The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Odds and ends

Posted on by Posted in Family .
Some random thoughts on a Tuesday:
My wife and kids may be in the car and heading south as I type this because we’ve been infested with spiders in the house for the past two months. My solution:   

That’s right, osage oranges. All entries into the house have been covered and we won’t see another arachnid again. Yes, it may be folklore that this really works but I’m buying it hard. The “they eat all the bad bugs” line has worn thin and I’m desperate.

Mums really bother me. They’re everywhere this time of year and they bloom TOO well. Worst of all, they don’t have to work hard for your admiration (unless you’ve managed to get them to come back year after year and religiously pinch them – then you’re cool as hell). You just overpay for them at Shop Rite, stick them in a container, throw some pumpkins next to them and voila – an autumn vignette. Color me not impressed:        

This past summer, I planted 15 Lamium plants (‘White Nancy’) and exactly one survived. That is the result of poor planning from someone who should know better by now but still hasn’t learned. I’ll tell you what though, I guarantee this one plant will survive and flourish so all of the other plants did not die without reason:  

On the other hand, some times it is as simple as sticking a plant in a pot and letting it go. These two ‘Alabama Sunset’ coleus have thrived from late April until now and I haven’t given them a thought (although I don’t tell visitors that):  

You know what never gets old? The zoo:

It thrills kids and grandparents to no end:

Ciao
John

Is the winter over yet?

Please don’t go

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .
Yes, the end of the gardening season is near – OK fine, I know it can extend through the winter, blah blah blah – and I’m doing my best to enjoy it while it is still here:
The blooms of Anemone ‘September Charm’ are holding on for dear life:

The sedum blooms have transformed into their coveted brick red color:

Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ is at it’s peak: 

The Acorus gramineus ‘Oborozuki’ (also known as sweet flag but wanted to get my Latin on) are at their most vivid color right now and have truly enjoyed the sick amount of rain we’ve had the past two months:

Still loving the color of Thuja (Arborvitae) ‘Rheingold’:

And loving the sight of berries left behind as the trees shed their leaves:

Enjoy your weekend
John

Blogs I’m reading and digging

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog for the past year and a half but I have to admit, I’ve become a bit self absorbed.

It’s been all about coming up with an idea for a post, taking the photos, researching the details, writing the post and then editing it. And it doesn’t even end there; then the promotional push kicks in. I’ll share it on Facebook, tweet it out on Twitter, find ways for others to retweet it on Twitter, pay to have it added to a banner behind a plane (I kid), etc, etc.

What has been lost along the way is the pure enjoyment of educating myself  by reading anything plant related I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, all of that reading and learning time has been replaced by the time it takes to put a blog entry together.

Well, within the past week, I’ve started to break that cycle and it feels damn good. It’s all about balance and I think I’m on my way. In celebration of my waning narcissism, I wanted to share the links of some other blogs I’m reading. Most are gardening related but there are a few that are not, but still think you may want to give them a read.

Here they are:

You can criticize social media like Twitter all you want, but there are so many interesting people I’ve met there with similar interests. One of them is Benjamin Vogt who writes the blog The Deep Middle. He gardens in Nebraska and is one smart horticultural dude. I am in the middle of reading his book “Sleep, Creep, Leap: The First Three Years of a Garden” which you can find in the Amazon link in my right sidebar. It’s the book I wish I could write, check it out.    

If I had to pick my gardening doppelganger, it would be Scott at Rhone Street Gardens. We both share a serious obsession with ornamental grasses and I’m to the point that I just assume I’ll like whatever he likes. Scott gardens in Portland, OR and I guarantee you’ll love his blog if you aren’t already reading it.

While I was drawn in through the shared interest of gardening, I’m hooked on Kyna’s blog Crystal Coast Gardener because she is damn funny. There are plenty of gardening tales but what reels you in is her ability to capture the absurdity of every day life in a unique way. You never know what you are going to get and that my friends is entertainment.

I have gotten to know Allan Becker through his comments on my blog and I feel comfortable enough to call him a mentor even though we never met in person. I bet you I could drive up to Montreal and he would hand me a beverage and begin educating me on all his plants. Sort of like a Mr Miyagi/Daniel relationship in “Karate Kid”. OK, I’ve now become a level one stalker, sorry, just read his blog Allan Becker – Garden Guru and you’ll see what I mean.

Look, I am clearly in touch with my feminine side (not joking) and like me some flowers. When I am in that mood, I head out to Bella’s Rose Cottage for my fix. The site just oozes relaxation and is a true escape from the stress of every day life. Take a trip there and you’ll get what I’m saying.  

Another great escape is the blog Gatsby’s Gardens. We’re talking flowers, foliage, containers, struggles and successes in the garden. As you read her posts, you immediately know this is someone who knows her stuff. She gardens in suburban Illinois and I promise you, you’ll enjoy her site immensely.    

This next one is easy. Go to Hayefield, look at the photos and tell me that isn’t what you would imagine your gardens to look like in a perfect world. Nuff said.

I have to give a big shout out to my fellow Jerseyite Debbie, who authors the blog It’s All About Purple. We are talking some amazing photos here and I am specifically enamored with her wildlife photos taken “down the shore”. Just fantastic stuff and I’m sure you’ll agree.

And finally, if you are a sports fan or even a fan of good writing, please check out my friend’s blog Awkward Sandwich. While the grammar may be questionable, there is no denying the wit and great self deprecation. I am even a topic of discussion from time to time as we have an ongoing rivalry in all things we do. While he is wrong 99% of the time, you’ll still laugh at how passionate he is.

That is all for today and by no means did I hit on all of the blogs/websites I am currently reading. These are just a few that stand out and I hope to discuss more in a future post.

