The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Perennials

One determined gardener

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Garden problems, My garden, Perennials, Spring .

I have been at it for the last two weeks. I’m talking like, psychotic. Long sweaty stretches of moving plants, weeding, cutting back and cutting ties with plants (some that required a chainsaw) that had seen better days. Also, short dashes of five- minute weeding sprints between work meetings, ten-minute watering’s before the work day kicked off and three minutes hyper dashes spent moving a Joe Pye Weed a few inches to the left and a boxwood a foot forward because my OCD won’t subside until it’s done. If any increment of time was found, it was spent outside.

The motivation? Simple answer: panic. Panic is the motivator in all aspects of my life. With the garden, it was panic that things were getting away from me and soon I’d throw in the towel and give up like I’d done the previous few years. Not this time. I’ve come too far to not see this through to the point where I’ve envisioned it going for the better part of two decades.

The routine:

Open garage door while shoving a protein bar down my throat.

Slip on boots, hoping no snakes, mice or spiders found their way inside. Boots never tied. Time saved too vital.

Pull on nitrile gloves, fully aware poison ivy juices still reside on the palm and fingers.

Grab orange Home Depot bucket, chuck trowel and pruners inside.

Grab spade and twirl to show I meant business.

Head outside and wait for the inspiration to wash over me.

Kick ass.

I should also add that we’re expecting rain every day for the next week or so and that provided additional inspiration to get as much done as possible, physical well being be damned. I snapped the photo below to try and capture the impending bad weather which is really awesome weather as I can’t wait to sit back and watch every plant drink the H2O while I revel in my accomplishments.

The funny thing is I feel like I’ve done so much and transformed the garden for the better, but the common eye wouldn’t notice a thing. I imagine my wife thinking, “You’ve been working out there for hours on end and honestly, I see little difference.” She’d never say it as she’s too kind and knows I’d never recover, but I know she’s thinking it.

For example, this is the view at the end of the driveway. I’ve mentioned previously that I didn’t like how the “legs” of the Baptisia were exposed. Well a few weeks later and the Baptisia exploded; legs for days. For whatever reason, I had planted three here a few years back where there was really only room for one. I wonder how I can be so dumb after all of these years gardening.

As you probably know, moving a Baptisia is impossible. The taproot digs way freaking deep. So instead of taking on that herculean task, I … gulp … cut them all to the ground now that they’ve finished blooming. It killed me but I couldn’t take it any longer. The results:

I added a bunch of new annuals at the front, exposed three grasses that had been buried by the aggressive Baptisias and even found a white coneflower that had been growing inside one of the Baptisia plants. I also dug up a Clethra that had suckered badly and was half dead. That gave me room to add a Smokebush I had sitting in a container on my deck. Here, I hope it will be sheltered from the deer and thrive.

I’ll deal with the long term ramifications of the Baptisia at another time.

This one had me hot and bothered for a few years. Another example of not thinking long term when I constructed the vignette. Zebra grasses, IMHO, are fine as specimen plantings but are too much when grouped together. Here I had planted three when they were tiny plugs and they took off overnight. I hated how they looked.

So out went two, as did my back on multiple occasions, and we ended up with this:

Five mountain mints and a Little Bluestem ‘Chameleon’ in its place. This is going to kick so much ass when done and after the plants have been established. I can’t wait to share with you all.

BTW, the two zebra grasses I moved … here’s what I discovered to my horror a few days ago.

Might want to stay on top of the watering next time wanna-be-master-gardener.

Quick aside: I’m obsessed with all type of Mountain Mint. I’m still not sure what this one is, but it spreads freely all over my garden and I let it do whatever it wants. An absolute critter magnet and tough SOB.

I went hog wild on the annuals and right back to what I had planted last year in the pic below. I can’t get enough of the verbena and love how they look with a bluish grass (in this case a Panicum ‘Cloud Nine’) behind them. While I planted six of these, there were three others in the same area after seeding from last year’s plants. The gorgeous purple gift that keeps on giving.

