Ledge and Gardens

February Light

The sunny days have a definite and discernible brightness signaling to the garden and the gardener that it is time to get busy. This weekend was brisk and light filled even as the ice still covered the fish pond. The maiden grass is looking tattered and torn having suffered a very early and heavy snow in October and many swirling winter winds. We have had just a couple very cold days this winter. There has been little snow cover compared with last year. In addition to the golden glow of the grass which compliments Tucker's blond coat, the moss is almost impossibly green. Along the drive there is a newly planted witch hazel, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise'. Arnold is starting to wake up. It may be a whole month until spring but here brightness and light are returning. There will be slips back to winter. It is inevitable. That said, there is a touch of yellow in the garden. Is your garden showing the signs of a new season yet? 

Hydrangeas can make one blue

 
I recently read an excerpt from Allen Lacy's book, Home Ground, which is a compilation of delightful essays expounding on his horticultural experience.  It is a wonderful book much in the fashion of Henry Mitchell's On Gardening.  The title of this particular essay is 'Plumbago Blue' and Mr. Lacy states,

"Among the considerable numbers of things that separate Southern gardens and gardeners from their counterparts in colder regions of the United States is the prevalence of blue plumbago."

He is referring to Plumbago auriculata which is a gangly looking vine
with the truest blue flowers imaginable.  Here in the New England garden, the substitute for this blue is the Hydrangea macrophylla which, until the introduction of 'Endless Summer', was a disappointment for most of New England as the flower buds are not winter hardy west of those areas of moderating coastal temperatures.  As we all flocked to the summer shore and witnessed the brilliant, bold blue of those hydrangeas,
many of us purchased these shrubs from local nurseries with the promise of blue.  Many of us were often disappointed as these shrubs would leaf out with abundance but fail to flower most seasons.  I say most seasons because every few years there would be a slightly warmer winter or enough snow cover to protect the tender flower buds and the blue flowers would arrive albeit sporadically.  This just added to the confusion of the novice gardener or non-gardener who planted these shrubs.  Why the flowering some years and not others they would ask themselves not understanding the tenderness of the flower buds.  A hydrangea which does not flower is a coarse, uninteresting blob in the border.   Enter Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer'.  Blooming on new wood, these shrubs produce new flower buds in the spring. 
This year is an early, banner year for blooms and there will be many a red, white and blue flower arrangement on the Fourth of July table this year as the hydrangeas come into full bloom.  Mine are planted in a border which is really in too much shade for optimal flowering.  They are still blooming though and as most gardeners know, true blue is a coveted color for the garden.  The Texans have their bluebonnets, the Southerners have their blue plumago
and we in the north now, consistently, have blue hydrangeas.    I should also mention that due to Mr. Lacy's high praise of his blue plumbago, I recently picked one up to use in a container planting.  I am admiring its' blue, phlox like flowers with their dark veining. 
What blue do you have in your garden?  Not purple, true blue.

Colors in the garden

The leaves of this Acer j. 'Aconitifolium' have dropped and the cool days of November are upon us.  November can be so gray and bleak in New England.  This past weekend was leaf raking weekend and so the garlic remains as yet unplanted and the beds untidied.  The bulk of the leaves have been carted to the compost piles but the windy day left the lawn littered yet again with scattered spots of oak leaves. The statuary needs to be put away as cement does not fair very well with the freezing temperatures of New England. 
This birdbath will freeze over if left and Buddha must spend the winter in the shed.  Mickey Mouse was a favorite of my dear Aunty Hope who passed away this year. 
He needs his own garden but what would you put in a Mickey Mouse garden?  He sits among the hellebores currently but they are a bit over his head.
There are various bits and pieces lying here and there and also some remaining containers which must be put away.  I never realized that the Elephant Ear is so cold hardy.  We have had quite cool temperatures here and even a bit of snow but this Elephant Ear
has not succumbed and will be moved, hopefully this weekend, to the basement.  Under lights of course. It seems impossibly green in this ever browning landscape.  Are you snuggling under for the season or is it in full throttle in your area?

