Each Little World

The peak of my Peonies

No matter how beautiful all of my other Peonies are, they're always in the shadow of this late-bloomer: P. rockii. Its buds look like big, squishy marshmallows.

Our warm, sunny weekend pushed the first buds to open into glorious flowers. Yesterday's cooler temps and rain showers closed them up again.

Cool and cloudy again today which means these lovely blooms will last more than a day or two — which is what happens if it is too hot and sunny.

Once they start to open I luxuriate in their short-lived beauty.

This Peony is an un-named rockii-type seedling from the late Seneca Hill Perennials. It was listed as likely being pink in color but I've always been more than happy that it turned out to be white; though I am a bit disappointed that it does not have the dark rockii splashes in the center of the flowers. Since it was sold un-named, I call it 'Seneca Hill Snowstorm' in memory of the wonderful nursery located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. 

February Thanksgiving

In 2010 I bought a Helleborus niger from the late Seneca Hill Perennials that owner Ellen Hornig said bloomed at Thanksgiving in her Zone 5 garden. It's done the same thing in my garden, though not consistently. I have this Hellebore planted on either side of a path. One bloomed beautifully last fall while the other set buds but they never made it to blooming stage. Hornig noted in her catalog that sometimes the plants bloom in spring as well. I would say "here's the proof" but I am not sure if we're in winter or spring!

 

Cool weather bonus

We've had a number of cool and cloudy days recently with temps below normal. I should be complaining but the cool temperatures have kept my Paeonia rockii from exploding into bloom and instantly fading. Every day for almost a week I've been able to watch these spectacular flowers open slowly.

They close when it cools down and then nicely perform the next day when the sun comes out for a while. The above photo was taken on Saturday afternoon. Here it is (below) on Wednesday — a full five days later and the flowers are still perfect.

This Peony is six years old and did not bloom last year as it had significant dieback from the winter. This year it came back beautifully and is loaded with flowers. When I say the blooms are spectacular you can see what I mean since they are larger than my hand.

When I bought it from the late Seneca Hill Perennials, it was as a seedling that was expected to be pink like its parents with dark blotches. It turned out to be pure white. 

The first time it bloomed I realized I never would have been happy with flowers this large that were pink. I think they are perfect without the blotch as well. Since it was a seedling it doesn't have a name. In memory of its origin, I call it 'Seneca Hill Snowstorm' which also alludes to its color and the snowy area where the nursery was located.

Molly flies in . . . with a friend

I planted this Peony — P. mlokosewitschii aka Molly the Witch — in 2009. It was a seedling from the late Seneca Hill Perennials in NY state. I figured it would take a while to produce a flower — and clearly it has. But each spring it produces a beautiful clump of bluish-green leaves so I have enjoyed the wait. And isn't this sweet, soft yellow flower worth it? 

Also flowering for the first time this week, along with Molly, is one of my Lady Slipper Orchids. I thought this was Cypripedium 'Aki Pastel' but the flower color suggests I've mislabeled my two plants. This appears to be C. 'Hank Small'. Too bad it's planted half way across the garden from Molly as they would look quite lovely as neighbors.

First Hepaticas

My first introduction to Hepaticas came when we moved to this house and I discovered them in the garden. I was instantly smitten with their graphic leaves and flowers that make an impact despite their tiny size. It's a plant that is lovely at every stage as these images show. Most of the Hepaticas in my garden are just making an appearance. But the warmer days that are forecast should make them sit up and take notice.

I've been growing Hepatica acutiloba 'Silver Leaf' (below) for the last half dozen years, mainly because of its large specked leaf.

Even without their beautiful leaves, the flowers make a strong showing especially against the browns of last fall's leaf litter. When open, the flowers are about the size of the nail on my index finger.

Even when the flowers are still closed the Hepatica is a charmer, though you will have to get down on your knees to really appreciate it. Mark was stretched out on the ground to get most of these shots1

The plant above and below is the native round-lobed Hepatica americana. You can get an idea of the size of the flowers if you compare the buds with the needles of the shrubby Yew in the background.

Most of our native Hepaticas are white or shades of lightish blue. Hepatica nobilis 'European Pink' is screaming magenta. This beauty comes from Ellen Horning of the late Seneca Hill via Plant Delights Nursery.

Hepatica maxima is unusual in that its leaves can be up to four inches wide. The leaves are a bright Granny Smith apple green, shiny and with a white fuzzy underside — much brighter than my other Hepaticas. A mature clump can be 18 inches in diameter. This was planted in the spring of 2014 and I am hoping for great things.

