September 2013 - The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Baptisia gone wild

Posted on September 30, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Family .

This past weekend was my 17th wedding anniversary, and before I get into this post, I had to show you the gift we received from my daughter:

Is that classic or what? That girl never ceases to amaze me.

A big part of this weekend was spent at my parents house in Northern New Jersey so my wife and I could go out on the town and celebrate our anniversary while we ~~dumped~~ left the kids in their capable hands. A phenomenal dinner with my bride at Savini and some post game drinks and we were a happy twosome.

But let me stop there, this wasn’t the purpose of my post today.

A little over three years ago, I helped my parents with a small landscape renovation along the front of their home. All of the shrubs had become overgrown and a little blah, in my humble opinion. I was totally game to help them out knowing that they would be looking to put their house on the market within two to three years from that point. We wanted immediate impact and focused on fast growing shrubs and perennials.

No problem.

My dad completely cleared out the area to be made over so we could dive right into the plantings:

I won’t bore you with all of the details, but here is how it looked directly in front of the house by the end of the day:

Not too bad.

But what I want you to focus on are the three Baptisia (‘Prairie Blues’ to be specific) planted smack dab in the middle of the bed :

I figured within a two to three year period they would be mature and the awesome blooms would be a focal point at the time potential buyers visited their house:

When all was said and done, we seemed to be on good terms:

Well, fast forward three + years and I’ve successfully created a nice dilemma for my poor parents.

The friggin Baptisia absolutely exploded the following spring and took over the area like nobody’s business. My father had to use a few sticks of TNT and a backhoe to dig out one of the plants so he could relocate it to the backyard. If I weren’t blood, he may have sued me for mental cruelty.

As of today, there are two remaining in their front bed:

As I type this, my OCD is kicking in big time knowing the Baptisia are not grouped in an odd number but I’ll have to fight through it knowing I’ve already put my parents through hell.

Actually, my mistake may have lead to a new design option my father invented as a means of survival. I like to call it “vase-like” or maybe “broccoli spear like” but whatever you want to call it, it is definitely creative:

Impressive, eh? The aesthetic is wonderful and you can feel the emotions all tied up (pun intended) in the design. Just remember where you saw it first.

As I reviewed and analyzed my work this weekend, I realized how much I’ve learned in only three short years and none more than trusting what you research on plant spacing. My parents soil is PERFECT and that means plants will love it, especially a tough as nails plant like Baptisia.

The charming Cape Cod I grew up in now looks out of balance with those behemoths in front:

Now I can only hope my inheritance isn’t affected in any way.

John

Let’s slow Fall down a bit

Posted on September 27, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Fall color .

Autumn has progressed quite nicely since I returned from Atlanta and I would be cool with freezing time for a stretch so we could chill out and enjoy the more subtle changes in foliage color. As seen with …

Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’:

Viburnum plicatum ‘Shoshoni’:

Geranium maculatum ‘Espresso’:

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Lady in Red’:

Have a fantastic weekend all y’all.

John

Garden Bloggers Conference 2013

Posted on September 25, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Blog stuff .

It has been over a week since I last posted (heresy, I know) but there was a good reason for the lack of activity. I just returned from the Garden Bloggers Conference in Atlanta, GA and I am still riding the high from the event. It can be difficult to describe the energy and excitement of a conference to others who were not in attendance (no, I ain’t going all Tony Robbins on you) but I am going to do my best to share what I took away from the conference from a personal level and how this blog may benefit as a result (suspense officially created).

The speakers at the GBC were all engaging and informative in their own ways and I wanted to highlight a few and share the links to their blogs/websites with you in case you weren’t already following them. The common theme delivered from all of them was keep doing what you love and keep your eyes open to opportunities that come your way, even if they don’t smack you right in the face. You never know where it all will take you, but enjoy the hell out of the ride. That shit resonated with me … big time.

