July 2014 - The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Eupatorium perfoliatum (American Boneset)

Posted on July 31, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

I’ve been known to track all of the plants in my yard via spreadsheet, so one would think I could account for each and every one of them. That is usually the case, as I diligently add and subtract from said spreadsheet whenever I acquire or lose a plant along the way. Call me crazy, but it gives me peace of mind, a feeling of control and it looks frickin awesome.

Every once in a while, however, one slips through the cracks and I am genuinely shocked when I see a plant emerge that I had completely forgotten. That was the case recently when I found this bloom hiding behind other plants, completely out of view from just about every angle in my landscape:

That would be Eupatorium perfoliatum, commonly known as Boneset as I’ve learned after some fevered research. This perennial WAS in my spreadsheet but it got lost among all of the other Eupatoriums in the list (Yes, the spreadsheet is sorted first alphabetically by it’s botanical name and then by the particular cultivar). If my memory serves me correctly, I purchased this three years ago at a local native plant sale. I believe the tag line that pulled me in was “can handle flooded conditions”.

I had planted this in my mostly native and self seeding garden along my driveway and had forgotten about it. I assumed it had become toast like so many others after one of our lousy winters. But after climbing through the garden to pull a weed, I noticed the whitish bloom and investigated further. Sure enough, she had survived and was thriving. You can see below that the Boneset was hiding behind a mass of Sneezeweed which shielded it completely from view:

Of course, the next step now is to relocate it to a better location, understanding that it can reach as high as five feet tall and three feet wide. The blooms will clash badly with the yellow flowers of the Sneezeweed and we cannot have that under any circumstances.

I do love the shape of the leaves on this plant and the slightly reddish coloration:

And of course, the blooms attract a host of creatures:

Now I’ve got to go and update the spreadsheet indicating the exact date I first noticed it blooming.

You know you’re jealous.

It’s Clethra time

Posted on July 29, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Shrubs .

As of the past week or so, there is an unbelievable scent that overwhelms me each time I skip out of my garage and head to work. And that is coming from a guy in desperate need of fixing his deviated septum. Seriously, I can’t smell a thing most of the time.

The producer of said perfumey scent is my Clethra ‘Hummingbird’:

This deciduous shrub has been a top performer for me for years now. The deer leave it alone, it doesn’t mind the wet feet and blooms profusely each and every July. But maybe the coolest thing about it is the way it attracts all sorts of critters to it when in bloom:

I’ve even captured a quick video to truly represent the bee party that goes on all day long:

Knowing how solid Clethra is in my garden, I finally made the smart decision to add even more shrubs this spring. Here is where those stand as we speak:

I am even enjoying the fact that ‘Hummingbird’ has started to sucker at the base of the plant:

Sucker away you beautiful thang. The more the merrier.

I plan on scouring the nurseries this fall for even more Clethra shrubs on the cheap.

I can’t have enough of these gems.

New Jersey Festival of Ballooning

Posted on July 28, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Local .

Our annual Sunday night hunt for the balloon launch in nearby Branchburg, NJ is complete and once again it didn’t disappoint.

Give Forward for Gavin Martuccio

Posted on July 26, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Family .

This past week there was a terribly tragic accident in our town, one that involved a 9 year old boy who attended school with both of my children.

There is an effort under way to raise money for the family and you can read more about it through the link on the right sidebar of this page.

Thank you for your consideration.

John

An OG shout-out

Posted on July 25, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass .

I wouldn’t be here today without these tireless workers.

Any success I’ve had to date I truly owe to them.

When I’m down and ready to give up, they give me a lift.

When things look bleak (like the weather) they stand tall and remind me of what was and what will be.

They never ask for anything in return.

When everyone else is all like “What about me?” or “I need some attention”, they stay quiet and do their job.

Today, I’d like to recognize the ornamental grasses and let them know how much I appreciate them. They are unsung heroes in my garden and deserve some praise to be heaped upon them. You will always be in my heart and I will never forget all that you’ve done. Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday – A mid-summer garden

Posted on July 23, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms .

Carex and Ajuga

Posted on July 22, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

Somewhere in my past travels I saw a line of Carex (Sedge) planted within a mass of Ajuga (Bugleweed). I believe it was at Longwood Gardens but it could have easily been in a magazine or even a dream (no exaggeration here). Either way, I found the combination intriguing and vowed to attempt it myself.

I have oodles of Ajuga in my garden:

And I love me some Carex.

It didn’t take long for me to identify the area where I wanted to make the magic happen:

All that was left to do was to purchase the Carex. My go-to retailer when ordering grasses on-line is Santa Rosa Gardens. They always have grasses super cheap, especially in the middle of summer. The plan was to acquire around ten sedges as this vignette needed to make a statement.

Lo and behold, Santa Rosa came through yet again and I purchased ten Carex oshimensis ‘Ice Cream’ at $3.99 a pop (hop over to their site immediately, they only have four left in stock):

Once they arrived in the mail, I wasted no time and went to work; blazing hot sun and high temps be damned.

Step one was to dig out small plugs of the Ajuga:

Step two was to replace those plugs with the newly purchased Carex:

It didn’t take long before all were planted:

Step three was to transplant the cut out Ajuga plugs to other parts of the garden.

Step four was to heavily water all of these plants.

The final step is to now kick back and wait and see if this planting performs and actually looks any good.

Only time will tell.

Our vacation

Posted on July 21, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Family .

We just returned from a week’s vacation in both Cape May, NJ and Virginia Beach, VA.

Here’s what went down:

The weather was ominous to start the week but when we arrived at our hotel in Cape May – Congress Hall – we dumped our bags and made it onto the beach:

That night it was raw oysters and mega amounts of seafood:

And some beverages for the adults:

More beach time:

And maybe one of us slipped away to check out the grounds of the hotel in greater detail:

The kids were so into it, I could talk them into doing anything:

We were all feeling kind of good, come to think of it:

Dude is now hooked on coffee (but decaf) just like his dad:

When you are on vacation, you eat cookies in bed:

Our larger crew in an awesome family pic (thank you for taking random stranger):

And in a flash, we left our temporary home:

… and prepped for the next phase of the trip:

We took the Cape May Ferry to Lewes, Delaware:

And once on land, we made a pit stop at the Dogfish Head Brewpub, aka Heaven.

I highly recommend the “Wheetle” by the way.

Momma took the keys and we drove the three hours down to Virginia Beach to stay with family.

We ate dinner directly on the Chesapeake Bay one evening and had stunning photo opportunities with the sunset:

And actually hung out under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge:

And more sunset on the beach pics:

The remainder of the trip was all about eating, drinking and chilling in the pool … and also whiffle balls:

And getting jealous of plants I can’t grow:

And handstands:

Sucks to be back home but we have memories that will last a lifetime.

Random musings

Posted on July 18, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Ornamental grass, Shrubs .

Some thoughts as we head into the weekend:

I am now realizing the ornamental interest with Baptisia seed pods:

The grasses are starting to make their presence known:

Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’:

Panicum ‘Northwind’:

From left to right – Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’, Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ and Calamagrostis ‘Eldorado’:

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’:

I planted Veronica ‘Royal Candles’ in mass this spring and the color blast is most welcomed right now:

Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ is still chugging away and I am enjoying the blooms for the first time in three years as the deer have stayed away. Like I’ve always said, daylillies are the greatest: