Mr. McGregor's Daughter

If Ever I Would Leave You...

2012-01-25T21:18:00.000-06:00

Cornus alternifolia

Winter is the time for Northern gardeners to dream, not just about plants, but about garden visits. I'm getting my plans together for the 2012 Garden Bloggers' Fling in Asheville, NC, in May. That's right, May. As I've repeatedly stated, it takes a heck of a lot to get me to leave my garden in May when the Woodland Garden is at its peak of beauty.

The Woodland Garden at peak bloom, with Phlox divaricata, Dicentra, Dodcatheon media, and Stylophorum diphyllum

Asheville must be pretty special to achieve that. I've never been there, but I've wanted to go, for there is a thriving artist community there. I've also wanted to see Biltmore, but neither of these things could possibly entice me to go in May. There's only one thing compelling me: I'll get to see Christopher's mountaintop woods Outside Clyde, filled with blooming spring ephemerals.

As you probably don't recall, it was Christopher who stumbled across me having my "moment" in the woods surrouding the Shadracks' house in upstate New York during the Buffa10 Fling. But the woods in summer, or even fall just don't compare to the splendor of the woods in bloom in spring.

Mertensia virginica (bluebells) Trout Park, Elgin, IL

I'm sure there will be plenty of woodland native wildflowers to enjoy in Asheville in May, such as redbuds (Cercis canadensis),

Thalictrum thalictroides a/k/a Anemonella thalictroides (rue anemone)

and Trillium.

Even if you're not the huge woodland wildflower fan that I am, the Asheville Fling promises to be a good time, with plenty of great gardens and fun people with whom to share them. While it's great to enjoy our own gardens, sometimes it's good to go beyond to seek new inspiration. Come to Asheville and walk in the woods with me.

This post is part of Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail of Clay and Limestone.

Postcard from Wauwatosa

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Nervous feet while waiting to take the stage for the treble reel.

Were you expecting an image of flowers or even bare trees? Sorry, but it was -2F when I walked all the way across the parking lot Saturday morning for the Wisconsin Winterfeis. That's just too cold for me. (This is the number one reason I don't live in Wisconsin; it wasn't quite that cold when we left home.) It's also too cold for my vehicle's washer fluid jets; they froze up solid during the drive north. Fortunately, it became downright balmy by the time the girl and I got home on Sunday. There was even a thunderstorm that night, which handily disposed of the 8 inches of snow that fell on Squirrelhaven on Friday. However, it's back down below the freezing point again. In short, activities for cold weather wimps like me must move indoors. Stay tuned to find out what I've been doing besides watching Irish dancing and reading plant catalogues.

Outdoor Blooms for January

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Galanthus elwesii, giant snowdrop

For the first time in a very long time, I have outdoor blooms to show off for January Bloom Day. Winter finally arrived here in Chicagoland with, yes it's true, actual snow. The girl and I couldn't be more pleased. Endless Fall was turning into Extreme Early Spring before the snowstorm Thursday dropped about 5 inches. It's not cheating for me to post a shot from Wednesday of my snowdrops. Just because they are no longer visible doesn't mean that they aren't still blooming.

Also on Wednesday, I noticed that there were serious buds on several of the hellebores. The furthest along is this one on Helleborus x hybridus 'Pink Lady Strain'.

'Pink Lady Strain' hellebore

Of course it won't actually open for at least a month, despite the return to above freezing temperatures this week. So many things are already sprouting and seem to be about a month ahead of usual. (Note I'm not saying "normal." I doubt there is such a thing anymore.)

While snowdrops may be exciting for me, if you want real floral excitement, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for all the Bloom Day posts, where gardeners from around the world, including those from California and other places warmer than here, will be showing off their blooms.

Too Many Flowers?

2012-01-12T12:11:00.000-06:00

Eryngium 'Jade Frost', Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' (Twist-n-Shout), Lilium 'Cobra', Arrhenatherum elatius 'Varigatum', Phlox paniculata, Cornus kousa, Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice' and Lavandula 'Hidcote' in one of the driveway beds in July 2011.

Rose at Prairie Rose's Garden has asked a question* about a quandary that has arisen over her desire to have another garden bed. Her husband objected with the rationale that she has "enough flowers." Boy did that ring a bell. Bicycle Man and I have had the exact same discussion. He has reached his limit on the amount of ground he is willing to cede to "garden." Granted, our property is much smaller than Rose's, but I believe the impetus driving our spouses' objection must be the same. Rose asked whether it is the money or the time to which our spouses object.

I seriously doubt that her husband is concerned about her growing addiction. Bicycle Man knew of my gardening addiction before we started dating. When we married, he moved into my house which already boasted a good-sized shade garden in the back. He even helped me to increase other beds in the back before he objected to further garden expansions in the front in '08.

'Carefree Beauty' rose presides over The Neutral Zone on which I am trying to encroach in the background. The two beds bordering the driveway (installed in '08) have been a bone of contention.

I don't believe money is the heart of the issue either. Like Rose, I don't spend much on clothes or jewelry or on golf anymore. Many of the plants that are going into the new beds are divisions from existing plants. In any event, I would have bought certain plants anyway and tried to stuff them in somewhere in the garden because I simply had to have them.

One of last year's must-haves: Knautia 'Thunder and Lightning' in one of the driveway beds.

While I may be wrong, I believe the answer comes down to one simple thing: lawn. There are many men who love their lawn. I'm not talking about the devoted nuts, the "Lawn Rangers," like the neighbor behind us growing up, who mowed his lawn every afternoon. No, I'm talking about men who enjoy the open, uncluttered (in their minds) expanse where a man can walk (or mow) freely, without watching his step, where he can feel like a part of the neighborhood, with its expected swathe of manicured green. It's a vision deeply embedded in the American male psyche -- house, with a few trees and shrubs, driveway and lawn. Think about the pictures children draw of a house. It invariably is square, with four windows, a door in the middle and a chimney on top. And in front of the house there is green, a lawn. Oddly, this is a near universal phenomenon; children around the world draw the exact same picture. Is it any wonder that a man who is not a gardener will resist a threatened encroachment on that domain?

Forget logic, forget trying to argue that a lawn is a waste of fuel, a source of air and water pollution, a sterile monoculture. While the husband's brain may accept and even agree with these points, in his heart, in the place where the boy still lives, he will balk. So we must accept this need for lawn and make compromises as we have learned to do in other areas of married life.

Making the mowing easier by installing a flat mowing strip can help, agreeing to limit the size and location of beds is another option.

Status quo: the 2 driveway beds; across the driveway one small bed (at far left), a bed under the trees, and foundation beds.

Designing our gardens to include a continuous open area of lawn, bounded by beds is probably the best solution to the conflicting needs and desires of spouses, with generous use of containers filled to the brim and overflowing with all the plants we need to grow.

View of the back lawn and border, end of May 2011.

Rose, I hope that helps answer your query. It is the solution on which my husband and I have achieved detente in the Lawn Wars.

*I hope Hortense Hoelove doesn't mind.

A Great Disappointment

2012-01-06T09:26:00.000-06:00

Helleborus niger

Greetings from the State of Insomnia. I just can't seem to shift off holiday schedule, but the unseasonably warm weather has called me outside anyway. While it appears that the first snowdrop is in bloom (it's difficult to tell when it's been so cloudy), the Christmas roses (Helleborus niger) most obviously are not. I was hoping for some precocious activity, but on closer inspection, it appears there may be no blooms at all this year.

Something is very wrong with this picture. Here's what it's supposed to look like at this point.

December 31, 2010

I suspected something might be wrong with them last spring,

April 2011

but then promptly forgot to do anything about it. I suppose I'll just look on this as an opportunity to try a different hellebore in this space.

1/2/12

2012-01-02T08:58:00.000-06:00

In music, the beat 1-2, 1-2 signifies "cut time," meaning the music goes twice as fast as standard 4/4 time. During the holidays, it feels like we're living in cut time. Even when life returns to a regular schedule, we often are rushing through it, trying to meet all the demands of work, family and life.

I'm not one to indulge in resolutions, but wouldn't it be wise to attempt, starting right now, to change the pace, to get out of the mad spiral of cut time and instead to live more deliberately, to organize our time to get the most out of it, to slow down to enjoy the people and things that bring us joy? My plan is to address things promptly, rather than let things slide into "later." With less things hanging about in my mental inbox, I'll have fewer things clogging up my brain and my creativity. At least it's worth a try. I'm starting this morning with winter sowing. I already have two milk jugs filled with potting soil sitting on the back step, ready to go.

May this new year bring you joy.

Saying Goodbye to the Year of Weird

2011-12-31T18:01:00.000-06:00

hibiscus flower in champagne

It wasn't my imagination, the weather stats bear it out, this year was weird. It was the second wettest year in Chicago history (at least since record keeping started in the late 19th Century). But the precipitation seemed to come in several large blasts: the February snowstorm that boasted the most snowfall in one day (13.6''), contributing to the season ranking third for most snowfall, the flooding rains of summer (count 'em, all three), with the heaviest single-day rainfall on record of 6.86" on July 23, gusts up to 90 m.p.h. in June, and the freak severe storm that left us without power for nearly a week in July.

there's a redbud under there somewhere

Then there was the blast furnace of July, with five consecutive days in the 90sF, concluding with 99-degree highs on the 20th and 21st, making this July the third hottest. As a grand finale, we had a warm fall and start to winter. And that's just the weather.

In the garden, more poppy seeds than ever germinated, but many got tracked to other parts of the garden, including one that ended up in the Nanoprairie.

Papaver somniferum and Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple' July '11

That will not happen next year; I'm sowing all the seeds into containers. They also were not what I expected, lavender singles rather than double black, not that I'm complaining....

Then there was that wacky Colchicum 'Zephyr' that decided to bloom in spring

April 16, 2011

and again in fall.

Well, I'm out of time, so I'll just wish everyone a Happy New Year.

On Snowdrop Watch

2011-12-30T10:57:00.001-06:00

It happens every few years, the snow doesn't come, the ground doesn't freeze, and the Galanthus elwesii, the giant snowdrop, begins to bloom early. It has been unusually warm recently, with highs in the 40sF, with occasional days of highs in the 20sF. Up and down, flirting with the melting/freezing point goes the thermometer, confusing the poor plants. But Galanthus don't mind. They do what they always do, only now, there's no snow to conceal buds transforming to blooms. Any day now...

A New Bird

2011-12-26T16:29:00.001-06:00

Happy Boxing Day! As you probably don't recall, I got a heated birdbath for Christmas last year. It worked for about two months, then mysteriously gave up the ghost. I debated about putting it up this winter without the heater working because I want to attract birds to my garden. I can't put up bird feeders because the squirrels always tear them down. Well, conundrum solved -- I got a birdbath heater for Christmas, so hopefully this will be more durable and last at least one winter.

This aberrantly warm December has meant lots of bird activity in the garden, even without a birdbath. One foggy morning, I noticed a flock of birds in one of the trees. I suspected they were starlings (boo!), but with a smidge of optimism, I got out my camera to photograph them through the zoom lens to determine whether they were.

I got a very pleasant surprise; instead of starlings, they were Cedar Waxwings.

I'd never before seen a Cedar Waxwing, much less had a flock of them visit my garden. Singly and in pairs,

they swooped down to the crabapple tree to munch on the shriveling fruit.

The flock has since moved on to more abundant pickings, leaving the few remaining fruits to the more desperate of the squirrels.

