Archives For GARDENING & PLANTS

Sleet and Snow Please Go Away, It’s Still October!

October 31, 2011 — Leave a comment

If you answered they both arrived here on Saturday morning, you are correct! I ordered a ridiculously giant quantity of bulbs (only about half are mine, the other half belong to several neighbors) and stupidly let the bulb grower decide on a delivery date. Then, my neighbor politely asked last weekend about the status of the bulbs. I thought, well they should be here by now, it is now the second half of October. I now know that the problem is that we technically fall into Zone 7 (but in a lot of ways are closer to Zone 6), which means that we aren’t scheduled until the first week in November, rather than the second half of October. So I called last week and had the bulbs sent right away. In the meantime we missed 2 beautiful weekends of planting and got a weekend that felt more like December than October. The grower I’m sure would argue that you don’t want to be putting the bulbs in the ground until after it cools, but now the ground is frozen! If all goes well the ground will soften up a bit so we can get these in (fingers crossed). I think it is time to pull out my secret weapon; I have a little auger that attached to my drill and helps speed up the process (assuming the ground is not frozen solid!).

We did not get much done this weekend, we needed some down time hibernating! Did anyone have a productive weekend?

P.S. I hope all of my more northerly friends are fairing okay with the snow! My parents are without power and have a bigger tree and branch pile then after the hurricane. Fingers crossed they will get some relief today. Love to all!

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In GARDENING & PLANTS, OUR HOME
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Stacey’s Garden Part 4: Adding Some Grasses

October 27, 2011 — 4 Comments

Siteplan from back in April

Stacey has been hard at work on her garden this spring and summer. The planting bed has been laid out, cut, amended and mostly mulched. And she has been carefully adding plants to the beds as well as putting up an arbor. I went to go see it this past weekend and unfortunately forgot to take my camera! Unfortunately it is raining today, but I will go take some photos very soon.  But, we did discuss some options for the main planting bed. Currently she has a number of perennials, but there is a LOT of space to fill and it is still feeling somewhat empty (although this is where you need to be patient as the new plants start to grow).

Stacey's Yard Back in April

I think that some grasses are an excellent choice to fill in the back and middle part of the bed (we are concentrating on the area in the red dashed shape above). These will add height quickly but not be a barrier, as a large evergreen would. I think it would be nice to pair them with some medium size shrubs though to mix up the texture. I picked out a few that I thought would be a nice addition. These won’t get planted until the spring but I think it will be helpful to have a game plan now. I also think we will go with smaller plugs, since most grasses will do well this way and it really keeps the cost down. We are looking for 3-5 varieties (1-2 tall and 2-3 medium) in varying heights and colors. I am also looking for ones that don’t mind clay soil and are somewhat flexible about sunlight. Does anyone have any recommendations?  Photos are from Bluestem Nursery unless noted. Here are my picks so far:

TALL GRASSES

 

Malepartus Maiden Grass, Flowers are 60"-80" Tall

Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Forrester', Flowers are 60"-80" tall

MEDIUM GRASSES

Korean Feather Grass, 32"-48" tall. Full sun to part shade.

Tall Moor Grass, 32"-40" tall. Sun to part-sun. I like the wispy plumes. These could be planted further forward since the actual grass is smaller.

Decotah Switch Grass, 36"-48" tall. It has a nice green and yellow color mix. Flowers are up to 54" tall.

Pink Muhly Grass, photo taken by my friend Kelly at a local park, 36-42" tall

Tufted Hair Grass, 24-32" tall. Soft plumes. Native but does self-seed.

