Just wanted to share with you the interview I did recently with the website My Garden School. You can read the interview by clicking here.
My Garden School is the “world’s first online horticultural school” and I’ve only begun to dive into all the website has to offer.
A big thanks to Andrew McIndoe, who I only recently met via Twitter, who conducted the interview.
John
“If at first they succeed, buy more and more of that plant already.”
I just made up that quote on the fly. Pretty good stuff, eh?
But seriously, when you have limited plant choices like I do (due to poor draining soil, deer, rabbits, etc.) shouldn’t you relish those that thrive? And by relish, I mean buy a bunch of them for your landscape. It is a smart investment and helps fill areas of the yard that require filling.
Do I follow this rule? Of course not … that would require logic and common sense … both of which I am sorely lacking.
But enough about me, for today I wanted to share with you a shrub that has worked for me since the day I planted it and requires virtually no maintenance. It is Clethra (Summersweet) ‘Hummingbird’:
A quick run-down of why I love it:
Native to the Eastern U.S. – check
Thrives in wet soil – check
Deer don’t dig it – check
That’s all I needed to know. Count me in.
The glossy green foliage on this deciduous shrub is a bit late to emerge in spring but once it does (like mid April for me here in zone 6B) it fills in quickly. The blooms then emerge by mid July and for four years running now, completely fill the shrub:
And once the shrub is in full bloom, it is an absolute bee magnet:
And if you get closer to the computer screen, I swear to God, you can smell the clove-like awesomeness:
Some other tidbits for your reading pleasure:
- Survives zones 3-9
- Typical size is a compact 3′ x 3′
- Works well for me in full sun but can also bloom in abundance in almost full shade
- Adapts to most soil types including my aforementioned wet clay
- I’ve noticed it has become a staple of many commercial landscapes in my area which would lead one to believe they are quite low maintenance
By mid to late August, the blooms transform to brown seed capsules and stay that way all through the Winter giving the shrub just a bit more interest:
Contrary to what has been written about this shrub, I have yet to see any great fall color. It is “decent” at best:
But that’s OK, I can live with that.
Oh yeah, back to my original point at the beginning of this post. Why I own only one of these is beyond me. They beg to be massed and that is my plan for this year. Add a bunch more and get some serious impact out of it. Enough of the onesies and twosies; let’s do this right.
On top of that, these shrubs are known to “sucker” so a few can go a long way.
May the spring come soon before I forget all of my good ideas.
John
The deer count is completely out of hand:
And I am dealing with it the only way I know how …
Taking it out on the kids:
Disclaimer – no children were injured in the creation of this blog post:
John
I know, I know … resolutions are a futile exercise and we forget about them by January 15th.
They are amateurish and a waste of time.
In terms of a blog post, they are so cliche and lack originality.
I get it and really had no intention of creating any resolutions this year. Until late last night …
I’m in bed rifling through the recorded shows on the DVR, looking to clean it up and eventually settled on the few episodes I had remaining for Growing a Greener World.
The episode that caught my eye was “The Dirt on Healthy Soil”. As I watched the host, Joe Lamp’l, gather soil for a soil test, I started to get really pissed off at myself. I call myself a “gardener” and I’ve NEVER tested my soil before. Chew on that for a minute … think my credibility should sink a bit lower? Me too.
But wait, it gets worse …
After “Joe Gardener” walked through the process of how soil is actually tested in the lab (which was really friggin cool by the way) he then took it to the next logical step. We determine our soil deficiencies and then look to address said deficiencies with … wait for it … you may have heard of this “stuff” before … I believe it is commonly referred to as … compost.
Imagine that. Compost. What a novel idea.
Oh, you’ve heard of it? I swear to you, it’s 12:18 AM and I’m in bed and I am stewing. How can I claim to be an “obsessive” and “neurotic” gardener and not make use of the single most important resource in the world of gardening? Heresy, right?
Oh I made strides two years ago and installed a compost bin and religiously composted all of our table scraps and leaves and grass clippings. But that is where it ended. I naively just dumped and hoped for the best. I got caught up in all of the other gardening tasks and forgot about the most important one. All of that composted material still sits in the bin but it never truly “composted” in a useful way. Son of a …
So as we entered the last day of 2012 and I considered self mutilation, I decided it was time to go back to the basics in 2013. And hence, my gardening resolutions were born. For this upcoming year, I will focus on three simple things:
1)Soil test
2)Compost
3)Education
In fact, I added these three items to the right side bar as a constant reminder to get back to the basics. See it? I’m that serious.
Soil test – as soon as the soil is workable in spring, I will get my samples out for testing and I cannot wait to see the results. Enough of the speculation and guesswork, time to get scientific.
Compost – it will take some time to get the production going, but thanks to that wonderfully inspiring GGW episode from last night, I now know where I can purchase compost in bulk. Check out this link.
Education – this is more of a keep reading, visit local gardens (and to think I’m not too far from both Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer and have never been is another strike against my credibility), talk to other gardeners (take a look at what is literally right down the street from me – Federal Twist), look into becoming a Master Gardener and simply get in the dirt kind of thing.
It is that simple.
I figure if I can address these three areas, then all else will fall into place.
Happy New Year and let’s do this in 2013!
