A Leafy Indulgence

Iris Has Been Around The Block

2013-05-11T22:01:00.002-04:00

This bearded iris (Iris germanica) gets around. Not like it's been sleeping with another, but it has had lots of offspring. It was a quick pickup up a few years ago at our neighborhood bar, or maybe it was a spring plant swap. Someone from the adjacent neighborhood brought it and has not attended since. Planted in the spring, it did bloom the following year.

I occasionally drive through that neighborhood and see two houses where this iris is flourishing in the front yard. I would guess one of those owners gave another some divisions in the past.

Being it is a very good hardy grower, I divided this one twice since, and gave away a few pieces to friends that live in that adjacent neighborhood - at another plant swap - so now it's found in three yards there. Last fall after my last division, I gave some to a neighbor on my street and see it blooming there now. Last week on my way to work, I spotted the same iris growing on another street in my neighborhood, along with some yellow iris. This is becoming an invasion.

Last spring, all bearded iris in the yard bloomed sparingly, and by end of spring, were beginning to die out. Iris borers were the culprits - larvae of an egg-laying moth - that tunneled through the root system, leaving them susceptible to rot. A few doses of nasties this spring at the right time kept them safe. One, my favorite, Clarence [2011.05.06], is going to bloom again, but the plants are small and hope is that they will grow back strong for next year.

I have come to love the color combination on this, even though I don't normally care for severely two tone bearded iris. The deep royal purple and light lavender top give me an urge to reach for a grape Nehi every time it blooms. Not knowing its name, it's the Grape Nehi iris to me. Apparently, there IS a Grape Iris out there, but not as grapey as this one.

I will be ready to give some more away next fall. Grape Nehis all around.

A Patriotic Spring

2013-05-05T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's been almost a month since the last post - there is little happening in the garden at this time of year. And, Google dumped me into Google Plus requiring information that screwed up my blog, Blogger profile, settings, and name that I cannot correct. (Was that Wordpress option still open?) This mess also prevented me from commenting on other blogs, (unless authored with my 'new' Google Plus account.)

The back yard looks like the 4th of July - red, white and blue. The white 'snow' azaleas were planted under the magnolia and dogwood when both trees and shrubs were small. I tried moving one two years ago and killed it. The azalea roots are too entangled with the trees.

The red (shocking acid pink) azalea is loud and was here when I bought the house over 20 years ago. Although very popular around town, I would never buy a plant of this color. It looks like my yard is on an LSD trip. Keep it from getting too big and put a white azalea next to it to calm your brain down.

The blue ajuga reptans has never looked so good or thick. It really loves its part shade and dry clay home. A few sprigs were picked up at our neighborhood plant swap two years ago and now, wow.

That barren viburnum is another story for later.

Enjoy the cool colors while the season progresses and while I learn how to restore myself on Google.

Pieris Survives The Graveyard

2013-04-13T20:44:00.002-04:00

Another plant given, another plant taken. And, this one survived. Last year a friend requested I pick out one pieris for my yard from three that she had purchased to give away. This was my first introduction to the plant. Not knowing anything about it (nor did my gardening friend) I greedily selected a 'Canadian grown cultivar.'

"Clusters of spring blooms resembling lily of the valley cascade near ends of branches. New spring growth is bright red or pink when emerging. Mature foliage is lustrous dark green. Requires rich acidic soil and ample moisture; protect from hot winds and sun."

None of the plants had any blooms - only colorful labels with colorful descriptions. The back yard is shady on the north side of the wood fence. This is my graveyard of plants, and the graveyard had plots available. To date, this area has killed an aralia, an acanthus, two ferns, a hosta, and a ligularia. (Either a zombie ligularia or acanthus is trying to come back from the dead with a few leaves poking up.)

The little pieris that could, survived the winter and thrived. The thing is a mound of blooms, although a small mound. One thing I will note is that stems supporting the blooms are weak, bending downwards.

I have a bad tendency to plant things too close together, so I have given this little one and the nearby hydrangea and buddleia some space. The tag did not have a size listed, so we assume an eventual 4-5 feet (1.2 - 1.5 meter) adult.

The tag was correct so far. The foliage has been dark green and evergreen, needed in this section of the yard for some winter interest. There is no new growth yet, but I expect those red shoots later. The plant seems comfy in its new home mixing it up with our Virginia clay, and the owner is happy it is surviving. Maybe the graveyard of plants has turned the corner.

