Perennials Archives - Page 4 of 9 - The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

The day it all changed

Posted on May 13, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Garden memoir, My garden, Perennials .

I am fascinated by the mundane. I want to know what each and everyone of you eats for lunch each day and how you came to that decision. I want to know what you are doing at 7:30 on a Tuesday evening. I want to know why you don’t chew gum or drink beer. I want to know the specific order you follow each morning when showering, making coffee, eating and taking the dog out. I want to know if you sleep on your side or on your stomach. I want to understand why you don’t like cheese.

On a personal level, I manage a mental log of all of the days that have had a profound impact on my future life. Without fail, each of those days appeared no different from any other at the time. Upon waking up, there was no big intro announcing this was the day I was going to cross paths with my future wife. There was no pump-me-up music as I crawled out of bed. No higher being sent me a sign that the day was going to be like no other.

Because of that, I find myself walking though each day curious if this is going to be one of “those” days. Not that I’m anticipating tragedy or winning the lottery or anything like that. It is way more subtle. Will tonight be the last night I carry my ten year old daughter on my back up to bed? Not because anything specific occurred, but maybe tomorrow night she just walks upstairs on her own and that becomes the new normal. Will I remember that last night ten years from now? Or will the memory fade and get mixed in with one of the other 10,168 days?

With that in mind, I am going to leaf through the archives of my mind and dedicate a few posts to “those”days. The day I knew that my wife was different from the others and I just wanted to hang with her. The day I rediscovered writing while watching “Lost” after a way too long hiatus. And for today’s purposes (because it is warming up and the garden is starting to kick into gear)I wanted to write about the day that I discovered the perennial that completely changed my outlook on what a garden should and can be.

I started gardening back in 1997. I started out like your prototypical spring gardener we all see at Home Depot on a Saturday morning in April. Buy a bunch of flowers that look pretty, stick them in the ground in some bloody awful symmetrical pattern, fertilize the shit out of them and then be done with it. I am a gardener.

I slowly evolved from that gardener to one who was stealing plant labels at the nursery and bringing them home as part of plant recon. Then I was buying books or checking them out of the library on a weekly basis. That led to the discovery of “The Well Tended Perennial Garden” which elevated my gardening game to a whole new level. I was buying perennials and pinching them and experimenting with different combos and becoming obsessed.

But my plant palette was still limited. The only plants in my purview were those that I could find at my local nursery or that I easily recognized when shopping online. The concept of native plants was still foreign to me.

But then in 2004 we moved out to rural New Jersey, in the “country”. We were owners of a 2+ acre lot that was completely devoid of plant life, let alone a garden. I worked my ass off for 3-4 years trying to create a garden and bombed with the best of them. I still regret that I didn’t capture any photos of my ridiculous efforts and even worse results.

By spring of 2008, I was determined to attack the outdoors in a somewhat intelligent and well thought out way. I ordered plants in bulk but small in size. I had a better feel for my new digs, specifically how my new digs fit into the larger landscape of my town and my county. That thinking led to the recognition and understanding of the native plant. I did my research and I observed those landscapes that seemed to “fit in” and look natural. That then led to the discovery of the “native plant sale”.

It’s Mother’s Day 2008 and the plan is to make mom breakfast in bed and then head out for the day so mom could also enjoy some peace and quiet. The kids are 5 and 2 so you get it. That weekend also happened to be the opening of the native plant sale at Bowman’s Hill in Bucks County, PA. We’ll go out to breakfast, hit up the plant sale and then hit the playground before heading back home.

In preparation for the trip, I studied what was available for purchase at the plant sale and for the first time, understood the important details as to what plant made sense for my garden. It had to be deer resistant, it had to handle full sun and it had to be wet tolerant with our high water table. I compiled my list and had it in the back pocket of my shorts.

Upon arriving at the plant sale, the plants were all laid out in alphabetical order. Admittedly, 85% of the plants on my list I had never heard of before. I made it a point to talk to no one for fear of having to say the names out loud. I kept my head down and tried to hide my list under my sleeve.

