up and mine don't often do so.
The common sunflower is a native plant almost everywhere in the United States.
In Jacobs' Index of Plants he writes "the leaves are astringent; the seeds are diuretic and yield a fixed oil ... The roots were used for snakebite and as a dye. The sunflower is used for coughs, pulmonary affections, dysentery, inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, and as an antimalarial."
An old recipe using sunflower seeds as a cough remedy: Boil 2 ounces of the seed in a quart of water (doesn't say if they are hulled or not). Boil down to a little less than a pint and strain. Add 6 ounces of gin and 6 ounces of sugar. To be taken three or four times daily in a dose of one to two teaspoonfuls for pulmonary affections and coughs. In the same way, seeds browned in the oven and then used to make the unfusion were said to provide relief for whooping cough.
The Journal of Lewis and Clark had an entry in July 1805 noting the use of sunflower seed to make bread and thicken soup.
After writing about a lot of medicinal plants where I felt the need to warn about these being old and questionable recipes, this is one that seems quite simple and probably safe. I have no idea, however, if it actually works, though I might be willing to give it a try.
As far as gardening here in the hollow - it's been a strange garden time. After one of the wettest years on record, we seem to be having a winter without horrible cold and, at least so far, no snow. Some is predicted in the next day or so, 2-6 inches, so it may actually start to look more like January here. We have witchhazels and winter honeysuckles blooming; daffodil foliage is up a couple of inches in many places. Luckily things bloom in the greenhouse this time of year so we don't get too crazy. Right now there is a lovely tiny gardenia covered with blooms that is making the whole place smell wonderful. In any event, in 2 months or so spring will be here with crocus and other early spring blooms starting. I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for the daily grind of weeding, but I'm sure ready for warmer weather and the outside being green instead of brown.
Jane

Glechoma

2012-01-10T22:32:00.003-05:00

Nice vacation; time to get back to writing. I'm going to pick up in my herbal medicine book where I left off last time. The photo is of the variegated version of our ever-present pest, ground ivy, known also as gill-over-the-ground and creeping charlie.
I don't remember this growing at our house when I was growing up, but heck, there were parents and grandparents and kids, all gardening on a city lot, I don't remember weeds much at all. They wouldn't have had a chance. Where I do remember it is at my Aunt Nancy's farm, out in the country the other side of West Chester PA. She had a wonderful spring house, always so dark and cool, where they would chill the milk. Ground ivy grew around and in it (I'm sure she thought it was a nuisance) and for some reason I loved the smell of it when you walked on it and crushed the leaves. I still love the smell, even as I pull mountains of it out of my flower beds.
Although this seems to be everywhere, it is not native to North America, but was introduced by the early settlers. If it weren't such a weed, you might almost expect to find it sold in garden centers as a ground cover. This variegated version is sold by a number of nurseries and though sometimes a bit tricky to get started, I think it can be just as much of a nuisance as it's plainer cousin once established.
One of the original uses for the plant was to impart the desired bitter flavor to beer, to prevent it from turning sour, and to clear it. This use for the plant ended about 400 years ago when they discovered that hops would do the same thing, and I assume would do it better since that has been used ever since.
Other uses for the plant are for coughs accompanied by phlegm. It is used either fresh or dried, a teaspoonful of leaves to a cup of boiling water, a cupful of more a day. It has also been suggested that sniffing the crushed leaves will cure a headache.
Grieve's Herbal suggests that because of its astringent properties, it is useful for bruises and black eyes.
So next time you're weeding the garden and get the urge to pull out all of the ground ivy, maybe you might think twice about leaving a little patch . . . just in case . . . for medicinal purposes.

Tomorrow - hamamelis (witchhazel)

Jane

Fall Blooming Perennials, Part 1

2011-09-13T20:24:00.010-04:00

I had originally thought I would make one post on Fall blooming perennials, but once I started thinking and writing, I realized that I would need 2 posts to get them all in and not be way too long, so here is part one. For my definition of Fall blooming, I have chosen things that don't start blooming until after Labor Day. There are certainly other things blooming in the garden, daylilies, hibiscus or various sorts, yarrows, hostas and others, but they have all been blooming for awhile or are reblooming. All of the plants I'm going to write about are just now starting to bloom, or in some cases, haven't even started their bloom yet for this season.
Blue Asters seem to pretty much say Fall for me. This one is Aster patens 'Slatey Blue'. This is tryly a late blooming plant that fortunately doesn't mind a bit of frost. This is a photo I took last year since it is only now beginning to bud. It's a large thing, 2 or 3 feet tall and at least as wide. At its peak bloom, there are hundreds, maybe thousands or blooms open at once. It makes an excellent cut flower for fall bouquets; excellent with some Golden Rod collected along the side of my road. Likes sun, but generally isn't very fussy about where it lives.

Chelone obliqua just doesn't look to me like a fall bloomer; maybe it's the pink bloom which doesn't seem to me to be a fall color. This one likes lite shade and doesn't seem to mind a slightly damp spot. About 2 feet tall or a little more and a slowly spreading clump.

Colchicum 'Violet Wonder' is sort of a magical plant. Like those Neked Ladies that were blooming in August, Colchicums put up their leaves in the spring. Dark green and heavy, straplike and produced in large numbers, they leave you anticipating wonderful flowers - which don't appear. The leaves fade away and you kind of forget about them. Then one September day, you go out, and where there was nothing yesterday, there is now this explosion of color and very un-Autumn-like blossoms. Some people call these Autumn Crocus, but they're not, they're Colchicums. Sun is best, but I've had some in light shade that also did fine. Those that ended up in heavy shade after trees got big around them had to be moved to a sunnier spot to keep blooming.

There are actually fall crocus and this one is named 'Kotschyanus' - a lovely blue with darker blue striping. This is another photo from last year since these have not yet come up this year. I just planted some more of these today since they are such a welcome sight this time of year. Right now, by the way, is the time to plant both fall crocus and colchicums.

Impatiens Omeiana makes a lovely show of foliage all summer, 12-18 inches tall, lightly patterned foliage in a clump that increases in size every year. This is a shade plant, though it seems to like some dappled sun, especially morning sun. Bright sun will leave you with a wilting and decidedly unhappy looking plant. I noticed this past weekend that it was starting to bud, so blooms should be out in a few days. They don't show it in this photo all that well, but they blossoms always remind me of goldfish hanging there. Even though this is an Impatiens, it is perfectly hardy here in zone 6 and probably good in zone 5 with some protection.

Kalimeris yomena 'Fuji' is a nice variegated plant all season. Dappled sun to light shade work equally well. Full sun doesn't seem to suit quite so much, though some sun will keep the variegation bright. It's easy to divide and I've divided mine several times so that I can spread the fall blooming around the garden. Only about a foot tall, it spreads nicely without being a pest and doesn't seem to seed around, at least it hasn't in the dozen or so years it has lived here.

The Kalimeris blooms are a nice pale blue aster-like flower and last for several weeks once they start. They make good cut flowers.

Leucoseptrum stellipilum also likes lite shade. This version (I grow 4 different ones) has a plain leaf and pink flower spikes. These clumps can get to be 3 feet tall and as wide. They seem to like a moist place and are well liked by honey bees.

This variegated Leucoseptrum likes the same conditions and has yellow/cream flower spikes. I have also gotten, last summer, one with green leaves with a gold edge, and one with gold leaves.

So that's it for the first installment of Fall Bloomers. All of these are quite hardy here in zone 6, though if you are a different zone, you should check on the hardiness for your zone. As far as I know, all are readily available.

Jane

Changes

2011-08-31T16:07:00.002-04:00

Pictured here - Hibiscus 'Flyer'. Fall is coming (quickly) and this is definitely a harbinger of things to come. If you need a plant that will make a statement in the garden, this is it. Bright red flowers, some a foot across, on plants that can reach 10 feet tall. Definitely something you can see from across the yard if not from down the street.
Actually, I wasn't going to write about Hibiscus today, but rather about changes to the blog. As I've gotten older and the garden has gotten bigger (the problem with having pretty unlimited space in which to plant), my time for sitting at the computer has shrunk, so I'm going to try a monthly newsletter sort of thing with what's blooming now, maintenance type things I'm doing in the garden, new plants we've added, bugs we're fighting with and much more. This won't, of course, keep me from posting more often as things occur to me or when I have pictures to share, but maybe I can stop feeling so guilty about not posting so frequently if I can keep telling myself that I promised one newsy post a month. Maybe it's just the time of year when the garden gets dry and the weeds finally get totally out of control in spots and I find myself struggling to keep everything looking its best (and losing miserably in the effort). Of course, hosta beds and shade gardens look good except where the deer have munched, so if you're planning a visit, there will be plenty to enjoy.
So, shortly after the Labor Day holiday, look for my first monthly newsletter, or follow my weekly (or more often) updates on Facebook, always with a picture of something that's blooming. And while you're on Facebook, why don't you 'friend' us.
Jane

Edible Landscaping

2011-07-11T22:08:00.005-04:00

Edible Landscaping was the name of a book I had at one time, though I don't see it on the shelf now. I must have passed it along to someone else. The premise was that you don't always need a separate garden for your vegetables since plenty of them are just as ornamental as the flowers. Herbs are the most common example, but since I had so much trouble with deer and other critters getting into my vegatable garden when I had it across the road, I decided to try and incorporate all of my veggies into the gardens around the house rather than just the thyme, parsley, sage and basil. Plenty of sun on this side of the road too.
This first picture is of the small fenced off are where I have planted 8 broccoli plants and 8 cabbage plants. They're back behind other plants. I had to work a bit to even get a good picture where you could see them, and even in this one they aren't all that visible. There is also a row of beets and one of carrots between the others. Broccoli will be ready soon and the cabbages are starting to head. Although I much prefer a pretty garden with nice neat rows of lots of things, this will have to do for this year.

This next one is my cucumber patch, where they seem to be much larger every time I look. Just about to flower and make me some cucumbers that I will turn into bread and butter pickles. The whole patch is about 6 feet by 10 feet. Plenty of space for a lot of pickles to grow. I have a short fence around it and netting over the top, rigged up sort of like a circus tent. The baby groundhogs aren't going to get these.

Tomatoes are actually kind of easy to do since you can put one plant (and a fence) in a pretty small space. With this green fencing, it blends in very nicely with the other plants. You really have to look to see it sometimes. I have 6 - 3 Rutgers for Hank and 3 Beefsteak for me. There are green tomatoes on the Rutgers, so not too much longer to wait. These are pretty much for fresh eating. I'll get the quantity I need for canning from the farmers' market.

And if you can't find a place amongst the perennials, just grow your veggies in pots. My peppers just didn't seem to have a good place to go, so I put them in gallon pots, and already have a pepper growing.

There are also plenty of 'grow them on the patio' types of containers for vegetables, so unless you live in a closet, you really don't have any excuse for not having a fresh tomato or 2 this summer that you grow yourself.

Jane

Daylily Time

2011-07-09T06:30:00.002-04:00

I guess it's about time for me to write something. I plan posts while I'm weeding and planting and pruning, but by the time I'm done working for the day and have supper, I'm usually too tired to think about actually writing something down.
Things have been really busy around here. We have repaired the pond where the miniature water lilies grow to fix the problem caused by a deer falling into it last winter. We have also been waging a war on bamboo and have totally eradicated the knee-high one from the bed in front of the front barn. It is now planted in hostas and some other shade plants and, if I do say so myself, if much better looking that way. We also got rid of the yellow striped small bamboo on the way into the sales area and that too is not in hostas, but mostly miniatures. The same yellow striped bamboo that was growing along the driveway as you walk in has also been removed and replaced with nothing. It was just growing through everything and didn't need to be there. This small stuff is much easier to get rid of than the tall. You simply have to dig it out. The roots and runners are small enough that although it is a lot of work, it is possible. The tall stuff is still a problem and we will be trying to get rid of some more of that. It would take shovels much sturdier than we have and a much stronger person to dig any of that out.
The other war is on vinca and ivy. It is totally (hopefully) gone from several beds that have been redone this spring. I have a bit more to do, but progress is definitely being made. We've always made some changes in the gardens every year, but this year is major redecorating time. It's kind of nice - gives one new gardens to enjoy without having to expand the gardens and have more to take care of, which at my age I don't really need. Daylilies growing in too much shade have been moved to happier places; hostas in too much sun are in the process of being moved.
Wish I could remember all of this things I had wanted to write about. We do have a family of raccoons who come by each evening. The one with the half-a-tail shows up a 9 o'clock exactly every night to clean up the seeds that are dropped under the bird feeders. He also did us a favor by totally destroying/eating a yellow jacket nest.
I do need to mention that the daylilies are glorious right now. This may be the best weekend of the year to see the largest number in bloom at once. We have had some in bloom since April and will have some almost up until frost. The deer, for the first time in a few years, have done some nipping of buds on them, but Milorganite and Liquid Fence have pretty much stopped it. There are a few bare spots with no bloom, but others are in their full blooming glory. Sunny days today and tomorrow, so you have no excuse to not come and see them.
We added a Blue Atlas Cedar to the back gardens yesterday. It wasn't planned, but when we stopped into Lowe's for some caulk, and of course had to see what we could rescue from their garden center, there was this 6 foot tall Cedar, just begging for us to take it home. It barely fit in our little Toyota Yaris, but it is now planted. Now we just have to keep it alive. They are only marginally hardy here, and although we had one live here for a number of years, they can be tricky. We have tried a new siting and hope this will keep it happy. It has become the centerpiece for what will be a blue garden. Hank says blue and gold, I say blue and white. He gets up earlier, so I expect it will probably be blue and gold.
So, enough for now. If there are any plants of topics anyone has questions about, please leave a comment. Sometimes I just need some inspiration for get writing again.
Jane

Sunday Slide Show

2011-05-15T22:49:00.012-04:00

I couldn't decide which plants to write about today, so here's a sample of what was blooming/growing in the garden today. I'm not sure of the proper Latin names for all of them off the top of my head so I'll do the best I can and fill them in tomorrow when I'm at my desk.

Dog Stinkhorn

Cactus 'Claret Cup'

Iris virginica 'Pink Form'

Liriope muscari 'Okina'

Chives in Bloom

Pine with 'candles'

Hosta 'Peanut'

Polygonatum 'No Go Kai'

Trillium luteum

Primula sieboldii

Tree Peony 'Black Douglas'

That's it for today. These are just a small number of all of the photos I took today. Tomorrow I'll try and post a bunch of peony pictures.
Jane

Orchids - the hardy type

2011-05-11T18:51:00.000-04:00

For all of those who think they can't grow orchids, I would recommend you try some of these hardy types to grow outside in your garden.
This first one is Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford'. The species is native to bogs and damp meadows, grows 6 to 20 inches tall (ours tend to be tall), and bloom late summer through fall with spikes of sweetly scented, white orchid-like flowers. Makes sense, orchids with orchid-like flowers. The common name is Nodding Lady's Tresses. The leaves are a basal rosette. This U.S. native has a preference for acidic soil. Zones 4-8. Spiranthes cernua prefers to not be disturbed or moved once established.
Next is a more unusual one - a vining orchid that thrives in shade. Codonopsis lanceolata grows up a support to a height of about 10-15 feet - our still young plant makes it to about 8 right now. It circles the support (ours grows up a Japanese maple) without strangling it. I've found it to be a good idea to put a small fence, maybe a foot tall around the base because rabbits have found it tasty in the past. It didn't kill it, but it stopped growing for the year and waited for the next year to grow again and bloom, and the blooms are too special to miss.

The blooms remind me a bit of a PawPaw or some species Clematis rather than an orchid. They are maybe an inch across or a little large and are borne singly up and down the stem. I haven't noticed any fragrance. This really does thrive in shade. I don't think ours gets any direct sun at all. Actually I'm not sure this is properly speaking an orchid, but is commonly referred to as a climbing orchid. Zone for this is 6-8. Bloom is later in the summer.

Calanthe tricarinata is a very orchid looking orchid. These leaves seem typical of the Calanthes with their shiny green finish and pleats. The leaves may be evergreen in very mild winters, but I sometimes think it is better when they leave for the winter as they often look pretty ratty in the spring and will be replaced with new ones anyway. Flowers on both of the ones I have pictured start blooming in late spring.

I do love the color on these flowers - the yellows and oranges - and the fringed lower petal. The bloom stalk can have quite a few individual flowers. It is native to Pakistan, through the Himalayas and on east to Japan. The leaves are probably almost a foor tall with the bloom stalk rising above that. Zone 6-9. It likes shade and a woodsy soil.

Last, but not least, is Calanthe discolor. This one is often listed as zones 6b-9, but we have no problem growing it here in 6a. The flowers have burgundy back petals and a white or pale pink center petal. It is native to woods in Japan. This one is smaller, only about 10 inches tall. Like the tricarinata, it may loose its leaves when the winter temperatures go below 10 degrees. This is quite easy to grow and makes a nice clump over time. While the tricarinata I planted about 8 years ago is still only one stem.

I do grow some tropical orchids in the house, but none will ever be as easy to grow and get to bloom as these lovelies from my outside garden.

Jane

Itsy Bitsy Hostas

2011-05-06T18:33:00.008-04:00

My first job this morning was to (finally) get the names straight on one of our beds of miniature hostas. I knew the names, but just needed to match the names with the faces, so to speak. In the process, the bed got weeded and neatened and everyone got their pictures taken. Here are some of my favorites. All are as easy to grow as their larger brothers and sisters and most increase quickly. I recommend putting them in their own bed, or, if you want to mix them with larger hostas, plant them in a group together and put them next to a rock or something else to keep them from being stepped on or lost. I don't think anything pictured here is over 4 inches tall. The flowers are usually perfectly in proportion. Just toooooo cute.

Venusta Ogon

Pandora's Box

Manzo

With the exception of a little sprinkle this afternoon, we actually had 2 days in a row where the sun shone. Quite an accomplishment for this spring. More predicted for the first part of tomorrow before we get back to more serious rain. Oh well.
Jand

Leucosceptrum

2011-05-05T18:25:00.005-04:00

Until a couple of years ago, I had never heard of this plant. I'm not sure if it is a very large, woody stemmed perennial that dies to the ground or a small shrub that just isn't quite hardy enough to keep all it's branches during the winter. The common name of Shrub Mint doesn't help with the confusion. My established plants are at least 3 feet tall and as wide. This is the first one we got, simply Leucosceptrum stellipilum. We had ordered the variegated version and got this one by mistake. We kept it and just reordered the variegated one. There aren't that many things that grow in shade and also bloom in September - and that don't look like asters. The spikey blooms are pinkish purple on the plain leafed one and yellowish on the variegated one.

And here is the variegated one, simply called Variegata. The pattern on the leaves is a combination of shades of green and a greenish/goldish/chartreusish color. They are just now leafing out and so usually avoid the worst of the late frosts. Its preferred location would be in light shade to part sun. Zones for it would be from 5 to 8. I've never seen them bothered by critters, with 4 legged or of the flying and biting varieties.

When Asiatica Nursery was closing down last summer and fall, Barry had a lot of good bargains (and I'm a sucker for a good bargain on plants or yarn). The Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel' was one of the things I bought. It took right off and is now about 2 feet tall and wide and wasn't bothered at all by last night's frost.

