Each Little World

I'm not ready!

My work table/desk is piled high with my garden notebook, garden magazines with sticky notes and dozens of Latin words scribbled on scraps of paper, written anytime I saw a plant whose name I wanted to remember for the future. It's all a big jumble that needs to be sorted out.

I figured I had until the new year to get that done. At that point I'd have a list of the things I want to order for the garden. But a list that was well-thought out and included plants that I have a place and a plan for already. No more impulse buying.

Primula 'Oriental Sunrise' from Odyssey Perennials

So I was not as happy as I might have been when Russell Stafford of Odyssy Perennials sent his 2022 catalogue on Friday Nov. 26. The very next day I got an email from Carolyn's Shade Gardens announcing that her 2022 Snowdrop Catalogue would be sent out Dec. 4. Then I got a notice that another favorite source was taking orders for 2022. In the past, I've always jumped on these websites the minute plants were available. 

An order of Snowdrops from Carolyn's Shade Garden (above) waiting for spring in my living room a few years ago.

This time I looked at the sites but did not click. In truth, I went back again to look at the plants I could not get out of my mind. Sold out! I guess I'm not alone in my plant lust.

But I really wanted a break to enjoy the holidays and get ready to think spring and gardening after January 1st. I'm glad I held off then as it's helped me remember that I need to add more low maintenance plants to the garden; that means shrubs rather than perennials. Plus I need to be looking at more natives than exotics. January in the wintry midwest is a dangerous time for online garden shopping. 

Fall bulb order

In late July, a Wisconsin garden blogging friend reminded her readers that it was time to order spring-blooming bulbs for the best choice. Having missed out on some special bulbs I wanted for the last few years, I did not take any chances this year.

I put in my order to Van Engelen on April 30th, as soon as their re-designed website went live. I ordered more Martagon lilies from Solaris Farms on June 13th. I ordered more Lilium canadensis (below) as soon as they were available, since the ones I got last year were so lovely.

I feel like I ordered a lot of bulbs — around 225 — but I am guessing I am quite restrained based on the size of my garden. But I knew that come October, my energy for planting would be waning. So I tried to be realistic. I planted most of them on October 18th, 19th and 20th, a trio of warm, sunny days that could not have been more perfect for working outside. Here are a few of the flowers I'm most excited about. 

. . .

Lilium martagon 'Slate's Morning' from Solaris Farms. I have had great luck with Martagons and decided it was time to spring for a few  more. When I say "a few more," that's exactly what I mean. At $16.00 each, I only ordered three. I planted them in a spot in the garden where there are no other Martagons; nor many flowers except for early bloomers like snowdrops and Hellebores.  

I have a love/hate relationship with Alliums but I keep being struck by mass plantings of them, so that's what I am going to attempt. I got 10 Allium 'Summer Drummer,' a very tall variety, to mix with the next Allium below. (A garden friend who lives nearby, said she has not had good luck with this 'Summer Drummer'. We'll see how I do.)

I ordered 25 of Allium purpureum which gets 2-3' tall. These were mixed in with lavender Thalictrums and Veronicastrum.

This beauty, Allium 'Silver Spring', was planted among Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Geranium 'Crystal Lake' and Penstemmon 'Dark Towers.'

Fritillaria raddensa is rock hardy and long-lived according to Van Engelen. But I had no luck with it when I tried it a number of years ago. But a tall, pale yellow flower in April would be so lovely in the garden that I'm trying again. I just have to replicate the conditions of NE Iran to Turkmenistan!

Muscari are one of those "no fail" bulbs and M. comosum looks like a fun one to add to my other ones. It gets 6-12" high so it should make a visible statement almost anywhere it's planted. 

Now I just have to wait six months to see what happens!

First year sleep . .

You don't have to garden very long before you hear the old adage about plants: "First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap." When I plant something in May or June, I think that concept holds true.

But I am never sure how one counts when plants don't go into the ground until late August or September. That can be pretty dicey in my area, hoping that those late plants make enough roots to get them through the winter. 

. . .

I put in a pair of Agapanthus 'Galaxy Blue' in June 2020. The one in the slightly shadier spot came up but did not send up any flower stalks, unlike its partner. I've already moved it to a sunnier location. Though this is a variety hardy to Zone 5, I had my doubts. So I am thrilled they returned and I got flowers; great progress for year two. 

I planted Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' in mid-to-late August last year. This is a new variety that is supposedly less susceptible to mildew. It's the first time I've had Phlox in my garden in years. 

To my eye, it is a much more elegant plant than most Phlox, with its tall willowy stems and upright panicles of tiny lavender-pink flowers. I am considering this as the end of year one. So I am definitely impressed with this plant's performance.

I planted Angelica gigas last August in full bloom. It was one of my last purchases from our wonderful local nursery, The Flower Factory, before it closed for good. Since this is a re-seeding biennial, imagine my surprise when it showed up in the same location as last year and sent out flowers. 

I am absolutely enthralled with the way the flowers unfurl

I am making trips to check on what this plant is doing multiple times a day.

Every time I've gone to look at it, it's been covered with flying critters. Half of them took off when I came near the flower to take a photo.

