The End of a Long Growing Season

Does anyone else think this has been the longest growing season ever? You have to wonder what this long growing season will do to next year's blooms, given how much energy has been used to produce blooms in this long growing season. I have only a few azaleas that are suppose to be repeat bloomers, but nearly every variety has put out at least a small flush of blooms this fall. As I write this on December 5, I have one spring-blooming azalea that is covered with flowers, not the scanty bloom that often happens in the fall, but nearly a full spring-like bloom.

The weatherman is predicting nighttime temperatures around or below freezing in the next few days, so I decided to take a walk around the garden to appreciate the blooms one last time before cold temperatures destroy them. The sasanqua camellias that I wrote about earlier in the month continue to put on a show. There may be a few buds that are tight enough to survive a cold snap but I'm guessing I've seen the last of camellia blooms until the Japonicas bloom in the spring.

The fall bloom of the roses has been exceptional this year and long-lasting compared with most years. Every rosebush in my garden is in bloom to some extent. I considered picking some to take inside, but the bushes have grown so large on  the types that are best for cutting that I can't reach the flowers. After they have gone dormant, I'll trim these large bushes back a bit to keep them from being beaten around by the wind.

I know the cold weather this week will take out these blooms, and, in previous years, that has made me a little sad. This year, however, I don't mind. These plants have worked hard this season, and I feel they are ready for their winter's rest. I'm ready, too. I'll settle in with my catalogs and await their reappearance next spring.

Sasanqua Season

I'm a big fan of the fall-blooming Sasanqua camellias. I have a pink one, strategically planted so that I can see it from the kitchen table when I'm having my morning coffee. (The picture at the right was literally taken from the kitchen table.) I chose its location partly to maximize viewing its bloom and partly to provide a screen from my neighbor's house. Sasanquas often have an open, lanky growth habit (compared with the Japonica type of camellia), as this one does. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see thin new growth at the very top, but next year it will fill in and look less scraggly. I've been pleased that the height is going to be sufficient to provide the screening I desired. Some camellias max out in growth at 8-10 feet but this one appears to be on its way to getting much larger. It has my permission to get as tall as it wants. There is room in this spot for it to keep growing and, in this case, bigger is better.

Here is a closeup of the bloom (not taken from the kitchen window). Many people prefer the fall-blooming camellias because their blooms are more likely to survive long enough to be enjoyed. Camellia blooms do not like cold weather and a freeze can turn them to mush. The fall-bloomers usually have time to open their buds and put on their show before really cold weather arrives in our area. That's not a guarantee, but it offers an increased chance you'll get to enjoy the bloom. From my own experience I can tell you how sad it is when our usual spring cold snap nips those fat buds of the Japonicas.

Having said that, you'd think I'd never again buy a Japonica camellia--wrong! Gardeners often do things that defy logic. I don't have a white camellia and I really want one. I did some research on the type to buy and where to locate it to give me the best chance of enjoying its spring blooms. So, after thorough research, last week I made the trip to Dabney's Nursery (they have a great selection of camellias) to find Camellia japonica 'Seafoam'. I planted it on a slight slope in a spot that has dappled light from large trees and is sheltered from the wind by a nearby fence. If it does well in this spot, I'll be ecstatic. One of the factors I considered in choosing its location was that I can see it from my favorite reading chair in the living room.

Finally, I want to tell you about a grab-bag camellia purchase I made. I call it grab-bag because it reminded me of when I was a teenager and you could buy a bag of ten records (you do remember records, don't you?) for a dollar, but you didn't know which records you were getting. In this case, the grab-bag was the end-of-season 75% off shrubs clearance sale at Lowes. They had a table of unnamed camellias that were not yet in bloom and tagged simply Camellia sasanqua. The picture on the plant tag showed several colors. The plants had buds but none were opened. All of them appeared to be pink. Since I already had a pink one, I was hoping the bloom would be different but, regardless of the color, it was fun to pay a few dollars for a healthy-looking plant and wait for the surprise. The buds have begun to open and here's what I got. I'm  thrilled! This purchase makes up for all those terrible records I bought as a teenager! I think I'll call it Camellia sasanqua 'Grab Bag'.

