Hybrid Columbine

Hybrid Columbine

Aquilegia ‘Swan Red and White’

(a-kwi-LEE-jee-uh)

This is always a favorite of mine. This plant has nice big, detailed and colorful flowers. Columbines are a true biennial but if you try you can start a nice patch of them by spreading the seeds out when they are ripe. My experience is that some types come back true to seed and some don’t. There is also that gray genetic zone where for a few years they come back the same color and then wash out. I’m not sure what the Swan hybrid series will do. The plants did well this year and I wouldn’t mind having some of them back.

Dusty Red Rose

Dusty Red Rose

 

Try as I might to remember and keep the naming of the roses in the big rose garden straight they always seem to get mixed up. I thought this one might be ‘Hot Cocoa” but there isn’t enough orange in it. It also grew and flowered better than that variety. Even with the confusion we enjoyed the dusty red flowers this bush produced.

Red Passion Flower

Red Passion Flower

Passiflora caerulea

(pass-iff-FLOR-uh) (see-ROO-lee-uh)

Synonyms: Passion Vine

Wordless Wednesday

Jungle Beauty Daylily

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Jungle Beauty'

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

While going through some old files I found a “roll” of unexplored Daylilies. There were some astonishing reds and pinks in the folder. This first one was introduced in 1990 and had a nice velvety black color. The scape had a good bud set and a strong frame. Quite an eye catcher and well named.

This second flower had a warmer brighter color. I have to admit to really liking the Woodside collection of Daylilies. Dr. Darryl Apps just knows how to breed colors that I like. He recently retired and the whole Woodside collection was moved to large wholesale nursery in New Jersey.

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Woodside Fire Dance'

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

Spice Twice Hybrid Tea Rose

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Spice Twice’

Synonyms: JACable

Petal Count: 17-25 petals

Breeder: Dr. Keith W. Zary, US, 1997

Parentage: ‘Spirit of Glasnost’ × ‘Kardinal 85’ (Kordes 1985)

Couple of roses for Sunday. This first rose has a great fiery orange/coral color that is hard to match. The flowers grow on a tall, strong bush that seems relatively disease resistant. I am not sure why but the flowers on the two bushes I have grown always seem to be on kind of the small side. The advertised size of the flowers is 6 inches across but mine can hardly muster 3 or 4 inches. Despite that it is always nice to see the flowers because of the way the sunlight can make them appear to glow. The fragrance is intoxicating too. If you only have room for a couple of roses I probably wouldn’t recommend ‘Spice Twice’ unless of course you are a sucker for that color (like me). ‘Tropicana’ can kind of supply the color on a much better growing rose.

Today’s bonus snapshot is an unknown red rose. Guessing I am going to say ‘Don Juan’ but am not really sure. The sides of the photo have had a vignette placed there to get rid of a really busy background and try and show just the summer richness of the rose.

The storm frenzy continues to grow around here and we are now solidly in what I call the ‘Cone of Doom’, which is the projected path of the storm. Overnight bad news came from the west coast as a big earthquake hit the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. Luckily the area is sparsely populated and there wasn’t much damage according to news reports so far. Having spent quite a bit of time in that area I always had a little nagging fear of the areas natural beauty. It is almost too majestic. The bad news is a tsunami is headed for Hawaii where my sister lives. I am never sure if I should pick up the phone and call even though it is in the middle of the night there. She lives in up country Maui at about 1,000 feet above sea level and there is a warning horn like 100 yards from her house so I figure that she is safe.

Love Grandiflora Rose

Grandiflora Rose 'Love'

Synonyms: JACtwin, 71-5324

After seeing this rose in several gardens and becoming enchanted with its bi-colored petals, strong smell and graceful habit I decided to try a couple in the big rose garden. They have performed well and have been reliable. All 4 of the bushes came through the mild winter and bloomed throughout the season. Red roses are not my favorite but this one is extraordinary.

