The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Tag Archives: itea

Blooms, Blooms, Blooms (And no more peony talk)

Posted on by Posted in Blooms .
Just to prove that I am not completely fixated on my peonies (that didn’t sound right), here are some other blooms in and about my garden during this fantastic time of year.
Veronica just about on its last legs but hoping the periodic deadheading will extend it a bit further: 

Physocarpus (Ninebark) ‘Diablo’ just started blooming and looks OK; I still value it mostly for the foliage:

Geranium ‘Brookside’ which I’ve been rather critical of in the past, looks good now that it is allowed to roam wild a bit:

Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ doesn’t blow you away in bloom, but it is reliable and performs so well in my native bed where it is consistently moist/wet:

I know I am going to enjoy Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ for years to come as six of these were planted just last fall as tiny plugs and they already look fantastic. Not to mention they are ignored by the deer and the rabbits and survived wet feet this past winter:

Blooms nice, the rest … not so much. I am losing it for Tradescantia (Spiderwort) ‘Sweet Kate’ so they better shape up soon or they are gone:

Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ just about to bloom in full; give it about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10:

First blooms on Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’:

Spirea ‘Snow Storm’ … hmmmm … takes up space … blooms are “decent” … suppresses weeds since better than bare ground … guess she can stay:

Observations out in the garden this fine evening

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It was a clear and cool evening here in Jersey for the first time in a long time and I ventured out with camera in hand.
Here is what I observed:
This one almost slipped by without me noticing, but luckily she contrasted well with the purple leaves of the Ninebark. Good looking katydid, eh?:
Um, is autumn really that close? Apparently that is the message the Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ is sending:

Not many have managed to slip by the deer, but the dark purple berries on the Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’ are incredibly vivid this time of year:

One of my favorite Coleus but unfortunately, I do not know the cultivar name. Just one of these in a container on the deck makes such a bold statement:

The Zinnia ‘Queen Red Lime’ keep pumping out new flowers and I am forever indebted:

Even after the blooms are spent and the petals have fallen to the ground, these Clethra ‘Ruby Spice’ still look damn good:

Enjoy the upcoming week my friends.

John

“What’s growing on” this week

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The Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ are in full bloom out of nowhere:

As are the Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle):

One of my favorite “foliage” plants has only recently emerged – Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’:

There was total chaos outside my window yesterday and I bolted outside to check it out (camera in hand). Turns out, it was over these berries on the Serviceberry ‘Autumn Brilliance’:

And the culprit was this maniac shaking the branches like The Hulk:

It may be boring to some, but I love any shrub that flourishes in wet conditions, is ignored by the deer and spreads to fill in a large space. Thank you Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’:

I relocated my previously criticized Geranium ‘Brookside’ to an area where they can run wild a bit more and have some support from other plants and so far, I dig the results:

Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’ is filled with more buds than ever before and once again, has avoided any deer chomping (fingers double crossed):

Catmint friggin rules:

Astilbe with white blooms look great in front of dark red leaves. We may have finally found the proper home for them:

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

Subtle changes in the garden

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With two active young children, full time jobs and various trips to and fro while trying to enjoy the summer, we seem to spend most of our time getting into and out of our cars. Even though it always feels like we are in a rush to go somewhere, I make it a point to always sneak a peek at all of the plants in my driveway garden bed. 
This bed is planted with mostly ornamental grasses, native perennials and a few deciduous shrubs. Right now, it is my favorite part of my landscape (and this is of course, subject to change) as it has been the most challenging to put together, yet by far the most rewarding. This bed stays wet longer than any other since the rain is routed off of the driveway and pools here. Also, this is the area where the deer feel most comfortable setting up shop. There are no windows on this side of the house so I can’t scan for them and scare them away like a wild man.
What I enjoy most as I get into my car each morning and out of each evening, is noticing the subtle changes that are passing right before my eyes. I feel like I have superpower-like vision and can spot the most minute of changes. A rough day at work can become a distant memory just by noticing that the viburnum berries are changing from green to purple. 
Here is what I’ve observed of late in my driveway garden bed and while it may not jump out and grab you, it works fine for me:
Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’ is putting on major growth and it shines when back lit by the sun, but also stands out when the sun goes down with it’s light foliage. It is now starting to emerge from behind the taller perennials (Boltonia in the photo below):   

And behind the Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’:

A very young Panicum (Switch Grass) ‘Northwind’ is only about two feet tall, but a few blooms just snuck out this week:

The foliage on Itea (Virginia Sweetspire) ‘Henry’s Garnet’ has begun it’s autumn transformation as you can see on the underside of the leaves:

And even more so on the bottom of the shrub:

The “oats” on Chasmanthium Latifolium (Northern Sea Oats) are maturing to their brownish/tan shade:

The aforementioned Boltonia is just showing the first signs of bloom:

And last but not least, the Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ blooms are a sea of red and look fantastic en masse:

I am already looking forward to the next trip to my car!

