Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Field Trip!
This time of year, when the rose bushes are so weighted down with flowers, they reach the ground, and the catbird is singing in his tree so enthusiastically, I fear he'll burst, it's hard sometimes to get me out of the garden. However two words will have me packing the cooler in a flash... GARDEN TOUR! As we drive through the countryside, Liz loves to stick her head out the window, and yell "Here Bossy" at the cows, but even she was on good behavior today, as we were going to the big city to see our friend Wanda's garden for the first time, when the iris are blooming... so we drove right past Shueyville, and right by the siren lure of the cowboy bar in Swisher, and into town. I guess Wanda wasn't sure we were going to be able to find her place in the city, as she gave me instructions over the phone, then e-mailed me a map, then for good measure she was out front in the driveway when we pulled up. Not to worry... as we rounded the corner there were typical suburban lawns sporting a couple of arborvitae as far as the eye could see, and then there was Wanda's place... flowers everywhere, with a rainbow of iris in full bloom. I decided maybe she wasn't out front waiting for us, but instead eyeing the street to see if she could plop some pots of flowers there, as there wasn't much room left in her yard! I took some pictures, which follow; I have a pretty good memory, so didn't think I'd need to take notes, but after looking at about the jillionth iris, I just gave up on names. We also got to see where various roofs and porches had landed during the tornado that went through her back yard a year or so ago (I noticed she didn't seem too heartbroken over the trees she had lost... more sun for planting iris
My woodland garden leads to flopsy iris, so I was amazed (and jealous) of Wanda's iris looking like small, straight trees.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Garden Mysteries
There are lots of mysteries in the garden... where did I leave that trowel, why did I plant a bright pink rose right next to a chartreuse arborvitae, but this is a bigger mystery, involving a very small plant... what the heck is this, anyway? It's popped up in the middle of an azalea bed, and I have no idea what it is, but have this nagging suspicion it's something I planted and promptly forgot about. It's only about four inches tall, arising from the ground like a rolled up newspaper, as on the left, then spreading a pair of waxy leaves that suggest a pair of kidneys. It looks like it might be getting a tiny flower bud at the base of the leaves. It's cute whatever it is. Of course things do pop up around here that I had nothing to do with. My Sister had given me some cleome seed, which I scattered about. Last sping a plant sprang up in a sunny spot in the mum bed, so I left it be, and it grew taller, and taller, and then one day, when it was about five foot tall, I really looked at it, and realized it was a marijuana plant, lustily odiferous, and sticky. Now wild hemp is actually pretty common in Iowa (during WW II they tried growing it to make rope), but we do have some pretty big parties, with people wandering at will through the garden, so who knows. At any rate I pulled it up, in case my Mother-in-law brings her church garden group back for another tour.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Primula cockburniana. Orange normally isn't my favorite flower color, and the thought of an orange primrose doesn't fill me with delight, so I resisted for a long time purchasing this primrose, but in fact it's rapidly become one of my favorites; the combination of its whitish stems and buds, and dainty, sweet smelling muted orange flowers is delightful.
Friday, May 27, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Arisaema triphyllum, our native jack in the pulpit. I have a variety of Asian jacks, but our plain old native is really more spectacular than many of them. Wayne, on Native Plant Blog (see Garden Links) had a nice piece on the sub-types of our native jack... the picture is of the dark spadex type.
Arisaema fargesii; I LOVE the foliage on this jack in the pulpit... it looks so tropical, and can reach three feet tall, with HUGE leaves. The flowers are at the base of the plant.
Peony; this picture looks like I altered it by turning up the blue, but it was just taken in late evening.
Desert candle (eremurus) is a plant I wish I had more space for, but it likes full sun and space, so a woodland garden is not really it's idea of heaven (if it doesn't get a lot of sun, it can really get the leans). This is E. robustus, which gets 6-7 feet tall.
Corydalis flexuosa doesn't exactly cherish our hot summers (it's not THAT crazy about our winters), but I'm slowly nursing along a couple of plants.
Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine', on the other hand, grows maybe TOO well, threatening to swamp everything around it. It's an o.k. plant, but with our hot summers I have to grow it fairly shady, so it gets flopsy-mopsy.
Helleborus X sternii. This isn't supposed to be hardy here (a fact I discovered AFTER I planted it last spring, but it came through without a scratch with only some bark mulch. The leathery leaves are just smashing, but I'm not going to get too attached to it just yet.
This is an aguilegia seedling from seed given to me by my sister in law and her husband, from their world-class garden overlooking Tomales Bay north of San Francisco. The flower is ink-stained in a most beautiful manner.
