GardenerCook

And In Christmas News...

2011-12-25T08:46:00.000-06:00

Early on this Christmas morning, while the family is still asleep, I thought I'd share a bit of the week's good news with all of you. I want to thank each and every one of you for following along! Gardener Cook (formerly Garden Notes) will officially reach 25,000 views before year's end! This is no small feat and is thanks entirely to you. No readers, no blog. It's that simple.

As I have alluded to in many Facebook posts and the occasional blog post, I've been wanting to share some exciting news for several weeks, but was unable to until the official word came and I was 100% sure it was going to happen. I didn't want to jinx it! So today, I can tell you with a great sense of pride (and a certain amount of relief!) that my first book proposal has been accepted by Timber Press and that I will be spending much of 2012 writing and photographing for a new book tentatively titled In A Southern Garden--Lessons From 20 Years of Gardening in the South. This is only a working title and may (will, likely) change, but you never know. Regardless, the proposal has met with all levels of approval, has been officially signed off on and I will have a contract in hand the first week of January!

On the same day--almost at the same time, in fact--a second project that I had been approached about working on also came through. If all of the stars align and we can work out any "conflict of interest" concerns, I may actually be working on two books in 2012! The second would be a distinct departure from my gardening world, but an easy step into my second passion--food! (There was some logic behind my changing up the blog earlier this year!) I can't say much more than that for now, as many of the details still have to be worked out, but keep your fingers crossed and perhaps by year's end I'll have some further news on this exciting second project.

I hope this brief post finds all of you well this holiday season! Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, I hope it brings you joy, happiness and peace. From my garden to yours, Merry Christmas and I'll see you in 2012!

Not Your Grandmother's Amaryllis

2011-12-16T11:43:00.001-06:00

Before we dive into the world of these stunning "new" amaryllis, let's talk for just a minute about names. While I have used the word "amaryllis" in the title and again in the first sentence, it's because I'm writing for you, the gardening public, and not because it is necessarily accurate. In fact, amaryllis has become the accepted common name for a group of bulbs technically called Hippeastrum. These are the bulbs that we all know and love as the Christmas bloomers, often with giant red, pink, or white blooms (or multiple variations on that theme). The truth is that Amaryllis (capital "A" and italicized) is the name of an entirely different genus (group) of plants and is not at all what it is sold in stores around the world at Christmas time. That said, we all refer to these holiday beauties as "amaryllis", so in keeping with what we all understand, I'm using the same terminology.

The amaryllis I'd like to introduce you to are a newer group of bulbs with extremely unusual and exotic blooms with often spidery petals and an almost otherworldly appearance. These unusual blooms come from a species known as Hippeastrum cybister, pictured below in a print made around the time of the species' discovery in South America.

In the past two decades, hybridizers have been working with Hippeastrum cybister and crossing it with other species and hybrids to create an entirely new group of bulbs known as the Cybister Group or Cybister Hybrids. Some of the best include stunning new introductions such as:

Hippeastrum 'Evergreen':

Hippeastrum 'Rio Negro':

Hippeastrum 'Merengue':

And one of the most unusual of all, Hippeastrum 'Double Merengue', a full double-flowered form of the variety pictured above.

So there you have it! Some new, unusual and out-of-the-ordinary amaryllis to add to your Christmas collection. You may not find these in every garden center you walk into, but they are becoming more widely available through various online retailers and a quick Google search should help you locate several nurseries and bulb suppliers who offer them for sale. I hope this post finds everyone well and enjoying the holiday season and I wish you the very best in the coming year!

Winter Inspiration

2011-11-28T19:32:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already passed and December 1 is bearing down upon us. And of course, the weather has taken a turn for the worse long before I (or the garden) was ready. In fact, I'm sitting here writing to you now with a fire in the fireplace and snow--yes, SNOW!--bearing down on west Tennessee. It remains to be seen whether it will make it all the way to the Nashville area, but indications are that we'll have at least a dusting and maybe as much as inch or so before it's said and done. Some areas are expecting more!

Even with the weather turning sour, the garden still has some life in it. In fact, this beautiful "Christmas rose", Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper' just started flowering this week and will continue, completely unfazed by the weather, until April! It is my favorite of all of the recent hellebore introductions. There are others, as well, but none that have the flower power of Josef.

Here is Josef Lemper last January with a bud pushing up through the snow!

Other winter favorites include the many witchhazels like Hamamelis 'Primavera', pictured below. Flowering as early as January in warmer climates, its bright yellow petals are a bright spot in the winter garden and are completely unaffected by cold temperatures.

A plant that often gets a bad rap for being "invasive"--another topic for another blog post--is Mahonia bealei, Leatherleaf Mahonia. Its outstanding architectural form is a welcome presence year-round in the garden, but my favorite feature of mahonia is its winter blooms. In fact, its one of the few nectar sources available to honeybees that emerge to scavenge for food on warm winter days.

One last winter favorite, and yes, another of those that some gardeners consider "invasive" (remove the seedheads and they won't move an inch, and it's not that time consuming--you deadhead everything else...) Arum italicum is an important denizen of my winter garden. The foliage emerges in late October and early November, remaining completely evergreen throughout the winter, thumbing its nose at temperatures well below freezing. If we dip down into the teens for an extended period, some leaves my suffer some frost damage, but those can simply be removed and with the warm days of spring, new foliage will appear. Keep in mind that this is a plant that goes dormant in the summer, hiding underground during the hottest months of the year, so plan accordingly. Its the perfect plant to mix in with hostas and other shade lovers that are dormant in winter. The arum will be up all winter long and as it goes dormant in early summer, the hostas will take its place. In autumn, the cycle will start over as the hostas go dormant and the arum emerges.

So just because winter is knocking at the door doesn't mean I have to let it in, and even on the coldest winter days the garden will remind me that spring will--eventually--return.

Fashionable Roses

2011-11-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

Like so many of you, I work--a lot. Between my design clients, traveling to speaking engagements, working on magazine articles, building a stock photography library and getting ready to launch a garden tour business--not to mention a few projects that I can't talk about quite yet--my days are fairly full. To that end, sometimes it's nice to be able to mix some pleasure with my work. Not that I don't find pleasure in all of my work. If I didn't, I'd change careers. But really, sometimes it's fun just to have fun and Friday was one of those days!

I've mentioned one of my favorite projects, the Nashville Music Garden, on the blog before. This garden is a collection of all of the roses that have ever been named for one of Tennessee's great music artists, groups or songs and, as far as we know, it's the only garden like it in the world based solely on its plants having this kind of connection to the music world. There are roses named for Barbara Mandrell, Lynn Anderson, Dolly Parton, Pam Tillis and many other artists. There are also roses named for songs, like Rocky Top, Amazing Grace and Blue Suede Shoes. We even have a rose, 'Crescendo', that was named by Jackson & Perkins to honor our Nashville Symphony--the first time ever a rose was named to honor a group like this--as well as The Grand Ole Opry, The Nashville Ballet and others!

On Friday, we added a new name to our list of honorees at the Nashville Music Garden--Manuel Cuevas. Now, some of you may not know who Manuel is, but if you've ever seen a photo of someone like Marty Stuart or Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam or Little Jimmy Dickens--or any number of other artists--wearing one of those flashy rhinestoned and embroidered jackets, suits or shirts, then you know Manuel. In fact, Manuel dressed "The King" himself and is the man who made Johnny Cash "The Man in Black". So it was a true honor and privilege for this little ol' country boy from Kansas to be a part of the dedication of the new 'Manuel Cuevas' rose on Friday. Manuel even loaned me a jacket to wear for the event and I couldn't have been prouder to wear it!

Pictured with me are Manuel (holding a picture of the rose that was named for him), legendary singer Lynn Anderson (she never promised you a rose garden!), Pat Bullard (my amazing friend who founded the Nashville Music Garden) and rose hybridizer Whit Wells of Wells Mid-South Roses (the creator of the 'Manuel Cuevas' rose and so many others).

By the way, the real rose that you see Lynn wearing on her shirt is the new 'Manuel Cuevas' rose--and the roses you see embroidered on Lynn's beautiful shirt are Manuel's own artistic interpretation of his new rose. This shirt will be donated to the Nashville Music Garden for a special, online fundraising auction, details of which I'll announce here at a later date.

If you are interested in growing the 'Manuel Cuevas' rose or others that are part of the Nashville Music Garden collection, see Whit's website at www.wellsmidsouthroses.com. Also, be sure to visit the Nashville Music Garden's own website at www.nashvillemusicgarden.com and become their friend by "Liking" Nashville Music Garden on Facebook. And if you're ever in Nashville, be sure to stop by the garden which is located directly across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Symphony in Hall of Fame Park between 4th and 5th Avenue, just south of Broadway. You never know who you might catch a glimpse of!

Shades of Autumn

2011-10-13T22:04:00.000-05:00

I am admittedly not a big fan of autumn. I don't dislike the season itself and in fact, some of my favorite garden plants flower as the days grow shorter, temperatures drop and summer begins to lose its grip. My problem with autumn is that it precedes winter, and of winter, I am not a fan. In my book, winter is simply a necessary evil--the cold weather I must endure in order to love the plants I love the most. Perennials, bulbs, flowering trees, shrubs--they all have to have winter in order to survive--and not just survive, but thrive--and bloom. And so, I survive winter knowing that at it's end, all of my garden favorites will be back to woo me with their flowers, their foliage, their fragrance and so much more.

So, if I have to endure winter, I figure autumn ought to be as beautiful as I can possibly make it. Here are a few stars that are shining now in my gardens and a couple of others that I have visited this week. Below, Aster novae-angliae (now technically Symphiotrichum novae-angliae because the botanists have been playing again). The straight species, not a hybrid, it marries beautifully with Colocasia 'Elena' in the background.

Below, Helianthus simulans flowering in the Color Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Garden. If you're a Nashvillian (or visiting) be sure not to miss Cheekwood--55 acres of beautiful gardens and the Color Garden, in the very capable hands of my friend Phillipe Chadwick, is especially beautiful this time of year.

Part of the fun of gardening is discovering new plants--or new variations of old plants, as in the case below. I found this seedling Arum italicum in a friend's garden a few years ago and though it had but one leaf at that time, I thought it looked as though it might have some potential. I'm so glad I talked her out of it. Stunning variegation and these beautiful leaves will remain standing all winter long!

Tricyrtis is another genus of fall-blooming favorites. Tricyrtis hirta, with its amethys-speckled blooms, always makes me smile. It's not rare or even that unusual, but it sure is fun!

And last, but certainly not least, one of the best flowering bulbs around, Colchicum autumnale. They last but a few days, but are so much fun when they suddenly burst into bloom in late September and early October. If you look closely you can see the "checkerboard" pattern (technically known as "tesselation") in the flower petals. In some varieties, this pattern is especially pronounced and very unique.

I hope that autumn finds you well. I've been photographing like crazy the past few weeks and have a big announcement coming your way soon, so stay tuned! See you in the garden!

30-Minute Bolognese

2011-10-02T09:50:00.001-05:00

I posted some photos last night on Facebook of a "shortcut" version of traditional Bolognese that I was whipping up to use in a lasagna. So many people asked for the details, I decided it would be easier to post it here, rather than taking up so much room on my Facebook page and only allowing my Facebook friends to have access to it. Sorry that I don't have a good photo. I was snapping with my phone as I went and the images really are inferior for posting here. I'll do better next time! At any rate, I can still tell you how you can make a really good Bolognese in 30-45 minutes and skip the traditional, all-day cooking.

Traditional Bolognese is a thick, meaty sauce with little or sometimes no tomato paste or sauce included. The meat is the star. The Americanized version is usually a thick, tomato-based sauce full of meat--what we typically would think of as a "meaty" spaghetti sauce. This quick shortcut version falls somewhere in between and to me, gives you the best of both worlds. Deep, rich, meaty flavor and a moist, silky, stick-to-the-pasta (and your ribs) texture. And the time it saves!

What you'll need:

(This makes enough to make a BIG lasagna, 11 x 14, or would easily serve 8 if used with tagliatelle, fettuccine, or even spaghetti.)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c. finely chopped celery
3/4 c. finely chopped carrot
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds 93% lean ground beef
2 quarts of prepared spaghetti sauce (and you may actually need a 3rd quart, store-bought, I prefer the Classico brand Sweet Basil and Tomato, or Publix Premium Sweet Basil)
2-3 Tbsp. sugar, optional
3-4 Tbsp. fresh Basil, thinly sliced

On a day when I'm home all day, I'll make traditional Bolognese that takes several hours to do right, but when I'm in a hurry, this comes as close as you can get and takes 1/4 of the time.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. You want it hot, but don't let it smoke. The goal is to sweat the vegetables down and, after about 10 minutes of cooking, have them lightly golden brown. Once the oil is hot, add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables take on a nice golden color.

Add the ground beef all at once and use a spatula to break the meat up and completely incorporate it into the vegetables. Open 1 jar of the sauce and add 1 cup of sauce to the meat mixture. Keep working this mixture until the ground beef has broken up completely and there are no large chunks. Simmer this mixture until all of the moisture has evaporated and the meat begins to look dry. Add a second cup of sauce from the open jar and incorporate it thoroughly, simmering until the mixture "goes dry" again. Repeat this action until the first jar of sauce is gone. It doesn't take long, maybe 10-15 minutes, and your goal is a very rich, thick, brown meaty mixture when it's done.

Give a taste. At this point, the mixture should taste very meaty with some tomato. If it's too salty/tomato-y, this is where the sugar comes in to sweeten it up a bit. Sugar is optional and to your personal taste.

Once the meat mixture is completely cooked, add the second jar of sauce all at once and simmer for about 5 minutes. If the mixture is too dry for your liking, this is where the third jar (or part of the third jar) of pasta sauce may come in handy--to get the consistency right for your personal taste. Keep in mind that good Bolognese should not "run" over the pasta, but actually stick to it. During the last minute or two of simmering, add the fresh basil and incorporate thoroughly. Your Bolognese is now ready to serve or use in another dish that needs further preparation, as I did last night with the lasagna.

This may sound like an involved process, but it's really quick, easy and a tasty shortcut to traditional Bolognese when you're in a pinch.

Cavolo Nero

2011-09-27T08:15:00.000-05:00

In the states, we know this tough, cold-hardy cabbage cousin as "Dinosaur" kale, its name coming from the rough, leathery texture of its leaves. We use it primarily as an ornamental for the fall and winter garden, combining it with pansies, violas and other cold-hardy winter growers where it provides a textural, architectural accent for its lower growing companions. In Italy, however, Cavolo Nero, or black kale, is a staple of the fall and winter vegetable garden and its greatest claim to fame is the thick, rich tuscan soup called Ribollita.

On our trip to Italy last October, we sampled Ribollita in a variety of restaurants, from small town osterias to the finer establishments of Florence. Each was slightly different in its makeup, but all were a hearty blend of kale, white beans and other vegetables. Some had a touch of tomato, while others leaned most heavily on the Cavolo Nero itself. In every case, the portion set before you was generous--and generously drizzled with the brightest green, fresh pressed olive oil available, some of it even having been pressed that very day. Divine!

I stopped by the garden center on my way home on Friday and picked up some "Dinosaur" kale for my own garden. I have yet to decide whether I'll plant it directly in the ground, where it would certainly attain its greatest size, or whether I'll opt to use it in a few pots up near the garden shed where I can protect them from the harshest winter weather and harvest kale until well after Christmas. Given the current rabbit population, pots seem the most prudent way to go. Either way, I'll be harvesting my own Cavolo Nero in a few weeks and Ribollita will be on the menu on more than one occasion this winter. If you'd like to try some yourself, here is my favorite Ribollita recipe, shared from the most famous of all Italian cookbooks, The Silver Spoon.

Ribollita

Serves 4

1/4 cup very high quality olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 fresh or canned tomatoes, peeled

1 fresh thyme sprig

2 potatoes, coarsely diced

7 1/2 cups Cavolo Nero (black kale), shredded

1 cup fresh white beans, or 1/2 cup dried white beans, soaked in cold water overnight and drained

4 country-style bread slices

salt and pepper, to taste

This is soup is called ribollita (reboiled) because it was originally made using the previous day's leftover vegetable soup heated in an earthenware pot with thinly sliced onion, black pepper and olive oil sprinkled on the surface. It was taken off the heat and served when the onion had turned golden brown. Today, however, it is normally made as follows.

Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy pan, add the carrot, onion and celery and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, thyme and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, then add the cavolo nero and beans. Pour in 8 3/4 cups water and season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the bread on the base of a large earthenware casserole and ladle in the soup. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Divide into 4 serving bowls, sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

A Long Time Coming

2011-09-26T21:50:00.002-05:00

After several months of revising and revamping, I'm proud to finally announce the re-launch of my old "Garden Notes" blog. You'll notice that the title of the blog has changed, but don't fret. I still plan to deliver all of the gardening information that was included in the blog before the changes--new and unusual plants, practical gardening tips, photos of gardens I have visited and more--but the new blog will also include another of my passions: food.

Food has been almost as important in my life as gardening has and it only made sense that at some point, the two would merge--my vocation and my avocation--and become one. There are some exciting things happening that I can't discuss with you just yet, but stay tuned for future announcements about new career directions, more opportunities for one-on-one interaction, travel to visit some of the finest gardens and gastronomic destinations around the world and much, much more.

In the meantime, enjoy the new blog--GardenerCook--and watch your "In" Boxes for regular new posts about my two favorite topics. Happy fall, and I'll see you in the garden! Or maybe the kitchen!

Troy

Welcome To Spring!

2011-03-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

Spring has burst forth with a vengeance in Nashville this week! Forsythia, daffodils, quince, hellebores and many other spring favorites are at their peak, so I thought I'd share a few shots from the garden this week.

Forsythia 'Lynwood Gold'. One of the oldest and best known varieties of Forsythia on the market, this is the one that gets the long, whiplike stems that are so great for cutting and forcing indoors in late winter and early spring. Many other varieties have been introduced over the years--later flowering, more cold hardy, shorter and more compact, even forms with variegated leaves--but none, in my opinion compare to the golden beauty of 'Lynwood Gold'.

A tremendous amount of hybridizing has been going on in the world of hellebores, or Lenten roses, over the past twenty years. Some of the finest results are just now making their way to market and much work is still being done. The range of flower colors and forms has exploded just in the past 5 years. Some of the best work being done in the world of hellebore hybridizing is that of Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne at Northwest Garden Nursery. Their Winter Jewels (TM) series is, in my opinion, second to none. The one pictured above is Winter Jewels (TM) 'Golden Sunrise' and has been stunning for the past month.

I have a soft spot in my heart for quince. It's one of the things that I remember from my grandmother's garden when I was a child. This unusual variety, 'Atsuya Hamada', is a deep, velvety blood red and the flowers are much smaller than normal--only about 3/4" in diameter. It's perfect for cutting!

Another quince that I have fallen in love with in the past couple of years is this new cultivar, 'Chojuraku'. Its deep, apricot orange flowers light up the garden in early spring. It is deeper in color and a larger, more robust plant than 'Cameo', which is also beautiful and has been on the market for many years. The tall stems of 'Chojuraku' make it great for cutting, where the dwarf habit of 'Cameo' makes it difficult to cut and use indoors.

One of the most unsual of all daffodils and a variety that has been around for over 100 years, 'Van Sion', also known as 'Telamonius Plenus', is one of the most beautiful and one of the most frustrating varieties that I have grown. Some years, it opens perfectly double flowers like the one shown above, while other years it opens as a shredded looking blossom that resembles a dandelion! Some years, if the weather conditions are wet and rainy while it is trying to open, the buds may blast and rot on the plant without opening at all. In the years when it at its very best, 'Van Sion' is showstopping and it's worth the wait for those perfect years!

I hope that spring is just as beautiful in your corner of the world and I'll be back again soon!

And Spring Begins...

2011-02-23T17:28:00.000-06:00

Don't get too comfortable in your shorts and flip-flops just yet, for winter will most assuredly return for another round or two or three. But as I was out and about our fair city today, I couldn't help but notice that spring--just when I need it the most--has finally begun to peek slowly and cautiously out from under the blanket and that the landscape's long slumber is coming to an end.

The first sure sign of spring each year is this lawn full of crocus that flowers in mid- to late February--like clockwork--regardless of the weather, reminding me that spring, indeed, is but a few weeks away. And while I know we'll have more cold temperatures, more of those infuriating late spring frosts that nip the buds of over zealous tender plants pushing through the soil too soon, and maybe even a little more snow (but I sure hope not), I know for sure that winter is losing a fighting battle and that spring will prevail.

The witchhazel also tells me that spring is on its way. In my own garden, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' has chosen to unfurl it's blooms early this year. It is usually the last of the witchhazels to flower, and this year, it's one of the first! What's a gardener to do?

Another plant that helps get me through winter's blah and boring days is this beautiful "Christmas Rose"--which is about as closely related to a rose as you are to a dinosaur--therein the problem with common names. But I digress... Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper' has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is going to be a great garden plant. I only planted it in August and it was not a huge plant to begin with, but it is now on it's third round of bloom since the first week of December and even had buds pushing up through the melting snow in January!

For a big, bright splash of color in the late winter landscape, I can always rely on this small patch of Iris reticulata. Although its flowers last only about a week--maybe 10 days in a good year--it's just the right week every year. The week when I need to be reminded that winter won't last forever!

And snowdrops. All the rage in England for decades, American gardeners are now beginning to get interested in them beyond just the common species. I snapped this photograph in a Nashville garden today. It has been a damp, chilly day, and the light was terrible for photographing the crocus that I really wanted to shoot, but it was overcast enough that the white flowers didn't glare and "burn out", so all in all it turned out okay. Back to photograph the crocus on Friday, if tomorrow's rain doesn't destroy them. If it does, there's always next year and that's part of the beauty of the garden.

When I was headed downtown earlier, I decided to take a quick spin through Centennial Park and see what was flowering in the garden there on the north side of the Parthenon. I'm sure glad I did. Otherwise, I would have missed this beautiful witchhazel, Hamamelis mollis 'Pallida'.

Contrary to popular belief, the following photgraph is NOT forsythia! It's too early! And it's the wrong color, and it has 5 petals and not 4--and, and, and..... Oh, sorry. You now know one of my biggest late winter and early spring pet peeves. This graceful, beautiful, weeping, yellow-flowered, fragrant shrub is always confused with Forsythia when in actuality it is a jasmine. Jasminum nudiflorum--winter jasmine--to be precise. It makes a great groundcover or cascading shrub and while I was a mite irritated when I found that the landscape team at this particular establishment had begun shearing this row like a hedge (it used to cascade beautifully to the ground)--I have to admit that it's rather stunning in bloom, even sheared within an inch of its life.

And last, but certainly not least, a rather unusual and lesser known (by the gardening public, anyway) cousin of the witchhazel, Parrotia persica. These flowers will "puff up" a bit, but what you see is basically what you get. It's not really grown for its blooms and in fact, I watched at least 20 people walk right past this today and never look up. But even if its blooms aren't showy, it has beautiful, smooth, silver-grey bark and its tapestry of fall color in shades of red, orange and gold is second to none.

So there you have it! Spring is officially on its way. Winter beware. You might have a few good gusts left in you, but you're not going to win this fight and for this year, anyway, I say good riddance.

We're Off and Traveling!

2011-02-03T15:59:00.000-06:00

Exciting news this week! We're off and traveling! I am working with a local travel company even as I am writing this to you and it seems that in all likelihood my dream of taking gardeners and garden lovers like you on trips to some of the finest gardens in the world--both stateside and abroad--is finally going to come true!

We are still working on the details, but I hope that within the next few weeks we'll have an official itinerary and price for an incredible trip this fall to the Philadelphia area and the exquisite Brandywine Valley. Destinations will include world-renowned Longwood Gardens (where yours truly was an intern 20--gasp!--years ago), Winterthur, Chanticleer and many of the other public and private gardens in the area. We'll include some of the better garden centers and one-of-a-kind nurseries around Philadlephia, too, and trust me, I know how to pack and ship some plants. We'll get them home, no matter where you live!

If you love gardens and you love to travel, stay tuned. Lots more to come in the next few weeks! In the meantime, here are a few photos from Longwood, Chanticleer and Winterthur from my last trip there in 2008 to whet your appetite. You won't want to miss this!

The "mantel" in the Ruin at Chanticleer.

Chanticleer's incredible water garden.

Longwood's spectacular Italian water garden.

The gazebo by the pond at Longwood. This photograph was actually part of a National Geographic Traveler spread which you can see here: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/brandywine-valley-road-trip/

The oval staircase inside Winterthur, also in the National Geographic Traveler feature.

