The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Summer

Summer still here – DGP

Posted on by Posted in Annuals, Blooms, Summer .

There’s a battle going on in the garden right now.

On one side we have the fall foliage: the reds, the golds, the yellows, the scarlets and the browns.

On the other side we have the summer blooms holding on for dear life. Like in the photo below.

The Verbena and the Scaevola still blooming their heads off. On a day like today, where the temps reached 80 degrees, this scene still feels appropriate. And it will for the next few days as the heat sticks around.

But we all know, all it takes is one cold night and it’s gone.

I’m not ready for it to go yet.

Lessons learned

Posted on by Posted in Garden problems, How-to, Summer, Uncategorized .

It’s taken close to two decades, but I now feel comfortable sharing the following sentiment:

I’m in a mutha f’n groove in my garden.

Yeah, you heard me. I’m oozing and dripping (gross, sorry) with confidence after reaping the rewards of failing miserably the last 18 years and 8 months and 6 days and 4 hours and 32 minutes and 37 seconds. The answers have always been there but I was too blind from the sweat and poison ivy to ever see them:

  1. Stay patient and allow plants the time they need to establish themselves.
  2. Don’t force plants into your garden that you know will not thrive there.
  3. Stop the obsession of buying new plants; instead, divide what you already have. Those are free plants dummy.

I’ve dabbled in following these three garden tenets over the years but never fully dedicated myself to them until this year. And you know what? I’ve never enjoyed the garden more. I’m still working my ass off to the point of nearly passing out but I’m, get this, working SMARTER. Maybe it took reaching 50 years old to finally see the light. I’m well on my way to becoming a wise old sage.

Here’s the section of the garden that inspired today’s post.

I added the Carex and the Rudbeckia this spring/summer to finally fill in the front but, the greatest development, is the always increasing supply of Sneezeweed at the back.

I purchased three of these perennials (checks notes) back in 2011 and planted them in a spot where they never had a chance. Once in bloom, they easily toppled over.

Which in turn toppled me over.

Frustrated and pained, I dug them up and (checks notes) have no idea what I did next. I assume I transplanted one or two to where they are now, but honestly don’t recall doing it.

(Checks notes and old photos). OK, got something here. Back in 2014, I took this photo which is the spot where they all reside currently.

They’re about 50% of the height they are now and about 20% of the volume. The funny thing is I don’t remember seeing them much since then. They started to make their presence two years ago and I was giddy that they persevered. It took a lot of intestinal fortitude, but I left them alone.

There’s tenet #1. Patience.

Yay me.

And now they’re kicking ass, gaining the required support from the nearby grasses.

Let’s go back to the first photo on this post again as reference.

Remember tenet #2, grow what your conditions allow you to grow, or something like that? This vignette is loaded with plants that fit that mold. We’ve got the ubiquitous Joe Pye Weed, Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ (back center), Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ in bloom (smack dab in the middle) and a bunch of yet to bloom Chelone ‘Hot Lips’ (middle right). All have thrived since the day they were first planted and I’ve continued to add them all in other spots in the garden.

For tenet #3, here are examples of plants I’ve divided and replanted with big time success.

Mountain Mint. It’s everywhere in my garden.

Bee balm. One division relocated soon becomes, like a lot as it spreads through rhizomes underground.

Lady’s Mantle. Last fall, I dug up 5 plants as they struggled in blazing full sun and moved them to this spot where they get some late afternoon relief. 5 became 12 and they’ve all grown in with vigor. I’d show you that vigor, but they’re a bit messy right now and my point won’t be proven so why would I do that?

And last but surely not least, we have Joseph Pye. While I’ve divided some, truthfully, it’s been more of an art of managing the reseeding. If it pops up where I like, it stays. If not, I move it to a location that makes it “look” like it naturally found its way there. Takes a little bit of babying initially, but once established, we good for years.

So there’s your lesson for the day.

You are so welcome.

Garden tour – 7/20/23

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Ornamental grass, Perennials, Summer .