The other one that I got was this Leucosceptrum stellipilum 'October Moon'. This photo doesn't do the colors justice. The centers of the leaves are a medium green and the edges a creamy chartreuse, but there are lots of small flashes of other colors in the edge and at the margin between the edge and the center. I think this is going to be spectacular when it gets big. It hasn't grown as much as the Golden Angel just yet, but I'm looking forward to a whole bush full of these lovely leaves.

The species is native to Japan and from what I've read, they are the ones doing the hybridizing of these new varieties. If you haven't tried these, you should. I think I say that about everything. I'm so glad I have pretty unlimited gardening space; I don't have to make choices - I can have them all. Now if only I had a bottomless checkbook...

Jane

Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'

2011-05-04T19:42:00.002-04:00

One of my spring favorites, Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' or Variegated Solomon Seal. It is blooming in many places throughout the gardens and we will be giving quite a bit away this weeked in honor of Mothers' Day to moms and moms-to-be who visit the nursery on Sunday, May 8th. So if you're nearby, please stop to tour the gardens - and smell the lilacs.
Polygonatums are shade creatures, or at least dappled light types. They like woodsy situations with ample moisture, though I've not seen them happy in really damp places. There are many different types and maybe I'll do a post on some of the others some time soon. They range from tiny, 8 inch tall plants, to some that top 4 feet tall.
This particular one is about 2 feet tall, though in the right spot, it might reach 3 feet. It grows happily in gardens from zone (3)4 to 8. Blooming starts in late April here and last for a couple of weeks. The bell shaped flowers seem to attract lots of bumble bees, thought they don't seem designed to pollinate them and they are considerably larger than the flowers. If the flowers do get pollinated, you will see dark blue berries in the fall. Not that you need berries or seeds to get more plants. They spread by underground runners and will, over time, make a nice patch. They are easy to transplant, which is why we have small patches in many places now.
The stems are burgundy colored, though the color is more pronounced some years than others. This year it is especially good. Maybe it is all the rain we've been having. I've noticed that colors everywhere in the garden are really nice - and plants are getting huge. The leaves are edged in creamy white, a narrow margin but quite noticeable.
These are native to Europe and Asia, but have some relative in the U.S. They are commonly available from mail order nurseries and you might even find them in a small local nursery, though I've never seem them at any of the big box stores. They are easy to grow, so if you have space and shade, you really should try some. As I said, we're giving some away this weekend, so if you're in the Athens Ohio area, please stop by to get some.
Jane

Carolina Blue(pink)bells

2011-05-03T14:02:00.002-04:00

Quick post today since I'm supposed to be working on paperwork (ugh!). This is an oddity that I discovered in the garden this spring. Our Virginia Bluebells had seeded around a bit too much and so I decided to dig a few and transplant to a sort of too shady empty spot. When they bloomed this one was definitely pink. I know some seem to change color, but this one came out pink and stayed pink. I'll keep watching to see if it does the same thing next year or if it was only caused by the stress of being transplanted. Has anyone else ever had one bloom pink like this?
Jane

Common Water Snake - Nerodia Sipedon Sipedon

2011-05-02T19:13:00.002-04:00

A non plant post today - unless you consider the fact the this Common Water Snake (also sometimes known as Northern Water Snake) is living in the old bathtub where I keep my potted waterlilies. Common Watersnakes are one of the most common snakes in Ohio. It will live in just about any permanent body of water. I can attest to this as I have had them living in the smallest of our ponds. Actually, you don't get much smaller pond than a bathtub.
Compared to a lot of the other snakes that we have on the farm, these are kind of short and fat. They are very fond of basking in the sun and can often be seen on rocks at the edge of a pond, or on a floating log or even on an overhanging branch. They seem a bit nervous to me, disappearing under the water just about as soon as they notice you. I'm surprised that this one allowed me to take its picture. I'm a big snake fan, have been since I was little, but these guys are not on my favorites list. I have 2 major problems with them. First, they are the reason that there are no longer any fish in any of our ponds. This is not just idle chatter. I have seen them eating my poor goldfish. The frog that lived in the bathtub with the waterlilies seems to be missing as well. He used to sing to me. In addition to fish and frogs, they will eat worms, crayfish, leeches, and small mammals and birds. The other thing I dislike about this particular snake is that they are just downright nasty. They seem to delight in attacking people. Hank was weeding around the edge of one of the larger ponds when one attacked and bit him. He didn't even know it was in the pond. Although I don't know about it from personal experience, I have read that they secrete an obnoxious, smelly substance from their musk glands if they are handled.
The color can vary from brown to red to grey to blackish. Its belly can be white, yellow or grey. In general the snake seems to darken as it ages.
Common Water Snakes mate in April and June and their young are born live in late summer and fall. These are not egg layers. As seems to befit these less than lovely creatures, their babies are on their own as soon as they are born, and no parental care is provided. They female can give birth to up to 30 young at a time.
We seem to have quite a few of these snakes around and I see them often, sunning at the edges of the ponds.
Jane

Campanula punctata 'Wedding Bells'

2011-04-30T19:53:00.003-04:00

I had good intentions of using this plant in my post yesterday, in honor or William and Kate's wedding, but I guess in my excitement of having my DSL back working I totally forgot.
I'm kind of new to Campanulas and it is a love hate sort of relationship. This one especially. It is gorgeous. The flowers are large, but still delicate and the purest white. They are borne in profusion and last for a long time. But . . . they seed voraciously. If you're not careful, you will have a forest of the things in no time at all. So, plant them by all means, but deadhead most of them, leaving maybe one or two blossoms to make you some new plants for next year. They don't seem to spread far - just drop their seeds at the base of the plant, so it is easy to just pluck them out if you get too many.
The flowers are double, two perfect flowers, one inside the other. They are hardy to zone 5. Expect them to get about 18" tall. They like sun, average soil that is neither too dry nor to wet. And so far, deer don't seem to eat them which is a plus for any plant in my garden. For those of you who like to pick flowers to bring into the house to enjoy, these make excellent cut flowers.
They seem to be readily available at a number of mail order nurseries and you may find them in garden centers also.
We had the first totally wonderful sunny day that we've had in a long time today and we totally enjoyed it - though I'm really tired now. Lots of new things dug and potted for the nursery and lots of just walking and enjoying the plants.
Jane

Uvularia sessilifolia variegata

2011-04-29T18:24:00.003-04:00

This plant is nothing if not really cute. Unlike the more common Uvularia which is about 18 inches to 2 feet tall and has fairly large yellow, bell-shaped flowers, this guy is not much more than 6 inches tall and is perfectly in scale from the thin stem to the thin green and white leaves to the tiny, no more than 1/2inch long, creamy white bell shaped flower, one to a stem. I got this some years ago and it has spread slightly - when something this small and dainty spreads, it will never be called invasive. It has simply gone, over about 10 years, from a single stem to a patch maybe a foot across. Did I say I really like this one????
The Uvularias are woodland plants and are native to the eastern U.S. They like a shaded site and evenly moist soil. I don't think they want wet feet. Mine grows in a shady rock garden with tiny woodland anemones, miniature hostas, some tiny ferns and assorted other small plants. At the top of the slope is a small pond for iris that enjoy a shaded site. Above the pond is a sweep of Epimediums. The whole thing is quite flowery and pretty right now.
I'm not sure just how easy this one is to find, and because of its diminutive size, it needs a special spot, but I really like it. And did I say it's really cute???

Sorry about not posting yesterday. I posted an update to Facebook about today being our opening day, and then when I went over to Blogger, the DSL connection had disappeared and didn't return until almost lunchtime today. No idea what happened to it, but it's back and so am I. We're expecting a sunny day tomorrow and warmer than today - which was just a bit too chilly for my taste this time of year. We had a number of out of town guests to visit and tour the gardens despite the less than perfect weather. Hope to see you tomorrow or Sunday.
Jane

Podophyllum - Mayapples

2011-04-27T18:28:00.003-04:00

We grow plenty of good old American native Mayapples in the garden and they are in many places in our woods, but we also grow a couple of different non-native ones. This first one is Podophyllum 'Kaleidoscope'. This is a big bigger than our native Mayapple, being about 2 feet tall with leaves up to 18" wide. Ours isn't quite that large yet, but it seems to increase in size every year. It seemed downright wimpy for the first couple of years, but now in addition to the plants being larger, the clump is increasing in size. Maybe in a couple more years I'll even have some to share. All Mayapples are shade plants and like woodsy soil. This one has a red or burgundy flower in the spring and may set seed and spread that way too. We have them growing with hostas and some other shade perennials. They are still expensive and are patented, so I don't expect to see them readily available any time soon.

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' is similar to the one above, but has a much more patterned leaf, with dark spots. It is about the same size, likes the same conditions, and also has reddish flowers. Both of these are pretty much restricted to zones 6-8, though there have been reports of it surviving a zone 4 winter. Both of these may come up early (too early) and will need to be protected from late frosts. As long as it hasn't come up too much, we put a styrofoam box over them with a brick on top to keep it from blowing away. Makes a wonderful temporary greenhouse.

I'm writing while I'm sitting here waiting for yet more rain to arrive. Depending on which forecast you read, it could be up to an additional 2 inches. We really don't need 2 more inches of rain. I spent the day slipping a sliding in the mud trying to finish getting all of the sale plants in place for opening day. I had mud caked on up to my knees. I guess I'm going to have to find some gravel to spread if we do get this extra rain so everyone who visits the gardens this weekend isn't also caked with mud. Yuck!

Jane

Muscari macrocarpum 'Golden Fragrance'

2011-04-26T21:53:00.002-04:00

We tried for a number of years to get this lovely yellow muscari to grow in our garden. We finally have succeeded, under a small pine tree, next to a clump of tulips. Not even sure why Hank planted it there, but it lived...and bloomed, so who am I to question. It's a very un-muscari looking muscari (Grape Hyacinth) and stands about 8 inches tall. The flowers on this species are more like little tubes than my others, which are more rounded. It is extremely fragrant, but unfortunately, unless you're crawling around weeding, you probably won't smell it. With only one bloom scape this first season, I certainly wasn't going to pick it. Maybe next year it will increase and I can bring some into the house to enjoy.
Bloom time is mid to late spring. Plant in full sun to light shade, but like most of the other spring bulbs, it will probably do better in a sunny location, at least in terms of coming back bigger and stronger next year. It will grow just about anywhere in the U.S. since it can live anywhere from zone 4 to 9. A nice thing is that they are rather deer and rodent resistent, at least so far. My other grape hyacinths aren't bothered, though, so I don't expect this one will be either. The only exception has been in winters where the deer have no food in the woods, and if the foliage is up over the winter, it might get nibbled, but in a normal year, the deer seem to avoid it.
This one is a little more expensive that the other muscari types - about $1 a bulb as opposed to more like 50 cents each for the more common ones. As with most spring blooming bulbs, I can't recommend Brent and Becky's Bulbs enough. Wonderful selection, good prices, and always the biggest and best quality bulbs. They are the reason our garden is so lovely in the early spring.
It was certainly a pleasant surprise to finally see one of these bloom this spring.

Looks like we are going to have nice weather for our opening weekend at the nursery. Hard to believe they're predicting 2 days in a row without rain. We'll see if the forecast stays that way until Friday. If you're in the area, stop by.
Jane

Hippeastrum - Amaryllis

2011-04-25T18:57:00.003-04:00

Isn't this just the most gorgeous flower? I picked up this Amaryllis hybrid when I was out at Glasshouse Works in Stewart OH last week. Ken has for years dabbled with hybridizing Amaryllis and this is just one of his creations. I doesn't have a name, as far as I know, but the color is just glowing, especially when the sun shines through it. And I love the bright, grass green throat.
I once tried to plant some Amaryllis seed that I had created by pollinating some of my many Amaryllis plants that live outside in the summer and in the greenhouse in the winter. I bring them into the house just as they are about to bloom so I can enjoy the flowers. It's a sure antidote to the winter blahs. Anyway, the seeds just sat there and did nothing, so I asked Ken how one starts Amaryllis seeds.
Anyway, after you dab the pollen and have gotten some seed, the trick, I am told, is that you need to take a pot or flat, depending on how much seed you have. By the way, these are large, flat seeds. Moisten the soil and then spread the seed on top. They need light to germinate, so you shouldn't cover them with soil. You can put a piece of plastic wrap over the pot so things don't dry out too fast. I'm going to try again next time I get some seeds, because I am truly in love with these big flowers that brighten my house and my life in the darkest days of winter.

Now, a little bit about how I grow my Amaryllis. Like I said, I keep them in the greenhouse in the winter and outside the rest of the year, as long as nighttime temperatures will be above 50 degrees. In the winter they get lots of sun (assuming it actually comes out - this past winter wasn't very good for sunny days). They spend their summers in the dappled shade of some old lilac bushes. I repot and fertilize them when I bring them out. They like to be somewhat potbound, so I don't size them up unless they have broken the pot, which they will do to plastic pots, especially when they create new offsets. They seem to like plenty of moisture, but I don't think they want to be soggy or sit in water. I don't mess so much with the stuff about giving them a rest at certain seasons. When they want a rest, they take one, dropping their leaves and just sitting there for awhile. During that time I water sparingly and only when they either send up a bloom scape or new leaves do I start with the regular watering again. There are some species ones with smaller flowers (mine have red ones) that don't go dormant at all and bloom occasionally throughout the year. Always in the winter, but sometimes again in summer and occasionally at other times too.
Amaryllis bloom scapes are pretty fragile things as they are hollow, quite tall and have up to 4 heavy blooms perched at the top. I set the smaller pot in which the plant is growing into a heavy ceramic pot to keep the whole thing from toppling over, and then I have a cup hook in the window frame to which I tie the scape. You don't really see the thin white string, but it keeps the whole thing safer. If the worst happens and the scape breaks off, I just put the stem in a tall vase (recut the bottom first) and the blooms will last almost as long that way.

So if you don't already have at least on Amaryllis (and why don't you???), you should certainly find one. They can be had for not too much money just after Christmas when they are considered 'left-overs'. As long as the bulbs are sound, they should do just fine. I would avoid the fancy catalog ones that come with a fancy pot. The same plant, without expensive pot can be had for much less and will be just as beautiful. Just think how many other plants you could buy with that extra money!
Four days in a row. Not a record, but good for me. See you tomorrow.
Jane

Trillium grandiflorum

2011-04-24T23:17:00.002-04:00

Trillium grandiflorum grows wild around here and usually blooms in early April. The plants are around a foot tall and each bulb produced a stalk with 3 leaves and 1 white, unscented flower. As the flowers age, they change from white to pink. Other varieties have red or yellow flowers or patterned leaves, but this one is our local trillium. Besides enjoying it in the woods, there are quite a few of them spread around the garden.
The common name is Wake Robin, but I've never heard anyone call them anything but Trilliums. They are monocots and members of the Lily Family. It is native to the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, as far south as Georgia and to the northernmost parts of Canada. These are woodland flowers and will be happiest in those conditions. A few of ours get some sun, but spend most of their days in the shade.
Jane

Erythronium 'Pagoda'

2011-04-23T22:10:00.002-04:00

Erythronium 'Pagoda' is a new Dogtooth Violet that we're growing this year. It is a cross between the native American species Erythronium tuolumense and Erythronium revolutum. It will have 3-5 of these lovely yellow flowers per stem and sometimes multiple stems per bulb. I'm happy with just this one flower for its first season. The flower scapes will be 6-12" tall and the leaves are shiny green, kind of fleshy and pretty large. Unlike some of our other Dogtooth Violets, this one doesn't have patterned leaves, but plain green. It blooms in mid to late spring, likes woodland conditions and will tolerate some sun. It grows in zones 3-8.
Although the bulb can be eaten fresh or dried and can be ground into flour and the leaves can be used in salads, I think I'll stick to just enjoying the flowers in the garden.
2 days in a row. Let's see how long I can keep going without missing a day - it's not like there isn't enough to write about in the garden this time of year.
Jane

Ranunculus ficaria 'Limelight'

2011-04-22T19:17:00.002-04:00

Laziness is about to end. I think. I hope. I took a bunch of pictures yesterday so I have no excuses for not sharing some interesting plants with all of you.
Today's picture is Ranunculus ficaria 'Limelight'. A buttercup. I've seen it called Fig Buttercup and Creeping Buttercup (proper common name is Lesser Celandine), but although the clumps increase in size gradually over time, I'd be more inclined to think of it more of a jumping buttercup as I find new tiny plants some distance from the mother plant. The species is listed as invasive in some states, but these cultivated types don't seem to fit that description. This one has green leaves with silvery markings and the usual shiny yellow flowers, more single than double, but with a nice puff of stamens in the center. It likes light shade or morning sun and afternoon shade. Mine original clump grows in a sort of rock garden spot - not a real rock garden, but a bit of a terraced spot behind the greenhouse. The leaves come up first thing in the spring, even before the daffodils are in bloom and the flowers follow a few weeks later. The flowers don't open on rainy or very cloudy days - just when you need their cheery yellow. The clump is rather ground hugging, not more than 2 inches tall. The leaves themselves are about the size of a quarter, so this is a rather diminutive plant. As with most of our other ranunculus, at least the ficarias, it will go dormant when the heat of summer arrives. Grows in zones 4-9 which seems about right since the species is native from Europe to northern Africa.
This is one of four that we grow, though we also grow several other Ranunculuses (my proper Latin says that's not the plural, but - whatever) that are not ficarias, though all have those lovely shiny yellow flowers. This particular one doesn't seem that easy to find, but if you're interested in collecting these buttercups, Arrowhead Alpines is an excellent source.
See you all tomorrow.
Jane

Corydalis solida

2011-04-11T14:02:00.005-04:00

Corydalis solida (G.P. Baker, above) is one of my favorite spring flowers. It grows from a bulb, unlike most of the other corydalis that we grow. It comes up at the first hint of spring and in a very short time it is in full bloom. Height is probably about 8-10 inches. The named one above is a lovely rosy red/pink, but over the years we have ended up with lots of variety in the colors like the purple one below.

This grape juice color may be my favorite, but over the years they have self seeded and filled in lots of spaces, much better than I could have done planting them myself, and in every shade of pink, red, purple, lavender and anything in between.

I'm told that they also come in white, but I don't have any of those and the closest we've come is some very pale pinks or lavenders. Above is just a sampling of one part of the gardens at Lake Amanda.

These are considered a spring ephemeral since by the beginning of summer they will have totally disappeared. We plant them in gardens with things like hostas that will hide the bare spots. They are best in shade, at least they will last longer there, but we have them in sunny spots that they have chosen themselves and they seem to do all right there, but go dormant a lot faster. In the wild it is a woodland plant, and so those conditions are preferable. Grows in zones 4-8.

And an update on my last post. The first bloom on the orchid cactus has come out with 3 more to go. Last summer it has 20 something blooms at once. To say it was noticeable would be an understatement.

