The Blog is Back

I have returned to my Blog!!  It most certainly has been a very long time since I posted and much has been happening in my life, all of which has kept me away from something I thoroughly enjoy.  There isn't much good news to report on the City containers.  The intense heat and lack of rain has taken a toll on most of the containers, even those which contained tried and true, tough as nails plants.  Those that had shade fared the best but it isn't without a struggle.  There are still two months to go before I change out for the fall season and I can only hope that they will keep some semblance of life so as not to embarrass themselves.

Which ones have done well.  It's no surprise that Dragon Wing Begonia continues to thrive and look good -- in sun or shade.  It's close cousin Begonia "Whopper" is also doing great.  It is tall like Dragon Wing but with a bronze, rounder leaf shape.  They will definitely make a return visit next summer.  The pentas from the Butterfly series have done well.  I have been surprised that the ones in the shade are looking good.  Not as many blooms but good foliage.  Angelonia from the Serena and Archangel series continue to bloom.  They do, however, need to be trimmed back throughout the season to keep their size in check and force more blooms, but other than that they are carefree.  The Vinca Cora series are also wonderful participants and have been continuous bloomers.  Paired with the Angelonia, it is a winning combination.  The petunias have been struggling and for the most part, losing the battle.  Even my tried and true Easy Wave Misty Lilac is weak and leggy, despite weekly fertilizing.  The real losers this year are the coleus.  Through trial and error I have kept the list to just a few that in the past have proven to be tough -- Campfire, Redhead, Rustic Orange and Kingswood Torch.  They just needed more water and couldn't get it.  The watering schedule for the City is limited and the gross lack of rain proved too much for them.  They were still growing but their color was waning, they were stretching and some just couldn't keep their leaves horizontal no matter how much liquid they got.  So, in an effort to keep the City "pretty" I have replaced some of them with Dragon Wing begonias and pentas.

There is one plant that most certainly needs mentioning - Gomphrena Fireworks.  It is one big ole plant that definitely needs to be in the back of the flower border since it can get over three feet tall.  The flower truly does remind you of fireworks with it head of bright pink and tips of yellow.  It is a worthy  plant but one does have to keep in mind its size.  I've used it in just a few containers because of its impact, but it needed to be pruned regularly.

I used Zinnia Zahara Yellow in several pots.  A good plant!  But it unfortunately got over run by some of the faster growers and in their shadow did not do so well.  I'd use it again in a better setting because it has beautiful, bright yellow flowers that repeated faithfully.  Probably best in a border rather than the containers.  Although I do have a few in my patio pots and as long as you keep the thugs in check it will do fine.

So, I'll keep you posted on who is winning the battle of the elements.  I'm not going to update the street map for now since many of the plants are missing or are being replaced.  But come this fall I'll redo that map so you can see which violas, pansies and upright greens I've used.  Fall planting is so much easier!!  Less choices to mull over and more rain to care for the ones I do choose.  Be back soon.

Pink Frost - A fragrant Illicium

The cold weather is finally coming in so I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather we were having this Sunday to finish the Scented Garden in down town Madison. Recent heavy winds have brought down the last of the leaves in the canopy over the garden so the pansies will finally get some much needed sunlight to bring on the blooms. Unfortunately, the leaves had to fall somewhere and, you guessed it, most of them fell on the pansies....so clean up was called for or those poor guys would never get to see the sun.

The Fragrant Bouquet hostas were still looking really good and even putting out new leaves...but they did have to be trimmed back to make room for the pansies. Hopefully, they've stored enough energy in their roots to come a back strong come back in the spring.

The left over pots of Redbor and Lacinto kale, parsley and dusty miller found a home around the water fountain, along with Delta 'True Blue' pansies and a few 'Ultima Morpheus'. This was a rather forlorn looking spot since the autumn ferns didn't put out much top growth this summer....lack of water will do that. This is an area that isn't getting adequate moisture from the sprinkler system that is in place and that will have to be addressed before next summer. Sadder than the loss of the ferns is the condition of the Camellia sasanqua 'Tiny Princess' that lost most of its buds and leaves to the stress. Hoping on hope that it will recover! For now we have been cheated out of seeing a special little flower and enjoying its delicate fragrance.

But I digress...what I wanted to share is the wonderful find I made while planting more pansies around the Illicium 'Pink Frost'....it emits a beautiful fragrance!!.....without even brushing the leaves...it just lightly fills the air around it. This new introduction from Plant Introductions has waxy green and cream variegated leaves that are just now beginning to take on the color of their trade mark name...pink stems and a tint of pink to the leaves. If the pink colored pansies dressing the ground beneath it bloom as they should, this will be quite a pretty pastel corner.



