Sunday morning stroll

It's a misty, foggy morning here on Long Island. Perfect weather to play in the garden, that is if you like to get muddy :-) I've got my muck shoes and slicker waiting for me in the breezeway, as soon as I put this post up I'll be out there having fun.

Walking around with my camera shielded by my bright red slicker I saw many things that need to be tended to. The clumps of Sedum are already pushing forward their lovely rosettes, I have many that still have last year's dead growth on them. Must cut them back!


The crocus are about finished with their bloom. Some clumps have grown quite large and cramped. I have never read about dividing crocus but I think they need it. I'm going to try to break this clump up into three or four pieces and place them in new locations.


The primroses have started to bloom. Here's another plant that looks to me like it could be divided. I've only divided them once before, many years ago and must have done something wrong because I lost both divisions. This year I'm going to try to divide them gently now, before we get too much warm weather.


Oh no! What is it about spring with the wait, wait...Hurry Up cycle? The last gardens that I clean are the shade beds in the back of my property but the Hellebores are coming up and starting to bloom and I'd better get out there some time this week.


Ugh! There's nothing pretty about this mess in my potting area. Can't pot up new babies without fixing this spot. One of these days I'm going to have to address a ground cover as the area turns to instant mud when ever there is a rain. It's too shady for grass, a concrete is too expensive. This year it might have to be a few loads of wood chips. I sure wish we could have those darn toothpick Hemlocks removed as they are almost dead (some already are) and they just take up space.
Last shot for today. Here's a little bit of what I worked on yesterday. Found lots of pots with growth in them, they are on the bottom layer. The top of the bench has Sempervivum (hens and chicks) that I started potting up. I think working with them is my most favorite task in the garden.

Off to make some mud,
Melanie

Florida Wetlands

Florida is the most fascinating place. I've only seen small parts of it but I've loved every thing I've seen so far. What grabs my attention the most are the wetlands that I've visited with my mom. Some day I'd like to go kayaking or on a small boat through the swamps.

I think people tend to think of beaches and skyscrapers like what they show on CSI Miami but there is so much more to Florida than that. We are surrounded with lovely beaches here on Long Island so I guess they don't call to me as much as they do with other tourists.

My mom and I could walk for hours so these nature centers are the perfect spot for us to visit.


The two nature preserves I've seen are built on the same concept. They have long boardwalks built just above the swamp. Native plant life is encourage to grow to help support the multitude of birds and creatures in the area. Parts of the boardwalks cross large open areas like you see above.

At times, the boardwalks cut through groves of trees.

Every now and then you will come across a shelter built on a small side path. What a wonderful place to sit and take a rest or as in our case, shelter from a sudden rain squall.

The plant material is thick and luscious. I don't have botanical names for these but I can guess that this plant is in the iris family.

Here's another beauty we saw in the water. Mom and I wondered if the bud opened on sunny days or if this is what it looks like in full bloom.

More plant material. I couldn't find a reference of this plant anywhere but it sure looked like a Canna lily to me.

The flowers that we saw weren't huge and in your face as is the case so often with species plants versus hybrids. Still, the simplicity alone was stunning.

Of course a walk through the wetlands wouldn't be complete without a good viewing of an alligator. We also spied out quite a few babies that were swishing through the water.

Ha Xuan, when we were walking there I thought about you and wondered if this was similar to Vietnam. I also thought about how incredibly difficult it must have been for those early explorers to make their way though this wild but beautiful land.

The last few days were insane here as I wrapped up my commitments to help run our high school fashion show. Finally, today I can get out in to my own garden. Yesterday we had balmy temperatures in the 60's but I didn't get to peek at a single plant. Today is cooler and damp but I can't wait to get out there and decide what chore I will begin now. I'm just dying to start dividing and planting.

Planning on getting nice and muddy,
Melanie

Florida photos

Well here I sit, back home again after a whirl wind trip to Florida and back. My flight last night was quite delayed and today was spent playing "catch up" with tons of paperwork.

Still, I couldn't curl up and rest without sharing just a few of the images I shot in Florida.

These three photos were taken at Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center in Boynton Beach Florida. My mom and I never did make it to any public (or private) gardens and I didn't miss them one bit.

There are plenty of gardens to see but for me, the fascination of wildlife at these wetlands and nature centers...well, they just continue to draw me back for another look.


As soon as I have a few quiet moments I'll try to write down some of my impressions of these incredible places. For now, I leave you with these photos. I wish I could have recorded the sounds too as the air was just filled with bird calls and alligator roars as we walked along the boardwalks.

Melanie

Tropical Paradise

No photos to share yet. My mom has internet access and a computer but not the photo program I use with my camera.

