Monday Morning Garden Report: 11 December 2017
Before typing my notes on this morning’s walk around the garden, I stood for several minutes at the garden shed window, watching the autumn’s first snow fall–enjoying the arrival of these fragile snowflakes gently descending onto the brown landscape. The flakes were soft and puffy, melting immediately once they touched the dry, warmer soil. This minor snowfall did not ensure a white Christmas, but it's likely a harbinger of things to come. This morning’s walk certainly concentrated on things to come, my eyes racing beyond winter, searching for signs of spring. Although the garden initially conveys the impression of having shut down for the next few months, sprinkled around the garden are reminders that many residents are primed and ready for action once this winter business is over.
• The Unfazed. Several plants appear unimpressed by the arrival of sub-freezing cold weather. Most notably in the rock and crevice gardens, the thymes, the creeping speedwell, an armeria, an ice plant, several sedums (including the hens and chicks)--they all appear as fresh in December as they did in July. Although there are no blooms, no signs of new growth, their greens now subdued with emerging grays, their overall appearance remains erect, unbowed, quite content with current conditions. In the two raised “J” beds, the Cerastium tomentosum “snow-in-summer”–reportedly hardy to Zone 2 (capable of handing -50F winters)--appear to be thriving. Their gray, velvety foliage looks much happier than in the middle of the summer.
• Fazed But Not Yet Defeated. Some plants have summer growth weakened by the cold weather but grimly hanging on. The basal leaves of the ox-eye daisies look cold and limp, but they are still green and revive as the temperatures move above freezing. The Penstemon digitalis “Husker Red” has mounds of foliage similar to the daisies, but their purple-burgundy leaves look perkier, more resilient in dealing with the cold. A similar color pattern and hardiness is evident in the bugleweed and the large patch of yellow loosestrife (some unidentified cultivar of Lysimachia punctata) in the southeast corner of the garden. More erect and with a higher vertical profile are the betony, an Iberis sempervirens, a "Melton Fire" potentilla (with its broad, strawberry-like leaves), a veronica in the “F” bed, two Geum triflorum “Prairie Smoke,” and several perennial scabiosas–all have retained their green leaves and appear ready for a quick start in the spring. The veronica and the scabiosa still had fresh blooms the first week in December.
• Spring Leaves in Hiding. A number of perennials look dead in their upper stories, but at ground level one finds green foliage. This pattern is particularly notable with the bloody cranesbill. The summer’s dried-up stems and leaves remain intact in their curved domes, but underneath lie next spring’s avant garde. We’ll have to wait and see if winter’s lower temperatures kill off these scout troops. Other perennials with similar habits include several catmint, a golden marguerite, some lupine, some native columbine, and two of the perennial coreopsis cultivars: the “Route 66" and “Red Satin” tickseed.
• Lobelia cardinalis. The two surviving cardinal flowers in the rain garden produced marvelous racemes of tubular flowers this summer. The stems have now been removed, shredded, and deposited in a compost bin, but at each lobelia’s base remains a rosette of green leaves. These cardinal flowers can be found in the wild as far north as New Brunswick and are listed as hardy to USDA Zone 2. I’ve read that gardeners should not cover the basal leaves with mulch during the winter so they can continue to produce food for the root system. The key issue for this short-lived perennial is to ensure that the roots don’t dry out–which is probably why two lobelia planted this summer in the rain garden did not survive an ill-timed dry spell.
• Red & Green Spears. In the flower beds along the gravel walkways at the east end of the garden, one can see dozens of daffodils breaking through the top layer of soil and mulch. Less aggressively brazen are a few red peony buds, more firmly nestled into the ground. Throughout the daylily beds at the west end of the garden are most of the garden’s euphorbia. These spurges are probably Euphorbia polychroma, which in May produce lovely yellow blossoms. I’ve cut back this year’s bare stems, but tightly woven around the base of each plant is a group of new pink “buds,” some of them already beginning to unwind and open up.
• Hiding under Straw. Two weeks ago I spread straw over the crocosima and agapanthus in a bed south of the patio. Both of these tender perennials might have a difficult time surviving temperatures below zero. While in England two summers ago, I chatted for a few minutes with a gardener weeding an agapanthus collection. She told me the weeding was difficult because the “fleshy” roots were so close to the surface. Our single agapanthus, planted in the summer of 2016, did survive its first Iowa winter and produced wonderful, long-lasting blooms this summer. As I was spreading the straw over the flower bed, I noticed that it already had new, daylily-like leaves beginning to emerge.
• A Doomed Annual. This past summer we witnessed a significant expansion in the distribution of Nigella damascena “love-in-a-mist,” particularly in the “L” bed close to the patio. This annual produces a prolific crop of diminutive, black seeds, and many of them germinated this fall, producing hundreds of small, fern-like plants. All are less than an inch in height, but they still appear alive and determined to survive, not yet killed by the temperatures in the low teens.
• New Growth. After disappearing in the summer, the grape hyacinths re-emerge in the fall, their foliage creating a bed of greenery that looks like green, cooked spaghetti. Some spiderworts and several of the large ornamental onions have also produced fresh foliage after their summer dormancy. The "Millennium" allium, planted in the “A1" and “M1" beds in the summer of 2016, unequivocally demonstrated their value this summer, producing a profusion of long-lasting flower clusters over compact clumps of green, thick leaves. Most of the summer’s leaves have turned a dull orange, but next year’s leaves were already beginning to emerge before the first serious freeze arrived. Because of the year-around stature and appearance of this allium, it is easy to see why it has been selected as the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2018. Since the Millennium seeds are reported to be sterile, any thoughts of expanding our Millennium collection will depend either on dividing these two clumps or purchasing new plants for next spring’s garden.
Before typing my notes on this morning’s walk around the garden, I stood for several minutes at the garden shed window, watching the autumn’s first snow fall–enjoying the arrival of these fragile snowflakes gently descending onto the brown landscape. The flakes were soft and puffy, melting immediately once they touched the dry, warmer soil. This minor snowfall did not ensure a white Christmas, but it's likely a harbinger of things to come. This morning’s walk certainly concentrated on things to come, my eyes racing beyond winter, searching for signs of spring. Although the garden initially conveys the impression of having shut down for the next few months, sprinkled around the garden are reminders that many residents are primed and ready for action once this winter business is over.
• The Unfazed. Several plants appear unimpressed by the arrival of sub-freezing cold weather. Most notably in the rock and crevice gardens, the thymes, the creeping speedwell, an armeria, an ice plant, several sedums (including the hens and chicks)--they all appear as fresh in December as they did in July. Although there are no blooms, no signs of new growth, their greens now subdued with emerging grays, their overall appearance remains erect, unbowed, quite content with current conditions. In the two raised “J” beds, the Cerastium tomentosum “snow-in-summer”–reportedly hardy to Zone 2 (capable of handing -50F winters)--appear to be thriving. Their gray, velvety foliage looks much happier than in the middle of the summer.
• Fazed But Not Yet Defeated. Some plants have summer growth weakened by the cold weather but grimly hanging on. The basal leaves of the ox-eye daisies look cold and limp, but they are still green and revive as the temperatures move above freezing. The Penstemon digitalis “Husker Red” has mounds of foliage similar to the daisies, but their purple-burgundy leaves look perkier, more resilient in dealing with the cold. A similar color pattern and hardiness is evident in the bugleweed and the large patch of yellow loosestrife (some unidentified cultivar of Lysimachia punctata) in the southeast corner of the garden. More erect and with a higher vertical profile are the betony, an Iberis sempervirens, a "Melton Fire" potentilla (with its broad, strawberry-like leaves), a veronica in the “F” bed, two Geum triflorum “Prairie Smoke,” and several perennial scabiosas–all have retained their green leaves and appear ready for a quick start in the spring. The veronica and the scabiosa still had fresh blooms the first week in December.
• Spring Leaves in Hiding. A number of perennials look dead in their upper stories, but at ground level one finds green foliage. This pattern is particularly notable with the bloody cranesbill. The summer’s dried-up stems and leaves remain intact in their curved domes, but underneath lie next spring’s avant garde. We’ll have to wait and see if winter’s lower temperatures kill off these scout troops. Other perennials with similar habits include several catmint, a golden marguerite, some lupine, some native columbine, and two of the perennial coreopsis cultivars: the “Route 66" and “Red Satin” tickseed.
• Lobelia cardinalis. The two surviving cardinal flowers in the rain garden produced marvelous racemes of tubular flowers this summer. The stems have now been removed, shredded, and deposited in a compost bin, but at each lobelia’s base remains a rosette of green leaves. These cardinal flowers can be found in the wild as far north as New Brunswick and are listed as hardy to USDA Zone 2. I’ve read that gardeners should not cover the basal leaves with mulch during the winter so they can continue to produce food for the root system. The key issue for this short-lived perennial is to ensure that the roots don’t dry out–which is probably why two lobelia planted this summer in the rain garden did not survive an ill-timed dry spell.
• Red & Green Spears. In the flower beds along the gravel walkways at the east end of the garden, one can see dozens of daffodils breaking through the top layer of soil and mulch. Less aggressively brazen are a few red peony buds, more firmly nestled into the ground. Throughout the daylily beds at the west end of the garden are most of the garden’s euphorbia. These spurges are probably Euphorbia polychroma, which in May produce lovely yellow blossoms. I’ve cut back this year’s bare stems, but tightly woven around the base of each plant is a group of new pink “buds,” some of them already beginning to unwind and open up.
• Hiding under Straw. Two weeks ago I spread straw over the crocosima and agapanthus in a bed south of the patio. Both of these tender perennials might have a difficult time surviving temperatures below zero. While in England two summers ago, I chatted for a few minutes with a gardener weeding an agapanthus collection. She told me the weeding was difficult because the “fleshy” roots were so close to the surface. Our single agapanthus, planted in the summer of 2016, did survive its first Iowa winter and produced wonderful, long-lasting blooms this summer. As I was spreading the straw over the flower bed, I noticed that it already had new, daylily-like leaves beginning to emerge.
• A Doomed Annual. This past summer we witnessed a significant expansion in the distribution of Nigella damascena “love-in-a-mist,” particularly in the “L” bed close to the patio. This annual produces a prolific crop of diminutive, black seeds, and many of them germinated this fall, producing hundreds of small, fern-like plants. All are less than an inch in height, but they still appear alive and determined to survive, not yet killed by the temperatures in the low teens.
• New Growth. After disappearing in the summer, the grape hyacinths re-emerge in the fall, their foliage creating a bed of greenery that looks like green, cooked spaghetti. Some spiderworts and several of the large ornamental onions have also produced fresh foliage after their summer dormancy. The "Millennium" allium, planted in the “A1" and “M1" beds in the summer of 2016, unequivocally demonstrated their value this summer, producing a profusion of long-lasting flower clusters over compact clumps of green, thick leaves. Most of the summer’s leaves have turned a dull orange, but next year’s leaves were already beginning to emerge before the first serious freeze arrived. Because of the year-around stature and appearance of this allium, it is easy to see why it has been selected as the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2018. Since the Millennium seeds are reported to be sterile, any thoughts of expanding our Millennium collection will depend either on dividing these two clumps or purchasing new plants for next spring’s garden.
Monday Morning Garden Report: 13 November 2017
Now that we have had overnight temperatures dipping into the mid teens, my intent for this Monday morning walk was to sort the garden’s plants into two groups: those that had been done in by the freeze and those that looked relatively unfazed. Although many of the garden’s perennials had already packed their bags and turned their future over to their underground support system (from daffs and tulips to coneflowers and Joe Pyes), the garden made it to the last week of October with many flowers in bloom. By November 13, however, it was a different story. Here are some of my Monday morning observations:
• Most annuals and tender perennials had already been decimated a week earlier by our first temperatures below freezing: zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, spider plants, amaranth, the hostas (except for a few protected by the yews), and the two large hibiscus. Last week we dug up all the dahlia tubers, rinsed off the dirt, and--after a few days to dry out–stored them for the winter in a mix of moistened peat moss and vermiculite. Same treatment for the peacock orchids.
• Despite the low temperatures and the initial impression of a garden in fall retreat, it’s notable how many plants appear relatively unfazed by the latest arctic blast: lamb’s ear, lenten roses, dianthus, rose campion, heuchera, scabiosa (one of the pincushion scabiosa has several new flower buds), ox-eye daisies (which has a few haggard blooms and a few new flower buds), snow-in-summer (two cultivars apparently revived by the colder weather of the past month), and the Husker Reds (where I found a stem with five fresh pink blooms, pretending it was June and not November). The outer dome-shaped canopy of the large cranesbill near the patio have turned various shades of reddish orange/brown, but below are fresh green leaves, in preparation for spring’s return.
• Some of the herbs were stopped cold by the sub-32 temperatures–such as the basil and borage–but many have not yet been laid low by the latest freeze: thyme, oregano, lavender, rue, chives, and sage. The big-leaf parsley is drooping, but the curly-leaf parsley looks ready for making another tabbouleh salad.
• With the exception of the moss phlox (which have many gray, leafless branches that need to be pruned), most of the plants in the rock and crevice gardens appear impervious to our late autumn weather. They may be helped by the fact that most are now buried under a layer of oak and maple leaves, blown in through the porous NW gate. Moving the leaves aside in the middle of the crevice garden, I found several deep blue Crystal Palace Lobelia blooms, like discovering Kashmir sapphires in Iowa.
• In terms of appearance, most of the ornamental grasses and sedges are now in their prime: purple love grass, big and little bluestem, Karl Foerster feather reed grass, a Pennisetum fountain grass, several switch grass cultivars, several Miscanthus (including the Gold Breeze Miscanthus, whose white/green stripes have been transformed into an attractive orange/brown, Army-like camouflage pattern), the northern sea oats in the rain garden. I love the shape and the rich brown color of the sea oats’ seed heads, but the grass is known to be an aggressive self-seeder, and this summer 15-20 baby oats appeared around the lone parent. I’m hoping--but not confident--that well-timed hoeing of unwanted offspring will keep them restrained. The most problematic grass has been the Sioux Blue Indian Grass in the “F” bed. Sorghastrum nutans–an amusing scientific name that translates “a poor imitation of sorghum”–is a Midwest native with a reputation of becoming floppy, particularly in fertile soil. The Sioux Blue version is supposed to have bluer foliage and a better vertical form, but it has not yet demonstrated the latter trait. Next spring we’ll provide it with a circular metal plant support (which has helped some miscanthus in other beds) and see if that stiffens the Sioux Blue’s spine.
• The garden’s six older flowering crab trees become sorry-looking, defoliated creatures during the summer because of the apple scab, the fungus Venturia inaequalis. Although the scab doesn’t kill the trees, it certainly thrives on these defenseless hosts, purchased before scab-resistant trees were so readily available. On the plus side, the trees consistently produce a stunning display of white blossoms in late April or early May (depending on the spring weather), and in the fall they provide a bountiful buffet of small fruit attractive to many birds. Feeding on the tiny apples this Monday morning were a flock of starlings and dozens of robins, cardinals, a blue jay, and several species I simplistically classify as "small, sparrow-like birds." My favorites are the dark-eyed juncos with their endearing display of white tail feathers, evident in their quick departure from the garden every time I move toward them.
• While fall inevitably is a time of conclusions, the final stage in our seasonal cycle, I find it reassuring to come upon so many signs of spring throughout the garden. Perhaps I will address those prophets of renewal in next week’s report.
Now that we have had overnight temperatures dipping into the mid teens, my intent for this Monday morning walk was to sort the garden’s plants into two groups: those that had been done in by the freeze and those that looked relatively unfazed. Although many of the garden’s perennials had already packed their bags and turned their future over to their underground support system (from daffs and tulips to coneflowers and Joe Pyes), the garden made it to the last week of October with many flowers in bloom. By November 13, however, it was a different story. Here are some of my Monday morning observations:
• Most annuals and tender perennials had already been decimated a week earlier by our first temperatures below freezing: zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, spider plants, amaranth, the hostas (except for a few protected by the yews), and the two large hibiscus. Last week we dug up all the dahlia tubers, rinsed off the dirt, and--after a few days to dry out–stored them for the winter in a mix of moistened peat moss and vermiculite. Same treatment for the peacock orchids.
• Despite the low temperatures and the initial impression of a garden in fall retreat, it’s notable how many plants appear relatively unfazed by the latest arctic blast: lamb’s ear, lenten roses, dianthus, rose campion, heuchera, scabiosa (one of the pincushion scabiosa has several new flower buds), ox-eye daisies (which has a few haggard blooms and a few new flower buds), snow-in-summer (two cultivars apparently revived by the colder weather of the past month), and the Husker Reds (where I found a stem with five fresh pink blooms, pretending it was June and not November). The outer dome-shaped canopy of the large cranesbill near the patio have turned various shades of reddish orange/brown, but below are fresh green leaves, in preparation for spring’s return.
• Some of the herbs were stopped cold by the sub-32 temperatures–such as the basil and borage–but many have not yet been laid low by the latest freeze: thyme, oregano, lavender, rue, chives, and sage. The big-leaf parsley is drooping, but the curly-leaf parsley looks ready for making another tabbouleh salad.
• With the exception of the moss phlox (which have many gray, leafless branches that need to be pruned), most of the plants in the rock and crevice gardens appear impervious to our late autumn weather. They may be helped by the fact that most are now buried under a layer of oak and maple leaves, blown in through the porous NW gate. Moving the leaves aside in the middle of the crevice garden, I found several deep blue Crystal Palace Lobelia blooms, like discovering Kashmir sapphires in Iowa.
• In terms of appearance, most of the ornamental grasses and sedges are now in their prime: purple love grass, big and little bluestem, Karl Foerster feather reed grass, a Pennisetum fountain grass, several switch grass cultivars, several Miscanthus (including the Gold Breeze Miscanthus, whose white/green stripes have been transformed into an attractive orange/brown, Army-like camouflage pattern), the northern sea oats in the rain garden. I love the shape and the rich brown color of the sea oats’ seed heads, but the grass is known to be an aggressive self-seeder, and this summer 15-20 baby oats appeared around the lone parent. I’m hoping--but not confident--that well-timed hoeing of unwanted offspring will keep them restrained. The most problematic grass has been the Sioux Blue Indian Grass in the “F” bed. Sorghastrum nutans–an amusing scientific name that translates “a poor imitation of sorghum”–is a Midwest native with a reputation of becoming floppy, particularly in fertile soil. The Sioux Blue version is supposed to have bluer foliage and a better vertical form, but it has not yet demonstrated the latter trait. Next spring we’ll provide it with a circular metal plant support (which has helped some miscanthus in other beds) and see if that stiffens the Sioux Blue’s spine.
• The garden’s six older flowering crab trees become sorry-looking, defoliated creatures during the summer because of the apple scab, the fungus Venturia inaequalis. Although the scab doesn’t kill the trees, it certainly thrives on these defenseless hosts, purchased before scab-resistant trees were so readily available. On the plus side, the trees consistently produce a stunning display of white blossoms in late April or early May (depending on the spring weather), and in the fall they provide a bountiful buffet of small fruit attractive to many birds. Feeding on the tiny apples this Monday morning were a flock of starlings and dozens of robins, cardinals, a blue jay, and several species I simplistically classify as "small, sparrow-like birds." My favorites are the dark-eyed juncos with their endearing display of white tail feathers, evident in their quick departure from the garden every time I move toward them.
• While fall inevitably is a time of conclusions, the final stage in our seasonal cycle, I find it reassuring to come upon so many signs of spring throughout the garden. Perhaps I will address those prophets of renewal in next week’s report.
2017Monday Morning Garden Report: 23 October 2017
After a long camping trip to New England, including my first visits to Amherst and Concord, today was the first time in over two weeks I’ve been in the Alumni House Garden. What I immediately noticed was that the fountain had been turned off, the water drained, the fountain’s bottom covered with loose gravel from the walkways, plus two corroded pennies. One penny short of three coins in a fountain. I’m not sure that when visitors toss gravel into this wishing well, their wishes are fulfilled, but I’m sure it does mean more work for the Physical Plant crew.
Although I spent some time slowly walking around the garden, picking up litter and a couple of plastic bags, most of my attention focused on the “K” bed–the border on the NW side of the grass quad. When I first started working in the garden four years ago, one of my first decisions was to add more ornamental grasses. While I’ve never had much interest in the grass growing in lawns, I have a long love affair with native grasses. I suspect that comes from being raised on a farm surrounded by bluestem and prairie grass pastures on the edge of the Flint Hills in Kansas. For five summers my primary source of income was pulling square bales out of red New Holland balers and loading the bales on wagons while bouncing across large prairie grass and alfalfa fields. Although we are not going to recreate that landscape in the Alumni House Garden, this soil would have once been home to a native prairie. Perhaps even in a faux English Garden, it’s beneficial to have occasional reminders of that buried history. The “K” bed is where I initially planted the most diverse sample of grasses–and where we have had the most notable successes and failures. Here are a few “K” bed observations on this October morning.
• Miscanthus sinensis, Japanese Silver Feather Grass (see photo of Miscanthus at the end of this Monday Garden Report). This has become the most vigorous, well-established grass of those I planted in the spring of 2015. I have read that some of these Miscanthus imports from Asia have a reputation for invasive spreading (particularly in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states), but I’ve seen no evidence of that behavior so far–and would remove the plant if it did become an unruly bully. I’m attracted to the airy panicles of tiny seeds, silently swaying in the gentlest wind, with the green yews as their backdrop. Two other Miscanthus cultivars, labeled “Gracillimus” and “Red Arrow,” have also done reasonably well, but they are not as tall and have produced fewer seed heads. We will wait another year or two to decide how well these cousins collaborate with each other.
• Hakonechloa macra, Hakone Grass. This is another Japanese import, named after Mount Hakone (a mountain in Japan where the grass is found). In the last three years I’ve planted five Hakone grasses, but only one, next to the NW garden bench, has survived, has modestly expanded (via rhizomes), and has developed an attractive mound of arching, bamboo-like foliage.
• Bouteloua gracilus, Blue Grama Blond Ambition (also called Mosquito Grass, because of its seeds, which someone thought resembled mosquito larva). Planted mid-border, among some Purple Coneflowers, this North American native grass has managed to hang on, but this sun-lover needs to be moved forward, closer to the front of the border. Although I expected it to grow 2-3 feet in height, it is not even one foot tall, completely overshadowed by its neighbors.
• Eragrostis spectabilis, Purple Love Grass. This is another Midwest native originally planted too far back in the bed, but I moved it to the front of the border last year. The two clumps have each settled comfortably into their new home, separated by a Blue Queen Salvia, and have each produced a shimmering, veil-like canopy of seed heads.
• Stachys byzantina, Helene von Stein Lamb’s Ear. I planted one of these Lamb’s Ear in the “D” bed in the spring of 2015, and it quickly became one of my favorite foliage plants. It seems unfazed by weather: wet or dry, hot or cold, it always looks cool and collected. It does not flower, but the large, greenish/white, felt-like leaves are very attractive. Last summer I added three more of these Helene von Steins, so we have matching pairs facing each other in the “D” and “K” flower beds. Because the leaves hold up well even in severely cold weather, I have never cut back the foliage in the fall, but for the long-term health of these mint-family plants, I probably should prune them so the leaves are less likely to smother the crown during wet and cold weather.
• Brunnera macrophylla, Jack Frost and Silver Heart Siberian Bugloss. These Brunnera, also planted in the spring of 2015, have proven–like the Helene von Stein Lamb’s Ear–to be plants with multiple-season interest. Last year the temperature had to drop below 10F before the foliage turned gray and black. For some reason none of the various Hosta cultivars I’ve planted under the flowering crab in the NW corner has done well, but both of these Siberian bugloss have excelled. Perhaps I should give up on the hostas and turn this area into a bugloss conservatory.