Arisaema heterophyllum is SLOWLY continuing to unfold, like some prehistoric pterodactyl. It will reach three feet tall, with a wing spread of almost three feet.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Cypripedium 'Ulla Silkens' is showing more cherry pink in the pouch now.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Daphnis Tree Peonies
This is a flower of the tree peony, 'Gauguin'. Earlier, in showing some of the double flowered tree peonies in the garden, I said that most of them had no names, as I had bought most of them cheaply from a box store, just labeled as, "such and such color tree peony", and to my eye they are just as good as the hundred dollar named varieties. But, when it comes to single flowered tree peonies, I am in love with the Daphnis hybrids. Being mostly single or semi-double, and being progeny of a strong-stemmed form of P. lutea, they hold their flowers high, instead of drooping into the foliage, like so many of the Japanese and Chinese hybrids, and the colors... WOW! They are like shot silk, with colors so rich and subtle, I have no names for them. I have Gauguin, as shown (it usually has more gold in it, but was almost cherry red this year), Icarus, Kronos, and have Nike ordered for the fall.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Showy Orchis. As mentioned before, this native orchid grows in our woods, and has seeded into several of the flower beds. It grew commonly throughout the woods when we first moved here, but the deer have pretty much wiped it out except in the one acre fenced in for the garden, where it is still doing well.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Yippee!
Sometimes, when little critters get out and about in the late spring, you see something you've just not quite seen before. A cardinal was hanging with a couple of sparrows (which in itself is odd), so when they flew down onto the grass to scratch around, so did the cardinal. At that moment two little chipmunks came hopping through the long grass like they had springs on their feet, and one of them jumped on the cardinal. Tag, you're it, I guess.
I'm Still Here
Well, the fun part of the gardening year is over; spring planting. Now begins the work; weeding and mulching, so that next spring I'm not walking about trying to find my rare frubish mopflower in a patch of ragweed. To this end, I have ten cubic yards of mulch sitting smack-dab in the middle of the driveway tunaround, looking at me reproachfully every time I open the garage door. I can almost hear it go "tsk tsk" when I maneuver the car around it to go lollygagging somewhere. I'd get on it today, but the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I've got places to go and people to see. Maybe it will be cloudy tomorrow.Thursday, May 19, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
The bearded irises are blooming.Unfortunately I don't have names for them; they got moved in a jumble from our last house and garden (another story).
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The Cat's Meow
The second line storm of the day just drove me indoors. A steady wind out of the southwest is pushing these narrow, gusty storms towards us, like ripples on a pond. They move very rapidly, so that we go from warm sunshine to cold downdraft winds and rain in a matter of minutes. As I walked up the path towards the house, the birds were scattering before the gusty winds, like so many leaves, heading for the fir trees. Just a few minutes before, I was marvelling at how many different birdcalls I could pick out just standing in one spot: house wren, cardinal, chickadee, robin, tufted titmouse, Carolina wren, red-winged blackbird, red-eyed vireo, flicker, field sparrow, dove, house sparrow, Baltimore oriole, and the catbird. I love the catbird's endless, enthusiastic singing, but when they show up in early May, listening to bird calls gets a LOT more complicated, as they make as much noise as all of the other birds put together, and imitate so many different birds (as well as meowing at the cats, which the cats pretend they don't hear). We've never had quail here, so I was quite excited not long ago to hear the clear "bob-white" call several times, only to have my hopes dashed, as the catbird then went off into a long song containing parts of the calls of about six other birds, and lots of made-up stuff. You've got to like their enthusiasm, though.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Arisaema heterophyllum, an Asian jack in the pulpit, makes a dramatic appearance from the ground; the plant can be three feet tall.
Azalea Mt. St. Helen; I had earlier mentioned how different the coloration of this plant's flowers are, depending on the light... compare this picture with that shown previously.
Monday, May 16, 2005
When You're Hot...
I'm not really a big birdwatcher, but I'm curious about the world around me, and like to know the names of things, so do pay attention to the birds. This afternoon was quite amazing bird-wise, as I went for a short walk in the garden, before going to pick up my wife from the university hospital, where she's an oncology nurse. On my walk, in addition to the usual birds, I saw an orchard oriole, a ruby throated hummingbird, and I nailed down a bird I wasn't 100% sure of before, the red eyed vireo, both by getting a really good look at it, and hearing its distinctive song. Also I saw two completely new birds to me, the yellow throated vireo, and the prairie warbler (a real looker). Not bad for a ten minute walk in the back yard!