The purple coneflowers continue to multiply year over year and filled in this spot so swimmingly. In front of them are Allium that I like to think keep the critters away with their pungency and all. I also recently added a Little Bluestem ‘Standing Ovation’ here because, why not.

This vignette personifies what’s blooming all over my garden right now. Loads of bee balm, mountain mint and ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass. All have remained full proof over the years. Well that’s a bit inaccurate. The bee balm does suffer from powdery mildew, but I just cut it down and it’s like it never happened.

More Bee Balm next to a recently reseeded Ironweed. I so love reseeding perennials that I like and hate it for those I hate. Deep stuff.

More Mountain Mint that I don’t recall planting in this location. See, gardening is easy.

And all the creatures that visit here thank me.

I share pics of the Verbena every post on this blog but I can’t get enough of them. They are the gift that keeps on giving with all of the reseeding year over year. That is cash saved and that is good.

And OMG do the butterflies, bees and moths spend a lot of time here. I couldn’t get a photo without the moths getting in the way …

… while I tried to snap this …

… and this …

… and this.

I have more Joe Pye Weed than I do any other plant in my garden. And they’re all on the precipice of blooming which transforms my garden as we head into the heart of summer.

Speaking of precipices, the Button Bush just recently displayed a host of those glorious buttons. Will be kicking ass in no time.

Triple the precipice pleasure as the Ironweed are about to bloom. I went nuts planting this after seeing it on the High Line in New York City. It’s getting out of control in an awesome way …

… where it will soon light up this section of garden.

Another little bluestem fronted by ‘Sweet Kate’ Spiderwort.

Let’s take a closer look at the beautiful color on this grass. Can’t get enough.

Just one more, sorry.

For the third year in a row now, one black-eyed Susan has bloomed within this Switch Grass. It makes me happy and I cherish the symbolism. Just not sure what that symbolism is quite yet.

F the pumpkin latte

Posted on by Posted in Summer .

Before you break the bank for that $5.75 pumpkin spiced latte.

 

Before you start buying overpriced mums from Shop Rite.

 

Before you head to the basement to hunt down the Halloween decorations.

 

Before you start with the leaves and the leaf blower and the lawnmower.

 

Before you start telling me how great it is to take a stroll on a crispy September evening.

 

Before you go apple picking.

 

Before you ditch the flip-flops.

 

Before you start cutting down your dying perennials … Grrrrrrr.

 

 

Can I get one last shout-out for summer?

sneeze-dwarf-4

Much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fading

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Summer, Winter interest .

We have arrived at the initial stages of the the time of year when I get pissed off at a lot of my gardening brethren. When I say brethren, I mean anyone who has personally planted at least 19 plants within the past 3 years. I didn’t just make up those numbers, they have been carefully curated over time.

Plus I only work in odd numbers as all gardeners should.

My data shows me that this ratio properly identifies what I’ll call the “kind-of-into-it-gardener”. Anything less than that and the term gardener cannot be attached to those fools people. This is a crucial distinction and one I suggest you borrow/steal moving forward.

Here is why I get all sorts of perturbed:

We are nearing the end of summer and with it, the end of the line for so many perennials. They’ve worked their asses off for weeks/months on end. They’ve given us nothing but joy all spring/summer and now they are ready to take a seat, drop their petals and enjoy some much needed down time. All well deserved.

But by no means does that require us to cut them down, clean them up and remove all signs of their existence. I liken that nonsense to those people who chuck their Christmas trees on December 26th or put away the holiday decorations the day after. Take a breath, relax and allow nature to do its thing. If you look at it through the appropriate lens, it is a wondrous thing.

Yes, I openly embrace the fact that I can be a bit obsessive and compulsive and neurotic in my own garden and hypocritical from time to time.

True story interlude: I announced my distaste for sedums earlier this week because they weren’t native enough and didn’t fit into my garden aesthetic here in the Northeast U.S. This afternoon I just bought two Yucca plants for containers on my deck. Hypocrite much?