And the amazing "table" inside the ruin/follie at Chanticleer.

Itineraries to Scotland, England, Italy and France are also in the works for 2012 and beyond, so tell your frieinds and neighbors and...

Get your bags packed!

Plant of the Week: Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper'

2011-01-20T17:16:00.000-06:00

I want you to meet my new favorite hellebore, Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper'. I have never met a hellebore I didn't like and my garden is full of them, but I have to say that 'Josef Lemper' has quickly risen to the top of my list of favorites.

Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper'

Having only been in the ground since mid-summer, the first flower appeared shortly after Thanksgiving. Two more opened prior to Christmas and last week, even under four inches of snow, the "little plant that could" kept right on flowering! This week, with the snow finally gone, three more flowers have opened and I can see at least a half dozen more buds that will open over the next two to three weeks. Not bad for a plant that has only been in the garden six months and was just a small, 1-gallon specimen to begin with. I can't wait to see what it does in future years!

Helleborus x hybridus 'Golden Lotus', photo courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries

http://www.terranovanurseries.com/

Other favorite hellebores include Helleborus x hybridus 'Golden Lotus', an exquisite double-flowered form with creamy yellow petals and Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Silver Moon' with black-green foliage traced with silvery veins and white flowers that have appeared as early as mid-January in some years. This year, though, it looks like the big show is going to come in February.

Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Silver Moon'

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' was up near the top of the list for a long time and it is second to none where flower power is concerned, but I lost all of my plants to crown rot last summer--and my garden is nowhere close to being wet, since I live on a dry ridge. I'm going to try it again, but its propensity to succumb to crown rot has moved it down the list a little ways--at least for now.

Chasing Winter Away

2011-01-09T14:26:00.000-06:00

It's Sunday afternoon and much of the South is bracing for yet another nasty swipe by Old Man Winter. He has already taken a couple of good whacks at us this season and it looks as though tonight's snow and ice may extend as far south as Birmingham and perhaps even further! To help chase away those winter blues, I've been culling through my photo files and trying to reduce the number of unwanted, unneeded and unusable photos that I just haven't gotten around to deleting yet. Going through file after file helped me realize just how many photos I have of plants that help me get through the cold, gray days of winter in my garden and I thought I'd share a few favorites with you.

Edgeworthia chrysantha has long been one of my favorite winter-flowering shrubs. In middle Tennessee, we can expect flowers by mid-February, but the plant needs to be sited in a protected location so that cold weather doesn't freeze the early blooms. In just the right location, you can expect a 4 to 5-foot tall shrub with a 5 to 6-foot spread, but they often don't get quite that large. A particularly cold winter may cause some stems to die back, but with careful pruning and shaping the plant will rebound quickly. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the ideal location, preferably in rich, humusy, evenly moist soil with some protection from bitter winter winds.

The most serious of my plant collecting friends are really into this stunning relative of some of our most important commercial fruit crops--peaches, plums and cherries. Prunus mume is a species of flowering apricot whose blooms appear in the dead of winter when planted in just the right climate. In my garden, they frequently get frozen, but I don't mind. The few days of incredible enjoyment they give me each year, sometimes as early as the end of January, make them worth whatever space they take up in the garden. It helps that they are intoxicatingly fragrant!

Cornus officinalis is one of our earliest flowering dogwoods. Dogwood? Sure enough! As early as February in a warm winter the golden yellow blooms burst open to brighten even the grayest days of winter. Imagine the flower of the white flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) that most of us are familiar with and then think of that little green "puff" in the center of the bloom. That "puff" is the little cluster of true flowers that are surrounded by the showy white bracts that we think of as being the flower, but the truth is, it's not. Just like the Christmas poinsettia, the showy parts are actually bracts and not flowers at all. In the case of Cornus officinalis, it's missing those showy bracts and it just has the little "puff"--and they happen to be brilliant, golden yellow! A most welcome sight as winter begins to lose its grip and spring slowly emerges.

Late winter and early spring in my garden are defined by the flowering of the hellebores, or Lenten roses. Known as the stinking hellebore (an absolutely horrendous common name, as there is nothing about it that stinks!), Helleborus foetidus is one of the earliest flowering of all the plants in my garden. In fact, it's not uncommon for buds to begin appearing at the top of the plant as early (or late, depending on your perspective) as Thanksgiving! Those buds will go through a tremendous amount of cold to begin opening their pale green petals the very minute the weather acts as though it is going to moderate! Helleborus foetidus is almost always in full bloom by mid-February and will bloom for a full three months!

Also beginning in February, the witchhazels take center stage in the late winter and early spring garden. Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' is a little later, but is also one of the showiest of all of the witchhazels. Usually in flower around the first week of March, it lights up the garden for about two weeks in early spring and again in fall, when its leaves turn golden yellow with touches of orange and red!

In years when we're lucky (I guess) enough to have a little snow on the ground in late February, the beautiful and diminutive Iris reticulata will actually push its blooms right up through the snow! Growing from a small, underground bulb, you need to plant these in the autumn--at the same time you would be planting tulips and daffodils. Perfect perennials, Iris reticulata likes a location in the garden where it can spend the summer hot and dry. Given the proper conditions it will multiply rapidly and return year after year, putting on a bigger and better show each and every spring.

I noticed yesterday when I was getting out of the car that the 'February Gold' Narcissus that are planted next to the driveway are up about 2" and are already showing the tips of their flower buds! 'February Gold' is one of the earliest of all daffodils and with the reflected heat of the driveway, they are almost always in full bloom by the third week of February! Spring can't be far off now!

Plant of the Week: Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Fenway Park'

2011-01-05T14:31:00.000-06:00

In addition to a regular blog post each week, I thought I would start doing a "Plant of the Week" feature and introduce my readers to some of the unique, unusual and beautiful plants that I have known and grown over the years. Here is the inaugural "Plant of the Week" post:

I love a good clinging, climbing vine. Make it a bright golden yellow and it's truly a torrid affair! 'Fenway Park' was one of those have-to-have-it plants from the moment I first laid eyes on it--and it was HARD to find. Even now, it's not a plant that everyone is familiar with and certainly not one that you'll walk into just any garden center and find. And it's sloooooowww, so alot of growers don't want to take the time to produce it, but for me, being a slower grower is part of the beauty. The fact that it won't climb three stories in as many weeks makes it a much more manageable plant for most of us to live with in the garden. This doesn't mean that it won't eventually reach 30 feet, but it will take longer to get there and that gives us, the gardener, an opporunity to help direct and control its growth.

Botanical Name: Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Fenway Park'
Common Name: Fenway Park Boston Ivy
Hardiness: USDA Zones 4-9
Exposure: Full sun in northern and central climates, morning sun in the deeper South
Habit: Self-clinging vine
Size: 30-40 feet, depending on the size of the structure it has to climb on. Because of its slower rate of growth, it is not difficult to maintain it at a smaller size.
Features: Brilliant, golden chartreuse leaves throughout the summer and spectacular fall color in shades of red, orange and gold. Deciduous, losing its leaves in winter.

Italian Style

2010-12-18T15:12:00.000-06:00

One of the fun things I had the pleasure of doing earlier this fall was taking a trip to Italy with a group of five other friends. We rented a fantastic house (http://www.priello.com/) up in the hills of the upper Tiber River Valley near the small town of Caprese Michelangelo in the far eastern reaches of Tuscany, where Michelangelo himself was born. This was my first real vacation in almost 5 years and I have to say, no cell phone, no computer, and no television for an entire week was absolutely divine! Our beautiful house was surrounded by Tuscan farm land and we backed up to a several thousand acre national forest, complete with wild chestnut trees (the chestnuts were ripening while we were there and I roasted them in the fireplace almost every morning!), wild boar, porcupine and all kinds of other critters, not to mention diverse plant life.

I took more than 1300 photos in the 10 days we were gone and still have many to go through and cull, but I've put together a few of the better ones and thought I'd share them with all of my readers. I'll show you some of the plant life a little later on, but here are a few of the better landscapes and other shots I took while we were there.

This was sunrise on the first morning we were at Priello, our house in the Tuscan countryside.

Another sunrise shot, with teasel.

This was the largest and oldest chestnut tree on the property. There were many others, but this was the granddaddy!

Another view out from our house.

The leaning tower. If you're close by, you have to see it. The cathedral and baptistry are also magnificent!

A kind of cool black-and-white shot of the outside of cathedral of Pisa. The leaning tower is "behind" the church and was built as a bell tower.

The town of Lucca. Exquisite.

The vineyards at Poggio Amorelli, Chianti, where we did a wine and olive oil tasting!

The medieval walled town of Anghiari. I love the way the statues atop this school are looking out over the city.

The driveway leading up to our little abode, Priello. http://www.priello.com/

Jerome playing with the goats at Valle di Mezzo. This farm was owned by the same guys who we rented our house from. They are in the business of making goat cheese and I can tell you, it was fabulous!

La Bottega, a small restaurant in Volpaia, Italy. We ate just across the street at a restaurant owned by the same family, but I loved this little entrance garden!

That's all for now! See you soon!

Welcome To The New Blog

2010-12-18T08:03:00.001-06:00

Greetings Everyone!

I know you thought I had disappeared for good, but I promise I haven't. Late summer and fall were incredibly busy and I was on the road--almost continuously, it seemed--from the third week in July, when I went to Portland for the annual Perennial Plant Association Symposium, until mid-November, when I had my last speaking engagement for 2010. In fact, I had four week-long or longer trips in a twelve week period of time in addition to several overnight speaking engagements. In the midst of all of that, I decided to overhaul the blog and the website. The blog is finished, but the website has proven to be a challenge, as the program I had used previously doesn't seem to like communicating with my new laptop. It's slowly coming together and I hope to re-launch the website with an all new look sometime after the first of the year. In the meantime, the old website remains (mostly) operational at http://www.troybmarden.com/ .

I am already booking well into 2011 for speaking engagements and have even booked a couple of dates for 2012. If any of you are involved in plant societies, garden clubs or other groups and are in need of speakers, please feel free to contact me. You can reach me at info@troybmarden.com .

As many of you know, I was in the process of launching some garden tours when the economic crisis happened and I decided to table that idea temporarily until things straightened out a bit. Well, it seems things are slowly getting better and I am considering putting together some stateside tours for late 2011 and 2012 with the possibility of a trip to Scotland sometime in 2012, also. The stateside tours would be to the Brandywine Valley, with tours of many of the public gardens, nurseries and some private estates in the Philadelphia area and possibly to the Portland, Oregon area, one of our country's gardening meccas and a plant shopper's dream, with more than 500 nurseries within a 75-mile radius of Portland. If any of you are interested in taking some intensely garden and plant-oriented trips, give me a shout! info@troybmarden.com The more interest I know is out there, the more likely it is we'll be able to get enough people together to make some of these tours work out. Once we have itineraries worked out, I'll post those, as well, so you can see exactly what I'm thinking about doing and the places we might be visiting on various outings.

For those of you in the South, you'll be seeing a lot of me in the State-by-State gardening magazines (Tennessee Gardener, Georgia Gardener, etc. etc.) this coming year and I'm back in touch with my friends at Fine Gardening and hopefully will be doing some more work for them soon, which takes me out again to a national audience. We had another incredible year on our television show, Volunteer Gardener http://www.volunteergardener.org/ , and I have to say a personal "Thank You" to all of you across Tennessee and our "spill-over" areas in surrounding states for tuning in each and every week. Our ratings continue to be some of the highest in the country for locally produced television and those ratings are part of what keeps us on the air. For those of you outside of our viewing area, you can find a few segments on YouTube if you search "Volunteer Gardener".

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful holiday season and now that the blog is back up and running, it will be full speed ahead from here. I promise! I have 5 months worth of photos and "plant talk" to catch up on, so forgive me if I fill your In-boxes with more posts than usual over the coming weeks and months. At the least, I'm back to my weekly postings. I hope that 2011 sees many of your wishes and dreams coming true. Happy Holidays!

Troy

A Week In Portland

2010-07-23T02:05:00.000-05:00

Hi All! Just a quick note to say hello from the annual Perennial Plant Association conference, this year in Portland, Oregon. This is my first trip to the Pacific Northwest and it has been absolutely beautiful here. The weather has been stunning (upper 70's to lower 80's during the day and 60's at night), the plant life is unbelievably beautiful and it's always good to see so many friends who I only get to see a couple of times a year. Below, you'll find several photos of some of the beautiful places we've had the opportunity to visit this week.

Multnomah Falls

Mt. Hood, from the city of Hood River

Mt. Hood's summit at Timberline Lodge

Portland's Chinese Garden

Terra Nova Nurseries--one of the owners is my good friend Dan Heims, who I've had the pleasure of knowing since he was showing us his latest Heuchera leaves spread out on the hotel room bed during the conference. We've come a long way since then!

One of Dan's newest Echinaceas (coneflower) called 'Daydream'

Dierama 'Blackbird'. Unbelievably beautiful and unfortunately one of those plants that most of us don't live in the right climate to grow--or at least grow well.

And finally, whether you love it or not, Echinacea 'Pink Poodle'. More Portland updates to come!

In The Garden

2010-07-06T22:52:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I thought I'd share a few photos from the garden. It has been nearly two years since I moved and as some of you know, it took all of the first year just to get the beds whipped into shape, the weeds under control and gain some sense of control over what was already here when I moved in. This second season in the garden has been devoted to details and I'm finally at a place where I'm getting plants in the ground every weekend. It isn't that I haven't planted anything at all over the past two years, I've just worked bed by bed to try and get it right the first time (yeah, right!) and keep the moving of plants later on to a minimum. Whether they eventually get moved or not, some of the plants that have been in the ground for a season or two are really settling in nicely and certain ones are really beginning to put on a show. I thought I'd share a few of the goings on in the garden with you. Hope you enjoy this little tour of some of the plant life around my garden.

Spring started off back in March with Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise', one of my favorite witchhazels.

Flowering at about the same time as the witchhazel, Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Silver Moon' has quickly become one of my favorites.

Iris reticulata is a late winter/early spring bloomer that brightens up the gray days of winter just about the time you begin to wonder if spring will ever arrive.

Beginning in May and continuing on for well over a month is Papaver dubium, the common field poppy. I love its deeply divided, fern-like foliage and the brilliant orange blooms. It's a re-seeder, so make sure you leave the seedpods!

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, hydrangea season was spectacular this year. This is Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow' in full bloom next to the garden shed.

A closeup of 'Blue Billow'. So beautiful!

One of my favorite shade plants, Symphytum x uplandicum 'Axminster Gold'. Unfortunately, it's rather hard to find.

I love milkweeds! L-O-V-E them! And this one, Asclepias variegata, is right near the top of the list. If you need a cool plant that thrives in dry shade (or part shade anyway), this is it! And the monarch butterflies like it, too.

Gladiolus papilio is a small-flowered, hardy gladiolus. I got my corms from Ellen Hornig at Seneca Hill Perennials just before she decided to close the nursery. I have at least three color forms that have flowered so far. This one has the nicest markings, but there is another that has a more open flower. The third is an entirely different color--a sort of mauve-lavender with grey undertones. Quite unusual.

I love this variegated pine, Pinus densiflora 'Oculis Draconis', the "dragon eye" pine.

One of my favorite hydrangeas, Hydrangea arborescens 'Hayes Starburst', discovered by my friend Hayes Jackson in his garden in Anniston, Alabama. This is a cousin of the popular 'Annabelle' hydrangea, but much, much more refined. It's also a lot slower to establish and needs about three seasons in the garden to really get going. It's well worth the wait!

And finally... flowering this week, Musa ornata 'Red Jewel', which has been hardy in a couple of gardens in the Nashville area in protected locations for the past 5 or 6 winters. I'm not claiming it as "hardy", necessarily, but if you site it appropriately you may get it to come through the winter. From Zone 7 south, I think it would be pretty reliable. It sure is spectacular when it flowers!

And that's what has been happening in the garden so far this year. New things continue to flower and each week I get more plants, some of which have lived in pots for more than 5 years, in the ground. Hope your summer, wherever you are (or winter if you're south of the equator!) is going well and I'll be back again soon. Happy gardening!

'Crescendo' Rose Unveiled on Volunteer Gardener

2010-06-15T17:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--This week I'm passing along a press release about the episode of Volunteer Gardener that will air in the Nashville viewing area on Nashville Public Television this coming Thursday evening, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. and will repeat at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday the 20th. We air statewide across Tennessee, but at different times in different viewing areas, so if you're in the Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Martin or Cookeville areas, you'll need to consult your local listings. For those of you who live outside of Tennessee, if the show becomes available on the internet, I will let you know.

As many of you know, two weeks after we filmed this episode back in March, Jackson & Perkins announced that they were filing for bankruptcy. Unfortunately, we do not know what that means for the 'Crescendo' rose at this time. Jackson & Perkins retail mail order business is undergoing re-organization, along with it's parent company Park Seed, but it is my understanding that the wholesale division, which includes all breeding and research, has been re-claimed by the bank. It is our belief at this time that since 'Crescendo' was set to be unveiled in the 2011 J&P catalog and the catalog/mail order division is being re-organized, that it is already in production fields and we will still see 'Crescendo' come to market next spring. I will let you know as we learn more.

As always, thanks for continuing to follow along with the blog. There is much, much more to come!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pictured: Troy Marden host of “Volunteer Gardener” with Crescendo rose hybridizer Keith Zary of Jackson & Perkins (photo by: Katherine Bomboy)

NASHVILLE MUSIC GARDEN’S LATEST ADDITION TO BE FEATURED ON NASHVILLE PUBLIC TELEVISION'S "VOLUNTEER GARDENER" THIS WEEK

The Crescendo Rose Honoring the Nashville Symphony is the First Rose to Recognize a Specific Symphony Orchestra

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--June 15, 2010--The Nashville Symphony was recently honored by Jackson & Perkins with a brand new rose variety, aptly named "Crescendo." It is the first rose to be named in honor of a specific symphony orchestra and the latest addition to the Nashville Music Garden. Tune in to "Volunteer Gardener" on Nashville Public Television (NPT-Channel 8) on Thursday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. and catch host Troy Marden as he profiles this fragrant and beautiful rose. The show re-airs on Sunday, June 20 at 9:30 a.m. Marden was on hand for Crescendo’s star studded unveiling at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in March along with country stars Barbara Mandrell, Pam Tillis and Brenda Lee and captured all the fun for the show.

"Jackson & Perkins has been creating some of the world's finest roses for more than 130 years and 'Crescendo' is the latest in a long line of rose masterpieces. It was an honor to interview Crescendo's creator, Dr. Keith Zary,” said Marden. “I hope everyone will tune in to 'Volunteer Gardener' to see the Nashville Music Garden’s newest rose unveiled on the show!"

"Volunteer Gardener" also airs across Tennessee on select PBS stations including Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Martin and Cookeville (check local listings for show times).

About Crescendo:

Pat Bullard, a LifeWorks trustee and founder of the Nashville Music Garden (Located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun in the Hall of Fame Park just across the street from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center) along with Sam Jones and the Nashville Rose Society approached hybridizers Jackson & Perkins with their desire to honor the Nashville Symphony, regarded as one of the most creative and innovative orchestras in the nation today. The Crescendo is a fragrant cream and pink blend hybrid tea rose bred from two award-winning parents, "Gemini" and "New Zealand." The exhibition quality rose was developed by hybridizer Keith Zary.

Crescendo will debut for purchase in the Spring 2011 Jackson & Perkins retail catalog. For information about the Nashville Music Garden, visit www.NashvilleMusicGarden.com and for information about the Nashville Rose Society, visit www.NashvilleRoseSociety.com.

About NPT:

Nashville Public Television is available free and over the air to nearly 2.2 million people throughout the Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky viewing area, and is watched by more than 600,000 households every week. The mission of NPT is to provide, through the power of traditional television and interactive telecommunications, high quality educational, cultural and civic experiences that address issues and concerns of the people of the Nashville region, and which thereby help improve the lives of those they serve. For more information, visit www.wnpt.org.

A Banner Hydrangea Season

2010-06-07T23:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, time flies! I've been trying to be good about posting and then suddenly I look up from what I'm doing and it has been THREE WEEKS! Where does it go?!?

I'm happy to say that it has been one of the most spectacular hydrangea seasons that I can recall in the 17 years I have lived in Nashville. Why? Well, as much as I disliked the cold winter weather that seemed as though it might never end, the hydrangeas loved it. More importantly, they loved the fact that once it got cold this past winter, it stayed that way. We didn't have nearly as many wild fluctuations in temperature as we normally have and that caused tender hydrangea buds to stay dormant! Usually, we have one of those early warm spells that lulls unsuspecting hydrangea buds into a sense of false security, so they swell, turn green--and get zapped! That didn't happen this winter and now we're being rewarded.

My Hydrangea macrophylla varieties are beautiful this year. They're usually the most prone to damage by early frosts and in the Nashville area we usually have one good Hydrangea macrophylla year out of every five. But it's the Hydrangea serrata cultivars that are truly remarkable. Words just can't describe how loaded with flowers they are! Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow' has outshined anything else in the garden by far and Hydrangea serrata 'Beni' is proving itself to be an exceptional plant. If you're unfamiliar with the "serratas", the plant resembles our common garden hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), but the leaves are typically a little smaller and usually have a matte surface to the leaf rather than the glossy or semi-glossy leaf of the "macrophyllas". The other difference is that the "serratas" are almost all lace-caps, with their delicate flowers seeming to float just above the plant.

I am frequently asked about the proper culture for hydrangeas. Generally speaking, they prefer moist, rich, well-drained soil and plenty of water. In my estimation, one of the most common mistakes is planting them in too much shade--even in the South. At minimum, they really need to be sited in morning sun and the more sun you give them, the better they will usually flower. Sunlight helps to ripen their semi-woody stems late it in the season and the more ripened and hardened off they are before winter sets in, the more likely those stems and the buds they carry are likely to survive the winter to flower the following year.

Wilting vs. Flagging. I think it's very important for gardeners to know the difference between a plant that is "wilted" and a plant that is "flagging". A wilted plant is one that has drooped because the soil around it has become dry and it can no longer pull water from the soil. Water is pulled out of the leaves and into the stems for storage--a defense mechanism to try and stay alive. A plant that is flagging has plenty of moisture at its roots, but is responding to another environmental factor--usually sun (especially with hydrangeas), but it can also be a response to a dramatic change in air pressure or humidity.

How do you tell the difference? Easy. Does the plant stand back up and look "normal" once the sun is no longer on it (or after the weather front passes)? If so, then the plant has just "flagged" in response to some change in its environment. Openings on the back of the leaf, called stomata, have closed in order to conserve water inside the plant and the plant droops. Hydrangeas, specifically, may flag every day if they're in the sun, but as long as they have moisture at their roots, they'll be fine. If, however, your plant has wilted from being too dry, the leaves won't perk back up, even after the sun is off of the plant or the weather has finished changing. If you have hydrangeas that wilt in the afternoon sun but do not perk back up once the sun has gone down, they probably need a thorough soaking around their roots.

In the fall, usually around Labor Day weekend, I stop watering my hydrangeas altogether--only supplementing them if they wilt and stay wilted for more than 3 or 4 days at a time. This is a little bit of "tough love", but I want their woody stems to ripen and harden off and a little bit of stress helps to do this. I don't go overboard and will give them some supplemental water if their wilting persists for more than a few days, but I've found that this "hardening off" process helps me to have more reliable blooms the following season.

Guess I had better sign out for now, but I'll be back again in a week or so! Hope your hydrangeas are outdoing themselves this year!

The Iris By The Back Door

2010-05-13T21:22:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that for each of us there are a host of characters who played important roles in our lives, especially when we were children. My cast of characters happens to be a rather long list and oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, almost all of them had something to do with shaping me as a gardener.

I've told this story before, but in order to set up what I'm about to tell, I think it bears repeating that I began gardening when I was three. Yes, three--when I planted the "helicopters" from a silver maple in the babysitter's flower bed and had so much success that two of those offspring still stand in my parents' yard today. In fact, I could still give you a virtual walking tour of the babysitter's "garden", as it were, but that's a story for another time. Maybe next week.

Today's entry moves us forward a few years when I was around the age of six or seven and introduces you to three more characters in my story--Annie Hurlburt, the country vet, and Pearl and Letha Condray, the mother and daughter who lived two doors down and across the street. Annie and her husband Jack and their family lived on the other side of town (understand that in the town I grew up in, that might have been a mile--maybe a mile-and-a-half) and just down a little country road. We always took the dogs and cats out for their shots, etc. and because I was squeamish--especially when they were vaccinating squealing little puppies--I usually stayed outside and looked at the garden. There were irises everywhere, and it was especially fun for me to go in the spring when they were in bloom.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe the story goes that one year Annie and her kids collected seed from some of the iris in the garden, sowed them, and planted the resulting seedlings near the back door of the house. The sole survivor was a beautiful bicolor, with standards of golden yellow and falls of ruby red and from then on the iris was referred to as the "back door" iris.

