Each Little World

Unexpected effects

I planted Thalictrum 'Black Stockings' late last summer to fill a hole where I had removed a plant that could not take the burst of late afternoon sun that typcially hits a few locations in my shade garden. It's performing beautifully already this first season. Even though I planted the meadow rue because it could take sun, I was unprepared for the effect of its flowers up at eye level catching that late light. I was equally surprised with the color repetition with the dame's rocket in my neighbor's garden which is just visible through our fence. Always a great feeling when planting ideas turn out so much nicer than anticipated!

Crazy combos

The unusual weather we've had this Spring has made for some strange combinations as plants bloomed early and off schedule. First there were daffodils and clematis blooming together, and now I've got my earliest yellow daylily (Hemerocallis 'Gold Dust') open at the same time as yellow Trilliums (Trillium luteum) and an Epimedium (Epimedium grandiflorum sp. koreana 'La Rocaille') that is now putting on a second show of flowers after the first flush.

My Rhodie blooms at last

This Rhododendron — R. yakushimanum 'Yaku Angel' — is nine years old. I bought it from the late Roslyn Nursery where I also got my other Rhodie, R. yedoense poukhanense 'Alba.' They are growing next to each other in more shade than they probably would like as well as in soil that is more alkaline than acidic. 'Alba' has always flowered and now is easily covered with 70 blossoms.

'Yaku Angel' has never done anything but slowly grow. Michael Dirr says it should be 3' x 3' after 20 years; it's currently about 24" high x 30" wide.  I love it for its thick leaves whose undersides are covered with fuzzy brown indumentum, so I've never minded that it hadn't flowered. But last fall it clearly set what looked like a couple of buds on the tips that get the most sun (above). 

I freaked a bit when I first saw the buds coloring up hot pink this spring. I am definitely not a fan of the typical pink and purple PJM Rhododendrons that I most often see in gardens. But my notes from the Roslyn catalog said "pink buds opening to white flowers," and sure enough that's what's happening.

'Alba' blooms with pairs of white flowers while 'Yaku Angel' opens up with a whole handful of blossoms. It's certainly been worth the wait. And if it never happens again, I don't know that I'll be heartbroken since I'll always have the gorgeous leaves to enjoy. 

Both white rhododendrons are located in my mini "white garden" in the Birch Grove. In addition to the rhodies there's a white bleeding heart, a white Trillium grandiflorum, Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White," ferns and Vancouveria which gets a small white flower a bit later in the season. 

Symphony in white

The garden reminds me of Whistler this morning: A Symphony in White. And like the painting, the whites in the garden are snowy, creamy, misty, milky, some perfectly pure and others blushed with pink, peach, and purple.

Narcissus 'Dreamlight' (below)

Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'

Paeonia obvata var. alba

Tiarella x cordifolia 'Running Tapestry'

Geranium macrorrhizum 'Spessart'

Clematis 'Guernsey Cream'

Convallaria majalis 'Hardwick Hall'

Trillium grandiflorum

Rhododendron yedoense poukhanense 'Alba'

It might be a stretch to include Arisaema sikokianum but it is that white throat that is so arresting.

Halesia tetraptera (Carolina silverbell tree)

Malus sargentii 'Tina' (Tina dwarf crabapple tree)

Screaming yellow zonkers: GBBD 4.15.2012

If you are of a certain age you may remember Screaming Yellow Zonkers, a kind of sugary carmel corn packaged in a black box. I am always reminded of the name at this season of blooms of brightest yellow.

Here are some yellows for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  To see more visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts GBBD on the 15th of each month.

Shrub: Kerria japonica (detail and full view in the first two photos)

Bog plant: Detail and full view of Caltha palustris / Marsh marigold 

The last flowers of a huge shrub of Forsythia 'Beatrix Farrand'

Erythronium 'Pagoda' / Dog tooth violet or Trout lily

Shrub: Kerria japonica 'Pale Moon' is a more subtle version of the first plant pictured.

An Epimedium with large flowers that self-seeds: Epimedium grandiflorum ssp. koreana 'La Rocaille'

Another floriforous Epimedium: E. perralchicum 'Frohnleiten'

No description needed. This sunny little flower is blooming everywhere in the garden.

Sweet Hepatica

The name Hepatica always reminds me of one of those women's names from colonial New England, names like Hepzibah. I picture her as someone who can stand up to whatever the elements send her way. She's not a show-off but has a certain quiet winsome charm. The same can be said of Hepaticas. I currently have three on order from Plant Delights Nursery. I also planted three unusual ones from Hillside nursery last year but none has yet appeared this Spring. This little charmer below is just one of the nameless seedlings in my garden, but she's a delicate lilac rather than the bright blue-violet of my largest and oldest clump. 

Good morning, Beatrix Farrand!

Our neighbors to the west of us have a big old Forsythia on their side of the fence. As it is in the "junk corner" of their back yard, they don't bother to prune it. And when they wanted to prune the branches growing through the fence into our garden, we said, "No!" 