Cedar Waxwings are year 'round residents of Illinois and most of the northern United States. They eat only fruit. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated ... when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment." Had I know this at the time, I would have stayed to see whether any of them were guilty of FWI (flying while intoxicated).

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-24T10:14:00.003-06:00

May the season bring you sweet memories.

May you be filled with childlike wonder at the beauty of life.

And may the season of new hope shine its light upon you.

Wishing you and yours the best,

Spiky Frost: a winter meditation

2011-12-19T15:50:00.000-06:00

Cotinus coggygria 'Nordine'

Malus 'Prairiefire'

Eupatorium 'Phantom'

Daphne burkwoodii 'Silver Edge'

Cornus alba

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

December Bloom Day '11

2011-12-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

The little Fuchsia I've managed to keep alive for several years now is back in bloom, just in time for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by the ever-inventive Carol of May Dreams Gardens. We're experiencing unusual warmth here at Squirrelhaven, with highs in the 40sF in recent days (54F/12C yesterday) and lows above freezing. The warmth comes too late for the garden, however, after a low of 9F/-13C with no snow cover last weekend. Consequently, we must look indoors for blooms.

This florist's Cyclamen is a bit of a cheat. I just got it the other night. It had been a decoration on the stage for the girl's Christmas choir concert. The school asked parents to purchase the plants for the decorations, which could be taken home after the concert. My track record with this type of Cyclamen has been uniformly dismal. I'll enjoy it through the holidays, then it will probably need to be euthanized. The Amaryllis is still blooming and has a second bloom stalk that's nearly ready to open.

Outside this morning, I did manage to find one bloom.

the last pansy

Were this unusual weather to hold, there would be snowdrops for Christmas.

Galanthus elwesii

However, there's already a change in the weather, and the temperature is beginning to head back down to normal. Now I'm just hoping for a white Christmas.

Happy Bloom Day!

Mossy

2011-12-14T08:48:00.000-06:00

The more I garden, the more I come to appreciate moss. Especially in winter, in the absence of snow, the moss beckons one to get down low and feel the verdant velvet. This is just a small patch in the garden, under a shrub. During the growing season, it rarely even registers on my radar, but now that the killing freeze has put an end to blooms outdoors, anything green and growing stands out starkly.

Once the kids' play set is no longer in use, I'd like to expand the bed to create a little moss garden there, with the above clump and other little patches of moss as the starting point. The little Labrador violets (Viola riviniana) need to be removed for the pure, mossy experience. Sumptuous, luxurious moss, that appeared on its own, requires nothing of me beyond weeding.

Coyote Hungry

2011-12-12T05:23:00.004-06:00

"Come here, look at this," urged my husband. It was bitterly cold Saturday when I rushed to his side at the patio door. "Is that somebody's dog ... or is that a coyote?" I confirmed that it was, in fact, a coyote. Despite coyotes making their home in the nearby forest preserve, I hadn't seen one near my house in a long time. What made this sighting even more remarkable was that it was during the day and the coyote wasn't just passing through. Instead, we watched a small drama unfold.

The coyote circled the frozen pond on the neighboring common area,

then approached the drainage pipe.

After investigating the interior,

the disappointed coyote gave up and left around the other side of the pond.

I suspect that this coyote ventured this far into the neighborhood because the cold was keeping everyone inside. Coyotes generally stay away from people. Coyotes have adapted to suburban and urban environments, and have even been spotted on the streets of Chicago. Coyotes have spread across the country eastward, filling the niche created by the extermination of wolves. Most of the time, coyotes co-exist well with people, especially if people take reasonable precautions, such as not leaving food outside and supervising young children and small pets, even in a fenced yard. However, when coyotes become accustomed to people, they can become aggressive and even attack small dogs on leashes. It is only when they lose their fear of humans that they become a problem and need to be trapped and killed.

Fortunately, I don't have small pets or small children, so I welcome the presence of coyotes. They eat rabbits, voles, squirrels and even deer. Sadly, the Squirrelhaven squirrels were conspicuous by their absence on Saturday, and the coyote had to search elsewhere for its meal.

The End of Endless Autumn

2011-12-05T15:47:00.000-06:00

the last of the Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'

With the flip of the calendar to December, it's now meteorological winter, but some plants refuse to acknowledge this fact. While this is standard procedure for the mum, and not a complete surprise for Geranium 'Bob's Blunder',

it is unusual for Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Blue'.

There even are a few buds coming along.

Demonstrating the impact of microclimates, Sutera a/k/a Bacopa continues with a profusion of blooms in the front porch pot.

The Sutera in a container on the front walk, just a few feet away, has already given up the ghost. This is the first time I tried this annual. Its incredible cold-hardiness has earned it a place in next year's containers.

But what is most strange about this year is evident from the following photo, in an existential problem sort of way:

note the complete absence of willow leaves. For the first time in recent memory, the weeping willows by the retention pond dropped all their leaves before snow covered the ground. I was able to rake them up, to the benefit of the back lawn. This pleases me greatly, as the sight of willow leaves on top of the snow just grates.

The last of the mulch has been spread, the ground is starting to freeze, and this week's forecast calls for lows in the 20sF every night. It's time to turn to indoor gardening and getting ready for Christmas.

I love that the same garden is different every year, with new surprises for me. Sometimes the surprises are more in the nature of a cold shock, but at least it's never boring. I wonder what next year's garden will bring?

An Overwintering Experiment

2011-11-29T13:12:00.001-06:00

The tiny, yellow-foliaged plant in the blue pot is a seedling of Talinum paniculatum 'Limon'. The pot is in my family room, by the patio door, nestled amongst other containers filled with plants that I hope to nurse through the long Midwestern winter. This is an experiment, as I have no idea whether this little plant will make it. I almost didn't bring it in before the killing frost because I had thought that Talinum paniculatum (Jewels of Opar) was an annual. What a delight to learn that it is actually a tender perennial. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's go back to the beginning of the story.

Two years ago, I hadn't even heard of Jewels of Opar, until my friend and garden designer Mary Ann Newcomer (Gardens of the Wild, Wild West) mentioned that she loved this plant. I saw a picture and thought, yawn, blah, tiny airy-fairy thing. Fast forward to this spring, when I was wandering through my favorite local garden center, The Growing Place, when I spotted Talinum paniculatum 'Limon'. It was love at first sight. Lime-green, fleshy foliage, hot pink flowers, it was just what I needed to play off the magenta petunia and 'Electric Lime' coleus.

the pot just after planting

Perfection in a pot. I left the container on the potting bench for several days, during which one of the seed capsules must have burst and dropped seed onto the gravel below,

bloom and a ripening "jewel" on the potting bench

because in the middle of September, I spotted a couple of tiny, chartreuse sprouts. In the meantime, the container spent the summer out front.

The Talinum bloomed for a long time, but eventually, the heat, drought and my frequent absences signaled its decline. In October, I noticed that it was starting to stage a revival, but by then the seedling was a good size, so I replaced the original plant with the seedling. Somehow, my subconscious mind must have registered the fact that this plant wasn't acting like an annual, and the seedling looked so healthy and fresh, that I decided to bring it inside for the winter.

Note how the foliage is more yellow at the end of August.

I don't know if the seedling's foliage is more yellow than its parent because it is receiving less light, or because it might be the result of a cross with a yellow-foliaged cultivar. Hopefully, time will tell. For now it's fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Baptisia at the End

2011-11-23T20:47:00.000-06:00

The Baptisia show is over for the year. After the foliage turned this lovely charcoal, the stalks broke off and blew away. I managed to catch them before they turned tumbleweed into the neighbors' yard. Even without leaves, the stalks make an interesting dried arrangement.

This post is part of Wildflower Wednesday, sponsored by Gail of Clay and Limestone.

I'd normally do a Thanksgiving post, but I've run out of time and into computer problems. Happy Thanksgiving!

November Bloom Day in the Year of Endless Autumn

2011-11-15T08:43:00.006-06:00

Campanula 'Sarastro'

Happy Bloom Day! Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens, provides the opportunity for showing what's in bloom on the 15th of every month. Normally, for November Bloom Day, I show a picture of everything that's still in bloom, as it is generally the last outdoor Bloom Day of the year here at Squirrelhaven. This year, however, so many things are still hanging on, that there are too many post. Despite several frosts and freezes and a few snowflakes, the afternoon temperatures have soared as high as 68F/20C in recent days, which is about 15 degrees above average. Among the sorely confused plants is this Campanula 'Sarastro,' which just started blooming again after a several-month sabbatical.

Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Blue'

This peach-leaved bellflower also decided to get in on the reblooming action.

Quite a few annuals are stubbornly refusing to go quietly into that long goodnight, including Diascia,

Last year at this time, Diascia had only a few blooms and yellow foliage.

Osteospermum,

and petunias.

Petunia 'Phantom'

In the "I'm not dead yet" category:

Hylotelephium species

this mystery sedum which was growing here when I bought the property, continues to bloom despite the coloring up of its foliage.

Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'

The Malva are still forming buds and blooming, which is typical behavior, as are the continuing blooms of my favorite Geranium, 'Bob's Blunder'.

Geranium 'Bob's Blunder' is a wonder of orange and neon pink.

The last of the ex-asters, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies', still has a few buds waiting to open amidst the fallen leaves.

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'

For the grand finale, in full bloom are Aster tataricus

showing bright autumnal tints in its foliage, which I can't recall it ever doing so vibrantly, and the mum.

Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' with a still-blooming Heuchera 'Citronelle' in the background.

What's still blooming in your garden today?

Also in bloom:
Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson'
Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon)
Callibrachoa 'Blackberry Punch'
Callirhoe involucrata
Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'
Eurybia divaricata (white wood aster, with a few blooms left)
Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise, with just one bloom)
Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice'
Knautia 'Thunder and Lightning' just starting to rebloom
Lavandula 'Hidcote'
Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum)
Osteospermum 'Soprano Purple'
pansies
Rosa 'Carefree Beauty' (albeit damaged by frost)
Sedum 'Razzleberry'
Sutera
Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge', 'Gilty Pleasure', and 'Tojen'
Viola hybrid
Viola labradorica
Viola sororia

The Last Garden Chore

2011-11-14T08:23:00.003-06:00

Have you got all your leaves picked up and all your outdoor bulbs planted? That's great, but don't rest on your ... uh, laurels just yet. Not until you've tackled those weeds in the back corner of the garden or under the shrubbery. Here in Chicagoland, we've had an extended fall, with a few freezes, but many days of warm weather and periods of rain, the perfect conditions for weeds to make that last surge of growth before winter.

I was feeling smug, I am nearly done with planting the bulbs, and the leaves have been managed, but for some reason, I wandered down the short path to the fence that abuts the common area of the home owners' association next door. And what to my horror should I find? Not just flourishing weeds, but garlic mustard. But not just garlic mustard, oh no, this garlic mustard was in a healthy rebloom. Garlic mustard is an invasive exotic weed that crowds out woodland wildflowers and degrades habitats.

On the bright side, I could have used this image for tomorrow's Bloom Day post.

As the photo shows, the garlic mustard was on the other side of the fence, but within reach of my CobraHead Weeder. First, I whacked off the top and pulled it through the fence. Then I dug up as much of the roots as I could. It's possible that no pollinators have visited these flowers, but it's better to avoid the risk of more seeds. Even though some of the roots might remain, the weed has been weakened, and will be that much less vigorous come spring.
While I was at it, I removed arm fulls of creeping charlie and wild strawberries that had invaded from the other side of fence. The garden is now in good shape for winter, and my battle with the weeds will resume a little later next spring.