But one thing I’ve done, or not done I should say, since gardening stole my heart back in the late 90’s, is cut down my perennials. I’ve always left them standing even when my OCD tendencies were telling me to cut, cut, cut. I enjoy them around all fall and winter and implore all of the “make it nice and neat” crowd to do the same. You want reasons why? Here are just some off the top of my head:

  1. Enjoy the life cycle – from emergence in spring, to peak in summer, to the slow death in fall and dormancy in winter, I love it all. It is how it works in the wild and the way it is supposed to be. Embrace it.
  2. You’ll remember what is planted where – this is very underrated. No more issues with mistaking a newly emerging perennial as a weed or digging one up accidentally when planting in spring.
  3. The birds and bugs need it – a place of respite or food source for so many. I like nothing more than watching the finches hit up my coneflowers in winter.
  4. They look good covered in ice and snow – I’ll take any additional winter interest I can get. And bare garden space is not attractive.

So friends, family, some time acquaintances and strangers, accept the demise of your plants.

Do a lot by doing nothing.

Clean the pruners and stow them away.

Accept a bit of chaos.

Give the bees one last chance to enjoy the Agastache.

anise-hyssop

 

Remember how that vivid orange color excited you in mid summer.

sneezeweed-2

 

Don’t forget that brown is a color.

pink-veronica

 

And thank your Bee Balm for the endless entertainment they provided all summer drawing in all of those bees and butterflies.

bee-balm

QOTD: What perennial do you enjoy most in fall/winter?

 

 

 

Grasses, transitions and a new destroyer of plants

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Ornamental grass, Summer .

A tour around my garden:

Ornamental grasses are the dominant feature right now as they round into their peak form. So why don’t we start there.

I’m sure you are well aware of my affinity for Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ by now but if not, here is some visible propaganda.

rots

 

rots 2

 

More Panicum love here as well.

driveway bed

 

Not only do the grasses put a smile on my face but they also serve a very tangible purpose. Here they are protecting the tomatoes from the deer and doing a bang up job I must say.

tomatoes grasses

 

‘Karl Foerster’, kicking ass in John’s garden since ’07.

karl

 

A recent addition to the grass collection, Pennisetum ‘Burgundy Bunny’ has phenomenal color right now. I am going to liberally add these wherever I can find the space for them. Love.

burgundy bunny 2

 

Soghastrum (Indian Grass) has announced its presence in a big way of late but I’ll hold off on photos until they are just right. By just right, I mean when all of the blooms have arrived. For now, here is a taste of one of those blooms. Love.

indian grass bloom

 

Speaking of blooms on the grasses. Here is one of the Andropogon (Big Bluestem) ‘Red October’ blooms. I now get why this grass is often referred to as Turkey Foot.

andropogon flower

 

Yes, there are plants other than ornamental grasses that tickle my fancy right now and some of these newly emerged this week. Like seen here with the first blooms of Chelone lyonii. This plant truly loves my often waterlogged soil and for that I am indebted for life.

chelone

 

This Boltonia bloom could be heard yelling “first” this morning.

boltonia

 

Sedum ‘Matrona’ is playing nicely with Veronica ‘Royal Candles’ and my little hide-it-from-the-deer-game is still going strong.

sedum veronica

 

Transition of seasons. It is coming.

Look at what we have here. The seedheads of Baptisia are slowly opening and that makes me think winter is around the corner and that makes me cold which in turn makes me both mad and sad.

baptisia seedhead

 

Speaking of a transitional period, I just noticed this week that the stems on the Redtwig Dogwood are well, red and that also is freaking me out a bit. I love the red stems in winter and it is welcome winter interest, but for god’s sake, not yet.

redtwig

 

This Rhamnus (Buckthorn) ‘Fine Line’ was inundated with Japanese beetles just a few weeks ago and looked nasty. Now I know how resilient and tough she is and that will be noted on the trusty plant spreadsheet.

rhamnus

 

This spring I ordered a massive quantity of small plugs of Packer Aurea (Golden Ragwort) from Izel Native Plants and while they all initially struggled with the heat and the humidity, they have all bounced back like a champ. I love the foliage. And I’m banking on mass blooms in early spring next year and post bloom, I plan on it being the plant to hide the ugly legs of others like Bee Balm and Sneezeweed.

