That wasn’t smart 3.0

Dec7

Yesterday afternoon my Brent and Becky bulbs arrived….. did I mention I bought quite a few during their end of the season clearance sale? So knowing the weather report I was out in the dim light and freezing rain getting things into the ground before the snow and cold came. Bulbs go in quick when you’re wet and freezing, and I did pretty good although there was at least one shout from the house about catching pneumonia or what not…. I beat the snow by at least two hours 🙂 first snowfall on deck

That was a close call since the weatherman is predicting more snow tomorrow and lows around 7F (-14C) for next week, and things will surely freeze solid. Sensible people are finished for the year, unfortunately I have a stubborn streak and a history of stupid ideas put into action. Brent and Becky was sold out of the 50 snowdrop bulbs I ordered so they were missing from my shipment (such is the risk of a late season order). Instead of accepting my situation, I somehow ended up at Van Engelen’s website this morning and clicked OK to 200 more snowdrops (plus a couple hyacinth). Not the smartest move. Better check the potting soil supply 😉

Get those seeds planted!

Dec7

Not that she was bragging, but Amy over at MissingHenryMitchell posted about having her new cyclamen seeds planted at least a full week or two before things finally kicked into gear over here…. (and she even got them a few days later than me!) But peer pressure finally did its magic and I got my own cyclamen going. My five selections from Green Ice Nursery in the Netherlands went into water filled baby food containers (fyi it doesn’t come in glass jars anymore) with a tiny bit of dish soap mixed in to help break the surface tension and wet the seed. cyclamen seed

A body in motion tends to stay in motion, so while the seeds sat for their overnight soak, I kept going and decided to plant as many spare seeds as were in my little seed box. Most everything is fair game, the only exceptions being some hot weather annuals who’s seed would freeze to death, some biennials which would be better sown in mid summer (why bother earlier, they won’t bloom till the following year anyway), and some plants which I’ll start indoors early for a head start. Today’s seeds (mostly perennials) are going outside to brave the winter and then hopefully sprout in the spring. My first step is line up pots and shove a scrap of newspaper into the bottom to keep the soil from falling out the drain holes.

I’m not a serious seed sower, I don’t scrub the pots clean with a 10% bleach solution, I’m careless with my soil mix, and I don’t research the exact germination needs of my seeds (all good ideas). If you have some special seeds or want to take a dip in the waters of serious seed starting science, I’d suggest this post by Nancy Ondra over at Hayefield blog. The stuff on the Deno method is really interesting and I was pleased last spring when I tried it out myself.

Soil and labels are the next step. I use a mix of 3 parts whatever potting soil I have with about 1 part sharp (sandbox) sand. Labels are cut out of the old vinyl vertical blinds that came with the house. I’ve heard many people like cutting up the slats from mini blinds…. another good idea- but this is what I have 🙂 cheap plant labels Writing out the labels probably takes the most time. Name, notes, date, and source written with a plain old pencil.I fuss a bit over seed depth, but not as much as I should. According to my highly non-technical methods, seeds are just dropped in and covered with chicken grit(crushed granite). Larger rounded seed are planted as deep as 3/4 inch(~2cm), flat, light seed such as lily and fritillaria covered lightly, and anything fluffy (think dandelion seedheads) are barely covered and often still exposed. Once the seed are laid out at their sorta proper depth, grit goes on. Anyone who has ever tried to keep a gravel walk weed-free knows that gravel walks and patios make a perfect seed bed, the grit protects the surface and seeds from splashing around over winter and keeps the seed moist. In fact if I have any really fine seed I’ll just start with a thin layer of grit first and then sprinkle seed on top.And that’s it. I planted the cyclamen seed the same way (deeply) the next day, and although I’ll overwinter them in the cool garage (and hope for some germination), the rest will go outside sometime next week. In a perfect world I would have done this in November and given them a patch of warm weather before they freeze, but this will have to do. We’ll see what shows up next spring 🙂

Thankful for Seeds

Nov30

Being the non-cooking type has its advantages on a day like Thanksgiving. Other family members were busy baking and broiling but I was settled down at the kitchen table going through my seed donations for the HPS (mid Atlantic) seed exchange. It’s my first time ever contributing to this type of seed exchange and the sharing part is great, but better yet is the fact that as a donor I get to add a few extra packets on to this year’s wish list! seed saving

I’m sinking deeper and deeper into seed addiction. Catalogs are nice enough, but for some of the really special things seed exchanges are a great deal, and around here the HPS exchange is a great place to start for hundreds of annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs and even trees. An annual membership is $25 and includes meetings and events, but since I live further away I really joined for the seeds. When the exchange opens in January members can choose 25 packets for something like $15 and it’s kind of like Christmas after Christmas. Not to rub it in but I’ll be choosing 35 this year with my donor status….. hopefully what I sent in passes muster and isn’t laughed at!

