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| Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ |
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| Hemerocallis (Daylilly) ‘Joan Senior’ |
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| Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) ‘Gateway’ |
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| Echinacea (Coneflower) ‘Fragrant Angel’ |
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| Clethra (Summersweet) ‘Hummingbird’ |
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| Chasmanthium Latifolium (Northern Sea Oats) |
Author Archives: jmarkowski
I’m staring at my gnarly, permanently dirty fingers as I type this and it is a great reminder of this past weekend. Most human beings wouldn’t tell you that they had a great time weeding for hours on end during their 4th of July weekend, but I am fully aware that I am the exception.
While my wife and I yanked out weeds that could feed an entire family, the kids played outside and braved the heat. We were all together, albeit in a sort of dysfunctional way.
It’s amazing how a small pool can occupy children for hours but more amazingly, that my two kids could survive each other’s company for that long. Every once in a while I joined them in the pool just to pretend to be a good and sensitive dad:
My daughter did request numerous bug removals from the pool and I couldn’t resist her newly toothless grin:
Even after pool time, the kids played together which only increased our ability to tackle more and more weeds:
I considered posting a bunch of our weed removal photos, even a few “before and afters”, but upon further review, they were really boring looking. Just know that my wife and I were cramping up in bed each night and that it looks damn good in most of the garden beds … for now.
Instead of weed photos, here are some photos of one of my perennial beds that is now coming to life:
It wouldn’t have been a summer weekend without a few hot air balloons overhead:
It also wouldn’t have been a summer weekend without a walk across the bridge into Pennsylvania to our favorite ice cream joint:
By the time Monday night arrived we were spent, so we just rested our weary legs and watched the fireworks from our back deck and gasped at the beautiful color of the sky:
Hope you had a great weekend as well.
John
Things have been quiet on the garden front over the past week or so. It almost feels like the “calm before the blooming storm” as many of the perennials (coneflowers, daylillies, russian sage, phlox) are about to put on their show but they’re not quite there yet.
Still, the garden is always developing and there are new surprises even if it they aren’t obvious to the naked eye. This includes all of the new visitors to and fro; some wanted and others … not so much. Here’s what’s been going down in my garden ‘hood of late:
One shrub I have virtually ignored since planting it about three years ago is Hydrangea ‘Lady in Red’. I’ve never witnessed the supposed red fall foliage and haven’t had more than 2 blooms total to date. In fact, it has been difficult to tell the difference between it and ‘Endless Summer’. Well, this year it has shown some serious promise with multiple blooms and a more interesting foliage color:
Every time I am outside with the camera, I snap off at least one photo of my Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’. I can’t get enough of the foliage color along with the small yellow flowers. It is now loaded with berries so it stands out like no other shrub in my front bed:
Speaking of berries, my Viburnum ‘Shoshoni’ is also loaded with berries and the birds swarm to them like mad. I’d love to say that I successfully planted another Viburnum cultivar nearby in order to get these berries, but truth is, I have no idea why they have formed now after having nothing the first few years:
A bird photographer I am not. But I don’t let that stop me. I stalk them whenever I can and then try to figure out what I am actually taking photos of. My wife bought me a new book on New Jersey birds so watch out, a new obsession is in it’s infant stage:
I f’n hate bunnies:
But really dig bees, especially when they are practicing their gymnastic moves:
I tend to lean towards the OCD side when it comes to my garden. I would love to say I like things a bit wild but that would be a lie. Reseeding has rarely appealed to me as it brings up nightmares of pulling tiny seedlings out all spring and summer. I am happy to report, however, that my purple coneflowers have re-seeded like mad this year and they have filled in beautifully – “controlled chaos” works for me:
I received this Coreopsis ‘Star Cluster’ in the mail earlier this spring from Skagit Gardens and the first blooms have emerged. What do you think? I’m digging it big time:
Thanks for reading!
John
This rarely visited gem:
Will be inundated with these:
This nondescript plant:
Will create many of these:
These soon to burst buds:
Will open to expose a plethora of these:
A hint of blue:
Will become overwhelming blue:
I have an unfinished garden bed on the side of my home that is rarely ever visited by anyone other than myself and maybe some hungry deer. I have vowed to finish it and have a ton of paper scraps of rough sketches to prove it.
For now though, it serves as the minor league stadium for the plants that are “stored” there until they prove themselves worthy of a promotion to the “big leagues”. This bed gets slammed with heavy winds, pounded by afternoon sun and visited frequently by the critters. Like my boy Frank Sinatra would sing “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere.” or something like that. Throughout the spring and summer, I’ll move the survivors from this hidden bed to more prominent locations.
This past weekend, all of the Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed) were rewarded for their awesomeness and moved to the back bed surrounding my deck:
This was an easy decision as I officially gave up on all of my Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan). Their foliage looked awful by mid-summer, they re-seeded uncontrollably each year and truthfully, I was just bored with them.
So out with the old and in with the new … and more interesting:
I’ve only had the sneezeweed plants for a little over a year, but they bloomed magically only after being in the ground for a few months:
The only problem I had was that they got too tall by August and began to flop. If you look closely in the photo below, you can see my poor attempt at trying to stake this plant:
The flopping issue can be controlled by simply cutting the plants back now (mid June) so they reach a height closer to 3 feet rather than their maximum of 4 or 5 feet. I decided I would test this cutting back theory so I kept one as is when I transplanted it:
And cut back another by about 12″:
I’ll be sure to monitor this situation as the season progresses and I’m crossing my fingers that the yellow leaves in the two photos above are simply transplant shock. Like a dope, I moved these in the middle of a hot and dry Summer day.
