The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Author Archives: jmarkowski

My favorite photos of 2010

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Admittedly, this is a self indulgent post.

I went through each of the photos I’ve taken in the past year for this blog, and pulled out my favorites. The photos I’ve chosen are not necessarily the best looking photos, but the ones that stir a strong emotion and/or remind me of a specific moment in time. I have A LOT more to learn when it comes to garden photography and I cannot wait to further educate myself in the upcoming months. 

I have included my comments under each photo. Enjoy.

For me, there is no better time to take photos then after a rain when it is still overcast. Love the droplets of water on the fruit of this crabapple tree.  

I think I spent almost twenty minutes trying to get the perfect shot of a bee on one of the clethra blooms. I remember laying down on the ground at angles I didn’t think I was capable of pulling off but it was fun and worth it.  

Another example of waiting and waiting for the perfect shot and I couldn’t quite get it but damn if it wasn’t fun trying!

I honestly believe this butterfly knew it was being photographed so she stood still for me to make sure I got her best side. 

This is the one and only time I’ve seen a deer actually sleep in my yard. I was so pumped to see it I and can remember frantically running around the house telling the kids to shut their mouths so I could get the perfect shot.

If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that it is worth the time to take photos of anything and everything because you never know what the results will be. I just thought this one was really cool with the way the late day sun was shining on the blooms of the Karl Foerster feather reed grass.   

Love how this Helenium bloom looks up close.

There were literally a hundred butterflies on the joe pye weed blooms and I may have taken 50 photos with none really capturing it perfectly. I felt like I was on crystal meth as I tried to take these and my excitement got the best of me.  

I managed to catch this guy just as he was emerging from the chrysalis and felt like a proud papa.  
  

Love me some northern sea oats.

Good times down the “Shore” as we say in NJ. And it is just as rewarding to write about personal ventures as it is about gardening stuff. 

I didn’t expect this to come out looking like this when I took it, but I dig how it sort of looks like a painting.

I worked on this back bed all summer and seeing the results after digging out the lawn in 100 degree weather feels very rewarding. 

This horribly shot photo still resonates with me for two reasons: 1)How did I ever think this looked OK? I’ve come a long way since then. 2)I divided this grass on a whim and it was great fodder for a blog entry – educational yet a chance to poke fun at myself.  

Just damn cool.

A reminder to take a few steps back and enjoy the interplay amongst the plants.

Ah, is there a better time than the autumn?
There is interest to be found in the winter if you look hard enough.

This was taken in Dallas at the Garden Writer’s conference. It is where I stepped out of my comfort zone, introduced myself to two photographers and had a conversation I will never forget. It was inspirational and a reminder to pursue what you love and the rest will take care of itself.

ONG      

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And the winner of $100 to Bluestone Perennials is …

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Oh wouldn’t you like to know …

Well, here it goes …

Seriously, the winner is …

The one and only …

Plantsnpets … big congrats … and spend wisely my friend!

Thank you all for participating and hopefully we can do this again real soon.
ONG

Reminder – Bluestone Perennials giveaway – contest ends 8:00 PM EST tonight

Friggin “winter interest”

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I hate the winter. And that hatred continues to grow exponentially each year.

In fact, I started my “what do I hate more than winter” list and the list isn’t nearly as long as it has been in the past. Here are the only items that currently rank higher:

  1. People who stop in the middle of an aisle at a store and are oblivious to others around them
  2. The New York Yankees
  3. Shredded coconut
  4. The term “due diligence”
  5. Kate Gosselin
  6. Impatiens

That’s it. Winter ranks that low. But, I do understand and buy into the need for winter interest in the garden. It is one of the few things that gets me through the hellish months of January and February. I think I’ve improved in that design element the past few years but still have a ways to go.

In between my nose hairs freezing and forming an impenetrable blockage into my nose and the icicles forming on my eyelashes, I managed to snap off some photos the past few days that personify “winter interest”. Some may be a stretch and others may require a close-up view, but if they keep me interested, that’s all that matters. On to the photos:
             

The plumes on the Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ continue to be a crowd pleaser. 

I’m glad I kept the spent blooms on the Astilbe. 

Purple Coneflower seed heads still stand tall

Frost tipped seedheads of Sedum

Eupatorium ‘Chocolate’ – I may regret if these reseed like mad, we’ll see.

Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’ with the foliage still hanging in there.

The crabapple fruit starting to shrivel up, but still digging these big time.

Not “interesting”, but a reminder of better days.

Yucca ‘Golden Sword’ pops like a son of a bitch amongst all the brown and death.

Rudbeckia seed heads, will hopefully continue to draw the hungry birds 

Maybe dull during the spring and summer, but the evergreens are on center stage now.

Arborvitae ‘Rheingold’ – don’t know if I love it or hate it, either way, the foliage color changes draw me in. 

I like to think I provide a refuge for the deer from all the local hunters. We are working on a compromise on what they are allowed to eat and hope to have a contract signed soon.

Have a great weekend.
ONG

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Bluestone Perennials $100 giveaway

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Yes ladies and gentleman, that post title is no lie. Tis the season to get yourself some seriously awesome perennials, shrubs or ornamental grasses at my absolute favorite place to buy plants on-line – Bluestone Perennials. I have been buying from them for over 8 years now and every single plant delivered was a gem. You will find an incredible variety to choose from at super reasonable prices. I highly recommend using the “custom plant search” function on their home page where you can put in your specific criteria so you can find plants suited for your zone/climate.

In order to enter the contest, I ask that you add a comment to this post and indicate which one plant you would be most excited to purchase. Also, include your email address so I can notify the winner and get their home address so the gift certificate can be mailed to you directly from Bluestone. I will be running the contest from now until 8:00 PM EST on Sunday night, December 19th at which point, the winner will be chosen completely at random.

So don’t miss out and get your entries in ASAP. I am friggin excited for you all.

ONG 

The advantages of native plants

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I must admit, I have a very large lawn on my property. It takes me close to two hours a week to cut it during the growing season. Not exactly environmentally friendly, eh? Before you beat me down, I must tell you I never water it, never fertilize it and have slowly been chipping away at removing it by creating new garden beds. While a lawn provides a great play space for the kids and the green swath looks pretty damn nice in the spring, I am no longer much of a fan. The effort involved to maintain it is not worth it and for a plant lover like me, it really represents more of an opportunity to further bankrupt myself and create more garden beds.

Which leads me to a discussion on native plants. A native plant can be best defined as: a plant that occurs naturally in the place where it evolved (I took that definition from wildflower.org). There are numerous advantages to using native plants in the landscape (and you will notice almost all are exactly the opposite of what it takes to maintain a lawn):

  • Drought tolerance 
  • Minimal need for fertilizer
  • No need for pesticides
  • With minimal fertilizer/pesticides – no run-off into the water supply 
  • Disease tolerant
  • Attracts wildlife, beneficial bugs and encourages biodiversity
  • Low cost to purchase natives
  • Because natives are in their natural environment, their size and cooperation with neighboring plants is much more predictable and makes design/planning much easier.                

I didn’t intend for today’s post to be about native plants but as I was reviewing my plant photos from this prior year, I noticed how many of the “successes” were native plants. Hence, where I ended up with this post. Here are some of my native plants and please, share some of the natives you’ve had success with in the comments section so I can pretend I knew about them all along:   

Sneezeweed – Helenium autumnale 


Blue cardinal flower – Lobelia siphilitica

Turtlehead – Chelone glabra 

Purple coneflower – Echinacea purpurea

Garden Phlox – Phlox paniculata ‘David’

Boltonia asteroides ‘Pink Beauty’

When the native plant sales begin here in New Jersey around the middle of May, I begin my plan of attack and this upcoming year will be no different. I’ll just need to clear more lawn to fit in more of these low maintenance gems.

Go native or go home!
ONG 

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This gardener’s Christmas wish list

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I am a simple man. I don’t need much and already have everything I could have ever dreamed of. Kind of sounds like a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, huh?

When it comes to gardening, I keep it real basic; give me my shovel, a pruner, a rake and a wheelbarrow and I can do some serious damage. I mean, c’mon, will you look at this goofy, simple tool (pun intended):
  

Every once and a while though, I’ll dream bigger and what better time to share my “wish list” with you than during this holiday season. Some of these items may be completely unattainable, but what the hell, Oprah once told me I should always physically write down my dreams and that will help them come true through some sort of cosmic force. Well Mrs. Stedman, I’m putting it to the test right now.