There are several other great seed exchanges. I’m doing the North American Rock Garden Society’s exchange (as a non-donor) and the basics are the same. Small fee=many cool seeds. The NARGS exchange also does a bonus round where you can pick through the leftovers after the first flush of orders are filled and although many selections may be scarce it’s an even better deal. Just last week I unearthed my haul from last year. NARGS surplus seed All kinds of goodies were re-discovered just in time for fall planting, I think it was something like 20 packets for $7 and I picked out 40. Who can’t use a few more lily seedlings coming along or a couple packets of winter aconite seed? NARGS keeps previous lists online, so if you’re curious to see if it’s something you might be interested in, click here.

There are plenty of other places to feed a seed addiction. Most plant societies run their own exchanges, and in the trenches there are other plant crazy gardeners willing to put in the time, resources, and tedious labor required for collecting and preparing seeds. Amy has a blog over at Primrose Hill Woodlanders and is the magic behind the Primrose Society’s annual seed exchange, and if you’ve never checked out Nan Ondra’s blog Hayefield, you really should. Nan just wrapped up her big seed giveaway, and all told packed and sent out around 1,000 packets of over 100 unique and hard to find varieties to her loyal blog readers. Just thinking about keeping track of who wants what and all the collecting and cleaning makes my head spin, so I’m happy enough to send my dozen seed varieties in as bulk donations and wait for the list to come out!

Have a great weekend…. and before I go, if you haven’t been tempted by seeds you may be tempted by late season bulb clearances. Brent and Becky are having their traditional after Thanksgiving clearance sale. 50% off all remaining stock! My fingers are crossed for a warm spell so I can still plant them in the garden and not pot them all up 🙂

Winter Grasses

Nov24

Here’s a disclaimer: These pictures are from over a week ago, back when a few leaves still clung to the trees and I was considering late season bulb sales and a final mowing of the lawn. Things have changed though, and this morning the temperature sits at 16F (-9C) and a dusting of snow is frosting the green and uncut grass. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still an extremely strong possibility I will breakdown and order more bulbs (and not be able to plant them), what I’m saying is there’s no chance of me going out there and taking more current pictures!

So fall grasses it is! Here’s Panicum ‘Dallas Blues’, probably one of the top 5 grasses I grow, and also the panicum responsible for changing my low opinion on these native grasses. These clumps have a cool blue tint all summer, don’t flop, don’t seed, and will now keep this orange tint all winter while the surroundings go tan and grey. They even bounce back up after a snow. fall color on panicum 'dallas blues'

‘Dallas Blues’ convinced me to try a few other panicums. I don’t like them as much, but will definitely keep them since they also have their special traits (and they are a PAIN to dig up). Here’s ‘northwind’, a selection that is unique for its tight upright growth habit. ‘Northwind’ is also a grass that will stay up all winter and is what I would call an architectural grass. It’s form makes a nice accent in the landscape…. maybe not in mine, but I’m sure you can do better!‘Cloud Nine’ is a big panicum, but I do tend to like my big grasses 😉 This young plant made it up to 7 feet and was a nice explosion of flower heads this fall (a cloud one might say), but I’m not loving the absolutely dead tan winter color. This combo also might be a little too heavy on the dead tan colors. The Korean feather grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) to the left looks like it might be dead (I’m hoping it’s not) but the pink muly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) still holds a bit of color. I’ve heard of the Korean feather grass reseeding, but I don’t think my own plant has started yet (year 3). The pink muly doesn’t seed at all for me, since this southeast native grass waits so late to bloom. late fall border with grasses The red color in the last picture is a burning bush (euonymus alata) and its days may be numbered. Even though they show up in many local landscapes they’re very invasive. I haven’t seen any seedlings yet, but don’t doubt they’re out there, so next spring I may move one of the blueberries into its spot. The color is not as intense and the shape is less tight but you get delicious blueberries! blueberry fall foliage ‘Skyracer’ purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea) is a top 5 grass. Up to 6 foot tall seed heads come up out of a neat 2 ft fountain of foliage. It’s tall yet airy and light, and the yellow fall color hangs on for a while. If winter comes late and seeds ripen there might be a seedling or two next spring but hardly anything to worry about. The plant practically falls apart over the winter and is an easy cleanup.

