Each Little World

In the garden on Sunday

The temperatures were up into the 50s on both days this weekend. Despite clouds and wind, the sudden whiff of Spring was a huge boost to my spirits and sent me outdoors with a camera (uh, phone). This sudden change in the weather also makes it easy to observe the pattern of snow melt in the garden. What I discovered as I wandered around snapping photos is that I've planted a number of early bulbs in locations that are going to be among the last spots to be covered with snow.

Looking southwest across the width of the back garden

I put the bulbs where I wanted to see them in the spring without thinking about what early spring looks like in my garden. March tends to be a month where we typically get one — if not more — serious snowfalls. So I should have at least one more chance to study these patterns and to record where the snow disappears first and last in my garden.

Looking south across the depth of the back garden

Even though they are composed of gravel, the paths across the back of the garden and through the area most heavily planted with perennials were still snow-covered Sunday afternoon. The same was true for much of the front garden as the photos below show. That black plastic milk bin is my attempt to keep critters away from a little shrub I transplanted last fall.

I'm not going to cut back Epimendiums, Hellebores or the dried remains of Hakonechloa grass for a few more weeks, unless there are long term signs that winter is over. My birthday is in early April and too often it is a cold and snowy day, so I am trying not to think about Spring any more than necessary. 

The last weeks of winter are always the hardest because we're so close if you only look at the calendar. But those of us who live where we have real winters, know not to rush the season no matter how much we'd like to. The bed in the photo below is at the top of our new rock wall. It's where I planted early daffodils without thinking that this is the north side of the house and that bed will be in a cold shadow for quite a while longer.

Despite my rather gloomy comments, there was enough green to be seen to get me excited. Arum italicum looks great even though it's been buried under the snow until just a few hours before I took its photo.

I love the bright green of the foliage of the Digitalis plants that wintered over and will bloom this year. But until it flowers I am not sure which variety it is.

My double-flowered Snowdrops are starting to push up.

Last year they did not make an appearance until March 10.

Galanthus 'Magnet' is much further along — or at least up much higher — than the Snowdrops shown above. That really surprises me as the double-flowered ones are against the house whose reflected heat seems like it would have pushed them ahead. But that's gardening, always something you didn't expect to see staring you in the face!

Fiber Friday: Bits and bags

Multicultural mix: A Central Asian baby hat adorns the head of one of a pair of paper mache maracas-as-sculpture. Standing sentinel on either side are a pair of shigras bags, made from Agave fiber, from Ecuador. I bought the one of the right in the Matterplay shop on State Street in the 70s or early 1980s. The other bag is much older as indicated by the much finer weave and was found in an antique shop. 

Up-ended against the wall is an East Indian container that is supposedly a snake charmer's basket. Somehow, I doubt that story but I love the old textile that covers the inside and outside of the form. 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday morning, Feb. 21, southwest of Madison.

Fern evaluations from CBG

I have been following the Plant Evaluation Notes from the Chicago Botanic Garden for so many years that I no longer remember when I first discovered them nor when I first heard the director of CBG's Plant Evaluation Program, Richard Hawke, give a talk in Madison. Suffice it to say that the published findings of the program under Hawke are one of the top resources for gardeners in the Upper Midwest. 

If you are unfamiliar with it, CBG's Plant Evaluation Program is one of the "largest and most diverse in the nation," according to the recent PR information they emailed me. They noted it is also one of the few programs in the U.S. that formally evaluates perennials. Typically most of us are the ones evaluating perennials in our gardens and sharing the results with gardening friends.

This is the one place I know to find reliable data on a long list of perennials suitable for our area. The latest study — on Lady Ferns and Japanese Painted Ferns — is number 39 in the series. The fern report is ten pages long! I am growing a number of the ferns evaluated which makes this particular report both interesting and useful for me.

Athyrium 'Branford Rambler'  below / Photo by Richard Hawke

Richard Hawke points out that catalogs and magazines showcase the hot, new plants, but he is "all about the tried-and-true."  

