Each Little World

Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society: Annual sale Saturday

Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012

Time: 9:00 – Noon, rain or shine

Location: West Madison Ag Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Rd. (on the right just past the stoplight on Hwy M). Lots of parking, rain or shine. The plants are under a covered shelter which makes shopping more pleasant. 

If you're wondering what kind of plants you'll find there, let me just say that they are from members' gardens which means they are hardy here. Many are unusual since this is a sophisticated bunch of gardeners and many of them are in the horticulture industry as nursery folks and Hort profs at UW.

I haven't donated plants for a number of years but this spring gave me such an early start on the garden that I had time to thin a number of things. I don't know what other members may be contributing but my selection includes: old-fashioned bleeding heart, a Boomerang lilac, variegated toad lilies, primulas and pulmonarias, lily of the valley 'Hardwick Hall' whose leaves are edged in gold (originally from Klehm) and another lily of the valley with striped leaves (from the late Seneca Hill Perennials). And this nice weather means I may have time to add a few more things to my personal list of donations. 

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!

Full disclosure: I am a member of WHPS and on their board. I am also a member of Olbrich and the UW-Arboretum, as well as being friends with many gardeners associated with these and other garden groups. But in no instance am I receiving any remuneration, financial or otherwise, for my comments and support of these groups posted on this blog.

I break for plant sales!

Plant Sale madness kicks off this week with the Hosta Garden Companions fabulous Hosta sale at Tom and May Riddle's garden at 1809 Waunona Way, Madison. This event runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, beginning this Friday and running each weekend through May. I bought four Hostas from them last year at reasonable prices, but what was really great was being able to see each Hosta in a bed at its mature size and shape in a home garden setting. 

Then comes the West Side Garden Club's Sale. This group has been beautifying our community for 90 years as well as contributing to numerous civic projects, outreach programs, and scholarships (as do many of our local garden groups) via the proceeds of their annual plant sales. The gorgeous Japanese primrose (below) is one of many plant purchases I've made over the years at the West Side Garden Club's annual sale. It was grown in a member's garden as is the case with many of the items sold at local plant sales. As a result, this primrose has bloomed and increased for me to the point that soon I will be able to offer seedlings back to the sale! West Side Garden Club Sale: Friday, May 11 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 12 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3918 Nakoma Rd. just west of Thoreau School and opposite Seminole Hwy.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens Plant Sale with the Pros is on Friday, May 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Note the name of this sale: it is staffed with pros so no question will go unanswered. I could go on and on about this sale because it is always superb. Check out the link because they offer so many extras at this annual event in addition to wonderful plants. We've bought many of our best trees and shrubs at Olbrich over the years. I often donate garden books to the sale and usually take home a couple as well.  Not to be missed.

UW-Madison Arboretum Native Plant Sale is on Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the tent next to the Visitor Center. This is the premier event for native plant folks whether you have a woodland or prairie. 

The Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society is holding their annual sale on Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Road, just past the stoplight on Hwy. M. The sale is held rain or shine and this is a covered localion so you don't have to worry about weather. Just before this sale last spring, I toured a WHPS member's garden where I saw more wonderful primroses (above). And then, there they were at the sale where I was able to buy some in each color pictured. I've also bought a number of Korean maples (below) at this sale. Again, these are plants grown in local gardens so you know they should also grow for you. Though this sale is held later than many, there's always something unusual and unexpected at this event so don't miss it.

Full disclosure: I am a member of WHPS and on their board. I am also a member of Olbrich and the UW-Arboretum, as well as being friends with many gardeners associated with these and other garden groups. But in no instance am I receiving any remuneration, financial or otherwise, for my comments and support of these groups posted on this blog.

Click the links for details of each sale. You can also find a long list of other local plant sales in the on-line version of the WHPS April 2012 newsletter, beginning on Page 3. Most of these are open to the public but check the details to be sure that is the case, as some are member-only events. Most sales are also held rain or shine so come prepared for the weather.

Blogger meet-up in Madison

Mark and I did not attend the most recent garden blogger meet-up in Seattle. We'd taken a trip to Seattle and points north and south of that city a number of years ago to see Asian gardens. Though we hadn't visited private gardens on that trip, we decided that the timing just wasn't right for us to head west this year. But, as it happens, Seattle came to us last week — in the person of Daniel Mount (below, with Joan Severa in her Madison garden).