EVERGREEN COMPANION

Rheingold Globe Arborvitae: This could provide a nice contrast to the grasses. Tends to form 3'-5' globe shape. It is soft to the touch and a nice golden color. It is currently on clearance at Home Depot. Photo from Evins Mill Nursery

Evins Mill Nursery

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In -Stacey's Garden, GARDEN DESIGN CLIENTS, GARDENING & PLANTS
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Fall Is Here

October 14, 2011 — 1 Comment

A Barn Spider (one of several in the backyard). The kids LOVE to watch him. Fortunately I am told that they are not poisonous. This one (at least the 3 generation at this location) lives right on the deck where the kids can visit him often. We also found out the Charlotte (from Charlotte's Web) is a Barn Spider. Apparently they rebuild their web every night. No words yet!

This week has been crazy for me and I am feeling pretty worn out at the moment and I am really looking forward to the weekend. The last couple of days the weather has been drizzly, not a good pick me up! Fortunately the sky is starting to brighten up today although the ground is wet and the leaves have started to drop (and the mosquitoes are still out in force). It is really feeling like fall! I decided that it was a good morning to take some pictures of the yard (while I let the kids run around for a little bit). So I hope you enjoy!

The birch tree is starting to drop its leaves. I love how the small yellow leaves look, unfortunately it is difficult and time consuming to get them out of the planting bed.

This lace cap hydrangea is still going! The pink flowers have faded to this lovely pinky wine color. My other hydrangeas gave up long ago.

Most things have stopped blooming but the toad lilies are just getting starting to reach their full bloom and should go for another month or so.

I planted some lily tubers this spring (on special at Home Depot). It took forever for them to come up. It is a pleasant surprise that a couple of them finally decided to bloom, especially so late in the season.

These chives look lovely. I planted these from seed several years ago in a pot on my deck. They survived the winter so I put them in the ground. They have been happily growing ever since. I quite like the seed heads (which were lovely white balls over the summer). Plus they are handy for dinner!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! We will be eating lots of apples and hopefully hanging out at home (although the basement demolition is still lurking and there are still a few perennials that need to go in the ground). It might be time to turn the gas logs in our fireplace back on in the Living Room. We barely got to use them this spring (by the time they were installed). Of course this means that the batcave and the pink princess castle will have to move to another location.

 

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In -Victorian, FAMILY, GARDENING & PLANTS, OUR HOME
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Charleston Part 3: Window Boxes, Vines & One Playful Statue

October 6, 2011 — 2 Comments

Piersphone Fountain at one of the local art museums. I love how playful she is! (unfortunately I can't make out the artist's name on the plaque)

Charleston feels so lush (at least the few times I have been there), I’m sure part of that is due to the mild climate, humid weather and frequent thunderstorms that keep the plants looking full and lovely. The warm client also allows for some annuals to be almost perennials and for tropical plants to thrive (and I do LOVE  tropical plants). Below are some of the beautiful window boxes I saw along with some nice stunning vines growing up the fences and buildings. Where possible I tried to list the name of the plants (most of which can be grown as annuals in more northern climates). If you know the name of any of the unknown plants, please let me know. Enjoy!

Window Boxes

Planter Box placed on a fence planted with: purple coleus (possibly 'apocalypse'),red geraniums & red gerbera daisies

Window Box planted with lime green sweet potato vine (var. Marguerite), 2 varieties of coleus (purple and red), caladium and white impatiens

Series of window boxes planted with purple petunias, lime green sweet potato vine & unknown variegated grassy plant

Window Box planted with lime green sweet potato vine, 2 varieties of coleus, white impatiens, Purple Heat (Tradescantia pallida) and unknown green and yellow plant

Vines

Bittersweet climbing the masonry (apparently these cling quite strongly to walls ). These also require a male plant nearby.

Cardinal Vine Gentally climbing an old iron fence. Typically an annual (although oftern reseed). Also known as the Hummingbird Vine.

P.S. Here are the link to my other Charleston posts about ironwork and woodwork and dining.

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In ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, GARDENING & PLANTS, TRAVEL
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Plant of the Week: Common Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis hirta)

September 26, 2011 — 1 Comment

Toad Lily Buds & Flower

Toad Lily in my Shade Garden

Common Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis hirta)

Type: Perennial (Zones 4-9).

