Musings of a Kentucky Gardener

Could this Possibly be Wood Betony?

noreply@blogger.com (Historiana) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:35:00 +0000

While coming back down the mountains at Newfound Gap Tennessee, my friend and I pulled over to snap a couple of pics alongside the roaring and beautiful stream. This was only two weeks ago, and the weather was nicely hot and steamy, with loads of large dark butterflies flitting about everywhere. The place we chose for a photo was a standard tourist pull-over spot just above the stream itself. As my friend was positioning himself down the rock wall and into the stream, I was marvelling at the butterflies on a nearby wildflower. It was then that I looked down at my feet. I do believe I spied one of my favorite herbs of all time, right here in its natural habitat. It was a small specimen, and stubby enough for me to doubt my eyes, but I quickly snapped a picture to study when I returned home, since my friend had a plane to catch as soon as he climbed out of the stream.

Upon closer inspection and retrospection, I suspect it truly may be Wood Betony. The blossoms are shorter than my own at home, and the petals appear to be grander in this example, but the shape of the leaf, and the blossom on the long spike definitely spoke of the familiar as soon as I laid eyes on it......as for the retrospection part - I suddenly remembered where I purchased my Wood Betony. I was completely obsessed with herbs back in the late 90s and scoured nurseries for unique plants that one only reads about. The vendors of the Kentucky Herb Festival in Frankfort included this lady from Tennessee who would come every year to sell native selections. She always had truly wonderful things and I managed to cross off several obscure herbs off my wish list when visiting her booth. Ironically, it was the Tennessee lady who sold me my Wood Betony. The one in the National Park may be a slightly different variety, but I'm pretty convinced of the match. However, I also remembered one other experience with her wonderful selection of native plants......be careful when shopping at places that offer native wildflowers....I was 2 minutes away from walking away with my very own specimen of Burdock for my garden. Luckily I studied my purchase more closely as I walked away and suddenly recognized it as that giant weed that grew out by the barns on the farm here in Kentucky - luckily she was nice enough to let me have an exchange! One man's weed is another man's wildflower!

Pocket Full of Memories

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:22:00 +0000

I was poking around my desk, looking for a certain pen, when I brushed past a little artifact that made me smile. You know those little odds and ends that you just can't throw away, and end up planted in the back of your desk drawer due to months of neglect? I was very lucky this little tidbit didn't sprout itself as it hid there. What looks like a little wadded up piece of fabric is actually a farming family's piece of ingenuity.

When my grandfather passed away in 2006, the natural estate dispersal ensued. However, when we were about to leave for the last time, I noticed this little piece of fabric sitting behind the electric outlet mechanism in the basement. It was dusty and covered in cobwebs, but when I picked it up the memories flooded over me quite suddenly. I knew that my grandmother had placed this little bundle of leftover corn seeds in the basement, in hopes of using them in another season. But the fabric she used to keep these little seeds inside was no ordinary piece of fabric. It was a pocket she had recycled from one of grandfather's old work shirts.

Long before the days of Ziploc or even recycled 35mm film canisters, families used whatever they could think of as containers or receptacles. This was a small piece of that left over farm life that I remembered, and I knew I could not throw it away. Not only did the memories associated with this little bundle involve planting the vegetable garden with both grandparents each summer, but it also involved the shirt that provided the pocket. Growing up, my favorite place in the world was my grandparents farm in Bourbon County Kentucky. At 165+ acres, I could roam as much as I wanted and each visit included some new farm related adventure. Each summer, I watched 'Pappa' (pronounced Pah-Paw) go out to the dairy or out to the field in one of these light blue cotton work shirts. It is remarkable how holding something tactile in your hand can bring back the memories so clearly. In this case the seemingly unimportant little piece of fabric is a much larger representation of the first environmentalists. "Waste not want not" was the order of each day. Life was a bit tougher, but the rewards for a days work were felt even more as the day drew to a close.....complete with iced tea and a homemade desert.....ah, those cool summer evenings on the porch looking out over the fields.....how I miss those, and the loved ones who sat next to me.

Cherry Blossom Festival at Yuko-En

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Last weekend (the 17th-18th), Georgetown Kentucky played host to a couple of wonderful cultural events. Both events were related to each other, held in adjoining venues, but separate in scope. The first event that usually draws more attention from those with families is the annual kite festival. Out past the Cardome Center on U.S. 25, a huge field is opened to participants flying kites. The colorful display is remarkable and a wonderful opener to the spring season! The events for that portion are free, but parking is $5. Games and vendors are included in this event, but a frequently overlooked portion of this celebration is the Cherry Blossom Festival held in the adjoining Yuko-En Japanese Garden.

The Yuko-En on the Elkhorn is Kentucky's only official sister relationship garden with Japan. If you are not familiar with Georgetown, the city has a special sister relationship with the Japanese City of Tahara-Cho because of Georgetown's huge Toyota factory that sits on the northern boundaries of the city. The word "huge" is no exaggeration as the right viewing angle will demonstrate its massive size.......bigger than Georgetown itself!

Opened in 2000, the garden was constructed to be a Japanese garden in design, but Bluegrass region in specimen use. By combining the two elements, the experience is unlike any other. There are several reasons why I love visiting this garden. The architecture alone is quite stunning. I have admired this gorgeous entryway since it was built, and I didn't even live in the county at the time. The visual impact is not only arresting, but when entering through the large gates, they seduce you into this long sunken pathway lined with bamboo. The impact creates an immediate sense of entering a special and slightly mysterious other world.

The architectural elements continue once inside the garden. This large multi-purpose building was recently completed within the past few years, but has played host to several events, such as weddings and educational sessions.

The approach to the multi-purpose building is embellished with this beautiful red bridge that serves as a prime place for a photo-op!

But on the other side of the multi-purpose building, the walled zen garden is truly a peaceful and shady place to sit and contemplate the beauty that surrounds each visitor as they pass through. You may not walk in this portion of the garden, but you may sit on a deck that overlooks this stunningly detailed enclosure which is just as enjoyable. One feature of the festival itself is the zen garden combing ceremony. I missed that event this year, but that only gives me a reason to try again next year!

