A Bloom in a Blizzard

Well, it is indoors on my windowsill...

but what a delight on a snowy, blowy day.

A primrose bloom!

CT Horticultural Society Symposium last Saturday

An exciting day of Ideas and Inspiration indeed--

especially the dry gardening of Jenny Rose Carey who plants everything in gravel at her garden, Northview, in Pennsylvania! Her favorites are some of mine:  yarrow, sea thrift, butterfly weed, poppy, Blanket flower, iris, lavendar, salvia, Lamb's ear and sedum.  Her plants are in sunny borders though. My gravel mulch is in shade...

New fact learned:  spurge is toxic! Use gloves to divide and transplant. Don't touch eyes!

Kevin Wilcox of Silver Spring Nursery in Bloomfield, CT spoke on native trees and shrubs.  He touched on many shrubs that will grow well in CT and sustain the native wildlife.  Winterberry Holly may be a good choice for planting when they take our birch tree out between the two houses here on South Hollow.  HIs favorite mountain laurel is one that I also have:  Keepsake.

New fact learned:  A shrub is a tree that is less than 21 feet tall at maturity.

Cole Burrell  showed photos of his garden, Bird Hill, in Virginia and many other gardens that are sustainable: Stumpery in Washington, Innisfree in New York, Fairfax Garden in Washington, Les Quatre Vents, Quebec.

New fact learned:  Sustainable Sites Initiative has national guidelines for sustainable garden projects.

Fairy Garden Upkeep

I just added some new plants to the fairy garden terrarium to brighten the house during February.  One is tagged Matty's Silver Tree Pilea spruceana (not showing in this photo). The leaves are outlined in deep bronze and streaked with silver in the middle.  Another new plant was Di's Artillery Plant Pilea microphylla (upright on the right).  It has fern-like, lime green leaves.  The new plant with white borders on the right front was not identified with a plant tag. It looks like it may be a spreader.

A little trimming back of the old plants, some fertilizer, and a newly repaired fairy (who lost her wings)--and the environment has been rejuvenated!  Wish I could say the same for the great outdoors!

Please note:  the fairy hiding in the Peperomia

 is not showing her boobs, but holding her knees to her chest!

Orchid Experiment

I've had a Lady Slipper Orchid for three years now. When I bought it at Ballek's, it was blooming.  It hasn't bloomed since!  I took it out of the pot this past week.   When I separated the growing medium from the plant roots, I had three plants.  So I potted them up in three separate containers and will place them in three separate locations.  Which one will bloom?

 

This is similar to the original bloom. 

I found the photo and some tips for caring for it on this web site.

I also bought some orchid plant food!!!

 

Yes, It Is Still January!

 

The planters and the arrangements are covered with snow!

 

And my new orchid that is blooming is losing buds

as the house becomes cold overnight!

 

 

Yes, it is still January...

for all the hope we try to express

to the contrary!

 

January Jardiniere Arrangements

A new year, an old project--completed!  Before Christmas, Sara wanted to plant evergreens in her matching pots at the back door.  Weather and other holiday-related stuff -- and a full-time job as Mommy to a 10-month old -- got in the way of accomplishing that.  On a nice day in January, Sara created the arrangement on the right with cuttings from her yard.  Together we tried to replicate the design in the other planter on the left.

 

As the light was waning on a late winter afternoon, we hurried to complete the second arrangement with White pine, Scotch pine, cotoneaster and some maroon-leaved azalea cuttings.  Her azaleas won't be affected because they are mature and overgrown and abundant with blooms each year.

 

Nice job. Well done!

Something to enjoy the rest of winter...

 

 

November Snow Ends a Disappointing Garden Season

It's not really a day to sit on the garden bench and contemplate.  I did take a quick photo of the snow today which officially ended the garden season for me, at least.  It has been disappointing overall. The Knock-out Roses never performed well.  The groundhog in the spring kept the balloon flowers from growing, never mind blooming.  The Endless Summer hydrangea did put forth many large, blue globes of bloom until the hard frost.  The butterfly bush was filled with purple spikes through the early fall even though the butterflies were gone by October.  The azaleas turned a nice bronzy color, but the peony leaves just wilted away instead of turning bronze in the fall sun.
A couple weeks ago, I went out to cut the perennials back but the daylilies were still green--and still holding their sword-like leaves upright and verdant today, even covered in light snow.  I'll have to clip them again some day soon when the morning sun warms me and beckons me out to perform this final garden chore.
Perhaps next year, my garden will pop with red Knock-out roses, white balloon flowers and blue Nepeta on the Fourth of July. For now, I'll just need to celebrate patriotic Veteran's Day with the russets and browns of fall--and a few touches of green reminiscent of summer.