Water Lily

Water Lily
Nymphaea
(NIM-fee-uh)

This was blooming in a hobbyist pond this summer and looked quite beautiful. Due to the dry conditions it was hard to keep up with topping the ponds off at work. We didn't grow anything like this flower either. The 70 different species of Nymphaea fall into two categories hardy or tropical. The hardy types are diurnal blooming with the tropical types blooming during the day and night.

Since it is Sunday here is the bonus snapshot.



Hardy Begonia
Begonia grandis
(be-GON-yuh) (GRAN-dees)
Synonym: Begonia evansiana

This plant has always interested me but I have never had the guts to try it. Perhaps Long Island, with their slightly less harsh winter will be a good trial for it. If can colonize some shade areas that would be great.

Torch Cane Begonia

Cane Begonia

Begonia 'Torch'

(be-GON-yuh)

Synonyms: Angel Wing Begonia

This Begonia has really burst on the scene the last few years. They are being used more and more and to good effect. My local annual grower has been producing these Begonias in a variety of sizes. Angel Wing Begonias grow really well in containers and can add a bright spot in a shady area of the garden. I haven’t tried them as bedding plants on a large scale but my limited experience has been good with the plants forming a low mat of good color.

Since its Sunday here is the bonus snapshot. It is a picture that has been hanging around so I thought I would pot it and move out of the folder of pictures I look in everyday.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory ‘Heavenly Blue’

Ipomoea tricolor

(ip-oh-MEE-uh) (TRY-kull-lur)

Even though many people consider the Morning Glory vine to be a pest I think it is a great plant to have in the garden. This white one has grown from seed the last five years and has steadily become more and more beautiful. Its getting to the point where I may start pinching it a little more and remove a few of the seedlings.

The composition is a little different than most of my photographs. I have found the front of the morning glory flower to be difficult to photograph so I switched to the back. The gentle striping and luscious curves were enchanting.

This is a link to Today’sFlowers. I really hope it doesn’t throw the formatting off. Sunday means a bonus snapshot. This week it is a Wax Begonia.

Wax Begonia

Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum

(be-GON-yuh) (sem-per-FLOR-enz kul-TOR-um)

Synonym: Fibrous Rooted Begonia

Begonia Bud

Begonia Bud

Begonia x hiemalis 'Blitz'

(be-GON-yuh) (hy-EH-may-liss)

Orococo Begonia

Begonia

Begonia 'Orococo'

(be-GON-yuh)

This is a trailing/ scandent type of Begonia that is especially suited for hanging baskets. The textured green (with red highlights) leaves provide a nice backdrop to the delicate white flowers. It was introduced in 1984 and has been charming gardeners ever since.

Wax Begonia

Wax Begonia
Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum 'Bada Bing Pink'
(be-GON-yuh) (sem-per-FLOR-enz kul-TOR-um)
Synonyms: Fibrous Rooted Begonia

This little dwarf Begonia has been chugging along like Begonias do. There are a number of reasons that I like Begonias. They are pretty and colorful, insect and disease resistant and most of all they are not water hogs. The funny thing about Begonias if they don’t get watered after establishment they just stay small. That is way better then having a ragged plant that wilts everyday. Also the animals don’t seem to like them so they are a good choice for areas with deer and rabbits.

Cane Begonia

Cane Begonia
Begonia 'Orange Rubra'
(be-GON-yuh)

We have a large collection of Begonias at work. Over the years they have multiplied and gotten big. There are a few over 6 feet tall now and using the largest pots that we have. This little orange one is new to the collection and I love the color contrast between the flowers and green foliage. Obviously we keep the Begonias indoors during the winter and they provide a seemingly endless array of flowers to cheer up the greenhouse. They are always ready to go outside in the spring and don’t seem to have any problems transitioning to the outdoor lifestyle.

Flowers from Today Nonstop Begonia

Nonstop Begonia
Begonia tuberhybrida Nonstop ‘Yellow’
(be-GON-yuh) (too-ber-HY-brid-uh)

This yellow flower is one of my favorite annuals, although it can be brought inside and kept year round if you want. They grow quite well in containers. It is called a nonstop Begonia because it continuously blooms. The amount of flower forms and colors available seems to continue to grow and even the foliage has gotten into the act with more and more types available. A personal favorite of mine is the Mocha series by Park Seed. The coffee colored foliage really sets off the flowers nicely. These flowers are easy to grow in the moist shade. This type of Begonia doesn’t like to dry out so the moisture is a key part of their cultivation.

It seems hard to believe but the nonstop Begonia has only been gracing our gardens for about 30 years now after being developed in the 1980’s.

