In My Garden

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written, the weather surprised me. After the first freeze warning the weather has been gorgeous and I have been working alot outdoors. Watering is taking up a big portion of my time. The gardens are so dry, its often hard to tell at this time of year, all the plants are beginning to show signs of dying back.  I know in my gardens I still need to provide as much moisture as possible up until the “hard freeze”. I garden on alot of sand and although this seasons record rain has been wonderful we have over corrected and are very, very dry. We planted some new fruit trees this spring and they have been getting a great deal of attention as is anything newly planted last year and this year.

As to the greenhouse it is Standing Room Only now that all the pots and plants have been moved there. With this warmth I have had to water there a great deal as well. Everything still looks great, (they don’t know they are indoors yet!) and the greenhouse smells wonderful, all the scented foliage along with pots of lavender, basils, thyme and salvia’s and of course the dirt provides a fragrance only a gardener could love.

In my last post I talked about tree frogs being my companions during the long winter. Today as I watered I met this years resident and have posted a picture of him or her on the Queen Anne fern.

This time of year I always wonder

Tree FrogGreenhouse

at our ability to change our mind set to prepare for winter. Preserving the harvest, cleaning the gardens, cleaning and storing the tools and preparing the greenhouse for the change. I do know how lucky I am to enjoy this hobby and my winter getaway. Bring on the snow!

I bring many tender plants outdoors in the spring, so that they can enjoy the season. We have 5 large Boston Ferns in baskets that spend the summer on the deck. The pots that hold them are 16 inches across. I’m always amazed at the growth these ferns put on, I can’t even put my arms around these pots and plants. It always a little sad knowing that they will spend the winter in the greenhouse. My greenhouse has very little space that isn’t facing South and even in the dead of winter its hard to find a shaded spot for these giant ferns.

The greenhouse is stuffed with all the plants that come to spend the winter. Besides all the pots, I often take cuttings of coleus, impatiens and scented geraniums. My collection of Rex begonia’s or fancy leaf begonia really loved the deck this year, even with all the rain and humidity. I have to save a grow table for the succulents, about a dozen pots. These plants love the winter in the greenhouse as long as they can enjoy some sunny days. There are wall pots of the old fashion houseplant “wandering Jew”, these spread up and along the walls at the front door sand on either side of the greenhouse.

By now we all have heard the forecast and are facing the dilemma… can we safely cover these plants or do we give in and bring them in? I am moving all the pots against the house and covering them with tarps and sheets. If you are planning to do the same, remember to uncover as soon as the sun reaches the plants. If you see frost on plants in the garden DON’T TOUCH the plants until they have been sun warmed. Sometimes spraying plants with water after they have been touched with frost will help them recover, remember to keep them wet until the sun is up and the day is warming.

When I do finally bring them in they all get a bath, a good spray from the hose to dislodge any insect hitchhikers. I also check under the leaves and then the stem and soil area. Even with all this I seem to bring in a tree frog every year. Suddenly when the the days begin to get longer and I’m working in the greenhouse I will be reminded of his or her presence when they give a loud tree frog chirp. I try not to scream and embarrass myself even though I’m alone.

If the weather was turning permanently cold for the season I wouldn’t even bother to cover but they are forecasting highs in the low 70′s by the weekend and am hoping to eek out a few more days of summer.

Margo Leadbetter

This year’s vegetable gardens have produced pretty well. I would have liked to have had better tomato production, but with this summer’s weather, I’ll take what I can get.

Onions were plentiful although smaller than last year. Potatoes have been great, with 2 types of fingerlings  Swedish peanut and Banana. We have enjoyed many delicious grilled dinners. We will begin digging the 6 other varieties of potato soon. Carrots are long and sweet. The lettuces have been wonderful and I am now letting the heirloom varieties go to seed. These plants in flower are beautiful and seed production is great. No one seems to recognize these plants in bloom, they often reach 4 ft. and add a different look to the small vegetable garden.