• Waldsteinia ternata, Barren Strawberries. Although they provide lovely little yellow flowers in the early spring, for the rest of the year they are a small patch of nondescript ground cover. They require no care and are slowly expanding (unlike the rambuctious wild strawberries from Minnesota planted along the south side of the patio, who want to take over the entire garden). What I should do is plant another 20-30 of these Waldsteinia so they thoroughly cover this corner of the “K” bed. Next to the strawberries, the Lamium galeobdolon (Hermann’s Pride dead nettle) has received many rave reviews for doing well in dry shade, but it has never thrived in this NW corner. If it comes up next spring, I will move it to another location with a fresh soil/compost mix and see what happens.
• Amsonia hubrichtii, Bluestar Amsonia (the species named in honor of Leslie Hubricht, who first discovered it growing wild in Arkansas in the early 1940s). In Reiman Gardens in Ames I have seen clumps of this Amsonia producing dramatic pockets of brilliant yellow foliage. Although my two Amsonia have dutifully come up each spring for three years, they have not flowered, have produced no seeds, and have not expanded. They both have lovely fall foliage, but for any appreciable effect they need to be seen in mass. Next spring I intend to replant them in a richer soil mix, closer to the front of the border, and add 5-6 more Bluestar buddies, hoping they might begin to catch up with the Amsonia in Ames.
• Artemisia ludoviciana, Valerie Finnis Cut Leaf White Sage, with an endearing common species name: Western Mugwort. In the middle of the summer, this clump of artemisia looked awful, its few leaves brown and crumbly. Although I was tempted to dig it up and throw it in the compost pile, I cut everything back to the ground, and now three months later, we have an attractive patch of white sage. Similar experience with a Pulmonaria samourai lungwort: foliage was gray and brown by the middle of the summer, but after a severe pruning, it bounced back and now appears revived and sprightly.
• Platycodon grandiflorus, Balloon Flowers. These 2-3 foot tall species have become one of the “K” bed’s dominant flowers. All derive from a few scattered plants present when I started working in the garden four years ago. The large, purple-blue, bell-shaped blooms first appear early in the summer and continue through September. In fact, today I saw a single bloom on one plant. They have steadily expanded across a swath of the mid-border. Their green, lance-shaped leaves on tightly clustered stems effectively hide the foliage of the daffodils after they finish blooming.
• Four Small Salvias. Near the front of the “K” bed border is a row of four small salvias, producing throughout the summer and fall a series of erect spikes topped with tiny, tubular, dark blue blooms. Now in their third season, they are obviously a robust, winter-hardy salvia. I also like them because they never need pruning. Although I can remember planting them, I have no recollection where I bought them or what is their species/cultivar name. This summer I went through records of my flower purchases, trying to find a salvia that fit their description. No success. Very frustrating. On the other hand, at the east end of the “K” bed is a salvia for which I do have a label: a Salvia x sylvestris Blue Queen, a larger salvia with blue-violet blooms. Although an attractive plant, it does appreciate a mid-summer haircut.
After a long camping trip to New England, including my first visits to Amherst and Concord, today was the first time in over two weeks I’ve been in the Alumni House Garden. What I immediately noticed was that the fountain had been turned off, the water drained, the fountain’s bottom covered with loose gravel from the walkways, plus two corroded pennies. One penny short of three coins in a fountain. I’m not sure that when visitors toss gravel into this wishing well, their wishes are fulfilled, but I’m sure it does mean more work for the Physical Plant crew.
Although I spent some time slowly walking around the garden, picking up litter and a couple of plastic bags, most of my attention focused on the “K” bed–the border on the NW side of the grass quad. When I first started working in the garden four years ago, one of my first decisions was to add more ornamental grasses. While I’ve never had much interest in the grass growing in lawns, I have a long love affair with native grasses. I suspect that comes from being raised on a farm surrounded by bluestem and prairie grass pastures on the edge of the Flint Hills in Kansas. For five summers my primary source of income was pulling square bales out of red New Holland balers and loading the bales on wagons while bouncing across large prairie grass and alfalfa fields. Although we are not going to recreate that landscape in the Alumni House Garden, this soil would have once been home to a native prairie. Perhaps even in a faux English Garden, it’s beneficial to have occasional reminders of that buried history. The “K” bed is where I initially planted the most diverse sample of grasses–and where we have had the most notable successes and failures. Here are a few “K” bed observations on this October morning.
• Miscanthus sinensis, Japanese Silver Feather Grass (see photo of Miscanthus at the end of this Monday Garden Report). This has become the most vigorous, well-established grass of those I planted in the spring of 2015. I have read that some of these Miscanthus imports from Asia have a reputation for invasive spreading (particularly in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states), but I’ve seen no evidence of that behavior so far–and would remove the plant if it did become an unruly bully. I’m attracted to the airy panicles of tiny seeds, silently swaying in the gentlest wind, with the green yews as their backdrop. Two other Miscanthus cultivars, labeled “Gracillimus” and “Red Arrow,” have also done reasonably well, but they are not as tall and have produced fewer seed heads. We will wait another year or two to decide how well these cousins collaborate with each other.
• Hakonechloa macra, Hakone Grass. This is another Japanese import, named after Mount Hakone (a mountain in Japan where the grass is found). In the last three years I’ve planted five Hakone grasses, but only one, next to the NW garden bench, has survived, has modestly expanded (via rhizomes), and has developed an attractive mound of arching, bamboo-like foliage.
• Bouteloua gracilus, Blue Grama Blond Ambition (also called Mosquito Grass, because of its seeds, which someone thought resembled mosquito larva). Planted mid-border, among some Purple Coneflowers, this North American native grass has managed to hang on, but this sun-lover needs to be moved forward, closer to the front of the border. Although I expected it to grow 2-3 feet in height, it is not even one foot tall, completely overshadowed by its neighbors.
• Eragrostis spectabilis, Purple Love Grass. This is another Midwest native originally planted too far back in the bed, but I moved it to the front of the border last year. The two clumps have each settled comfortably into their new home, separated by a Blue Queen Salvia, and have each produced a shimmering, veil-like canopy of seed heads.
• Stachys byzantina, Helene von Stein Lamb’s Ear. I planted one of these Lamb’s Ear in the “D” bed in the spring of 2015, and it quickly became one of my favorite foliage plants. It seems unfazed by weather: wet or dry, hot or cold, it always looks cool and collected. It does not flower, but the large, greenish/white, felt-like leaves are very attractive. Last summer I added three more of these Helene von Steins, so we have matching pairs facing each other in the “D” and “K” flower beds. Because the leaves hold up well even in severely cold weather, I have never cut back the foliage in the fall, but for the long-term health of these mint-family plants, I probably should prune them so the leaves are less likely to smother the crown during wet and cold weather.
• Brunnera macrophylla, Jack Frost and Silver Heart Siberian Bugloss. These Brunnera, also planted in the spring of 2015, have proven–like the Helene von Stein Lamb’s Ear–to be plants with multiple-season interest. Last year the temperature had to drop below 10F before the foliage turned gray and black. For some reason none of the various Hosta cultivars I’ve planted under the flowering crab in the NW corner has done well, but both of these Siberian bugloss have excelled. Perhaps I should give up on the hostas and turn this area into a bugloss conservatory.
• Waldsteinia ternata, Barren Strawberries. Although they provide lovely little yellow flowers in the early spring, for the rest of the year they are a small patch of nondescript ground cover. They require no care and are slowly expanding (unlike the rambuctious wild strawberries from Minnesota planted along the south side of the patio, who want to take over the entire garden). What I should do is plant another 20-30 of these Waldsteinia so they thoroughly cover this corner of the “K” bed. Next to the strawberries, the Lamium galeobdolon (Hermann’s Pride dead nettle) has received many rave reviews for doing well in dry shade, but it has never thrived in this NW corner. If it comes up next spring, I will move it to another location with a fresh soil/compost mix and see what happens.
• Amsonia hubrichtii, Bluestar Amsonia (the species named in honor of Leslie Hubricht, who first discovered it growing wild in Arkansas in the early 1940s). In Reiman Gardens in Ames I have seen clumps of this Amsonia producing dramatic pockets of brilliant yellow foliage. Although my two Amsonia have dutifully come up each spring for three years, they have not flowered, have produced no seeds, and have not expanded. They both have lovely fall foliage, but for any appreciable effect they need to be seen in mass. Next spring I intend to replant them in a richer soil mix, closer to the front of the border, and add 5-6 more Bluestar buddies, hoping they might begin to catch up with the Amsonia in Ames.
• Artemisia ludoviciana, Valerie Finnis Cut Leaf White Sage, with an endearing common species name: Western Mugwort. In the middle of the summer, this clump of artemisia looked awful, its few leaves brown and crumbly. Although I was tempted to dig it up and throw it in the compost pile, I cut everything back to the ground, and now three months later, we have an attractive patch of white sage. Similar experience with a Pulmonaria samourai lungwort: foliage was gray and brown by the middle of the summer, but after a severe pruning, it bounced back and now appears revived and sprightly.
• Platycodon grandiflorus, Balloon Flowers. These 2-3 foot tall species have become one of the “K” bed’s dominant flowers. All derive from a few scattered plants present when I started working in the garden four years ago. The large, purple-blue, bell-shaped blooms first appear early in the summer and continue through September. In fact, today I saw a single bloom on one plant. They have steadily expanded across a swath of the mid-border. Their green, lance-shaped leaves on tightly clustered stems effectively hide the foliage of the daffodils after they finish blooming.
• Four Small Salvias. Near the front of the “K” bed border is a row of four small salvias, producing throughout the summer and fall a series of erect spikes topped with tiny, tubular, dark blue blooms. Now in their third season, they are obviously a robust, winter-hardy salvia. I also like them because they never need pruning. Although I can remember planting them, I have no recollection where I bought them or what is their species/cultivar name. This summer I went through records of my flower purchases, trying to find a salvia that fit their description. No success. Very frustrating. On the other hand, at the east end of the “K” bed is a salvia for which I do have a label: a Salvia x sylvestris Blue Queen, a larger salvia with blue-violet blooms. Although an attractive plant, it does appreciate a mid-summer haircut.
Monday Morning Garden Report: 2 October 2017
My last Monday report focused on enduring gaps in the flower beds that have successfully defied my efforts to fill those spaces. This week’s observations turn to the east end of the garden and the two beds yoked together by the pergola. While in the last three years each bed has been significantly changed--a rain garden in the “G” bed and a wood chip path winding through the “H” bed–both areas have retained a sizable chunk of “wild” terrain, the plants left to their own devices to fight it out with their neighbors, a survival-of-the-fittest testing ground.
As one might expect these two wild areas have similar vegetation, dominated by plants with aggressive, spreading root systems: horsetail, gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), swamp milkweed, thistles, goldenrod, bindweed, New England asters, several clumps of Siberian Iris, an occasional sedge or tuft of grass (mostly foxtail), and Queen Anne’s Lace–a biennial capable of effectively finding hospitable openings in this perennial jungle. Less aggressive opportunists include a few garden phlox and a few Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers). In the “G” bed there was also a sizable area that had attracted a particularly irascible nuisance: crown vetch (Coronilla varia).
When I first spotted this patch of crown vetch, I initially fooled myself into thinking it might be a nice addition to the garden. In the 1960s my father planted this legume on a washed out embankment on our farm, and it proved to be an amazing plant, quickly covering the area, halting any further erosion, and producing lovely foliage with pale pink blooms. It also proved to be very hardy, unfazed by either winter blizzards or a summer’s long, hot dry spells. While this Mediterranean import worked great on our Kansas farm, I have often regretted not digging up that crown vetch when I first identified it in the Coe garden. It has an incredible root system–which helps to explain its anti-erosion properties–and has relentlessly spread in all directions, its roots assiduously becoming interwoven with its neighbors. As with the horsetail, loosestrife, milkweed, thistles, and asters the only solution is to dig deep, turn over all the soil, and remove even the smallest fragments of roots.
So, for the past week, I have been digging and re-digging substantial chunks of the wild areas. Some of the roots, such as the horsetail, go very deep, and I know I won’t have 100% success, but I’m hoping to clear out these areas with sufficient thoroughness so new perennials–whatever they may be–will have a reasonable chance of success. In the process, I am also trying to rescue a few flowers: the garden phlox, the Rudbeckia, the Siberian Iris. These I have been replanting, trusting any short-lived extrication from the wilderness will not prove too traumatic. And at the edge of the “H” wilderness was a single, large peony I wanted to salvage and use as the anchor for a new row of peonies. In the corner of another bed were several peonies experiencing difficulties competing with a flotilla of Siberian Iris. I dug up those peonies and arranged them in a half circle across the middle of the “G” bed. During this transferral process, I found two peonies that still had their nursery’s plastic labels: a “Gerry” peony (which should produce large, fragrant fuchsia blooms) and a “Lake of Silver” (pink blossoms with golden anthers). Dividing the roots produced eight new peonies, probably worth over $150 if purchased online. These will be the first peonies in the garden where I can feel reasonably certain of their identity.
Despite some replanting (and in a few instances, allowing several clumps of phlox and asters to remain in their original location), most of the soil I have been turning over and mixing with fresh compost is now stripped of all vegetation. A tabula rasa. One task this winter will be to decide how to fill these fresh gaps. South of the pergola, I had been leaning toward planting a Japanese maple in the center of the peninsula that thrusts itself into the middle of the rain garden. We have a Japanese maple in our backyard that I have grown to love, and I recall seeing Japanese maples in several English gardens visited in recent years. I just read an article, however, warning that the JMs have become an invasive species in some areas. While the article has motivated me to do some further research, our backyard maple has never produced any offspring, and I’m inclined to think we can find a cultivar that won’t be a problem. We still have a few months before we’ll do any planting. Thank goodness for winter, providing time to do some planning before the forsythia blooms announce spring has returned and it’s time to get back to work.
The photo below shows the "G" bed peninsula, just before peonies were transplanted from another flower bed.
My last Monday report focused on enduring gaps in the flower beds that have successfully defied my efforts to fill those spaces. This week’s observations turn to the east end of the garden and the two beds yoked together by the pergola. While in the last three years each bed has been significantly changed--a rain garden in the “G” bed and a wood chip path winding through the “H” bed–both areas have retained a sizable chunk of “wild” terrain, the plants left to their own devices to fight it out with their neighbors, a survival-of-the-fittest testing ground.
As one might expect these two wild areas have similar vegetation, dominated by plants with aggressive, spreading root systems: horsetail, gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), swamp milkweed, thistles, goldenrod, bindweed, New England asters, several clumps of Siberian Iris, an occasional sedge or tuft of grass (mostly foxtail), and Queen Anne’s Lace–a biennial capable of effectively finding hospitable openings in this perennial jungle. Less aggressive opportunists include a few garden phlox and a few Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers). In the “G” bed there was also a sizable area that had attracted a particularly irascible nuisance: crown vetch (Coronilla varia).
When I first spotted this patch of crown vetch, I initially fooled myself into thinking it might be a nice addition to the garden. In the 1960s my father planted this legume on a washed out embankment on our farm, and it proved to be an amazing plant, quickly covering the area, halting any further erosion, and producing lovely foliage with pale pink blooms. It also proved to be very hardy, unfazed by either winter blizzards or a summer’s long, hot dry spells. While this Mediterranean import worked great on our Kansas farm, I have often regretted not digging up that crown vetch when I first identified it in the Coe garden. It has an incredible root system–which helps to explain its anti-erosion properties–and has relentlessly spread in all directions, its roots assiduously becoming interwoven with its neighbors. As with the horsetail, loosestrife, milkweed, thistles, and asters the only solution is to dig deep, turn over all the soil, and remove even the smallest fragments of roots.
So, for the past week, I have been digging and re-digging substantial chunks of the wild areas. Some of the roots, such as the horsetail, go very deep, and I know I won’t have 100% success, but I’m hoping to clear out these areas with sufficient thoroughness so new perennials–whatever they may be–will have a reasonable chance of success. In the process, I am also trying to rescue a few flowers: the garden phlox, the Rudbeckia, the Siberian Iris. These I have been replanting, trusting any short-lived extrication from the wilderness will not prove too traumatic. And at the edge of the “H” wilderness was a single, large peony I wanted to salvage and use as the anchor for a new row of peonies. In the corner of another bed were several peonies experiencing difficulties competing with a flotilla of Siberian Iris. I dug up those peonies and arranged them in a half circle across the middle of the “G” bed. During this transferral process, I found two peonies that still had their nursery’s plastic labels: a “Gerry” peony (which should produce large, fragrant fuchsia blooms) and a “Lake of Silver” (pink blossoms with golden anthers). Dividing the roots produced eight new peonies, probably worth over $150 if purchased online. These will be the first peonies in the garden where I can feel reasonably certain of their identity.
Despite some replanting (and in a few instances, allowing several clumps of phlox and asters to remain in their original location), most of the soil I have been turning over and mixing with fresh compost is now stripped of all vegetation. A tabula rasa. One task this winter will be to decide how to fill these fresh gaps. South of the pergola, I had been leaning toward planting a Japanese maple in the center of the peninsula that thrusts itself into the middle of the rain garden. We have a Japanese maple in our backyard that I have grown to love, and I recall seeing Japanese maples in several English gardens visited in recent years. I just read an article, however, warning that the JMs have become an invasive species in some areas. While the article has motivated me to do some further research, our backyard maple has never produced any offspring, and I’m inclined to think we can find a cultivar that won’t be a problem. We still have a few months before we’ll do any planting. Thank goodness for winter, providing time to do some planning before the forsythia blooms announce spring has returned and it’s time to get back to work.
The photo below shows the "G" bed peninsula, just before peonies were transplanted from another flower bed.
Monday Morning Garden Report: 11 September 2017
Perhaps it’s fitting that on the 9/11 anniversary, this garden report focuses on the spaces in the garden that are fragmented, chaotic, disordered, incomplete, missing “something.” Fortunately the garden has not been the target of a terrorist attack–though this summer’s relentless six-week assault by thousands of Japanese beetles often felt like we were under an alien siege. But on most mornings, when first entering the garden, the topography looks reasonably intact and I experience a moment of physical pleasure. My garden eyes quickly scan the walled-in landscape, absorbing the color combinations, enjoying those initial seconds of renewed intimacy. It does not take long, however, before my attention shifts to the gaps, the absences, the barren intervals in the canvas, the spaces where things are just not right. Here are a few of those failures of design and/or execution that caught my eye on this Monday morning in September.
• The raised “A1” bed south of the patio. I’m pleased with the asclepias at the west end of the bed and the hostas transplanted last year to the east end. But the intervening 15’ stretch is an incoherent mess. Although the small dianthus has produced some lovely blooms, it needs to be moved to the front of a border next to the gravel walkway where the blooms can be more easily seen. The same with the lychnis ‘Lipstick’. The primrose has produced dynamic yellow blooms throughout the summer, but the flowers only last a day and the plant doesn’t fit well with any of its neighbors. The goldenrod cultivar in the middle of the bed had some attractive blooms earlier this summer, but once the blooms had faded and I cut back the foliage, the result was a lump of dull, weedy-looking foliage with a few small, second-cycle blossoms. Earlier in the summer the vigor of the goldenrod and a neighboring catmint completely overwhelmed a small balloon flower--which remains just barely alive. The most vigorous plants in the area are a New England aster and several stalks of Sweet Annie: both look like uncivilized, unwanted invaders. My initial plan was for this bed to become a cutting garden, and perhaps I should return to that idea. Another approach would be to add more asclepias so they stretch across the bed and provide a more notable target for any visiting Monarchs. Since the milkweed’s seed pods are just now opening, I will spread some fresh seeds across the bed and see what appears next spring.
• The east end of the A1 border, south of the patio. The most satisfying success has been the ‘Millennial’ allium planted last summer at the corner of the walkway. The foliage still looks fresh and green, and the blooms lasted for almost two months. The white-flowering shrub (whose name escapes me at the moment) planted in that corner is too close to the allium and should be moved back. Behind that is the agapanthus, which did bloom this year, but the foliage never filled out, and the area around the agapanthus looks barren. One option is to add more agapanthus, now that I know it can survive an Iowa winter. Last year I planted sweet peas in this corner—and the flower support for the sweet peas is till there—but they did not self-seed and did not return this year. As for the Joan Eliot campanula, they had nice blooms in late spring, but the blooms did not last long, and the foliage does not show much vigor. I made the mistake of planting those three campanula in a straight row. They need to be regrouped and surrounded by plants that can help fill the space once the campanula blooms are gone. The geranium renardii cranesbill and another small cranesbill have done okay in this area, but neither bloomed this year, and they should be moved to the front of the border with several other small cranesbill.
• The ”C” bed, directly in front of the patio, looked better this year than in the past, primarily because of the emergence of the daylilies planted in the spring of 2016. They produced a nice flower show in July, but after the blooms were gone, I should have been more proactive in removing the flower stalks and the dead foliage. Given the prominence of this bed and its twin on the other side of the walkway, we need more “flower power” in that space at the end of summer and early fall, the time span when the garden is most frequently visited. I wonder if there are any alliums that are late-season bloomers–or perhaps the solution is using some annuals as bedding plants intermixed with the daylilies. Also of concern are several dead spots behind the iron-ore red park bench. Only one of the tube roses bloomed, and none produced as much foliage as I expected. The Kansas gayfeathers have expanded, and perhaps we should fill in these open areas with more gayfeathers.
• In the the “D” bed, the patch of the astilbes at the west end has dried up. They simply did not get enough moisture—unlike the astilbe in the rain garden, who have done much better handling this long stretch of dry weather. The astilbe will come back in the spring, but this will not be a healthy-looking area for the rest of 2017. Another barren area is the space around the burgundy foliage cranesbill. That plant, now in its third location, did not bloom and is smaller than last year. Perhaps it should join the row of border cranesbills under the flowering crab in the “A1” bed. Another dead area in the “D” bed is behind the gazing ball. Twice I’ve planted poppies in that area, but only one poppy emerged this spring. Of the lupine I planted, only one has thrived. I still have a bag of lupine seed in the frig at home. Perhaps I should spread some seed this fall and see what germinates. The lupine in the raised bed on the other side of the garden did well this year, its unique foliage still looking very attractive. The lupine blooms don’t last very long, but they are wonderful flowers. The blue fescue in this bed is another source of frustration. A row of three fescue along the east end of this bed is doing well, but two of the three fescue on the north side of the border are very anemic, looking more dead than alive. I had hoped transplanting them into a new mix of soil and compost would prove beneficial, but not so far. That’s the case throughout the garden: half of the Elijah Blue fescue are doing well, half are struggling.
Well, that should be a sufficient litany of my gardening failures for one morning. Next week, I will focus on problems at the east end of the garden. ~Bob
Perhaps it’s fitting that on the 9/11 anniversary, this garden report focuses on the spaces in the garden that are fragmented, chaotic, disordered, incomplete, missing “something.” Fortunately the garden has not been the target of a terrorist attack–though this summer’s relentless six-week assault by thousands of Japanese beetles often felt like we were under an alien siege. But on most mornings, when first entering the garden, the topography looks reasonably intact and I experience a moment of physical pleasure. My garden eyes quickly scan the walled-in landscape, absorbing the color combinations, enjoying those initial seconds of renewed intimacy. It does not take long, however, before my attention shifts to the gaps, the absences, the barren intervals in the canvas, the spaces where things are just not right. Here are a few of those failures of design and/or execution that caught my eye on this Monday morning in September.
