Growing with Plants

7 Things to Avoid when Preparing a Vegetable Garden

2012-05-23T21:09:00.002-04:00

THESE SNAP PEAS MIGHT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITH SIX TO EIGHT HOURS OF SUNLIGHT IS FINE, BUT TEN TO TWELVE HOURS CAN ADD TO YOUR HARVEST SUBSTANTIALLY.

1. Avoid Shade - Duh - But Count Your Hours of Sunlight

There are many factors to consider when selecting the perfect site for your vegetable garden. most can be fixed or altered after you have constructed it, so focus on what you can't change - the weather. Not all plants need sunlight in order to grow, but generally speaking, vegetables are the exception to the rule. But shade can be a sneaky thing - shade can be cast long distances in the morning and in the evening, and a tall tree in a neighbors yard, or a garage may block the sun at sunrise or near sunset, which may seem minor, but ever hour of extra sun may mean the difference between early tomatoes, or late ones.

When planning you raised bed, look for the sunniest place in your yard. Consider cast shadows from neighboring trees, especially in the morning and in the evening, and notice if the canopy of a tree extends over your garden. I have a high fence along the southern end of my property which casts a long shadow across several raised beds for most of the year, but between late May and late August, these beds receive nearly 16 hours of sunlight.

WITH LOTS OF ORGANIC MATERIAL ADDED TO YOUR SOIL, VERY LITTLE TILLING WILL BE REQUIRED.

2. Avoid Rototilling

Soil texture is one of the least talked about aspects of gardening, but in many ways, it can be the most essential, as the root zone can be the most opportunistic place where you can improve your growing conditions. All too often, mechanical rototillers and out-dated concepts such as 'double digging' do more harm than good. Soil is a very local and complex issue, and soil does need to be worked, but in many raised beds, all one needs to do is to turn over the soil with a pitch fork to loosen it. The more organic material there is in the soil, the less the soil needs to be worked.

A perfect example of re-invention is happening in the rock garden world. For nearly 100 years alpine plant enthusiasts have insisted on using a granualar, fast-draining soil mixture akin to canary gravel, sand and pebbles, with just a little organic material added. The new method redefines the entire cultivation process by suggesting growers use pure clay. Wet, sloppy, clay.

Fundamentally, adding organic material to your raised bed is the best advice. But try not to add peat moss. Recent trends are to reduce our consumption on peat and peat products, a limited resource exists and many gardeners are looking at more sustainable resources such as compost.

3. Avoid Adding Bagged 'soil' To Your Vegetable Garden

I have no idea where this trend started, but all commercial brands of bagged soil or bagged top soil are some of the worst products one can add to your vegetable gardens. Even bagged composted manure is often un-tested, or less than 1% manure, plus, you never know where it comes from. More likely than not, it is just aged wood mulch, which, by itself, is not bad, but you should not be paying a premium for it.
Also, take some time to understand the difference between POTTING SOIL, TOP SOIL and LOAM. Top soil is just wild, sandy or clay soil ( dirt) dug from the ground, and potting soil is SOILESS, meaning, it is composed from often three ingredients - peat moss, perlite and vermiculite ( generally speaking). Most commerical brands might be fine for containers, in fact, I highly reccomend them for containers, but for nothing else.

Best practices suggest that you add anything organic, even un-dyed bark mulch from the previous season. The best soil comes from composted leaves, which would require you to rent or buy a leaf shredder. Shred leaves in the autumn, and make a pile in the corner of your yard ( no need for fancy structures). By spring, the leaves will be perfect - absolutely perfect- as an organic additive to your garden. Second best- add hay from your barn, your chicken coop or from the zoo. Third best? Use your old bark mulch, that you stored in another pile for a year. Many commerical growers just this exact material when they grow specialty plants, it actually makes a terrific organic additive - and don't worry about it being too acidy, acid levels in soil is not affected by adding pine or hemlock.

CHOOSE YOUNGER TOMATO PLANTS FOR TRANSPLANTS VS LARGE PLANTS WITH FRUIT

3. Avoid Large Pre-Started Transplants. Go For Small

I know, it's so hard to resist those huge tomato plants in May, but resist, and go for the smallest ones. In the end, you will be happier with the results. Now that you are ready to plant, be careful about proper planting times. The greatest mistake is planting warm weather crops too early ( tomatoes and peppers), or, buying plants that are too large at the nursery. I know it is tempting, but remember that tomatoes will not set fruit until night time temperatures remain above 65 degrees. A tomato seed planted today on May 23 will over-take a store bought tomato plant with fruit on it in 6 weeks. There is absolutely no reason to buy a large, healthy tomato in May.

Learn what crops grow in cool weather, and which ones demand heat and humidity. Many crops must be grown as autumn crops and not in the spring. Dinosaur Kale or Tuscan Black kale is one that comes to mind, and many, such as Cauliflower like the 'Chedder Cheese' variety bred in the 1980's, performs much better as a fall crop. So save your seed catalogs, and use well-resected planting charts from good sources for exact planting dates ( I like Johnny's Selected Seeds' as a source for tested and true growing information).

HEIRLOOM VARIETIES LIKE THIS GERMAN GARLIC FROM 1850 ARE MORE THAN 100 HUNDRED YEARS OLD . CUCUMBERS, GARLIC AND TOMATO VARIETIES ARE OFTEN HANDED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS AND MOST ARE CHOICE SELECTIONS , BUT BE WARY OF MORE RECENT CROSSES FROM THE LATE 2oth CENTURY CLAIMING TO BE HEIRLOOM. LEARN THEIR INTRODUCTION DATE, AND MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES.

4. Avoid Weak Varieties, and Choose Heirlooms Choicefully

I know, heirlooms are hot and I highly recommend them, but be very careful about what some people call 'heirloom' and what are not true heirlooms. There are not rules here, so some people are labeling many old late 20th century open polinated ( meaning that they will come true from saved seed) varieties heirloom, when what they are is actually just 'old varieties. Many of these 'old varieties are just un-improved hybrids or un-improved selections that were introduced in the 1960's 70's and 80's, such as Marketmore cucumber strains. There are more than one.

As for hybrids? I would relax about them too, Hybrids are perfectly fine, if not preferred for performance and disease resistance. I hybridize myself, and people have been doing it for 150 years, and nature has been doing it long before that. There are hundreds of natural hybrids, just as in what happens to primroses in the wild. Natural crosses and those done with a paint brush are fine and safe - and no naturalist or botanist is running around freaking out about how hybrids are going to kill us, it's natural.

Genetically Modified Organisms ( GMO)? That's a different story. I have not made my mind up there yet, but my opinion is that is some places, it's perfectly fine. All I will say is unless you are a conspiracy theorist, and not a home gardener- don't worry about Monsanto selling you GMO seed. You could not buy any even if you wanted to.

ONE CANNOT PLANT ENOUGH SPINACH, EVEN A BROAD BAND ROW 60 FEET LONG WILL ONLY PRODUCE A COUPLE OF MEALS. STILL, THOSE FEW MEALS WILL BE OH, SO MEMORABLE.

5. Try to avoid under-planting - grow enough to prepare more than one meal.

Remember, it takes 60 feet of peas to pick a bushel. 20 square feet of spinach planted thickly to pick a pound. I know it can be discouraging, but this is that 'ol it takes 100 gallons of raw maple syrup to produce on gallon - thingy. Don't let this stop you, just be realistic if you are planning to live off of your vegetable garden, and he honest with yourself about why you are growing one in the first place. For health, your kids, the exercise, to learn, a few fine meals 'in season'- what ever, there is no bad reason.

OVER FERTILIZED TOMATOES WITH MIRACLE GRO 10-10-10 WILL PRODUCE LUSH FOLIAGE AND TALL STEMS, BUT FEW FRUIT. OPT FOR TOMATO FERTILIZER AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS LOW IN NITROGEN ( THE FIRST NUMBER).

6. Be aware about Fertilizing Too Much or Too Little

But contrary to what many advise, must growing vegetables well will require that you use fertilizer of some sort. I use both, a granular feed which some will say is in-organic, but I feel is still chemically the same ( nitrogen, phosphorus, etc from natural sources, combined with slow-release analysis products such as lime, blood meal, green sand, cottonseed ( for nitrogen) and bone meal.

Organic dry fertilizer is generally slower to decompose than liquid, so plan on using both. The problem is, bone meal is released into the soil over years, so if I added it now, it's not very useful in the short run. It is slow and weak, which is why it is often suggested for use with bulbs. I also augment with liquid feed, both from organic sources like fish, and yes, I use some Miracle-Gro for foliar feeds on some plants ( like fast crops such as arugula, spinach and other leafy crops),

Like people-food, I strive for a balance, since my primary goal is not to save the environment, as there is little to no run-off from my tiny raised beds or containers, but I also need to harvest sizable cabbages. All living creatures need nutrition, and learning the proper nutritional needs of every plant you will be growing is essential. A radish will require the opposite in nutritional needs than does a tomato, root crops need an analysis where nitrogen is barely an element, and the worst fertilizer you can use on a tomato plant is the 10-10-10 version of Miracle Gro, as yes, you will get a beautiful 12 foot tall dark green plant, but few, if any tomatoes.

I recommend:

For Tomatoes - 2.10.5
For Leaf crops - 10-5-5
For Root crops 2-10-10

Test your soil for pH, for what spinach or peas require for a pH ( 7) may not be what tomatoes want ( 5.5).

My Experiment -Pacific Coastal Annuals in New England

2012-05-19T23:39:00.002-04:00

NEMOPHILA MENZIESII 'BABY BLUE EYES" IS A FAVORITE CALIFORNIA WILDFLOWER, SOMTIMES GROWN IN COOLER GARDENS IN THE HIGH ATLANTIC COASTAL GARDENS OF NOVA SCOTIA AND NEWFOUNDLAND, BUT IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS? I ONLY EXPECT IT TO BE WITH US FOR A FEW WEEKS. NOTHING COMPARES WITH THIS COLOR, AND DISPLAY.

It was one of my many experiments this year - attempting to to grow annuals rarely seen in New England, or in many American gardens for that matter, since the cool nights and breezy cool days that they require are rarely found anywhere except in coastal California, Oregon and Washington, and in British Columbia. Add in the fact that these are annuals that one will never find in garden centers as they prefer to be be sown in situ, disliking any root disturbance. A few good garden centers may carry young seedlings, and one should seek them out, but don't expect them to be in bloom while in their containers, for plants must be purchased young, and slipped carefully into prepared holes with no root disturbance. My Annuals from Annies Annuals have been such a success, that next year I will be ordering many more, it's worth the little protection that I need to provide them with cloches in mid March, for a month or two of incredible color.

IT'S A CLASSIC COMBO OF NATIVE CALIFORNIA WILDFLOWERS - WHITE NEMOPHILA MACULATA "BABY FIVE SPOT" AND LIMNANTHES DOUGLASII ALONG WITH THE BLEST OF BLUE NEMOPHILA MENZIESII. I AM SURE OUR LOCAL BUTTERFLIES ARE FREAKING OUT, BUT THEY SEEM TO BE GOING A LITTLE CRAZY.

My experiment which I am calling my California Coastal Garden, began not by sowing seeds in the garden, since here in New England, a long, cool growing season would be required, instead, I ordered plants from Annies Annuals, which worked out very well, as they ship large plants that are bushy, and well grown in large, 4 inch containers. In mid March, I planted a few dozen pots of these pre-started annuals, while it was still cold. It was risky, but given that the past 8 months has been warmer than average, and along with the lack of snow cover, I felt that this year might be the perfect year to try something different.

LIMNANTHES DOUGLASII, A CALIFORNIA NATIVE, LOVES THE COOL NIGHTS in SPRING. LIKE LITTLE FRIED EGGS, IN CALIFORNIA, IT IS SOMETIMES CALLED MEADOW FOAM.

Many of these cool-loving plants are growable here in New England, but as potted greenhouse plants for cool or cold greenhouses. In the 1800's, such seed was sown in July and August, to provide winter and early spring color under glass, but given that much of our country experieinces long, hot and humid summers, most of these annuals will pout and disolve with even a hint of muggy, humid heat. It won't be long before such weather arrives in our garden, putting an end to our brief romance with these annuals, but until then, we are enjoying a display of something that is a little different.

THIS WHITE NEMESIA FRUTICANS, IS A VARIETY CALLED 'SAFARI WHITE', AVAILABLE FROME PROVEN WINNERS, IT IS HIGHLY FRAGRANT, AND WILL FILL A CONTAINER WITH FLOWERS AS LONG AS THE WEATHER REMAINS COOL.

CALIFORNIA POPPIES AND OTHER CALIFORNIA WILD FLOWERS ARE TAKING OVER MY ALPINE GARDEN, AND IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING CHANGE FOR A WHILE, AND THE SHOW HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN. OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, GODETIA, MATTHIOLA AND MANY POPPIES WILL BE ADDING TO THE SHOW.

LAYIA PLATYGLOSSA, OR "TIDY TIPS" IS ANOTHER CALIFORNIA NATIVE WHERE IT IS AN IMPORTANT NECTAR SOURCE FOR THE CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLY.

