Archive for the 'General' Category

Lewisia tweedyi

Pleione formosana

Boechera (Arabis) koehleri (planted January 24)

When you are using your greenhouse to grow special plants like Lewisia tweedyi or Pleione formosana, or seedlings of an unusual western rock cress, you might be forgiven by reacting to the first sign of aphids with an immediate fog of insecticide.  However, I decided last winter that I would try to make the greenhouse as much of a natural environment as I could.  The windows open to the out of doors on warm days without screens so that insects are free to come and go.  The greenhouse manufacturer said that people liked this idea for pollination but I was thinking more about insect control.

In early December when I first began operations I saw a few ladybugs taking refuge from the cold.  I had hoped they might settle in, perhaps laying eggs.  And last week I saw my first ladybug larva busily patrolling the leaves for aphids.

Lady Bug larva

They are voracious eaters (think of teenagers eating between meals).

And yesterday I spied a praying mantis.

Small Preying Mantis

I had seen an egg case in the hillside garden and put it into the greenhouse in February.  Though I never saw the hatching take place, they are apparently growing fast.  Unfortunately a few minutes later I saw this one get trapped in a spider’s web.  While both seemed to be about the same size, the spider definitely won the battle.  But there should be many more praying mantis wandering around the greenhouse at this point.

While i was watching the praying mantis and spider struggle I looked up and saw the dominant actor in the food chain.

Large wooly spider on citrus leaf

This guy was alert and ready for action.  So while I do see aphids here and there, nature’s enforcer’s are busy keeping things within bounds.

Spider with turquoise bib

Corydalis solida ‘George Baker’ from Odyssey Bulbs

It looks like the weather girl is finally going to cease her romance with old man winter.  Just less than two weeks ago we had snow covering everything and freezing nighttime temperatures.

Helleborus Ivory Prince in the snow

But now all the usual suspects and then some are emerging from hibernation.  And with temperatures going to the 80′s this week we are going to zip through some of the spring ephemerals that I would like to see linger.  I can’t complain about zipping through the Adonis though.  The first blooms appeared in January and now the first offset runner from the original Adonis has put forth three buds that are in the various states of bloom that illustrate the richness of Adonis amurensis ‘Sandansaki’.

Adonis from above

The new offset is in the lower left of the picture above.

New offset of the Adonis

A. ‘Sandansaki’ in bud

Adonis amurensis ‘Sandansaki’ flowering stage

Adonis ‘Sandansaki’ flower in advanced stage with full lion’s mane

Ok, so it will disappear by May but what a nice four months of bloom!

One of the first things I look for in this season is the Hepaticas with their hairy little buds rising above the soil before opening to bloom.

Hepatica acutifolia

Hepatica acutiloba

There are many variations in Hepaticas, some not so easy to find.  Seneca Hills nursery had some beauties when they were in existence.

Hepatica nobilis large form blue shade

And I got a nice pink form from Hillside nursery two years ago.

Hepatica japonica pink

Just at the same time as the Hepaticas we see the Jeffersonia dubia.  I have two plants one a deeper violet than the other.

Jeffersonia dubia

Of course the lighting for the photo also influences how dark the coloring is.

In terms of dark coloring it is hard to beat Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’.  The cobalt blue on the outside is matched by the blue color on the stamens.

Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’

Spring Beauty stamens

Almost in the same blue realm is the Scillia bifolia which is a charmer in its own right.

Scilla bifolia stamens

We also saw the first of the Bloodroot this week.  Even encountered one in the woods where I had planted it a few years ago.

Every day in the Springtime is worth lingering over…

Lilium maculatum ssp. davuricum f. rebunense

I should take a minute to share my visit to two Carolina nurseries as part of my annual Spring Training trip to Florida.  I stopped at Plant Delights on my way south and then again at Plant Delights and Pine Knot Farms on the way north.  Each time the weather was on the cool side.  In fact on the way south it was a miserable 37 degrees with cold rain falling.  Plant Delights was not nearly so crowded as I’ve seen it on other occasions.  They even had a portable oil fired heater set up just so the people at the checkout stand could work without gloves.

Checkout with oil fired heater to keep frozen hands working.

Portable Oil-fired Heater

But it did mean that I had my pick of the plants.

Checking out at Plant Delights

On my return north I stopped at Plant Delights again and picked up my plants which they had graciously agreed to hold for me over the week (a few more jumped into the car while I was there) and then I went another hour north to the Hellebore Festival at Pine Knot Farms.