The goal of CBG's program is "to determine, through scientific evaluation, which plants are superior for gardens in the Upper Midwest. Plants are rated on ornamental qualities, cultural adaptability, winter hardiness, and disease and pest resistance. It is the intent of the program to study and recommend plants that are readily available in area nurseries. Study results are published and reported to both the professional industry and the gardening public." What more could you ask?

Among the pperennials CBG has evaluated over the years are small leafed Rhododendrons, boxwoods, clematis, shrub roses, and Monarda and powdery mildew resistance to name a few. The plant trials last four years for perennials, six for shrubs and vines and seven to ten years for trees.

 

Athyrium 'Branford Beauty' / Photo by Jessie V. Stevens

Among the results of the fern evaluations:

• Winter hardiness was generally not an issue for the evaluation group — only Athyrium filix-femina ‘Plumosum Axminster’ suffered plant losses in two winters. 
• The uniqueness of each Japanese painted fern cultivar was often indiscernible at a glance. (Something those of us who grow this fern can attest to.)
• Athyrium filix-femina ‘Frizelliae’ aka tatting fern: Athough reputedly prone to reversion, ‘Frizelliae’ remained true to type throughout the trial. (Mine is always reverting.)

Here's what the report has to say about the gorgeous fern pictured below: 

"Athyrium filix-femina ‘Encourage’ was one of the top performers in the trial. All pinnae were tasseled or crested at the tips, giving the light green fronds a frilly look. Slow to develop the first summer, ‘Encourage’ had a robust, vase-shaped habit by the second year and was particularly densely robust in the fourth year. Plants were in full sun by 3 p.m. so some leaf scorching was occasionally observed in July and August. ‘Encourage’ is a selection of ‘Vernoniae Cristatum’."

 Athyrium filix-femina 'Encourage' / Photo by Richard Hawke

If you just want the results without looking at the full report, here they are:

"The majority of taxa in the trial received a five-star excellent rating or a four-star good rating for their overall performance. Top- rated plants displayed consistently attractive foliage, robust habits throughout each growing season, and winter hardiness during the evaluation term. The five-star plants included Athyrium ‘Branford Beauty’, A. ‘Branford Rambler’, A. ‘Ghost’, A. filix-femina, A. filix-femina ‘Encourage’, A. filix-femina ‘Victoriae’, A. filix-femina ssp. cyclosorum, A. niponicum var. pictum ‘Apple Court’, A. niponicum var. pictum ‘Pewter Lace’, A. niponicum var. pictum ‘Regal Red’, and Deparia acrostichoides."

You can read the entire fern report HERE and access the list of individual reports HERE.

I did not receive any remuneration for this post. I am merely a long-time fan of the CBG, especially these plant evaluations. 

In a vase on Monday: Old friends

My orchid qualifies more as "in a pot" rather than a vase, but it's alive and growing! I inherited a group of orchids from my late gardening friend, Judy Schwaemle. This one has consistently re-bloomed for me in the three years it's been in residence at my house. It's a touch of Spring and nice reminder of Judy.

I created a little vignette based on the greenish color of the orchid pot. It includes a jade medallion with a tassel, hanging from the Buddha's hand. Alas the opening is not quite large enough to go over my wrist which would let me wear it as a bracelet. The tea pot is by Illinois artist Delores Fortuna. On a visit to her studio, she let me pick the material for the handle and I opted for the barbed wire. Love that contrast of materials. It usually sits on a kitchen shelf with other artists' tea pots. Again, it's a lovely memento of a fun visit and one of my favorite potters. The tiny green vase is one of my trio of pots by Heath Ceramics and has been holding the same Heuchera leaf and dried Sedum since October. 

I love the subtle but odd color combination of this orchid and thought it nicely picked up the same tone in the painting behind t.

At the opposite end of the room are a couple of primroses. Their flowers are long gone and they are getting rather root-bound but again, it is so nice to have something green and growing even if they no longer make much of a statement. The pot was made by a my best friend from college and I use it often.

