Back to work

I spent Wednesday on a Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society day-long bus trip to nurseries, along with a visit to Anderson Japanese Garden. I spent yesterday in the garden: planting my new purchases, dividing plants that have outgrown their space and just plain having fun. I tried to get as much done as possible since rain is forecast for today and much of next week.

Here's a shot of part of my loot. These are from Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, Illinois. Great plant selection with large perennials nicely priced. They have beautiful display gardens but the retail area was the most well-laid out design I've seen. Plants were grouped by sun or shade, then by size, with everything lined up alphabetically. It was a very smooth operation, plus they gave us these plastic crates for our purchases and labeled them with our last names. The crates were easy to arrange in the storage area under the bus; equally easy to hand them out when we got back home. 

Alas there was no room under the bus to bring home another shrub or tree because the selection K & W Greenery, a nursery in Janesville, Wisconsin, was a treat. Luckily this nursery is an easy drive from Madison, so I will be making a return trip — with Mark and his pickup truck. My big purchase at K & W was three Digitalis 'Dalmation Peach,' a variety I've been searching for. Here is one of them in place in the garden. 

Hope you all have a pleasant and safe Memorial Day. 

Comments

[Kristin]

What fun! A friend gave me Dalmation Peach seeds for my birthday. Only four sprouted, and when I planted them, a torrential rainstorm beat them into the ground. Love seeing yours. On a tangent, have you ever toured Epic? My in-laws keep wanting us to go, and we are reluctant. The mishmash of architectural styles makes us think we wouldn't enjoy the inside, and we don't always have time to spare when we are in the area. I trust your and Mark's judgement on art and decor, so I thought I'd ask if you'd been and what you think.

[Barbara H.]

What a nice haul, with more to come when you make your trip back with Mark. Organization is a great thing, isn't it? Wish it wasn't so hard to keep it up at home.

[ceci]

Fun trip, and the Dalmation Peach is lovely, and so perfectly placed.

ceci

[Linda from Each Little World]

I've been inside one of the buildings and it had lots of neat art but we got a tour from our barista friends who worked there. Don't know enough about the general indoor tours.

I've been on a tour of the landscape conducted by Jeff Epping who is the Horticulture Director at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. That was really interesting as much of it is built on top of parking facilities and you would never guess it. He has convinced them to give up lots of lawn in exchange for more sustainable solutions which are very attractive. So I think the grounds are the most interesting part of the place. The building mish-mash really annoyed me and it felt like it was all created for teenage boys.

Not sure that really helps, but I think you could just walk around and enjoy the landscape and make snide comments about the buildings. The barn is rather nice looking.

[Linda from Each Little World]

I tried to stay on track yesterday when working in the garden but the weather was glorious. I kept flitting from one thing to another, though I did get quite a lot done. Rain today with hail, high winds, flash flooding and tornados in the forecast. Always something exciting.

[Linda from Each Little World]

The fact that the foxgloves were blooming made it much easier to decide where they should go.

[Kris P]

What an ideal set-up for a plant hunting trip! I love that peach foxglove. I grew it last year but couldn't find it when it came time to plant foxgloves here during the fall months.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I have been to Hornbakers a couple of times. It is a fun place to shop. Their plants are nice and well kept. You have a nice haul there. The foxgloves are icing on the cake.

[Loree / danger garden]

Sounds like a great outing and brilliant with the crates!

[Nell]

Name-labeled flats ready to fill? A dream nursery visit! Kudos to the organizers.

A peach foxglove appeared here last year, after generations of self-seeding white ones. I rogued it after some thought, but this year had the first purple one appear, and gave in (moving it to a bed at the other end of the garden from all the whites, in hopes of minimizing the bee crossing). Unlike the peach, the purples give themselves away in their first year with a purple flush on the stems of the rosette foliage.

Envying you your cool, damp weather for planting: 90s here this week. The consolation is that the waiting plants are heat lovers -- basil, tomatoes, salvias.