Another Garden Year

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Spring, summer, fall, and winter –

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2008 is almost at an end. It’s been a good year in the garden. I’ll be away until the end of January so I will take a break from blogging. I’ll miss fellow bloggers and friends. Hopefully, I’ll come back with renewed energy.

I look forward to next year’s garden. I hope we will all meet back here at the end of January. Talk to you then.

Have a loving holiday season and a new year filled with joy.

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The Winter Gardener

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The Fragrant Year by Helen Van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell

Some books give you that warm, fuzzy feeling. This is one of them.

Published in 1967 as collaboration between internationally known writer, lecturer and gardener Helen Van Pelt Wilson and expert plant illustrator Leonie Bell, The Fragrant Year is full of information for a scented garden.

The romantic style created a pause from holiday stress for me. Wilson writes with a love of plants evident in her poetic pen.

Chapter 15, “Autumn Aromas”, begins –

“Summer slips so gently into autumn, and the warm lush scents of plants in full leaf change so imperceptibly to the crisp dry smell of those soon to fall, that until the one low branch on the great sugar maple above the rock ledge turns significantly to gold we are hardly aware of the slow passing of another year.”

After reading through the somewhat long list of plant fragrance classifications, I suspect my unsophisticated nose would not be able to make the distinctions. I’ll have to take the authors’ word on the nuances of fragrance.

The information is precise. The authors lived and gardened in zone 6. Varieties of plants sorted by season and listed by botanical name fill the book.

The longest chapter “Just Roses” contains rose history as well as a discussion of varieties, their growth habits and scent.

In the section “The Bourbons":

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“By the end of the nineteenth century, ’Mme. Isaac Pereire’ had become a favorite. Considered one of the most fragrant of all roses it provided pounds of petals for the potpourris then so popular. . . . Bushes grow to 6 feet and some canes reach higher; bending them down discourages bloom.”

(Photo: In my garden - Bourbon Rose, Madame Isaac Pereire, 1881)

The book provides transportation to an earlier time. Whether read from beginning to end, taken in small doses or browsed by areas of interest, it is a lovely guide to building a scented garden.
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Christmas Cactus

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The orange tinted cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is actually a Thanksgiving cactus. A gift from a friend two years ago, this orange/red flowered plant is the second to bloom each year.

My 3-cactus collection spends the summer on our deck out of direct sun. I bring them in at the end of summer. They spend most of the year in a cool, unused (no artificial light) room in a sunny, south-facing window.
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Since they are out of sight I sometimes forget to water, but they don’t seem to mind - as long as I get there before they totally expire. I fertilize every other week in the summer. They may get a weak fish emulsion fertilizer a few times in the winter. Did I mention that I sometimes forget about them?


The white cactus (Zygocactus) bloomed in early November.

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The red Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) has set buds and will be in full bloom by Christmas.

I bring each plant into the dining room as they start to bloom. The three plants provide 2 or 3 months of flowers during the winter.

Of all the house plants, the Christmas Cactus must be the easiest flowering house plant to grow.

More information from Clemson University Extension.

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Euonymus Shrubs

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The leaves of Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Surprise’ (on the left in the picture) turn slightly pink in winter. The winter pink color was the one of the reasons I bought them.

I planted three bushes in spring 2000. Leaves with a green center and creamy white edges create a showy shrub but it’s not without problems.

Scale destroyed one of the shrubs and threatened the others. The tiny white, armored invaders can suck the life out of them in one season. University of Minnesota “IPM of Midwest Landscapes” has some excellently gross pictures and information.

I control the scale using a spray of 1 gallon water, 2 tablespoons baking soda and an little dish soap. I’ll spray several times in spring. I usually get the bush dripping wet. Then, I repeat the spraying during the summer.

I also prune back hard in spring. The growing season will produce about two feet of growth so I try to get them really short. Virginia Cooperative Extension pruning schedule includes times to prune shrubs in our area.

Euonymus fortunei ‘Moonshadow’ (to the right in picture) with its creamy white center and green edge doesn’t have the same problems in my garden. It is low growing, doesn’t need much pruning and has never been bothered by scale. It never turns pink in winter but it’s a lot more care free. It’s amazing what a difference a variety makes.

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Anti-desiccant Spray

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Last week I sprayed an anti-desiccant on the azaleas.