Across from the multi-purpose building is the lake that holds, what appears to be, thousands of beautiful goldfish and koi. This is usually the favorite spot for the children as there is a place dedicated to feeding the fish. Honestly, some of the old scaled veterans in there look like they are just miniature sharks, but they assure me they are really just koi. I'm not so convinced!

The view looking toward the waterfall feature, as seen below. As you can see, the blooms are exquisite during this festival. The dogwoods, redbud, and other blossoms provide quite the show!
Wandering down below the hill to the small waterfall, keep your eyes open for pieces of artwork that line the paths. This is a fairly new feature to Yuko-En, but a very welcome one. It adds such a visual interest to the surroundings and exposes the local visitors to an unfamiliar art element. In my humble opinion, introducing art into the garden not only enhances the experience, but better connects us to the culture of Tahara-Cho. Nothing conveys a message more clearly than artwork. Combined with the elements of nature, one can quickly appreciate the spiritual influences that are so important to the Japanese culture.

Overall, the events of the Cherry Blossom Festival are numerous all weekend long and just as colorful as the kites flying in the distance. The educational value is priceless for both the kids and the adults. My only criticism is one that could be very easily remedied......I didn't see any cherry trees! There looked to be some on the hill near the Cardome Center, but the blossoms had already reached their peak the week before and were already brown. I couldn't guarantee that they were cherry trees since I didn't get close enough to tell for sure. Needless to say, they should add cherry trees to the this beautiful garden that has ample room for such additions, or change the name of the festival.

If you missed the festival, don't worry, this garden is beautiful year round! If you are in the Georgetown area, be sure to put this on the itinerary......you will be very glad you did!

Sayonara everyone!

Easter Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:03:00 +0000

Since my move into a new neighborhood this past summer, most of my plants are still being watched over by my Mother. Moving and getting adjusted did not afford me enough time to do any fall planting or planning for that matter. However, the landscaping around my house is actually pretty nice....just need to add some of my favorites here and there, and re-do some of the backyard spaces. Today was so gorgeous here in Central Kentucky. This evening it was 80 degrees and sunny......so I decided to take a backyard stroll to assess the planting situation. I know I have some shrubs and a couple of perennials that haven't made a presence yet this year, but as I took some shots of the garden areas to keep with me as I shopped for new specimens, I spied a tiny little surprise in the top corner near the deck......a very healthy stand of Grape Hyacinths. Such a pretty overlooked little flower, with a great scent and lovely purple shades......little bells similar to the Lilly of the Valley, only perhaps a bit more dainty, with a stronger stalk. As I miss the daffodils and tulips from my previous home this year, I cut a few of these new little delights to brighten the room just in time for Easter Sunday.

Happy Easter everyone!!

Peonies and Pondering the Past

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:58:00 +0000

For those of you who have kept up with my blog in the past, I apologize for the year+ long hiatus from posting. Life just became way too hectic to keep up posting with the seasons, so hopefully I can fit this into my schedule....balance is my new mantra, so we'll see if that helps any.

I also realize that October is a funny time to be talking about Peonies, but another part of my life, genealogy, has recently reminded me of this moment when Peonies proved to solve a family mystery.

This gardening tale comes from the northern part of our state in Pendleton County. As so many of you know, small abandoned cemeteries dot the countryside as little testaments to the thriving communities that once populated these remote areas. As we moved away from farming as the main income producer, the familial descendants of these ancestors also moved away leaving the cemeteries to fall into serious disrepair or even complete obscurity.

This little cemetery is known as the Fisher Cemetery in the northern end of the county on number 10. It sits just down from the old Fisher School house. Unfortunately, the cemetery has had most of its stones knocked down and then piled into the middle of the cemetery on a skid by a kind person that cleaned them out of the fence row. Either scenario is horrible since the exact location of the stone in relation to remains was forever lost.

After going through the stones I could lift and checking a similar inventory taken years ago, I noticed that some relatives appeared to be unaccounted for. Let's put it this way, when you get to official burial records for 19th century small country cemeteries, the "official" part can be extremely sketchy. I have a set of 4th great grandparents whose burial location is unknown. They could be buried on previously owned family property, or even more likely, they could be in a cemetery like this one, where the number of related individuals to this couple is pretty high, therefore increasing the odds of a final resting place.

I suspect my elusive 4th great grandparents could be in this cemetery, but I still have not found confirmation, even though a teenage son as well as a grown son and entire family are in this cemetery.....pretty good circumstantial evidence. As I searched for this elusive couple, I also had another individual on my "lost" list that I had very little hope of ever finding.

Her name was Mary Malinda Mockbee. She was the daughter of William Mockbee and Jane (Allender) Mockbee, but was named after her grandmother Mary Malinda (Moore) Mockbee - one of the elusive 4th great grandparents I had been searching for. This Mary Malinda Mockbee died at the age of 14 from Typhoid Fever, and her burial place has been in question.

On a trip to this cemetery in middle March, I was admiring the gravestones of my other 4th great grandparents - James Jackson Allender & Mary (Stout) Allender - whose gravestones were some of the very few still standing. Since it was very early Spring, the Peony stalks were breaking ground at a height of about 6 inches above the grassline on this couple's plot. As I pondered which family members might have planted these peonies so long ago, a small cluster of the same peonies a few yards away suddenly caught my attention. They were growing vigorously with no stone to signify who they might be honoring each year, and the stone could be in the pile at the other end, but I wasn't so sure since I hadn't found any of my relatives in the pile.

I took this opportunity to run back to the car for the tire-iron in my trunk and proceeded to stab the ground around the peonies. Within a few seconds I hit stone and digging only a few inches under the soil uncovered the broken pieces of the stone belonging to Mary Malinda Mockbee. I could read enough to know who it was and even noted that her parents' names were inscribed there as well. Apparently, the pieces had been under the ground for so many years that they had eluded the previous cemetery inventory taken in the 1970s.