11/11/11: Happy Nigel Tufnel Day!

2011-11-11T01:11:00.011-06:00

Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne), with foliage cranked up to 11.

One of my favorite films is the mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap."

image from IMDb

In one scene, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) shows off the one of the band's guitar amplifiers, the settings of which go up to 11, saying, "Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven."

image from Wikipedia

This is the source of the phrase "turning it up to eleven."
Here's wishing everyone a weekend that's one more than a 10.

The Last Rose

2011-11-09T08:01:00.000-06:00

I don't understand all the fuss about "the last rose of summer." Because of the heat and periods of drought, this year the last rose of summer for this 'Carefree Beauty' was in June. No, for me, it's the last rose of autumn, the very last rose of the gardening season that is the one, and here it is. Tonight's forecast calls for a freeze, a 28F/-2C killer. This act may be ending, but the show goes on.

Why Would Anyone Want to Grow Hostas? Reason #7

2011-11-07T10:57:00.000-06:00

Hosta 'Candy Hearts' in full autumn color with Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic'

I know there are native plant snobs out there, who would rather pave over their garden than plant Hostas. I am not one of them. It's hard to knock a plant that survives drought, deluge, heat, humidity and Zone 5 winters. It also has wildlife value, which I wrote about last year for Beautiful Wildlife Gardens. As if all that isn't reason enough to grow them, they shine like beacons in the fall garden.

All year long, I mostly ignore Hosta 'Candy Hearts', but in October and November, it demands attention as its plain green leaves morph into sold gold. (See above image.) Even before the leaves fully turn, the rising autumnal hints of Hosta foliage coloration are entrancing.

Hosta 'Krossa Regal' reaching its full color potential.

Even chartreuse-foliaged cultivars turn a spectacular color.

Hosta 'Maui Buttercups' at peak coloration

While this is pretty special, the variegated Hostas can be even better.

Hosta 'Dream Weaver'

Hosta 'Olive Bailey Langdon' at peak color

Hosta 'Sweet Home Chicago'

There is one caveat - these leaves have been around all summer, so any damage from hail or slugs can mar the show. (None of these images have been altered.)

Hosta 'Striptease'

Although from a distance, the damage is easier to ignore,

Hosta 'Striptease in bottom right, with Cornus alternifolia in back

this is just another reason to see out slug-resistant cultivars, such as the unbeatable 'June',

among the last of the Hostas here at Squirrelhaven to start the autumn transformation. Some years, the show lasts longer than others, but inevitably, they all collapse to be tidied away for next spring.

Hostas 'Krossa Regal' in front and 'Olive Bailey Langdon'

Helping Nature

2011-11-04T05:41:00.004-05:00

While most gardeners are busy planting tulips and daffodils, I dug up and divided a congested clump of the native jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum. They had become too congested,

May 30, 2011

and were growing on top of one another. I could have just left them, and let Nature take its course, but this is a garden, where a little tweaking of nature is often necessary.

First I removed the fallen fruit stalks, and deposited them in an area where I'd like to have Arisaema growing.

I had neglected this task in previous years, which allowed the seeds to germinate too close to the mother plants.

Having ascertained the location of the plants from the fallen stalks, I then carefully excavated the area.

Only a few corms were damaged in the process, which yielded a good crop (top photo). I replanted only the largest of the corms in the hole.

The rest were stuffed into the ground in various locations throughout the woodland garden.

While the display next year will probably be anemic as the corms have been placed further apart, in future years, the display will once again be a spring and summer focal point.

June 16, 2009 with Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Morning

2011-11-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Trick & Treat

2011-10-31T13:02:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd share my husband's method for making the perfect roasted pumpkin seeds. Yes, I mean roasted, not toasted. All year, we look forward to eating them, as the store-bought ones just can't compare. We start with an organic pumpkin. The seeds are washed and separated from the pumpkin flesh. Then they are spread out flat on a baking sheet and, while still wet, they are doused with a copious amount of salt. No need for oil. Then it's into the oven on 250F for about an hour, until they look done. Nothing scientific here, it's more of an art and a watchful eye. The lower heat for a longer time allows for full drying, so the seeds aren't burnt, nor are they mushy and prone to rot. Of course ours never last long enough for that anyway.

Happy Halloween!

The Fall Finery of Wildflowers

2011-10-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Cornus alternifolia, the pagoda dogwood

As autumn reaches its color climax here in Northern Illinois, the wildflowers that provided floral beauty earlier in the year have put on their fanciest colors for a farewell performance.

Cercis canadensis, redbud

It's not just the trees and shrubs that provide this show.

Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower

Some of the coneflowers are still blooming, but others are getting ready for the big sleep. Nearby, the Joe-Pye weed has its final fling.

Eupatorium 'Phantom'

Many of the perennial wildflowers also are show-offs, even in the shade.

Spigelia marilandica and Porteranthus a/k/a Gillenia trifoliata

Geranium maculatum

One wishes it could go on and on, but all too soon, the curtain closes.

This post is part of Wildflower Wednesday and the Fall Color Project 2011.

The Golden Afternoon Garden

2011-10-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

Symphyotrichums, the ex-asters, in the Nanoprairie

Come into my garden, right now while the sun is warm. While many of the plants here are the same as those grown at Clay and Limestone, the more northerly latitude of Squirrelhaven renders the midday and afternoon sun's rays lovely rather than harsh, casting a golden glow.

Here, in the afternoon, the butterflies dance on the breeze.

red admiral butterfly, Cosmos 'Rose Bonbon'

Bees fill the air with the sound of their buzzing from bloom to bloom.

bumblebee in Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'

Please hurry, for it will not last. These fleeting gilded afternoons of autumn slip by too fast, and end all too soon.

Eupatorium 'Phantom'

A Glorious October Bloom Day

2011-10-15T10:25:00.007-05:00

Lobularia maritima, Sporabolus heteroleptsis and Symphyotrichums laeve 'Bluebird' and novae angliae

Once again, it's time to showcase what's blooming as part of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. October is one of my favorite months of the year, and this October hasn't disappointed, with the Nanoprairie in full bloom. Indian summer has come and gone, but the blooms remain. Soon, though, the tender things that have begun blooming with abandon will have to come inside, such as this Fuschia.

It has never bloomed so well during the summer.

Back for a renewed season of bloom are the lavender

Lavandula 'Hidcote' and Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'

and

Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'.

Aconitum carmichaelii

Monkshood have beautiful foliage all season, but the blooms are so worth the wait.

This is a new Knautia macedonia, 'Thunder and Lightning'.

I'm so pleased with how the Nanoprairie looks with the addition of a magenta New England ex-Aster from the back garden to set off the smooth blue ex-Aster 'Bluebird'.

The mother plant is a volunteer seedling. The wishy-washy pale pink Symphyotrichum novae angliae 'Harrington's Pink' (seen in the top photo) will be removed next year, to give this beauty more room.

What else is blooming:
Actaea simplex 'James Compton'
Anemone x hybrida 'Andrea Atkinson' and 'Party Dress'
Aster tataricus
Callibrachoa 'Blackberry Punch'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Ceratotheca triloba alba (South African foxglove)
Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
Clematis 'Evipo 031' (Bonanza) and 'Silver Moon'
Cosmos bipinnatus 'Rose Bonbon'
Diascia
Eurybia divaricata
other Fuschias
Geraniums 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise), 'Bob's Blunder', 'Jolly Bee', Rozanne', nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'
Helleborus x hybridus 'Pink Lady' (just one freaky flower)
Heuchera 'Citronelle', 'Fire Chief', and 'Raspberry Ice'
Knautia macedonia
Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'
Osteospermum 'Soprano Purple'
Pelargoniums
Petunias
Phlox paniculata 'David' and 'David's Lavender'
Rosa 'Carefree Beauty'
Sanguisorba 'Tanna'
Solidago 'Fireworks'
Symphyotrichum ericoides 'Snow Flurry'
Thalictrum thalictroides (Anemonella)
Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium)
Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge', 'Gilty Pleasure', and 'Tojen'

Wordless Wednesday: Sunrise Japanese Anemones

2011-10-12T06:57:00.000-05:00

Coloring Up

2011-10-07T15:00:00.002-05:00

Symphyotrichum novae angliae (the New England ex-aster) in magenta

No, I haven't fallen off the map, nor have I been without power this last week. I've just been insanely busy. No time to sit and watch the bees on the ex-asters in the Nanoprairie, but hopefully I'll have more time next week. I the meantime, I'm enjoying the peak of autumn color here in Chicagoland as I whiz past it driving to and fro.

Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson' stand sentinel over the woodland, with Maianthemum racemosum (Smilacina racemosa) and Polyganatum showing full foliage color

The woodland garden is once again full of blooms and colors after its mid-summer rest. For the first time in memory, the Geranium maculatum foliage is shriveling more than turning its usual brilliant red. It's also doing it earlier, a testament to the extremes of the past summer.
Other things are performing strangely also, such as the Hosta plantaginea, which just finished blooming. It's usually done by mid-September.

Malus 'Prairiefire' in full color with potted blueberries & Hosta plantaginea

It's already turning, too. Makes for a sort of surreal effect.
There's been a whisper of frost on the front lawn earlier this week, today's high is around 80F/27C, and I've had to pull short-sleeved shirts and shorts back out from the nether regions of the closet. I love fall.

Pinched "Asters"

2011-09-28T13:10:00.000-05:00

Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird' today

The penny has finally dropped. I noticed last year that my ex-asters, Symphyotrichum novae angliae and Symphyotrichum laeve, started blooming later than they used to and later than other ex-asters in the area. I noticed the same phenomenon this year, but now I have the answer. It is, you guessed it, that I started pinching, or cutting back, my plants last year. I hadn't intended to do so for the smooth blue ex-aster, Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird', but the deer did some pruning and they made a bad job of it, which I had to fix up. The result, obvious when you think on it, is delayed blooms.

Several chomps were also taken out of the New England ex-asters, but mostly I went a little pruner-happy on them.

Symphyotrichum novae angliae 'Hella Lacey' yesterday

(The S. novae angliae out back, where the deer do not roam, started two weeks ago.) Next year, a few stems at the very back of each plant will be left unpruned. Unless the deer get there first.

Visit Gail of Clay and Limestone for all the Wildflower Wednesday posts.

Sad News for US Clematis Lovers

2011-09-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

Clematis 'Evipo 31 ' (Bonanza)

I just learned that the American Clematis Society is disbanding as of December 31. Yes, I did just join last winter. I'm reminded of a quote from Groucho Marx, "I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member." I'd swear I was him in a past life, only he was still alive when I was born. In any event, it is a shame, as I enjoyed the newsletters and the website, which was very helpful and informative. Looks like I'll be joining the International Clematis Society. Or maybe I shouldn't. We wouldn't want it to disband too.

The Ever-changing Garden

2011-09-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge', Actaea 'Black Negligee' and Lobelia siphilitica - 09/22/11

The garden is like the proverbial river: it's never the same, no matter how often a person steps into it. I was looking at last year's photos from the same date, which brought this truth back sharply into focus in my mind. Each year is different, bringing plants into and out of bloom in myriad variations, making new combinations and views. This doesn't even include the changes the gardener implemented by new plantings and moving plants around.