Jane

Epiphyllums and Their Friends

2011-04-01T14:40:00.008-04:00

This is certainly not an area in which I am an expert, but I was inspired by the lovely blooms on some of these this morning when I was watering the house plants. This first one is a plant with which most will be familiar, if nor from having grown it, from seeing it in the stores at Christmas time. The Christmas Cactus, Schlumbergera, is native to Brazil. In the southern hemisphere they are simply called winter-flowering cactus. There are six species and a ton of hybrids. All are similar in form with flat jointed stems that make a small arching stemmed bush. They need less than 12 hours of light per day if they are to flower which is why you will usually see them bloom during the dark, short days of winter. Too much light, even artificial light, will hinder their bloom. Mine all live in rooms that don't get as much use in the evening and so are pretty much dark from sundown to sunup. The flowers grow from the tips of the stems. The fruits are green or reddish and grape-like, but since we don't have insects inside to pollinate them in the winter here, I've never seen any fruit on ours. These are shade loving plants. They live in west windows when in the house and their hanging baskets hang under the trees outside in the summer. It's amazing how well they grow outside. Just be sure to bring them back in before the nights get much below 50 degrees (F.) They can go down to about 41 degrees, but I hate to take chances. They like regular feeding in summer and autumn when they are putting on a lot of new growth. This lovely pink one lives in my sewing room this time of year.

Everyone loves the RicRack orchid cactus, Epiphyllum anguliger. This one, as you can see, has deeply serrated trailing stems. It has sweetly scented white or cream colored flowers in summer or fall, though mine has yet to bloom. A warm and shady place makes these happy, no cooler than 43 degrees. Mine is in a south facing window in the winter, but only gets morning sun.

Another non-bloomer (at least so far) is the Selenicereus pteranthus. This will have white flowers also when it finally gets around to it. This one is not quite as showy as the previous 2 (or the one to follow) sort of reminding me of a dinosaur or some sort of prehistoric plant, rambling at odd angles. This one is a bit spiny, unlike the previous ones. This one has 3 sided, fleshy stems. It likes shade and can be grown as a hanging basket plant or as a sort of upright rambler.

Now one of my favorites and one that was just covered with blooms last summer; I think I counted 23 or them at one time. This is Ephyllum ackermannii. These get rather huge for a potted plant. I keep mine trimmed to no more than 6 feet long since they have to live in the house in the winter and I have to carry them in and out. Even 6 feet has me tripping over the ends of the stems sometimes. The red/orange flowers on these are really big and showy - probably 6 inches across easily. In the wild, they grow in the tree canopy of tropical jungles from Mexico to northern South America. The flowers last a couple of days, longer in cooler weather. Regular feeding and warm shade will keep them happy. Minimum temperature is 41 degrees.

Here is a bud just starting that I noticed this morning. This plant is in a north window which is also shaded by a hemlock tree.

And here is the bloom that should be open in the next couple of days. Can't wait. I expect it will bloom again this summer as usual.

That's it for today.

Jane

Papaveraceae - Part Last

2011-03-28T18:38:00.010-04:00

Who doesn't like poppies with their crepe paper petals and gaudy colors. Their only drawback, as far as I can see, is that they go dormant shortly after blooming and leave a hole in your perennial border. We have enough things planted, that you mostly don't notice the ones in the proper garden, and our main poppy beds - 2 wide 80, maybe 100 foot rows - are between rows of peonies and daylilies that pretty much take over at the times when the poppies either aren't blooming or aren't there at all. This first picture is the 'normal' orange poppy. Which comes in various shades of orange, some lighter, some darker, but all really orange.

The one below is 'Big Jim' . This isn't an especially good photo, but you get the idea that this is one really red blossom, about the color of the Memorial Day poppies my father used to sell for the American Legion.

This next one is not quite as common, and seems to be a bit less hardy than the solid colored ones. Its name is 'Carousel'. I think it is not quite as tall as some of the other either.

Being someone who just loves purple, 'Patty's Plum' has to be one of my favorites. Purple or lavender poppies are pretty unusual. This one was a bear to get started, but the third try was the charm. It has been living here quite happily ever since it decided that it liked us. It has increased nicely and usually has lots of blooms. It is in the shade in the afternoon, which isn't usually what poppies like, but I'm not complaining since it grows and thrives.

This pink one isn't named, one of several we bought by color awhile back. It's nice having some of these other colors besides just the orange ones.

This orange sherbet color belongs to 'Helen Elizabeth'. She lives next to the pond occupied by the Imperial Lotus. Good thing she blooms fairly early because as gorgeous as she is, nothing else gets noticed once the lotus are in bloom.

Last but not least, is 'Watermelon'. No point trying to describe the actual color (which isn't quite right in this picture) except to say that it really looks like the inside of a watermelon.

Now, if you just came for the pictures, you can get on with your day. For the rest, here is a little about Oriental Poppies. Actually there is a bit of confusion here. Papaver orientale and Papaver bracteayum are both native to the area from Turkey to Iran and the Caucasus. One is slightly smaller than the other with more slender stems, but they seem to be sold interchangeably.

As far as growing them, they are exceedingly accommodating. They will grow on pretty much any soil as long as it's not waterlogged. Sun is best. The best time to divide them is late summer, while dormant, just before the resprout in the fall. If you haven't grown them before, their life cycle can seem a bit peculiar. They come up in the fall, a lovely rosette of leaves that stay fairly small through the winter. When nice weather returns in the late spring, they start growing and then flower in summer - after which they promptly turn brown and die back, to rest until it's time to come up again in the fall.

Oriental Poppies can be grown from seed. You'll get a variety in the colors, even in a packet that is supposedly all one color. Seeds can be started early indoors in pots, or sown where you want them to grow. Spring is the best time. As they grow, they will need to be spread out and the best time for this is autumn. Expect to wait 2 or 3 years for your first blooms.

Where do we go next? Not sure, but I'll be back with a new topic in a couple of days, as soon as I take some more spring photos.

Jane

Papaveraceae - Part 5

2011-03-25T18:37:00.007-04:00

Oh, my. Has it really been that many days since I wrote. Hmmm.
Poppies again, second to last post on them. Today I would like to tell you all about Papaver somniferum - the Opium Poppies. Now these get a bad name. They're the ones we're trying to eradicate in Afghanistan. It is almost certain that the opium poppy was first cultivated for seed in Neolithic times and that it was spread by humans throughout western and northern Europe from where it originated in the Mediterranean Basin. It also spread eastward to India. The earliest known reference to Papaver somniferum is in an herbal written in 2000 B.C., although its use probably goes back a lot farther than that. The Egyptians used it as a sleep inducing medicine. The Greeks made a drink from the stems, leaves, and fruit-capsules that they used as a pain killer. Hippocrates called it 'Poppy Wine'.

Papaver somniferum
By the 7th century A.D., the cultivation of opium poppies was common throughout the Arab empire. The Arabs called it 'Father of Sleep'. By 1000 A.D. cultivation was also common in Europe. In China, it was grown more as a food (think poppy seed bread or something like that). In the eighteenth century they imported their opium from India and traded for it with gold and silver which was used to buy tea and silks for import into Europe. This trade was controlled by the British East India Company. By the middle of the nineteenth century, opium addiction had become such a problem in China that the Chinese government banned the use and import of opium. This led to war between China and the British. It is unfortunate that this beautiful flower has been responsible for so much suffering through addiction to opium and heroin when it has so many useful properties in medicine and surgery. (codeine and morphine are just 2 of over 20 alkaloids that have been isolated from it. )

Papaver somniferum with different type petals
This plant is also widely grown for its seeds which contain no appreciable levels of harmful alkaloids and which are edible and can be used as a condiment on breads, in salads and so on. They are also important as a source of oil used for a variety of purposes - cooking oil, paint, soap.

Papaver somniferum 'Flemish Antique'
Despite its nice and not so nice attributes, this is just one lovely garden plant. We grow them in many places, mostly of their choosing since the self seed however they like. The flowers are atop tall stiff stems, commonly about 3 feet tall. The grey/green leaves are mostly at the base of the stem. The flowers are usually 3-5 inches across, thought I'm told there are some cultivated selections that can have flowers up to 7 inches across. These very double blooms are often called peony flowered. Flower color is usually pink, at least on the wild form, but there are also white and purple and combinations of these available either as plants or seed. They are more readily available in Europe than they are here because of import restrictions.

Papaver somniferum with Bumblebee

I've been told that they are fragrant, but although I've never noticed much scent, the bees really love them. They do have to work hard to find the pollen on these very double blooms.

Once established, they self seed just about anywhere. They will grow in good soil or bad, nice deep loam or rocky places. Sun is better, but if they find themselves seeded into a shady spot, they'll still bloom quite happily. You will see the little plants coming up very early in the spring. They grow quickly and bloom in early summer through the fall. If you want nice flowers, thin the seedlings so that they have plenty of room, or you will have lots of tiny, straggly plants with small flowers. These are quite good as cut flowers, but you have to be sure to burn the stem as soon as they're picked. It is best to pick them just as the blooms are starting to come out for the longest lasting and sturdiest blooms.

Papaver somniferum 'Black Cloud'
The dried seed pods are good in dried fall arrangements. Pick them before they open at the tops to let the seeds out and then hang them upside down over something to catch the seeds which can be used in cooking or to plant more poppies. If you want to plant the seeds, scatter them where you want them to grow as soon as you collect the seeds. Saving the seeds until spring doesn't work and transplanting them is often unsuccessful as they resent disturbance once they start growing.

These are a worthy addition to any garden and will be noticed (can't be missed) by anyone who comes into your garden. I love how they just pop up here and there; my garden would seem much less cheerful without them.

Jane

Spring 2011 - v. 3.0

2011-03-15T16:43:00.000-04:00

Not much writing today, just lots and lots of pictures that I took yesterday when the weather was sunny and not too cold. Rainy today so I have time to post them.

Eranthis cilicica - Winter Aconite

Crocus chrysanthus 'Lady Killer'

Bulbocodium vernum - Spring Meadow Saffron

Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy' - no flowers yet, though

Galanthus 'Sam Arnott'

Helleborus thibetanus

Crocus - large Dutch, don't know if it has another name

Helleborus - a pink spotted one that someone has taken a bite of

Helleborus - a white spotted one that is quite large

Helleborus - one of the early yellow ones

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica

Iris danfordiae

Iris reticulata 'Joyce'
That's it for today. I'll get back to the poppy family next time. Only 2 more to go.

Jane

Papaveraceae - Part 4

2011-03-13T15:46:00.002-04:00

Papaver nudicaule, commonly called Iceland Poppy, is not actually from Iceland, but rather from Asia. It lives from Siberia to Mongolia and southwards into the mountains of central Asia as far as Afghanistan. It is mostly a plant of mountain screes and moraines, steppes and river gravels at altitudes up to 15,100 feet. Those that you find in cultivation may actually be crosses of nudicaule and one or more of its cousins. This breeding has formed a race of rather gaudy poppies commonly called Iceland poppies and generally found in catalogues and lists under the name Papaver nudicaule.
The true P. nudicaule is rather tall, about 20 inches, with solitary-flowered, rather bristly scapes. The basal leaf tufts are blue/green and covered with grey hairs. The flowers are yellow (note my photo is probably of the one commonly sold here since it is orange) and 2-3 inches across.
Those plants that are the hybrids have stems up to 24 inches tall and flowers that can be up to 7 inches across. Mine are more in the 3-4 inch range. The color range is orange, red, yellow, apricot, pink, salmon, cream and white. Semi-double forms are quite common. The first flowers open on each plant will be the largest.
These are excellent garden plants and will flowers over a long season. Ours start with the first hot weather and continue sporadically until frost. They are easy to start from seed, either directly sown in the garden, or started ahead of time in the greenhouse or on the windowsill. Although these are perennial, you may lose them to rot in wet winters. We have had ours for many years, maybe because they sit in a high spot in the garden, and therefore aren't subjected to wet feet.
These poppies make excellent cut flowers, though like the others, you need to either plunge ends of the stems into boiling water or sear them with a match or lighter. I just carry a lighter with me in the garden if I am planning to pick any of these. They are best picked when the buds are ready to burst open but have not yet done so. This will insure the longest possible indoor display (unless your cats like to play with flowers, in which case, nothing you do to the stems will prolong the life of the flowers).
There are a number of named varieties and strains. The ones we got were the 'Champange Bubbles' type which have large flowers in various shades. These are good from zones 3-10, according to one source, but I do know they can take the cold here in zone 6.
Two more kinds of poppies to go - the most common and the ones most people think of when you say poppies.
Jane

Papaveraceae - Part 3

2011-03-11T18:30:00.003-05:00

One plant I certainly didn't expect to find among the poppies is this Sanguinaria canadensis, or Bloodroot. Its name comes from the orange/red sap in its stems and roots. Bloodroot is a spring lovely. It comes up what seems like almost overnight. One day nothing, the next those buds in the picture above. The flowers are ephemeral, lasting longer in suitable weather - cool, no rain, no wind - but disappearing all too quickly if things don't suit. The leaves will grow larger and persist until the heat sets in, but then will go dormant until the next spring.

Bloodroot is native to eastern North America from about North Dakota and Oklahoma eastwards in both Canada and the U.S. It is a plant of the woodlands and rocky slopes. Shade is preferred, even quite dense shade. The clump will expand by rhizomes, though never as quickly as you would like. We also see it spread by seed, as we find new plants 20 or 30 feet away, across a pond where rhizomes couldn't go. Bloodroot is not all that picky on location, but prefers a leafy soil, slightly acid. Some books say that it will also grow in sun. I expect that is in the northern parts of its range, and not in the southern areas.

Although it is harder to find, you really need to have one of the double form, Sanguinaria canadensis 'Plena'. The flowers remind me of a tiny magnolia blossom. It seems to come up and bloom a little later than the single form, but it may just be because it is in a slightly cooler and shadier place than the others.

I wish I had a picture of the bank across from our farm in Berks County Pennsylvania. Not sure why I never took one. Three kids under the age of 5 might be part of it. Anyway, at the intersection, on one corner there was a steep bank, maybe 6 or 8 feet tall and 20 or 30 feet long, totally covered in Bloodroot. Just gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it since. Even our hillside of Trilliums doesn't have quite the impact of that spot. I often wonder, in the spring, when I look at our tiny Bloodroot patches, if it's still there or it someone, in the interest of 'improvement' thought they should flatten out the bank for a driveway or something else. It would be a shame. I hope it's still there and someone else is enjoying it as much as I did.

Jane

Papaveraceae - Part 2

2011-03-08T15:54:00.003-05:00

Although Macleaya cordata is know as Plume (or Plumed) Poppy, I always thought it was just a name, not really a realtive. There are plenty of plants like that. After all, it didn't really look like a poppy in flower, leaf or size. This is a big guy, usually ranging from 6-8 feet tall. It spreads by stolons like the Eomecon from yesterday, but this one seems to be difficult to transplant (and doesn't spread nearly as far or fast as the Eomecon). The leaves are large, greyish-green above and a paler greyish-white underneath. The leaf veins are quite prominent. Its tiny flowers are borne in large feathery panicles. I don't think they are especially good as cut flowers, though I've never tried. This family isn't know for being good for cut flowers unless one cauterizes the stems immediately upon cutting the blooms with a match or lighter.
Macleaya cordata is a native of eastern China and Japan, where it is a plant of the woodlands, gullies and scrublands, generally in the mountains. It flowers in June and July, though the flower plumes persist for quite some time after that. The flowers are so tiny that unless you're really close (and unless you're tall, you won't be really close to the blooms) you won't really be able to tell the difference between fresh and older blossoms. It was introduced into cultivation in 1795 as Bocconia cordata, an incorrect name by which you still sometimes find it, and the name under which I first obtained it.
There is one form 'Flamingo' in cultivation, though I don't grow it here. It has pink flushed leaves and the flowers are also pink rather than the creamy color of the species.
In my garden, this is a plant of the shadier places. Being so tall, it makes a statement, even from the back of the bed. Quite a pretty statement, I think. I have it planted in one bed with among small trees and shrubs with bleeding heart, and the leaf colors are very similar to the Dicentra. In another spot, it grows mostly alone, under trees with only some hostas for companions.
Jane

Papaveraceae - Part 1

2011-03-07T18:54:00.002-05:00

Our first member of the poppy family is Eomecon chionanthum, commonly called Snow Poppy or Dawn Poppy, though I first knew it as Chinese Bloodroot. This perennial spreads by long reaching underground stolons, which ooze orange/red sap when broken or cut. (Note: wear gloves when working with this plant because, despite the lovely color of the sap, I found out the hard way that it is difficult to remove the color from your hands for a day or so.)
Each leaf has its own petiole and all petioles come up separately from the ground. Blooms are on their own stems, all of which are quite smooth and hairless (quite un-poppylike) and grey green. The flowers are white with yellow centers and are and inch to an inch and a half across. They seem to face the ground when they are first opening up, but face outwards once they are fully open.
A small warning: This one will spread, coming up in all sorts of places, but it is lovely and easily pulled out, roots and all, so keeping it in check is just a matter of a bit of weeding occasionally. Just watch where you plant it and keep up with the weeding and it is really a lovely thing, especially when it is in bloom.
Main flowering season is May and June, but I often see the occasional bloom in summer or fall. Ours seem happy in light shade, even with some afternoon sun. They will grow in colder climates, but will be gone for the year with the first frosts and are a bit late to return in the spring, which is probably for the best since they are so frost sensitive.
Eomecon can be propagated from seed, but it is much easier to just lift some of the 'extra' plants you're sure to have and transplant them. Expect them to wilt for at least a week after you transplant them or pot them up. It's just something they do. Keep them watered well and soon enough they will be back to normal.
There are people who would say you shouldn't grow this one, but with only a little 'neatening' a couple of times a year, it will grow happily and provide a lovely addition to your garden.
Jane

Papaveaceae - The Poppy Family

2011-03-06T14:25:00.002-05:00

While looking for something to read yesterday (pledge time on our only TV station) I came across my book on poppies, which I don't think I've looked at for a long time. I was kind of amazed (probably re-amazed, since I've already read this book) at the number of plants that are in this family - things one would never expect to be so closely related. So, this is just a tease of things to come. Today is reading day, and tomorrow I'll start telling you all about this diverse family.
Jane

Bamboo - Growing the Stuff

2011-03-03T14:30:00.005-05:00

A taste of spring, before we get to the subject of the day, bamboo. There little beauties were blooming at the edge of the upper pond, even though it's a bit cold. The daffodils are just up.

Fargesia (an unknown miniature version)
Bamboos are a sub-family of the grass family Poaceae and are classified as Bambusoideae, which is further divided into two tribes: Bambuseae, the woody bamboos, and Olyreae, herbaceous bamboos. The herbaceous ones are all tropical, so don't expect to find them at your local nursery. Bamboos are monocots and like grasses, bulbs, hostas and daylilies, emerge from the seed with one cotyledon, or seed leaf.