ragwort

 

I cannot for the life of me successfully grow Cimicifuga (Bugbane). It is official now. I’ve tried in full shade, mostly shade, partial shade and full sun. I’ve left alone for years and remained patient with no success. I’ve kept them consistently moist and no dice. It may be time to move on.

cimici 3

 

cimici 2

 

cimici

 

One last one before I go. I spotted this bloom of Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ just laying in my front lawn this morning and thought it curious since it wasn’t actually eaten by the deer.

hydrangea

Upon closer inspection, there were Bee Balm plants knocked to the ground near it as well.

Upon closer inspection this was not the act of deer or any other animal.

Upon closer inspection, a certain 14 year old boy seemed awfully nervous around me this morning.

Upon closer inspection, said 14 y/o boy likes to hit a baseball across the front lawn and this area happens to be right in the way.

QOTD: How should I appropriately handle this situation?

The August Garden

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Ornamental grass, Summer .

As we hit the midpoint of August and slog through the dog days of summer, I realize that the plants in my garden can be broken down into three different categories:

Fading

Still going strong

Ready to take center stage

I guess these same categories exist throughout all of the gardening “seasons”, but it seems to be at an extreme right now.

And the garden, shocker, reflects life itself. Allow me to pontificate.

With the heat and humidity at what feels like an all time high (I’ll still take it over winter) I some times find myself caving and giving in to the joys of air conditioning. Likewise, so many plants have succumbed to the conditions and have thrown in the towel. No more fighting for that last new bloom or trying to keep up the facade of clean looking foliage. Uncle.

At the same time, there are those plants in my garden that say “f you” to these conditions and keep kicking ass. Not too unlike a certain gardener I know who can’t get enough of the stinging sweat in his eyes, the burning in the calves and easily runs through three t-shirts a day. A gardener who accepts the chuckles from his neighbors and keeps pulling weeds like it was hot yoga.

And then there are those plants who sense the cooler weather is coming and are ramping up for a big time display. There are subtle signs from some and not so subtle signs from others. You can feel their excitement, their turn to take the lead in the play. Fall is their time and they f’n know it. Hopefully my kids feel that same type of energy and excitement as they soon head off to high school and 5th grade. Because all kids feel that way,right?

FADING

No plants better represent the concept of fading than the coneflower. Phenomenal in peak bloom but in my humble opinion, still killer as the pink and yellow and white washes out, turns black and eventually becomes all cone.

coneflower spent

 

white coneflower

 

astilbe coneflower spent

 

Almost all of the Bee Balm blooms are in full fade mode yet still have a presence. That is if you take them in from a distance and ignore the slow takeover of powdery mildew.

bee balm and joe pye

 

Fading Agastache still pulls in the bees and who wants to get in the way of that?

spent agastache

 

STILL GOING STRONG

The dwarf Sneezeweed (‘Mariachi’ series) are still blooming strong and the deer have no interest.

red dwarf sneezeweed

 

orange dwarf sneezeweed

Providing a nice contrast in form and color with the emerging ornamental grasses.

planter bed

 

If it takes surrounding hydrangea by grasses and other deer despising plants, so be it. It has worked and this hydrangea continues to thrive even with the extreme heat of the past few weeks.

hydrangea

 

Veronica ‘Royal Candles’, one of the few plants I cut back religiously, always provides multiple rebloom periods. These were cut back only two weeks ago.

veronica prune

 

veronica sedum bee balm

 

Of course it isn’t all about the flowers and one of my favorite foliage plants right now is Diervilla ‘Cool Splash’. It brightens up one of the few shaded areas in my garden and holds up all spring/summer.

diervilla

 

I have tried for years to find a blue evergreen that would be ignored by the deer and say “no problem” to my clay soil that can sometimes be a bit waterlogged. Some how, Juniper ‘Wichita Blue’ has been the one to take the crown and three years in I am beyond thrilled. Upright, untouched by the deer and very little winter damage has made it a winner.

juniper wichita

 