Even if I set the camera in the same place, the image captured will never be identical with that of last year or the year before.

the same grouping - 09/20/10

If things are blooming together at the same time, the vagaries of the weather, both earlier in the season and at the moment, have altered the scene, with plants in various stages of precociousness or delay. Sometimes this change is for better, sometimes not.

Life is about change, to remain the same is contrary to its dictates. Plants get bigger, plants diminish. They age and change. Sometimes we need a reminder that we aren't creating some immutable sculpture of clay, steel or stone. This is a good thing. The gardener will never become bored with his or her garden, despite having lived with and worked in it for years.

Another Unsung Hummingbird Plant

2011-09-20T14:38:00.002-05:00

I've had this Heptacodium miconiodes in my garden for a long time, probably more than 15 years, yet I just learned something new about it. Hummingbirds visit it to get nectar.

At the same time, I heard the chirps of a hummingbird for the first time. I apologize for the quality of this video, but hummers are difficult to film under the best conditions.

Not much is made about the blooms of Heptacodium, it's the showy bracts that tend to be the big attraction. However, the blooms themselves have a light, pleasant scent and are attractive to many pollinators in addition to hummingbirds. It may not be native, but it's a neat little tree.

(For more about this tree, see my post The Truth about Heptacodium miconiodes.)

September 2011 Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-09-15T17:43:00.008-05:00

free trial Cosmos 'Rose Bonbon' and Nasturtiums

It's a Bloom Day of beginnings. The ex-asters

mystery species ex-aster

and the goldenrods (Solidago)

Solidago 'Dansolitlem' (Little Lemon) and Sedum/Hylotelephium 'Beka' (Autumn Delight)

are just starting their autumnal show. With the Japanese anemones also beginning to bloom,

Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson'

the only plants still left to bloom are the Actaeas (Cimicifuga), the monkshoods (Aconitum), and the Chrysanthemum; it is the beginning of the end of the gardening season. But let's not get ahead of ourselves at the expense of enjoying today. And what a day, the temperature has plummeted to highs in the 50sF/low teens C, the smoke from the Minnesota wildfire has cleared, and the sun is beaming.

It's Colchicum time.

Colchicum 'Zephyr'

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides with 'The Giant'

Colchicum 'Autumn Queen' with Caryopteris 'Janice' (Little Miss Sunshine)

Caryopteris 'Jason' (Sunshine Blue) is in full bloom now.

Also coming into full bloom and making its Bloom Day debut is Sanguisorba officinalis 'Tanna'.

It's a difficult plant to photograph well. I always thought, Sanguisorba ... yawn. Then I saw it in person and had to have it. Last year it didn't do much of anything, but this year it finally settled in enough to bloom. It was well worth the wait.

Also new this month:

Heptacodium miconiodes

Sedum 'Bertram Anderson' finally blooming with Heuchera 'Citronelle'

Several plants are getting their second wind in the cooler weather, including the rose 'Carefree Beauty'.

The threat from the Japanese beetles is gone, so now they can show to their full glory.

The hibiscus

Hibiscus syriaca 'Red Heart' also benefits from the absence of beetles

and Hosta plantaginea are winding down.

There are still enough blooms to scent the air.

Representing the Geraniums, which are mostly still in fine form is

Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'. Its blooms are the same color as a nearby Hosta lancifolia, which is also in bloom now.

The last of the blooms of Liatris spicata clash with the reddening fruit of the dogwood. It's goodbye summer, hello fall.

fruits of Cornus kousa 'Beni-fuji'

For all the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of every month.

Also blooming:

Anemonella thalictroides/Thalictrum thalictroides

Aster species

Callirhoe involucrata

Campanula 'Samantha', 'Sarastro'

Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Blue'

Caryopteris 'Jason' (Sunshine Blue)

Clematis 'Betty Corning', 'Evisix' (Petit Faucon)

Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'

Eurybia divaricata

Eurybia macrophyllus

Echinacea purpurea

Fuschia (various)

Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise), 'Bob's Blunder', ' 'Gerwat' (Rozanne), 'Jolly Bee'

Heuchera 'Firechief', 'Havana', Hollywood', 'Raspberry Ice'

Hylotelephium 'Matrona', 'Purple Emperor'

Knautia 'Mars Midget'

Lavandula 'Hidcote'

Lobelia 'Sparkle DeVine'

Lobelia syphilitica

Lobularia maritima

Lonicera 'Winchester'

Malva 'Zebrinus'

Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'

Phlox paniculata 'David', 'David's Lavender', 'Goldmine', 'Grenadine Dream', 'Laura', 'Nicky', 'Red Riding Hood', 'Red Super', 'Shockwave'

Ruellia humilis

Solidago 'Fireworks'

Symphyotrichum 'Honeysong Pink'

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'

Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge', 'Gilty Pleasure', 'Tojen'

Viola

News Flash- Hummingbirds Visit Tricyrtis

2011-09-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

ruby-throated hummingbird visiting Tricyrtis 'Tojen'

Who knew hummingbirds visited toadlilies (Tricyrtis)? I sure didn't, until I saw a hummingbird zipping around mine. This wasn’t a rare, freak occurrence; I witnessed this visitation several times over the course of several days. A hummingbird sipped from the other two Tricyrtis I grow, 'Gilty Pleasure'

Sorry, no hummer in this shot, the little buggers move too fast.

and 'Gilt Edge',

Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge' growing in the midst of native Lobelia syphilitica

in addition to 'Tojen', pictured at top. I also know this isn't a freak hummingbird, as I found images on a hummingbird forum of a hummingbird visiting Tricyrtis hirta.

Tricyrtis are great shade garden plants, preferring partial to full shade in zones 4 to 9, depending on the species. According to most sources, Tricyrtis needs moist, but well-drained soil. I'm not so sure about the moist, as my soil is definitely not, tending to be a bit too well drained. I have killed T. 'Hatatogisu', so it may depend on the species or cultivar. 'Tojen' is a monster plant in my garden, reaching four feet in height and nearly that in girth, while the others top out around two feet tall and wide. Once they get growing, they are pretty much carefree plants, although a bit of slug repellent might be helpful when they start sprouting in spring. In my Midwestern zone 5 garden, they bloom from the end of July to the beginning of November.

Plant some Tricyrtis if you want to see hummingbirds in your garden. If you already grow them, keep an eye on them when you're out in the garden, and keep your camera handy.

Refreshing the Containers

2011-09-10T05:55:00.000-05:00

After weeks of hotter than normal temperatures and inconsistent rainfall, my container plantings looked a little worse for wear. Now that meteorological summer has ended, it occurred to me that the time had come to do something about the containers. (Trust me on this one, dead pansies are not attractive.) I had taken the girl with me to the garden center to find a plant for the fairy garden. She insisted that I had to buy this yellow Zahara Zinnia, the black petunia and new, fresh black pansies. She does have any eye for color.

I moved a Diascia from a different container to complete the grouping below.

The main feature of this container is the 'Fireworks' pennisetum, which has come into its full glory with the shorter days and cooler weather. The purple Osteospermum took a blooming hiatus during the worst of the summer.

The girl chose woolly thyme for the fairy garden.

At the beginning of summer, she insisted that it should have purple sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Now that I've gotten it all planted up, I think I want it in a larger container. But that is a project for next spring.

Second Spring

2011-09-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

Thalictrum thalictroides (Anemonella) reblooming

With a sudden great lurch of the gears, the season has shifted into fall. The cooler air has recharged my gardening batteries after a long summer of heat, drought, deluge, and mosquitoes. It feels so good to be able to walk unhindered to the compost bins for the first time in a month and a half. We finally got the logs from the fallen tree out of the paths and off of the plants, which have been remarkably unscathed with one notable exception. The boxwood will never be the same; half of it got flattened.

Maybe it's time to try my hand at topiary.

The return of rain and cooler temperatures has set off a wave of reblooming throughout the garden, including the confused little Anemonella (Thalictrum thalictroides) pictured at the top, which in other years has often completely disappeared by the beginning of September. The first of the asters, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies', has started blooming, and the Colchicums are sprouting.

Colchicum 'Zephyr' making a return appearance

Hummingbird sightings are on the upswing, the kids are back in school, and all is right with the world (at least in my little corner of it). It's time to sit out in the garden and savor these precious days.

Days of Labor

2011-09-03T08:27:00.001-05:00

It's sad, but true. The mulch pile is still on the driveway. This must be a new record. It ~~must~~ will be removed before the snow flies. Next spring, please slap me with a fish if I consider ordering 4 yards again. Not that I couldn't use it, it's just that I ended up having to do nearly all of it alone this year. (My Very Indulgent Spouse has finally had it (and understandably so) with my mulching micro-managing and will be referred to henceforth with the sobriquet "Cycling Man.") The other problem was the drought and heat, as there's no point in mulching when the ground has turned to cement. I recall from my undergraduate studies that archaeologists often find ancient brick walls of lost civilizations, and what is brick but clay and straw baked hard.

But I digress. The point is, the three-day long weekend with cooler temperatures and a possibility of rain means that gardening chores may be undertaken with gusto. In addition to the mulching, the fallen tree must be addressed.

Becoming the Greenwoman and friends

(Dear fallen tree, please remove yourself from the premises forthwith.) Navigating a path to the compost bins remains treacherous and taking photos of Tricyrtis 'Tojen' is impossible. Cycling Man's assistance will be required to relocate the logs, as they are too big and heavy for me to maneuver alone.

At some point this fall, I hope to finish expanding the driveway beds and moving the plants in them a bit farther apart to give them breathing room. Only then will I start in on the bulb planting.

What projects do you have planned for this fall?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Impressions of a GWA First-timer

2011-09-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

I'm the white fish.

There I was, swimming for all I was worth during the whirlwind event that was the Garden Writers Association annual symposium in Indianapolis. I was either running late (sometimes literally) or nearly first as I tried to manage time without a watch during this tightly scheduled weekend. I had thought that four Blogger Flings and several trips to the Independent Garden Centers show made me well prepared for GWA. I was quickly disabused of this notion.

At the symposium, there was just so much more; more people (over 400), more buses, more events, more swag, and way more information. It was a bit overwhelming. I was so flaked out, I forgot that I was going to ~~steal~~ borrow Suzi McCoy's idea to take a cell phone shot of each person I talked with and their name tag, so I would later be able to associate a name with a face. Next time, I will make a note to do that.

The attendees were from across the country and Canada. I found myself holding up my name tag so people could read it a lå "Harriet Jones former Prime Minister" from Doctor Who. It had a special ribbon on it saying "First Timer," and everyone was so welcoming and helpful to me as a newbie. I took copious notes at the educational sessions (serious flashbacks to my days in academia) and tons of pictures at the gardens we visited. Thanks goes to Irvin at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, who was put in charge of the weather, it was nearly perfect. A bit of overcast or fog would have been ideal, but I'm not complaining.

Indianapolis Art Museum

I made the most of the light conditions available. Kudos to the entire Indianapolis planning committee, who did a splendid job and were such gracious hosts.

Contact me about being your sponsor if you wish to join GWA, it has a lot to offer. There are local regional meetings if the idea of a big symposium is too much for you.

Fairy Tales in the Rain: the Bloedel Reserve

2011-08-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

Could these be the berries the princess was told not to pick?

Forests are always magical places to me, but the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island in the rain was like stepping into a fairy tale. If Dragonfly Farms was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, then the Bloedel was The Brothers Grimm come to life.

