Bloom Day August 2010

The cutting garden

I don’t think a cutting garden is really supposed to look like this. A cutting garden is supposed to give each plant room to breathe.  But here are scarlet bee balm, Hot Crayon Color zinnias from Renee’s Garden, bachelor’s buttons, gomphrena, and Hot Biscuits amaranth from Seed Savers looking like they are at a crowded cocktail party.  Golden rod and tansy and mint in the surrounding  field – all blooming.

Gomphrena

I thought Gomphrena would be great for bouquets so I bought two six packs from LaSalle’s Florist who has wonderful bedding plants in the summer. I did not realize this is also known as globe amaranth.  I stuck a couple of the plants next to the bush beans, and put one or two in planters. They have done beautifully and I plan to grow them again.

'Mothlight' hydrangea

I now have  four hydrangeas. I planted ‘Mothlight’ several years ago, and with very little help from me she is thriving, as you can see.  I only wish the weeping birch didn’t weep right on top of her.

'Limelight' hydrangea

‘Limelight’ joined a very small oakleaf hydrangea last summer. I’m happy to say that all three hydrangeas that will make up my erstwhile hydrangea hedge are doing very well and blooming, but Pinky Winky and the oakleaf are very small still.

Cosmos, 'Blue Paradise' phlox and Stargazer lilies

In the same bed with Mothlight and the weeping birch is my new ‘blue and white section.’  I took out a rampant spirea shrub and since I had no real plan for what to do next I thought I would just make sure everything was blue or white. With maybe a touch of yellow.  This is not give an excellent photo. The  new ‘Blue Paradise’ phlox is going by, but I think it will be more substantial in August next year.  You can also see a new sulphur yellow achillea and the Stargazers. I had forgotten about that  touch of pink.

Connecticut yankee delphiniums and cosmos

I didn’t expect the new ‘Connecticut Yankees’ to do much this year, but they are making a noble effort. I can always count on Renee’s cosmos to cover a lot of ground. This section is to the left of the previous photo and now we will go still further left.

Annual Veronica

The corner of this bed is filled with two varieties of cotoneaster.  I should have had faith that one type would be more than sufficient, if only I would have patience. Now they are both totally grown together and will never be separated. There was a bare spot in the corner that I filled with this pretty annual veronica from LaSalle’s.  It is very similar to the ‘Blue Eyes” veronica, an old variety, that came to me at a plant swap years ago as ‘blue eyed grass’ so I planted it in the lawn where it has spread, but rarely blooms because of the mowing. I promised myself I would dig up a little bit and put it in a more perennial spot, but I haven’t done it yet.

Achillea 'The Pearl' and Julie's dianthus

Achillea ‘The Pearl’ is such a depandable and useful plant, in the garden and in arrangements.  You can see one little pink dianthus that I had gotten at the Bridge of Flowers plant sale. Julie said it would bloom and bloom. And it has. It is a lovely little thing.  Other cheddar pinks are also still putting out a few bloom.

Champlain

I don’t know what this little Champlain (Canadian Explorer) rose is doing blooming at this time of year, especially since it is about to be eaten up by the Apart rugosa that has sent new shoots out. Right here.

Linda Campbell rugosa

I was also stunned to see this one blossom of Linda Campbell, a rose in the Sunken Garden, that I thought had died years ago – along with almost everything else in the Sunken Garden.  I will dig this up in the fall, and I think I will put it on the Rose Bank.

Rugosa alba

At the top edge of the Sunken Garden is a partial hedge of Rugosa alba.  This plant hopped down from above,

Rugosa alba

and this one looks like it is trying to make the leap.  It sure shows how tenacious rugosas and their roots are!

Pink Grootendorst rugosa

She doesn’t have a lot of blooms at this time of the year, but I really like Pink Grootendorst. She is on the new Rose Bank and has grown immensely since I planted her last year – just as I had hoped.  Double Red Knockouts are also blooming on the Rose Bank.