Enjoy!

John

Wordless Wednesday – A mix of autumn colors

A look back at my 2011 gardening resolutions

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

Resolutions are crap.

If I had to estimate how often New Year’s resolutions are actually followed I would put it at 3.19%. Or in other words, close to never.

To prove my hypothesis, I took a look back at my gardening resolutions posted on December 30th of this year (You can read the original post here). I think I actually convinced myself that I could accomplish each of these but as you’ll see, homie failed miserably.

Let’s run through each of them:

1)I vow to include my children more in the gardening process

Didn’t happen.
My daughter had her moments:

But we’re still held back by the fear of bees and I do question her work ethic. Everything she draws includes a picture of a flower, but she isn’t willing to put in the necessary hard labor to grow one herself. I’ll tell you, the kids today do not understand what hard work means. Yes, she is 5 but that is no excuse.      

Chances my son joins me in the garden: 0.01%:



2)I will stay on top of the pruning, especially those perennials that require it for size control

Damn, I’m a failure: 

Where does time go? I have carefully created a spreadsheet that indicates when each of my perennials should be cut back and I still fail to actually do it. Pathetic.


3)I will grow even more of my own food and do it in a sensible way

This was an epic failure even after I planned it all out over the winter and purchased a ton of seeds. I started sowing the seeds too late and couldn’t keep up with the thinning and necessary watering. Here’s the best I could offer:

Again, pathetic and embarrassing.



4)I will dig like a champ, put my body through complete torture and revel in the pain 


You’ll notice there are no accompanying photos. That’s because I ain’t got jack shit to show you. 


5)I will continue to incorporate more and more native plants

Finally, a bit of success! I added …

Sorghastrum (Indian Grass) ‘Sioux Blue’ 

 

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) ‘Sweet Kate’

Physotegia (Obedient Plant) ‘Summer Snow’

Amelanchier (Serviceberry) ‘Autumn Brilliance’

Crataegus (Hawthorn) ‘Winter King’ 

Score one for ONG!



6)I will admit defeat to the deer

I still tried to sneak daylillies, geraniums and irises by those f’ers and they forgot about them up until about two weeks ago. Not too bad, but now I’m afraid I’m back to thinking I can outsmart them so I’m stuck in this evil vortex once again:        



7)I will do my best to stop and “smell the roses” more often

Funny that I used roses in this one as I couldn’t grow a rose successfully even if I dedicated my life to trying. Anyway, as the kids get older and are more involved with sports and other activities, I find that my gardening time continues to shrink. What little time is available becomes very task oriented and time to just chillax doesn’t exist.

If you are scoring at home, that is 1 out of 7. Not good. In baseball terms, I’m hitting .143; below the Mendoza line and a definite reason to be benched.

I know I’ll come up with new resolutions for 2012 but maybe I’ll keep them a bit more realistic this year. Yeah right, I’m sure I’ll fall right back into the same trap but at least it is worth the comedic relief to look back at my glorious failures.

John    




Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .
Living here in the Northeastern U.S., I admittedly am not all that familiar with “tropical plants”. We can grow them as annuals here, but it can be real difficult to incorporate them naturally into the landscape. I’ve attempted to grow them as specimens and focal points in the past, but with little success. That is, until I came across Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’:        
Now I’m stretching the truth when I call KK a tropical plant; it is actually a hardy perennial (zones 4-9) here in New Jersey. As is usually the case with moi, I was immediately drawn to the foliage of this plant when I spotted it at the nursery a few years ago:    

I’m a sucker for that copper red leaf color and was intrigued by the shape of the maple-like leaves. While it isn’t a true tropical, it has the look and feel of one and seems to incorporate well into the more northern landscape:

OK, fine, I do need to talk about the flowers. They are damn impressive and friggin huge! They can get as big as 12″ in diameter and while they last only one day, they appear so rapidly that you do not realize how quickly each individual one is gone. KK blooms from late July all the way into September so it is a bloom filled extravaganza all summer.    
What I also find interesting is that some times the blooms will appear light pink with a red eye: 
And other times, the flowers will be nearly white in color with a red eye:
I have found it is important to deadhead regularly to keep the plant looking it’s best. I also make sure it is watered regularly throughout the summer. 
One warning, after cutting KK down in late winter, it can be slow to emerge in the spring so do not panic when it appears to have been lost:   

While it may emerge late in spring, it more than makes up for the late start by growing rapidly throughout the late spring/summer. The photo below was taken only about 2-3 weeks after the one above:

Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ reaches a height of about 3 feet and a width of about 2 feet. She prefers full sun and I’ve found her to be quite sturdy without the need to stake at all.  

One other bonus is the fall color she is putting on now:

So what do you think? Are you growing it and have additional pointers? Would you give it a try?

Have a great weekend!

John

Wordless Wednesday

Why I love Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .
Strong upright, vertical accent in late June: 
Blooms appearing in mid September with the wine-red color greatly welcomed: 
Blooms sway in the breeze with the slightest wind: 
Great focal point:  
As the weather cools, new unique colors emerge in early November: 
Still looks damn good in early winter and holds up to the strong winds:
Sweet winter interest: 

Falling for Fall

Posted on by Posted in Fall color .
Even though we are expected to see 80 degree temps this weekend, make no mistake, autumn has arrived. All I want to do is eat apples, juggle pumpkins and put on a hoodie. Yes, I’m embracing the season and have moved on from the summer. A few photos for you:
I’m still trying to determine why this maple tree is called ‘October Glory’:     

The River Birch trees are ready to step up to the big leagues now that it is getting cooler. The yellow foliage is the appetizer with the peeling winter bark one mutha of an entree:

Amsonia and Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ are quite the dynamic duo, eh?

Have a great one!

John