 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: 11.15.2015

It's rare that I have much of anything in the garden to share on November GBBD. This year is an exception due to the unusually long autumn we've been enjoying. We had rain and high winds and frost last week but a few things like the Witch-hazels are still putting on a show. But the star of the garden this month is my "Thanksgiving Hellebore (Hellebores niger)."

One of the last plants I bought from Seneca Hill Perennials, before that wonderful nursery closed, was the Hellebore in these photos that owner Ellen Hornig said blooms at Thanksgiving in her Zone 5 garden in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. My garden is also Zone 5 but with more temperature extremes and less reliable snow cover. Her area of the country tends to get deeply buried in white.

Here's how Hornig described my plant in her catalog when I bought it in 2010: "Wonderful Christmas Roses, descended from a plant given us by friend John Filkins. Our parent plants consistently bloom from Thanksgiving to Christmas, weather permitting. The fall flowers don't set seed, but sometimes the plants bloom in spring as well, and then we do get a crop of seed to work with. All the seedlings we've grown out have retained the fall-blooming habit. The flowers on this strain are outward-facing and on sturdy stalks, and the foliage tends to stay low." 

When I went out on Tuesday morning (Nov. 10th) to check on them, the buds had pushed above the dried leaves. 

I never worry about my spring-blooming Hellebores but I so wanted to get these buds to actual blooming stage. As a result, I kept piling leaves back on the plant every time I checked it. When I glanced out the window Friday morning (Nov. 13) it had pushed way up through the leaves and was visible from inside half way across the garden.

Despite a low of 31 degrees on Friday, all the blooms were standing up and looking good the next morning when I snapped these last two images. Just one more thrill from one of the best autumn seasons in recent memory.

To see what's blooming in others' gardens, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts this monthly meme.

Superb seedpods

Hands down, Paeonia obvata var. alba has the best seedpods of any plant I grow in my garden. The best seedpods of any plant I know. They are as beautiful in their own season as the flowers are in the early Spring. They were positively glowing in the late afternoon sunlight!

A perennial Agapanthus

I have loved Agapanthus since the first time I saw one spending the summer in a big pot in a garden out of doors. I don't have the patience to care for such a tender plant in our house and we also like to take a break from gardening in the winter. So I gave up on ever having an Agapanthus.

Until I discovered this gem in the catalog of the late Seneca Hill Perennials. It's Agapanthus campanulatus and I acquired it in 2007 for $12.99 According to then-nursery-owner Ellen Hornig, this plant was "acquired from Wayside Gardens over 30 years ago and is hardy in the open garden in Zone 5, central Illinois."

She also noted that it was a modest size but a "robust grower" with the typical Agapanthus foliage and medium blue open flowers. I moved my plant a couple of years ago as it was failing to flower. It has significantly increased in size and this year I have four flowers. It's my pride and joy and I could not be happier to see it bloom this summer.

Alas, even though I've had it quite a while, I have never divided it. Though I might try to split a bit off to create a partner clump across the path this fall. But for the moment, I'm just going to enjoy the sight of these gorgeous flowers and fondly remember Seneca Hill!

Peonies

I think it's time I accept that whatever I used to know about the weather at a particular time of year or in a given month, is only a memory and bears no relationship to current reality. Today is June first and we've had more days with temperatures in the 80s than I care to count. Yesterday it was 88 degrees F. (31 C.) at 4 p.m. What all this means is that certain flowers that one waits all winter to enjoy, bloom and disappear in a flash. 

My white peony (Paeonia rockii type seedling from Seneca Hill) opened all at once at the beginning of the week and then got dashed a couple of days later by the rain. As for the rain, we only got half an inch at our house while other parts of Madison were being inundated by 3 and 4 inches (7-10 cm.). See what I mean about the weather.

Thanks goodness for the camera which lets me revel in my favorite flowers regardless of the weather or time of year.  

Peonies' final show

Woodland peonies produce seedpods that are as gorgeous in this season as the flowers are in April.

These are all from my Paeonia obvata var. alba.

My Paeonia japonica produces similar seedpods but a bit smaller. These photos were taken about a week ago and the seedpods are even more open and exotic-looking now.

Though this plant is from the late Seneca Hill Perennials you can find similar plants at Song Sparrow, Hillside Nursery, and Plant Delights — just not every year. It may take a bit of searching but they are worth the effort.

If you'd like to see them in bloom, click on peonies in the category list. 

It's also worth noting that the leaves on woodland peonies do not have the fungal problems that my regular garden peonies seem to suffer from by late summer. All my woodland peonies are still fully leafed-out and looking good.