READY TO TAKE CENTER STAGE

The first signs of bloom on the Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’ appeared this week, which is always a reminder that September is fast approaching.

sedum pink

 

Boltonia blooms aplenty are here with plenty more to come. Of course once all blooms are present it will lean over and not be as fun to look at but I’ll be sure to never show you that photo.

boltonia

 

Eupatorium ‘Wayside’ or Hardy Ageratum (but not really an Ageratum) finally survived the winter for me after two previous attempts. It seems to have reseeded more than it actually survived but who can complain. I love the late season color. A fun one to photograph in fall.

eup wayside

 

BONUS – Ornamental Grasses

I kind of like ornamental grasses in case you are new here. You’ve been warned.

Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ in full bloom as of this week.

pennisetum

 

penn and joe pye

 

First signs of blooms on Panicum ‘Northwind’.

panicum and joe pye

 

Same goes for Miscanthus ‘purpurascens’ or Flame Grass.

panicum miscanthus blooms

 

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ and their airy blooms.

panicum rots

 

I “attempted” to rid my garden of all Northern Sea Oats and while there is still a ways to go, I’ve made major progress. Having said that, I can’t deny these NSO that have grown right through an Itea shrub look kind of awesome. Oh well.

sea oats

QOTD: Do you like this time of year in your garden? Why or why not?

 

Garden bliss

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Summer .

Today was one of those magical garden days where I was incapable of thought.

Incapable of planning.

Incapable of finding fault.

Incapable of tinkering and pulling and snipping.

The garden just was and that felt fucking awesome.

I appreciated all that it took for these visitors to make it here and personally thanked them for bringing my garden to life.

butterfly joe pye 2

 

butterfly joe pye

 

joe pye butterfly 2

 

joe pye butterfly

 

I wish I could remember the exact day when I allowed Joe Pye Weed to come into my life. Because that day should be celebrated each year.

joe pye playroom bed

 

playroom bed

 

planter bed

 

There is nothing like the feeling of the sun burning your neck, the dirt under your fingernails and the feeling of warm earth in your fingertips. But it can be eye opening and rewarding to take a step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor every once in a while.

side bed 4

and then stepping back some more …

side bed 3

and some more …

side bed 2

Shit, I created that and it’s kind of great.

When this blissful type of day arrives, I can even tolerate the clashing of colors because they had to bloom their asses off to clash in the first place.

dwarf sneeze

So why not enjoy them for what they are on their own and not sweat how they interact with others. The fleeting nature of flowers/perennials is why we love them so damn much.

dwarf sneeze 2

 

The fading of flowers is part of the process and one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned over the years. Sure, I could cut the spent blooms to promote new blooms and keep things all tidy and sometimes I’ll do just that. But allowing the blooms to fade gracefully while others take the lead role just feels right. Take yourself out of the equation.

white coneflower

 

coneflower susan

 

And some times plant combos create themselves through some sort of divine intervention. Like this Anemone bloom crawling up inside this Blue Grama Grass. I have no memories of planting this Anemone and have never successfully seen one bloom in my own garden. Now we sit back and enjoy.

blonde ambition anemone

QOTD – Who is better, “Blissful John” or “Let’s take all the fun and enjoyment out of gardening John”? Not that I can control who appears when, but I’m curious just the same.

 

 

 

 

The latest and not always greatest in the garden

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Critters, Garden problems, My garden, Summer .

Some observations from out in the garden:

This white bee balm is the only one to have survived last winter and while it is nice to see it blooming, it honestly doesn’t do much for me and the powdery mildew is real bad, worse than with all of the other bee balm. We don’t know until we try, right?

white bee balm

 

Right plant for the right location = happiness, as seen with the Physostegia (Obedient Plant) below. This first photo was taken back in May when I dug up and divided a massive batch of these and relocated them to my newly extended and very empty garden bed.

divided obedient

Two months later and they are thriving in a very wet and full sun location. I am very psyched for the massive pink display to arrive next month.

obedient vivid

 

