Woodsy Stinker

The Ligustrum shrub (ligustrum japonicum) or evergreen privet is now in full bloom. There were four found around the property when purchased, and all were relocated to one area. After recently being trimmed and trained into small multi-trunk trees, they are now about 10 feet tall (3 m). Since they are located just outside windows, the smell of the late-spring flowers has filtered throughout the house. The very strong odor is not objectionable, but not pleasant either. One person identified it as 'woodsy.'

Research indicates that many types of Ligustrum are invasive, but none of the fallen berries have ever produced plants in this yard. Birds do not touch the black berries in the fall or winter, but will take them in the spring. Early one spring, a commotion was heard in the shrubs. After investigation, 16 robins were found in the shrubs, fighting over the berries. Maybe this is why they never fell and grew here with robins picking them off like M&M's. I thought Robins were ethnic - into the bugs and grubs type of food - not seeds.

The flowers last about a week or two, and eventually turn an unattractive brown before dropping. This, along with the tendency of some leaves to die and drop throughout the summer does not make them a favorite in the garden. They are kept around for their form and rich, lush, deep evergreen leaves. Maybe they would make great greens at Christmas?

For The Record:   • Growing in heavy clay soil, full sun   • No fertilizer   • Drops dead blooms and leaves in summer   • Have not found to be invasive Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: poppies, calendula, purple salvia, geranium,     nicotiana, foxglove   • Tomatoes staked   • Lifted alliums to relocate in the fall

In Praise of Fertilizer

These poppies are very unusual and are easily grown from seed each year. The multiple ruffled petals give the appearance of peonies, and the blue-green foliage has the appearance of a cole vegetable plant. The seeds are sown directly in the ground in fall.

These were obtained from a yard outside Binghamton, New York, where they have prospered for decades in an upstate New York climate. They have not been specificallly identified from any garden catalog, although peony poppies are found in various nooks and crannies on the internet, and seem to come in purple and dark red in addition to this pink.

This year, a few of the plants really took off in height and size, while the remaining plants are average. All were planted in the same plot and fertilized with slow release organic fertilizer in the spring. The larger ones, however, were planted very close to alliums, which had the benefit of bone meal fertilizer applied in the ground in the fall. Lessons learned.

For The Record:   • Growing in medium soil, full sun   • Slow release organic granular fertilizer, some bone meal in the fall   • Does not transplant   • Blooms do not last long   • Unusual color & flower gets ooo's & aah's Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: poppies, calendula, purple salvia, geranium, nicotiana, foxglove

Pretty in Pink

After several rains, the mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia) has burst into display. This variation is called 'Sarah,' and is a bit different from most mountain laurel. Its flower clusters are vibrant pink, turning to an only slightly lighter color when open, instead of the more common white or pale pink. The branches do not support themselves well after a few years, tending to fall over or break off with heavy winter snows or wind.

For The Record:   • Growing in heavy soil, mostly shade, some sun   • Light acidic fertilizer applied in late spring   • Organic mulch   • Weak support branches   • Prolific bloomer gets ooo's & aah's Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: geranium, foxglove, calendula   • Annual seeds sowed

Dependable Geranium

Not much is going on in the display gardens at this time of season. One exception is the calendula that overwintered. Its seeds that fall in the autumn are still just seedlings. Another exception is the perennial geranium (geranium sanguineum).

This donation plant from a fellow gardner years ago is a dependable, low-maintenance performer. It is trimmed and trained into a small low growing mound of lacy green foliage needing little care or water. The plant's small flowers are not numerous or showy, but provide a subtle front border. The flowers taper off during the summer and fall. It does require periodic trimming (usually done in the fall), to prevent spreading.

For The Record:   • Growing in heavy soil, mostly full sun, some shade   • No fertilizer applied   • Need annual trimming to prevent excessive spreading Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: geranium, calendula, rhododendron   • Annuals, tender summer bulbs planted   • Vegetables transplanted into the garden

Plant Swap Iris

This is the first plant received from a neighborhood Plant Swap Brunch that has performed well. Last spring a few bearded iris rhizomes were received and planted in the spring. They were tended to all summer, and this year are blooming well. Not knowing the variety, a search of the internet iris culture turned up a lot of similar varieties, but nothing matched perfectly. There was always something that did not match - a ruffled petal, a light blue stripe, an orange fall.

The size is surprising- leaves up to 24 inches (61 cm) tall, and flower stalks up to 5 feet (1.5 m) - clearly the tallest thing in the garden. The location receives a small anount of shade, although iris love full sun.

The spring Plant Swap Brunch for the neighborhood took place on Saturday. My garden gave up some purple asters, white dragonflower, numerous calendula and green nicotiana seedlings (sprouting from last year's plants.) In return, a white-tipped hosta and white shasta daisy plants were received.

For The Record:   • Growing in heavy soil, mostly full sun, some shade   • Slow release organic granular fertilizer applied   • Somewhat taller flower stalks that expected Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: dutch & bearded iris, allium, columbine, perennial geranium   • Early tulip bulbs lifted

Are You Blue

Happiness is a plant meeting or exceeding expectations. When the 'Discovery' Dutch Iris (Iris hollandica) bulbs arrived last fall, there were too many to plant in one location, so they were planted in three groups throughout the property. The sunny location is now in full bloom, and I realize that they could have been planted a bit closer together into 2 groups. They are as blue as the photo suggests, and are striking in their height and intense color- a little over 2 feet (60 cm). Here's hoping that the catalog description is correct in that they easily multiply. The shadier locations where these were planted are just now beginning to bloom.

