Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day - May 2010

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My garden is in the tweens – between the end of the rhododendrons and the beginning of the roses. But there are some colorful flowers this month.

The allium (Giant Persian Blue) blooms have quadrupled in number from the five bulbs I planted seven years ago.

Lupine (Russell Hybrid) enjoys a warm spot along a blank wall.

The deep pink rhody and white iris are one of the last of their type to bloom.

A single rose on the arbor holds the promise of more to come.

Bloom day is hosted every month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Click on the links to garden blooms around the world. You can also enjoy Carol’s work with a garden designer and watch her vegetable garden evolve on her award-winning blog. Thank you Carol.

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PJM Rhododendron

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PJM Rhododendrons are blooming all over town.

Named after Peter J. Mezitt, founder of Weston Nurseries, Massachusetts, this shrub has become wildly popular. And with good reason. It is easy to grow, winter hardy, the dark green foliage turns plum colored in fall and the spring blooms are a marvelous magenta.

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I planted a small bush in 2002 in part shade. Now it is at least 6 feet tall and about 4 or 5 feet wide. It has never had any disease or insect problems. I sprinkle Holly Tone fertilizer around its roots after it blooms and lightly hoe it in. The bloom is a show stopper every spring.
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Mulch

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Can you guess what I’ve been up to?

I like to spread all the mulch by the end of March. It’s not that March is a better time for the garden. It is a better time for this gardener.

The spring load of mulch arrived just this week. Perennials and bulbs are growing everywhere now. It takes more time to spread mulch carefully so plants are not smothered.

By the middle of April, I always feel rushed. This year I have vegetable area to turn over, edging to re-do, cool weather veggies to plant, soil to mix for pots, seedlings and cuttings to tend, supplies and annuals to buy, rocks and stones to move so we can re-build the bubbler fountain, several more perennials to divide and weeds to pull. Every gardener I know is in high gear right now.

This weekend I’ll be working at local public gardens. Rain is forecast for early next week. April is slipping away too fast.

("Mulching for a Healthy Landscape" from Virginia Cooperative Extension.)

BUT, it’s great to be outside working in the garden again. I’m trying to enjoy the spring garden between chores. If your eyes haven’t glazed over from all the great shots of April flowers linked to Carol's Bloom Day post, here are a few more from my garden.

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Hyacinths and Brunnera.

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Red tulips by the front steps.

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White and purple hyacinths.

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Daffodills

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PJM rhododendron

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Gardening – Four Feet at a Time

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This year I can’t seem to catch up in my garden. Everything needs to be done at once – weeding, mulching, planting, dead-heading, watering, trimming, composting, edging, clean-up, and did I say weeding.

I am frequently in a panic so I run all over the garden trying to catch up. Or it becomes so overwhelming that I do nothing – stuck not knowing where to start.

A good friend gave me some advice. Don’t think of what needs to be done in the entire garden. Each day you work in the garden, work on 4 feet at a time. Great advice I thought.

In the last two weeks, I worked through 100 feet.

Only 260 feet to go. But I won’t think about that.

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Rhododendron clarification. On the large flowered rhododendron, new shoots will grow on the sides of the spent bloom. If you decide to deadhead your rhody, be careful not to break off the new shoots. The picture (above) shows the collar with a new light green shoot growing out of the flower base (below my thumbnail).

Ciscoe Morris, King County Master Gardener:
”The best time to prune your rhododendron is within a couple of weeks after flowering is finished. Soon afterward new growth will emerge, and by early summer, next year's flower buds will form at the end of newly grown branches.”

“If you wait too long, pruning can interfere with the budding process and reduce the number of blossoms you'll get to enjoy next spring.”

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/361204_ciscoe01.html

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Deadheading Rhododendron

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After the amazing bloom of a large rhododendron, the spent flowers look messy.

According to the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) http://www.rhododendron.org/pruning.htm :

“It is desirable, with the large flowered rhododendrons, to remove the withered flower clusters after the blooming season. This is fairly easily done as the central axis of the cluster, usually called a truss, will break free from the plant with a quick snap of the thumb pushing on the side.”

It’s a simple, although tedious, job. I just snap the spent flower at the brown-ringed collar with my thumb and forefinger. Sometimes deadheading is impossible on a large shrub (without a ladder and arms like a gorilla).

I don’t stress about deadheading and I do as much as I have time to do.

ARS says, “Dead-heading is usually done to make the bush look more attractive, to reduce the prevalence of fungus and to prevent a heavy set of seed. If it is not possible to remove the old flowers, it is usually not too detrimental, but flowering the next year may be reduced.”

So, every time I pass the rhodys I stop and break off as many spent flowers as I can.

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Felicita Garden Resort & Spa

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Garden Resort AND Spa! Does it get any better than that?

When we visited with the Bethlehem Garden Club last week, azaleas and viburnum were in full bloom. The Rhododendrons were just coming into bloom. The property covers 800 acres including a golf course, California spa, lodges, dining and banquet facilities and the gardens.

Located 10 miles from Harrisburg, Felicita Garden is owned by PA Attorney and Mrs. Richard Angino. Mr. A, as he is known by the staff, marks plants to be moved or areas for a water feature and the staff takes care of making it happen. Mrs. Angino plans most of the gardens near the house. The gardens are not regularly open to the public, but tours can be arranged.

