Whatizit?

This month's myster plant.  The only hint besides pictures- it's incredibly fast growing.  It was planted from seed in April 2010 and is now in a #15 squat pot.

"Your gardens must be beautiful!"

This is the comment I get most often while talking to customers at work. They don't believe me when I tell them that they actually look pretty terrible. Working in horticulture, I don't have time to weed in spring or early summer. I also have a dog that is keeping me from planting or spraying in one area. So, here is photographic proof that my gardens are nasty looking.

First is the driveway garden.  A crazy mess at the moment, but I'm slowly getting it under control.  My dog tramples anything near the house in this garden, and everything used as foundation planting along the house.  Quackgrass is taking this garden over quickly... wish I could spray it since pulling it just makes it angry.










 Here is the foundation planting where this is no longer a dog to trample everything.  This is newly planted, and will hopefully start to look better if I can keep it weeded.

Around the corner from the previous picture.  Just need time to clean it up and it will be ok.

And now for the shot that redeems all this ugliness.  My butterfly garden is pretty good.  In the process of some editing, and still needs lots of weeding but I enjoy it and the critters it brings.  No Monarch caterpillars this year though, despite having 3 species of Asclepias for them to munch on.

This garden is also nice, although not very colorful.  Unfortunately we haven't had the time the last 2 years to grow the huge variety of food we had been.  Despite the fact that this garden didn't get planted until the last week of June and the Tomatoes and Peppers are bearing late, it looks awesome and everything is healthy.

Eggplant 'Thai White Ribbed'

Tomato 'OSU Purple'

Pepper 'New Ace'

Chard 'Bright Lights'

Mystery Plant

Here is another mystery plant.  Do you know it?

Summer Color

I have plenty of summer color right now, so I thought I'd share some of it with you.

Anaphalis margaritacea is native to most of the US and is an overlooked garden plant that is a great host for American Lady caterpillars.

Chrysanthemum 'Mammoth Lavender'

Garden shot





Geranium psilostemon - Blooming since June 30" tall and no flopping!



One of my seedlings Hemerocallis ('Golden Zebra' x 'Peppermint Ice')

Hemerocallis 'Johnny Cash'

Hemerocallis 'Regency Heights'

Hemerocallis 'Siloam Show Girl'

Sedum 'Mr. Goodbud'

Silene regia 'Prairie Fire'

One of my introductions Silphium perfoliatum 'Lemonade Stand'

Critters are color too!  Black Swallowtail on fennel

Asclepias 'Silky Red' - Annual for us and one of my favorites.

Chocolate cosmos that overwintered in my garden

Petunia 'Black Velvet'

Verbena bonariensis

Eupatorium 'Phantom'




Agastache 'Black Adder', Eryngium yuccifolium, and Fennel



Coreopsis

I have 2 newer Coreopsis varieties in my garden.

 'Route 66' has been a great performer so far, it went in last year from a quart pot and is now quite large.  Other varieties I've tried with red coloration in the flower have been far less vigorous than this one.  'Route 66' also has finer foliage than other varieties, revealing a strong verticillata parentage which is probably a good reason for its hardiness. 

'Star Cluster' is a new variety in the big bang series from hybridizer Darrel Probst.  This series as a whole is performing well here in WI.  I will try to re-shoot this picture soon, as it is overexposed despite being shot on an overcast day and looking great on the camera screen.  'Star Cluster' has red coloration in the center of the flower, which will extend throughout the petals in cool weather.  This one is extremely tall and sturdy, almost 30" tall in my garden and standing straight.  I really like this variety, and so far it is performing well. 

Spring Color

I've finally had a chance to get out and take some pictures of the spring color in my gardens over the last week or so.  Everything is definitely behind this year, due to our very cold temps.  We've had a few warm days now and the plants are responding to warmth very quickly, doubling in size in a a matter of days.

Cornus sericea unnamed gold mutation

 First up is a neat shrub I found a number of years ago.  It's a red twig dogwood that provides a bright spot of gold in the spring then changes green through the season.  All other traits seem normal, growth has been fast I will guess it will hit 8' tall and wide.  There are other gold-leaf selections out there that are similar, I don't know that I'll name it or introduce it for sale.  I am growing some seed from it in hopes for a variety that stays gold all season.


Arabis sturrii

  Arabis sturrii is a great spring bloomer that forms  low cushions.  White flowers in May followed by green glossy foliage the rest of the season.  It's a good nectar plant for early season butterflies and moths.


Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'

  Corydalis are in bloom now.  C. cheilanthifolia is now finished and 'Blackberry Wine' is getting started.  These are great plants for spring color and seasonal texture.  They like partial shade and good drainage.  'Blackberry Wine' will bloom sporadically through the season.








Epimedium 'Fire Dragon'


 Epimediums are in full bloom for me now.  They've been gaining in popularity in the past few years.  One of my favorites is 'Fire Dragon' which has fairly large (for an Epimedium) flowers that last much longer than others in my garden.  'Amber Queen' is fairly similar, I'm not sure how long the blooms will last.  'Lilafee' is a nice purple flowering variety is petite.  'Niveum' is a great white variety.  These are all easy to grow in shade to partial shade and are tolerant of dry soil. 
 


 

Epimedium 'Niveum'

Epimedium 'Lilafee'



 

Hepatica acutiloba is an underused woodland plant that does great in a shade garden.  Flowers range in color and can be white, pink, or blue.  They put on a good show of small flowers in spring, then the glossy foliage looks great all season. 

 The various Heuchera, xHeucherella, and Tiarella are looking great now, 'Southern Comfort' and 'Fire Chief' are looking great.  All of the new ones I planted have returned beautifully.  Tiarella 'Cascade Creeper' is coming up well, this is one of my new favorites.  There are some great new varieties this year that I can't wait to get planted: Heuchera: 'Apple Crisp', 'Pear Crisp', & 'Electric Lime'.  xHeucherella 'Redstone Falls', 'Yellowstone Falls', & 'Solar Eclipse'. 

 Iris lutescens var. campelli is a diminutive species of bearded iris with light purple standards and slightly darker falls.  I've struggled with this one for awhile, but I've finally found a spot where it seems happy.  I have other dwarf bearded hybrids in bloom as well, and they are always among my favorite spring bloomers.  If you don't have any dwarf iris, pick some up.

 Mertensia virginica alba.  I picked up a white form of Virginia bluebells last year, and it's in bloom now.  I probably should move it to a spot more suitable to its spreading nature.

Hostas are an obsession of mine (I have over 300 varieties) and the gold varieties are always my favorite as they come up.  'Dawn's Early Light' and 'Nancy' are especially bright.  Both look great all season as well.  'Dawn's Early Light' changes to bright green/chartreuse but has pebbled round leaves and a great mound habit.  'Nancy' stays a fairly bright chartreuse and has a good form.



'Dawn's Early Light'



'Nancy'

spring mystery plant

I've been away from blogging for awhile, but I'm back with a spring mystery plant quiz!  Can you name this cute spring bloomer from my garden?