In a cold spring, it may not flower much and we just enjoy the sprawling green branches by the fence. But in a year like this one, with a mild winter and a warm early spring, this plant is stunning. We keep going outside to enjoy the huge screaming yellow blossoms up close. 

To give you a sense of just how big this "shrub" is, the fence is 8' high and the gate at the right is 6' high. So this old Forsythia is closer to 15' high and wide. 

This particular Forsythia is 'Beatrix Farrand,' a 1944 introduction by Harvard's Arnold Arboretum. It is listed as a dense, upright shrub with a mature size of 8-10' x 8-10'. So this beauty is clearly more than mature, she's a grande dame — like Farrand herself! 

If you are not familiar with her, Beatrix Farrand was a renowned landscape architect and one of the founding eleven members — and the only woman — of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Her most well-know remaining landscape design is probably Dumbarton Oaks.

Spring green

Another week of above-average temps are currently predicted, along with rain, for our area. That means everyone's grass will green up. But I've been enjoying brilliant color in the garden with the many patches of moss we have. Once the snow melts the moss is an eye-catching electric green. 

It's growing in sun, in shade, on damp clay soil, on old grindstones and on rocks in the pond. The only downside is that the critters toss it around when they are looking for bugs. Then it's like a puzzle: putting the right pieces back in the empty muddy holes. 

An early Spring Garden Party at Olbrich

I've already been out working in the garden a couple of times in the past week: cutting back old foliage, picking up fallen branches and admiring the snowdrops and emerging Hellebores. It's definitely Spring, but still mostly a study in brown. To enjoy a colorful early Spring garden experience, we all need to visit someone else's garden — Olbrich's! 

This year's Spring Show at Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a glorious "Garden Party." The images below (taken by Sharon Cybart of Olbrich) give you a sample of what I think is one the garden's most delightful concepts.

The Garden Party exhibit is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., now through March 25. A $2 admission donation is suggested. Proceeds benefit Olbrich Gardens. Select flowers from the show will be available for purchase on Monday, March 26 at 12 noon while supplies last.

In addition to this fabulous rustic table setting are lots of colorful and fragrant Spring flowers like Hyacinths, daffodils, primroses, tulips and flowering shrubs. There's even an outdoor fireplace blazing away with hot-colored primroses. Even with the warm temps forcast for Madison, it will be quite a while before our gardens offer this much color and scent. A visit to Olbrich's Garden Party is the perfect way to while away an afternoon waiting for your garden to bloom.

Olbrich is sponsoring a raffle to win a lightweight white patio swing — donated by Patio Pleasures — and made by the Amish of recycled material. Tickets are available at the Greeter Desk from now until May 13, and cost $2.00 each or 3 tickets for $5.00. Raffle proceeds also benefit Olbrich.

If these Spring flowers appeal to you, be sure to mark your calendar for Olbrich's Primrose Sale on Sunday, March 25 and their Pansy Sale on Saturday, April 7.

Perennial Plant of the Year: 2012

The Perennial Plant Association recently named Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' as their 2012 "Perennial Plant of the Year." If you pay attention to this annual plant choice, you will no doubt have noticed that the chosen plant is always something that has been on the market for a number of years, already well-loved and well-used. Once this was the must-have plant, but the group of gardeners who are always looking for what's new (that includes me) has moved on. So  Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' can recive this accolade because the early adopters proved it will grow well for a wide audience. And that, I believe, is what really qualifies award status. 

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' / PPA photo

That said, I will definitely admit that I wouldn't be without  Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' in my garden. I grow five Brunnera varieties. The straight species was growing here when we bought the house and I fell in love with its heart-shaped leaves and intense blue forget-me-not type flowers. First I added 'Langtrees' which has light speckles on the leaves. The following year I added 'Jack Frost'. Then I planted 'Looking Glass' in 2005 and 'Hadspen Cream' in 2006. 

This picture of Brunnera 'Langtrees" gives you a sense of the flowers and also shows the white speckle pattern on this variety.

The straight species and 'Langtrees' are workhorses; groundcoveres in dry shade that only draw the eye when in flower. 'Looking Glass' and 'Hadspen Cream' want more moisture than they get in my garden, so never look very good once summer commences. 'Jack Frost', on the the other hand, always looks good and performs well. It also self-seeds fairly generously. However, even the tiniest seedling are instantly recognizable by the leaf coloration so they are easily removed. More often than not, I leave them in place and ignore them and then one day notice a huge beautiful clump has developed.

This picture of 'Jack Frost' shows what I mean about how recognizable the leaves are no matter the size.

This is a plant that lights up dark corners of the shade garden and seems to work well with any number of other foliage plants. If you don't already grow Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' this is the year to add it to your garden.

The leaves of Brunnera 'Looking Glass' are almost entirely frosted white except for the veining.