Phyllostachys aureosulcata
The main structural parts of a bamboo are the underground rhizome system, which has buds and roots, and the aerial culms (canes or stems) which support the branches and leaves. All the parts, with the exception of the fine roots and the leaves are composed of a series of alternating solid nodes and usually hollow internodes. This structure gives the bamboo great strength, light weight and flexibility.
One thing about bamboos that makes them quite different from other trees and shrubs is that the diameter and height of the shoot that emerges from the ground will stay the same throughout its life. As long as that particular culm is alive it will stay the same height and girth. As the plant gets older, it will produce thicker and taller culms, but each will remain that size, unlike a tree which adds new rings with each new season. New leaves, however, will appear, even on evergreen varieties, each spring. Each culm lives for a number of years.
The underground rhizomes form a matted and interwoven structure (which is why it is so hard to remove once established) that is quite shallow in the soil, and can extend for amazing distances from the parent plant, shooting up new culms from the nodes along the rhizome. I have found the tip of the rhizome 20 or 30 feet away from the clump ! This is just the most basic overview, since in my reference book, there is a section of 44 pages explaining, culms, rhizomes and leaves - interesting, but much more information that you need to know to grow some bamboo in your garden.

Pleioblastus pygmaeus
In choosing a bamboo for your garden, you'll find that they aren't all alike, any more that all other perennials are alike. Some like full sun, while others will grow happily in the shade. Some enjoy cold winters and others more moderate climates. In general, though, they are very versatile and will adapt to many different types of soil. The exceptions are very sandy and dry soil and wet, boggy places. This last fact is one way that you can control bamboo. You can plant it at the edge of a pond or stream with no worries about it crossing the water. As long as you start with a nice planting hole, bamboos will even tolerate heavy clay soils. Because of their matted rhizomes underground, bamboo is excellent for stabilizing steep banks where the soil is prone to slipping. The easiest way to keep bamboos from spreading where you don't want them is to plant them where you will be able to mow around them. Chopping off new culms with the mower will stop them from spreading where you don't want them. I have been told that the rings they sell to keep bamboo under control don't work very well. In theory they should, but I'm not surprised that the rhizomes will find their way under or over the barrier. I suppose if you sank a 55 gallon drum and planted in that you might get control, but I don't expect that the bamboo will be too happy being that confined.
Bamboos are not too fussy about pH either, and any soil in your garden will probably be fine if other things will grow there.
There is a bamboo for every garden. We have some tiny ones that never get over 18 inches tall, and there are others (not in my garden, but nearby) that are over 20 feet tall. Solid green leaves and variegate ones with green or yellow stripes, different colored culms, large leaves or small, narrow or wide. Some are even clumping forms that are quite well behaved and won't even try to take over your garden.
So, I'm not here to discourage you from growing bamboo, since I do so quite happily (most of the time), but rather to encourage you to research the types you'd like to grow and have a good plan to keep them under control. The book I use most is 'Hardy Bamboos: Taming the Dragon' by Paul Whittaker and published by Timber Press. There are a number of other ones out there and many books on grasses will also contain a section on bamboos.

Bamboo - An Overview

2011-03-01T14:58:00.007-05:00

Fargesia Nitida

I realized the other day that I was kind of getting ahead of myself on the bamboo thing, so today I think I'll do a more general post on bamboo.

According to one definition I read, bamboos are just tall or shrubby grasses with woody stems for structure. That pretty well says it all. There are bamboos that are hardy in quite cold climates, and many that are more tropical. Other than keeping them under control, they are easy plants to grow, needing no pruning or shaping other than removing old old or weak wood. Each stem lasts for a number of years and then you have - a fishing pole, or garden stakes or, use your imagination. Only the tallest and sturdiest make good stakes, but then again, they're free.

The one thing you notice after awhile is that bamboos don't have flowers. Actually they do, but they bloom rarely, some only every 50 or 100 years. When they do flower, the plants will die, but hopefully they will produce seed to re-do the patch. Their reproductive strategy of spreading by rhizomes is actually a more successful strategy, since baby plants from seed are far more vulnerable than large offsets from underground runners.

Bamboos are ancient plants and fossils have been found to date them at least 6.5 million years ago. DNA evidence suggests that bamboo or their relatives go back 26 million years.

Phyllostachys bissettii
Bamboos have been used in Chinese gardens since 2000 BCE and their cultivation was unique to that country for almost 3 millenia. By 1000 CE, the Japanese had started trading with China and took bamboo home to use in temple gardens and the homes of wealthy traders. The first bamboo introduction to the west was Phyllostachys nigra from Japan in 1827 after the American navy had negotiated a trade agreement.

The interior of China was not open for exploration until the middle of the 19th century at which time plant hunters invaded the mountains of China. Unfortunately, they were mostly attracted to the 'pretty faces' and pretty much ignored the bamboos. Two lesser known French collectors, M. Latour-Marliac (of waterlily fame) and Eugene Mazel were the ones responsible for the early bamboo acquisitions. In America, bamboos were valued more for the commercial production of timber, paper and edible shoots than for general gardening purposes.

Bamboo is native to parts of North and South America, Africa and Asia, but not to Europe. There are over a hundred genera and fifteen times that many species worldwide. Many more are likely left to be discovered and named. The majority come from the hot tropical areas but about 1/5 come from more temperate regions.

Pleioblastus viridistriatus
Tomorrow I'll write a bit about the botanical stuff, along with some more pictures.

Jane

Spring 2011 - v. 2.0

2011-02-28T14:07:00.010-05:00

I had meant to get this posted last evening, but 2 sleeping cats in my lap made it very difficult to type, so I just decided to enjoy the purring cats. In any event, writing about the approaching spring is much more difficult today than it was with the sun and warmth of yesterday afternoon. I woke up this morning to heavy rain, hail, lightning and thunder and high winds. Kind of made me want to crawl back under the covers, except that I had an order to finish up and get to the post office.
A photo essay on spring, anyway. When we came home from church yesterday, these cheery yellow and brown crocuses were blooming. They weren't there when we left - such a nice surprise. You can also see the honey bee. They were all over anything that was blooming, especially the witchhazels.
These little blue crocuses were blooming in another sunny spot. These early ones aren't especially bothered by the cold weather and will be blooming for a couple of weeks.

This is Hamamelis (witchhazel) 'Rochester'. Always makes me think of the old Jack Benny Show when I hear that name. Not sure if it was named after that or the city. Lovely and delightfully scented nonetheless.

Cardinals aren't exactly a harbinger of spring, having been here all winter, but this guy was just sitting in the sun singing and I couldn't resist snapping his picture.

The Tibetan Hellebores are now blooming. This last picture I posted had buds, but not open flowers yet. This one isn't evergreen; it goes dormant by mid-summer, but it is the first one to be up and blooming in the spring. It's also quite a bit smaller than the others we grow. I don't think it gets much over 8 inches tall.

Snowdrops (galanthus) are predictably the first things blooming here. True to their name, they will often start blooming while the snow it still on the ground. If not then, they can be in bloom withing days of the snow melt, even before the ground seems thawed enough for them to poke their noses through. This is the double version, and you could see it better if I'd been willing to crawl in the mud a bit. That will have to wait until the ground dried up a bit.

This variegated pachysandra isn't quite in blooms, but clumps of it all over the yard are now in bud. Can't be long until blossoms.

And a sure sign of spring would be that the duck weed has reappeared on the ponds, even the ones that still have some ice on them.

And even though it's a bit colder today, I still heard the frogs on the ponds, singing their little hearts out this morning. I didn't have the heart to tell them that they'd better head back to the bottom and sleep for a bit longer. They seemed to be having such a good time.

Jane

Bamboo - Sasa

2011-02-25T18:28:00.005-05:00

I love bamboo; the sort of exotic look, the variety of leaves and forms, the height (wow, the height on some of these), the way it spreads... No wait a minute. Lets just say I love everything about bamboo except its bad manners. Most of the bamboos are a bit ill-mannered, spreading all over the place and very difficult to get rid of once they get out of control. If you stop by the garden, I'll be happy to show you the fairly large, maybe 50 feet by 80 or 100 feet section I've been trying to get rid of for 3 years now - cover with black plastic, 2 feet of mulch, roundup, digging, digging, digging... You still risk putting old, hard, sharp remnants of bamboo through your foot when you walk there if you're not careful.
Now that I've gotten your attention about being careful about where (if) you plant bamboo, let me tell you about some of the nicer ones out there. I'll start with the Sasas. These will spread, but much more slowly. Plant them in their own place, ideally where you can mow around the bed, and I think you'll just love these.
This first one is the plain one of the ones that we grow here. It is Sasa tsuboiana. This, like the rest of the group, was very slow getting established, and now that it has settled in, is very slow with the spreading thing. Some books even call this one semi-clumping. I'd agree with that description. It is glossy green and the leaves can get quite large. I've seen them get to 15-18 inches long, and maybe 6 inches wide. Height is maybe 3-4 feet tall. It is good to zone 5 and likes light shade. Unless the winter is terribly severe, it it evergreen here.

Below is the second one we added, and it was even slower to establish, but now we have a couple of small colonies. It is Sasa veitchii. This is supposed to get a little taller than the plain green one, but they are the same here. The spread is also quite slow. It is good to zone 5 and is supposed to grow in sun or shade, but we have it growing under some very tall white pines and it seems quite content. New leaves that are put out in the spring are all green and stay that way through the summer. In the fall when the nights start to get crisp, the white border starts to develop and gets whiter and wider until it looks like the photo. It keeps this coloration throughout the winter. Really horrible weather may cause some 'burn' on the white edges, but it is still quite striking in the winter garden.
The third is our most recent addition. This is Sasa kurilensis 'Shimofuri'. Although my book says that this can reach 10 feet tall, mine is 3 feet and has been that way and doesn't seem interested in getting any bigger. It will grow in sun or shade and we do give this one quite a bit more sun than the other two. This one is quite pretty when it comes up in the spring. The culms are pale yellow and emerge from lime green sheaths that are edged in deep purple. After a month, the color fades to a pale, soft green, but by then, the leaves have come out with their wonderful pin-striping of green and creamy white. Good to zone 4, but may not be evergreen in colder climates. I should have a couple of pots of this one the sell for the first time this year.

So, not all bamboos are horrible and invasive. There are a number that are pretty good at clumping and staying put, mostly the smaller ones. I'll talk about a few others next time.

Jane

Spring !

2011-02-18T16:11:00.011-05:00

Just when I have been complaining about not having spring, we've had 2 days of the most wonderful sunny and warm weather. Couldn't ask for better. Alas, it is going away, probably not to be back for awhile, but it was such a nice break. Even though the pond was still frozen when I took pictures on Wednesday...

And there was still some snow (along with spring weeds I didn't want to see ... )

But the snowdrop suddenly broke through the ground and put up buds, which by Friday had opened nicely, at least in the sunny parts of the garden.

Any green is welcome at this time of year, and these cyclamen are such hardy souls, in that they have looked this good all winter, even through the worst of weather.

Hellebores have started to send up buds and they will, of course, have to wait a bit, but will be blooming before you know it.

Along with the witchhazels. Actually, by Friday (today) we didn't just have these little buds, but several of the bushes that are in the most sun were in full bloom (and scent)

And some of them are going to be just covered in bloom any day now. Witchhazels aren't bothered by the cold unless it is severe, and will scent up the yard on any sunny afternoon.

Petasites buds are suddenly above ground with their cabbage-like buds. Hopefully they'll wait just a big before the open so they don't get frozen.

Only a few of the daffodils have put foliage up so far. They don't need to be in any hurry since I don't expect to see blooms on them for another month, at least.

It's also time for pussy willow and as I walk around the yard I see the shiny silver catkins shedding their covers as they get ready for spring.

Unfortunately, I think it is back to hibernation for a few weeks yet, though early blooms will be starting and I'll be out with my camera to capture them.

Next time: A bit on Hank's expanding collection of philodendrons and their equally shade loving friends.

Jane

Acer palmatum - Some of my Favorites

2011-02-12T18:05:00.016-05:00

Once again laziness (or hibernation) prevails. I think I need spring, or at least some sunshine and at least a little warmth to get me moving again.
This evening I'll finally post the pictures of the Japanese Maples that I promised. This will be far from a complete list of even those we have in the garden here, but rather the ones I like most or the ones whose pictures I like best.
Japanese Maples are a little iffy north of zone 6 because most are grafted, and after an especially bad winter, if they die back, you may lose the plant you wanted and end up with whatever the rootstock was. We have occasionally had that happen. One of the rootstocks has turned out to be a quite lovely small tree. The others were replaced. The species maples, also small and quite decorative and about which I have written before, may be a better choice for northerners as most are on their own roots and so if they die back you won't lose the varietal. Most of these maples will be happier in light shade or morning sun. You sometimes get some bronzing on leaves in too much sun, or even some burn on lighter colored leaves. Woodsy soil and ample moisture (but no soggy soil) will suit most of these.

So here goes ...

Acer palmatum 'Ao shime no uchi'
I just love these long skinny 'fingers'. The branches tend to droop a bit, giving the plant the look of a rounded bush sometimes. Fall color is yellow to a deep gold.

Acer palmatum 'Butterfly'
Butterfly has tiny leaves which are variable in shape; rarely are two alike. Mostly the leaves have a white edge, though you will occasionally find an all white leaf. In the spring you will see lots of pink on the leaves. In the fall, all of the white parts become a shocking pink. This is a short, twiggy tree, rarely over 12 feet tall.

Acer palmatum 'Inabe shidare'
Inabe Shidare means leaves of rice. I see this one sometimes listed as a dissectum, but I seem to have it listed without that addition. The leaves are a very deep red and hold that color all season. The leaf tips on this one will burn in direct sun. Although not as common in the U.S., it has been grown in Japan since at least the mid 1800s.

Acer palmatum 'Orange Dream'
Orange Dream is a newer cultivar and pretty new in our garden; I think it's been here about 5 years. It is a relatively slow growing cultivar, now about 4 feet tall. New growth is more orange, but the color, although lighter and greener, remains through the season.

Acer palmatum 'Roseo-marginata'
Roseo-marginata is not common and may be hard to find. It is a small, almost tiny tree, and seems to be slow growing. It seems to like a good bit of shade. Ask me more after we've grown it a bit longer.

Acer palmatum 'Sagara nishiki'
Sagara nishiki is really not easy to find. It is a creamy yellow with pink highlights, sometimes even looking lavender in more shade. Each tree seems to have its own particular variegation. A lovely thing that prefers shade.

Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg'
Trompenburg is probably one of the best reds for holding its color all season. Not a really large tree. An older cultivar and very dependable.

Acer palmatum 'Ukigumo'
Ukigumo means floating clouds. The variegation is white (or cream), green and pink. Rather than being edged, this one is splashed. The coloration looks 'soft'. Some of the lobes on the leaves will pucker or twist. It is slow growing, rather short and twiggy, and semi-dense, reaching 10 feet after many years.

Acer palmatum 'Yellow Bird'
Yellow Bird is a larger tree, maybe reaching 20 feet. The leaves are a yellowy chartreuse throughout the season, turning a bright yellow with red petioles in the fall. Our is probably in too much shade and therefore not as yellow as it should be. Too big now to move, but the fall color isn't affected by the shade, so It's not so much of a problem.

Not sure where we're going next. Maybe to the greenhouse or maybe to Hanks experiment with making a jungle in the bay window next to the tub in the bathroom. He is suddenly obsessed (just a bit) with philodendrums and other shady indoors things. Taking a bath has become a jungle adventure of sorts.
Jane

Winter Sky Photos

2011-02-02T16:10:00.006-05:00

I know I said my next post would be on the Japanese Maples, but early this morning, after our electricity went out, I looked out of the back window and just had to run and get my camera. We sometimes get weird light before a storm in the summer, but this is February. The sun was just coming over the hill to the east, surprising in itself since we've seen so little of it lately, and just lit up the first pasture, accented by the quite dark sky to the west. Very briefly, before I got the photos taken, there was a red/pink line across the dark sky. Sorry I didn't get that too.

To keep this botanical, this first one is of the barn and the Salix irrorata. From what I've read, this is often just a multistemmed shrub, but that on occasion it can be single stemmed and make a rather nice tree. That's what we have. The leaves are silvery and before a thunderstorm, especially if there is wind, it just shimmers. This was almost as good.
Another view where you can see a bit of the pasture. For those who know the gardens, this is the pasture that is on the other side of the creek in the very back.

This is looking up the hill to the left as you look towards the back barn. These are very, very, green pines, but in the weird light, they were quite yellow.

Another view of the pines.

More of the field.

A general view with the peony beds, the barn, the Salix, pasture and sky. The whole thing only lasted at most 10 minutes, but was a nice distraction from our lack of electricity. Turned out that a tree had fallen on a line just down the road and it was back on in less than 2 hours; a bit of a record since we usually are out for at least 3 hours. Breakfast cooked on the woodstove tasted good, though, for a change.

Barring some other strange weather event, I'll be back soon with my post on Japanese Maples.

Jane

Acer palmatum - the Dissectums

2011-01-21T18:20:00.008-05:00

I guess I'm in my winter lazy time. Really cold here today despite gorgeous blue skies and abundant sunshine. It shouldn't be allowed to be this cold when it looks so nice outside. I expect it to be close to zero tonight.

I thought I'd divide the Japanese Maples into 2 groups; today the dissectums - those with very lacy, divided leaves. Some of these are hard to photograph as their leaves are so lacy. I hope you can get a good idea of what they look like anyway. I find them quite beautiful and not nearly so delicate as they look.
Japanese Maples, in general, are hardy down to zone 6. Colder than that and they may not survive the winter. I always recommend the species maples, those on their own roots as opposed to the grafted types for those in colder zones, so that if you do get die-back, the plant has a chance to regrow in the spring from the roots which will probably survive.

This first picture is of 'Garnet'. It's not a new cultivar and is quite dependable. When grown in too much shade, it might get a bit of green in the leaves, so be sure it gets some sun. It was originated in the Netherlands.

Our next photo is of 'Goshiki shidare'. The leaves are usually a deep green with red overtones. The color can be quite variable and is somewhat dependent on the amount of sun.

And this is the new spring growth on 'Goshiki Shidare'. It's a shame it doesn't last longer.

One of our more lacy cultivars is this 'Red Dragon'. Anything lacier than this, I don't have a picture of because the leaves just sort of disappear into the background. 'Red Filagree Lace' would be one of those. They show up fine in person, but photographs are just plain difficult. Even this one is kind of hard to see.

Acer palmatum dissectum 'Seiryu' is rather unusual in that it is an upright form. Most all of the others are rather weeping in shape. The leaves are a bright green and the fall color is a mix of yellows, oranges, reds and any shade in between. Ours grows in quite dense shade. This cultivar is slow growing, maybe reaching 12 feet tall in 20 years.

And the spring color on Seriyu is almost as nice as the fall color.

So this is just a sampling of the dissectums. Next time I'll share just a few of my favorites among the 50 or so Japanese Maples that grow here in our gardens.

Stay warm.

