The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Monthly Archives: October 2011

Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’

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Living here in the Northeastern U.S., I admittedly am not all that familiar with “tropical plants”. We can grow them as annuals here, but it can be real difficult to incorporate them naturally into the landscape. I’ve attempted to grow them as specimens and focal points in the past, but with little success. That is, until I came across Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’:        
Now I’m stretching the truth when I call KK a tropical plant; it is actually a hardy perennial (zones 4-9) here in New Jersey. As is usually the case with moi, I was immediately drawn to the foliage of this plant when I spotted it at the nursery a few years ago:    

I’m a sucker for that copper red leaf color and was intrigued by the shape of the maple-like leaves. While it isn’t a true tropical, it has the look and feel of one and seems to incorporate well into the more northern landscape:

OK, fine, I do need to talk about the flowers. They are damn impressive and friggin huge! They can get as big as 12″ in diameter and while they last only one day, they appear so rapidly that you do not realize how quickly each individual one is gone. KK blooms from late July all the way into September so it is a bloom filled extravaganza all summer.    
What I also find interesting is that some times the blooms will appear light pink with a red eye: 
And other times, the flowers will be nearly white in color with a red eye:
I have found it is important to deadhead regularly to keep the plant looking it’s best. I also make sure it is watered regularly throughout the summer. 
One warning, after cutting KK down in late winter, it can be slow to emerge in the spring so do not panic when it appears to have been lost:   

While it may emerge late in spring, it more than makes up for the late start by growing rapidly throughout the late spring/summer. The photo below was taken only about 2-3 weeks after the one above:

Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ reaches a height of about 3 feet and a width of about 2 feet. She prefers full sun and I’ve found her to be quite sturdy without the need to stake at all.  

One other bonus is the fall color she is putting on now:

So what do you think? Are you growing it and have additional pointers? Would you give it a try?

Have a great weekend!

John

Wordless Wednesday

Why I love Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’

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Strong upright, vertical accent in late June: 
Blooms appearing in mid September with the wine-red color greatly welcomed: 
Blooms sway in the breeze with the slightest wind: 
Great focal point:  
As the weather cools, new unique colors emerge in early November: 
Still looks damn good in early winter and holds up to the strong winds:
Sweet winter interest: 

Falling for Fall

Posted on by Posted in Fall color .
Even though we are expected to see 80 degree temps this weekend, make no mistake, autumn has arrived. All I want to do is eat apples, juggle pumpkins and put on a hoodie. Yes, I’m embracing the season and have moved on from the summer. A few photos for you:
I’m still trying to determine why this maple tree is called ‘October Glory’:     

The River Birch trees are ready to step up to the big leagues now that it is getting cooler. The yellow foliage is the appetizer with the peeling winter bark one mutha of an entree:

Amsonia and Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ are quite the dynamic duo, eh?

Have a great one!

John

New Jersey Life post – “Stealing Ideas”

Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’

Posted on by Posted in Perennials .
I’m pretty sure the very first perennial I ever purchased was Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. It was advertised as “fool proof” and the perfect perennial for beginning gardeners in all the books I had read. That’s all I had to hear so I went out and bought two of them (planting in odd numbers was still a foreign concept to me).
I loved it at first with it’s unique foliage and the fact that it emerged so early in the spring. When the blooms came in late summer, I was pumped up. But then it happened … it started to sprawl and I was devastated (slight hyperbole). I gave up on them for years but admittedly would look longingly at them in other people’s gardens.
Fast forward ten years or so and I’ve found the perfect solution to my sedum envy, she’s called ‘Autumn Fire’:             
I’ve owned this beauty for three years now and have been thrilled with the results. I could swoon over those sedum blooms:
Without worrying about this happening: 
Some Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’ facts:
  • Maxes out at about 2′ x 2′
  • Prefers full sun
  • Needs good drainage to survive and some how I found a spot where that works
  • Is not deer resistant and again, I’ve some how managed to hold them off … for now
  • Survives in zones 3-9

Personally, I love watching the blooms slowly change from mid summer all the way into the middle of Fall:

Give it a whirl, won’t you?
John

Willowwood Arboretum

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This past Saturday was our annual family photography session and each year, we have it done by Emily Allen Photography. She does truly amazing work and some how manages to get the children to actually pose for photos we could only dream of. They listen to her and are game for whatever she suggests.    
We change up the location for each session and this year we headed out to the Willowwood Arboretum in Chester, New Jersey. This may have been the best setting to date, so I made sure to snap some pics with my Android phone. I even managed to catch the kids in posing action on a few of them. Enjoy:      

Can’t we just sing and have cake?

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My daughter’s sixth birthday is right around the corner and we’ve started to discuss her party options. Maybe some cookie decorating or ice cream sundae making? After this past weekend, that shit ain’t gonna fly. 
On Sunday, we attended the birthday party for our friend’s five year old son and it was quite the shindig. Not only did the host make a spread of legendary proportions (I’m talking apple sausage mac’n cheese, butternut squash apple soup,etc.) but she had live farm animals brought in for all of the kids.        

My daughter’s face lit up whenever she held any of the week old chicks but that was only the beginning. She fell in love with Oreo the goat:

And rode the pony at least five times acting as if she was a professional cowgirl:

While it was heartwarming to watch her having so much fun, I couldn’t help but wonder how we were going to live up to this one. I’m thinking “Duck Duck Goose” or “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” won’t quite cut it.
While my daughter loved mauling all of the animals, my son could not have cared less. Just look at this weak effort of trying to pretend to enjoy the pony:     

After his poor performance trying to pretend he cared, he was off with all of the other boys playing football:

It then became a balancing act of trying to participate in the chaotic and poorly planned football game the boys put together while also enjoying the animals with my smitten daughter. I think I managed to satisfy both children as I put the beat down on the kids while playing football and also showed my daughter that Daddy liked the baby chicks too: 

In truth, the party was a blast for both kids and parents alike:

And I’m pretty sure I know what will be added to my daughter’s Christmas list:

Time to start researching how to raise chickens which sounds awesome but with little time to tend to the garden already, can I even manage it? Talk me into it or talk me out of it. Your feedback would be most appreciated.

John