mediaOrganic » Flowers

nature surprises

john — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:33:14 +0000

I am constantly awed by the variety and beauty of the plants I find growing at the fringes of my property. A small stand of milkweed has found an ideal location to grow amongst my rhus aromatica. As a child I was aware of milkweed for its pods full of seed parachutes that float on the wind and fill the air every summer. But I never realized until yesterday that milkweed flowers are so voluptuous and fragrant, like round lilacs. From the bees gathering nectar, the ants marching in orderly columns up and down the stem, the as yet unidentified predator insect patiently awaiting its next meal, to the earwigs hiding in the shady folds of the new top growth, these plants play host to an entire ecosystem.

Don’t Make This Mistake!

phyllis — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:14:54 +0000

About three weeks ago John and I went to a local nursery that we’ve used for the past 10+ years for our summer annuals. We have a bed in front of the house that gets full sun, so we like to fill it with a mass planting of Celosia, a fleshy stemmed plant pretty common in commercial landscaping. It’s showy, drought tolerant, pest-free, blooms all summer and is inexpensive.

A strange thing happened with this year’s batch however, for some reason after transplanting in a fertilized bed the plants just didn’t take off, this is not normal at all for Celosia. Also, some of them started to die off, also strange since this bed is watered and weeded regularly.

So anyway last weekend we went back to look for veggies but didn’t really like the new selections, the new owners seem to be stocking pretty average stuff. So we headed up the road to Lambert’s, a grocery store that just expanded their garden center. They had beautiful inventory and I found more Celosia that looked really nice so we took them home and planted them in the same bed as the last batch that has not thrived.

Well let me tell you the difference in one week had been astounding. The plants on the left are the new Celosia, the ones on the right have been there for almost a month. Just look at the difference!

The new ones have robust leaves, thick healthy stems and great color
The old ones have tiny leaves, have not grown or branched out at all, the stems are weak and the color has faded on the blossoms

What the heck is going on here? Here’s what I think; the old batch was not grown from seed. I think the unscrupulous grower merely rooted mature flowers heads in rooting hormone and stuck them into potting soil. Below is one that I pulled up, look at the pathetic roots; after three+ weeks the stem and root system should be much more developed. Compare it to the stem of a newer one.

This morning I went back to Lambert’s and bought 12 more; I’ll pull up the bad ones and replace them. I noticed too the good Celosia are local and were grown right here in Massachusetts whereas the old ones were from a producer out-of-state.

So – the lesson here – don’t be seduced by a flashy flower, look at the whole plant when buying summer annuals.

poppin’ poppies

john — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:25:06 +0000

What more is there to say about these dramatic and colorful specimens?

first poppy of the season

john — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:37:05 +0000

The first poppy of the season. I always consider this day the true start of the summer growing season. Note the chickens in the background.

just another pretty marigold picture

john — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:24:39 +0000

Took this on my Canon S2 IS Powershot the morning after a rain shower.

eureka! a positive identification

john — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:16:51 +0000

For the past few years I’ve watched every spring as clumps of small white flowers emerge from clumps of what looks like waxy variegated grass. I don’t know how they found their way onto my property but they seem to thrive in the semi-shade on the north side of my property under the trees and even in the lawn. I liked them so much that I dug up several bunches of the bulbs and transplanted them along a stone wall. They are now in full bloom and look glorious. I’ve always wondered what they were so tonight I finally spent enough time at the computer to make what I think is a postive identification. They are Star of Bethlehem.

From Wikipedia -

Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star-of-Bethlehem, Grass Lily, Nap-at-Noon, Eleven-o’clock Lady), is a perennial bulbous flowering plant of the family Hyacinthaceae. It is native throughout most of southern and central Europe (north to Austria and Belgium), and in northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia. In North America, it has escaped its cultivation as a garden ornamental and can be found in many areas.

kids and gardening

john — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:19:12 +0000

Our TV-FREE initiative started last Tuesday and is going well. The kids have been busy enough with other activities and events that they haven’t really had time to complain. Over the weekend, we decided to let each of our girls take ownership of their own garden bed, to plant, water and care for as they see fit. We took a trip over the our local garden center let them pick out some plants and came home with 150 annual seedlings. Phyllis and the girls fortified the beds with peat moss and composted cow manure and managed to plant all the seedlings (with a handful left over for containers).

salvia bed completed

john — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:11:44 +0000

Last spring, during a visit to a friend’s house, I had noticed that they had salvia planted in a perennial bed along their driveway and it was covered with bees. I made a mental note that this would be a good plant to tuck into my garden to attract more bees. During the summer months and into the fall I kept noticing that bees are attracted to tall, spiky flowers. I looked in vain for a nice perennial salvia but could only find annual varieties. This month, I found what I was looking for at Lowes.

(photos and variety info to follow)