The discovery was such a small moment in the grand course of history and small even for my own family history. But she was precious to someone at some time, and I was happy to be able to solve this little family mystery once and for all. The records are now complete as to where this teenager was laid to rest.....right next to her grandparents. It gives me hope that her other set of grandparents might be nearby, but more importantly, it reminded me of how important gardening is historically.

Those flowers were lovingly planted as a reminder of the life renewed and the life that continues even after we are gone. Where did these peonies come from? Probably from Mary's mother's house, or one of her many sibling's homes. Perhaps they came from her grandparents homes and had quite a genealogy of their own. We may never know, but they are a living, breathing, glimpse into the vibrant world that came before us....a link to our families and a celebration of our heritage.

This story serves to represent another reason why I enjoy visiting cemeteries....not only for the historical information and artistry of the stones, but for the colorful gifts planted on the plots of loved ones so many years ago. If you want to begin the wonderful journey of heritage gardening, cemeteries are a wonderful place to start as they have wonderful examples of the varieties grown during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Plus, they can tell you a little about your ancestors and their favorite choices in gardening!

Happy Hunting!!

Kentucky Herb Festival 2008

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sun, 25 May 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Since our move to Kentucky about 15 years ago, we have made the Kentucky Herb Festival in Frankfort an annual tradition. It is not a large festival, but quaint and just big enough to take up about half of the day allowing the rest of the day to get home and plant what was bought! Last year, for the 15th anniversary, the Kentucky Herb Association decided to move the date from the second weekend in June to the third weekend in May. Unfortunately, only their die hard members got the news and the largest city nearby, Lexington was left out of the advert....so this year appeared to be much better attended. To give you a taste of why this trip is worth the yearly dedication, I will provide a sampling of the day's activities, including lunch and another favorite garden center visit that makes the day very special.

The day begins with a stop at the Herb Fest located in the farm buildings of Lakeview Park which overlooks a golf course and nice size lake.

The festival is free to get in, but parking is $3.00 and if you want to stay for their herbal lunch held at the beautiful brick building at the entrance, the cost is $9.00 and limited to 120 people.

Other activities include guest speakers, live music and an auction with proceeds benefiting the Kentucky Herb Association.

Now for a few tasty morsels from this year's festival:

One booth we usually make a bee line for is Wash House Herb Farm's homemade herb breads. They sell out pretty quickly, so we load up before heading around to the rest of the booths.

Chrisman Mill Vineyard (the oldest licensed vineyard in the U.S.) offers a very nice wine tasting with wine bread and cheese spread standing by for a wonderful sampling.

The other booths loaded with wonderful smellygood stuff and books about growing, cooking or crafting with your favorite herbs make for a visually appealing and diverse shopping experience.

And then there are the herbs and plants! So many unique herbs, wildflowers, native plants and perennials to choose from!

In fact, there are so many things to load up with at such reasonable prices, we have adopted the habit of bringing along our trusty antique grocery cart. Simply perfect for bags of bread, wine, herbs and everything else we can pack into it. The opening is also just the right size for laying a flat of plants on top. But as you can see, we only bought a few herbs this year that fit into bags on top of the bread.

As we head back to the car, we have thoughts of lunch at Gibby's (voted Frankfort's favorite place for lunch!) and then more plans for shopping at a local greenhouse - Wilson's.

Wilson's Nursery sits on Frankfort's By-Pass and takes up many acres of growing space.

The displays throughout the greenhouse, giftshop and terraces combine to create a gardener's heaven! Once upon a time Wilson's used to participate in the Herb Festival but left several years ago, preferring to put on a nice herb sale at their own place. In years past, the sale has been very significant, but this year the Herb Fest is a month earlier and so the sale is not as wonderful, but the selection is still worth the trip!

The ultimate fairy garden!

And be careful where you rummage through the plants! You may find a feline hiding in the roses. One of the workers said she was very friendly, but didn't know her name....only that her mother's name was Lola! So keep an eye out for Lola's daughter while spending your Saturday wandering through Wilson's!

A Big Daffodil Thank You to the Blotanical Readers!!

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:04:00 +0000

As I promised, May would be a much better blogging month for me. Classes ended about two weeks ago and I wanted to get started right away with some intro posts about the rose garden since I am a huge fan of growing antique roses. I was just sitting down this morning to blog about the Kentucky Herb Festival from last weekend, when I decided to do some poking around Blotanical for some catching up. To my wonderful surprise, the Blotanical readers have been busy little bees and have identified my mystery daffodils (see April post)!!

It all started with Pleasant Hill Rambles' post about his fascination with my daffodils followed by his serendipitous discovery of the same daffodils at his neighbor's farm in New York! As he blogged about my blog and his find, another blogger, The Occasional Gardener, piped up with the solution to our mystery....drum roll please...the Van Sion Daffodil! Linked through these blogs was a wonderful post about the Van Sion....and as a historian, I added a whoop to Pleasant Hill's when I learned how old it is....at least 1620! Ironically, this daffodil is the only daffodil that I planted in the antique rose garden because of readily available space when we moved. It may now lift its head proudly as an ancient regally named variety just as important as the ancient roses that have looked down on it for all these years as a "mystery mutant". Welcome Van Sion, now your story can be passed along when neighbors ask disdainfully..."What is it?".

Rose Report - Taking Inventory and Counting Buds (Well, not literally)

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

After finally having some time to walk the rose garden, I decided to take stock of what survived the winter and what did not. According to my calculations I only lost one rose: the Gertrude Jekyll. Which is very sad since I have had this particular bush for several years and she even survived the transplant from Bourbon County a few years ago. Since the rose garden is mostly full of antique varieties, Gertrude was a bit of an anomaly since she was a David Austin English Rose which may not have the survival instincts of the other older varieties. Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to paint the English roses as weaker specimens, but in this case, Gertrude had lost some of the soil around her base which means she may have been more vulnerable than the others. I have another English rose next to her, Othello, which also survived some soil loss, but survived beautifully. The rest of the antique varieties have me spoiled since I don't have to winterize them at all and they come back each year with full vigor. I should try to remember that the English roses are a more modern creation and may need some winterizing in the future.