Then and finally are the green beans – I grow bush beans and this year planted 2 rows about 20 foot long. In past years I have grown “Derby” a good production plant.  It’s claim to fame is that the majority of the beans are produced at the top of the plant, hence the name “Derby”.

This year I wanted to try a new variety and picked “Bronco” and I will never go back. I have  bagged and frozen 25 quarts and the plants are still blooming strong. I’m close to providing at least 1 meal a week for 6 months …That is if I can get through the SNAPPING OF THE BEANS!!!

We made the mistake years ago of encouraging our pets to eat their vegetables. Or our vegetables,

Yoshi and Miko

I guess. With the beans being picked every three days our 3 dogs have taken to waiting by the window to see if I am bringing the beans. We have two small Japanese Chins, wonderful toy dogs and Margo our English Bull dog. Every bean that is shared has to be shared equally (who’s idea was that?) so the snapping goes something like this….. snap the stem end then snap the bean, 1 for us 3 for them! Of course I’m exaggerating but it does slow down the process. The tree all have teir favorites and many are seasonal.  If you were to ask them which spring vegetable is their favorite, they all would pick asparagus. After picking asparagus in the spring we have taken to disguising the harvest in a covered container, that way we only have to share when we prepare the asparagus for dinner and we NEVER share the tender tips, just the end cuttings.

All in all they are wonderful  dogs we love them dearly and we are careful not to overdo any food type. Remember onions, garlic, grapes and chocolate can be poisonous to our pets.

I’m off to pick more beans, John is going to bring in what tomatoes are ripe and I think we’re both in trouble, I haven’t even begun to tell you what they think about tomatoes!!!

Zinnias

Uproar Rose

cutting garden

For all of you who love to bring the beauty of the garden into the home, this has been our year. Beginning in the early spring with the lilacs and peonies and then following with the lilies.

Now is the time of year a cutting garden comes into it’s own. Traditionally the cutting garden consists of flowering annuals, many varieties shine at this time of year. When I was a young girl my Mom took a class on Japanese flower arrangements, she would spend many hours trying out different vase designs, we always had fresh flowers in the house. Mom had her favorites and among those were the early spring pansies and the summer loving zinnia’s. Mom’s last summer with us was the summer of 1996. Every other day that year we would stop by with fresh tomatoes and zinnias from the cutting garden. I miss my Mom and with every vase of flowers I arrange, I think of her.

My annual cutting garden consists of zinnia, cosmos, snaps, bachelor button, poppies and sunflowers. This year I tried a number of new zinnia varieties among those were the new Queen hybrids, both Lime and Red Lime. Green flowers are a great addition to any vase. Both these varieties were great producers. The new Uproar types include new color tones, Uproar Rose, Uproar Wine, Uproar Cherry. These flowers were huge often 4-5 inches and brilliant in color. For the front of the border, I grew the Zahara mix Raspberry Lemonade. This collection of lower growing zinnias include Starlight Rose one of the 2010 AAS award winners along with its cousins, Coral Rose, yellow and  white and the combination has been glorious! These bloom profusely at 12-18″ tall.

Cosmos another longtime favorite, is so easy to grow and has many new types come to market of late. I always grow Seashells with trumpet shaped petals, Sweet Dreams that is a white with a center of soft rose. Double-Click is a fully double type in shades of white, pink and the new cranberry. My new addition this year was Pink Popsicles, this type has double pompoms in the center and is mostly candy pink in color.

In the Snapdragon world, I like to grow a mixture of heirloom varieties so that I can collect seed each year for the following season. I love butterfly snaps, for the open flower and color range. I also grow the old fashion Rocket mix, tall growing and very reliable.

Annual bachelor buttons offer the blue we so often look for in the garden, many old fashion types available from seed, remember though they love to reseed.