For The Record:   • Growing in moderate drained soil, mostly full sun, some shade   • Bone meal fertilizer applied in the fall   • Great form and color - gets ooo's & aah's Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: Dutch & bearded iris, allium, columbine, perennial geranium   • Canna planted

First New Plant 2008

There is a dead time in the garden between the time tulips and daffodils bloom and the annuals and perennials start. To that end, some new arrivals to the garden were planted last fall to see if there could be some activity in that dead time. The first to start blooming were the alliums. Persian Blue alliums were ordered from Breck's Bulbs, but those are not what are currently blooming. The alliums received are shorter, and are not blue. Breck's promised to ship the correct ones this fall for next year. There is still a lag time after the spring bulbs finished and now when the alliums are blooming.

Another interesting bit: last winter was especially mild, and several mature orange calendula plants overwintered and are now in full bloom. The seeds from last year's plants are sprouting as usual, but it will be another 2-3 weeks before these are large enough to produce flowers.

Its Growing Conditions:   • Moderate drained soil   • Full sun   • Bone meal fertilzer in fall Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: allium, calendula, perennial geranium   • Starting bloom: iris & dutch iris

Last One Standing

Currently, only the rose colored columbine is blooming in the front display garden. Tulips and daffodils have gone, and the newest spring additions are still in buds. Seeds for this plant were mixed in with the pink Binghamton, NY poppy seeds from years ago, both growing in the same general location in New York. They grew here, and after a few years have developed into a healthy columbine plant. The flowers are a dull rose, and are not as large as the newer introduced varieties generally available. Still, they are a somewhat unique color from the blues, white and purples found in the seed catalogs. They grow in full sun here, but columbine likes partial shade.

For The Record:   • Grows in moderate drained soil, full sun   • No fertilizer   • Dull rose color blooms get lost in a large garden Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: columbine   • Begin bloom: calendula overwintered

A Fall Dud

I tried some crocosmia bulbs from Michigan Bulb, the variety Emily McKenzie. I saw some crocosmia growing and flowering at a nursery a year or two ago, and thought it would provide a unusual look with its thin leaves resembling daffodils, and its foot-long stems of fire red blossoms. The 'Emily McKenzie' description sounded even better.

The bulbs were planted in the spring and were nursed and tended to all summer with anticipation of a summer bloom. The result was that only about 3 of the 6 bulbs had blossoms. Contrary to the description, they did not bloom until early fall, did not all bloom at the same time, and the long arching stems I had seen in the nursery ended up being short stalks about 6 inches tall with one flower opening at a time on each plant.

Was it Michigan Bulb, or the conditions in full sun, or the exaggerated description? Emily McKenzie turned into small little insignificant nothings in the garden. They will be gone from the garden after this season. I am considering a different crocosmia variety from another grower in the future. Lessons learned.

For The Record:   • Grows in well drained soil, full sun   • Slow release organic granular fertilizer applied   • Normal watering

Fall Fire

The firey yellow-orange calendula thrives in cooler weather that starts coming around September. It does well in spring and fall and blooms well past the first frost. During summers it all but shuts down flower production, producing few flowers that are quite small with a dull yellow color. Once the weather starts to turn cool, it perks up and starts to thrive again. Photos do not accurately show the true vibrant color of flowers, good for cutting.

Leaves have an unusual spicy fregrance. The plant is self-seeding and profusely comes back each year. A few plants will survive the winter here, and exhibit lots of flowers in late spring right after the tulips stop.

Summer or Fall?

The purple asters were received from the landscape architects many years ago. They grow about 3 to 4 feet tall (1 to 1.2 m), and form a large clump that needs support when reaching full height. The flowers are dime-sized in clusters along the top of the plant, and attract a certain orange & brown butterfly in late summer. The plant grows stalks with leaves during the summer, and begins blooming in late summer, continuing into fall. This aster overwinters and multiplies easily, forming what looks like a bush. I divide it in the spring and fall, and always take pieces to the neighborhood Plant Swap Brunch. It had white fuzzy 'cotton' bugs one year, but otherwise has been pest free.

As recommended, the stems were always pinched off at about 6 inches (15 cm), and then again at 12 inches (30 cm) in height during their growth to produce more side shoots and thus more flowers. As an experiment, last year I decided to let them grow without pinching off. The results: the plant bloomed earlier and was through earlier, was taller, had fewer flowers, and because there were fewer stalks for fellow support and was taller, it more easily fell over. Lessons learned.

Peacock Orchid

Acidanthera 'bulbs' were purchased from Lowe's a few years ago. Called a 'Peacock Orchid' in some of the catalogs, these plants produce white flowers with maroon blothces in the late summer. The flowers are fragrant, but not noticable unless you place your nose in them. The corms are dug up and stored over winter and planted in the spring, and experience has shown do not multiply much here. (they are not technically bulbs.) I grow them for their foliage as much as for the flowers, since there are not many flowers, and the vertical leaves provide a good contrast with other plants.