Plant Preview

Shadyside Development

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Lily is sunbathing. Note the marrow bone.

Lily is sunbathing today, March 8, 2013 in the 63 degree F sunshine (17 degree C). Our backyard was formerly a "privet lawn." The former owner created this oxymoron by mowing common privet to 3-4 inches tall, with large root systems. We have been smothering, solarizing and digging it up within the 40 x 80 foot area adjacent to the house and surrounded by an existing 4 foot chain link fence (thus the plywood and woodchips). We have not begun the grading, low retaining walls, refencing or landscaping, but we did receive the Survey this week with 2 foot topo lines, large trees, residence, driveway, dry creekbed, etc. just this week. Next is the landscape master plan.

The second photo shows the newly-surveyed way-back of our property outside the chainlink fence with the former "privet lawn". Trees are festooned with a jungle of Hedera helix, and Ligustrum sinensis, brambles, thorny wild roses, poison ivy and a mis-shapen native dogwood or two must be selectively removed (retaining some pines and hardwoods that actually have branches and were not smothered.

October 2012

July 2012

The front (above) looked like that 17 months ago, shown here last October covered with pink daisy mums planted among the blueberries, native azaleas, gardenias and camellias. It's a good thing I love it.

Flowers Blooming Odd January Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:10:00 +0000

Rosa 'Strike it Rich' AARS 2006

This January 2013 so far it has rained 14 out of 17 days with an accumulation of 3.5 inches in Atlanta U.S.D.A Zone 8A, and the assortment of flowers blooming in my garden this month (all at once) is -- odd. Both summer flowers and winter ones are blooming at the same time. Above is a hybrid tea rose 'Strike it Rich' with a fat bud that developed this month!

I have Coral 'Showboat' Storybook Roses blooming continuously since last March with healthy green leaves sans black spot.

My Jack in the Pulpit is already sprouting - both a 3-lobed leaf and Jack. I'll have to cover him if we really do get wet snow tonight.

My Toad Lily Trycirtus has popped up way too soon also.

A Rudbeckia triloba I got as a tiny plug this past Spring is still in bloom, although I expected it to stop in October or November.

Perhaps the oddest of all is the Fern Leaf Lavender that I started from seed last Spring. It started to bloom in September or October and hasn't stopped.

Salad Burnet is not in bloom but is full and beautiful, while the foxgloves behind it are throwing up flower spikes - reaching about 18 inches so far.

Other flowers are expected to be in bloom this time of year, such as Camellia japonica Debutante,

Camellia 'High Fragrance, '

Camellia 'Magnolilaflora' looks like a lady's hat to me

Camellia sasanqua Setsugekka.

<-- are="are" as="as" be="be" blooming="blooming" br="br" collection="collection" expected="expected" frost="frost" gold="gold" hellebores="hellebores" innamon="innamon" now.="now." such="such" to="to">

Likewise 'Jacob' is another of the new hybrid Hellebores that is in bloom.

Daphne odora is beginning to open .

I am tickled to see, after more than a decade and planting in three different gardens trying to get this one to bloom, that my Algerian Iris, Iris unguicularis, is finally planted in just the right spot and is blooming in January.

My little 'Rosebud' Japanese Flowering Apricot Prunus mume is blooming on old wood and I'm delighted I found it at Garden*Hood Nursery last January.

There are lots more, but you get the drift! What is blooming in your garden now?

2013 New Year Resolutions in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:25:00 +0000

Camellia 'High Fragrance'

Some years I post New Year's Resolutions.

This year I am making resolutions for my new garden. On a 104 degree F. day in July 2011 we moved to our new home and blank-slate-garden in Atlanta. Next came 3 months of bush-hogging, English ivy-ripping and path-designing, and then the parade of planting began. This means that nothing in my garden has been planted there for more than 18 months, the compost bin is new, and I am propagating large quantities of things such as hellebores, parsley and foxgloves to fill in. Most of my woody ornamentals are knee-high, except for a number of native azaleas I brought from the old garden in large tubs. .

In 2013 I resolve to finish my first compost from the new compost bin, use it on the plants, and start again.

I plan to extravagantly sow about 2 decades of carefully hoarded, alphabetized, left-over seed and USE THEM UP.

This year I intend to install a cold frame, soil heating mat, temperature controller and automatic sash openers to promote better rooting.

Each fall my goal is to plant 1,000 (or more) spring flowering bulbs, including some I have never tried before. For the last 2 years I have succeeded in this goal.

Moonlight Blue seeds
from Jelittto

I hope to start another 10 dozen hellebores, 10 dozen parsley and 10 dozen (this year trying Apricot) foxgloves in order to plant them out in my pine woodland this coming fall. Likewise, I have ordered seed for big blue NZ delphiniums $$$$ and hope to do the same with those (treating them as cool season biennials in Hotlanta). Fingers crossed that that last idea works!

I plan to keep planting particularly large-flowered camellias.

I resolve to concentrate on fragrant plants.

I plan to take millions of cuttings of my pink and my yellow daisy mums now that there are enough to share.

I am increasing my use of biological inoculants to promote healthy growth through mycorrhizal fungus and beneficial bacteria in association with plant roots.

I hope to grow Armenian, Syrian and pickling cucumbers this year.

