Duh…That's A Datura

Two years ago, a friend was proud and excited about her "Angel Trumpet" (Datura metel) blooming with a heavenly fragrance at night. My research indicates a nickname as Devil's Trumpet. It is known for containing toxic hallucinogens, and has a long history of use for causing delirious states and death. It was well known as an essential ingredient of love potions and witches' brews.

I read that Datura has the interesting property of being able to change size of plant, size of leaf, and size of flowers, all depending on location. The same species, when growing in a half-shady damp location can develop into a magnificent flowering bush half as tall as a person, but when growing in a very dry location will only grow into a thin little plant just higher than your ankles, with tiny flowers and a few miniature leaves.

My friend gave me some of its seeds to start my own plant indoors last spring. They were planted along with the other spring seeds. After three weeks, nothing was growing in the Datura pots, so I reused them to start some additional pepper plants.

Once sprouted, I gave away some of these pepper seedlings at the plant swap, to my Dad, and to my landscape architect friends. Dad started asking what variety they were. He said they were growing but not producing any peppers. I attributed this to his upstate New York climate.

Then, my landscape architect friends started. They were not happy. Three of the seedlings turned out not to be bell peppers - but looked like Datura. These plants were taking over their vegetable garden, and were going to see some serious violence unless I wanted them for transplant. I dug up a 3-foot high (1 m) plant ("come and get them yourself"), transplanted, and after three weeks of transplant shock, enjoyed a month of the summer blooms.

Apparently, the Datura seeds took more than three weeks to start growing. After I lost any hope of their germination, they sprouted at the same time as the peppers that were later planted in the same pots. Pepper and Datura seedlings it ends up look alike.

This past year, I started the Datura seeds saved from last summer's plant, and true, they took almost a month to germinate. I kept two plants, and both are now blooming, although they are not as tall and robust as last year. This is probably due to the late start the seedlings got this spring due to my vacation at normal indoor planting time.

Note: the Gold Standard hosta and spiderwort have started blooming again! Is this a screwy year or what!

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil   • Full sun   • Mystery pests making small holes in leaves   • Small amount of fertilizer Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: cosmos, canna, nasturtium, mexican zinnia, salvia, zinnia, rudbeckia, calendula,     hosta, spiderwort, sunflowers, calendula, aster   • Harvested: 3 tomatoes

Critters' Annual Labor Day Picnic

Like last year, I spent Labor Day weekend laboring in the gardens, preparing them for fall. This year as last, weather was perfect for working outdoors clearing out dying vegetables past their prime, cutting back flowers fried by the summer, coaxing remaining plants into a few more weeks of bloom, and transplanting to fulfill the grand master plan. (Really, there is no master plan.) Also like years past, a few critters stopped in for their own Labor Day picnic.

The praying mantis arrived in the early morning and waited for a meal to happen by on the foundation wall. Bumblebees preferred to dine at the sunflowers and cosmos at the picnic, delaying my maintenance work on the cosmos to the evening.

Butterflies prefer zinnias. Your highness the monarch arrived and joined several yellow swallowtails and one black swallowtail chowing down. One yellow swallowtail looked like its wings had been chow.

A summer cicada tried his trapeze act on my deck cable railing. Newcomers noshed on the Mexican Zinnias. Several of these brown butterflies (or moths?) never before seen had six eyeballs tattooed onto its wings. An internet search revealed it as a Junonia coenia or common buckeye. You can't hide from the internet!

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, nasturtium, mexican zinnia, zinnia, sunflower, rose, rudbeckia, spiderwort, cleome, salvia   • Harvested: 2 peppers, 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber   • Planted: lettuce, spinach, radish

Late Recommended

Every year, dwarf sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are planted in the front display garden along the walk to the front door. This is one of the sunniest spots on the property, the soil is fine, and sunflowers have always been happy here. And, every year I try out a new dwarf sunflower, evaluating them in this blog. Since they are planted in the same spot with the same conditions, the comparison is 'apples to apples'.