• The raised “A1” bed south of the patio. I’m pleased with the asclepias at the west end of the bed and the hostas transplanted last year to the east end. But the intervening 15’ stretch is an incoherent mess. Although the small dianthus has produced some lovely blooms, it needs to be moved to the front of a border next to the gravel walkway where the blooms can be more easily seen. The same with the lychnis ‘Lipstick’. The primrose has produced dynamic yellow blooms throughout the summer, but the flowers only last a day and the plant doesn’t fit well with any of its neighbors. The goldenrod cultivar in the middle of the bed had some attractive blooms earlier this summer, but once the blooms had faded and I cut back the foliage, the result was a lump of dull, weedy-looking foliage with a few small, second-cycle blossoms. Earlier in the summer the vigor of the goldenrod and a neighboring catmint completely overwhelmed a small balloon flower--which remains just barely alive. The most vigorous plants in the area are a New England aster and several stalks of Sweet Annie: both look like uncivilized, unwanted invaders. My initial plan was for this bed to become a cutting garden, and perhaps I should return to that idea. Another approach would be to add more asclepias so they stretch across the bed and provide a more notable target for any visiting Monarchs. Since the milkweed’s seed pods are just now opening, I will spread some fresh seeds across the bed and see what appears next spring.
• The east end of the A1 border, south of the patio. The most satisfying success has been the ‘Millennial’ allium planted last summer at the corner of the walkway. The foliage still looks fresh and green, and the blooms lasted for almost two months. The white-flowering shrub (whose name escapes me at the moment) planted in that corner is too close to the allium and should be moved back. Behind that is the agapanthus, which did bloom this year, but the foliage never filled out, and the area around the agapanthus looks barren. One option is to add more agapanthus, now that I know it can survive an Iowa winter. Last year I planted sweet peas in this corner—and the flower support for the sweet peas is till there—but they did not self-seed and did not return this year. As for the Joan Eliot campanula, they had nice blooms in late spring, but the blooms did not last long, and the foliage does not show much vigor. I made the mistake of planting those three campanula in a straight row. They need to be regrouped and surrounded by plants that can help fill the space once the campanula blooms are gone. The geranium renardii cranesbill and another small cranesbill have done okay in this area, but neither bloomed this year, and they should be moved to the front of the border with several other small cranesbill.
• The ”C” bed, directly in front of the patio, looked better this year than in the past, primarily because of the emergence of the daylilies planted in the spring of 2016. They produced a nice flower show in July, but after the blooms were gone, I should have been more proactive in removing the flower stalks and the dead foliage. Given the prominence of this bed and its twin on the other side of the walkway, we need more “flower power” in that space at the end of summer and early fall, the time span when the garden is most frequently visited. I wonder if there are any alliums that are late-season bloomers–or perhaps the solution is using some annuals as bedding plants intermixed with the daylilies. Also of concern are several dead spots behind the iron-ore red park bench. Only one of the tube roses bloomed, and none produced as much foliage as I expected. The Kansas gayfeathers have expanded, and perhaps we should fill in these open areas with more gayfeathers.
• In the the “D” bed, the patch of the astilbes at the west end has dried up. They simply did not get enough moisture—unlike the astilbe in the rain garden, who have done much better handling this long stretch of dry weather. The astilbe will come back in the spring, but this will not be a healthy-looking area for the rest of 2017. Another barren area is the space around the burgundy foliage cranesbill. That plant, now in its third location, did not bloom and is smaller than last year. Perhaps it should join the row of border cranesbills under the flowering crab in the “A1” bed. Another dead area in the “D” bed is behind the gazing ball. Twice I’ve planted poppies in that area, but only one poppy emerged this spring. Of the lupine I planted, only one has thrived. I still have a bag of lupine seed in the frig at home. Perhaps I should spread some seed this fall and see what germinates. The lupine in the raised bed on the other side of the garden did well this year, its unique foliage still looking very attractive. The lupine blooms don’t last very long, but they are wonderful flowers. The blue fescue in this bed is another source of frustration. A row of three fescue along the east end of this bed is doing well, but two of the three fescue on the north side of the border are very anemic, looking more dead than alive. I had hoped transplanting them into a new mix of soil and compost would prove beneficial, but not so far. That’s the case throughout the garden: half of the Elijah Blue fescue are doing well, half are struggling.
Well, that should be a sufficient litany of my gardening failures for one morning. Next week, I will focus on problems at the east end of the garden. ~Bob
Monday Morning Garden Report: Thursday, 31 August 2017
In deciding which shrubs and flowers will become permanent residents in the Alumni House Garden, I place a significant value on their ability to thrive–or at least survive–the hot and often dry months of July and August. Although I don’t mind watering recent arrivals, I would prefer that most of the garden’s inhabitants can handle a dry spell in the middle of the summer without too much stress. But on Thursday morning, I spent an hour pulling the garden hose around the quad, watering many of the plants that don’t receive much rainfall when the irrigation system waters the grass plots in the early morning hours. Since watering these plants involves a lot of standing and looking, I decided to create a Last-Week-in-August Checklist of all the garden’s plants with at least a few flowers in bloom. The garden’s peak bloom period is in July--dominated by the loud, extroverted daylilies--but even on the last day of August there were still over 120 varieties of different flowers in bloom, excluding the ornamental grasses. What follows is an alphabetical list of the August 31 bloomers, organized by the common names I use when I’m talking with them. In the parenthetical comments I have occasionally included their scientific names and/or the number of different cultivars/varieties in bloom. ~Bob
• Amaranth (red and yellow leaves and flowers)
• Aster (at least six different varieties now blooming, including the ubiquitous New England Asters, several clumps of Aromatic Asters, and a Woods Purple Aster, a short front-of-the-border cultivar)
• Balloon Flower (entering their final days but still a few blue and light pink blooms can be found)
• Basil (seven varieties, all trying to blossom; most I’ve been trimming so they will continue to produce fresh basil leaves for garden visitors to harvest)
• Beardtongue (‘Red Rocks’ penstemon, now in its second bloom cycle)
• Bindweed (a weed I’ve attempted to eliminate but some always manage to escape my attention and produce their white, morning-glory blooms)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta; past their prime but still one of the garden’s dominant bloom factories; we also have an annual Black-Eyed Susan vine–not a Rudbeckia--that has self-seeded from a single plant in last year’s garden, producing yellow, trumpet-shaped blossoms attractive to our hummingbirds)
• Boltonia (two cultivars of these “false asters” now in bloom)
• Brunnera (the ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera produce gorgeous little forget-me-not blooms in the spring, but one of the Brunnera at the edge of the rain garden has one stem with a few blooms)
• Butterfly Bush (Two Buddleia bushes, favorites of many pollen gatherers)
• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa, a milkweed whose seed pods were covered with black and orange milkweed bugs)
• Calendula (one batch of calendula has already gone through two bloom cycles; perhaps a recent trimming will stimulate a final round)
• Clematis (several lovely blooms have just appeared on the clematis located on a rain garden berm)
• Cosmos (several cosmos mixed in with the northern dahlia bed)
• Cranesbill (four perennial geraniums in bloom: Lancaster, Sanguineum, Wlassovlanum, and Rozanne, now in its prime bloom cycle)
• Dahlia (nine varieties in bloom; the Kelvin Floodlight and the Bishop Llandaff dahlias draw the most attention, but the southern dahlia bed also has an arresting dahlia with occasional white petals appearing among the 3-4" burgundy blossoms)
• Daisy (two Shasta Daisies, plus a few Ox-Eyes)
• Daylily (most are done for the year but the Stella d’oro and a couple other rebloomers are occasionally producing new blossoms)
• Delphinium (a dwarf variety has just begun its second bloom cycle)
• Dianthus (the 'Firewitch' Dianthus, severely trimmed back in July, has generated new foliage and a few blossoms; behind a butterly bush is a Velvet ‘n Lace Dianthus also beginning a second bloom cycle)
• Dill (ready for pickling)
• Gaillardia (in the "G" bed found only one blanket flower with a single bloom--probably suffering from loss of sunlight with taller flowers on three sides)
• Gazania (a few, very short gazania in one of the dahlia beds)
• Goldenrod (I’m not sure of the identity of some goldenrods, but at least three are now blooming, including one short, front-of-the-border cultivar)
• Gooseneck (because of their aggressive root system, I’m removing these loosestrife from several areas, but their white arching bloomheads still play an important role in the beds at the east end of the garden)
• Hellennium (three H. autumnale blooming, including one that has a full canopy of brown and orange blossoms, perfect flowers for introducing the fall season)
• Honeysuckle (the honeysuckle climbing on the fence next to the NW gate has begun a second bloom cycle)
• Hosta (four cultivars, all the late summer bloomers tend to be fragrant)
• Hydrangea (two matching shrubs at the east end of the garden)
• Joe Pye Weed (a bee and butterfly favorite)
• Kniphofia (one Red Hot Poker plant in a small pot; a new bloom has just appeared)
• Lavender (currently hidden behind the dill and basil in one of the herb beds)
• Lobelia (three species, a Crystal Palace annual in the crevice garden and in the rain garden the perennials L. cardinalis and L. siphilitica, the latter now covered with gorgeous blue blossoms)
• London Pride (another common name is Jerusalem Cross; has been producing bright red blossoms all summer)
• Mallow (has successfully self-seeded, now located in three beds)
• Marigold (one pot of marigolds with long-lasting blooms all summer)
• Mint (four now in bloom, including two hyssops)
• Mountain Fleeceflower (Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ produced some marvelous blooms last year along the south side of the rain garden; this year only one plant is blooming)
• Nekan Blue Sage (Salvia azura with lovely, light blue blossoms)
• Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana, a native North American perennial, now the dominant flowering plant in several beds)
• Oregano (two varieties)
• Pearly Everlasting (a transplant from the Wilderness Field Station)
• Peacock Orchids (ten different batches throughout the garden, all in bloom)
• Phlox (most of the garden variety phlox are done blooming but two hybrid whites and a lovely phlox purchased at Frontier last summer are still blooming)
• Potentilla (this small pink shrub at the east end of the garden has been blooming all summer)
• Purple Coneflowers (well past their prime but a few fresh blossoms can still be found)
• Queen Anne’s Lace (a “weed” mostly contained in the two “wild” garden areas)
• Roses (a few pink blooms, each lasting a couple of days)
• Rue (one clump of yellow blossoms on this classic, herb-garden stalwart)
• Russian Sage (three batches blooming most of the summer)
• Scabiosa (three varieties in bloom, including Butterfly Blue and Black Knight, the latter featured in the photo at the end of this list)
• Speedwell (a Veronica spicata with pink blossoms)
• Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana; a self-seeding annual also known by the name Grandfather’s Whiskers)
• Stonecrop (seven different varieties in bloom, the smaller ones located in the rock and crevice gardens)
• Sweet Marjoram (tiny white flowers easy to miss)
• Tansy (three clumps in bloom, located in three different flower beds; in September one of the clumps will be removed--along with its two companions, the crown vetch and the gooseneck loosestrife)
• Thyme (the creeping thyme in the herb beds has been blooming most of the summer; the English thyme in the crevice garden has just begun to bloom)
• Tickseed (four coreopsis in bloom, including one annual–a vigorous self-seeder–and three perennials: Zagreb, Cosmic Eye, and Route 66)
• Tuberose (one of three Polianthes tuberosa is now blooming; a member of the agave family, this flower is the most intensely fragrant flower in the garden; its only challenger would be a viburnum that blooms early in the spring)
• Turtlehead (in the rain garden two clumps with their distinctive, pink, end-of-summer blossoms)
• Weigela (three Wine and Rose Weigela have produced a few late-season blooms)
• Wisteria (one fragrant clump of blossoms on the largest wisteria’s third bloom cycle)
• White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum)
• Yarrow (three varieties blooming; the two Ballerina Yarrows with their small white blossoms are now enjoying–after a severe pruning in July--a robust second bloom cycle)
• X Plants (three different flowers in bloom I have never managed to identify, including several clumps of a sedum-like plant with lovely yellow blooms in the northeast corner)
In deciding which shrubs and flowers will become permanent residents in the Alumni House Garden, I place a significant value on their ability to thrive–or at least survive–the hot and often dry months of July and August. Although I don’t mind watering recent arrivals, I would prefer that most of the garden’s inhabitants can handle a dry spell in the middle of the summer without too much stress. But on Thursday morning, I spent an hour pulling the garden hose around the quad, watering many of the plants that don’t receive much rainfall when the irrigation system waters the grass plots in the early morning hours. Since watering these plants involves a lot of standing and looking, I decided to create a Last-Week-in-August Checklist of all the garden’s plants with at least a few flowers in bloom. The garden’s peak bloom period is in July--dominated by the loud, extroverted daylilies--but even on the last day of August there were still over 120 varieties of different flowers in bloom, excluding the ornamental grasses. What follows is an alphabetical list of the August 31 bloomers, organized by the common names I use when I’m talking with them. In the parenthetical comments I have occasionally included their scientific names and/or the number of different cultivars/varieties in bloom. ~Bob
• Amaranth (red and yellow leaves and flowers)
• Aster (at least six different varieties now blooming, including the ubiquitous New England Asters, several clumps of Aromatic Asters, and a Woods Purple Aster, a short front-of-the-border cultivar)
• Balloon Flower (entering their final days but still a few blue and light pink blooms can be found)
• Basil (seven varieties, all trying to blossom; most I’ve been trimming so they will continue to produce fresh basil leaves for garden visitors to harvest)
• Beardtongue (‘Red Rocks’ penstemon, now in its second bloom cycle)
• Bindweed (a weed I’ve attempted to eliminate but some always manage to escape my attention and produce their white, morning-glory blooms)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta; past their prime but still one of the garden’s dominant bloom factories; we also have an annual Black-Eyed Susan vine–not a Rudbeckia--that has self-seeded from a single plant in last year’s garden, producing yellow, trumpet-shaped blossoms attractive to our hummingbirds)
• Boltonia (two cultivars of these “false asters” now in bloom)
• Brunnera (the ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera produce gorgeous little forget-me-not blooms in the spring, but one of the Brunnera at the edge of the rain garden has one stem with a few blooms)
• Butterfly Bush (Two Buddleia bushes, favorites of many pollen gatherers)
• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa, a milkweed whose seed pods were covered with black and orange milkweed bugs)
• Calendula (one batch of calendula has already gone through two bloom cycles; perhaps a recent trimming will stimulate a final round)
• Clematis (several lovely blooms have just appeared on the clematis located on a rain garden berm)
• Cosmos (several cosmos mixed in with the northern dahlia bed)
• Cranesbill (four perennial geraniums in bloom: Lancaster, Sanguineum, Wlassovlanum, and Rozanne, now in its prime bloom cycle)
• Dahlia (nine varieties in bloom; the Kelvin Floodlight and the Bishop Llandaff dahlias draw the most attention, but the southern dahlia bed also has an arresting dahlia with occasional white petals appearing among the 3-4" burgundy blossoms)
• Daisy (two Shasta Daisies, plus a few Ox-Eyes)
• Daylily (most are done for the year but the Stella d’oro and a couple other rebloomers are occasionally producing new blossoms)
• Delphinium (a dwarf variety has just begun its second bloom cycle)
• Dianthus (the 'Firewitch' Dianthus, severely trimmed back in July, has generated new foliage and a few blossoms; behind a butterly bush is a Velvet ‘n Lace Dianthus also beginning a second bloom cycle)
• Dill (ready for pickling)
• Gaillardia (in the "G" bed found only one blanket flower with a single bloom--probably suffering from loss of sunlight with taller flowers on three sides)
• Gazania (a few, very short gazania in one of the dahlia beds)
• Goldenrod (I’m not sure of the identity of some goldenrods, but at least three are now blooming, including one short, front-of-the-border cultivar)
• Gooseneck (because of their aggressive root system, I’m removing these loosestrife from several areas, but their white arching bloomheads still play an important role in the beds at the east end of the garden)
• Hellennium (three H. autumnale blooming, including one that has a full canopy of brown and orange blossoms, perfect flowers for introducing the fall season)
• Honeysuckle (the honeysuckle climbing on the fence next to the NW gate has begun a second bloom cycle)
• Hosta (four cultivars, all the late summer bloomers tend to be fragrant)
• Hydrangea (two matching shrubs at the east end of the garden)
• Joe Pye Weed (a bee and butterfly favorite)
• Kniphofia (one Red Hot Poker plant in a small pot; a new bloom has just appeared)
• Lavender (currently hidden behind the dill and basil in one of the herb beds)
• Lobelia (three species, a Crystal Palace annual in the crevice garden and in the rain garden the perennials L. cardinalis and L. siphilitica, the latter now covered with gorgeous blue blossoms)
• London Pride (another common name is Jerusalem Cross; has been producing bright red blossoms all summer)
• Mallow (has successfully self-seeded, now located in three beds)
• Marigold (one pot of marigolds with long-lasting blooms all summer)
• Mint (four now in bloom, including two hyssops)
• Mountain Fleeceflower (Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ produced some marvelous blooms last year along the south side of the rain garden; this year only one plant is blooming)
• Nekan Blue Sage (Salvia azura with lovely, light blue blossoms)
• Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana, a native North American perennial, now the dominant flowering plant in several beds)
• Oregano (two varieties)
• Pearly Everlasting (a transplant from the Wilderness Field Station)
• Peacock Orchids (ten different batches throughout the garden, all in bloom)
• Phlox (most of the garden variety phlox are done blooming but two hybrid whites and a lovely phlox purchased at Frontier last summer are still blooming)
• Potentilla (this small pink shrub at the east end of the garden has been blooming all summer)
• Purple Coneflowers (well past their prime but a few fresh blossoms can still be found)
• Queen Anne’s Lace (a “weed” mostly contained in the two “wild” garden areas)
• Roses (a few pink blooms, each lasting a couple of days)
• Rue (one clump of yellow blossoms on this classic, herb-garden stalwart)
• Russian Sage (three batches blooming most of the summer)
• Scabiosa (three varieties in bloom, including Butterfly Blue and Black Knight, the latter featured in the photo at the end of this list)
• Speedwell (a Veronica spicata with pink blossoms)
• Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana; a self-seeding annual also known by the name Grandfather’s Whiskers)
• Stonecrop (seven different varieties in bloom, the smaller ones located in the rock and crevice gardens)
• Sweet Marjoram (tiny white flowers easy to miss)
• Tansy (three clumps in bloom, located in three different flower beds; in September one of the clumps will be removed--along with its two companions, the crown vetch and the gooseneck loosestrife)
• Thyme (the creeping thyme in the herb beds has been blooming most of the summer; the English thyme in the crevice garden has just begun to bloom)
• Tickseed (four coreopsis in bloom, including one annual–a vigorous self-seeder–and three perennials: Zagreb, Cosmic Eye, and Route 66)
• Tuberose (one of three Polianthes tuberosa is now blooming; a member of the agave family, this flower is the most intensely fragrant flower in the garden; its only challenger would be a viburnum that blooms early in the spring)
• Turtlehead (in the rain garden two clumps with their distinctive, pink, end-of-summer blossoms)
• Weigela (three Wine and Rose Weigela have produced a few late-season blooms)
• Wisteria (one fragrant clump of blossoms on the largest wisteria’s third bloom cycle)
• White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum)
• Yarrow (three varieties blooming; the two Ballerina Yarrows with their small white blossoms are now enjoying–after a severe pruning in July--a robust second bloom cycle)
• X Plants (three different flowers in bloom I have never managed to identify, including several clumps of a sedum-like plant with lovely yellow blooms in the northeast corner)
Monday Morning Garden Report: 21 August 2017
My walk around the garden on Monday occurred early in the afternoon, right after lunch. It was the day of the partial eclipse, and I wanted to see how the garden was affected by a premature and temporary dusk. When I arrived in the garden about 12:25 (Iowa's Central Daylight Savings Time; 11:25 God's Garden Time), we had a fairly uniform cloud cover. I could locate the sun overhead, but its light was muffled and diffused by the intervening clouds. As the sun was approaching its zenith, there was quite a bit of activity in the garden: the goldfinches were chirping and feeding on the purple coneflowers, several small butterflies (white cabbages and a small orange/brown resident I have never managed to identify) were moving from flower to flower, the bumble bees were patiently working across the Joe Pye Weed blooms, and the black wasps were busy attending to the oregano. By 1:00 pm, the light had become muted and there was no movement in the garden. Everyone had disappeared. There was not even any breeze. Everything was still, at rest, waiting. Within the hour, however, the mid-afternoon dream had passed, the wasps and bees and butterflies and goldfinches had returned to their duties, and all was right with the world.
While attending to some of my own afternoon gardening duties, I also noted the following:
Crystal Palace Lobelia. Two years ago, we had a marvelous Crystal Palace Lobelia in the crevice garden. It was planted early in July (having been started from seed earlier in the spring), and by the second week in August was covered with these small but marvelous deep blue blooms that remained until the first freeze in October. Because the plant makes such a dramatic front-of-border flower, last year I planted several of these annual lobelias in two of the raised beds north of the fountain. While the flowers did okay, they struggled and by the middle of September they were all either dead or looked exhausted. So this year I decided to return to the crevice garden, planting several of these annuals early in June. Although none of those first transplants survived, I still had a several left in my starter tray and planted them early in July. Within two weeks they had all shriveled up and apparently died. The natural habitat for these lobelias is a bog (indeed, our perennial lobelias are all planted in the rain garden), and I was guessing that while they may like the well-drained soil mix in the crevice garden, they can only survive if they arrive on the scene with a well-developed root system. And then on Monday afternoon while walking by the crevice garden after the eclipse, I was shocked to discover a small lobelia with lovely bronze leaves and a single, beautiful, blue bloom. There may be thousands of blooms in the garden on this day, but none brings as much pleasure as this tiny example of a plant’s resilience.
Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline Speedwell’ and Veronica spicata ‘Sunny Border Blue Speedwell’. I planted these hardy perennials in the east end of the “D” bed three years ago, attracted to their lance-shaped leaves and erect, attractive spikes of lilac-blue and deep violet-blue flowers. What caught my attention today was that the lower foliage of the Eveline speedwells are still green and appear to have a lot of new growth, but the Sunny Border Blue speedwells have turned brown and dried up, without any signs of life at the lower levels. The latter I decided to cut back to the ground, which does provide a clearer view of the 2’ wide steel gazing ball residing immediately behind them. As for the Evelines, I cut off their old flower stalks, thinking there was always a chance they might generate a few new flower spikes before the arrival of our first freeze.
There are two other speedwells in the garden worth noting. In the crevice garden near the NW gate is a low-lying, patented speedwell called “Tidal Pool,” developed by Dr. Jim Ault, Director of Ornamental Plant Research at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This veronica is no longer blooming, but it has lovely, small, jade-green leaves and earlier this summer was covered with tiny blue petals around shining white eyes. Another Veronica spicata that caught my eye was a “Tickled Pink” speedwell in the “F” flower bed. After a long bloom cycle, I pruned this plant back to the ground several weeks ago, and it immediately began generating new foliage and now has two new flower spikes with tiny pink blooms just beginning to open. I’ve seen the color of the blooms described as “bubble-gum pink,” a description that does match with its informal “tickled pink” moniker.
My walk around the garden on Monday occurred early in the afternoon, right after lunch. It was the day of the partial eclipse, and I wanted to see how the garden was affected by a premature and temporary dusk. When I arrived in the garden about 12:25 (Iowa's Central Daylight Savings Time; 11:25 God's Garden Time), we had a fairly uniform cloud cover. I could locate the sun overhead, but its light was muffled and diffused by the intervening clouds. As the sun was approaching its zenith, there was quite a bit of activity in the garden: the goldfinches were chirping and feeding on the purple coneflowers, several small butterflies (white cabbages and a small orange/brown resident I have never managed to identify) were moving from flower to flower, the bumble bees were patiently working across the Joe Pye Weed blooms, and the black wasps were busy attending to the oregano. By 1:00 pm, the light had become muted and there was no movement in the garden. Everyone had disappeared. There was not even any breeze. Everything was still, at rest, waiting. Within the hour, however, the mid-afternoon dream had passed, the wasps and bees and butterflies and goldfinches had returned to their duties, and all was right with the world.
