Daylily

Daylily
African Violet

Friday, January 20, 2017

How to combat the winter blahs

Winter here in New England can be cold, grey and dismal. There's not too much happening in the landscape, and if you're a garden lover, like me, it's hard to find much cheer outdoors. If you've planted your gardens with winter interest, you at least have a pleasing structure to reflect upon. I guess I should have staked up my magnificent stand of Zebra Grass, since it currently resembles a vegetative crushed beer can. The few perennials that I didn't quite get to cutting back seem to look at me resentfully whenever I head outdoors.

But enough depressing depictions! There's a place that is teeming with life and blossoms, and that is indoors! If you grow houseplants, there is never a need for you to be without greenery and blooms. I grow plants mainly on shelves in the south and west windows of my house. African violets are in bloom almost all year round, and need minimal care. I feed with a blossom booster type food (high phosphorus, that's the middle number) once a month (along with all my other plants) and just water them when they get dry. I check all my plants frequently for water needs. I believe it's a mistake to water on a set schedule, because plants use water in varied ways depending on size, heat, sun, and time of year. Watering on the same day every week can lead to overwatering, which can do some plants in. Also, houseplants tend to need less water in the summer months, when the windows are open and the air much more humid.

 I grow several orchids which can be counted on to bloom in winter. One of those is Dtps (Doritaenopsis) Kenneth Schubert, which I picked up a couple of years ago at the Amherst Orchid Society orchid show. Check out their website http://amherstorchidsociety.org/ to find out when and where their shows are. Another orchid in bloom now is a fragrant, yellow mini phalaenopsis called New Wave 'Spring Meadow'. I enjoy the smaller orchids that can sit on a shelf. I'm a big fan of paphiopedilums (slipper orchids), and a Paph. appletonianum v. hainanense that I bought last year in spike (in bud), is now in spike again.

Another long blooming plant is Anthurium. I chose the one I have because the new leaf growth is bronze,the stems are reddish, the older leaves are green, and the flowers are pink. Anthuriums are best in bright light and like their water.

Don't forget cut flowers! I love to have a bunch of tulips on the table. While they don't last too long, they are inexpensive and a great way to bring vibrant life into your home.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

It's Daylily Season!

I love daylilies for their fabulous summer colors, resilience and amazing abundance. I have over 50 different cultivars of daylilies and wish I had room for more. The name daylily refers to the fact that each flower stays open only one day. Contrary to popular belief, daylilies (hemerocallis), are not related to true lilies. They are native to China, Korea and Japan. Hemerocallis fulva and hemerocallis lilioasphodelus (lemon lily) were imports to America from England in the 17th century. The cultivar 'Hyperion' was introduced in the 1920's, and is still sought after and sold in nurseries, prized for it's bright yellow color and fragrance.

Today, there are over 35,000 cultivars of daylilies. Hundreds of the cultivars have fragrant blooms, and some rebloom later in the season. Bloom times can vary from May until September. Almost any color is now available, barring true blue and pure white. Some are even double! About 20 years ago, a daylily hybridizer gave me 15 daylilies that she couldn't use in her breeding program. It was quite a thrill to grow these and see what colors they would turn out to be. I have named some of these for friends, color and performance. Fun!

Hemerocallis fulva is the quickly spreading, sometimes invasive orange roadside flower so common in July. Thankfully, most hybrids stay in clumps and don't spread by runners like hemerocallis fulva, and so are appropriate for most gardens.

Daylilies are tolerant to drought and frost, thrive in many different soil and light conditions and can last for many years in the garden.

July is peak season for daylilies; you will probably see many of them as you travel around New England. One of my favorite places to visit this time of year is Olallie Daylily Gardens, in South Newfane, VT. Not only can you bask in the glow of fields of daylilies in bloom, but the hardy, field grown plants are for sale at the farm and also online. You can visit their website at http://www.daylilygarden.com/, or check out their facebook page, Olallie Daylily Gardens.