This year's guinea pig is 'Waooh.' I don't know how to pronounce this one - (one syllable, two syllables, accent on the first or second?) First, they were planted late. I was sowing them on the Fourth of July weekend this year, after spending weeks on other parts of the yard. Wouldn't ya know - they are a late bloomer to begin with, so planting them late did not help.

Second, it was a hot summer, and watering was saved for those plants that really cried out for it. The sunflowers did not, so hot dry conditions might have contributed even more to their late blooming.

I am happy to report that this is one variety I can recommend. The plants are compact and erect; and flowers and plants are uniform in size. The one stalk plants are 3-feet tall (1 m), form many side shoots holding 5-8 side flowers, comparable to the main 6-inch bloom (15 cm). This photo represents all seven plants, yet shows over 30 blooms on them.

Sunflowers turn out to have the same history as rudbeckia, listed in the previous post. They are native to North America, were grown by native Americans, exported to Europe by explorers, cultivated in Europe (Russia for their oil), then found their way back to US and Canada.

Previous Dwarf Sunflower Evaluation

For The Record:   • Average soil   • Full sun   • Small amount of organic fertilizer Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, nasturtium, mexican zinnia, red/yellow cosmos, salvia, cleome, zinnia,     green coneflower, rudbeckia, sunflower   • Harvested: 1 tomato   • Pulled out cucumber plants

Small Black Eyes

Seeds were obtained from Jim, a participant in the fall plant swap brunch last year. I wanted Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) in the garden for a long time, given their exuberant displays in late summer through fall, when other stars in the garden fade. I was glad to have the chance to finally grow them.

Two years ago, I was in luck - a neighbor had them growing throughout her back yard and offered me the chance to dig up as many as I could carry. Then, in less than a month, her house went up for sale and she moved away. Yes, I thought of helping myself after she moved and before the new owners arrived, but did not want to give the new owners the idea that we were a neighborhood of plant thieves.

In November, I quickly grabbed Jim's Rudbeckia seeds. I was told the plants seed themselves every fall and come up in the spring on their own, so I should just scatter the seeds around the ground. I was hoping these were not going to be the drooping petal, normal size, large-center-eye type my transient neighbor had, but beggars cannot be choosy.

Welcome springtime. Never having grown these before and being unfamiliar with the plant and its leaves, I almost pulled the seedlings out as weeds. Now, they are loudly announcing their presence in the side yard. I am happy to report that we have the 5-inch (10 cm), large-bloom, small black-eyed variety!

This is another American native plant, and is the state flower of Maryland, (with its state flag having the same black and yellow colors.) The name comes from Olaus Rudbeck, who was a professor of botany at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and a teacher of Carl Linnaeus (Father of Taxonomy).

"Rudbeckias were grown in English gardens many years before they were accepted by Americans as worthy garden plants. British plant collector John Tradescant was given roots of the wildflower by French settlers in the New World. The plant was shared with others and was soon popular in English gardens. By the mid-1800's, the rudbeckia had found its way back to America.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer   • Pest: small holes in leaves beginning Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, nasturtium, mexican zinnia, rudbeckia, zinnia, cosmos, cleome, rose, salvia (again), calendula   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 2 tomatoes, 10 cucumbers (done)

August 2010 Bloom Day

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

Here are some newer blooms that have not yet been posted on the blog this year. The castor plants are in full "bloom" with the seed pods now forming. The new white cleome was planted from seed this year, but never grew more than a foot tall (30 cm). Cosmos 'Bright Lights' are also new, but are topping out around 4 feet (1.2 m)! The miniature rose was a New Year's Open House gift two years ago, and a consistent performer. The Rudbeckia was planted last fall after receiving the seed from the fall plant swap. What a successful surprise.

The hollyhocks are not very tall, after planted from seed this spring. Being a biennial, they are not supposed to bloom until next year, but do they know that? I would expect the blossoms to be more hollyhock-like next year.