While attending to some of my own afternoon gardening duties, I also noted the following:
Crystal Palace Lobelia. Two years ago, we had a marvelous Crystal Palace Lobelia in the crevice garden. It was planted early in July (having been started from seed earlier in the spring), and by the second week in August was covered with these small but marvelous deep blue blooms that remained until the first freeze in October. Because the plant makes such a dramatic front-of-border flower, last year I planted several of these annual lobelias in two of the raised beds north of the fountain. While the flowers did okay, they struggled and by the middle of September they were all either dead or looked exhausted. So this year I decided to return to the crevice garden, planting several of these annuals early in June. Although none of those first transplants survived, I still had a several left in my starter tray and planted them early in July. Within two weeks they had all shriveled up and apparently died. The natural habitat for these lobelias is a bog (indeed, our perennial lobelias are all planted in the rain garden), and I was guessing that while they may like the well-drained soil mix in the crevice garden, they can only survive if they arrive on the scene with a well-developed root system. And then on Monday afternoon while walking by the crevice garden after the eclipse, I was shocked to discover a small lobelia with lovely bronze leaves and a single, beautiful, blue bloom. There may be thousands of blooms in the garden on this day, but none brings as much pleasure as this tiny example of a plant’s resilience.
Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline Speedwell’ and Veronica spicata ‘Sunny Border Blue Speedwell’. I planted these hardy perennials in the east end of the “D” bed three years ago, attracted to their lance-shaped leaves and erect, attractive spikes of lilac-blue and deep violet-blue flowers. What caught my attention today was that the lower foliage of the Eveline speedwells are still green and appear to have a lot of new growth, but the Sunny Border Blue speedwells have turned brown and dried up, without any signs of life at the lower levels. The latter I decided to cut back to the ground, which does provide a clearer view of the 2’ wide steel gazing ball residing immediately behind them. As for the Evelines, I cut off their old flower stalks, thinking there was always a chance they might generate a few new flower spikes before the arrival of our first freeze.
There are two other speedwells in the garden worth noting. In the crevice garden near the NW gate is a low-lying, patented speedwell called “Tidal Pool,” developed by Dr. Jim Ault, Director of Ornamental Plant Research at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This veronica is no longer blooming, but it has lovely, small, jade-green leaves and earlier this summer was covered with tiny blue petals around shining white eyes. Another Veronica spicata that caught my eye was a “Tickled Pink” speedwell in the “F” flower bed. After a long bloom cycle, I pruned this plant back to the ground several weeks ago, and it immediately began generating new foliage and now has two new flower spikes with tiny pink blooms just beginning to open. I’ve seen the color of the blooms described as “bubble-gum pink,” a description that does match with its informal “tickled pink” moniker.
Monday Morning Garden Report, 14 August 2017
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): This week a retired faculty member, visiting the garden, saw that the butterfly weed had produced seed pods and asked for some of the seed, once they had matured. The Asclepias still has a rich array of bright orange flowers, but for the first time in three years it has produced about 20 seed pods, 4-5” long, most of them pointing straight up. Whenever I walk by, the black wasps appear to be the milkweed’s most assiduous pollinators.
White Snakeroot (also known as richweed, white sanicle, and tall boneset): Although its scientific name is now Ageratina altissima, I still think of it as a Eupatorium, which until recently was also the genus name for Joe Pye Weed, a plant the snakeroot resembles in many respects. This Midwest native is a poisonous perennial in the aster family. Although the roots have been used for many herbal remedies, the plant contains the toxin tremetol, which can poison cow’s milk and cause milk sickness, which may have caused the death of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s mother. Last summer I dug out and removed most of the snakeroot I could, except for one large specimen near the SW gate and a couple in a “wild” area at the east end of the garden. The single specimen near the patio is now over 6’ tall, perhaps 4’ wide, and will soon be covered with dozens of white flowerheads organized in terminal corymbs. The white flowers nicely complement the snakeroot’s gray-green leaves.
Two Perennial Sunflowers: I planted two Helianthus microcephalus and one H. multiflorus in the spring of 2015. The first year they did not produce many blooms, but last summer and again this year they have generated dozens of lovely yellow blossoms. The H. multiflorus bloom is a 2-3” dome of golden ray petals, resembling a medium-sized dahlia bloom. The H. microcephalus blooms are smaller and resemble a 2” daisy with bright yellow petals and yellowish brown centers.
Stonecrop (Sedum spectabile). When I began working in the garden, I discovered patches of this stonecrop scattered throughout several beds. One of my tasks that first summer was transplanting the stonecrop into several semi-organized groups, including two slightly curved, 8’ long rows of stonecrop in the two large beds in front of the patio. These swaths of stonecrop have now become a prominent feature of those beds in August, after the daylilies are no longer in full bloom. These stonecrop have upright, unbranched, jade-green stems and leaves, with clumps of star-shaped pink flowers that have begun opening up this past week. They are popular with several species of bees and butterflies, including our red admirals.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). One of the biggest surprises for me this summer has been the dominance of the Black-Eyed Susans just as their aster family cousins, the purple coneflowers, begin to wane. In areas throughout the garden their rhizomes have created more than a dozen powerful, self-contained thickets, their yellow petals with the dark brown/black centers creating distinct accent points throughout the garden. When surveying the garden, I find my eye jumping from clump to clump. Their one notable down-side is that the foliage is often under duress, many leaves desiccated or covered with rusty, dark-brown spots.
Goldenrod. When I began working in the garden, the north beds were overrun over run by asters, goldenrod, thistles, and purple coneflowers, For the next two years, much of my gardening effort was removing all the thistles while restraining the asters and goldenrod to a few designated locations. It is still the case that a sizable percentage—perhaps 50%-- of plants I have removed from the garden this year would be asters and goldenrod. There are, however, a few spots where they are allowed to remain, and one clump of goldenrod in the “K” bed (near the NW bench) has just begun to display their lovely, elongated flowerheads, almost always moving in the slightest breeze. The 6’ tall plants are positioned between some Joe Pye Weeds with their purple blooms and shorter hyssops, also in bloom. Today I noticed that in the opposite bed is a similar arrangement, except there it’s the tansy’s yellow buttons of bloom that are partners with the Joe Pye Weeds.
Dahlias. Native to Central and South America, dahlias were first exported to Europe as a possible food crop in the 17th century, but they soon established themselves as an important flower and have become closely associated with traditional English flower gardens. We have about a dozen different dahlias in the Alumni House Garden, but the two show-stoppers are the Kelvin Floodlight and the Bishop of Llandaff, both now in full bloom. The latter has lovely red flowers, but its most notable quality is its dark burgundy foliage. The Kelvin Floodlight produces a quintessential dinner-plate bloom, a magnificent, sunny yellow, double blossom, often 10-12” in width.
New Day Hybrid Mix Gazania. This year I experimented with a new gazania, one that grows very close to the ground. Fewer than half of the seeds successfully generated, but the ones that did have produced some vibrant and large (3-4” wide) blossoms in a dramatic mixing of colors. Because of how the foliage hugs the ground and the blossoms face straight up, I can imagine these gazanias effectively serving as a colorful ground cover for the front of the border. Definitely an annual that I intend to use more extensively next year.
Leopard Plant (Ligularia dentate). This native of China and Japan has the reputation of being an excellent choice for rain gardens because it prefers shade and constant moisture. I have a Ligularia at home that has done well in deep shade, and so last spring I purchased three plants for the rain garden. Despite frequent watering, two did not survive their first summer, and the third looked pekid and undernourished as it approached its first winter. But somehow it survived and is now thriving in its third year, having taken over its corner of the rain garden. These plants are primarily prized for their large, leathery dark-green leaves. The flowers are a rather drab yellow, 2-3” across, with brownish-yellow centers. Although they provide a small but welcome swab of color in the back of the rain garden, it’s the foliage that earns their keep.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): This week a retired faculty member, visiting the garden, saw that the butterfly weed had produced seed pods and asked for some of the seed, once they had matured. The Asclepias still has a rich array of bright orange flowers, but for the first time in three years it has produced about 20 seed pods, 4-5” long, most of them pointing straight up. Whenever I walk by, the black wasps appear to be the milkweed’s most assiduous pollinators.
White Snakeroot (also known as richweed, white sanicle, and tall boneset): Although its scientific name is now Ageratina altissima, I still think of it as a Eupatorium, which until recently was also the genus name for Joe Pye Weed, a plant the snakeroot resembles in many respects. This Midwest native is a poisonous perennial in the aster family. Although the roots have been used for many herbal remedies, the plant contains the toxin tremetol, which can poison cow’s milk and cause milk sickness, which may have caused the death of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s mother. Last summer I dug out and removed most of the snakeroot I could, except for one large specimen near the SW gate and a couple in a “wild” area at the east end of the garden. The single specimen near the patio is now over 6’ tall, perhaps 4’ wide, and will soon be covered with dozens of white flowerheads organized in terminal corymbs. The white flowers nicely complement the snakeroot’s gray-green leaves.
Two Perennial Sunflowers: I planted two Helianthus microcephalus and one H. multiflorus in the spring of 2015. The first year they did not produce many blooms, but last summer and again this year they have generated dozens of lovely yellow blossoms. The H. multiflorus bloom is a 2-3” dome of golden ray petals, resembling a medium-sized dahlia bloom. The H. microcephalus blooms are smaller and resemble a 2” daisy with bright yellow petals and yellowish brown centers.
Stonecrop (Sedum spectabile). When I began working in the garden, I discovered patches of this stonecrop scattered throughout several beds. One of my tasks that first summer was transplanting the stonecrop into several semi-organized groups, including two slightly curved, 8’ long rows of stonecrop in the two large beds in front of the patio. These swaths of stonecrop have now become a prominent feature of those beds in August, after the daylilies are no longer in full bloom. These stonecrop have upright, unbranched, jade-green stems and leaves, with clumps of star-shaped pink flowers that have begun opening up this past week. They are popular with several species of bees and butterflies, including our red admirals.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). One of the biggest surprises for me this summer has been the dominance of the Black-Eyed Susans just as their aster family cousins, the purple coneflowers, begin to wane. In areas throughout the garden their rhizomes have created more than a dozen powerful, self-contained thickets, their yellow petals with the dark brown/black centers creating distinct accent points throughout the garden. When surveying the garden, I find my eye jumping from clump to clump. Their one notable down-side is that the foliage is often under duress, many leaves desiccated or covered with rusty, dark-brown spots.
Goldenrod. When I began working in the garden, the north beds were overrun over run by asters, goldenrod, thistles, and purple coneflowers, For the next two years, much of my gardening effort was removing all the thistles while restraining the asters and goldenrod to a few designated locations. It is still the case that a sizable percentage—perhaps 50%-- of plants I have removed from the garden this year would be asters and goldenrod. There are, however, a few spots where they are allowed to remain, and one clump of goldenrod in the “K” bed (near the NW bench) has just begun to display their lovely, elongated flowerheads, almost always moving in the slightest breeze. The 6’ tall plants are positioned between some Joe Pye Weeds with their purple blooms and shorter hyssops, also in bloom. Today I noticed that in the opposite bed is a similar arrangement, except there it’s the tansy’s yellow buttons of bloom that are partners with the Joe Pye Weeds.
Dahlias. Native to Central and South America, dahlias were first exported to Europe as a possible food crop in the 17th century, but they soon established themselves as an important flower and have become closely associated with traditional English flower gardens. We have about a dozen different dahlias in the Alumni House Garden, but the two show-stoppers are the Kelvin Floodlight and the Bishop of Llandaff, both now in full bloom. The latter has lovely red flowers, but its most notable quality is its dark burgundy foliage. The Kelvin Floodlight produces a quintessential dinner-plate bloom, a magnificent, sunny yellow, double blossom, often 10-12” in width.
New Day Hybrid Mix Gazania. This year I experimented with a new gazania, one that grows very close to the ground. Fewer than half of the seeds successfully generated, but the ones that did have produced some vibrant and large (3-4” wide) blossoms in a dramatic mixing of colors. Because of how the foliage hugs the ground and the blossoms face straight up, I can imagine these gazanias effectively serving as a colorful ground cover for the front of the border. Definitely an annual that I intend to use more extensively next year.
Leopard Plant (Ligularia dentate). This native of China and Japan has the reputation of being an excellent choice for rain gardens because it prefers shade and constant moisture. I have a Ligularia at home that has done well in deep shade, and so last spring I purchased three plants for the rain garden. Despite frequent watering, two did not survive their first summer, and the third looked pekid and undernourished as it approached its first winter. But somehow it survived and is now thriving in its third year, having taken over its corner of the rain garden. These plants are primarily prized for their large, leathery dark-green leaves. The flowers are a rather drab yellow, 2-3” across, with brownish-yellow centers. Although they provide a small but welcome swab of color in the back of the rain garden, it’s the foliage that earns their keep.
Monday Morning Garden Report, 7 August 2017
Truth be told, this Monday Morning Report, dated 7 August 2017 and being posted on 10 August, has only minimal connections with the first Monday in the month. The impetus for these observations came from Friday, 28 July when we had about 75 Coe faculty and staff visit the garden, many inspired by an email earlier in the week announcing the availability of free vegetables and herbs for morning visitors. While folks were sorting through the remaining cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, beans, turnips, onions, and Sungold tomatoes, I became involved in several informal garden tours, talking with folks about various flowers, describing upcoming projects, explaining the design of the new sundial, etc.
On most mornings, my walks are solitary, notebook in hand, jotting down cryptic observations and reminders, fodder for the day’s more formal garden journal entry. But the Friday visitor tours felt different, and in the process of responding to various questions, I found myself often looking at the garden with fresh eyes. In a couple of instances visitors asked me about new blooms that had gone unnoticed, even though I had already walked by those spots several times earlier in the day. I was reminded of the short video where I was so intent on counting how many time a group of student were passing around a basketball that I never noticed the gorilla walking among them. This report will focus on six plants that particularly caught my attention on these Friday morning walks, beginning with two gorillas.
•Peacock Orchid (Acidanthera bicolor). Two years ago in an order from Easy-to-Grow Bulbs, they included a free gift, ten peacock orchid “corms” (these plants are in the gladiolus family so I assume these are corms, not bulbs). Not knowing what to expect, I planted them in two groups near the patio. When their blooms emerged in early August, they immediately became among the stars of the garden, frequently catching visitors’ attention. Since they failed to survive an Iowa winter, I ordered another package last year, a second set of arrivals confirming their star power. In the fall I dug up the corms before the first hard freeze and discovered we now possessed dozens of baby corms. This spring I planted about 15 clumps of the peacock orchids, including some groups composed solely new corms–which I suspected would not bloom in their first year. The larger bulbs were planted in prominent locations where I hoped their performance would equal last year’s show. Their lovely orchid-like white blossoms–with dark purple throats-- are rather shy, typically facing down, and I had completely missed the fact that they had begun blooming until a visitor during one of these spontaneous garden walks asked me, “What is this flower?”
• Agapanthus ‘Summer Skies’. Gorilla #2, same discovery scenario as with gorilla #1. Several years ago, while walking through a garden in northern England, I stopped to talk with a volunteer gardener, weeding the agapanthus bed, who told me these agapanthus were difficult to keep weed free because the roots were so shallow and easily damaged. Despite their “lilies of the Nile” common name, agapanthus come from southern Africa (as does the peacock orchid) and because of their shallow root system in a Z5 garden zone they would typically need to be dug up in the fall and replanted in the spring. My bulb catalog, however, claimed that this hybrid cultivar could survive a Z5 winter if well-protected, and so in February of last year I ordered one ‘Summer Skies’ for planting at a spot near the patio. After producing some modest foliage last summer, it re-emerged this spring. And a garden visitor has now helped me discover Coe’s agapanthus has produced a wonderful clump of light blue flowers at the top of a two-foot stalk.
• Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria). Although I had often seen these torch lilies in English gardens, they really caught my attention in the fall of 2014 when I spent a couple of hours in a public garden along the Thames River in Southwark. I loved how groups of these red, orange, and yellow spearheads of color could so effectively interact with other flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. The following spring I planted a dozen or more Kniphofia in the garden, most started from seed in my basement, and they appeared to thrive that first summer. But none survived the winter. Last summer at the Chicago Botanical Gardens I saw that they had planted their Kniphofia in large planters which were housed indoors during the winter months. This spring I decided to try that approach. I purchased a single yellow bloomer from Bluestone, and it’s now producing its first blooms, living in a planter near the south central park bench. The next challenge–beyond keeping it watered during these dry spells in July and August–is seeing how well it likes spending its winter months in Peterson Hall.
• Verbena bonariensis. This is a flower I fell in love with during a one-week walking trip through the English Cotswolds. We were constantly hiking along paths bordered with lovely two-inch-wide clusters of tiny purple flowers, gently swaying on their erect stems, well above their lower-level leaves. Although they may survive as perennials in England, in Iowa they must operate as annuals. Having read they could be proficient self-seeders, last spring I started ten plants from seed (under lights in my basement) and planted them in two flower beds: one group immediately behind the NE park bench, the other group in a faux whiskey barrel buried in the “G” bed. Both groups performed admirably, continuing to produce blooms into the fall, and each group has successfully re-seeded. In the case of the whiskey barrel group, they have notably expanded their territory into an area that had been relatively uninhabited. We also have one verbena with its flower stalk coming up through a park bench, an adventurer who will need to be moved.
• Hello Yello Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis). This is a flower I suspect few, if any, visitors ever spot. A group of these lilies–with sword-shaped, iris-like leaves--are located between the pergola and the rain garden, partially hidden under a well-endowed wisteria. Although the six-tepal, orange blooms (with black spots) are lovely and quite distinctive, they are small (perhaps 2" wide) and face toward the rain garden, not readily observable from the gravel walkways.
• Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota). In my first months as an Alumni House gardener, I was walking around the garden with a visitor who, spotting a blooming Queen Anne’s Lace, immediately told me, “The first thing I would do is remove that weed.” At the time I was thankful to have something other than thistles and horsetail in that area, and in a modest defense of the weed’s presence, indicated that “we’ll let it hang around for the time being.” At this time of year when driving out to my vegetable garden (not far from Toddville), I pass tens of thousands of Queen Anne’s Lace, prolifically blooming along the roadside and in the ditches. Perhaps because of the flower’s commonness and aggressive self-seeding, I can understand why a cultivated garden should exclude this invader, but I love the white flowers, the little dot of blood at the center of the bloom clusters, the culminating bird nest seed packages, its foliage’s carroty fragrance. The problem, of course, is the biennial’s relentless desire to become the Queen for the entire garden–which means that each summer I am digging up hundreds of aspiring princesses. But for now, I continue to enjoy the relatively “wild” nature in the garden’s northeast corner, allowing the Queen Anne’s lace to hang around with other wild-looking asters and goldenrod and phlox and sunflowers.
Truth be told, this Monday Morning Report, dated 7 August 2017 and being posted on 10 August, has only minimal connections with the first Monday in the month. The impetus for these observations came from Friday, 28 July when we had about 75 Coe faculty and staff visit the garden, many inspired by an email earlier in the week announcing the availability of free vegetables and herbs for morning visitors. While folks were sorting through the remaining cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, beans, turnips, onions, and Sungold tomatoes, I became involved in several informal garden tours, talking with folks about various flowers, describing upcoming projects, explaining the design of the new sundial, etc.
On most mornings, my walks are solitary, notebook in hand, jotting down cryptic observations and reminders, fodder for the day’s more formal garden journal entry. But the Friday visitor tours felt different, and in the process of responding to various questions, I found myself often looking at the garden with fresh eyes. In a couple of instances visitors asked me about new blooms that had gone unnoticed, even though I had already walked by those spots several times earlier in the day. I was reminded of the short video where I was so intent on counting how many time a group of student were passing around a basketball that I never noticed the gorilla walking among them. This report will focus on six plants that particularly caught my attention on these Friday morning walks, beginning with two gorillas.
•Peacock Orchid (Acidanthera bicolor). Two years ago in an order from Easy-to-Grow Bulbs, they included a free gift, ten peacock orchid “corms” (these plants are in the gladiolus family so I assume these are corms, not bulbs). Not knowing what to expect, I planted them in two groups near the patio. When their blooms emerged in early August, they immediately became among the stars of the garden, frequently catching visitors’ attention. Since they failed to survive an Iowa winter, I ordered another package last year, a second set of arrivals confirming their star power. In the fall I dug up the corms before the first hard freeze and discovered we now possessed dozens of baby corms. This spring I planted about 15 clumps of the peacock orchids, including some groups composed solely new corms–which I suspected would not bloom in their first year. The larger bulbs were planted in prominent locations where I hoped their performance would equal last year’s show. Their lovely orchid-like white blossoms–with dark purple throats-- are rather shy, typically facing down, and I had completely missed the fact that they had begun blooming until a visitor during one of these spontaneous garden walks asked me, “What is this flower?”
• Agapanthus ‘Summer Skies’. Gorilla #2, same discovery scenario as with gorilla #1. Several years ago, while walking through a garden in northern England, I stopped to talk with a volunteer gardener, weeding the agapanthus bed, who told me these agapanthus were difficult to keep weed free because the roots were so shallow and easily damaged. Despite their “lilies of the Nile” common name, agapanthus come from southern Africa (as does the peacock orchid) and because of their shallow root system in a Z5 garden zone they would typically need to be dug up in the fall and replanted in the spring. My bulb catalog, however, claimed that this hybrid cultivar could survive a Z5 winter if well-protected, and so in February of last year I ordered one ‘Summer Skies’ for planting at a spot near the patio. After producing some modest foliage last summer, it re-emerged this spring. And a garden visitor has now helped me discover Coe’s agapanthus has produced a wonderful clump of light blue flowers at the top of a two-foot stalk.
• Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria). Although I had often seen these torch lilies in English gardens, they really caught my attention in the fall of 2014 when I spent a couple of hours in a public garden along the Thames River in Southwark. I loved how groups of these red, orange, and yellow spearheads of color could so effectively interact with other flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. The following spring I planted a dozen or more Kniphofia in the garden, most started from seed in my basement, and they appeared to thrive that first summer. But none survived the winter. Last summer at the Chicago Botanical Gardens I saw that they had planted their Kniphofia in large planters which were housed indoors during the winter months. This spring I decided to try that approach. I purchased a single yellow bloomer from Bluestone, and it’s now producing its first blooms, living in a planter near the south central park bench. The next challenge–beyond keeping it watered during these dry spells in July and August–is seeing how well it likes spending its winter months in Peterson Hall.
• Verbena bonariensis. This is a flower I fell in love with during a one-week walking trip through the English Cotswolds. We were constantly hiking along paths bordered with lovely two-inch-wide clusters of tiny purple flowers, gently swaying on their erect stems, well above their lower-level leaves. Although they may survive as perennials in England, in Iowa they must operate as annuals. Having read they could be proficient self-seeders, last spring I started ten plants from seed (under lights in my basement) and planted them in two flower beds: one group immediately behind the NE park bench, the other group in a faux whiskey barrel buried in the “G” bed. Both groups performed admirably, continuing to produce blooms into the fall, and each group has successfully re-seeded. In the case of the whiskey barrel group, they have notably expanded their territory into an area that had been relatively uninhabited. We also have one verbena with its flower stalk coming up through a park bench, an adventurer who will need to be moved.
• Hello Yello Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis). This is a flower I suspect few, if any, visitors ever spot. A group of these lilies–with sword-shaped, iris-like leaves--are located between the pergola and the rain garden, partially hidden under a well-endowed wisteria. Although the six-tepal, orange blooms (with black spots) are lovely and quite distinctive, they are small (perhaps 2" wide) and face toward the rain garden, not readily observable from the gravel walkways.
• Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota). In my first months as an Alumni House gardener, I was walking around the garden with a visitor who, spotting a blooming Queen Anne’s Lace, immediately told me, “The first thing I would do is remove that weed.” At the time I was thankful to have something other than thistles and horsetail in that area, and in a modest defense of the weed’s presence, indicated that “we’ll let it hang around for the time being.” At this time of year when driving out to my vegetable garden (not far from Toddville), I pass tens of thousands of Queen Anne’s Lace, prolifically blooming along the roadside and in the ditches. Perhaps because of the flower’s commonness and aggressive self-seeding, I can understand why a cultivated garden should exclude this invader, but I love the white flowers, the little dot of blood at the center of the bloom clusters, the culminating bird nest seed packages, its foliage’s carroty fragrance. The problem, of course, is the biennial’s relentless desire to become the Queen for the entire garden–which means that each summer I am digging up hundreds of aspiring princesses. But for now, I continue to enjoy the relatively “wild” nature in the garden’s northeast corner, allowing the Queen Anne’s lace to hang around with other wild-looking asters and goldenrod and phlox and sunflowers.
Monday Morning (Tuesday Evening) Garden Report: 18 July 2017
This week’s Monday morning garden walk did not occur until Tuesday evening. I was working in the garden Monday morning, but the morning was consumed with jobs that needed immediate attention–beginning with drowning several hundred Popillia japonica. Our Japanese visitors’ favorite hangouts are the roses, but they also enjoy feeding and copulating on the hollyhocks, hyssop, meadowsweet, buddleia, viburnum, swamp milkweed, wisteria, and cardinal basil–though not the other basil varieties. While most of the beetles are easy to capture, it takes time, particularly with the roses. This past month, I would estimate I’m averaging an hour each day focused on these annoying and destructive pests.
Returning to the garden on Tuesday evening, after supper, gave me an opportunity to enjoy the garden as the sun was headed toward Asia. As dusk settles in, the fountain lights come on and a few minutes later the walkway lights begin casting soft triangles of illumination around the garden. If you have not visited the garden during those liminal moments of transition into darkness, you have not seen the garden at its best. It’s a great place for witnessing the end of a long, hot, sultry day.
For this evening’s tour, I decided to focus on one plant per flower bed, beginning at the SW gate and walking counter-clockwise around to the NW gate.
• Crocosima Lucifer (bed A1; the genus name pronouned “kroh-KOS-mee-uh”): I just learned that common names for this flower include coppertips and falling stars (in the U.S.) and montbretia (in the U.K.); every time I walk by this patch of crocosima, I’m reminded of encountering beds of these flowers during walks in the English countryside; apparently some cultivars have become invasive in some locations, but I suspect our cold winters will restrain these Lucifers.
• Sweet Annie, Artemisia annua (along gravel walkways between beds A1 & A2): I prefer to keep the walkways free of vegetation, but one exception is allowing the Sweet Annie to self-seed along the borders between these SW corner beds; every time I walk into the garden in the summer months, I reach down and run my hand through the Sweet Annie, picking up their endearing fragrance; in the fall I cut off a bouquet of dried branches and store them in the garden shed, where they remain fragrant through the winter.
• Bloody Cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum (in beds B1 & B2): when I first started working in the Alumni House Garden, I encountered small pockets of bloody cranesbill scattered throughout the garden; one of my first projects was creating masses of these individuals–many of which are located immediately in front of the patio; although their prime bloom period has past, these geraniums create beautifully curved mounds of foliage–covered with hundreds of small crane bills pointed toward the sky.
• Kansas Gayfeather, Liatris pycnostachya (in beds C & L): when a College for Kids art class came into the garden this morning to draw some flowers, one young lady was looking at a group of gayfeathers, trying to decide if they would be a good candidates for her art project; after an initial exchange of hellos, I told her that the flowers she was looking at had several common names, but my favorite was “Kansas Gayfeather”; not sharing my love for the flowers or their name, she silently walked away, looking for another subject.
• Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare (in beds D, F, & G): I’m not sure how many plants poisonous to humans are in the garden, but the three remaining clumps of tansy are certainly in that category; I’ve kept these clumps because of their visually attractive foliage–serving as significant anchors in their respective perennial beds--and because they produce distinctive pom-poms of yellow, buttonlike flower heads; they also have a distinctive fragrance, though I suspect many people do not find the odor particularly appealing.
• Cardinal Basil: in one of the raised “E” beds we have seven varieties of basil, including red genovese, dolce fresca, emily, marseilles, and cardinal (with its strong burgundy stems); they are all growing vigorously, but the Japanese beetles in this neighborhood have all chosen to hang out on the cardinal, ignoring the other options; I keep wondering why one but not the others.
• Rozanne Cranesbill (in the middle of the “F” bed, close to the walkway): the lovely blue blossoms of this hardy geranium, planted earlier this summer, just appeared within the last two weeks; Rozanne was chosen as the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2008, its reviewers suggesting it’s a notable improvement on Johnson’s Blue, a cranesbill that plays a prominent role in our “D” bed; so far, so good.
• Culver’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum (planted in the middle of the rain garden): the plant’s fluffy, bottlebrush-like racemes of densely packed white blooms have just appeared; started from seed two years ago, this was one of the first plants installed in the new rain garden; it’s gratifying to see its blooms appear on schedule, an intermediary between the cardinal lobelia and the blue lobelia.
• Hibiscus (“G” and “H” beds): the two matching hibiscus are the most tropical looking plants in the garden--enormous, garish red blooms framed by large burgundy leaves; the blooms are short-lived, but judging from the number of buds in the green room, this show should last for several weeks; purchased in July 2014 from Frontier Garden on Blairs Ferry, these were the first flowers I planted in the garden; unfortunately I had not yet developed a system for keeping track of plants I was purchasing, and I have no record of the name of these hibiscus.
• Sunflower (unidentified cultivar): in the NE corner of the garden there has appeared each summer a sunflower species with lovely 2" yellow blooms; unfortunately, the last two years the sunflower stems and leaves have become covered with hundreds of tiny red aphids, clustered on the upper levels of the sunflowers 5' stems; in order to send the aphids packing, I have resorted to pruning all the stems covered with aphids, placing everything in a garbage bad, and throwing them in the dump; so far this year, the aphids have not appeared and the sunflowers are doing a nice job providing dollops of bright yellow in this shady corner.
• Black Knight Scabiosa (in raised beds on north side of garden): the cosmos transplanted from my basement (started from seed in late March) did not survive, but most of these dark pincushion transplants did and can now be seen behind the columbine (which finally stopped blooming); I try to treat all plants in the garden with equal respect (even the purslane, thistles, and equisetum I would like to ban from the territory), but I must admit the bold, dark blooms of the Black Knights are among my personal favorites.
• Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea–the plant’s spiny cones are responsible for the genus name, referring to the Greek word echinos, meaning “hedgehog”): the east corner of the “K” bed is one area of the garden that has remained virtually unchanged from three years ago; the purple coneflowers dominated that area then and remain dominant; what has changed is that four other clumps have been developed, hopscotching across the entire bed.
• Astra Double Pink Balloon Flower (in the “L” bed): most of our balloon flowers are blue, descendants of the balloon flowers in the garden in 2014; the pink balloon flowers, introduced in 2015 and 2016, have blossoms similar in shape and size to their blue brethren, but the pinks are of shorter stature and used for the front of the border.
• Pink and White Spider Plants, Cleome hassleriana: all it took was planting a couple of these spider plants in the A1 bed in the spring of 2015; the following spring we had hundreds of baby cleomes, some of which were transplanted to the M2 bed; this year several more hundred appeared and some of those have been moved to beds in front of the patio and under the pergola; fortunately the unwanted progeny are easy to kill–and most of a gardener’s time is spent killing things (case in point, Japanese beetles). ~Bob
This week’s Monday morning garden walk did not occur until Tuesday evening. I was working in the garden Monday morning, but the morning was consumed with jobs that needed immediate attention–beginning with drowning several hundred Popillia japonica. Our Japanese visitors’ favorite hangouts are the roses, but they also enjoy feeding and copulating on the hollyhocks, hyssop, meadowsweet, buddleia, viburnum, swamp milkweed, wisteria, and cardinal basil–though not the other basil varieties. While most of the beetles are easy to capture, it takes time, particularly with the roses. This past month, I would estimate I’m averaging an hour each day focused on these annoying and destructive pests.
Returning to the garden on Tuesday evening, after supper, gave me an opportunity to enjoy the garden as the sun was headed toward Asia. As dusk settles in, the fountain lights come on and a few minutes later the walkway lights begin casting soft triangles of illumination around the garden. If you have not visited the garden during those liminal moments of transition into darkness, you have not seen the garden at its best. It’s a great place for witnessing the end of a long, hot, sultry day.
For this evening’s tour, I decided to focus on one plant per flower bed, beginning at the SW gate and walking counter-clockwise around to the NW gate.
• Crocosima Lucifer (bed A1; the genus name pronouned “kroh-KOS-mee-uh”): I just learned that common names for this flower include coppertips and falling stars (in the U.S.) and montbretia (in the U.K.); every time I walk by this patch of crocosima, I’m reminded of encountering beds of these flowers during walks in the English countryside; apparently some cultivars have become invasive in some locations, but I suspect our cold winters will restrain these Lucifers.
• Sweet Annie, Artemisia annua (along gravel walkways between beds A1 & A2): I prefer to keep the walkways free of vegetation, but one exception is allowing the Sweet Annie to self-seed along the borders between these SW corner beds; every time I walk into the garden in the summer months, I reach down and run my hand through the Sweet Annie, picking up their endearing fragrance; in the fall I cut off a bouquet of dried branches and store them in the garden shed, where they remain fragrant through the winter.
• Bloody Cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum (in beds B1 & B2): when I first started working in the Alumni House Garden, I encountered small pockets of bloody cranesbill scattered throughout the garden; one of my first projects was creating masses of these individuals–many of which are located immediately in front of the patio; although their prime bloom period has past, these geraniums create beautifully curved mounds of foliage–covered with hundreds of small crane bills pointed toward the sky.
• Kansas Gayfeather, Liatris pycnostachya (in beds C & L): when a College for Kids art class came into the garden this morning to draw some flowers, one young lady was looking at a group of gayfeathers, trying to decide if they would be a good candidates for her art project; after an initial exchange of hellos, I told her that the flowers she was looking at had several common names, but my favorite was “Kansas Gayfeather”; not sharing my love for the flowers or their name, she silently walked away, looking for another subject.
• Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare (in beds D, F, & G): I’m not sure how many plants poisonous to humans are in the garden, but the three remaining clumps of tansy are certainly in that category; I’ve kept these clumps because of their visually attractive foliage–serving as significant anchors in their respective perennial beds--and because they produce distinctive pom-poms of yellow, buttonlike flower heads; they also have a distinctive fragrance, though I suspect many people do not find the odor particularly appealing.
• Cardinal Basil: in one of the raised “E” beds we have seven varieties of basil, including red genovese, dolce fresca, emily, marseilles, and cardinal (with its strong burgundy stems); they are all growing vigorously, but the Japanese beetles in this neighborhood have all chosen to hang out on the cardinal, ignoring the other options; I keep wondering why one but not the others.
• Rozanne Cranesbill (in the middle of the “F” bed, close to the walkway): the lovely blue blossoms of this hardy geranium, planted earlier this summer, just appeared within the last two weeks; Rozanne was chosen as the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2008, its reviewers suggesting it’s a notable improvement on Johnson’s Blue, a cranesbill that plays a prominent role in our “D” bed; so far, so good.
• Culver’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum (planted in the middle of the rain garden): the plant’s fluffy, bottlebrush-like racemes of densely packed white blooms have just appeared; started from seed two years ago, this was one of the first plants installed in the new rain garden; it’s gratifying to see its blooms appear on schedule, an intermediary between the cardinal lobelia and the blue lobelia.
• Hibiscus (“G” and “H” beds): the two matching hibiscus are the most tropical looking plants in the garden--enormous, garish red blooms framed by large burgundy leaves; the blooms are short-lived, but judging from the number of buds in the green room, this show should last for several weeks; purchased in July 2014 from Frontier Garden on Blairs Ferry, these were the first flowers I planted in the garden; unfortunately I had not yet developed a system for keeping track of plants I was purchasing, and I have no record of the name of these hibiscus.
• Sunflower (unidentified cultivar): in the NE corner of the garden there has appeared each summer a sunflower species with lovely 2" yellow blooms; unfortunately, the last two years the sunflower stems and leaves have become covered with hundreds of tiny red aphids, clustered on the upper levels of the sunflowers 5' stems; in order to send the aphids packing, I have resorted to pruning all the stems covered with aphids, placing everything in a garbage bad, and throwing them in the dump; so far this year, the aphids have not appeared and the sunflowers are doing a nice job providing dollops of bright yellow in this shady corner.
• Black Knight Scabiosa (in raised beds on north side of garden): the cosmos transplanted from my basement (started from seed in late March) did not survive, but most of these dark pincushion transplants did and can now be seen behind the columbine (which finally stopped blooming); I try to treat all plants in the garden with equal respect (even the purslane, thistles, and equisetum I would like to ban from the territory), but I must admit the bold, dark blooms of the Black Knights are among my personal favorites.
• Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea–the plant’s spiny cones are responsible for the genus name, referring to the Greek word echinos, meaning “hedgehog”): the east corner of the “K” bed is one area of the garden that has remained virtually unchanged from three years ago; the purple coneflowers dominated that area then and remain dominant; what has changed is that four other clumps have been developed, hopscotching across the entire bed.
• Astra Double Pink Balloon Flower (in the “L” bed): most of our balloon flowers are blue, descendants of the balloon flowers in the garden in 2014; the pink balloon flowers, introduced in 2015 and 2016, have blossoms similar in shape and size to their blue brethren, but the pinks are of shorter stature and used for the front of the border.
• Pink and White Spider Plants, Cleome hassleriana: all it took was planting a couple of these spider plants in the A1 bed in the spring of 2015; the following spring we had hundreds of baby cleomes, some of which were transplanted to the M2 bed; this year several more hundred appeared and some of those have been moved to beds in front of the patio and under the pergola; fortunately the unwanted progeny are easy to kill–and most of a gardener’s time is spent killing things (case in point, Japanese beetles). ~Bob
Monday Morning Garden Report: 10 July 2017
According to the garden’s rain gauge, we had 1.7" of rain early this morning, giving the garden a welcome boost of fresh energy. While spending my first hour in the garden capturing Japanese beetles (collected in an old yoghurt container filled with soapy water), I decided to organize this morning’s observations adopting a counter-clockwise survey of the garden, beginning with the "A1" and "A2" beds next to the SW gate (see the website’s garden map for the beds’ locations).
“A1" & “A2" Beds
• Lucifer Crocosima: all the corms planted last summer survived the winter and most of the plants are now blooming, panicles of bright red-orange blooms, positioned in front of the orange flowers of the Asclepias tuberosa and the bright red blooms of a Lychnis ‘Lipstick’.
• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii): two small bushes on opposite sides of the crocosima; both the crocosima and buddleia are frequently found in English gardens; the buddleia’s blue flower heads are in their first days of blooming; last year fresh blooms continued into October.
• Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea): two years ago I transplanted a pearly everlasting from a spot near my cabin at Coe’s Wilderness Field Station; this year we have three plants emerging from the bed of wild strawberries, and one clump has buds preparing to open; also in this bed of transplants from the Field Station are buttercups, a couple of heal-alls (a plant attracting some wonderful names, including common self-heal, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter's herb, etc.), and an English thyme–everyone blooming.
• Cascade Goldenrod (Solidago Shortii): while most of the garden’s goldenrod has been removed, several new and more restrained goldenrod cultivars have been introduced, including this early-blooming variety.
• Greek Oregano: started from seed three years ago, this oregano has thrived in its spot along the walkway; next to an ornamental oregano with emerging buds (its tiny, long-lasting, purple blooms were spectacular last summer).
• Hyssop: two varieties of hyssop next to each other–one vigorously expansive, determined to bury its apple mint and St. John’s Wort neighbors; the other a Lavender Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), a lovely and much more disciplined cousin.
“C” & “L” Beds (in front of the patio)
Daylilies: in 2015 nearly all the roses were removed from these two beds and replaced with over 30 different daylilies, many of the mid-season varieties now entering their prime bloom period. Notable daylilies in bloom this morning were:
• Strutters Ball: 4-5" dark purple blooms with yellow throats.
• Catherine Woodbury: large yellow/peach blooms with white midribs.
• Baja: a big, showy, red velvet-textured bloom with yellow-green throat.
• Show Girl: ruffled red petals with a pronounced red center and a green throat.
• Artist Etching: wide creamy, peach-pink petals with ruffled peach edging.
• Pandora’s Box: 4" pale-cream blooms with a purple eyezone and green throat.
• Several daylilies transplanted into these beds are of unknown vintage, including a daylily with lovely lime-yellow blooms and one with large burgundy petals surrounding a yellow center.
“D” Bed (southwest corner of the quad)
This bed had a lot of mid-border holes in it last year; but this year several gaps are beginning to fill in, creating a more unified tapestry of colors and textures. Plants in bloom include:
• Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana): established itself as the bed’s dominant flower in July; frequent host for bumble bees and black wasps moving among the blue flower spikes.
• Tansy (probably Tanacetum vulgare, though the tansy in the garden consistently grow over 6' tall, double the height of a species tansy): three large clumps of tansy have been removed from this bed (because of their size and aggressive spreading); the one remaining cluster will soon have clumps of small yellow flowers (there are also clumps of tansy in the “F” and “G” beds).
• Joe Pye Weed: while removing the tansy, we have allowed the Joe Pye to multiply; several at the back of the border are preparing to bloom.
• Other notable bloomers include a lovely pink garden phlox; several clusters of bee balm; small, purple flower-heads of an ornamental allium, sprinkled through the middle of the bed; a few salvias and London Pride hidden behind taller foliage; a few lingering blooms on a bloody cranesbill at the front of the border; and several vibrant yellow daylilies (unknown cultivar).
“F” Bed (southeast corner of the quad)
In the summer of 2014, while considering ways to enhance the garden’s structural rhythms, we decided to emphasize different color palettes in different flower beds. White was chosen as the predominant color for the “F” bed, and in some ways that intent has been realized.
• Shasta Daisies: three separate cultivars have been planted in the “F” bed, all currently in bloom; other white echoes include a white rose campion, a fleabane and a white stokes aster (both sharing the aster family connection with the daisies), and the white blooms on a variegated phlox (whose leaves are progressively losing their white streaks).
• Black-Eyed Susans & Sunflowers: unforeseen was the substantial expansion of these yellow flowers, which have begun to command the center of the bed, now accompanied at their feet by the yellow blooms of a Zagreb coreopsis.
• Other notable bloomers in the bed: the pink blossoms of a betony and a Tickled Pink Speedwell appearing near the blue blossoms of a Rozanne Cranesbill; the reds of several clumps of bee balm (Monarda didyma) and a new Yarrow (now partially hidden behind the foliage of a Stella de Oro daylily, which provided a corner of yellow blooms several weeks ago).
“G” Bed: The Rain Garden
• More Monarda: during my morning walk, a female ruby-throated hummingbird was feeding on the monarda’s red blooms, methodically circling around the circular clusters of the monarda's two-lipped, tube-shaped flowers.
• Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis): another North American native, the buds on these lobelia are just beginning to open; in Britain’s Kew Gardens is a wetlands display that features cardinal flowers, a model we’re seeking to duplicate in Coe’s more modest rain garden.
• El Desperado Daylily: this daylily is planted on each side of the walk under the pergola; one of the garden’s more dramatic blooms.
“I” Bed (northeast corner of the quad)
By my count, 24 different varieties of flowers in bloom on this Monday:
• Three Coreopsis: Route 66, a Star Cluster cultivar, and Red Satin (a new planting this spring, the blooms matching the cultivar’s name); mixed in with the Route 66 are the blossoms of the Melton Fire Potentilla–a plant the local gardener should trim back so the Route 66 has more breathing room.
• Purple Coneflowers: this Echinacea purpurea, probably a native species offspring, has been steadily expanding its home turf in this bed.
• Phlox: two garden variety in bloom--one pink, the other a magenta.
• Mallow and Hollyhocks: the pink hollyhocks are running out of flower buds–and many of the blossoms have been a favorite location for Japanese beetles; the smaller pink mallow blossoms have not attracted the beetles, enabling the mallow to keep a full pillar of blooms.
• Red Rocks Beardtongue: one of the smallest plants in the border, but it continues to produce its pink beard tongues.
• Golden Margueritte: a few lingering daisy-like blooms, but coming to the end of its season. On the other hand, the white rose campion–which I predicted several weeks ago was coming to the end of its bloom cycle–is still going strong. Another, comparable surprise is the columbine in the two raised beds on the north side of the garden–last week they had only a few blooms and this week (because of the rain?) they are covered with several dozen blue and white blossoms
• Red October Big Bluestem: not in bloom, but this bluestem has lovely blue-tinted foliage with reddish margins on many of the leaves.
Bed “K” (northwest corner of the quad)
In contrast to the “I” bed with its plethora of different flower types, the “K” bed is less diverse, dominated by several mid-size to taller plants:
• Purple Coneflowers: these continue to be the most populous flowers at the east end of the flower bed, and they have been left alone–except for the removal of extraneous grasses and goldenrod.
• Balloon Flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus): there were just a few of these in this bed three years ago, but they have now substantially expanded their terrain and become the predominant flower in the middle of the border.
• Joe Pye Weed: at the back of the border, in font of the yews, we’ve planted several Joe Pye (now approaching full size), accompanied by three clumps of Silver Feather Miscanthus; mixed in with them are several lovely yellow daylilies and tall Asiatic lilies (of unknown origin) that are about to bloom. It’s often these surprise appearances of emigrants that provide the greatest joy. Thank goodness when our best-laid plans benefit from unexpected arrivals.
According to the garden’s rain gauge, we had 1.7" of rain early this morning, giving the garden a welcome boost of fresh energy. While spending my first hour in the garden capturing Japanese beetles (collected in an old yoghurt container filled with soapy water), I decided to organize this morning’s observations adopting a counter-clockwise survey of the garden, beginning with the "A1" and "A2" beds next to the SW gate (see the website’s garden map for the beds’ locations).
“A1" & “A2" Beds
• Lucifer Crocosima: all the corms planted last summer survived the winter and most of the plants are now blooming, panicles of bright red-orange blooms, positioned in front of the orange flowers of the Asclepias tuberosa and the bright red blooms of a Lychnis ‘Lipstick’.
• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii): two small bushes on opposite sides of the crocosima; both the crocosima and buddleia are frequently found in English gardens; the buddleia’s blue flower heads are in their first days of blooming; last year fresh blooms continued into October.
• Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea): two years ago I transplanted a pearly everlasting from a spot near my cabin at Coe’s Wilderness Field Station; this year we have three plants emerging from the bed of wild strawberries, and one clump has buds preparing to open; also in this bed of transplants from the Field Station are buttercups, a couple of heal-alls (a plant attracting some wonderful names, including common self-heal, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter's herb, etc.), and an English thyme–everyone blooming.
• Cascade Goldenrod (Solidago Shortii): while most of the garden’s goldenrod has been removed, several new and more restrained goldenrod cultivars have been introduced, including this early-blooming variety.
• Greek Oregano: started from seed three years ago, this oregano has thrived in its spot along the walkway; next to an ornamental oregano with emerging buds (its tiny, long-lasting, purple blooms were spectacular last summer).
• Hyssop: two varieties of hyssop next to each other–one vigorously expansive, determined to bury its apple mint and St. John’s Wort neighbors; the other a Lavender Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), a lovely and much more disciplined cousin.