Okra Plants and Open Doors

I like to recall waking up under a Clemson Spineless Okra plant about 8 years ago as a Master Gardener intern. An unusually cool August morning, a little mist hung over the garden. And while I had driven the 30 minutes from home to Davies Manor it was the mindless kind of drive at the crack of dawn that does not really wake you up all the way. So I found myself on hands and knees, spreading straw under a 'grove' of okra plants and waking to the beauty of plants and nature and gardening and even life itself.

I also waked to the realization that the handful of tots, whom I had birthed, were almost fully capable adults. Over the last 25 years, I had worked myself out of that happy job; and there in that shady nook of the world the possibilities were without limit. Privileged to have been accepted into the Master Gardener program, I felt the blessing of that morning's work, little knowing the web of opportunity that would follow.

Attending lectures at the lovely Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and answering the horticulture hotline at the Extension Office, taking 'orders' from seasoned gardeners to prepare a garden for Through Our Garden Gates and teaching children at the Memphis Botanic Garden Harvest Festival about the variety of pumpkins, driving up to Jackson, Tennessee to the Summer Celebration and potting up Ajuga plants for sale at Spring Fling: are just a few of the volunteer and educational opportunities which opened up to me.

The diversity of gardens and gardeners I have met is wider then I could have imagined. Their common threads of helpfulness, encouragement and acceptance have enriched my own garden but most importantly, my life; it is my hope that their goodness has rubbed off even in some small way on me and that I have been of  help to my fellow gardeners. 

Little did I know, all those years ago, tending okra that morning would open the doors to so much opportunity and change my life forever and for the better. 

R&R Five Six, Pick Up Sticks

Five Six Pick Up Sticks
One thing that stands out for me this gardening year has been the  number sticks and branches that have fallen from my trees. Tarp full after tarp full have been picked up, dragged from back yard to front (uphill for me I might add) and placed near the street for pick up. I guesstimate that I have had spent the better part of five days cleaning up after various storms this year, the last being tropical storm Harvey and, like Sisyphus and his rock, just when I get them picked up another storm blows through and there are more sticks, or so it seems. The familiar nursery rhyme alluded to in the title

was first heard around 1780 near Wrentham, Massachusetts. The main purpose of the song is, obviously, to teach children how to count. Originally the song might describe a regular day of lace makers who were traditional workers in the 17th and 18th centuries. One, two buckle my shoe would mean the that workers are getting dressed to go to work; three, four shut the door- the workers have arrived at the lace shop; five, six pick up sticks getting their tools ((wooden sticks were tools used at the lance making machine at this time). Of course, all this is just a guess as the original meaning has been lost over time.


Catalogue Time


Hyacinthiodes hispanica

Fritilleria inperialis

 

Today, I placed my fall bulb order. I've ordered Hyacinthoides hispanica, Spanish Bluebells and Fritillaria imperialis, Fritillaria Maxima Lutea a yellow flowering Fritillaria. This will be the first time for me with these bulbs. There are great number of interesting bulbs (besides daffodils) that can added to the landscape this time of year. The Minor Bulbs are a group of bulbs that bloom in January, February and March that can be planted this time of year. Chiondoxa, Ipheion, Crocus, Scilla siberica, and Galanthus are just some of the opportunities to plant now. Another interesting, though little used bulb, Lecojeum also can be planted this time of year. Besides bulbs this is the perfect time to add trees and most shrubs to your landscape. Trees and shrubs planted now don't have the stress of our summertime temperatures and November is usually fairly rainy in the mid-South so nature makes sure the plants get the water they need. There are some shrubs, Gardenias come to mind, that are best planted in the spring, so check with your local nursery person before purchasing. Here's a short poem by Emily Bronte about the wind and it has a little Halloweenish in it; rick or treat.

The Wind was Rough which Tore
The wind was rough which tore
The leaf from its parent tree
The fate was cruel which bore
The withering corpse to me

Emily Bronte

We wander on we have no rest
It is a dreary way

What shadow is it
that ever moves before (my) eyes
It has a brow of ghostly whiteness



A Different Kind of Soil Test

Last Saturday I attended the Sierra Club's annual Community Environmental Conference. The conference was packed with interesting sessions on topics related to how human activities and choices affect our environment and often endanger the our planet. Among other things, I learned about mountaintop removal to mine coal in West Virginia and how it not only destroys the beauty of the land but also contaminates drinking water distant from the removal site. I also learned some frightening things about nuclear waste disposal, including, the fact that Tennessee received or produced at least 75% of the nation's low level radioactive waste, as well as radioactive waste shipped here from Germany. Did you know that the only facility in the nation where radioactive steam generators from pressurized water reactors are taken for processing is right here on President's Island? 