Whome?
When a few days ago, I showed Sadie the cat rousting a deer from a flower bed, I thought it was probably a fluke, but maybe not. This morning I was hauling some bags of peat out to the garden, so had one of the gates open. As I was unloading the wheelbarrow, two deer; Nosy, and the infamous Whome sort of ambled right by me heading for the campanulas (their fave). Now it's one thing for the deer to slip into the garden, but when they just walk right by you, heading for the flower buffet, I get a little huffy. I opened a couple of gates and was going to chase them out, but Sadie beat me to it, chasing both of the deer across the garden and out the gate. Quite astonishing. Shown above is Whome on her regular rounds heading for the birdfeeder (she also answers to "Yes, I'm talking to you"!)
Saturday, May 14, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Azalea 'Mt. St. Helen'. This is probably my single favorite deciduous azalea. It's brightness is seen at quite a distance, and when the setting sun shines through the petals, the color turns fiery, doing justice to its name. It also is striking in that its color varies dramatically depending apparently on the amount of light it gets, so the three plants I have look quite distinct (even the two right next to each other).
Friday, May 13, 2005
A Deer Tale
Our garden is completely fenced in from the deer (or it would be a stub garden). They have the run of the rest of the place though, and make themselves right at home. I don't normally have any flowers outside the fence, but last year had a bunch of Japanese Jack in the pulpit seed, with no place to plant it, so used an old flower bed right next to the driveway, and had about a hundred nice little seedlings this spring. Well, today the deer that I call Nosy (for good reason) decided my seedling bed was perfect for a nap, and was in no hurry to move.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Snow In May
The middle of May is high spring, my favorite time of year in the garden, when the azaleas are in full bloom, the peonies are bent to the ground with the lushness of their blooms, and the double-file viburnums rise above all this riotous color in pristine whiteness. As if to confirm that this is the peak of the garden party, the black cherry picks this time to drop its flower petals, like a cloud of confetti. We have perhaps a hundred of these tall, magnificent trees in the woods, covered in spring with fluffy flower clusters, and when the petals start dropping, it's as if you are in a constant snow storm. Every breeze brings another flurry of tiny dots floating everywhere, and making the ground almost white in their abundance. It gives a dream-like feeling to the garden to be wandering the trails in this treasure house of color and bloom, while confetti swirls around you. It's a nice touch.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Azalea Tri-Lights
The University of Minnesota has of course done some great hybridizing work in hardy, deciduous azaleas, with their Northern Lights series. I think over the years I've picked up at least one of everything they've put out. The earliest members, Rosy and White lights, then Orchid lights are nice, but not fall down on the floor spectacular. Since I have pretty good luck here with the more spectacular Exbury type of azaleas, my Light azaleas kind of fade into the jumble, though the more recent Northern Hi-Lights (seen on a recent post) is pretty nice. Not too long ago, though, I went to a local nursery JUST to get some bark mulch, but while I was there I thought I'd just peek into the azalea-rhody greenhouse to see what was in bloom. Well picture me with my mouth dropping open when I walked in, because they had a group of a fairly new Lights azalea I had not seen before, Tri-Lights, seen above and below. The pictures don't do it justice, as it has an indescribable, shimmery silver undertone to a couple of tones of bright pink, and seems to illuminate a dark spot in the woods in a most unique way. The only negative, if there is one, is that it's cool silver-pink doesn't mix with some of the hotter-colored Exbury types, especially in the yellow-orange spectrum. With deciduous azaleas, I'm accustomed to just sticking them in anywhere, and somehow they seem to go together (with the exception of the raw orange of Gibraltar, which I avoid). Well, I'm happy enough to give Tri-Lights a spot of it's own, and if you are zone-challenged like me, you should visit your local nursery while this beauty is in bloom. I should mention it has a wonderful, baby-powder sweet perfume, too.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Double-file viburnum. It's always hard to get the real effect of this shrub in a photo. I love its horizontal habit, and have about half a dozen scattered through the garden.
Cypripedium Gisela: I'd just shown this a few days ago, but it's fully open now, so a little better picture.
Double-file viburnum & war zone (birdhouse). I had earlier related how the sparrows and wrens fight every year over the birdhouses with regular sized openings. It is a battle that the wrens always win, but this year the sparrows in this house fought back like blazes, and the wren moved on to a wren house... they may just be house sparrows, but you gotta cheer the underdog!
