Garden Inventory

A work in progress. - my written record of botanicals in the gardens. More information will be added at later dates.
alive & growing    lost / gone     favorite

Trees & Shrubs

   Abeliophyllum distichum
   (White Forsythia)
blooms very early . very fragrant white flowers lasting only about a week . deciduous, with untidy habit . few problems/pests
   Cornus florida
   (Dogwood)
grows well in partial shade of larger tree . red fall color . susceptible to late summer powdery mildew . squirrels eat buds in winter
   Hydrangea quercifolia
   (Oak Leaf Hydrangea)
large leaves and blooms . blooms last long . brilliant red foliage in the fall . winter interest if not deadheaded . few problems/pests . died from root rot
   Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'
   (Nellie Stevens Holly)
Lush green foliage . outgrew it s location 10 feet high (3m) and taken out
   Ligustrum japonica
   (Privet Hedge)
evergreen . birds like berries in spring . flowers have strong woody scent . attacked by spiders or mites in early summer causing leaf drop
   Kalmia latifolia 'Sarah'
   (Mountain Laurel)
branches succumb to snow weight . susceptible to fungal disease . inappropriate for foundation planting due to pH
   Magnolia X loebneri
   'Dr. Merrill'

star magnolia with extra large flowers . early blooming . very fragrant . heavy trunk growing to 30' (6 m) in 20 years | few problems/pests
   Nandina domestica
   (Heavenly bamboo)
tough plant . succumbs to winter desiccation . somewhat invasive + spreading . no pests
   Photinia x fraseri
   (Red tip Photinia)
susceptible to fungal leaf spot & leaf drop . creates very dry shade below . unattractive natural vase shape
   Pieris japonica
   (Cultivar - Lily of the Valley
   Shrub)

evergreen, although older leaves look worn . low & compact habit . very slow grower . loves moist shade . new spring growth has red foliage
   Rhododendron
   'roseum elegans'

weakened stems as matured . several diseases & pests but keeps going . pruning deletes next year's buds
   Rhododendrum mucronulatum
   (Korean Rhododendron)
'Cornell pink' . deciduous and very early bloomer . yellow bronze fall foliage . blooms get sparse as shrub matures . susceptible to chlorosis
   Rhododendron kurume
   X 'Snow'

   (Snow Azalea)
compact habit . profusely blooming . susceptible to mites
   Spiraea prunifolia
   (Bridal Wreath Spirea)
easy to grow . dependably grows in poor soil . takes well to severe cutting back . not very interesting after blooming . few problems/pests
   Viburnum plicatum
   f. tomentosum 'Shasta'
   (Doublefile Virburnum)
very showy . cut way back and almost lost it . no pests . horizontal habit

Perennials

   Ajuga reptans
   (Bugleweed)
bronze foliage in spring turning green through summer . intense blue flowers . spreads too easily, requires taming . partial shade to full shade . no pests or disease
   Allium aflatunense
   (Allium 'Persian Blue')
no blue, just purple . no pests . tendency to multiply with smaller plants . leaves begin browning before blooms
   Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'

  
not good in dry soils . slow spreading . blooms long lasting
   Astilbe x arendsii 'Radius'  
   Athyrium niponicum
   (Janapese Painted Fern)
very tough . spreads slowly . grows in dry shade with little care . no serious pests
   Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana'
easily spreads . dependable . susceptible to mildew . reliable blooming in late spring
   Coreopsis 'Autumn Blush'
burst of blooms in late spring . lightly blooms all season . no serious disease or pests . untidy non-compact habit allows plants to tumble and lean
   Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
incredible vibrant red color . did not reproduce . did not survive winter
   Digitalis purpurea
   (Foxglove 'Pam's Choice')
magnificent 5' tall (1.5m) flower spikes . blooms second year . disappeared after blooming . reseeded with smaller native pink varieties . leaves eaten by pests
   Dryopteris erythrosora
   (Autumn fern "Brilliance')
beautiful color starts lime green, turns to bronze . grows where other ferns do not . medium size
   Echinacea purpurea
   (Purple Coneflower)
native coneflower . long blooming . feeds the goldfinches . minor pest problems . minor mildew in damp weather . bees love
   Echinacea 'Coconut Lime'
   (Coneflower)
blooms all summer . no seeds for wildlife . no serious pests or disease . wonderful blooms change as they age. not frequented by pollinators
   Echinacea 'Big Sky Sundown'
   (Coneflower)
weak cultivar . dies out slowly over summer . very little rebloom after initial spring bloom . rich salmon color fades to pastel pink after a few days
   Geranium macrorrhizum
   Bevan's Variety

