Each Little World

A break in the weather

The forecast for today's high temperature has dropped to only 92°F instead of 94°F, but it's not enough to draw me outdoors. We're supposed to go back down into the 80s and even a few days in the 70s next week. We'll see if that really happens, but I'm hopeful.

I spent Tuesday evening sweating my way through beautiful local gardens of members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society that were open to visit. The next morning I was up early to make a 7 a.m. bus departure for a day-long WHPS trip to Chicago-area private gardens and the wonderful Chicago Botanic Garden. Too hot and sunny to get many good photos but I managed to snap a few to share at some future date. For now, here's Hemerocallis 'Little Grapette' and Lilium landini in my garden after the rain. We've had a little over two inches in the last two days with more forecast for the weekend. 

WHPS inspiration

One of the benefits of membership in the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society is the chance to tour members' garden. I visited Alice Page's westside garden last month. I saw lots to admire in her garden but nothing apropos for my garden — until I was clearing out this space where a large shrub had died. Since the location is right as you enter the back garden, it really needed attention. As I stared at the fence I suddenly remembered how I'd loved the path at Alice's garden awash in Cimicifuga and Thalictrum. I decided to use Cimicifuga racemosa 'Brunette' as the backbone of my design to get a similar frothy, ferny feel. 

I have this Cimicifuga growing all over my garden as you can see in the image below; it allowed me to divide a few of them to come up with a row of five plants of varying sizes to get this new bed started.

I added a giant Japanese painted fern 'Godzilla' (center front in the first image) which needed to be moved from its current location anyway. It strikes me as a perfect complement to the Cimicifugas. The 'Godzilla' in the garden area below is starting to mature with vertical fronds that are almost 3 feet tall. It gives you an idea of how nicely the other one will fill in the space in front of the Cimicifugas. 

I already had this little treasure from Far Reaches Farm growing nearby in a holding bed, so I just "slid" it over to add to the mix. It's a Chinese false Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum henryi) that I planted late last autumn and have kept caged to save it from the rabbits. 

This is what it will look like (below) when it gets to its mature size of 36 inches. Plus it's fragrant! It's listed as needing "shade to part shade" but I've put it in a spot that  will get some sun. All of the plants here are shade plants, but I know from experience that my best Cimicifugas and painted ferns all get some sun. 

Far Reaches Farm

I've tried to grow this Umbrella Leaf (Diphylleia cymosa) more than once with little success. I've had it in moist and dry shade but nary a flower. So I dug out both clumps and added them to the left of the painted fern in the first photo. 

Far Reaches Farm

This is also supposed to get about 3 feet tall, with white flowers and large leaves that look a bit like giant Jeffersonia or Podophyllum, which is clear to see in the image below from Far Reaches Farm website. 

These incredible blue berries that are the real reason to grow this plant. I've never managed to get any flowers on either of my Diphylleias, let alone berries. But I'm hopeful that a little more sun is the answer.

Great Plant Picks Photo

While I wait for things to grow and fill in, I am going to add some of this Tiarella 'Running Tapestry' as a ground cover to tie everything together.

This bed does not look like much at the moment but I'm hoping it will begin to make a statement by next year. I am pleased with it on two counts:

First, that I got the inspiration in a garden not far from my own;

Second, that I got all the plants by shopping my own garden. This year I've been able to refine a number of sparse areas with large divisions from elsewhere in the garden. I love being able to instantly fill in an area without having to shop anywhere but in my own garden. 

Small garden details

The Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society has a FB page for members. We typically post photos of our gardens, ask for design help or aid to id plants and weeds. We also have the ability via official group email to let everyone know when members open their gardens for an evening. We have scheduledl open garden events but these are just spontaneous moments when a gardener thinks their garden has something worth sharing. 

This was a small back garden I visited in early spring with a wood fence/gate separating the garden from the drive and garage. I liked the design that made the area private but let you look out when you were standing. 

But the best part was this little fountain on the other side of that short wall, right outside the back door to the house. Add rocks and ferns and you have a perfect garden in a very tiny space. 

Wednesday vignette

We were all quite take with this swath of lawn at Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois, when the WHPS stopped there on our recent bus trip. We thought the lawn was mown to look like a raked gravel garden. 