I was lured off the main path, into the woods, where I encountered strange creatures

and giants that had been turned to stone.

The mossy ground dampered the sound of my footsteps, and I was enveloped in a cocoon of silence broken only by the pattering of the raindrops on the leaves.

The path enticed me to venture deeper,

leading me to a clearing, where I found a charming little house.

Remembering the stories, I didn't go inside, but instead continued along the path. A bit further on, I encountered a parade of sorts

and wanted to follow. Beyond, I learned the fate of a fallen hero

and discovered a witch's tower.

Luckily, there was a magic portal to take me back to the real world,

and I found myself safely in an open meadow.

This could be a scene out of the Twlight saga.

Or was I?

A Berry Nice Wildflower Wednesday

2011-08-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Smilacina racemosa a/k/a Maianthemum racemosum

With the return of the rains, the garden has revived and many plants are surging into new growth. Instead of showing these, I decided to feature the beauteous berries of wildflowers, some of which are quickly gobbled up by hungry creatures, others that persist for months, such as the Solomon's plume berries shown above, which will become a vibrant red very soon.

The fruits of jack-in-the pulpit also have a ways to go before reaching their full redness.

Arisaema triphyllum

Even green, the fruits are captivating. They remind me of the statue of Artemis as the mother goddess. Moving right along....

Aralia racemosa

the berries of Aralia racemosa are more showy than the blooms. The maroon/ruby/chianti color shines even in the shade. I wish they lasted longer, but the birds enjoy them too much.

And now, something blue.

Caulophyllum thalictroides

one of my favorite wildflowers, partly for nostalgic reasons, blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). It's doing especially well this year. Too often, by the time the berries blue up, the foliage is a tattered mess because my garden is a bit too dry for its liking. The extreme amount of rain that's fallen since the end of July has saved the day this year.

Thanks go to Gail for hosting Wildflower Wednesday, the fourth Wednesday of every month.

Daylily Dissatisfaction

2011-08-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

Hemerocallis 'Apollodorus': I think this one's a keeper.

Once there was a gardener who lived on a hill and had a sunny, south-facing garden. She saw some beautiful new daylilies, and it was love at first sight. So smitten was the gardener, that she joined the American Hemerocallis Society, planted loads of daylilies, and went to daylily shows. She could banter with the best of them about picotees, piecrust edges, diamond dusting. Then, she left the sunny garden and moved to a new house in the shade.

She brought her favorite daylilies with her, but it just wasn't the same. The magic had gone, but she didn't realize it yet. Then, one summer she noticed she had too many different daylily cultivars that all looked the same, so she dug up most of them and gave them away to good homes.

The years passed, she added a couple new daylilies to the mix, hoping to capture some of the old magic. The new daylilies were of the purple-eyed variety.

Hemerocallis 'Druid's Chant'

They were very pretty.

Fast forward to today. The gardener looks on her daylilies and no longer finds them pleasing. The problem is with the complex and changing colors of the blooms. The darkest, solid maroon blooms aren't jarring,

H. 'Grape Velvet'

End of July, H. 'Super Purple', with coneflowers and 'Black Beauty' lilies in partial shade.

but the others, especially the eyed-varieties, just don't sync with the rest of Squirrelhaven's summer blooms.

Hemerocallis 'Druid's Chant' looks awful with Phlox maculata

In the morning, the colors are just fine,

Hemerocallis 'Pink Lavender Appeal' in the morning

but by afternoon, they have faded to a sickly peach.

'Pink Lavender Appeal' the same evening

Just pathetic.

Then there is the issue of deadheading and the unsightliness of large, faded blooms.

One day after blooming H. 'Woodside Amethyst' bloom: do not adjust your monitor, it really does end up this color.

Because daylilies bloom for only a day (hence the name), deadheading must be done everyday, or the new blooms are marred by the sodden mess of the old. What is a gardener to do?

I could remove all the daylilies, but there isn't much else blooming in partial shade in July. Daylilies are extremely tough, shrugging off temperatures soaring to 100 degrees, and they are drought tolerant. Maybe I should rip out all the large flowered cultivars, or maybe just the fade-to-peach ones, and replace them with small flowered dark blooming cultivars, such as 'Little Grapette'.

Notice how none of the supposedly "purple" cultivars actually are purple.

I'm still searching for a happy ending to this story.

Flocks of Phlox for a Blooming Blogaversary

2011-08-15T08:38:00.004-05:00

the newest Phlox paniculata at Squirrelhaven, 'Shockwave'

Once again, I had forgotten about my blogaversary. Today, Mr. McGregor's Daughter begins its fifth year. I could say exactly what I said last year about it, but why waste time? Let's get to the Bloom Day eye candy. It's funny, last summer was equally brutal to what we experienced here in July. However, the temperatures have returned to normal and the faucet is on again, set on "Deluge." The garden has responded enthusiastically.

August finds the floral interest shifted to the Nanoprairie where the Lycoris squamigera has opened just in time to join its partners Phlox paniculata 'David' and Echinacea purpurea.

I know I said I was going to pull out that Phlox and replace it with a colored one because I can't stand the faded blooms. My foot problems really slowed me down during the spring, and only now can I use a shovel properly without foot pain. 'David' will be removed. Eventually.

Here's more of the Nanoprairie.

the native Allium cernuum

I should start selling these. According to the USDA Allium cernuum is threatened in Iowa, Minnesota and New York, but it acts like a weed in my garden.

Above the Alliums:

Eupatorium 'Phantom', Liatris spicata and Echinacea purpurea

On the front porch, a container has finally fulfilled the vision.

Heuchera 'Havana' blooms with Tricyrtis 'Gilty Pleasure'

The basket is to keep the squirrels out.

Across the front walk, Sedum 'Purple Emperor' has begun blooming.

Around back:

Geranium 'Bob's Blunder' and Hosta 'June'

Phlox paniculata 'Nicky' and Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise)

A random phlox.

Phlox paniculata 'Goldmine'

The last hydrangea to bloom, the lacecap 'Claudie'.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Claudie'

Another random phlox.

Phlox paniculata 'Grenadine Dream'

This one is shorter and more compact. There are other phloxes blooming, but you get the idea.

There are other things blooming beside phlox, such as the last of the 'Black Beauty' lilies

and the annual South African foxglove. (Thanks for the seeds, Nan Ondra.)

Ceratotheca triloba alba

The Clematis have staged a revival, the Lobelias are all in full bloom, and the ex-asters of the woodland are starting to bloom. The rose and Calycanthus floridus 'Athens' are in full rebloom again. Hello, Fall, I see you coming.

Heuchera 'Citronelle' and Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Thanks, as always, goes to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

The list:
Actaea racemosa
Aster species
Astilbe pumila
Callirhoe involucrata
Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Campanula 'Sarastro'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue Eyed Blonde', 'Telham Blue', 'Grandiflora Alba'
Clematis 'Betty Corning', Bonanza, 'Madame Julia Correvon', Petit Faucon, and 'Silver Moon'
Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'
Dicentra 'Bountiful' and 'King of Hearts'
Eurybia divaricata
Eurybia macrophylla
Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne), 'Jolly Bee', hybrid
Heuchera 'Fire Chief', 'Frosted Violet', and 'Raspberry Ice'
Hibiscus 'Red Heart'
Hosta 'Halycon', 'Krossa Regal' 'Maraschino Cherry', 'Winfield Gold'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'
Knautia 'Mars Midget'
Lavandula 'Hidcote'
larkspur
Lobelia 'Monet Moment'
Lobelia 'Sparkle DeVine'
Lobelia siphilitca
Lobularia maritma
Lonicera
Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'
Phlox maculata
Phlox paniculata 'David's Lavender', 'Laura', and 'Starfire'
Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'
Phuopsis
Rosa 'Carefree Beauty'
Sedum 'Xenox'
Stylophorum diphyllum

I Went to a Garden Party...

2011-08-12T08:49:00.001-05:00

From back facing camera: Willi, Cindy, Shayna, Katie, Shelley, Judy & Dee in Lorene's garden

to reminisce with my old friends and meet some new ones. The fourth installment of the traveling garden tour and blogger party known as Fling rolled into Seattle with high expectations and great relief, especially for the bloggers from Texas and Oklahoma. For four days, we traveled in tour buses to see beautiful gardens.

It was a chance to let our hair down and have some fun.

In beautiful surroundings, we walked,

we took lots of pictures,

we talked.

Bloggers traveled from near and far.

Local blogger Tatyana with the Brits, Victoria, Michelle and hubby

I wish I had a photo of everyone, but each year the Fling has gotten bigger, and with 70 attendees, I didn't even get a chance to talk with everyone.

Pat and I in Denise Lane's garden

Thanks go to the organizers, Debra, Lorene, Marty, In the Garden with Marty Wingate (who managed to avoid my camera), and Mary Ann for all their hard work. Seattle Fling exceeded expectations.

List of ~~victims~~ subjects in order of appearance:
Willi, Digginfood
Cindy, From My Corner of Katy
Shayna, Kitten Heels & Compost
Katie, The Garden of Words
Shelley, 29 Minute Gardener
Judy, Botanical Interests
Dee, Red Dirt Ramblings
Barbara, B Wise Gardening
Frances, Fairegarden
Jennifer, The Garden Life
Lorene, Planted at Home
Gail, Clay and Limestone
Leslie, Growing a Garden in Davis
Layanee, Ledge & Gardens
Mary Ann, Gardens of the Wild, Wild West
Suzi, Garden Media Group
Kathy, Cold Climate Gardening
Lisa, Natural Gardening
Kylee, Our Little Acre
Debra, Debra Prinzing
David Perry, A Photographer's Garden Blog
Helen, Toronto Gardens
Caroline, The Shovel-Ready Garden
Vicki, Playin' Outside
Jean, Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog
Janet, The Garden Show Blog
Anneliese, Cobrahead Blog
Robin, Bumblebee Blog
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Bonnie, Vintage Garden Gal
Nan, Plant Soup
Melissa, Houston Garden Girl
Pam, Digging
Cyndy, Gardening Asylum
Diana, Sharing Nature's Garden
Andrea, Grow Where You're Planted
Tatyana, My Secret Garden
Victoria, Victoria's Backyard
Michelle, Veg Plotting
Pat, Commonweeder

Catching Up With...

2011-08-08T09:17:00.001-05:00

Barbara Wetzel's prairie, Barrington Hills, IL

Dear gardening friends,

It feels as if I've hardly been home this past month, between feisanna (Irish dance competitions) weekends in Milwaukee, the Fling in Seattle, and a waterpark family vacation in Gurnee, Illinois. I'm trying to catch my breath before heading to Indianapolis for the Garden Writers' symposium. On Friday, Helen Yoest, of Gardening with Confidence, made the trek to Squirrelhaven to see me, and then I took her to see the garden of Barbara Wetzel, which I visited with the girl back in May. I wanted to see Barbara's prairie in full bloom, but mostly I just wanted Helen to see it. It was a wonderful visit, which I will elaborate on in another post. Right now, I'm squishing Japanese beetles, pulling weeds, and making a headband to go with the girl's Irish dance solo dress, which she will wear for the first time next weekend. Shopping for school supplies is also on the agenda for this week. Busy, exciting times here. I hope summer is treating you well.

Happy gardening,

Mr. McGregor's Daughter

P.S. Here's my first post at Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, on my Asclepias purpurascens.