Branches on some of the azaleas in front of the house have been dying off – especially at the top of the taller bushes. I thought they might be getting too much winter wind causing excessive moisture loss. So, for the first time, I used WiltPruf.

The red azalea near the porch looks very bare. It is not a deciduous azalea but it sure looks like one. I don’t know if it will live.

If I plant a new azalea next year I’ll spray before planting to give the roots time to get established. Doug Green suggests spraying evergreens before transplanting or propagation. That sounds like a great tip.

I picked a calm day to spray. Even so, a few light breezes sent the spray up my nose. That can’t be a good thing. At least the spray is labeled “organic” – whatever that means. Finding a calm day in fall is not easy. In spring, I hope to see healthy and happy azaleas.

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Giving Thanks

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To my family, friends, readers, and commenters:


I’m Thankful for You
By Joanna Fuchs

Thanksgiving is the appointed time
for focusing on the good in our lives.
In each of our days,
we can find small blessings,
but too often we overlook them,
choosing instead to spend our time
paying attention to problems.
We give our energy
to those who cause us trouble
instead of those who bring peace.
Starting now,
let’s be on the lookout
for the bits of pleasure in each hour,
and appreciate the people who
bring love and light to everyone
who is blessed to know them.
You are one of those people.
On Thanksgiving,
I’m thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!

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Leaf Eater

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We’ve been busy the last two weeks – hording fallen leaves faster than a squirrel hordes nuts.

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We shredded and bagged fallen leaves with our trusty old Lawn Boy. Then we dumped the shreddings into the compost bin. We also piled leaves next to the bin. Next summer I’ll add a layer of leaves to the bin every now and then.

Our compost bin is full and I’m a happy gardener. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a gardener happy.

I have to admit I’m lazy when it comes to making compost. I don’t obsess over percentage of green versus brown or nitrogen/carbon ratios. My grandmother made compost before we knew about the carbon/nitrogen ratio.

I use garden waste, kitchen vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and leaves. I add a little water from time to time. I add a little soil sometimes to discourage gnats. I turn it once in a while.

I know the proper mix helps the pile break down faster but I’m not in a hurry. Fortunately, I can pick up finished compost at the city compost center.

Doug Green has some good information on cold composting. If you want to take it a step further, Doug’s hot composting explains how to heat up the pile for quicker compost.

Virginia Cooperative Extension and Purdue University Extension have more in-depth instructions.

Compost is great for the garden and improving the soil. It keeps yard waste out of the land fill. I also use it to make compost tea.

Is it worth the effort? I can only comment on my garden. Over the years my garden soil has become dark and loamy. Plants thrive. And, the price is right -- free.

It’s a deal that’s too good for me to pass up.

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Longwood Gardens

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A few plants that are not mums at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. (Or, bits and pieces of the rest of a fun day.)

The grounds are immaculate at Longwood. A pleasant stroll through Pierce’s 7-Acre Woods is so natural that it is hard to believe it was planned.

The woods artfully combines ancient trees and more recent plantings. Tall holly is trimmed to a perfect cone. A giant Hinoki False Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana) stands 70 to 80 feet tall. I can only imagine what it will be like when the rhododendron, azalea, magnolia and dogwood bloom.

Our guide was a bit rushed so, when I stopped to take pictures or get a closer look at a shrub, I didn’t hear the tour information. I couldn’t help myself; there was so much to see.

Longwood has the same problems as any other garden. A fungus infests ailing tree. Woolly adelgid riddles a hemlock. There are some things that can’t be cured in any garden.

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Tousands of bulbs are planted along the Flower Garden Walk. Covered with mesh to thwart marauding squirrels, they wait for a color coordinated spring display.

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The fruit of the Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) ended up in a pot of Ostrich Fern. Also called “monkey brains” and “hedge apple”, it is said that the thorns are of this tree are large enough to flatten a tire. The fruit is said to repel insects.

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In the Production Greenhouses, the Christmas displays are coming together. (Pictures from my post of last year’s Christmas display here.) Rows and rows of poinsettias, begonias and amaryllis wait for their turn in the conservancy. Longwood closes for 3 days and the magic is done – from autumn yellow, red and orange to Christmas red, white and pink.

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In the Children’s Garden, simple musical instruments, a scavenger hunt, puppets, grottos, mazes, fountains, friendly monsters, ramps and spiral stairs create a delightful, imaginative playground. I turned into a kid in about 30 seconds. I so wanted to play hide and seek.