Asian Persimmons on
\dwarf tree

I resolve to try a couple of dwarf Asian Persimmons (Ichi by Stark Brothers).

I resolve to keep a garden journal again to help with year-to-year comparisons, and thus have ordered a 5-year hardbound book to use.

And I resolve to get at least one little child gardening. What are your resolutions?

What is in bloom January 1, 2013 in my Atlanta garden?

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

In Bloom New Year's day Jan. 1, 2013 in my 18-month old Atlanta garden:

Erysimum ‘Yellow Bird’ yellow wallflower

Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ purple wallflower

Pansies, Violas, Johnny-Jump-Ups

Rhododendron Bloom ‘N Again Azalea ‘Kristin’s Blush’

Rhodendron Encore Autumn ‘Moonlight White’

'Fudingzhu' Tea Olive

Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu' Tea Olive

Antirrhinum majus dwarf snapdragons

Digitalis purpurea spikes in bud Foxgloves

Gerber daisies, yellow

2 forlorn Zinnia

Iris unguicularis

Iris unguicularis, Algerian iris

Tagetes lucida Mexican tarragon

Fragaria vesca Alpine Strawberries

Lavendula minutolli Green Fern-Leaf Lavender

Sweet Williams

Rosa ‘Little Women’ Storbook Roses, light pink

Rosa ‘Showboat’ American Storybook Roses, coral

Rosa ‘Coral Drift’

Knockout Roses, Sunny Knockout Roses, Double Pink Knockout Roses

Rosa ‘Sundance Kid’ American Storybook Roses, yellow

Rosa ‘Strike It Rich’ AARS 2006 hybrid tea rose has 1 tight green bud

Pink Frost hellebore

Helleborus niger Gold Collection Hybrids: Joseph Lemper, H. x ballardlae Cinnamon Snow, H. x ballardlae HGC Pink Frost, Jacob Royal, Ivory Prince

Edgeworthia

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Viola walteri ‘Silver Gem’ American Beauties

Camellia ‘Debutante’

Camellia ‘Magnoliflora’

Rudbeckia triloba

Rudbeckia triloba

Camellia setsugekka

Camellia ‘Setsugekka’

Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Snow’

Dusty Miller

Sanguisorba minor

I am adding a photo of bejeweled Salad Burnet with diamond raindrops:

How to Make Homemade Satsuma Cider or Wine Mulls

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Cider Mulls and Wine Mulls lend a festive atmosphere to holiday gatherings.

Directions:
Pour a quart of cider or a bottle of light red wine into a saucepan, add the Mulling spices attractively packaged in a Satsuma shell, and simmer gently for 15 minutes or so, until the house smells wonderful and the beverage tastes good!

How To Make a Homemade Cider or Wine Mull

1. Cut Satsumas (such as Arctic Frost Satsuma PPAF by Garden Debut) in half horizontally and eat the fruit, saving the shells

2. Dry the shells completely - I use the stove top and it takes about 3-4 days

3. Assemble ingredients for mulls: dark brown sugar, stick cinnamon and whole cloves.

Stuff the dried Satsuma shells with brown sugar

4. After filling the dried Satsuma shells with brown sugar, decorate with the mulling spices: whole cloves and stick cinnamon. May also add whole allspice or cardamom if desired.

5. A dozen of the finest homemade Satsuma cider mulls

6. Close-up of cider mulls

7. For gift-giving or hostess gifts, wrap with cellophane or plastic wrap to display Satsuma Cider or Wine Mull, then tie tightly with cloth ribbon!

Sending Merry Christmas wishes!

Trying Winchester Gardens Fertilizer Spikes

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Back in March I found Gerry Joeng’s post in the “Garden Industry Pro, Garden Media and Guru” LinkedIn Group, offering a free trial of some of the Winchester Gardens’ fertilizers and organics. While I am primarily an organic gardener, I thought I might give the products a try, so Gerry kindly sent me some packages.

Although I did not take photos, I did use Winchester Gardens Select Organics Herb Fertilizer on lemon verbena, heliotrope, patchouli and several varieties of lavender planted in May, and they did very well.

On my Knockout Roses, I decided to use three Winchester Gardens Tree & Shrub Fertilizer Spikes spaced equally around the root systems. Because I ran out of fertilizer spikes before I ran out of roses to try it on, the samples turned into a "non-scientific trial" with fertilizer and without.

My original Pink and Red Knockout Roses were planted dormant in January from 3-gallon pots, three to four months before I got the fertilizer to try. My "control group" that received no fertilizer were transplanted from another spot in my garden in March, and although they were approximately the same size, there was a lag of two months in regard to root establishment before hot weather arrived in May.

Delivery System: I used my Dad’s gigantic, XL screwdriver to make holes for Tree and Shrub Fertilizer Spikes (April, 2012)

I pounded each fertilizer spike into the soil at roots of Knockout Rose using a small sledgehammer; 3 per shrub. Roses were watered sporatically throughout the summer and fall.

At the end of the growing season, the Red Knockout Roses that were fed with three fertilizer spikes each are large and bushy shrubs filled with flowers. Photo taken Nov. 24, 2012 (Orange Zinnias to the right were killed by the frost that following night.)