As for the rest of the group, everyone seems to be flourishing. All have buds with the exception of the Chestnut Burr Rose which will develop buds much later than the rest of them. This one has always been the late bloomer of the season, but a long bloomer and kind of the last waltz of the ball. While none of mine have bloomed just yet, I have reports from friends that some of the same roses in Lexington are bursting forth as we speak and have been for the last week. One of the roses, which I will mention below (Lenoxburg/Bella Donna), seems to be a full two weeks ahead of my bushes here in Georgetown. Right now the two roses about to begin the blooming season are Clotilde Soupert and Belle de Crecy. So far, they both have large buds with color, so it will be a race to see who can't stand it anymore and pops open - although the Russelliana is gaining on them!

The rose garden is designed in a four quadrant style with a center circle. Most of my quadrants are full of antique varieties, but some spots are taken up by some left over Dr. Hueys which appeared after some of my Tea Roses reverted back to their root stock. Yes, I used to winterize all of my tea roses, but no matter the effort, every year I always had one go back to the root stock, so I gave up on Tea Roses. Besides winterizing, I just didn't have time to spoil the tea roses as they require, and so gave up on growing this variety. I was not only intrigued by the lack of care needed by antique varieties, but also by their volume of blooms each year. True, some of them only bloom for a few weeks in June, but you can get varieties that bloom all year and give the tea roses a run for their money. Historically, the sight and smell of the antique varieties are very rewarding. If you haven't tried one, go for it...you will be hooked!

And so on to the inventory:

The Lenoxburg/Bella Donna/Martha Washington - Damask - Pre-1876.

In the center ring we have a rose that has proven to be a mystery over the years. I found a full size bush in an old cemetery in Pendleton County that had small suckers growing all around in the lawn. While my normal practice involves snipping a clipping in the cemeteries, this one required a good pull from the lawn since the caretaker kept mowing them off anyway. The little suckers were very hardy and before I knew it I had the most sweet smelling blooms I have ever encountered - and this remains my favorite in the garden hands down. I will write more about this one when she blooms, but after posting to some message boards, some have identified her as the Bella Donna or Martha Washington. I will present the evidence at a later date.

Northeast Quadrant

Russelliana - Polyantha Climber - Spain, 1840:

This little gem has small blooms, and is a climber but I have it in the corner and keep it fairly controlled.

Rosa Mundi - Gallica - Pre-1581:
This is one of my favorites due to the variability of each blossom. From the striped to the almost solid red or white, it puts on a show of nice medium blooms. Be warned - the bumble bees love them!

Chapeau de Napoleon - Centifolia aka Crested Moss - Pre-1820:

Gorgeous rose with lush full blossoms that open from cabbage rose type buds. Intoxicating scent as well.

Felicite Hardy - Damask - France, 1832:

Pure white rose with beautifully formed full blossoms. Buds are not overly large, but could be described as medium size. Wonderful scent and known as the best true white among the antique varieties.

Ispahan - Damask - Unknown, Pre-1832:

I have only had this one for a couple of seasons and so this year should put on a more accurate show of what this beauty can do.

Day Rose - Unknown - Pre-1920:

This rose was one of my cemetery finds in Pendleton County. When I first encountered it, it was a huge bush over 6 feet tall next to the Day family plot. Even though it had survived for so many years, about five years ago, the cemetery caretakers decided to cut down such large bushes and alas this beauty is no longer in the cemetery. I have two bushes that grew from a couple of cuttings, but have no idea as to its identity. I will present its growing habits more completely when it decides to bloom later this summer.

Banshee - Alba/Damask (according to different reports) - Unknown origin, pre-1773:

Prolific bloomer that spreads by sucker very rapidly, but suffers from bud dropping or wilt which means some of the buds will rot away before blooming. When she does bloom, she is very pretty with a delicate pink blush that fades to white.

Northwest Quadrant

Marchesa Boccella - Hybrid Perpetual - 1842:
Very lovely little bush that supplies us with blooms for most of the summer season and into fall due to the natural repeat blooming nature of the hybrid perpetual. Fragrance is not very dynamic, but decent.

Tuscany Superb - Gallica - England, Pre-1837:
More readily available sport of the older Tuscany. Also known as the Velvet Rose due to the velvety look and feel of each petal.

Charles de Mills - Gallica - Unknown, Pre-1746:

Even though I have only had this rose for one season prior, it is already one of my favorites. The large perfectly formed purple blossoms are large and gorgeous!
Spreads by sucker as well.

Leda - Damask - Pre-1800:

This is also one of my favorites due to its unique blossoms. A white blossom with just a blush of color on each petal tip. Also known as the Painted Damask.

Dr. Huey - Climber - USA, 1920:

Dr. Huey is what remains from my previous attempts at growing tea roses. Eventually they all reverted back to their root stock which in this case means a nice show from Dr. Huey. I will have to say that the root stock is obviously very hardy since the root stock always survives. I have never lost a Dr. Huey, but I have several taking up space which I hope to someday replace with genuine antique varieties. But in the mean time, Dr. Huey is a cute addition. His "climber" description is a bit overrated. With just a bit of pruning he can be easily controlled.

Cardinal de Richelieu - Gallica - France, 1840:

Very nice little rose that produces a plethora of little purple blossoms. The size of the blooms are a bit small and not very full, but the color is unique and growth habit is tidy.

Sally Holmes - Shrub, Hybrid Musk - England, 1976:
This one doesn't exactly fit into my antique roses category but it was on sale and has proved to be a frequent bloomer. It prefers to demonstrate an upright growing habit that compliments a tower trellis we added to the corner.