I’ll skip the drama and let you know that the first name on my list – Amsonia – was the first plant I found and I threw three of them in my box without even evaluating its looks. And to make a long story short, that perennial is still to this day my personal favorite in my always expanding collection. I had no idea at the time as I just shoved plants in my box and tried to escape without being noticed, but that day changed everything. I discovered native plants, went on to read all I could about the benefit of native plants and haven’t looked back since.

I’ve written quite a bit in the past about Amsonia, which you can read through the following links:

Amsonia tabernaemontana

The Many Faces of Amsonia

Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’

So let me add just one more thing.

I’ve realized over time that I want four things out of my plants, specifically my perennials, and they are as follows.

Anticipation – after a long and cold winter, I want the jolt from a newly emerging plant and it should look cool and exciting and give me a sense of great anticipation. Exhibit A:

Explosion – that plant should have its moment where it shines and becomes the focal point in the garden, even if it is short lived. Exhibit B:

Sustained presence – the plant should hold up well through the various seasons, even if it fades a bit into the background. Summer destruction can ruin the entire garden. Exhibit C:

Go out with a bang – autumn color should be phenomenal and breath taking and make one last statement. Exhibit D:

I continue to add Amsonia to my garden each and every spring and will not stop any time soon. It is literally indestructible. And I still think back to that Mother’s Day trek and my quick in and out at the plant sale and realize how much that day changed my entire perception of the garden and gardening.

That is the day when my hobby transformed into an obsession.

Foliage over flowers

Posted on May 5, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Foliage, My garden, Perennials, Spring .

It was Portland outside here today or at least how I imagine Portland to be most of the year. I’ve only visited the city twice in my life and both times it bucked the trend of typical northwest weather. It was sunny and dry but still an incredible city and one I’m anxious to revisit. While I may prefer the sun and the extreme warmth of summer here in the northeast, there is no comparison when it comes to the perfect garden conditions of the northwest.

Today was overcast with a relentless mist and a layer of fog that slowly looked to envelope the entire town. But hot damn if it didn’t perfectly highlight and saturate the colors of the garden and aid in it looking healthier than it’s ever been. I’m no professional photographer but I have to assume this was close to the ideal day for capturing the great outdoors in all her glory.

So this amateur shutterbug made it a point to not miss this golden opportunity before the bright sun returns and washes out all of the color. As soon as I walked through the front door and into Seattle, my eye was immediately drawn towards the soon to be blooming mass of Trollius (Globeflowers). The orange buds were radiant and glistening after being misted for like 51 hours straight.

As I settled into my plant-photo-taking-stance, I surveyed this little section of the garden and realized how much it was being taken over by the bee balm I had planted there only last year.

The best part of the quick takeover? The crowding out of any weeds. Not one could be found and that is all sorts of awesome. But not my point, at least for today.

I snapped a ton of pics of this section of the garden and after reviewing them and trying to determine which were blog worthy, I noticed something that only affirms what I’ve always known.

Here is one of the soon to be blooming Trollius flowers captured as the dominant element with the bee balm stems more faded in the background.

Nice shot, right? But I prefer this next one, where the bee balm takes the lead.

Give me foliage over flowers any day of the week. In this case, I love the reddish/purple outlining of each bee balm leaf, the texture of the leaves covered in moisture and even the shape of the square stems. Flowers are great and special and all because of their usually short stay, but it is the foliage that makes the statement. It is the foliage that works hard to look good all year round. It is the foliage that defines your garden and your style.

As exciting as it is to witness the first Geranium bloom (‘Espresso’) of the spring.

Nothing compares to the statement made by Lady’s Mantle on a cool and wet spring morning.

Phlox subulata and Geranium ‘Espresso’

Posted on April 25, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in My garden, Perennials .

There is one plant combination in my garden that is shining brighter than any other right now and that is Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) and Geranium ‘Espresso’.

While the phlox is in full bloom with carpets of lavender flowers, the foliage of the geranium has emerged enough to form neat mounds of dark chocolate leaves.