Light Requirements: Part Sun to Shade

Moisture/Soil: Average to wet moisture.

Blooms: Early to mid  fall. 36″ Tall.  Orchid like flowers are white with dark purple spots.

Leaves: Medium size pointy leaves on multiple arching stems.

Size: Height: 36″ Tall.

Additional Info: I bought my first toad lilies last year. I bought some big plants at an end of season sale and divided them and put them in the ground. They bloomed for a long time, during a period in fall when most plants are past their peak. This spring they all sprouted right back up and I have been anxiously waiting for them to bloom.

Pros: They are low maintenance and bloom when not much else is in bloom.

Cons: The bunnies have eaten the buds closer to the front of the border.

Origin: Not native to the US. Asia.

Varieties: There are a few varieties with several different flower colors including purple, white and yellow.

Plant Combinations: These look good paired with variegated hostas.

*The Plant of the Week is based on plants that do well in my 7a/6b garden in SE Pennsylvania.

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In -Plant of the Week, GARDENING & PLANTS
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New Plants from the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale & Carolyn’s Shade Gardens

September 22, 2011 — 1 Comment

Shade Garden this Morning

I thought I would highlight the plants that I decided to purchase at the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale and Carolyn’s Shade Gardens. I am much pickier than I use to be in choosing new cultivars to add to the garden then I use to be. Qualities that I am always looking for include interesting variegated plants in both green/white/yellow and green/red/purple and a mix of plants that do well in dry sun (front yard) and part shade/shade (back yard). I am also a pretty lazy gardener so I like plants that generally take care of themselves and don’t require a lot of trimming and staking (of course I have been known to make an exception for something I really like). The one major weakness I have is for plants that have a tropical feel. I LOVE giant leaves and exotic flowers. That has lead me to own a number of hardy hibiscus and my beloved big leaf magnolia ashei. I have also tried several banana musa basjoos without much luck getting them to succeed and a number of cannas (which generally need to be lifted and brought inside in the winter).

My shade garden near the garage is looking pretty good these days, so for that area I am looking for a few plants to up the texture quotient and lengthen the growing season.

My Selections:

Carex muskingumensis 'Oehme' (just planted)

Carex muskingumensis ‘Oehme’:
I picked up two of these (one for my mom) at the Scott sale. These carex are suppose to do well in part sun to shade, but like good moisture. I like their loose, slightly wild look. These are native to the central US and get 18-24″ high. I planteed mine towards the back of the planting bed.

Tasselfern, which is suppose to be an evergreen (just planted)

Tasselfern (Polystichum polyblepharum):
I have several varieties of ferns. This one should do well in part to full shade (and likes constant moisture).  I liked the idea of one that was an evergreen since I am trying to add more winter interest to the garden. I picked up two at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens this week.

Hellebore: Helleborus 'Golden Lotus' Strain of Winter Jewels (just planted)

Golden Lotus Hellebore in bloom (picture from Carolyn's Shade Gardens)

Hellebore (Helleborus ‘Golden Lotus’ Winter Jewels)
I am in LOVE with Hellebores! They start to bloom quite early and the blooms last for months. The foilage is also evergreen. When I saw the email from Carolyn’s Shade Gardens (thanks to Stacey forwarding it to me) offering some relatively new varieties I was VERY excited. After a lot of debate I decided on 3 of the ‘Golden Lotus’ variety since I thought a white flower would stand out  in my shade garden.

Muhlenbergia capillaris (waiting to be planted in the front yard)

Pink Muhly Grass (image from landscapedia)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
For my front sunny, dry garden I am looking for a few plants to fill the middle of the beds and provide some height and texture. I saw these grasses listed in the Scott Sale Plant Directory and decided to give them a try. Right now they don’t look very exciting, but fingers crossed they will do well and provide some beautiful foilage and its pink plummage next year. This is another native grass and will hopefully adapt well here. Apparently it does better in slightly warmer clients but fingers crossed it will be okay here.