Whether it was done on purpose, or just the result of their mower, who knows. But we took it as a clever and intentional design decision by the gardeners. 

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. 

Peony Heaven

When I think about my family's garden "history," it's mostly about vegetables. Though there were flowers in the yards at the houses where I grew up, I think they were there when we moved in. In his later years my Dad had Alzheimer's, and while he was still able to live at home, my most lasting memories of him are in the garden tending Peonies. Thus the Peonies in my garden always remind me of him even though I mostly grow species Peonies and not the big blowsy beauties we had. 

Though my garden is packed full, I think I have room for one more Peony. And this spring, Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery in Avalon, Wisconsin, is offering the beauty I've had my eye on since it was first introduced. I've been waiting for the price to come down but it hasn't. And I'm not going to wait any longer to add Paeonia 'Golden Angel' to my garden.

KLEHM SONG SPARROW WEBSITE PHOTO

Here's Klehm's description: "Newly emergent stems have red and gold color to add an intriguing accent to spring bulbs such as daffodils. Then, as the foliage completely unfurls it shows the gold tones that inspired its name. As the season progresses the foliage matures to green. Single soft cream yellow blossoms are lovely atop the foliage."

SOLARIS FARMS WIKI IMAGE

Isn't this a stunning plant?!! I have had little success with P. Molly the Witch and this seems like an excellent replacement for her. I wish I had a bed that I could devote to Peonies. I'd grow one or two old classics for the fragrance because the newer ones usually only have a very slight fragrance. But I love the colors and forms and quirky flower types that are available these days. 

'Coral Charm' (below) was a big breakthrough in Peony color and it's easy to see why it is an award winner. 

P. 'Spumoni Whisper' is swoon-worthy beside having a great name!

I used to only like the very traditional Peony flowers. But over years of looking at Klehm Peonies, I've come to appreciate some of the forms that are quite unusual and not at all what comes to mind when one says "Peony."

'Daisy Coronet' is a perfect example of what I mean. She's kooky but has a large dose of dramatic charm with those dark maroon-red pistils! It's worth mentioning that 'Daisy Cornet' is an early bloomer with small 2-3" flowers and the plant is only 22 inches tall. That means she can be blended into a garden more easily than some of the more showy Peonies.

Roy Klehm is the sole hybridizer for 'Daisy Coronet' and 'Spumoni Whisper' and shares the honors with another hybridizer on the other Peonies show here. Though the Klehm family has been specializing in Peonies for generations, they offer a wonderful selection of perennials, shrubs and trees as well. I've bought a lot of different plants from them over the years and highly recommend them. Good value and great packaging so I've never had a plant get harmed in shipping. 

Roy Klehm has spoken to the WHPS many times over the years and often lets members shop in person one day each spring. But I wrote this post because I discovered Klehm long before I found WHPS and think the nursery is well-worth recommending. 

Too cold to think!

Friday afternoon the storm blew in at the exact time forecasters had predicted. We didn't get too much snow, only about 4-5 inches (10-12 cm.). But it's enough to insulate the garden from the cold that came with the storm. At least I hope it is!

The garden looked beautiful. Not a footprint marred the snow, not a sound but the wind.

Despite chilly temps and snowy roads, everyone came to my house for my workshops on Saturday. Lots of sharing of ideas and energizing garden talk.

Sunday morning I was up and out of the house by 9:15 a.m. to go to the annual Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society pot luck, seed exchange etc. It was clear and sunny so the 0 degree F. (-17.77 C.)  temperature didn't seem that bad. 

But this morning, it's -16 degrees F. (-26.66 C.) so Mark and i are hunkering down in front of the fire with books, laptops, and coffee. The Polar Vortex has definitely hit the neighborhood!

Prepping for a pair of workshops

I'm presenting a pair of workshops Saturday on "Recording your Garden." Here's the description: 

"When it comes to your garden, you are the expert; the only person who has been there from the beginning. But memory is an unreliable way to keep track of your plants and all your work, the constant changes you see, the weather and whatnot. Linda Brazill has been journaling about her garden and other subjects for many years. She’ll share ideas and her inspirations about the myriad ways you can record and interact with your garden on this deeper level. Mainly print, some digital but not spreadsheets."