Spring Fell From The Sky

2013-03-31T21:25:00.000-04:00

You know it's springtime when there is snow on the daffodils. Welcome to the new normal. On Monday March 25, we received the biggest snowfall (or slushfall) of the winter. Alexandria woke up to one and a half inches (4 cm) of wet snow and slushy walks. Added to the previous snowfalls, we received a total of 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) of winter for 2012-13.

Hyacinths were stopped in their tracks, turning purple with cold, shivering under their new white blanket. The white forsythia was almost finished with its song, but was startled. The indoors amaryllis, planted to flower at Christmas, thinks it missed the snow by waiting so long to bloom. Ha! Think again, as it peers out the window at the frosty white covered deck chair.

The groundhog was wrong.

Winter Walk Off

2013-03-18T20:13:00.003-04:00

My walk is around a three block radius of my office in historic Old Town Alexandria. A bit of history lesson: Alexandria is on the Potomac River, was settled and became a thriving city in the 1700s through 1800s. It was a shipping (sugar and tobacco) and trading port with refineries and warehouses. It's old city homes reflected the very conservative population, and not the "flamboyant extravagance" found in Savannah and Charleston. Yes, George Washington lived down the road, had an overnight cottage in town, and not only slept here, but shopped and partied here.

This is my walk off, wishfully without sounding like a tourist magazine. Some of the photos were taken on sunny Friday's walk, and the remainder on cloudy rainy today. Frequent walks are taken on lunch hours; the pedestrian scale allows appreciation of details.

View other Winter Walk-offs at A Tidewater Gardener
A few cobblestone alleys like this have houses on them, in addition to the main streets. The several cobblestone alleys and two full cobblestone streets in town are murder to drive on and walk on. I can't imagine riding down in a wood-wheeled vehicle.

Two of the older homes sit across the street from my office. The industrial revolution brought the decoration and style on newer townhomes, but colonial-era buildings like these were simpler. When the street was eventually paved, its level was lowered, partially exposing the stone foundations on these.

How do you like the knockers? Norfolk is not the only place with mermaids.

I like the railing on the entrance of this house, although I don't know if it is original. This is a typical wealthy row house, brick, 3-story, probably 1800-1840. Gas lamps from 1800s are popular around town, running 24/7. I don't know where the gas comes from or who pays.

Hitch up your horse and hop down ...

... and scrape off your boots before coming in.

I call this flag alley because almost everyone displays a flag. These were the working class houses - usually wood, 2-story. These 'shacks' that appear to be falling down fetch about $600,000 on the real estate market.

These are fire marks from insurance / fire companies. They would be placed on your house above the first floor. When your house caught fire, the fire mark would identify that you paid for protection, and what company would be responsible for arriving to fight the fire.

Mostly brick sidewalks - every pattern a 4x8 can make. Women are always getting their heels stuck in between the bricks. Bricks are loose laid, so street trees get some water when it rains.

This poor soul is stuck in a planter surrounded by solid concrete, and probably had a mulch volcano in its younger days.

A cooking equipment store. Window boxes look like Europe. Pots in the summer used to be filled with cooking herbs but have heuchera now.

A view of the top of Second Empire style city hall from my office mens room window - the best view from any toilet in town. This roof top can't be seen well from anywhere on the streets.

City hall is a melange of buildings stuck together. The clock tower reminds me of New Orleans but I don't know why. It would look better with some palms in the foreground.

The back of city hall fronts a square hosting the oldest continuous farmers market in the country. When the fountain and pond are full of water, mallards from the river come up for a swim.

The 'Cherry Blossom' riverboat docked at the Potomac. I don't believe the Potomac historically had riverboats paddling around, but the tourists don't know that.

Old Town is very dog friendly. Many stores and residents put out water bowls in the summer. This station was dedicated to 'Molly,' a retriever I believe, and even has a high drinking fountain for owners!

Butterflies in Winter

2013-03-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

In reality, there are no butterflies in winter in Alexandria Virginia. This time of year brings little to write about in the garden blog, so I saved a few items from the past year for times such as this. The critter on the left is a 'Clipper,' native to southeast Asia.

The story started last winter with the seed swap I attended. I signed up for Washington Gardener magazine in order to receive a discount on the admission charge. Washington Gardener was the host and gave discounts for admission to its subscribers.

During the year, the magazine ran a contest with a question that asked, "what plant do you regret adding to your garden and why." Boy did I have a lot of material to consider. My response was, “Kniphofia uvaria - because:
• bloom time is very short
• for 11 months of the year, the plant is only an ugly tangled mass of leaves
• takes up too much space for such a little blooming, messy plant”
Anyway, I won one of the prizes - tickets to the Wings of Fancy living butterfly exhibit at Brookside Gardens in nearby Wheaton, Maryland.