With 5-foot ruler: Pink Knockout Rose bush fed with 3 fertilizer spikes is full and filled with flowers. Photo taken today, Dec. 7, 2012

With 5-foot ruler. Much smaller Pink Knockout Rose that was NOT fed (b/c I ran out of fertilizer spikes). Photo taken today, Dec. 7, 2012. The unfertilized rose bush was growing and flowering but are only about 1/3 the size.

Another view of two of the smaller Pink Knockout Roses that did not receive fertilizer, photo taken today, Dec. 7, 2012.

Winchester Gardens is having a Sweepstakes, so I entered and maybe I will win some more fertilizer!

After - Thanksgiving Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:20:00 +0000

Big old pumpkins on the side steps

The day after Halloween I gathered 3 huge pumpkins from the curbs in the neighborhood, and enjoyed them through Thanksgiving as decor.

unbaked pumpkin pies, ready for oven

They were made into pies with homemade crusts[ raw pies pictured here before baking:

the seeds were salted and baked

I washed the pulp from the seeds, salted them with a Tablespoon of kosher salt per pan and baked them at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirred them and baked for 10 more minutes.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

pumpkins tossed on top of compost

Next, the shells went into my little red Corona wheelbarrow on the way to the compost pile.

We made a tidy compost pile by folding 2 sheets of concrete reinforcing grid into L-shapes and creating a square.

Compost is filled in autumn

Later after I cut back the daisy mums that had enlivened the fall garden!

Pink and yellow daisy mums, Nov. 2012

Those mums had looked like this during November:

Both the pumpkin shells and the mums will recycle minerals and nutrients back into the garden in the form of compost.

Hand-Made Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:45:00 +0000

The Atlanta Chapter (Chattahoochee Unit) of The Herb Society of Atlanta has a wreath-making workshop that is a benefit of membership on the first Saturday in December each year.

This year I made 2 wreaths using leaves of Teddy Bear Magnolia PP13049, dried blue flower heads of Nantucket Blue Hydrangea and bright red berries of Christmas Jewel Holly PP14477.

An 18-inch purchased straw wreath base covered with silvery Spanish Moss was my foundation, and I used crimped floral pins to attach the leaves, flowers and berries.

A red velvet Christmas bow completed the wreath, hanging outside of our storm door.

Thoughts Toward the End of Garden Season

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Green Tomatoes will ripen on windowsill

The first frost of Winter 2012/13 arrived in Atlanta overnight November 24-25, 2012 and toasted the tomato plants, patchouli, basil, zinnias and heliotrope. The Lemongrass and Scented Geraniums came through just fine.

I came across this incredible Persimmon tree loaded with fruit-- wonder how old it is?

Pumpkin seeds roasted; rinds go to compost

Neighbor's persimmon loaded with fruit

Persimmons sweeter after frost

Arrangement w Mexican Tarragon, Zinnias + Rue

Planning to plant the last few bulbs, peonies, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and last 2 dozen Foxgloves this week.

Wood Chips Connoisseur

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:30:00 +0000

gardengeri on top of a load of free wood chips

Free wood chips (along with free bags of pine straw collected from curbs across nearby neighborhoods) are the mainstay of my garden. In Atlanta's warm climate, wood chips biodegrade to yield rich black organic humus similar to woodland soil in one year.I continually replenish organic matter in the form of mulch on the surface, or as compost dug into the soil, increasing the organic content and improving the soil structure of my Georgia red clay.

In order to obtain desirable wood chips I ask the driver a couple of questions.

Q. How sharp is your chipper/shredder?

A. If he says "I put new blades on on Monday" we are good to go. I prefer a sharp chipper which produces small, neat wood chips. In contrast, a dull chipper produces long strips of wood that are unsightly as mulch and are slower to break down as compost.

Wood chip mulch

Q. Where do these wood chips come from?

A. Ideally, if the crew has been trimming back healthy tree limbs to clear right of way along power lines, I can be pretty sure of healthy, safe, disease-free chips.

Wood & Leaf Chips

Q. Time of year and Summer chips v.s. Winter chips

A. This brings in the Nitrogen:Carbon Ratio. Summer wood chips contain large amounts of green leaves that add an important component of Nitrogen to the compost or mulch. Bare, leafless limbs in winter are composed of wood rather than leaf tissue, and add a higher component of Carbon. Evergreens can add high-N leaves even in winter, as is the case with wood chips from Christmas trees.

When a new load of wood chips is delivered, the pile heats up during the immediate process of bacterial decomposition. If I insert a garden fork to open up the pile, steam rises from the disturbed chips. After the pile cools down, the development of white fungus strands (mycelium) on the wood chips signifies that the "friendly fungi" present are actively at work and the chips are well on their way to breaking down to compost and humic acid.

rich woods soil

Basically, the wood chips add bulk to the soil structure three ways:

1. fibrous organic matter of the chips themselves

2. biological mass of filamentous fungi that grows on them

3. transitory waves of beneficial bacteria populations

This creates a favorable environment for worms and microorganisms.

Digging Deeper: For Further Reading:

Wood chip mulch- boon or bane? http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/magazine%20pdfs/Woodchips.pdf

OK State Recycling Yard Waste: Don’t Bag It (although if everyone read this, I would get no more free pinestraw) http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2863/L-251.pdf

Wood Mulch: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/wood-mulch-z10m0hun.aspx#ixzz2BT3khPDI

Easy Caramel Urban® Apples for Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

So the columnar Urban Apple® trees in your edible garden produced a little crop of apples from the Blushing Delight™ Urban® Apples PP21511.