Daniel Mount — garden designer, writer and blogger — stayed with us on a flying visit to Madison Monday and Tuesday. He was here to scout out local gardens for a 2012 tour of this area by Pacific Northwest gardeners. As the "Seattle Fling" blogger gathering suggests, usually gardeners are flocking to see those temperate northwest gardens rather than the other way round. (Those of you who were at the Seattle meet-up may remember seeing Daniel at the Epping and Lane gardens and Bellevue Botanic). 

Daniel is a Wisconsin native with family still residing here and he knows what we have to offer: Chicago public gardens like the CBG and the Lurie and Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the UW-Madison Arboretum here. Our Arboretum is home to the world's oldest restored prairie as well as an outstanding collections of trees and shrubs. Many of them were introduced by Emeritus Horticulture prof Ed Hasselkus, and are now consumer favorites like Whitespire birches, Columbus strain redbuds, and Northern Glow maple. Among the many highlights at Olbrich is the Thai Pavilion, or sala, a common structure in Thailand typically used as a shelter from rain and heat. Olbrich's structure is gorgeously ornate with teak, ceramic tile and gold leaf and is one of only four in the world located outside Thailand.

Late summer in the Midwest offers scenes and plants that differ widely from those in the Pacific Northwest and Daniel wanted to refresh his memory of what our region looks like at this season. So Mark and I chauffeured him to eight private gardens — the first two on Monday evening. It was a long day considering he'd spent the morning with Jeff Epping, Director of Horticulture at Olbrich, and the afternoon with Ed Hasselkus at the Arb. 

We were off to an early start Tuesday with six gardens on the agenda. I had to be the tough task master since we only had an hour per garden — and that included travel time. The gardens ranged from Middleton to Oregon with the majority in Madison. With the assistance of Jane LaFlash of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society, I lined up gardens of all sizes and types for Daniel to visit. We saw landscapes with sun and shade, ponds and prairies, chickens and bees, native plants and the latest exotic introductions.

Despite our recent high temperatures and lack of rainfall, all the gardens were looking lush and lovely. Daniel got a chance to meet the gardeners who briefed him on their highlights. Staying on schedule was not easy as all these gardens had so much to offer in both design and plants. A number of them have been open to visitors as part of Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society tours of member gardens or Olbrich's annual Home Garden Tour. 

Jane LaFlash (above right with Daniel and me) has a garden tucked behind her house on a busy thoroughfare that is so secluded it's hard to realize it's smack dab in the city. We spent lots of time looking at her Japanese maples. Jane has had great success with them compared to most of us with sad stories about our attempts to grow them. 

At the garden of Tom and Rosemary Kleinheinz, we saw a plant that Tony Avent was touting at his recent appearance at the Wisconsin Master Gardeners state conference held in Madison. Tony put "Syneilesis aconitifolia (with feathery leaves above) on his list of "100 Favorite Perennials for Wisconsin Gardeners" — and I had just planted one.

The picture above gives you a sense of what it's like to see a bunch of gardens in quick succession. Mark snapped the photo while I am on the far left taking notes, and Daniel is bemused, befuddled and trying to take notes and keep it all straight as Jane LaFlash and Tom and Rosemary Kleinheinz make sure he doesn't miss anything. A long, confusing, exhausting, memorable day!

A season of iris

When we moved into this house almost 17years ago, the yard had traditional flowers like peonies and iris. The peonies have almost been shaded out over the years, but the iris are still going strong. Most likely they are Iris pallida dalmatica: tall, pale lavender, tough as nails with a Concord grape fragrance. I brought Iris pumila 'Cherry Garden' with me from our former garden. Over the years I've acquired countless other Iris until I now have Iris of all types blooming from the end of the snow until mid-June. That was never a conscious plan but it's certainly worked out well.

My Iris photo parade (below) includes a Rosebud matchbox for scale in a number of the pictures. It's 1 and 1/2" tall (3.8 cm) x 2" long (5.1 cm) and 1/4" (.06 cm) deep.

Reticulated Iris: Iris reticulata 'Harmony' (above)

Lake Iris: Iris lacustris 'Alba' is found along the gravel shores of the Great Lakes and blooms earlier than the Crested Iris in my garden.

Lake Iris: Iris lacustris 'Alba' is about half the height of the crested Iris.

 Dwarf Crested Iris: Iris cristata 'Navy Blue Gem' is a darker form of the popular plant.