Finding Inspiration in Suburban Seattle

2011-08-01T17:36:00.001-05:00

Backyard paradise, Seattle style.

It seems as if every garden design book I pick up talks about country and urban gardens, but says nothing about suburban gardens. Those of us who garden in suburbia have either to attempt to adapt the country or the urban model to our own gardens, or fend for ourselves. So it is that I most delight in visiting outstanding suburban gardens to see how other gardeners do it. The first day of Seattle Fling, we visited two such gardens made by next-door neighbors.

Note the tiny lawnette on the right.

The first garden I toured was that of Suzette and Jim Birrell, whose front yard was given over to a shade garden, with just a tiny bit of lawn.

Geranium 'Sandrine' is the star of this combination

This stunning vignette was just in front of the front door. Winding paths led to another striking combo.

a dark Actaea/Cimicifuga balances the chartreuse foliage, while the blue Clematis provides the perfect zIp

There were four or five Clematis that I noticed in the front garden. Clearly, these were gardeners after my own heart. This was confirmed when I stepped down a few stepping stones and spied this wonderful kinetic sculpture behind a plant I grow, Hylotelephium 'Becka' a/k/a sedum Autumn Delight.

I just had to make the balls twang around a bit more than the breeze was doing. Such fun! (Cindy, of From My Corner of Katy, got a picture of me caught in the act.)

What was even more intriguing than the shaded front garden was the use of space in the side yard, one of the most challenging spaces in a suburban lot.

There were container plantings at different heights on both sides of the path and shrubs and perennials in raised beds. The bright market umbrella drew the eye into the back yard with its towering conifers and inviting hammock (top photo).

The back lawn hovered above a hillside garden and patio,

artichokes, nasturtiums & sweet peas and, yes, that's a spork on the obelisk

with a vegetable plot to one side.

Now, that's what I call a scare-crow.

At the back is this colorful shed, which makes a great backdrop to the garden.

Then I went next-door to the garden of Shelagh Tucker,

Shelagh Tucker's garden

where in front, a completely different and wonderful garden reminiscent of Beth Chatto's gravel garden welcomed visitors.

The front garden is a series of steps and terraces. Like the Burrells, Shelagh uses her side yards to full advantage.

pony tail grass and Rosa glauca help the transition from gravel to traditional border

The back garden is more of a traditional English garden.

Campanula lactiflora and English roses beckon the visitor through the arch

Beyond, screened by the rose, lies a circular raised pond

and the large border.

This screening and division paradoxically makes the garden appear larger.

There is a small lawn and paths of grass.

The gate at the back of the garden makes it appear there is more garden beyond.

The garden climbs the hillside.

view up the hill to the garden shed

view from above the greenhouse

Even the more utilitarian far side yard was interesting and attractive.

What struck me most about these gardens was the presence of lawn only in the back yard, the reverse of what is most common in suburbia. The big lesson here, however is the economy of planting; that is, virtually no wasted space.

Thank you, Suzette and Jim Birrell and Shelagh Tucker for graciously opening your gardens to us.

Dragonfly Farms, Bainbridge Island; I Became Alice

2011-07-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

part of a project assigned by David Perry during a workshop on Bainbridge Island

Seattle is a mecca for gardeners, and Bainbridge Island is a magical place for gardens. The day the traveling party called Seattle Fling 11 made its way there, the skies clouded over and rain became our near-constant companion. It put a damper on those of us trying to do a photo project assigned by David Perry to shoot only one part of the Bloedel Reserve (more on that later) as if it were for a magazine article.

As I'm sure you've come to suspect, I subscribe to the belief that most rules should be treated more like guidelines (to steal a line from "Pirates of the Caribbean"), so when the rain finally abated, I found my "story" at our last stop of the tour, Dragonfly Farms, a retail nursery whose tagline is "Where Abnormality is the Normality."

I was wandering alone through the display gardens when I spied an intriguing garden behind a line of trees and hedge.

As I searched for the entrance, I found myself feeling very like Alice, trying to find a way into a beautiful garden.

It then occurred to me that all of the Seattle-area gardens are Wonderland. One feels suddenly small when surrounded by towering plants that often are merely waist-high at home. I'd swear I'd drunk something that made me smaller, and I never did find the bottle to make me large again until I went home.

The colors of the blooms are more intense there as well. I saw many Geraniums that I grow that were vibrant and vivid, while mine are pale and insipid after days of highs in the 90sF.

Geraniums, Thuja and Brunnera (probably 'Diane's Gold')

I finally found a way in,

but I think it was the egress rather than the entrance.

No matter, the paths lured me further inside. Behind shrubs and through plants were glimpses

Geranium and Cotinus coggyria

that demanded further investigation.

A Geranium and a Lychnis provide bright zings of color.

Plants were repeated throughout this garden area, but in combination with different plants each time, giving the garden a feeling of unity.

I saw fantastical creatures: giant slugs

and dragons,

green dragon (Arisaema dracontium I think)

and things that weren't always what they seemed.

I didn't notice any caterpillars, so I can't tell you whether they were smoking hookahs, but it wouldn't have surprised me if they were.

horsey-soccer

Dragonfly Farms is a gem of a nursery, with inspiring plantings, cool garden art and a good selection of plants.

And yes, I did buy something to bring home. It's Hosta 'Dragon Tales', a mini that ties Seattle Fling to Buffa10 fling in my mind, as the Shadracks' Hosta garden in upstate New York inspired me to plant mini Hostas in containers.

Many thanks to Heidi Kaster, the owner of Dragonfly Farms for opening up just for us. It was a whimsical delight.

Postcard from Seattle Days 2 & 3

2011-07-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

Dear Gardening Friends,

I finally made it to Seattle after 6 hours in the airport. My long delay won me a door prize, but more on that later. Suffice it to say that I'm seeing wonderful gardens and hanging out with great people. Wish you were here.

Barbara, Mr. McGregor's Daughter

Postcard from Seattle

2011-07-22T09:25:00.002-05:00

7/23/11 This post didn't work like I thought it would, as no text came through. I saw this combo in a parking lot. I believe the tree is a redbud (Cercis canadensis).

Early July Wildflower Wednesday

2011-07-20T07:32:00.003-05:00

Echinacea purpurea

Just a short post today, as I wrap things up around here in advance of my trip to Seattle to fling with other garden bloggers. I figured I may as well post this now, as I doubt I'll have time to get a post ready when I get back. Besides, I'll be wanting to download and edit the gajillion photos I'll have taken.

Liatris spicata

I'm making up a list for my Very Indulgent Spouse (VIS) of plants to water in my absence. I think I'm going to use left over flags from the last time the utility companies marked the lines here to indicate which plants in the garden need the water the most. The greatest chance of rain will be only 50% on Sunday. The forecasted highs for the next two days are over 100F. As you can see from the above photo, the front lawn is brown and crunchy. Despite the heat and dryness, the coneflowers and Liatris just do their thing as usual.

In the woodland garden, one wildflower is starting to bloom.

Aralia racemosa

The berries of spikenard are much more showy than the blooms. The black cohosh (Actaea racemosa a/k/a Cimicifuga racemosa) should be starting to bloom by the time I get back.

After last week's craziness of no electricity or WiFi for days, I am in sore need of a vacation. As such, I will be maintaining blog silence during that time. See you on the flip side, and stay cool!

For other Wildflower Wednesday posts, visit Gail next Wednesday at Clay and Limestone.

Power Restored July Bloom Day 2011

2011-07-15T06:01:00.006-05:00

Ruellia humilis at the edge of the Nanoprairie

Thanks as always goes to Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

As I sat in the library typing this, it was day 4 without power here at Squirrelhaven, so this post is necessarily truncated. The power was finally restored nearly 120 hours after it went out during a short, but violent storm.

Eryngium 'Jade Frost', free trial Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIHM1' Twist-N-Shout, Phlox paniculata, Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice' and Lavandula 'Hidcote'

All the Hydrangeas are blooming.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey' blooming for the first time

I don't think I like the following combination, but they're both blooming there for the first time.

Lilium 'Purple Prince', an Orienpet hybrid, and mystery daylily

from left: blooming for the 1st time Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise', coneflowers, Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Blue', Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice', and Campanula 'Sarastro'

not black peony-flowered poppies, but still good

I'm out of time. There's lots more blooming, including several Clematis and the Aralia racemosa. Happy Bloom Day, appreciate your electricity.

Added 8 a.m. July 15
also in bloom:
Aquilegia vulgaris Heart of Gold type
Aquilegia vulgaris 'Sunburst Ruby'
Callirhoe involucrata
Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue-Eyed Blonde'
Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Alba'
Clematis 'Betty Corning'
Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud'
Clematis 'Evipo 031' (Bonanza)
Clematis 'Evisix' (Petit Faucon)
Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon'
Clematis 'Silver Moon'
Clematis 'Venosa Violacea'
Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'
Corydalis 'ex Dufu Temple'
Dicentra 'Bountiful'
Dicentra 'King of Hearts'
Geranium 'Bob's Blunder'
Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise)
Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne)
Geranium 'Jolly Bee'
Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'
Hemerocallis 'Chosen Love', 'Druid's Chant', 'Evening Sea', 'Grape Velvet', 'Little Grapette', 'Pink Lavender Appeal', 'Super Purple', 'Woodside Amethyst'
Heuchera 'Citronelle'
Heuchera 'Frosted Violet'
Heuchera 'Smokey Rose'
Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'
Hosta 'Candy Hearts'
Hosta 'Maui Buttercups'
Hosta 'Sweet Home Chicago'
Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA1' (Invincibelle Spirit)
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Billow'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Claudie'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
Knautia
lily seedlings
Lobularia maritima
Monarda 'Grand Marshall'
Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'
Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'
Phlox maculata
Phlox paniculata 'Nicky'
Phlox paniculata 'Red Super'
Phuopsis
Platycodon grandiflorus
Stylophorum diphyllum

Reviewing "The Bad Tempered Gardener"

2011-07-14T05:48:00.006-05:00

I'll be posting about the storm damage here at Squirrelhaven as soon as power is restored to my home. In the meantime, read my review of Anne Wareham's The Bad Tempered Gardener on Carpe Geum. I wrote it and this post at the library, using their Wifi. Wish me luck.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter

Midsummer Malaise

2011-07-11T06:04:00.016-05:00

drought-stressed Phlox paniculata 'Grenadine Dream'

The grass crunches under my sandals. The rain barrel has run dry. After more than two weeks without even a drop of rain, the lawn and garden are suffering and so am I.

In less than a week, the lawn went from green and lush to this.

While the Chicago area is not considered to be in a drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, under NOAA's definition of an Agricultural drought, when "the amount of moisture in the soil no longer meets the needs of a particular crop," Squirrelhaven is in drought.

Some trees have started shedding leaves.

Corylus 'Red Majestic' bearing only the vaguest resemblance to its name. Note the brown willow leaf.

I'm tired of dragging the mile-long hose around to water the woody plants, and I'm ready to let the container plants shrivel. Well, not really, but I'm heartily sick of lugging the watering can around, too.