To see what gardeners around the world have put into a vase today, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts this meme.

Rain gear for gardeners

It's supposed to be warm enough today for it to rain instead of snow. If that happens I know how to keep dry.

Gunnera to the rescue above and below.

Garden designer Amanda Brooks looking like a woman who knows how to dress for the garden and the weather. Of course, she really needs an umbrella to protect that fabulous hat.

I suggest she get a Brelli brolly! I have one (below) and I love it. It's pretty and practical, though I admit I don't use it in windy weather as I don't want to take a chance on wrecking it.  

Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo

Say "Buffalo, New York" and the first thing that comes to mind is usually not Frank Lloyd Wright. Buffalo's reputation for record-breaking snowstorms has overshadowed its record of a different sort: the city boasts more Wright houses than any other place in the country, outside of Chicago.

Wright's architectural legacy in Buffalo virtually all stems from his 30-year friendship with Darwin D. Martin, a local businessman. It was Martin who got Wright his first large-scale commercial commission, the Larkin Building, and then gave him free rein in the design of his own house shown here. Though we toured all the buildings on site last spring, no photos of the interiors are allowed.

Martin was born at the end of the Civil War, just before Wright. Both men spent time on the prairies of the Midwest as youngsters and both had troubled childhoods that left them trying to create the ideal home they never had. For Wright, family and home was embodied in Taliesin; a place well-known to those of us who live in Wisconsin. The design and creation of the Martin home in Buffalo offered Wright everything the architect ever wanted: a large lot, an unlimited budget and complete freedom of design.

Wright responded by giving Martin a stunning composition, what he called his "opus." Wright designed a complex of six buildings totaling almost 30,000 square feet and including a pergola, conservatory, carriage house and a house for Martin's sister. Wright called the Martin property's arrangement of buildings to each other and the landscape "well nigh a perfect composition." After visiting last summer I'd have to agree. 

Construction on the entire complex of buildings took from 1903 to 1907. Wright estimated the cost of the Martin house — built in 1904-05 — at $35,000, but in true Wrightian fashion it eventually totaled $175,000. The tab for the restoration of the Martin house and the reconstruction of the demolished pergola, conservatory and carriage house that is currently under way in Buffalo is $35 million. Total restoration of the property plus construction of the visitor center is estimated at $50 million with all but $10 million raised at this point. Having grown up in Buffalo during the years the Martin House and complex fell into serious disrepair, it was a thrill to see it being restored to its full glory.

The pictures above and below show the plaza between the Martin house and the almost all-glass visitor center.

One of the most stunning aspects of the Martin house is this long covered pergola leading to Mrs. Martin's conservatory with its huge reproduction sculpture of Winged Victory amidst the greenery. 

What is so wonderful about Wright's work is that no detail is too small to be ignored whether it's the house number or a spot for chores.

The large building on the left (below) is the carriage house with the chauffeur's apartment above. Double click on the picture below and you will see that the poles that held the wash lines in this beautiful laundry yard match the detailing elsewhere on the house. It reminded me of some of the things that Arne Maynard does in his garden designs which he talks about in his new book.

Wright designed 394 original pieces of art glass, including 15 window motifs for the Darwin Martin House. The Chazen Museum of Art in Madison owns one of the "Tree of Life" windows from the Martin House. The Martin House itself only has one original "Tree of Life" window, though they know the whereabouts of most of them. The glass panels perpendicular to the stained glass windows let light into the lower level.

You can find more information on the Martin house and tours here.

Not those Geraniums . . .

Say geranium and most people picture "Pelargoniums," the bright red potted plant that is ubiquitous in the U.S. come Memorial Day. They're too flashy, too funereal for me. I think of them as flowers to put in the cemetery by family graves. I'm talking about "true" or "hardy" or "cranesbill" Geraniums. The ones that will come back every year in my Zone 4/5 Wisconsin garden. 