“C” & “L” Beds (in front of the patio)
Daylilies: in 2015 nearly all the roses were removed from these two beds and replaced with over 30 different daylilies, many of the mid-season varieties now entering their prime bloom period. Notable daylilies in bloom this morning were:
• Strutters Ball: 4-5" dark purple blooms with yellow throats.
• Catherine Woodbury: large yellow/peach blooms with white midribs.
• Baja: a big, showy, red velvet-textured bloom with yellow-green throat.
• Show Girl: ruffled red petals with a pronounced red center and a green throat.
• Artist Etching: wide creamy, peach-pink petals with ruffled peach edging.
• Pandora’s Box: 4" pale-cream blooms with a purple eyezone and green throat.
• Several daylilies transplanted into these beds are of unknown vintage, including a daylily with lovely lime-yellow blooms and one with large burgundy petals surrounding a yellow center.
“D” Bed (southwest corner of the quad)
This bed had a lot of mid-border holes in it last year; but this year several gaps are beginning to fill in, creating a more unified tapestry of colors and textures. Plants in bloom include:
• Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana): established itself as the bed’s dominant flower in July; frequent host for bumble bees and black wasps moving among the blue flower spikes.
• Tansy (probably Tanacetum vulgare, though the tansy in the garden consistently grow over 6' tall, double the height of a species tansy): three large clumps of tansy have been removed from this bed (because of their size and aggressive spreading); the one remaining cluster will soon have clumps of small yellow flowers (there are also clumps of tansy in the “F” and “G” beds).
• Joe Pye Weed: while removing the tansy, we have allowed the Joe Pye to multiply; several at the back of the border are preparing to bloom.
• Other notable bloomers include a lovely pink garden phlox; several clusters of bee balm; small, purple flower-heads of an ornamental allium, sprinkled through the middle of the bed; a few salvias and London Pride hidden behind taller foliage; a few lingering blooms on a bloody cranesbill at the front of the border; and several vibrant yellow daylilies (unknown cultivar).
“F” Bed (southeast corner of the quad)
In the summer of 2014, while considering ways to enhance the garden’s structural rhythms, we decided to emphasize different color palettes in different flower beds. White was chosen as the predominant color for the “F” bed, and in some ways that intent has been realized.
• Shasta Daisies: three separate cultivars have been planted in the “F” bed, all currently in bloom; other white echoes include a white rose campion, a fleabane and a white stokes aster (both sharing the aster family connection with the daisies), and the white blooms on a variegated phlox (whose leaves are progressively losing their white streaks).
• Black-Eyed Susans & Sunflowers: unforeseen was the substantial expansion of these yellow flowers, which have begun to command the center of the bed, now accompanied at their feet by the yellow blooms of a Zagreb coreopsis.
• Other notable bloomers in the bed: the pink blossoms of a betony and a Tickled Pink Speedwell appearing near the blue blossoms of a Rozanne Cranesbill; the reds of several clumps of bee balm (Monarda didyma) and a new Yarrow (now partially hidden behind the foliage of a Stella de Oro daylily, which provided a corner of yellow blooms several weeks ago).
“G” Bed: The Rain Garden
• More Monarda: during my morning walk, a female ruby-throated hummingbird was feeding on the monarda’s red blooms, methodically circling around the circular clusters of the monarda's two-lipped, tube-shaped flowers.
• Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis): another North American native, the buds on these lobelia are just beginning to open; in Britain’s Kew Gardens is a wetlands display that features cardinal flowers, a model we’re seeking to duplicate in Coe’s more modest rain garden.
• El Desperado Daylily: this daylily is planted on each side of the walk under the pergola; one of the garden’s more dramatic blooms.
“I” Bed (northeast corner of the quad)
By my count, 24 different varieties of flowers in bloom on this Monday:
• Three Coreopsis: Route 66, a Star Cluster cultivar, and Red Satin (a new planting this spring, the blooms matching the cultivar’s name); mixed in with the Route 66 are the blossoms of the Melton Fire Potentilla–a plant the local gardener should trim back so the Route 66 has more breathing room.
• Purple Coneflowers: this Echinacea purpurea, probably a native species offspring, has been steadily expanding its home turf in this bed.
• Phlox: two garden variety in bloom--one pink, the other a magenta.
• Mallow and Hollyhocks: the pink hollyhocks are running out of flower buds–and many of the blossoms have been a favorite location for Japanese beetles; the smaller pink mallow blossoms have not attracted the beetles, enabling the mallow to keep a full pillar of blooms.
• Red Rocks Beardtongue: one of the smallest plants in the border, but it continues to produce its pink beard tongues.
• Golden Margueritte: a few lingering daisy-like blooms, but coming to the end of its season. On the other hand, the white rose campion–which I predicted several weeks ago was coming to the end of its bloom cycle–is still going strong. Another, comparable surprise is the columbine in the two raised beds on the north side of the garden–last week they had only a few blooms and this week (because of the rain?) they are covered with several dozen blue and white blossoms
• Red October Big Bluestem: not in bloom, but this bluestem has lovely blue-tinted foliage with reddish margins on many of the leaves.
Bed “K” (northwest corner of the quad)
In contrast to the “I” bed with its plethora of different flower types, the “K” bed is less diverse, dominated by several mid-size to taller plants:
• Purple Coneflowers: these continue to be the most populous flowers at the east end of the flower bed, and they have been left alone–except for the removal of extraneous grasses and goldenrod.
• Balloon Flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus): there were just a few of these in this bed three years ago, but they have now substantially expanded their terrain and become the predominant flower in the middle of the border.
• Joe Pye Weed: at the back of the border, in font of the yews, we’ve planted several Joe Pye (now approaching full size), accompanied by three clumps of Silver Feather Miscanthus; mixed in with them are several lovely yellow daylilies and tall Asiatic lilies (of unknown origin) that are about to bloom. It’s often these surprise appearances of emigrants that provide the greatest joy. Thank goodness when our best-laid plans benefit from unexpected arrivals.
Garden Report: Monday, 3 July
For this morning’s walk around the garden, I concentrated on identifying and pondering how to describe leaf and flower fragrances–which meant spending most of my time down on my hands and knees, maneuvering my nose as close as possible to potential garden perfumes. Many expectations about fragrant/non-fragrant plants were confirmed, but there were delightful surprises–as well as disappointments. While no single flower fragrances are dominating an area (at least to my ill-trained nose), the summer garden does have an appealing diversity if one takes the time to enter many plants’ private spheres. ~Bob
Herb Garden: a Small Field of Fragrances
Basils: there are seven varieties of basil in the herb garden (the two raised beds on the south side of the garden); my favorite is the Dolce Fresca, which renders a resonant but endearing fragrance after my fingers have gently brushed the leaves; the Persian Basil strikes me as having a licorice-like odor; the Marseilles is a sharper, more assertive communicator.
Thymes: the English and German thymes are both robust fragrances, immediately conveyed with the slightest touch of their leaves; I also love the delicate appeal of the creeping thyme, which now has tiny pink flowers, a perfect accompaniment to its tiny, ground-hugging leaves.
Mints: various mints throughout the garden, the most assertive in odor and habits of expansion are the giant hyssop and the cats mint (invariably hosting large bumble bees); in the herb garden are two other mints, including an apple mint with rumpled, silvery-green leaves.
Other Herbs (most to be found in the “E” beds):
▫ Lavender (now entering its bloom period)
▫ Rosemary (a fragrance consistently fresh and invigorating)
▫ Sweet Marjoram (a lovely, delicate, aromatic fragrance)
▫ Cilantro (which surprises me with its minimal fragrance)
▫ Sage (smelling very much like sage)
▫ Rue (lovely bluish-green leaves with a less appealing odor)
▫ Greek Oregano and Ornamental Oregano
▫ Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis, an easy-to-grow mint-family herb; several large specimens in the "A" beds)
Other plants of note
Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua): hundreds of small Sweet Annie plants south of the patio; the foliage has a distinctive fragrance that lasts into the winter; frequently used in homes as a natural “air freshener.”
Russian Sage: not a member of the sage family, but its fragrance is responsible for the “sage” in its common name.
Mignonette: a popular indoor flower in 19th-century homes; the potted mignonette in the garden has a pleasing but barely noticeable fragrance; perhaps it is more effective in closed spaces.
Purple Coneflowers: the most populous and popular flowers in the garden for flying pollinators; I had not realized until today, how appealing is the flower’s fragrance, once my nose was sufficiently close to the bloom's landing zone; a perfect fragrance for a warm summer day.
Elderberry: the odor of the leaves is rather “funky,” but the few remaining blooms still have an appealing “strawberry” fragrance.
Phlox: this morning I was particularly taken with the sweet fragrance of a phlox called ‘Bright Eyes,’ located in the middle of the “D” bed.
French Marigolds: what can one say–they smelled like marigolds.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma; see photo accompanying this web posting): member of the mint family, which provides a clue to the fragrance of the foliage; red flowers have a pungent odor, which may help attract the frequent butterfly visitations; other common names include Oswego Tea and Bergamot.
Scented geranium: the garden's largest potted plant, which is stored every winter in Peterson Hall; the lime-scented geranium now resides on the north side of the garden, next to a raised “J” bed; I would be glad to provide a cutting for any folks wanting to start their own home-grown scented geranium.
Daylilies: in the last week the daylilies have emerged as the dominant flowers in the garden, particularly in the two large flower beds (“C” and “L”) in front of the patio; however, despite over 15 different cultivars in bloom, I could not find a single bloom that would deserve the description “fragrant”; none unpleasant, but none to write home about.
Hostas: another disappointment; last week hosta blooms along a gravel walkway near the patio had some fragrance, but they proved undetectable this morning.
For this morning’s walk around the garden, I concentrated on identifying and pondering how to describe leaf and flower fragrances–which meant spending most of my time down on my hands and knees, maneuvering my nose as close as possible to potential garden perfumes. Many expectations about fragrant/non-fragrant plants were confirmed, but there were delightful surprises–as well as disappointments. While no single flower fragrances are dominating an area (at least to my ill-trained nose), the summer garden does have an appealing diversity if one takes the time to enter many plants’ private spheres. ~Bob
Herb Garden: a Small Field of Fragrances
Basils: there are seven varieties of basil in the herb garden (the two raised beds on the south side of the garden); my favorite is the Dolce Fresca, which renders a resonant but endearing fragrance after my fingers have gently brushed the leaves; the Persian Basil strikes me as having a licorice-like odor; the Marseilles is a sharper, more assertive communicator.
Thymes: the English and German thymes are both robust fragrances, immediately conveyed with the slightest touch of their leaves; I also love the delicate appeal of the creeping thyme, which now has tiny pink flowers, a perfect accompaniment to its tiny, ground-hugging leaves.
Mints: various mints throughout the garden, the most assertive in odor and habits of expansion are the giant hyssop and the cats mint (invariably hosting large bumble bees); in the herb garden are two other mints, including an apple mint with rumpled, silvery-green leaves.
Other Herbs (most to be found in the “E” beds):
▫ Lavender (now entering its bloom period)
▫ Rosemary (a fragrance consistently fresh and invigorating)
▫ Sweet Marjoram (a lovely, delicate, aromatic fragrance)
▫ Cilantro (which surprises me with its minimal fragrance)
▫ Sage (smelling very much like sage)
▫ Rue (lovely bluish-green leaves with a less appealing odor)
▫ Greek Oregano and Ornamental Oregano
▫ Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis, an easy-to-grow mint-family herb; several large specimens in the "A" beds)
Other plants of note
Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua): hundreds of small Sweet Annie plants south of the patio; the foliage has a distinctive fragrance that lasts into the winter; frequently used in homes as a natural “air freshener.”
Russian Sage: not a member of the sage family, but its fragrance is responsible for the “sage” in its common name.
Mignonette: a popular indoor flower in 19th-century homes; the potted mignonette in the garden has a pleasing but barely noticeable fragrance; perhaps it is more effective in closed spaces.
Purple Coneflowers: the most populous and popular flowers in the garden for flying pollinators; I had not realized until today, how appealing is the flower’s fragrance, once my nose was sufficiently close to the bloom's landing zone; a perfect fragrance for a warm summer day.
Elderberry: the odor of the leaves is rather “funky,” but the few remaining blooms still have an appealing “strawberry” fragrance.
Phlox: this morning I was particularly taken with the sweet fragrance of a phlox called ‘Bright Eyes,’ located in the middle of the “D” bed.
French Marigolds: what can one say–they smelled like marigolds.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma; see photo accompanying this web posting): member of the mint family, which provides a clue to the fragrance of the foliage; red flowers have a pungent odor, which may help attract the frequent butterfly visitations; other common names include Oswego Tea and Bergamot.
Scented geranium: the garden's largest potted plant, which is stored every winter in Peterson Hall; the lime-scented geranium now resides on the north side of the garden, next to a raised “J” bed; I would be glad to provide a cutting for any folks wanting to start their own home-grown scented geranium.
Daylilies: in the last week the daylilies have emerged as the dominant flowers in the garden, particularly in the two large flower beds (“C” and “L”) in front of the patio; however, despite over 15 different cultivars in bloom, I could not find a single bloom that would deserve the description “fragrant”; none unpleasant, but none to write home about.
Hostas: another disappointment; last week hosta blooms along a gravel walkway near the patio had some fragrance, but they proved undetectable this morning.
Garden Report: 26 June 2017
What caught my attention this morning were the butterflies, most notably the appearance of so many red admirals. There were also a couple of Monarch visitors, several small white cabbage butterflies, and a few bi-plane dragonflies (I think they are widow skimmers). But today’s stars were the red admirals–though their “red” always looks more “orange” to my eyes. As for the flowers, the garden is settling into its summer attire. The yellows and oranges dominate–primarily because of the Stella De Oro daylilies–but the garden has in the past two weeks acquired a richer and more aggressive mixture of flower colors and textures. Here are some of the flowers that attracted my attention this morning:
Predominant groups
• Daylilies: in addition to the stellas, other daylilies currently in bloom include Mary Reed (small but lovely light purple bloom with white mid-ribs and yellowish-green throats), Siloam June Bug (2-3" golden yellow blooms with dark maroon eyezones), Lullaby Baby (3-4" gentle peach-colored, ruffled blooms), Daring Dilemma (creamy pink blooms with a deep plum eyezone, one of the most dramatic flowers in the garden), and Real Wind (large peach/orange blooms with rose eyezone).
• Astilbe: two groups of astilbe (in rain garden and a shady corner of the “D” bed) in full bloom, including Bressingham Beauty, Purple Lance, Montgomery, Visions, Milk & Honey, Amber Moon, and Raspberry.
• Coneflowers: several varieties of purple and yellow coneflowers in bloom throughout the garden.
• Balloon Flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus): last week just a few individuals were in bloom but now several groups (most notably in beds “G” and “K”) have become the dominant flowers in their areas.
• Obedient Plants (Physostegia virginiana): a native Midwest plant with very attractive flower spikes, 2-4' tall; blooms should last for several weeks.
• Purple Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia): another native Midwest and Great Plains plant; it has self-seeded and spread throughout the garden, frequently growing to 6' or taller; the small lavender/purple flowers are very popular with our bees.
• Kansas Gayfeathers (Liatris pycnostachya): several clumps of “prairie blazing star” now blooming near the patio; another group, later in their bloom cycle, are planted in the rain garden.
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers in full bloom at the east end of the garden; the varieties along the gravel walkway in the SW corner of the garden are two or more weeks away from their first blooms.
Plants not mentioned in previous Monday reports
• Wendy House Phlox: a set of three plants, recently purchased from Bluestone, with deep magenta blooms, located near the NW gate.
• Swamp Milkweed: an aggressive bully, incredibly resistant to human control; the patch at the east end of the garden, near the rain garden, has attractive, tiny white blooms; last year the Japanese beetles were voraciously gulping down milkweed leaves, but so far this year they have opted to dine primarily on roses and hollyhocks.
• Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia–named after V. A. Perovski, a 19th-century Russian general): lovely foliage, lovely small flowers, and for some noses a lovely fragrance suggesting a mixture of lavender and sage.
• Dwarf Delphinium: for several weeks there has been a dwarf delphinium with blue flowers in one of the raised beds; it has now been joined by a much smaller delphinium with a few purple flowers.
• Betony: the garden has several varieties of betony in bloom; two clumps with gorgeous pink blooms near the patio; betony has a long history as a medicinal herb, the 16th-century herbalist John Gerard noting that “it maketh a man to pisse well.”
• A “Fall” Aster: many asters in the garden are cut back in order to delay their bloom (and to keep them from hiding shorter flowers behind them), but one uncut aster near the NW gate is already producing the magenta petals and yellow centers that will be common throughout the garden in another two months.
• King’s Clover (not sure of the correct name): a large, wild, sweet clover, near the SW gate, often seen along the road sides in the Great Plains; unsolved mystery how it found its way into the garden, but it’s now in its third week of blooming with hundreds of small yellow flowers.
• Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora): probably the world’s most popular ornamental grass, and it’s easy to see why with its lovely seed heads providing almost year-round value.
Expiring Blooms
• White Rose Campion: last week’s report predicted these flowers would be finished, but their blooms are still going strong; the older blooms in the shade have acquired a rosier coloration as they age.
• Iris: the iris in the rain garden were like fireworks, exploding on the scene and then all gone.
• Cranesbill: some random blooms remaining on the bloody cranesbill and the Johnson’s Blue, but they are mostly done for the summer; fortunately the bloody clumps create a rounded mound of foliage that should remain quite attractive through the summer.
• Elderberry: just a few bloom heads remain, the shrubs now focused on producing berries.
• Roses: a few bunches of blooms on the two bushes at the east end of the garden, but most of the roses have now retired for the summer.
• Crown Vetch: now that its flowers are finished, we need to cut it back (so it doesn’t self-seed), dig up its roots, and find a way to keep it from returning; a great plant for controlling soil erosion in the countryside, but not a good choice for this environment.
• Columbine: four blooms remaining on what was a remarkable spring-time bloom cycle for the columbine in the raised beds.
What caught my attention this morning were the butterflies, most notably the appearance of so many red admirals. There were also a couple of Monarch visitors, several small white cabbage butterflies, and a few bi-plane dragonflies (I think they are widow skimmers). But today’s stars were the red admirals–though their “red” always looks more “orange” to my eyes. As for the flowers, the garden is settling into its summer attire. The yellows and oranges dominate–primarily because of the Stella De Oro daylilies–but the garden has in the past two weeks acquired a richer and more aggressive mixture of flower colors and textures. Here are some of the flowers that attracted my attention this morning:
Predominant groups
• Daylilies: in addition to the stellas, other daylilies currently in bloom include Mary Reed (small but lovely light purple bloom with white mid-ribs and yellowish-green throats), Siloam June Bug (2-3" golden yellow blooms with dark maroon eyezones), Lullaby Baby (3-4" gentle peach-colored, ruffled blooms), Daring Dilemma (creamy pink blooms with a deep plum eyezone, one of the most dramatic flowers in the garden), and Real Wind (large peach/orange blooms with rose eyezone).
• Astilbe: two groups of astilbe (in rain garden and a shady corner of the “D” bed) in full bloom, including Bressingham Beauty, Purple Lance, Montgomery, Visions, Milk & Honey, Amber Moon, and Raspberry.
• Coneflowers: several varieties of purple and yellow coneflowers in bloom throughout the garden.
• Balloon Flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus): last week just a few individuals were in bloom but now several groups (most notably in beds “G” and “K”) have become the dominant flowers in their areas.
• Obedient Plants (Physostegia virginiana): a native Midwest plant with very attractive flower spikes, 2-4' tall; blooms should last for several weeks.
• Purple Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia): another native Midwest and Great Plains plant; it has self-seeded and spread throughout the garden, frequently growing to 6' or taller; the small lavender/purple flowers are very popular with our bees.
• Kansas Gayfeathers (Liatris pycnostachya): several clumps of “prairie blazing star” now blooming near the patio; another group, later in their bloom cycle, are planted in the rain garden.
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers in full bloom at the east end of the garden; the varieties along the gravel walkway in the SW corner of the garden are two or more weeks away from their first blooms.
Plants not mentioned in previous Monday reports
• Wendy House Phlox: a set of three plants, recently purchased from Bluestone, with deep magenta blooms, located near the NW gate.
• Swamp Milkweed: an aggressive bully, incredibly resistant to human control; the patch at the east end of the garden, near the rain garden, has attractive, tiny white blooms; last year the Japanese beetles were voraciously gulping down milkweed leaves, but so far this year they have opted to dine primarily on roses and hollyhocks.
• Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia–named after V. A. Perovski, a 19th-century Russian general): lovely foliage, lovely small flowers, and for some noses a lovely fragrance suggesting a mixture of lavender and sage.
• Dwarf Delphinium: for several weeks there has been a dwarf delphinium with blue flowers in one of the raised beds; it has now been joined by a much smaller delphinium with a few purple flowers.
• Betony: the garden has several varieties of betony in bloom; two clumps with gorgeous pink blooms near the patio; betony has a long history as a medicinal herb, the 16th-century herbalist John Gerard noting that “it maketh a man to pisse well.”
• A “Fall” Aster: many asters in the garden are cut back in order to delay their bloom (and to keep them from hiding shorter flowers behind them), but one uncut aster near the NW gate is already producing the magenta petals and yellow centers that will be common throughout the garden in another two months.
• King’s Clover (not sure of the correct name): a large, wild, sweet clover, near the SW gate, often seen along the road sides in the Great Plains; unsolved mystery how it found its way into the garden, but it’s now in its third week of blooming with hundreds of small yellow flowers.
• Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora): probably the world’s most popular ornamental grass, and it’s easy to see why with its lovely seed heads providing almost year-round value.
Expiring Blooms
• White Rose Campion: last week’s report predicted these flowers would be finished, but their blooms are still going strong; the older blooms in the shade have acquired a rosier coloration as they age.
• Iris: the iris in the rain garden were like fireworks, exploding on the scene and then all gone.
• Cranesbill: some random blooms remaining on the bloody cranesbill and the Johnson’s Blue, but they are mostly done for the summer; fortunately the bloody clumps create a rounded mound of foliage that should remain quite attractive through the summer.
• Elderberry: just a few bloom heads remain, the shrubs now focused on producing berries.
• Roses: a few bunches of blooms on the two bushes at the east end of the garden, but most of the roses have now retired for the summer.
• Crown Vetch: now that its flowers are finished, we need to cut it back (so it doesn’t self-seed), dig up its roots, and find a way to keep it from returning; a great plant for controlling soil erosion in the countryside, but not a good choice for this environment.
• Columbine: four blooms remaining on what was a remarkable spring-time bloom cycle for the columbine in the raised beds.
Garden Report: 19 June 2017
Although the orange and yellow flowers continue to dominate the garden, today’s observations will begin by focusing on the whites.
• Shasta Daisies: several varieties, all with blooms larger than the ox-eye daisies (which have in a few small patches quickly rebounded, producing new blooms after a severe pruning 2-3 weeks ago).
• Goatsbeard: the old patch of Goatsbeard in the “D” bed are beginning to fade, but a new clump planted in spring 2016 are just beginning to enter their prime; near them are some nice meadowsweet, with similar blossoms.
• Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides): a vigorous, relentless spreader via underground rhizomes, but wonderful curved racemes of small white flowers that should continue to bloom for several weeks.
• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis): two large shrubs, well over 10 feet tall, on either side of the SW gate, with many flat-topped clusters of white flowers; the berries will all be eaten by birds shortly after turning purple-black.
• Hostas: although primarily foliage plants, several hostas are displaying attractive white blooms, a few with a quite pleasant fragrance.
• Astilbe: several varieties in bloom but the whites are most prominent, particularly a large astilbe at the east edge of the rain garden.
