Frank's Yearn to Urn

In September, a four day convention in Chicago yielded a few side trips as a tourist. A visit to Oak Park where Frank Lloyd Wright built his first house and opened his studio on his own was the first stop. A second trip downtown to the Art Institute and nearby Millenium Park was an eye-opener.
Although architecture and art were the primary targets for the trips, gardens and greenery were also experienced. Since this is a garden blog, I will concentrate on the botany in my trips.

These urns were outside the entrance to the Wright Studio. Potato vines and ornamental grasses (or is it millet) lends grace and life, and easily blend with Wright's more organic architecture.

Frank Llyod Wright was an architect that was noted for his 'prairie style' of architecture, building on low, horizontal, modern forms. The neighborhood around his home includes a handful of his earlier residential work, and really brings home how radical he was. His houses were built in the same era as the neighborhood's stately turn-of-the-century Victorian ladies, providing a contrast and context to the times he began his practice.

In Frankie's original sketches and drawings, one always seems to find large decorative urns and planters overflowing with greenery and vines. These were very popular at that time with Victorians so they were probably requested by some clients. They also suited Wright's architecture by bringing some 'decorative' softness to what some considered at the time to be stark modern architecture.

The bigger the urns, the more difficult it is to find the types plants to fulfill Wright's sketches. I was happy to see the homes at the end of the season when the vines and arching plants in the urns were at the height of their beauty and fullness - overflowing like Wright had imagined them. What was also a pleasure to see were the shady large leaf plantings of the Victorians front yards.

Victorians liked welcoming front porches. Get a load of this one. My house could fit on this porch. And those mega-urns? In order to properly scale the walk to the front door for such a massive entry, the approach sidewalk is about 20-feet wide (6m) with a small planted median down its center.

But the biggest urns of all were found at the front entrance to the Art Institute in downtown Chicago. These mamas were larger than a hot tub. A few bags of potting soil would not do. I had to include the people in the photo to show scale, since the lions were super-sized, too.

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: Mexican zinnia, calendula, nicotiana, pink cosmos   • Harvested 8 tomatoes, 9 bell peppers before frost

Inconsistent Princess

The Nasturtium seeds were purchased from Home Depot for the new side yard garden on the slope. Nasturtiums were tried about a decade ago, and were not a success story, but I was willing to try again this year. Princess of India (Tropaeolum majus) sounded like a good variety to try. Almost all germinated to my surprise, so some were planted at the side, and the extras were placed out in the back yard vegetable garden.

At first, the side yard plants did very well in the spring, and began producing flowers quickly. Leaves were dark green, and the plants grew into small mounds. One item that disappointed me was the small number of flowers on each plant, and the tendency for them to bloom down inside the leaf mound, making them difficult to see. Those photos all over the internet show a profusion of blossoms above the leaves. (Same for the seed packet.) Do the gardeners get credit for these, or Photoshop experts?

Also, one plant was a lighter shade of green than the others, so I planted it to the side. It turned out to trail along the ground more and produced red-orange flowers in contrast to the red flowers of the others. This was a rogue - definitely not a princess.

During the summer, the plants essentially stopped growing and flowering. They did, however, retain their compact shape and attractive leaves, and were not bothered by pests. Last month as the weather began cooling, the plants took off again. Shedding the compact mounded habits, they are now found crawling along the ground like drunken sailors. The blossoms are more visible now between the leaves, being more spread along the vines, and are also more numerous.

The backyard plants never got going. They remained small throughout the spring and summer, but are just now beginning to grow. They even surprised me with a few blossoms this month. I guess a Princess of India prefers to bask in the sunny locations.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, nasturtium, mexican zinnia   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 1 tomato

Squash That Bug

The cleome was tall, spindly, and dying at the end of summer. This is normal for many plants, and never having grown cleome before, thought it was normal. Upon cutting the plants down to tidy up the garden, hundreds of black and yellow beetle-like bugs were found covering the stems and some leaves. Most were thrown out with the plants.

Two weeks later, as I was tending to zinnias adjacent to the cleome bed, the same bugs were found on the zinnias. The cooperative extension was called, but was not much help over the phone. I went to the Bug Guide online to visually identify them as friend or foe. Nothing matched. I registered, posted my photo of the rascals, and someone responded. It turns out that they were on the bug site, but I was looking in the wrong place.

These are harlequin bugs, in the family of stink bugs, found in the southern US as far north as Pennsylvania and Colorado. They can be nasty critters that suck juices out of the plants. When I learned of this, I went out to the zinnias to commit bugicide, but found they had all flown the coop. I guess they got wind that I was onto them, and decided to feast elsewhere, for fear of the gardener's wrath.

The bug info page says they overwinter, so I will be watching for them in March. They can be picked off by hand, but with hundreds, there are faster ways of population control. Fortunately, I did not find any eggs.

For The Record:   • Found on zinnia and cleome Garden Calendar:   • Blooming:canna, zinnia, nasturtium, castor, aster, pink cosmos   • Harvested: 1 pepper

Purple Passion

While in Atlanta last fall, I was impressed by the 7-feet (2 m) tall, purple-leaf plants growing in the corner of the botanical garden outdoor cafe. A sign indicated they were Persian Shield. Once back home, I described them to my landscape architect friends who told me they never grow 7-feet tall in this climate, unless they overwinter in a greenhouse, a most likely scenario.