John  

Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’

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“A shrub native to the swamps and low lying wet woods of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

Yes please, I’ll take three. Some times it is that simple.

The brief description above is describing Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire) ‘Henry’s Garnet (and I’m sure it is a good description of other shrubs, but I digress):  

This deciduous shrub fits my growing conditions perfectly and when that happens, I bow at the altar of said shrub. Some more details on my buddy:

  • Survives zone 5-9
  • Prefers full sun to partial shade – I can vouch that it works well in both 
  • Reaches a maximum height of about 4′ and a spread of about 6′
  • Prefers wet soil but will work in soil with average moisture
  • For me, it has bloomed from the end of May until the middle to end of June
  • The blooms are white, 3-6 ” cylindrical racemes that allegedly are fragrant but I’ve yet to notice that
  • The foliage is a dark green that is a bit slow to leaf out in spring so no need to panic
  • The fall color is fantastical and the reason for the cultivar name
  • This cultivar was discovered at Swarthmore College in the early 80’s most likely while the founder was listening to Duran Duran on his Walkman (OK, I made that last part up.)

Some personal photos I’ve taken over the past two years:

An explosion of bloom, taken about a week ago:

        

A closer shot of the bottle brush like blooms:

The foliage starting to change color in late Summer:

I like the combination of the Itea’s fall foliage color with yellow or chartreuse foliage. That is Acorus Gramineus ‘Oborozuki’ (Variegated Sweet Flag) in the photo below:     

But most importantly, the amazing fall foliage color (taken in late November):

I have three of these shrubs and each has been provided with ample room to sucker and form colonies at their will. I won’t prune them a bit.

If you do not have the room for these, there is a dwarf version ‘Little Henry’ that is easily available. I’m thinking about test driving one of them myself.

John  

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Now the good news

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I just got back from riding over a rainbow with a unicorn and then we shared a sundae and listened to Wilson Phillips. So needless to say, I am oozing positivity and have left my prior post in the rear view mirror. Now that was cathartic and I am all the better for it.

Love one another and enjoy:    

I have 3 Pieris sitting in containers from last Fall and I am still debating what to do with them. One of the best features of this shrub is the brilliant red new growth as you can see here. I have only one spot where these will work and don’t know if they are “worthy” enough. TBD.
   

The Ajuga ‘ Chocolate Chip’ are now blooming which is a sweet burst of blue this time of year. To be honest though, I prefer how these look after they bloom when the foliage takes on a nice maroon color. It will fill in empty spots real quickly but doesn’t take over. As I’ve mentioned before, they all divide real well and you can triple your number of plants in no time.
   

The Potentilla ‘Verna Nana’ are blooming …. ummm …. ehhhhh … they help suppress weeds … they’re OK I guess.
 

Now this plant is FANTASTICAL … blooms early in the Spring … nice green clean foliage that looks great spilling over stones. Another plant that has divided well for me.   

The Iberis ‘Snowflake’ is blooming and I am still lukewarm on this one. I moved these to a new, better draining location this year so I will give them one more year.

About to bloom Malus (Crabapple) and the blooms are off the charts. Bring it.

More tulip blooms about to pop. Sweet.

These Leucojum (Snowbells or Snowdrops … don’t remember) have been a revelation this Spring. I would love to increase the number of these next year as I’m sure they look even better in large masses.  

My first and only emerging Hosta ‘Great Expectations’. I definitely want some more this year. 

The Phlox ‘David’ seedlings are everywhere this year and I’m not sure why but I am anxious to see how they develop.

I transplanted this Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ this morning from it’s holding cell in my raised bed to it’s new location in the bed surrounding my driveway. What struck me as funny in this photo is the Spirea sitting in the grass that I took out in order to move the Itea in. I left it there for an hour – roots exposed and all. It got me thinking about how I don’t follow the transplant rules very well and also transplant on a whim. It is a typical “male” stereotype of just “doing” without “thinking”. That will be a topic of it’s own in a future post. 

And I’ll end with a question. How should I handle these small off-shoots growing on the trunk of the tree. Should they be snipped? I’ve read that this should be done immediately whenever they pop up.

I’m thinking about posting a video soon but not yet sure what it will be about. I am considering pulling in a friend who was a prior actor (not kidding … actually once had his SAG card). Be afraid … be very afraid … but also prepare to have your mind blown.

Chat with you soon my friends.