Like most conferences, this one included a number of vendors. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry was conducting a soilSHOP, (the name stands for Soil, Screening, Health, Outreach and Partnership), and they were testing soil. No, not the kind of soil test that we gardeners usually think of but tests for lead and other nasty things we definitely don't like to think about being in our gardens, especially our vegetable gardens. They were also talking about safe gardening practices as they relate to soil contaminants.

Unfortunately, I did not know about the soil testing before I arrived at the conference so I did not have a sample to be tested. But I learned that lead and other chemical elements we fear are found in all soil but the important question is to what degree. Apparently, these chemicals do not readily move from the soil into plant tissue (this varies somewhat depending on the type of plant), and the greatest danger is the contaminated soil itself. I asked one of the gentleman working at the booth if they had other events planned for the Memphis area and he indicated they did not but could possibly set up one if there was sufficient interest. 

This made me think about what a great thing this would be to offer to local gardeners at a venue like Spring Fling.  Many of us are growing a few vegetables in flowerbeds and who knows what chemical elements are in there . . . ? And this may be even more relevant to community gardeners and school gardeners, who may be growing plants in soils previously used for commercial or industrial purposes.

Click here to find out more about this agency and soil contaminants.

Fall Planting

I wandered into Dan West Garden Center the other day looking for inspiration for this blog post where upon Kenneth Mabry reminded me that "fall is our best planting season". That comment stirred my thinking about how to make the most of our tree, shrub and even perennial purchases.

As all our local garden experts
seem to agree, this clay soil we garden
is a force with which to be reckoned!

Digging a hole and putting the plant right into it, is much like stuffing it into a clay pot without drainage. The roots will suffer, being submerged in water. Kenneth says, dig the hole deep enough and twice as wide. Essential to his formula is amending the soil and setting the plant a little above the level of the dirt to allow for settling and drainage.

A handout I have from Diane Meucci at Gardens Oy Vey is quite clear about pine bark mulch being a soil conditioner and not really a mulch at all. so she recommends mixing three inches into three inches of the soil in which you are planting.
 Her website is quite helpful and includes
 these planting instructions.
and making it friendly
for the new plants roots.
After all, a plant is only as good 
as its roots.


I was instructed
when purchasing
a trio of Farfugium
to think of my "hole"
more as a saucer than a cup,
and to build the soil
up to the level needed. 
The plants have certainly thrived!


This brings me to a little recent story in my gardening life...As I set out on a walk, I observed a spot under an oak tree that would nicely accommodate several azaleas. So, as I walked, I began planning. The thought of how to DIG under this tree, with its formidable roots, however was a hurdle. I had not gotten far into my daydream/walk when there on the curb for trash pick up were five lovely old azaleas, dug up for me and free for the taking! Heading home in high gear, I rounded up some help, rescued the azaleas and in about thirty minutes had set those plants about 3 or 4 feet away from the trunk of the oak tree and shored them up with bagged top soil left over from another project. I had nothing to lose and so far four of the bushes are thriving. Maybe next spring they will be blooming.

Results of Some 2017 Summer Gardening Experiments

In earlier posts this year, I talked about several new things I was trying this year, and I want to report on two of those things. One was a new (at least to me) type of self-watering planter that I used for tomatoes. In the past, I've had real problems trying to grow tomatoes in pots. Even when I used what I considered to be large pots, they were a real challenge to keep watered. In the hottest part of the summer, pots watered in the morning became dry as a bone before the day was over. If you are a tomato grower, you understand how much tomato plants resent insufficient or inconsistent moisture.  

I was excited to find these planters on sale at a big box store in the spring and I bought two of them.  I planted tomatoes in both, following the instructions about adding lime to the potting soil. The tomatoes grew like gangbusters, and I found that the water reservoir was big enough so that they needed watering only every other day, even in the hottest weather.  However, they quickly outgrew their support. A strong wind in the late spring blew them over but did not damage the plant. I ended up leaning them against the patio table and that's where they've remained all summer. I'll use them again next year, but I'll be smarter about the kind of plant I use, choosing a smaller tomato variety. 