The conference was presented by Digital Sherpa (will talk about them a bit later) and their President, Adam Japko kicked off the event with the opening address. I immediately was engaged after learning that Adam was the creator of the wine blog – Wine Zag. He dove into how he built his blog into the powerhouse that it is today. Real specific and usable info right off the bat and I has hooked. And just for a quick visual, the dude looks like a combo of latter day Ray Liotta and John Stamos.

Dan Hinkley, renowned plantsman and creator of the now shut down Heronswood Nursery gave an account of his life and the role gardening played in it. The photos of his collections from over the years and the way the latin plant names rolled off his tongue were music to my eyes and ears. Check out some of his current plantings on Martha Stewart’s website.

Speaking of Martha Stewart, her heir apparent, Matt Mattus shared photography tips based on his own photos of plants from around the globe and how he uses photography as a true art form. You have to check out his blog here to really appreciate just how damn talented this guy is. Plus he was the creator of My Little Pony at Hasbro so at a minimum, he is a fascinating individual.

Amy Stewart, who I’m sure most of you know from the Garden Rant blog gave a rousing ~~speech~~ performance that I could never give its proper due without providing actual footage. But I will tell you this, after seeing her speak, I will now dive headfirst into reading her book that is dedicated solely to earthworms. She is that friggin good.

I could go on about so many other individuals who spoke – Felicia Feaster from HGTV Gardens, Rochelle Greayer from the blog Studio G, Robin Horton from Urban Gardens and Teresa O’Connor from Seasonal Wisdom, all of whom shared their personal and professional journeys in such a compelling manner, but now let’s talk about me. What did John get out of all this? Cause that is info you need to know.

First off, John learned a ton on better ways to manage this blog going forward. I would be more than thrilled to share this info with you all as we were given access to all of the presentations through the GBC website. Real solid and specific and unique and cutting edge stuff all wrapped up in a way that was easy to digest. It was not your cookie cutter SEO/social media stuff. I can’t wait to give it a test run and see the results. While I’m not selling a product or service, I would love the opportunity to expand my “voice”.

The personal connections and yes, friends, that were gained in such a short period of time was fantastic. Personally, I’ve never met more kind, approachable and downright interesting people in my life. Being from “Jersey”, I have a bit of that “don’t trust people” mentality and that wall was shattered within minutes of meeting people the first night. Now I’m kibitzing with random strangers at the airport which totally destroys my Jersey street cred.

But selfishly, the most the most important thing I learned … don’t change a damn thing.

Yep, it was that simple … and let me provide a little background.

The Digital Sherpa team provided a blog clinic throughout the duration of the conference. A chance to do a one on one analysis of your blog/website with members of their team. I know I can modernize the look and feel of this blog so I expected that feedback. I’ll get to that one of these days.

What I was most interested to hear was their thoughts on “my voice”, aka the content and “feel” for this blog. I couldn’t imagine changing what I write about and how I go about doing it, but at the same time I was curious to get an outsiders view. I’m not looking to take the gardening world by storm (lord knows I lack the plant growing chops) but I do want to continue to grow and expand.

So I expected a plan of action that included tightening up my focus and direction. Instead, it was music to my antlers when they suggested “keep being you”. I know it sounds like a weak and poor analysis, but we chatted about it for a long time and they really reaffirmed that “I gotta be me”. Shit, that’s easy. If I know one thing, I know how to be me.

So …

I’ll continue to hone my photography skills:

I’ll continue to chase butterflies:

I’ll continue to rip on my kids:

I’ll continue to show you where I failed:

And I’ll continue to tell you when I’ve kicked some serious ass:

I can even continue to wax poetic on my deer friends:

But in all seriousness, we did discuss ways to “expand” that could include speaking engagements, e-books, book collaborations, videos and other means outside of writing blog posts. I felt a jolt of energy when speaking with the clinic “kids” who couldn’t have been any older than 23. I like to get the perspective from the young since they have yet to become all jaded like me.