Dwarf Crested Iris: Iris cristata of unknown origin. I bought a couple of plants at the WHPS sale and also at the West Side Garden Club sale — perhaps from the same garden. 

Dwarf Crested Iris: Iris cristata of unknown origin. This photo gives you a sense of what a great ground cover this plant is.

Iris gracilipes: a Japanese woodland plant. Slightly taller than Iris cristata.

Iris gracilipes: This was the first season for this plant. Notice the delicate stems and buds. I am totally in love with this little gem! It will develop into a rounded clump, a bit like a daylily.

Dwarf bearded Iris: Unknown Iris pumila from the garden of my former co-worker and garden mentor, Doris Lang.

Tall German or Bearded Iris: I call this Iris pallida dalmatica "Smithy," in honor of the Don Smith family who built our house and put in the original trees and perennials.

Tall German or Bearded Iris: These are pretty much pest-free, very tall (38" / 96.5 cm) and never flop over — even after strong winds and rain.

Tall German or Bearded Iris: This view shows you the irises in place. The area long the dry stream where these irises bloom is dry, compacted soil and they love it.

Dwarf bearded Iris: Iris pumila 'Cherry Garden.'

Dwarf bearded Iris: I've been growing 'Cherry Garden' for just over 20 years and still love its velvety falls and rich saturated color.

Bearded Iris: Iris germanica 'El Dorado' is bi-color and tends to flop a bit but the flowers are so stunning that I put up with that little fault. 

Bearded Iris: 'El Dorado' is described as an "unusual elongated open flower in which the tips of lthe standards never touch." It's about 35" (88.9 cm) tall.

Water Iris: This unknown Iris laevigata arrived in a pot of supposedly blue plants. Either that, or it is the result of the blue water Iris crossing with Iris laevigata 'Snowdrift' while I wasn't looking. 

Water Iris: This view shows two varieties of Iris laevigata that self-seeded in the pebble beach at the edge of the pond. The rest of these Iris grow in the bog where they were originally planted a dozen years ago.  

Not pictured: Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) and Japanese Iris (Iris ensata).

Front hall garden

Last week we did a big house cleaning in preparation for a couple of social events. The day before the first party, I went to the WHPS annual sale and came home with two trees and half a dozen primroses. I managed to get three of the Primula into the ground and then gave up. Too many other chores on my "to-do" list. 

So I decided to leave the pile of plant purchases in the front hall where I had dropped them after the sale. I would disguise them as floral decor rather than deal with them on deadline. Luckily the plastic pots all fit nicely inside my collection of ceramic containers. 

For those of you who are wondering, the Primulas are unnamed. The tree on the floor is an Acer pseudosieboldiana (Korean maple). The one on the bench is a Korean maple crossed with a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). It combines the looks of one parent with the hardiness of the other. I was hoping to find one of these in the Khelm catalog this spring, but no luck. So I am very happy to have this nice specimen from the WHPS sale for only $17.00! Trust WHPS to provide treasures at everyday prices.

Front yard inspiration II

Here is another garden that was not on the recent WHPS tour but nevertheless caught my eye. We are looking for a simple structure to put along the back edge of our driveway border and snapped this picture for our idea file. We want something to hide our neighbor's drive and also provide a place for climbing plants. I am not sure if this simple wall/trellis is used for climbers, but it does a nice job of adding interest to the space and a bit of privacy without detracting from the dooryard garden. I can easily imagine two or three of them marking the back of our driveway border. But given Mark's garden projects list, I am sure they will not make an appearance at our house anytime soon.

Front yard inspiration I

We still get a home-delivered daily paper at our house. Mark typically reads it first and will often point out an article he thinks I will enjoy and then hands me the page so I can read it. I glance at the story and think that it looks interesting — but proceed to read almost every other story on the page first! This is typical behavior for me, and I am not really sure why I do it or what it means.

But I was reminded of it on last week's tour of gardens belonging to members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society. As we were leaving our second garden on the tour, I spied a garden half way down the block that was not on the tour but looked too interesting not to investigate.

We walked over and took a few photos of this lovely example of how to turn your front yard into a fairly low-maintenance work of art. Anyone who would not only get rid of all the grass, but replace it with gravel and re-make a flat front yard into a multi-layered landscape is one adventurous gardener. 

I plan to return to see it without all the recently fallen leaf litter, and perhaps I'll ring the bell this time and ask for a proper tour — and suggest the gardener join WHPS!

Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society: Annual sale

The Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society is holding their annual plant sale this weekend. As with most garden groups, the plants are donated and come from area members' gardens. That means three things: affordable prices, lots of unusual selections and plants that are hardy in our Zone 4-5 climate. The images directly above and below come from the gardens of WHPS members Phyllis Lathrope (above) and Ruth Cadoret (below), both of which we toured last night. They give you an idea of what you might find at the sale — but you never know until you arrive, which is half the fun.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. until noon this Saturday, May 14. It will be held rain or shine at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station at 8502 Mineral Point Road. (Exit the Beltline heading south on Mineral Point Road and the Ag Station is on the right, just past the stoplight at Highway M). The site includes lots of free parking. If you are able, it is helpful to bring your own cardboard flats, plastic trays or baskets to carry your plant purchases. 

WHPS notes that the sale will include a wide range of perennials for shade and sun, as well as woody plants (trees and shrubs), bulbs and a few houseplants. Among my treasured WHPS purchases are four Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldiana) seedlings. You can see one of them with its coral stems and Japanese maple-type leaves growing in my garden in front of a woodland peony (above and below). Right now, the tree is only a tad taller than the peony, but that won't be the case for long. They are an understory tree and can take some shade and turn a spectacular red in the fall. 

ALSO OF NOTE: The West Madison Agricultural Research Station is holding their Family Horticulture Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. There will be foods to sample, veggies for sale and families can learn how to have a backyard kitchen garden — even if you only have a small space. A visit to the Ag Station is always entertaining and informative.

Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society: New website

At long last the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society (WHPS) has a new website. It's up and running, is lovely to look at and easy to use. And now members — like myself — know exactly where to go to find out the topics of the monthly meetings, schedule of events like this weekend's Plant Exchange (my house this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon), past newsletter articles and more. Though the WHPS sends out monthly electronic newsletters and reminders, there's always some little thing that one has lost or deleted, making this an especially useful gardening tool. 

Though I used to use the WHPS site that was part of the community listings sponsored by Capital Newspapers, it was a pretty basic site. And as a former newspaper employee, I'm sorry to say that I found — and still find — the local newspaper websites confusing and not particularly user-frieindly. So kudos to the folks who put together this new WHPS site. 

Any gardener in Dane County who's reading this and is not a member of WHPS, should definitely consider joining. (Of course, at the most recent meeting there was a new member from Beaver Dam, so folks do come from pretty far afield for the monthly meetings). The WHPS has the advantage of not being limited to one kind of plant and, as a result, there is a much wider variety of programs offered — whether that's an illustrated talk or a garden tour. It's one of the most engaging and valuable groups I've ever belonged to. You can find membership information here.

Members of the WHPS visiting conifer gardens, nurseries and arboretums in Iowa last fall with our intrepid bus driver, Phil.

More pot portraits

Jeff Epping is the Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. He's a consummate gardener whether we're talking plant health, plant choices or overall garden design. His own garden on Madison's west side was awash with ideas, as well as members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society, when he opened it to the group for a recent tour. With the exception of a small square of traditional lawn and assorted hardscaping materials, every inch was planted. And most surfaces held creative groupings of container plants. I tend to equate "container" with "colorful flowers" which may be the reason I shy away from them. But Jeff's plantings offer new ways to think about this kind of gardening.

TUFA TROUGH: No verticals. Limited plant and color palette. What makes it work is the contrast in scale between the carpet juniper and the sedums (above).

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AN UNDER-USED SPACE: The narrow panel between garage doors is not big enough for much of a display and the paving typically goes right up to the building, further limiting one's options. But Jeff proves there's enough room to show a spiraling Chamaecyparis obtusa to its advantage; but planting it in a container means it won't block this area come winter snow removal.

 

INSTANT BONSAI: An evergreen — a baby white pine — again provides the focus and structure. You could heavily candle and prune it and turn it into a true Bonsai if you want to make such a long term commitment. Otherwise, just enjoy it for the summer and plant it out come fall.

POTS PLUS PRUNING: Jeff has large fruit trees espaliered against the back wall of the garage where his small veggie garden is located. This specimen adds a touch of class to the side porch while more espaliers continue down the side of the house (out of view) at the edge of the driveway in similar narrow planting beds. The repeating row of pots on the porch railing enforces the formality of the espalier while the informal plantings and asymmetrical groups of pots at ground level breaks the mold.