After being screened to enter the greenhouse, visitors were treated to a thousand butterflies fluttering about on plants, fruit, and people. Some were native, and some were non-native (butterflies not people.) I was itching to try out the video on my new iPad, so I assembled this collection of photos and video.

Some butterflies were shy, while some were quite convivial. If one stood still, they would land on you. I was sorry for the youngsters who were trying in vain to get one to land - we know young kids cannot be still for a moment.

I learned a thing or two about butterflies from the exhibit. It seems these butterflies preferred zinnias and 'rotting' fruit, although the fruit looked pretty fresh to me. They had a sweet spot for watermelon and peaches.

Blogger reduces the quality of the video, sorry. Some of the distant butterflies come out looking like fuzz - click the YouTube logo and then select a better quality setting. If reading this on an iPad, the video may be missing.

Dido - native to the Amazon & Andes		Red Postman - native to South America
Emerald swallowtail - Malaysia & Indoneasia		Zebra longwing - North-Central-South America
Leopard lacewing - India to S. China		Malabar Tree Nymph from India
Blue morpho - Central & South America		Queen butterfly - North & South America
Julia Heliconian - Brazil to S. United States		Owl butterfly - Central & South America

Where Have I Been

2013-02-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a while, and I almost forgot how to write a post. My blog has taken a back seat to other endeavors over the past few months, one involving gardening. I was recruited last Fall to be the Vice President of Training for our county Master Gardener organization. It is the middle of our training cycle, so time has been spent administering the weekly training programs and attending board meetings. On top of it all, there is a chance of a job change - a big change.

I really miss gardening, and run out of steam at the end of each day. It is February and I hope the seeds can wait or learn to start themselves. Three seed catalogs are on the coffee table screaming to be opened. So this blog post will serve two purposes - to get me to open those catalogs and open the blog to write about them.

Seeds seem to be getting more expensive every year. The Coupon Scoop has a few specials when ordering online for Burpee that I must take advantage of. Their seeds are more expensive than Park, and their selection is worse.

This is what entices me for 2013 season - new picks and why I am interested:

Merlot Pepper
A blocky bell pepper described as sweet, with a reddish purple color. I always grow Karma, and have tried a lot of peppers and posted the results on this blog. This one sounds like something I would like, for the color. Park Seed

Pinca Zinnia
A double flowered spider zinnia that, according to the catalog (which of course we always believe...) starts out lime-green and ends up rosy pink. I never grew spider zinnias, nor ones that change color. Park Seed

Tendersnax Hybrid Carrots
"The sweetest juiciest carrot." Sounds like an orange, doesn't it? I have had terrible luck with carrots due to the clay soil here, the borers or worms that eat through them, and the fact that something eats the seedlings before they ever have a chance. I look forward to trying again with a different variety ... and maybe lots o' chemicals. Stokes Seeds

Valentino Bush Beans
I grew green beans for the first time last year with free seeds from the Seed Exchange I attended. I see beans in my future again, and a farmer's market vendor recommended her favorite, Valentino. I wrote about Contender last year, which were good. Stokes Seeds

Marigolds
Marigolds conjure up memories of my first trials and tribulations as a gardener, so I avoid them. I am considering the Tiger Eyes minis or some white marigolds from Burpee. Unfortunately, Burpee only sells the bigger size marigolds in white, and I want something smaller.

Supersweet 100 Cherry Tomatos
I grew Sweet 100 for the past two years. Early blight loved them. This variety claims better resistance. Park Seed

Princess Jade Ornamental Millet
A hybrid that caught my eye because of the cool looking seed heads. Fragrant dark brown plumes, according to the catalog. Fragrant millet? This I've got to try. Burpee Seeds

December 2012 Flowers In The House

2012-12-31T14:52:00.001-05:00

Indoor flowers on the last Monday of the month

There are no indoor bloomers in the December house. I will join in the holiday spirit with some indoor plant material.

My Nandina berries played a big part in transforming the basic greens into something seasonal. Boughs and berries were stuffed into the Red Star Beverage box. Berries and cones adorn the usual door wreath with a few red baubles. And simple berries contrast in the mostly white bathroom - (those are not black tiles - green and blue.) That's holly and ivy above the windows with the small but charming tree.

Add your indoor holiday flora to other garden bloggers' Flowers In The House at Jane's blog Small But Charming.

Beavers Go Sustainable

2012-12-27T23:19:00.003-05:00

Huntley Meadows Park replaced the boardwalk with a 'Trex'walk a while back. The pressure-treated boards on the walking surface were not holding up, so synthetic boards were installed to take their place. The beavers thought this was an upgrade to their neighborhood, and took advantage of the high tech materials by incorporating the boardwalk into their new lodge.