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The orchid house, at the first crossroads of the greenhouses next to the Main Conservatory, hosts a wall of orchids. Always a wonderful display.

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A pretty plant in the Palm Garden (above), the Amazon Lily (Eucharis x grandiflora) was gracefully tucked in with other tropicals. A future house plant for me? I’ll store the thought in my “maybe someday” brain file.

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In direct opposition to the serene Palm Garden, the Mediterranean Garden is a bright hot spot. Lantana, Kalanchoe and Variegated Spurflower would make a fiery combination for in pot on a sunny deck.

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I’ll try to get back in spring to see the bulb display and trees in bloom. Then I want to go back to see the summer flower gardens. I may try the self-guided audio tour. I guess I’m hooked on Longwood.

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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - November 2008

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(Christmas cactus – earliest of my cacti to bloom, white with a pink tint. )

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In the comments on my October Bloom Day post, HappyMouffetard said, “Welcome to GBBD. It's addictive, and makes you look at your garden with fresh eyes each month.”

She is right. It creates “stop and smell the roses moment.” It is addictive. Another great idea from Carol at May Dreams Gardens. I'm glad I got these pictures taken before the last two days of rain.

(Can you guess the blooms I would not have noticed if it wasn’t for GBBD? HINT: most of them.)

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Deep pink mum – a potted Easter gift - planted in ‘06 and moved in ‘07.

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Yellow mum volunteer – 2nd year.


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Calendula – re-seeds every year. Another reminder of my Grandmother’s garden.

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Sweet alyssum – continues its perfume in the autumn sun.



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Dusty Miller – flower bud removed. Proof in the picture.

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Rose – climber ‘Don Juan’ – the last rose of summer.




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Lamium – Dead Nettle under the locust tree – either ‘Elizabeth de Haas’ or ‘Purple Dragon’

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Nicotiana – another re-seeding annual

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Snap Dragon – stands bravely against the frost.

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Red Azalea – silly shrub thinks it’s spring.

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Also not pictured:
Sedum seiboldii – October Daphne – at the end of it’s color.
Lavender ‘Grosso’ – a few fall blooms.

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Fish Boxes

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I picked up three fish boxes from a local seafood store. Thanks for the tip on fish boxes Matriarchy. You can’t beat the price – free.

They are about the size of a small window box (24”L x 9”W x 5”D). I will need to punch holes in the bottom for drainage.

The boxes came with lids. I’ll have to figure out how to recycle the lids. They could be used as trays for potted plants.

I’ll reuse the soil from last year’s pots. I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do but it certainly is the cheapest. I may mix in some new potting soil and vermiculite. I’ll fertilize with fish emulsion.

I have all winter to select some plants for the boxes. I may plant some lettuce or herbs. Or, I may fill them with marigolds for a nice edge to the sunny patio. Or I may start with lettuce/herbs and change to marigolds later in the summer. Or, I may try something else entirely. What would you do with free planters?


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NOTE: The annual Lehigh Valley Flower and Garden Show at Allentown Fairgrounds Agriplex has been canceled for economic reasons as well as decreasing attendance. The show was originally scheduled for March 6-8, 2009. After 36 years, spring won’t be the same without it.
(LV Flower Show posts March 3, 2007 and March 7 2008.)

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Longwood Gardens

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In fall, the story at Longwood is mums.

According to Longwood’s brochure, “During the Chrysanthemum Festival, mid-October through November 23, more than 20,000 colorful, blooming chrysanthemums flourish in the palatial Conservatory.”

The showiest part of the mum display is “A Thousand Blooms.”

“A Thousand Blooms. The dramatic Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum is one of the highlights of traditional Japanese chrysanthemum exhibitions. A single plant is trained to form a perfect dome of hundreds of flowers, each the same size and blooming at the same time.”

Mums trained into domes, balls, cylinders, sheets, arches and topiaries defy gardening logic. The "single plant" thing is what blew me away. During training, the plant is allow to go limp in order to bend the branches.
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Single specimens, as well as beds of mums, colored the displays everywhere.

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In a greenhouse off the main display, signs explained the classifications of mums. Spider mum and spoon mum were two among the many gorgeous examples.

There is so much to see at Longwood. It will take another post to cover the plants that are not mums.

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(Compare Longwood Christmas display posted December 5, 2007 or enter "Longwood" in the search box at the top of this page.)
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