The Home Organic Vegetable Garden - Make It Personal

2012-05-18T16:42:00.001-04:00

CRISPY FRENCH RADISHES FOR BREAKFAST WITH SWEET, CREAM BUTTER. THE DELIGHTS OF THE HOME VEGETABLE GARDEN BECOME REDEFINED THROUGH THE GENERATIONS, BUT THE FUNDAMENTAL REASONS FOR GROWING HOME VEGGIES REMAIN THE SAME - CHOICE, TASTE AND FRESHNESS.

I thought that I learned my lesson a long time ago, but I have to be honest and tell you that it has only been a recent realization - that given my lack of free time, and maybe, dare I say, age, I really don't need to grow every vegetable at home in my vegetable garden. A few years ago, I made the decision to only grow what I felt like growing, varying my little crops each year to either augment what I could buy at the market or farmstand, and to keep things interesting, to try something new every year.

There have been some very active posts on other gardening sites about why young people don't garden anymore, or, about how nurseries or large garden centers can attract young people to purchase gardening supplies. Many of the responses seemed to come from those 'young people' themselves, be they Gen X, Gen Y or Millennials, which tells me that the problem may not exactly be that young people don't want to garden, but that for many reasons, the issue isn't that they don't want to have a home garden, the reasons are often more about their opportunity to garden rather then their desires to garden.

SOME OF MY RAISED BEDS, JUST STARTING TO PROVIDE SOME CROPS - THIS WEEKEND, SPINACH, RADISHES, LETTUCE AND GREEN ONIONS.

Even though I am a late Baby Boomer, I associate more with Gen X yet even at that, my parents had me very late in their lives, so in a weird way, they were depression era gardeners, canning and victory gardens were an every day affair for them, so I really don't connect with any "generation" at all! I mean, my dad was born in 1914. Back then, this garden above, extended 200 feet back,and held nearly an acre of vegetables. When I was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's there were still 100 foot long rows of Broccoli, beans and Tomatoes, and everything was 'put-up' by my mom, - frankly, I don't know how they did it, except I now realize why they kept having kids well into their 50's! Cheap labor!

YOUNG SPRING CABBAGE PLANTS, JUST SET OUT, WILL QUICKLY GROW INTO CONICAL HEADS BY LATE JUNE. MANY GARDENERS, INCLUDING ME, CONSIDER THESE SMALL, EARLY VARIETIES THE TASTIEST OF ALL CABBAGES FOR SLAW AND SALADS. NOTHING TASTES LIKE THESE TINY HEADS.

Today, I as many of you know, I only keep a few raised beds for vegetables, hardly enough to supply even a couple full meals, but I also know that many of you have even smaller gardens. Few of us need to garden today, as my parents did, so this re-evaluation of why we garden has become more important. My parents certainly were aware enough in the 1970's to know that pesticides were dangerous, and that home grown produce often was healthier and fresher than anything from a market, especially then. My father was a health freak long before it was cool, but in an odd, 1960's way ( he was already in his 50's then) but we had to grow organic corn, boil milk to cook the ears in because he read somewhere that this made them more nutritious, and he would boil them with their husks still on. My friends would make fun of me, and rarely eat over, but what can I say, he is 98 years old now, and over at his girl friends house this weekend doing what not. All of those fresh veggies and wild blueberries must be good for something!

HEIRLOOM LETTUCE MAKES FOR A FAST SPRING CROP, BUT REMEMBER, IT ALMOST ALWAYS MUST BE HARVESTED AT THE SAME TIME, SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY, AND SO IN SUCCESSION.

I only have time to grow my favorites, the essentials for me are fresh herbs like dill, both a green folial variety for potatoes and salads, and one variety for pickling, that can be allowed to grow tall, and to blossom and set seed. There are just some things one cannot always find fresh at the market. I also grow green onions, lettuce int he spring and fall, arugula, ( I sometimes grow mache, but I can buy nicer mache at Whole Foods, so often I skip it). My rules are based on what I can buy at the market or farmers market vs what I can grow, or, for convenience - fresh herbs like dill, mints, parsley, cilantro - yet I can hardly grow enough cilantro, so even that is sometimes only a luxury it I have a little room, I can buy it every other day at the market.

SEEDLING GREEN BUNCHING ONIONS, PLANTED IN MARCH, ARE JUST STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A POTENTIAL CROP. BUNCHING ONIONS REQUIRE GOOD MOISTURE, SANDY SOIL AND COOL TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS A WELL WEEDED BED.

There are just some things one cannot find fresh anywhere, or, if you do, they are still not as yummy as when fresh picked - these are the real luxuries - fresh baby turnips, heirloom red turnips, heirloom tomatoes, of course, because one must grow tomatoes and not pay $5.99 a pound. Baby cukes and pickling cukes just taste amazing, warm from the sun, eaten out in the garden with a salt shaker that you snuck out in your cargo shorts. A tomato, freshly picked also warm from the sun, tastes incredible with just a little salt from the same shaker, and the juice running down your arms. There is nothing in the world as delicious as freshly shucked sweet peas, the candy of the vegetable garden.

Young growers, first-time growers, those of you with kids--- plant even a few plants of something this year, who cares if you can only pick a bowl full of beans, sometimes its not about the volume or the cost savings, its about the total experience, the moment, the indulgence. In many ways, keeping even a single raised bed is very similar to stocking your own refrigerator - with snacks. It's highly personal, and no one should ever tell you what you should or should not buy ( even if I have in the past). You don't really have to grow a 60 foot row of peas, if you only have room for 6 plants. Those 6 plants will still provide you with joy, a few dozen pods of sweet peas to snack on, and some brief, moments of joy.

Tree Peonies and New Itoh Hybrids

2012-05-17T22:18:00.001-04:00

The magnificence of the noble true tree peony - the aristocratic and woodier cousin of the herbaceous peony, is not a tree at all, but is more of a bush, at least they can be bush-like if you are lucky. Not the easiest to grow well in New England, tree peonies are becoming more popular with gardeners who are in-the-know, those who find that perfect little nook or protected area in Zone 5 or 6 where the winter snows are deep and protective, or where the cold winds of late winter and early spring spare these hardy, yet fussy jewels of the garden. Rarely does one see Tree Peonies grown to perfection unless you live in the Pacific North West or in zone 7 or higher, where winters are mild. Tree peonies are best grown seriously - and with effort, often in a garden dedicated solely to this plant, well mulched, weeded and especially, well protected in the winter. With some varieties dating back to the 12th Century, it is one of the oldest cultivated plants on our planet.

I have yet to find the perfect place for my tree peonies, but I keep trying. these plants were relocated last year to the open garden, since the location where they were originally ( near the foundation of the greenhouse) proved to be too shady in the summer, since I planted faster growing tropicals in front of them, like canna's, brugmansia and calocasia. Now planted in the open garden, the plants receive more sunlight and more open space, and finally they have bloomed.

In Japan we saw incredible collections of tree peonies in Tokyo, where entire gardens are dedicated to these plants, gardens that are hundreds of years old, for peonies are one of the oldest cultivated plants grown for their blossoms on earth, and after nearly 600 years of culture, the tree peony may have one of the most impressive family trees of all plants.

Setting tree peonies aside for the moment, the new Itoh Hybrids, a cross between the tree peony and the common herbaceous peony that we all know and love ( the sort that goes dormant with top growth the dies back to the ground every year - are the must-have plants of out century. Like all peonies, the Itohs still have large, flouncy flowers that come in many shades of buff and yellow, but their real magic comes with their performance. A tree peony may only have a few flowers unless they are well branched ( a rare site), but the Itoh's can have 20 or 30 flowers per plant, and their foliage may be their greatest asset of all - nicely dense and sometimes with a bluish tint, it always looks neat and tidy, so much so that I am seriously thinking about turning my gold and blue garden completely over to a fully dedicated Itoh Hybrid garden.

ITOH HYBRID PEONY, A CROSS BETWEEN A TREE PEONY AND AN HERBACEOUS PEONY, PRICEY BUT OH, SO NICE.

Itoh Hybrids are not for the slim-of-wallet, though, with most cultivars selling between $80 to $300 per plant, remember that you do get what you pay for with these plants. These are impressive shrub-like specimens that are long lived, and get larger with every year in the garden. I've had people stop in their tracks in August, just by noticing their amazing foliage displays, and that's saying nothing about their blossoms - which as you can see in the images here, are pretty nice - like large, tissue paper flowers.

I can only afford one plant a year, but if you can find them ( they are starting to show up this year at better garden centers), they are worth their sticker price. Just be sure to plant them once - where they are going to live, and then enjoy for the rest of your life, as the plants grow larger, with increasingly more impressive displays, with each year of their lives. I have one plant from ten years ago that may have 50 flowers on it this year. And for a peony, that's pretty sweet ---- but did I mention that they are bright yellow? Oh yeah, baby.

Pride of Madiera, or at the least, the Pride of Worcester?

2012-05-14T22:57:00.001-04:00

THE FUZZY HAIRS WHICH COVER ECHIUM FASTUOSUM, CAPTURES THE SETTING SUNLIGHT ON A COOL, SPRING NIGHT. THIS COMMON CALIFORNIAN ROADSIDE PLANT, IS RARELY SEEN IN NEW ENGLAND, BUT IT MAKES AN UNUSUAL AND SHOWY POTTED PLANT.

Don't laugh, you Californians! - Look....having a Pride of Madeira, or Echium fastuosum in bloom.....in May...in New England, is kind of a big deal.

Yes, it's a road side weed in Northern California, our little tower (or not so little, really at 5.5 feet) is still pretty exciting. At least it's exciting for the bees, wasps, butterflies and hummingbirds who swarm around it. It's pretty pathetic, all thin and stretched out, but no one here really notices that ( all due to its emergence in late February when light levels were still low), all I can say is that it is in full, glorious bloom, and I'll take it for that. It's taken me many years to get this plant to successfully bloom after many failures from seed. I cheated, buying a mail order plant last spring, and potting it up in a giant pot for the summer. It takes two or three years for this biennial to bloom. Here in New England, we can't expect much - nothing personal, it's just a climate thing - these large, showy Echium species are designed to thrive in cool. coastal areas like the Canary Islands, Portugal and of course, Northern California. Bastards.

Most Echium have blossoms that are nectar rich, and tipping the color scale close to true blue, but, it's one of those odd plants with a color that is difficult to capture even with a digital camera. Most images of the blossoms look mauve, when they are purple and blue.

At last weeks' garden tour, this was one of the most popular plant, mostly because people didn't know what it was, or, they remember seeing them on holidays to coastal California.

ECHIUM FASTUOSUM - THE PRIDE OF MADEIRA

May Flowers, May Apples and May Treasures

2012-05-13T22:58:00.000-04:00

CYPRIPEDIUM 'GESELA', STILL YOUNG AND PALE, THIS NEW PLANT STILL PRODUCED A SINGLE BLOSSOM. IN A FEW YEARS, IF ALL GO'S WELL, THIS PLANT MAY HAVE AS MANY AS 30 FLOWERS.

For a very short period in May, deciduous woodlands around the world burst into bud and bloom. In Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Scandinavia and North America - May marks the peak season much of Mother Nature - for migratory song birds eager to breed, taking advantage of these longest days of the year, insects rush to pupate, mate and to lay eggs (in our woodland, these are the only three weeks one can find the Luna moth), and woodland plants seem to complete an entire years growth in just three short weeks. These are the weeks of fragrant wild azalea, lady slipper orchids, Mayapples and countless other woodland treasures.

PODOPHYLLUM PELTATUM, THE COMMON MAYAPPLE

In the garden, imports of similar species from other continents such as Asia, adds to the show. Take Mayapples for example - our native Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, also known as American Mandrake, grows in an ever growing colony near the edges of our garden. A spreader, it never really becomes invasive, but it does move about quickly. We love it, because with 2.5 acres, much of the yard is...well, weedy. Like I've said before, you would be shocked if you ever visited. Much of our yard is too messy to show on this blog, and I have little time at all to even cut grass or to power up a weed wacker. Plants that form a carpet, such as the Mayapple then becomes even more valuable, for it grows so thickly, it chokes out even the most aggressive weed.

Podophyllum peltatum, our native Mayapple, grows near the boundary of our garden and the woods. Protected from the hottest summer sun by tall trees, it forms a carpet of green, mingling with other spreading shade woodland plants, such as Petasites japonicus variegated form, and some hosta. Yes, I grow hosta, and I'm OK with it!

Podophyllum pleianthum

A rarer Mayapple, meet it's Asian relative - Podophyllum pleianthum. Eventually this will become a giant specimen plant with 40" tall stalks - to-die-for. This Asian Mayapple will take some time to settle in, so patience is required. This plant is two years old, another in another part of the garden is only one year old.

Syneilesis aconitifolia

Another plant that takes some time settling in, but it worth seeking out is this woodland beauty from Korea is Syneilesis aconitifolia. Thanks to the great plant explorers from the late 20th Century like Daniel Hinkley, who introduced many of these Asian woodland plants into cultivation through the then incredible Heronswood Nursery, trying to find these plants is still challenging ( try Plant Delights Nursery). Syneilesis is one of those plants that once you see it in its full magnificence, you must add it to your own garden. Images in books and my pathetic little two year old plant above, will not convince you, at least not yet. In three years, when I show a photo, you will want it.

A closer look at one of the umbrella-like leaves on Petasites japonicus var variegata.