Jane

Acer shirasawanum

2011-01-12T19:06:00.007-05:00

Acer shirasawanum is one of my favorite maples. Although I love the lacy and delicate leaves on some of the Japanese Maples, there is something about these wide leaves that I find attractive. The species (above) has leaves that are a light green, maybe almost chartreuse. Very, very old trees might get to be 50 feet tall, but this is rare in cultivated trees. My tallest one, planted 15 or 18 years ago, is barely more than 12 feet tall. It is native to central and southern Honshu and Shikoku in Japan.
The photo below is Acer shirasawanum aureum. It may sometimes be found with the name 'Ogon', which just means yellow. The spring foliage is pale yellow green and as the season progresses, it tends to green up a little, though it holds its color better in shade. Its fall colors are spectacular ranging from yellow through orange and red with even some purples showing up on some leaves. It is an extremely slow growing tree

Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' is a medium sized tree with unusual colored foliage. The color can be pink to orangey red. More sun gives better colors. The original plant was a seedling off of 'Aureum'. Fall color is just an intense version - very intense - of the regular color.

Acer shirasawanum ezono momiji . I've also seen this listed as an Acer japonicum, but I'll go with the shirasawanum since the leaves are much more like one of those with the 9-11 lobes and the indentations between the lobes, not all that far divided. Originally the shirasawanums were included as a subgroup in the japonicums, so maybe that's where the confusion comes in. Although it is pretty much just green most of the year, the fall color blends reds and oranges and yellows.

Acer shirasawanum palmatifolium is about the same color of the species, but with much more divided leaves, looking more like one of the Japanese maples. It can take a bit more sun than the others ...

... and the fall colors are just wonderful.

These all grow in zones 5-9, like full sun to light shade (more shade in hotter climates). It doesn't like windy spots, so a bit of protection is appreciated. It likes moist but well-drained soil. Ours don't seem to have insect or disease problems, but you might be troubled by scale insects, caterpillars, aphids or leaf spot if those things are a problem in your garden.

Now on the the true japanese maples. These will take a few days because we grow so many of them.

Jane

Acer pseudoplatanus

2011-01-06T13:30:00.007-05:00

First, let me go off track a bit before I even get to the maples. As any of my long time readers know, I'm not the most disciplined person when it comes to regular blogging. I think about blogging a lot and work on new posts in my head, but actually getting around to sitting down and writing doesn't always happen. The past week or so, sitting at the computer hasn't been the problem. I've been on it 10 or 12 hours a day doing my semi-annual update and re-do of the genealogy site for which I'm webmaster(webmistress?). If anyone is interested in the genealogy of Chester County Pennsylvania, feel free to check it out. There is more work to do, but I need to do something else for awhile. Should you want to check it out, it can be found at
http://chester.pa-roots.com/
Now on to the maples for today. Acer pseudoplatanus - Sycamore Maple. It is native to central Europe and southwestern Asia. The species is a tall deciduous tree, though as for most variegated things, these will probably mature at a smaller size. At any rate, they seem to be very slow growing here - and very difficult to establish. The species is noted for being tolerant of wind, city smog and salt spray, but I expect that fussy ones we grow don't tolerate as much.

This first one is Acer pseudoplatanus leopoldii. Like the species, the mature leaves are kind of thick and leathery, but unlike the species, they are nicely variegated. This one like the others is good down to zone 5. It was named for King Leopold of Belgium in the late 1800s. In the Pacific Northwest, I think they can grow these in sun, but here it needs light to medium shade.

And like most of this group, the spring color is even more distinctive than that of the mature leaves. Fall color, too, will be worth checking out.

This next one is Acer pseudoplatanus nizetii. Mostly green and cream in summer, with some speckling. The undersides of the leaves has a purple variegation.

The new leaves in the spring have a lot more colors in them, mostly shades of pink

The last, the first one we grew, is Acer pseudoplatanus 'Simon Louis Freres'. This photo shows both the mature and newly emerging leaves. Again this is good down to zone 5, but I can't find anywhere just how far south these will grow. The growing notes on all of these say they will eventually reach 50 feet or so, but I doubt that I'll live long enough to see that given that in 10 years they have gone from 2 feet tall to 5 feet tall.

These seem to be fairly readily available, at least through mail order sources. Don't know that I've ever seen one at Lowe's or Walmart. Prices seem to be about $35 in a gallon pot. Not cheap, but not nearly as pricey as many Japanese maples.

Off later this afternoon to play the organ or piano for an Epiphany service. Another of my varied careers, recently quite dormant, but revived for just today.

Next time, the Acer shirasawanum family (finally learned to spell that without looking it up!), the fullmoon maples which are one of my favorite types.

Jane

Acer platanoides

2010-12-28T18:30:00.004-05:00

Acer platanoides, Norway Maple, is native to eastern and central Europe, southwest Asia, and southern Scandanavia. The species can get to 60 to 100 feet tall, but the variegated version we grow will never get that large. Fall color is yellow. It can produce a large number of viable seeds. It's funny, when I was looking for a little background information on the tree, that they said it wasn't an especially long lived tree, ONLY about 250 years. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty long time to me. People sometimes confuse it with the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). The easiest way to tell them apart is that the sap in the petioles is white in the Norway Maple and clear in the Sugar Maple.
A cultivar that is very common but that I don't have pictures is 'Crimson King', a red leafed one. There is also a 'dissectum' with feathery leaves.
This first picture is Acer platanoides 'Curly Lamppost'. It grow to zone 5 (some say zone 4) and is easy to recognize by its tight, congested, puckered green leaves and very narrow growth habit. It is very slow growing and remains a dwarf. Ours is over 10 years old and isn't more than 3 feet tall. There's no mistaking this one for anything else. Quite cute, though a bit hard to find sometimes.
This second picture for today is Acer platanoides Drummondii. Where Curly Lamppost can take sun, Drummondii is better in light shade. It is good down to zone 4 and will eventually reach 35 feet. The leaves have a crisp, well-defined white margin. It is native to eastern and central Europe, southwest Asia, southern Scandanavia and northern Iran. It is sometimes called Harlequin Maple, which I think is incorrect, since the next one is really the Harlequin Maple. Without looking too hard, you can see the difference in the leaves. The bottom photo has much wider leaf margins and the central green splotch is my more irregular.

So, Acer platanoides 'Harlequin' is below. I've not been able to find much about it, other than it is a small to medium sized tree. It grows here in light shade. Like all of the Norway Maples, it seems to hold its leaves quite long in the fall. If frost is late, it will get a chance to show off its fall colors. All of these are pretty pest free, though the leaves may be nibbled by some caterpillars, but nothing that will kill or really even terribly disfigure the tree, even temporarily. The recently arrived in this country, Asian Longhorn Beetle can tunnel through the bark and can cause significant damage, but luckily this isn't a problem in most places. We have found all of these to be easy to grow and quite showy and good companions in the garden.

More maples again tomorrow. Hope you're all surviving the snow. We only got an inch or so more, but none of the earlier snow had melted, so we still have quite a bit down here in the hollow.

Jane

A Few More Maples

2010-12-24T08:54:00.011-05:00

Some things you grow for the wonderful leaves and others have, ummm, the best description would be green leaves. Acer griseum would be one of the latter. I probably wouldn't grow it at all if it weren't for the bark. Who need leaves when you have such wonderful peeling bark. It starts doing this as a very young tree and just gets better with age. It's true that the fall color is an exquisite scarlet, but the bark is there 12 months out of the year. This is another one that is native to China. It is difficult to propagate, and so is sometimes a bit more expensive than some of the others.
Acer japonicum, oddly enough, is not the one we call Japanese Maple - that's Acer palmatum, though most of these small maples get lumped together in the Japanese Maple category. As a group, the japonicums are pretty dependable for fall color. The picture above is just the species. There are a number of different cultivars, though not nearly as many as in the palmatums.

This one is Acer japonicum aconitifolium. It is an upright and multi-branched small tree, up to about 15 feet tall. Fall color is a flame red - scarlet with overtones of orange and purple when viewed up close, just bright when viewed from a distance. Good down to zone 5.
The flowers, below, are red and not as showy as some, but still pretty.

Most maples have flowers and some are showier than others. This Acer negundo is one of the best I know. One of our rather large ones is just covered in the spring. They don't last long (and I always hope we have frost so they don't pollinate and give me multitudinous seedlings all over the garden). These sort of remind me of a multicolored spanish moss hanging all over the tree.

The negundos are often thought of as a trash tree because the species grows wild here and does have a bad habit of seeding rather broadly. Most of the selections we have rarely, if ever, seed. I also haven't had much luck in propagating them from cuttings. This one is Acer negundo 'Elegans' which seems to be an improved version of the one just called 'Variegata'. The common name for the tree is Box Elder and it is native to North America. It seems to thrive across most the the United States and Canada and as far south as Guatamala. That's the species. Some of the variegated ones may not be quite as hardy.

Hank's favorite is the one below. Acer negundo 'Flamingo'. I do like this one, but my favorite is coming up a bit farther down. This lovely pink color is found on all new growth all season long, so, unlike so many things with nice spring color, this is green, pink and white spring, summer, and fall, until they leaves color up. It grows in zones 5-8 and is a much smaller tree than the species, rarely getting over 25 feet tall. I'm told that it's a fast grower, but ours have been here awhile and they none are over 6 feet tall yet. At 25 feet they will be spectacular. This one will grow in sun or part shade; we grow them in light shade and they seem quite content.

Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold is, as the name says, a gold leafed form. This one is good down to zone 3. They summer color is a little more muted, maybe closer to a gold/chartreuse, but still nice a bright for a lightly shaded spot. Expect this one to reach 15 feet or so and be a tree with a nicely rounded top.

Now for my favorite. How could you not love a shrub/tree that looks like this all season long. Apparently this one is much less common. When I googled it to check on the zoning, I only got about 2000 hits, as opposed to the thousand upon thousands I got for the others - and most of them are not in English, mostly German and Polish with a smattering of Dutch. I guess this is a pretty special plant since I can't seem to find a source for it in this country. I haven't done an extensive search, but so far, no one seems to carry it. All of the others are readily available. One of the things I like best about it is that, even in the shady spot where mine grows, the leaves never get even the slightest hint of green, keeping this wonderful gold with reddish shadings coloration all season.

For those of you celebrating, have a Merry Christmas. I'll be back to writing next week (maybe sooner). Not going anywhere, but just thought I'd have a couple of relaxing days after a crazy month of making baskets, knitting hats and mittens, and stuffing dinosaurs. I have a stack of good books just waiting for me to sit still in one place for more than a few minutes.

Gaudate, gaudate! Christus est natus. Ex Maria virgine, gaudate!

Jane

Acer - The Maples

2010-12-22T19:49:00.011-05:00

Acer barbinerveThis is a small, multistemmed tree that is native to China, North Korea and eastern Russia and was discovered in 1867 and brought to England in 1890. Like most maples, it flowers in the spring. It is hardy to zone 4 which makes it an excellent choice for those in zones too cold for Japanese Maples. Fall color is yellow.

Acer campestre 'Carnival'This maple emerges in the spring with leaves that are cream, pink and light green. The picture above is just at the end of spring and so the leaves are mostly green and white. It likes light shade, or just morning sun and a sheltered position in the garden. This is a rather new cultivar and was discovered in the Netherlands in 1989. It will eventually get to be about 10 feet tall, but it is not a fast growing tree. It is hardy to zone 5.

Acer campestre 'Postelense'
Gold/green leaves in the early spring, turning limey green for the summer. Best in light shade. Hardy to zone 4. Only 6-8 feet tall and suitable for bonsai.

Acer capillipes
Acer capillipes is one of the striped bark maples. In time it becomes a quite large tree. The bark is green with dark lengthwise stripes. New foliage is bright red, turning green. It is native to Japan throughout the HOnshy and Shikoku regions.

Acer circinatum
Acer cincinatum, commonly known as Vine Maple, is a difficult tree in this area - better suited to the west coast in places like Oregon and Washington. All other species that are related to this one are found in Asia, which some people believe gives credence to the theory of a land bridge between the continents at some time in the past. This is a tall shrub or small tree, up to 15 feet tall. Here is grows at the edge of the woods, in situations that would suit a dogwood. Fall color is mostly red, though oranges and yellows may also appear on some trees. It is hardy in zones 6-9.

Acer circinatum 'Oregon Fern'This is one of the very few cut leaf Vine Maples. Although it is lovely all summer, it is in the fall when it really shines. The picture below shows what it looked like here this fall.

Acer circinatum 'Oregon Fern' fall colors

Acer circinatum 'Sunglow'Recently a few more Vine Maple cultivars have been showing up and 'Sunglow' seems to be one of the best. During the summer, the leaves are mostly green with some red/orange/pink highlights, but the name comes from the colors of the foliage when it is coming out in the spring.

Sunglow is a perfect name...

Acer circinatum 'Sunglow' new growth
More maples next time. It's a big group and we have quite a few growing here and with everything so brown and grey outside, with the exception of the snow, it is just so nice to look at the colors of the maples on a cold December night.

A small 'funny', nothing to do with maples. We have a heated birdbath which is one of the best things we ever got for the garden, a gift from my mother a few Christmases ago. It gives the birds open water all winter when the creek is frozen. Usually they just drink, but the other morning while we were eating breakfast, there was a Mourning Dove, smack in the center of the thing, just splashing away taking a bath. The temperature was in the teens, but it didn't seem to faze the dove one bit. I thought about taking a picture, but I knew it wouldn't be there all that long and if I moved to get the camera, it would fly away, so I just enjoyed watching it. You never know what's going to be just outside the window.

Jane

Red Fall Foliage - 2010

2010-12-21T18:16:00.008-05:00

Euonymus alata has about the brightest and best hot pink color around. Much brighter than this picture gives it credit for. The plant itself is not all that exciting most of the year, but in the fall, it certainly outdoes most everything else.

Rhododendron (azalea) arborescens gradually turns from green to reddish copper. It is only just starting in this picture and would get much better in a week or so after I took its picture.

Spirea 'Gold Flame' has pretty good fall foliage most, but not every year. Most of the spireas here seem to do a pretty good job of fall color.

This is Cornus alba 'Ivory Halo'. It is a lovely shrub dogwood with green leaf centers and white margins. In the fall the white turns to pink and gives you what you see in this picture.

Cornus kousa is pretty much just a green tree after flowering in the spring. It is not a predictable fall colorer (is that a word?) but when it does color up, it gets a wonderful shade of red, almost overshadowing the Japanese maple next to which it is planted.

Acer griseum is mostly grown for its copper colored peeling bark. You can see a picture of that in the photo gallery on my website, but its fall color is a nice red, not quite as bright as Acer triflorum, but plenty nice enough.

This last one, Acer circinatum 'Oregon Fern' has to have the best and showiest fall color of anything. I know it doesn't seem to be able to decide just which color it wants to turn for fall, but no one misses it as they walk through the garden. It is not an easy tree to grow in this climate - none of the circinatums are - but we have it in a shady, rather sheltered place, and it has done well for over 10 years now.

I know I was going to post this last Friday, but I've been held hostage by Santa's elves who forced me to finish up all of my Christmas presents, and since the last animal was stuffed this morning, I am back - hopefully to be able to keep a more regular blogging schedule, at least until spring.

Jane

Fall Foliage - Things on the Yellow Side

2010-12-17T18:40:00.009-05:00

I've spent the last few evenings finishing up some knitted things for Christmas gifts and going through all of the pictures I took this fall to share with you all. Lots of pretty things and I've sorted them by color. Tonight I'll post the ones that are more on the yellow or gold side. The one above is a Cranberry Viburnum. The leaves can vary between yellow and this reddish color.

This one is Cercidiphylum japonicum. Not only does it have parchment yellow leaves in the fall, on warm sunny days you often get the smell of brown sugar from the leaves.

This is a little known (at least I'd never heard of it when I got the plant) called Grewia biloba. It is a small shrub, at least so far, with nice fall color after green/chartreuse leaves all summer.

The Clethras don't always have nice color in the fall, but this year all of them seem to have decided to put on a nice show. We found it rather odd around here that we had such poor fall color, at least as far as trees go; only a few maples had much color at all, but things that rarely color up just had gorgeous colors

Here is a maple, Acer vitifolium - grape leafed maple that was yellowish on it's way to being quite a bit more red. Not red in the way of most of the Japanese Maples, but definitely more red that it is in the picture above.

This is one of my favorite maples, Acer tegmentosum. It needs almost full shade and a sheltered location to thrive. Ours took quite awhile to settle in, but it is now manytimes taller than I am and has wonderfully striped, almost shiny, green, grey and white bark. Once settle in, it seems to be pretty carefree. Deep rooted so I never have to give it any water, it has green leaves and then this bright yellow in the fall.

If you want unusual fall color, this Orixa japonica is about the best you can get. The leaves turn a papery white and hold that way until a heavy frost, when they drop, every last leaf, overnight. You can see the last little bit of green showing on these, but it was getting cold and I didn't want to take a chance on missing the picture. I had walked to the back of the garden every day for at least 2 weeks waiting for the perfect picture when I took this. Sometimes you just have to settle for what you can get instead of taking a chance on getting no picture at all.

Ginkgo biloba can turn this very light yellow or a deep, lemony color. If there's an early frost, like the Orixa above, every leaf will drop overnight whether they have turned yet or not. We get good fall color on them about one in four years. Gorgeous when it happens.

Tomorrow I'll post the fall colors of those trees and shrubs that are red and orange. Way too many to post them all, but I've chosen some of the nicer ones this fall. See you tomorrow.

Jane

Rhododendrons - History

2010-12-10T18:19:00.005-05:00

Rhododendron stewartsonian (azalea)

Rhododendron 'Mandarin Lights' (azalea)

Rhododendron 'Orchid Lights' (azalea)

Rhododendron viscosum (azalea)
I just put all of the pictures up first, since basically then have nothing to do with the text today, though I guess the others from the past 4 days didn't really either. Just wanted to give you some idea of the variety of types and colors that are out there. Here is some history. As you will see, these are just a miniscule glimpse into the world of the rhododendrons.

Until fairly recently, rhododendrons were considered to be more appropriate for large estates and the prices reflected that. Plant discoveries in Asia near the end of the 19th century and the resulting hybrids opened up the possibility that ordinary gardeners could also grow them. The British were at the forefront of this change. Species were brought from China, Japan and the fringes of the Arctic Circle, from the Himalayas, Assam and Burma.

At the time of King Charles II, only one rhododendron was in cultivation, R. hirsutum, which had been introduced into England in 1656 from the Alps, and was know as the Alpine Rose.

By 1800, there were still only 12 species known. In the middle of the 1800s, Sir Joseph Hooker brought back 5 new species from the Himalayas and Robert Fortune sent back many plants from China.

By 1900 some 300 species had come to be known, but the interior of China had yet to be explored. A group of French Catholic missionaries were the first to discover what was waiting there, but Dr. Ernest Wilson made the first systematic exploration at the turn of the 19th century. From there onwards, a flood of new discoveries poured in from successive expeditions of a great company of collectors traveling through the mountains of Asia, often among hostile inhabitants, across trackless and precipitous hills, threatened by fierce storms and floods. George Forrest and Reginald Farrer died on their expedition, but their work was carried on by Captain F. Kingdon-Ward and Dr. J.F. Rock (of peony fame) and many others. This was the golden age of plant hunting in China.

Their exploration brought us new colors, new forms and a season of flowering that extended to half a year. There were dwarf plants, suitable for rock gardens, some that reached 40 feet tall, and one with leaves a yard long.