Annual poppies have been my disappointment this year, this wet weather proved to be to difficult for them to flourish. Beautiful in vase, remember if you grow them for cutting you must seal the stem with a match or by submerging the stem in hot water. This process seals the sap within the stem so that it can last in the vase.

The Sunflower world has grown so, many types are now pollen-less and this makes them much easier to include in your bouquets. In lovely colors from pale yellow to fiery red and all the shades in between with many different heights and growth habits.

With all these wonderful flowers to arrange don’t forget to add foliage. This year I had a bumper crop of  Rainbow swiss chard, these leaves added such a color punch, I’m going to add them to the cutting garden next year. Hosta leaves can give your bouquet great backbones. Don’t forget the herbs, they add fragrance as well as foliage in your vase. Try Opal basil, a deep purple leaved basil, or lemon Basil. Sage is a bold addition. My lavender is blooming and looks great. Parsley is beautiful as well as dill in the arrangements.

With the cutting garden I have no excuse not to follow Mom’s lead and I will try to always enjoy fresh flowers in the vase.

Oh, the Lilies!!!

The perennial beds are glorious right now and part of the reason is – Lily season!

I love LILIES, all LILIES …  The show starts with the Asiatic’s, followed by the LO’s, and finally the Orientals, Orienpets and the Trumpets.

Asiatic’s come in all colors, many have brush strokes of contrasting color. Some are solid color and others may have a spotted appearance. Asiatic lilies have no fragrance. Asiatic are very easy to grow and enjoy. A full range of color is available to fit in any garden theme.

Asiatic Artist's Brush stroke Asiatic Strawberry Cream

Asiatic Graffeti

LO’s or LO hybrids are a cross between the “Easter Lily” and oriental lily hybrids. Usually found in pastel shades more are being hybridized with deeper richer shades. LO’s may have a light fragrance.

Orienpets are another cross, this time between the (you guessed it!) Orientals and trumpet lily. Orienpets take the best from both their parentage, fragrance and height. I love a lily you can smell without bending down.

Orienpet America

Trumpets are an older class of lily. Usually quite tall and always fragrant, their flowers shape is a distinct trumpet shape. Many trumpets have  two different colors on the trumpet, one on the outside of the trumpet and one within.

Oriental Pink Impression

Orientals have always been a favorite of mine. When my husband and I were newly married and on a

Oriental Mona Lisa

strict budget he would occasionally bring me a stem of Stargazer lily from the Minneapolis farmers market on his way home from work and make my day, actually a few days, as a stem and its fragrance can last as many as 5 days. Orientals are  commonly pastel shades though through recent breeding breakthroughs they have produced deeper shades. Yelloween or Golden Stargazer is a favorite in my garden. Standing and blooming at 5 to 6feet the clear yellow flowers are wonderfully fragrant.

Oriental Yelloween

I should mention to all lily lovers and cat lovers alike, the two are a deadly combination. ALL Lily are toxic to cats. If you own a kitty remember to place your bouquets in a location they can’t reach.

All lily are quite easy to grow and enjoy. 4-6 hours of sun and well drained soil is all you need. Some lily will tolerate  light shade (in fact the more delicate orientals will love some afternoon shade), but all will do best in 4-6 hours of sun. When purchasing lily bulbs choose only firm healthy looking bulbs. Size does matter!! Large bulbs will always produce a larger plant and flowers than a small bulb. All newly planted lily’s will benefit from a protective mulch added after the first killing frost. Planting time is variable, I have purchased bulbs both in the spring and fall. I prefer the spring for planting so the bulb has a full season to grow and acclimate in its new position in the garden.  When cutting lily to enjoy in the vase, remember to never take more than 1/3rd of the stem, the lily will need the remaining stem to store nutrients for the following season. Many lily’s can produce bulblets that over time can be dug and used in different garden spots.

If you have never tried these lilies add some to your wish list and you too will be saying…               Oh, the Lilies!

LO Lake Carey

Asiatic Strawberry CreamLO Lake Carey