There’s a lot going on here but I’ll spare you all the details. I moved around the Meadowsweet for maximum viewing pleasure and to ideally, to layer the garden bed appropriately by height. I like, so far.

Two notes:

  1. The window all the way to the right is the window I stare out of 8 hours a day while working from home. Because of that, this is the section of garden that is the most critiqued.
  2. The container in the lower right is a grass gifted from my brother-in-law who lives down the street. Aren’t I a lucky dude?

In:

  1. Annuals that should spill on to the sidewalk. I can’t remember the name because I’m annual clueless.

Out:

  1. Three Liatris that never thrived in this partial sun spot.
  2. Four Speedwell that had seen better days – RIP
  3. A variegated Northern Sea Oats that had become no longer variegated and seeded like a mutha f’er.

And here’s where the Liatris was relocated to a full sun spot.

I should also add that the Liatris blooms reached towards the sun in their old spot and that drove me insane. I need them to be more upright. Hopefully no problem, no more.

Also, forgot to RIP the variegated NSO. Look how pretty she looks in this photo.

I removed a ton of poison ivy all over the garden and paid for it with a rash on every appendage. I haven’t addressed it here yet. It’s comingled with almost all of my Catmint and I need to make a call soon. Eradicate it all and start fresh? Or try to save the catmint and keep the poison ivy at bay?

To be continued …

I love these Carex. Hold on one second.

Pause, pause, pause.

I’m back. Ran to the garage to find the tag and can’t locate it. Inexcusable. Not sure of the name but I will find it and let you know ASAP. They do claim to deal with full sun and if that claims holds true, I’ll be loading up on it as a groundcover all over the garden.

Have an awesome weekend my friends.

Sprung has springed

Posted on by Posted in Perennials, Spring .

I couldn’t use the “spring has sprung” cliché. I’m so above that.

But yes, I finally got out in the garden this weekend and kicked off “Operation Clean Up Before the Weeds Take Over and I Become Easily Defeated”. Also commonly known as OCUBWTOIBED (pronounced ok-you-bwi-toy-bed).

I’m thrilled to report that each and every Lady’s Mantle that had been divided and transplanted in the fall has returned. I magically turned 3 into 15 and when they all mature it’s going to be a killer scene on a rainy spring day with the raindrops emanating like sparkly diamonds into the garden-sphere.

I’m also proud of the sitch I created below where the white daffodils bloom in spring, clearly in view as one approaches my front door and once they’re spent, the fast growing Sedum covers them up so they can fade into oblivion without the need for me to remove the gnarly foliage.

I have so many grasses to cut down. It’s overwhelming and a frickin mess as the deadness blows all over the yard/street/town/county before I can gather it up and dispose of it. I managed to get through a few yesterday but we got a long way to go. It’s worth it, right?

I love to see my perennials spread year over year. Yes it can be excessive at times but I’m here for the challenge. Fill it all up you beautiful bastards, like the Monarda encroaching the Sedum below.

Creeping phlox is creeping towards bloom and creeping towards the front walkway to cover and soften it in purple deliciousness, just as I planned it years ago.

This legit has me giving myself repeated high-fives. The year over year increase in Allium bulbs is super exciting. I can’t wait to share the blooms with you in a few weeks.

Call me crazy, but I didn’t prune back any of the branches on this Ninebark this spring. I want to see just how big it can really get. Although that may make it a focal point, but in a bad way. We’ll see.

First bud/bloom on the Viburnum is here. No scent yet, but it’s coming and it will be delightful.

Ligularia ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’

Posted on by Posted in Perennials .

Have you ever entered someone’s home and after a quick scan of the surroundings, said to yourself “The 90’s called and they want their home décor style back.” Or “Is this house used for filming a TV show that is set in the 80’s?” Or “Shit, that’s a lot of stainless steel.”