John
It has been a while since I spent any significant time out in the garden. Truth is, it hasn’t been since the end of October when I planted the last of the spring bulbs.
We had the devastating Hurricane Sandy, we were on vacation for a week in November, it got cold quick at the end of November and then there was the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Collectively, these events kept me indoors and admittedly, a bit disinterested in all that was going on outside.
But that all changed today. I woke up this morning (after a day of illness for both me and my wife which was a lot of fun – but that’s a story for another day) with the sun shining bright and I felt an energy for the outdoors like I hadn’t felt in a while. It was a mix of enjoying what the garden holds this time of year and the excitement of what is to come in a few short months. With the holidays behind us for the most part, it was time to get back to garden planning and dreaming for 2013. Woo f’n hoo.
So I grabbed the camera, my trusty gray hoodie and wandered aimlessly through the garden. And it felt awesome! Cold and crisp, but beautiful. Invigorating.
And here are some pics from my little journey:
Blooms that were left on the plants for winter are always a welcome sight this time of year: 
As are the colorful stems of the Willow and the Red Twig Dogwood:
And if you’ve read this blog before, you know my love of ornamental grasses:
Even old,dying foliage is appealing now:
As is the subtle changing color on many of the evergreens:
Or the fabulous peeling bark on the River Birch trees:
Even the sign of anything “green” is welcoming with brown dominating the landscape right now:
Of course, it wouldn’t be my yard without those wonderful pools of water that are so common winter into spring:
Oh well, I can ignore those for now and focus on what looks good.
Good to be back and good to be back in the garden as well.
John
I’m not here today to debate gun control or mental health in the wake of the brutal tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT last Friday. Instead, I wanted to share something with you all that has tugged at my heartstrings since last Friday.
A classmate and friend from high school lost his daughter on Friday. This news brought these tragic events even closer to home. Having two young children myself, I can’t even begin to imagine what the family is going through and will go through in the days/weeks/years to come. There are no words to describe it.
The first thought was “How can I help in any way possible?”. The words of support on Facebook are overwhelmingly supportive but the truth is, what can we really do in a time like this? I have mulled it over for days and could not come up with anything.
But then I saw a new group that was formed on Facebook supporting the family’s wishes to have those looking to donate not send flowers to the family, but donate to the Animal Center in Newtown, CT. The family’s daughter Catherine was a huge lover of animals and what better way to honor her memory than to donate to such a worthy cause.
So I am here today not to pressure anyone into donating, but if you are willing and looking to donate in some capacity after this tragedy, please consider donating to The Animal Center.
You can access their Facebook page here.
And their website here.
You can also read the story of this beautiful little girl here.
Thank you for taking the time out to read this.
John
A quick heads up, this post will be a bit self-congratulatory for my liking. These are all pics I actually took myself (granted, anything great was most likely an accident).
But then again, I am kind of awesome, so screw it.
Here we go, a trip through the seasons:
This best represents why I don’t cut down my perennials for the winter:
This photo was taken at the Philadelphia Flower Show and it inspired me to some day design a garden with only ornamental grasses:
My attempt at taking advantage of lighting with this Hypericum:
Spring is in the air … and allergies too:
I have an unhealthy lust for Viburnums:
Love these Campanula blooms up close:
An Allium bloom right before it “pops”:
The only Peony bloom that survived the deer this year.
I like how the bee appears to be holding on for dear life:
Just a cool ass looking macro shot of a bloom that you would never really notice from afar:
Just fantastic color on this Astilbe:
My best attempt at controlled chaos:
A reminder of why I love native plants so much:
I think this pic best represents my gardening style; ornamental grasses and native perennials:
Again, trying to take advantage of natural light:
I just like it, even if the colors clash a bit:
MMMMMMMMMMMM, ornamental grasses:
This makes the cut because my son actually took this one:
A Hydrangea bloom “aging” well:
How many more colors can we get in this Miscanthus:
Autumn and Hunterdon County, NJ – perfect together:
I’m begging you my peeps, can you identify this creature:
Lots of cash prizes to be doled out to the winners.
I have been chasing him/her all morning and now turn to you all for identification.
Thank you in advance,
John
I had been dying to get outside and in the garden so I could get my hands dirty. It had been way too long.
So this past weekend, I grabbed my battery powered hedge clippers, kissed the family goodbye and headed into the mess that is my dying, wet garden.
There was a simple task at hand; cut down all of the Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium):
Now normally, I leave all of the perennials and grasses up all winter to provide some level of winter interest and to provide food and shelter for the birds.
I’m thoughtful like that.
But with the Northern Sea Oats, it’s time to treat them with kid’s gloves:
You see, these grasses reseed like mad. You can call them invasive in the right situation, which apparently is just what my landscape provides.
You can see all of the dying seedlings here:
And there are plenty other seedlings that popped up out of the blue in different areas of the yard:
So my goal this year was to cut them down in the fall (of course, I wanted to do this weeks ago) and hopefully minimize the rampant reseeding. I realize I can’t account for each and every seed, but I’ll do my best to do just that.
So the haircut went down:
And now we wait and see what kind of impact this will have next spring/summer.
I really hope to keep these guys around for years to come as they are reliable and interesting from spring to winter. But if this reseeding nonsense continues down this not so great path, I’ll cut my losses and move on.
John