There were also irises two doors down at Pearl and Letha Condray's house--hundreds of them--in every color of the rainbow! Pearl, who lived to be nearly 100 years old, had to have been well into her 80's and probably approaching 90 even when I was a little boy and there were many times in many springs when I would walk down the street and Pearl and I would stroll through bed after bed of iris with her recalling completely from memory the name of every iris in the garden. She could also tell you who she bought it from and what year! Pearl's daughter, Letha, was just as sharp and there were just as many walks around the garden with her as there were with Pearl. In fact, my mother still has two large clumps of spuria iris in the garden that have been there at least 30 years that came as divisions from Pearl and Letha--and there are divisions of those iris now residing in my garden in Tennessee.

The "back door" iris from Annie, the vet, also resided at Pearl and Letha's--by the back door, of course. It was the only iris in a small bed made just for it and when it was in bloom, it's bold coloration shown across the garden. A division of that plant eventually made it to my garden, too, but unfortunately, after many years, it finally disappeared. I was reminiscing about some of the people who had influenced me a couple of years ago when Pearl and Letha and Annie all came to mind. Letha had finally passed away--Pearl and Annie had long since been gone--and Letha's house was left to one of the local churches and the garden, for the most part, was dismantled. This prompted me to pick up the phone and call mom to see if she knew of anyone around town who might still have some of the "back door" iris growing in their garden. Letha and Pearl gave away hundreds of iris every summer--anything that needed dividing--so I thought there was a chance that someone might still have it.

Lo and behold, a few weeks later mom called to say that she had run into someone who thought they still had a clump in their garden--at least that's what it was labeled--but it hadn't bloomed in several years, so she couldn't be sure. She brought mom a fat, healthy rhizome which then made its way to Tennessee and the photo you see above is the very same iris. It found its way home to me after more than 30 years and this photo was taken last week in my garden. I didn't know if it was the right one either until that beautiful, boldly colored, golden-yellow and ruby red flower unfurled its first blossom. And in a few years, when the clump is large and healthy, I'm going to pass the "back door" iris on to some of my gardening friends the same way it was given to me. After all, friends and memories are really what gardening is all about. Happy Gardening!

Bailing Out

2010-05-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

Hello from a rain soaked, waterlogged and devastated, but optimistic Nashville, Tennessee. For those of you who haven't heard, west and middle Tennessee and several other parts of the southeast were soaked by torrential rains this past Saturday and Sunday with some areas receiving upwards of 20 inches of rain in 36 hours. Nashville proper "officially" received 13 1/2 inches of rain according to the National Weather Service, but many areas of town would argue that they received more--and they'd probably be right. At my house in Primm Springs, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles west of Nashville, I dumped 15 1/2 inches of rain out of my rain gauge. However, there were several times over the course of two days when the wind was blowing so hard that it was raining sideways and the rain was probably being blown right across the opening of the rain gauge without going in. My guess is that I actually had in the neighborhood of 18 inches of total rainfall. Thankfully, I live on top of a hill. Our damage was mostly cosmetic and while it's inconvenient, it certainly isn't life altering.

Tens of thousands of people in the city of Nashville and several surrounding communities have lost everything they've ever owned. Many will have a hard time recovering. Lives have been lost across the state. In addition to the many homes and lives affected, many of Nashville's most famous attractions are devastated or destroyed. The Opryland Hotel had 15 feet or more of water throughout the hotel and the Opry House had water above the level of the stage. Next door, the Opry Mills Mall has at least 6-8 feet of water inside and a friend who works at one of the stores there says they will not even be allowed in to assess damage until Friday, at the earliest. Musicians were also hit hard by this event, as one of the primary warehouses where many musicians store their instruments when they are not on the road was completely devastated by the flood waters.

Our stunning Schermerhorn Symphony Center--built just within the past 5 years and arguably one of the finest modern symphony halls in the world--had 25 feet of water in the lower level. The damage there has yet to be assessed. The same goes for the Country Music Hall of Fame, which had five to six feet of water in its theater and whose vaults, which hold the entire history of country music, were in the lower levels. I haven't heard any official word on losses there. Businesses throughout the downtown district were flooded and our LP Field, the home of the Tennessee Titans football team, looked like a giant swimming pool from the air, with water filling the field up to the first level of stadium seating.

Gratefully, there has been very little (almost none) looting or other types of theft, etc. People are, for the most part, calm, cool, collected, respectful and marching forward--cleaning up and figuring out what to do next. Neighbors helping neighbors, friends helping friends and strangers pitching in to help people they've never met. Keep the citizens of Nashville and it surrounding communities, as well as those in west and southwest Tennessee and northern and eastern Mississippi in your thoughts as we begin to recover from this record-setting flood that experts are now calling a "once in a thousand year" event. Next week we'll be back to gardening.

If you'd like to see some stunning images of what we've been through in the past few days, click here http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/flooding_in_tennessee.html

See you soon!

Greetings, Gardeners!

2010-04-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Spring, everybody! I've been away from the blog for quite a while now and I've received several very kind emails wondering if I was okay and if indeed I was going to get the blog up and running again. I'm fine, I promise, and I WILL be back to blogging all the time now, so stay tuned! We've been working on re-designing the website, changing servers and various other things and were hoping to be able to re-launch the new website and pick up blogging again all at the same time--back in March. The website re-vamp has taken much longer than I had hoped and the new site may not launch until early summer now, so I didn't want to stay away from the blog any longer!

I hope that spring is in full swing for you or if not, at least on its way! For those of you who live in the southern hemisphere, I guess you're on your way into autumn! No matter where you're gardening, I hope that your gardens have been beautiful and successful and I hope that you'll continue to follow along as we get into the full swing of gardening season here in the states.

A lot has been happening and I have been working away on many design projects and several fun publishing things, so will try to keep you posted. For you Tennessee folks, I've had several articles in Tennessee Gardener magazine lately and occasionally those articles go regional in all of the State-by-State gardening magazines (I think there about 16 or 17 states, mostly in the south), so you may see me there. We've also started filming for our new season of Volunteer Gardener, so again, if you're in Tennessee, we air statewide so check your local listings for airtime on your local PBS station.

I'm also supposed to have an article in Landscape Solutions magazine, which is one of the Better Homes & Gardens special interest publications, though I have to admit that I have not seen it yet.

I've been taking lots of spring photos, so be prepared for all kinds of fun new blog posts in the weeks to come. Thanks so much for following along and happy gardening to everyone!

P.S. I'm working on itineraries right now for our first garden tours, which I will organize and lead. I'll keep you posted as those take shape! Talk to you soon!

Music, Movies, Awards and Her Grace

2010-02-11T22:59:00.000-06:00

It has been a banner week at the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville. As I reported a few days ago, we began early last Sunday morning setting up and preparing for this year's show. The installation of this year's garden went along quite smoothly and I think we all felt we were pretty well ahead of the game most of the time. The final piece of the puzzle happened on Wednesday morning, with the installation of our "color" (tulips, hydrangeas, witchhazels and exquisitely fragrant hyacinths), and the creation of an enormous floral arrangement for the center of the garden.

I started with 1 urn, 36 blocks of oasis (floral foam for those of you who don't speak "flowers") and 9 five-gallon buckets full of fresh cut flowers, including 300 roses. Three hours later the garden's centerpiece came to life in a rainbow-colored centerpiece that stood over 9 feet tall (including pedestal and urn) and more than 6 feet across!

While I was working on the floral display, a couple of notable Nashvillians strolled through during the show's "early shopping" event--an informal opening of the show to a few key benefactors and special guests--and two even stopped to comment on the flowers and say hello. After living in Nashville for 17 years, I don't get terribly starstruck anymore, but when Faith Hill and Gwyneth Paltrow pass through, even I take notice. I've met Faith on several occasions and she's always as sweet as she can be--and Ms. Paltrow was stunning!

Later Wednesday evening we arrived for the official opening of the show, the annual Antiques & Garden Show Preview Party, to find that we had taken home the award for "Best Use of Color" in this year's garden displays. Last year we won for "Best Interpretation of the Theme." I have to say, I like winning, and I like the fact that we're winning in different categories. I hate to be stuck in a rut!

I got an even greater surprise today when, after her lecture (the opening lecture of three in this year's series) Her Grace, The Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy strolled through the garden and was kind enough to stop and chat for a moment. She is absolutely charming and has turned the British gardening world on its ear by creating a divine spectacle of a modern garden--The Alnwick Garden. Please visit their website at http://www.alnwickgarden.com/ and revel in the garden that she, along with a number of very hardworking people, have created for the world to enjoy! While I have rarely used the blog as a forum for solicitations, if you were going to support a garden outside of our own country, I would suggest that this would be a great one to support. What the duchess has done is truly astounding, and the number of people's lives she has touched by doing it is what makes me particularly proud to have shared even a few moments with her. She and her team are truly remarkable.

Thanks again to everyone for reading along and I'll try to post some more Antiques & Garden Show photos in a few days! As always, Happy Gardening!

Back To Blogging

2010-02-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone! And happy 2010!

A few of you have noticed that I took a brief hiatus from blogging and I appreciate the emails and messages from people wondering if I was okay or if something had happened. The only things that "happened" were the crazy holidays and a somewhat protracted bout with a rather nasty upper respiratory infection that hung on longer than I cared to deal with it. All gone now, though, and back to good health!

I've also been very busy with some work deadlines that had to be met, as well as redesigning my website. The new pages are not up and running yet, but I'm hoping by early to mid-March the website will have an entirely new look and be more functional and full of new information, photos, etc. I've also purchased another domain name and will be working this year on launching a new gardening website. For now, it's a secret, so that's all I'm going to say--just that I'm doing it. I haven't set any specific deadlines for it at this point until I know exactly what all of the details and parameters are going to be and exactly what the new site is going to encompass, but it's going to be good!

At 6 a.m. tomorrow morning we begin setup and preparation for this year's Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville. This is my 17th year of involvement with the show and it continues to be one of the most fun, but exhausting, weeks of the year. This year, we'll be installing a 1600 square foot garden based on a "spiral" theme. I'll try to post a few pics if I have a chance.

We've had a very long and unusually cold winter here in the Nashville area. The first big cold snap in January plunged us as low as 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit with considerably colder windchills and we stayed below freezing, even during the day, for over a week. I know that doesn't sound that odd to many of you from colder climates, but for here, that's a fairly serious cold snap. Especially true for those of us who like to push the gardening zones just a little. It will be a good test of hardiness for some of those more borderline things and in my garden, though I hate to see a plant die, I always consider an empty spot a "gardening opportunity"!

Oh no! Now I'm going to have to buy more plants!

Well, the foliage that didn't get freeze-dried on the hellebores (and a few other plants) during the first cold snap certainly did on the second one, although we were fortunate enough to get several inches of snow to insulate the garden against the worst of the cold in the second go-round. Many people from here would not use the words "fortunate" and "snow" in the same sentence, but I'm talking about the garden here and we were lucky to have it. If you are seeing burned foliage on some of your evergreen shrubs and perennials, just keep in mind that a new flush of growth in spring will push most of that old foliage off, anyway, so it's no big deal. You can carefully clean up plants such as hellebores, just to make them look neat and tidy, but be careful. Buds are alread showing and you don't want to mistakenly whack the buds when you're trying to clean up leaves!

As a brief digression, if you live in the South and you are not a transplant from the North or the Midwest (i.e. you were born and raised in the south and have never driven in wintry conditions), when it snows you should stay home. You are dangerous. They forecast even the possibility of snow several days in advance here so that you can get to the grocery store and buy up all of the milk, bread and toilet paper before it actually snows (I noticed on one local station that the weather report was being brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Kroger--go figure!) and you needn't endanger the lives of the rest of us who actually can drive in it. I'm just sayin'!

As I pulled in the driveway a few minutes ago from a morning garden design appointment, I noticed that the clump of old field "jonquils" on the corner of the driveway are about 4 inches tall and in full bud. They are loaded this year and if it warms up just enough, I might have blooms before the end of February! The buds on the 'Arnold Promise' witchhazel are just beginning to show a little color, though it will still be a few more weeks before "Arnold" decides to show off ('Arnold Promise' is one of the later varieties) and the earliest hellebores are really starting to push up now ('Ivory Prince', 'Winter Moonbeam', etc.). I'll trim the old, winter-burned foliage off of them next week, once I've recovered from the Antiques & Garden Show, and they'll be ready to lead the way for spring to make its grand entrance.

I'll be back on a regular basis from now on and I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year! See you in the garden!

Chocolate Chip Pie

2009-11-16T18:03:00.000-06:00

No, this is not the name of a new plant! Sorry. I have avoided posting about food up to this point because this is, after all, a garden blog. But... many of us who garden are also "foodies" to one degree or another. The other night, I posted on my Facebook account that I had just made an old family favorite, Chocolate Chip Pie, and I was immediately flooded with requests for the recipe. Since the space on Facebook is somewhat limited, I thought I'd post it here instead and make it easier for everyone to have.

Chocolate Chip Pie is one of those things that sounds a lot more decadent than it really is. It's actually a very light and fluffy dessert all thanks to the World War II-era invention of one Mr. Robert Rich, who, because of a shortage of dairy products during the war, used what at the time was state-of-the-art technology to create the very first non-dairy whipped topping. Today, we most often refer to this product as "Cool Whip", just like we refer to tissues as "Kleenex"--a brand name instead of the actual product name--but it was Rich's Whip Topping that debuted in 1945 and changed the way we think about whipped topping, non-dairy creamers and a host of other "non-dairy" products.

We all think we're leading the way today with our commitment to soy milk and other "soy" products, but did you know that the first soy ice cream was actually on the market in 1951!?! It's true.

So because of the invention of whipped topping, Chocolate Chip Pie has been a part of our family for more than 50 years. When my mother was a little girl, a close family friend, Leona Benninga, would make it for special occasions. It was mom's favorite dessert back then and I think it's safe to say that that still holds true today. I still have my copy of the recipe in Leona's handwriting that she passed on to me many years ago. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from, but my best guess would be that it either came off of the whipped topping label or out of a lady's magazine, such as Woman's Day. Maybe mom knows. I'll have to ask her.

So that's the abbreviated version of the story of Chocolate Chip Pie, and here's the quick and easy recipe!

Chocolate Chip Pie

1 graham cracker piecrust (8" or 10" will work, but in a 10" shell the filling won't be as deep)

1/2 cup milk
30 large marshmallows (there are about 35 in a bag and I just use them all)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups of non-dairy whipped topping (Cool Whip, etc.) completely thawed so it's light and fluffy
3 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, grated

In a heavy, 3-quart sauce pan place 1/2 cup of milk and add the 30 marshmallows. Place over medium heat and warm it until the milk starts bubbling up between the marshmallows, being careful that the marshmallows don't start to scorch. When the marshmallows begin to melt, remove pan from heat and stir slowly until the marshmallows have melted completely (the retained heat in the pan should be enough to do this and the mixture should be smooth and somewhat foamy).

At this point, I transfer the warm marshmallow mixture to a room temperature glass mixing bowl to help bring the temperature down more quickly. Once the mixture is completely cooled, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir in. Next, add the three cups of whipped topping and gently fold the marshmallow mixture and the whipped topping together until it is completely blended. (The marshmallow mixture must be completely cool when you add the whipped topping or the whipped topping will melt!) Finally, add the finely grated unsweetened baker's chocolate to the bowl and fold in until completely combined. The mixture should resemble very light and fluffy chocolate chip ice cream.

Carefully add the filling to the piecrust and distribute evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The longer it chills, the better it cuts and serves. You might also choose to reserve a tablespoon or so of grated chocolate to sprinkle over the top when complete.

That's it! Like I said, it's nothing fancy or terribly decadent--just an old family favorite that we all still love. Hope you enjoy it, too!

*Notes: I have made this with both sugar free and fat free whipped topping and it's just as good either way. The marshmallows contribute plenty of sweetness. If you want it even more chocolatey, it's also good in a chocolate graham cracker crust. It makes it taste like an Oreo cookie!

Also, I changed the original recipe from 2 cups of whipped topping and 2 ounces of baker's chocolate to 3 cups and 3 ounces, respectively, because I like the filling to "stack up" a little deeper in the shell, so if you find yourself with an overabundance of filling, just lick the bowl really well and you can cut it back a little the next time.

Autumn Reprise

2009-11-12T12:22:00.004-06:00

I sat down at the computer today prepared to blog about Hedychium, or ginger lily, but as I was scrolling through my photos this iris (cultivar 'Total Recall') caught my eye. It reminded me that I had just been in a garden earlier this week where the remontant (re-blooming) iris were in their full fall glory and so I changed my mind. I'll do the ginger lily post next week because right now, I have iris on my mind. This is partially due to the fact that just a few weeks ago I planted a box full of rhizomes that my good friend and partner in horticultural crime, Kelly Norris, sent me from his nursery, Rainbow Iris Farm (http://www.rainbowfarms.net/) in Iowa. (You also should check out Kelly's blog at http://www.kellydnorris.com/, but not until after you finish reading mine, please and thank you.)

Anyway... this photograph jogged my memory of several gardens that I have been in recently where the re-blooming iris, because of our long and unusually warm autumn, were absolutely stunning. I used to have a "thing" about plants that were typically spring-flowering reblooming in the autumn (I still don't like fall-flowering azaleas), but I have to admit that these remontant iris have become some of my favorites. 'Total Recall' was flowering at the Daniel Stowe Botanic Garden in Charlotte, NC when the Tennessee gang and I were there on our way to Raleigh for the Garden Writers conference back in late September. Others will bloom throughout the month of October and into November where the growing season is long enough and they don't get cut down by a hard frost.

Most of these re-bloomers, at least the ones that are readily available, are the typical tall bearded types. Being sort of a bearded iris virgin, I'm sure that there are others, too, but the tall beardeds are the ones I'm most familiar with so I'm sticking with those for now. Probably the most famous of all of the re-bloomers is the stunning white 'Immortality'. Now, you know I can barely stand white flowers, so for me to use the terms "white" and "stunning" in the same sentence, let alone side by side in a description, means that this plant must be truly special, and it is if for no other reason that it is one of the most consistent repeaters of any bearded iris, usually offering a show that is almost as impressive in the autumn as it is in the spring.

Other beautiful rebloomers include: 'St. Petersburg', 'Earl of Essex', 'Eleanor Roosevelt', 'Autumn Tryst', 'Summer Olympics', 'September Replay' and of course the ones I've already mentioned, 'Immortality' and 'Total Recall'.

These beautiful iris are just as easy to grow as the typical spring bloomers, but you get twice as much beauty from them! As for all bearded iris, excellent drainage is very important and full sun is preferred, though they will tolerate a little bit of shade (this may affect reblooming). Nearly all of them are extremely cold hardy and will grow all the way up into Zone 3, though fall bloom can sometimes be cut short in colder climates. In our southern gardens, though, where autumn often hangs on well into November as it has done this year, re-blooming iris are a great way to end the season!

One Day Of Good Fall Color

2009-10-30T17:18:00.004-05:00

Fall color peaked here today, with 30 mph winds and thunderstorms on the way. Hope you got to see it.

Pump-Kintastic!

2009-10-25T09:39:00.004-05:00

On Friday, we loaded up the van and took the Volunteer Gardener (www.volunteergardener.org) television cameras down to Jackson, TN to visit my friend (and the horticulturist for UT's West Tennessee Research Station at Jackson) Jason Reeves. I've mentioned him before and I think I blogged about last year's pumpkin display, too. Talent beyond measure!

This year's display contains more than 5,000 pumpkins, winter squash, gourds and a few other related cucurbits arranged in two blocks in the parking lot of the research station. The design changes every year, with this year's theme featuring a river of white mini pumpkins flowing under a wooden bridge and surrounded by a fantasy landscape of orange, green, grey, blue, yellow, brown, striped, lumpy, bumpy, smooth, ribbed, tall, short, fat, skinny squash and gourds that are deftly arranged into an otherworldly scene. There's even a "nest of snakes" (gourds) living by the river and the "pumpkin house" is back this year, too!

If you have reason to be in or near Jackson, Tennessee in the next few weeks, the research station is only about 5 or 10 minutes off of the interstate. And if you can't make it to see the pumpkins, the gardens there are gorgeous, too! Even in the winter, there's enough going on to make it worth your while and during the summer months, when the gardens are in full bloom, it is nothing short of breathtaking.

I should mention that while Jason is the horticulturist for the station, he also has the talented and knowledgable Matthew Morrow helping him out, as well as an amazing group of local volunteers and master gardeners that dedicate their time to his cause.

A Chill Is In The Air

2009-10-17T08:41:00.006-05:00

We're getting our first taste of winter this weekend. I know that sounds funny to some of you who have had winter weather already, some for several weeks! There are those of you in Nebraska who had 17 inches of snow last week, folks in Wyoming who had even more than that and gardeners who survived the year's first nor'easter in New England just in the past few days. It's strange to see all the photos of the trees, in full leaf, laden with snow.

That's dangerous, actually. Dangerous for the trees, that is. The leaves capture the snow as it falls--and it was a wet, flaky snow, too--and often times the weight that accumulates is too much for the trees to bear and you get a lot of breakage. Here's hoping that if you're in New England, your trees come through unscathed!

Here in the south, I'm almost convinced that we're never going to see the sun again. I don't know how those of you in the Pacific northwest do it. Really, I don't. And I hate to complain about rain, given that just two years ago we were on our knees begging for any drop of water that would fall from the sky, but enough already! Save some for next summer!

And now it's turning cold... and not just cold, but damp and cold--the worst possible combination--and not very inspiring when you have as much to do in the garden this fall as I do! I'm sure I'm not alone.

Speaking of things to do in the fall, I thought I'd run through a short list of "to do's" that have been on my mind lately. I find that many times, fellow gardeners just aren't certain of what to do in the garden in autumn or, perhaps more importantly, when to do it.

Fall cleanup. This can be a daunting task. Summer's lush growth is now collapsing into withering heaps and you, the gardener, must decide what gets cut back, which plants are allowed to stay standing for winter interest, who needs extra mulch to help bring them through the winter (surely none of you are growing plants that are borderline in your zone! ha!) and which plants must be dug and stored. In addition, you have to decide what you're going to do with all of the vast piles of "vegetable matter" that you're removing from the garden as you do go through and cut back and clean up.

Composting. I'm not going to get into all of the "how-to" details of composting here--only a couple of quick suggestions on what should and should not be included. If you have any plants that had particularly bad disease problems this season, such as roses with blackspot, zinnias with particularly bad powdery mildew, etc., the debris from those plants should not be added to your compost pile. It's highly likely that your compost pile will not get hot enough to kill off the offenders and when you spread the compost back out in the garden, you're just re-distributing disease spores throughout the garden. Also, much of the material that you will be adding to your compost pile this time of year is dry and "woody"--even stems from your perennials (consider the bloom stalks from something like purple coneflower)--so you have to be careful about keeping the proper carbon:nitrogen ratio and be cautious of overdoing it with that dry, woody debris. Even dry leaves can get you into trouble in your compost pile! Too much carbon, not enough nitrogen = no decomposition. Well, maybe slow decomposition, at best!

Leaves. What to do with them?!? I make leaf mould with mine. How does this differ from compost? Well, first of all, it is only leaves. I don't put anything at all but leaves in the leaf mould pile. Secondly, it's almost all carbon because by the time the leaves fall from the trees, they're fairly dry and have little green left in them, so their nitrogen content is nil. What does this mean for you? It means they take a long time to decompose, but that's okay. I would suggest running the lawnmower over them to chop them up a little and that will help them break down faster. However, I move mine to the area where the pile is first and then run the lawnmower through them. If you do it while they're still on the lawn, they're impossible to pick up once they're finely chopped, so I find it easier to rake them and move them first and then do the chopping. Can you leave your leaves on the lawn? Yes, if you mow them up into fine pieces AND if you don't have so many leaves that even the fine, chopped up pieces leave a smothering "mulch" over the top of your lawn. If you have a lot of leaves, like I do, it's best to remove them--or at least most of them. I love my leaf mould pile. It takes at least one season for them to completely break down, and sometimes two, but it's worth the wait. Leaf mould is like black gold as far as I'm concerned.

Watering. If you live somewhere where your fall has been dry (does anywhere like that exist anymore?), be sure that your trees, shrubs, perennials and lawn are thoroughly watered before cold winter weather sets in. Going into winter dry is very hard on plants, especially evergreens, so be prepared to do some supplemental watering if you're not getting the needed rainfall as winter begins.