The other thing I tried this year was planting several types of plants directly in the stream bed of our water feature.  I planted impatiens and abelia without soil, just wedging the roots in crevices between the rocks to keep them from washing away. The abelia began to die immediately. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I've never had any luck with abelia. Those that I planted in pots and in garden beds died as well.) But the impatiens loved their watery home! Here is a single plant, shortly after I planted it in early spring.

Here is the same plant in early September (and two of his friends I planted at the same time). The red flower is Lobelia cardinalis, the red cardinal flower. 

The iris and the cardinal flower above are growing in this planting bag made especially for water plants. I transplanted cardinal flower seedlings from garden beds, placing them bare-rooted in this netted pond bag in a shallow spot in the stream. The picture above shows what they looked like a few weeks after being planted. I also stuck the random iris in the bag as well because I liked the height the iris provided.

There is one other plant experiment that I want to mention. I had a lot of mole damage over the winter and one of our hostas that had been large last year emerged as a tiny shoot this spring. Rather than leave the last little bit for the vole, I dug the tiny crown up and plopped it into the stream bed. It was so small that I didn't think it would survive. I placed it near the impatiens and forgot about it. Here's what it looks like today, in early September. I'll let it grow another month or so then transplant it to a more permanent place. 

On the other hand, I wonder what would happen if I left it in the stream bed over the winter . . .? Hostas are suppose to be very cold hardy; in fact, they prefer a much colder climate than we have. Maybe this is an experiment that will continue through the winter.

Welcome and Welcome Back

In a largish flower pot by our mailbox I have been trying out, over the last few years, several annual vines. I could procure a more predictable Mandevilla or a more reliable Clematis. But experimentation can be fun.

Last years selection was "Cypress Vine" (Ipomoea quamoclit). Agonizing a bit about the wisdom of starting what many consider an invasive thug, I concluded that the majority of complaints along those lines came from warmer climes and I would give it a try. As pictured above I ordered a mixture of colors white, pink and red in seed form, and nursed them along through early spring. They did not disappoint! Their cheery star shaped trumpets greeted us all through the summer and into the fall. 

This year I successfully grew from seed "fragrant corkscrew vine" (Vigna caracalla) not only by soaking them overnight but by starting the process with boiling water. As I recall 8 of the 10 germinated. Starting them out in the green cardboard boxes that strawberries come in allowed me to disturb the roots as little as possible when the time came to put them outside. I shared most of them.


The one I put in the vegetable garden succumbed to chipmunks or voles or something...one day it was there the next it was not. But the one in the pot by the mailbox flourished!

Its 'leaves of three' may have caused the neighbors to scratch their heads about my growing poison ivy, I have to admit I wondered myself about this experiment. But here in late summer it is becoming apparent that this is something different and fragrant and lovely.

And guess who came back! The Cypress Vine! With her ferny leaves and little red trumpet stars.

R&R Summer's Ups and Downs

It been over two months since by last post and the summer gardening has had its ups and downs. In fact I would say that the summer is, in many ways, the most challenging season of the year. There always seem to be the some disappointments from what seems like a good start in Spring. Anyway, here is a recap of the ups and downs.


Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos): definitely an up. One of the first plants I bought when I moved to Olive Branch in 2001 it has bloomed every year. My hibiscus is a six foot plant with large pink flower (they are also red and other flower varieties). It's the June star of the flowers of my full sun flowerbed. The flowers close in the early afternoon; this phenomena is called nyctynasty. The flowers are spent now but the foliage remains, I'll leave it up until February and then cut it back to the ground.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): definitely an up. Another perennial that's been around for more than a decade. Three feet tall with yellow flowers and a black center the Susans have bloomed for over two months and are still going strong. While other plants faded out this plant just keeps going throughout the summer heat. Gotta love that!
Lilies (Lilium): Asiatic Hybrid definitely an up. True lilies, not Day lilies which are Hemerocallis. I bought 25 bulbs from White Flower Farms and planted them in March. They did great producing a number of pretty flowers. I purchased a mix so I had red, orange white and yellow blossoms that lasted about a month.