The color contrast between the two is eye popping and at the same time, the shape of the phlox blooms mirror the shape of the geranium leaves. And while the blooms of the phlox are due to fade in the very near future, there will soon be another wave of color contrast once these geraniums bloom themselves and reveal their soft pink flowers.

Once the Geranium ‘Espresso’ blooms bid farewell, both plants (after a light shearing from yours truly) will maintain solid foliage color all the way into the fall.

For those who have followed this blog in the past, you know that I suffer from poor draining clay soil. Typically, creeping phlox/moss phlox doesn’t survive well under these conditions. And I’ve tinkered with this groundcover for years and witnessed first hand how it despises the waterlogged soil. However, there is a spot along the sidewalk in front of my home that is extremely sandy/gritty due to the original construction of the sidewalk and the phlox just love it there. The deer and rabbits have never touched them so I won’t be moving these at any point in the future as they also look great spilling on to the sidewalk.

All indications are that Geranium ‘Espresso’ requires full sun in order to thrive, but I can attest to the fact that mine have performed well with only 4 hours or so of direct sun each day. I’m considering dividing these after they bloom this spring to see if they in fact thrive even more in a true “full sun” site. Once this geranium stops putting out new blooms, I shear them down quite a bit so they maintain a fuller look throughout the summer and fall.

Plants I’m bullish on this year

Posted on March 25, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, My garden, Perennials .

Here are 9 plants I’m hoping show big improvement this spring/summer over how they performed in my garden last year. 8 are relative newcomers, 1-3 years in the ground, so time alone should aid their jump in prominence. And 1 has been around my parts forever but only last year managed to avoid the wrath of the deer herd. Here’s hoping this is a new trend.

Coneflower ‘Sunrise’: Full disclosure – I’ve moved this three times in three years. And to the shock of no one, it finally bloomed last summer after a full year in its current spot. The flowers arrived later than all of the other coneflowers (late July) but that is OK. I expect taller and fuller plants this year, assuming the itch to move them is fought off successfully.

Abelia ‘Bronze Anniversary’ – Another oft moved shrub but one where I’m happy with its current destination. I love the golden leaf color, especially in partial shade and especially in spring as the foliage emerges, but I can do without the clashing white blooms. In fact, the plan is to immediately remove the flowers for fear of ridicule from the neighbors.

Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ – This is the oldie I referenced above that always suffered at the hands of the deer in summer. For whatever reason (my intimidation factor?), they were ignored last year. While I’m not a big daylily guy, I do like how these combine with other dark leaved plants (As seen with Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’) below.

Ninebark ‘Amber Jubilee’ – No, not an exotic dancer or My Little Pony character, but the best foliage color of any plant I own. But as you can see in the second photo below, the deer get it each winter and in effect, prune it back hard for me which ultimately compromises the size of this shrub. If I can remember to defend her better this year, the sky is the limit. Remember though, “remembering” is not a strong suit of mine.

Allium azureum – I blew it with this one. I mistook these for wild onions and yanked them out without much thought last spring. This is the only one that actually bloomed. Luckily for me I was lazy when pulling them so the bulbs remained in tact. No such error will be made this spring.

Peony ‘unknown other than it is white’ – This is as good of a lock as any. First flowers appeared last spring after two years in the ground and we all know that the peony is indestructible once established.

Baptisia ‘ Carolina Moon’ – Based on the success I’ve had with my other Baptisia plants, I’m counting on this one to fall right in line. Big, big things this year from this one. I cannot wait to photograph it and share it with you all.

Clematis – This appeared out of nowhere last year after I stuck it in the ground and completely forgot about it. There appears to be new growth this spring so I remain optimistic for a repeat showing. And this time, I’ll even use a real trellis to maximize the show.