SINOCALYCANTHUS x RAULSTONII 'HARTLAGE WINE'

This plant always impresses me, which is tough to do during the burst of growth that happens in May. Sinocalycanthus ( now just Calycanthus again) x raulstonii 'Harlage Wine' is one of those amazing plants with an amazing story. It arose from a cross between a Chinese species and and American species of Calycanthus. Now, every collector has one in their garden, and I can see why. First bred in 1990, it has not taken long for this shrub to be shared among the people who know. It is vigorous and unusual, with merlot colored magnolia-like blossoms. I've planted this specimen near the woodland edge of our garden, where tall trees tower overhead, providing dappled shade, perfect conditions for this rarely seen shrub. Look for the white form called 'Venus'.

PICEA PUNGENS 'GEBELLE'S GOLDEN SPRING'

Even evergreens can be showy in May - many spruce (Picea) selections have been introduced that have this curious color-change effect early in the year. New grow emerges almost white, literally glowing in the garden, a lovely effect, and one that I can't wait to see on a mature specimen. My Gebelle's Golden Spring is still quite small, and struggling to form a leader. The spectacular coloring on the young shoots gradually fades to a more typical green by the end of June.

HALESIA TETRAPTERA - THE NATIVE AMERICAN SILVERBELL TREE

Behold, the Silverbell tree. A rarely seen native American tree from Virginia, and the Carolinas, Halesia tetraptera makes a large, tree that blooms with a display that makes one wonder why this tree isn't planted in every park and street in America. My tree is still small, more of a shrub right now, as it had a tough childhood ( too many encounters with a lawn mower). It is still young, and 10 feet tall, and covered in 1 gagillion silverbells. In my home town of Worcester, MA, a large Halesia grows in Elm Park, designed by Olmsted, the noted landscape architect, the tree is a large as an oak tree, and when in bloom, it's almost a bizarre site, since how often does one see an oak tree in bloom with white tiny bells. I have always wanted one, as i reminds me of my first job where one grew on the estate where I gardened. It is still rarely seen in many American gardens.

New Bee Hives, and the Nicest Day of the Year

2012-05-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

JOE WORKS ON SOME OF THE NEW HIVES THAT ARRIVED TODAY

It usually starts like this: The phone rings at 6:00 am, and it's the government. (Actually, more like the U.S. Post office). A nervous voice says something like "um...you've got some live bees here - maybe you come pick em up, please?".

Our postmaster knows us well. We're those two crazy guys who get the boxes of baby ducks, or the bags of live fish ( koi), and yeah, sometimes even boxes of live bees. This time, Joe went to pick them up locally. Much easier, and surely less stressful for the bees.

In March, during a gale, we lost a large spruce tree, a very tall specimen that my father had planted 70 years ago. The tree, with a massive trunk nearly two feet in diameter, fell between the row of bee hives that we keep way in the back of our garden. It didn't crush them, but it did disturb the inhabitants enough so that the hives stopped functioning. New bees with new queens had to be ordered.

The weather man on the news last night said something that caught my attention " Tomorrow, will be a 10 out of 10. Bright blue skies, 75 degrees and little wind. It very well may be one of the top 5 days of the entire year". It was. After a busy week at work, late nights at the computer designing app elements and what not, I was looking forward to a day of gardening, but this is May - the busiest garden chore month of the year, and much needed to be done. I decided to be a little selfish ( which is easy for me, I fear). A little sun, a little planting ( the white garden - it's staring to look like something), and a little greenhouse time ( watering), and that was about it.

The long list of to-do's will have to wait until tomorrow, ( it never ends, right?), when it might be cloudy, and perhaps rainy - I might even use the excuse that they weather is better for the plants. Transplanting tomatoes, coleus seedlings, some sowing of arugula, almost countless chores - oh yes, digging up 220 feet of the front yard to plant grass seed - this strip in front of our house is the worst garden on the entire street!

Besides, someone HAD to take pictures of Joe working on the hive! I mean, I had to lay in the sunny grass in the buttercups, it was just awful, but someone had to do it.

Iris henryi and Iris cristata

2012-05-10T09:04:00.002-04:00

IRIS HENRYI, A CHINESE WOODLAND IRIS THAT IS SMALL, AND FLORIFEROUS

This past weekend, a pot of Iris henryi, a rare woodland iris from China attracted a lot of attention at our garden party for the New England Primrose Society. Jim Almond, the guest speaker, particularly pointed it out. Darell Probst shared it with us a while back, and the pot was a division that we had not planted yet. Look for this gem on-line from the few retailers who carry it. It is still hard to find, but Darell's selection is starting to show up at a few nurseries who specialize in rare and interesting plants.

IRIS CRISTATA

Not up for a rarity? Then try this miniature woodland iris that is much more common, but still only found in the gardens of those who are a little more serious about gardening - Iris cristata. Often found in the wild flower section of your nursery, this creeping tiny iris will create a carpet of flowers (albeit for a few days!) every spring. The color is luscious, and it always surprises me when I see it in bloom. Everyone who sees this in bloom in our garden, wants a piece of it. It spread fast, but never should you consider this as a 'ground cover', for it will cover the ground, but one must weed around it regularly.

My Desert, Under Glass

2012-05-08T22:44:00.001-04:00

I keep adding to my collection of blossoming cacti species, even when not it bloom, the thorns can be very decorative.

Cacti and desert plants can be pretty as thorny potted plants, but getting them to bloom can sometimes be challenging for people. Contrary to popular belief, cacti are very cold tolerant, and many will not form flower buds unless they freeze a little bit. The desert environment can be very cold in the winter where the finest blooming cacti come from - not Arizona or New Mexico, but in South America, in the high alpine deserts of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. The Rebutia and Lovibia cacti from the high Andes offer some of the finest flowers in the cacti world, and I try to keep a collection growing on my high, dry shelves in the greenhouse, where the plants can spend the winter getting full sun through the single pane glass, and sometimes a light frost as the night time temperatures drop to near 32 degrees.

Not always the easiest to get to bloom, cacti require a cold, dry winter, and then as spring grows near, a shift between day temperatures and night temperatures. In April, I move my collection to a sand bed in the greenhouse, where Cyclamen are kept until they start to enter their dormancy. Switching these collections allows me to have more than one display, on a bed that would normally just remain empty for half of the year.

Alyogyne huegelii var. alba, a drought tolerant sunloving native hibiscus ( Malvaceae) realative from the deserts of South and Western Australia. It grows well in a sand-filled container, in the desert collection. It seems to never stop blooming, having flowers in during the short days of January. It will spend the summer outdoors, once any threat of frost is over.

After a flood of water, the cacti begin to break their dormancy, quickly forming flower buds, although many will bloom in late May and June.

Other desert plants are included in my collection, This thorny tomato relative is Solanum pyracanthum.

Rebutia growing in a bonsai pot. It will soon be time for the dreaded repotting.

Even though I have only a weak interest in cacti and desert plants, I think I am starting to get more and more additions to the collection. Here you can see some Euphorbia, Adenium and small desert shrubs.

Training a Tree Wisteria

2012-05-07T22:56:00.002-04:00

A tree wisteria is simply a wisteria vine, trained to grow as a tree - essentially, it is simply a wisteria standard or a wisteria topiary, if you will. It takes many years, and careful and dedicated attention with hand pruners to achieve a mature specimen, but with grafted stock becoming more available ( to endure that flowering material is used rather then seedlings) a beautiful wisteria can be trained to grow into a small, weeping tree form in about ten years. I have seen some very impressive specimens in large, terra rosa pots, but these must be stored in frost-free conditions.

Wisteria can easily become a rampant weed, with runners creeping lightning fast across or just under the soil surface, or running up a tree quickly engulfing it, but there is no other plant quite like it, and a tree-form wisteria may be the best way to control a plant such as this vine. I suggest investing in a pre-trained graft, which can be costly ( $100 - $200) but it will guarantee both a selection that has the highest quality blooming stock, and a root stock that is less aggressive.

Wisteria can be very fragrant, the scent reminds me of orange blossoms. It can drift across the garden on warm, spring days.

Pruning aggressively is key, but always with a thoughtful eye. eventually, these tiny branches on this three year old specimen will mature into thick, trunk-like branches, making what was once a lowly vine, a stunning tree-like specimen. Pruning can occur throughout the year, but to endure blooms, it is best to prune heavily just after flowering.

The New England Primrose Show

2012-05-06T19:14:00.001-04:00

Primula auricula

In most years, the first week of May marks the time when the ephemerals and wild flowers in New England reach their peak bloom. This year, with record breaking heat, and our unseasonably early spring, it was a miracle that any primroses at all are in bloom. As we do every year, we host the New England Chapter of the American Primrose Society cocktail party and dinner on Friday night ( which is why I have not been posting all week). It's always a great time to see old friends, and this year we had a special guest speaker, Jim Almond from England joining us. Jim is a notable grower of alpines and primula in the United Kingdom, and his web site is very popular amongst enthusiasts.

This top winner, is a double form that you may even find at some garden centers - Primula ' Ballerina'.

Here are some of the highlight of this years show. Our unseasonable spring allowed us all to enter some species that are rarely seen in shows in 'normal' cooler seasons. The show was heavy on Polyanthus and Primula sieboldii, with very few early or alpine primroses such as P. marginata, or the always popular P. auricula. Still, benches were full of some very beautiful primula, which surprised even me, as it seemed that I have very few in bloom in my garden.

Primula are dug from the garden by exhibitors, placed in pots, groomed carefully by removing dead leaves and flowers that have passed, and then top-dressed with clean soil/ Judges then evaluate each plant carefully, in each class selecting a winner for each category. A best in show winner is then selected from the blue ribbon winners from each class.

Primula sieboldii, Japan's most beloved primrose, made an impressive showing at this years New England Primula Society show. A great garden plant for woodland locations, this plant will spread and reseed nicely if you don't use bark mulch.

In England, primrose shows are seriously competitive events, with very strict rules regarding plants, their characteristics and form, but here in the US, many rules are relaxed. British growers also focus on the more challenging species and hybrids, like P. allionii and P. auricula ( we would too, if we could grow them well) , but in most areas of North America, the garden primula simply means the Polyanthus types, and sometimes the later blooming Asiatic species such as the fine, and rarely seen P. sieboldii from Japan. There were many entries in the P. auricula classes, but this year most bloomed a month ago, and are far past their prime.

Even though the weather has been unseasonable warm this year, many primula were able to be dug from the gardens and exhibited. Leading the pack? Primula xployanthus, which seem to last longer in the garden while in bloom, even as the weather warms up.

My entry ( thrown together Saturday morning after Friday nights party!) won a blue ribbon for a planted container collection.

Another entry of mine, a rarely seen species in our eastern shows - Primula forestii, a greenhouse primrose with tiny pink blossoms. These plants were originally shared with me by Rodney Barker, a fellow member.

A nice selection of Primula sieboldii with fringed blossoms.

This Primula sieboldi cross is a selection made by Elaine Malloy,a founding member of the New England Primula Society, and a beloved member of our club who passed away two weeks ago - a special award for best plant in the show, was awarded this year in her honor.

Some members still had a few early primroses in the show, such as these Drumstick Primroses, Primula denticulata.

Going Once, Going Twice...Sold to number 26.

2012-04-30T23:19:00.003-04:00

Mine, mine...all mine! Meh heh heh. My treasures- winnings from last Saturdays rare plant auction sponsored by the New England chapter of the National Rock Garden Society.

This past weekend there were many rare plant auctions in New England, and I chose one to attend ( as I had to give a talk there too!) - the annual rare plant auction hosted by the New England chapter of NARGS - The North American Rock Garden Society. Held at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, the event drew many for what ended up being an afternoon of fun and bidding on outstanding rare and unusual plant material. I left with a tray full of true treasures, many, not available anywhere else. Plant societies are incredible sources for rare plants, and the New England chapter of NARGS happens to have a very impressive roster of members who often donate some truly incredible plants.

Bulb expert Roy Herold and Plant Collector Ernist Flippo entertained the NARGS membership as auctioneers at the New England chapter of NARGS annual rare plant auction.

Our NARGS chapter has some notable members from the world of horticulture, some might be familiar to you if you order from such nurseries as Plant Delights Nursery where names like Hosta breeder Roy Herold and collectors such as Epimedium guru Darrell Probst, and Allium expert Mark McDonough are commonly listed. Add in some excellent nurserymen (and women) such as Russell Stafford of Odyssey Bulbs and Ellen Hornig from now closed, irreplaceable Seneca Hill Nursery, and you can see how interesting the crowd and selection could be. Plants such as these, just can't be found at any one nursery, let alone at the price which they often sell for. I purchased a Cypripedium 'Gesela' for $20.00! ( $85 at most online sources).

A rarity from an explorers garden, Darell Probst offered up this rare Tupestra species, one which he has found to be hardy in his zone 5 garden. He wanted me to post to post it so that he can tease some of his collector friends who will surely doubt that it is indeed hardy in New England. Stay tuned on this one!

Two strains of a miniature Trillium, Trillium pusillum var. Virginianum ( above) and Trillium pusillum var ozarkanum , below. Both should spread into a mat in our new woodland ephemeral garden at the end of the long border.

Darrell Probst gifted us with this very rare Epimedium, a species that he collected in China that is so new, that he believes that it is new to science, so it is un-named ( attr. to E. wushanense spp.). It just has a collection number right now. We are more than delighted, and hope that it does well in the garden. The leaves are sharp as razors.