Not so easy to clean up is the miscanthus giganteus growing up against the fence. It’s a 6 foot fence so this grass is tall even with the drought. The lower foliage dies off when water is short but I of course like the height. It will be a pain to remove when it’s novelty wears off, considering this is a 3 yr plant from a quart pot….. molina skyracer and miscanthus giganteus Miscanthus in general are losing their hold on me. The springtime cleanup is a pain with their tight clumps and I’m starting to think of them as industrial park plants. They look great there, but might be too much work in my own garden. I still have a few variegated kinds and who knows what next year will bring, since my fickle crabby self might divide up this porcupine grass (miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’) next spring and plant it all over the place.Planting grasses is easy, it’s removing ornamental grasses that’s the problem. My only advice is sharpen your shovel beforehand, you need a nice blade-sharp tip to make the job almost easy, but even then you really have to put your back into it. Also watch the seeders. I’ve evicted the taller Pennisetum alopecuroides because of their reseeding (the real dwarf ones seem to be sterile) and I’m keeping my eye on the Korean feather grass. Most of the trimmings can be composted, but don’t mulch your daffodil bed with fresh little bluestem mulch, it makes a great grass seedbed and will make you hate your daffodils and weeding them. little bluestem selfsown

Grasses that spread by runners are also something to watch out for. Despite all the warnings against planting gardener’s garters or ribbon grass (phalaris arundinacea) I did it anyway. Mine is the supposed-to-be-less-invasive ‘Strawberries & Cream’ but I know that won’t be the case. Just because I do stupid things doesn’t mean you have to, I’m just a sucker for variegated plants. -by the way it’s more of a summer grass so by fall it’s fading fast. Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey's Form' in fall

So did I miss any of your favorites? ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass is probably my number one, but with all the pictures I’ve already shown through the year I figured I’d give it a rest…. which is what I’m planning to do too now, since the outdoor temperature is still under 20F (-7C) 🙂

The last bits

Nov22

Between working late every day and changing the clocks, my enthusiasm for the garden has dropped off the edge of a cliff. The leaves are down and the soil is still on the dry side so that’s not helping either. I guess winter is the perfect time to hibernate, but before I shut down completely here are some last pictures. Some selfsown mums are still blooming. I’m not crazy about the colors, but the timing is a welcome last call.The milk thistle seedling still fascinates me with its cool mottled foliage, but I still have my doubts about it overwintering. So far I’ve only ever managed to grow it as an annual, not a biennial (which I think is what it prefers)My one cyclamen hederifolium seedling which gets a pink tinge is coloring up for the winter. Now that temps are dropping into the 20’s I brought it into the garage for safekeeping even though I’m sure it’s hardy enough to overwinter in the ground (but I would miss it out there!)One job which I did get done before free time dissapeared was the tidying up of the compost pile. Not everyone has this much room surrounded by a fancy pink marble block wall, so I’m kind of grateful for that…. but I still wish I had more leaves and such to fill it up with. So that’s the story from here. Things are shutting down and I just don’t have any motivation, but that could change at any time. Just last week I noticed a bunch of seeds I wanted to plant this fall, and bulb clearance sales typically start on thanksgiving. It’s hard to be unmotivated when a couple hundred bulbs are shipping your way 🙂

Hope your end of season plans are going better than mine!