Fertilizing. Believe it or not, autumn is actually one of the most important times of the year that you can fertilize your garden--especially trees and shrubs. You need to wait, though, until things are completely dormant. Here in Tennessee, Zone 6b, I usually wait until late November and then when I do fertilize I make sure that I use something that has a low nitrogen number with higher phosphorous and potassium rates. High nitrogen could spur late season growth and then that tender new growth will get zapped in the next round of cold weather. That's not good for you or for your plants. Roots are still very active at this time, though, and an autumn application of fertilizer will be picked up by the roots and stored, waiting for the warm weather of spring to kick your plants into high gear and get next year's growth well underway.

Mulching. I'm fortunate to live in a zone where I don't really have to mulch too much for the sake of winter protection. I do it because it makes the garden look neat and tidy for the winter and because then the mulch is already in place when the perennials start growing in the spring and I don't have to mulch around them. In areas where you do have to mulch to protect plants for the winter, use dry straw or hay. Bark or wood mulches piled up over the crowns of your plants will rot them (except, perhaps for roses). When you are mulching with wood products (bark, shredded, etc.) be sure not to bury the crowns of your perennials. Many of them will not tolerate it and will rot out during the cold, wet winter weather because of it. You'd be better off not to mulch at all.

Pruning. I only have one thing to say about this--please don't! Autumn is NOT the time of year to prune! Cutting back perennials is fine. I'm talking about pruning of trees, shrubs, roses and other plants. I repeat, autumn is not the time. People get carried away. They're out in the yard cleaning up, getting everything neat and tidy for the winter and they figure they'll just do a little pruning while they're at it. Please don't do it! Pruning in the fall opens up wounds on the stems and trunks of plants that don't have time to heal properly before the onset of cold weather. This, then, allows interior tissue of the stems to freeze and you begin seeing considerable dieback in your trees and shrubs. Some trees and shrubs, such as crape myrtles, can die back several feet during the winter if they are fall pruned. Roses are the same way. Most of my rose friends (since I don't grow them) would tell you only to cut your roses back enough to tidy them up and leave as much the plant standing through the winter as possible. Hard pruning should not take place until late winter/early spring. The same can be said for almost all of your pruning.

Trees can be pruned beginning late February and into March (later in colder zones), prior to leafing out. The trick is to do your pruning when the trees are bare and you can really see what you're doing and where you're cutting, but to do it within a few weeks of when the sap is going to begin flowing and the trees and shrubs begin active growth so that the pruning wounds heal as quickly as possible. If you need to do hard "rejuvenation" pruning on things like boxwoods or an old yew hedge, late February (again, TN, Zone 6b) is the time to do it. If you live where it's colder, you'll have to wait, and warmer zones can do it a bit earlier. The key is to catch them right before they break into new growth so that if you are cutting back into dormant wood, the hidden buds along the stems have time to receive the signal that they need to come out of dormancy and get with it! Here, the boxwoods begin to flush in late March, so I like to prune about the last week of February. In other zones, you can adjust accordingly.

Before I end, a word on Crape Myrtles. Crape myrtles are probably the most mistreated trees and shrubs in the landscape. They have endured decades of horrific mistreatment by being beheaded every year to force them to sprout forth in a medusa-like manner with their snake-like branches whipping and waving in the wind, striking out at unsuspecting passersby. I don't know who the idiot was that started this practice, but I have two words for it. STOP! IT!

I have a theory that this practice was started based on one particular plant, the variety 'Natchez'. The 'Natchez' crape myrtle received huge amounts of press when it was released and became one of, if not THE, most popular crape myrtle in the parts of the country where it will grow. People planted it everywhere! What they didn't realize was that 'Natchez', where it's happy, wants to be a 25-foot tree. That's what it's supposed to do, folks! But people planted it right up next to their homes, around their pools, in their courtyards and driveway turn-arounds. Landscapers planted them in tight spaces in parking lots and other places where they should never have been used in the first place and suddenly, they were much larger than anyone "thought" they would get. This was a classic case of planting the wrong plant in the wrong place. So...in order to solve the problem, the beheading started. People realized that if they cut their crape myrtles back hard each spring, they would shoot up huge amounts of new growth with enormous heads of flowers on them--so enormous that the thin branches often can't hold them upright--and this became an accepted practice, a practice that has now infiltrated and poisoned everything we know about growing crape myrtles.

By the way, not every crape myrtle will respond well to the "beheading" method. Many of them do not have the propensity to sprout forth and flourish when they are treated that way, so be warned. There are now hundreds of varieties of crape myrtles on the market ranging in size from 2-foot shrubs to 35-foot trees when they are full grown, and in every size category they come in a stunning array of colors. Do a little research. Find the appropriate size plant that will fit the space you need it to at maturity and choose a color you love. But please, please, stop the beheading!

Happy autumn!

Kick Back and Have A 'Mojito' In Your Garden

2009-10-09T07:29:00.004-05:00

As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to drop, many of my tropical plants begin to head into their dormant or semi-dormant winter phase. The elephant ears (Colocasia and Alocasia), however, continue looking good right up to frost. This is especially true if they're planted in the garden where their roots have free run of the soil and access to as much water and nutrients as they can use.

One of the standouts in this year's garden has been Colocasia 'Mojito'! Now, I have to preface all of my praise-making by saying that I don't think I've ever met an "elephant ear" that I didn't like. They are probably my favorite group of tropical plants because they're tough, easy and anyone can grow them with great success. They also offer a tremendous variety of colors, sizes and shapes and will thrive in a wide range of growing conditions--some like it shady and dry while others like full sun in boggy soil. So no matter what your garden conditions are like, you can find an Alocasia or Colocasia to suit your needs.

But I digress... Colocasia 'Mojito' has been the standout in this year's garden. Nothing is off limits here--well, almost nothing. You won't find many, if any white flowers, but that's a topic for another post. 'Mojito' has stood head and shoulders (literally) above many other garden plants this year and the coloration of the leaves is bright, bold and maybe even a little daring! Just my kind of plant!

Grown in a large container, 'Mojito' topped out at about 4 feet with colorful leaves of medium size. But it was in the ground, with an unlimited root run, where 'Mojito' really thrived. (The same could be said for all elephant ears.) In the ground, 'Mojito' reached nearly 6 feet tall with leaves 2 feet in length and 18 inches wide, splashed, marbled and sprayed in a spectacular array of shades of green, chartreuse, purple and near black. It's neighbors in the garden were a large, dark-foliaged barberry, black coleus 'Othello' and burnt orange coleus 'Sedona', Buddleia 'Black Knight' and the golden form of Jewels of Opar (Talinum) alongside royal purple angelonia. The dizzying array of colors was showstopping throughout the summer!

Of course, there are many other varieties of elephant ears available and a quick Google search will introduce you to so many of them. Also, visit the Plant Delights Nursery website at http://www.plantdelights.com/. Tony and his crew carry a vast array of Colocasia and Alocasia and there are several other nurseries who specialize in them, also.

Good Things Grow at Montrose

2009-10-04T18:59:00.007-05:00

As part of last week's garden tours at the annual Garden Writers Association symposium we had the distinct pleasure of visiting Montrose, the well-known garden and nursery of plantswoman Nancy Goodwin. It was my first visit and I have to say, the garden was nothing short of stunning. Nancy has been responsible for introducing some fabulous plants to perennial gardens and gardeners around the world, including one of the finest heucheras ever to grace a garden, Heuchera 'Montrose Ruby'. It's a classic!

I was able to add three species of hardy cyclamen to my own collection from Nancy's garden, as well as a few other interesting and unusual perennials. I hope I have the opportunity to visit the garden again some day and see its spectacular beauty in every season. Here are a couple of photographs from our autumn visit. Notice the incredible use of textures in the garden. Though there are some autumn flowering plants putting their best foot forward, much of the interest in this garden comes from outstanding combinations of foliage juxtaposed against one another and against the creative and beautiful hardscape features of the garden.Thanks so much to Nancy for opening her garden to a motley crew and allowing us all the pleasure of seeing it in person!

I Beg Your Pardon...

2009-10-04T11:18:00.007-05:00

A star-studded turnout for Nashville's new rose garden.

On September 29, 2009 a group of honorees, friends and special guests gathered in downtown Nashville to dedicate Nashville's newest public garden space, the Nashville Music Garden. I've given you most of the specifics in earlier posts, but thought I'd share some photos from dedication day. I had the honor of being invited to the dedication ceremony, as well as to the celebrity luncheon that followed.

Honored guests included Jeff Cook of country music super-group Alabama, newest Country Music Hall of Fame member (and my new gardening buddy) Barbara Mandrell, "Little Miss Dynamite" Brenda Lee and Irlene Mandrell, Barbara's youngest sister who was part of their incredibly successful television show in the early '80's, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.

The new garden will include not only roses, but also daylilies. One of the newest daylilies has been named to honor Barbara Mandrell and her contributions to the music world. This is the presentation of the new daylily to Barbara so that she can take it home and plant it in her own garden. Barbara has become a serious gardener in the past few years and gardens with the same passion, enthusiasm and level of perfection that she performed with on stage.

After the dedication ceremony, a private luncheon was held for the celebrities and their families who were in attendance that day. I was honored to be a part of it and just had to have my picture taken with country music legend, Lynn Anderson.

A Good Snail For Your Garden

2009-10-01T07:12:00.005-05:00

Last week's trip to Raleigh, NC for the annual Garden Writer's symposium was successful on several fronts, but perhaps most successful in my being able to capture some great images of many unique and unusual garden plants which I'll be bringing to you here over the weeks and months to come.

The first of those has been a favorite plant of mine since I grew it as a child. Vigna caracalla, or snail vine, is a snail you'll definitely want to have in your garden! The name snail vine comes not from the fact that it's as slow as a snail (actually, just the opposite), but from the one-of-a-kind blossoms that curl and twist like the shell of a snail. It's certainly one of the most unique vines you can grow.

Snail vine can be easily grown from seed and is available from several sources which you can find with a quick Google search. It will grow fairly rapidly to make an 8-10 foot vine (maybe larger in warmer areas) and is perfectly suited to covering a small arbor, trellis or other structure. In warmer zones, it may be perennial (probably borderline in Zone 7b, more reliable Zone 8 and warmer). For those of you in colder areas, I've read that snail vine can be grown in large containers, cut back in the fall and overwintered in a cool, frost-free place to be returned to its outdoor location the following spring where it will resprout, grow and flower the following season. I have not tried this myself (I usually just start from seed each spring), but have talked with several gardeners who overwinter theirs this way with good success.

Flowering typically occurs in late summer and fall and the unique, curled blossoms are more than worth the wait. Full sun to very light shade will give the most flower production. Also, be careful about overfeeding, as you could sacrifice blooms at the expense of foliage.

This is just the tip of the iceberg where unique and unusual plants are concerned, so be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as I begin posting about many of the wonderful plants I saw on this trip, as well as several other recent plant-related adventures. I know there will be something new you'll want to add to your garden!

Blogging To You From...

2009-09-24T19:48:00.008-05:00

the Garden Writers conference in Raleigh, North Carolina!

What a fun week we've had so far! There are only a couple of times a year when I get to become completely immersed in my plant nerdiness for a few days at a time and with people who absolutely, completely and totally "get it"--because they're plant nerds, too. Garden Writers is one of those weeks. Each year for about 5 days, we all descend on a city and we tear it apart, end to end, looking for the greatest gardens and the hottest plants the city has to offer. This year it's Raleigh--and North Carolina may never be the same.

On our trek over from Tennessee yesterday we took a small detour down through Charlotte, NC to visit the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. What a beautiful place to visit if you're in that part of the country for any reason. Don't miss it! Here's a photo from our visit.

Sallying forth to Raleigh we arrived in time to hit the Garden Writers conference trade show at the convention center and were soon weighted down with armloads of free goodies! Lots of plants and other cool stuff, too! There's always a great "haul" from this show because everyone is trying to promote their newest, latest and greatest plants and products to those of us who work in various media outlets so that we might write or talk about them in our articles and on our programs. I have several gorgeous new plants--hydrangeas, abelias, nandinas, loropetalums, crape myrtles and m0re--that I'll tell you about in the very near future.

Today I got to hang out with my good friends Dan Heims, Kelly Norris and Leann Barron. Since Leann had a car, she was kind enough to drive us out to a fun nursery called "Big Bloomers", about 35 minutes from Raleigh, and a good time was had by all! Each of us came back with two more big boxes full to overflowing with plants. Their prices were great and their plants were ultra-cool! What a fantastic operation. You must visit if you're in the Raleigh area.

Here is just one small section of one greenhouse. There were about 16 of these!!! Plant nerd heaven!

Tomorrow morning we're on the bus by 7 a.m. and off for breakfast at the mecca of all things rare and unusual, Plant Delights Nursery (http://www.plantdelights.com/) We'll have breakfast there (though I'm fairly certain those going to be a lot more looking and shopping going on than there is eating) and then back to Raleigh for another afternoon excursion. I'll keep you posted!

Into Autumn

2009-09-09T15:52:00.005-05:00

I must admit, autumn is not my favorite season. You see, I don't really care for winter much, so for me autumn is just sort of the precursor to what can be several months of cold, damp, drizzly weather that sometimes seems as though it may never end. But even though autumn means that winter is just around the corner, I love the beauty that it brings to the garden at the end of the season and I love the warm, breezy days that let summer linger, whispering away across the hills.

Those are the days that bring scenes like these, of Joe-Pye-weed (Eupatorium) and miscanthus beckoning from across the way--radiant, feathery plumes backed by the rich, warm shades of the Joe Pye passing its prime but still looking stunning dressed in autumnal shades.

With miscanthus being on the invasive exotic list (something I'm going to be blogging about soon) in some states, other scenes just as beautiful could easily be created with native grasses such as Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) or one of the many switchgrasses (Panicum).

Other fall favorites include Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite' and 'October Skies', Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry) and the many Anemone x hybridus cultivars whose poppy-like flowers dance in the breeze on long, wiry stems.

More on other great autumn additions to the garden coming soon!

Species Lilies

2009-08-29T08:42:00.005-05:00

I have a lot of friends who are plant hybridizers--good hybridizers--and for the most part, I love their plants. But there is one group of plants where my preference runs toward the wild species--untouched, unmanipulated, unmarred beauty. Species lilies.

These are lilies as they appear in the wild, untouched by human hand, and they are some of the most beautiful lilies in the world and in the garden. If you haven't grown species lilies, I would highly recommend you try. That is not to say that I don't like the hybrids. I do. I have 'Stargazer' and 'Casa Blanca' and 'Muscadette' and 'Scheherezade' and many others and they're all "wow" plants when they're in bloom. But there is something about the classic, wild beauty of a species lily that the hybrids, no matter how beautiful, can't match.

One of my favorites is pictured here--Lilium henryi var. citrinum. The "henryi's", in general, are easy to grow. The type species is a soft but rich orange color, petals strongly reflexed and covered in dark brownish-purple spots. There is also a hybrid known as 'White Henryi' whose flowers are less reflexed and are white with a tawny orange throat and little to no spotting. But it is var. citrinum that I like most. I like yellow, so it's a shoo-in in my book.

It is a robust grower, but I must admit, it absolutely has to be staked. No exceptions. As lovely as it is, its stems are a little on the weak side, but nothing that a sturdy bamboo stake won't rectify. That will turn some of you off, I know, but gardening is not without some work and staking is one of the least time consuming and most important of tasks once you learn to do it properly, and some plants are just worth it. Believe me, there are plenty of floppy plants that I've sent packing to the compost pile over the years, but there are some I make exceptions for.

The bulbs of Lilium henryi var. citrinum can grow to a very large size--one of the largest of the traditional garden lilies--occasionally weighing in at over 3 pounds and measuring over 2 feet in circumference (around, not diameter!). I threw that tidbit in to warn you that if you choose to grow the "henryi's" to use caution when staking. You don't want to drive your bamboo stick through the bulb!

Other species that are at the top of my "favorite lilies" list include: Lilium speciosum var. rubrum, Lilium regale, Lilium leichtlinii, Lilium pardalinum (the "leopard lily", native to California and the west coast, but performs exceptionally well in other locations), Lilium canadense, Lilium wigginsii (aka Lilium pardalinum supsp. wigginsii) and of course, many others. If you love lilies and you haven't grown some of the species, do a quick Google search and I'm sure you'll find some to fall in love with!

Wait Until You See.....

2009-08-25T22:23:00.004-05:00

.....the new redbuds coming to market in the very near future. Some friends and I took a trip to Winchester on Friday and stopped to see Harold and Alex Neubauer (all I can say about their nursery is WOW!) before heading on over to see our good friend and horticulture guru, Don Shadow. Don took the time out of his busy day to treat us to lunch and then showed us to the far corners of the nursery where the best-of-the-best called to us from across the acres. One of the most beautiful was the plant pictured here--Cercis canadensis 'Rising Sun'--with golden yellow foliage providing the perfect foil for the coppery-orange new growth and all of it (old foliage and new) highlighted with brilliant, hot pink petioles! This is my kind of plant! Flowering in spring, its blossoms will be the typical redbud color.

Just as a tease, we also saw burgundy-leafed weeping redbuds, a mottled green-and-white variegated cultivar, a weeping variegated variety and perhaps my favorite of all (except for 'Rising Sun', of course) a hybrid between 'Forest Pansy' and 'Oklahoma' that had leaves that looked like deep, dark burgundy patent leather! Shiny and almost black! Yowza! Just wait til you see what's coming!

Thanks to Don for a fun day and to Harold and Alex for inviting us into the nursery on such short notice that morning. We appreciated it very much!

Of Summer Sunflowers

2009-08-11T17:45:00.003-05:00

Being a Kansas boy by birth, one of my favorite of all wildflowers is the sunflower. "Wildflowers?", you may be asking yourself. Sure enough. Across the hills and plains of Kansas, at about this time of year, the wild sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) begin flowering. If you know where to look, you can find entire fields and valleys full of their brilliant yellow faces following the sun across the sky from east to west, sunrise to sunset. These are not the giant garden-variety sunflowers, but instead are a shrubby, multi-branched and profusely flowering sunflower that may have 50 or more golden yellow, 4"-5" diameter blossoms on each plant. Many of the florists' sunflowers are closely related--multi-stemmed, multi-flowering in a wide array of colors from creamy white through golden yellow to deepest burgundy. These are annual sunflowers, though, and what I really want to tell you about are a few of my perennial sunflower favorites!

The picture you see at the top of this blog entry is the foliage of what is, perhaps, my favorite of all of the perennial sunflowers, Helianthus salicifolius, or the willowleaf sunflower with leaves only about 1/8-inch wide and providing outstanding foliage texture in the sunny garden. It is a robust grower, reaching 5-7 feet tall and adding an additional 2 feet when in flower in late summer and early fall. Yes, it's tall, but it's also quite vertical and takes up a relatively small amount of space in the garden, so it's useful even in smaller spaces that need some vertical interest. A virtual cloud of 3-inch diameter golden yellow flowers appear atop the plant in September and last for 6-8 weeks, providing a spectacular late summer and fall display. If the height worries you, you can "pinch" the growing tips in June when the plant reaches about 3 feet tall and it will flower at 5-6 feet tall instead of the normal 8 feet.

Other perennial sunflowers that I have grown and loved over the years include Helianthus angustifolius, with leaves about 1 inch wide (and often confused, though I'm not sure why, with H. salicifolius, since they look nothing alike), also growing 6'-8' tall. This is commonly called the "swamp sunflower" and will thrive in wet locations where other plants suffer. However, it does spread by underground runners and may become quite aggressive in damp soils. Keeping it drier will help curb its desire to run and, quite frankly, I find it worth what little extra effort it takes to occasionally pare down the size of the clump. The benefits of having it in the garden easily outweigh any inconvenience, in my opinion.

A sunflower that not many people are familiar with but that I have great admiration for is Helianthus microcephalus, which literally translates to "little headed" sunflower. It is not as architectural a plant as the previously mentioned species, but the virtual cloud of small, clear yellow (not gold) flowers that appear in profusion from July through September make it worth a spot in the garden. One of the best features of this plant is its burgundy-red fall foliage color, which begins to appear in early fall while myriad yellow flowers are still clearly abundant. Slightly shorter than some, the little-headed sunflower comes in at about 5-6 feet when in bloom and should be spared excess fertilizer or water to keep it standing sturdily upright.

If you truly don't have the room for a larger growing perennial sunflower, then search out the fabulous dwarf form of Helianthus angustifolius named 'Low Down'. I'm not usually one who gets very excited about extremely dwarf forms of plants, but 'Low Down' is one of my exceptions. Topping out at only 1 foot tall, it completely obscures its own foliage with golden yellow flowers in autumn, putting on a spectacular 'Low Down' show!

Horticulture Magazine Article

2009-08-07T20:55:00.003-05:00

While I'm doing a bit of shameless self promotion, in case anyone did not get to see the short article I did for Horticulture magazine's May 2009 issue about Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies', it is now available online. You can find it here:

http://www.hortmag.com/article/yuccasapphireskies/

With the publishing of my newest article in Fine Gardening, that makes the "Triple Crown" of gardening magazines for 2009. Garden Design in March, Horticulture in May and now Fine Gardening in the new October issue. Thanks to each and every one of you who follow along with the blog, visit the website (www.troybmarden.com) and subscribe to the magazines or pick them up at the news stand or bookstore. By reading, you keep those of us who write doing what we love. Thank you.

Big Bloomers in Fine Gardening

2009-08-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick note to let everyone know that if you subscribe to Fine Gardening magazine you'll find me in the newest issue, October 2009, which hit the newsstands this week. (And mailboxes within the past 2 weeks.) So... hope you'll take a minute to check out my article, "Big Bloomers", and be watching here for a new "cool plant" post in the next day or two!

P.S. We officially had 12.5 inches of rain in the month of July at the farm. Wow! It has been a crazy summer. More on that soon, too!

Barbara Mandrell on Volunteer Gardener

2009-07-30T07:31:00.004-05:00

What crazy weather we're having for this time of year! I'm not complaining, because it sure is wonderful here, but my friends in the Pacific Northwest are having a recordbreaking heatwave.

My real reason for posting is to remind everyone in the middle Tennessee area that my interview with Barbara Mandrell about the new Nashville Music Garden will air tonight on Nashville Public Television at 7:30 p.m. and will repeat at 9:30 this coming Sunday morning. I hope you get to watch! If you're not in the Nashville viewing area, watch your local listings. We do air in every market in Tennessee (Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis and Martin), so we'll be on all across the state at some point in the very near future! We also spill over into any neighboring states that are able to pick up any public television stations from those cities listed, so you'll be able to watch us, too!

I'm working on a couple of new things from my trip to St. Louis last week for the Perennial Plant Association annual symposium. There are some fascinating new plants coming on the market in 2010, so a new update on those coming in the next few days. Until then, hope the weather is being kind to you.

Glorious Gladiolus

2009-07-17T07:56:00.006-05:00

Gladiolus are another of those plants that hold a nostalgic place in my heart. The next door neighbors used to grow rows and rows of them at the far end of the vegetable garden, carefully lifting and storing the corms each autumn and replanting them the following spring for tall spires of summer blooms to cut for neighbors and friends. I'm less inclined to do the "digging and storing" thing, so I thought I'd tell you about one of my favorite perennial gladiolus that lives its life year-round in the garden--no digging, no cleaning, no storing, no replanting!

Meet 'Boone'. Commonly sold as Gladiolus x gandavensis 'Boone', it is now fairly certain that it is actually a form or very early hybrid of Gladiolus primulinus (now lumped into G. dalenii). It is a stalwart garden performer, hardy to at least Zone 5b and with numerous reports of it surviving colder locales. Its stunning golden-apricot blossoms are an almost indescribable color--think of the most luscious apricot sherbet you can imagine and you're almost there--and it flowers for a period of several weeks in mid-summer. And because it's a "glad" it will last beautifully when cut and brought indoors to enjoy, too!

Much more diminutive than the common florist's gladiolus, 'Boone' holds its head high in the garden with no flopping or laying on the neighbors. Green sword-like foliage brings that great vertical element to the garden before the flowers emerge and remains well after they're gone. Discovered near 'Boone' North Carolina on an abandoned homestead, Gladiolus 'Boone' was introduced by plant guru and former proprietor of Holbrook Farm and Nursery, Allen Bush (now the North American rep for German seed company Jelitto) and has become a favorite of every gardener who grows it. Allen is a great friend and the photo you see actually came from his garden when we filmed a segment with him for Volunteer Gardener a couple of years ago.