Lilium Asiatic Hybrid

Lilies (Lilium): Oriental Hybrid were up and down.  Another White Flower Farm purchase this year. Of the three bulbs only two managed to produce flowers and the flowers were short-lived. These were planted in a part sun bed but I don't think that was the reason for their mediocre performance. My reference books say the Oriental Hybrids are more difficult to grow than the Asiatic Hybrids. That was my experience as well. On the positive side the blossoms were very pretty even though that didn't last.
Spider Lilies and Naked Ladies (Lycoris squamigera and Lycoris radiata): were up and down. Both
varieties of lycoris bloomed in late July/early August but were gone too quickly; plus the Naked Ladies by the mailbox only produced one blossom as opposed to three in other years.
Dahlia (Dahlia) way up with a little down. Another of my spring 

Dahlia

purchases, Dahlias are known for their large flowers and it's hard to argue with that. Last week I picked the prettiest yellow flower that I have ever grown, a blossom larger than my hand. There are some downsides to Dahlias in my opinion. While the flowers are gorgeous the plant itself is not pretty at all; its appearance reminds me of a smaller version of pig weed that is a curse of cotton growers. Also, I have had to stake the flower stalks. (I'm a tough love gardener and expect plants to make it with minimal help from me.)
Mulberry weed definitely a down this year. This is devilish weed; at only two inches in height it will produce seeds and produce them in abundance. Whoever is in charge of weeding my garden did a poor job the last two months. The heat makes for a less than enthusiastic gardener when it comes to weeding, at least it does that to me.
Okra and Cucumbers and Hostas: all downers. Dr. Brewster M. Higley may have been fond of deer (Higley wrote the poem that became the song "Home on the Range") but they did in my vegetable garden and my poor hostas. It was positively a case of "hosta la vista baby". Sorry about that, but the pun was too good/too bad to pass up.
I'll close with two poems one by Anonymous published in 1602 about Naked Ladies (unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, not about Lycoris) and one about Lilies by Raymond A Foss.

Madrigal
by Anonymous

My love in her attire doth show her wit,
    It doth so well become her;
For every season she hath dressings fit,
    For winter, spring, and summer,
    No beauty she doth miss
    When all her robes are on;
     But beauty's self she is
    When all her robes are gone.



Raymond A. Foss

Clothed Like the Lilies
by Raymond A. Foss

In the finery of God
our every need met
in wondrous grace

Clothed like the lilies
fed like the birds
watered like the grasses
held in his arms

Glorious Caladium

I’m not sure there is any plant dependent on foliage for beauty that can surpass the self-dramatization of caladium in the garden throughout the growing season.  In a previous garden, I paired

Caladium having green-veined white leaves with dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima) and variegated monkey grass (Liriope muscari ’Variegata’) against a backdrop of variegated privet (Ligustrum sinense ‘Variegata’).  I loved the green and white palette and the vertical design, and the caladiums always seemed to leap forth with a joyful nodding to greet me.

Caladiums are grown as ornamental plants in large “fancy-leaved” and “lance-leaved” or "strap leaf" forms.  The more common of these is the “fancy-leaved” form with its heart-shaped white, pink, or red leaves, whose veins in contrasting colors add to the beauty of the leaves.  Common names for Caladium are elephant ear, Heart of Jesus and Angel Wings.  The epithet “elephant ear” is more likely associated with Alocasia or Colocasia, whose leaves are much larger and thus more emblematic of the name.  The true elephant ears (Colocasia) have wintered over in my garden during mild winters, but not my caladiums.  They are a tropical South American plant, zone ten (note details of caladium cultivation).  In zone 7, the tubers should be lifted before frost, cleaned of soil, and stored in a cool location.

My favorite formal display of caladiums this year is in the bed leading to the Hughes Pavillion at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. There, one finds a thickly planted circle of a variety that is new to me: 'Frog in a Blender.' I bought tubers of this variety at the Dixon Garden Fair early this year and planted them in pots. When these beauties popped up and started unfurling, they didn't stop until they were more than three feet tall! Had Dale Skaggs' garden workers mislabeled Colocasia as Caladium?  Not so.  This new variety is not only as tall as some Colocasia, but produces many beautifully variegated leaves for a 

striking display.  While I have trouble imagining real frogs in a blender, I can see that the name refers to the combination of lime-green splotches against a dark green background.  That touch of red in the center of each leaf is hardly visible here and certainly not dramatic like the red veins in "Fantasy" at the bottom of the picture.  I prefer to think of the red as the frog’s eye.