Sunny Florida...NOT. It's truly tropical here. Bands of rain and wind come whipping through and then a break with hot sunshine. Before you can dry off the rain comes through again. Of course, as a gardener I understand how much they need the moisture down here so I've got a smile as my umbrella.

Right now it's raining sideways, we'd like to go out for dinner but will have to wait for a lull in the storm before we make a run for the car.

This morning we visited a nature/bird sanctuary and saw baby alligators. That was before we got caught in a downpour but I still got some photos before the rains came.

Tomorrow we hope to visit a local Japanese garden. Cross your fingers for me and hope that we have beautiful weather.

Till tomorrow,
Melanie

Behind bars

Phooey. It's raining outside and this picture of my labradoodle Calie shows just how I feel.

Yesterday's weather was glorious but I had no time to get out in the garden. Today I don't have the time to get out there either but I can't even dream about it with this weather. Of course I know the garden appreciates the rain so I'm only grumbling a little bit.

As a teaser though, I'll leave you with this photo:I took this picture last summer in Germany but I chose it here today as a tropical image. Tomorrow morning long before the crack of dawn I'll be on the way to the airport to catch a plane to sunny Florida.

My mom and I will have almost four glorious days together, we plan on lots of walks and visits to various nature preserves. I promise to bring my camera and come back with oodles of photos.

Maybe when I wake up here next Tuesday morning it will feel like spring outside :-)

Think green,
Melanie

Cutting back the grasses

Yesterday was the perfect day to spend cutting back the grasses in the garden. Although the weather channel said the temperature was in the high 40's, the bright sunshine made it feel much warmer. Still, you don't want it to be too warm when cutting the grasses, they can be quite sharp and it's nice to wear long sleeves and still be comfortable.

Rather than show photos of dead looking grass stumps, I've chosen the fall shots of these grasses. The first grass was the easiest, the various clumps of Hakonechloa (Japanese Hakone Grass) only need household scissors to cut them back. I like to vary the tools I'm working with so I don't end up with one massive blister.

The clump of Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' seen behind my spring cherub was the hardest to cut back. Due to it's location, I used a pair of hand held felco pruners. The palm of my hand is quite sore today.

This clump is boxed in on two sides with stone and concrete patio so it's become quite dense. Hopefully I'll get to digging it up and dividing it this spring.

The Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' (Porcupine grass) was actually quite easy to cut back even though it was by far the largest clump in the garden. I used my husbands new bypass lopers and it only took about ten minutes to clean this out.

I really love this grass. When it first begins to grow, it doesn't have the markings on it. It's not until it gets at least chin high that pale yellow bands start to appear.

The final clump of grass that was cut back was the Molina 'Sky Racer'. It's another grass that I just couldn't live without. The foliage on this grass stays quite low but the blooms shoot up in the sky to form a a thin veil that you can still see through. I used the Felco pruners on this one too, it wasn't very difficult to cut back at all.

Like the other grasses in the garden, this one is due to be divided this year.

BONUS! If you are wondering why I was using hand held tools instead of attacking all the grasses with lopers, well it's because I was looking for treasure in the garden.

My diligence was rewarded, in total I found 6 praying mantis egg cases in the grasses. I've cut them off carefully and stored them outside, in my breezeway. I sent an e-mail to the school offering some of them to any elementary school teacher that would like one. We'll see if anybody takes me up on that offer.

I never did get around to planting peas although I did ready the pots that I plan to plant them in. Today looks like another great gardening day so I hope to squeeze a few hours in out there before the afternoon and evening meetings begin.

Happy digging,
Melanie

It's Green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In keeping with today's theme, I thought I'd post a few green photos. It was either that or images of me planting peas (something I might get to later today).

These four shots are slides that were taken years ago and then scanned into my computer. They don't have the clarity of today's digital images but I think they still get their point across. As Kermit the frog knows, even green can be beautiful.

The opening slide has been shown here before. It's an amazing combination of Hosta, Sanquinaria canadensis (double bloodroot), Asarum europeaum (European Ginger) and an Epimedium.

This image is a simple close up of an Ipomoea, most likely the variety 'Marguerite'.


Here's an unknown Hosta with a single mutation in the center.

And finally, lots of green but contrasting foliages with the Hemerocallis (Daylily) on the left, Alchemilla (Ladies Mantle) in the center and the Coreopsis (tickseed) on the right.

Ok, here's hoping it warms up enough out there for me to get out and do some planting :-)

Melanie

Bleeding Hearts by Color

Dicentra spectabilis, more commonly known as Bleeding Hearts is a perennial that I just adore. My gardens are filled with them, they bloom for such a long time in the spring. The only downfall is that their foliage dies off when the temperatures get hot so you are left with a large "dead" spot in your garden. It takes a bit of experementation but eventually you will find companion perennials that will fill in that spot later in the season.