The number of known species had thus swollen to about a thousand; no doubt yet more would have been discovered if China, on becoming Communist, had not closed its borders to plant explorers (and everyone else) from the west. (my reference, printed over 50 years ago before the re-opening of the Chinese border, does not cover any newer discoveries)

We shouldn't forget, thought, that there are also rhododendrons that are native to North America, and those were also being imported into England in the 17th century. It is thought that the first deliberate hybrid was made by Michael Waterer in 1810 when he crossed Rhododendron maximum, which is native even into Canada, and Rhododendron catawbiense, from the western mountains of North Carolina. At least at the time of this book, the original specimen was still alive at Knapp Hill Nursery which he had founded. Many other hybrids followed, with the emphasis on developing plants that would be hardy in cold climates.

By the early 1900s, rhododendrons had become so easy to grow and so popular, they started replacing plants that had been popular in Victorian gardens, Laurels and Aucubas.

If you garden in northern climates, probably the most important species to you will be Rhododendron yakusimanum, originally found on the small island of Yakushima in the China Sea. Rhododendrons with this species in their genetic makeup are commonly called 'Yaks'. It is rated to survive to -5 degrees F., but it is known to survive much lower temperatures than that. For that reason, it has been used extensively in breeding for cold hardy plants. If you're looking for cold hardy rhododendrons, some varieties to look for might be Yaku Angel, Silver Bear, and Mist Maiden. Lots of them will start with 'Yaku'.

There are 2 nurseries that I would recommend highly for rhododendrons; Greer Gardens http://www.greergardens.com , whose owner Harold Greer, wrote an excellent book of the subject of rhododendrons with descriptions of hundreds of available rhododendrons and azaleas and plenty of pictures, and Rare Find Nursery http://www.rarefindnursery.com which has just a huge selection.

Enough on rhododendrons. I'll be back next week with something new. Keep warm.

Jane

Rhododendrons - Part 4

2010-12-09T18:12:00.005-05:00

Rhododendron 'Sapho'
Another day of rhododendrons. Today I'm going to talk about some of the insects that could bother your plants. I'll repeat what I said before - we've never had any of these on our large plantings, so don't expect them and don't be scared off from growing rhododendrons because there might be something that might bother them. I just wanted people to be aware of the possibilities and how to take care of them.
Weevils are listed as a common problem. Maybe in other parts of the country. I don't know of any weevils that bother anything here. A common one on rhododendrons (to the extent that any are common) is a small black beetle about 1/4 of an inch long. They don't appear until warm weather and then they do all of their eating at night, so you may not see them, just the holes in the edges of the leaves. These won't kill your plant, just make it not quite so pretty. Orthene is rcommended to control them, but it might not be totally effective, since they may lay eggs before they start eating for the season.
Aphids may also appear on your plants. They will like to feed on tender new shoots. Orthene or Malathion will control them, but there are also other, less chemical means. A number of beneficial insects predate aphids or if the infestation is tiny, you can just pick them off or squish them.
Scale insects may appear on the bark. These suck on the bark and exude a sticky substance that turns the stems black. This is the sort of thing that also attracts aphids.

Rhododendron calendulaceum (azalea)
Caterpillars might also like to feed on newly emerging foliage. They don't seem to bother mature foliage, so as with the previous pests, you just need to keep an eye on the new growth.

Spider Mites and White Flies both feed on the undersides of the leaves. These, luckily aren't pests we see much in the garden. We have more trouble with these in the greenhouse in the winter. Spider Mites will turn the leaves a mottled brown green color. The White Flies will leave white spots where they have been sucking. Malathion will take care of both of them.

Slugs and snails can occasionally be a problem, but because of the thickness of the leaves, this isn't something you have to worry about much. Just like in hostas, those with thick leaves are not so attractive to the little slimy pests.

Rhododendron catawbiense boursault
This pretty much takes care of the planting and care of rhododendrons and azaleas. This afternoon, when I was looking for something else, I came across an older book with a chapter on the history of rhododendrons. To finish up the week, I'll share some of the more interesting parts with you tomorrow.
Jane

Rhododendrons - Part 3

2010-12-08T19:47:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I can't think of any problems we have had with any of our rhododendrons and very few with our azaleas. I'll have to depend on Greer, whose book has a wealth of information. I bought the book as an aid to identifying and choosing rhododendrons and azaleas for the gardens as it is quite encyclopedic when it comes to available cultivars, but more on choosing the best plants for your garden later in the week.

There are a number of fungi who can cause you problems. If you followed the planting instructions in my last post, these shouldn't give you problems because they thrive in poorly drained soil. If you have constant standing water and the organisms get started, water splashed on the stems can cause die-back. Most fungi are most active in warm summer conditions. If fungi are a problem in your area, it is probably best to remove any fallen dead leaves and add a mulch of another kind. Bark mulch seems to have a limiting effect on these organisms. The biggest problem with the fungal diseases is that often by the time you see the symptons it's too late to do anything, especially if they have caused root rot. If you find stem die-back, you can trim out any affected branches and treat with a fungicide. If you have very hot and muggy summers, be sure to leave good air circulation around your rhododendrons when you plant them. I think half of the pruning we do here is just keeping things from growing too much into each other and cutting down on the circulating air.

Some other fungal type things you might encounter in hot humid weather are powdery mildew, which looks just like what you find on zinnias or phlox in August here. Leaf spotting from botrytis or rust is also a possibility. Often these will be a problem on injured leaves. I'll repeat again, so as not to scare anyone off from growing these gorgeous plants, I've never seen any of these things in our 10 acres of gardens where we are growing at least 50 different cultivars, and large numbers of some of those like mucronulatum and poukenense.

Rhododendron mucronulatum (azalea)

Rhododendron poukenense (azalea)

Sunburn can be a problem if the rhododendron is in too much sun. You'll see yellow leaves. These are pretty much shade loving plants, and if you see sunburn, you'll know that you need to move your rhoddy to a shadier location. If just the edges of the leaves, especially if just on one side of the plant are affected, it is probably wind burn and you need to give the plant a little bit more protections. If the burned look is on the edges of the leaves on the whole plant, it might be an overdose of fertilizer. Light green leaves usually indicate the need for more nitrogen, as in most other plants.
Tomorrow we'll go on to insect pests. Just one more pretty picture for tonight.
Jane

Rhododendron arborescens (azalea)

Rhododendrons - Part 2

2010-12-07T18:38:00.006-05:00

Rhododendron 'David Waldman'
This is probably my favorite Rhododendron (azalea?). Can't remember which this one is and since I can't see the stamens, I'll just leave it as a pretty flower. It is named after David Waldman who owned Roslyn Nursery before he and Harriet retired.

Today's rhododendron information is on planting them and keeping them happy. According to Harold Greer who is a recognized expert on Rhododendrons, there are 3 things all rhododendrons want: A constant supply of water, well-drained soil (not a contradiction here - they need ample water and don't want to dry out, but standing water will quickly do them in, especially during hot weather), and an acid soil with a pH of 5-6 that is coarse enough for the roots to have access to oxygen.

A little more explanation on these. The water thing. Rhododendrons are one of those plants that draw water all year 'round. In places like here where the ground freezes, this presents a problem. A good mulch helps, but they also have their own defense. Remember the picture of curled leaves I posted yesterday? That's why they do it. To keep from losing water in their leaves that they aren't going to be able to replace from the frozen soil. There are treatments for the leaves that help seal them from moisture loss, but I've never tried them and find that the plants take care of themselves. In more severe climates, especially where the rhododendron will be exposed to a lot of wind, a screen of burlap is a good idea. A couple of bamboo stakes and some burlap will do the trick. Don't close the top. The plant still needs sun and whatever rain it might get on warmer days.

So how do you know if your soil will have standing water that could kill your rhododendron? You do a test that we pretty much do with anything we plant. Dig the hole and then fill it with water. If the water doesn't disappear in a few minutes, you may not have good enough drainage. (If it does drain, just fill it again. This way when the new plant is settled in, all of the surrounding soil will be nice and moist.) You need to find a happy medium between soil that doesn't drain and soil that drains too fast. You don't want stagnant, standing water, but neither do you want the plant to dry so quickly that you will have to spend all of your time watering it. If your soil is not optimum, did a much bigger hole than you need and then amend the soil before replacing it when you plant the rhododendron. The old time formula is one third bark, one third peat moss and one third garden loam. A nice coarse mix is what you're looking for, up to one third air spaces - space for water to get in to the roots and space for the extra water to drain on through and not sit and rot the roots. The late Hank Shannen (hope I spelled that right) from Rare Find Nursery, recommended cutting the root ball about a third of the way up from the bottom twice (in an X) and then spreading the root ball out sort of flat. Be sure there is plenty of new soil underneath so all of the roots are in contact with the soil. They tend to be really root bound when you buy then and this gets their roots spreading into the surrounding soil faster and helps to be sure they'll be absorbing water as well as they can and not strangling themselves as the rootbound rootball often tends to just grow in on itself and not get out where it needs to be.
Another trick I almost forgot, and this is good for any plants you buy, when you bring them home, submerge the root ball in water until air bubbles stop coming up. This makes sure it is thoroughly wet before it gets plants.

After you get the rhododendron planted, you should give it a good mulch. Eventually it will provide its own mulch as it sheds leaves, but in the beginning, you'll have to provide the mulch. Things that don't work are peat moss - dries too fast and acts like a thatched roof to shed water and see that none gets to the plant - and black plastic. Sure, plastic keeps the weeds away, but no water gets in and it will just smother the plant. Shredded leaves work well - just run the lawn mower over them. If you have lots of leaves, you can try black bag composting. Put the damp, shredded leaves in black garbage bags and leave them in an out of the way place for 6 months to a year. When finished, you will have soft, wonderful compost, all ready to mulch your plants. We also use pine needles for a lot of the things that like an acid soil. We have plenty of pine trees in our woods, so collecting them is time consuming, but wonderful for the plants. I just try to take a bit from here and a bit from there, so as not to take too much away from the pines.

Watering: Drip irrigation is wonderful and the plants love it, but if that's not an option, a hose or watering can is fine. You don't have to worry about burning the leaves on these like you do on some more delicate plants, so water them when it is convenient. Actually a summer afternoon shower that cools them off somewhat will be as much appreciated by them as it would be by you.

Just make sure to water deeply so that you don't let the rootball dry out. If that happens, sometimes it is very difficult to get it to absorb water again, so be sure to water deep and often and as long as you have amended the soil so it drains well, you really won't be able to overwater. This is especially important on newly planted ones. Our established plantings rarely get anything not provided by mother nature. There are just too many of them and once the roots get out into the surrounding soil in a few years, they can pretty much take care of themselves except during extreme drought.

Fertilizing: We don't fertilize, depending instead on compost and mulch and that seems to make healthy plants for us. Some people like to give their rhododendrons a dose of fertilizer in the spring. Either works. Whatever you like.

Rhododendron aurtrinum (azalea)More tomorrow, probably on diseases and other problems and some insects that might bother them. I'll say now that we've never had problems with anything on rhododendrons, but better to know what might happen and to know what to look for and how to fix it.
Jane

Rhododendrons

2010-12-06T18:19:00.005-05:00

I started out to write about a very specific trait of rhododendrons - curling/rolling their leaves whenever the temperature falls much below 32 degrees. You can almost, at least here, tell when we get above freezing in the morning by looking at their leaves. These are only slightly curled; they can get into a much tighter roll as the temperature drops even more.

But there is so much to tell about rhododendrons, that I'm going to just spend a few days doing just that, now that I have a little more free time. It's too cold to work outside any more and I've finally finished all of the baskets and knitted hats and mittens that I hope to sell between now and Christmas.

I used to think that rhododendrons and azaleas were two very different plants. The flowers were similar, but, after all, they had totally different names. I now know that all azaleas are rhododendrons. Azaleas are either of the subgenus Pentanthera, the deciduous azaleas, or Tsustusti, usually evergreen. Now, by next year that might change as those in charge of such things seems to delight in confusing me, but as of now, that's where it stands.

Rhododendron (azalea) 'Satan'

Other traits of azaleas: they all have 5 lobes to their flowers and one stamen for each lobe. Rhododendrons have 2 stamens per lobe and the flowers on an azalea tend to be more tubular or funnel shaped.

Rhododendron PJM 'Olga Mezitt'

Lots more tomorrow with a bunch of other photos. Keep warm.
Jane

Change - Continued

2010-11-13T06:54:00.008-05:00

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of the garden I featured yesterday as it looks now. It was really hard to get these photos as the garden is so grown up and filled it was hard to find a good place to stand where I could get enough in to show everything. I gave up and settled for what I could get. This is the path looking south to north (if you want to compare it to the other one). The path is pretty much covered with leaves and the maples are bare since the leaves are on the ground. It is sometimes difficult to walk on the path because some of the low growing conifer wants to grow across the path. Other of the conifer are now bare at the bottom since they've grown quite tall and what used to seem like a private room, is now more like a room with a picture window where you can see into other parts of the yard. I don't think I expected that when things were originally planted. I'm starting to like it and the high shade it provides.

This is the same path looking north to south where you can see better, on the left side of the picture, the low growing conifer and the trunks of those that are taller.

And here is the reason I didn't get this posted last night before I fell asleep. Before ...

and after.

This is another section of the gardens as it looked recently ...

And as it was in 1995 when the pond liner was first put in. I had even forgotten just how empty the area was then. The indentation in the hill had been a watering hole for the cattle that lived here for many years when this was a working dairy farm. It is spring fed, but dried up in the summer. By lining it, we can keep it filled even in summer and it provides a place for waterlilies, lotus and some unusual cattails and iris.

So, if you live in a place long enough, and you have a good memory or old photos, you can see just how your garden evolves. There are always little changes year to year as I plant new things and other things grow. And there are the seasonal changes from a winter garden dominated by conifer to a spring one awash in daffodils, to summer with large swaths of daylilies and fall with the wonderful colors. Each season has its own personality and I love them all. I guess that's why I'm a gardener.

Change in the Garden

2010-11-11T22:24:00.009-05:00

After writing about un-gardening last time, I've been thinking about how gardens change. We have a smallish garden to the west of the house which we have always called the Japanese Garden. In all, it's probably about 50 by 75 feet. At first it looked like the picture above - rocks, small ponds, a few trees and lots of sun. This picture was taken in 1995.

This is a year of 2 later of the center pond and its maple tree.

And this is the same maple tree now. It would be a lot bigger, but we've spent a lot of time shaping it and pruning it to keep it in scale with the garden.

Looking north to south, there is a nice grass path and various conifer. This was about 1998.

By 1999 the grass is gone and we have added a gravel path and lots of rocks. This is the view looking south to north.

And the same view looking north to south.

In another year, things have grown and the magnolias are flowering better.

If I had planned better, I'd have a bunch of current photos, but I decided to write this at about 10:30 PM and it's a bit dark for garden photography at the moment, so I'll make this a 2 parter and finish up tomorrow. I can tell you that the garden is now too shady for a lot of the things that were there originally. The low growing conifer aren't so low growing any more and most have matured nicely. Those that haven't have been transplated or just cut down. It is now home to hostas, ferns, gingers, mosses, woodland peonies, hellebores and a host of other things. No longer happy there are the pitcher plants, creeping willows (though the bunnies had something to do with that), the Franklinia and a small waterlily. In addition to the conifer, the garden is dominated by a couple of large magnolias and lots of Japanese Maples. As you reach the back of the garden, going up the hill, in addition to the conifer, there are 2 ancient and very tall pines that were here before we bought the place, some rhododendrons and a couple of Witchhazels. So, tomorrow, I'll post some current pictures, though it may be hard to get good ones, the garden having grown up as much as it has. Just wish I had thought of doing this before the peak of fall bloom had passed for the maples.

Jane

Hydrangeas

2010-10-31T18:12:00.007-04:00

Today is what I would call and "un-gardening" day. My own word, I guess, but I use it for when I un-do a garden. We planted a whole garden with hydrangeas a dozen years ago, maybe a little longer ago than that. They didn't bloom right away, but grew wonderfully and had become quite large.

This one, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Wave', is a recent acquisition, planted in another part of the garden, and it does bloom, though this photo was taken the first year and was quite blue, while this year's blooms were pink. It all depends on the pH of your soil. More acid means blue blooms.

This one, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mariesii', apparently bloomed once, though I don't remember when. I know it bloomed because I have a photo of it. I don't think it has bloomed since.

This one, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue', is the only one that blooms. It blooms almost every year, though it is a much smaller bush, not more than 2 feet tall - some of the others were approaching 5 feet. Maybe because it is closer to the ground, the stems on this one aren't as likely to freeze. Because it blooms, it was spared the shovel this afternoon. I potted up pieces of several of the others that had made reasonable sized offshoots and will offer them for sale in the spring to people who live in places where they will bloom.
Non-bloom in hydrangeas is usually caused by winter damage to stems. Since hydrangeas bloom on last year's stems, if they winter kill you won't have any bloom. That was the problem here. So... the hydrangea bed is gone and has been replaced by a couple of gorgeous dogwoods and will be filled in with hostas in the spring.
I honestly hate 'unplanting' things, but I've learned to think of it sort of like rearranging the furniture. If things aren't working, just move them. If they really aren't working, get rid of them. Life is too short to live with plants that aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. There are just so many wonderful things waiting to take their place.

Now, the hydrangeas that I co-exist with better are those on which I don't really expect blooms. It's not that these can't or don't bloom, just that since they rarely do, you plant them for the leaves and don't worry about the rest. This first one is Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lemon Wave' which has green and white and yellow leaves, no 2 alike.

My other favorite macrophylla hydrangea is 'Wave Hill', a green a white variegated one.

But if you really want bloom, at least in any place where the stems will freeze over the winter, skip the macrophyllas and get and Annabelle. This is a large bush that I think I've probably written about before. The blooms are large and are great for dried arrangements all winter. They go from green to white and last for quite awhile. They grow in light shade - actually prefer it, and seem to be a bit tolerant of at least minor drought.
So my compost heap has a bunch of hydrangeas and I have a redone garden. Not bad for an afternoon's work.
Jane

Viola labradorica

2010-10-13T21:05:00.002-04:00

This is not an especially unusual plant, but anything that is blooming now in mid October has to be considered kind of special. Even more unusual to have a violet blooming this time of year.
Viola labradorica is also sometimes called Alpine Violet. The foliage is even tinted deep dusky violet. It is smaller than the usual wild violets and spreads by stolons sort of like a strawberry, which means that if you have one this year, you will have many next year. It also spreads by seeds. I have little colonies spread throughout the gardens and it never really would be considered invasive despite its tendencies to expand. Hardiness zones are zones 3 through 8.
Their main bloom season is in the spring, but they bloom here off and on all throughout the growing season. They will grow in sun to quite deep shade, though in the south, shade will be preferred. They prefer moist but well-drained soil. These violets will even tolerate a bit of light foot traffic, and given their diminutive size at only about 4 inches tall, they might be good between stepping stones, though I haven't tried using them in that way.
Labrador violets are native to the northern United States, eastern Canada and Greenland.
They are readily available from quite a number of mail order nurseries and aren't a bit expensive. I enjoy having them pop up here and there and should they ever get out of hand, they are very easy to thin out, unlike the other wild violets that we have here.
Jane

Fall Crocus

2010-10-06T18:12:00.003-04:00

No, this picture wasn't taken last spring. These are the little known fall crocus, Crocus sativus is the one shown. There are also a number of others. This one is good down to zone 5, likes to be planted in rich, well-drained soil and to be divided occasionally. It is native to the Mediterranean. This is the crocus from which saffron is obtained. It takes the styles from 4000 flowers to make an ounce of the spice. Now you know why it is so expensive. They come up seemingly overnight, no leaves visible (they were there in the spring, I think). The blossoms close at night and on cloudy days.