If 'Boone' has you salivating and tapping the keys to Google the nursery nearest you who offers it for sale, then there is a cousin I need to tell you about, too. If you're going to order 'Boone', then go ahead (you might as well, while you're at it!) and order 'Carolina Primrose', too! It's just as gorgeous in a soft, buttery primrose yellow and you'll want them both, anyway. It's hardy, too, and once you've grown one, you have to grow the other and it will just be easier to get them both now! Go on, it's okay. I won't tell, I promise. Order one and tell the significant other that the other one was a "bonus plant". Oh--you've already used that explanation, I see.....

Well, anyway, tuck some of these magnificent plants into the drier nooks and crannies of the garden and see what happens. They'll reseed themselves very politely into just the right places in the garden and, after a couple of seasons, you'll have just enough to share with all the friends who will be begging for them every time they visit your garden!

The Nashville Music Garden

2009-07-02T13:49:00.006-05:00

I'm a big fan of public green spaces. I always have been. That's especially true when good horticulture is involved and that is exactly what's going on at the Nashville Music Garden in downtown Nashville. Located just a block off of lower Broadway and directly across the street from both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Nashville Music Garden is the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things--gardening and music! What else?!?

Everyone knows that gardening is where I make my living. I wouldn't be here writing to you if that wasn't the case. What some of you might not know is that I'm also an avid music enthusiast--all kinds of music, country included. This obsession with music started at about the same time as my passion for gardening--age 3. I can remember even at that early age my grandfather picking me up in his arms and dancing me around the living room as Guy Lombardo played in the background. And I remember when my grandparents and their friends would still go out to "the club" on Saturday nights and dance the night away to the sounds of big band music and singers who could really sing.

These memories merge with memories of me collecting the "helicopters" that would twirl down out of the silver maples in the front yard at my babysitter's home and that I knew, instinctively, that if I planted them they would grow. I don't ever recall anyone saying to me "Those are seeds. Put them in the ground." It was just something I did. Thirty-five years later there are still two silver maples (not the greatest tree, I know, but hey, I was THREE!) standing in my parents yard--the fruits of my young labor transplanted from the babysitter's flower bed.

That short digression brings us back around to yesterday and the Nashville Music Garden, where horticulture and music meet again, as they have done throughout my life. In this relatively small plot of earth in downtown Nashville, a garden has grown; a garden that celebrates the music and the musicians of our city. Roses named 'Barbara Mandrell' and 'Pam Tillis' and 'Dolly Parton' and 'Patsy Cline', among others. There are also roses named after songs, like 'Ring of Fire' and 'Butterfly Kisses'. In addition to the roses there are daylilies that also bear the names of people who have made a difference in the music world and in Music City.

So we filmed a short piece about this new Nashville Music Garden for our television show, Volunteer Gardener (http://www.volunteergardener.org/) and again, gardening and music came together. I had the distinct honor of being joined by one of my musical heroes--country music superstar and one of the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Barbara Mandrell. It was because of Barbara that I chose to play the saxophone when I was only 9 years old and getting ready to start grade school band. I had seen her play it on television and I knew that's what I wanted to do. I had already started playing piano and the alto sax just seemed like a natural progression. I played all the way into college and I still play that saxophone today when the mood strikes, though I'm not nearly as good as I once was. Practice, practice, practice.

And so with Barbara Mandrell at my side, she and I showcased the history and the beautiful blossoms of the roses and daylilies in the Nashville Music Garden and once again gardening and music came together--me, the professional gardener and the hobby musician and Barbara, the professional musician and the hobby gardener. I am in awe that these two things keep coming together in my life and each day I wonder how they will merge and marry again.

Join Barbara and a host of other celebrities, along with yours truly, at the official dedication of the Nashville Music Garden on the morning of September 29, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. Everyone's invited!

The Tiniest Waterlily

2009-06-30T08:03:00.004-05:00

Many posts ago I wrote about the world's largest waterlilies, the Victorias http://troybmarden.blogspot.com/2008/03/aquatic-giants.html, whose giant floating leaves may reach 8 feet in diameter in a well grown plant and whose night-time flowers approach nearly a foot in diameter. At the far opposite end of the spectrum is the diminutive Nymphaea 'Helvola' or 'Pygmaea Helvola' which, with floating pads only 2 inches in diameter and tiny yellow, star-shaped flowers only an inch-and-a-half across, can be easily kept in a tabletop water garden where it will grow and bloom just as beautifully as its larger pond grown cousins.

I became a fan of 'Helvola' when I was a college intern at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA where it held court in the water gardens along with its hardy and tropical cousins from around the world, growing just as well in a large pond as it will in a small tabletop bowl.

Growing requirements are the same as for all waterlilies: Full sun (minimum 6 hours per day) and, once growth commences in spring, a monthly feeding of a good waterlily fertilizer. This usually comes in a hard pellet that can be put underwater without dissolving and be pushed right down into the soil at the roots of the plant where it will slowly release its nutrients over a month's time. 'Helvola', being miniature, needs only about 3-4 inches of water over its crown.

Remember that the ultimate spread of a waterlily's leaves over the surface of the water is directly related to how deep in the water it sits and how long the leaf petioles must grow in order for the pads to float on the surface of the water. So, if you want to keep 'Helvola' at its smallest size, keep it as shallow as possible so that the petioles only have to grow a few inches in order for the leaves to float. In deeper water (not more than 10-12 inches, please, since it's a mini), in a pond, for instance, 'Helvola' may spread across the water's surface to a size of 3 feet, but the pads and blooms will remain miniature.

Did I mention that 'Helvola' is hardy? That's right! This diminutive creature is hardy to Zone 5 and in winter, can be dropped a little deeper in the pond (below ice level) or it can actually be removed from the water and stored in its container in a garage or storage room as long as it doesn't freeze solid during cold weather. In spring, simply repot with fresh soil, place back in the water garden and in a few weeks, Voila!, new growth and blooms for the rest of the summer. If you're growing it as a tabletop specimen in a small container, simply pour out the water and remove the entire container to a cold, but non-freezing location for the winter, refilling and placing back outdoors once spring weather arrives.

So if you're looking for a beautiful waterlily that will perform beautifully both in the water garden or in a container, look up little 'Helvola'. It's sure to impress!

The Best Day of Summer

2009-06-23T19:43:00.003-05:00

The best day of summer has come early this year! No, no... not the first day of summer. The best day of summer! The day when you sink your teeth into the juicy, sweet, ruby red flesh of summer's most perfect fruit.....the first tomato! Oh yes, I picked the first tomato today and I just wanted to brag a little, in case you haven't picked one yet. It is a contest, after all, right? Who has the first tomato?

That's a little unfair, I know. Some of you live up north where tomato season won't start until at least mid to late July and others of you, who live further south, have long beaten me to the punch. However, in my garden, today was the day for the first tomato of the season! I do have to make a confession: It was just a little ol' bitty cherry tomato--but it was the first one of the season and there are hundreds more to follow!

So how did I savor this first tiny little mouthful of summer? The only way you can. I stood right there in the garden, wiped the dust off on my shirt, wrapped it in a leaf from the neighboring basil plant (strategically located for just this purpose!) and popped it right in my mouth where seeds and juice exploded on first bite. Yum!

The tomatoes are growing like gangbusters. They've loved all of the rain we've had this late spring and early summer and after only 6 weeks in the ground the cherry tomato is all the way to the top of it's 5-foot-tall cage. The others are a little slower, only about halfway up their cages, but growing and setting fruit very well. That, of course, will stop in this heat, so I'm glad they had the chance to set some fruit early. Once the night temperatures stay above about 73 degrees or so, fruit set comes to a screeching halt. Fortunately, I think we're supposed to have a couple of nights in the upper 60's in the upcoming week (even though the daytime temps are still going to be miserable) and that will allow for the flowers that are open now to set fruit, too, so hopefully there won't be too big a gap in the harvest later this summer.

I've been able to get another small section of the garden weeded and under control, so slowly but surely it is all starting to come together. I took some "before" pictures a few days ago when I was out working, so they should make for some good before and after shots in the future. A new plant post to follow soon! Hope everyone's gardens are surviving this early heatwave and if you're fortunate enough to live somewhere where the heat isn't a problem yet, then send some of that cooler weather our way! We're already 10 degrees above normal for this time of year and that doesn't bode well for August, but at least I'll have a crop of healthy, gorgeous tomatoes to keep me going out to the garden every morning!

Lola

2009-06-15T07:33:00.002-05:00

One of the groups of plants that I have always admired--even lusted after--but have never experimented with much is Kniphofia, the "red hot pokers". Even as a child, I remember seeing those full color pictures in the Wayside Gardens catalog (and many others) and thinking that there just couldn't be a much prettier or more impactful flower. I don't know whether it was just the flowers, which looked to me like some sort of fanciful orange fireworks bursting in mid-air, or if I had already started a lifelong love affair with all things "spiky" and sword-like in texture. Probably, it was a combination of the two, even if I didn't know it at the time. That affair carries on today and, I have to admit, it carries on torridly with a Kniphofia named 'Lola'.

It is no secret that I like my plants big, and 'Lola' is certainly a big-boned gal. With spiky green foliage rising to nearly 5 feet tall and as wide and with brilliant orange blossoms approaching a foot long and carried on sturdy stems reaching nearly 7 feet tall, she's one of the biggest of all of the red hot pokers. I'm not sure that any others exceed her in size. I love Tony Avent's description of 'Lola' in his Plant Delights Nursery catalog (which is where I bought mine, by the way, http://www.plantdelights.com/), saying that 'Lola' is, "as we say in the South, a real honker". She's also very well adapted to our climate and has proven her worth both in my garden, as well as the gardens of several clients.

I had just planted my new plant last fall and was concerned this spring that 2 degrees this winter may have been more than 'Lola' could handle. She died all the way down to the ground, leaving no sign of live foliage whatsoever and while I knew that Kniphofia would often resprout from "root cuttings", I was afraid that the crown had been killed and the setback may have amounted to several years' worth of growth. I needed not have any fear. 'Lola' came firing back from below ground (the crown obviously did not freeze), and is even going to have her first flowers, even after a brutal winter.

One of the other things that I love about 'Lola' is her flowering time. The flower spikes are just now emerging and won't peak until around July 1 for me, lasting for approximately a month in good shape (starting next week and lasting until mid-July). Once flowering ceases, the foliage remains great looking, adding bold, spiky texture to the garden for the rest of the season. Kniphofia 'Lola' looks great with Hemerocallis 'Hyperion', Verbena bonariensis, Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' and many other garden plants with similar bloom times. If you like your plants, big, bold and simply fabulous, 'Lola' is your girl!

Hemerocallis 'Double River Wye'

2009-06-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! It has been almost a month since I posted last. A lot of great things have been going on and I have been in the process of moving my office to my home, which has taken a little longer than expected. I've had very limited and extremely slow internet access up until just a few days ago, so now I'll be back on a regular basis. Things are continuing to happen in the garden and there'll be lots to tell as summer progresses.

One of the things that's happening now is the flowering of the daylilies. I only brought one with me to the farm and it's one of my favorites. I found it at a local nursery a few years back and have never seen it again, although I do know that a few places offer it for sale online. It's called 'Double River Wye' and looks almost like a double-flowering form of the old standard 'Hyperion', another one of my absolute favorites. It's just a little smaller in stature than 'Hyperion', standing about 30" tall when its in bloom, with narrow almost grassy foliage. It has multiplied very well, even in a container, and when I do get it in the garden a little later this summer I think I'll be able to divide it into at least three good pieces.

The flowers are almost what I would call a "loose" double, or perhaps even semi-double. They don't have that full, overblown, rose-like appearance that some of the doubles do, and while I like those, too, there is something infinitely more charming about the "looseness" of the petals in this particular flower. It has a charming, old-fashioned kind of appeal. It doesn't re-bloom (or at least hasn't), there are no eyezones or watermarks or piecrust edges, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good garden plant. It presents exceptionally well, with the stems carrying the flowers well above the foliage (one of my biggest pet peeves with many of the modern hybrids is that they often have their flowers buried in the foliage).

I'm anxious to get it in the ground and see what happens when it really has good soil and an unrestricted root run. I think it's going to turn into a great garden plant!

Sambucus 'Black Lace'

2009-05-16T16:11:00.004-05:00

New from Proven Winners a few years back, Sambucus 'Black Lace' almost didn't survive my ruthless culling after it's second season in the garden. I relented at the last second and, because it had shown some signs of promise in its second year, I decided to give it one last chance. Today, I'm thrilled that I had a change of heart and let it stay.

Because most cultivars of the European elderberry don't appreciate the heat and humidity of our southern summers, I had honestly written the plant off before it ever got its roots in the ground. But it was new--and it sure was pretty in the pot--and because I've grown to trust the Proven Winners brand, I decided I needed to give it a try before I cold-heartedly wrote it off without giving at least one season to prove itself. I have to say, that first season was pretty lackluster, but being a knowledgable plantsman and gardener I knew better than to pass judgment after the first year. Sometimes a plant needs a season to settle in. So I pruned sparingly, fed copiously and waited for the results.

By spring of its second year, it was showing a little more promise. It had grown a few long and somewhat wayward shoots the previous summer, but I left well enough alone, only trimming the tips of the branches to (hopefully) help promote some additional side branching and basal growth. It did grow, albeit slowly, and it did have one or two clusters of blooms in its second spring. By autumn, though, I was growing impatient. I liked it, but did I love it enough to give it a third season??? Hmmmm...

For weeks I walked past it in the garden, each time thinking that its day had come and that I would give it a good shovel-pruning and add it to the compost pile where numerous other plants who hadn't made the cut would now feed next year's new garden additions. But every time I raised the shovel, I just couldn't go through with it. Something stopped me and I finally gave in, allowing it one more season to turn my head and show me what it really had to offer. If, however, it wasn't spectacular by the end of the third summer, into the compost heap it would go--no relenting!

I didn't have to wait for the end of the third season because 'Black Lace' has come into its own at the beginning of its third year and has proven once again to this somtimes impatient gardener that once in a while, you just have to hold your horses. Be patient. It's ferny black foliage and soft pink flowers are gracing the garden as we speak--and this little plant has proven to be t-o-u-g-h!!! If you look at the Proven Winners website and read the cultural information for the 'Black Lace' elderberry, you'll see that they say full sun and plenty of moisture, but I've actually had the opposite experience.

My trial plant is located in part shade--good morning sun, actually (which I think is better for it in the South) and is planted immediately under a 12-foot tall sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) that sucks every drop of water from every plant within a 10-foot radius. Neighboring plants include Agave parryi, Agastache aurantiaca, Juniperus 'Gold Coast', numerous Sempervivums and Dianthus 'Bath's Pink'--all of which are immensely drought tolerant and growing within 6 feet of the water-sucking sweetbay. 'Black Lace' is not only holding it's own under these conditions, it's thriving. For the first time, the entire plant is covered in clusters of pale pink-white flowers and the new growth is showing tremendous vigor. Strong basal shoots indicate that it's really going to "bulk up" this year and by the end of summer I fully expect that it will be as beautiful as I had cautiously hoped it would be.

I sure am glad it isn't sticking roots-up out of the compost pile!

Bluebird Blog #2

2009-05-16T09:46:00.003-05:00

The babies are growing by leaps and bounds. It has been 3 weeks since the eggs were laid and the babies are now approximately two weeks old. They've grown from very scrawny and sort of ugly little naked chicks into bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, pin-feathered and very hungry little chirpers. Their instincts are really quite amazing, and they certainly see me as a very large and scary threat. I was lucky to get a photo with one holding its head up. Usually, as soon as anyone comes around, they bury their heads in the bottom of the nest, lie perfectly motionless and don't make a peep!

Mother and father bluebird are extremely busy with four little mouths to feed and it has provided endless hours of entertainment watching them fly back and forth across the yard catching insects, returning to the nest periodically to (I'm sure) regurgitate a fabulous high-protein, gourmet bug meal for the young 'uns.

My guess is that the little guys and gals will fledge the nest late this coming week--certainly by very early the following one. I'm hoping that since this brood came along fairly early in the season that mother and father might nest again. We'll see. I'm hoping I'll be lucky enough to be at home when the babies leave and, if so, will try to capture some photos of the big event.

Coming next... a plant that has gone from the "I'm-not-so-sure-I-like-it" list to being one of my faves! Stay tuned!

Bluebird Blog #1

2009-05-05T21:33:00.003-05:00

I have put off posting for a brief period because I've been having photo software problems with the computer and didn't want to do the first bluebird post until I had some pictures to share. However, the issue is still not resolved and if I don't get busy blogging, the baby birds will have grown up, fledged and flown the nest before I get Bluebird Blog #1 posted. So... here goes.

It was my lucky, lucky day about three weeks ago when we were sitting on the screened porch one Sunday afternoon and I noticed one of the three pairs of Eastern bluebirds flying in and out under the awning of the garden shed. Sitting atop a great old potting bench are several birdhouses, two of which are open-fronted A-frames with baskets in the bottom of them. I could have sworn that those bluebirds were checking out one of those nesting boxes, but surely not. The box wasn't the right dimensions, the hole (there is no hole) wasn't the right size, it wasn't facing the proper direction.....all the things I'd always heard that bluebirds demanded of their nesting spot were wrong. As fortune would have it, this pair of bluebirds apparently had not read the nesting manual and the rules governing where they will and will not nest. So I watched.

Yes! Sure enough, the female bluebird was definitely checking out the open-fronted A-frame on the left--the one that was slightly obscured by some pots sitting in front of it. After a couple of hours of watching her rather intently, she took off to fetch an insect or two for supper and I took the opportunity to very quietly sneak over and check out the nesting location. The nest was there--perfectly built, but as yet unoccupied. I would wait.

Monday morning dawned sunny and beautiful and again I snuck out to very quietly and unobtrusively take a peek. Gold! One gorgeous little egg. By late that afternoon a second egg had appeared and by Wednesday morning, two more for a total of four. And so the waiting began.

I'm happy to tell you that, two weeks later, we have four absolutely perfect baby bluebirds and they are growing by leaps and bounds. Right now, they're all beak and skin. They're actually sort of ugly--but ugly in the most beautiful way! I noticed today that they are beginning to get a good layer of down on them now, which is good, given that we've had some cooler temperatures the past few days! Their eyes are still shut, but their hearing is incredibly acute. With even the slightest noise, four gaping beaks appear at the top of the nest and it is an absolute joy to see. I am taking pictures when I can, as long as I feel that I am not disturbing either the babies or the parents--so far, so good. As soon as I get this camera software running properly again, I'll post some pics so that you can see the precious young 'uns.

Until then, I'll just keep sneaking out from time to time to see what's going on. And I'll keep you posted!

A Nice "Geographic" Surprise!

2009-04-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

So I was working on a few things for the website yesterday--technical stuff mostly--and as part of the process I typed my name into "Google" to make sure that if anyone searched for me by name that it did, indeed, direct them to my website. It does. Good news.

While I was there (on Google) I thought I'd nose around a bit and see what people were saying about me and where I've ended up over the past few weeks and months. It's always interesting to see because the various magazine articles, newspaper interviews and other media appearances are now frequently shared in digital, online formats and you never know for sure who's going to pick it up and print it in another part of the country or world. I've been amazed at some of the places I've found myself! All good, mind you.

Much to my surprise I saw a headline that said something about "National Geographic". I immediately dismissed it as another Troy Marden (oddly, there are a couple of us running around) and went on. About two pages later, though, I saw a second headline that said "National Geographic" and had my name in the bylines, so I thought I'd better check it out. I'm so glad I did! National Geographic magazine has an online photo forum that anyone in the world can join--professional or amateur photographers--and post their photos for ratings by others AND the opportunity, just maybe, to have your photo selected as "Photo of the Week".

Needless to say, I clicked on the link and the surprise that awaited me was that TWO of my photos had been selected to run in an article for National Geographic Traveler magazine. What a nice surprise! Between that and the absolutely stunning weather we're having right now, it has been a good week. You can see the National Geographic Traveler piece here:

http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/drives/brandywine-valley/1

The opening shot of the gazebo at Longwood Gardens is mine, as is the photo on page 2 (scroll to the bottom of the page and click "next") of the oval spiral staircase at Winterthur.

Coming next week--"Bluebird Blog"!!! I've had a pair of eastern bluebirds nest in an open box atop the potting bench and there are four beautiful eggs. While staying away as much as possible, I can't help peeking from time to time. I'll post some photos of the babies as they grow and develop!

Rarity In Bloom

2009-04-17T12:07:00.003-05:00

It's clivia season! I always wait with anticipation in mid- to late March to see whether or not the clivias are going to flower in April. I have two--the common orange variety, Clivia miniata and the much rarer yellow-flowering form 'Citrina'. Both are extremely special plants. The orange one is special because it came from my dear friend, Betty Brown. I helped her divide her enormous plants one year and she gave me a baby from one of them. Each spring when it flowers, it reminds me of Betty.

The yellow-flowered one, cultivar 'Citrina', is special because I was able to find a truly magnificent specimen of it--better than most of the others I've seen. 'Citrina' is actually a seed-grown strain, so there is considerable variation in the intensity of the yellow, the form of the flower and the size of the mature plant. I was lucky and found a really good one in flower a few years ago, so I was able to judge the quality of its blooms when I bought it. The plant is huge. Standing in it's 16-inch diameter clay pot, it reaches nearly 3 1/2 feet high with a 4-foot spread, the inflorescence stretches nicely up to the top of the foliage and the flowers are a clear, buttery yellow and borne in umbels 10" in diameter.

Really good yellow clivias are becoming more commonplace, but for years they were true collectors plants. One of the first yellow-flowering clivias ever sold in the U.S. was at the Longwood Gardens rare plant auction and fetched $10,000!!!!! I can assure you that mine was not even close in price, but it's a magnificent plant nonetheless.

Clivias are easy, tolerant houseplants that will withstand a fair amount of abuse. However, the kinder you are, the more spectacular the results. They make excellent subjects for areas of low light, though extremely low light throughout the year may cause them not to flower. Here's how I treat mine.

Clivia culture: They like to be potbound. My big plant is in a big pot (16" diameter), but for the size of the plant (3o" high x 4' wide) it's still tight. Once freezing weather has passed they spend the spring, summer and fall outdoors on the shady screened porch where they receive about 2 hours of direct morning sun and bright, but indirect light the rest of the day. I water and feed regularly during the growing season--a good soaking once or twice a week depending on temperature and wind (too dry is better than too wet), as well as a good liquid fertilizer (a bloom promoting formula) once a month.

The clivias stay out until mid- to late October. Temperatures down into the 40's are good for them and seem to help promote blooming the following spring. Once frost threatens, I move them indoors for the winter. Now, here is the most important piece of advice I'll give you regarding clivias: Once they have come in for the winter (late October, here) they DO NOT GET WATERED AGAIN UNTIL THE FOLLOWING SPRING WHEN THE FLOWER STALKS ARE NEARING THE TOP OF THE FOLIAGE AND THE INDIVIDUAL BUDS ARE EMERGING FROM THE PRIMARY BUD. And by "do not get watered again", I really do mean that I do not water them at all from the end of October until approximately the first or second week of April! Clivias are native to Africa and they have a very distinct dry, dormant period. If you water them during this time, they still may flower, but most of the time the flower stalk will not emerge from the foliage and all of your blooms will be way down in the leaves! Not pretty.

These short blooms stalks on clivia are an extremely common problem. I get questions about it all the time. The solution is the dry dormant period. They must have it. Clivia are closely related to amaryllis, only without the bulb. Instead, they store water in their massive, fleshy roots, so don't worry about hurting them. On a rare occasion, if I really notice the leaves curling or wilting during the winter, I may give them a tiny sip of water--not more than a cup or two on the biggest plants and less on the smaller ones--just enough to perk them back up a bit. Also, NO fertilizing during the dormant time. Just let them sleep and they'll reward you magnificently in the spring!

Life Lessons

2009-04-15T18:21:00.004-05:00

I have a new garden post that I will put up tomorrow, but tonight I feel inspired to take a detour from gardening for just a moment. This won't happen often. The garden blog will remain the garden blog and 99% of the posts will be just that. However, I've discovered something so extraordinary and so touching that I think everyone needs to see it. Some of you probably already have, as this video has "gone viral", as they say and has become an overnight internet sensation with more than 7 million hits. It has been a Yahoo! headline, it was shown this morning on The View and I've already passed it around to all of my friends via email after discovering it on YouTube yesterday.