Hellebore Festival at Pine Knot Farms

Also at Pine Knot Farms was John Lonsdale who maintains a choice set of unusual plants at his Edgewood Gardens in Pennsylvania.  His website is well worth exploring if you want to indulge in plant lust.  He had brought with him a variety of cyclamen and I had already decided to expand the range of cyclamen that we have so it was a very good fit indeed.

John Lonsdale and his Cyclamen

Some of the many cyclamen that I brought back from John Lonsdale

By the time I got home there were four tubs of plants in my Prius…

At this season the showiest newcomers are probably the Hellebores.

Hellebores brought back from Carolina

Helleborus x ericsmithi ‘HGC Winter’s Song’

Helleborus x hybridus PDN double bicolor

Helleborus x hybridus PDN Yellow

Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Cotton Candy’

Helleborus x ‘Penny’s Pink’

But there were some other very interesting additions as well.  A dwarf Lily from Japan’s Rebun Island which is already in flower at 5 inches high.

Lilium maculatum ssp. davuricum f. rebunense

A nicely detailed version of the table fern

Pteris cretica ‘Korean Petticoat’

A Begonia that might possibly make it outside here with just wonderfully hairy stems and pretty foliage.

Begonia heracleifolia ‘Nigricans’

An interesting old print and description of this “Hog-weed Begonia” is found at a branch of the American Begonia Society.

There is also the very lovely little Viola Dissectas that I picked up from John Lonsdale.  I can think of a lot of places in the garden to tuck in these little beauties.

Viola dissecta

I’ve also started to get very enthusiastic about trying some of the more exotic Oxalis since seeing one in bloom over the holidays in California.  I couldn’t miss the unusual foliage of this Palm-Leaf False Shamrock.  It’s said to be tough to get to flower but with these leaves the flowers would just be a bonus.

Oxalis palmifrons

And while I thought I already had enough Canna in the yard with last year’s planting, I could turn down the vivid orange in this specimen.

Canna ‘Orange Punch’

Finally, I grew up with ice plant in Southern California.  They were everywhere because they grew where many other plants wouldn’t.  We played with them (they squish with lots of water released).  So I have been reluctant to take them up.  Besides in a cold climate they must freeze right?  But apparently they are hardier than I thought and I can now start to image how these little sunlit jewels fit into a rock garden…

Delosperma ‘Rise and Shine’

Anyway, that’s some of what I did on my spring vacation.  Now I’m looking forward to making gardens they can fit into…

Mandevilla in the greenhouse

So it’s time to report on progress in the greenhouse.  So far, with a relatively mild winter it has been no difficulty to keep the greenhouse temperatures in a range of 40 degrees at night to about 70 degrees in the daytime.  The mister comes on every 4 days and gives everyone a shower, though as the days get longer I may have to up the watering.

I have become of member of the Pacific Bulb Society and began partaking of their seed distributions in early December.  This has led to some interesting experimentation in starting seeds.  Some of the seeds are already jumping out of their skins when the seeds arrive and others have taken a while to coax out.  I figured this little Haemanthus was upside-down so I ended up turning him over…

Haemanthus albiflos upside down

On average they seem to be taking about 4-5 weeks to get little green sprouts.  This is longer than when I start seeds in the basement but the process in the greenhouse is much more automated and probably mimics nature more accurately.

Rhodophiala bifida seedlings

I’ve finished off the pots with very small gravel designed to keep the seedlings from damping off which could occur in the basement when I was keeping the seedlings for a long time (these little bulbs may have to stay in the pots for a couple of seasons).  I was a little concerned as to whether the little sprouts could move the gravel but they just shove the stones aside like the miniature weight-lifters they are.  I also run the overhead fan all the time and I think the air movement is conducive to a healthy greenhouse.  The bulb seeds that are exchanged among the PBS members are often not available in normal commerce.  So far there about 20 such seedling pots planted with bulbs that are new to me.  They should be worth waiting for.  I mean how can you go wrong planting exotics with names like Paradisea lusitanicum and Habranthus brachyandrus.  It calls up images of the early plant explorers…

Another greenhouse exercise involved dividing a clump of Primula vulgaris last November.

Primula vulgaris clump

When we returned from a trip to England in 2008 we planted a number of these wild primrose that dot the fields of England hoping to see them spread around our hillside.  And while they grow well and flower reliably here they don’t show any sign of moving from the places where we planted them.  The clumps expand every year but I have yet to see a seedling away from the mother plant.  So I dug a clump and split it apart in mid-November.

Primula vulgaris clump separated

By the time I had divided the little pieces I had a dozen little primrose plants.