The next two pictures are of another fall blooming crocus. This first is Colchicum cilicium. They have very large leaves in the spring - very un-crocus-like - and then send up many blooms in the fall. They finished blooming a week or so ago.

This last one is another colchicum called 'Lilac Wonder'. There are also white versions, but most you find will be some shade of pink of violet. The genus also includes some spring and summer bloomers, but I haven't grown them. Plenty of other crocuses in the spring. What I really appreciate are these fall bloomers. They like moderately fertile, not overly dry soil in sun or light shade. They also tend to appear suddenly. One day a bare spot, the next a full clump of blooms.

Too much to do outside this time of year - weeding, pruning, weeding, transplanting, weeding ... you get the idea.

More when I get a chance.

Jane

Plumeria

2010-09-29T18:35:00.004-04:00

Plumeria, also known as Frangipani is a tropical tree. When I got mine about 5 years ago, it was about a foot tall. I got it late in the season and so it didn't get to be outside for very long. I brought it inside to a cool room with filtered sunlight and it promptly dropped all 6 or so of its leaves. I was expecting that, but still, when you have a nice green plant with a pouf of leaves at the top, it is somehow disconcerting to have them all fall off in one day. I left it there until spring, keeping the soil moist but not wet and pretty much ignoring it. When frost free weather returned, I put it outside. It grew 6 or so new leaves and by fall it had grown about 6 inches. Leaves were still in a pouf at the top of the stem. This continued, with it growing 6-12 inches a year, but never flowering. I bought it because I had heard about the wonderful fragrance and was getting a bit disappointed. After all, it isn't the easiest thing to keep inside in the winter now that it was as tall as I was.

So last winter, or maybe towards spring, something that looked more like a bloomscape appeared. This spring I took it outside as usual, but I had read about 'plunging' the pot (more on that in a minute), and thought I'd try that since the thing had gotten really top heavy what with being so tall and skinny with all of the leaves at the top.

I guess I did something right, or maybe it just had to be a little older, but it bloomed all summer outside. I brought it in about 2 weeks ago and put it on the sun porch, though it will go up to my sewing room once the porch gets too cold. When I went out 2 days ago, there was this lovely flower and at least another bud to go. The nicest thing was that being in an enclosed space with no breeze, I could fully enjoy the lovely scent. I waited a long time, but it was definitely worth waiting for.

I found a website http://www.plumeria101.com last spring when I was trying to find out how to get my plumeria to bloom. I was sure I was doing something wrong. The site has just a ton of information like: they can grow to 30 feet tall in the tropics - can you imagine how gorgeous that would be, and how good it would smell?, some can have 200 blooms per cluster, the flowers are often used for leis in Hawaii. It will also tell you everything you could ever want to know about growing and propagating them.

Anyway about this plunging thing. They suggested that the plant would be happier outside if you would dig a hole and put the pot in the ground. The plant would also probably like just being planted out, but I wouldn't want to have to disturb the roots to dig it up again, so this seemed like a good idea. It meant that it would stay more evenly moist and I wouldn't have to be worrying about it blowing over. It worked like a charm. I thought it might have sent a lot of roots out of the pot, but that didn't happen. I just lifted it up, wiped off the pot and brought it inside.

On another subject, we lucked out with the rain, getting almost 2.5 inches. Things look so much happier. We even had full grown trees that were starting to wilt. The creek isn't running yet, but I'm not complaining. Weeds are also pulling out much easier than they were during the drought.

Jane

Still Blooming

2010-09-27T20:04:00.008-04:00

Just a few more pictures to show that you don't have to be without flowers just because it's almost October.
This clump of Salvia came up all by itself. I had Salvia in the area last year and now have 6 or 8 plants that had self seeded. I sure hope it comes back next year since it has been blooming now for months.
Lamium usually blooms in the spring, but occasionally will rebloom in the fall. This 'Red Nancy' is covered with bloom as is 'Anne Greenway', one with green and yellow leaves.

Another bright red flower in the garden right now is this lovely clump of Impatiens, a really huge clump growing in more sun than Impatiens should like. It's probably 2 feet tall and wide and has been covered with bloom since late spring. It started out as one of those little 6-pack plants. I usually take a couple of smaller Impatiens into the greenhouse to enjoy or make some cuttings. They usually don't make it to next spring in good shape, but they normally bloom at least until Christmas.

Most people don't grow hostas for the blooms (mistake since some have gorgeous flowers and hightly scented ones). Most of our hostas have finished blooming except for a couple of really late ones. For the first time that I can remember, we have hostas that finished blooming in mid-summer, reblooming now. I often have daylilies that rebloom, but it is really unusual, at least in my garden, for hostas to do it.

Heucheras are also not especially grown for their flowers, though I don't know why since the newer ones have lovely blooms. This one in a too dry and probably too shady place has sent up a new bloomscape in the last weed. Flowers on these can be red, white, pink or lavender, maybe other colors, but that's what I have here.

This is one of our hardy geraniums, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It was new this year and started blooming soon after it was planted and hasn't stopped since. It was tiny when I planted it back in May, but now it is almost 2 feet across and just covered with these lovely purple flowers.

Digitalis (Foxgloves) are definitely spring bloomers. This one just appeared all of a sudden. Didn't see it a weed ago and now it is in full bloom. The funny thing about this one is that it is blooming and it is only about 8 inches tall. This type is usually at least 3-4 feet tall in bloom. Cute little thing that I almost missed.

Dianthus are pretty dependable repeat bloomers. I always make sure to dead-head them because that encourages more bloom. They're bloom at least until frost, and if there is a light frost, it won't even bother them.

I got to take pictures today because we didn't have any of the promised rain after very early this morning. We did be 3/10 of an inch overnight and the plants are thrilled, but I hope we get the promised 3/4 inch tonight because we have just been so dry. Azaleas and dogwoods among others are setting their buds for next year right about now and they need the rain to insure good bloom next year.

Jane

Blooming Today

2010-09-26T20:36:00.013-04:00

After too much time spent digging and planting and weeding, I took some time off to take pictures of things still blooming on this last Sunday in September.

Achillea, common name Yarrow, is a pretty dependable rebloomer after taking a little break. I expect I will have blooms on at least several of them until frost. Right now I have a rose pink one and this one blooming. They make good cut flowers and expand nicely to make a good sized clump after a few years.
Calendula is a self seeding annual that comes in many shades of orange/yellow/beige. I planted them years ago and always have some, though they are pretty much all this color now. Guess it's time to plant some new colors next spring. A good cut flower and will last past the first few light frosts.

Several of my Clematis are reblooming this year. This one is Duchess of Albany and is the only bell shaped on blooming now. All of the blue ones seem to be in bloom. This doesn't always happen, but is most appreciated.

This is Diervella (I think I've spelled that wrong, maybe?) 'Cool Splash'. It is a wonder variegated shrub for full sun even when it's not in bloom. The flowers aren't all that showy but it seems to bloom from spring until frost.

This is the last bloom on Hibiscus 'Nacodoches River'. It has different leaves for a hibiscus, being very, very thin and more of a reddish color. It grows in one of our small ponds. The flower is also much smaller, maybe 3 inches across, than those dinner-plate types that were blooming a month ago.

Hydrangea 'Pink Diamond' has finally turned pink. The flowers have been out for over a month, but have been very slow turning pink this year. Worth waiting for, I think since this is the best pink color I've seen in years.

This is also the last Lotus bloom of the season. 'Shewan Batsu' is a slightly smaller bloom than 'Imperial' which is in the other pond. Still, at 6-8 inches across, it makes quite a show. The first hint of frost will do in these plants. They look so sturdy with their huge, leathery leaves, but after frost the only thing that will remain will be the seed pods to be collected for dried arrangements.

I've always loved this Nicotiana sylvestris. It doesn't even come up until August some years, but then takes off. The plant makes a rosette of huge leaves at least 2 feet across and then sends up a bloom scape that is often taller than I am. The flowers are sweetly scented, especially in the evening.

We are still having occasional rebloom on some of the daylilies. This tiny one is Pixel with blooms only about an inch or so across on scapes less than a foot tall. Oh so cute!

If you've remembered (and had the time) to cut back your Tradescantia after the first bloom, you should have lots of new bloom right about now. This one, 'Karminglut', has just started blooming again.

And last, but not least, the first blooms on the Tricyrtis, the Toad Lilies) opened this morning. They just sit there all summer and then in mid to late September cover their whole stems with these interesting spotted flowers, one at each point where the leaves are attached to the stems. Sometimes slugs can be a problem, but it has been so dry here the past month or so, I think our slugs have all dried up or left for more pleasant climates.

Lots more still blooming. If it doesn't rain too hard, I'll share some more of our September blooms tomorrow.

Jane

Asimina triloba

2010-09-23T15:53:00.006-04:00

Last week here in Athens County we had the Ohio Paw Paw Festival so I thought is might be appropriate to feature our native fruit today. I guess I should have done it last week to encourage all of you to attend the festival, but I guess I'm not always that organized. The leaves above are from a tree by the side of our house. The PawPaw is a tree that grows at the edge of the woods, light shade and all that, and over time will form a thicket of sorts. I had 2 groves of them when I lived in West Virginia.

In the spring they bloom with an unusual brown and green flower. Unfortunately, here they are often hit by frost so that some years we don't get any fruit at all. This year we were lucky and will have a small harvest. Unfortunately, neither of us are really fond of pawpaws - we just like the wonderful tropical look of the trees.

This is what the fruits looks like once it starts to get big. Green with a 'bloom' covering them

And here is one I picked yesterday that is very ripe and has even split open. Not sure if that was because it was so ripe or because it was so big and split when it hit the ground.

And here's what if looks like when you slice it in half. On the bottom right is a seed.

A bit about the tree, thanks to a bit of research. I learned a few things even though I've been growing them for years. Although it is common in most places, it is an endangered species in New Jersey and a threatened species in New York. There has been some promising research that shows that some of the chemicals contained in the seeds might be effective against cancers of the prostate and colon. The leaves contain trace amounts of a poison and so almost everything will find them unpalatable. The exception is the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Their larvae feed on the leaves and retain enough of the chemical to make the butterflies unattractive to things that would eat butterflies.

If you were interested in sowing some of the seeds, they should be collected as soon as the fruits are very ripe. They are cleaned and soaked briefly in a 10% clorox solution. Rinse very well after that. They are then placed in a zip loc bag with moist sphagnum or peat moss and kept at crisper temperatures for at least 100 days. Once planted, keep pots warm and don't expect any green to show for 9 weeks while the plants grows roots.

And here is our special baby - a variegated pawpaw. We hope to have some of these to sell in a year or two.

Jane

Glasshouse Works - Stewart Ohio

2010-09-21T18:29:00.016-04:00

As promised, a quick tour of Glasshouse Works in Stewart Ohio. http://www.glasshouseworks.com This is the sign you'll see (if the shrubery has been pruned) when you come in Rt 329 from Guysville. This used to be the entrance to the gardens, but the main plants for sale have moved to the grounds of the former Stewart Hotel which they bought for an office maybe 10 years ago. It is a lovely old building with an extra large porch. It houses the offices, check out and lots of neat stuff for sale - stained glass, wind chimes, Dewey Cats, and all sorts of other plant related stuff.

This is Tom, one of the owners. I have been trying to sneak a picture of him for awhile and this is the best I've come up with. At the party he is always taking pictures of everyone else - or else eating, neither of which lend themselves to a complimentary portrait.

And Ken who is much more obliging about portraits. The two of them have been doing this since long before I moved to Ohio, I think for almost 30 years now (maybe more), but don't hold me to that figure. Back in the beginning the place had been a chrysanthemum nursery and the grounds included a vegetable garden. No room any more for veggies other than the necessary tomatoes which get put right in with the rare and unusual stuff. Ken grew up on a farm and you just can't get that out of your system.

These are the original greenhouses. You used to be able to walk through these to choose your plants, but they are strictly for production now and unless you are very, very thin, the aisles are all but impassable - except to Ken who knows where everything is, how many, etc., etc., etc.

This is another of the production houses.

And inside of the large greenhouses.

And another view in the large greenhouses. Always something blooming, smelling good, or just totally intrigueing. (That can't be the right spelling, but I can't think of another way to spell it)

I didn't take enough pictures of the grounds, I realized after I got home, but this is one of my favorite spots. This banana tree has been here as long as I've been going there and survives our zone 6 winters happily, though it does get some protection.

This is part of the quite large outside sales area. This section is for tropical things that are spending the summer out of doors, and obviously enjoying it.

This is another part of that section with lots of coleus - something they have been hybridizing for awhile now. You'll see all sorts of unusual color combinations. One of their other specialties are fancy begonias.

More plants for sale, including mostly tropical things and some with bright colored blooms.

And some more. I just love wandering in here and always find something I just have to take home with me.

And yet more things you can take home with you. The selection is unbelievable and though you won't see more than a small fraction of what is available, when you check the website you will see the huge number of things that could grace your garden and windowsills.

And the sign on the hotel - which I should have taken a picture of, oh well. The part you can't see says checkout. Glasshouse Works is open all year on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 to 6. Other days are for packing and shipping orders. If you want some very specific and unusual things, mail order is your best bet - or order ahead to pick up there, but if you just want to wander and find all sorts of treasures, a visit will be quite worth your while.

Jane

Aristolochia onoei 'Pipe Dreams'

2010-09-20T18:17:00.002-04:00

A very unusual plant indeed. I did a web search on this one and got 8 hits. Not 8 million, just 8. We got it from Asiatica Nursery, now closed, so I can't even tell you where you might get one of your own.
Oddly enough, this is the only Dutchman's Pipe that we grow. I've always been fascinated by the odd flowers, but just never got around to having one. It's a little harder to find places for vines since they need something to climb on, so I just put off buying one for my garden. When I saw the picture of this one I decided I would find a place for it, being a bit of a push-over when it comes to variegated plants, especially unusual and rare ones. It grows in light shade or just morning sun and is happy in zones 6-9.
Not only is this variegated form rare, the species itself seems to have very little information available (except in Japanese). I did find that it is from a small area in southern Japan in the mountains It is named after a botanist, Ono job, from the early Meiji era. I have only found one caterpillar/butterfly that uses it for food, and since that one lives in the native range in Japan, I don't expect anything to bother it (and in 2 years, nothing has so far). It seems to be rather slow growing, last year barely growing any (probably just growing roots) and this year is now about 6 feet long. I'll take photos, for sure, once it blooms.
Jane

Glasshouse Works Annual Party

2010-09-19T14:40:00.002-04:00

Last evening was the annual party out at Glasshouse Works. These are a couple of pictures I took on the way home. Just a glorious sunset. The party happens every year at this time with local folks and many who come in from out of town too. Lots of good food and pleasant company. I went a little early and took a lot of photos so I could give you a bit of a tour of their nursery since most of you don't live around here. I'll try and get those photos ready to post tomorrow and will tell you all about Glasshouse Works then.

About the tornado(s). We've had quite a bit of damage in Athens County, though none right here - not even a plant or outside chair blown over. Others weren't so lucky. 53 houses and one business were destroyed with many more damaged in some way. As of today, all of the electricity is back on. As we were driving last night we saw some of the damage. Most places were just fine, but in spots the trees were uprooted or snapped in half. Please keep all of those who are now homeless in your prayers.

Jane

Physalis subglabrata

2010-09-17T19:07:00.003-04:00

I think I'll stick with the Latin name for this one. Who wants to be known as Smooth Groundcherry? Not a wonderful name, but much nicer than it's cousin the Clammy Groundcherry. This isn't very common here, but I see it occasionally. It is in the family Solanaceae, or the Potato Family, though I've always called it the Nightshade family and it does contain potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. The fruit is enclosed in the husk, and when the husk turns tan and papery, the fruit is ready to eat. The appearance and texture is somewhat like a tiny tomato, but the flavor is supposed to be more like a strawberry. I've never eaten one, so I can't say for sure if that is so. You can also dry them and eat them like raisins. The leaves are poisonous.
Around here it seems to like full sun, though occasionally I see one in the shade. Since critters spread the seed, I suppose a fair number end up in places they wouldn't have chosen themselves. It is not picky about soil type and will grow in poor soils as long as it has sufficient moisture. They are susceptible to most pests of tomatoes. They are started from seed and are easy to grow in pots. I'm not sure the seed is sold, but if you see this growing by the side of the road this time of year, collect a few fruits and save the seed to plant next year.
Jane

Plant Identification

2010-09-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

Today it's your turn to tell me about a couple of plants. We've had both of these weeds/wildflowers in the garden for years and I haven't got a clue as to what they are. The one above appeared about 10 years ago. Never had been here before and neither of us had seen it anywhere. My guess is that seed came in on a plant we bought. It is a biennial, forms a shiny green rosette the first year that is evergreen and persists all winter. That's how we find a lot of them since when everything else is dead and brown they really stand out. The first year it bloomed, just a plant or two, we thought it was so pretty that we left it, thinking it might be a nice addition to the garden. NOT. The next year, after it had seeded it was everywhere. Thousands of them, literally, all over the garden. It makes long skinny seed pods that pop and spread seeds around. My guess is that birds or critters also helped with the spread.
I still think it is a really pretty plant. There aren't all that many pale pink wildflowers growing here and I'm a sucker for pink flowers, but it is just far too invasive to let it be. The picture I took doesn't have too many blooms, because it was hard to find one that Hank hadn't yanked out before it had many blooms open. I marked that one and kept it as long as I could, but at one point he said 'take the picture now if you want it because I'm pulling it out'. It can get 2 feet tall, though most seem to be a foot or so. I've also seen 2 or 3 inch tall ones blooming - sneaky things hiding in the crown of another plant. We've always called it 'Pink Weed', for lack of anything else to call it. I've checked my many wildflower books and one on weeds, but can't find anything that looks anything like it, so if anyone knows what this is, I'd sure like to know. Not that knowing will get rid of it, but at least it will have a name and can be $#&!@ ___, instead of $#&!@ Pink Weed.

Weed number two, that for lack of a better name, has been known here as white weed since it has white flowers. This one may have arrived with a pond or bog plant since it appeared first in our bog. This one is a little easier to control as long as you can find it since it seems to be an annual. Get it before it seeds and it's gone. Unfortunately, the bog gets grassy late in the season and this stuff crawls along beneath it, blooming and seeding quite happily. Succulent stem and the flowers are tiny, maybe the size of your little finger nail. The seeds are black, hence the other name we have been calling it - 'Black Seeded Weed'. Someone must know what these two things are. Please leave a comment if you have any ideas. I tried looking on the web, but without a name, I didn't get very far.