Southeast Quadrant

Belle de Crecy - Gallica - France, 1829:

This purple beauty is also a favorite. The many different shades displayed over the course of opening and blooming are gorgeous and the rounded button formation in the bloom center is a very cute detail.

Baronne Prevost - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1842:

A nice steady bloomer with large blossoms and large petal count.

Day Rose:

Duplicate from above.

Louise Odier - Bourbon - France, 1851:

Another old reliable that produces a nice amount of large, full fragrant blossoms.

Autumn Damask - Damask - Pre-1600:
The antique history of this rose is a bit clouded but it is reported to be the Four Seasons rose mentioned in ancient literary sources. AKA Quatre Saisons, it is so named because it is the first European rose bred to bloom more than once a year. In mild climates I would assume this rose blooms in all four seasons as the name would suggest. Very beautiful and fragrant....it does repeat and puts on a wonderful show.

La Reine - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1842:

This one produces huge saucer size blossoms and repeats as its classification would suggest. Fragrance is just as nice...a nice reliable old variety.

Clotilde Soupert - Polyantha - Luxembourg, 1889:

This little gem is another favorite due to its miniature growth habit and dainty little blossoms. The pink blush/white blossoms are very full and fragrant, but more button size rather than large. She blooms all season and would be great for small gardens as she really is very polite in her growth. My only complaint is that she remains too small for my tastes. I wish she would get bigger, but for now we will love and shelter her as she loves to bloom with all her might.

Trabue Mystery - Climber:

I will go into the history of this rose at a later date but I will say it is a vigorous little climber that has small shiny leaves and produces clusters of very small double blossoms. Not much of any fragrance, but beautiful nonetheless. I found this little specimen on the side of the road in Bourbon County near where an old farm house used to stand. Since I took some clippings, I also ran onto one in the Frankfort Cemetery growing on the Trabue family plot. The Trabues were very close friends of Daniel Boone and are buried within a stone's throw of his grave that overlooks the capital. After my specimen was harvested and after I encountered the Frankfort specimen, the caretakers cut the rose so far back that we saw no evidence of it a few years ago. However, last year, the little gutsy wonder had defied the caretakers and started to grow and bloom again around Colonel Trabue's grave. I have no idea about its true identity or age, so I will refer to it as the Trabue Rose for now.

Southwest Quadrant

Othello - David Austin English Rose - 1986:
Another of my David Austin roses. I love his line of roses and bought several a while back, but Gertrude and Othello were my only survivors after about 10 years of no winterizing. Still very hardy in my book because the tea roses would have been gone long ago without any winterizing, but a bit more delicate than the true antique varieties. The full blossoms and wonderful fragrance make this a very welcome addition to the garden.

Gertrude Jekyll - David Austin English Rose - 1986:
You have read my plight about Gert as we lovingly referred to her before her demise. I miss her and her gorgeous aroma. I will probably buy another one.

Banshee:
Duplicate from above.

Chestnut - Species - Unknown, pre-1814:
This is the most unique rose in the garden. The blossoms are nice full, pink and fragrant, but the bud and stem appearance are interesting. The buds are rounded with prickly bumps on them which resemble a Burr Oak casing which is why this rose has been called the Burr Rose on occasion. The stems appear gray, almost white and dead but surprise every year with new green foliage prior to blooming.

Dr. Huey:

Duplicate from above.

Reine des Violettes - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1860:

Another little gem found on sale when we bought Sally Holmes. This one made me really enjoy the repeat blooming quality of the hybrid perpetual. When I fill in spaces or replace a Dr. Huey, I just may get a few more Hybrid Perpetuals. They have the wonderful old rose scent with lovely color and nice compact growing habit. Very reliable performers.

So for now, that concludes my introduction to the rose garden. I hope to blog about each rose in turn as they reach their peak blooming period. Until then I will pine over the buds out there taunting me and my pictures from last year.

Happy gardening!

Primitive Daffodil Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Old abandoned farms and fence rows are wondrous places. Each spring and summer they bring forth echoes of those country gardeners who came before us. Many of my antique roses were discovered on the side of the road in hidden nooks and crannies of our Central Kentucky counties; long abandoned, but still true to their original planting form. On some occasions, the discovery leans toward a mutated or primitive version of what was planted years ago. I have such an example that we dug up about ten years ago, along a back road fence row in Bourbon County. Upon first sight, these daffodil like plants in no way resembled the current popular form. They had the correct stalks and shoots from the ground, but the blooms resembled a regurgitated green mass of twisted petals. They appeared to be the green rose equivalent of the daffodil world. Despite their very unattractive appearance, we dug them up and brought them home to our garden. The bulbs were very deep, and not easy to extract, but once we let them grow for a few years in their new home, they morphed back a little into yellow regurgitations with twisted petals. Over the next ten years, we moved them, divided them to create more clumps, and in perfect harmony, each batch has transformed into the following form:

This was their first appearance in early March just as the snow was melting. (see previous post for exact date)

The next two photos demonstrate the bud formation just as they are beginning to open...note the strong green appearnce.

This looks like a very angry bud to me.

The curling green around this bud is a wild onion...evidence of my needing to weed. And yes, growing right alongside our Easter Bonnets with no crossing effects.

And so you have it, our mysterious primitive daffodils in all their glory. This photo shows clearly the early stage as resembling something from Little Shop of Horrors, complete with teeth, while the more mature blossom is an explosion of petals, with much of the green faded away. If any of you have similar garden inhabitants, please share. Or if this resembles a variety you are familiar with, that would also be interesting. I'm sure some of you may also be able to fill me in on the parentage of current varieties that might help solve this little mystery. However, keep in mind, this little beauty is from a very old abandoned farm.

And on a side note: I apologize for having been such a lax blogger these days. My semester is over in about three weeks so I will be a much better blogger in May! I greatly appreciate all of your comments, but am way behind on responding to many of them. And welcome to all of the new bloggers I noticed as I take a small break to check in with my favs....it's springtime in blotanical as the new arrivals burst forth!! Sure wish I had more time to read them...Hoping May comes quickly!