And last but not least, the fickle …

Cimicifuga ‘Brunette’ – For three consecutive years, this perennial has looked great in spring only to fall apart when the weather really heats up and when it attempts to bloom. I’ve stayed on top of the watering and it, along with its 7 other siblings (I’m way invested at this point) get plenty of afternoon shade. The pessimist in me says, “wrong plant for you John” while the optimist says, “give it time to get established”.

Cheers to optimism.

Baptisia australis

Posted on March 22, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

Almost six years ago, I transformed the front bed of my parent’s house using Baptisia as the anchor because honestly, it blew me away when I saw it at their local nursery. The color of the blooms drew my eye in as soon as we set foot on the nursery grounds. Score one for the marketing department. No research for preferred conditions necessary, we liked it and we were going to plant it.

Fast forward three years and the Baptisia went bananas. My father did his best to control it but the end result was it was moved from its original spot because it was threatening to eat all of the other plants. Strike one against the son who claimed to be a gardening expert. Remember kiddies, always take into account a plant’s ultimate size when planning your garden. Don’t follow the lead of Uncle Johnnie.

Fast forward another year and it’s time for me to add Baptisia to my own garden. Space wouldn’t be an issue and I needed to prove to myself that I could grow it successfully. On top of that I could no longer take all of the stunning photos of this perennial in others’ gardens without giving it a shot myself. From all indications, Baptisia preferred a more dry soil and it was debatable whether or not it was deer resistant but I didn’t care. It was time to throw caution to the wind, wet soil and herds of deer be damned.

Fast forward to 2015 and John is a happy boy.

Two years in the ground and it was already kicking ass. Those blooms draw in the eye and put a smile on my face each and every morning as I walked out to my car on my way to work. The deer left it alone and as of current day, the poorly draining soil doesn’t appear to be an issue.

Some additional Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo) info:

Native to the eastern U.S
Blooms from May to June
The pea-like blooms are a blue/purple
Speaking of peas, Baptisia is part of the pea family, Fabaceae
Survives in zones 3-9
Mature size is roughly 4 x 4
Prefers full sun as it tends to open up with more shade (my parent’s garden as scientific proof).
Deer resistance is questionable but I’ve had no issues the first two years.
Can be slow to establish but once it is, it is a bear to move due to its deep taproot.
Can handle all soil types and it drought tolerant once established.
Baptisia comes from the greek word “bapto” which means dye. It was used back in the day as a blue dye replacement for Blue Indigo.
Tough to divide due to the taproot and it can be slow to establish if grown by seed.
Baptisia australis opens up a bit after bloom and if the plant is cut back at that time, it will result in a more upright and appealing shape. The downside is the ornamental seedpods will be lost (more on that in a moment).

And now a little chronological tour of this shrub-like perennial:

First emerging in spring.

Then the first signs of bloom appear.

Almost there.

In full bloom.

And once in bloom, drawing in the critters.

By the time fall/winter has arrived, the ripened seed heads have turned black, eventually opening up to reveal the seeds inside.

And finally the opened seed heads still adorning Baptisia australis in late winter.

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Posted on March 13, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

I spent a few hours outdoors this morning tending to some spring cleaning chores – cutting down the dead perennial foliage, shearing down the smaller ornamental grasses and making my son pull the exposed poison ivy vines (he is not allergic). As I was traversing the garden, clearing the dead growth and looking for emerging foliage, I came to a realization I hadn’t really well, realized before: my garden is dominated by Bee Balm.

The purple-green rosettes are everywhere right now.

I’ve written previously about Bee Balm thrives in my wet clay soil and does it ever multiply in no time wherever I’ve planted it. And not in an invasive way. The underground rhizomes spread happily and fill in empty spots along the way. If it ever stretches where I don’t want it, I simply pull it out by the roots and plant it somewhere else in the garden.

At this point in time, I have so many different cultivars of Bee Balm (Monarda) that I’ve forgotten all of the names. All I know is that they all bloom like mad starting in early summer and the blooms last for weeks, and even longer if they are deadheaded along the way.

Bee Balm looking good in late spring, even before the blooms have revealed themselves.

And kicking butt and taking names when in bloom.