If not, you’re a better human than me.

I think you might have a similar thought if you were to walk through my garden. Not that I’ve ever tried to keep up with whatever was in style or the hot look of the moment. I’m not that in tune. But you would witness a ton of dark-leaved shrubs and perennials which may have been the preferred foliage style of a time passed by.

I could go on and on with the pics, but you get the point. I can’t get enough of the darker foliage. It catches my eye at every nursery visit. It makes me stop in my tracks as I leaf through a plant catalog. And I’ve assumed all along that everyone shared this same sentiment.

But maybe many of you have moved on. Maybe it was a trend and I was oblivious to it ending? John, you’re garden is like, so 2008. I honestly don’t know.

And I honestly don’t give a you-know-what.

Give me brown leaves, give me dark red leaves, give me some chocolate leaves. They make me happy.

And this is why I’ve been so frustrated with my Ligularia ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’.

Quick aside: Has a friend or neighbor or nosy stranger ever asked you the name of a plant in your garden and you hesitated before sharing the name? Do you internally debate how to craft the answer? Do you go with the common name? The botanical name? Do you include the cultivar name like “Britt-Marie Crawford”? If you do include the cultivar name do you state it with confidence or with a hint of embarrassment? I tend to stick to common names so I don’t sound like an elitist but the problem is I don’t know the common names for most plants.

Moving on.

Actually, one more aside, a note on the cultivar name: This plant was first discovered by Britt-Marie Crawford growing in a plot of Ligularia dentata ‘Othello’ in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom. After her death, her husband, James Crawford, took steps to honor his wife by naming the cultivar after her and introducing it into commerce.

Now that is love.

Really moving on this time.

My Leopard plant (yes I had to look the common name up) has lived in at least five locations within my garden since I purchased it on-line years ago. It wasn’t until I found a spot that receives afternoon shade and isn’t visited by the deer that it thrived.

But I didn’t acquire it for the green leaves and yellow flowers. I honestly don’t like yellow flowers all that much. I bought it for that bold red/purplish-black/maroon foliage. I wanted it to be a focal point. And to date, that hasn’t happened.

This is what I wanted to see. This is what I was promised.

And while the leaf shape is fantastic and unique, I still long for that darker shade.

I’ll even trade in the flowers in exchange for my desired leaf color.

Please flood the comments with your experience with this perennial. Super curious to see what you all have to say.

Garden tour – June 6th, 2022

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Perennials, Shrubs, Spring .

What is the best part of this section of garden? Zero room for weeds. While I’m not in love with the color combos necessarily, I ain’t messing with it. The Nepeta (Catmint) is doing its thing as are the pink and white Astilbes. Please ignore the browning Boxwood.

A closer shot of the white Astilbes and Ninebark ‘Diablo’. Contrast is king.

Baptisia one …

… and Baptisia two.

A bit of a mess and suckers like mad, but Iteas thrive in my wet soil and I do my best to control the suckering. I’ve added twelve more to my garden this spring. Again, the theme: no room for weeds.

My favorite foliage shrub: Ninebark ‘Amber Jubilee’. And yes, that name sounds more like a stripper than a shrub.

Carex ‘Grayi’ and Packera aurea

Posted on by Posted in Perennials .

As I wander through my decaying garden these days, it’s like a brown-out. All of the ornamental grasses have resorted to their buff winter color and almost all of the perennials are a mess of brown/black.

But there are two perennials that stand out in their still staying green color. Two native perennials that are not so well known and not so flashy but can be a welcome addition to the garden. That is assuming  your garden is like mine: moisture-filled (aka poorly draining) and critter-filled (aka herds of visiting deer).

Let’s take a closer look at both of these plants.

 

Carex ‘grayi’

Common name: Gray sedge

Zone: 5-9

Size: 3′ x 2′

Bloom time: May – October

Exposure: Full to partial sun (performs best in full sun)

Soil: Wet, bog garden plant.