Please check out my workshop schedule below. Hosta workshop is July 18th. Scholarships are available - just ask!

Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Joys of Early Summer

Now that summer is officially here, growing has begun in earnest. Most of the spring flowers have gone by, but there is plenty to take their place. The Japanese tree lilac in my yard is still putting out fragrant blooms, whose scent wafts into the window of my office. Heaven! Milkweed has come into bloom and the bees are loving it. I search daily for Monarch caterpillars, who feed on the leaves of milkweed. If you've got it in your yard, please leave it for the Monarch butterflies, as much of it has been destroyed by chemical weed control.

Peaches are starting to ripen on the tree. This is the second season for my Reliance peach tree, and it is just loaded with fruit. I've revamped my 4' X 4' veggie box, so that it has deeper soil and is in more sunlight this year. Mesclun mix is finishing up in the porch windowboxes, and peppers and eggplants are flourishing in their porch pots. Blueberries are setting up nicely.

Papaver atlanticum continues to bloom with it's soft orange semi double blooms. If you've got this beauty in your yard, you know you'll never be without it. The first Echinaceas are starting to bloom, signaling true summer in progress.

Chores this time of year are weeding, mowing, weed whacking, weeding, pruning of early blooming shrubs, weeding, fertilizing, weeding and weeding. Oh, and sometimes watering if the rains don't come.

I am offering a series of workshops this summer - check out the schedule below. A limited number of scholarships are available; please ask. I look forward to seeing you!

Monday, May 4, 2015

The Merry Month of May

     May is the month, here in New England, when we finally reap the benefits of the April showers (or snows, in the case of this April). The weather has turned suddenly summer-like, and spring bulbs, perennials and flowering trees are popping open everywhere. I'm a bit behind in my weeding, but at least the shade garden's done and I can sit back there, ignoring all the work that still needs to be done.

This is a great time to feed spring-blooming bulbs. I like Espoma Bulb Tone; it's organic, granular and can be easily spread on the ground around bulbs without burning. Feeding now will help the bulbs gain vigor for next year's bloom. Feeding again in the fall is a good idea, too. I'm also moving some bulbs around that haven't bloomed in a year or two; just the foliage is visible. I am digging them up and relocating them to areas with more sunlight, in hopes that they will bloom next year. I also moved some iris that were getting overcrowded. I usually move iris in the fall in order to not interrupt the bloom cycle, but in this case, it was necessary to save the iris.

Many perennials that bloom later in the season can also be moved and/or divided now. Be sure to get as many of the roots as you can, and keep plants well watered for 2 weeks after moving. Adding a little compost to the soil when you move plants doesn't hurt, either. I created an extension of my shade garden, filling in with plants from elsewhere in my yard. Gotta love free plants!

Enjoy all the May blooms!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Spring WILL come! (We know it will!)

It has sure been a long, cold winter here in the northeast. It has seemed as if the snow would never end. The snow piles are shrinking day by day here in Brattleboro, and I even have a few brave snowdrops blooming. As the snow goes, I sometimes help nature along by shoveling off some of the large piles from the shade and putting them where the snow has already melted in the sun. After all, snow is known as 'the poor man's fertilizer'. 

We can look forward to some early bulbs blooming fairly soon after the snow goes. One of my favorites is Iris reticulata, which comes in a variety of shades; the bright cobalt blue is my favorite. These sturdy little iris are best planted in clumps in the fall, and will reward you with lovely, spreading clusters of early bloom.

Another early favorite is the species crocus group. Again, in many colors; you can go with a mix or single colors. They, like most bulbs, look best in a cluster to give the best show. You will find that they are easier to plant that way, too. 

It's a good idea to give your yard a cleanup as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is not soggy (don't want to damage tender roots). If you clean up before the bulbs are up, you won't risk breaking the tender new flowers and leaves. But if you don't get to cleanup soon enough, it's best to wait until the bloom has finished on the early bulbs and rake over them afterwards.

It