The Japanese garden near the house is a secluded and tranquil spot with a great views and spectacular plantings.

The Monet Pond’s design had the help of a professional designer as did several other areas on the property. But mostly, the unplanned look is the result of Mr. A’s eye for what looks good, quite a remarkable feat considering the expense of moving huge trees and shrubs and building large water features. Last year Felicita Gardens spent about $100,000 on new shrubs and trees.

Check out the gardens in the attached link. Picture 11 is a view of the formal Grecian Gardens. It is huge (7 acres) and quite amazing. This garden is used for parties, weddings and other formal affairs. http://www.felicitaresort.com/?View=Tour&Tour=Gardens

“From 2002 to 2005, the Anginos added five new gardens, including Butterfly, The Park, Perennial, The Secret Garden, and The Great Lawn. In 2006, two more gardens were added plus the new Nature Trail Gardens and par course opened, featuring 30 acres of mature hardwoods and pines underplanted with dogwood, red bud, hawthorn, birch, magnolia, rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, viburnum collections, ferns and mosses.”

A buffet lunch was served on the patio of the colonial style golf club. Perfect weather and good company completed an enjoyable tour.

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Spring Garden Update

I spent most of yesterday afternoon deadheading spent tulips, hyacinths and daffodils to allow the energy to go in to the bulb instead of making seeds.

I’ve finished a lot on my spring list: moved blood grass, divided and potted everything on the list, finished pruning shrubs, finished trimming roses and moved (¾ of) the mulch.

I’ll start the first batch of compost tea this afternoon and make a trip to Hickory Grove in Catasauqua for some annuals to plant in May. If we get more frosty nights like last night I’ll be stashing them in the garage overnight.

There is so much in bloom right now.


Pink azalea


White rhododendron


White lilac


Bleeding Heart


The blooming trees are especially beautiful this year. The redbuds and dogwoods are full of flowers,


After the rain Tuesday, my world is green again.

(Pennsylvania bats white nose syndrome update– Morning Call story 4/29/08 http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-white.6383696apr29,0,6811063.story )

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Spring

I haven’t had much time to work in or enjoy the garden this week. I hope to put in some good garden time next week.

The PJM rhododendron is putting on it’s usual spectacular bloom. Tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths are blooming everywhere. It’s a beautiful spring color show.

Coffee in the Garden

I love to walk through the garden on a warm spring morning with a cup of coffee. I take stock of perennials and re-seeding annuals breaking though the soil. I notice weeds and re-seeders in the wrong place. I check bunny damage and make a mental note to use cayenne pepper. I also plan my next area of garden work. Mostly, I just enjoy the garden.

But, the best thing about morning coffee is the coffee grounds available to spread on the garden or into the compost bin.

I spread the grounds around the acid-loving plants such as rhododendron and hydrangea. I don’t bother to dig it in. I save that job for when I’m spreading mulch or working in that area of the garden. The thin layer of grounds won’t lower the pH much but they say the worms love it. It may also send slugs somewhere else.

For more about coffee grounds and the garden see Doug Green’s http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/coffee-grounds-and-gardening.html

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(I apologize – the sidebar “About Me”, “Previous Posts” and “Archives” - has moved to the bottom of this blog. Please scroll down to see link to previous posts.)

Promise of Spring

Even though I’m in the “season of brown” mentally, there are signs everywhere of the promise of spring.

The PJM Rhododendron with its burgundy tinted leaves cradling buds waiting to explode next April.

Buds of the Dogwood trees pop straight up among the fall colored leaves.

Pussy Willow buds swell in anticipation of late winter sun.

Azaleas and Rhododendron buds wait for April.

Time to get over the brown mood. It’s time for a garden tour! The Coplay Garden Club’s Longwood Garden tour will be a treat. Then there are the house plants – the Christmas cacti are setting buds. The topiaries need a trim. The amaryllis will bloom. The cuttings are growing and will need to be cut and rooted. There are flower shows to look forward to. And all those flower and garden catalogues. I’ll need to asses this year’s garden and make a plan for next year. I have a few new garden books on my Christmas list that will keep me reading through the winter. It’s time to rake leaves. So, I guess I’m over the "season of brown" mood. There’s too much to do.

Winter Blooms and Buds

The Japonica (I don’t have a genus/species on this one) and Heather (Heathe Erica x Darleyensis ‘Silberschmeize’) have buds ready for winter bloom. These evergreen and almost care-free woody ornamentals are a nice green spot in the brown winter landscape. Both plants are well-established - planted about 9 years ago. I feed with Holly-Tone in spring and occasionally prune a branch. I deep water during dry spells with a soaker hose.

The rhododendrons have large buds ready for spring bloom. Our large (mostly ignored) rhody seems confused. A few buds have opened with the warm fall weather. Every year I vow to pay more attention to this old (at least 40 years - 10 ft. tall) bush. It seems a bit stressed. I'll have to make it a point next growing season to take better care of it.

Winter Damage

It seems as if I spoke too soon in my last post.

I checked the shrubs yesterday and there is some damage from the freezing temperatures we’ve had lately.

A lot of the buds on the old, large rhododendron on the west side of the house are brown and shriveled. The row of azaleas on the same side look a little burned too.

Many of the new leaf buds on the hydrangeas are also caput! And some of the flower buds on the dogwoods were hit.

Ah yes, it’s bound to get warmer soon – isn’t it?