Jane

Albizia julibrissin

2010-09-15T22:20:00.002-04:00

I've always loved Mimosa trees. So tropical looking. They remind me of the sensitive plants I grew from seed when I was little - touch the leaves and they folded up. Mimosa leaves do close up at night and when it rains, but not when you touch them. Anyway, they are just so tropical looking and the flowers almost look like some sort of fancy birds perched on the branches. We planted one quite a few years ago. In this zone, it isn't uncommon for them to died back to the ground the first few winters. Ours has stayed up for the last couple of years, and just this week it had its first flowers. I can't wait until next year when there are more. One thing we did find, is that you need to get seed from a local source if you live in the north to have the best chance of success. I just found out that it is a legume (such a big legume) and is native from Iran to China.
Flowering takes place over a long period of the summer and early fall on this smallish tree. The flowers are odd in that they have no petals, just lots of stamens. The flowers seem to be attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, though I can't say for sure who likes my 3 blooms since they are up so high. Once you have flowers you will also start to find baby mimosas in various places in your garden.
Flowers can be pink (what seems to be most common) or white or combinations thereof. There is a newer cultivar called 'Summer Chocolate' that has reddish brown foliage, but it hasn't been especially hardy here and is still quite expensive. No matter which sort you have, a Mimosa tree will make nice dappled shade for hostas or just a comfortable chair.
Jane

Comptonia peregrina

2010-09-14T20:24:00.003-04:00

This is my plant of the day. Comptonia peregrina is more commonly known as SweetFern. We have been growing this one for years, but after I took this photo, I just couldn't remember either the Latin name or the common one. No way to file the photo without a name and ever hope to find it again. No way to look it up online if you can't remember the name. All I could think of is Sweet Shrub, which, of course, didn't work since it is an entirely different plant. Now that I have gotten the name back in my head, (found by accident while I was looking up another plant in my big wildflower book) I thought I'd share a bit about this pretty thing since I don't think it is all that well know.
Here is a plant for you northern growers since it is cold hardy to zone 2 (-38 degrees F.) and not very happy any warmer than zone 6. Ours grow in a dry place at the edge of the cactus scree and my research says that it likes that sort of thing. Full sun to partial shade. This one is about 2-4 feet tall and will spread wider than that over time. It is deciduous and is native to the northeastern United States. It is not commonly found in nurseries, probably because it is difficult to transplant and establish. Once settled in, however, it seems to not be bothered by insects or other problems.

So many weeds - so little time.

Jane

Cosmos bipinnatus

2010-09-12T18:38:00.008-04:00

I loved growing cosmos when I was growing up. In elementary school our only fundraiser was selling seeds each spring. You got a box with one packet each of lots of flowers and radishes and lettuce. We always just bought the whole thing since my mother and grandfather both loved to garden and I was always the helper. The photo above is what most, if not all, of the cosmos looked like. I know the fashion now is to grow perennials, but my big gripe with them is that even though they will come back year after year, the bloom season for most of them is fairly short, measured in weeks rather than in months. This time of year when the garden is starting to get a little ratty looking, my annuals are still gorgeous.

Now, annuals can be expensive if you're buying those pricey ones at your local big box store in gallon pots, but seeds are relatively cheap, at least compared to those fancy gallon pots. Of course they can't beat the price of those 10 cent packets I sold back in the 1950s.

This year's packet of cosmos was an assortment. All seem to be fairly tall plants, some are taller than I am with stout stems that don't seem to be bothered by rain or wind. This sort of semi-double is a much darker shade than I usually see.

And this one was a total surprise. I don't think I've ever had a double cosmos before.

These I have had, thought, and my assortment has a lot if large white single blooms.

This red shade is also new. It's not the same as the magenta I'm used to; much more of a true red.

This last type is sold, I think, as 'Seashells'. It's different, but I think I like the old-fashioned ones better.

Cosmos are native to Mexico and are sometimes called Mexican Asters. They like full sun and are fairly drought tolerant once they're up and growing. They will frequently self seed, though the only ones from last year that came back were orange ones that are a totally different type.

Butterflies, especially monarchs, are quite fond of cosmos.

Jane

George

2010-09-07T22:12:00.004-04:00

George was born in May of 1995 and died late this afternoon after a courageous battle with cancer. (Even kitties deserve a proper obituary). He had been sick for quite awhile and we were surprised that he held on this long. We will surely miss him.
Back when we could still let the kitties out to play - before coyotes, eagles, the semi-paving of the road which brought speeding cars, and crazy neighbors who thought of cats and dogs as target practice - he loved playing outside and sleeping in the sun. He was the only cat we ever had who chased, and caught, frogs. He would lick them until he just about licked their skin off. He rarely ate them, just played with them. He also liked to wander, even though he knew he wasn't allowed across the road. We'd call when we couldn't find him and it was time to come inside at the end of the day and then he would suddenly appear, as if out of nowhere. Then one day we caught him running full speed down the hill across the street and sneaking into the yard where he suddenly sat down and started taking a bath, as if he'd been there all the time. That was near the time we stopped letting any of them out. Just not safe.

My bread mixing bowl has always been a favorite of all of the cats. This was George's turn. Actually, if they try, two of them can share this huge bowl.

George and Linus were great friends and loved being outside together. Linus was even harder to find than George because his coloring so closely matched the mulch and he loved to hide under some of the giant hostas.

When someone has been a daily companion for so long, it's hard to say goodbye, but he will always with me in my heart, even though he'll no longer be napping in a sunbeam on the porch.

Fennel

2010-09-05T19:10:00.005-04:00

This is a bit of a continuation of my post on herbs. This is one of the swallowtail butterflies. (Eastern Black Swallowtail) It would have markings in a lovely shade of bright blue on the top of its wings. It just wasn't interested in being cooperative. It is here because it is end end product of a caterpillar, the celery caterpillar, that eats fennel and makes its chrysalis on the fennel plant (among others). Anise Swallowtails will have caterpillars that eat fennel also.

This is the bloom on the bronze fennel (foeniculum vulgare) that we grew this year. Those yellow flowers will eventually turn into fennel seeds that I can use for cooking. The foliage and stems can be used in salads or in cooking. They have a licorice flavor. This one doesn't seem to form a bulb at its base like Florence Fennel, and all green version.

And this is the caterpillar. It is about 2.5 inches long and not very camouflaged, to say the least. There were 4 on the one plant and I noticed them from quite a distance.

A bit about the 2 kinds of fennel. Fennel was brought to this country in the 1600s by Spanish explorers, to what is now California. Bronze Fennel is hardy in zone 5 and warmer and can be grown as an annual in colder zones. It is feathery and has the most wonderful bronzy color leaves. Not much in the garden can match that color. It has a long tap root and so plant it where it can stay because moving it will be difficult or impossible. It grows in full sun to part shade and seems at least moderately drought tolerant.

Unlike the herb fennel which is a perennial, the veggie fennel is an annual, Herb fennel makes usable seeds, but not an edible bulb and veggie fennel makes that wonderful, round, edible bulb, but not seeds that can be used for anything except growing more veggie fennel.

When I first grew veggie fennel, it was difficult to find any recipes for it. Most cookbooks were lucky to have even one. With the internet, that problem has been solved, and finging lots of recipes is easy, but sliced raw in a salad or with dip will probably still be my favorite.

Jane

Herbs in my Garden

2010-09-02T19:55:00.010-04:00

It seems I usually have to start my posts lately with an apology for neglecting my readers. Once again, I've gotten lazy about writing. Not that I haven't been thinking about gardening. As much as I can with this heat, I've been pulling weeds and working on some new beds that I've been creating. The rest of the time has been spent adding pictures and sort of re-doing the photo gallery on the Hoot Owl Hollow website. I'm almost done now, which is a relief. It always takes much longer than I think it will. Luckily, I'm not much for watching TV, so Hank watches and I listen while watching the computer screen. It always amazes me when I look up at something I've heard dozens of times and realize I've never actually seen it. But I digress...
This first photo is my parsley. I always grow some in a large pot to keep the rabbits from eating it. It's not exactly something I'd want to spray with rabbit repellent. I always grow a lot since I use it in my tomato soup and some of my other stuff I put up in jars. I also freeze it for winter. If you haven't tried it, it doesn't get much easier. Just pick it, wash the dust off, dry it and put it in zip loc bags or a freezer container. I usually use small snack sized bags so I have small portions to use in recipes and then put the little bags in a larger freezer bag. I never dry parsley because I like the taste of fresh parsley much better. Mine usually overwinters, but since it is a biennial, it will go to seed early in the second season. I usually get enough to have until my new crop is ready.
Thyme is one of my favorites. This is a variegated one, but any of them will do. Just be sure to taste them before you use then because they all don't taste the same and some are pretty bad. Trial and error here. These are perfectly hardy in our zone 6 garden and we probably have a dozen different kinds, mostly growing around edges of paths and such. Full sun and they can take light foot traffic and seem to tolerate a little bit of dry weather. Many stay evergreen, so there isn't any reason to dry it. I can almost always have some for turkey stuffing at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Basil seems to be a staple. This I do dry since it will go down with the first hint of frost. I pull up a plant and hang it upside down and then strip the leaves off once they're dry. Right now I've got some hanging outside since we've had so little rain. I also hang it inside or in the barn. I use it in any sort of Italian food and to make pesto.

Another Basil - this one with purple flowers. I bought packet of seeds that had 3 kinds in it. 2 seem to be green and I can't tell the difference, but this one with the purple flowers (which probably should be pulled off since you don't want it to go to seed) is quite pretty.

Sage is something I don't use much, but it is perennial here, so I just like to grow it. I do sometimes use it in pork dishes, but I find it a bit strong. It dries well.

Same flavor, prettier plant, is this variegated Sage. I've had this clump for 4 years now and it comes back better every year.

Not really an herb, I suppose, but it wouldn't be a garden without nasturtiums. They are quite edible and make a pretty, spicy addition to salads. My kids used to munch them up when they were little. Wonder if they remember that. Once you get used to the idea of eating flowers, there are quite a few that you can use, and growing them yourself, you don't have to worry about chemicals on them.

I've taken a couple hundred photos over the last couple of days, so I'll be sorting them out to share some here.

Happy almost fall - finally cooler temperatures tomorrow.

Jane

Sweet Peas

2010-08-24T20:22:00.003-04:00

Sweet Peas, Lathyrus odoratus, have always been one of my favorites. We grew the cultivated types a few times when I was little, but they were never very reliable in our climate with such hot and humid summers. I've not had much luck with then since then either. If you look at English gardening books or nursery catalogs, you will find tons of sweet peas so I can only assume that the climate there is more to their liking. The exception is our native wild Sweet Pea which is pictured. The colors can vary slightly, but this is pretty typical, though you will occasionally see the odd white one. They grow across the road in full sun, happily coexisting with weeds and other wildflowers. The kind of ramble over other plants and can spread for quite a distance. They are impossible to transplant - at least I don't know of anyone who has had success - but this fall, assuming I can collect some seeds before the critters get them, I'm going to try to start some from seed so I can have some on this side of the road where I can enjoy them without walking down the road. They bloom from mid-summer until frost here and don't seem to be bothered by either insects or critters that eat plants. As a plus, they are nitrogen fixers, so a few in the garden would be a plus for more than their beauty.
Please note that although garden peas (Pisum) are quite edible and delicious, Sweet Peas (Lathyrus) are poisonous, both the flowers and the peas.
For a quite detailed history of the Sweet Peas, see http://www.ngb.org/gardening/fact_sheets/fact_details.cfm?factID=17
I've been working on wild flower photos, so there will be some more in the days to come.
Jane

Radishes

2010-08-20T16:28:00.003-04:00

Doesn't look like a radish? But it is. A few years ago we had some radishes, planted too many, as usual, since I'm not crazy about eating them and Hank forgets to pick them for supper. Anyway, as happens to radishes that you don't pick, they go to seed. Now I'd never seen a radish bloom before and if you'd asked me to guess what it would look like, I would have said that that it would be something white/pink/red on a short stem. Wrong! Those little tiny radish plants turn into 3 foot tall, 3 foot wide plants that are covered with this little white, maybe a little pink flowers. We have just left them and they self seed nicely. We can always get a few radishes out of this patch in the spring, and then enjoy the flowers later in the summer. Now you know.
Jane

Anemonopsis macrophylla

2010-08-17T20:42:00.003-04:00

The canning is done, at least for awhile and I was back in the garden all day today. This lovely little flower, or its plant, more properly, has been in the garden for at least 10 years. It didn't look especially happy where I had it, so this spring I moved it about 6 feet away where it wouldn't be so crowded. It must have appreciated the move because it bloomed for the first time. The flower is only about an inch and a half wide and down facing, so it took a bit of crawling and twisting to get this photo. I had totally forgotten what this was supposed to look like, it not having bloomed all this time. I even had to check the tag to see what it was called. I'm really pleased and hope it has lots more blooms next year since this seems to be all I'm going to get for this season. Now a little about the plant.
I did a google search and could only find nurseries in England and Germany who sell this, so I'm not sure you'll be able to find one. There is also a really expensive pure white flowered form, also not availabe except at Asiatica and they're closing any day now.
I didn't take a picture of the leaves, but they sort of remind me of an astilbe, and the plant is about the same size as one. The flowers are on wiry stems that can be up to 3 feet tall. (if mine had been that tall, I wouldn't have had to crawl on the ground to get the picture!) They need well-drained, humus rich soil in light to medium shade. It needs a sheltered spot as it doesn't like being in the wind. They will grow in zones 4-7 and are native to only a small area in Honshu Island, Japan.
I'll see if I can find something else unusual for tomorrow.
Jane

Baby Ferns

2010-08-11T15:24:00.006-04:00

A neat and curious thing happens when you've been gardening in the same place for a number of years. You not only have the plants that you intentionally planted in your garden, but over time you begin to have their children and grandchildren too. We often find baby hostas hiding under larger ones, and there always seem to be daylily babies. The give-away with the daylilies is when you have a clump of say, purple flowers, and all of a sudden there is a tall white one in the center. Who knows where the seed came from??? If it's something I especially like, I'll transplant it to another place. If it's nice, but not all that special, I'll dig it and give it away. I've given away a whole bunch through freecycle this year. I think I kind of overwhelmed some of the people with the quantity I was willing to give (an overflowing wheelbarrow) when they were expecting a couple of small plants. I just think that if they're going to drive all the way out to the country to pick them up, they should get enough to make the trip worthwhile.
Anyway, the thing I find the cutest are the baby ferns. I'm not talking about those stoloniferous kinds that spread all around, but those that spread by spores. I've thought about trying to start some myself from spores, but haven't gotten around to that yet. Not that it's hard, but you have to be able to focus and keep an eye on them, and right now, there's too much happening around here to add another chore to my list.

This first picture is of some baby Japanese Painted Ferns, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'. These appeared this spring under one of the shelves where our plants that we have for sale are kept. No ferns have been in that spot for a couple of years, but here are the babies. The biggest of these is probably about 3 inches long/tall now. Next year when they come back they will be full sized plants and I'll either transplant them or pot them up.

This picture was taken over at Lake Amanda, across the bridge from the main gardens. The one on the left is another Japanese Painted Fern, and I think the one on the right is probably a Christmas Fern, but they're still too tiny to be sure. These just appeared next to a rock at the edge of the path. What I find most amazing with the baby ferns is the wonderful places they appear - places you might like them but could never successfully transplant them, like between 2 rocks with practically no soil. Serendipity might be a good word for this. No matter what you call it, surprise plants are always fun to find growing in your garden. We also get babies on Goldie's Fern sometimes.
I'll be back in a few days, once I finish canning the 100 pounds of tomatoes and 20 pounds of cucumbers (bread and butter pickles) that are sitting in my kitchen.
Jane

Odds and Ends and Peonies to Dig

2010-08-07T18:50:00.008-04:00

Pictures I took today, odds and ends, as the title says. This is a small row of annuals I planted to have some color after the daylilies finished blooming. There are zinnias, marigolds, bachelor's buttons and cosmos. All favorites from childhood. It's a small row, not nearly enough to really replace the sea of color that was the daylilies only a couple of weeds ago, but it cheers me in the morning when I go out for an early walk. They've only just started blooming, so I expect them to get even more colorful soon.

My other annuals planted this year are these balsam plants. It was a package of assorted colors and though they seemed to take forever to start blooming, they are wonderful now. The hummingbirds seem to like them.

Now for the butterfly that had landed on a cosmos. These orange cosmos, planted at the edge of our parking lot last year, that came back from self-seeding.

And this butterfly what was sitting on a butterfly bush - how perfect.

And this is the foliage on those seedling cannas I wrote about a few days ago and which someone asked about. I'm not totally pleased with the picture, but I hope you can see that it is thinner and more of a blue/green than most of the others which have broad leaves in green or variegated patterns. It is also very upright. As I said before, these only seem to grow about 3 feet tall.

A note on peonies. We rarely dig them because the bulk of the peony beds, all 800 or so plants in the collection, have been in place for over 20 years and come close to needing a backhoe (or someone much younger and stronger than we are) to dig. This fall we have decided to dig a dozen or so double pink ones that are in a place that has gotten a bit shadier. They are still blooming, but won't be happy if it gets any shadier than it is now, and I'm replacing them with hostas. So, it you'd be interested in a full sized clump of double pink peonies (check our Facebook page for a photo) let me know. We'll be doing the digging in mid to late October, depending on the weather. Most will be for pickup, though I guess I could ship them. They'll be dormant at that point and so won't mind being in a box for a few days. Anyway, let me know if you'd like one or two.

Jane

Cannas

2010-08-03T18:34:00.006-04:00

I know this wasn't one of the topics I said I was working on, but then those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile know that I can be easily distracted (especially by a pretty flower).
These are some of the seedling Cannas that I've been working on. These are about 4 years old now and although they usually bloom the first year from seed, the blooms don't really come into their own until they they are a few years old. One of the parents was a species Canna that had small flowers and the pollen parents were various sizes and colors. All of the foliage is a blue green with long narrow leaves. If you're used to the Cannas you see most of the time, this would look very different. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of it in the pictures. They also tend to be shorter, most only about 3 feet tall.
Anyway, this first one is a nice baby pink.

And here's a salmon colored one.
This is a darker pink

And a pale yellow with some peach colored spots on some of the petals. One of the parents had some speckling on the petals, but not all of these have picked up the trait.

This last is a red that is pretty much identical to the species that was one of the parents. The plants with these red flowers are much more robust than the ones with the pastel colored blooms.

Hybridizing with Cannas is pretty much like with any other blossoms - move pollen from the anthers of one bloom to the pistil of another. Maybe a post on the whole process later. I sometimes plant the seeds right away, but you can also put them in a zip loc bag and store them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator until you're ready. I plant them in small pots and size them up when they're a couple of inches tall. They like warmth and so I start them in the greenhouse, but a warm room under grow lights would work just as well. Just keep them damp and they're as easy to grow as marigolds. If you're growing Cannas this summer, just check the bloom scapes after flowering and you may find some seeds to start since the bees do a good job of fertilizing the blooms.

Jane