   (Cranesbill Geranium)
unusual interesting blooms . few blooms and none in summer . survives tough conditions . no pests or disease
   Geranium sanguineum
   (Bloody Cranesbill)
prolific spreading, very hardy . mass blooms in late spring . only a few blooms later in summer and fall . no problems/pests
   Hemerocallis
   unknown daylily
sturdy stems, lower growth habit . does not easily spread . blooms late and repeatedly over long period . no pests or disease
   Hemerocallis
   unknown daylily
dark dull red with more vibrant color throat visible from behind . blooms early . no serious pests or disease
   Hemerocallis fulva
   (Common Daylily)
   Hosta
   ('Frances Williams')
large leaf . mostly shade . beautiful coloring . leaf edges get burned in direct sun . good yellow fall color
   Hosta
   ('Gold Standard')
leavse start lime green and gradually turn golder yellow over season . prefers no direct sun during day, but survives bright light
   Hosta
   ('Goldern Tiara')
smaller leaves than other hostas . tough survivor in dry shade . not fast grower or spreader
   Hosta
   ('True Blue')
large blue leaves. easily reseeds . thrives in partial sun
   Hosta
   unknown - Jackie's memory
   Hosta
   unknown - from Staten Island
extremely tough . leaves scorch in full sun . need water in dry summer . no major pests . easy expands
   Hosta
   unknown - from plant swap
   Hosta
   (Blue Mouse Ears)
   Hosta
   unknown - from Waynewood
   Heuchera micrantha
   unknown - from plant swap
   Hyacinthus orientalis
   ('Sky Jacket')
very light blue when forced indoors . reliable blooms
   Hyacinthus orientalis
   ('White Pearl')
reliable blooms . multiplies more than other hyachinth
   Hypericum calycinum 'Brigadoon'
   (St. john's Wort 'Brigadoon')
ground cover . yellow flowers in spring . tolerant of poor growing conditions . mostly evergreen . few problems/pests
   Iris germanica
   (Bearded Iris 'Invitation')
blooms mid season . stalks are very weak and need staking
   Iris germanica
   (Bearded Iris 'Fantasy Land')
bicolor . easily multiplies . tolerates poor soils . few problems
   Iris germanica
   (Bearded Iris 'Quaker Lady')
smaller in stature and bloom than hybrid iris . erect side petals do not fall . colors appear washed out . good support . found in yard after house purchase
   Iris germanica
   (Bearded Iris "Clarence')
one of my favorites . ruffled and delicate looking with gradual soft color transition on falls . weak rebloomer in fall . not prolific . doe not easily multiply
   Iris germanica
   (Bearded Iris 'Frank Adams')
very tall stalks and foliage . early to mid season blooms . needs some staking with severe weather
   Iris hollandica
   (Dutch Iris 'Discovery')
intense blue color . very cold hardy . blooms do not last as cut flower . begins foliage shoots in autumn . blooms late spring
   Kniphofia uvaria
   (Red Hot Poker, Torch Lily)
planted from seed . large tangled unruly foliage throughout summer and autumn . bloom window very short . easily spreads . no pest or disease
   Lavendula x intermedia
   (French lavender 'Provence')
very fragrant leaves & blooms . bloomed all summer . became leggy & unkempt . died after major pruning in spring after severe winter
   Leucanthemum x superbum
  Daisy
thick compact plant . very healthy foliage . not much rebloom after spring . unique blooms that last
   Leucojum vernum
   (Snowflakes)
slow to multiply . foliage lingers on into summer . grows well in part shade . no problems/pests
   Liatris spicata
   (Gay Feather)
very reliable spring bloomer . bees love . attractive seed stalks in fall . no problems/disease
   Lilium 'lollipop'
   (Asiatic lily 'Lollipop')
not good in heat . bloom color depended on temperature & weather . inconsistent bloom year after year . probably not Lollipop, but labeled correctly by nursery . bulb gradually diminished after 5 years
   Lilium
   (unknown - from plant swap)
reliable bloomer . multiple blooms on strong stems . no fragrance .
   Lysimachia clethroides
   (Gooseneck Loostrife)
growing in partial shade under a tree . great ground cover under tree . vigerous spreader . blooms early summer . no pests . great yellow fall color
   Lysimachia c. 'Purpurea'
   (Loostrife)
   Matteuccia struthiopteris
   (Ostrich Fern)
   Monarda didyma
   (Bee balm)
not heavy bloomer in full sun . not pure red, had magenta tint in bloom color . weak stiff stems easily broke . difficult time with humid wet weather . disappeared after 3 years
   Muscari armeniacum
   (Grape Hyacinth)
   Narcissus 'Ice Follies'
   (Ice Follies Daffodil)
early reliable daffodil, full size . easy to grow and easily multiplies . cups start out yellow, gradually turning white . no problems/pests
   Narcissus 'Salome'
   (Salome Daffodil)
early reliable early to midseason blooms . easy to grow and multiplies . cups start out lemon yellow, gradually turning pink . no problems/pests
   Narcissus poeticus
   (Poet Daffodils)
wonderfully fragrant . booms late in season . multiple blooms on each stalk . easily multiplies
   Narcissus 'tete-a-tete'
   (Tête-à-tête Daffodil)
   Narcissus
   unknown daffodils
   Origanum heracleoticum
   (Oregano)
   Opuntia
   (Prickly Pear Cactus)
no pests or disease . survives harsh winters . flowers early summer . loved by bees
   Perovskia atriplicifolia
   (Russian Sage 'Lacey Blue')
   Phlox maculate 'Miss Lingard'
   (Tall Phlox)
not very reliable . some years has poor growth . somewhat susceptible to root fungus rot and mildew
   Phlox 'Tenor'
   (Tall Phlox)
poor grower . magenta - was not true red color . bloomed early and stopped . succumbed to mildew & disease
   Physostegia virginiana
   (Obedient plant)
tough reliable plant . prone to spreading . flowers not very showy . slows down full sun & in hot weather . no problems/pests
   Sarcococca hookerana
   Var. Humilis