Part of our new ephemeral garden, at the far end of the garden ( see the trunk of one of the large spruce trees that we removed last year). When I was a kid, this area was completely covered with trillium, so I think the soil may be perfect.

The 'California Annual' border that runs along the foundation of the greenhouse is coming along. Even though it has been very cold. So cold, that sheets had to be thrown over the tender annuals for two nights now.

The last of the Sasa vietchii is being removed in the long border. Justin, our new gardener had his job cut out for him. I wonder if he was going to return for his second day, but he did. With a few band aids.

In the greenhouse, the last of the tuberous Tropaeolum brachyceras x tricolor flowers on a very spindly vine growing in an old Japanese maple branch.

Adventures with Seeds

2012-04-28T00:58:00.001-04:00

HIGHLY COLLECTABLE ASAGAO SEEDS FROM JAPAN - PINCHED TO SHORT STEMS, THESE WILL REMAIN IN SMALL POTS

I still have some Japanese Morning Glory seeds from a trip that I took to Japan for work a few years ago. I assume that they are still viable. In Japan, the Morning Glory is treasured as a potted plant, and clubs, societies and groups are dedicated to this plant, and the many Japanese cultivars particularly the mutated forms, some that even have shredded petals. I have some books on growing these Asagao ( the Japanese word for these plants), so I may add these to my project list for this year, if they germinate. The plants are traditionally grown in small pots, pinched to encourage flowers and dwarfed, like bonsai Morning Glories.

Bells of Ireland or Moluccella laevis seeds can be extremely challenging to germniate,, but thanks to a readers tricks, I've been able to get this far. Now, the second harder part - growing them to blooming size.

Success at last! Thanks for a reader of this blog who shared their trick for getting their Bells of Ireland to germinate ( wet paper towels and seed, in a plastic zip lock stored in the refrigerator for three weeks, then sow in individual pots and carefully transplant), I have success - at least so far. Here is a shot of the young seedlings.

Arisaema sp. seedlings from the Himalaya will form one leaflet their first year - the rest of the plant is growing underground. Not all of my pots of this genus are showing the leaves, but I know that some species spend all of their entergy underground. I can't research which species I have yet as some are unidenditfied by the collector, and even could be a new species to science.

The plant collector Chris Chadwell wrote me today, to ask how the seeds from his last collecting trip to Tibet and Nepal were germinating, so I wanted to share this shot of some Jack In The Pulpits ( Arisaema species) from the Himalaya were doing. I think I'm all set in the Himalayan Arisaema department for now.

A Romulea species removed from the sand bulb plunge bed, will spend a month on the back of the potting bench in full sun, where the roots and corms can slowly begin their drying process for their long, hot dry summer dormancy, but most importantly, for these seed pods, which have been produced in profusion. They will dry and split within a couple of weeks, and I don't want the seed dropping back into the sand bed. I place the pot on a white plate to catch any loose seed. The seed will be sown, and not watered until autumn.

Sometime, I save my own seed, especially when the plant is rare, or hard to find, such as this South African bulb plant known as Romulea. Like many Cape bulbs, the plants set seed profusely, but the plants tend to get rather ugly ( or at least to non-plant people) before the seed pods dry. These pod are almost ripe, so I set the pots on dinner plates, so that the seed can drop onto the plate for easy harvest. Sometimes I am lazy, and sow the seed back into the same pot as the mature bulbs, which is OK with many South African bulbs like Romulea, as they seem to like tight quarters, but also, I share seed with rare plant societies and their respective seed exchanges.

Speaking of rare seed, some South African geophytes in my collection produce very few seeds, like Clivia. These gems are ripe seeds from a variegated yellow-flowered Clivia ( worth about $1500 each on the black market - really). From Japan, we only have two of these plants that we received from Mr. Nakamura. Red berries produce orange clivia, yellow berries produce yellow clivia, and these are yellow-striped seeds......get the picture? There might be 2 or 3 seeds in each of these fruit, which take about 14 months to ripen on the plant, before they can be sown.

These unusual summer dormant geophyte is also from South Africa. Melasphaerula raemosa can be a prolific seed producer. I am ready to share with serious collectors. This is a plant that I will be sharing with plant societies this autumn in plant sales and rare plant auctions. It requires a cold greenhouse for culture in pots, as it is a winter grower.

Still planning for the moon border, these snapdragon seedlings have been transplanted into a dibbled grid, and old fashioned method for transplanting seedlings into a large flat. I remember my parents doing this when I was young, especially with zinnia, marigolds and snapdragons - those annuals that can handle being torn apart from their kin in a flat without much noticeable damage. These white snaps may seem small, buy remember, it is still April. With a hard frost tonight, a lesson will be taught to those who have already purchased their tomato plants from the home center. I was shocked at the annuals and the large tomato plants that were available at Home Depot and Lowes last week - it is far too early to be planting any tender annual yet. Memorial day folks, and that is 6 weeks away!

Amaranthus dislike any root disturbance, but I've found that an early start still helps plants survive, as seeds sown int he garden directly, can be lost easily. It's always an impressive show - those tiny, nearly microscopic seeds growing into monsters within a few weeks, but the tiny seedlings can get lost if sown in early June here in New England, as weeds will quickly grow around them. If started early, Amaranthus can survive transplanting if individual seedlings are slid from pots into prepared holes once the soil is above 60 deg. F. I find that the seedling transplant well when tiny. Care must be taken, for one cannot find Amaranthus at garden centers, for if you do, they will be already too large, and they will go into shock an die once transplanted, but if timed properly, a seedling can be stealthly transplanted as long as it is not too large by the end of May.

Speaking of annuals that one cannot find at garden centers, Scabiosa must be mentioned. These seedlings are ready to be transplanted from their 4 inch pots into the garden where they will remain, blooming for most of the summer. These tap rooted annuals dislike any root disturbance, and since they will not bloom until mid July, they are rarely carried as 6 pack annuals for sale at retail, as growers know that a plant will no longer sell, if it is not in bloom, so only the annuals that are bred for early bloom are carried by nurseries. These, you will need to grow from seed yourself. The wiry stems and long lasting flowers ranging from near black to pink, are a favorite of mine.

My tomato seedlings were sown on April 14th, and with 24 varieties of heirloom and hybrids, we will have plenty of tomatoes come August. Planted side-by-side a hormone drenched, thick-stemmed home center plant purchased now, these seedlings will win. Try it for yourself and see.

Our New England Primrose Society show will be held next weekend at Tower Hill Botanic Garden near us in Boylston, MA. This pot of Primula forestii may still be in bloom, if the weather remains cold, but it is short lived, and may be gone by next weekend.

When I came home from work yesterday, I found this scene - Lydia, destroying the pansies, trying to get at a Chick-a-dee nesting box on our deck. She is like a spry rabbit, jumping up onto the window box with ease. Old Fergus was clearly directing her, hoping to share their meal of a Black Capped Chick-a-dee. ( Please pardon the mess!).

Planting Those Summer Projects

2012-04-24T23:07:00.002-04:00

Various succulents await potting up into a large, rusty urn.

A few posts back, I listed some of my summer projects. The list is growing longer than I originally intended, which is typical with me - a little obsessive am I. There is always so much that I want to do, and yes, so little time. I find it so interesting that more often than not, the first thing people say to me when they meet me in person is " I have no idea how you make time to do all that you do!". The truth is, I don't make the time, and I often take on too many tasks, too many promises, and too many special projects. Seeing that my parents were always the same way, I think that it is genetic. Little sleep, lots of coffee, and early mornings are the key. Oh yeah, practicing a close to 100% whole food plant based diet, and running every day helps! Here then, are some of those projects that I've started this weekend.

Succulents can be planted close together, but I did not have enough, so although this looks a little weak, I guarantee that it will fill in by summer, once the heat arrives.

A little boring right now, but this will fill in by July. I never know what to do with these old urns, but this has always been my favorite pattern to set out, a dome of succulents in interesting colors and forms.

Many of the summer blooming bulbs have arrives, these Tuberoses must be planted in long tom pots early, and kept in the greenhouse warm, until they sprout. Be sure to get clumps from a reputable grower, these have small roots, and multiple noses. I am using my 1805 gardening book as a guide on how to grow these once very popular fragrant bulb plants. My source? Caladiums 4 Less.com. The finest, I think, as they grow them themselves.

Tuberose bulbs are planted mid depth into the pot, with enough root for their strong roots, and enough height to support their tall stems, which can reach 4 feet in height. The pot must be deep enough to hold a sturdy cane, which will be wired in the 1805 method. More on this project later.

A new variety of a classic topiary plant, Anisodontea, or Cape Mallow, has been allowed to grow vertically untended for a few months in the greenhouse. Untended, so that I can steal some cuttings from the side branches before I begin to train it. These adventitious branched must be allowed to mature a bit before striking for cutting material, so that they won't wilt once out on their own.

My friend Abbie Zabar, a garden writer and artist living in New York has re-inspired me to grow more ( and taller!) topiary. I am not sure that mine could ever be as fine as her terrace full of Rosemary and Olive trees, but it's something to strive for. Her fine book THE POTTED HERB, is worth searching out on rare book sites, or sometimes on Amazon, is a wonderful guide ( she wrote and illustrated it too!).

These Anisodontea cuttings are dipped in rooting hormone powder, and placed in a propagation tray, which will be placed on a heating mat. These cuttings will root in a couple of weeks, as this is an easy plant to propagate, and soon, I will have a dozen plants.

A Giant Caladium bulb from ( wait, did I forget to tell you about my big caladium project too?) the site Caladium Bulb-4-Less (yeah, bad name, awesome nursery - trust me!). This is one of their colossal bulbs, and it is about ten times larger than any Caladium bulb I have ever seen. I bought 50 ( I know, I know).

These Caladium bulbs were so large, thatI would only plant one per 10 inch pot. These need warth in which to sprout, so the pots are kept in the greenhouse for a month.

Lastly, my Chrysanthemum order arrived from Kings Mums. About 50 varieties this year, ranging from miniature Bonsai Types, or gnomes, to the largest late blooming football types, and giant spider forms. These arrive as rooted plugs, which must be potted up gradually. I am using 4 inch pots for the next few weeks, until they are pinched, and repotted into either the garden for the summer, again, using traditional 19th century cultural methods, or, into large clay pots for training.

Some of my Mums, waiting to get their first drink. I keep the tags that they were shipped with on the plants, until I can make my own tags up. With the upcoming Primula Exhibition in two weeks, my talk to the New England chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society this weekend, and then, travel to Cambridge for my work team-building off-site next week, my schedule is a little tight! Happy gardening folks!

Propagating Ephemerals by Division or Seed

2012-04-23T21:40:00.000-04:00

Uvularia divides easily, but use care while in bloom. The divisions must be replanted immediately, best done on a rainy day, ensuring damp soil. Today in our garden, 3 inches of rain is expected overnight, so this was the perfect time to divide some of the more 'dividable' wild flowers in the ephemeral garden.

It's been such a dry spring, that the soil is like powder here in New England, but with 3 or 4 inches of well needed rain expected, this may be the only time to divide some garden perennials. Early spring is typically the best time to divide some perennials such as hosta, daylilly, aster and phlox, the general rule being simply that to divide while to foliage is still very young, still tight buds if possible. Not all perennials can be divided now, for peony, oriental poppy insist on an autumnal division, and others are best never divided, leaving gardeners opting for more creative ways to propagate using root cuttings or seed, but when it comes to the tender and precious wild flowers, many people believe that leaving them alone to spread naturally, is the only way to achieve those sweeping drifts seen only in photos, or at botanic gardens.

It's true, many ephemeral wild flowers dislike being divided, but a few transplant well, especially if the clumps are large. Care must be taken if one wants to divide in spring, for truth be told, just as the plant begins to fade for the summer, or autumn, when the plants are semi-dormant, remains the best time to dig and divide such plants, but few of us have the memory to find the rhizomes under the soil in October. Some of these plants such as uvularia and even Trillium, if they are of a clumping strain, can be divided while in growth, and even, while in bloom. With the heavy rain and a week or two of cold weather expected, I am taking advantage of this break, to quickly divide a few plants, including a perennial hellebore ( remember - a wildflower in Europe!), though not technically an ephemeral, they too can be divided if the foliage has matured enough.

Uvularia grandiflora does indeed, have the grandest flora of the genus. It divides easily, from plants dug either while in bloom ( but you will forfeit a years' bloom) or dug and divided just after blooming. I time division based on environmental conditions, and since it has been unseasonably dry this year, our week of forested rain, is forcing me to divide plants now. Next year, I will have dozens of plants, as long as I keep 5 or 6 stems to each division.

Not truly ephemerals, as they stay green year round, hellebores can be divide carefully if the weather conditions are perfectly damp and cool, so with a week of rain expected, and an early growing season, I am jumping in and digging and dividing ' a few of my larger plants in the green' as they are done blooming. This is not ideal for the plant, and risky as a swing to hot, dry weather can prove deadly, sometimes it's worth the danger to get more plants. but with some faster growing strains, (which seem to be the muddier colors) it works quite well. Simply dig plants up, rinse off the soil, and separate by hand, or with a skillful slice of the knife ( avoiding and drastic cuts to reduce stress and fungus), divisions of 3-5 plants can survive often blooming again the following spring.