Since it is Memorial Day Weekend here in the United States this next picture seems appropriate. It is a picture of local Police officer Robert DiNardo who passed away last June. He was truly a hero here in our local community. This impromptu memorial is painted on a large wall of graffiti that I pass on my way to work every morning and yesterday I decided to stop and grab a picture. The roses are a nice touch and they give a good tie in to Today’s Flowers. The rest of the wall of graffiti is quite interesting and some of the best I have seen around here.


See more flowers from all over the world at Today’s Flowers .

Since it is Sunday and that means a few extra flower lovers visiting here is a bonus picture of some nice blue flowers.


Cineraria
Pericallis cruenta
(per-ee-KAL-liss) (kroo-EN-tuh)

Incidentally I broke out the D70s with the Sigma 17-70mm macro lens for the first two shots. I hadn’t used the camera in a long time but it felt good right away. It still works great. The shot of the Cineraria was taken with the Nikon Coolpix P6000.

Wax Begonias

Wax Begonia
Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum
(be-GON-yuh) (sem-per-FLOR-enz kul-TOR-um)
Synonym: Fibrous Rooted Begonia

These Begonias were growing at the farm and have been doing well all season. They are one of my favorite annuals. Growing in full sun to almost full shade they are adaptable to many spots in the garden. You can even take a few inside and grow them over the winter. These flowers do like their moisture and dry conditions often result in stunted growth.

Wax Begonias are probably the most popular of the over 1300 species of Begonia which are classified by root characteristics and top growth. There are hundreds of strains and cultivars within those 1300 species that give an almost endless array of flower colors, leaf shapes and colors. This Begonia is native to Brazil and is actually a tender perennial. The climate here makes them an annual but the plants can be propagated easily from leaf and stem cuttings.


For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . The links open at 1400 GMT.

Tuberous Begonia and Variegated Ivy

Hybrid Tuberous Begonia
Begonia x tuberhybrida
(be-GON-yuh) (too-ber-HY-brid-uh)
Wordless Wednesday

Green Envy Coneflower

Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy'
(ek-in-AY-shee-a)

It is fitting this photo came out with a strange colorcast because the flower itself is a little weird. The shades of green, yellow and pink are difficult to describe. This flower was growing at White Flower Farm in a good-sized patch. It was emitting a kind of greenish glow. The plants were tall and pretty much loaded with flowers, buds and bees.


The parade of new coneflowers seems endless. Mark Veeder who gardens as a hobby developed this flower. It is different and intriguing enough to make it more than a novelty in the garden.

Thank goodness it’s Friday. This was a funny Begonia I saw growing in a container at WFF. It was mixing well with the Coleus and the other white Begonia.

Crimson Flame Striped Rose

Striped Floribunda Rose
Rosa ‘Crimson Flame’

Since people seemed to enjoy the picture of the striped rose posted here last Sunday here is another one. It is strange that there were just a few references to this variety of rose on the net when usually virtually any rose you Google returns tons of information. This was spotted at a commercial office in Westchester, lucky they had left the tag on the plant or I would have never been able to figure out which rose it was. From the limited information I was able to garner ‘Crimson Flame’ is a Floribunda rose that was introduced in 2007. It did smell good and this particular specimen had been trained into a tree.

This year I have been doing a lot of foliage pictures and want to post some soon. This combination was growing in the shady area of White Flower Farms display garden. The Begonia is ‘Fireworks’ and it is a Rex Begonia. It is also know by the name Painted Leaf Begonia. Here is a link to a catalog page of Rex Begonias and you can see that they are extremely showy and colorful. They need to grow in full shade and ‘Fireworks’ only produces sporadic flowers kind of smallish pink flowers, although with foliage like that who needs flowers? The other plant is a cultivar of Golden Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold') called ‘All Gold’. If it is happy then it makes a nice shady ground cover.

Rieger Begonia

Rieger Begonia
Begonia x hiemalis
(be-GON-yuh) (hy-EH-may-liss)

Rieger Begonias are a little finicky to have in the garden but they often make great houseplants. I took this picture while picking up some plants at Ace Begonias. There was a whole greenhouse devoted to Begonias and it was a very colorful tapestry. This flower was probably the most different as the shades of flower color was leaning towards orange and yellows on most of the other plants.

When Otto Rieger developed a hybrid between wax and tuberous Begonias the Rieger Begonia was born. A few things I have learned about growing these Begonias; don’t over water and if the plants are outside they need pretty much full shade (some indirect light is okay). You also have to watch for pest and diseases. They really don’t like the summer heat and are best with about 70 deg. F days and cool nights. They are a popular winter annual in the right climate.

Here is a link to a Michigan State University on how to care for a Rieger Begonia as a houseplant.

Magic Bells Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe 'Magic Bells'
(kal-un-KOH-ee)

These are the buds of 'Magic Bells'

There didn’t seem to be too much information on this plant, unless you speak Dutch. It is a strange plant but attractive and certainly has a novelty aspect to it. The people at the nursery said that it is an easy plant to grow and the flowers last a long time. Don’t over water was the one cultural tip that was offered.