Drawing in the bees and other critters.

They look great even as the blooms start to fade in mid summer.

And remain interesting into winter.

Some additional facts on this perennial:

Prefers full sun but will adapt well to partial shade
As mentioned previously, prefers damp soil and thrives in clay
On average, the size maxes out at 2 to 4′ x 1.5 to 3′
Blooms from early summer through late summer
Survives in zones 4-9
North American native, typically in moist woodlands
The leaves/stems have a fantastic orange-like scent
As a result of the scent, it is deer resistant
Bee Balm is prone to powdery mildew if not given proper air circulation. Personally, I find it easy to deal with by simply ignoring late in the season and allowing the leaves to fall followed by a simple clean-up.
Monarda also known as Bee Balm also known as Oswego tea, was introduced by the Oswego Indians to botanist John Bartram who learned of its healing powers when brewed as a tea. It was used to treat chills, fever, insect bites and even bronchial congestion.

I planted a white cultivar of Bee Balm last spring and I’m hoping it really takes off this year. Either way, prepare yourself for even more Bee Balm pics this gardening season.

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium)

Posted on February 1, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

If I could only take one perennial with me to a deserted island (and assuming zone plays no part in this fictional game) it would be Eupatorium maculatum (Joe Pye Weed).

We’re talking a statuesque plant, a focal point in the garden. We’re talking summer blooms that last for weeks. We’re talking bees, butterflies and birds galore. I could go on and on but let’s make it easier and give you some conveniently bulleted factoids of this fan favorite:

The ultimate size is about 6′ x 3′.
Survives in zones 4-8.
Prefers full sun to partial shade.
Blooms are a pink/mauve color from late Summer to early Fall.
As mentioned previously, the blooms attract bees, butterflies and birds.
Prefers medium to wet soil conditions but should never be left to dry out.
They can be left up for Winter and from personal experience, have managed to stay upright even during decent snowstorms.
These ladies are native to the Northeast in wetlands and moist meadows.
Beyond the blooms and attraction to wildlife, they lend an almost architectural vibe to a mixed border with their strong stems and height.
I have had deer chomp these only once and it actually created a layered effect that was pretty cool as a result. A deer prune if you will.
You can prune these in early Summer to control the height (more on that in a bit) and not affect the blooms too dramatically.
Joe Pye Weed is named after a Native American named “Jopi”, who was from a New England tribe and traveled widely during the American Revolution selling this plant as an herbal remedy for typhoid fever.

Some additional photos:

These plants are slow to emerge in the spring as they do not appear for me until early May.

But once they appear, they really take off with the warming temps.

By the end of July/early August, here in zone 6, the Joe Pye Weed blooms are fully developed:

And do they ever draw in the butterflies:

And the birds:

By early September, as the blooms start to fade and the foliage begins it’s inevitable decline, it still looks damn good:

Even after the first frost, Joe Pye Weed still makes a statement.

And while it is fleeting, the yellow fall color lends itself well to the landscape.

In winter, still quite awesome.

As I mentioned previously, I have experimented with pruning these for size control and for a layering effect and you can read more about the results here.

I simply pinched back the new growth in early June.

And within a week or so, the new growth appeared.

It all led to a kind of cool layered effect, if that is your thang.

Or simply leave it alone and it will dominate in your garden, assuming you have the space. I’ve also added smaller options as well, like ‘Little Joe’, which may be a better fit for you.

Photobombed by Joe Pye

Posted on September 1, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

According to Wikipedia, photobombing is defined as “the act of accidentally or purposely putting oneself into the view of a photograph, often in order to play a practical joke on the photographer or the subjects.”

Most of you are probably already aware of the years old photobombing phenomenon, but if not, consider yourself educated.

You are welcome.

If you were to visit my garden from early July through the end of October and tried to take a photo of any of the plants, I can guarantee you would be photobombed by a Joe Pye Weed plant. You cannot escape them.

I was off from work yesterday, it wasn’t terribly sunny and the kids seemed occupied and in no need of Dad time. That meant a nice and long photo shoot was in order.