Primula vulgaris divided into a dozen pots

Now, seven weeks later the little Primrose are flowering as they greet what they think is spring in the greenhouse.  Then I will plant them out when it really gets warm.  It’s another way to multiply these lovely little guys…

Pots of Primrose

Primula vulgaris in flower

I’ve also put in some lettuce and spinach just to see how that grows at this time of year…

Lettuce in the Greenhouse

What I am really looking forward to is the Hepatica that arrived from England last fall.  It gets a daily inspection with the magnifying glass, just like the little seedlings.  Go little Hepatica, go…

Hepatica nobilis ‘Rubra plena’ green tips

White and Red Cattleya Orchid

One of the nice things about the late fall is that we bring the Orchids inside when it starts to get cold.  They get very minimal care on a shady porch all summer long.  When we bring them in they all respond by flowering, each type in it’s own turn.  Right now the Cattleyas are having their say.  The white and red one is about 2 1/2 feet across out of a 10 inch pot.  We really have to think about repotting it someday.  All the orchids are wonderful but the Cattleyas are simply stunning to look at.  The silky petals and sepals and the colorful lips with the delicate ruffles at the edges are always attention grabbers.  But to cap it off, as if nature decided to go all out on this one species, the fragrance is spectacular — a combination of cinnamon and vanilla that is intoxicating.  I find myself stopping by to indulge in the scent several times a day.  The flowering is measured in weeks rather than days.  Indeed some our orchids seem to persist in bloom for more than a month.  If you have a sunny window in the wintertime, there is little reason not to be growing orchids…

Large Cattleya in bloom

Orchid detail

Red Cattleya Orchid

Another exotic flower for the indoor garden which requires even less care than the orchids is our Amazon lily.  This one looks like one of those green tropical plants that you move around in the house like a piece of furniture except that twice a year it shoots up these beautiful white flowers to remind you that it is indeed a remarkable plant.

Amazon Lily (Eucharis amazonica)

The flowers are not only lovely but fragrant as well.  I don’t think we’ve repotted it for ten years.  It sits in a well lit room with northern light and it flowers like clockwork.  I had been calling this Eucharis x grandiflora but after consulting the pages of the Pacific Bulb Society I realized that it’s actually E. amazonica.  According to that source this is just a single plant from the Huallaga valley in northeastern Peru that has been cloned all over the world.  There are no records of it actually producing seeds.  Pretty remarkable when you stop to think about it…

Greenhouse at night

We’re all buttoned up now with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy knocking on our doors.  The morning began with a leaking window on the north side of our house but the new greenhouse seems to be handling the storm with aplomb.  I spent the last few days getting the some of the plants ready for winter and moving them into the greenhouse.

Getting plants ready for Greenhouse

First plants in the greenhouse

The Citrus should have a great winter

Notice how the auto-vents provide ventilation — there are two in the roof as well.

Outside there are a few plants enjoying the extended warm weather we’ve had.  The red Camellia sasanqua is having a stellar year.

Red Fall Camellia in flower

Red fall-bloomingl Camellia sasanqua covered in buds

Another intense red is the Pineapple Sage.

Pineapple Sage

I keep wanting to call this firecracker sage or maybe peppermint sage, but Beth convinced me that the leaves do smell exactly like pineapples.  In any case it’s a great plant for the late fall with outstanding brilliant red flowers.

Another interesting plant for late fall that I added last year is the Leopard Plant (Farfugium japonicum).  Its robust spotted yellow foliage is an asset all year but in the fall it unexpectedly puts out bright yellow daisy-like flowers that stand above the leaves.

Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’

Nearby I’ve planted a small Sourwood tree that I’ve had in a pot for several years.  The old lilac that had failed to bloom for many years will not be missed and the foliage of the Sourwood is spectacular in the fall.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

Before we leave the outside I should mention that in the small rock garden on the hillside I noticed that the little gentian planted there has put out a couple of flowers.  Not only is this the wrong season but they seem to be yellow rather than blue.  Most strange.

Gentiana acaulis ‘Trotter’s Variety’

I brought this little stemless Gentian back from Stonecrop in April 2011.  It will be interesting to see how this progresses through the winter.

Finally, inside the house the orchids have taken up residence again after a summer outside.  One, in particular is reaching for the ceiling with an arcing stem of flowers.

Red-yellow Orchid climbing to the ceiling

Red-yellow Orchid detail

At the moment we are warm and dry (other than one persistent leak).  The predictions make it seem pretty likely that Sandy will cause loss of power for a lot of us in the days to come.  I think I’ll post this while the posting is possible…

Cypella coelestis closeup

We’ve just started a bracing bit of fall weather and it’s time to update on a few items that are happening on the hill.  About two weeks ago, before we left for a wonderfully relaxing week on Cape Cod, we had our first glimpse of the Cypella coelestis that I brought home from Plant Delights this spring.  This is another elegant member of the iris family that should be just barely hardy in our area.  I took several pictures the morning I saw it in bloom but by afternoon it had already faded.  This is truely one of those ephemeral garden treasures…

Cypella coelestis

Another treasure from Plant Delights is the little rain lily ‘Lily Pies’.  It lasts a little longer than the Coelestis but you had better pay attention while it is in bloom because it very much deserves looking at.