Sweet Peas

Saltwater Taffy Swirl sweet peas from Renee got off to a slow start, but they are beautiful right now. Fragrant, too.

Morning Glories

I love having morning glories right outside the window where we can see them in the morning. Going strong.

This ‘Terra Cotta’ achillea has been going strong too.  I have pink achilleas in the Lawn Beds and a deep pink in the Herb Bed. Of course, there is wild white yarrow growing by the roadsides.  Along with Queen Anne’s lace.

Thomas Affleck rose

Thomas Affleck, planted at the end of the Herb Bed last spring, has settled in nicely and has been in bloom all summer. The Fairy is another rose that blooms all summer dependably. I have two, one in each Lawn Bed.

Castor Bean

The Castor Bean was supposed to fill the whole circle in the middle of the lawn, but it has been slow going. Even though it has not reached a height of six or more feet as I had hoped, the color and size of the leaves still make a pretty dramatic impact.

Phlox and Cosmos

I think every perennial garden should have phlox.  This is a nameless pink phlox I got at the Bridge of Flowers last year and it is magnificent. This year I bought Blue Paradise at the Bridge of Flowers sale, and my own Miss Lingaard, a white phlox, which blooms in June, is still putting out some flowers.  I’ve already started thinking about what phlox I can add next year – and where I will find a place to put it.  This spot in the garden is very pink, which is unusual for an August garden. In addition to the pink phlox, there are two varieties of pink cosmos, pink echinacea, a few cheddar pinks, a pink achillea and the pink The Fairy rose.

'Fairy Tale Pink' daylily

Of course the daylilies are still blooming, nastursiums and Black Beauty lilies, and pots filled with petunias, Million Bells, geraniums, annual salvia, blooming mint, oregano, and circle garlic. All of a sudden I realize August is a really good month in my garden.

I thank Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for inspiring me, and so many others to keep this record for ourselves, and let us all see how seasons progress across the country.

Garden Phlox

Garden phlox

Garden phlox can be one of the stars of  the summer garden.  I bought this unnamed pink phlox paniculata at the Bridge of Flowers plant sale last year and it looks great this year. There is no sign of mildew, but I can’t say whether that is because of the weather, or whether this is a mildew resistant variety.  Many gardeners avoid phlox because of the mildew which is common, but mildew does not hurt the plant, and I am skilled at ignoring things that others find more than annoying.

Miss Lingaard phlox in August

Late this spring I dug up some white Miss Lingaard phlox from among the weeds in the abandoned Sunken Garden and transplanted it into this bed. It doesn’t look like much this year, but I am looking forward to next spring.  Miss Lingaard is an old variety also known as Wedding Phlox because it blooms in June, earlier than most phlox. It has the benefit of being mildew resistant.

I tried to buy David, a Perennial Plant of the Year in 2002, but couldn’t find it anywhere. I guess I didn’t start early enough. This is a popular plant because of its big white flower heads – and mildew resistance.

Blue Paradise phlox

This spring I bought Blue Paradise at the Bridge of Flowers plant sale, and I got better bloom than I expected – but next year!  The color of this phlox is gorgeous, and it is supposed to be very mildew resistant.

Phlox is a wonderful plant for the summer garden in pale and brilliant shades, with eyes of different colors, and now even dwarf varieties that are happy in a container.  It only needs sun and ordinary garden soil. If you cut it back after bloom, you might get a second flush.

Muse Day August 2010

Flowers to honor Elsa

Yesterday I spent the afternoon and evening preparing for, and enjoying a memorial for Elsa Bakalar,  my friend, neighbor, colleague, and garden mentor who passed away in January at the age of 91.  The flowers at the buffet supper in Jan and Cal’s party barn were provided by The Passionate Gardeners, Mary, Susan and Eileen, gardeners who had come to learn from Elsa, and continued to help her in her garden- until that garden had to be given up.