The beavers smartly used local traditional materials such as renewable mud and sustainable natural wood, resulting in construction that achieved a 'silver' LEED rating.

Other photos of the scenes at Huntley Meadows show that even in late November, color is still found: in the berries, the late autumn leaves, and the dead swamp grasses.

On The Road From Asheville

2012-12-02T19:03:00.001-05:00

You probably notice I am still writing about my September trip to North Carolina here in December. I am trying to stretch out the posts to cover the winter months. In my rental car from Ashville back to Greensboro for the start of my convention, I stopped off in a small botanical garden in Kernersville. A speaker at one of my Master Gardener classes recommended the place after I told her of my garden trips around my convention trips.

On a sunny day I pulled into the Paul J Ciener Botanical Garden parking lot. There was a large planting along the edge of the parking lot and a new building on the other end. I learned after talking with the attendant in the building that the planting was the botanical garden. There is a master plan and nice map of the five acres planned for development, but at this time, the parking lot garden was it.

The site had been a car dealership. The owner of the business left it with some money to start a botanical garden, so the entire place is relatively new. I thought this was a fitting use for the land after its run as a paved lot selling cars.

These are a few of the items that captured my attention, as alien life form never seen before. Excuse my photography in harsh direct sunlight.

Around the building was a walk with annuals and vegetables, and along the path was this pepper plant never seen or heard of before. Yes, one plant had purple, red, yellow, orange, and cream color peppers growing on it like multi-colored candies. I must know what this was.

Colocasia in extra large - not elephant ears, but I would say dinosaur ears is a more appropriate term.

Bananas in variegated leaves are new to me, or were these diseased?

And finally, what in the world is this egg growing out from each cluster of orange star flowers?

Asheville McMansion

2012-11-13T08:09:00.000-05:00

Three days in Asheville, North Caroline. The blue isle in a sea of red is what I saw on the local television news analyzing the upcoming the election. I drove out from Greensboro while there for a convention in September. One full day was spent at the Biltmore.

The landmark home held my interest for an entire day. After the architect's tour, the butler's tour, and a lunch with fried green tomatoes (for only the second time in this native New Yorker's life) it was time to head to the gardens and greenhouse. This is a garden blog after all. So enjoy lots of pictures with some little comment and thoughts.

Front
There were no suburban foundation plantings at the front entrance. But MY! Look at the size and contents of some of the planters along the front!

A staff member explained that there were planters at the front originally, but they did not contain the same plants we see there now.

The front lawn was, well, expansive - before riding mowers came along. The original rows of linden trees died out from disease and were replanted with a stronger variety. Notice the small one on the end - the new replacements continue to die in this one location. It's cursed. (By a gargoyle's evil eye?)

Water Gardens
The first stop was at the sunken garden. It featured three water gardens.

Notice the formal plan and shapes of the ponds: Informally arranged plants within the formal outline of the ponds.

Some large tall non-water plants were sneekily planted above the water (bananas for example), looking like they were growing in the ponds, too. I did not know that (what looks like) canna could grow in standing water. They might look better than the ratty cattails in the highly visible stormwater management basins plopped around here after the roads and Potomac River's Wilson Bridge was widened.

Annuals Garden
A path from the sunken garden to the greenhouse crossed what I call the annuals gardens - right down the middle.

Each side of a pleasant trellis-covered walk looked onto a large expanse of grass and beds of mundane annuals. Quantity (of some of my least favorite annuals) rather than quality inspired admiration. Where could one find the largest grasshopper in American but at the largest house in America.

But wait, look at some of the beds along the perimeter walk: Bananas, canna, and castor bean.

Greenhouse

The greenhouse was stuffed with plants - maybe a little overstuffed? --Every cactus and succulent under the sun (or glass.) It's larger than a lot of botanical gardens and commercial greenhouses.

Guarding an entrance was a harmonious combination of purple castor bean plants (Ricinus communis) and elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta) I believe were Mojito. Yellow Brugmansia were in bloom outside on a terrace.

Gone With The Wind

2012-11-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

I ventured out in middle of hurricane Sandy to pick fresh herbs for minestrone soup. I must have been nuts, but the oregano, cutting celery, and basil did the soup well. The gardens did not do as well though.

The 8-foot tall (2.5 m) castor bean plants were flattened. These annuals were going to go when we get our first frost, so it's no loss. They were staked up a bit after a thunderstorm in August bent them over.