This photo was taken in the summer...I'll follow up with others when it takes on more of its pink cast.

Pink Frost would be looking even better if "critters" hadn't been visiting it and slowly shortening the leaves. I suspected slugs but could see no evidence of their presence....until the sun light touched the leaves of the Sweet Autumn clematis vine hanging on the fence nearby....yep, covered in shiny trails.

Off with their heads!!! or at least off with the vine. In the right place, Sweet Autumn can be a beautiful asset when the white flowers bloom in the fall...even if it didn't have a nice fragrance. But, it is far too aggressive to live on a very small section of a fence in a very small garden.

Hopefully, the slugs will be less likely to hang around now...but Pink Frost is too special to allow "ya'll come" dining by such icky creatures....so stronger measures may have to be taken.

With the promise of rain to come this week along with sunny days in between, the Scented Garden should be lookin' pretty good soon. Maybe in time for the upcoming Tour of Homes?? We can only hope.

Tough Hosta - Sweet Name

Finishing up with the City Containers, I had some pansies left over so I decided to put them in the Scented Garden....they are scented you know...but even if weren't, the pansies would give a much needed lift to the winter version of this garden. But, as I was looking around to see where a bright spot was called for, I saw an unexpected bright spot already there.

The Fragrant Bouquet hostas that I installed in this spring were, as of November 3, still full, healthy and without blemishes or marred leaves. It has to be the micro climate that exists in this little 20x20 foot garden. Located on the corner of a busy street in downtown Madison, it gets a lot of heat from the thousands of cars that travel through town each day. In addition, two sides are brick from the adjoining buildings which have absorbed the sun's heat all day and can return it at night.

I'll be watching to see when they finally give it up and take their much needed winter rest. The temperature has dropped in the last two days to "frost level" so today when I go into town I'll be checking them out, hoping that they are still going strong. Their bright lime green adds a lot to that side of the garden and I will miss it when it is gone. Maybe I'll plant something nearby for that extra pop, although it will be hard to get much around their hidden crowns. Must do something. As I took these pictures I noticed how unattractive the base of the wall on the police station side is. Whatever goes there will have to tolerate low water standards since it is under the eave of the roof. Let you know what I find today!

Pansies All Snuggled In Their Beds

The pansies (and their companions) are "all snuggled in their beds", and what a pretty sight they are, even in their tender little state. The rains we've had have helped them get settled in with Mother Nature's finest drink. Now we just have to hope for at least a weekly rain to keep them healthy....the watering by the City Crew isn't always enough for the young plants to get established.

Had to include some pictures of the special plants for this year. Last year's experiences taught mer that dark colored plants just don't show up well in the containers, even close up; so I stayed with the brighter yellows, light blues, and bright reds. As expected, the yellows are the ones that catch your eye when you drive by; but I'm hoping that the sweet little blue violas will have the same impact when they fill the pot.

Check out this little cutie....a viola called Angel 'Amber Kiss'.

I love the color combo and the bright center. It's a compact grower so I'll be interested to see if it keeps up with the others in the pot.

My favorite blue pansy this year is Ultima 'Morpho'....

the combination of bright blue and crisp yellow just grabs your attention and seems to generate an automatic "ah". It has been paired with viola Sorbet 'Yellow Delight'. That yellow viola is, hands down, the very best!! It will be seen in lots of other combinations around town.

I used Pandora's Box pansy last year and it is a come back winner this year. The best adjective for this one is "sweet". Named appropriatedly, the blooms come out in a variety of soft, but deep, pinks...touched by pale yellows....each flower being slightly different. The dark throat seems to make it appear to be talking. You can almost imagine what it might be saying.

"Golly Gee" "I'm watching you" "Attention!"

The Rain series is being used again in the containers to provide a spiller effect since it is one of the pansies that naturally grows long. Frosty Rain is the lighter version with soft, light blues; very nice but it doesn't have the impact that Purple Rain does. The deep purple combined perfectly with pinks, and the bright blue throat made it a great companion for any of the blue pansies and violas such as Sorbet Baby Face Marina. No surprise that it was a show stopper with the bright yellows. I combined it with Majestic Giant Yellow where its huge blooms were a nice contrast to the smaller but bolder blooms of Purple Rain.

As the containers fill in I'll update their status. This year I put at least three kale plants in each containers for a fuller effect. Here's hoping that they don't become thugs. But that's what we have pruners for...encouragement!