Zephyranthes ‘Lily Pies’

I mentioned earlier the brilliant blue gentian that I’ve added to the garden this year.  Here is a better shot of this colorful perennial.

Gentiana ‘True Blue’

Unfortunately the rabbits have taken to cutting the flowers off to spite me.  They don’t eat them — they just cut them off.

Nearby, the Prairie Sun have mostly managed to get to flowering height and they remind one of why they are well worth growing even if they are not reliably hardy here.  What a beautiful blend of yellow shades with that green at the center.

Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ detail

Lastly, the other important addition is the new greenhouse that is under construction.  After years of contemplating we are putting up a 10 x 14 greenhouse in the vegetable garden.  It’s a kit from BC greenhouses with aluminum frame and twinwall polycarbonate walls.  We’re putting it on a 30 inch kneewall to allow for a ceiling fan, hanging plants and lots of plant height.  In some sense it will be a little cathedral for plants.

Greenhouse trenching

Greenhouse trench

Greenhouse kneewall forms

Not only will the greenhouse allow us to carry over the citrus that currently survive in the basement over the winter, but we should be able to start plants for an earlier springtime planting.  This is going to be fun!

Zinnia

Well it’s full-blown summer now for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day and there is no difficulty in finding flowers in bloom.  I shared our wealth of lilies a few days ago so I think it’s only fair to look at some of the other flowers that are strutting their stuff right now.

As is our custom we have a couple of rows of annual flowers just for picking in the garden, including zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, nasturtium, and sunflowers as well as a bunch of gladiolus that carried over from year to year.

Annual Picking bed

The Cosmos and Zinnias are both so easy to grow from direct seeding in the garden and they provide so many pretty colors for arrangements.

Cosmos

The sunflowers provide a similarly long period of bloom and pickable flowers for the inside.

Sunflower ‘Ring of Fire’

Sunflower ‘Infrared mix’

Sunflower ‘Autumn Beauty mix’

Sunflower ‘Valentine’

The sunflowers also have tremendous interest for the birds and bees.  If you let them go to seed they become a magnet for goldfinches and indigo buntings.  And the zinnias and cosmos are frequented by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.  The hummingbirds can also be seen hovering near the gladiolus.  Two of my favorite glads are ‘Margaret Rose’ and ‘Jester’ which are mirror reversed colors.

Gladiolus ‘Margaret Rose’ detail

Gladiolus ‘Jester’ detail

The glads can be found all around the house right now.

Glads and sunflower

Other annual flowers that are brightening the garden right now are the Cleome and Celosia.

Cleome

Blue-winged wasp on Celosia

This is the Celosia ‘Flamingo Feather’ and it seems to have a particular appeal for a wide variety of insects.  For some reason it is twice as tall (at least 3 feet) as the nominally same plant that I grew last year.  It has totally outgrown its spot on the edge of the front garden (notice it behind the black-eyed susans).

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) in the Front bed

Now it would not fair to the garden if I didn’t share some perennials too.  The Joe-Pye weed is getting taller every day.

Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) in bud

Don’t you wonder what they called this beauty before Joe Pye started dispensing it as a medicine?

The crocosmia are starting to fill in behind the lilies.  The biggest patch that we have is ‘Lucifer’ with as brilliant a red as you are going to find.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

I suppose if you wanted to increase your Crocosmia, you could dig these in the fall and spread out the little corms, but even just left alone they seem to be multiplying just fine.  The only difficulty is keeping them upright as they have predilection for flopping.

In the front garden we’ve planted another Crocosmia, ‘Walcroy’, which has a brilliant orange/yellow color.

Crocosmia ‘Walcroy’

Think of the Crocosmia as miniature glads that are very hardy and productive.  I am enjoying them more every year.

Let me finish this posting with a brilliant red daylily.  I don’t know the variety, but I do know that year after year it continues to display the kind of red that most daylilies lust after and don’t achieve.

Red Daylily

I’m sure this came from the kids in Boston, the source of many good things…

I also want to encourage readers to visit May Dreams Gardens to see what other bloggers are growing and to follow Carol’s pilgrimage to Elizabeth Lawrence’s house in North Carolina.  Since in a very real sense that is the source of Garden Blogger’s Bloom Days, it’s worth reading about her quest for the root of it all.