As usual, you can find other garden bloggers' August bloom days at the blog May Dreams Gardens.

Castor Plant (Ricinus communis)		Hollyhock (Malva sylvestris)
Rudbeckia		Cleome (Cleome hassleriana 'Sparkler White')
Rose (Rosa)		Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights')

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, petunia, red cosmos, nicotiana, calendula, phlox, cleome, salvia, rudbeckia   • Harvested: 6 cucumbers, 6 tomatoes

Impressive Spring Tryout

Each year I allow in a few new plants for a tryout, giving rookies a chance to make the team. They come from the plant swap, from local garden centers, from online nurseries, and from seed companies. If they impress the coach, they are invited back for future seasons.

One of the impressive rookies this year was the Ornamental Millet 'Jester' (Pennisetum glaucum). As with anything ordered online or through a catalog, the pictures and description looked incredible. But, we all know how a little Photoshop and a few writers from the J Peterman catalog can make a plant seem. The Jester height and color sounded exciting.

The millet seeds were started indoors in late spring with a good germination rate. They flopped over in the pots, causing concern about planting and hardening off. After planting outside, the chartreuse leaves resembled nothing in the catalog descriptions, but after a month, the burgundy colors began to come out in newer leaves.

The millet put out its 12-inch long (30 cm) seed heads this summer after reaching 6-feet (1.8 m) in one month. Each of the 7 plants has 2-4 stalks, nicely filling in its bed. It is growing in an area recently reclaimed from years of ivy, so the soil is still a bit on the clay side, and no disease or pest have bothered it. Now that the seed heads have formed, each plant is beginning to send out new shoots from the base.

Millet is a grass plant know for sustaining civilizations, like the other grasses corn, rice, and wheat. It is still an important agricultural food crop in many parts of the world. There are five classifications of millet: proso, foxtail, barnyard, browntop, and pearl. My ornamental is the pearl type, coming from Africa and India. Foxtail is the type grown for bird seed.

Several comments have run in the vein of, "do the birds love it?" No, the birds are unimpressed, whether because the seeds are not yet ready for eating, the plants remain undiscovered, or the birds are connoisseurs of seed and hybrids don't make the grade. Most gardeners are intrigued by my rookie millet for its color and height; a few of its relatives Jade Princess and Purple Majesty might be invited to a tryout next year to join the Jester.

For The Record:   • Clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Average to light watering   • Full sun   • Small amount of organic fertilizer Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, nicotiana, cleome, zinnia, canna, cosmos, rudbeckia, phlox   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 6 tomatoes, 6 cucumbers

Society Blooms Continued

The late spring walk through the American Horticultural Society was most intriguing at the meadow. It was wild and natural, yet at the same time tidy and cultured. I felt like walking inside an impressionist painting. The meadow was also an attraction for wildlife - fox dens were found, birdhouses had no vacancies, and butterflies used it as a stopover hub.

Native golden coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) were found blooming. What I thought to be another coreopsis was actually the Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), sparse but calling attention to itself with its vibrant red color among the green and with its unusual shape. The Coreopsis grandiflora, red version, also stood out.

Coreopsis grandiflora		Coreopsis tinctoria
Ratibida columnifera

Perfuming the air around the grounds were the old giant magnolia tree and the lilies. The lilies were not labeled.

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, petunia, red cosmos, nicotiana,     calendula, phlox, cleome, coneflower, salvia   • Harvested: 3 cucumbers, 1 tomato (season's first)

Horticultural Society

Last month, in the attempt to keep up the momentum of my local weekend stay-cations, I ventured down the road to the American Horticultural Society for the first time. It's one of those places in my backyard that I have never visited, although living here for 25 years. Located along the Potomac River, a few steps north of Mount Vernon, the AHS headquarters is housed in an old estate house on River Farm, one of George Washington's land holdings. The grounds are free for visitors to wander about through the gardens and meadow.

Several large centuries-old trees with wrinkled skin screen out the sun for the shade garden. They create a refuge from the southern heat and along with the house, lend a sense of quiet permanence to the property. Tourists were sparse on the day I visited.