What are you planting this fall?

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In -Plant of the Week, GARDEN DESIGN CLIENTS, GARDENING & PLANTS
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The Sideyard & A Pair of Blueberry Bushes

September 19, 2011 — Leave a comment

My gardening helper!

After edging and weeding

This past weekend was the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale (held every other year). In past years I have bought a LOT. This year, I definitely did not need as many plants. I am finally at a point where most of changes and additions in the garden are smaller. That said, the sideyard is a bit of a mess. We added the new steps and a bluestone landing back in May, then I proceeded to ignore the area, except for the occasional mow/weed wacking. The area was in desperate need of some edging, weeding and planting.

New Steps with Blueberry Bushes on either side

I also decided that this would be a good spot for blueberries. I have thought about planting blueberry bushes for the last few years, although I hadn’t found a good spot until now. This area is in sun for a good part of the day, so I thought it would be a good choice. Additionally the blueberry bush leaves turn a pleasant reddish color in the fall (and go with the coloring of the front porch). I picked up 2 of the “Patriot” variety. These get 3′-4′ tall and wide (smaller then a lot of the other varieties) and tend to look good most of the year. I think the kids will really like being able to pick blueberries, although I have a feeling we will be covering these with mesh so that the birds don’t take them first.  This area is right off of the kitchen, which is nice too.

Sad and embarassing weedy patch! Home of future raised bed. I also need to transplant the cedar tree that seeded itself here.

Part of this area is also going to be designated for a raised planting bed for veggies. I haven’t started on the future planting bed area yet, but I did manage to get the edging done and began to battle back the pachysandra. The pachysandra was brutal and I know there are a ton of roots still there (they tend to break when you are trying to pull them out). This will be a multi-year battle! At least it is mostly gone from the upper portion of the hill.

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In -Porch, -Victorian, GARDENING & PLANTS, OUR HOME
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Scott Arboretum Groupon & Home Depot Plant Sale

September 6, 2011 — Leave a comment

Magnolia Ashei in my backyard bought from the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale in 2007

Hi All! I hope everyone had a great 3-Day weekend! Before I forget I wanted to let my faithful readers know that Scott Arboretum (at Swarthmore College) is having a Groupon sale today. Their BIG plant sale (which only happens every other year) is scheduled for September 17th & 18th and they always have lots of amazing perennials, shrubs and trees. I was very surprised to see them offering a Groupon special.  $25 will get you a year long membership (normally $40) and a $10 coupon for the plant sale. If you have ever considered joining this is a really good opportunity, never mind that it gives you access to the Plant Exchange in the spring. **I was alerted that this Groupon is only for getting into the Plant Sale on the First Day NOT for a year long membership. That was very deceiving and makes this Groupon NOT worth it! Admission to the plant sale is free on the second day for everyone. Sorry for the confusion!

Also I saw at the end of last week that our Home Depot has put their gallon perennials on sale for 3 for $10. Hard to say what is left after the long weekend, but if you are in the market for some perennials it is worth a look!

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Hurricane Irene & the RAIN!

August 30, 2011 — Leave a comment

Stacey's Box Elder

I hope everyone is okay after Hurricane Irene! My heart goes out to all of those who suffered damage and are without power. All things considered we fared quite well. We didn’t loose power (which is a small miracle given the number of trees down in the area). We did get some water in the basement and I spent a good part of the night using a wet vac to keep it at bay. I was really afraid that we would lose power and then the water would keep seeping in from the slab and get out of control. We also spent Saturday lifting up everything that we could in the basement to minimize the potential damage. Our hot water heater and furnace each sit on 4″ cmu blocks (giving us a little bit of wiggle room). The most water we have had in the past is about 1″ but with the extremely high water table right now I was VERY nervous (before the hurricane this was already the wettest August ever recorded in Philadelphia). In the end I vacuumed out about 5 wet canisters full of water. I guess it may be time to bite the bullet and look into a french drain system for around the foundation, a sump pump (with battery backup) and a waterproofing layer on the concrete slab.

