Author Archives: jmarkowski
As of today:
And hopefully like this in the next few weeks: 
I almost had one of those moments this past week.
Those moments that usually hit every month or so.
Those moments that make me want to give up, throw in the trowel and take up an easier hobby like knitting.
I walked outside and looked at:
1)The peony blooms that should have been there (thank you deer):
2)The small puddles that never seem to dissipate:
3)And an overall lack of blooms for this time of year.
I felt myself starting to get pissed off.
Why do I pour my heart and soul into this “hobby” only to get wickedly frustrated? Is it all worth it? Couldn’t I focus on something else that was more rewarding, both mentally and financially?
I want to be able to walk in to the nursery and think that every plant there is an option. But I know that is a pipe dream. Butterfly bush? Not with your drainage. How about that Sambucus? Deer will destroy it. That Salvia is sweet, right? Ain’t going to work and you know it.
I was about to have a mini-meltdown when I caught myself and stopped. Hmmmmm … maybe that ever elusive adult maturity had finally arrived? I AM going to be 40 in three weeks.
I took a deep breath and all of my past gardening ventures passed before my eye (just a bit of hyperbole for effect here). The voices in my head screamed, “Think about how far you have come you dope” and “How much have you learned in the past decade alone?” and “Stop your bitching and keep pushing on”.
Points taken.
As I reflect back on how I’ve had to deal with rough growing conditions out in the garden and what it has taught me, I figured it was the perfect blog post topic. So let’s do this:
The embracing of native plants
I’m not going to lie, I’ve only started focusing on the use of native plants within the past few years. When you have a somewhat limited choice of plants because of your conditions, logic points to using those plants that currently thrive in your region. Pretty obvious stuff; just took this blockhead a few years to realize it.
As an example, when shopping for a new tree last spring, I approached it intelligently and logically and ended up choosing the native and moisture loving Serviceberry. And I’ve been thrilled with it’s multi-seasonal interest already:
Another native that has survived wet feet and has been ignored by the deer is Joe Pye Weed:
As I’ve mentioned in the past, it has become a regular ritual for me the past few years to scour the local native plant sales for plants that fit my conditions and I’ve learned about plants I never would have heard of before. Which leads me to my next point.
Forced research and education
For those of you lucky to have great soil and no critters, it must be great to plant shop and not have to think too much about it. I’ve learned over the years that I cannot do that. I never trust what the plant tags have to say. I get myself all educated on-line to know the truth about plants. Can they survive wet feet in winter? Are they able to withstand non stop sun throughout the year? Are they REALLY deer proof?
This “forced education” has loaded my head with great info that I can carry with me wherever I go. I even find myself offering up advice to other shoppers at the nursery or to friends and family. No more blind and naive plant shopping for this guy.
Creating an environment where wildlife can thrive
This has everything to do with native plantings and I can attest to the fact that as soon as I was forced focused on this style of gardening, the critters came … in droves:
Understanding micro-climates
Admittedly, I am twisting the definition of micro-climate a bit here but stick with me.
As certain plants have failed to thrive for me over the years, I have moved them to new locations as a desperate attempt to keep them alive and to justify the money I’ve spent on them.
As I did this, I discovered that certain areas of my yard had soil that drained better than others so I could take advantage of that.
I also found areas that were more difficult for the deer to penetrate so I could successfully grow some plants that deer typically chow down on.
And some times, the same plant was affected by both of the factors above. Like with my Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’:
I am located in zone 6B but have found more sheltered areas in the yard where I can overwinter plants that are supposed to only survive to zone 7. Again, this was discovered through trial and error and failure of plants to survive my conditions. My Carex ‘Cappuccino’ is a perfect example:
Appreciation when a plant does thrive
It isn’t fun bringing home beautiful plants only to watch them suffer and die once they have been put in the ground. It can be demoralizing. But when a plant loves its conditions and grows like mad, you learn to truly appreciate that moment.
The discovery of ornamental grasses
Ornamental grasses were made to live in my yard. They are tough as nails and the deer always ignore them. As I’ve come to rely on them as the backbone of my garden, I’ve also realized just how many unique and versatile cultivars there are: 
Appreciation of foliage
By addressing the deer and the poorly draining soil, I’ve created a garden that is based mostly on foliage. Plants that fit into that criteria (ornamental grasses) are generally foliage driven. And that is OK.
Gardens designed mostly by leaf shape and size look good longer and have more depth. While I love flowers as much as the next guy, it is the shape, color and texture of foliage I am after:
So, in conclusion, while I may have cursed my way through gardening over the years and complained like a baby along the way, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It has taught me more than I ever would have imagined and has allowed me to truly appreciate all that I’ve got.
Sounds like a lesson that applies to all walks of life, huh?