1)A few years ago, I read a story in Better Homes and Gardens about a man who had an amazing greenhouse built on his property in Connecticut. The family would trek through the snow and eat dinner there each winter evening and it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I dream about doing the same or even just a chance to play around in the dirt while it is snowing outside. The ultimate winter escape. I’ll take this one from BetterGreenhouses:
               

2)All gardeners cherish their pruners and I am no different. Admittedly, I cheaped out in the past; pruners are pruners, right? Um, that would be “no”. A few years ago, my wife bought me a one handed pruner from Felco and I’ve never looked back. Super light, comfortable grip and cuts like a champ. Well, I’m now ready to add to my Felco collection. I would love to get a new pair of loppers or two-handed shears, like this:

         
3)I have been reading a lot about gardening styles in Germany, specifically, the extensive use of ecologically smart, native perennials. The design is to combine them in a wild, prairie like manner and I would kill to check them out up close and personal. Well, I found this and dared to dream. Could I ever take off two weeks to do this? Nope. But it is fun as hell to dream about it. Check out the Karl Foerster garden in Potsdam:        

4)I order the majority of my perennials and shrubs from Bluestone Perennials and have NEVER been disappointed. So, again, I’m dreaming big and would love an unlimited lifetime supply of all I can find in their online catalog. Here are a few I’ve already been eying up:

Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford

       

Hakonechloa Aureola

5)Last, but not least, I want a gigantic vacuum that will suck up all the standing water that engulfs my yard each winter/spring:

And while I’m thinking big and bold, I want it to be a giant Roomba that I can control from inside of my house with a remote. 

Well that’s not asking for too much is it? One can only dream.
ONG

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Plant combinations – a love story

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Some times an “a ha” moment hits when you least expect it.

My gardening “a ha” hit me about 6:00 AM on a ridiculously hot week day morning back in July. I was drenched to the bone in sweat, my hands were covered in blisters and I was trying to fight through one head rush after another as I continued to slam the shovel back into the ground. I was working on my new and improved garden bed along the back deck and it hit me.

“Dude, you are up at the crack of dawn on a work day putting yourself through hell for what reason?”. “Hmmmm … good question” I said out loud as I pounded away at the impenetrable clay soil. I thought for a moment and then the skies opened up, I danced the waltz with the deer, the Coors Light train passed through my backyard and I cried out “Because I like the way plants look together!”. What? You expected something more profound? Nope, it’s as simple as that.

I know the trend is to grow your own food and I’ve started doing just that. I can be a plant geek just like the next guy, but that isn’t enough for me. I am driven by the never ending search to combine plants in the best way possible. As I finished the garden bed renovation and started to place the plants together, I could feel the pleasure in my blood. Put me on Oprah and I’ll cry about it. It’s my first gardening love and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

Am I great at this companion plant thing? Not really. But damn it is fun trying. Every plant I own has been moved at least three times and while that may stunt their growth, so be it. I need to find plant combination nirvana and the only way to get there is through trial and error. With that said, I thought I would share some of my “plant combos” with you from the past year. Some were the result of hardcore analysis and others the result of complete luck. Onward             

This combination includes Daylily ‘Happy Returns’, Russian Sage, Purple Coneflower and Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’. I have managed to not touch this grouping for three years now as they have all thrived with very little care. I hope they are all ready for a change because I know I am. Nothing drastic, just some “tinkering”.   

Some times it is simply two plants that ended up next to each other and it was fate that they “connected”. This is Sedum ‘Red Carpet’ and Spirea ‘Little Elf’. I still can’t get enough of the red/scarlet foliage next to yellow/gold foliage. It has to be limited and subtle to work for me, and that is what I ended up with here.  

Another accidental pairing that I just can’t tear apart. I’m not a big fan of the purple and white color mix, but I can’t seem to break up this union. This is Catmint ‘Walker’s Low’ and Astilbe ‘Deutschsland’.

Peonies obviously look great on their own as the blooms deserve their own parade. But when the Campanulas finally bloomed this year I was super psyched. The blooms did not quite overlap but I’ll take peony buds over most flower blooms anyway.  

I love me some ornamental grasses and I love how this Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ breaks up the surrounding perennials including Black Eyed Susan, Lobelia Siphilitica and Sedum ‘Matrona’. The contrast in texture works and the grass moving with each subtle wind adds a whole new element to the grouping. 