Happy spring gardening! It's finally here!

State of the Frog

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:16:00 +0000

In one of my earlier posts, I lamented about the fact that the snowdome had been so firmly in place over the central Kentucky area that we had not had a significant snowfall in several years. Well, I can officially report that the snowdome has a crack in it as it just let in about 5-8 inches of snow over the first part of the weekend. Reports have come in that Lexington received about 5 inches and Georgetown about 7. That's pretty accurate, although, some blowing made it hard to measure through the drifts. One of my best measurements has to be Mr. Frog in the rose garden since he sits low and among so many rose branches that snow has a hard time blowing away from his area. As you can see here, only his small face is peeking through the accumulation. Despite this significant crack in the snowdome, it was only a crack since we were predicted to get the storm of the decade with a foot or more. Around the Ohio River from Louisville to Cincinnati and points north, the accumulations were over a foot which is not really uncommon for them. For me, I am enjoying our 7 inches and am glad for the bands of dry air that swept into the area during the storm to lighten our ultimate total!

By Saturday morning, the storm was still in full swing and the birds were fairly sparse as you can see from this early gathering around the bird feeder. We decided to head outside and let the dogs romp around a bit while we filled up the feeder. Our black lab Pookie was really enjoying herself, even though I kept telling her NOT to drop her toy in the snow or we wouldn't find it for a week. She is the baby at about 7 years so she really enjoyed the snow. Brewster on the other hand at 13 ran around for a few minutes then decided to crouch and give me the most pitiful looks imaginable. I got the feeling that he blamed me personally for the cold white stuff clinging to his nether regions!

I couldn't even catch Little Girl since she came out, leaked to make some yellow snow and then slinked right back in. She is Brewster's sister so the age thing also prevented her from enjoying the fluffy white.

Once the feeder was filled we decided to add a few more trays of open feed since we figure the birds in the area would be looking for any food source around. We started with just a planter bottom full of black oiler sunflower seed strategically placed next to a very small sapling that had been a favorite perch of local cardinals. After adding a few more open plastic trays of regular mix, we backed away and perched in a strategic locale to await the new arrivals.

The first takers were four poppy cardinals followed by one or two females. They didn't exactly gravitate towards the oiler seeds as we expected but rather sampled all of the trays.

Here is a nice couple trying out the oiler while the others feasted around the main feeder. Here is another one perched in the northwest quadrant of the rose garden, watching the feasters. While they consumed and ruled the area, it wouldn't be long before the Starlings invaded the bird buffet.

After the hoard of "welfare birds" had their fill, we were left with the same cardinals that had started the action along with a new black-eyed Junco seen here who was so skittish or polite that he spent most of the time circling the main offerings to clean up the remnants left in the snow. As you can see from this angle, the terracotta saucer is no longer hovering on the snow in a picturesque manner, but now slants awkwardly on top of the trampled pack.

Since we haven't noticed any Juncos since our days in Cincinnati, we looked this lone hunter up in a book readily available: Birds of the Smokies by Alsop. I know we are 2.5 hours from the Tennessee border, but this bird is so widespread across the country that he is represented in this source. What I found to be interesting is the local vernacular regarding this little bird: "Juncos are called 'snow birds' by locals because their appearance in the low elevations in the fall is a signal that winter is coming. Their scientific name hyemalis is New Latin for 'wintry'." Well, it was nice to see this little bird, but if he is the snow bird, I've had enough for the year, he should feel free to retire back to the higher elevations and let our Spring come forth!

Blotanical Blog Directory

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:26:00 +0000

Since they're threatening a really large snow storm, I probably won't be going out to take photos of my primitive daffodils coming up out in the rose garden anytime soon. So I might as well take the remaining winter days to point you to Blotanical. Most of you who visit my blog come through there already, but for those of you who do not or for those of you who need to be persuaded to explore its features more, this post is for you. Blotanical is so user friendly and geared toward the visual nature of gardeners that it cannot help but be addictive. As a fairly new directory, they don't suffer from overkill or so many blogs that you become overwhelmed, but they do have enough blogs and locales represented that you can quickly get happily immersed in the stories, struggles, triumphs and photos of these talented and devoted gardeners. Another really unique part of Blotanical is the plot feature which encourages fellow garden bloggers to get to know one another and to share their areas of expertise which fosters an atmosphere of a global gardening community instead of just another list of blogs.

What better way to fight the winter blues and spark the spring fever.....explore Blotanical!

Spring Arrives in Second Life

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:08:00 +0000

One of my fellow garden bloggers out there recently made a reference to the five foot tall daffodils in Second Life - sorry, I can't remember which one it was, please comment to leave a link if it was you! So, on a recent foray into this new world, I was amazed at the amount of flowers and blooming trees that are in full flourish right now in SL.

So far, I have only come across one group of overly large flowers...some tulips over five feet.

Most of the other plants I've seen are large and beautiful but of semi-normal size. UK Island has a beautiful scene right now with blooming cherry and dogwood trees.

My favorite grouping is the red tulips next to the water garden in the gazebo area.

It seems that gardens are an important design element in SL with many people focusing on the specifics of nature to help an area look more realistic. Besides these beauties, you can encounter plants of all kinds from the deserts to the tropics. In one Italian location the trees are square and triangle just like the modernist representation in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Our current quest in SL focuses on education and libraries, but many fail to notice the importance of the garden features....but I knew the garden bloggers would like to see it. By the way, if you're ever on UK Island in second life, keep an eye out for my avatar, Sifriya Devin, she's probably over in the gazebo, listening to the fountain.

On to embrace March! Finally, a few warm days in Kentucky! 60s today and tomorrow!

Is That a Snowbow!??