As I flew home last night, I had an idea that was sparked by the creativity osmosis at the conference. I want your honest feedback and if you would be willing to participate. Here goes:

A radio show/podcast where I interview you, the readers on a predetermined set of questions. You all know more about gardening than I will ever know so why not hear what you have to say? Of course I would mix in non gardening questions as well (gotta be me). I’ve used Blog Talk Radio in the past and it is very easy to set up. I’m thinking maybe one to two shows each month for a half hour each. Who is in? C’mon, lets do this!

OK, back to the GBC …

In summary, the Garden Bloggers Conference was worth every penny and I will make every one of them in the future. It was that inspiring, educational and just damn fun. At one point we were talking about long tail searches via Google and the next throwing that whole concept out the window in favor of simple storytelling. And it all worked.

Not to mention, where the hell else could I live tweet and see my dumb tweets on a giant projected screen in real time for all attendees to witness:

Fine Gardening educating on pot growth, Grateful Dead as marketers. When will Cheech show up? #BestConfEver #gardenblogconf
— john markowski (@jmarkowski0) September 24, 2013

Message from @SeasonalWisdom similar to Vanilla Ice message. Stop, collaborate and listen. #gardenblogconf
— john markowski (@jmarkowski0) September 24, 2013

Good times were had by all.

John

Butterfly hunting at the Horseshoe Bend Preserve

Posted on September 18, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Critters .

I know it is cliche, but it is also dead on – Some of the coolest and most interesting things are in your own backyard.

When I read the following article this past weekend, it all hit home as I felt excited yet stupid all at the same time:

Horseshoe Bend Preserve is Home to Gray Comma Butterfly

First off, a little background. I literally live right down the street from this park/preserve and have never been there. How that is possible, I don’t know. I wish I had a bunch of valid excuses, but I don’t. I’m just unaware, dumb and lazy.

But even worse than that, is how clueless I was about the battle/negotiation that has been going on for years over the preservation of this land. You can read about all of the details here, but the short of it is that there was approval to build 70+ homes on this land before the Hunterdon Land Trust stepped in and aided in the preservation.

I vaguely remember seeing the battle in the newspapers/media over the years, but not once did I educate myself on the details of the negotiation. And that is a shame. I can pontificate all I want on land preservation but here was a chance to step in and get involved and I didn’t do that. Strike two against me.

So now is where I step in and avoid strike three. It is time to explore and enjoy this treasure and I did just that over the weekend immediately after I read the article above, specifically the phrase – “the big butterfly news of the year”. Are you kidding me? This is the only spot where the Gray Comma Butterfly has been spotted in New Jersey? I am on this and will locate one myself. It reminded me of a search I attempted as kid to find Bigfoot in the woods, except this is a little less terrifying and life altering (long story).

So off I went with camera in hand ready to spot me some rare butterflies. In addition to the Gray Comma, I was also looking for a White M Hairstreak and a Sleepy Orange.

Nothing was going to get in my way.

Upon entering the preserve, you immediately take in the vistas of the Delaware River Valley:

It was stunning and worth the trip just for the views.

I found a spot to park along the side of the road and realized I was the only one around within miles. My Bigfoot nightmares were creeping back in but I fought them off and ventured on.

There were a number of available paths to travel down and I had no idea where to begin:

I eventually settled on the main passageway figuring I was less likely to get lost and eaten by coyotes if I kept it simple. Upon entering into the “forest” I was immediately taken by how the sunlight filtered through the trees:

It was beautiful and a reminder of how this blog started simply as a diary of my own garden but now has given birth to my love of photography. I am light years away from grasping all of the intricacies of photography, but I can tell you “filtered light in the woods” was something that never crossed my mind even three or four years ago.

Just like with yesterday’s post, I was totally digging the early stages of the changes in foliage color as we enter into Autumn:

I may have only hung out in the preserve for 45 minutes or so, but in that time, a whole lot of lightbulbs went off. Besides the aforementioned photography love, I was reminded that plant life is a lot more interesting and diverse beyond the nice clean plants I’ve added to my own garden. I couldn’t tell you the names of any of the plants I cam across in my little sojourn, but I feel determined to change that:

But enough of my life altering discussions, we were here to find those butterflies and become ~~famous~~ better educated. I hunted high and low for any signs of critter activity and the first thing I spotted was this caterpillar that I’ve yet to identify:

Pretty cool but I need more details before I can determine if it was “special”.