With Hellebores, try to keep divisions large enough to reduce the stress of transplanting. Here in New England, this sort of division is best done just as the foliage matures, to reduce wilting, and just as seed pods are forming.

Uvularia grandiflora palida, in the rear, and U. grandiflora grow together in the ephemeral garden. If you have a woodland garden, try to grow these delightful plants, but be certain to source form responsible nurseries and never purchase wild-collected plants, nor collect yourself from the wild. Native populations are all at risk and it doesn't matter where you live. Uvularia grandiflora is the reigning king of Uvularia. It has the largest blossoms, and, it transplants easily from divisions while plants are blooming, or just before they go dormant for the season..

I have a fondness for uvularia,it was my dad who first would point out that 'the wild oats' are in bloom". He taught me my first Latin name of a plant Uvularia perfoliata, which we kids would repeat and giggle, believing that it was a dirty name. His Uvularia perfoliata, I later discovered was actually our native U. sessilifolia or U. grandiflora ( they both have clasped leaves giving the illusion of a peforation in the leaf allowing the stem to appear to pass through it) but I never let him know that he was incorrect. It continues to grow in what is left of our woodland, if you can call it that, even though we are smack dab in the middle of a rather run-down city now.

Anemone nemorosa ' Lychette', vegetative division is the only way to keep these named strains pure. The trick is finding the perfect location, for once you do, it will spread nicely into a colony.I have yet to find that spot, but I have friends who have this growing in their lawn.

Anemone nemorosa, a European wild wood anemone, are all part of a section of woodland anemone that prefer rich, edaphic environments, those with spring moisture, like that found in the eastern US deciduous forests, areas that go dry in high summer, as the canopy above blocks out light and moisture. These collectible wood anemone can be divided or moved in the spring, even though they dislike it, but if you try to wait any longer, they will disappear, as they are true ephemerals. One must site them carefully, for in ideas locations, with leaf mould, no mulch they can self seed or even spread naturally. Many times, they just divide slowly, so look for seed pods ( which are only viable and ripe for a couple of days),and plant the seed in pots set into a cool corner of a cold frame or greenhouse.

Anemone nemorosa 'double form"

Some wildflowers, such as these rare Columbine (Aquilegia fragrans) which were collected on an Chadwell expedition to the Himalaya require a pre-chilling period to stratify the seed so that they will germinate properly. Seed raised rarities are not always easy, nor timely, but for some rarer wild flowers and ephemerals, one cannot simply divided the mother plant. Propagation from seed provides you with more plants that you will ever need. Extras of rarites like these, will be auctioned off at botanic gardens and plant specialist societies.

Seedling columbine ( aquilegia fragrans) are transplanted just after they start to show their true leaves, to minimize shock. Kept in the greenhouse until mid summer when they will be planted out in a nursery bed. In the following spring, they can be relocated to their final growing location.

Sanguinaria, or Blood Root ( here, a double one) will divide slowly, but if one cuts the rhizome carefully early in the year, dormant eye buds may emerge.

Up-Cycling A Vintage Cooler into an Alpine Trough

2012-04-22T10:45:00.001-04:00

A VINTAGE METAL COOLER IS PLANTED WITH HIGH-ELEVATION MOUNTAIN TOP PLANTS

Here is a fun way to both recycle a vintage mid-century insulated metal Coleman cooler - convert them into an alpine trough. This is an experiment which I have been incubating since last year, since there is something appealing about the vintage metallic paint on these coolers as they often seemed to match old pickups or 4x4's - My inspiration here might be clear to anyone who has spent time at a ski resort town, and it is a recipe which includes influences from the snow sport, mountain bike and youth culture found in mountain resort towns around the world - I just customized this to my New England heritage, but I am working now on converting some very cool vintage red coolers with other stickers and graphics. Imagine the possibilities once you start getting creative.

THE PLANTS HERE ARE A MIXTURE OF ALPINE PLANTS FROM SOUTH AMERICA ( THE OXALIS ON THE LOWER LEFT) TO LEWISIA, ON THE LOWER RIGHT NAMED AFTER MERIWEATHER LEWIS, SO A BIT OF MONTANA.

MANY OF THESE COOLERS CAN BE FOUND FOR LESS THAN $20 ON EBAY, OR A LOCAL YARD SALES FOR $5.00, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE SLIGHTLY RUSTED, AS THIS ONE IS ( DOUBLE INSULATED, THE RUST OFTEN ONLY OCCURS ON THE OUTSIDE LAYER). JUST DRILL HOLES IN THE BOTTOM EVERY THREE INCHES TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE DRAINAGE.

A LAYER OF GRAVEL IS ADDED IN THE BOTTOM, WHICH MAKES THE COOLER HEAVY, BUT IT IS NECESSARY. TODAY, MANY ALPINE PLANTS CAN BE FOUND AT YOUR BETTER LOCAL NURSERIES, BUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY MORE INTERESTING ONES FROM A SPECIALIST GROWER.

Alpine plants can be a broad term, if you are not too adventurous, you can simply use sempervivums or succulents, which will perform very well in a container like this, but if you want something more authentic, then you can mix in some rare or interesting alpine plants ( try ordering from Wrightman Alpines, or check out next Saturday's giant alpine plant sale at Stonecrop in Cold Spring New York, where on Saturday, April 28 from 9:00 am until 3:00 am, the 5th annual North American Rock Garden Society plant sale occurs. Some of the finest growers will be there, and they could even help you recreate a scene from your favorite mountain range ( The alps, Aspen, the Cascades, the Bitteroots).

STICKER HELP WITH THE LOOK, BUT CURATE THEM CAREFULLY - THIS IS THE FUN PART. SEARCH ONLINE FOR STICKERS ON EBAY OR START COLLECTING THEM FROM YOUR FAVORITE RESORTS, MOUNTAIN BRANDS OR SOMETHING THAT MATCHES YOUR LIFESTYLE. TRY ASKING FOR THEM AT YOUR LOCAL MOUNTAINEERING STORE, OFTEN THEY ASRE FREE. THEMES CAN BE AS STYLISH AS VAIL, AS POSH AS PONTRESINA, SWITZERLAND, OR AS EXTREME AS, OH, I DON'T KNOW, THE XGAMES.

Lesser Used Spring Bulbs

2012-04-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

Fritillaria imperialis 'Aurora'

Last autumn, you may remember that I wanted to start planting larger groups of bulbs, and that instead of buying 6 or 12 of one variety, that I would limit my choices, but but many dozens of only a few varieties - a more serious way to design a garden, and indeed, the right way if you want nice sweeps of bulbs. This is particularly true for the more unusual bulbs, such as these fine Fritillaria imperialis var 'Aurora', a bulb that we typically see planted alone, as a sentinel in a bed of other bulbs, but one which only recently, I discovers grows in massive sweeps in the meadows of alpine Iran, where this bulb comes from. In the wild, they look natural, yet for years, I thought that this Frits were just over-hybridized monstrosities.

I purchased a dozen with the plan to buy 30 more this year, all of the same color. Fritillaria imperialis is available in at least 6 named selections, ranging in golden yellow to brilliant carmine red, and even a variegated form. Be prepared for their scent, for every part of this bulb plant has a strong odor that drifts in the air, and one which I feel is not unpleasant, but can be interpreted as 'skunkish'. The gardening books will tell you that it smells foxy, but here in the US, that means little to us. I kind of like it.

Tulips rarely look better in their second or third year after planting, but this border of triumph tulips continues to bloom, even though they are in their 4th years in this location. The variety, 'Gavota' is a fav of mine because it is almost brown, with a nice gold edge.

Keeping a garden notebook is essential, if you want to remember what to order later in the season. For example, every spring, these gold-leaved Tradescantia look so nice with the few yellow tulips that I planted once in the gold and blue garden, that I need to remind myself to order lots of yellow tulip bulbs in the fall, so that this display can improve. Notice my new Itoh Hybrid peony that I just planted on the left? It was a present to myself. I needed another one ( right!). There are now four in this bed ( all yellow, naturally.

With well needed rain arriving tomorrow, I needed to catch up on some garden chores, such as painting the benches with a fresh coat of black glossy paint. I though of trying a color like a French blue, or plum, but decided to play it safe with black, besides, it matches the greenhouse enamel.

Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giant' or Summer Snowflake, is one of the first bulbs to emerge for us in the spring, Shared with us by our good friend Susan, she promised that this cultivar was not only true to its name, but also, that it would divide nicely and soon would provide us with a border of these 24 inch tall snowbells. It's well on its way. Now, I was more! Look for these long lived bulbs in the autumn bulb catalogs, you will have them for a lifetime.

Succulents await division. I am planting these in a large, steel urn again ( concentric rings, as I did a few years ago). In the winter, I keep pots of succulents growing everywhere in the greenhouse, just so I can repot them in the spring into various containers.

I need to make a little time each day to stroll around the garden, to appreciate the spring display, for with the heat and dry weather that we've been experiencing, each plant seems to bloom and fade in just a single day. I rarely get home from work until 8:00 pm, so I miss a lot during the week. Thankfully, the weekends have been nice, although we do need rain badly.

Cornus controversa 'variegata'

A bumblebee visits a nectar rich Fothergilla gardenii shrub, near the gravel walk which leads to the greenhouse.

Amp Up Your Garden with Treasures

2012-04-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

A Primula marginata blooms, rather weakly, because this one was rooted into a piece of tufa rock, which keeps the plant more in character.

Ask any child to draw spring, and they will confirm it - springtime is synonymous with flowers ( OK, and maybe Robins), but I am convinced that mom nature never really intended us to plant flouncy hybrid daffodils along side florescent orange tulips, nor to force Easter Lilies alongside foiled pots of Blue Hydrangeas. The true flowers of spring, are found in the deciduous woodlands and alpine meadows of North America, Japan, China, Korea and Europe. Sure, tulips and narcissus in their delicate, wild forms are indeed, wild flowers, but those are only found in the most serious of gardeners gardens. If you are ready to move forward with your gardening skills, these next few weeks are the best time to start, and with plant societies hosting some very special plant sales and auctions, and even a few plant shows, this may just be the perfect time to amp up your knowledge and skills. Look, you never are going to grow with plants, until you take that next step from phase 1 gardener to phase 2 gardener....I think it's time for you to try something more challenging, don't you? Life is too short to grow the same, dump daffodil year after year. Why not try, say, a Jeffersonia?

Jeffersonia dubia, blooms in the April sunshine, open only for a few days, the honey bees squeal with delight when it is open.

These next few weeks marks the peak bloom period for the earliest, and perhaps the most lovely of the alpine and woodland plants, two categories that I group together since for some reason, these groups often appeal to the same audience, the rock gardeners, also known as alpine plant enthusiasts, or those who cultivate wild flowers, the woodland types - ephemerals, ferns or the wild, deciduous orchids, like lady slippers. Yes, these are not always the easiest plants to grow, but they are truly the jewels of the garden, and all are treasures. Learning to grow something that is really delicate and challenging, can be extremely rewarding, even better if you've been able to cultivate a rare wild flower to naturalize or to get an endangered, high elevation rock plant to bloom, provide you with seed, and then share it.

A yellow Saxifraga from a rooted cutting, that was also planted into a hole that was drilled into Tufa rock, a porous limestone rock which many alpines can actually grow in, especially if planted in a trough.

That's what most people do who are members of the North American Rock Garden Society, or NARGS, and between now and mid May, these societies are very active, with member auctions where members bring plants that they have grown, to share, and with some shows. Most chapters are having meetings during these spring months, and I encourage you to attend one to see how fun and interesting these people can be. You may even wish to join.

Daphnes are rarely seen in most gardens, but the alpine forms are even more unusual, yet I don't know why, for they remain small and tight, and they bloom very early, with numerous, fragrant blossoms. The scent from these Daphne x hendersonii drifts across the garden, and it smells like cinnamon buns.

Two events worth attending if you are even the slightly interested in learning more about rock plants, alpines or wild flowers happening over the next two weeks. In New York City ( yes, New York City) You would be shocked to see the successes achieved by savvy rock gardeners who cultivate rarities on their 'high elevation' balconies and breezy penthouses. They provide almost the exact environmental conditions found in some of the most extreme glacial mountain ranges.

If you live in the north eastern US, here are two events that are must-visits.

Saturday, April 28 - The New England Chapter of the National Rock Garden Society ( NARGS) meeting and rare plant auction held at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury Ma. ( OK, I will be leading a discussion there too on Troughs), but I am really going there for the plant auction, for most of these plants cannot be found anywhere else, or, they are unaffordable.

Sunday, April 29, The Annual McNARGS ( the Manhattan Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society) Plant Sale featuring 'Uncommon Plants for City Folk'. McNARGS really knows how to attract both great plants, and educated members, and newbies are always welcome, ( when ever I attend a meeting there, it seems who ever I drag along with me ends up joining too, even if they never attended a NARGS meeting before - it's that sort of group. The sale runs from 10:00AM until 1:00PM and it will be held at El Sol Brillante Community Garden 522-528 12th St. (between Avenue A & B).

My trick? Get there early before the even open the gates. So ....you New Yorkers....., if you are ready to raise the bar on that window box? If your neighbor has a nice organic heirloom basil in their garden that makes them feel sustainable, you could now respond with "oh, that's fine, but have you seen my high elevation rock garden? The plants are from seed or critical alpine species that grow only in one crevasse found in Val Gardena in the Italian Alps - it's kind of like fostering a rescued snow leopard, but safer" Global warming and heirloom Basil? Meh.