What to do with the harvest? If any survived eating out of hand in the garden, consider Caramel Apples for Halloween! An easy recipe follows.

Caramel Apples, Makes 4

Ingredients

4 Apples, shown here: Blushing Delight™ Urban® Apples PP21511

1 bag caramels

1 bag Heath Bar Bits ‘o Brickle Toffee (or favorite candy bar, minced),

1/2 C. chopped almonds or pecans as desired

1 Tablespoon water

Directions

Scrub the apples and dry thoroughly

Completely coat apple with melted caramel

Push a handle into the stem end of each apple (craft sticks or shortened chop sticks work well)

Prepare ahead: place the Heath bar bits and chopped nuts on plates or shallow saucers

Melt the caramels and little bit of water in a double boiler

Cool the caramel slightly, then submerge each apple in turn

Roll in candy pieces if desired

While still warm, roll the apple in the candy pieces or in the nuts for extra flavor

Enjoy!

10 Steps to Treat Hurricane Damage to Landscape Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:15:00 +0000

Outer Banks, NC

Hurricane Sandy is blowing a lot of salt water around the eastern half of the country. Here's some suggestions for caring for a hurricane- damaged landscape.

How to care for a landscape after hurricane damage

Reposition shrubs and small trees that have been blown over by high winds back into an upright position, bracing them with stakes until roots re-grow.
Fill hollows and replace soil around roots of trees that have been rocked loose by high winds
Apply fresh water repeatedly to irrigate plantings that were inundated with salt water- do not wait for salt damage to show up
Remove mud, leaves and debris from smothering lawns (Bermuda is most likely to recover)
Prune broken limbs and branches, smoothly trimming ragged edges so healing callus can form – do not use tree wound paint
Trim shredded foliage from leaves of perennial plants battered by wind, rain or hail
Do not eat fruits, vegetables and herbs that were covered by flood waters
Replant shade trees
Have the soil tested before adding inorganic fertilizer (compost is OK)
Replace lawn furniture, ornamental planters, window boxes, bonsai trees and outdoor decor

Adding link to interesting map of winds across the countryhttp://hint.fm/wind/

How to Make Satsuma-cello the Easy Way

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

How to Make Yummy Liqueur out of Bumper™ Satsumas the Easy Way

Satsuma-cello Cordial

Satsuma-cello is the Garden Debut® version of the sweet Italian liqueur known as Limoncello.

Make Satsuma-cello from your home-grown harvest right now in time for the Christmas holidays.

Bumper™ Hardy Satsuma trees add both nutrition and beauty to the edible garden.

This fruit tree produces more Satsumas than other varieties of Satsuma and grows 10-12 feet tall in ground.

Brilliant orange fruits contrast well with dark green, glossy, evergreen foliage for an edible ornamental hardy to 15 degrees F. (U.S.D.A. Zone 8B).

Bumper™ Hardy Satsuma

Satsuma-cello, makes 1 quart

Ingredients

10 Bumper™ Satsumas

1 bottle (750 ml ) 150–proof Vodka

Large, lidded glass jar for steeping

2 cups white sugar

1 cup water

Directions

Scrub your Bumper™ Satsumas then zest them using a zester or vegetable peeler.

Zesting the Satsuma

Take care not to include any of the white inner pith since this will make your liqueur bitter. (Reserve the sections for juice or add to green tossed salads.

Removing Pith from Zest

Place the peels in a large glass jar with a lid and pour good-quality high test vodka over the Satsuma peels.

Steep where it is handy to swish

Steep at room temperature for 10 days to 4 weeks, swishing gently every 5 days or so to mix. The longer the mixture rests, the more intense the flavor will be.

Test if it is ready by smelling its fragrance and by checking if the peels snap when bent in half. The vodka slowly takes on the flavor and color of the Satsuma peels.

Strain the peels from the Vodka essence

Remove the peels by straining the flavored vodka essence through a coffee filters until clear. I put the coffee filter inside a strainer to keep it upright.

Add Sugar Syrup to Vodka Essence

Make sugar syrup by dissolving white cane sugar in water in a saucepan and cooking over medium heat until just dissolved, but do not bring to a boil. If you use unbleached sugar, your Satsuma-cello will be more tan in color.

Cool and add syrup to the strained vodka essence, then steep for another 4 weeks in a cool, dark location, again swishing gently every once in awhile to combine flavors.

Voila! Satsuma-cello

The finished liqueur will be ready to enjoy with a dessert or to package in decorative glass bottles for holiday gifts.

Satsuma=cello is great as an after-dinner digestif in a small cordial glass, as an ice cream topping or in the construction of cocktails such as Cosmopolitans.

For more information about growing Satsumas in your edible garden, visit the Fruit Trees page at Garden Debut®

Click on individual photos to enlarge them.

photos copyright Geri Laufer, 2012

please give credit.

SE Regional Symposium, Herb Society of America, Oct 12-12, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:00:00 +0000

University of Georgia Horticulture Trial Gardens

The Southeast Regional Symposium of The Herb Society of America was held Oct. 12-13, 2012 in Athens, Georgia.