One of the most cool things about bleeding hearts is that you can tell what color they are as soon as they start pushing out of the soil. I wish other perennials were this easy to identify!

The first photo shows the emerging shoot of a pink bleeding heart.


This is what the blooms will look like later in the spring. Aren't they magnificent?


Here you can see the color change in the emerging shoots of a white bleeding heart.

This photo was shot exactly one year ago. Aparently we are a bit behind last year as I haven't seen this in the garden yet.

Going through three years of perennial photos it was amazing to me that I could find lots of photos of the pink Dicentras but this was the only photo I could find of a white Dicentra. I grow lots of both of them so I will have to make an effort to take some better photos this year.

If you've ever wondered how to divide a Dicentra spectabilis, scroll down the right side of my blog and click on "How to Divide Perennials" under the catagory "Labels". You will see what the root system of a bleeding heart looks like. They are quite different from most perennials and so I used to think they were finicky. The truth is that they divide easily as along as you divide them early in their growth stage. In my experience, they immediately take off and bloom like nothing ever happened to them.

Another note I would make about bleeding hearts is that they appreciate more sunlight then I was led to believe. If you live in a warmer climate (I am on Long Island, just east of New York City), you might have a different experience. Here though, I've grown bleeding hearts in full sun and they grow quickly to epic proportions! The ones in the shade bloom as well but take much longer to clump up.

Off to spend some glorious time cleaning up winter debris,
Melanie

Hicks Flower Show

Yesterday's trip to the Hicks Flower show here on Long Island was the perfect cure for the late winter blahs. The smell of the air alone was enough to invigorate a gardeners soul.

Hicks is an old nursery, over 150 years old, still run by the same family. It's perfect for the main stream gardener, excellent for families with children. They have a wonderful selection of containers, and also one of the largest selections of organic products for gardeners.

What they are not, is a place to hunt for perennials. You'll always find one or two there that are perfect but a long time perennial collector probably wouldn't fill a wagon there.


What grabbed my attention there was the large planters filled with many tropical (house) plants. Last year I filled many of my own planters here in the garden this way. Rather than using lots of flowering material, I chose to use tropical plants that had interesting and contrasting foliage.

There was a large crowd there and I only felt like snapping quick photos so there's no artistry involved in these shots. Still, I hope you can see what I mean about using foliage plants.


This container was lovely. Later when I get a chance to photograph the plants that I brought home with me I'll show you what the chartreuse plant is that's in the foreground.

A container like this would look great for a party but really isn't practical for a whole season in the garden. At the back is a Hydrangea and a Mandavilla, neither of which would really look great in this setting in another month or two.

My very favorite container was the first photo at the top of this post. I fell in love with the plant that looks like a big bow (to me) but I didn't see it for sale nor did I find it's name.

Kim and I also found the perfect containers for our dish gardens. Later this morning I'll take photos and share them here.

Hunt for Hypertufa

This morning my friend Kim and I will go on a hunt for hypertufa containers. Kim is the flower show chairperson for the Nathan Hale Garden club and one of the classes in the show will incorporate dish gardens. Ideally, we'd like to find 4 matching hypertufa containers for this class.

These two photos were taken at Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York. Hypertufa is a mix of cement, peat-moss and sand. The containers look like they are solid concrete but are actually light enough to be able to move around.

I've read dozens of articles on how to make hypertufa but just haven't had the time to put together all the ingrediants to try it here.

Our hunt will take us to Hicks Nursery which coincidently is opening their flower show and spring exhibit today. I can't wait to get back and share some fresh photos with all of you!

Wish us luck on finding the right containers.

Melanie

Have you ever divided a Hellebore?

Last year was the first that I had Hellebore seedlings bloom. It was so exciting to see their different faces. The bees had done the pollinating for me, I did not hybridize these.

As you can see here, they were a nice size last year. This year I expect to have them double in size as they were planted in a nice rich soil.

One Hellebore that I bought about 5 years ago has grown to enormous proportions. I've never read or seen anything that talks about dividing a Hellebore. The plants that are available for sale in pots are quite large and robust so I would guess that they do pot up well. I wonder if those are seedlings that are potted up or if they were divisions from larger plants.

Many years ago a garden friend gave me two plants of Hellebore foetidus. She warned me that they would sulk when planted in my garden. True to her advice, they never became robust but as they went to seed, their seedlings took over and became large healthy plants. I have moved very young seedlings and noticed that they don't mind this at all. But as for actually cutting into a large clump, well that's something I'd like more information on before actually trying.

Melanie

Spring scene

It's cold and rainy outside. So, if I can't have spring out there, I'll make it be spring in here.

It might not be much but this little vignette set up on my kitchen counter is the first thing I see when I come in the door.

The Primroses were just being unloaded at Main Street nursery when I was there on Friday. The yellows smelled heavenly but I just couldn't resist this color combination, even though it doesn't have any scent.

