Each Little World

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: 03.15.2013

Last year, my snowdrops were up by middle of February; no such luck this year. It's mid-March and there's still lots of snow on the ground. So I'm sharing the only thing that's blooming at my house: a bowl of Muscari bulbs. I bought them at the grocery store when they were just poking the first bits of green leaves through the soil in the pot.

However, since they were bulbs, I pulled them out of the dirt, washed them off and put them in this bulb bowl from the Metropolitan Museum catalog. Feeling very Dutch with this combination of flowers and container! Stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming on this day in other gardens around the country and the world.

Guinea hens among the widows

I treated myself to Ken Druse's latest book — "Natural Companions" — for my birthday last Spring. The scanner photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp are breathtaking, making for a book that is incredibly beautiful, while it's filled with Druse's usual wit and wisdom. While pouring over the images of flower combinations, I discovered this grouping. I quickly realized that while I am growing all three plants — Geranium phaeum, Fritillaria mileagris and Euphorbia 'chameleon' — it had never occured to me to create this particular combination.

ELLEN HOVERKAMP PHOTO

I'm sending off to Old House Gardens where I can buy the dark maroon guinea hens, aka checkered lilies aka snake's-head Fritillaries. It will be easy to intersperse the bulbs amoung my numerous clumps of "mourning widow" geraniums. The Euphorbia self-seeds so I'll just need to find a couple of errant plants elsewhere in the garden and move them where I need them to create my own version of this display. 

It is already late in the game to be placing my first order for spring bulbs. Some of my favorites from OHG are already sold out. But there are still some tulips and lilies that I am lusting after. I love bulbs from OHG because they all come with history and a story. Both are things that are important to me as a gardener.

And I've also had great luck with their bulbs, many of which are not found elsewhere.They are not necessarily the cheapest bulbs but there are discounts for volume and the unusual selections just can't be beat. Among the OHG bulbs I've grown, and can personally recommend, are daffodils 'Daphne,' 'Dreamlight,' 'Pheasant's Eye,' and 'Rose of May.' Tulips are mostly the orange flowered ones, excpept for the intriguing Acuminata, Clusiana (above with grape hyacinths), and the voluptuous 'Schoonoord.'

I clearly seem to be entering a murky purple flower phase because I just edged the bed underneath our Purple Fountain weeping beech with Iris pumila 'Cherry Garden ' (above) which I've been growing since 1990. And I plan to fill the inside of the bed with Black Parrot tulips from OHG and Tulipa humilis 'Odalisque' from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. The latter bulb (below) is a little hot pink number that should provide some pizzazz for the Parrots. 

DISCLAIMER: As a professional garden writer, I receive a discount on my own OHG purchases. But I'd be happy to share my high opinion of their company and plants even if I did not receive a discount. 

Summer of 2012: Drought tolerant plants

No matter where you go this summer or who you talk to, in this part of the U.S. there is only one topic of conversation: the weather. For gardeners, the tale is one of endlessly dragging hoses around the garden trying to keep plants alive while we wait for rain. We've finally been lucky and have recorded 4.27" of rain since July 18th. The garden has definitely perked up, except for those plants that had already succumbed to our record heat and drought. What future summers will be like for gardeners in southern Wisconsin is anyone's guess. 

Paging through my garden journal from last summer, I noted temps in the 90s in early June and more in July. Officially, the total local June and July rainfall was 5.42" but we had about 3/4 of an inch less than that at our house. So clearly drier than "normal" — and most of it came in tiny dribs and drabs. This year at the same time we are about an inch lower in our garden than 2011, with virtually all of the rain coming in the last two weeks after six dry weeks. 

Right now I'm looking at my garden to see which plants are doing well and which aren't — relative to the extreme conditions this summer. Then I think I will have to seriously consider getting rid of or at least reducing the number of plants that didn't like these drier conditions. So what did do well for me?

In my full sun and very dry traffic island, Nepeta barely slowed down. All the lily bulbs came up and bloomed and a Pelargonium with splotched leaves that I overwintered did well. And this is one location that I never watered until things were pretty desperate. 

Elsewhere in the main gardens, Hostas and assorted Geranium macrorrhizum are all doing fine. My oldest swaths of Epimediums did well but those that were only planted last year suffered. Tiarellas struggled but Heucheras were mostly OK. All the summer bulbs did well.