Native: Eastern U.S.

Deer resistant: Yes

Origin of name: Named after famed botanist Asa Gray from the 1800’s

I purchased these in bulk a few years back and sited them in a known wet spot, in full sun.

They’ve thrived here and have quickly doubled in size in only 2 years time.

The seed heads have a club-like shape and start out yellow/green before transforming to brown as fall/winter arrives.

I welcome the semi-evergreen nature of this grass-like perennial. The green stands out in a sea of deadness this time of year.

And when the light hits them just right in winter, the seed heads are reflected in the snow in a cool and funky way. I have no photos to prove this so you’ll just have to trust me until I can prove it to you.

 

Packera aurea

Common name: Golden Ragwort

Zone: 3-8

Size: 2.5′ x 1.5′

Bloom time: April

Exposure: Full to partial sun (thrives in partial shade)

Soil: Wet, bog garden plant.

Native: Eastern U.S.

Deer resistant: Nibbled a bit but never fully destroyed (fingers crossed)

Origin of name: Named after famed botanist John Packer

I went nuts and ordered 50+ plugs of this native perennial two years ago from the native plant purveyor, Izel. To date, I have zero regrets.

While they were small when first planted, they have rocketed in growth ever since.

And they bloomed like mad that first spring with the buds first appearing in early April. A time when I welcome any blooms in my garden.

And do they ever bloom their little heads off. Endless yellow daisy-like flowers completely inundate the plant.

 

I made sure to snip off the spent blooms immediately to prevent seeding as this is a potentially heavy seeder. We’ll see if I was successful or not this spring, although I would welcome some reseeding.

After cutting them all down to their basal foliage, they remain bright green in color and thrive all spring/summer and even into late fall as seen in the photo below.

That is assuming they remain consistently moist as they do not dig the dry soil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden ragwort

Posted on by Posted in Perennials, Plant shopping .

During the winter of 2015-2016, I ordered 25 tiny plugs of Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea) from my favorite online native plant nursery, Izel Plants. I knew nothing of this perennial before I found it there, but if the terms “likes moist”, “deer resistant” and “native to the northeast U.S” are part of any plant description, I’m in.

The Golden Ragwort were planted last April and a year later, well, wow.

Golden Ragwort

That didn’t take long.

An insane amount of blooms on almost all of the plants. I had been seeking a big time early spring bloomer and this appears to fit the bill perfectly.

To date they are thriving in wet locations in both full and partial sun. No creatures have as much as looked at them funny, let alone nibble them, and the blooms have looked divine for over a week now.

Ding, ding, we have a winner.

But I couldn’t leave it at that. Not this over-analytical gardener.

In bloom, the Golden Ragwort is about 2 feet tall. Once the blooms are spent and showing signs of wear, I plan on diligently cutting off all of the flowers to prevent any reseeding (they are known to be aggressive re-seeders). Once the stems are cut down to the low-lying basal foliage, they’ll be closer to 6 to 12 inches tall.

Golden Ragwort

With that in mind, I question my best use of these “groundcovers” from a design perspective. Right now in flower, they’re taller than all of the slow growing perennials and shrubs behind them. It looks a bit off and I can’t stop analyzing it.

But once the stems and flowers are removed, the appropriate “ascending in size order” look will be there.

Do I bite the bullet, enjoy the fine flowers and chill the f out?

Golden Ragwort

Or are you unfortunately like me, and subscribe to the school of over-tinkering and over-thinking?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

My book – “Perennials Through The Seasons” – is out

Posted on by Posted in My book, My garden, Perennials .

After weeks of editing it is finally here.

The first edition of the book was 188 pages (8.5″ x 11″ paper) but I soon realized that at that length, it would be too expensive to print. As painful and excruciating as it was, I ultimately cut it down to under 100 pages.

Who knew that the actual writing of the book would end up being the easiest part of this project?