Mary, Eileen and Susan

Many people did their part for Elsa yesterday. Scott Prior and his wife, Nanny Vonnegut, who own and maintain ‘Elsa’s Garden’ in Heath, invited neighbors and family for a tour and champagne toast to a beloved relative and friend. Cousin Stan read a section of Kipling’s poem Glory of the Garden with that famous line, “such gardens are not made
By singing:–”Oh, how beautiful!” and sitting in the shade . . .” Then we all trooped over to Jan and Cal’s barn, surrounded by a beautiful garden,  for a feast organized by Elsa’s nephew Jake and his wife Susan. Chief among this group were Elsa’s former grade school students, honorary daughters, Marie and Nicole who took major responsibilities for Elsa’s care in the years after her husband’s death in 2000.

A special treat of the evening was listening to a recording Nicole had made of Elsa reading the opening chapter of Dicken’s Bleak House. Elsa read Great Expectations to her fifth and sixth grade class every year – a wonderful choice for students at that age – and Elsa was wonderful reader.  It must be admitted that the sound of a loved one’s voice is evocative and heart breaking.

Today is Muse Day. I had forgotten, but a friend emailed me a poem by Mary de la Valette this morning that seemed serendipitous.  Kipling noted in his poem that  ”Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees.”  A very young Nicole  who spent her summers with Elsa in her ’summer camp’ found that she could have Elsa all to herself if she joined her in the garden  while everyone else still slept. One morning she asked Elsa if she liked teaching or gardening better. Without hesitation Elsa answered “gardening.”  It may have surprised and angered young Nicole who wanted to be much more important to her beloved teacher than an old garden, but it is clear to me that the garden was a sacred place for Elsa.

I do not have to go
To Sacred Places
In far-off lands.
The ground I stand on
Is holy.

Here, in this little garden
I tend
My pilgrimage ends.
The wild honeybees
The hummingbird moths
The flickering fireflies at dusk
Are a microcosm
Of the Universe.
Each seed that grows
Each spade of soil
Is full of miracles.

And I toil and sweat
And watch and wonder
And am full of love.
Living in place
In this place.
For truth and beauty
Dwell here.

I thank Carolyngail for making me stop and consider other muses the first day of every month.

Three Lilies

White Henryi lily

Last fall I planted six lilies in the herb bed right in front of the house. Three Henryi lilies which are gold, and three white Henryi lilies, all from Old House Gardens, one of my favorite bulb suppliers.  White Henryi was the first to blossom, dazzling white with its golden throat.

Mystery lily

Then this lily bloomed. I’ve got a bit of a prop to hold up the blossom so I could photograph it. It is neither the white or gold Henryi. A natural hybrid? Unlikely.  Probably just a mis-labelled bulb, so now I have three varieties of lily in this bed.

Henryi lily

Henry’s lily is beautiful with its recurved petals, but it has an extra layer of meaning for me because it is a Chinese wildflower. My husband Henry and I spent two separate years living and working in Beijing; we continue to learn about this important and complex culture.  Elizabeth Licata has Henry’s lily growing in her garden, and hers has reached the promised height of 6 feet.  I have hopes for next year.

For Henry

White Henryi lily

Last year I bought 3 golden Henryi lilies and 3 white Henryi lilies from Old House Gardens. The reason is obvious. My husband’s name is Henry.  When I was in Buffalo I saw a golden Henryi in Elizabeth Licata’s garden – but I didn’t recognize it because it was at least 6 feet tall!  I guess I have a lot of work to do on my  soil.  My lilies are barely three feet tall and the stems are not very sturdy. So far only the white Henryi is blooming; I can’t wait to see the gold.

New Friends and Their Blogs

Here is part of the crowd of 70 garden bloggers  at the Buffalo Botanical Garden. I was familiar with the blogs of some of these gardeners like Frances (lower left) of Fairegarden, and Susan (center in blue with hat) of Sustainable Gardening Blog, and Helen (in white under the camera) of Toronto Gardens.  Susan is one of the Garden Ranters; she and I worked briefly for an Australian organic gardening website Organic Gardener which made us virtual colleagues! Frances has beautifully photographed gardens in Tennesee, and Helen knows what it is like to garden in a harsh climate.