New Agrarian Fails, Even as a Parody of Itself

2012-04-17T16:26:00.001-04:00

I have always liked these small, backyard coops when I see them on the design blogs, but I also know that they are too small for most people serious about raising backyard poultry. Good for the city though, if you can afford it. You can order this from the new William Sonoma Agrarian site for $879.00.

Today I accidentally came across a sidebar ad showing a beutifully hip (yet somewhat impractical) chicken coop under a name that was new to me - AGRARIAN. yes, I clicked on the ad, and visited the site, arriving at the attractively designed William Sonoma Agrarian home page. Yes, THAT William Sonoma.

Delight! It's' hip, with fresh photography, thoughtful graphics.....products under headers titles BEEKEEPING, CANNING, GARDEN SUPPLIES, CHICKENS - My heart raced. OK, first, I thought to myself "damn them". They finally did it before I could!. Still, I was genuinely excited, and quickly forwarded the site to many friends, in anticipation. But I moved too quickly. After spending some time on the site, I am much less excited, and maybe even a little bit sad.

William Sonoma.....nice try! But ouch. I can't help but wince, because it's such a miss on so many levels that even Mr. Optimistic Matt can say much good about the effort. Somehow you just missed your consumer by a rural mile. I can't even figure out who they are and that's what I do for a living. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press " as pointed out by market analyst Laura Champine, the new line will appeal to the surprising number of six-figure earners with second homes who are "open to beekeeping". All righty then.

Of course, I fall into that category, but still find this site so gratuitous and dishonest, or even misleading, that I would hate to see the hate mail that will be pouring in.

Let me be nice for a second. To be fair, many blogs and reviews have bashed William Sonoma for the pricey stylish coops (yet I love them, and might even buy one, I think they were on trend here) and for the"stylish bee veil" ( Not sure about it beeing stylish, but to those of us who really raise bees, there are times when we sometimes need one ( not always), but why not? ever raised bees? you will need it.

Other blogs have giggled about the cheesemaking kits ( cool) and the kombucha kit, ( yum), and I make no complaint about the site having expensive gardening tools, and other quality items like Weck canning jars, and excellent supplied. Great. But that part is easy. It's the unnecessary junk for the urban homesteader that starts my blood boiling, and then....and then....the vegetable plants. What's up with that! Why not sell prestarted poppies? Why not more stylish plants? Why not original containers quality information too? Informing people that they can have success with 3 pre-started pea plants is frankly, a joke. And it's a sin to be selling each of them for $16.95. Yes, you read that correctly. Are you with me now?

Mostly, I am pissed about is the missed opportunity, and the shallowness of the brand. I am so angry that they missed this opportunity simply by commodities and curating through assumption, that I am spitting mad. Anyone could have made this site simply by checking out what the competitors were stocking, and by making some big assumptions about what "this consumer" would like. Big mistake William Sonoma.

I may want a chicken coop, but chicken hatcheries only sell chick in lots of 25 - what the hell am I supposed to do with the other 20 once I shell out $1600.00 for my coop? Don't let Pinterest direct your buyers so much. Rather, have them try a grow 6 pea plants to perfection, before having them suggest and plan a garden.

At first glance, the brand delivers. It offers a tasteful selection of gardening tools and products, most chosen because of their aesthetic ( which is OK) like waxed twine in nice packaging, Haws Watering cans, beautifully packaged seed collections, crafted chicken coops and bee hives as well as starter kits. Hooray. But then, it fails, in the most miserable way ever. Suddenly, I am not as excited.

AGRARIAN, underdelivers and underdelights in some very bad ( but hopefully, fixable?), ways.

It didn't long for me to discover flaws, and that given that I am a huge fan of the parent brand, and a very serious gardener, I tried to pull my newbie gardener hat on tightly, and it still didn't work If anything, it made the experience worse, and I couldn't figure out why at first. Something just didn't seem right with this brand. At one point, I even checked to see if the site was perhaps a parody, a veiled attempt to get some PR by bashing hipsters and backyardatarians, but now...but nope - it's real. I so wanted this brand to work, but I will leave that for you to decide. Here is my review of the new William Sonoma Agrarian site/brand.

Wilted forced endive, wilted cauliflower? really?

Yes, they may have had me at 'Kombucha kit' ( seriously, I want it even though I know that I can do it myself). I love things like this. Kits of more obscure craft. They may even have had me ordering the $1389.00 shake roofed chicken coop! No...wait.....$1389.00? really? For eggs?) ( I mean, 6 eggs a week?) - I'd have to justify that a little more. OK, I've been known to drop $200 for a copper watering can by Haws, but I too have my limits. Quality is not one of them, but being mislead, is. And bad advice, dishonest information are things that just go up my stove pipe. What happened here? This brand feels more like Pinterest with a 'buy here' button ( a "buy here for a LOT" button), but the problem goes deeper than price. For although I might like to sink $1500 for a chicken coop that I have only seen on the hippest European design blog, I would like someone to also tell me that buying a 4 inch pot containing one lettuce plant - oops, and Heirloom, Organic lettuce plant, air-delivered to me anywhere in the continental USA is just wasteful, inappropriate and stupid. How could I then trust anything else?

William Sonoma is a fine brand, with trusted quality and service, and I am a dedicated consumer. I know that they have smart buyers and even smarter creative people working for them - and lets face it - this market they are trying to attract is elusive and in flux at the moment, so I give them credit for stepping back into the gardening waters......but who are they targeting? I would love to know who the target consumer is here.

Let's explore a prototype order then - I will propose a case study. Meet Jennifer. She shops at Whole Foods (most of the time), and she drives a nice white SUV, but wears some vintage clothes, and even shops at JCrew. Jenn wants a veggie garden so that her 3.5 kids can learn about gardening, and that food doesn't really come from the organic farmers market. Plus, Jenn will love chatting about how she has to "weed" and 'water' her "raised beds" and she may even toss about some phrases about how "awesome" her organic beets are compared to the farmers market beets, the next time she sees her "best friend Lydia" at the coffee shop.

Jenn has never gardened before, but she's been wanting to try perhaps a few raised beds, and maybe even a chicken or two in her back yard, after all, she is motivate, and, it is spring. While reading her favorite design blogs one day, she spots a cool chicken coop photo in the sidebar on Apartment Therapy on an post that her best friend Jess sent her. When she goes to the site, she is thrilled that it is owned by William Sonoma, her fav retailer who also owns some of her favorite brands like West Elm and Pottery Barn. "Come on! This is cool. " she says in her head "They have a gardening site!". She surfs the site a bit ( they still say "surf", don't they?) and downloads a great garden plant called PLANT-A-GRAM garden plan. It tells her exactly what to get for her garden planned out by square feet. "Neat!".

Jen reads that she needs to have a whole lot of plants - like 6 snap peas, and 6 beat plants, but she notices that she can order those right from the William Sonoma web site. "cool!". Wow, that seems a little expensive" she thinks. "I wonder why the pea plants cost $16.95 each?" But then she calms down once she reads the details, and sees that each plant is 12 inches tall, and staked.

$16.95 for one Organic 'Freckles" Heirloom Lettuce Plant. Can I order 24 please?

Jenn also orders the 48" square raised bed and then, using the provided Plant-a-gram Salad Garden plan from site, she places her order. All from William Sonoma Agrarian:

12 Organic Bibb Lettuce Plants at $16.95 each ( in a 4" pot)
2 pots of multi sown seedlings of Organic Heirloom Bulls Blood Beets for $16.95 ea.
6 pots of Organic Heirloom Red Romain plants at $16.95 ea.
6 pots of 12 " high Organic Heirloom Sugar Snap peas at $16.95 ea.
6 pots of Organic Freckles Lettuce Plants at $16.95 ea.
6 pot of Organic Green Oak Leaf Lettuce at $16.95 ea.
3 pots of Organic Cheddar Cauliflower plants at $16.95 ea.

I left out the unavailable 6 Italian Brocoli Rabe, the 12 Organic Heirloom Arugula plants and 3 purple Graffiti Cauliflower plants which would have raised the cost of her order

The total for plants for this "salad" garden is still: $695.45.

Jenn's order arrives, and she plants her raised bed which is four feet square. That night, she dreams about what the site tells her will happen from this planting

"Harvest lettuces and arugula leaves from the plant's outer edges, and the inner foliage will continue to produce. Enjoy young beet greens fresh in a salad or quickly sauté them along with the broccoli rabe. Harvest the beets when they are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Other vegetables such as cauliflower and sugar snap peas can be shaved and served raw or lightly steamed for warm salads or healthy side dishes."

Clearly there has to be a strategy here...right? I can only assume someone actually planted 6 pea plants as measured what one can harvest, after all, the description does say " sugar snap peas can be shaved and served as a healthy side dish".

My guess is the Jenn will be shaving more than peas.

Snarkyness aside. Aside from the even more obvious issues here, ( like transplantability of beets, or the volumes needed to provide a useable crop even for one harvest or one recipe) the problems with this new venture are many. It's almost as if, they didn't even try to identify what people really need and want. I can only imagine someone at William Sonoma saying something in a meeting like" Hey, if Urban Outfitters can sell plants and gardening stuff, then we can do it better, we have a better and more trusted brand name - get out there and compete, damn it!). And off went buyers looking for products and partnerships.

I must give some credit, the seeds sold under the Beekman 1805 house look awesome, but I still question where they seeds come from - for many gardeners, it's more than packaging ( although the packaging is stunning). Hooray for the Haw's watering cans, even the nice bee keeping materials. Hooray for the overall visual aesthetic and design of the entire brand for that matter. Even the gardening tools are fine, and worth the investment to many of us who appreciate good design and quality, or at the very least, experience. Sometimes a hand hewn brass tool is just nice to use, to own, to cherish even though a plastic one can do the same job. We all have different values.

To sum it up, all is not lost here - William Sonoma can still grow this brand into something amazing and meaningful, but it will take some work in understanding who and what they stand for honestly. Right now, it all feels a little disingenuous, a little too much like they are trying to be something that they are not.

A three foot square raised from Agrarian - beautiful materials, but only 3 feet square The assumption is either they assume we are all new and clueless, or they believe that this is actually how a raised bed should be plants, and they are informing and inspiring us.

The new gardener is an elusive market, with boundaries muddled across a broad audience of beginners to experts, it's not easy to see how one can miss at least, hitting one of those consumer groups, but I think may have missed them all.

My advice to William Sonoma?

- Try your products out first, then write about them, or test them.

Just because White Flower Farm sells olive trees for $79.00. doesn't mean you can too. But it you do, make them awesome French or Italian cultivars, not trained topiaries for kitchen tables. If you want to sell small topiaries, sell awesome ones that will grow on a kitchen table like Myrtus.

- Know your audience in and out. Don't guess at what they might want or need, and don't use your competitors as examples as much as learn what fantasies are in your consumers heads. Sell the experience, not, 'just because we can'.

- Be careful about building a brand based on a curated collection, unless we know who the curator is.

- Be honest and genuine - lettuce plants sold as individual plants for $16.95 may seem smart, but I guarantee that you will not have a repeat customer. It was a stupid idea.

- Sure customers want gardening to be easy, but is that the customer you want? Or do you want the expert gardener? maybe you want to appeal to the 40 and up woman who wants a sustainable garden, who is affluent? Great. But I challenge all of those models since your product line does not connect to any of them. Gardening is part science, part experience, and part results, plus, it's hard to get right. In many ways, it's very similar to cooking. But you must know who your chefs are. 'The French Laundry' shows people how to boil a calves head for two days, but few home chef's will do that. But many want their kitchens to look as if they could. That logic plays into a different fantasy when it comes to gardening.

- Be wary about consultants, or internal directives who are not truly experienced. Exercise care with evaluating your buyers choices or what your merchandiser creates or designs. When in doubt, test it out with some consumers first, or, be sure that he or she raises bees, keeps chickens and gardens.

- Be daring, be risky.

Last (and Rarest) of the Winter Greenhouse Bulbs

2012-04-16T23:04:00.001-04:00

A BROWN HYACINTH? NOT QUITE, BUT ABOUT AS CLOSE A PAN IN THE ALPINE HOUSE DISPLAYS A SINGLE BULB OF THE RARITY FROM THE HYACINTH FAMILY KNOWN AS Dipacdi serotinus,

Dipcadi Serotinus

In the bulb plunge bed, a sand bed at the front of my greenhouse, a never ending display of tiny pots ( and some not so tiny pots) gets set weekly, it's where I like to show whatever is in bloom, and it functions as sort of a display bed, if only for me, and the occasional visitor. By spring, the bed gets less and less interesting, as does the entire greenhouse for that manner, as more interesting events are happening outside. The final reset of the display bed happens around May, just after our Primrose party, when the last of the tiny collector bulbs that require protection, bloom marking the final transitional period for southern hemispheric bulbs before the begin the dormancy as the temperatures rise, and the soil in their pots dries out.

A closeup of Dipcadi serotinus shows a little slug slime, but they are not eating the tissues on this plant, which leads me to believe that either it is slightly toxic, or just doesn't appeal to them.