Someone thinks it’s winter

Nov17

I feel like I hit the jackpot! It’s not often that I get all excited over a plant, but this one has me visiting it as often as I can (ok, so maybe I do get a little too excited about many plants, hence the creation of this blog, and the insulation it provides my friends and family from too much plant talk)

I think this snowdrop is a fall blooming version of one of my springtime favorites. I bought the bulbs a few weeks ago at my favorite local PA nursery, Perennial Point, and since they were lose bulbs I (of course) poked around in there to pick out the 10 absolute best (they were all in good shape). One bulb was already sprouting in the box and I knew I had to have that one. Even though the bulbs were labeled galanthus woronowii I had a suspicion they may be incorrectly labeled as are many snowdrops in cultivation. I’m sure more photos will follow once my camera returns from Florida, but for now this one off my phone will have to do in showing what I think is galanthus elwesii var. monostictus. That’s quite a mouthful, but it’s basically the regular giant snowdrop with just one green spot rather than the typical two. Also it’s a fall/early winter bloomer as opposed to the normal late winter g. elwesii. fall snowdrop

Nothing is guaranteed, but if you look at the label you’ll see I potted the bulbs up Nov 3, and while its potmates are barely breaking the surface this one is already in full bloom. I wonder what next year (assuming I don’t kill it) will bring 🙂 ! also I wonder what the other bulbs in the pot will turn out to be…

btw, the cyclamen coum is also way out of season, but I bet it’s more due to relief for having survived my neglect this summer than it is to any new and unusual genetic quirk. In any case my winter garden appears to be off to a great start!

The best yard on the block

Nov8

In case you’re wondering, it’s not mine.

I’ve been keeping busy next door at the Mother in Law’s and the beds are much cleaner over there, the shrubs are much neater, the lawn has fewer weeds, and the grass is a much lusher green. She gets compliments on her lawn. I don’t.The effort I put into watering and trimming and fertilizing over there just doesn’t seem worth it in my own garden. I get too distracted by my own cool plants and pay more attention to them than to the dumb old grass and azaleas. Someday I might try for the nicest lawn on the block, but for now I’m much happier with my crowded buzzing flower beds and my mixed up, colorful foundation plantings.

Many plant lovers have excellent, beautifully designed gardens, I’m just saying I’m not there yet 😉

Hunkering Down

Nov8

Last weekend was the finale of the fall color. By the end of this week most of the leaves will be down and the doors will be open for winter to make its arrival.

I’m not rushing it out but I think I have to call a time for the 2013 growing season. It’s lost its joie de vivre and from now on until snow flies it’s all downhill. So far so good though. I’ve been remarkably organized this fall and had most of the tropical were safely under cover a few days before the first frost. This year I’m putting some under lights, maybe it will help them look a little less pathetic come March. overwintering tropicals under lights

The rest will sit out winter in the back of our semi-heated garage. No watering, little light, but it should be enough to bring them through the winter. When I get the motivation I’ll move them back away from the door…. just like I’ll move all the other crap that tends to accumulate and fill the spot where my car should be. overwintering tropicals

Weekend plans include digging up dahlia and canna roots and finishing winter cleanup. So far it hasn’t felt like much work and maybe my early start and the late frost date worked in my favor, but usually things happen at a different pace. My usual method is wait until I’m in bed, see a freezing weather report, grab a flashlight, and then stumble through the dark in my pajamas, flashlight in mouth and a load of cold wet plants in my arms. Good times, good times.

The freeze-dash makes you grateful for hardy “tropicals” such as musa basjoo. This one is going on winter #3 here by the porch. I think the protection of the house helps bring it through the winter, although a little extra protection would probably give it a much stronger head start in the spring.Now that the summer garden is packed away and additional rain has finally made for good planting soil I’m thinking about bulbs. I bet I could hit a few clearance sales and add a couple more bulbs cheaply before the ground freezes. I bet I’d be real proud of myself come May….. I just have to remember the time change has me leaving for work and returning home in the dark, and that doesn’t make for good bulb planting. Oh well. I already know how this is going to turn out 😉

Ho Hum

Nov3

Finally more rain has arrived. The grass that greened up when cooler temperatures came in was starting to brown again with only about half an inch over the last four weeks. I don’t like fall to begin with, and a dry fall makes me want to just sit inside. Dusty flower beds doesn’t make for good transplanting and bulb planting.

Other than the hardy cyclamen only the fall blooming crocus are enjoying the season. I bought these as crocus zonatus (now c kotschyanus?) and always thought they were a little under whelming until I saw a few pictures over at Cold Climate Gardening . Apparently fall crocus can be beautiful and not just a fall blooming curiosity (such as mine seem to be).