Most of my Japanese painted ferns faded and flopped and were quite unhappy even though I tried to water them. But they put out new growth the minute they got rain. Interrupted and Christmas ferns did much better along with most of my assorted Dryopteris ferns. Sedges and even the Japanese forest grasses seem fine. I am confident that the things I've mentioned will come back next year — if we pick up more rain and have a typical snow cover this winter. I recognize, however, that is a pretty big "if."

How about you? What plants fared well in your drought-challenged garden? Leave me a comment and perhaps we can pool our information to help us all prepare for a changing climate.

. . .

Two plants that were noteworthy for their stellar performance this summer were Queen Anne's Lace and chicory (in the photo above). All the median strips of grass turned brown while these plants bloomed profusely along the curb. Half the front lawns and gardens in town are sporting these two plants while they've covered whole fields in the countryside. A gorgeous combo but, alas, not one I really want in my garden. 

Here are some tips from Olbrich Botanical Gardens on how to combat drought in home gardens. I am already doing most of what's on their list but perhaps you'll find some helpful hints. 

Snowdrop stats

The first appearance of snowdrops in the garden is typically one of the harbingers of Spring. In the past we've always used the arrival of our mallard ducks, Fred and Ethel, to note the changing season. They show up as soon as the pond ice melts — which should be this week — but we've had snowdrops since February 17th.

So it occurs to me that I should be recording the first snowdrop sighting as one of my phenological records, the same way I take note of the ducks. And since digital photos all have the date embedded, I realized I could instantly assemble a snowdrop history merely by looking at all my snowdrop images taken in the years since we bought our first digitial camera. 

And yes, this year the snowdrops popped up earlier than any year since we started snapping their pictures in 2005. You can see from the list below that there is a fluctuation of almost 7 weeks in the first appearance of the snowdrops; though interestingly the arrival dates for the ducks just barely span a month: March 6 (2000, 2004) to April 2 (2011). 

Snowdrop stats:

• 2005: March 30
• 2006: no photos, so no recorded date
• 2007: March 21
• 2008: April 6 (after the winter where we had more than 100 inches of snow)
• 2009: March 14
• 2010: March 10
• 2011: March 14
• 2012: February 17

First snowdrops

A gardening friend e-mailed me Saturday morning suggesting I look out my window because her snowdrops were up and blooming. Since my snowdrops are in a sunny spot right below the library window, it's possible to check on them without going outside. And as it happens, I had already checked on them Friday afternoon because a number of Upper Midwest gardeners had snowdrops on their posts for GBBD.

Mine weren't showing on Wednesday, but two days later and voila! Given this coming week's weather forecast of temperatures between 45-50 degrees F. and rain, I am expecting my snowdrops will definitely continue their growth spurt. Now I need to get out and check on the Hellebores, and see if there are any other surprises lurking in the far corners of the garden. 

Typically snowdrops are dug and sold just after blooming "in the green." This is a common practice in the U.K. where dozens of snowdrop specialists offer plants for sale each spring. It is so rare an occurance in the U.S. that I know of only two people who follow this practice. One is Carolyn of Carolyn's Shade Gardens. Alas for me, I forgot to check her website early enough and there are limited choices left.

The other source is Hitch Lyman of Temple Nursery. Hitch is very low-tech. You must buy his paper catalog; no on-line sales. But reading his descriptions and seeing Carolyn's photos will convince you to start a collection. And Hitch's catalog alone is worth ordering and reading. It is so beautifully written and produced, it is a treasure in itself. (Temple Nursery, P.O. Box 591, Trumansburg, New York 14886. The catalog is $3.00).

Mark shot the above photos around 2:30 p.m. yesterday. You can see that one group is barely up while a nearby clump are starting to open. These are Galanthus 'Flore pleno' or double snowdrop which is why they look so plump. 

Repeat, please!

Last week was about as perfect as it gets in early fall in Wisconsin and this week should be even better with sun and temps in the 70s forecast. Out to the garden as soon as I finish my second cup of coffee. And then I will spend my days repeating last week's activities:

MULCHING: Cutting back plants, getting ready to overwinter those geraniums and mulching everywhere with that gorgeous black gold from Olbrich.

SMELLING THE FLOWERS: We continue to enjoy asters and Japanese anemones and the first toad lily. Tricyrtis 'Tojen' is the only one of half a dozen varieities I grow that's currently in full flower.

LAST PLANTINGS OF THE SEASON: I ordered some exciting varieties of Epimediums from Garden Visions in Massachusetts and got them all planted. They don't really have a good Web site, so order the catalog to see all the available varieties and read about them. You can do it via email: epimediums@earthlink.net. I also got one of the few other plants they sell, an Iris gracilipes. I'm currently growing this grassy little woodland iris and ordered 'Cobblewood Charm,' the first new introduction in 60 years!

GARDEN RECORDS: This week I will continue to take photos of all the changes I've made to the beds so I can remember this winter what I've planted, what I've moved — and whether I really need to order any more plants!

FROST WATCH: We made it through last night's temperature dip with the toad lilies intact. So I am anticipating blooms any day — if I can keep the bunnies away. They love this plant and most years the blooms get munched before they open.

LEAF WATCH: From here on out it will be a pleasure to watch the leaves turn color — and an almost daily effort to keep up with them as they fall. They're filling up the pond, the gutters and every available spot of bare ground as well as the coming into the house every time we go in and out. 

MORE MULCH: This week's scoop of Olbrich mulch is awaiting me as I write. I'm guessing I will still want one more load next Saturday to deal with all the bare areas.

NIGHT WATCH: When the sun goes down, it's time to sit in front of the fire and catch up on all the books we had no time for during the long summer days. Mark is deep into photo books, practicing with new lenses and ordering a big fancy printer. Stay tuned.

Last lilies

These hot sunny days have been just what the water lilies and garden lilies need. The water lilies will keep going for another month but this is the end of the ones growing in the garden.

This one (first two images below) is Lilium oriental 'Time Out' from Brent & Becky's Bulbs.

The next four images are Lilium henryi or Henry's lily. According to Old House Gardens (where I bought this lily), it is a wild Chinese lily and takes sun to light shade. 

These are reaching for more sun but still fully blooming. I kind of like the curving stems so I may leave them where they are. 

I planted these lilies in memory of my late father-in-law whose name was Henry.  He's also represented in the spring garden with Iris ensata 'Henry's White."

I've looked at my plant I.D. cards and assorted garden journal entries from 2008, which is when I received these beautiful red speckled lilies from Brent & Becky as trial plants. At the time, I marked them in B&B's catalog so I would remember the name. But the catalog, along with the name, is long gone.

The coloration is reminiscent of the famed 'Stargazer' lily, but the flowers are more recurved than the typical Oriental lily. Any guesses?

Traffic island update: Summer 2011

Over the last half dozen years our city has installed traffic islands and circles on residential streets all over town. They're an attempt to slow down traffic on side streets that were not meant for the number of cars trying to take a shortcut to avoid the volume on nearby main roads. In most cases, residents plant and maintain these little oases of greenery.

The traffic island in front of our house is one of the few on our street that is in full sun. So I've filled it with everything that doesn't get enough light in our big garden. Most things — like the catmint and dwarf daylilies — are doing so well that they have to be continually divided. Here's a July snapshot of what's happening out in the street. The actual planting area is 6' x 6' (1.82m x 1.82m) of surprisingly good soil. The big lilies are from Brent and Becky's Bulbs and the geraniums and coleus are from Kopke's Greenhouse. And yes, the pansies and poppies have made it to July courtesy of all the cool days we had in June.

More Martagons

My large stand of Martagon lilies in the back garden are all the variety 'Mrs. R. O. Backhouse'. In only a few years half a dozen bulbs have exploded, while the Martagons in the driveway border — the deep red 'Claude Shride' — have expanded much more slowly. The difference may be the quality of the soil, amount of sun (or lack thereof) or the degree of rainfall that reaches the different groups. I've never quite been able to determine the reason for the difference in their growth habits. Even though there's not many of them, the lacquered red of the petals of 'Claude Shride' make up in drama what they lack in volume. 

Martagons at their peak

If you've been trying to grow tomatoes our cool weather has offered little help, but it has been ideal for the Martagon lilies. They've been blooming in massive stands in the Sacred Grove for almost a week. All of these pictures show "Mrs. R. O. Backhouse," with masses of soft peachy pink flowers atop tall stems. I'll take a mass of Martagons dancing in the breeze over those giant Oriental lilies any day!