Dr. Allan Armitage

First we visited the UGA Trial Gardens and Dr. Allan Armitage showed us around.

Albuca spiralis 'Fizzle Sizzle'

We saw plenty of flowers, annuals, perennials, roses, vines and the odd foliage plant!

Solanum wendlandii, Paradise Vine

Vince Dooley w The Rising Sun Redbud

From there, we visited the specactular garden of UGA Coach Vince Dooley (retired legend), shown here with The Rising Sun Redbud PP21451 .

Pierced Hedge reveals St. Francis Statue

There were plenty of details to soak up in the Coach's garden, like the opening cut into this solid hedge, revealing additional gardens beyond, and a serene St. Francis of Assisi statue.

14 inch retaining wall

I hope to re-create a version of this low retaining wall in my own back yard which is sloped.
Here is Coach Dooley's gemlike Japanese Garden.

Japanese Garden at Coach Dooley's

Geri Laufer speaking on Tussie-Mussies

I peeked and saw I got a 10+ in the evaluation!

The next day we had a series of programs for the educational symposium, including my talk on Tussie-Mussies and the Language of Flowers.

There was a lot of history of carried and worn flowers, and the floral language.

Tussie-Mussies hardback

Knot Garden at the State Botanical Garden

Rosemary in Bloom!

Snowflake Scented Geranium

Geri in Vitex with Boxwood in foreground

The gnarly old Vitex at the State Botanic Garden made a cool place to sit, and in front of me were planted large, venerable plants of Golden Dream Boxwood PP16052 from Garden Debut(R).

Golden Dream Boxwood PP16052

All in all I had a very nice trip, although this speaking engagement meant I had to miss the 2012 Tucson Garden Writers Association conference this year because of the conflict in dates! Thanks for driving, Sue!

Caladium container at State BG

Whadda’ ja say? Some Botanical Names are Wiley to Pronounce

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Northern Borders™ Variegated Cotoneaster

A non-gardening friend of mine was amused to note that one of the accomplishments I list on my LinkedIn page is Botanical Latin. My fluency with Latin binomials is useful when talking with others in this great business and helps me to be more precise.

Over the years I have come across three bug-a-boo plant names that give students pause, and must be heard to be believed. These are Cotoneaster, Leucothoe and Weigela.

Centuries ago, before I enrolled in grad school for Horticulture and was systematically reading every single gardening book in the Carnegie Public Library*, I stumbled across Cotoneaster which I first saw written and not pronounced. Like anyone else, I supposed it might be called “cotton Easter” but this is not the case. It’s actually more like “Co-TONY-aster”. A lovely example of this plant is the Northern Borders™ VariegatedCotoneaster by Garden Debut®.

Whitewater(R) Leucothoe PP18396

The next bug-a-boo that people often come across is Leucothoe. This is actually pronounced more like “Lou-KO-tho-wee”. A variegated favorite of mine is Whitewater® Leucothoe PP18396 that does so well in moist shade..

Third, students in my Woody I.D. class at Gwinnett Tech were calling a plant “Wiggly-Ah” which I found most endearing. Actually it is called “Why-GEE-La”. A nice small dwarf form good for most gardens is Minuet Weigela.

Minuet Weigela

Luckily, Fine Gardening Magazine has come to the rescue of all concerned gardeners with their online Pronunciation Guide to Botanical Latin. After clicking on a plant name, the audio will pronounce it clearly and distinctly, and is a great help .

What plant names are your personal bug-a-boos?

*That’s another story.

Fairy Garden Skeptic?

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:45:00 +0000

I admit it. Originally I was skeptical about Fairy Gardens, particularly for adults. With a full-sized garden and landscape to care for, I could not wrap my head around itty-bitty scenes and itty-bitty plants that might dry out too quickly. But with millions of people puzzling and writing about weaning today’s children away from their computer games and luring them into the great outdoors, I have changed my tune.

To me, Fairy Gardens are the outdoor version of Dollhouses. Fairy Gardens are furnished with miniature structures and doll-sized accessories appealing to children: little fences, little birdbaths, little garden tools. What’s more, they include Actual Living Plants! This gets the idea of plants, soil, sunshine, photosynthesis, growing, dirty hands and success into young hands. And even if it seems to be entering gardening through the back door, if it works, it’s fine with me! When I saw a young girl standing mesmerized by the array of Fairy Gardening accessories in my nearby independent garden center, I was convinced!

Fairy Gardens can be laid out formally on table top, with a $375 Primrose Cottage 27.25 inches tall, or less formally with homemade houses and benches that are crafted by kids and incorporated into a dish garden or an in-ground garden niche.

On Pinterest, one Fairy Garden Board has 864 people following 153 pins (so far), all of imaginative Fairy Gardens.

In terms of Fairy Plants, tiny ground covers such as Scotch and Irish Moss and Corsican Mint in the Stepables lineup come to mind.

Perfect as a small evergreen for a Fairy Landscape is Garden Debut®’s Micron® Holly PP21168, a diminunitive little holly with very small leaves reaching 20 inches in height at maturity.

If a Flowering Fairy Shrub is needed there is Princess Lyla™ Crapemyrtle that reliably adds summer color at only about a foot and a half tall, the littlest princess in the Princess Series by Garden Debut®.