The Tuscany basil was blown to one side, like someone combs their hair to one side. Zinnias, another annual, were smacked down. The lonely second season sunflower was flattened. The sunflowers were picked and brought indoors for late flowers in the house - along with a few tomatoes still going.

But Sandy left a little new autumn gift in the deck. Some type of fungal growth appeared along the seams in the wood platform steps, probably where dirt and gunk accumulated. In two days (after the rain stopped) it all vanished.

Fortunately, there were no power outages beyond a few minutes. No one in my neighborhood was flooded, although the low lying areas were evacuated because of flooding in the past five years. We await more surprises climate change may bring in the future.

Fall Tower of Sunflower

2012-10-27T18:33:00.001-04:00

Dwarf sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are always found in my summer garden, because, well, I have a very small house on a very small property. In addition, tall sunflowers are too overwhelming and gangly for my taste (although I have admired a tight grouping of them.)

Just about every winter, I comb through the garden catalogs searching out the shorties to try during the upcoming summer. Altogether I have tried about a half dozen varieties [posted 2009.08.25]. Last year, I never ordered any and can't remember what the reason was.

With no seed for the summer, I made a panic purchase at the local home improvement store when the tulips were blooming. Burpee's Big Blush came home and a spot was reserved along the front driveway. But, I could not find the seed when it came time to plant. "Did I really purchase them?" I wondered. I instead planted the same variety as before that I found in my tin of leftover seed, Waooh [posted 2010.09.02].

I eventually stumbled across the seeds I bought earlier in spring. The summer sunflowers were done blooming for the season in August. After they were ripped out, I thought, "Why not plant some more? Time to start another experiment." So a second crop of dwarf sunflowers (actually 3 seeds) were planted in the same spot; one came up.

I have good results to report from last week. With the frost holding off, one tower began its run. One could guess the dwarf varieties could do this since their growing season is a little shorter than the tall ones. A 40-inch high (1 m) stalk with all sorts of side flowers is blooming. Big Blush flowers are not unique, but the size of the side flowers and their associated stems is, resulting in great cut flowers from one plant.

Was this an anomaly? If not, this could become a habit from now on - something to replace the old sunflowers once they finish their summer blooming. On a second note, the Waooh sunflower seeds were harvested and are most appreciated by chickadees.

For The Record:
• Fertile soil & organic amendments
• Full sun
• No fertilizer
• Chomping pests during summer germination

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: Mexican zinnia, zinnia, sunflower, echinacea, pineapple sage
• Harvested: 1 pepper, 1 tomato

October 2012 Bloom Day

2012-10-15T22:35:00.003-04:00

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

Gosh, everything seems to be red, yellow, orange this time of year (or brown.) And gosh, I haven't participated in a Gardnen Bloggers Bloom Day since April. So, here are a few noteworthy stragglers hanging on as fall is teetering on the first frost.

Note the sunflower beginning to bloom. There is a story here that I will tell in a future post. You can find other garden bloggers' bloom days at the blog May Dreams Gardens.


Acidanthera		Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird'

Castor Plant (Ricinus communis)		Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird'


Zinnia augustifolia

Zinnia agustifolia with dwarf sunflower

Salvia elegans 'Pineapple Sage'

Radishes Forever

2012-10-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

Why is there another post about my radishes?
a. There is a radish fetish
b. These are special radishes
c. Getting old and senile, forgetting radishes were
previously posted
d. All of the above

Here's the story. You may have previously read about my problems with radishes [posted 2012.05.29], and my good fortune this year. I had the best radish crop yet this past spring.

However, some of the plants did not produce anything, so I let them grow and flower. The blooms attracted a small army of bees over a long period into summer.

I thought these scrawny plants would never die. They formed an ugly border for months in the front yard cottage garden for all the neighborhood to notice. Cool weather radishes appear to be rather tough and hold up to droughts and summer heat. Finally the flowers turned to plump seed pods in the middle of July.

I harvested the seeds and planted them in early September for a fall harvest - first time I planted for a fall crop of anything. Only about half the seeds germinated, either because I went on vacation just as they needed water to sprout, or many of the seeds were not pollinated. My new fall crop was pulled up (30 days just like on seed packets) just as the first frost is predicted. View one, along with some of their Hungarian buddies.

Pineapple Rag

2012-10-11T15:10:00.001-04:00

So I found myself in Delaplane Virginia for the annual spring strawberry festival. Disappointed that the strawberries bering sold were Driscoll's imported from California (and higher priced than the same in the grocery stores), I headed for the craft booths. I wandered down Booth Row and through the endless assortment of hummingbird and butterfly stained glass, country dolls, soap, and banners (I am probably insulting some readers here), and found a corner vendor selling plants.