Located among the hostas was a small structure, maybe a well cover, with a 'green' roof overflowing with plants. The same roof was found on a garden shed near the annuals garden. These appear to be nothing more than a 6-inch (20 cm) deep pan on top of a standard asphalt shingle roof - a container on the roof. I was intrigued by what type of maintenance these require, specifically the water needs. It is a shallow root zone on a hot roof after all. The photos seem to indicate the full-sun roof is not as lush as the shade roof. Maybe these roofs were tests, or maybe they were demonstrations.

More sustainable demonstrations were on display. Bamboo was used to support the top-heavy blooming oriental lilies. Notice the push mower in the shed? And the natural meadow, planted in 2008, has become the new "sustainable alternative to the traditional American lawn ... and a popular attraction for visitors." The next post will include plants in the spring gardens and meadow that I found interesting.

Interesting? Two months before, the meadow did not exist - it was purposely burned to the ground to maintain it. "Without some type of management–either mowing or burning–any meadow eventually reverts to woodland. Burning aids in controlling woody and herbaceous invasive species and can also invigorate older meadows by helping to recycle nutrients and reduce matted vegetation to allow better air circulation." If a meadow were to replace my front lawn, do I need to burn it every other year? :-)

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, petunia, red cosmos, nicotiana,     calendula, phlox, cleome, coneflower, salvia   • Harvested: 2 cucumbers, dill

July 2010 Bloom Day

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

The perennials are in full swing, with some beginning to fade as the annuals take over. Oh, and the vegetable garden is beginning to produce.

I resisted the temptation to flood this post with photos of the same beauties that bloom every year and are already posted. Only a few new rookie notables are included this month like the millet - winning my affection as the best new plant of the year in my garden.

As usual, you can find other garden bloggers' July bloom days at the blog May Dreams Gardens.

Cosmos 'Sonata Pink' (Cosmos bipinnatus )		Ornamental Millet 'Jester' (Pennisetum glaucum )
Mexican Zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia)		Zinnia 'Violet Queen' (Zinnia elegans )
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima )		Hosta 'Gold Standard'

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, petunia, red cosmos, nicotiana, calendula, phlox, cleome, coneflower, salvia   • Harvested: 5 cucumbers

Da Lime In De Coconut

In the past decade, a bunch of new unique echinacea varieties popped up every year. I searched the internet, but never found a definitive answer to the question, "Why now?" They are perennial, easy to grow requiring little care, look great, a North American native with few pests or disease, and attract butterflies and birds. Echinacea are suddenly cool.

"Among ornamentals, Echinacea purpurea has consistently been among the top 10 herbaceous perennials grown and sold in the United States in recent years. This species is native to prairies and open woods in the central and southern United States and is cold hardy to USDA Zone 3. The sturdy flowers have petals in pink to purple shades with a prominent, spiky center cone. Echinacea purpurea are tough, drought-tolerant plants that can thrive in a variety of habitats. They are deer-resistant."

They were used as medicine by native Americans for infection, colds, sore throat, and stomach ailments. Maybe new interest in natural and herbal cures has lead to a new interest in the coneflower, too, as it appears to have an immume-enhancing ability, particularly with throat, urinary, lymph, and certain skin afflictions.

For home gardeners, breeders have introduced new cultivars with different color, petals, and cone shape. According to a university evaluation, some of these were found to be lacking in flower production and longevity. The native appears to be more consistent and long-lived.

I was intrigued by many of these newbies, attracted by the color and shape of an easily grown, cut flower. I purchased two to plant last fall: Coconut Lime and Big Sky Sundown. I could not resist the white-green color combo of Coconut Lime, and its puff ball shape was really interesting. This spring, it started blooming earlier than expected, and was shorter than the native, being about 15-inches tall (40 cm), (or was that because of its first year?)