Given that this plant can reach 6 feet tall, I am considering the fact that it is nowhere near that height proof that it is in year one. I let it go to seed last year, but did not see any progeny. I even took a photo of the leaf so I would recognize babies and not pull them, thinking they were weeds. We'll see how it goes this year.

Garden quirks of 2021

We began the 2021 gardening season with frost right up until the end of May, followed by temperatures hitting 90°F. in early June. So plants growing like crazy and blooming ahead of schedule should come as no surprise to this gardener. But I admit that I am a bit taken aback.

. . .

The flowers on my Kirengeshoma palmata began opening yesterday, July 21st. Last year they started to bloom exactly a month later on Aug. 21st and on Aug. 14th the year before that. 

I planted Angelica gigas last year, having bought a small plant at Flower Factory's end of season/retirement sale. I let it self seed as it is a biennial. It came up this spring in the same location and nowhere else that I've noticed. It looks like it is about to bloom again this year. I am so unfamiliar with this plant that I don't know if these are flower buds or even if it typically behaves this way. 

A few of my Epimediums, like E. 'Domino', are having growth spurts and even flowering in July. This one is ten years old and suddenly has leaves floating at 24" above the ground. See that stem rising above the rock?

This one and a few others are also sending out large and oddly misshapen leaves like those round ones that are reminiscent of the foliage of native wild ginger, Asarum canadensis. When a variegated stem pops up all green, I know to cut it off. But I am unsure whether I should remove these stems with odd leaves or just ignore them. 

It's always new and different and a learning experience in the garden. 

It rained!

The lightning was so constant that I got up around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning to be sure there wasn't a police car parked on the street out front. The thunder was so far off the two things didn't seem to be related. I was afraid yet another storm was about to pass us by.

But this one hit us with wind dashing rain again the house so fast and furiously that I got up to look out to the back garden to make sure the gutters were OK and then I checked the basement. Lots of noise but no problems as three or four storms seemed to move through during the rest of the "night."

We got 2.28" which was less than I anticipated but enough to make a big difference in the garden. It's raining again as I write this late on Sunday afternoon. Not having to water the garden means I can actually get some planting done. I feel as if I've been holding my breath waiting for a break in the the weather. It is lovely having clouds and gray skies instead of incessant sun. 

We drove out to the Flower Factory Sunday afternoon to pick up my last order from them. We had a chance to briefly chat with owners Nancy and David Nedveck which was a treat. I didn't get any new and different plants, just a few old favorites: A cinnamon fern to add to a pair to make it a threesome, an Apple Blossom primrose to add to all my red flowered ones and Bird's Foot violets to make a nice patch when I add them to the couple I'm already growing. 

I also got another Parsley fern. I'm growing two and really like them. They are neater and more compact than a number of my other ferns. You can never have two many ferns for my taste. They are a great way to cover ground and reduce maintenance in my garden. Rain and more plants. What a perfect way to start the week.

Luck with lilies

Back in 2006 I saw Martagon lilies in a local garden and fell for them. I bit the bullet and bought three bulbs of 'Mrs. R. O. Backhouse' from Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery. They cost a whopping 3/$56.00 and I was very nervous at spending that kind of money on plants, let alone bulbs.

But Mrs. Backhouse has been a workhorse since the day she arrived. I now have a huge sweep of them. Some time ago I moved two groups of bulbs onto the slope below the Tea House. They have done so well that I dug them out yesterday. Both groups were planted near little trees which have now engulfed them. It's had to believe that the almost invisible little Hemlock by the lilies in this photo is now a bigger presence than the bulbs.

I assumed that the plants looked so tall because they were growing on a slope above me. Nope. They are easily 5 and a half feet tall. They are going over quickly in the heat, so I didn't feel too bad about digging them out.

But I was surprised to discover one of the bulbs had sent out bulblets and the whole thing had grown together in a huge clump of six connected stems. I am going to replant them in the Tea House garden but in locations where they hopefully won't have to get moved again. 

Overwhelmed by weather

We've pretty much gone from endless frosty nights right into high summer. We had our first 90°F. (32.22°C.) day on May 1st and we're currently in a cycle of extremely hot days with no rain in sight. The garden is bone dry having barely gotten 5 inches of rain since April 1st. I know that sounds wonderful to some of you (like Kris Peterson in Southern California) but it is definitely not our normal. Nor are these temperatures.

I am a woman who is happy at 75° and starts fading fast when the temperature moves into the 80s. We had such cold temps in May that I put off planting many of the things I got online and even some local purchases. Now with the hot, dry weather it looks like I have my own nursery there are so many potted plants wanting attention. 

We are moving forward with our garden projects, but the weather makes everything a slog. I am out before 7 a.m. watering and then working in the shade to the degree possible. 

I've been using all my energy to plant and keep the garden watered. And to help Mark when he needs it. This is all a long-winded way to explain why I haven't been blogging here or commenting on your posts. Hoping to get this gorgeous Buttonbush planted today. It has grown at least five times the size it was when it arrived from White Flower Farm. Very excited to add this native shrub to the garden. 