• White rose campion: probably their final week of blooming.
• Dark Tower Penstemon: most of the Husker Red blooms are now faded, but this morning the Dark Tower blooms in the “G” bed still looked very attractive.
• ‘Millennium” Allium: white clumps of small flowers on this ornamental onion located at the corners of the walkway in front of the patio.
A few Monday morning surprises
• Hollyhocks: when I started working in the garden three years ago, I came across several plants that looked like hollyhocks, but they never bloomed; although I thought hollyhocks were usually biennials that bloomed in their second year, two clumps appeared two more summers without any flowering, but this past week, both have begun producing blooms: dark burgundies on the hollyhocks in the “L” bed and delicate pinks in the “I” bed.
• Iris: two years ago a friend donated about twenty iris that were planted in the rain garden shortly after its construction in July 2015; last summer they produced a couple of dramatic, dark purple blooms; this summer it's a full display.
• Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus: the word “platycodon” translates “broad bell,” referring to the shape of the flower): in the last three years these flowers have been slowly but steadily expanding, offering hundreds of lilac-blue flowers on 2-3 foot plants.
• Red Rocks Beardtongue: a small plant with attractive pink/red beardtongue flowers in the “I” bed, somewhat hidden by its larger neighbors.
• Purple Coneflowers: their blooms, from several different varieties, are now emerging all over the garden.
• Speedwells: of particular note are the the ‘Eveline’ and the ‘Sunny Border Blue’ in the “D” bed; a white speedwell should soon be blooming in the “F” bed.
Herb Garden
The original plan was to locate the herb garden along the walkway to the SW gate, but it became apparent that many herbs needed a location with better drainage and more direct sun, so this spring most of the herbs were planted in two raised beds south of the fountain.
• Basil, et al.: in one raised bed are rosemary, English thyme, chives, lavender, and seven varieties of basil (plus some gaillardia and coreopsis); in the other raised bed are creeping thyme (with tiny pink flowers), rue, several mints, tarragon, parsley, marjoram, oregano, borage, and sage (accompanied by some London Pride, mallow, and clumps of little bluestem).
• Greek Oregano, Ornamental Oregano, German Thyme, St. John’s Wort, Lemon Balm, and Hyssop: still located in their original home along the walkway.
Buds
• Joe Pye Weed: several clumps have flower buds just beginning to form; many of the buds are covered with ants.
• Crocosima: native to South Africa , this genus is found throughout the English countryside, producing wonderful red-orange blooms in mid to late summer; the ‘Lucifer’ hybrid planted at Coe early last summer is reported to survive Z5 winters, and it appears that all the Lucifers have endured the 2016-17 winter, the first buds now appearing.
• Kansas Gayfeathers: buds are forming–and a few magenta flowers are just beginning to open–on flower spikes in beds “C” and “L.”
• Mignonette: this is the first year we have sowed some mignonette seeds; the flower buds are just emerging in a small colony of plants in a pot south of the fountain.
Miscellaneous Observations
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers have blooms in the SE and NE borders (the photo at the end of this report shows the leaves of a sunflower just before the flower buds began to emerge).
• Daylilies: the Stella De Oro are currently the dominant flowers in the garden; other daylilies now in play include the Black-Eyed Stella and a ruffled pink Double Classic.
• Coreopsis: most of the perennial coreopsis are now at their peak, including the Route 66, a ‘Star Cluster’ tickseed in bed “I”, and clumps of Zagreb spread throughout the garden.
• Love-in-a-Mist: this is a banner year for the annual nigella.
• Evening Primrose: the large yellow blooms only last for a few hours, but no other flowers in the garden can excel their dramatic freshness.
• Cranesbill: the bloody cranesbill blooms are past their peak, but still many blooms throughout the garden; same with the spiderwort.
• Monarda: lovely red flowers of the Jacob Cline Bee Balm, located in bed “I”, have just opened.
• Asclepias: on a recent trip to the Flint Hills in Kansas observed that the Asclepias has become a dominant flower along the roadside; we have one group now in bloom in a raised bed near the elderberry.
Although the orange and yellow flowers continue to dominate the garden, today’s observations will begin by focusing on the whites.
• Shasta Daisies: several varieties, all with blooms larger than the ox-eye daisies (which have in a few small patches quickly rebounded, producing new blooms after a severe pruning 2-3 weeks ago).
• Goatsbeard: the old patch of Goatsbeard in the “D” bed are beginning to fade, but a new clump planted in spring 2016 are just beginning to enter their prime; near them are some nice meadowsweet, with similar blossoms.
• Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides): a vigorous, relentless spreader via underground rhizomes, but wonderful curved racemes of small white flowers that should continue to bloom for several weeks.
• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis): two large shrubs, well over 10 feet tall, on either side of the SW gate, with many flat-topped clusters of white flowers; the berries will all be eaten by birds shortly after turning purple-black.
• Hostas: although primarily foliage plants, several hostas are displaying attractive white blooms, a few with a quite pleasant fragrance.
• Astilbe: several varieties in bloom but the whites are most prominent, particularly a large astilbe at the east edge of the rain garden.
• White rose campion: probably their final week of blooming.
• Dark Tower Penstemon: most of the Husker Red blooms are now faded, but this morning the Dark Tower blooms in the “G” bed still looked very attractive.
• ‘Millennium” Allium: white clumps of small flowers on this ornamental onion located at the corners of the walkway in front of the patio.
A few Monday morning surprises
• Hollyhocks: when I started working in the garden three years ago, I came across several plants that looked like hollyhocks, but they never bloomed; although I thought hollyhocks were usually biennials that bloomed in their second year, two clumps appeared two more summers without any flowering, but this past week, both have begun producing blooms: dark burgundies on the hollyhocks in the “L” bed and delicate pinks in the “I” bed.
• Iris: two years ago a friend donated about twenty iris that were planted in the rain garden shortly after its construction in July 2015; last summer they produced a couple of dramatic, dark purple blooms; this summer it's a full display.
• Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus: the word “platycodon” translates “broad bell,” referring to the shape of the flower): in the last three years these flowers have been slowly but steadily expanding, offering hundreds of lilac-blue flowers on 2-3 foot plants.
• Red Rocks Beardtongue: a small plant with attractive pink/red beardtongue flowers in the “I” bed, somewhat hidden by its larger neighbors.
• Purple Coneflowers: their blooms, from several different varieties, are now emerging all over the garden.
• Speedwells: of particular note are the the ‘Eveline’ and the ‘Sunny Border Blue’ in the “D” bed; a white speedwell should soon be blooming in the “F” bed.
Herb Garden
The original plan was to locate the herb garden along the walkway to the SW gate, but it became apparent that many herbs needed a location with better drainage and more direct sun, so this spring most of the herbs were planted in two raised beds south of the fountain.
• Basil, et al.: in one raised bed are rosemary, English thyme, chives, lavender, and seven varieties of basil (plus some gaillardia and coreopsis); in the other raised bed are creeping thyme (with tiny pink flowers), rue, several mints, tarragon, parsley, marjoram, oregano, borage, and sage (accompanied by some London Pride, mallow, and clumps of little bluestem).
• Greek Oregano, Ornamental Oregano, German Thyme, St. John’s Wort, Lemon Balm, and Hyssop: still located in their original home along the walkway.
Buds
• Joe Pye Weed: several clumps have flower buds just beginning to form; many of the buds are covered with ants.
• Crocosima: native to South Africa , this genus is found throughout the English countryside, producing wonderful red-orange blooms in mid to late summer; the ‘Lucifer’ hybrid planted at Coe early last summer is reported to survive Z5 winters, and it appears that all the Lucifers have endured the 2016-17 winter, the first buds now appearing.
• Kansas Gayfeathers: buds are forming–and a few magenta flowers are just beginning to open–on flower spikes in beds “C” and “L.”
• Mignonette: this is the first year we have sowed some mignonette seeds; the flower buds are just emerging in a small colony of plants in a pot south of the fountain.
Miscellaneous Observations
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers have blooms in the SE and NE borders (the photo at the end of this report shows the leaves of a sunflower just before the flower buds began to emerge).
• Daylilies: the Stella De Oro are currently the dominant flowers in the garden; other daylilies now in play include the Black-Eyed Stella and a ruffled pink Double Classic.
• Coreopsis: most of the perennial coreopsis are now at their peak, including the Route 66, a ‘Star Cluster’ tickseed in bed “I”, and clumps of Zagreb spread throughout the garden.
• Love-in-a-Mist: this is a banner year for the annual nigella.
• Evening Primrose: the large yellow blooms only last for a few hours, but no other flowers in the garden can excel their dramatic freshness.
• Cranesbill: the bloody cranesbill blooms are past their peak, but still many blooms throughout the garden; same with the spiderwort.
• Monarda: lovely red flowers of the Jacob Cline Bee Balm, located in bed “I”, have just opened.
• Asclepias: on a recent trip to the Flint Hills in Kansas observed that the Asclepias has become a dominant flower along the roadside; we have one group now in bloom in a raised bed near the elderberry.
Monday Morning Walk: 12 June 2017
During this morning’s two-hour walk around the garden, I was holding a garden hose, watering plants stressed by the recent combination of 90 degree temperatures and no rain. This arrival of mid-summer weather corresponds with the garden-wide emergence of yellow and orange flowers, particularly notable in the impact of yellow-blooming daylilies.
Garden’s Yellow and Orange Flowers
• Stella De Oro Daylilies: these will be the dominant daylilies for the next couple of weeks; 'Black-Eyed Stella' will soon be opening in bed “C” (bright yellow blooms with a dark orange/red throat), accompanied by several 'Daring Dilemma' (creamy pink blooms with a deep plum eye zone and matching plum edge).
• Coreopsis: several varieties blooming, including Zagreb and Route 66 (a thread-leaf coreopsis, yellow blooms with a splash of burgundy in the center).
• Gaillardia: several blanket flowers are blooming; some are G. aristata, native to North America, with reddish/purple centers; one prominent gaillardia is in the herb garden bed.
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers in the southeast and northeast corners of the garden; not sure of their genus/species/cultivar identity.
• Purple Fringed Loosestrife 'Purpurea' (Lysimachia ciliata): the small yellow blossoms are just beginning to appear; the large patch of loosestrife under the flowering crab in the SE corner has been stressed by the dry weather.
• Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum repestre): the dominant sedum in the rock garden; an aggressive spreader that thrives in dry, rocky soil; tiny star-shaped yellow flowers rise about the thick mat of leaves.
• Asiatic lilies: several clumps located at the east end of the garden; half are a light yellow, the others a speckled pink.
• Butterfly Plant (Asclepias tuberosa): orange blossoms are just beginning to open; these plants were dug up by some animal late last summer but they have successfully rebounded from that adversity; Wikipedia indicates common names for this plant include butterfly weed, Canada root, chieger flower, chiggerflower, fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, orange milkweed, orange root, orange Swallow-wort, pleurisy root, silky swallow-wort, tuber root, yellow milkweed, white-root, windroot, butterfly love, butterflyweed, and butterfly milkweed.
Plants with Flowers Not Yellow or Orange
• Purple Coneflowers: they are just beginning to open up; in another week they will become a dominant flower in the garden; there is one coneflower in bed “F” with light yellow blooms.
• Dark Towers Penstemon: 'Dark Towers' (located near the rain garden) is similar to the Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' (both developed by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska) found throughout the garden, but it has a darker red foliage, is slightly taller, is a bit sturdier looking, and has flowers with more pink in their coloration.
• Allium: one variety has dark purple flower balls floating above the daylilies’ foliage in the “L” bed; another, much smaller variety, located at two corner walkways, has small white blossoms just beginning to appear; other sources of white blooms in the garden include the elderberry trees near the SW gate, the 'Becky' Shasta Daisies and the 'Divinity Stokes' Asters in the “F” bed, the ‘Wirral Pride' daisies near the NW gate, a tall garden phlox in the “G” bed, the small white blossoms of the 'Ballerina' Yarrow (in the “C” and “L” beds), the tall fleabane popping up at the back of beds throughout the garden, and the long-awaited emergence of the small white flowers (with yellow centers) of the E. C. Buxton Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) in the “I” bed.
• Monarda: the bee balm surrounded by the Karl Foerster grass in the “F” bed has produced its first purple bloom.
• Dahlias: we are many weeks away from the first dahlia blooms, but it is reassuring to see the dahlia plants emerging from the two beds closest to the fountain; peacock orchids (another plant whose bulbs were stored in peat moss over the winter) are now emerging in a dozen different sites throughout the garden.
• London Cross: although few in number it is striking the impact of these red flowers in two beds on the south side of the garden; they were a favorite flower in Victorian-era gardens, and it’s easy to see why they were so cherished.
During this morning’s two-hour walk around the garden, I was holding a garden hose, watering plants stressed by the recent combination of 90 degree temperatures and no rain. This arrival of mid-summer weather corresponds with the garden-wide emergence of yellow and orange flowers, particularly notable in the impact of yellow-blooming daylilies.
Garden’s Yellow and Orange Flowers
• Stella De Oro Daylilies: these will be the dominant daylilies for the next couple of weeks; 'Black-Eyed Stella' will soon be opening in bed “C” (bright yellow blooms with a dark orange/red throat), accompanied by several 'Daring Dilemma' (creamy pink blooms with a deep plum eye zone and matching plum edge).
• Coreopsis: several varieties blooming, including Zagreb and Route 66 (a thread-leaf coreopsis, yellow blooms with a splash of burgundy in the center).
• Gaillardia: several blanket flowers are blooming; some are G. aristata, native to North America, with reddish/purple centers; one prominent gaillardia is in the herb garden bed.
• Sunflowers: several varieties of perennial sunflowers in the southeast and northeast corners of the garden; not sure of their genus/species/cultivar identity.
• Purple Fringed Loosestrife 'Purpurea' (Lysimachia ciliata): the small yellow blossoms are just beginning to appear; the large patch of loosestrife under the flowering crab in the SE corner has been stressed by the dry weather.
• Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum repestre): the dominant sedum in the rock garden; an aggressive spreader that thrives in dry, rocky soil; tiny star-shaped yellow flowers rise about the thick mat of leaves.
• Asiatic lilies: several clumps located at the east end of the garden; half are a light yellow, the others a speckled pink.
• Butterfly Plant (Asclepias tuberosa): orange blossoms are just beginning to open; these plants were dug up by some animal late last summer but they have successfully rebounded from that adversity; Wikipedia indicates common names for this plant include butterfly weed, Canada root, chieger flower, chiggerflower, fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, orange milkweed, orange root, orange Swallow-wort, pleurisy root, silky swallow-wort, tuber root, yellow milkweed, white-root, windroot, butterfly love, butterflyweed, and butterfly milkweed.
Plants with Flowers Not Yellow or Orange
• Purple Coneflowers: they are just beginning to open up; in another week they will become a dominant flower in the garden; there is one coneflower in bed “F” with light yellow blooms.
• Dark Towers Penstemon: 'Dark Towers' (located near the rain garden) is similar to the Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' (both developed by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska) found throughout the garden, but it has a darker red foliage, is slightly taller, is a bit sturdier looking, and has flowers with more pink in their coloration.
• Allium: one variety has dark purple flower balls floating above the daylilies’ foliage in the “L” bed; another, much smaller variety, located at two corner walkways, has small white blossoms just beginning to appear; other sources of white blooms in the garden include the elderberry trees near the SW gate, the 'Becky' Shasta Daisies and the 'Divinity Stokes' Asters in the “F” bed, the ‘Wirral Pride' daisies near the NW gate, a tall garden phlox in the “G” bed, the small white blossoms of the 'Ballerina' Yarrow (in the “C” and “L” beds), the tall fleabane popping up at the back of beds throughout the garden, and the long-awaited emergence of the small white flowers (with yellow centers) of the E. C. Buxton Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) in the “I” bed.
• Monarda: the bee balm surrounded by the Karl Foerster grass in the “F” bed has produced its first purple bloom.
• Dahlias: we are many weeks away from the first dahlia blooms, but it is reassuring to see the dahlia plants emerging from the two beds closest to the fountain; peacock orchids (another plant whose bulbs were stored in peat moss over the winter) are now emerging in a dozen different sites throughout the garden.
• London Cross: although few in number it is striking the impact of these red flowers in two beds on the south side of the garden; they were a favorite flower in Victorian-era gardens, and it’s easy to see why they were so cherished.
Monday Morning Report on 5 June 2017
Arrived at the garden about 8:15 and spent over an hour walking around the property, noting recent developments while making a list of tasks deserving my attention in the next few days. Here are a few of my observations on the resident flowers. In a few instances I have indicated the alphabetical “beds” (“A” through “M”) where particular flowers reside (on the website’s map page is a drawing of the garden with the location of these beds).
New developments, shrubs and flowers not mentioned in previous Monday Morning postings
• Elderberry: Two prominent elderberry on either side of the SW gate, next to the garden shed; buds should be opening in the next week, white blooms covering each elderberry.
• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): emergence of the buds would indicate the orange blooms should be appearing in a few days; although lacking the milkweed family’s milky sap, this Asclepias is an important food source for monarch butterfly larvae.
• Evening Primrose: not sure precisely which species of Oenothera (probably O. biennis) but spectacular yellow blooms; located in bed A1, near the butterfly weed.
• Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’: a current star of the garden, particularly in the “C” bed; dozens of panicles of bell-shaped, 1-inch blooms, white (with a touch of pink).
• Jerusalem Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica): also know as Maltese Cross and London Pride; small but dramatic scarlet blooms with deeply notched petals.
• White Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria ‘alba’): another Lychnis, with a “dusty miller” foliage below pure white blooms.
• Asian Lilies: the first ones (bright yellow, in bed “H”) have opened, though these don’t appear to have any notable fragrance.
• Tickled Pink Speedwell (Veronica spicata): a small plant in the “F” bed, easy to miss; its buds are just beginning to open; similar situation with the Cardonna Meadow Sage (Salvia nemerosa) in the “D” bed.
• Astilbe: located in bed “D” and the rain garden, these astilbe are about to bloom: Amber Rain (with lovely gold foliage), Montgomery, and Milk & Honey.
• Shasta Daisies: several varieties have begun blooming or will in a few days, including the Becky Shasta in bed “F”.
• Purple Coneflowers: a few blooms opened over the weekend and many more on the way; it will shortly be the dominant flower in several areas (most notably in the “K” bed).
• Melton Fire Potentilla: bright red blooms on a plant that sprawls more than expected (in bed “I).
• Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria): this annual has self-seeded in several beds; some buds should shortly be opening to reveal yellow blooms with maroon centers.
• Kansas Gayfeather (Liatris pycnostachya): surely the most wonderful of all flower names, also known as the Prairie Blazing Star; buds are just beginning to emerge so it may be another week before we have KG’s blooms.
Continuation of steady performers
• Bloody Cranesbill: the perfectly shaped mounds of Geranium sanguineum, located on either side of the steps leading to the patio, make these colonies some of this week’s stars of the garden; also some wonderful Lancaster Cranesbill in the crevice garden and two Johnson’s Blue Cranesbill in the “D” bed.
• Mock Orange: a single shrub in the “A1" bed, covered with white blooms and harboring a gentle, soothing fragrance.
• Yarrow: both the yellow and red yarrow immediately in front of the patio are now in full bloom.
• Goatsbeard: those in bed “D” have just begun to bloom; the foliage and flowers make the goatsbeard look like oversized astilbe.
• Zagreb Coreopsis: for two weeks these Monday reports have included a prediction these coreopsis are about to bloom; this morning the buds were actually beginning to open.
• Daylilies: the early daylilies are beginning to emerge, primarily the Stella De Oro; still a couple of weeks before a more diverse show (over 25 different varieties of daylily have been planted in the last two years).
• Honeysuckle: one near the NW gate has begun blooming and another honeysuckle (growing on the “Eiffel tower” in the “H” bed wilderness) is about to bloom.
• Pink Mist Pincushion: located at the east end of the “F” bed; no sign it is ready to stop blooming.
• Love-in-a-Mist: lovely blue blooms on this annual, primarily in the “L” bed.
Celebration of weeds
It can be tricky knowing how to define a weed. In the Alum Garden several plants are vigorous self-seeders and thus appear in many places where they are not welcome (thus earning themselves the “weed” moniker). But gardens are complicated. Some of these plants–such as Queen Anne’s Lace or Sweet Annie--have attractive qualities that keep them from becoming candidates for total elimination. This week three weed/not-weed plants acquired some prominence in the garden:
• Spiderwort: the Tradescantia virginiana have spread themselves throughout the garden; hundreds of volunteers get dug up each spring and summer, but many clumps are protected and their lovely purple-blue blooms are now providing dramatic points of color throughout the garden, in full sunshine and full shade.
• Fleabane: most of these annuals are pulled up and thrown in the compost pile, but we keep a few because the small daisy-like blooms can fill a void at the back of a border; scientific genus is Erigeron, which ironically combines “eri” (meaning spring) with “geron” (meaning old man, apparently because of the resemblance of this spring wildflower to a lanky old man).
• Crown Vetch: although it has a lovely foliage and attractive pink blooms, which appeared over the weekend, it’s an aggressive thug; I keep digging it up and throwing away whatever I can find, and it keeps coming back.
On the downhill
• Wisteria: a few lingering blooms and a lingering fragrance but they won’t last much longer.
• Iris: almost completely finished except for a couple of large yellow blooms on the border of the rain garden.
• Ox-eye Daisies and Catmint: they will all be cut back this week; the catmint will bounce back and be blooming again in a few weeks.
• Lenten Rose: in last week’s report, I forgot to mention that several Lenten Roses (near the Leopold Bench in the SE corner of the garden) are still blooming; the blooms are a soft yellowish-green and easy to miss.
• Columbine: still blooming but the glory days are over.
Arrived at the garden about 8:15 and spent over an hour walking around the property, noting recent developments while making a list of tasks deserving my attention in the next few days. Here are a few of my observations on the resident flowers. In a few instances I have indicated the alphabetical “beds” (“A” through “M”) where particular flowers reside (on the website’s map page is a drawing of the garden with the location of these beds).
New developments, shrubs and flowers not mentioned in previous Monday Morning postings
• Elderberry: Two prominent elderberry on either side of the SW gate, next to the garden shed; buds should be opening in the next week, white blooms covering each elderberry.
• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): emergence of the buds would indicate the orange blooms should be appearing in a few days; although lacking the milkweed family’s milky sap, this Asclepias is an important food source for monarch butterfly larvae.
• Evening Primrose: not sure precisely which species of Oenothera (probably O. biennis) but spectacular yellow blooms; located in bed A1, near the butterfly weed.
• Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’: a current star of the garden, particularly in the “C” bed; dozens of panicles of bell-shaped, 1-inch blooms, white (with a touch of pink).
• Jerusalem Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica): also know as Maltese Cross and London Pride; small but dramatic scarlet blooms with deeply notched petals.
• White Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria ‘alba’): another Lychnis, with a “dusty miller” foliage below pure white blooms.
• Asian Lilies: the first ones (bright yellow, in bed “H”) have opened, though these don’t appear to have any notable fragrance.
• Tickled Pink Speedwell (Veronica spicata): a small plant in the “F” bed, easy to miss; its buds are just beginning to open; similar situation with the Cardonna Meadow Sage (Salvia nemerosa) in the “D” bed.
• Astilbe: located in bed “D” and the rain garden, these astilbe are about to bloom: Amber Rain (with lovely gold foliage), Montgomery, and Milk & Honey.
• Shasta Daisies: several varieties have begun blooming or will in a few days, including the Becky Shasta in bed “F”.
• Purple Coneflowers: a few blooms opened over the weekend and many more on the way; it will shortly be the dominant flower in several areas (most notably in the “K” bed).
• Melton Fire Potentilla: bright red blooms on a plant that sprawls more than expected (in bed “I).
• Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria): this annual has self-seeded in several beds; some buds should shortly be opening to reveal yellow blooms with maroon centers.
• Kansas Gayfeather (Liatris pycnostachya): surely the most wonderful of all flower names, also known as the Prairie Blazing Star; buds are just beginning to emerge so it may be another week before we have KG’s blooms.
Continuation of steady performers
• Bloody Cranesbill: the perfectly shaped mounds of Geranium sanguineum, located on either side of the steps leading to the patio, make these colonies some of this week’s stars of the garden; also some wonderful Lancaster Cranesbill in the crevice garden and two Johnson’s Blue Cranesbill in the “D” bed.
• Mock Orange: a single shrub in the “A1" bed, covered with white blooms and harboring a gentle, soothing fragrance.
• Yarrow: both the yellow and red yarrow immediately in front of the patio are now in full bloom.
• Goatsbeard: those in bed “D” have just begun to bloom; the foliage and flowers make the goatsbeard look like oversized astilbe.
• Zagreb Coreopsis: for two weeks these Monday reports have included a prediction these coreopsis are about to bloom; this morning the buds were actually beginning to open.
• Daylilies: the early daylilies are beginning to emerge, primarily the Stella De Oro; still a couple of weeks before a more diverse show (over 25 different varieties of daylily have been planted in the last two years).
• Honeysuckle: one near the NW gate has begun blooming and another honeysuckle (growing on the “Eiffel tower” in the “H” bed wilderness) is about to bloom.
• Pink Mist Pincushion: located at the east end of the “F” bed; no sign it is ready to stop blooming.
• Love-in-a-Mist: lovely blue blooms on this annual, primarily in the “L” bed.
Celebration of weeds
It can be tricky knowing how to define a weed. In the Alum Garden several plants are vigorous self-seeders and thus appear in many places where they are not welcome (thus earning themselves the “weed” moniker). But gardens are complicated. Some of these plants–such as Queen Anne’s Lace or Sweet Annie--have attractive qualities that keep them from becoming candidates for total elimination. This week three weed/not-weed plants acquired some prominence in the garden:
• Spiderwort: the Tradescantia virginiana have spread themselves throughout the garden; hundreds of volunteers get dug up each spring and summer, but many clumps are protected and their lovely purple-blue blooms are now providing dramatic points of color throughout the garden, in full sunshine and full shade.
• Fleabane: most of these annuals are pulled up and thrown in the compost pile, but we keep a few because the small daisy-like blooms can fill a void at the back of a border; scientific genus is Erigeron, which ironically combines “eri” (meaning spring) with “geron” (meaning old man, apparently because of the resemblance of this spring wildflower to a lanky old man).
• Crown Vetch: although it has a lovely foliage and attractive pink blooms, which appeared over the weekend, it’s an aggressive thug; I keep digging it up and throwing away whatever I can find, and it keeps coming back.
On the downhill
• Wisteria: a few lingering blooms and a lingering fragrance but they won’t last much longer.
• Iris: almost completely finished except for a couple of large yellow blooms on the border of the rain garden.
• Ox-eye Daisies and Catmint: they will all be cut back this week; the catmint will bounce back and be blooming again in a few weeks.
• Lenten Rose: in last week’s report, I forgot to mention that several Lenten Roses (near the Leopold Bench in the SE corner of the garden) are still blooming; the blooms are a soft yellowish-green and easy to miss.
• Columbine: still blooming but the glory days are over.
Monday Morning Walk on 29 May 2017
New developments on the flower scene
• Wisteria: blooms have opened; marvelous fragrance.
• Mock Orange: a small plant, purchased last year, now producing crystalline white blooms and a lovely, delicate fragrance.
• Hall Honeysuckle: should be blooming by the end of week; for me honeysuckle evokes memories of Memorial Day trips to the cemetery because we would create wreathes from the farm's rambling honeysuckle to decorate family grave sites.
• Cranesbill: particularly notable are the mounds of the cranesbill near the patio.
• Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium graminoides): three small clumps in the “D” bed; the small, starry purple-blue flowers (with yellow throats) might be open by end of the week.
• Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria): buds should be opening within the week.
• Asian Lilies: buds emerging; should be open by next week.
Flowers looking much as they did last week
• Baptisia (false indigo): for most of them, their last week for full blooms.
• Sedum/stonecrop in rock/crevice gardens: several in bloom or preparing to bloom.
• Buttercups: many butter-colored blooms.
• Thyme: impossible to walk by the thyme without running a hand through the foliage to pick up that unique fragrance.
• Husker Red: on the tall stalks the buds of small flowers about ready to open.
• Coreopsis (Zagreb): lovely yellowish green foliage; buds about ready to open.
• Love-in-a-Mist: several beginning to bloom; many more on the way.
• Yarrows: three varieties (yellow, red, white) near patio, all entering peak bloom period.
• Spiderwort: blooming throughout the garden; individual blooms last less than a day.
• Nepeta (cat mint): still vigorous blooming; will delay cutting back for at least one more week.
• Salvias: some past their prime, some just beginning to bloom.
• Columbine and Snow-in-Summer: the combination of these two flowers in raised beds on north side of garden continuing to do well, with many unopened buds.
• Potentilla: one variety has a few small, pink blossoms; another has buds forming but probably no open blooms until next week.
• Coral Bells: two variegated coral bells under pergola with tiny blooms above the white/green variegated leaves.
• Astilbe: buds developing; may have some blooms by end of the week.
• Purple Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea'): large patch with dark burgundy foliage near SE bench; blooms should appear in June; might note this is not the same plant as Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which can be an invasive weed in the Midwest.
• Ghost Fern: another attractive foliage plant, located behind the Lysimachia near the Little Gardener statue.
• Pink Mist Pincushions: bloom count triple the number last week.
• Goats Beard (Aruncus dioicus): perhaps blooms by end of week; the creamy-white blooms don’t last long, but when on display they are one of the garden’s most appealing flowers.
• Firewitch Dianthus: many pink blossoms look ragged when viewed close-up, but from a distance they still appear quite attractive.
• ‘Joan Elliot’ Campanula: lovely bluish/purple blooms.
• Iris: the light blue iris along back of the rain garden continue to produce new blooms (many flower stalks have 4-5 buds); also a large, distinctive yellow iris has emerged in the midst of this group.
Flowers on the downhill
• Peonies: mostly finished; a few lingering blooms.
• Ox-eye daisies: their final week; they will all be cut down by next Monday.
• Viburnum: many lingering blooms but past their peak;
• Siberian Iris: alas, these garden stars are in retreat; still some nice ones in shady areas but they will be ragged by end of week.
• Lupines: nearly all finished except for a few small, late flower heads.
• Weigela: their final week.
• Clematis: nearing the conclusion of their spring bloom cycle.
• Roses: one red rose bush near NW gate with some nice medium-sized blooms and slight fragrance; the pink are past their prime; the large white rose bush in the NW corner is still producing nice blossoms but unfortunately blooms only last a day or two.
New developments on the flower scene
• Wisteria: blooms have opened; marvelous fragrance.
• Mock Orange: a small plant, purchased last year, now producing crystalline white blooms and a lovely, delicate fragrance.
• Hall Honeysuckle: should be blooming by the end of week; for me honeysuckle evokes memories of Memorial Day trips to the cemetery because we would create wreathes from the farm's rambling honeysuckle to decorate family grave sites.
• Cranesbill: particularly notable are the mounds of the cranesbill near the patio.
• Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium graminoides): three small clumps in the “D” bed; the small, starry purple-blue flowers (with yellow throats) might be open by end of the week.
• Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria): buds should be opening within the week.
• Asian Lilies: buds emerging; should be open by next week.
Flowers looking much as they did last week
• Baptisia (false indigo): for most of them, their last week for full blooms.
• Sedum/stonecrop in rock/crevice gardens: several in bloom or preparing to bloom.
• Buttercups: many butter-colored blooms.
• Thyme: impossible to walk by the thyme without running a hand through the foliage to pick up that unique fragrance.
• Husker Red: on the tall stalks the buds of small flowers about ready to open.
• Coreopsis (Zagreb): lovely yellowish green foliage; buds about ready to open.
• Love-in-a-Mist: several beginning to bloom; many more on the way.
• Yarrows: three varieties (yellow, red, white) near patio, all entering peak bloom period.
• Spiderwort: blooming throughout the garden; individual blooms last less than a day.
• Nepeta (cat mint): still vigorous blooming; will delay cutting back for at least one more week.
• Salvias: some past their prime, some just beginning to bloom.
• Columbine and Snow-in-Summer: the combination of these two flowers in raised beds on north side of garden continuing to do well, with many unopened buds.
• Potentilla: one variety has a few small, pink blossoms; another has buds forming but probably no open blooms until next week.
• Coral Bells: two variegated coral bells under pergola with tiny blooms above the white/green variegated leaves.
• Astilbe: buds developing; may have some blooms by end of the week.
• Purple Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea'): large patch with dark burgundy foliage near SE bench; blooms should appear in June; might note this is not the same plant as Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which can be an invasive weed in the Midwest.
• Ghost Fern: another attractive foliage plant, located behind the Lysimachia near the Little Gardener statue.
• Pink Mist Pincushions: bloom count triple the number last week.
• Goats Beard (Aruncus dioicus): perhaps blooms by end of week; the creamy-white blooms don’t last long, but when on display they are one of the garden’s most appealing flowers.
• Firewitch Dianthus: many pink blossoms look ragged when viewed close-up, but from a distance they still appear quite attractive.
• ‘Joan Elliot’ Campanula: lovely bluish/purple blooms.
• Iris: the light blue iris along back of the rain garden continue to produce new blooms (many flower stalks have 4-5 buds); also a large, distinctive yellow iris has emerged in the midst of this group.
Flowers on the downhill
• Peonies: mostly finished; a few lingering blooms.
• Ox-eye daisies: their final week; they will all be cut down by next Monday.
• Viburnum: many lingering blooms but past their peak;
• Siberian Iris: alas, these garden stars are in retreat; still some nice ones in shady areas but they will be ragged by end of week.
• Lupines: nearly all finished except for a few small, late flower heads.
• Weigela: their final week.
• Clematis: nearing the conclusion of their spring bloom cycle.
• Roses: one red rose bush near NW gate with some nice medium-sized blooms and slight fragrance; the pink are past their prime; the large white rose bush in the NW corner is still producing nice blossoms but unfortunately blooms only last a day or two.
Monday Morning Report: 22 May 2017
Flowers that should be at their peak this week
• Siberian Iris: current stars of the garden; this should be their best week.
• Peonies: the big reds are mostly finished (heavy rain not kind to them); pinks, whites, and red pom-poms have one more good week—depending on the weather.
• Clematis: several with full blooms
• Columbine: holding their own; many new buds have not yet opened.
• Rugosa Roses: two old rose bushes at east end; this should be their best week.
• Cranesbill: several varieties at their best, including Johnson Blue, Ingwersen's Variety, Bevan's Variety, Biokovo, and the Bloody Cranesbill.
• Baptisia: should be a good week for the blue false indigo.
• Prairie Smoke: blooms past their prime but lovely seed heads.
• Salvia: some in decline, but several entering their peak period.
• Continued solid performance of several small flowers:
Thyme (in the rock garden)
Buttercups
Bugleweed
• This should be a prime week for the following:
--Robinson Red Painted Daisy
--Weigela
--Ox-eye Daisies (they will be in decline by the end of the month)
--Dame's Rocket (has the reputation as an invasive weed, but the variety in the Alum Garden has so far remained a polite lady)
Flowers emerging this week
• Spiderwort: throughout the garden; should be at their best during the next 2 weeks.
• Wisteria; buds beginning to open.
• Viburnum: buds just beginning to open; should be a lovely display at the east end of the garden later this week.
• Alliums: many are past their prime, but several varieties just emerging.
• Sedum ground cover near NW gate: yellow blooms just beginning to appear.
• Yarrow: both yellow and red blooms appearing on the yarrow close to patio.
• Valerie Finnis Artemisia: blooms should be open by end of this week; over silver-gray foliage
• Lady's Mantle: buds formed and should be opening in next week.
• Zagreb Coreopsis: beautiful foliage at this time of year; buds just appearing.
• Nigella damascena: an annual; most common name is "Love in a Mist" but also known as "Ragged Lady" and "Devil in the Bush"; appears to have been a good year for self-seeding; blooms should be appearing by end of the week.
• Campanula glomenata "Joan Eliot': blue flowers opened this past weekend.
• Comfrey: primarily a foliage plant but tiny flowers opened up this past week.
• Chives: some already blooming; others about to bloom; same with pink mist pincushion (with somewhat similar bloom)
• Penstemon barbatus: Riding Hood Lavender Beardtongue with tiny pink/lavender flowers
• Firewitch Dianthus: probably final week of prime display.
• Catmint: vigorous blooming; because the nepeta tend to sprawl and flop, many will be cut back in another week.
• Daylilies: a few isolated blooms but we won’t see significant daylily blooms until June.
• Astilbe: excellent foliage plants; buds just emerging; perhaps blooms by the end of the month.
• Shasta Daisies: buds developing on a couple of varieties; may have blooms by end of the week.
• Goatsbeard, Meadowsweet and Husker Red: three foliage plants with blooms to appear within the week.
• Several emerging plants with beautiful foliage: Hibiscus, Joe Pye Weed, Japanese Painted Fern
Flowers on the decline
• Lupine: lingering blooms, several quite lovely, but this will be their final week.
• Iris by rain garden still look good, but this will be their last week; one surprise is the appearance of a lovely yellow iris in this group.
• Spurge: almost finished; same with moss phlox
Flowers that should be at their peak this week
• Siberian Iris: current stars of the garden; this should be their best week.
• Peonies: the big reds are mostly finished (heavy rain not kind to them); pinks, whites, and red pom-poms have one more good week—depending on the weather.
• Clematis: several with full blooms
• Columbine: holding their own; many new buds have not yet opened.
• Rugosa Roses: two old rose bushes at east end; this should be their best week.
• Cranesbill: several varieties at their best, including Johnson Blue, Ingwersen's Variety, Bevan's Variety, Biokovo, and the Bloody Cranesbill.
• Baptisia: should be a good week for the blue false indigo.
• Prairie Smoke: blooms past their prime but lovely seed heads.
• Salvia: some in decline, but several entering their peak period.
• Continued solid performance of several small flowers:
Thyme (in the rock garden)
Buttercups
Bugleweed
• This should be a prime week for the following:
--Robinson Red Painted Daisy
--Weigela
--Ox-eye Daisies (they will be in decline by the end of the month)
--Dame's Rocket (has the reputation as an invasive weed, but the variety in the Alum Garden has so far remained a polite lady)
Flowers emerging this week
• Spiderwort: throughout the garden; should be at their best during the next 2 weeks.
• Wisteria; buds beginning to open.
• Viburnum: buds just beginning to open; should be a lovely display at the east end of the garden later this week.
• Alliums: many are past their prime, but several varieties just emerging.
• Sedum ground cover near NW gate: yellow blooms just beginning to appear.
• Yarrow: both yellow and red blooms appearing on the yarrow close to patio.
• Valerie Finnis Artemisia: blooms should be open by end of this week; over silver-gray foliage
• Lady's Mantle: buds formed and should be opening in next week.
• Zagreb Coreopsis: beautiful foliage at this time of year; buds just appearing.
• Nigella damascena: an annual; most common name is "Love in a Mist" but also known as "Ragged Lady" and "Devil in the Bush"; appears to have been a good year for self-seeding; blooms should be appearing by end of the week.
• Campanula glomenata "Joan Eliot': blue flowers opened this past weekend.
• Comfrey: primarily a foliage plant but tiny flowers opened up this past week.
• Chives: some already blooming; others about to bloom; same with pink mist pincushion (with somewhat similar bloom)
• Penstemon barbatus: Riding Hood Lavender Beardtongue with tiny pink/lavender flowers
• Firewitch Dianthus: probably final week of prime display.
• Catmint: vigorous blooming; because the nepeta tend to sprawl and flop, many will be cut back in another week.
• Daylilies: a few isolated blooms but we won’t see significant daylily blooms until June.
• Astilbe: excellent foliage plants; buds just emerging; perhaps blooms by the end of the month.
• Shasta Daisies: buds developing on a couple of varieties; may have blooms by end of the week.
• Goatsbeard, Meadowsweet and Husker Red: three foliage plants with blooms to appear within the week.
• Several emerging plants with beautiful foliage: Hibiscus, Joe Pye Weed, Japanese Painted Fern
Flowers on the decline
• Lupine: lingering blooms, several quite lovely, but this will be their final week.
• Iris by rain garden still look good, but this will be their last week; one surprise is the appearance of a lovely yellow iris in this group.
• Spurge: almost finished; same with moss phlox
Monday Morning Report: 15 May 2017
The idea for this series of postings is quite simple. On Monday mornings I walk around the garden and jot down a few notes, recording what’s looking good, what’s emerging, what’s on the way out. I then post my notes and commentaries to the website, identifying plants deserving special recognition. Here’s my first round of observations.
Hot plants, at their peak
• Iris: several varieties in several locations.
• Ox-eye daisies: a weed, but for a couple of weeks in May a glorious weed, particularly noteworthy under the pergola.
• Clematis: one climber in bloom at the front of the pergola.
• Giant alliums: in the beds in front of the patio.
• Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum): the seed heads are delightful, evoking the image of “prairie smoke”.
• Meadow Sage (Salvia nemorosa): the first of the salvias to reach full display; their deep blue blooms should last for several weeks.
• Weigela: 'wine and roses' blooms first appeared at the end of last week.
• Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum): planted spring 2016 but did not bloom until this spring, silver-gray foliage now covered with white blossoms.
• Russell Lupines: started from seed two years ago and now blooming for the first time
• Cranesbill: several varieties in bloom, including Lancaster, Johnson’s Blue, Bevans Variety, and the ubiquitous Bloody.
• Columbine: natives have self-seeded at both ends of the garden; wonderful batches of columbine in two raised beds, one group directly in front of the lupines.
• Pink Roses: this morning the bushes had dozens of open blooms--the best they have looked in years--and they even had a faint but distinctive rose fragrance; they won’t last long.
• Little yellow buttercups: brought south from the Wilderness Field Station.
• Dianthus Firewitch: it’s easy to see why this flower earned the Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year in 2006.
• A single Dame’s Rocket: white blooms on 4-5’ stalks.
• Catmint: poor man’s lavender, blooming in several locations.
• Small blooms on several small plants: Pink Mist pincushion, Riding Hood lavender beardtongue, and a variegated coral bell.
• Many plants with no flowers but their foliage is particularly noteworthy: a dozen or more varieties of hostas, Husker Red penstemon (throughout the garden), Valerie Finnis cut leaf white sage (Artemisia ludovisiana), and Helene Van Stein lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantia)
Flowers just beginning to come into their full splendour (English spelling for an English-style garden)
• Siberian iris: yesterday the first ones opened up; several marvelous clumps at the garden’s east end.
• Peonies: a few reds opened this weekend; they will reach their peak this week.
• Baptisia (false indigo): blooms are just beginning to open; the blooms make it easy to see why one name for this native is “bastard lupine”.
• Several yarrow: don’t overlook the tiny white flowers on the Ballerina and the red ‘Desert Eve’ achillea.
• Robinson’s Red Painted Daisy (Tanacetum coccineum): just one plant and somewhat hidden away but distinctive blossoms that should open in a couple of days.
• One Centaurea Montana Blue: more blooms will be forthcoming.
• Wisteria: buds have emerged and blooms should appear next week.
And, finally, flowers with lingering blooms but on their way out
• Dwarf lilacs: will be done by the end of the week.
• Daffodils: all the daffodil blooms are history except for a few small yellows mixed in with some hostas behind a garden bench.
• Brunnera macrophylla: tiny blue blooms are disappearing but still lovely foliage, which should last for another six months.
• Wild strawberries (from the Wilderness Field Station): the blooms are mostly gone, but some tiny, delicious strawberries will soon be ready for picking.
• Spurge, moss phlox, and bleeding hearts: alas, all in decline.
If you are ever looking for a particular plant but can’t find it, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll be glad to help, assuming I can remember its location. ~Bob
Email: [email protected]
No regular "office" hours but often in the garden weekday mornings from 8:30 til noon.
The idea for this series of postings is quite simple. On Monday mornings I walk around the garden and jot down a few notes, recording what’s looking good, what’s emerging, what’s on the way out. I then post my notes and commentaries to the website, identifying plants deserving special recognition. Here’s my first round of observations.
Hot plants, at their peak
• Iris: several varieties in several locations.
• Ox-eye daisies: a weed, but for a couple of weeks in May a glorious weed, particularly noteworthy under the pergola.
• Clematis: one climber in bloom at the front of the pergola.
• Giant alliums: in the beds in front of the patio.
• Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum): the seed heads are delightful, evoking the image of “prairie smoke”.
• Meadow Sage (Salvia nemorosa): the first of the salvias to reach full display; their deep blue blooms should last for several weeks.
• Weigela: 'wine and roses' blooms first appeared at the end of last week.
• Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum): planted spring 2016 but did not bloom until this spring, silver-gray foliage now covered with white blossoms.
• Russell Lupines: started from seed two years ago and now blooming for the first time
• Cranesbill: several varieties in bloom, including Lancaster, Johnson’s Blue, Bevans Variety, and the ubiquitous Bloody.
• Columbine: natives have self-seeded at both ends of the garden; wonderful batches of columbine in two raised beds, one group directly in front of the lupines.
• Pink Roses: this morning the bushes had dozens of open blooms--the best they have looked in years--and they even had a faint but distinctive rose fragrance; they won’t last long.
• Little yellow buttercups: brought south from the Wilderness Field Station.
• Dianthus Firewitch: it’s easy to see why this flower earned the Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year in 2006.
• A single Dame’s Rocket: white blooms on 4-5’ stalks.
• Catmint: poor man’s lavender, blooming in several locations.
• Small blooms on several small plants: Pink Mist pincushion, Riding Hood lavender beardtongue, and a variegated coral bell.
• Many plants with no flowers but their foliage is particularly noteworthy: a dozen or more varieties of hostas, Husker Red penstemon (throughout the garden), Valerie Finnis cut leaf white sage (Artemisia ludovisiana), and Helene Van Stein lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantia)
Flowers just beginning to come into their full splendour (English spelling for an English-style garden)
• Siberian iris: yesterday the first ones opened up; several marvelous clumps at the garden’s east end.
• Peonies: a few reds opened this weekend; they will reach their peak this week.
• Baptisia (false indigo): blooms are just beginning to open; the blooms make it easy to see why one name for this native is “bastard lupine”.
• Several yarrow: don’t overlook the tiny white flowers on the Ballerina and the red ‘Desert Eve’ achillea.
• Robinson’s Red Painted Daisy (Tanacetum coccineum): just one plant and somewhat hidden away but distinctive blossoms that should open in a couple of days.
• One Centaurea Montana Blue: more blooms will be forthcoming.
• Wisteria: buds have emerged and blooms should appear next week.
And, finally, flowers with lingering blooms but on their way out
• Dwarf lilacs: will be done by the end of the week.
• Daffodils: all the daffodil blooms are history except for a few small yellows mixed in with some hostas behind a garden bench.
• Brunnera macrophylla: tiny blue blooms are disappearing but still lovely foliage, which should last for another six months.
• Wild strawberries (from the Wilderness Field Station): the blooms are mostly gone, but some tiny, delicious strawberries will soon be ready for picking.
• Spurge, moss phlox, and bleeding hearts: alas, all in decline.
If you are ever looking for a particular plant but can’t find it, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll be glad to help, assuming I can remember its location. ~Bob
Email: [email protected]
No regular "office" hours but often in the garden weekday mornings from 8:30 til noon.