My Coconut Lime is very happy nestled between the cleome and expanding cannas. Flowers start out with a flat central area of tiny compact petals and flat orange cone. As the bloom matures, the central area continues to bloom and puff up into a small pom-pom sphere. It becomes more green in color while the orange gradually disappears. The flowers last for about 3-4 weeks like the native. Time will tell if they bloom throughout the season (as they appear to be doing now) or poop out in mid-summer.

They are a swallowtail butterfly and bumblebee magnet, and goldfinches love to feast on the seed heads in early morning, balancing on top of the stalks.

For The Record:   • Medium well-drained soil   • Full sun, average water   • Organic fertilizer in the spring   • No major pests or diseases Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, phlox, mexican zinnia, nicotiana, rose,     coneflowers, salvia, late daylily, cleome, hostas, calendula   • Harvested 3 cucumbers

Kniphofia Phobia

This year the hopes and fears came true. The Tritoma, or I mean Torch Lily, or I mean Red Hot Poker, or I mean Kniphofia uvaria bloomed in grand style. The tiny seedlings were started indoors in spring 2008 as directed by the Ferry Morse seed packet. I had always admired these plants, although from afar, and relished the idea of growing them for myself. The seedlings sprouted, and promptly dampened off, leaving only three survivors.

The seedlings that resembled sprigs of grass saw their first outdoor sunlight in the front cottage garden. Expecting a spring bloom the following year, I used the summer to nurture and coddle my kniphofias into adulthood. By summer's end, the leaves began to rival the daylilies.

Winter turned into a Spring 2009 anticipation of a fruitful display after a year's work. But, the plant had other ideas. Leaves and more leaves, big leaves and then bigger-than-bearded-iris leaves arrived. The plant was on a bull market tear. It crowded out the purple salvia - completely. Had I not transplanted a salvia offshoot, I would have none.

Last winter, leaves were more or less evergreen, or more like everolivegreen. They resembled a deflated yucca, draped across the ground and browning around the edges. And this was the only plant visible in the front garden bed from the sidewalk. What would the neighbors think of their Master Gardener? My reputation was sinking.

Kniphofia care articles were consulted on the internet. Uh oh. This was normal. These things grow really big, especially after a gardener fertilizes them in an attempt to coax blooms. They get tangled, look crappy in the winter and most of summer when not blooming, and punish you with few blooms if you ever attempt to divide or move them. Fear set in.

This spring, the weird South African native named after Johannes Kniphof finally bloomed. Out of the three original plants now grown into one tangled mess, seven stalks emerged to redeem the neighborhood gardener. The straight spikes were like 5-foot tall (1.5 m) air traffic control towers, looming over the late spring bulbs, and taller than anything the front garden has ever seen. People noticed.

I think I must find a more appropriate place for these blue collar plants. A more well-behaved variety is needed in this location. Lots of photos of several varieties were found, but sellers of these plants need to be tracked down. And remember that these are admired from afar. I find them a bit ugly and unkempt close up.

For The Record:   • Rich well-drained soil   • Full sun, average water   • Organic fertilizer in the spring   • No pests   • Consider unattractive leaves in fall through winter   • Unusual height & flower gets ooo's & aah's Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, phlox, mexican zinnia, nicotiana, rose,     coneflowers, salvia, late daylily, cleome, asian lily, hostas   • Tomatoes and cucumbers set fruit

2010 Bloom Day

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

After a bust of springtime, and a lull last month, things are a poppin' in the garden again this June! My Red Hot Poker bloomed for the first time, after planting from seed three years ago. Nice reward for three years of work. The Coconut Lime Echinacea just started, and is a new plant this year. As usual, click if you want to see them close up.

Hosta (True Blue)		Oak Leaf Hydrangea
Calendula		Purple Coneflower
Common Daylily		Green Coneflower (Lime Coconut)
Red Hot Poker Kniphofia		Unknown Red Daylily
Salvia (May Night)		Asiatic Lily (Lolipop)
Cleome		Nicotiana
Cosmos		Unknown Peach Daylily