I started with three plants of Geranium macrorrhizum, the bigroot Geranium back in the 1990s; the straight magenta species and the pale G. Ingwersen's Variety and pinkish G. spessart (first three photos). These are ground cover plants that smother weeds but are not invasive. In my front border these plants go right down to the street. They are not bothered by car fumes or the road salt and sand that get piled on this bed by the city plows every winter. I rarely even cut them back.

From the street this path through the Geraniums isn't even visible. The plants are just tall enough to make the path a surprise. I adore this plant. Our gardening neighbors to the west of us liked this solution to a sloping yard so much, that I gave them a bunch of starter plants to do the same thing. We also have them on a slope between our two houses. 

G. cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' (close-up below) also covers large areas of the garden, mostly under trees and shrubs which are the stars of those areas. Since I am so happy with these varieties, I decided to use Geraniums in my moss garden re-do.

But this time I opted for Geranium phaeum varieties; similar leaves but different shape and color flowers. I am growing the straight species of this variety so I already have experience with it as well. Since this is all about lowering maintenance, I am not going far afield in my plant choices.

G. phaeum is also known as the "Mourning Widow" supposedly because of its somber colored flowers. But Digging Dog nursery notes  that a Mr. Jason Hill wrote that "their subdued vivacity suggests a widow who has ceased to mourn." I have to agree with him. I find their nodding flowers charming and the colors are rich and sumptuous.

Though my favorite local nursery, Flower Factory, has a large selection of cranesbill Geraniums, they only carry the straight G. phaeum. So I'm splurging and going to the expert Geraniaceae nursery on the west coast. I ordered the five phaeum varieties below.

. . .

G. phaeum var. lividum 'Rose Madder'  This was introduced by the famed grower, Trevor Bath, in the U.K. in the late 1980s. This is an  unusual color for the species. (Photo by Donn Reiners)

I have one plant of the beautiful G. phaeum var. lividum' Joan Baker' and decided to add more rather than waiting for her to get big enough to divide. 

G. phaeum 'Sericourt' has golden leaves that turn yellow green so this may not go in the moss garden. I don't want anything in that area to jump out visually too much. But I could not resist this leaf color.

G. phaeum 'Chocolate Chip' is the darkest phaeum of all, according to Robin Parer, the owner of Geraniaceae nursery and the breeder of this plant. (Photo by Donn Reiners from geraniaceae.com)

G. phaeum 'Lily Lovell' was raised and introduced by Trevor Bath of Surrey in the U.K. and is named after his mother. I have been growing the straight G. phaeum species via the old Hereonswood nursery for years and am very excited to add these varieties to my garden. Not only am I attracted to the range of flower colors but I find the swept back shape to be especially elegant. 

As I've been crazy about cranesbill Geraniums since I first discovered them, I bought "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hardy Geraniums" by Trevor Bath and Joy Jones when it came out in 1994. American Gerainium expert Robin Parer of Geraniaceae nursery, where I ordered the above plants, has a new book on the subject coming out this spring.

While I'm waiting for Parer's book to hit the stores, I went looking at the library to see what else was available on the subject. That's how I discovered the  "Gardening with Hardy Geraniums" by Birgitte Husted Bentsen. Without seeing Parer's book, I will say that Bentsen has written a superb book on the subject.

She has chapters on Geraniums and bees — and roses — and rock gardens for starters. Then there's information on both species and hybrids, cultivation and propagation. Almost every Geranium Bentsen talks about is pictured; sometimes just the flower up close, other images show it growing in place. There are also pictures that show the varieties in a species. For example the book shows nine G. phaeum flowers where it is easy to see the differences in size and color.

The view above is looking from west to east across the width of the back garden toward the Moss Garden in 2014. The bright flowers in the center rear of the image are G. cantabrigiense 'Biokovo'. They cover a triangle where three paths meet at a Ginkgo tree.