Unusually warm temperatures this past weekend did a great job of melting much of the snow around here and today's rain is finishing it all off. Saturday I got to do a little clean up in one of the front beds and found foliage on the Colombines and Nepetas. By the end of this week I hope to be able to find some of the Dicentras (Bleeding hearts) popping up.

Melanie

Then and Now

On the 15th of February I went out to the garden and shot some pre-spring photos. We had a fairly mild February and I was sure spring was just around the corner.

As you can see, the buds on the Hellebores were already full of promise.




While the sempervivum were quite shriveled, I knew that a few weeks of milder temperatures would perk them up quickly. This one is 'Oddity', the only sempervivum I can readily identify without any name tag.


The trough is filled with grayish sempervivums. They will turn all kinds of lovely shades once they get a little bit more sun and warmth.


Sedums in the red wagon are lush and full, just waiting for spring. They call to me begging for an overhaul this year. It's a task I look forward to, hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get to it later this month.


Alas, winter was not ready to let go of it's hold. Last weekend while I was up in our state capitol advocating for our schools, Long Island was walloped with a snow storm. This photo taken this morning is five days after the snow, finally we've had enough melt to see the tops of some of the plants. With temperatures forcasted to be quite mild for the next few days, I expect all the snow to disappear by late Monday.

Another thing to note here is that this spot is still in shadow. With the tall evergreens surrounding our property, the winter sun has little chance to reach the ground.

I'm sure it's only weeks from when I'll be posting photos of the most beautiful, lush sempervivum. For now though, I can only sit here at my computer and look at last years photos.

As for the Hellebore in the opening shot, it's still under snow but being ever the optomist, I know I'll be out there soon taking more photos.

How long do perennials bloom?

When I was doing quite a few gardening lectures, I was often asked why perennials don't bloom as long as annuals. I had to explain that my understanding is that they bloom for a shorter time span because they need to conserve energy to return again the next year.

Most likely there is a much more scientific answer for this question but in my own garden I have had some perennials that bloom for a very long time and it seems like many of them don't reliably return. Hellebores though are quite hardy here.

This photo was taken last year on June 9th. You can see that the Hellebore was in full bloom. I couldn't find a photo of when the Hellebore began blooming but I'd guess by late March if not early April it was blooming. Since it certainly didn't stop blooming a day or two after June 9th, I can pretty much bet that it bloomed for over 3 months. That's an incredibly long bloom season for a perennial!

There are other perennials that bloom for a long time here on Long Island, I'll have to look through my photos and see what pops up. Right now though, I'm looking forward to seeing some Hellebores, Crocus and Galianthus (snow drops) appear any day now. Last year I shot a photo of a crocus bloom on February 20th.

What perennials do you find have a long bloom season?

Hidden gems

Today's plant combination is one that didn't catch my eye during the growing season. Maybe my eyes are so starved at this barren time of year that they see things differently.

This photo shows a corner of the garden where I have quite a few plants of Alchemilla mollis (Ladies mantle) alternating with Nepeta mussinii (Cat mint). In this last spot though I also stuck in a little piece of Sedem 'Purple Emperor'. I really like the combination of the fleshy Sedum leaf against the soft fuzziness of the Alchemilla leaf. I think this combination would pop even more with a darker purple Sedum such as 'Postman's Pride'.

Right now I'm so incredibly thankful that I shot so many photos of my gardens and plant material last year.

Off to look outside to see if anything is thinking of coming up soon :-)

Unexpected Combinations

Today's feature combination is one that moves around from year to year.

In the bottom left corner is the lovely perennial Oenothera speciosa. This variety of Oenthera took me a few years to learn to appreciate. The blooms are lovely, more pink than this image shows. One possible problem with this plant is that it travels underground and spreads quickly. At first I was worried about it but it really pulls out quite easily and once it starts blooming it's love at first sight. In my garden while it spreads quickly it doesn't seem to choke out other plant material but instead winds its way around them.

The plant in the top right corner is one that can be seen in many combination photos from my garden. It's the annual (or possibly biennial) Silene armeria. The nick name of this plant is Catch fly because of the sticky bands across the stems that actually trap insects. If left to seed it will reward you with lots of lovely babies across the garden. This year for the first time I will make an effort to pot up the seedlings early in the season and offer them for sale since I've rarely seen this plant in any other gardens around here.


Here's another photo of the Oenothera that shows the coloration better. Just a foot or two further in the garden now combined with Stachys byzantina (Lamb's ear), another great combination.

Behind the scenes, this morning I've tried a new feature on my Picasa 3 photo program. Finally I can add text to an image and I'm looking forward to being able to incorporate the plant names in the photos.

I've also been reading quite a few gardening books and magazines lately. Have you been reading too?