This pairing has nothing to do with flowers. I just like the foliage contrast between the Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ and the Catmint ‘Walker’s Low’. 

More grass love. The flower heads of the Eupatorium ‘Gateway’ (Joe Pye Weed) and the foliage of the   Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ are another pairing that work due to their contrasting shapes and textures.     

I still have my work cut out for me with containers, but I kind of like this combo. You can tell I didn’t take it too seriously as I don’t know the name of the purple annual I used and I don’t know the cultivar name of the yellow Arborvitae either.   

Have I mentioned yet that I like ornamental grasses? Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ might be my favorite right now as I love how it has become a focal point amongst all the other surrounding plants. 
This simple combo worked once autumn was in full swing as the red color of the Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ contrasts in both color and shape with the Sweet Flag ‘Oboruzuki’. 
I have already compiled my spring purchase list for next year and can’t wait to dabble in even more plant combinations. I know there is no perfect answer and that is why it is so enjoyable; there is always a better mix to dream up and play around with.
ONG 

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Wordless Wednesday

Say it isn’t so, I’m blaming it on the candy cane

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The title of this post will not make sense to you now, but by the end you’ll get it. You should also note the time of this entry, there is a story behind that as well. Why so cryptic you ask? Let’s call it a case of temporary insanity, but before we get to that let’s start at the beginning of the weekend.

My wife and I took Friday off from work, dropped the kids off at my parent’s house and headed south to “whoop” it up in Atlantic City. We spent most of the car ride there trying to grasp this concept called “adult time” and about an hour in we finally got it. Wow, this is what silence sounds like? I love my kids to death (more on their shenanigans soon to come) but being able to have a conversation uninterrupted is way way underrated. We were loving life. And when that hits you take pictures like this:

Our real purpose for heading to AC had nothing to do with gambling. In fact, we did very little and won not a thing. We were there to see a concert at the Borgatta. And for shits and giggles, I’ll give you a chance to guess who it was.

Think 1980’s …

Nope, not Duran Duran – although I will admit that “Save a Prayer” may be in my top ten list of all time favorite songs.
Nope, not Flock of Seagulls. Think famous duo from the 80’s …
It was Wham … just kidding. Although I would see them live for the train wreck factor. 
Give up? You can’t go for that? What if I told you, private eyes are watching you.    
Hall and Oates baby! Although they look like this now:
Now my musical interests lean heavier and admittedly a bit more juvenile, but you cannot deny that Darryl Hall as an incredibly soulful voice. And he hasn’t lost it one bit. They were phenomenal and put on a fantastic show. All of the old hits were much more raw and unpolished live and ridiculously entertaining. Go ahead laugh if you must, but don’t knock it until you hear it. Even “Jingle Bell Rock” brought the house down.
We eventually had to get the kids back and I think they enjoyed being away from us more than we enjoyed being sans children. I guess I never really looked at it that way. Anyway, we all agreed to coexist again and took a trip out to cut down the old Christmas tree.        

We get our trees each year from the Rosemont Tree Farm  and they never disappoint. The kids were even more elated when they were given candy canes. But much to my chagrin, they weren’t the true candy canes. Nope, they were those bastardized versions or “non-mint”, like the ones here:

I’ve always had an issue with these nasty rip-offs. They gross me out and they aren’t even friggin Christmas colors. F’n blasphemy! I kept this ire to myself and we proceeded along with our Sunday afternoon/evening. But the stupid candy canes reared their ugly head again.
A sentence you never want to hear come out of your child’s mouth “I don’t want dessert, my belly hurts and I’m ready to go to bed.” Translation – I am getting sick and there is nothing you can do about it. And when both kids say it, you collapse in self pity. Guess what? At about 7:48 PM you could hear the devilish sound of harmonizing pukers. I’m talking violent and evil displays of barfing. I’ll spare you the details, just know I am on the night shift as I write this and I’m equipped with the puking child’s survival kit – paper towels, lysol wipes, tissues and water. I’ve also determined the culprit … the damn candy canes! Can I prove it for sure? No, but it is the only common thing they’ve eaten the past two days. NEVER AGAIN.
Atlantic City seems like a lifetime ago, but in a sick way, I am enjoying the chaos. The kids are still young enough that they need us and it feels damn good. 
Good night … I mean good morning.                  ï»¿
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