But it is done. And I am super excited.

A quick synopsis of the book:

There are 20 chapters, each a different perennial that resides in my garden today. The chapters commence with a personal story that is tied to that particular plant. It then takes you through a photographic journey, spring through winter of that perennial with 1,000+ photos in all. While the flowering of each perennial is happily celebrated, I also include other aspects that too often go underappreciated: new spring foliage, spent blooms, seed heads and fall color.

For all of you who have been loyal readers over the years, please know that this is all new material and not a copy of old blog posts.

You can purchase the book here through Amazon.

Thank you all for your support over the years as this book wouldn’t have been written without you.

I am forever grateful.

Volume 2 will be out later this year.

Sucky weather but a “Hell Yeah” moment

Posted on by Posted in Garden memoir, My book, Perennials, Winter interest .

Hello everyone.

It has been a while since I last posted here so my apologies for that.

The truth is I have been hammering away on the book and I’m proud to report that it is completely written and I am now in edit mode. While I’ve known all along what I wanted to convey in this book, it didn’t fully gel until I had pulled in these three photos for one of the chapters.

They perfectly encapsulated the purpose of the book and my feelings on gardening. It was the “A Ha” moment and that moment felt real frickin good. I cannot wait to deliver this to you all and thank you again for your constructive feedback. That feedback has been sitting on my shoulders throughout the writing process.

On the actual garden front, I’ve got nothing.

We had such a mild winter here in the Northeast U.S. and I thought I would have been out in the garden by now, cutting down ornamental grasses, removing weeds and cleaning up the messy perennials.

But then March threw us a curve and we ended up with this.

And this.

And now that the foot of snow has started to melt, we have this.

I may have no choice but to throw on my waterproof shitkickers and start cutting and pruning.

Look for that in the next post.

 

Eupatorium coelestinum (Hardy Ageratum) ‘Wayside’

Posted on by Posted in Perennials .

I have always loved Ageratum, but have been unable to keep it looking good for any period of time. By mid-summer, they are a mess, I cry and vow to never put myself through that ordeal again. Fool me once …

Lo and behold, one day I was googling “Ageratum” thinking I could unlock the secret to keeping this annual alive all summer and found a plant claiming to be a perennial Ageratum. What? Has someone been reading my diary?

Dreams do come true.

But it gets better. This plant prefers a wet site. And is deer resistant.

Hardy Ageratum? I’m like totally in.

Specifics:

  • 18” x 18”
  • Blooms in mid-summer, early August here in zone 6B
  • Requires full sun
  • Survives zone 5-8
  • Deer resistant
  • Very tolerant of a wet site
  • Very slow to emerge in spring, one of the last to show signs of life
  • Great winter interest with the spent flowers
  • U.S. native
  • Has recently been reclassified as Eutrochium

As mentioned above, this plant is slow to emerge in spring and I’ve actually forgotten about it until it finally emerged sometime in late April. Another reason to not cut down those perennials too soon people. The spent flowers/stems are a much needed reminder of what is what in my ever expanding jumble of a garden in spring.

I’ve noticed that my original five purchased have expanded a bit in year two as this plant appears to reseed some. It is too soon to say if it is TOC (Totally Out of Control, for those without young kids) or if the reseeding is a must because this perennial is short lived. That is what I’ll be keeping my eye on this year.

The blooms start to develop in July and are a welcome site and color, as we proceed through the dog days of summer.

 

Within a week or so, the blooms fully emerge and they are quite stunning in my humble opinion.

 

The blooms are so interesting up close that I’ve taken to capturing them on my camera phone, macro style.

 

But the interest in the blooms doesn’t end there. As the purple/blue flowers fade with the arrival of cooler weather, they remain interesting into the colder months.

Here in October, fluffy seed heads looking right in place with the gold and red hues of autumn.

 

And especially handsome when covered in frost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book excerpt – looking for your feedback

Posted on by Posted in Blog stuff, Perennials .