Do you know a child who might fall in love with gardening if introduced through the world of Fairy Gardens? Let’s hear from you.

top photo thank you to Liesel Allen Merkel

posting a few weeks later, after Halloween, a photo of Halloween in the Fairy Garden.

photo by Jeremie Corp

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?bid=546864471995702&set=a.354274917921326.105388.236792266336259&type=1&theater

Geri's Abundant-Harvest, Throw It Together Pesto Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:30:00 +0000

For the third time this season, I have cut back my 4 plants of Mrs. Burns' Lemon Basil by half, added clippings from a couple of Lettuce-Leaf Basil plants, and am making Pesto! This will be 6 pounds so far this year.

Geri's Abundant-Harvest, Throw It Together Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:
1 gallon basil leaves
3 peeled, smashed garlic cloves
1 cup walnuts
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 to 1 cup EVOO

Directions:
Pick clean,dry basil leaves and put about half in the blender
Add garlic cloves that have been peeled and smashed in a garlic press
Pulse in food processor
Add more basil leaves
Add Parmesan cheese
Add 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil and gradually more
Pulse in food processor
Add more oil until it is the right consistency for you

Use on fresh-cooked hot pasta, on chicken breast, in stews or as a spread for turkey sandwiches.

To save for later use, package in small containers (enough for one pound of pasta) and freeze. This brings the feeling of summer in the middle of winter.

photos copyright Geri Laufer, 2012
may use photos with attribution :-) thanks!

Friend Helen Yoest's New Book: Gardening With Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:00:00 +0000

My Raleigh friend Helen Yoest from Garden Writers Association sent me a copy of her new book and I think it has great merit!

Gardening With Confidence-- 50 Ways to add style for personal creativity hits all the gardening highlights and offers practical ways to achieve gardening style in accessible, bite-sized pieces. Each essay is a quick study in four pages and Helen's great color photos help to illustrate her points.

Gardening With Confidence summarizes Helen's practical experience and is presented as an overview of the field, "the exact book a beginning gardener needs" presented as sort of a conversation with a knowledgeable friend over a virtual garden fence.

As might be expected, I am partial to her Herb Gardens chapter that includes herb care, plant types, harvesting, seed saving, drying and a profile of her fave herb garden, Little Herb House in Raleigh.

Some of her other essays that I especially enjoy are Fragrance in the Garden, Sound in the Garden and Layers of Light.

Which chapters are your favorites?

Rainbow of Ground Covers Enlivens the Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Snow N Summer® Asiatic Jasmine

A colorful palette of ground covers adds an extra dimension to the lower levels of my landscape. These ground-hugging plants that spread widely yet remain short and close to the ground have a new look these days with a selection of foliage colors. Brightening up sunny spots as well as shade, many choices of perennial ground covers are available for the artistic gardener and landscaper. Ground covers protect the soil from erosion and drought, while providing a flat layer of vegetation beneath the shrub layer.

Pink and White

Trachelospermum asiaticum Snow N Summer® Asiatic Jasmine by Garden Debut®. The amazing pink foliage color of looks like flowers in the bed but is adaptable and evergreen, making it an excellent mounding 12-iinch ground cover that spreads to three feet. New foliage emerges striking pink, turning to clear white, then to variegated white and emerald green on older foliage.

Mahogany-Red Bronze
Ajuga reptens Bronze has appealing dark mahogany-maroon foliage that thrives in sun or shade and reaches 6 to 10 inches in height and spreads by runners. Short spikes of attractive blue flowers cover the mat in spring, attracting bees and butterflies.

Angelina Sedum

Brilliant Yellow

Sedum rupestre Angelina- the brilliant-yellow spreading fleshy foliage of this succulent ground cover turns orange at the tips in autumn. It’s only 3 inches tall but spreads to two feet wide and more in sun.

Yellow and Green

Vinca minor ‘Sunny Skies’ PP13466 features yellow variegated leaves and bright blue springtime flowers, attaining about 12 inches in height and spreading to two feet.

Bunny Blue Sedge

Silvery Blue

Carex laxiculmus Bunny Blue Sedge Grass by Garden Debut® is a grass-like ornamental groundcover with narrow foliage and year-round interest. Aqua-silvery blue leaves to 12 inches tall will spread to a large, dense clump.

There are many other ground covers that increase the gardener’s color choices. Have you tried some of these? What is your favorite?

Seed Collecting and Saving

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Seeds I collected in the garden - so far.

While the squirrels are collecting (and planting) pecans from our big tree in the backyard, I am also squirreling away seeds to plant next January. Of course I'll scatter some now, too.

I like to dry them thoroughly before packaging them in paper envelopes. Be sure to label them! I often forget if they are not labeled. My Dad used to like to quote Confucius: "the weakest ink is stronger than the strongest mind," or in other words, write it down b/c you might not remember what you have there.

I plan to take the Rudbeckia triloba off of that mass of clippings while watching NCIS this evening. Do you save seeds? I have parsley, white hibiscus, thorn apple, purple cone flower, annual Rudbeckia, my Grandmother's Balsam, Rudbeckia triloba (big bowl) --> and one composite I forgot to label (!) but I think it is feverfew.