As you will now see, even though I put in quite the effort to photograph the garden and avoid the obnoxious Joseph Pye, I failed miserably.

It may have been funny the first time, but after that I wasn’t laughing any more. I guess that is what I deserve after buying every cultivar I could get my hands on.

Return of the hawk and the sneezeweed

Posted on August 28, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in PennEast, Perennials .

About three years ago I asked you all to help me identify a certain bird that was making its home in my back woods. You can read it here.

Ever since then, we’ve enjoyed seeing many more of them flying around and even hanging out on the kids playground. Their high pitched shrills are endless and we love every minute of it.

Ironically, we’ve now discovered that the red tailed hawk is an endangered species in New Jersey and that this will be a factor in our fight against the proposed pipeline potentially coming our way. If the 50 foot wide easement becomes a reality, the red tailed hawk’s home will be gone.

The plot thickens.

As you may have observed, I’ve been a bit re-energized with the garden this past week and in keeping with that theme, here are a few photos to power us into the weekend.

There are a ton of “volunteer” Rudbeckia that have become borderline invasive in my garden and I’ve religiously removed them all summer. The only exception are the ones below that nicely filled in a gap and look quite handsome through the Karl Foerster grass.

What a frickin color on Panicum ‘Ruby Ribbons’.

I know nothing about tropical plants but this one was given to me by a plant loving uncle and I some how managed to keep it alive in a container. What a bloom on this one.

The Sneezeweed have arrived and hopefully will stand their ground and not topple over as they are want to do.

And they have appeared mysteriously throughout the garden this summer.

I am completely sold on the dwarf Sneezeweed by the way. Phenomenal even after having been planted as recently as this spring.

Have a great weekend.

“Joey Pye and the Grasses”

Posted on July 8, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass, Perennials .

If I had to sum up my garden in let’s say, six words, and if it also had to be a killer name for a rock band, it would be “Joey Pye and the Grasses”. Phenomenal, right? Can’t you just imagine the band logo?

I have gathered quite a few Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) plants over the years. I can always find room for one more and have no issue tucking them into tight spots. If I measured “square feet taken up by particular plants”, ornamental grasses would be the winner with Joe Pye coming in 2nd place.

It all started with a few 6 foot tall Eupatorium purpureum and eventually evolved into smaller cultivars as well. They seem to work with everything; other summer blooming perennials, shrubs and ornamental grasses to name a few.

These are absolutely the most reliable perennials in my garden and the deer and rabbits leave them alone. I have some in full sun, others in partial sun, some in waterlogged soil and others in drier soil. They thrive everywhere.

Have I mentioned that the critters totally dig them?

Here are a few in bloom as of this week.

If you look closely at the three photos above, you’ll notice that there are grasses in the vicinity of all of the Joey Pyes. Go ahead, take a closer look … I’ll wait.

In a few more weeks, the Eupatorium and ornamental grasses will really start to take over. You’ll notice it as a common theme in most of my August/September blog posts.

Speaking of grasses …

Karl Foerster has been blooming for a few weeks now.

And are a nice backdrop for summer blooming perennials.

Panicum ‘Northwind’ (imagine me now dropping the mic and walking off stage). That is an indication of their awesomeness factor.

Other Panicum, like ‘Heavy Metal’ are showing signs of initial bloom.

And Panicum ‘Rots’ has that initial red coloring we all know and love.

Speaking in very general terms, I find myself disliking Miscanthus more and more. While the ‘purpurascens’ below has off the charts great fall color, they have no real shape or impact until that point.

Speaking of “lack of shape’, Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’ has none and most likely needs division in the near future.

Many more grass discussions to come in the very near future.

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The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Perennials

The day it all changed

Foliage over flowers

Phlox subulata and Geranium ‘Espresso’

Plants I’m bullish on this year

Baptisia australis

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium)

Photobombed by Joe Pye

Return of the hawk and the sneezeweed

“Joey Pye and the Grasses”

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