John
The Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ are in full bloom out of nowhere:
As are the Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle):
One of my favorite “foliage” plants has only recently emerged – Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’:
There was total chaos outside my window yesterday and I bolted outside to check it out (camera in hand). Turns out, it was over these berries on the Serviceberry ‘Autumn Brilliance’:
And the culprit was this maniac shaking the branches like The Hulk:
It may be boring to some, but I love any shrub that flourishes in wet conditions, is ignored by the deer and spreads to fill in a large space. Thank you Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’:
I relocated my previously criticized Geranium ‘Brookside’ to an area where they can run wild a bit more and have some support from other plants and so far, I dig the results:
Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’ is filled with more buds than ever before and once again, has avoided any deer chomping (fingers double crossed):
Catmint friggin rules:
Astilbe with white blooms look great in front of dark red leaves. We may have finally found the proper home for them:
… doesn’t necessarily have to completely stay in Vegas.
My wife and I, along with two other couples, hit the City of Sin this past weekend. All six of us will be turning 40 within the next few months so we figured let’s test our intestinal fortitude and live like rock stars for a few days.
While I cannot provide you with a lot of the details (the six of us did agree to keep some things quiet) I can tell you it was a fantastic time, we lost very little money, ate like champs, walked miles a day, drank gallons of gatorade, people watched like never before and enjoyed all Vegas had to offer as the adult Disney World.
I could have stared at the “strip” all night as it was a sensory experience that will never be forgotten:
We rented a cabana with a personal waitress, fully stocked bar, mister, air conditioned room and private patio. That = good times in the Vegas heat:
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, we spent time in an “ice bar” that was -5 degrees Celsius. The glasses are completely made out of ice, as were the stools, tables and light fixtures:
And just to prove to ourselves that we could still “hang”, we partied at a rooftop club with the young ones:
Maybe some day I’ll reveal some of the other details, but for now, I’ll leave you with some pics of the gardens at Bellagio (keeping it real with the topic of gardens):
Ornamental grasses are typically thought of as plants with late summer/fall/winter interest.
But I’m here today to sing their praises as a great spring/early summer performer as well.
I feel like most of my ornamental grasses took a huge leap forward this past week and I couldn’t be happier. While they aren’t anywhere near their peak, they still lend an airy awesomeness to the garden.
Some examples:
Panicum starting to already show it’s hints of red color on the leaves:
Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’ emerging over some of the smaller perennials:
Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ doing the same:
Calamagrostis ‘El Dorado’ already showing early blooms:
Pennisetum a nice color contrast next to Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’:
Looking at a blooming Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’ through a Panicum:
Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats) rounding into form:
Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ in it’s nice upright stance:
And this is only the beginning. The next few months will be an ornamental grass-palooza and I’m sure you’ll be sick of all my hyperbole by then.
Enjoy the long weekend!
John
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| First Iris versicolor (blueflag) bloom |
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| Obnoxiously blooming Physocarpus (Ninebark) ‘Summer Wine’ |
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| Geranium ‘Karmina’ |
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| Astilbe ‘Deutschland’ backed by Physocarpus |
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| Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’ |
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| Peony bud – enjoying them while they last |
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| My new hiding spot to ensure the deer inflict no more damage on the peonies |
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| Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’ backed by Nepeta (Catmint) |
I was traveling for work this past week (St Louis, Missouri to be exact) so I suffered through some separation anxiety from my garden.
I considered asking my wife to allow me to Skype with some of the newly blooming perennials but that would have been weird, right? I mean who is attached to their plants so much that they can’t go without seeing them for four days? A real friggin wacko if you ask me.
So early this morning I set foot outside to catch up on all I’ve missed since last weekend (They grow up so fast, sniff) and was immediately taken in by the newly blooming siberian irises (‘Snow Queen’):
Such a crisp and clean color that immediately pulls you in. Just awesome stuff.
From there, I was psyched to see that for the first time in three years, my Spirea ‘Snowmound’ was blooming:
Some times patience does pay off and I’m pretty proud of myself.
But then, out of my peripheral vision, I spotted a long familiar beauty. She stood out like my wife stood out when I first met her in college. A beauty like no other that pulled me in and had me stammering over my words (please apply that to my wife also). I took the requisite 12 steps from where I was standing to view the first peony bloom of the year:
There I was, ogling this “bowl of beauty” and taking photos of her from all different angles like the paparazzi. As I contorted my body into all sorts of odd shapes, I was blind to a development that still has me reeling …
The son of a mutha f’n deer devoured 75% of all my peony buds. They’ve never touched them before, not even one bud/bloom. Are you freaking kidding me? No plant has more of a build-up to their bloom period than the peony and it marks the transition to summer. And you’re going to ruin that for me?
Just a few days ago they looked so promising:
What a slap to the face. This means WAR. Once again, I was too lax and let my guard down. No more you tick carrying, skittish SOB’s.
I will hunt you down day and night. I will throw bars of Irish Spring at your ass. I’ll drop hot sauce from a helicopter above. It is on … it is on like Donkey Kong.
John