So I knew some of the garden blogs written by those who showed up for the third annual garden bloggers meet-up in Buffalo at the beginning of the month, but it is a whole other thing to actually meet and get to know those gardeners – and then read their blogs. I may not have been to their gardens (yet) but I do have a richer sense of their personalities and their tastes and passions.

I met lots of bloggers whose blogs I did not know – but I do know now. I have added several of these to my own blogroll, the list of inks to blogs in the right column.  There was a professional discussion at one point about the purpose or desirability of having a blogroll. Most of us thought they were helpful and necessary. I use my own blogroll as an easy way to visit my favorite blogs when I am putting up my post, and I use other people’s blogs as a recommendation. If I like a blog, I figure I will like their favorite blogs as well. I’ve added several new blogs to my blogroll.

I spent a day on the bus with Mary of My Northern Garden. She is the editor of Northern Garden Magazine, and freelance writer. I was interested in how Minnessota gardens differ in challenges from New England gardens. She was generous with information about gardening, and about blogging. She gave out copies of the magazine (beautiful!) which is a publication of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.

Jean gardens in Louisiana, but her blog, Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog has useful information for all of us. Also it turns out her brother lives in the same area near Houston, Sienna Plantation, as my daughter!  Jean is also a garden coach and she gave me advice about that skill.

Cindy, one energetic lady, is   also from Texas. Her Corner of Katy is also near my daughter. When we visited we went to the immense Katy Mall and shopped. My husband got ‘cowboy shirts’ and a hat to wear in our field. I’m very interested in Texas gardens these days, but no matter where a person gardens, there is some advice that is good for all of us. Besides, our blogs are also about community and family – which are of interest to us all.

We have friends in Sacramento so I was happy to meet Leslie who is Growing a Garden in Davis.  Now I can keep an eye on what Leslie is doing –  and what my garden friends in Sacramento are likely to be doing.   I’ve added these and a few others to my blogroll, but if you’d like to check out blogs of others I met in Buffalo you can logon to the Buffa10 website which has links to them all, and links to recent posts – with great photos – about our garden tours in Buffalo. You will meet some great people.

Reluctantly leaving Mike Shadrack's hosta and daylily gardens

Elsa Bakalar’s Garden

Horticulture Magazine January 1987

In 1985 (could it be that long ago?) Elsa Bakalar,  my Heath neighbor and friend, and I started writing an article about color in the garden for Horticulture magazine.  One summer day in 1986 the brilliant photographer, and gardener, Garry Mottau arrived in Elsa’s garden at dawn. That’s when I learned about the importance and desirability of that early morning light for photography. I even got to hold a piece of shiny Thermax to throw some gentle light on Elsa’s face, or the flowers she was  working with.  That was another photography lesson for me.  The article finally appeared in the January 1987 issue of Horticulture Magazine. Elsa was the cover girl!

At the end of the story you will see a note saying that Elsa and I were writing a book together. I bombed out, but Elsa not only wrote her book, with her beloved husband Mike’s editorial support and advice, she started criss-crossing the US,  in demand as a garden speaker, well known for her wit and humor as well as her knowledge.

Several years ago, after her husband’s death, Elsa sold her house and garden to noted artists  Scott Prior and his wife Nanny Vonnegut. Nanny confessed that she lets Scott handle the garden, which he maintains with the help of Jeff Farrell.  Jeff  worked with Elsa in her garden for a number of years. Among other things he is a now a member of the Trillium Workshops trio; they have arranged tours of this garden for those who want to enjoy a fabulous, riotous country garden that is also sophisticated and inspiring. The next tour is July 18, and the final tour is on Sept. 19.  It is best to sign up early.

Horticulture never forgot Elsa’s beautiful garden. The results of their revisit are in the new issue, with an interview with Scott and Nanny. More photos!  Horticulture has made it possible to download the original story by clicking on

http://hortmag.com/upload/images/mediakit/ElsaBakalarGardenp.pdf.