   (Sweetbox)
tiny flowers on stems are very early blooming . very sweet fragrance, not strong . slow to spread . no problems/pests
   Salvia nemorosa
   (Salvia 'May Night')
very tough reliable plant . deep blue flower color . no excessive spreading . prolific blooms in spring, then intermittent throughout summer if deadheaded . no problems/pests
   Solidago
   (Golden Rod "Little Lemon')
   Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
   (New England Aster)
   Tradescantia virginiana
   (Spiderwort)
spring blooming . morning-blooming flowers close up in late morning . likes some shade . no problems/pests
   Tulipa fosteriana 'Red Emperor'
   (Tulip)
the earliest full size tulip . vibrant red color . although of the same name, one variety is short-stem and one is long-stem . no problems/pests

Annuals That Think They're Perennials
Plants that reseed each year by themselves
   Cosmos
   Nicotiana
   Nicotiana white
   Bombast Poppies
   California Poppies
   Mexican Zinnia

3 comments:

  1. This is such a cool idea. I wish I had the gumption to do this for my yard. I did scan the platt for our property and intended to draw a landscape map of all my plants. What was that, four years ago? It's on my list, anyway!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I too keep an online list of all my garden plants. I am not a blogger so I use a google docs spreadsheet for my list. You can see it here if you are so inclined: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xLam_iUW7j5GLo5gtPcibicNGiK_tA2DNUjfNz1bLmM/edit?hl=en#gid=0

    Google docs is is a great way to store plant information because you can access it anywhere and you can sort and filter the list by plant name or garden bed or any other field, but it has its limitations. GDocs is pretty slow for long lists and although it can store hyperlinks and images, it gets very bogged down if you add too many, especially if you are viewing it on an iPad or other mobile device. I'm sure that it will only get better and faster as time goes on though.

    Over the years I have refined and whittled down what info I store in my online plant list. I used to store hyperlinks to all the suppliers and all my plant images in Gdocs, but now I limit the list to just text for speed.

    PS - I also work at a botanic garden/plant nursery in Raleigh, NC. I see that you have visited other NC gardens and suggest that you head down to the Raleigh area to check out some of Raleigh's great gardens :
    Plant Delights Nursery / Juniper Level Botanic Gardens (where I work) - http://www.plantdelights.com
    JC Raulston Arboretum - http://jcra.ncsu.edu/
    Sarah P. Duke Gardens - https://gardens.duke.edu/

    -Dennis

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dennis,
    I was in Greensboro for an annual convention, and spent a few days beforehand, visiting the gardens in the posts mentioned. I come across the JC Raulston Arboretum on occasion while doing webmaster duties for our master gardener group. I would like to visit there some day if I am back down there. (Google Docs was not around when I started this blog.)
    Ray

    ReplyDelete