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0000

When we all woke up in central Kentucky this morning, there was a nice dusting of snow on the ground....somewhere in the 1-2 inch range. It was really cold (by Kentucky standards) at around 20 with some wind to bring on the windchill. So I held off at home a little to let the car warm up and to allow the sun to come up before heading out on these icy/snowy roads. By the time I left the sun had come up well away from the horizon but not quite at full rise. As it shone in the east, it was shining through the light snow clouds that are expected to hang around the eastern mountains as ours cleared off. Ironically, the sun was actually really bright at this point, so I was digging out the old sunglasses when I looked up and saw a full line "rainbow". Not the arch mind you, but a great vertical line stretching up parallel to the sun. As I drove further down the road I could see the matching bow piece on the other side of the sun! The only thing missing from the bow was the part that would have made the arch over the sun. The whole time I drove into Lexington this morning, the sun was showing off with this gorgeous snowbow....or as best as it could muster in Kentucky. So....let me guess....those of you in the colder climates get this sort of thing all the time? - (judging from the flickr snowbow photos that look to be in areas that receive real amounts of snow) But OF COURSE....I didn't have my camera with me!! I've lived in Ky for 14 years and in Ohio for 23 and this is the first snowbow I've ever seen! Gotta love all of nature's surprises. On a technical theological side note....does this mean God also promises not to flood us with snow?

Happy Wednesday!

Konichiwa from Georgetown!

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:24:00 +0000

Through the comment of a fellow blogger I ran across this geography project from Bloomingwriter (thanks Vonlafin). What a great way to get distracted from the cold and ice outside...and no...we still haven't had any real snow...I'm sitting at home waiting for another evil ice storm to wrap up its machinations.

So - on to my locale - Georgetown, Kentucky! Even though we have lived in the central Kentucky region for about 14 years, we have only been in Georgetown for about 4 years and grow to love it more everyday!

As a point of reference, Georgetown is located about 10 miles north of Lexington and about 75 miles south of Cincinnati Ohio. This means we are south of the Mason-Dixon, but as a border state, we suffer from a slight identity crisis. The central Kentucky region is very southern in so many ways: horses, southern hospitality, sweet tea, slight to extreme southern twang, the occasional rebel flag on a pick-up truck, good ole-boy politics, and cowboy hats. But in recent years, this area has had a large influx of Ohio transplants (our family included). No place demonstrates this mixed culture more than Georgetown. As the home of Toyota's largest U.S. manufacturing plant (people here joke that the plant is actually much larger than the city proper), and training camp of the Cincinnati Bengals, the north and south seems to have morphed into a truly unique place.

Georgetown is a very old city, founded in 1783 with settlements as early as 1774. History is all around and the downtown area is perfectly charming with very well preserved row buildings full of shops right next to a series of southern style historic homes. These homes seem to gravitate around Georgetown College. Originally formed as a Baptist college, they have waxed more into a well known venue for education majors.

Besides the annual horse festival and harboring half of the Kentucky Horse Park, Georgetown is also known for another horse related event: the annual reenactment of Morgan's Raid. For those of you not familiar with American Civil War History, this event celebrates the Confederate raid of the city by General John Hunt Morgan - a very southern and celebrated local historical celebrity. Despite my B.A. being in history, I'm not really a big reenactment fan. I've only attended this event once, but I have to say, it is a fun time! The camp set up and battle that ensues is very impressive and fairly large! To appease the mixed culture I mentioned above, the reenactors play nice and allow the Rebs to win on Saturday and the Yankees to win on Sunday.

What is very unique about this reenactment is the fact that it starts as an early morning raid through the down town area. The photo above shows General Morgan arriving to perform his raid - visiting what used to be the bank but has now been transformed into a wonderful coffee and pastry cafe! Despite the distraction of modern day life (complete with cars along the street), nothing quite prepares you for the opening moments when the gunfire erupts and the galloping horses can be heard coming down the paved street - complete with rebel yell!
If you've never been to a Civil War reenactment, this would be a nice one for the beginner: lots of horses and action. The location of the event is also a nice place with lots of room: the Cardome center which used to be a nun's monastery... complete with old trees and beautiful architecture.

Just inside the entrance to the Cardome Center is a lovely gift from the local community, Toyota and our sister city Taharacho, Japan - one of the largest Japanese gardens in the U.S. and the first in Kentucky: Yuko-En on the Elkhorn. The pictures on their site are not very good, so as soon as Spring arrives, I'll take a trip down there to give you an idea of its layout and attributes.

I also hope to visit other nearby attractions such as Midway in the next county and tour the wine country that has developed in this central Kentucky area. If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing area to visit, or a great place to garden permanently, look no further than Georgetown!

Jack Frost is an Evil Flake!

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:49:00 +0000

Since standing outside in the elements and shaking ones fist at the sky yelling curses wouldn't be considered to be the actions of a mentally sound individual....I will blog rantings here. I will begin by giving a back ground on Kentucky's snow history. For the past 9 years or so, the central Kentucky region has had so few occurrences of snow that the local weather men have declared our region protected by a supernatural snowdome. See the "heatmiser" for more details:
We point to 9 years of snow drought because 10 years ago we had a whopping 19 inches. So, after the snow factory dumped our allotment for the next 9 years in one deposit, we have been starving for snow. Oh Jack Frost has taunted us mercilessly...but always with a big threat that resulted in dustings or more often, the dreaded freezing rain event with maybe just a quarter of an inch of hard snow added to make it extra slick....I can hear his evil laugh now!

For the past two days we were headed for a major winter storm...and it had us all smiling...we had 4 inches of beautiful fluffy snow fall from the evening until the time we went to bed Monday night. But when we woke up Tuesday, the freezing rain had hit overnight shrinking things down to a nice ice hardpack of about 3 inches. So I went out to photograph what I could and even caught some rose leaves coated in ice. This cold looking specimen is the Russelliana dreaming of spring below that icy layer. Most of the garden had a nice layer of ice, but not enough to stick to the electric wires for power outages. Kentucky is fond of attracting the major ice storms too....but snow is our Moby Dick.