Before I go, here are some quick facts about Helenium (sneezeweed):
- Zone 3-8
- Prefers full sun
- Blooms late Summer into Fall
- A US native found in moist soil along streams/ponds and in moist meadows
- Reaches 3-5 feet tall with a spread of 2-3 feet
- The origin of the name sneezeweed – dried leaves of this plant were used to make “snuff” which causes sneezing which in turn fights off evil spirits
- The origin of the name Helenium – believed to refer to Helen of Troy and the fact that this plant would flower wherever her tears would hit the ground
Grats!
John
This past weekend was all about the kids, although I did manage to sneak in some gardening related work on the sly. I love my kids to death and we had a phenomenal time, but it will be a bit of a relief getting back to work today.
Friday was my daughter’s kindergarten graduation and that little woman melted my heart yet again:
Don’t ask me how, but the stars aligned and for one brief second, it looked like brother and sister actually enjoyed each other’s company:
Saturday was all about my daughter’s dance recital which is maybe just a step below the Academy Awards. Any photography or videotaping within the same zip code could land you in the slammer for 10-15 years. I’m talking hardcore. But I must admit, the show was amazing and my daughter was stellar. What I loved more than anything was that she is still young enough to wave at us during the performance. A memory we’ll never forget.
After a busy Friday and Saturday, we all agreed to a “do nothing” Sunday where we could sleep in and then chill outside all day. A true summer’s “hang”.
As soon as we set foot outside, the kids noticed that there were little sticks all over the deck. Sure enough, we found a bird’s nest under the umbrella. This coincided well with my new Backyard Birds of NJ book as the kids immediately had an interest in what birds we see flying all over the yard. I love those moments:
Thinking I had them in a vulnerable state of nature lovin, I tried to encourage them to check out some bees with me. That backfired real bad as they ran away in terror and insisted it was slip n slide time:
So on to the slip n slide we went. It was hilarious to watch them fail miserably at first but then they got the hang of it with the occasional wipe out:
The following photos were not staged (pinkie swear). I caught my son eating lettuce right out of the container. That’s my boy:
As the kids became more consumed with the slip n slide, I managed to sneak out my trusty wheelbarrow so I could get down in the dirt:
My ever observant daughter immediately noticed and I was chastised for about five minutes:
I promised to just spend a few minutes moving some Helenium to a better location so I could at least satisfy my addiction. I also pretended to take their photos which distracted them from the photos I was really taking:
Oh yeah, I also sneakily played musical chairs with my containers trying to find the right combinations and locations. I find this task maddening, especially someone like me who has so many OCD tendencies:
Well, time to get back to the grind today. And damn I miss the little ones … just a bit.
John
There is nothing I enjoy more than when out of the blue, a plant breaks out with numerous buds. I don’t even need it to actually bloom; the buds and the promise of “what is to come” is enough for me. It’s sort of like a kid enjoying Christmas Eve more than Christmas day. The anticipation is intoxicating.
I’ve also been scarred by blooms disappearing overnight at the Critter Buffet so I’ve learned to tame my emotions when it comes to expecting the blooms to stick around for a while. Although, I did launch what I’m calling Project Liquid Fence so maybe my lack of faith in blooms will be changed. I’ve taken to military like spraying of all the vulnerable plants day after day with the hope that my own personal “Shock and Awe” will lead to a victory over those bastards.
Are you anxiously anticipating the anticipation photos? Well fear no more dear reader:
One of five Monarda (Bee Balm) ‘Petite Delight’ has reached the bud stage as the others are a bit behind after being nibbled by the rabbits. I thought the aromatic leaves would deter all creatures; I thought wrong:
One plant that has never been touched by any creature is the Perovskia (Russian Sage). Those gorgeous blue/purple spires are on their way and what a show they put on year after year:
After dividing them numerous times, I have about 12-15 Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ plants. The blooms are fantastic but last year, I only witnessed two blooms before the deer attacked. I’ve sprayed these non stop and they all have started to bud. One can only hope:
All of my Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) were munched down early in the season so they will be blooming shorter than ever before. Deep breaths … OK, I’m cool:
I’m stretching the “anticipation” angle a bit here, but I just planted five new Lamium (Nettle) ‘White Nancy’ plants this week. I needed a groundcover that is deer and rabbit resistant, clay friendly and with a lighter colored foliage. They fit the bill and I’m anxious to see how they fill in. I love the green/gray/silver foliage:
I previously warned you, I will be taking mucho number of photos of the Calamagrostis (Feather Reed Grass) ‘Karl Foerster’ as it changes bloom colors so rapidly. Below is a photo of how it looks today and then a photo of how it looked only a week ago. What’s great, is that it still hasn’t peaked as the blooms look their best as when they reach the wheat/tan stage:
One last anticipatory excursion (that phrase rules by the way). I just added a few Setcreasea purpurea (Purple Heart) to a container that has a Miscanthus ‘Super Stripe’ in it and I have high hopes that this will shine as the Purple Heart’s continue to grow and hopefully spill all over the container:
Hopefully I can share actual blooms of all of these plants in the very near future.
Keep gardening and keep it real.
John