Sorbet Baby Face Primrose is another super performer much like Yellow Delight but in a softer, buttery yellow color. It pairs well with the soft blues.

One of the big blue pansies that I chose this year is Delta True Blue. I liked the simple lines and bright yellow eye. Have to admit that I'm not a big fan of "face" pansies, but I did use a couple from the Majestic series since with their large size they were able to overcome the intensity of the face.

Delta Blaze Mix comes in a combination of reds and yellows....no telling what you'll get from the container but the colors are truly vibrant, the flowers a good full size and prolific. These were set out alone or paired with Yellow Delight.

(Yes, it's a "face" pansy....but with such a pretty face, who could resist it.)

Another mix I used was Delta Pink Shades. This group really has a wide range of colors - from the palets pink to a deep rose. But all the colors are pretty in their own right; and mixed with Redbor Kale they make a striking combo.

Well, those are the stars of the show. The supporting characters were minimal this year - kales, parsley and ivies. I'm counting on the kales to put on a lot of weight and fill up the center of the containers. Everyone has been fed with slow release Osmocote and a dose of Daniels liquid fertilizer so they are off to a good start. Stay tuned for more.

Wendy's Wish

The pansies are going in this week but before the summer season is out of our minds completely, I wanted to tell you about some great plants to consider for your garden next season.

Wendy's Wish Salvia was a real surprise for me. It is one of those plants that when seen at the garden center you would hardly give a second glance to because it won't look like much in a 4" container. The small, deep rose colored, bell shaped flowers grow along a thin stem; the small leaves are not a big factor on this 24-36" plant. It never needs to be deadheaded and blooms continuously from spring to fall. In my 24" diameter containers I did find that if it wasn't pruned occasionally it got too tall. But, the combination of Big Red Judy Coleus (36" height), Snazzy Coleus (18") and Wendy's Wish was a "big" success. All three grew together in proper proportions. This plant should definitely be part of your garden beds where it can truly shine without having to be cut back. I think most folks are familiar with Big Red Judy Coleus with its large rosy red leaves; if not, check it out because it is one of the best sun coleus around. Snazzy Coleus was new for me and is another great sun coleus; the predominately green and yellow leaves even took on a bit of red as the summer went on. All three of these plants are Proven Winners so ask your local garden center about carrying them next year.

Last season the dahlias I used in the containers weren't big successes, but this year I used another PW selection called Eye Candy (18-24") and this one was a super success. Its larger size allowed it to compete better with the bigger plants I need in the big containers. All dahlias look better with regular deadheading but Eye Candy was better about keeping a tidy appearance even with spent blooms. The orange/red and yellow petals were a good match for Oranges & Lemon Gallardia. These two bloomed non-stop all summer and into fall; check out the hungry bees fighting for the last bits of pollen on a day in late October.

Ribbon Bush and Illusion Emerald Lace

As October nears its end, another summer season is being gently laid to rest and those bright, bawdy and brilliant annuals are putting out their all before the first frost finally silences their noisy colors. It was a sad moment when I had to pull out the lush begonias and throw them onto the compost heap. But as I was taking out the plants from some of the more tired containers around town, I found a few surprises.

At the beginning of the season I was given a number of Proven Winner selections to try. There were two in particular that in their "plug" stage were less than impressive so I was curious to see how they would grow up. An unusual character even in its maturity, Ribbon Bush (Hamalocladium platycladium) should definitely be included in your garden or container next year. It's quirky light green leaves and growth structure resemble a Christmas Cactus but there are no flowers to be had. In a container this plant adds height, ranging from 18"-36"; and great texture without becoming a thug. I put one plant in the garden and, while it did great there, it didn't have the same wow factor as it did in the container. Knowing how it performs, next season I would mix it with flowering plants. Also considered as a house plant, I've saved this one from the compost pile and will see how it does indoors.

Another plant that really had me giving it the one-eyed treatment when I first saw it was Illusion Emerald Lace (Ipomoea batatas). This sweet potato vine looks like the regular Margueritte which has been attacked by OCD slugs. The unique leaf form gives a much lacier appearance but has a more controlled growth habit. The plants I had went into a garden setting and I can definitely agree that, unlike its cousin, the brilliant lime green foliage stayed within sensible boundaries. I'm not sure if there just aren't any slugs (OCD or regular) in the area, but I saw no damage to the leaves either. Now that I know how well behaved this plant is, I'll be trying it in a container next season.


Both plants are worth having for use in your garden or containers. Let your favorite garden center know you are interested so they can be looking for them.