How does one add the “Wow! Factor” to shaded gardens?  At the Memphis Botanic Garden, caladiums are an obvious choice to brighten shady nooks.  Along the pathway to the herb garden, for example, a patch of white caladiums with green veins sparkles in the shady area near the dry creek bed, and just   

over the bridge at the entrance to this garden, the smaller lance-leaved (or strap leaf) Caladium 'Desert Sunrise' seems to pop out of the dark shade beneath Colocasia 'Mojito' to welcome visitors.  "Desert Sunrise' is doing well in the shade here, but the strap leaf variety can tolerate more sun than the fancy-leaved variety. Near the entrance to the garden, beside the rectangular fountain, Caladium 'White Wonder' thrives with Croton variegatum and other sun-loving plants.

 

Caladiums brighten porches all over Midtown and will continue to do so until temperatures drop.  A fernery plant stand on my porch presents a mixture of ‘Frog in a Blender,’ ‘Fantasy,’ and ‘Candidum, Jr.’ all from the Dixon sale.  Rectangular concrete pots with red and pink caladiums invite visitors to neighboring porches.  Caladiums are also planted in some flowerbeds.  Patience is key to successful inground planting.  The gardener must wait until the ground warms; otherwise, the tubers may rot in the rains that come in early spring.  Also, the tubers take three to four weeks to emerge after the ground warms to about 70 degrees.  I learned both of these lessons the hard way.

Caladiums will bloom only if conditions are right.  One of my plants did bloom this summer, although the bloom (which looked like a stunted Calla lily bloom) was less spectacular than the foliage and lasted less than a week.  But who needs blossoms when the glorious foliage of caladiums lasts an entire season?

What's going well in your garden?

It's been said that our gardens are always the most beautiful in January because in that frigid, non-verdant month it is all in our heads: the seeds we plan to start early, the trimming we plan to do to get in a little more sun, the arm loads of harvest from our vegetable gardens, the woodland path we think of putting in and that all important focal point at its end. It will all be splendid! Weeds grow not in my dreams, and cucumber beetles are non existent. And if these problems arise THIS YEAR I know just the thing to eliminate them. I have my watering system all planned out and, of course, it all comes into color at the same ytime so that in my MIND, the hydrangeas of early summer contrast beautifully with the scarlet runner beans of late summer. The dreams of January! 

But it is now the hot middle of summer and reality has set in for us all. So I ask, "What is going well in your garden?" 

In my garden there are three C's that are bringing me joy; three C's that actually exceeded my expectations. 

The first is COLEUS. The seeds I planted back in February thrived under the grow light in my garage and I had enough to share with a friend.
These bursts of color in the cool shade are most rewarding.

The second C stands for CUCUMBERS. For two years now I have ordered from Park Seed the seeds of a most deliciously sweet cucumber called Diva.  And while They are a slender 6 to 8 inches when picked, they produce abundantly. There is a family debate about whether or not to dress them with Apple Cider Vinegar.

The C that brings me the most joy, however is the CHAPEL GARDEN. Blessed with two family weddings this fall I dedicated one raised bed to a chapel-looking bird house I found on the street...one man's discard... A rock path, some zinnias, marigolds and volunteer sunflowers complimented the rosemary and thyme that were already in place. It takes a bit of pruning to make sure the little chapel does not get lost in the foliage; maybe I should have cut back the zinnias before their first bloom. But they are reasonably cooperative and resemble exotic trees surrounding the chapel path.

There are plenty of disappointments in my garden this year; that is part of it, right? So I'll choose today to ask myself, "What is going well in my garden?" 
What is going well in yours?

The Year of the Mimosa Weed

Although weeds plague our lawn and garden every year, it seems that each year a particular weed takes center stage. One year it was wild violets. The next year it was purslane. A few years ago, we had elm seedlings sprouting everywhere. This year the villain in our yard is a plant we call mimosa weed (Phyllanthus urinaria) because its foliage looks similar to the familiar mimosa tree.