This is a reminder to all of us to never judge a book by its cover because in each and every one of us lies something extraordinary. I grew up with an aunt who had Down's Syndrome and she was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known. She taught me not to be afraid of people who didn't look or talk or act the same way I did. She taught me not to judge by what I saw on the outside, but to see the beauty of her soul and the spirit within. The Down's Syndrome reference is a personal reference to a special person who touched my life and has nothing to do with the following video, other than to point out that each of us, as an individual, is unique and extraordinary and should not be judged on outward appearances.

Watch the reaction of the audience to this amazing woman as she enters the stage.....and then watch as she sweeps aside every cynical thought, every snicker and laugh, every raised eyebrow with a voice so powerful and so precise and so beautiful that it cannot be denied. Enjoy and remember the name Susan Boyle. You're sure to hear more from her! And I promise that I'll get back to gardening tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

If You Don't Like The Weather....

2009-04-06T08:38:00.002-05:00

Stick around a day. It'll change!

The weather roller coaster continues to whip us around wildly here in Tennessee. Late last week we had some of the most glorious spring weather we've seen all season--and today?--SNOW (perhaps). Right now it's a warm and toasty 39 degrees and the rain is falling steadily. It doesn't get much more miserable than that.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have the rain. It's always nice to get a little ahead of the game early in the season, just in case we have a whopper of a summer. In addition to cold and rainy, the range of temperatures in the forecast is frustrating at best. I've seen anywhere from 24 degrees for the low to a balmy 31--that's a BIG difference in the gardening world. Thirty-one degrees would hardly faze a plant that was well-established and acclimated to the cold, but 24 is going to freeze-dry newly opened foliage and flowerbuds and may take several weeks to recover from. Tender new growth on plants like hostas may suffer even in a mild frost and 24 will surely freeze them to the ground where they'll have to start over again from scratch--and they will, but it will take a little time.

What to do?

I'm going to take some precautions. Since I now live on top of a windy hill in the rural countryside (without the warming effects of city concrete and asphalt), all of the hostas that are still in containers are going into the garden shed and storage room. Some of them are looking a little weak this spring anyway and getting frozen is not what they need just now. There are also a few shrubs (also still in containers) that are fully leafed out with very tender new growth. They'll probably go in, too. The tropicals and other tender plants are still inside anyway, so no worries about those.

For plants that are in the ground, I'll cover what I can and the rest is on its own. Most things won't be bothered. I'll probably turn some 5-gallon buckets over a few of the hostas that are just emerging so the new leaves don't get burned. I may throw an old sheet or blanket over a couple of other things that for one reason or another I feel the need to protect. Honestly, though, the vast majority of it is just going to have to survive. Tough love. Yes, the new growth on a few things might get nipped and yes, a few plants might have the look of that bag of lettuce that's been in the crisper drawer for a week too long, but plants are resilient. They'll survive.

A note of caution: Do NOT cover plants with plastic sheeting in order to "protect" them. Plastic traps moisture and will actually cause more damage to your plants than if you left them uncovered. Even with 5-gallon buckets, I'll place a small rock or stick under one side just to raise the edge of it slightly off the ground to allow for air circulation. This will keep the frost from settling on the leaves, but won't trap moisture which will turn the plants into ice cubes.

When this cold snap passes, we'll trim the dead and be a little kinder to things than we might normally be for a few weeks until they really get growing again, but even if primary growth is frozen, the secondary buds will kick into gear, expand and grow. In a couple of weeks, we'll never even know there was a late frost. I have to admit, though, that for all of my positivity and optimism, I'm still annoyed. Can we just have one good spring? Is that too much to ask?

Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic'

2009-03-22T20:49:00.003-05:00

Since my week got away from me last week, I'm posting a second post tonight. Hope you don't mind! I've promised a new plant or product post each week, too, so here's the new plant that I'm most excited about this week. (Since you're gardeners, you do understand that my favorite plant changes at least once a week!)

Corylus avellana. "Where have I heard that name?" you may ask yourself. (Or maybe not.) Well, it may sound familiar because it's the plant that many gardeners know by its common name--Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. Actually, it's Corylus avellana 'Contorta', if I'm being 100% correct. The species itself is not contorted, only the cultivar. For many years on my trips to Europe I have lusted after the many colored-foliage forms of filbert that are grown there--particularly in the cooler parts of Europe--Holland, Germany and so on. There were golden forms, purple forms, red forms, and others, but in the heat and humidity of the southern U.S., they were crispy by the end of June, if not sooner. Not so, now.

With the introduction of Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic', we finally have a colored-leaf form of the filbert that will withstand our heat and humidity--or so they say. Time will tell, but all the reports I've heard and read so far have been very positive. And not only are the leaves red, but the stems are also contorted and twisted! The vast majority of ornamental filberts whose foliage is colored have straight stems, but not this one! It's as curly and contorted and twisted as any "Harry Lauder's" I've ever seen--like a really good "bad hair day"! Well anyway, I'm excited about it. We received 6 plants at the garden center on Thursday--apparently they're extremely limited in their availability this first year on the market, but keep your eyes peeled. You might give a quick call to your local garden centers and see if they're going to carry it. If they are, I'd suggest getting your name put on a "Wish List", if they do that sort of thing. Otherwise, you may miss out.

'Red Majestic' grows just like the green Harry Lauder's Walking Stick--about 10'-12' high and wide, preferring full sun (though I'm guessing that just a little afternoon shade in the south might be beneficial), moist but well-drained soil and some occasional pruning to help shape it (and so that you can have those fabulous branches to use indoors!). If there is any drawback, it is that the plant is grafted. This is the quickest and most efficient way to propagate this plant and get it to market, but it has one negative. The rootstock is from the regular filbert (non-contorted) and the thing suckers like mad! My new plant is in a 3-gallon pot and is only about 24" tall and already it has suckers sprouting from the base. I chose one that has about 4" of trunk at the base of the plant so that I can plant it deep and bury the graft. Hopefully, that will help reduce the amount of suckering somewhat, but I'm sure that it won't eliminate it completely. Occasionaly sucker removal is a small price to pay though, for such a beautiful little garden plant! Get on the phone first thing in the morning and track one down!

Photo from Hale and Hines www.haleandhines.com

In The Garden 3/22/09

2009-03-22T20:20:00.005-05:00

Tsk, tsk! I've been bad. My week has been a little crazy for a number of reasons and so I have not posted the way I promised I would. So tonight you're getting two! First, the garden update.

Things are coming along, I have to say. We spent about 5 1/2 hours out in the yard last Sunday and finished 95% of the leaf/acorn/hickory nut pick-up. You simply cannot imagine how many wheelbarrow loads of acorns and hickory nuts I'm talking about--over 100 wheelbarrows full, but in all honesty, I've lost count now! The squirrels keep to themselves in the forest and don't seem to care that there is an absolute smorgasbord awaiting them at the top of the hill. Honestly, I don't really mind. I'd rather not have them tearing things up. But if they did decide to move up the hill, I'd have squirrels the size of raccoons by the time they helped themselves to this buffet!

Monday I had to work. I had been gone to Memphis for two days the week before and spent half the day on Saturday with a client/friend in Giles County working on a plan for their farm, so Monday I had to play catch-up. If I'm being completely honest, though, there was another reason I gave up my Monday gardening day last week---because the Tuesday forecast was for sunny and 74, and boy was it ever beautiful! I did work in the yard that day, putting down lawn fertilizer and spraying a full (and smelly) batch of Moore's Mix (from the garden center whose design work I do (http://www.mooreandmoore.com/), a concoction of beneficial bacteria, humic acid, seaweed extract, etc. that goes down in liquid form and boosts the biological activity in your soil. Heaven knows my soil needs some biological activity! It has pretty good texture in most places, at least where I've been diggin' around, but it seems to be absolutely dead--not so much as an earthworm. So I'm trying to rectify that.

Late in the day, my landlady came up and we burned off the remainder of the big garden bed that had gotten so wild by the time I moved in at the end of summer last year. It really was a mess and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that it is cleaned up. A little RoundUp to kill the clover that has made itself at home and I'll be ready to start gardening! Finally! Normally, I would weed it by hand, but the space is so big and the clover so prevalent (almost a solid groundcover over about 1500 square feet) that I'm going to have to do it the other way, just to get ahead of it. Then it won't be so bad to maintain.

Late this afternoon I spent about 2 1/2 hours outdoors getting a bunch of the tender plants that I had overwintered either in the garden shed or in the store room out, cleaned up and repotted. I still have a ways to go, but I'm getting there. I'm sure we'll have another cold snap and I'll have to haul everything back in again, but it feels good to be getting things ready for the growing season. I'm having to work again tomorrow (Monday), so probably no post tomorrow night, but if I'm lucky I'll have a few more hours to spend in the garden on Tuesday, so maybe an update then.

Oh, I almost forgot. We went on our first spring hike today and the woods are beginning to come alive. Fabulous little spring ephemerals emerging everywhere--false rue anemone, liverwort, trout lily and more. I can't wait to see what pops up in the next few weeks!

Walkin' In Memphis

2009-03-13T01:35:00.002-05:00

Good morning! It's about 1:45 a.m. on Friday the 13th and I'm blogging to you live from Memphis, TN! I spoke to the Hosta Society here tonight and promised that I would post a list of sources for some of the plants that were included in my talk. I figured that while I'm doing that, now is as good a time as any to remind everyone that spring is just around the corner and if you haven't gotten those spring plant orders placed, you'd better hurry up! The good stuff will be gone before you know it.

So where are some of my favorite places to shop? Here's a list. Mind you, it's not all-inclusive or in any particular order. And first and foremost, don't forget to shop your local nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers! Lots of cool new stuff will be hitting the shelves over the next few weeks.

Raising Rarities--Hybrid Hardy Lady's Slipper Orchids, one of the few nurseries in the country specializing in these plants. www.raisingrarities.com

Seneca Hill Perennials--Lots of GREAT perennials, new as well as tried and true varieties and some really hard to find things. www.senecahillperennials.com

Plant Delights Nursery--The weird and unusual, and Tony has great plants, too. www.plantdelights.com

Forest Farm Nursery--Amazing selection in all categories, but particularly phenomenal in the woody plant category. www.forestfarm.com

Cistus Nursery--Lots of west coast things, but some really cool tropicals, succulents and other plants that will thrive in the south. www.cistus.com

Rare Plants Nursery--This used to be "Paul Christian Rare Plants", but I've noticed of late that they are now referring to it just as "Rare Plants". They DO ship to the states, if you're willing to pay the phytosanitary fees, etc. It's expensive, but they have plants that almost no one else in the world has. The array is mindboggling, to say the least. www.rareplants.co.uk

Yucca Do Nursery--For those of you into succulent and dry garden plants, this is your source. They really know what they're doing. www.yuccado.com

This list doesn't even scratch the surface, but includes a very small handful of my personal favorites. There are many others. Also, while you're at it, go ahead and check out the websites for some of the wholesale places, such as Terra Nova Nurseries www.terranovanurseries.com, North Creek Nurseries www.northcreeknurseries.com , Shady Oaks Nursery www.shadyoaks.com, and others. These are just a FEW of the folks who are introducing new plants to the market and supply the growers, who then supply your local greenhouses and garden centers, so a LOT of their plants can be purchased through your regular retailers.

And don't blame me when your garden budget suddenly dwindles! (And again, a special thanks to the Memphis Hosta Society for hosting me this evening.) Happy Gardening!

Hellebore Fever

2009-03-07T09:49:00.004-06:00

Well, March has certainly come roaring in! For those of you who didn't see it on the news (or experience it personally), parts of Tennessee received nearly a FOOT of snow last Saturday and Sunday. A FOOT!!! I know that to some of you that's pretty average, but in the South, where people (cities) are ill-prepared to handle such events, that's a LOT of snow. Imagine Buffalo or Chicago getting 5-6 feet of snow all at once and that's what we're talking about here. I may be wrong, but I believe I heard that the city of Memphis doesn't even have a snow plow--and they got 6 inches of snow! Snow plow or not, we're just not prepared to handle that kind of snow event around here. I'm still miffed, however, because the entire thing missed Nashville. I'd be hard pressed to call what we got a good dusting. Figures.

Snow aside, the garden is really starting to come to life now. It has been slowly awakening over the past several weeks, but now we're to the point where everyday something new pokes it's head out of the soil. I'm still learning my way around at the new place. I haven't done much digging yet because I still don't know what might be lurking underground, waiting to make its appearance. For instance, what I thought was going to be a convenient path from the front walk to the sideyard appears to have Virginia bluebells planted in it. All winter long I've been trampling a path through the area and now I find little purplish-red sprouts pushing through the soil. They're going to have to move. The path is staying. Same for a couple of clumps of daffodils that have shown themselves in the middle of the path going into the main part of the yard. They won't mind being dug, divided and relocated once summer arrives. That path is staying, too.

The hellebores that survived the winter (the ones in containers took a real beating) are looking glorious. 'Ivory Prince', pictured here, is truly an outstanding garden plant. Its vigor, I'm finding, is second-to-none. The same is true for many of the newer hybrids. Excellent parents have led to excellent progeny and the growth that I'm getting out of many of my new hellebores is nearly double what I'm accustomed to from this group of plants. Some of my favorites are the plants from hellebore guru Marietta O'Byrne, which are being introduced by my friends at Terra Nova Nurseries. The colors are exquisite and the vigor is astounding! A few particular favorites are 'Golden Lotus', the 'Brushstrokes Strain' and the 'London Fog' series. There are several others, too, and there's not a dog among them!

Another group of hellebores that I've been most impressed with is the Brandywine series from good friend and plant guru, Dave Culp. His eye for color, flower size and plant vigor is extraordinary. This is a mixed color strain, but the colors are clear and delicious--I've been like a kid in a candy store--and my very best yellow-flowered plant to date has come from Dave's group, flowering in a clear, unspotted limey-yellow with flowers almost 3 inches across. It absolutely glows in the garden!

The weather forecast is sunny and 70 for Monday, so I'm looking forward to an entire day in the garden! I'll let you know what happens!

As February Wanes

2009-02-28T08:12:00.002-06:00

It appears that March is going to live up to its reputation and come in like a lion. I left the house yesterday morning without a jacket, since it was 67 degrees at 8 a.m., and by 4:00 yesterday afternoon it was in the 40's and I was wishing I hadn't made that oversight. Apparently, it's going to snow here tonight. We might even get an entire inch! If you live in Nashville, don't forget to run out to the grocery and stock up on enough milk, bread and toilet paper to last you at least a month--it might actually snow TWO inches, and then what would we do?!?

I'm sorry. Perhaps that's a little too catty, but after living here for 15 years it still makes me laugh--the great public reaction when the four letter "s" word appears in the forecast! The only thing that I ask is that if you are a Nashville resident, please, PLEASE stay off the roads. People like me who grew up where it snows will be out driving around trying to enjoy it. We don't need to be dodging the rest of you.

Okay, I'll leave you alone now. I do have to say that the garden is coming back to life. The daylilies are poking their noses up from beneath the mulch, other perennials are beginning to make appearances and the early spring things are looking glorious. The witchhazels, which I blogged about a few posts back, are at their peak now--fabulous displays of brilliant yellow that brighten my day whether the sun is shining or not. The hellebores are rocking, too! I mentioned earlier that I had lost a number of my good hellebores in the zero degree weather this winter, but I was at a local nursery yesterday and found some new ones. I'll be going back next week to make my selections.

Iris reticulata is also blooming now. This is a tiny purple iris that grows from a small bulb. It's always one of the very first flowers to appear in the spring and although its show lasts but a few days, it's worth having a few in the garden as a reminder that spring IS on the way. They'll even bloom in the snow if they have to and I can't say enough good about a plant that will do that! I was at Cheekwood (the botanical garden) the other day and the snowdrops, winter aconites, cornelian cherry dogwoods (Cornus mas), wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) and several other plants were in full bloom. The quinces were trying hard--big, fat buds that were just ready to burst. I'm sure they'll be fabulous this coming week, if the cold weather associated with the snow doesn't snap them.

Thank you, as always, for taking a look at the blog. As March begins, the new blog schedule will go into full effect. My goal is to be in the garden every Monday, weather permitting, working to get my new little place whipped into shape so that I can really enjoy it this summer. On Monday evenings, I'll blog about and post photos of the day's activities and fill you in on what's happening in the garden. Then, later in the week (probably Thursdays) there will be a second post on a more general gardening topic--a new plant, a new product, a hint or two about what YOU should be doing in the garden.....and who knows what else. We'll see which muses strike! I'll also post anytime there is a new magazine piece coming out and will try to keep you up-to-date on what new things might be coming your way on the television show, Volunteer Gardener.

Until then, enjoy the snow and happy gardening!

Pot Bound in Garden Design Magazine

2009-02-19T17:56:00.002-06:00

Just a brief note to let everyone know about an article that has just been published in the March 2009 issue of Garden Design magazine. This is a project that features ornamental grasses being used in containers that I worked on last summer with my friend Jenny Andrews, who is the features editor at the magazine. We spent several loooonng, hot days in August working to get it all just right and I'm very proud of the way it turned out. It should be hitting newsstands and mailboxes this week. You can also see a few additional photos online at www.gardendesign.com/grasses My only complaint is that in the online version you can't click on the photos and see larger images. I hope they'll fix that. Just FYI, the online photos, for the most part, are different than the ones in the magazine, so be sure to look at both!

More strange weather here! 74 degrees yesterday with tornadoes in one county and it's going to be 19 tonight! Sort of wishing I'd left those leaves in place for one more week, but what's a gardener to do?!? Spring will get here... Spring will get here... Spring will get here...

A Gardening Opportunity

2009-02-17T14:38:00.003-06:00

Well, I finally got out in the garden for a few hours yesterday afternoon. The oak leaves were still piled in the front beds where they fell late last fall and I had allowed them to stay for the purpose of offering winter protection to a fair number of newly planted perennials. They're cleaned up now and the beds are ready for a good, thick layer of composted horse manure that will act both as soil conditioner and mulch. The worms will have their way with it and incorporate it into the soil over the course of the growing season, but until they've done all their work, it will help to hold water and suppress weeds. It will also add valuable nutrient and organic matter to the soil, which my soil is desperately in need of. The texture is pretty good--the organic matter content is wretched.

As those of you who have followed along for a while already know, most of my plants have been in containers for the past several years until I found a place to land, at least semi-permanently, before putting them in the ground. Some found homes in the new garden last fall, but many had to go through one more winter in their pots. Since I didn't move in until August, I really had no idea where dormant plants (especially early spring things) might be hiding and there is no worse feeling than hearing that sickening crunch when you put the shovel right through the crown of something that was hidden underground. So I waited.

The bad news is that it seems that a fair number of plants didn't appreciate going through our zero degree cold snap in pots. One of my jobs yesterday was to go through the "nursery" to see what had survived. Trees and shrubs fared well, for the most part. Perennials and bulbs--not so much. It appears that I've lost at least half of my hellebores (several that aren't even on the market yet), all of my lilies (except, thankfully, for the Madonna lily that was my grandmother's) and about 1/3 of the perennials that were in containers (including a few things that were quite rare and unusual). I did the best I could with the winterizing--grouping pots close together for added insulation, mulching, and putting them in protected areas out of the wind (as much as one can when living on top of a hill). Alas, zero degrees took its toll.

There were only a couple of losses that really hurt. Most everything is replaceable. And therein lies the gardening opportunity. My enthusiasm will not be squelched! A freak zero-degree weather event is not going to discourage this gardener. By summer, all of my plants will have a home--roots in the ground--and then I'll start collecting again. What I've lost, I'll reacquire. What I can't reacquire, I'll replace with something even newer, rarer and better. The plant collector in me will persevere!

And here's the biggest lesson from my garden: If you're going to live here, you're going to have to survive. If you don't, you're compost--and I don't feel the least bit guilty about it.

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince'

2009-02-13T15:55:00.003-06:00

Well, you've been asking for more plant posts and I've been promising more plant posts, so here we go. The garden is waking up! A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Hamamelis 'Arnold Promise' was getting ready to burst. Then it got cold and Arnold decided to keep his head down for a few more days, but he's showing off magnificently now! The silvery-grey stems are all but obscured by brilliant primrose yellow flowers that will last the better part of a month, as long as the weather stays seasonably cool.

Just to the left of the path coming up to the front door, Helleborus 'Silver Moon' has opened its first flower, too (the buds have been there since Christmas!). This is a hybrid of Helleborus niger and either H. lividus or H. x sternii. I'm getting conflicting reports, which I think I mentioned a few posts ago. Either way, it's simply stunning--by far my favorite at this point because of its absolutely exquisite silver-marbled foliage and pure white flowers flushed pink on the outside. That said, it has a cousin, 'Ivory Prince', whose performance has also been second-to-none.

Helleborus x 'Ivory Prince' is a complex hybrid that involves several species and has come available on the mass market in just the past couple of years. Unlike the hellebores of years past, many of the new cultivars are now being propagated by tissue culture, which gets them to the market much more quickly and at a fairly reasonable price--'Ivory Prince' is a perfect example. It has beautiful, dark blue-green foliage--thick and leathery and of great substance--and beautiful ivory-white flowers that age to pink and eventually green. It's greatest attribute though, in my opinion, is its hybrid vigor. Hybrid vigor is not an uncommon occurence in plant breeding--two parents are crossed and the resulting plants (if it was a good cross) combine the best attributes of the two, which often results in offspring that grow larger, stronger and faster than either of the parents. Such is the case with 'Ivory Prince'.

From a one-gallon pot that was planted last fall, 'Ivory Prince' pushed up from under the oak leaves this week with more than a dozen stems of flowers, with at least 8 to 10 buds per stem. That's over 100 blooms on a 1-gallon plant! I'm waiting on it to open up just a bit more before I take a photo of it, but will post one just as soon as the flowers are open far enough to get a good shot of it. In the meantime, if you'll go to Google Images and look up "Helleborus Ivory Prince", you'll come up with all kinds of beautiful photos. As with most hellebores, this is a great one for the drier (not full-on drought) areas of the shady garden! It's certainly one that I'll never be without again.

A Short Hiatus

2009-02-09T14:26:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been a few days since there was a new post. I've been up to my eyeballs in the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville for the past week. After working on the show in various capacities for nearly 15 years, I had officially "retired" and was looking forward to a nice, quiet year when I could just go and enjoy the show with no responsibility--just walk the floor, look around, maybe shop a little and visit with friends I only get to see once a year. But they had an unexpected opening in the garden area sort of late in the game, so we (Monarch Landscape Company and I) stepped in to fill the gap.

The show's theme this year was "Sustaining Beauty" and was all about being ec0-friendly and green--the theme of many shows these days. Our topic was water and water conservation--you'll notice a cistern for water collection and if you look closely at the sidewalk, it is made from a new type of permeable brick paver that allows water penetration and filtration, cleaning up runoff water from driveways and parking lots before it re-enters the groundwater system.

Because we were brought in so late in the game on this one, I decided to stick with what we know best and create a "gardeny" garden rather than doing something more modern and contemporary that involved a lot of construction, which I may have been inclined to do had we had a little more time to plan. Tradition paid off this time--people really seemed to enjoy the garden--and we won the "Rosemary Verey Award" for Best Interpretation of the Theme!

Rosemary, for those of you who don't know, was one of Britain's greatest gardeners. Her gardens at Barnsley House are famous around the world. Rosemary is no longer with us, but I had the good fortune of getting to know her when she visited the states on several occasions, so I'm very proud to have won the award that bears her name. It will have a special place on the shelf!

I'll be back to posting on a regular basis starting immediately. I hope you'll tell your gardening friends about the blog. The website is getting a nice amount of traffic these days and I hope to keep it growing. On the blog, I'm really going to focus on new and unusual plants as we get into the late days of winter and early days of spring, so I hope you'll keep visiting and bring your gardening buddies along for the ride! I'll be back again soon!

Blossoms of Winter

2009-01-27T15:03:00.004-06:00

'Arnold Promise' Witchhazel, www.fantasticplants.com

I'm happy to report that so far, Nashville has dodged today's weather bullet. We'll see what happens after it gets dark and the temperature drops a bit. It has been raining almost continually since about 3:30 this morning, but for most of that time it has been in liquid form and the ambient air temperature is a few degrees above freezing. I'm choosing to believe the forecast the says our temps are going to continue to rise a few degrees and that the city will not be a solid sheet of black ice come morning. We'll see.

Even with the gloomy weather, a bright spot emerged in the garden this morning. I noticed as I was leaving the house that Hamamelis 'Arnold Promise' was just about to burst into full bloom. The petals are still coiled, but it is obvious that with the first warmer day it will regale the garden and perfume the air with its golden yellow blossoms.