Monday, May 09, 2005
A Walk In The Garden Today
Euphorbia 'Wahlenburg Glorie' This has a wonderfully sweet perfume, which is quite surprising in a euphorbia.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Baltimore Oriole
Of all the bird arrivals in spring, the one that absolutely thrills me is that of the Baltimore Oriole. One day around the end of the first week in May, and this year it was today, when the flowering crabapples are hidden by blossoms, when the shade trees are newly clothed in a lush palette of different greens, and the clouds turn to fluffy white in a bright sky of blue, these brilliant orange birds, with inky black wings and head are heard whistling their sweet songs. It is quite amazing that they fly all the way from southern Mexico and Central America, yet arrive on almost the same day each year. Not only that, they all arrive at once. One day there are no orioles, the next it seems like male orioles are hanging from every tall tree, singing their absolutely distinctive, sweet lullabies. Their song is very distinct from other birds, and each oriole's song is slightly distinct from the other orioles singing nearby, though the commonest is a sweetly burbled "Look at me pretty-look-look". A few days later the females arrive, and then the real oriole show begins, with the males sitting on a limb in front of the female, bowing down and spreading their tail, raising their wings, and singing. What would the year be like without May, and what would May be without orioles? To borrow Samuel Johnson's line, show me a man who is tired of the oriole's song, and I'll show you a man who is tired of living.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Wood Thrush
The May evenings are lengthening, and as the sun slowly sinks into the trees, the wood thrush begins his bittersweet, lovely call from deeper in the woods; in the last twilight, the other birds become quiet, leaving the wood thrush hauntingly singing alone. His call always makes me think of Taps: Lee-Oh-Lay... Oh Day Is Done... Lee-Oh Lay. I almost hold my breath listening to the last ravishing strains of the thrush's song; then the light fades, the stillness of night creeps up from the ravines, and the first lightning bugs take to the air.
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows...
that's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
Robert Browning
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows...
that's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
Robert Browning
A Walk In The Garden Today
Cypripedium Gisela, a hybrid of parviflorum X macranthos. This is new to the garden this year, but is supposed to be hardy; the color is a very rich, beautiful burgundy.
Deep purple tree peony; most of my tree peonies are KMart specials, bought at the end of the season for $4.95, so have no names, just colors. Heck, I'd have paid $6.95 for this one.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Princeton Maple
This is 'Princeton' maple; in the spring it goes from brightest yellow to an indescribable gold with copper overtones. Against the bright green grass, it's outstanding, and almost everyone who sees this tree in our back yard, remarks on it.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Azalea,' Cannon's Double'; I'm not a huge fan of double Exbury type azaleas, because towards the end, especially if it rains, the blossoms can look like wet toilet tissue wadded up, but the smell of this one is heavenly enough to overlook that.
This is Cypripedium andrewsii, a hybrid of parvifloruum and candidum.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Black Tuesday
Painted fern after. We had a record-breaking warm March, pushing new growth two weeks ahead of normal, then into a dismally cold, dry April, culminating in the freeze of all freezes Monday night. It reached 25 degrees, shattering the all time low temperature for the month of May here. My garden lies in a bowl, so the cold air sat here, and froze multitudes of plants grievously. I've lived in Iowa for a total of over 50 years, and never seen anything like it, and hopefully never will again, but the damage has been done, and it will take a couple of years for the garden to recover; all the new growth on many azaleas and rhododendrons has been totally lost, magnolias have been almost denuded, as have many Japanese maples. A garden of bright hope has turned into a painful sick ward. I was quite astonished to see major freeze damage to common, native plants and even weeds. I have never seen Virginia creeper frozen to the ground! So, I have witnessed a (hopefully) once in a lifetime freeze. It is not a pretty sight.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Lover of Livers
This is Hepatica transsilvanica, native to S.E. Europe, with beautiful blue flowers, and mat-forming bright green foliage. I've gradually accumulated several different species of Hepatica, and have grown enamored of the foliage on these little woodlanders. The flowers are lovely, but usually ephemeral, but the foliage persists, and in most species is evergreen, even in our harsh climate.I like these plants best when viewing them deep in November, when their waxy leaves take on a lovely, somber tone.
Hepatica acutiloba, the native sharp-lobed hepatica (see earlier feature on this plant).
Hepatica henryi; really nice dark green leaves, almost looking like an ornamental geranium, but they are waxy. Native to China (I think some lump it with yamatutai).
Hepatica yamatutai, native to western China, with evergreen, spotted leaves, and white flowers. The leaves have very thick substance.
A Walk In The Garden Today
Tulips in the perennial border. These have bloomed every year for six years.