The last of the Lachenalia are starting to bloom. This time of year always surprises me when it comes to Lachenalia, for these seed-raised pots from wild collected sources in South Africa often provide some surprised such as this pot of very beautiful Lachenalia unicolor forma. alba, a species rarely seen in an already obscure genus found in few gardens outside of the serious collectors.

Lachenalia latimerae

Lachenalia latimerae is quite rare, or at least, rarely grown as I have never found bulbs available anywhere, and when one Google's this species, only this blog appears besides the Pacific Bulb Society site. Easy from seed, the only challenge here is finding the seed, and as there generally is only one or two sources in South Africa, this plant shall remain one only found in private collections, and perhaps, a large botanic garden such as Kew. I think it is lovely, a late bloomer in more ways than one, this pot is almost ten years old, and needs a refresh. I've been lazy in fertilizing and in winter care, literally not watering this plant as it sat on a shelf in the greenhouse hidden behind some Nerine sarniensis, until I found it last week, when I watered it for the first time. It is still blooming, though weakly.

Lachenalia 'lost label' It said ' L. uniflora' which it is not. Another reason why I need to start placing vinyl labels inside the pot, too. A new practice I have started this year.

A Symphony In Need of a Hot Tub

2012-04-15T22:31:00.000-04:00

THERE ARE PLANTS THAT SEEM TO GET BETTER WITH AGE. A PULSATILLA BLOOMS IN THE ALPINE GARDEN, STARTED FROM SEED EIGHT YEARS AGO, THESE HIGH-ELEVATION ALPINES GROW WELL IN OUR GARDEN, IN TROUGHS, RAISED BEDS AND CONTAINERS THAT FREEZE SOLID.

First of all - the winner of the hanging planter is ADELE! So, congratulations Adele! Please email me and let me know your mailing address and full name - we will be sending you the planter soon.

OUR VERSION OF HOMELAND SECURITY - A PAIR OF CHINESE GEESE, AND A PARTICULARLY VICIOUS INDIAN RUNNER DUCK PATROL THE PERIMETER OF THE YARD LOOKING FOR THE OIL MAN, THE GAS MAN OR AN IRISH TERRIER OR TWO TO INTERROGATE.

When I was about 16, with the first paycheck that I received from my first job, I bought a super 8 movie camera ( it was the late 1970's). My first film I entitled 'Fantasy in Bloom - a symphony of color by Matthew X. Mattus was filmed, set to the music of Richard Strauss' 'Alpine Symphony' ( the cassette recording). The premiere was memorable, a July evening in my dad's painting studio, the film, projected on a large king size sheet that I draped over one of his paintings over the fireplace, the projector strategically placed at the far end of the house, in the kitchen, set on a piano stool, so that the projection would be massive on the sheet - it was practically IMAX '76.

I had painted credits on glass panels, with the key shots behind it. That evening, the audience ( my pathetic siblings who laughed through it all hysterically, my parents and Aunt Ann) patiently sat through 25 minutes of spliced film, shaky closeups of bright orange oriental poppies, bumble bee sequences, and a stunning pan as I rode down the meadow high behind out house on my banana seat bike with the camera ducktapped to the handle bars. If things went well, I could have become the next Steven Spielberg, for this would have been the classic back story, but no. My feature film, a tour de force interpretation of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' set to music from the album, failed miserably before anyone could appreciate it. Maybe, someday, I will copy these spliced reels to Youtube, but until then....I garden.

JOE RETURNS THE GANDER, BACK TO THE COOP AFTER HE WANDERED OFF INTO THE STREET THIS MORNING, MOST LIKELY DISCIPLINING THE NEWSPAPER DELIVERY BOY.

A DOUBLE BLOODROOT BLOOMS IN THE RECORD-BREAKING HEAT. MOST LIKELY, THIS BLOSSOM WILL LAST FOR A DAY AND A HALF BEFORE SHATTERING.

THE OLD GOLDFISH POND WAS DRAINED, AND THE MUCK CLEANED OUT. JOE HAS VISIONS OF VICTORIA WATERLILIES FOR IT ( rrrrrrright). BUT I THINK THAT SOME DUCK WEED, A WATER LETTUCE AND THE IRIS PSEUDACORUS WILL BE JUST FINE. MAYBE A GUNNERA.

I spoke at a local garden club this past week in Easthampton, MA, a quiet town nestled in an agricultural valley in western Massachusetts. It reminded me about my crazy fantasies about living in the Berkshires, or in Vermont, maybe even up-state New York on a farm or anyplace where I can meet some of my basic requirements - a location where I can hear spring peepers - our native tiny frogs that live in vernal pools in the woodland, their call is something that I grew up with, but which I never hear anymore now that homes have been built all around us here in the city; no sounds of distant highways - a bit unrealistic, sure, but where I live, the Massachusetts Turnpike is less than a mile away, and I can hear trucks, plus, the road I live on is busy now that they opened it up to a section 8 housing project, which is OK, but the new 'shortcut' it provides for the next town over, is not. Lastly, as there must be three, I want a view of something wild, a distant hill, a valley, a deep forest - anything other than our neighbors white box trucks.

A VIEW I RARELY SHOW, THE LONG WALK WITH THE UGLY FENCE, THAT SEPARATES THE NICER GREENHOUSE SIDE OF THE YARD, AND THE REST OF THE GARDEN. THIS OVER GROWN PERENNIAL BED HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR TEN YEARS, SO THIS WEEKED WE STARTED DIGGING IT OUT. MY PLANS? FIRST, THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY 'OLD FASHIONED ANNUAL' BORDER. BUT I THINK THAT THIS WILL BECOME A MOON BORDER - ALL WHITE AND SILVER ANNUALS, PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS. THE FENCE? I WILL JUST HAVE TO PAINT IT BLACK, FOR NOW.

I suppose we all can complain, but it's now- when spring arrives ( this year a whole lot early), is when I want space where I can appreciate the migrating song birds, the brief ephemeral wild flowers, most basically,the sensual side of spring: it scent, its sound, its dioramas. Woodthrush, Woodcock, Wood Frogs and woodlands. Simple, right? Not so fast. I need to work, I need to be near a large city, near an airport, near culture. As I read the New York Times this morning before starting my second day of garden chores, I wished that I lived near enough to Manhattan, if only to see friends, and certainly to sit somewhere in the audience Wednesday to hear the New York Philharmonic directed by Lorin Maazel perform Richard Strauss' 'Alpine Symphony', a tone pome if not literal composition inspired by the Alps ( literal is OK, if it gives you goosebumps!). I would want to be able to zip over to Matthew Marks Gallery to see Brice Marden's new works, if only to remind me of my past life as a contemporary artist, but these sort of experiences still inspire me, they confirm a creatives place in time and culture - something which is more difficult to do today no matter how creative you are.

LOOKING AT THE LONG WALK FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION ( MORE OF A VIEW I TYPICALLY WOULD FEATURE). THIS SHOWS HOW LONG IT ACTUALLY IS (ABOUT 150 FEET). IN THE FOREGROUND, SASA VEITCHII BAMBOO IS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO ERADICATE, ITS RUNNERS REACH DOWN NEARLY TWO FEET UNDER GROUND. I LOVE IT, BUT IT HAS TO GO. NOW THE COMPOST PILE IS RICH WITH A FEW BLUE HYDRANGEAS, SIBERIAN IRIS AND BAPTISIA. PLUS, NOW THAT THIS WILL BECOME A MOON GARDEN, MAYBE I SHOULD CALL THIS THE MOON WALK?

A VARIEGATED PETASITES JAPONICA DISPLAYS ITS VARIEGATION STRONGEST IN THE SPRING, BUT VIEWED EN-MASS, THE PLANT LOOKS LESS THAN PLEASANT, SO HERE IS THE TRUTH.....

OK - NOT ALL IS PRETTY HERE ON OUR PROPERTY. A STUMP FROM A LARGE BLUE SPRUCE THAT WAS UP-ROOTED IN A WIND STORM LAST MONTH, REMAINS AS PETASITES EMERGE. THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEM AREAS THAT I JUST HAVE TO LET GO WILD FOR NOW.

What's interesting about those two cultural events is not that one is old, and one is new - I mean, one is a repeat performance, composed and performed first nearly one hundred years ago, and the Marden exhibition debut's the artists' newest creations - what interests me is that they are both similar to why we appreciate growing things. Not the art of 'gardening', but the appreciation of what happens in the garden. I never consider myself a gardener, if I did, my garden would look awesome and believe me, don't let the photos on this blog mislead you - 75 percent of this old garden is not impressive, it's downright messy, unkempt and out-of-control. A gardeners garden is generally more about the collective experience - a delicate recipe which in no other time of the year besides spring, becomes overwhelming.

SOME CHORES CAN'T WAIT, EVEN FOR A DAY. LAVATERA SEEDLINGS ARE DIFFICULT ENOUGH, AS THEY ARE PRONE TO FUNGAL INFECTIONS AND CAN ROT IN A DAY WITHOUT PROPER VENTILATION. CAREFULLY PRICK OUT ALL BUT ONE SEEDLING PER POT, AND PLAN ON TRANSPLANTING NEXT WEEK AS THESE ARE TAP-ROOTED ANNUALS, AND THEY DISLIKE ANY ROOT DISTURBANCE.

Between late April and mid May, New England gardens become Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall and The Met - all at the same time. There are other times of the year when I, myself become the curator, the planter of bulbs, the sower of seeds, but during this brief spring interlude, I become nothing more than an observer - an usher even. One can sit and observe the performance ( something that I need to practice on more), or proceed with the never-ending to-to list of chores, trying not to notice the house wrens as they pick up whisps of goose down that became stuck on a petasites blossom, or the bloodroot as it opens its large, waterlily-like waxy white blossom if only for a day, since the unseasonable heat swiftly convinces the plant to do its duty, and move on. My symphony in the garden is brief, but always worth experiencing, in one way or another.

A LARGE DENDROBIUM SPECIOSUM HAD TO BE REPOTTED INTO A LARGER BASKET, ONE OF THE LARGEST ORCHID PLANTS ONE CAN GROW, THIS PLANT IS STILL YOUNG.

I mention to-do lists, which I do make each day, but rarely do I follow them. One task leads to another, and before long, I am taking on large projects that never even made it to the original list. The Lavatera needed thinning, which reminded me that some orchids in the greenhouse needed to be repotted, leading me to parsley plants that needed transplanting, sweetpeas set out into more rows in the garden, tubs of agapanthus, olive trees and calla lilies needing to be hauled out of the greenhouse for the summer, better fertilize the spinach and the snap peas, and cactus need to be relocated from the high bench in the greenhouse to a sand bed as they are showing buds. So much to do, but I did turn the fans off in the greenhouse so that I could hear the mating chickadees, and there was enough time to make a caramelized garlic and creme fresh tart, albeit with frozen puff pastry. After all, we had to eat!

THE BEES ARE STILL BEING FED SUGAR WATER TO BUILD UP THE HIVE, TWO HIVES WERE LOST WHEN THE TREE FELL LAST MONTH.

Ingleside Pottery Giveaway

2012-04-10T22:37:00.001-04:00

WIN THIS NICE HANGING HAND-THROWN CONTAINER BY INGLESIDE POTTERY - see details at end of post

I discovered Laine's amazing hanging pottery containers a few months back while looking for the perfect container for some succulents that I had just purchased. As a designer and potter myself, it's a rare treat when I find someones work that really moves me, and Laine's work does just that. These ceramic containers are just what I was looking for, as they are artistic, inspired somewhat by vintage vessels, the perfect marriage of old and new, and, thanks to Laine, she is offering one as a giveaway - imagine this hanging on your porch, in your window or by the back door.

I asked Laine a few questions, as I was curious to learn more about her work. Here is the interview:

M • As artists, most of us can identify what influenced us at an early age, can you remember when you first became interesting in clay and pottery?

L • Like many gardeners, I learned at an early age by trial and error at my grandmother’s side. It was my first mud love, and I “designed” a small area of my own in her garden. I created lovely raised beds from salvaged wood and planted favorite herbs and perennials. I even incorporated a garden bench and a huge dead branch I used as a natural trellis, a little Alice in Wonderland style. For me, becoming a clay artist was a natural extension of creative gardening. I work with my hands everyday to create interesting design out of lumps of mud or clay.

M • Laine, that's so classic, I mean what's better than a potter making mud pies! But in many ways, we all made mud pies as gardeners, but was there a moment when you discovered, or rediscovered the feel and passion for ...um, mud?

L • Well, I think you're on to something! I do remember taking my first professional pottery class as a teenager in 1989, but I didn’t step into a pottery studio again until 2001. I focused on Art History in college, worked as an art historian and curator and lived in the Czech Republic. It was during this ceramic hiatus that I spent a year on a Fullbright research grant in Prague. The skyline with its turrets, finials, towers, and steeples played such an important role in shaping my current design aesthetic. I live and work in Fairfield, Ohio today – quite a distance from Prague – but the city’s beauty still captures my imagination. I’ve reinterpreted the elegant lines and ornate details of the spires on the potter’s wheel creating unique and functional finial designs for all my hanging and pedestal planters.

THE TOOLS OF THE ARTIST - BATS, CLAY SCALE, A WHEEL AND A BREEZY WINDOW

M • I can see the classical influence, I imagine that time in Eastern Europe contributed to the obvious architectural influence in your work, I mean, the finials, the symetry, the moulding - Oh, and clearly, your were in Prague in those perfect early years when it was just being rediscovered as an emerging center for creatives ( before McDonalds!). When did you start throwing clay and getting the results you wanted? This is not an easy medium to master, but I know that there is generally that tipping point when all of a sudden, you discover that the magic is starting to happen - when did you discover your visual voice?