I know I sound like a whiny little brat when compared to the suffering endured by my friend in Houston, Cindy of From My Corner of Katy, who has been gardening through an "Exceptional Drought," or Dee in Oklahoma at Red Dirt Ramblings. But it's not just the sky's stubborn refusal to drop any moisture on me that has me down. The Japanese beetles are back to munch on Clematis 'Betty Corning'. Ordinarily, they feast on my rose, but it's not in bloom now. I'm waiting for them to discover the new blooms of the Echinaceas, four of which plants I've had to yank so far this summer due to aster yellows. The early-blooming bearded Irises have iris borers. I can blame myself for this one, as I failed to remove promptly the faded bloom stalks and browning leaves. The smell and the mushiness of the infested rhizomes is sickening. I refrain from posting any images.

It's not been a good year for the Lilium longifolium 'Black Dragon Strain.' The number of blooms was paltry. Some of the buds on my new 'Purple Prince' lilies have shriveled, but at least the ones that remain are smashing.

The first blooms opened yesterday.

I notice that every July, I publish a post of unhappiness (Feeling Austin, Texas from 2010, Reality Bites-July from 2009, and Trouble in Paradise from 2008). It is the time when the gardening compost hits the fan. I know I've said I don't like to leave my garden during the growing season, but this year, I'm more than happy to walk away. Fortunately, Garden Bloggers' 2011 fling in Seattle is just a couple of weeks away. I can't wait to see green, lush gardens and forget about my flagging one.

Color Combinations: the Problem of Pink

2011-07-01T05:57:00.002-05:00

Digitalis in shade

There are some flower colors that are easy to work into combinations of contrasting or monochromatic schemes in the garden, such as blue. Then there is pink, which has to be the trickiest color of all. It's just too easy to get it wrong.

Here are a couple of examples of nails-on-the-chalkboard yellow and pink combinations.

Sorry about the quality of this one. I took it in the middle of the day with my phone.

What is it about orangey-yellow day lilies that makes people want to pair them with pink?

I saw the above two scenes on garden walks last weekend. The top image is also from a garden I visited. That garden made me realize that one can get away with a lot more colorwise in the shade than in the bright light of full sun, where jarring colors are intensified.

So why is the top image pleasing, and the next two irritating? It's that clash of values. A strong yellow just doesn't work with pink, especially bright pink. In the shot of the foxgloves (Digitalis), the yellow is soft and pale and the pink is purpled. That brings up another aspect of dealing with pink: it can be warm or cool and they should never be mixed. Many a gardener has been brought up short when a plant they planned for a perfect color composition blooms for the first time in the wrong temperature of pink. To clarify the difference between warm and cool pinks, consider the following:

Heuchera 'Vesuvius' and Diascia

Both the Diascia and the Heuchera have blooms of a warm pink. It's not a perfect match, but it isn't painful to view either. By contrast

Please, don't try this at home.

this combination makes me feel slightly queasy. Lavender and coral should be kept far, far apart.

Now lets try it with a cool pure pink.

The pinks in my garden are mostly from the cool shades, such as this Phlox maculata. Rest assured, the Phlox is planted nowhere near the Heuchera.

So what does work? How about this?

Asclepias purpurascens

A darker cool pink is a good partner. But lets get a little more daring.

Cool pink and magenta work well, especially the magenta of the Callirhoe involucrata at the right bottom corner of the picture.
Now, lets have some real fun, Christopher Lloyd style.

This type of combination is not for the faint of heart.

The actual combination I have in my garden is with the chartreuse of Alchemilla.

Phlox maculata with Alchemilla serrata 'Gold Strike'

I find the combination of this jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) with Coleus 'Electric Lime' supremely pleasing.

Pink also pairs well with purple.

Fuschia

My favorite pink combination is exemplified by Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'.

Cool pink and maroon really floats my boat. Here's another version.

Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon' and 'Comtesse de Bouchaud'

I have no images of combinations with warm pinks because they are not my thing, but a warm version of the above photo could be done with a warm pink and a scarlet flower.

What combinations with pink have you found attractive?

Part I: Yellow

A Colorphile's Take on Combinations: part I

2011-06-24T18:25:00.001-05:00

Eww. (Viola definitely not with Lathyrus, sweet pea.)

I have no qualms admitting that I have strong opinions on color. While I dislike orange, I can still appreciate it when it's used well (just not in my garden). Recently, Frances at Fairegarden, got me thinking about color combinations. It's not so much the hue that is the issue, as it is the intensity and purity of the colors to be combined. I might have a sensitive stomach, but strong yellows with washy, grayed purples or blues, like cool pinks with orange, are a nausea-inducing sight to my eyes. The lighter hue should, in my opinion, be lighter in intensity than the darker hue to which it is paired.

I cut pansy and viola blooms in three different shades of yellow and compared them with the mauve bloom of Clematis 'Betty Corning'. They are arranged from the subtle to the ill-suited.

I prefer this palest lemony yellow.

Eh, a bit too Easterish for my taste.

This is just painful.

It's not that the yellow is bad, it's just that it's wrong with that mauve. The yellow is too dark for the light tint of purple.

the same yellow with a darker purple

Now, isn't that better?

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-06-22T20:44:00.002-05:00

Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail of Clay of Limestone on the third Wednesday of every month, is even more special this month because it's also National Pollinator Week. My post at Beautiful Wildlife Garden this week celebrates Squirrelhaven's pollinators. The native wildflowers are at a bit of a lull here at Squirrelhaven this week, transitioning from the woodland garden to the Nanoprairie. The last woodland wildflower still metaphorically standing is the one that stands tallest, the big Solomon's Seal, Polyganatum caniculatum. The highest of its blooms are at eye level. It's the darling of the bumblebees.

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous colorwise, the big show now is the over-the-top magenta blooms of Callirhoe involucrata.

It's a sprawly thing that interweaves among other plants.

It's easy to see why the common name is "wine cups."

Of a similar color are the blooms of Asclepias purpurescens.

Last year only one plant sprouted, but this year, all three sprouted and two are blooming. I'm hopeful for seeds this year. It's smaller and better behaved than Asclepias syriaca, the other pink flowered milkweed.

I wish I had pictures of the latter two plants with pollinators, but the weather has been wet and windy, not ideal for them.

Blue Moon of June Bloom Day

2011-06-15T17:12:00.007-05:00

Paeonia 'Vivid Rose'

It's the 15th of the month, the day that Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, asks us to show what's blooming in our gardens. It wouldn't be June in Chicagoland without peonies, Clematis and Campanulas.

Clematis 'Rhapsody' with a few buds of 'Betty Corning' coming from the left

It's been a fabulous year for Clematis here.

Clematis 'Silver Moon'

This is just a sampler of the Clematis blooming now.

Clematis 'Evipo 023' (Cezanne) with Dicentra 'Bountiful' and Penstemon 'Husker's Red' in the background

Even 'Vyvyan Pennell', which was moved last year, then accidentally dug up in March, looks better than ever, even with only 2 blooms.

The Calycanthus floridus 'Athens' is still blooming and scenting the garden.

Clematis 'Fairy Blue' (Crystal Fountain) has spread into the Calycanthus. I hope it doesn't get smothered.

Other sweet scents courtesy of

Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice', with Lavender 'Hidcote' and Rosa'Carefree Beauty'

and

Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'

My next door neighbor even commented on the scent of this little phlox. Stinky scent courtesy of Phuopsis.

(Thanks, Nan Ondra.) Towering above them are the last blooms of Baptisia 'Midnight Prairie Blues'

a free trial plant that I just love. It's in its second year here.

The long border is in full bloom now.

Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Alba' and 'Telham Blue' with Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' and Campanula 'Sarastro'

The dark purple dots further down are Aquilegia vulgaris 'Leprechaun Gold'. The columbines are past peak, but still blooming. This Aquilegia vulgaris 'Sunburst Ruby' seedling got a late start.

All the Astrantias are blooming now.

Astrantia 'Roma' with a hybrid Geranium

The Penstemons are all blooming.

Penstemon "Fairegarden"

This plant is a seedling from Fairegarden.

Making its Bloom Day debut is Geranium 'Jolly Bee'.

Also making its Bloom Day debut is a Knautia.

Sorry, no name for this one at this time. I had it in a container last summer, then stuffed it in the ground and forgot about it. Shame on me. I'll have to track down the tag when I get a chance. That chartreuse background is the foliage of Cotinus coggrygia 'Ancot' (Golden Spirit). While not technically a bloom,

the seed heads are more showy. Also not technically a bloom are the bracts of Cornus kousa 'Beni-fuji' with the fallen petals of the just finished Paeonia 'Port Royale'.

This has been a spectacular year for this little tree.

And here it is, the promised 'Blue Moon'

in full bloom, Wisteria macrostachys 'Blue Moon'. What's blooming in your garden?

Also in bloom:
Alchemilla mollis
Aquilegia vulgaris 'Woodside Blue'
Astrantia 'Moulin Rouge'
Astrantia 'Rainbow Loveliness'
Brunnera 'Jack Frost'
Callirhoe involucrata
Campanula garganica 'Dickson's Gold'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Clematis 'Evipo 31' (Bonanza)
Clematis 'Evisix' (Petit Faucon'
Clematis 'Henryi'
Clematis 'Natascha'
Clematis 'Viola'
Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'
Corydalis 'ex Du Fu Temple'
Dicentra 'King of Hearts'
Dracocephalum 'Fuji Blue'
Geranium 'Bob's Blunder'
Geranium macrorrhizum
Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'
Geum triflorum (smoke)
Gillenia/Porteranthes trifoliata
Heuchera 'Lime Rickey'
Heuchera 'Smoky Rose'
Heuchera 'Vesuvius'
Heucherella 'Burnished Bronze'
Iris siberica
Paeonia 'Monsuier Jules Elie'
Penstemon digitalis 'Dark Towers'
Polyganatum commutatum
sweet peas
Stylophorum diphyllum
Thalictrum 'Thundercloud'
Thalictrum thalictroides/Anemonella and 'Cameo'
Tiarella 'Iron Butterfly'
Tiarella 'Pink Brushes'
Veronica prostrata 'Verbrig' (Goldwell)

I'm Not Don Quixote

2011-06-13T09:41:00.001-05:00

driveway beds May31, 2011

Many years ago, when I was going to school in Rome, one of my professors assigned Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes to read over spring break. In addition to being annoyed at having to tote a heavy book through Europe, I quickly discovered that I hated the book. I can't understand how people love it, or the musical Man of La Mancha. I stopped reading it less than halfway through, then read just the end. It did me no harm, I got an A. Why do I hate it, and what does it have to do with gardening? Here's the explanation I gave the boy and the girl when "Don Quixote" came up as an answer to a Quizbowl question:
Don Quixote enters a new town. He mistakes X for Y. He attacks X. He gets his butt kicked. Sancho Panza has to pick and patch him up. They leave town and enter a new town. He mistakes X for Y. Repeat ad nauseum.
Yes, this was the first book I abandoned because of a character too stupid to be at large (CTSTBAL). From then on, any book with a CTSTBAL as a main character goes unfinished by me. But I digress.

The point is that I refuse to play that role, I will not keep doing the same stupid thing over and over in the garden. I will dream possible dreams. I spent an inordinate amount of time pulling black medic out of the driveway beds this spring.

That's not one black medic plant, but many, each of which had to be pulled.

Finally, after a couple of years of battling black medic on the south side of the driveway, I'm changing my tactics and smothering the mess.

There's barely any lawn left anyway.

Can you find the grass in this picture?