Since I am so keen on the Geraniums I am already growing, I was pleased to discover that Birgitte Husted Bentsen supports my concept for redoing the moss garden with G. phaeums. She points out that "you can transform a boring, shady and dry corner into something exciting simply by using different varieties of G. phaeum." Amen.

In a vase on Monday: The vase stands alone

Our weather has been so cold that I haven't even wanted to try to get a few flowes from the grocery store to the car to the house, let alone wander around the garden clipping evergreens. So I ended up with nothing to put in a vase this Monday.

But as I noted in December, sometimes the container is so charming it doesn't need any flowers. Here are two of my vases that I think can stand on their own. "Around a vase on Monday" more correctly describes my contribution this week.

This one is from Anthropologie. Vases and textiles are the two categories I look at in their Madison store. The clothes are too young and too tiny to even bother with. But this vase is a winner. I've never put a flower in it and really can't imagine doing so; what bloom could complement or even compete when in such an assertive vase? That big ceramic Chrystanthemum-like bloom is all the flower this container needs. I shot these photos in my red room. The wall above this vase is filled with garden-themed artworks.

This vase is such a playful color and concept that I had to spend a few minutes playing with it. First I added this splotched bowl (above) with similar colors by famed Seagrove, NC potter Ben Owen III (above). My Mark got this bowl when local potter Mark Skudlarek of Cambridge Woodfired Pottery held a weekend workshop a number of years ago featuring multi-generational pottery-making families (Would that be potter familias? Sorry.) It's a beautiful bowl and about the only thing we'll ever own by Ben. On the other hand, our home and garden are filled with fabulous pieces by Mark Skudlarek.

More red accessories: necklaces of African heshi (vulcanized rubber) draped around a small Chinese pedestal (below). The necklaces are dramatic but a bit heavy to wear for too long!

Another one from Anthropologie that I could not resist. I have put arrangements in this one but really!! What's the point if the leaves and flowers hide the sentiment? This is too snarky to cover up! 

The odd size and shape of this container also means that it takes a fair amount of work — and flowers — to create a successful arrangement. But leaving it empty on my computer table with a blue and white lamp and similarly-colored photo frame works just fine for me. 

To see who has put what in their vase this Monday visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts everyone's favorite meme.

Happy February 13th

We started celebrating Valentine's Day a little early. Actually my husband does not believe in made-up (aka Hallmark) holidays so he's not big on Valentine's Day — despite the fact that he's given me many lovely presents over the years.

We started the day Saturday with our usual group of friends for Saturday morning coffee. Then I went off to spend the morning with my textile group while he talked with his college-bound nephew about his potential options. We met up again to go to the gym for a brief workout.

And then we went off to our city's original shopping mall which is smaller than is common and was emphatically local until recently. Now it's being redesigned and relaunched with brand names like Kate Spade, Sur la Table and Madewell. What that means is there are a number of empty storefronts at one end of the older mall space. So they set up half a dozen pop up shops for the weekend, including Pleasant Living whose east side shop I still miss.

We bought a set of 1920-30s Sheffield nickel silver flatware for six.The knife handles are celluloid, I believe. It has four serving pieces and two kinds of soup spoons, demitasse and dessert spoons. I know. This is totally against the trend of downsizing and casual entertaining. Two things I think about but am not good at. Also picked up a beautiful Chinese ceramic garden stool, decorated in soft blues on gray. 

Hit the grocery store to pick up everything I wanted to make a couple of the recipes in this week's New York Times food section. We started with Mark Bittman's Champagne cocktails, Hook's Tilson blue cheese and my favorite cranberry and hazelnut Raincoast Crisps while sitting in front of fire, candles lit and the two of us getting slowly lit as we worked on the NYT Sunday crossword.

Dinner (above) was David Tanis' concoction of Seared Sea Scallops with Ginger-Lime butter, sweet potatoes and greens. He used baby bok choy but I subbed a quick saute of arugula. He baked his potatoes and I roasted mine. A superb meal and one to make again.

So we'll be spending Valentine's Day sleeping in and doing what ever we usually do on Sundays . . .