The herb table was most interesting. I picked up a Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) and chatted with the owner who pointed out its virtues and its growing requirements. So it will grow into a small bush, cuttings can be taken, and it will die in the fall.

It was planted in my hillside, side south-facing garden and pretty much forgotten about. Once in a while, I picked off a leaf to enjoy the pineapple scent. And, I was fond of picking one off for any visitors (on a garden 'tour' before dinner) to enjoy. Internet indications are that it makes good tea and pina colada garnishments.

Leaves were always light chartreuse and stood out next to the castor and rosemary plants. Its color seemed to be a theme in the back yard without trying (St. John's Wort, hostas, coleus.) And then this month, it began blooming.

To say the red on the Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is brilliant is an understatement. Only two other plants have this red intensity at this time of year - cosmos and crocosmia, and my crocosmia died years ago. The 18-inch high (50 cm) plant filled in without trimming. The square stems and blooms are a giveaway as a mint family member. In fact, I noticed the flowers look like salvia, which (wow) is in the botanical name.

Indications on internet sites are that the plant dies down at frost, but the root clump remains viable over winter to my zone (7A). Since I have enough going on bringing plants indoors during the fall, I think I will test out this overwinter theory and just mulch the roots for the winter.

I am please with the outcome of this purchase. And will even look at pineapple sage recipes if it comes back next year. Pineapple sage salsa anyone?

For The Record:
• Heavy clay soil with some organic amendments
• Full sun
• No fertilizer
• No serious pests/disease

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, sage, aster
• Harvested: 2 tomatoes, 1 radish

On Deck

2012-10-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

Come on up the stairs for dinner on the deck. That's my second year of container gardening in the corner. I started one last year after seeing all the great containers that bloggers were posting on their blogs. This year's looks better, and I even added a second container full of sweet potato vines.

That's 'Red Star Cordyline' (Dracena) in the center. I brought it indoors last winter, kept it alive, and used it to center the container again this year. Simple cream petunias and red Calibrachoa work with the color scheme, with the calibrachoa spilling over the edges. In the summer, these needed watering every other day.

Just drop in and have a seat. Every chair rocks a little. Go ahead and put your legs up while I fix a snack on the grille.
Haven't seen you in a while, and never saw you decked
out in brown before - very appropriate for this time of year.
And, pardon me, but my have you grown, (especially
around the bottom.)

September Lilies

2012-09-29T20:42:00.002-04:00

With a lull in the garden, there are a few individual specimens of note at this time of year that do not have much story associated with them. But, I want to record these here for future reference.

The rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) are in their second year. First found on a visit to the Dallas Arboretum, planted and reported last year [posted 2011.09.15], they survived the winter, and multiplied somewhat. I find that they only begin blooming in late summer and fall here, and they really do come out after rain. They seem to bloom in cycles - about every two weeks for a week with some precipitation.

These are the white variety, as some can be pink or pale cream-yellow. My leaves are not as substantial and grass-like as those in Dallas, - but are almost invisible during the summer. Flowers remind me of crocus when they pop out, and close up at night.

The belamcamda lily (Iris domestica) was started indoors from seeds obtained at the February seed exchange [posted 2012.02.12]. Three plants germinated; only one survived. When transplanted outdoors, additional seeds were planted in the garden with no results. I wish there were others to keep this lonely one company.

The 24-inch high plant (60 cm) successfully produced a number of blossoms with associated seed pods. The expectation is that they will open to reveal clusters resembling blackberries (it is also know as the blackberry lily.)

The perennial plant originates in China, and was formerly known as Belamcanda chinensis, but like many other plants, DNA sequencing indicates it to belong elsewhere in the plant kingdom - in the iris family. It was renamed. Current ongoing research centers on its possible use as a treatment of prostate cancer.

For The Record:
• No fertilizer
• Full sun
• No serious pests/disease

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, cosmos, zepharanthes,
coconut lime echinacea

So This Is Invasive

2012-09-20T11:23:00.000-04:00

When looking into the information about my cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) this summer, [posted 2012.07.07] I ran across several sources that label it as an invasive species, especially on the U.S. west coast. According to the USDA Invasive and Noxious Plants List, California brands it as a noxious weed. Now I know why. The tall plant has some rather voluminous, nasty looking (although not very sharp) cauldrons of seeds. They dried during the summer and broke open, spewing thousands of silky, airy, floating seeds to populate my neighbors' yards. I can't wait until they find artichokes growing in their lawn next year.

I can see why this is considered an invasive in some parts with a seed dispersal system like this. One hopes for my sake that they do not easily germinate next year.