Here is an excerpt of a first version of my book that I’ve been pounding away on for weeks now. I so cherish all of your feedback and have taken all of your comments into account to this point.

When in doubt, why not ask?     

I would love your feedback on the following:

Book title – any creative ideas after reading through below? I’ll handsomely award the winner of the one I like best.

Content – more or less info based on the excerpt below? Less “sentences” and more boxes/bullets/etc?

Layout – this snippet isn’t an exact replica of the layout but it is as close as I can get. What do you think?

Tone – is it me?

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to assist me here.

Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle)

I remember the exact day back in the fall of 2003 when I decided to purchase some Lady’s Mantle for the first time. Up until that point, all I thought about was flowers in my garden. Foliage was nice, but an afterthought.

My obsession with plants and gardening was gaining steam and I was reading books relentlessly. Books you ask? Those are pages of printed words and photos that are held together with binding. Your grandfather can tell you all about them.

I don’t recall the exact book, but it was all about design and one photo grabbed my attention and changed the course of my garden fanaticism. A beautiful and haunting garden photographed in the early morning was lined with Lady’s Mantle that was covered in dew droplets. My tongue dropped to the floor and I knew I had to try it.

Fast forward a few months and I planted a whole bunch myself in my tiny front bed at our old Cape Cod home in Somerville, NJ. I was so proud of it and sensed that my love of plants was going to exponentially increase now that foliage was part of the game.

Sadly, we moved out of that home by the end of that year and I never got to grow with my new favorite edging plant. I did drive by the home periodically for a good 2 to 3 years after that just so I could watch my babies mature into full adult plants. They ended up looking beautiful even if the new homeowners let everything fall to shit in the garden around them. The day they pulled them out of the ground, I almost got out of my car and approached the house in a fit of rage.

Luckily I thought better of it and drove away and spared myself jail time.

Instead, I bought a bunch and put them in my newly developing garden where they still reside today.

Alchemilla mollis rarely steals the show in the garden. Instead, it is that steady performing groundcover or edging plant that makes the garden whole.

From the moment those leaves start to unfurl in spring, you know old reliable is back for another season.

Let me correct myself for one moment. There is a time when this perennial does truly “shine”. That is when Lady’s Mantle captures the rain droplets in spring. It is a photographer’s dream.

Beyond that, this plant provides a nice contrasting leaf shape to other perennials and shrubs from spring through fall.

The chartreuse blooms, typically arriving in June, are a nice understated feature as well.

 

 

 

I have found it is best to trim off the spent flowers as soon as possible to keep this plant looking its best as summer approaches.

 

 

 

Specifics:
• Survives in zones 3 – 8
• Size typically maxes out at 1.5 ‘ x 2.5’
• Can handle full sun to almost full shade
• Blooms in June here in zone 6B
• Prefers a consistently moist soil
• Has been reliably deer and rabbit resistant over the years
• Non US native
• Flowers brown quickly and can become an eyesore (see more below)
• Leaves are scalloped and fuzzy to the touch

I currently have these as a groundcover in my back bed along the deck.

In full bloom in June and backed by the light of the afternoon sun.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see below, Lady’s Mantle comes along pretty quickly in spring as evidenced by the “still no signs of life” ornamental grass sitting behind them.

**NEGATIVE ALERT** The one negative/higher maintenance aspect of Lady’s Mantle is that it does require constant moisture. If not, this is what you may see.

Luckily for me, constant moisture isn’t much of a problem unless we have a real dry summer but keep that in mind before purchasing Lady’s Mantle.

This perennial has been labeled as “invasive” but I can say that has not been a problem for me at all. In fact, I’ve never seen a single seedling since I’ve had these. This may be due to the fact that I am pretty diligent in cutting off the spent blooms and therefore there is no opportunity for reseeding.

I must also add that my deadheading has never resulted in any re-blooming later in the season.