Mail order plants

Saturday (5/01/2021) the temperature got up to 90°F with high winds and fire warnings. Sunday was better, only 85°F and breezy. Barely any rain this spring so the garden is VERY dry. I started watering yesterday which may be a first. Usually in the spring I am indoors because it's too cool and wet.

The temps had my species peonies opening in one day and their petal being blown off by the wind. Many things are blooming almost two, sometimes three, weeks ahead of last year.

As a result of the odd weather, my potting bench is full of plants, purchases from local nurseries and three groups from mail order nurseries. I decided it is too dry to plant them; in part because then I have to wander all over the garden watering them. Leaving them on the bench means I can water them at once. I'm also planning on re-potting some of the smaller things into larger containers to grow on a while before I put them in the ground; some tiny primroses in particular.

I ordered a number of shrubs online and I had to laugh at the different sizes they've come in; even within one nursery. I pay attention when it gives the pot size when I order, but it is always fascinating to see what they look like once I unpack them.

You can see exactly what I mean lwhen you ook at these four shrubs (from left): Viburnum dilatatum 'Tandoori Orange' (Tandori Orange Viburnum), Salix helvetica (Helvetica Willow), Cornus sericea 'Pucker Up' (Pucker Up Red Twig Dogwood) and Weigela middendorffiana (Middendorf Weigela).

I am pleased I was able to find these shrubs and they all look happy and healthy so the size is not really a concern. The Viburnum is the first one with orange berries; the willow has soft silver foliage; the Cornus is more compressed than C. compressa and grows as a fat shrub rather than columnar. The Weigela, a plant I usually don't like, has the most lovely delicate little creamy yellow flowers with an orange throat. Looking forward to watching this one grow!

Now, if we would just get some rain . . .

Pandemic plants

I have a number of plants, shrubs and trees that were all planted to memorialize a friend or family member or mark a special event. It's a common response among gardeners; which made me wonder if I should plant something to note COVID-19, the 2020 Presidential election, the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th this year.

Certainly not to memorialize any of those items, but they are definitely worthy of remembrance. While I pondered the idea, I discovered the perfect pair of plants to do the job. 

This lovely daylily is Hemerocallis 'Catastrophic Events.'

Her friend is Hemerocallis 'Welding the Titanic.' 

Both are from Solaris Farms which offers an incredible selection of daylilies, Peonies and Martagon lilies. 

Sad news from Song Sparrow

When I look back on the year 2020, it won't be the pandemic that I will remember most — as crazy as that sounds. It will be the loss of the two nurseries that have been my go-to sources for plants since I started gardening. First Flower Factory closed its doors in September with the retirement of its owners, Nancy and David Nedveck.

Now comes the news that Song Sparrow Nursery will close at the end of this year. I always refer to the nursery as Klehm's Song Sparrow because it was still owned by the Klehm family when I first discovered it. In recent years, the staff took over the business. 

Members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society taking advantage of a few hours of special on-site shopping at the Song Sparrow nursery on a chilly day in May, 2013 (above).

 

I've been shopping at Khelm's for so long that my memories and list of plants from them are both endless. I still have one of the first catalogs I ever got from them — 1995 — when they were still located in Illinois, before they moved to Wisconsin. The catalog was for mail-order plant purchases and remains the most beautiful garden catalog I've ever seen. It was a square format (9" x 9") with thick, high quality paper. There were limited color photos on glossy paper, grouped in three sections: Peonies, Daylilies and Perennials.

The rest of the book (it was 109 pages!) was detailed with beautiful watercolor illustrations, like the one on the cover (below) by Marcella J. Spanogle. The design quality, time and attention to detail that went into the creation of the catalog suggested to me that any plants I ordered from this lovely book would be of equal quality. And that has proven true, right up to my most recent order.

When I had a sunny garden in the early 1990s, Klehm was my go-to source for unusual daylilies, including those with small flowers like 'Cricket' that suited my small garden at the time. When I moved to a larger garden, Klehm provided me with Hemerocallis 'Tetrina's Daughter,' a daylily with four foot high stems that bloomed at the end of the day with a extreme lemony fragrance.

How many of us are still growing Paeonia 'Soft Salmon Joy', the Peony plant that Roy Klehm gave to every member of the WHPS at the October, 2001 meeting where he spoke to the group? Mine is still going strong (below, after a spring rain storm), even after having been moved during a construction project. 

Perhaps my most notable memory of Klhem's is the year I ordered three Martagon lilies from them. They were expensive enough that it took me a while to decide to take the plunge. When my plants arrived I was stunned to find three narrow boxes, each at least three feet tall. I assumed I was getting bulbs but, instead, I received three plants that were fully budded with stems as tall as the boxes they were housed within.

The boxes opened like a closet door to easily remove the plants without damaging them. In fact, not a bud had come off in the time those lilies left Klehm's and arrived at my house. At that moment I fully understood the cost of shipping and I've never complained about that expense again. (Martagons in bud in my garden).

It is heartbreaking to know that I will never again get a catalog or a package of plants from such a rare and historic nursery as Klehm's Song Sparrow. Best wishes and a healthy and safe future to all the wonderful people who made Song Sparrow such a trusted and treasured name among gardeners.