Here is a Begonia flower that I saw recently.


For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . It starts at 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

Double Pink Knockout Rose

This is my favorite Knockout Rose, so far. The flowers seem to have a little more body and the color is a perfect pink for a rose. Knockout Roses seems to becoming more and more popular and after growing them for awhile I can see why. They have an interesting story and their own website. Here is a quote from the breeder. I like his line of thinking.

"Despite the great possibilities for failure, the burdensome work, and the lack of glamour, my hobby became a passion. Even with successes, it didn't take me long to realize that growing roses would be more fun if it entailed less work."
William Radler

From;
knockout rose dot com

There is also a Knockout Rose Photo Contest that runs through October 31st. With a look at some of the entries I don’t think I will be entering.

Yesterday I was doing some pruning and clean up at a house in Pound Ridge. It is a nice garden but had a few open spaces. The owner decided he wanted to plant a few things and I suggested Double Pink Knockout Roses for one area. When I got to the nursery they had them and they looked great so I got 8 and planted them then the rain came. It really poured here in the late afternoon. We got three quarters of inch fairly fast.

This is a Tuberous Begonia called ‘Lancelot’ from White Flower Farm.


I am off to the ferry to Long Island to buy some perennials at the huge nursery on the North Fork. I would post the details but they are strictly to the trade only. Of course there are plenty of retail places out on the North Fork with a good selection of plants and reasonable prices.

Tuberous Begonia Mardi Gras

Tuberous Begonia ‘Mardi Gras’
Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Mardi Gras’
(be-GON-yuh) (too-ber-HY-brid-uh)
Blackmore & Langdon's Large Flowered Picotee Begonia

Ruby Tuesday

Yesterday I visited White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut. They have a beautiful series of display gardens and they were in fine shape yesterday. I was looking for some Painted Daisies (Tanacetum coccineum), which I have not been able to find anywhere. After taking some pictures on the gardens I decided to follow the sign to the Tuberous Begonia Greenhouse.


Since I am used to looking at and being around a lot of flowers I get a little jaded sometimes but every once in awhile something totally stuns me in regards to the botanical world. My entrance to the greenhouse was one of those moments. It literally took my breath away. The color was overwhelming and amazing. Each of the display Begonias were in perfect full bloom. It probably was one of top five flower displays I have seen and that fact that is totally unexpected was part of the reason. When I go to the New York Botanical Garden or Kew I expect to be amazed. Not so much so when I enter a kind of non descript Quonset type of greenhouse in the rugged Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. I got quite a few nice pictures although shooting inside a greenhouse can be tricky. There will certainly be some more Tuberous Begonias on this blog coming up soon. I really wanted the 24mm/1.8 lens but left it home. The lens has really integrated itself into my ‘bag’. I am not going to leave home without again.

This is a crude panorama of the greenhouse so you can see a little of what it looked like. Some of the Begonias were fragrant and had a very nice scent.


Thanks for visiting. For more Ruby Tuesday and red stuff visit the teach @
Work of the Poet

Scarlet Begonias and Sunflower Abstract

ABC Wednesday and
Wordless Wednesday

Prairie Dock

Prairie Dock
Silphium terebinthinaceum
(SIL-phee-um) (ter-ee-bin-THIN-uh-see-um)

This is from late summer and was taken at the Bartlett Arboretum. Kris at blithe world.org had a post asking about what names people should put on plant labels and the species name for this plant sure makes the argument for using common names. If you have time wander over to her blog she is a talented and knowledgeable gardener, one of my favorites. Speaking of blogs I sure did visit a lot of them in the last couple of days. It was a very interesting tour and thanks to all the people that returned visits to my site. I mainly went looking for some Christmas spirit and boy did I find it out in force. I saw Santa, Christmas Trees, Christmas food, family get togethers, kids, lights, religious passages, a few flowers and much more. It all helped me kick it up a notch on the spirit end of things.

This plant has a beautiful flower that is held erect over what I consider large coarse foliage; you could definitely call the foliage bold. It is a tall perennial that can be found growing wild and in gardens. The yellow color and symmetry in the flower looks like it would be nice in the back of a mixed border, the woodland garden and the edge of the woods. It is a very hardy (USDA Zone 4) and tough plant that can grow in part shade or full sun. It is not fussy as to soil or water requirements either. Prairie Dock does have some medicinal uses including a tea that has been used in the treatment of coughs, lung ailments and asthma. Resin from the stems can be used to make a gum for cleaning teeth and the mouth.


Here is a backlit Begonia leaf I saw at work the other day. I should take more opportunities to photograph backlit flowers they can be quite striking.