This year, I bought one and have been impressed by its growth over the summer. Although not getting to the height of the Atlanta plants, the Strobilanthes dyerianus produced its intense iridescent purple leaves. This tropical beauty from southeast Asia loves a dark, hot, humid environment. They were very popular in the Victorian era, but are new to most gardeners now.

My 3-feet (1 m) high plant loves its digs. It was planted on the north side of a fence, in an area where moss grows because of the dampness, and our hot humid Washington summers are famous. Online research indicates it can be rooted easily from cuttings, and can be kept as a houseplant. The plan is to take a few snips soon and grow more during winter for next year. They will compliment the taller castor bean plants with their tinge of maroon/purple in the leaves.

For The Record:   • Somewhat clay soil with organics added   • Full shade   • No fertilizer   • Mulched to retain soil moisture Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: zinnia, nicotiana, asters, nasturtiums (again), cosmos, acidanthera, canna   • Harvested: 2 peppers

It's A Jungle, Finally

The deck that took a lifetime is finally done, well, with the latest construction still needing a good coat of wood finish. The actual deck off the back of the house was completed last fall along with some of the platform steps at the side yard. These platforms create a more gentle, relaxed way to descend the slope than a straight run stair does. A few additional platform steps not in the original plan were added this week to finish off the path.

The side yard hillside was nothing but clay around the platform steps. This spring, soil was amended with peat, sand, gypsum, and organic materials. Several plants were planted with a "Get something planted to fill up the space" Plan. Transplants, volunteers, seedlings, and plants from the plant swap were added, along with a tomato plant or two. In horror, I watched each heavy rain wash more things down the hill. I spent the spring and summer tending to the plants, getting them rooted and established. Now, the side yard has grown into what I envisioned, so I could attend to the "last steps" construction project.

The biggest surprise were the Castor Bean (ricinus communis) [11.9.2008] plants now at 8-feet tall (2.5m) and still growing. They loved this new location and filled in beyond expectations to form a full mini jungle. They create a living visual barrier that cuts down the view into the back yard from the front, providing privacy and framing the entrance to the back yard.

Other residents of the side yard:

• Mexican Zinnias
• Geranium
• Nasturtiums
• Spiderwort
• Canna
• Nicotianna
• Cosmos
• Coreopsis
• Amaranthus
• Bunny Tails

Along with creeping oregano, the zinnias spill over onto the platforms to create the informal semi-wild look. Check out the cool deck lights made by Kichler, and the cable rail that allows views to the back yard. Regular wood railings would be too bulky and block the view.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil   • Gypsum, humus, sand, peat soil amendments   • Full sun Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: nicotiana, cosmos, canna, castor, basil, cleome, zinnia, calendula   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 2 tomatoes, 2 cucumber

Bashful Sunflowers

It's time to report on this year's trial of dwarf sunflowers. Late in the spring, the rushing around left no time to order the dwarf sunflower seeds online, so a packet of Burpee's Sunflower Incredible (helianthus annuus ) was picked up at the local Target.

This year, the results were not pleasing. Although the flowers were consistent and attractive, all the flower heads faced east, probably since the sun came up there, but never turned in other directions. This meant the flower heads were never visible from the street in the display garden. Not much to display here.

Second, the heights were all over the place, with some being 18-inches high (50 cm), and a plant immediately next to it 4-feet (1.2 m). Third and most disappointing, the flower heads do not stand up straight very long. After only a few days, they began to droop and in less than a week, all faced the ground like unhappy bashful children. Now, no one can enjoy them.

These would not be recommended in the future. In fact, this variety is not listed on Burpee's web site, although it was sold in stores. A listing of the dwarf sunflowers I have grown, in my preferential order:

    1. Sunny Smile - best for appearance
    2. Sunburst Lemon Aura
    3. Sunpspot - best for bird seed
    4. Incredible

For The Record:   • Loose, well-drained soil   • Full sun   • Small amount of organic fertilizer before budding Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: nicotiana, cosmos, canna, castor, basil, cleome, zinnia, spiderwort   • Harvested: 4 peppers, countless tomatoes, 1 cucumber

August 2009 Bloom Day

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day-
What's blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month.

Blooming in addition to the photos:
Nasturtium, Nicotiana, Alyssum, Cosmos, Snapdragon, Canna, Spiderwort, Castor, Basil

Mexican Zinnia		Dwarf Sunflower Incredible

Cleome Lavender Sparkler		Zinnia Violet Queen

My Lettuce Has A Bouffant

Three ladies are standing taller at the corner of the front display garden. Three lettuce plants no larger than a finger nail were picked up at the spring Plant Swap Brunch and left in the spray paint can cap they came in for weeks. They were eventually planted in the front display garden, and after some time they began to grow. They were eaten for a week, then became excessively strong and bitter tasting.

The leaves were very attractive in appearance, and fit right in with their other leafy neighbors. Not liking to rip out growing plants, these lettuce ladies were left to grow bitter and grow old gracefully. Today, they are about 3-feet (1 m) high, and are beginning to wear flowers in their hair in the golden years.

They have healthy green leaves down to the ground (no exposed legs), no pests, and strong stems that can teach some younger plants how to stand up straight. They also add some vertical emphasis to the garden. Maybe we should leave other vegetable plants to grow on past their initial harvest, allowing them a new career in their later lives.

For The Record:   • Medium soil with mulch   • Full sun, average water   • No fertilizer Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: Cosmos, zinnia, nicotiana, sunflower, nasturtium, spiderwort, coreopsis   • Harvested 6 tomatoes