You can see the new story by Jane Roy Brown with photos by Bill Regan by picking up the August/September issue. If you live close enough you can even visit with Jeff Farrell and see the garden ‘in the flesh’.

Elsa passed away this winter. I wish she could have seen her garden’s return to the pages of Horticulture magazine. She would have enjoyed it, and she would love knowing people still have the pleasure of visiting her garden and learning from it.

Bloom Day After Buffalo

Crimson Pirate Daylily

After days of talking to the 70 other bloggers who gathered in Buffalo for a preview of the Buffalo Garden Walk I have a whole new appreciation for Bloom Day, created and hosted by Carol (who I got to meet!) of May Dreams Gardens.  For other mortals talk about the weather is banal chit chat, but for us bloggers, and all gardeners, it is shop talk. It is a topic filled with endless fascination – and we see the effects on Bloom.

Sweet peas

We saw daylilies in full bloom everywhere in Buffalo, but mine were just starting, in spite of the odd weather this spring which seemed to push the season two weeks early. My daylily bank is looking very colorful right now.  On the other hand, Renee’s sweet peas are just starting too.  They are sturdy though – growing in the midst of weeds and cauliflower.

Achillea 'Terra Cotta'

I’ve fallen in love with Achillea.  Terra Cotta is a new variety I planted this spring in the new Front Garden, right next to the yellow loosestrife.

I have other pink achilleas.

Achillea 'The Pearl'

Achillea ‘The Pearl’ is useful in flower arrangements.

Bee Balm

I planted this clump of scarlet bee balm in the new cutting garden near the vegetable garden where it is very happy.

Hydrangea 'Mothlight'

I love the flowers of ‘Mothlight.’

Hydrangea - oakleaf

Last summer I bought a tiny oakleaf hydrangea at Nasami.  It is still only about 16 inches high – but blooming!  This hydrangea, as well as ‘Limelight’, and ‘Pinky Winky are planted between the peony hedge and the road.  When they get bigger, as hydrangeas do, they will be another solution to lawn eradication.  They will be mulched and the lawn will be gone.

Phlox 'Blue Paradise'

I bought ‘Blue Paradise’ at the Bridge of Flowers plant sale. It is a stunner on the Bridge. It is a part of my new blue and white section which includes delphiniums that bloom earlier. You can see the daisies and white cosmos here as well. I had not anticipated how nice it would look against the cotinus.

Hawkeye Belle

Some of the roses are still blooming. In addition to Hawkeye Belle, I have Thomas Affleck, Double Red Knockout, The Fairy, White Meideland, Ghislaine de Feligonde, Betty Prior, Champlain, Apart, Martin Frobisher, Leda , Mrs. Doreen Pike, and the farmgirls.

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming in Heath, Buffalo and everywhere!

Doozy of a Dahlia

One of the gardens on the Buffalo Garden Walk had many dahlias – familiar varieties in familiar colors. But this dahlia is a doozy!  I’m going to have to research a source.  Has anyone seen this in a catalog?

Looking – and Buying in Buffalo

'Mystic Desire' dahlia

We started off at the Erie Basin Trial Gardens for the All America Selections (AAS).  The AAS helps gardeners by rating seed varieties so they can find some of  the best flowers and vegetables to plant from seed.  We all loved this brilliant red dahlia.

Yellow orchids at the Buffalo & Erie Cty Botanical Gardens

Then it was off to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens which has a fabulous glass conservatory, modeled after the one in Kew Gardens in England.  This building opened in 1900. The Orchid House is only one of several specialty areas including an eipiphyte pavillion, a fern house and a desert  house.

Cyndy from Gardening Asylum

Then we had to shop!  Off to Lockwood’s Greenhouse. Cyndy of Gardening Asylum was glassy eyed and wilting by the time she finished. I bought a solar lantern for the garden.

Mary Ann who writes the Gardens of the Wild West, Boise to be precise, has a lot to say about how we have been spending our days. Check her out!