A little online poking around and I found that mine are a “somewhat weedy” species known for small blooms and seeding around. I can think of worse weeds, but I guess next fall I might have to reconsider my garden’s lack of decent fall crocus flowers and maybe do something about it!

In the meantime the rain and killing frosts (happened last week….) have re-inspired my garden motivation. I spent today cleaning out the dead summer vegetables and frosted summer annuals. Maybe I’ll find the time and energy to tackle spots like this poorly planted, weed infested hellebore patch.

Being outside and having a little moisture in the ground (it’s still bone dry ‘zuckersand’ a few inches down) have me feeling better. Maybe I do need to add a few tulips and such if the warm weather holds out….. I do have a few open spots in the vegetable patch now that the veggies are gone 😉

Cyclamen on the move

Oct22

Rather than do the right thing at the right time I like to test the limits of my plants, so if you’re looking for good advice you might want to move on to your next search result 😉 but if you’re like me and can barely get around to half the stuff you want to (even at the wrong times), well then I say “Tally Ho!”

Cyclamen should be transplanted when dormant if possible. It’s easier and probably less stressful for the plant. I’ve found they don’t really care all that much and do it whenever the mood strikes, so when the mood struck last week (about two months too late) my little guys got roomier quarters. Winter blooming cyclamen coum was my target and this replanting is to get them ready to come indoors and brighten up my winter garden.C. coum is perfectly hardy outdoors around here (zone 5/6ish) and I only keep them potted because they’re so easy to grow and bloom in the back corner of our semi-heated garage. They’ll bloom throughout the darkest days of winter, unless for some reason one decided to start now.

For repotting, a gritty good draining mix is perfect, but mine do well enough in a blend of 3 parts purchased potting soil mixed with about 2 parts sand robbed from the kid’s sandbox. Sometimes the kids complain, and the mix gets less sand. Replant the round bulbs with the top of the corm just at the soil surface and then cover it up with about an inch or so of gravel or grit. I prefer chicken grit since it’s easy to find around here and was the topping first recommended to me by Carol, my cyclamen mentor and enabler.

Finished product.A few of the plain green ‘Meadens Crimson’ went into garden beds since winter garden space is limited, but this was a good start, and not as many plants as I thought, so it inspired me to take a leftover c. coum pot and bring them in too.

How could I resist? I love the one with the ring of pewter patches, and the silver leaf with the small Christmas tree center….. also a favorite. It’s been a few days and the plants have settled in well outside. I feel like the cooler temps and good air circulation help avoid any rot or fungus, and I think the fact they are actively growing helps too, but untangling the leaf and bloom shoots is like separating Velcro.

Most of the fall blooming cyclamen hederifolium will stay outdoors. There are still a few blooms coming up, but from now through winter it will be the foliage which steals the show.

In this dark dry spot under a weeping cherry I’ve been putting a few of the too-large or excess cyclamens.

They might be too close together. I think I’d prefer to be able to enjoy each different leaf pattern separately and some of the smaller plants don’t compete well with the bigger guys. I’ll just have to put that on the to-do list.

Also on the to-do list is finding homes for all the cyclamen hederifolium still in pots. Last year my brilliant idea was to pot them up individually so I could get the full effect of each separate plant and maybe take them all in under lights. Not enough room, so I tried to find a sheltered spot, dug in the pots and gave them a little winter cover and crossed my fingers. Most died either over the winter or during the summer, so I will not test that method again. These surviving treasures will either enjoy a winter garden spot or find a permanent planting bed. The plants near the center are from (like nearly all the other cyclamen) Green Ice seed, these were from the ‘fairy rings’ strain.

I like how this one’s more silvery leaves stand out.

Here’s one that develops a pinkish center as temperatures drop. This one will get a windowsill spot for sure.

I do like my cyclamen…. addiction might be a word you could throw around here…. Just wait until the c. coum start to flower this winter, you’ll be avoiding this blog for sure as the entries fill with the same blooms over and over again. I will try to show a little bit of restraint, but I don’t think I’m the only cyclamen fan out there 😉

If you’re craving more examples of great foliage, check out the garden blogger’s foliage day (GBFD) hosted over at Christina’s Hesperidesgarden. It’s a great chance to check out each month’s best foliage plants from all over the world (and a great blog every other day of the month too!)

sorta like suburbia

more than you ever wanted to know about my garden

Author Archives: bittster