My offering is part of on-going series of programs given by members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society and offered mostly free to members. I'm doing mine at my home and limited the group size to eight people counting me. I wanted to do something where we could really interact, talk and share ideas and reflections.

I mention all this because I am going to stay off the computer while I get everything ready today and tomorrow. See you all on Monday!

Winter classes

It doesn't matter how many years I've been gardening, I always look at the classes, lectures and workshops that are being offered locally at the UW-Madison Arboretum, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Allen Centennial Gardens and through organizations like the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society. Some things are for members only while others are open to the public. 

Last year, I signed up for some lectures at Olbrich and I was hoping they would offer a reprise of my favorite — which it turns out they are doing. "Year in Reviews: Olbrich's Horticultural Highlights of 2018" is being offered by Erin Presley, one of their staff horticulturalists. Erin created one of my favorite sculptures in Olbrich's herb garden last summer, so I am very excited to hear her take on the gardening year. What is so much fun about this topic is that it is a "grab bag" with highs, lows, inspiration from here and there. It is one person's response to the garden and the year and I'm really looking forward to it. 

Olbrich is offering three different programs on dealing with increased rainfall and ways to protect your house and garden through planting and design. There are also a number of food-related and cooking classes, including a few by Huma Siddiqui whose cookbook I own. She is a great presenter. I helped her on a number of occasions when she was teaching at Orange Tree Imports where I worked at the time. Some offerings are geared to children and families while others are for knowledgeable and beginning gardeners, so be sure to check out all the options. 

I don't have personal experience with the offerings through Allen Centennial Gardens but the line-up looks great. I've been a member of WHPS for years and their programs for members are always rewarding. The real benefit of becoming a member of any of these groups is that you get to meet lots of other gardeners, share problems and insights. 

Head gardener at home

Way back in March, Jeff Epping, horticulture director at Olbrich Botanical Gardens here in Madison, gave a talk to the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society about his own garden. Many of us have seen Jeff's garden in the past, but it was going to be featured this summer on a WHPS tour of members' gardens. So we were all interested to hear what Jeff might have to show and tell.

Jeff talked about various garden design enterprises he's doing and gave us a teaser about the changes that have happened at his own garden. His shady front garden with no-mow grass (below) bit the dust when the city redid his street including replacing gutters and putting in a major drainage project.

Since this area (above) was about to be destroyed — more or less — by the construction work, Jeff figured it was the perfect time for a big change. Once the city was finished, Jeff turned his front lawn into a low-water, low-maintenance gravel garden similar to the sustainable ones he's created at Olbrich. This is a specialized kind of planting that needs the proper plants and prep to succeed. But in a couple of years it should be totally filled in creating quite a different look with very little work needed to maintain it. 

The Hakonechloa grasses that are still in the front garden (below) foreshadow what's to come. We walked around the right side of Jeff's house to get to the back garden. 

The side of the house features an array of different kinds and sizes of logs . . .

which are sporting mushrooms.

This is what Jeff's back garden looked like the last time I saw it, which was July, 2010. Wide mixed borders edged a central area of grass with a path that led through the garden out into a shared neighborhood park. The pots with small evergreen trees are on a pair of stone pillars that are part of the wall around Jeff's deck.

This is the view in 2010 looking back towards the side of the house with the mushroom logs.

Stepping into the garden at the same location as the photo above but the view today is totally different. 

The greensward has disappeared, replaced with a gravel circle that has a pair of Wave Hill chairs along with pots filled with plants and water. Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa species) has gone from an accent to become the foundational plant, interspersed with purple Perilla.

The deck is the same and still offers a view out to the shared neighborhood space, though Jeff mentioned the furniture has been replaced with items that are more low maintenance than what he had before. 

The deck also still showcases pots of plants, shrubs and flowers on all sides. 

These groupings offer so many ideas in terms of the plants one might use, size and scale and position of plants and pots. Both displays use repetition of plants and pots to great effect.

Jeff also still has my favorite pair of evergreens on the raised stone posts on either side of the steps leading from the deck into the garden. This shows one of them in the old garden view. 

The fabulous plantings in the narrow space between the house and driveway are still fabulous . . .

just much more mature. 

Jeff's artful driveway with its espaliered trees and plantings in pots and the ground is my all-time favorite  — after my own rather nice driveway!