L • Since 2001, I’ve never looked back and can say I’m smitten with clay as a medium. I love throwing with white terracotta. It has such a soft white color and smooth creamy texture. This clay, which is incredibly pliable and forgiving, allows me to create the intricate, hollow finals that function as hidden drainage for the planters. I also think earthenware clay is better suited for growing healthy plants in the outdoor planters. Besides its long tradition in garden ware, terracotta can provide a cooler environment for plants during those hot summer days.

VARIOUS VESSELS DRYING IN THE STUDIO

M • OK, so I'm curious ----are you are a gardener? So much of your work seems to be garden pottery? If so, how do you decide what shape to throw and what to make? I know some potters let the 'clay speak' to them, others, have a clear vision. Do you create containers with specific plants in mind or does the shape drive you? I see similarity in your pieces, sure, but I think what attracts me is that even though everything have a clear visual language as a thread, it still never feels like production pottery - the craft is still there.

L • Well, thanks. Really, right now, it's spring that drives me! Spring is the season for planters and I’m gearing up by creating as many styles and designs as I can, I can't help it, I am an artist. Still, I’ve learned that my customers love variety. So this year I’m still offering the popular outdoor hanging planters but I’m also introducing a new indoor planter design that incorporates an Oyama insert - ideal for African Violets. I’ve been nurturing about two dozed trailing African Violets in my studio space all winter. They are finally taking on that trailing nature which looks so beautiful in the new finial planter design.

M • I know that clay can be more than messy, not that we gardeners are very neat! Where do you do your work? Do you have a studio or a dedicated place where you can do your work?

L • I have a small home studio, which is a great place to work everyday. My space is bright with diffused natural light that comes through a bank of low windows, providing a beautiful view onto my small suburban yard. I feel really lucky that I can be throwing something, look up and see a beautiful snowy landscape in Winter or the ornamental trees in full flower in the Spring. So distracting.

Finial detail - yes, it drains ( I asked!)

Now, here is how you can win. The drawing will be held at 9:00 PM Sunday, I will use randomizer.

To enter, all we ask is that you go and 'like' the Ingleside Pottery Facebook page, and be sure that you select LIKE - then send a comment to me stating that you did LIKE them! - simple, right? You may surely want to also visit the Ingleside pottery etsy page to shop and check out more, in case you just can't wait, I bet she will be sold out soon!

It's here! My Revised 2012 Blog Project List - Want to add to it!

2012-04-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

IN OCTOBER, I SOWED SOME SPENCER SWEET PEAS IN A METHOD SUGGESTED FOR ZONE 5 IN A 1905 BULLETIN - SWEET PEAS IF PLANTED LATE ENOUGH IN ZONE 5, NEW ENGLAND, WILL BLOOM EARLY IN THE SPRING.

When I first started this blogging project back in 2006, there were few bloggers to compete with, but today you readers have a lot of options. With more than 10,000 gardening blogs, it's a completely different world online, so trying to remain relevant and fresh is even more difficult. As this blog gains more popularity and a broader audience, I don't want the content to become to repetitive or diluted. I am trying to keep my content a little unique, so there are just some things that I don't bother to blog about - I would rather cover something more interesting, say....my adventures with mastering how to germinate Convolvulus species or as I am documenting more recently, how to achieve amazing success with what was once America's most popular cut flower (in 1910) - Spencer varieties of Sweet Peas.

I’ve had to think a lot lately, about what makes my blog different that the others – I suppose that one of those differentiating aspects is my history and experience - having gardening for a lifetime – or, more accurately, since I was about 9 years old in the same garden that my parents and grandparents gardened in. I never really think of this fact as anything to brag about, but I think the real value here isn't that specific fact, but rather that I've grown everything that I write about, so generally, I've experienced both success and failure, and believe me, I rarely give up easily. All plants have different cultural techniques depending on where you live and garden, so although a British gardener may have very strong opinions about growing one sort of plant, the same method may not work in California, or in New England.

MY SWEET PEA TRIALS ARE UNDER WAY!~ THE BAMBOO CANES ARRIVED BY FREIGHT LAST WEEK, AND THE FIRST CROP IS BEING TRANSFERRED FROM THE 'ROOTRAINERS' POTS ( WHICH WORK SO WELL) INTO THE GARDEN. THE PLANTS HAVE BEEN PINCHED BACK TO PROMOTE SIDE GROWTH, AND FED WITH A LIQUID FEED TO PROMOTE MORE ROOTS. I USE A 2.10.8 ANALYSIS.

In an effort to stay competitive, yet highly interesting and unique, I’ve decided to take on a more focused venture – or shall I say formalize a few series of postings, a bit – I am going to try start more specific projects, a sort-of 101 method of instruction for plants and craft for the garden ( like my poppy post), where I can show the plants, progress, successes or failures of a focused series of projects.

I am selecting a half-dozen or so projects which in which I will delve in deeply, to share my research, my trials and tribulations, and most importantly, share my results, and progress, hopefully in multiple posts – I think this will be more demonstrable and authentic. Besides offering you a more in-depth review, these posts should prove to me more informative, and inspirational. I will continue to still post more garden datebook material - seasonal posts, what's in bloom today, etc. You seem to like those too.

Here are my current 2012 Projects ( you may have guessed some of these since I hinted about them in an earlier post).

1. The Growing With Plants Sweet Pea Trials – With 30+ varieties of heirloom and modern English Sweet Peas, I will share my process, progress, failures and successes in cultivating exhibition sweet peas. Focusing on tried and true traditional cultural practices established by British growers a century ago, I will show how to grow sweet peas on everything from brush and wire, to growing them on cordons and Bush methods ( which yes, my readers have pointed out is not new, but they are for me,) ~~as well as newer methods such as bush training~~, and integration into annual and perennial borders. (Always share your thoughts please!).

2. The Great American Annual Border – We all want the perfect cottage garden, right? But real gardeners know that what is often the perfection in the eye, is far from that in the garden. Most often, the ideal cottage garden only exists in fantasy paintings, calendars, puzzles and perhaps at a couple of the great British estates, but the lost art of growing annuals in a border needs some serious rediscovery. That's right - I Mr. Garden Snob said 'annuals'. We know there are lovely ones, and we know that the best seem to be hard to find today, and we may even know that they look best planted in huge drifts, but who really does that any more? I intend to try it. A hundred and fifty years ago, annuals borders were magnificent, and grand – so in an effort to revitalize the lost art or mastering annual flowers – I am converting a 60 foot perennial border in our garden over to the greatest annuals in the world. Many, lost or heirloom varieties, but also using newer strains. Wish me luck!

3. The 1805 Tuberose Project – It’s official, I am growing a collection of potted tuberoses in the methods described in that 1805 gardening book that I shared with you all last Christmas. From making my own long-toms and firing them, to getting the rootstock to sprout and grow, these challenging plants will hopefully scent the evening parties in September, if I can get all of my pots made in time, and the proper vintage roots ordered.

4. Chrysanthemum Show – That’s right, I said chrysanthemum not the new name which no one really uses unless they are a botanist. I happen to have a fondness for the old ( and new) exhibition varities of mums, which I dabbled in a few years ago. With 40 varieties ordered, I will be sharing with you all how to pot cutting, how to train and care for plants for exhibition, and how I will be staging them in our greenhouse for a private parting in October – maybe you can come and visit too if I hold a drawing for a ticket! Another 19^th century treasure needs to be rediscovered, and exhibition mums just may be the plant.

5. Greenhouse Cucumbers – Yes, you guessed it – not only just growing seedless, Japanese cucumbers, but I will be sharing my adventured with training the cucumbers to grow in heart shapes and stars – since my most popular post has been the Tranined Japanese Cucumber Post. Who know’s how this one will turn out, but last years melon experiment worked so well in using the wasted greenhouse space in our hobby greenhouse, that I think I am ready for taking on cukes.

6. Pop goes Poppies – This might be wrapped into the Annual Border test, but seeing that I am growing many annual and biennial poppies this year, I will be sharing these poppy-posts with you as they succeed or fail, this project also ties in with my next project, called….

7. The California Coastal Garden Project – In my gut, I know that I have probably chosen the worst year ever for attempting this venture – since even the UN has announced that we should expect the hottest and driest summer ever, but since I have already started, I might as well carry this one through – The California Coastal Garden Project of Massachusetts might be a more appropriate name, yet as strange as this sounds, I am using good judgement as for the site, and for the reasons why. Along the western side of my greenhouse runs a raised stone retaining wall designed to grow and display high elevation alpine plants.

Rather than replant the wall after a few severe winters, I thought that I might use this fast draining uniquely sited location to try growing some cool-loving, northern California annuals and perennials if for no other reason, than to see if I can re-create a spread from Annies Annuals!. It’s a touch and go project, with lots of sown-in-location annuals the hate any disturbance, and an unusually hot and then frosty spring, so this may already be a disaster….stay tuned.

SPENCER VARIETIES OF SWEET PEAS TRANSPLANTED ON EASTER SUNDAY INTO ONE OF THE RAISED BEDS USING THE TRADITIONS ENGLISH CORDON METHOD of WIRE AND BAMBOO CANING.

My Easter Parade

2012-04-08T21:00:00.001-04:00

RAISED ETHNIC LITHUANIAN, EASTER IS A BIG DEAL FOR OUR FAMILY, BUT WE NEVER MADE ELABORATE EASTER EGGS, RATHER, MY MOM USED TO USE ONION SKINS AND BEETS TO COLOR EGGS FROM OUR OWN CHICKENS - THIS YEAR, I USED FOOD COLORING AND BLACK FOOD COLORING TO CREATE A MORE STYLISH COLOR PALETTE. THEN, I USED A TOOTHBRUSH TO SPECKLE THEM WIDE ENDS.

A PARADE OF SMALL SPRING BULBS AND EPHEMERALS, HELLEBORE. POLEMONIUM, ANEMONE RANUNCULOIDES, LEUCOJUM VERNALIS, CHINODOXA, MUSCARI, ANEMONE BLANDA ALL JOIN THE PARADE FOR OUR EASTER A TABLE.

Just a few images from our Easter Sunday. I had these vintage white Fire King spice jars that I received from my friend Cheryl sitting as part of a collection, but I never used them for anything practical. Since our table is long ( 16 feet) and has a white tablecloth, the white milk glass seemed perfect to use since there are so many tiny bulbs and treasures blooming right now in the garden.

I too four days off from work, and I thought that I would be able to blog more, but alas, not. Too much garden work, housework and Joe's surgery- nothing serious but it left him with a 2 inch hole in his stomach that need to be packed with gauze twice a day and kept sterile which means no garden work for him. With 18 guests for a sit down dinner, I think I spent more time cooking than I did working in the garden, but there will be more weekends in the future. I did get to plant sweet peas ( some of them) and transplanted some early annuals into the garden. Spring is arriving full force, it seems.

WHITE MILK GLASS FIRE KING SPICE CONTAINERS WITH LESSER BULBS AND EARLY EPHEMERALS FROM THE GARDEN.

Autumn and spring merge

2012-04-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

A tiny rare wild Gladiolus species from the Cape of South African, Gladiolus alatus blooms in a small clay pot, just as the pot of bulbs is almost ready to go dormant for the summer. A little slug damage on the petal does the flower no hard beyond its appearance.

When one has a greenhouse, the seasons seem to blur, both figuratively and literally. As southern hemisphere plants push toward their autumn, northern hemisphere plants start their growing year. Plants that come from areas where there is only rainfall for a short time, such as South Africa or Chile, the differences are more extreme, with many bulbs and other geophytes blooming either at the start of the rainy season, or at the end of the rainy season. The South African bulbs fall into these two categories, so collector greenhouses like mine often look best right at the beginning of the 'rainy season' ( i.e. the hose in fall" or at the end, when many bulb plants seem to send up their last hurrah.

Those Poppies that I sowed two weeks ago are starting to spout - look carefully at the bottom! Papaver rhoeas are on their way.

A new Clivia seedling is really spectacular - this one will be a
'keeper' , but hey, we can't keep them all! Another seedling from Mr. Nakamura in Japan, this one is three times the size of our other forms, and it has a blossom that is the exact color of a creamsicle. The blossom's open aspect is also nice.

These cool spring evenings are much like October, as the seasons shifts, the plants tell us that it is all OK. This Spring Snowflake ( Leucojum vernum) is similar to autumn blooming forms, but much larger. The light angle though, is the same as October. We might be 4 weeks ahead of schedule this year, but the Magnolias really didn't freeze as hard as we thought they would, and many plants are catching up to the same dates as last year ( I can tell, because this blog shows what plants bloomed in the same weeks last year). Still, we are about a month ahead with many things, but nothing dangerously so. Other plants are still a little behind too, which is odd.

Pelargoniums are beginning to bloom. This Martha Washington type is just beginning to open its large, pansy shaped blossoms. An old variety from the late 1800's we found it at an old wooden greenhouse in Maine many years ago. Most old pelargoniums like this were mainstays of the classic Victorian conservatory, but have been lost, replaced with fancy hybrids and Proven Winner-types that have been micro-propagated.