The cardoon plants were cut down after they went to seed last month. I was thinking it was an annual, and began planning for what could take its place next year. But after my week long vacation trip, I came home to find the darn thing is growing again! No, it is NOT an annual. I need to add its move to the fall chores list, since I will not keep it in its present location. One good point: I have lots of contributions for the annual gardeners seed exchange that I attend in late January.

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, acidanthera, coneflower
• Harvested: 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber

One Potato, Too

2012-09-03T15:43:00.007-04:00

I, too have one sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas,) in a pot. I've seen a lot of them growing around, mostly in pots. I was awed by the trials at the Dallas Arbotetum [posted 03.10.2010], and thought that if they survive the heat in Dallas, they would surely like the hot dry conditions on my east facing deck.

This year, I have two planters on the deck, one of them a first-timer. So on a lazy day at Home Depot, I picked up a few items to plop in - some mini yellow zinnias and a sweet potato vine. To say the vine took over is an understatement. I daily pinch off a few leaves to allow the zinnias to poke through for a little sun. But both plants appear to cozily get along in their asymmetrical arrangement.

I liked the vine color, with new leaves starting maroon gradually turning green. Gives a bit of interest since I don't have any 'thrill' included (Thrill, fill, spill.) And the 'fill' zinnias are well behaved and seem to be overwhelmed and surprised. I thought I had the colors looking good, and then yesterday: a shocker. There was a flower on the potato vine. I turned around the planter and snapped a photo for proof.

I have never seen one blooming. After an excited check on the internet, with thoughts of naming a one-of-a-kind plant that I discovered, it turns out that sweet potato vines do indeed bloom. They are related to the morning glory family (are very distant to the potato), and are a tropical plant originating in Venezuela or Central America.

The tuberous potatoes are edible but according to sources, most have a poor flavor or even a bitter taste. They don't grow from seed like morning glories, but from cuttings. Looks like the other cuttings I take from outdoor plants will have new company this winter.

Now there are a few more blooms, and I can find several buds. Trouble is, the bloom color throws off the careful planning for the planter color scheme.

For The Record:
• Rich potting soil
• Full sun
• Small amount of slow-release fertilizer
• Requires water and easily wilts in hot dry weather
• No serious disease but some holes eaten in leaves

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, zinnia, canna, mexican zinnia, acidanthera, rudbeckia, salvia, nicotiana, asters
• Harvested: 2 peppers

August 2012 Flowers In The House

2012-08-27T19:45:00.003-04:00

Came home from work today and needed to brighten up the kitchen countertop. The town where the office is was dead today, probably because everyone is away on their Labor Day vacation. I brought in a few of the Canary zinnias and mixed in a few sulphureus cosmos. Some sweet potato vine leaves add a base.

The drying herbs were brought in a few weeks ago. Looks like these coriander from the cilantro herbs are about ready to move into the spice rack, or plant in the garden for a fall harvest.

Christmas In August

2012-08-25T07:00:00.004-04:00

In November of last year, I fretted over planting an amarylis bulb right before Thanksgiving. I started up a bunch of paper whites about the same period during the previous year, resulting in Christmas and New Years blooms. However, I was worried about starting the amaryllis at this time - too late since they take a lot longer to get their butts in gear. Thanksgiving, I thought, was too late. Christmas was without bloom, but at my New Years open house, the amaryllis (Hippeastrum) was in in full glory.

I know something about bulbs, and how they need their foliage to redevelop the bulb package for next year's bloom. Armed with that fact and the techniques found on the Internet about getting an amaryllis to bloom again, I placed my new 4-leaf foliage plant on the outdoors deck in the early spring after the blooms had faded and withheld water.

The foliage did not get any prettier. I left it lie dormant for another month, and then planted it in the vegetable garden. The hope was that it would grow foliage during the summer and replenish the bulb in time for another Christmas bloom this year (after a fall dormancy.)

Leaves began growing again. Then, the darn thing started blooming in the garden last week! And, it's got two small side shoots - cute new baby amaryllis plants. Quite a surprise! A few notes about this South African native: First, the flower stalks are easily knocked down by wind and just plain rain, which makes the flowers too heavy for their stalks. I am now using a support. Second, the flowers are lasting a very long time! Third, I believe the flower color is a more vibrant red than when it bloomed indoors. Is that possible?