This is a nasty fellow. It invades lawns and flower beds indiscriminately and it is sneaky. It germinates later than most weeds, so late that our spring application of pre-emergent herbicide was not effective to prevent it in our lawn. It also develops seeds as a very small plant and they hide on the undersides of the leaves. So while you are thinking you have time to weed before that critical reseeding time, it is already developing seeds. It has a strong stem and large taproot, so it is not so easy to pull up. Roundup is effective on it but I try to avoid using Roundup when I can, both because it can cause damage to nearby plants and because I'm not convinced that it is not a dangerous chemical (even though there is no scientific evidence to support this idea).

Jack and I have put in a lot of hours pulling up mimosa weed this summer, and I'm determined to get ahead of it next year. Our main problem spots this year were a bed that was not well-mulched and areas of the lawn where the grass was thin. We've been working to get the lawn in better shape this summer because dense, healthy turf is the best deterrent for all weeds in the lawn. Also, next year, we may change our pre-emergent for the lawn to one that is more effective in controlling this particular weed.

If your garden has been plagued by this particular weed, you might find this factsheet useful for more suggestions about how to control it, including a complete discussion of the various chemical controls available.

Wonder which weed I'll be complaining about next year . . . . 

Repotting my Orchid

Several weeks ago I wrote about how my mother's orchid was nearing the end of its bloom and I was considering whether I should repot it. The first bloom spike had already turned brown and was ready to be cut off, but it appeared that new buds might be developing on the second bloom shoot.  I was undecided about whether I should allow the last few blooms to develop or cut the shoot back to allow the plant to regain its strength. As it turned out, the second shoot simply lacked the energy to continue, and it, too, turned brown. In the end, there was no decision to be made. I cut off both bloom spikes as close to the plant stem as possible and proceeded with the repotting.

When I bought this orchid, it was potted in this clear plastic pot, which was then placed in a decorative outer ceramic container. I always removed the clear container to water the plant and allowed the water to drain out before returning it to the ceramic container. As I mentioned in my previous post, most orchids that don't survive suffer from overwatering. With most houseplants, it's easy to stick your finger in the soil to determine if water is needed but that's not so easy with a bark planting media. I like these lightweight plastic containers because after you've watered a few times, it's easy to judge whether the plant needs water by the weight of the container. Fully moistened bark makes for a lot heavier container than one that has dried out. The other good thing about this type of container is that it allows you to inspect the roots from time to time. Mushy roots are another sign of overwatering.

When I slipped the roots out of the pot, I was pleased to see that the roots, for the most part, looked healthy. I gently teased the bark away from the roots, being careful not to break the roots, which can be quite fragile. Any roots that looked completely dead, I cut off. Be careful with this process because some roots appear to be dead at the top but have a healthy lower part. Notice the white root that begins on the right side of plant and curves down toward the left side. It looks dead near the top of the plant and is split and lifeless looking  as you trace it downward. But the section below the split is very healthy. So be sure to inspect the full length of a root before deciding it is dead. Sometimes, just the tip will be alive.

Here's what the plant looked like after I removed the remaining potting media and trimmed roots that I was sure were totally dead. The roots on the outside of the plant were the healthiest. They were plump and green or white. There were fewer roots toward the center of the plant and they did not look as healthy. They did not seem totally dead, but they were tan and not as plump as the outer roots.

The picture below helps explain the reason why these interior roots were on their way to rotting. It shows the potting media that came out of the plastic pot after I dislodged the media from the roots. It's hard to believe that all this came out of that small pot. The smaller pile on the left is the bark, and the larger pile on the right is spaghnum moss. Because all I could see in the pot was bark, I assumed, incorrectly, that the planting media was totally bark. But it turned out that the bark was on the top and sides, and the center of the plant was tightly packed moss, which tends to stay moist for a very long time. I think this explains the less healthy interior roots, which had too much moisture and not enough oxygen.

I checked with the American Orchid Society (AOS) website before deciding which planting media to use for repotting. The AOS site said:
A fresh, fast-draining, but water-retentive medium is essential to the healthy root system necessary for good growth. Whether a bark-based mix (which drains well, is forgiving of watering errors but breaks down rather quickly), a peat-based mix (which retains moisture well but requires more careful watering and frequent re-potting) or some inorganic, basically hydroponic method, orchids have been grown successfully in a variety of media.