The rest of the day brought temps above 40 and a great amount of rain to melt the majority of our winter taunting....and then overnight, the temps crashed, and we ended up with a huge sheet of ice with a dusting of snow for the added slide factor. Since it is a half hour + ride to work, I stayed in for much of the morning hoping the ice would disappear enough to head in....while I waited with my hot cup of tea and some good garden blogs, the snow that had "left the area" suddenly reappeared with a vengeance, and we picked up about another half inch...just to make it more fun for driving! But at least I was able to get out and snap some more as things came down:

More ice and snow on the pond - sure can't see the fish now! And my personal favorite....my poor, cold cement frog that sits in the middle of the rose garden (warming the spot until I can find a nice size celtic cross to be seen above the middle section of tall roses). He looked very undignified being bathed in ice and then showered in snow. I think I just saw him shiver.
As you can see, his area of residence is completely covered, as are all the paths and rose sections. This has not been the case in the past. As you can see below - this was the biggest snow we got last year:

So it looks as though we missed out again this year on the big snows. Of course, they are forecasting the possibility of another snow storm this weekend....but knowing Jack, I won't hold my cold breath!

Vintage Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:28:00 +0000

When the wind decided to pick up and the temperature decided to drop today, the central Kentucky gardener had no choice but to flip through seed catalogues, garden magazines or pick up another hobby entirely. As a point of relaxation I decided to look through some old family photos. Naturally, pictures containing flowers or gardens caught my attention. Somehow it is comforting to see gardening in Kentucky is still flourishing as it has for generations...here's a peek at some proud flower moments in our Kentucky family's past.

For our first selection, I have chosen cousin Ralph Quinlan. He was my great Grandmother's first cousin on the Cox side of the family....only important for those of you interested in the family tree...but get a load of those gorgeous sunflowers! I hope Ralph appreciated those beauties....I know his cousin Nellie could grow a mean hollyhock, but I had not heard of Ralph's gardening prowess.

Speaking of Hollyhocks, this is little Evodna Johnson standing in a garden with some pretty ones just taller than she was. The stone walkway is also quite cute, which suggests a small garden near the house. Sadly, I'm not sure where Evodna fits into the family, but I'm at least pretty sure she is another member of the family in the Northern Kentucky region. We have a death photo of an infant Johnson that died in 1923. The countryside in that photo is consistent with the Pendleton and Bracken counties that our family seemed to permeate like a moss.

I will now take this opportunity to introduce Christine Scott, another mysterious person in our family photo collection. I have not come across this person in our family research, and I really can't even see a family resemblance....but she makes our vintage garden line-up due to her beautiful collection of graduation flowers. Even the vase holding one of the rose bunches is beautiful.

For one of our last selections in this vintage garden post, I will include these little boys in front of a very unique trellis. Note the ribbon edge cut at the end of each support. With the white trellis against the dark siding of the house, this had to be quite a showstopper! Besides the skimpy rose bush growing on the trellis, it looks as though a nice stand of zinnias are on the end - although, on closer examination they could be a stand of roses, but ones with a heavy petal count. The boys are unidentified as well, but my mother has identified the little blond as "Uncle Jay"....another Pendleton County boy. Until next time, keep thinking happy spring thoughts!

O Christmas Tree!

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:19:00 +0000

I had to share this little experiment of rose protection. Besides our great stand of antique roses in the middle of the garden which are never protected due to their inherent hardiness in the Kentucky growing zone (5,6 or 7 depending on which map you look at), we also have a few tea roses along the fence. It was not my choice to plant tea roses as I have always had terrible luck with them. It seemed that no matter how much you protected them during the winter...and I've tried hay, burlap, Styrofoam...they always emerged with a significant dieback and in many cases reverted back to their rootstock self. In one of my first experimental gardens in Bourbon County, you can still drive by and see about 5 Dr. Hueys (the typical rose root stock used for hardiness before the graft) just blooming their hearts out as they are allowed to flourish unprotected every year. Besides, I have always been a lazy gardener when it comes to winterizing things. With the business of work and school life, I am much more in favor growing things that are NOT high maintenance. So this year, being no different, the tea roses were still uncovered in early January. Of course, up until that time, we had had a pretty mild winter, nothing below about 16 degrees. As I was about to let them fend for themselves this winter, very ready to dig them up if they died....my mother suggested using the live Christmas tree as a method of protection. Instead of leaving it out for the trash to be mulched for others, why not utilize it for a quick winterizing solution? So there you have it, the branches were stripped off the tree and then tied, teepee style over the rose bushes. I have had visitors who say this method will never work.....but we shall see - stay tuned for further results this spring - besides, instead of looking at gray dead like twigs, it is pleasant to see the dark green of the Christmas tree branches....O Christmas Tree! How lovely are thy branches!!

February Frostiness

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:13:00 +0000

I had hoped to begin this blog in January, but the schedule has just been too hectic. That along with the fact that it gets dark by 5:15 in January, means I have a hard time getting home in time for a decent picture. So this past weekend I finally got out to snap a pic or two. This first one is looking toward the back fence and through the naked rose garden.

We had some milder temps this past week which allowed the pond to thaw a little bit...and the fish even came out to hover near the top...it was nice to see them after so long! We just came out of a very long frigid spell that applied an ice layer so thick we had to use a hatchet each day to keep a hole in the ice. Although, as I look at the temp outside, I'm sure they have headed back down below for a while.

Just as an intro, we have almost a half an acre subdivided into different areas. I will profile most of the areas as they apear in the winter to serve as a reminder of how long it takes for things to get growing here in the Bluegrass. I know it's short, but I must get back to studies. Until next time....

Welcome to my Kentucky Garden!

noreply@blogger.com (historiana) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:51:00 +0000

The purpose behind this blog is complex since I enjoy growing things, writing about them and more importantly photographing them. As the winter lingers on, I hope the posts do not just include musings but a documentation of the seasonal growth of a garden in central Kentucky. I have been gardening for about 13 years, so I could still be called an amature with some experience. Hopefully my experiences will inspire the newby, make some smile or urge others to give me advice on developing my very light green thumb.
Come on in...the gate's open!