Witchhazels are fabulous for the fall, winter and early spring gardens. Depending on the species and cultivar, as well as the area of the country you live in, you might have witchhazels in flower anytime from October through March/April. Of the many varieties I have grown over the years, I keep coming back to 'Arnold Promise' as my favorite. The flowers are large, showy and appear consistently every year. Timing can vary depending on your climate, as early as February here in the mid-south and as late as early April in the northern reaches of its hardiness.

The thing I love the most is its bright, forsythia-yellow color. It seems to come during the grayest days of winter, when I need it most, to remind me that I only need hold on a few more weeks until the first warm days of spring will be here and life will come again to the garden. It makes the perfect understory accent for the garden in bright dappled shade or an excellent focal point where it can take advantage of morning sun and a little protection from the sun's harshest afternoon rays. If you can, site it where you can enjoy it as the rising or setting sun provides dramatic backlighting for its stunning floral display. It's sure to brighten your spirits on even the dreariest of winter days!

There are many other cultivars of witchhazel, too, and honestly, I've never met one I didn't like. The brilliant golds, buttery yellows, burning oranges and rustic burgundies all bring life to the garden at a time when we need it the most!

P.L.A.N.T. Winter Seminar

2009-01-22T08:40:00.003-06:00

I've just been reminded of another excellent program that will be happening in a few weeks in the Nashville area. For those of you within driving distance, it would be an outstanding opportunity to hear some world class plant gurus talking about the things they love the best. The lineup includes renowned plantsman, founder and former owner of Heronswood Nursery, Dan Hinkley, as well as Tennessee's own Carol Reese who is as knowledgable and as entertaining as they come. Rounding out the day are Dr. Richard Olsen from the U.S. National Arboretum and Dr. Andrew Bell from the Chicago Botanic Garden, both extraordinary plantsmen and at the forefront of new plant introductions and coming trends in the world of horticulture.

The stars really aligned to get this group of people under one roof at the same time, so if you're close by, you really ought to try to make it! You can find registration information on the website of the Professional Landscape Association of Nashville Tennessee (P.L.A.N.T.) at www.landscapenashville.org. Just click on the "News & Events" button and it will take you to the correct page! Hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Garden Shows

2009-01-21T11:34:00.004-06:00

It's that time of year again! Communities across the country are gearing up for the onslaught of spring garden shows that crop up (pun intended) during the late winter and early spring months each year. Here in Nashville there are three "major" shows and they begin in February with The Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville (www.antiquesandgardenshow.com). After working on this show for nearly 15 years, I swore that I was going to "retire" and just enjoy the beautiful gardens and booths as a spectator. My retirement was short-lived.

I received a phone call from one of the movers and shakers in the show a few weeks back saying that there had been a last minute change in plans and that they were short a design/install group for one of the gardens and would I be willing to take it on? In an obvious moment of weakness, I agreed. What WAS I thinking!?! Anyway, look for us at the show. We'll be there. The plans are laid and, one way or another, we'll pull it off!

Following the Antiques and Garden Show is the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show (www.nashvillelawnandgardenshow.com) from March 5th-8th. I'll be speaking again this year on the 8th--time and topic to be determined. I'll have it posted on my website (www.troybmarden.com) on the list of speaking engagements as soon as I know all of the details.

The final spring show in our area is the Bloom 'n' Garden Expo (www.bloomngarden.com), hosted by the Williamson County Master Gardeners Association. It's a young show--only 6 years old--but has come along way in just a few short years. The gardens get better and better every year and there are always alot of cool plants for sale. I'm speaking again at this show, though time, date, etc. are still up in the air at the moment. This, too, will be posted on my website once I know all of the details.

In addition to these events there are a number of other plant sales that happen in and around the community. These include the Wildflower Fair at Cheekwood, the Herb Society of Nashville's Herb Sale, the Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee's plant sale and I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting off the top of my head. (If I've forgotten you, email me and I'll add the information.) Most of these happen between mid-March and mid-April and more information can be found by Googling them, I'm sure.

Well, I'm off to select plants for the Antiques & Garden Show garden, so will have to cut this short. We're gearing up for spring around here, regardless of the fact that it was only 10 degrees this morning! I hope you're getting in the mood where you live, too!

Winter Blast

2009-01-15T16:38:00.003-06:00

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Winter--REAL winter--has reared its ugly head. We're expecting the coldest temperatures in six years here in Nashville tonight and, in the outerlying areas, possibly the coldest temperatures in nearly 10 years!

For those of you in the midwest and northeast, what we're experiencing here is child's play compared to the temperatures that you and your gardens are having to endure. But for those of us who like to garden on the edge of our gardening zone, weather like this can be devastating--and enlightening. We'll learn alot from this. For instance, we'll learn whether Loropetalumis truly a Zone 7 plant or whether we can get away with it in Zone 6. My guess is Zone 7 and we'll see significant dieback if these temperatures endure for long.

On a brighter note, the fact that we've gradually approached the single digits rather than plummeting from one extreme to the other is a good thing. Yes, it was fairly balmy earlier in the week--mid to upper 40's--but at least we didn't plunge from 48 to 8 in just a few hours' time. That has happened on several occasions and the effects are devastating. Also, we're not going to remain bitterly cold for days on end, but cold is cold and for plants that aren't adapted, it can still be damaging. Be prepared to do a little pruning and deadwooding on your tender shrubs this spring.

So, what to do? For the most part, my plants are on their own. I confess that I did move some of the more tender conifers (still in containers) around to the south side of the house, just to keep them out of the wind. Another group was moved to the south side of the garden shed for the same reason. And a small handful of plants that I REALLY wanted to protect were set inside the garden shed--unheated, but protected nonetheless. That's all the preparation I'm doing. Beyond that, the plants are on their own. They'll just have to survive--or not. It's a cruel, cruel world...

Feeding Frenzy

2009-01-03T09:07:00.004-06:00

It's a busy time of year at the birdfeeders! I have an abundance of finches at my new country home--gold finches, purple finches and pine siskins. There are probably some others that I'm not familiar with, yet, but those are the primary three. I haven't seen any house finches, to date, but I'm sure they're around. I was overrun with them in the city. I also have mama and papa nuthatches, tufted titmice, chickadees, a pair of house wrens and the obligatory flock of mourning doves, whom I adore not only because they're pretty, but because they waddle around and clean up all the seed the other birds spill on the ground. Wasteful little things birds can be, sometimes. The papa nuthatch will actually THROW things OUT of the feeder that he's not interested in, but the doves take care of it, so I'm not complaining. He is a little territorial, however, and I'm not so fond of his running off my other birds should they DARE land on whichever feeder he's possessing at the moment.

In addition, and perhaps my most prized residents for the moment, are two mated pair of bluebirds whose babies will assuredly adorn the garden this spring and, I noticed yesterday for the first time, the rose-breasted grosbeaks (up until now I had seen them only rarely!) are NESTING atop the downspout just outside my office window! What a treat that will be a little later in the season!

I am beginning to get the gardening itch. When I moved to the new place in the country back in August, the garden had been somewhat let go (understandably so) through the summer due to my landlord being in the throes of trying to finish her new house so that she AND I could both move. To that end, there was alot of cleaning up that had to be done. Some of it I tackled--most of it I left. Now it's time to get out there and finish the task! I have taken some "before" pictures and will post those in the near future. 2009 is going to be a year of gardening, which I haven't had the pleasure of being able to do for the past few years because of my prior living situation. This year, all of those little (and some not-so-little) plants that I have been tending to in their pots for the past four years are finally going to find a home! The blog will follow along with the progress, the success, the trials and the tribulations. I hope you will, too, and I wish the very best in 2009! Thank goodness it's FINAllY here. I feel better already!

A New Year and Hope Springs Eternal

2008-12-29T11:19:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm sorry that I've been away for a little while, but I hosted Christmas in Tennessee this year and that, coupled with several projects that needed to be put to bed before the holidays, has kept me away from the computer more than I would like for the past couple of weeks. I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.

I woke up this morning (now that all of the Christmas fuss is past) with a renewed sense of hope and optimism as we leave 2008 behind and look forward to 2009. Certainly, there are things whose outcome is yet to be determined--the economy, for one--but I've decided that I'm not going to let those things dictate how I'm going to approach each day. I'm not going to listen to all of the news reporters bawling like a herd of goats about how "horrible" everything is. Nope. I'm choosing the higher path and I'm deciding that the days are going to be good ones. And even if some are harder than others I'm still moving forward on life's path and not getting stuck in the rut that we're all being guided into every time we turn on the television. I would encourage you to do the same.

If you need a little boost--a little sense of hope--a little sense of renewal--I would encourage you to go to the garden. Even if you live in the cold and snowy north, take a walk around. There is always hope and optimism in the garden; the tiny buds laid tight against the branches of trees and shrubs, awaiting spring's arrival and the opportunity to burst forth with renewed vigor, bringing joy with beautiful foliage and flowers; the tiny green tips of the first leaves of the snowdrops already beginning to push through the soil; the fat buds of the hellebores curled tightly into the crown of the plant still, but pushing forward nonetheless.

The garden never gives up. In every season, there is an opportunity--something to look forward to. Whether it's the first flowers of spring, the ebullient display of summer, the soft whisper of autumn or the grandeur of winter's frosty morns, in the garden hope springs eternal. There is hope and renewal around every corner, in every season. I hope that your garden provides the same sense of hope, renewal and joy that mine brings to me and I wish you the very best for 2009.

And don't forget to keep checking back! There are great changes ahead for the new year, both on the blog and at the main website, www.troybmarden.com Happy New Year!

The Great Prairies

2008-12-05T21:40:00.000-06:00

The older I get, the more reflective I become. I think it happens to the best of us, doesn't it? Some of the things I find myself reflecting on most these days are the things which ultimately shaped my chosen profession and which had lasting impact on my psyche from the time I was a child. Some of the most profound influences I had, though I don't think I fully realized it until later in life, were my childhood surroundings. The great prairies.

Like most children, I absorbed the world around me like a sponge--especially the natural world. The pulsing, rhythmic heartbeat of Mother Nature ran through my veins like the elixir of life. Nowhere was this feeling more prevalent than on the open plains of Kansas, where the prairie grasses danced and nodded in the continual breeze and the sunflowers painted the roadsides, hills and valleys--faces upturned--greeting the heavens with a sunny yellow smile.

It was this magnificent, untouched, ever-changing prairie that fed my spirit. The warm breeze caressing brown, summertime faces and the bitter howl of winter's fury that could all but knock you down and take your breath away with a single, frigid gust. It was the gentle rain that fell and made slow-moving rivers through roadside ditches where neighborhood boys floated boats made of lumber scraps and the ominous thunderheads that towered miles into the sky, forboding and black, a warning to those who were wise enough to take heed. It was the timid prairie dog--burrowing, watching, waiting--ever vigilant; their guards on high alert in the knowledge that one misstep on their part and SNAP!, the loss of a loved one to the talons of a red-tailed hawk on silent wing.

Some say you can't go back. I disagree. When the day is long, when work provides more stress than comfort, when the world begins to spin faster and faster out of control--the prairie is still my calming force. It is home. It is where I return in quiet solitude, in meditation--the prairie of my childhood--and all is right again with the world.

What The Heck Is That?!?

2008-11-25T11:41:00.003-06:00

Those words were uttered more than once this summer as passersby gawked at the otherworldly flowers hanging from the vine on the fence at my friend Leann's house. (There are pictures of her garden in my Garden Gallery at www.troybmarden.com) Apparently, a few folks even took offense at these giant, martianesque blossoms that so proudly displayed themselves, perfuming the air with the fragrance of lemon.

Funny, huh? Offended by a flower. I, on the other hand, find them entrancing--enthralling--utterly (as Martha would say) delightful. So they're a little weird, a little wild, a little "out there". They're plants! Another one of those fabulous, freaky things that makes people stop and take notice. No one was stopping to comment on the petunias, mind you. They paid no attention to THOSE at all!

So what is it? It is, my friends, the giant Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia gigantea). It is tropical in its origins, so is grown as annual by most of us. Don't let that fool you, though. It wasn't much more than a rooted cutting in a 1-gallon pot when it went in the ground and it was a little slow to start. Leann complained to me more than once that it wasn't really doing much. "Be patient," I replied, "The rewards will come later." I was right. The vine grew and grew until about September and then I got the call.

"Get over here tomorrow!" she said. "It has two buds on it." I told her I would try, but to be patient still and that there would be much more to come. It wasn't but a few weeks before the plant burst into flower--40, 50, 60 blooms. Maybe more. Everyone of them was over a foot long and nearly a foot wide. Some were borne singly, others in pairs. Either way, they were no less beautiful or enticing. Though certainly not common, the plant is fairly widely available from specialty nurseries on the internet or through mailorder. It's a great addition to any garden and is certain to be one of THE most talked about plants you own.

Pumpkin Artistry

2008-11-21T21:17:00.004-06:00

Never underestimate the creative mind! For those of you who thought that pumpkins were only good for carving and, perhaps, the occasional pie, I'd like to introduce you to the work of a good friend mine.

Every autumn at the University of Tennessee's West Tennessee Research Station in Jackson, TN, Jason Reeves and his staff create one of the most fun, exciting and dramatic displays of pumpkins, squash and gourds that you can imagine! Not only do they create this incredible display from scratch every year, they also re-design it from the ground up AND (with the help of a few of the research folks) they grow all of the squash, gourds and pumpkins they use in it.

This is a short entry, but I really wanted everyone to see the photos. C-C-COOOOLLLDDD here tonight! 17 degrees fahrenheit. Uggh!

Not So Elusive

2008-11-17T16:42:00.003-06:00

Well, as it turns out, my elusive waterfall turned out to be not-so-elusive. We found it. However, we found it at the end of the hike when, as it turns out, had we turned right instead of left we would have found it at the beginning. The end was good, though. The waterfall was a great way to end an hour's worth of hiking the ridge, as well as the valley behind it. If we'd found the waterfall first, we might have turned around and left before really doing some good exploring!

After seeing the lay of the land and the variation in trees and shrubs that it supports, I can only imagine what kind of elation I'll feel when I walk through and see the wildflowers coming up in the spring. If the vast stands of native forest sedges and Christmas fern are any indication, the spring show should be stunning. In addition to the few herbaceous plants still bravely hanging 'round this late in the season there were also a fair number of unusual woody plants along the way. Some of the more uncommon ones included an excellent stand of Lindera benzoin (Spicebush), numerous Ostrya virginiana (American Hop Hornbeam) all along the streambank and an as-yet-unidentified native azalea. I'll let you know what it is when it flowers in the spring.

The only problematic encounter we had was when we finally reached a point where the stream took a hard turn to the left and, on our side of the streambank, straight into a bluff. Our options were to turn back and re-hike the distance we had just come and the go back up to the top of the ridge or to go up from where we were. We chose the latter. The word "grueling" comes to mind, though not in an "I'd-never-do-it-again" sort of way. I'll say this: I'd ONLY do it in the winter when anything legless and scaly was NOT out sunning itself on the rocks or hiding sneakily under the leaves. This is timber rattler territory if I've ever seen it. No, we won't be scaling the cliffs in the summertime. Uh-uh. Not me. Sorry. I'm staying on flat ground and carrying a big stick.

Cliff-scaling aside, we had a fantastic afternoon. The weather was perfect (perfectly horrible for photography) with the sun coming down through the leafless trees and helping to warm us up just a bit. When we did find the waterfall, two problems posed themselves immediately: One, the weather. "Severe clear" as a photo friend of mine would describe it--washed out light and harsh shadow--not even good snapshot weather. And two, the best vantage point for shooting the waterfall is IN the creek. Seeing as it was 41 chilly degrees fahrenheit, my feet stayed on dry land. I snapped a few shots just to prove I was there, but the pretty shots will have to wait til summer. For the moment, though, I had found what I was looking for and it did not disappoint. Now I can't wait for spring and all of its lush, green exuberance. The photos then will be spectacular! I'm sure of it!

My Elusive Waterfall

2008-11-16T08:33:00.003-06:00

It's chilly this morning in Tennessee! Not as chilly as it is where some of you are located, I'm sure--and not as warm as it is for some of you either. I do have to say we're in a good climate here with just enough winter to still be able to appreciate four distinct seasons, but with short enough winters that by the time I'm really beginning to go stir-crazy it's just about over. If you really plan well here, you can have something blooming in the garden almost 12 months out of the year--even in the winter.

Today's not a gardening day, though. Nope. Today's a hiking day. As I've mentioned in some previous posts, I moved to a new piece of property back in August and since that time I've hardly had the time to get the lawn whipped into shape, let alone go exploring on the 150 acres of grassland and woods that extends for two ridges back behind the house. If I'm being totally honest, there are a couple of other reasons, too, not the least of which are the chiggers!

For those of you who don't live in the South and are asking "What the heck is a 'chigger'?", let me explain. For lack of a better term, they're sort of like a tiny little mite--maybe a spider mite, for you gardeners. They're tiny, horrible little sucking buggers that burrow into your skin and cause raised bumps like overgrown mosquito bites that itch like you simply cannot believe. If I had a nickel for every time I've woken up clawing at my ankles in the middle of the night because of them, I'd be writing this from some quiet beach in the Caribbean instead of from the living room in Primm Springs, Tennessee.

They like tight places. Shoes. Socks. That place where your jeans rub right behind your knees. Anywhere with an elastic waistband..... They're the worst. And unlike a mosquito bite, they don't just go away. No. They linger. They itch for the first week and then usually take two more to heal. So why am I babbling on about this? Well, because they love the woods. So that's the reason I haven't gone exploring yet on the new property. That and the rattlesnakes. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the rattlesnakes.

I know, I know. They won't bother you if you don't bother them. I'd rather not take my chances, thanks. Especially not after I photographed a nearly 6-foot-long timber rattler not 20 minutes from my house earlier this summer. He was an old boy. Thirteen rattles.

But back to the title of this post and my "Elusive Waterfall". My landlady tells me that somewhere on the property is a magnificent waterfall. She says it's about 30 feet wide and 15 feet high and I'm going looking for it. From her directions, I know the general direction in which it lies, but I don't know exactly where it is. The weather is perfect--39 degrees. No chiggers. No rattlesnakes. I'm going to go find a waterfall. If I'm successful, I'll post some pics! If you haven't heard back from me in a couple of days, send out a search party, would you?

An Amaryllis By Any Other Name...

2008-11-12T15:54:00.011-06:00

Hippeastrum cybister. Yes, yes, I know. More weird plants. Why not just talk about good old-fashioned red Christmas amaryllis? (Yawn.) Or everyone's favorite, 'Appleblossom'? (Yawn.) Or that beautiful red-and-white striped one that Granny grew every year? (Yaaawwn.) Alright, alright. I'm being unfair. I'm sounding like I don't like the traditional, large-flowered Christmas amaryllis when really, I do. But y'all know about those. I'd rather tell you about an amaryllis that you might not be quite as familiar with, if at all--and that's Hippeastrum cybister, or the cybister amaryllis.

This is a species that is native to South America--Bolivia, specifically--and has, in the past decade or so, been used extensively in hybridizing. The bottom photograph above is a picture of the species. It's extremely narrow petals are a dominant characteristic and carry through to the offspring. By hybridizing this species with other, more colorful species, the breeders have brought us an astounding array of exotic-looking, almost orchid-like amaryllis (the top picture) that 20 years ago were nearly unheard of.

The cybister group, as they're often referred to, are just as easy to grow as their larger counterparts, but are smaller in every respect. Smaller bulbs, smaller flowers, and generally smaller in stature (which means little to no staking!) and they make the perfect subjects for tabletop or windowsills during the holiday season. The cybister types also tend to be evergreen, so even though you'll purchase them as dormant bulbs (no foliage), once you get them up and growing they should remain beautiful green houseplants year round.

As with all amaryllis, they like to be potbound, so don't overdo it on the size of the pot. They also don't like to be overwatered, especially when in bloom (true for almost all amaryllis), so don't get heavy-handed with the watering can. Generally speaking, I pot them up, soak them good one time to settle them into the pot and leave them the heck alone until the flower stalks are emerging well from the bulb. Even then I just keep them barely moist. They're still rooting in at this point and overwatering could well cause those tender new roots to rot!

Cybisters will multiply with some degree of abandon and, after a few years, you should have a nice pot full of bulbs. Leave them alone! They're pretty this way. Even if the bulbs start "stacking up" on each other, they'll be okay. In the wild, amaryllis tend to grow on rock cliffs and other such places, so they don't need a gigantic pot filled to the brim with over-rich potting soil. All they need is a place to hang on and get a little food and water from occasionally.

I'd recommend summering them outdoors in a semi-shaded spot. In summer, when they are actively growing, you can feed and water them like your other houseplants, but once they come back in for the winter you need to back off again.

One last word on amaryllis: bloom time. This will likely come as a shock to some of you, but Christmas is NOT their natural bloom time. Spring is. The bulbs you buy for forcing at Christmas are exactly that. Forced. This doesn't harm them, but in later years (assuming you keep them from year to year) they will flower at their normal bloom time in March and April and, generally speaking, not at Christmas. A word to the wise--you're better off to just enjoy them at their natural bloom time. Re-forcing them to flower at Christmas every year is somewhat difficult unless you are able to provide just the right conditions. I don't recommend it. Buy a new one each year and add to your collection. Let it be beautiful for the holidays and enjoy the rest of them as they welcome spring. I mean, the flowers aren't any less beautiful in March, right?

Happy Gardening!

Out In A Blaze of Glory

2008-11-11T13:18:00.003-06:00

I really thought that we were going to miss out on fall color in Tennessee this year. August and September were horribly dry and the trees all looked so stressed by the beginning of October that I really thought the leaves would just drop without turning. I was wrong. The color has been short-lived, but it did happen. Last week was absolutely stunning--for about 3 days. Before and after those three days were okay, but peak color happened suddenly and the color was fleeting. Oh, there's still some color around, no doubt, but it's not that brilliant, vibrant, oh-my-gosh-would-you-look-at-that kind of color that last Wednesday was all about.

Most of us, when we think of fall color, think of trees and shrubs, but in case you're not familiar with it I want to introduce you to a perennial whose fall color is second-to-none--and it's totally reliable every year! Meet Amsonia hubrichtii. This indestructible native perennial puts on one of the most spectacular fall shows in the garden. Not only that, it's icy blue flowers in early spring and its soft green, feathery foliage in summer make it absolutely indispensible in the garden for about 8 months out of the year. Not bad. Not bad at all.

If you search the internet for more information, you may want to try these alternative spellings, as you'll find it listed under all of them: Amsonia hubrectii, A. hubrictii, A. hubrechtii. I, however, am sticking with Amsonia hubrichtii. It was named for Leslie Hubricht, after all, and his name was spelled h-u-b-r-i-c-h-t. Sorry, it's just a personal pet peeve of mine.

The plant in the photo is nine years old, makes out at about 3 feet high and politely spreads to about 5 feet in diameter by the end of the summer. It doesn't run, it doesn't spread. It does have a serious taproot system and resents being moved once it's established. It will take just about anything you can dish out except for too much shade and very wet feet. Blistering sun? No problem. Squelching heat? It thumbs its nose. Drought? Hardly an issue (though if its exceptionally dry it may go dormant a little early--only to return unharmed next season).

If you don't know Amsonia hubrichtii, you really should take a moment to get acquainted. It will make your fall garden go out in a blaze of glory every year!

Berries, Berries!

2008-11-04T15:08:00.004-06:00

It's berry time again! The onset of cooler autumn weather and the changing of the leaves always reminds me how important berries are in the garden. Plants with berries help to extend the season of interest well into winter in most places. Most berry-producing plants are trees or shrubs of some kind and I thought I'd run through a short list of some favorites. (This is not an exhaustive, all-inclusive list--just a little something to whet your appetite.)

One of my all-time favorite berry plants is our southeastern native beautyberry, Callicarpa americana. It's royal purple berries begin to color up in September while the leaves are still hanging tight. Then, in October, the foliage turns brilliant yellow with the purple berries hugging the stems of the plant. The berries continue to hang on until well after the foliage drops and will retain their brilliant purple color until the weather really gets cold and we have a few hard freezes--often late November to early December--so that gives you an extra two months of color. One of my favorite combinations in the garden is American beautyberry with oakleaf hydrangea. I have several gardens where we have used this combination to great effect, particularly the dwarf oakleaf hydrangea called 'Peewee' whose deep maroon fall color is stunning with the purple American beautyberry. The only drawback is that Callicarpa americana is a pretty strong Zone 6b plant. Much colder than that and it may or may not make it through the winter.