When I went to shop for potting media at my local store, my choices were reduced to bark and moss, and I choose bark. Given that the interior roots seemed to need more air and less water, I repotted using bark totally, rather than a combination of bark and moss.  Making this change will mean that I will have to be careful not to underwater. The bark/moss mix in the original pot was a little more forgiving of somewhat infrequent watering.

I also repotted directly in a pot made especially for orchids, one that has holes in the sides of the pot to improve air circulation. Since this type of orchid grows in nature by attaching itself to the bark of trees, this seemed to me to be the best I could do to mimic natural growing conditions. The challenge for me will be to develop a watering schedule that works. Since this ceramic pot is heavy, it is harder to gauge the added weight of the moist potting media.

After getting the plant repotted, I mixed up a liquid fertilizer that I had on hand at half-strength and watered/fertilized the plant well. I have to admit that I have never fertilized this plant so orchids must be pretty forgiving with fertilization, too. Many sites recommend fertilizing "weakly, weekly" or at full strength once a month. I intend to use the weekly schedule through the summer and fall while the plant is renewing its energy for its next bloom cycle, which, hopefully, will begin late fall or early winter.

Phalaenopsis orchids are widely available and well worth the cost. The next time they catch your eye in the grocery or big box store, you might want to give them a try. Look for one that has a lot of buds (as oppose to fully open blooms) on the bloom stalk and fat, healthy-looking roots. It will give you weeks, perhaps months, of enjoyment from the current bloom. Use this AOS guide as a reminder of how to care for it. The first time you get a re-bloom, you'll be hooked!

R&R David Austin English Roses

Out of their catalog I bought three rose bushes from David Austin English Roses this year. This was my second purchase from them and I have been really pleased with the performance of both roses.  English Roses are relatively new group roses coming to prominence in the 1970's. They originated from crosses made between certain Old Roses and Modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. The roses combine the fragrance of Old Roses (something my wife and I enjoy) with the color range and repeat-flowering of a Modern Roses.
English Roses come in a wide variety of types. There are roses for small gardens, highly fragrant roses, roses for hedges, climbers and ramblers. The English Roses have proven to be resistance to disease which is important considering the way rose rosette virus has attacked the Knockout varieties. The catalog is over 100 pages and offers about 200 varieties. The David Austin English Roses run 25 to 30 dollars each plus shipping and handling. There is a discount for purchasing three of the same rose.
The roses come as bare root plants, so it is important to soak them in a bucket of water for 12 hours in order to rehydrate them. English Roses are heavy feeders and require fertilizing about every thirty days. The roses also require regular watering which so far this year has not been much of a problem. So far this year,  I have had to put the sprinklers out just once. Of course this could, and probably will, change as we get into July, August and September.

Young Lycidas

My first purchase, three years ago,  was an Old Rose Hybrid Young Lycidas. The rose is very deep magenta with purple mixed in. Young Lycidas won Best Shrub in Portland's Best Rose Contest in 2013 and was awarded the top prize for at the Cocur Internaticional de Roses, Barcelona. So it's highly fragrant and it's named after my favorite poem Lycidas by John Milton. Unfortunately, it's too long to put in this blog, but I highly recommend reading it. I planted this by my deck in the backyard and it gets afternoon sun from 1PM to 5PM so it's performed reasonably well without full sun. It runs about 4 x 3 feet and has about 90 petals.

   The Poet's Wife was this year's purchase. The rose is light yellow  color with a great fragrance. It's produced flowers in abundance since May after planting it at the end of March. Supposedly, the fragrance gets stronger as it ages, we'll see. It's planted in my full sun bed in the front yard along with some lily bulbs I purchased from White Flower farms. I may have messed up by putting the bulbs in front of the roses, of course, the roses haven't yet reached their full size of 4 x 3.5 feet. The Poet's Wife's was introduced in 2015 so it hasn't had the opportunity to win any awards but I like it. It's yellow and I really love yellow flowers. It has about 77 petals.


The Poet's Wife

Below is a poem by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans. Her novel Middlemarch is 12th on the New York Times greatest novels of all time. It's really great.

Roses by George Eliot

You love the roses - so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!