Happy Collecting!

Urban™ Apple Caramel Upside-Down Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Edible landscaping is the number one consumer trend today acccording to Independent Garden Centers, as the locally-grown movement gains ground, and more and more gardeners find success harvesting their own crops. Enter Urban™ Columnar Apples by Garden Debut®, slender new apple trees that yield great tasting apples in a tiny space.

What could be more ideal than a “containerized orchard” on a sunny deck, or planted in the backyard? This is possible with Urban™ Columnar Apples by Garden Debut? Use your harvest in a simple upside-down cake recipe that combines the great autumn flavors of apples and caramel.

Blushing Delight(TM) Apple PP21511

Recipe

Urban™ Apple Caramel Upside-DownCake

Ingredients:

4 Blushing Delight™ Urban™ Columnar Apples, cored and sliced

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 bag vanilla caramels

1-2 Tablespoons water

Yellow or Spice Cake batter (for one layer only)

Directions:

Coat cake pan with oil

Place Urban™ Apple slices in an attractive pattern in the cake pan

Slowly melt caramels and water in a small saucepan over low heat

Pour melted caramel over apple slices without disturbing

Mix cake batter according to directions

Pour batter over caramel and apples

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes, or until cake is lightly brown and separates from pan

Flip cake onto serving dish and enjoy!

Serves 8

For more information about the Urban(TM) Columnar Apple Trees, visit the Garden Debut® website.

We would like to see how you are using your Urban™ Apples this fall! Post on our Facebook Page

2012 Gold Medal Plant Award Winner is The Rising Sun® Redbud PP21451

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The Rising Sun® Redbud PP21451

Awards by horticultural societies help gardeners and landscapers make informed choices about plants. The societies run tests and then acknowledge the best of the best performers. Extensive trials take place before these awards are bestowed on old favorites or new plant introductions.

A familiar example is the annual All-American Rose Selection Winners must embody all of the characteristics today’s homeowners desire in a garden plant. Each winner excelled in a 2-year trial program where it was judged on disease resistance to flower production, color and fragrance.

Another plant award is the American Hemerocallis Society’s Stout Silver Medal of Honor. This is the highest award a daylily cultivar can receive and is given in memory of Dr. Arlos Burdette Stout, the father of modern daylily breeding in North America. Winners are great performers.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM), an honor that is well-known and transcends national boundaries. Judging committees from the RHS bestow the award to only the best performers.

Daffodils have their own award; the John and Gertrude Wister Award from the AmericanDaffodil Society emphasize garden performance with long lasting blooms, clean color, sunfast, vigorous foliage, disease resistant, and more.

Gold Medal Plant Award, PHS

Gold Medal Plant Award Program, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Since 1978 the prestigious Gold Medal Plant Award Program of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society has recognized trees, shrubs and woody vines of outstanding merit. Noted nurseryman Dr. J. Franklin Styler inaugurated this award to showcase superior woody plants for homeowners and landscapers. These woodies are evaluated for their superb eye-appeal, performance and hardiness. People know they can rely on winners for ease of growing, resistance to disease, beauty in many seasons and hardiness in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 - 7 (encompassing Pennsylvania). Garden Debut(R) is pleased to announce The Rising Sun® Redbud PP21451 has been awarded the 2012 Gold Medal from the PHS! This honor recognizes beautiful, reliable and exceptional plants.

Tangerine to apricot new foliage

The PHS website states: "Cercis canadensis The Rising Sun(R) Redbud PP21451 is a novel addition to the native eastern redbud roundup. Small but showy rosy orchid flowers climb the naked branches in early spring attracting bees and butterflies. The distinctive bark is smooth tan with a yellowish cast. Emerging heart-shaped foliage is brilliant tangerine to apricot and reputed to hold its color well into fall, surpassing other gold leaved redbuds. Heat tolerance, drought tolerance and cold hardiness are other desirable attributes."

Gardeners and landscapers can purchase The Rising Sun(R) Redbud PP21451 with complete confidence in its performance every time. Another of the Great New Plants(TM) from Garden Debut(R). .

Candelabra Flower Scapes on Enjoy 24/7™ Daylily Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Bahama Pink Sky(TM) Daylily, PPAF

Daylilies (Hemerocallis species and cultivars) are reliable, easy-care perennials useful for adding color to perennial beds, shrub borders or for erosion control on slopes. Dayliles are ideal perennials, tolerant of most soils, of wet weather and drought, of sun and shade, handle heat stress well, are pretty free of pests and make a carefree addition to the landscape.

Their colorful, trumpet-shaped blooms each last only a single day, but since each clump produces many buds, the colorful effect is long-lasting. In addition, the Enjoy 24/7™ Daylily Collection from Garden Debut® has multiple flowering periods throughout the season, beginning in April and continuing though Thanksgiving(!).

Candelabra Flower Scape

Candelabra or Branched Flower Scapes

Since the total number of flowers and resulting bloom season of a well-established plant depends on the number of buds, a flower stalk that is loaded with buds has a long bloom period. The scape is the entire flower stalk arising from the center of the clump known as the crown; a tall, sturdy flower stalk without leaves but having a few green bracts as well as multiple flower buds. Some scapes are branched and display flowers to advantage and these are called branched scapes or ‘candelabra scapes’.