Another favorite berry plant for the winter months is, of course, Ilex verticillata. There are a number of these on the market, but my favorite is probably the cultivar 'Red Sprite'. It's compact enough at 4 feet tall to fit into almost any landscape and the berries are at least twice the size of almost any other "winterberry"-type holly out there. I say "winterberry"-type because 'Winterberry' is actually a cultivar, but it has come into play in the industry as a common name, too, so a rather rash generalization is in play here. Being a non-conformist, I'm trying to stay out of that trap. Don't forget, with deciduous hollies (and evergreen ones, too, for that matter), male and female are needed for berry production. If you choose to grow 'Red Sprite', make sure that you plant 'Jim Dandy' nearby in order to ensure copious quantities of berries every fall and winter.

In the realm of small trees, crabapples are obviously unsurpassed for their production of beautiful small fruits in late summer and fall, many of which will hang on well into the winter if the birds (and deer) don't strip them clean. 'Red Jade' is one of the best and is perfect for the smaller landscape because of its "weeping" habit and small size--only 8 to 10 feet at maturity. It's stunning floral show in the spring is only a harbinger of things to come in the fall when it dazzles in the landscape with brilliant red fruits. 'Red Jewel' is another excellent choice when it comes to crabapples. Again, a slightly more compact tree, topping out at only 10-15 feet which makes it a great choice for today's smaller yards. White blossoms in spring and abundant cherry red fruits that persist well into winter make it a favorite "bird" tree when other sources of late autumn food have been used up.

In standard-size crabapples 'Sugar Tyme' is the way to go! It is second-to-none when it comes to fall and winter fruit display and its disease resistance makes for a great-looking plant throughout the growing season with few of the common crabapple problems. At 15 to 18 feet tall, it's still a great size for smaller yards, but is also able to hold its own in the larger landscape. Another excellent disease resistant selection is 'Donald Wyman', providing a great show of white blooms in the spring and branches full of brilliant red fruits in autumn and winter.

Of course, there are scads of other berry-producers that look great in the fall and winter landscape, but these are just a few favorites to whet your appetite. Enjoy!

First Frost

2008-10-29T15:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it finally happened. The first frost. We had skated by a couple of nights when the temperatures looked as though they were going to sink, but then stalled out in the upper thirties. Not last night, though! It was a brisk 26 degrees when I woke up this morning and there was an absolutely gorgeous frost on everything. If I hadn't had an early appointment I would have taken the time to get the camera out and get some photos.

The restored grassland just outside of the confines of the fence was particularly beautiful, the frosty plumes frozen in place and glistening as though encrusted in diamonds as the sun began to peek through the trees. The birds were all atwitter, too, flitting and fluttering in and out of the shadows, looking for the last good seeds that the grasses have to offer up. There must be a bounty of natural food right now, as the traffic at the birdfeeders is almost non-existent--a few doves, a titmouse, the 4 bluebirds (usually at the birdbath) and a very chatty nuthatch.

I love to watch him scale headfirst down the trunk of the white oak in the back yard and he IS a chatty little thing. Cheep. Cheep. Cheep-cheep. Territorial, too. He'll flit over to the seed tray, rustle around a minute, pick out a few tasty morsels and then flit back to his tree trunk. Let someone else fly into the seed tray, though, and look out. Nuthatch on the loose! Maybe that's why I don't have many other birds. One little general is running them all off!

It's getting colder, though. It won't be long before their natural resources are depleted somewhat and then the birds will be back in droves. It will be my first winter in the new house, so I can't wait to see what different kinds of birds will begin to converge on the feeders once winter really sets in. For now, it's just the few frequent visitors and I'm patiently waiting for them to tell their friends about all the treats awaiting them atop the oak-covered knoll they (and now I) call home.

2008-10-21T10:43:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that I'm a plant nut. I wouldn't be on here doing all of this blogging if I wasn't! I'm particularly interested in variegated plants and thought I'd share one of my absolute favorites with you. Eucharis, commonly known as Amazon lily, isn't all that rare in its own right, but about a year ago, a good friend and fellow plant geek shared with me an extremely rare variegated form of the plant that I have never seen elsewhere. As a matter of fact, if you try to "Google" it (odd how that word has become a verb, huh?), you'll come up empty-handed! I didn't think there was anything that Google didn't know!

You'll see in the photograph at the right that this form has longitudinal stripes running through the leaves, sometimes narrow and other times taking up large sections of the leaf. Every leaf is different and adds all kinds of character and charm to the plant. At one year old, the mother plant has now been potted into an 8-inch clay pot and actually fills it out quite nicely. In addition, I have three babies, all of which are variegated just like mom and are growing nicely.

Another unusual aspect of this plant is that each new leaf is actually green when it first unfurls and the variegation develops as the leaf ages. The older the leaf, the brighter the variegation becomes. The color of the variegation is also affected by the amount of light the plant gets. In full shade, the color remains a more muted yellow-on-green, but with just a little morning sun, the variegation brightens up to a creamy white. Because the variegation develops in stages, the leaves appear in all three colors on the same plant--the newest ones in the center of the plant being almost solid green, the middle leaves being green and yellow and the oldest leaves showing the creamy white variegation.

Flowering occurs in spring and early summer with the large white flowers typically borne in pairs atop a long stalk that may reach 18" or so tall. I do let the plant rest slightly in winter, putting it in a cooler location (not cold) and letting it dry out just slightly between waterings (I never let it get dry to the point of losing leaves--it's evergreen and doesn't need to go dormant).

There are about 30 or so species of Eucharis, all told, and most of them make good subjects for houseplants. Eucharis amazonica and the hybrid Eucharis x grandiflora will be the two most commonly available. They're tolerant of low light and some degree of neglect and will still reward you with beautiful foliage and flowers. Take a moment to search a few out on the internet and see what this beautiful group of plants has to offer. You'll be glad you did!

New Features

2008-10-21T09:36:00.004-05:00

Just a quick note to everyone about a couple of new features on the blog! You can now subscribe to the blog via email! I know there have been some folks who have been unable to subscribe through the other methods, so I'm trying something new that is offered through "FeedBurner". I'd love it if a few of you would sign up and then let me know for sure that things are working properly. You should receive an email notification anytime I publish something new and you don't have to have a "Homepage" or be associated with a major group such as Yahoo!, Google, etc. At least that's the way it's supposed to work! If it doesn't, please let me know.

You can also become a "Garden Notes Follower", which allows you to publish your profile and links to your own blog, as well and helps us to create a big, online gardening community. I've already signed up as a "Follower" on several fantastic gardening blogs. I'll post those in my profile under "Blogs I'm Watching".

The other improvement is that you can now search the blog posts by topic. If you'll just keep scrolling down the page you'll see the topics listed on the righthand side. That way, if you want to see what I've written about a specific subject, it's only a click away. Stay tuned! Lots more to come!

Autumnal Musings

2008-10-20T10:15:00.006-05:00

The smell of wood smoke hung heavy in the country air this weekend. In the mornings, especially, the sweet smoky fragrance drifted by on the gentle breeze, reminding everyone that it was time to stock up on firewood if we intend to keep warm this winter. Thirty-eight degrees at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning when I first awoke was actually a welcome respite from the 80's that we experienced earlier in the week. I did have the good sense to go back to bed, mind you.

The chill in the air really makes me want to get out and garden! I know that probably seems backwards to some, but it's time to finish (or start!) all of those tasks that it has just been too damned hot to do for the past several months--like getting into that corner of the garden that "got away" this year and is now 5-feet-high in things that have seeded in, taken over and are threatening to strangle a few very desirable plants. Out, cosmos! Out, zinnias! OUT, cleome! And even the Verbena bonariensis has become a cotton-pickin' pest! Out, out, out!

It will all reseed and be back next year with renewed vigor, anyway.

Next year, though, I'm starting early. No feeling sorry for little seedlings that appear in unwanted locales. They're out, desirable or not. A weed is simply a plant that is growing in the wrong place, right? Famous last words.

For now, though, this cooler weather has my gardening gears turning at full speed. Time to get plants in the ground, trees and shrubs, especially. And heaven knows all of these poor little plants that I have, who have so patiently waited for 4 years for a permanent home, deserve to finally have their roots in real soil! Oh, it won't all happen at once. As with any garden, this one will be a work in progress. But these nice cool, sunny days sure do make it easier to get out there and really go at it full bore and not feel like you're going to pass out 30 minutes into the task.

There are a lot of weeds yet to pull, garden spaces to clear, paths to lay, soil to condition, holes to dig and visions to turn into reality, but isn't that always the way of the garden? It has been for me. I have an impatient friend who asks, "When is the garden going to be finished?" My reply? "Never, if I'm lucky!"

Happy gardening, my friends, until next time.

Pennisetum 'Fireworks' Not Much Spark

2008-10-08T10:59:00.005-05:00

I always try to be positive in my approach to writing, to gardening and, I hope, to life in general. At the same time, especially when it comes to new plant introductions, I feel like it's my responsibility to be honest, even if honesty means giving something a mediocre review.

I hate to say it, because Pennisetum 'Fireworks' was a plant that I was really excited about. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I had seen the preliminary photos of it last year at the Perennial Plant Association Symposium and a burgundy, pink, green and white variegated pennisetum was RIGHT up my alley! A say-something plant that would rock the garden and the containers that I used it in.

Unfortunately, in every place I used it, it fell flat. It just didn't hold its variegation well at all. In full sun (where fountain grass prefers to grow) it simply turned burgundy. Yes, there was some pink at the base and occasionally a little streak of green or white, but from more than 3 feet away it looked just as burgundy as the standard old Pennisetum 'Rubrum' planted just a bit further down the garden path. In more shade, it colored up better. There was more of the variegation and it extended further out into foliage and made for a little better show. But fountain grass doesn't really like the shade, so the plants were weak, wispy, and by the end of the season, downright floppy with few to no plumes.

My understanding is that there are several new introductions of this plant that may hit the market as early as next spring (hopefully). Selections have been made for even stronger, brighter variegation and that bodes well for the plant. I can't wait to see what the new plants look like and I'm certainly not passing judgment until I can grow them for myself. It sounds to me like we're headed in the right direction--selecting the best of the best from tissue culture and moving forward with those as new and improved versions of what has the potential to be an absolutely stunning addition to the garden. Time will tell and I'll be first in line next spring to give these new plants a shot!

Rudbeckia 'Henry Eilers'

2008-10-03T11:51:00.006-05:00

Well, I've done it! I've found ANOTHER new favorite plant. Are you surprised? I didn't think so. This time it's a Rudbeckia.

Rudbeckia is a genus that I have always been incredibly fond of. Rudbeckias get a bad rap sometimes because of the market saturation by 'Goldsturm' (which is an outstanding plant, by the way.) There are, however, a LOT of other rudbeckias out there, many of which are simply fabulous garden plants. 'Henry Eilers' is no exception.

I first saw this plant on a garden tour in Columbus, OH about a year ago and was incredibly impressed by it then. We were able to get a few plants of it this spring at the garden center and I planted a few in the display garden where it performed very satisfactorily and was stunning this fall when paired with the royal purple berries of the American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) that it had woven its way through during the course of the summer.

Where it really performed, though, was in the garden at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Nashville. I'm not sure if it was the exposure, the irrigation, the good soil, the extra fertilizer or a "perfect storm" of all of the above, but 'Henry Eilers' was the buzz of the garden from July onward and is just now (Oct. 3) finishing up its show!

It's a little taller than some rudbeckias, but considerably shorter than others, so it makes a nice middle-of-the-border plant. When it reaches blooming height, about 4 feet, it's just a tiny bit on the lax side, so I'd recommend pairing it with something shorter and sturdier in front of it that will give it a bit of support. Or pair it with a shrub like the beautyberry in a way that the stems of the rudbeckia can grow up just through the edge of the shrub and be supported that way. Otherwise, you may have to stake. (Well worth any effort it might take.)

In the display garden at Moore & Moore (http://www.mooreandmoore.com/) it was in a leaner, drier part of the bed, so that may have accounted for it being just slightly, slightly less showy. In the other location it was in the richest, blackest, most organic, well-fertilized and irrigated soil we could give it and it absolutely shined! You can see for yourself in the photos above, and I think you'll agree. Put this one on your list for next year! See you in the garden!

Colchicum autumnale

2008-09-13T12:05:00.004-05:00

Suddenly and without warning, the colchicum have popped and begun spreading their autumn cheer through the garden. They act sort of like the "surprise lilies" (Lycoris) in that one day there is no sign of them, the next day there are buds poking through the soil and within 3-4 days of announcing their arrival they are in full bloom. It's a sure sign that autumn is on its way--shorter days, cooler temperatures and less humidity. Hallelujah!

There are a number of species and cultivars of colchicum, which go by the common names of autumn crocus (which they aren't) and also field or meadow saffron (which they also are not). Colchicum are colchicum--there are autumn flowering crocus (genus Crocus) and saffron (also genus Crocus) does happen to flower in the fall, too. I'd be careful of confusing colchicum with saffron, as the former is actually quite toxic. It's the bulb that is poisonous, but you certainly don't want to lace your loved ones' dinner with colchicum stamens (the herb saffron is the stamen of the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus) without knowing for certain that it won't inflict serious bodily harm.

Colchicums come in a variety of sizes and colors, mostly in the pink/lavender/white range and nearly all are somewhat larger than crocus in all respects--bigger flowers, bigger foliage, bigger bulbs. Of all of these, the species Colchicum autumnale is perhaps my favorite. It's not the largest of all of them, but it certainly is one of the most vigorous and robust. From a single bulb about 5 years ago, I now have at least a dozen large clumps scattered about the garden now. They multiply rapidly, so much so in fact that I noticed the other day that some of the bulbs have actually been pushed up out of the ground. Time to divide them again!

Early next summer, after the foliage has died completely down to the ground, I'll dig and separate the bulbs and replant them in small groups around the garden. When I divide, I usually plant 3 bulbs back into each generously sized hole and within 2-3 years they need dividing again.

Because of the overcrowding the show is spectacular this year, each clump sporting well over 50 blooms. The other great thing about colchicum is that not all of their buds open at once. The bulbs will continue to push buds up through the ground for about 2-3 weeks, the peak of bloom being the first week to 10 days and then slowly tapering off after that. After flowering is finished, a small rosette of foliage will appear and remain hunkered down close to the ground for the winter. Come spring, this rosette will grow and expand into a good sized clump of strappy green foliage and by mid- to late June they will have gone completely dormant waiting for just the right late summer day to poke their noses through the soil and regale us all with their beautiful blossoms again.

Exquisite Lady

2008-09-05T14:44:00.004-05:00

This entry is not about plants. Nope. That's right. It's not about plants. It's about the lovely lady that you see pictured here.

"Lovely lady?" you ask. Yes, the lovely lady in the picture--the eight-legged one.

How do I know she's a lady? Well--no offense to the ladies--but in this particular case it is specifically because of her, uh, full-figured appearance. Now don't start getting all hot under the collar girls. She has the right to be plump. You see, she's carrying next years offspring and is living out the last few weeks of her life in absolutely divine style in the display garden at Moore & Moore West. I've been watching her for several weeks.

My fascination with the black-and-yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia), also called the "writing spider", started as a child. They used to string their amazing webs between my mother's peony bushes in the summertime--sometimes several of them within the 10-foot by 20-foot bed. Rather than being afraid of them, mom showed me how to catch small grasshoppers and flick them into the spiders' webs so that I could watch the spiders race down and bind them tightly in a silk cocoon, only to come back later and feast. So rather than being terrified of spiders as a child, I was fascinated by them--and I am to this day.

As I photographed this beautiful little lady today, she was repairing her web from a morning rainstorm. She carefully--methodically--checked each and every silken line that was still attached to the nearby plants. Any that were weak or broken she carefully detached, balled up and discarded. Then, immediately, she ran a new line from the center of the web back to the same plant and continued doing this until she had all of the "spokes" of her wheel replaced. Once that was finished she carefully worked her way from the center of the web in outward spirals, replacing the old tattered web with one that was sparkling and new.

The entire process took about 20 minutes and I sat watching, completely enthralled by a process I've watched hundreds of times, but so entranced and so excited that I couldn't move. It was a childhood moment all over again and tomorrow morning, as she rebuilds her web, I'll be watching if I can. She's growing larger everyday and she probably has only a few weeks left, at most. You see, once she spins her egg sack in a hidden, out-of-the-way place (probably the nearby juniper) and deposits the eggs that will hatch into next year's brood, she'll die. Her job for this summer will be complete and on a warm, quiet spring day next May the next generation will hatch to take their mother's place in the world.

Beauty Unexpected

2008-08-27T09:07:00.003-05:00

As a creative person--a designer--I've come to learn that I see things differently than most people. As a gardener and plantsman and someone who appreciates, or at least tries to appreciate, the smallest details of the world around me I've learned that I see beauty and opportunity in places that most people just walk on by. As a photographer, I've learned that even the minutest of details share a kind of beauty that is lost on so many.

Each day I try to find something that offers me a glimpse into this natural beauty that is all around us. Many writers will tell you that they write SOMEthing on a daily basis. It might not be any good, but they write. It might only be a few lines, a scribbled down thought on a legal pad, an idea that has been floating around but never put into words. In much the same way, I carry the camera with me every day. I try take a photograph of something on my way to or from work. Some days it might just be a few snapshots of a job site. Some days I try to be artistic and creative. Some days it works. Some days it is an absolute and utter failure. On the best days, you come away with a few shots that please you. On the rarest days, you come away with something that may eventually get published. But even on the bad days it keeps you looking through the lens, focusing on your subject.

This shot may or may not be one of the greatest shots I've taken, but it's one of those that offers that intimate glimpse of inner beauty that most people just walk on by. I mean, really, how many people do you know who get down on their hands and knees to look underneath a mushroom? Have a beautiful day!

Of Sun and Sunflowers

2008-08-23T13:38:00.005-05:00

Being a Kansas boy by birth, it seems only natural that I would have a strong affinity for sunflowers. Kansas is, after all, the sunflower state. The wild form of Helianthus annuus grows up and down the roadsides and throughout natural areas across the state. This is not the giant garden form of sunflower that we often see, but a shrubby, multi-stemmed, small-flowered version--the wild form--that sometimes covers acres of land in a sea of yellow blossoms in late summer.

Today, some of my favorite garden flowers are the perennial sunflowers that put on such a spectacular garden show in the summer and fall of each year. These are true perennials that come back from the same rootstock year after year to touch the sky with their golden yellow flowers. They're not all towering giants, of course, but some of my favorites are. For example, the plant in the photograph is Helianthus 'Marc's Apollo' and it's a skyscraper! Not for the faint of heart and not for the small garden, this graceful giant may reach upwards of 12 feet by the time it's in full bloom in mid- to late September. I've made room for it, even though it's a little tall, because the show that it puts on is truly stunning--HUNDREDS of butter yellow flowers for nearly 6 weeks from September all the way 'til frost.

Helianthus salicifolius, the willowleaf sunflower, is another favorite. It's also a giant, but if you pinch the tips out of each stem about mid-June, it will flower at 6 feet or so instead of the nearly 10 feet it can reach otherwise. It has, in my opinion, the most beautiful foliage of all of the sunflowers--almost threadlike in its appearance it is so slender. It's a fantastic texture to add to the perennial garden even when it isn't in bloom.

A little-known species, but another that I simply wouldn't be without is Helianthus microcephala, the little-headed sunflower. Very bushy, almost shrubby in habit, it has a broader leaf like those you would see on Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' or Echinacea. It flowers a little earlier in the season, usually beginning in July, but the show goes on for months. It is not uncommon for it to still be flowering at the beginning of October when, as luck would have it, it's foliage turns burgundy red! Yellow flowers and burgundy-red foliage! Wow! It's still not a small plant, but it's worth the space.

If you would like to have a sunflower in your garden, but simply don't have the elbow room for one of the larger fellows, look for Helianthus angustifolius 'Low Down'. It's a true genentic dwarf and when in full bloom will only be about 18" tall with a 2-foot spread. I'm usually not a big fan of dwarf forms of plants that should be tall and willowy, but this one's a winner! I promise!

Plant some of these later flowering sunflowers with other spectacular late summer and fall beauties such as Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' and Callicarpa americana and you'll have a combination that will have the traffic stopping in the street to admire your garden's beauty.

Please note that there really is no need to deadhead your sunflowers. It will do very little to extend their flowering season and besides, the birds (especially the goldfinches) will go absolutely crazy over the seed as it ripens on the plant and this brings an entirely new dimension of beauty to the garden.

Striking Gold

2008-08-22T13:29:00.003-05:00

On my recent trip to Philadelphia I was reminded, while at Longwood Gardens, just how much I miss having waterlilies in bloom. My grandmother had a "lily pond" when I was growing up--nothing more than an old bathtub that had been buried in the ground up to its rim with a few stones laid around the edges, but it worked. Each spring I would go down and spend a day or two with Granny and we'd get the garden cleaned up and go through the ritual of going down into the cellar and hauling the rubber washtub that the waterlily was planted in up the flight of old stone steps. Granny wasn't a very big woman and I was probably only 9 or 10 years old at the time, so we'd struggle and heave and haul until we'd wrangled the thing up the steps, then drag it across the yard and plunk it down over the side of the "pool" that we had just spent the morning mucking out and scrubbing clean.

The waterlily was the old tried-and-true yellow 'Chromatella', as I recall. It was cold enough in Kansas that Granny's small "water garden", as it were, froze solid in the winter, so she overwintered the waterlily, pot and all, in the cellar. We hauled it down in the fall and back up in the spring every year for as long as I can remember. We would check the tubers, make sure they were still alive--maybe remove a few if the plant seemed to crowded--and then she would topdress the pot with some old chunks of cow manure scraped up out of the neighbors pasture and top that off with gravel from the driveway to keep the mussing up of the water to a minimum. We had, after all, just scrubbed the pond clean!

So as we were walking through the magnificent water gardens at Longwood a few weeks ago, it brought back many memories. Not just memories of my summer at Longwood, but memories of summers long past--of Granny, the old bathtub, the musty smell of the cellar after being closed up all winter long and of the first waterlily flower to open each summer. Who says you can't go back?

(The waterlily pictured here is not the old-fashioned hardy 'Chromatella', but instead is a tropical lily called 'St. Louis Gold'. It's one of my favorites of the tropical clan and was in its full glory a few weeks ago when we were visiting Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, near Philadelphia.)

Finally Getting Settled In

2008-08-21T16:37:00.002-05:00

Well, the past few weeks have truly been a whirlwind. I was in Philadelphia for a few days for the annual symposium of the Perennial Plant Association--something I do almost every summer. It was great to see old friends and make new acquaintances. I shot nearly 400 photos a day for four days, so I have a LOT of editing to do.

One of the highlights of the trip was returning to Longwood Gardens where I was an intern 17 years ago this summer. What a treat! That summer was one of the greatest learning experiences I've ever had and I found myself reliving little bits and pieces of it as though it was yesterday. Longwood is second-to-none when it comes to showmanship in the garden and I highly recommend it if you're up in that area.

The other place that simply blew me away was a garden called Chanticleer. Chanticleer was not open to the public yet when I spent the summer at Longwood, so I had never seen it in person before--only in pictures. WHAT a place! My friend Bill Thomas is in charge of things there, so of course I didn't expect anything less than perfection. Bill was at Longwood when I was there all those years ago and now has taken the reigns of Chanticleer. Funny, neither of us look a day older--especially Bill! And my good buddy Dan Benarcik is at Chanticleer, too, so there was plenty of greeting and catching up to do.

There's more, but I'll tell you about the rest of it later.

The weekend after returning from Philadelphia I FINALLY got to move into my new place. I'm beginning to settle in now and it's a wonderful place to call home. I'll post some photos as soon as I have a chance to take two breaths and actually take some.

Immediately after moving I was involved in a 4-day-long photo shoot for Garden Design magazine. It was absolutely grueling week for all of us involved, but the effort was well worth it. The photos turned out beautifully and will appear in the magazine next spring. I'll give you more details as we get closer to the time. I think it will be the April issue, but will let you know for sure.

If all of the stars align just right I could also be in Fine Gardening in April. So--that would be two of the biggest gardening magazines in the country in the same month! Sweet! Keep your fingers crossed. Even so, I'll be in both magazines, even if it's not in the same month and I'm very excited about it.

Now that I'm in my new house, my new office and my new studio I will FINALLY be able to dedicate the time and attention to the website and the blog that I really have intended to all along. I've kept promising and now the time has finally arrived. I'm going to be going full speed ahead with the blog, with new additions to the website, the garden travel and tours division of my business and host of other things. I hope you'll keep checking back. I'm very pleased with the traffic the site has had so far and I really haven't even been trying that hard. Hold on to your hats, 'cause it's full steam ahead from here! Be sure to check back often!