But ladies and gentleman, the moment we’ve been waiting for. Did he or didn’t he find the mysterious butterfly?

I am happy to report, after running around like an idiot for minutes on end, I am 95% sure I found the elusive creature. I couldn’t get a perfect shot but I think I got enough to prove that I was a successful butterfly hunter:

What do you think? Let’s compare to a good photo I found online:

I think I nailed it right?

I’m liking this A LOT so watch out for more “hunting” in the near future. Not to mention, enjoying what my part of the world has to offer and getting frggin involved once and for all.

Good times.

John

Enjoying the foliage colors

Posted on September 17, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Fall color, Foliage .

While we have yet to technically venture into Autumn, you could really feel it in the air today. A nice chill outdoors, a blazing bright sun and even some signs of leaf drop.

But best of all, were the colors.

Not the colors of the blooms as much as the foliage colors. Greens, reds, yellows, golds, browns and everything in between. Throw in a clear blue sky and you had all colors on the color wheel represented.

With that in mind, please enjoy enjoying the following “just-before-but-not-quite-there-pre-autumnal” photos:

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Posted on September 16, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms .

Some blooms are new:

Physostegia (Obedient Plant) ‘Vivid’

Chelone (Turtle Head) ‘Hot Lips’

Boltonia ‘Pink Beauty’

Some blooms keep on keeping on after consistent deadheading:

Helenium (Sneezeweed) ‘Short ‘n’ Sassy’

Lobelia siphilitica

Phlox ‘Pink Flame’

Some blooms are aging well:


Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’

Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’

And ornamental grass blooms look pretty fantastic, even in the evening:

Bigger isn’t always better

Posted on September 12, 2013 by jmarkowski Posted in Uncategorized .

A special delivery arrived in the mail yesterday and I’m expecting more of them in the very near future:

By the way, do you like how I added in my boots for artistic effect? Me too.

I love purchasing small plants online this time of year as I normally get a huge discount and know that the Fall is a great time of year to plant. The weather is cooler yet the soil temperature is still warm so the plants have a nice little environment in which to grow. This has been an unusually wet Summer, but normally the rains start to come in the Fall and that makes it even more hospitable in the ground for the new purchases.

Truth is, be it Spring, Summer or Fall, I love buying my plants all sorts of tiny so I can watch them from their infant stages all the way until they become functioning adults.

This spring I planted a bunch of Cimicifuga (Bugbane) that were literally two inches tall. I am more than willing to patiently watch them grow in size over the next few years and am OK with how they will look during the awkward early years. Here is ‘Brunette’ as of today:

And ‘Pink Spike’

One day, I’ll look back and chuckle at how adorable they were when they were young and oh so small and how it made me proud to watch them thrive over the years and become responsible adults, standing at about 3 x 3 feet.

This ‘Fringed Ivory’ peony was just put in the ground two days ago and while she looks like nothing more than a weed I’ve forgotten, I know in two to three years she’ll be tough as nails and will bloom beautifully only to topple over and be eaten by the deer. Sigh:

And yes, that is my large Darth Vader like cranium providing the shade for this picture. Yet another sign of my ever expanding artistic creativity.

Where were we? Oh yeah …

I remember the day this early Spring when I stuck this little plug of Echinacea (Coneflower) ‘Sunset’ into the ground as the snots rolled down my cold face and I could barely feel my fingertips:

And here is she only a few months later showing off her first blooms. A proud parent indeed:

Or this little Redtwig Dogwood that was almost an afterthought last Fall when transplanted:

And now look at her, probably quadrupled in size and ready to show off her beaming red stems this Winter:

Sure, it would be easier to purchase plants that are much larger in size so they make an immediate impact, but I’ll take the smaller versions so I can enjoy the journey. Not to mention the cash savings.

John