The yard fared quite well, only a few broken branches. We have a lot of droopy plants (especially the Rose of Sharon) that I spent some time hacking away at carefully pruning yesterday.  Unfortunately Stacey lost the back half of her large box elder tree near the garage.

All of the rain has allowed some plants to do amazing (including the weeds). I spent a good part of yesterday trying to tame the weeds in the front yard! 5 large bags of weeds and Rose of Sharon cuttings and the front yard looks quite a bit better (although still in need of some serious love).

Droopy Rose of Sharon (and my neighbor's ugly fence) before trimming

These Butterfly Bushes took a bit of a beating. I still need to trim this area.

The back shade garden has been looking so lush with all of the rain

The pumpkins are also enjoying all of the rain

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In FAMILY, GARDENING & PLANTS
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Place Your Orders Now for Some Lovely Spring Color!

August 25, 2011 — 1 Comment

I love bulbs! So easy to plant and then they show up in the spring and provide lots of colors. Sure the leaves look kind of bad by the middle of summer, but they are hard to beat for that jolt of spring color when the weather is still a bit chilly out. So, here is a round up of what I am planning on ordering. Let me know if you want to share on the order since it is always cheaper to buy in larger quantities! I am planning a big order from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, my go to for most bulbs. They offer traditional bulb as well as some unique ones, and their selection and quality is hard to beat. I am determined to only buy bulbs that I have a place for, and stick to some more reliable varieties. I have had  mixed luck with some of the more exotic species.

I try to plant in October once the weather has cooled down, but have been known to be planting as late as early December. What is on your list?

Allium 'Karataviense' (mixed w/ heuchera)

Allium, 'Purple Sensation'

Allium 'Shubertii'

Allium 'Sphaerocephalon'

Alliums

I have written about my love of alliums before. Here is what I am planning on ordering for my garden:

Allium ‘karataviense’: $39.50 for 50 ($.79 a bulb). I haven’t tried these but I LOVE the look of the combination above.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’:$32 for 50 ($.64 a bulb). I have these in the front and side planting beds. I think some additional ones are needed for the backyard.

Allium ‘shurbertii’: $50.25 for 25 ($2.01 a bulb). These short bulbs are AMAZING. I need to move mine closer to the front of the boarded.

Allium ‘sphaerocephalon’ (drumstick): $24 for 100 ($.24 a bulb). Great for some summer color. I have some in my front yard. Stacey is going to plant some with her artemesia.

Nectaroscordum Bulgaricum

Nectaroscordum Bulgaricum: $24 for 50.  Not technically an allium, but very similar so I usually list these with the Allium. I LOVE these little bobbing flower heads. Plus the buds look beautiful before they pop open. They stand very upright at about 3′ high. Great for the back of the border.

Chionodoxa growing in my lawn

Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow)

Chionodoxa ‘Forbesii’:$18 for 100. I am going to buy a LOT of these for the front yard and the back yard. The only problem with small bulbs like these is that I am always accidentally digging them up.

Tulip 'Flaming Purissima' Image from Plantswise

Tulip 'Turkestanica'

Tulips

Tulip ‘Flaming Purissima’: $32.50 for 50. This is suppose to be a good naturalizing tulip. Tovah from Plantswise recommended these, so I feel like we must try some!

Tulip Turkestanica: $34 for 100. This is also suppose to naturalize. It is low growing with ground hugging foilage. These would be sweet in the front of a boarder, where later plants would take over in the summer. Back in the spring I was inspired by a display of some similar tulips at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

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In -Plant of the Week, GARDEN DESIGN CLIENTS, GARDENING & PLANTS
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