So now what? The plans need to be modified. When the flowers die down, I will let the foliage continue into the fall. Hopefully, that will also die down in time. Then, after digging it up, it will be planted indoors at the beginning of November for another Christmas bloom. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

For The Record:
• Good garden soil
• Mostly full sun
• Small amount of fertilizer
• No serious pests/disease
• Leaves have some light colored spots

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, zinnia, cosmos, zephyranthes,
belacamda, nicotiana
• Harvested: 5 hungarian peppers, 8 cucumbers, lots of tomatoes

A Budding Buddleia

2012-08-13T23:05:00.007-04:00

Woah. I knew nothing about buddleia until I found one growing in the monarda order received from High Country Gardens. The story started in early February after it began springing up ahead of the new monarda clump planted in the fall, as detailed in my [09.03.2012] post entitled "Name That Plant."

Growth was fast with a number of vertical stalks reaching toward the sky. In their comments, Janet and eu.phorbia were spot on in identifying the mystery plant from the few leaves displayed in my pictures. Once I was convinced it was buddleia, it was moved to an area where it could spread its wings. I have seen some sprawling specimens that were out of control. After its first season of growth, this one is about 4-feet high (1.2 m).

Not wanting a sparse wild plant, I began strategically trimming it several times to encourage some branching and infill. It worked, sort of, but the trimming also delayed flowering so I did not know its color until last month. It still looks a little gangly.

So where are the butterflies? None here. They sure like my zinnias, though. I did not know the buddleia flowers were fragrant (to humans).

I discovered that the plant keeps on blooming since I have been trimming the dead blooms off. I also discovered that this is important to keep the plant from becoming an invasive. King County Washington outlines its Class B Noxious Weed classification.

"It can grow in very challenging conditions, such as cracks in the pavement and along railroads. Invasion of butterfly bush along riversides is especially problematic, because it forms dense thickets, crowds out native vegetation, and disrupts natural succession patterns. A study at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania found that a single flower spike produced 40,000 seeds. The germination rate of several cultivars was 80 percent or higher. Seeds remain viable in the soil for 3 to 5 years. Butterfly bush can re-sprout from the rootstock after it can been damaged or cut down to its base, and the cut stems can grow into new plants."

For The Record:
• Heavy clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments
• Partial sun
• No serious pests/disease
• Mildly sweet smelling blooms
• Continuous blooming

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia. zinnia, cleome, rudbeckia, rose, green coneflower, green nicotiana
• Harvested: 1 pepper, 12 tomatoes, 5 cucumbers

July 2012 Flowers In The House

2012-07-29T21:20:00.016-04:00

In July we hosted Dinner on (the) Deck. It was a hot evening, and the garden was melting. A few greens and cool colors were used on the table to chill down my guests without turning the garden hose on them. White buddleia adds some sweetness. Coconut Lime echinacea join a few purple coneflower seed heads with loosetrife greenery.

Dinner consisted of spiedies, chopped Mediterranean salad, and grilled vegetables with seasoned potatoes. A guest brought homemade pickles. Raspberry sorbet with fresh berries and a Ghirardelli raspberry chocolate wafer topped off dessert. Better living through food.

Visit and bring your vase to Flowers In The House at Jane's blog Small But Charming.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

2012-07-18T06:48:00.031-04:00

One tomato, one pepper, one cuke. Singing the gardener's blues. With all the work in the garden thus far, that's all I got. It's enough to drive you to drinkin.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer came to mind when picking the first tomato and first pepper this morning to join the one cucumber - before the temperature climbs above 100 (38° C) again for the sixth time this summer. I was not looking for the weather to grill my vegetables while still on the vine.

It's the middle of summer and there's not much to show yet. Thankfully we don't have the drought conditions here that a good part of the country has. Rainfall in our area is way down for the year, but there have been a few quick storms that left a little in their wake.

The surprise cucumber was accidentally discovered yesterday evening. I have been watching the tomato for the past week as it tried to ripen and held my breath that a squirrel would not take a chunk out of it.

The pepper is new to me. Seeds were touted by a lady at the February seed exchange [posted 2012.02.11] as a 'Hungarian Pepper' grown every year because it was the best. The internet tells me there are oodles of peppers with this name; some hot, some not. Fast forward to last month, and a few long yellow peppers appeared on the plant. They were left to see how large they would grow, and if they would turn red or orange. This one started to turn, so I brought it in today with the tomato. My 8-inch long (20 cm) Hungarian pepper's appearance is not unlike those infernal red Thai peppers - let's hope not - I don't need peppers to go along with the weather.

PS - The pepper was not hot. It was very flavorful but there's not a lot of pepper.

Garden Calendar:
• Blooming: zinnia, rudbeckia, cleome, cosmos, sunflowers, nicotiana, echinacea, platycodon, cardoon
• Harvested: 1 pepper, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, several cherry tomatoes