Pictured at right is a candelabra scape of Bahama Pink Sky™ Daylily blooming once again in early September with multiple flower stalks or scapes (6) distributed among two clumps. Each scape carries multiple buds so the perennials are able to bloom for a long period. In particular, Enjoy 24/7™ Daylilies http://www.gardendebut.com/enjoy-247-daylilies.php are exceptional bloomers, beginning in April and continuing through Thanksgiving.

Multiple Branched Scapes

Pictured at left is a photo of 2 clumps of Bahama Pink Sky™ Daylily taken the first week of September in my Atlanta garden, with many scapes loaded with buds.

To purchase the Enjoy 24/7™ Daylily Collection from Garden Debut, ask your retailer http://www.gardendebut.com/retailers.php to offer them this fall. Remember the horticultural slogan, “Fall is for Planting” and plant some this month.

Foliage Fun: Advantage of Using Colorful Foliage in the Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Color is one of the most compelling of plant attributes and attracts attention in any landscape. Traditionally, color in gardens is supplied by flowers. With bedding plants this color is reasonably reliable, but when perennial flowers are used, they have distinct and limited bloom-periods. The best way to prolong landscape color indefinitely is through the use of plants with colorful foliage.

· Colored foliage ranges from white to near-black burgundy, with all the hues in between.

· Colored leaves often thrive in more shade that plants that rely on flowers, extending the range and bringing color options into darker landscape areas.

· Variegated foliage is another version of landscape color and incredible patterns and combinations attract garden interest.

Two of the most commonly used colored-leaf foliage plants spring to mind:

Coleus, botanically known as Solenostemon, is a tender member of the mint family with square stems, 2-lipped flowers and an incredible assortment of leaf colors. Varieties are available both for sun (Solar and Sunlover Series) or shade (Ducksfoot Series or Independent). Color combinations vary radically and small lavender flower spikes attract pollinators.

Caladium or Caladium bicolor grow from a tuber or enlarged underground stem and produce medium-sized (6 to 24 inches), heart-shaped leaves of white, pink or red with myriad variegation. Tropical caladiums are useful in shade and are grown by many gardeners for this distinct foliage. Selections are predominantly red, pink or white. Native to South America, caladiums will not survive cold winters that experience heavy frost.

Perennials with colored foliage are also indispensible

Handsome Hosta leaves range in color from blue as in glaucous ‘Blue Angel’ to yellow ‘Sum and Substance’ with lots of variegated patterns such as ‘Patriot’ and sizes from miniature to the extra-huge ‘Big Mama.’ Hostas thrive from Montreal to Miami and liven up shady gardens.

Varieties of Heuchera or Coral Bells have been bred to produce a rainbow of colors from nearly black ‘Obsidian’ to bright pink ‘Georgia Peach.’ Heuchera are wonderful grouped in beds or added to container plantings.

Snow-N-Summer fills pot

My favorite Snow-N-Summer(R) Asiatic Jasmine is the newest of the colored foliage plants and has incredible pink-n-white new growth. A bed of this small groundcover looks like a pink and white flower bed (without any flowers!). It has a moderate growth rate and a compact spreading- to- mounding growth habit that can be pruned or sheared to control height and spread. Shearing also promotes new growth emphasizing the beautiful pink and white coloration. Pictured, right, in branded Garden Debut(R) pot.

For more ideas on using colorful foliage to light up the landscape, visit Garden Debut(R).

Variegated Foliage Essential for Long-Term Landscape Color

noreply@blogger.com (Geri Laufer) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Color in the Landscape

LS Color draws attention

Human response to color in flower, fruit or leaf is deep and emotional. Color is therefore one of the most compelling plant characteristics used to create interest in the landscape. While landscapers use many design tools such as texture, form, repetition and symmetry as well as hardscaping to create dynamic landscapes, a colorful container, a brilliant annual bed or an appealing bright rosebush loaded with flowers automatically draws attention to that particular spot. This means of creating interest is useful in landscape design to direct visitors to the leasing office or to indicate the way to the pool or recreational area. Heads turn as people are drawn to color.

Colorful plants distinguish themselves from the background mass of greenery in most landscapes, emerging to take front stage. However, vibrant flower color in plants is often short-lived or fleeting, for example, as shrubs bloom during a brief period of the year and then revert to green the rest of the time. In addition, fewer colorful flowers bloom in the shade (about 80% in sun but only 20% in shade) and designers must turn to other sources of plant color.

Variegated Foliage

Twist of Lime(TM) Abelia

When looking to enliven the myriad shades of garden green, colorful variegated foliage is the method of choice. One of the finest variegated shrubs for sun or shade, Twist of Lime ™ Abelia is flowering shrub with interest 12 months a year and attractive white flowers/sepals about 6 months!

Twist of Lime™ Abelia by Garden Debut(R) has many landscape uses, as a specimen or grouped in shrub borders or foundations. It is also effective when massed as a shrubby groundcover, particularly on banks where plants can also provide erosion control, This moderate grower may be used as a low, informal hedge in southern areas where winter die-back is not a concern, although plants lose their attractive graceful shape if pruned or sheared. Twist of Lime™ Abelia is also a creative choice for permanent containers on terraces or balconies.

What is your favorite variegated landscape mainstay?