Chinese Wax Shrub

High 76 F
Low  53 F

The Chinese wax shrub, Sinocalycanthus chinensis, lives up to its' name.  The leaves are shiny or waxy to the eye and while this shrub was planted just last fall, it is already one which I check often for signs of deer browse and flowers which are just opening. They are small, about an inch across,  but  they do have a magnolia like appearance don't you think?  This shrub is hardy to Zone 4 and has been in cultivation in North America only since the early '80's.  I like the flowers and the buds are pretty but this shiny foliage is worth a second and third glance and only time will tell what the ultimate form of this shrub will  look like.  Is anyone else growing this shrub and what do you think of it?

Mary and Hally

High 65 F
Low  40 F

The 'Pink chimes' border, formerly the left front walk border
Progress continues on garden cleanup and the above border is being cleaned and compost spread.  There is a Styrax 'Pink Chimes', which is a lovely little tree, in this border.  The trunk is a bit curvy and is visible on the right side of this picture.   I think that the heat wave is over which is a blessed relief for all flowering plants.  A spring rain is predicted for the next few days.  It hasn't rained in well over a week and with soaring temperatures, high of 84 F, the spring flowering trees, perennials,  and bulbs  just don't last very long.  One of the small leaved rhododendrons which is now blooming in my garden is Rhododendron 'Mary Fleming'.  I could go into Mary's parentage but lest your eyes glaze over I will just say that she is a pastel princess dressed in pale yellow blooms which have just the slightest tinge of pink on the edges.  The leaves have a bronze cast to them throughout the summer and they gain a little more color through the winter. Isn't she pretty?  I can't remember her blooming so thoroughly and giving so much satisfaction to this gardener.  Perhaps she has attained that age where she is now a bit more well rounded and filled out, more seasoned.   Another blooming  lady is Prunus 'Hally Jolivette'. This is a small tree or shrub which blooms for a two to three weeks.  It  has the typical Prunus flower but this shrub continues to bloom because all of the flowers do not open at once.  It likes to be a shrubby tree but here I have pruned it to three stems and will give it a bit of a haircut once blooming is finished.  This is listed as a fast growing shrub and this one has been in the garden about three years.  I like it better each year.  As Prunus go, this one is disease and insect resistant so if you have a small space you might consider this shrub.  It can get to fifteen feet but it responds well to pruning.  It is hardy to zone 5.  I spotted this Prunus 'Hally Jolivette' at Blithewold.  It is clearly high grafted to a standard rootstock but it was a lovely little lollipop on the edge of the drive.  Which do you prefer?

Here is the 'Pink Chimes' border all ready for a gentle spring rain.

Planting in January!

For those of you who asked about the creature by the door, here he is in his full glory!  He is called Man of the Woods and with a nose like that he could not possibly be female! I like his gnarly beard and wise eyes. 

This Sunday was a balmy 39+ degrees and much of the snow, especially in the south facing areas, has melted.  Since I purchased my after Christmas special shrubs, three of each of the Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite' and Cornus stolonifera 'Arctic Fire', I was forced to either heel them in a pile of mulch or find a spot and plant them. The Equipment Manager, bless him, checked the ground in the  new border and found that it was not frozen.  He proceeded to dig six holes and we planted the shrubs, frozen root balls and all.  Since they would sit in a nursery in a container, they should be fine planted out in the border.  I have never planted in January before!  I did take the Christmas tree down and one of the advantages of a live tree is that the branches can be cut off and used as a mulch to keep the ground from freezing and thawing. I had assistance with this task, as you can see and the newly planted shrubs look quite cozy with their collars of fraser fir.  Of course this necessitated getting out the deer spray since deer love fraser fir and despite my efforts have nibbled on many of my plants.  They even nibbled the Pieris or Andromeda   which they are not supposed to like.  I wish someone would tell them that! These look like bunny droppings but this bunny hasn't ever left any such treasures!

On an added note, I would love to have you comment and I do have a few more posts for this week but I will be away on vacation and will respond to the comments when I return.    

Reflections of summer!