You’ve all seen all of my numerous pics of Veronica ‘Royal Candles’ and read my raving reviews of this perennial but in the spirit of my last post and with full disclosure, here is the reality of the “legs” on these right now.

veronica bad

Fortunately, I’ve shielded most of them with other low lying plants so the blooms remain the attraction.

veronica good

 

I love how one ‘Karl Foerster’ grass (Calamagrostis) can break up a mass of perennials and not only lend a different height/uprightness, but a different texture as well.

front bed

 

I cleared this area of nasty Canada Thistle by cutting them all at soil level and not by attempting to pull out the roots like a dope which has failed me miserably for years now since it actually multiplies the number of weeds when pieces of root break off.

thistle path

I will now finally track the results properly. Here is one example of the cutting.

thistle cut

And about one week later. I’m going to now cut it back again soon and will continue to do so until it kills itself by sapping all of the plant’s energy. Or so I hope. More to come.

thistle

 

I just purchased a few ‘Delft Lace’ Astilbes solely because I fell in love with the red stems and red tinged foliage. I’ll be sure to track this one for you and hopefully I don’t fry them since you know, they need constant moisture and it is the dead of summer. Smart.

delft astilbe

 

My attempt at a path with a true destination worth visiting.

 

These purplish bee balm are incredible right now and are my favorite current place in the garden. 

planter bed 2

 

planter bed

 

bee balm 2

They are bringing in a ton of visitors. 

hummingmoth 2

 

butterfly bee balm 2

 

Check out all of the action with this video.

QOTD – Where do you purchase most of your plants? And I want specific names and locations please.

Thank you.

 

A calm and relaxing tour of my garden

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Summer .

We’re going to jump around a bit as I am way fired up about my garden these days. And when I say fired up, I don’t mean 100% pumped. If I had to estimate the “pumped up happy” versus “pumped up annoyed and rattled” ratio it is at about 60/40 right now.

Gardening, that relaxing hobby.

Here we go.

The section of my garden along the front of my home is providing some serious color right now.

front bed 2

 

front bed

 

front bed 3

 

ninebark astilbe

 

veronica pink

And here are my thoughts:

  • Is it too much color? Too loud? I think I love it but maybe I hate it and can’t bare to allow myself to know it.
  • I do know for sure that I love the fact that there is no room for another plant and therefore no room for weeds. It is full and lush and that feels good.
  • Is it a bit overwhelming for visitors upon entering my home? I didn’t want the traditional “foundation planting look” and I’ve succeeded on that front but again, is it too much?
  • I’ve received a lot of props from visitors so I should shut my mouth and move on to the more needy and weedy (see what I did there) areas in the garden.

Next.

I have no idea what cultivar of Campanula I have here but holy hell they are taking over. Do I enjoy it and ride it out or panic and remove them as a good manager of plant invasiveness?

campanula

 

campanula 2

Tell me what to do already.

Next.

I’ve struggled with Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’ many times previously and killed two others but now it looks kind of healthy. But, none of that great red foliage color. Hmm. Glass half full or half empty?

britt marie

Next.

My massive bee balm collection is about to bloom and when it does, it is a wallop of color and draws in more creatures than any other plant in my garden. Brace yourself. Major photo explosion is coming.

bee balm

Next.

Compare this section of the garden to what I showed you previously with all that color. Which do you prefer and why? Seriously, put it in the comments as I would love to get a conversation going.

driveway bed

Last one for today.

We all know one shouldn’t move a shrub on a warm sunny day in summer.

You guessed it.

I did.

Can’t help myself.

When I have an idea I can’t get it out of my head until I act on it.

True story, I came up with the idea to move the Ninebark ‘Amber Jubilee’ below while in the shower. Before the shower was complete, I got out, put on my gloves and moved the SOB. I love where it is but now I’ve had to severely baby it to get it through the harsh weather.

ninebark amber

So no, that is not some super cool new colored Ninebark, it is a severely stressed one that looks like it would on like October 23rd in full autumn color decline. Not smart but at least I own it, right?

QOTD. What dumb thing do you do in your garden over and over again even though you know it is dumb?