My Very Indugent Spouse was on board for the project when I described it, that all the weeds would be smothered, and then grass seed sown to create a new lawn. Then he saw the extent of the project as I started laying down the newspapers, and he asked if I was "going to do all that and it'll be like that all summer?" Yes, I am and yes it will. I have to. If I don't kill it all, it will just come back, and I'm not Sisyphus.

The Truth* about Clematis 'Betty Corning'

2011-06-09T21:25:00.001-05:00

1 week into blooming

Meet Clematis 'Betty Corning' a/k/a "Betty the Beast." It's a heavily blooming, healthy Clematis. I fertilized her last year, and she grew wildly huge, but I managed to keep her mostly on the supports. This year, I thought I was so clever; I didn't fertilize her. So what?

She's bigger than ever and threatening to pull the chickenwire off the chimney and spread her grasp into the crabapple.

Squirrelhaven's 'Betty Corning' is on the east side of the house, planted on the south side of the chimney at the top of a small slope, partially shaded by the crabapple tree.

'Betty Corning' is a type 3 Clematis, meaning it flowers on new wood. This is all new growth; I pruned hard in March.

the copper colored stems are this year's growth

According to the Missouri Botanic Garden and BBC Gardeners' World, 'Betty Corning' gets 5 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Hah! By contrast, Clematis on the Web lists it as 8 to 9 feet tall. That's definitely more like it. The Victory Garden website describes Betty as "[o]ne of the most vigorous clematis hybrids." Now that I can believe.

I cut off some of the new growth and brought it inside for a vase ('Betty Corning' makes a good cut flower, especially the long-stemmed blooms),

Clematis 'Betty Corning' with Clematis 'Natascha' and 'Fairy Blue' (Crystal Fountain) and peony

but I fear the pruners are going to get a workout very soon, as Betty the Beast continues to thicken.

It's doing a good job of covering the ugly chimney, but I've had to tie down some of the canes to keep it growing towards the north. As I noted previously, Clematis are photo tropic, and this one is growing in partial shade, so it wants to lean toward the light.

There is some question concerning the fragrance of 'Betty Corning'. According to Clematis on the Web, cultivars of 'Betty Corning' in the UK are fragrant, while American cultivars are not. However, in 95F heat I detected a light fragrance from the blooms of my plant.

I can't recall ever noticing the fragrance before, so it might depend on environmental factors.

'Betty Corning' is a wonderful, tough, blooming machine that I highly recommend to anyone who has an arbor, arch or pergola to cover in full to partial sun. Despite last summer's drought (it doesn't get any supplemental water, as the sprinkler usually misses it), it is better than ever and loaded with buds. If you've got the room, give 'Betty Corning' a try. As for me, I'll be on the lookout for a much larger trellis.

*This is the way this plant performs in my garden. Performance under other conditions may vary.

Maximum Acceleration

2011-06-07T16:01:00.001-05:00

Clematis 'Silver Moon'

With the sudden onset of full summer, with lows in the 70sF/24C and highs in the 90sF (it is 96F/35.5C as I write this), plants have gone from 0 to 60 in less than 36 hours. This Clematis wasn't in bloom on Sunday.

Similarly, this rose wasn't in bloom on Monday.

Rosa 'Carefree Beauty' with lavender, Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice' and Cornus kousa 'Beni-fuji'

It hasn't been this hot here since August '06. I swear, if you could stand the heat, you could see the flowers opening. Check this out:

see the difference in the center of the bloom? That happened in the time it took me to change aperture settings on my camera and snap another shot. Things were delayed from blooming by the unseasonable cold in April and May, now they're playing catchup in a big way. I hope they can adapt to this sudden heat, I fear for them. I watered all the plants in containers this morning and some of the plants in the ground. I'll be getting out the sprinkler at 5 o'clock, the earliest I can water under local ordinance. If I can just get them through one more day, we'll have temperatures below normal, with highs in the 60sF/19C. Fingers crossed.

Dusk

2011-06-02T18:07:00.000-05:00

David Perry, garden photoblogging guru, issued a challenge: to shoot at dusk to capture the mood, avoiding rendering the image looking like daylight. I accepted the challenge and headed out to the garden just after sunset looking for the subjects. Miraculously, there was no wind. (The wind loves my tripod, it does a little dance whenever it sees me bring it outside.) White flowers always seem to glow at that time of day, so I homed in on Cornus kousa 'Beni-fuji' which is in full bloom. Actually, those aren't petals, but bracts, but let's not quibble.

The biggest challenge was being able to see well enough to focus. After trying to shoot a couple other plants, I spied these bearded Iris.

So, what do you think?

A Collector's Garden with Style

2011-05-31T09:14:00.001-05:00

In my garden dreams, this is what I see, a lush shade garden. I walked into my dream last Sunday when I visited Park Place, a private, 3-acre Barrington Hills garden open for the first time for the Garden Conservancy's open days program. It was clear and sunny when I arrived at the garden at 10 a.m. (I apologize for the quality of the images in such harsh light).

The garden exists due to a big, honking deer fence that completely surrounds the 6-acre property. On walking through the gate, I knew I was entering somewhere special.

Yes, those are rhododendrons blooming like that in Chicagoland

The first thing the visitor notices is the the color bursts of rhododendrons, azaleas, woodland phlox and flowering dogwoods.

Azalea in bud with Tiarella

This border of Fothergilla major and Rhododendron screens the detached garage,

Then one notices the towering mature trees

as well as young new trees. Most of the garden is woodland, but there is also a large prairie garden. I hope the owners opt to open their garden again in the fall so it can be viewed in its full glory. There's also a pond with waterlilies and huge, very loud frogs

and a couple of large rock gardens filled with tiny treasures.

The Plants
In addition to the common woodland natives, the garden boasts some choice gems I didn't recognize.

This cute little plant looks like a cross between a Geranium and a Corydalis.

This plant could be an Aquilegia.

Then there were familiar plants with a twist, such as this diminutive Stylophorum

and this Geranium maculatum on steroids.

the hand is the girl's, which is smaller than mine, but still, the plant was 3 feet tall with blooms about twice as large as the norm

I admired this color combination of Japanese maple, Rhododendron, Primula, Corydalis and Phlox divaricata,

The colors of the primrose and the Japanese maple echo the red of the Rhododendron and the yellow of the Corydalis.

but this is the combination I'd most like to copy.

Faded Eranthis, Saruma henryi, Trillium lutea and Primula and the foliage of what I believe is a Uvularia, with a purple Geranium in the background and variegated pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia 'W. Stackman' (Golden Shadows)).

And then there were the tree peonies.

note the reddish tint to the foliage

I asked the owner the name of this one, as it is even more beautiful than mine. She couldn't recall its name, but having a half dozen different varieties, she's excused. She got all of her tree peonies from Song Sparrow, so I emailed Roy Klehm to find out. He believes it is 'Guardian of the Monastery', a rockii type. I'm going to order one, then figure out where to put it. I have to have it.

Sculpture and Accents
The gardener has used sculpture and accents throughout the garden to tie it all together. The photo at the top of the post shows the first of several owls tucked around the garden to be found by the observant visitor. This one was hard to miss.

I found myself thinking of my friend HelenYoest when I saw this sculpture of a mother carrying her baby on her back.

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' and Hosta

It looks like something she'd put in her North Carolina garden.

Greenman behind a Japanese maple

I was particularly enamored of the kinetic sculpture,

the Park Place prairie garden

but this mosaic fox was the girl's favorite.

Euphorbia species

There were also birdhouses used as a repeated design element,

and old watering cans

and other rusted sculptures

something like this would look at home at Squirrelhaven

and objects

beautiful and functional

including a bread box (useful if you need to compare something to the size of one).

Some rock garden plants were displayed in hypertufa containers,

which also reminded me of Helen and of Frances of Fairegarden. I even saw a small Japanese maple in a hypertufa container.

I wish I could show you more of this wonderful garden, but we must obey the sign.

note the deer fence in the background

P.S. I forgot to mention that I paid attention to my feet too. A primrose path had a flagstone walkway, and the wilder part of the woodland garden had mulch paths lined with logs, like at Squirrelhaven.

Wildflower Wednesday: May-apples!

2011-05-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

Podophyllum peltatum, the mayapple

It's the fourth Wednesday of the month, so that means it's Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail of Clay and Limestone. Herein is a selection of what's native and currently blooming. I had to lead off with the mayapples because it is still May. The Nanoprairie is starting to bloom. In addition to the Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler' at the top of yesterday's post, Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is also blooming there.

Most of the wildflower action is still in the woodland garden though.

from front: Geranium maculatum, Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume', a non-native Dicentra and Dodecatheon media alba

Here's a closer view of the Dodecatheon.

shooting stars

Jack is in the pulpit.

Arisaema triphyllum

This is one of the all green forms. Squirrelhaven also has jack-in-the-pulpits with purple in the pulpit.

Maianthemum racemosa

The plant formerly known as Smilacina racemosa, or false Solomon's seal has just started blooming.

Also just starting to bloom is Zizia aurea.

It echoes the color of the celadine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) growing nearby. This is the end of the big spring wildflower show in the woodland. It's my favorite time of year and the best time for the woodland garden.

Squirrelhaven's Squirrels vs. Havahart Critter Ridder

2011-05-24T20:58:00.000-05:00

Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'

When the Havahart company asked me if I wanted to trial* its Critter Ridder® repellent products I eagerly agreed. I was particularly interested in trying the shake on product, which claims to deter critters, such as squirrels, from digging. With high hopes and great expectations, I sprinkled it around an Astrantia that the squirrels dug up repeatedly last fall. The only way it survived the winter was that I put a metal basket over it. Basket removed, product sprinkled, I retreated from the garden to see what would happen.
The next morning, I eagerly checked on the Astrantia. The result was, to quote the boy, "Epic Fail!" The Astrantia was no longer in the ground. I could swear I heard snickering from the trees.

But the squirrels weren't laughing, nor were the deer after I sprayed the Phlox pilosa, Heucheras, and 'Cobra' lilies out front with the Critter Ridder® spray repellent.

In addition to the tulip bloom incident, the deer had been snacking on the Phlox and the Heuchera, along with Symphyotrichum laeve. I didn't spray the ex-aster with the Havahart spray because I had already sprayed it with something else when the free trial products arrived. The lilies hadn't been sampled by the deer because they weren't large enough at the time.

I've applied the spray repellent to the growing lilies, which now look like this:

Lilium 'Cobra', oriental lily

perfect deer candy. I'd call that a success. I also sprayed the 'Purple Prince' lilies that the squirrels repeatedly dug up and munched on last fall. They have remained unscathed, so the result there is "squirrels thwarted!"

Deer aren't one of the nuisance animals that the Critter Ridder® spray is designed to repel, but it seems to work for this off-label use. It's probably best to alternate it with another spray-on repellent like Liquid Fence®. I like both those products because they don't spot or discolor foliage or buds the way other spray repellents can. This spray repels by taste and scent, which is very important, as you don't want the wildlife to have to sample your plants before discovering that they are unpalatable. It is safe for use around kids, pets and wildlife.

Bottom line, I can't recommend the shake on product for repelling squirrels, but I can recommend the spray-on Critter Ridder® when applied to new growth. I don't know if it lasts for 30 days because it hasn't been 30 days yet, but so far, so good.

*The Havahart company sent me one canister of the shake-on product, one bottle of the spray, and a really nice polo shirt with the company logo for free. As should be evident, receipt of these items did not affect my review.

Wordless Wednesday: Ranunculus

2011-05-18T16:55:00.000-05:00