High: 26.3 F
Low:  17.2 F

Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' continues to provide interest in the garden.  This is a shrub or small tree which blooms in late summer with a mixed panicle of sterile and open blooms.  In looking through my summer photos, I have a couple of pictures of this flower panicle just as it is opening but I took the picture trying to capture the dragonfly perched on the promising flower head. Why didn't I take a picture of the plant in full flower?  I guess one of the reasons is that there is so much to look at in the garden in early August that a cream colored, frothy panicle is just a nice backdrop to the carnival of colors elsewhere.  This shrub is not too particular as to soil type and has the standard recommendation of well drained soil in full sun to partial shade.  Mine is in a fairly dry location in partial shade and it blooms profusely.  Love it!  Do any of you have one of these?

Highs and Lows!

High 36 F
Low  25.4 F

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise'
Thanksgiving Day was a bit of a temperature anomaly here in Rhode Island.   It snowed on the 20th and today was quite cold but yesterday it was 65 degrees F.  Warm enough to force the Hamamelis  x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' into bloom.  This is a small tree which normally blooms in early March in this area.  I will have to enjoy its' blooms now which are welcome even though they are unexpected!  I found another  batch of bloom today on the 'Pink Sheffield' chrysanthemum. The warmth of yesterday must have pushed the last tight little flower buds.   These were hiding out at the base of the plant where they must have been slightly protected.  The color is a clear peach but with the low light at this time of year the camera had a hard time picking that up. 

The walk around the yard yielded another treasure, a bit of bright foliage which has not yet peaked. If any of you are looking for a nice transitional shrub for the edge of the garden,

This picture was taken  in late November of 2006!

the Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink' is a great choice for looseness of form, great flowers and wonderful and late fall color. It is hardy to Zone 4 and will grow 6'-10' tall.  I love the clear pink of its' blooms which appeared this year on April 23rd making it one of the earliest of spring bloomers.  This is one of my favorite deciduous Rhododendrons.  It looks very natural although it is native to Japan, Southern China, Manchuria and Korea. It looks like a native though, doesn't it?   The straight species has much more purple in the flower.  I think the clear pink is more desirable and the cultivar 'Cornell Pink' was introduced in the 1950's.  Are any of you enjoying this shrub in your garden? 

Finalist in the Fall color Festival!

High 57.6
Low  35.1

Sometimes we overlook the obvious!  Gardeners are not exempt from this.  With new cultivars of trees, shrubs and perennials being added to our wish lists every year it is tempting to look away from the classics.   Classics are always desirable like that little black dress which is a necessity for the wardrobe, dressing the garden in classics can pay off in a big way.  One of the brightest fall colored shrub in the garden is the highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum.  It is holding its' leaves now when the trees are pretty much done with their fall shedding.  They are a bright spot of color during the drab days of November.    The fall color is just an added bonus to the berries which are produced, or supposed to be produced, in July.  I say this because I am failing at growing highbush blueberries.  There are many wild ones in the field but the above cultivar has been in the ground for over eight years and is only about three feet tall.  In addition to its' short stature, it produces very few berries.  Perhaps I disturb the roots  when I clean the border where it resides but for whatever reason  these are not thriving in this garden.  At least they have pretty fall color though!   Are any of you having any better luck at growing blueberries?

Roses aren't red!

High 43 F
Low  40 F

What could be better, on this cold and rainy day, than to re-visit one of the pictures I took this past week.   A sunny yellow one, at that.  I saw my first Fr. Hugo rose in mid-August at a Lawn and Garden trade show.  It struck me even then as it has fine fern like foliage which has pinnately compound leaves.  There are up to thirteen leaflets  on each stem and these have a very serrated edge giving even more texture to the appearance of this rose.  This rose, Rosa hugonis is called the Golden Rose of China as it is native to China.  In its' native habitat, it grows in poor, dry and often rocky soil in full sun.  Seed was collected by the missionary, Fr. Hugh Scanlan, and sent to Kew Gardens in 1899.  In 1908 plants were sent to the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plains, MA and thus was its introduction into U. S. horticulture.  As you can see from the picture, the flowers are borne on arching stems in May.  They are between 1 1/2" and 2"  across and are primrose yellow, single, saucer shaped blooms. This species shrub rose will grow to about 8' x 8' and is hardy to Zone 5 although there are some reports that it can survive temperatures as low as -40F.   I can find only one drawback and that is that it has no fragrance.   Are any of you growing this shrub rose and, if so, what do you think of it?