We are working in the office today as it a really rainy and windy New England fall day outside. We are expecting 1 to 2 inches of rain, which we need, and it is off to a good start. We still need some bulbs so I will make a last swing through some nurseries to see if anything is available locally before ordering them from a catalog.

Sooty Sweet William

Sweet William

Dianthus barbatus var. nigrescens 'Sooty'

(dy-AN-thus)

Synonyms: Dianthus nigrescens

There seems to be some debate on whether or not this flower is a biennial or perennial. My experiences have been mostly biennial and if we get 2 or 3 years out of them we are happy. Dianthus seems to thrive in the drier areas of the garden with unimproved soil. The edge of masonry work with even a little stone dust from the stonework mixed in seems to suit it best. Winter drainage is also an important part of keeping them going. It is true garden classic that has been around a long time. Lately some new cultivars have been showing up due to breeding so they may be more perennial. This type grows 8-12 inches tall and gets nice dark foliage later in the season. It is said the flowers smell like chocolate but I can’t confirm or deny that.

Since it is Sunday again here is the bonus flower snapshot.

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Fragrant Cloud’

Rosa (ro-zuh)

This is a really beautiful hybrid tea rose. It is quite old having been introduced in 1963. I always have a lot of respect for a rose that can last that long on the market. It can be susceptible to black spot and other rose problems but you forget all about that when you have cut a few of the flowers for the house. It certainly lives up to its name then.

Red Passion Flower

Red Passion Flower

Passiflora caerulea ‘Grace Ann’

(pass-iff-FLOR-uh) (see-ROO-lee-uh)

Synonyms: Passion Vine

Isn’t this an amazing flower? The color alone was so striking and when inspected closely it had all of the otherworldly shapes and bits that a regular passion flower has. This specimen was growing in the water garden/fountain area of the New York Botanical Garden. I have to admit at marveling at their ability to grow this plant indoors. Mine always do poorly in the greenhouse and usually lose vigor completely after a couple of winters. This seems to happen even with an adjustment of the growing conditions and while I haven’t given up hope completely it is close and this year’s specimen will probably be sacrificed to the frost gods.

Chicago Apache Daylily

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Chicago Apache'

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

Introduced 1981 by Marsh-Klehm

This seems to be the last blooming Daylily in the garden. While a couple of the rebloomers are struggling to produce a few ragged flowers 'Chicago Apache' is full bloom. I tried to resist photographing a lot of Daylilies this year having done that to death here over the last few years. This red one was too vivid to ignore and you could see it from various vistas in the garden.  I have included a group shot of one of the whole scapes having taken a step back after doing the close up version. It seemed the Hemerocallis were especially vivid this year and I enjoyed having the private collection of various seedlings and cultivars here at the house. They also grew amazingly and need to be divided now.

Mr. Lincoln Hybrid Tea Rose

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Mr. Lincoln’

Rosa (RO-zuh)

It is always fun to cover a classic here and this rose is one. ‘Mr. Lincoln’ grows with a typical hybrid tea form and can get a little tall and thin if left to its own devices. Overall the wonderful color and fragrance win the day for this rose. It can get diseased but is fairly resistance for one of the older roses in the garden. If you like red roses “Mr. Lincoln’ delivers a powerful punch.

‘Mr. Lincoln’:

Type: Hybrid Tea

Introduction: 1965, Conrad Pyle Roses (Star)

Petal Count: 35

Fragrance: Yes, strong

Parentage: Chrysler Imperial (Hybrid Tea, 1952) × Charles Mallerin (Hybrid Tea, before 1947)

Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus 'Rocket Mix'

(an-TEE-ry-num) (MAY-jus)

This little gaggle of snapdragons was fun to see. This flower seems to be making a resurgence despite some urban legends about its cultivation. I have to admit I was surprised to see it blooming so nicely after all the heat we have had. This is one of the taller types.

Cherry Brandy Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherry Brandy'

(rud-BEK-ee-a) (HER-tuh)

Italian Pansy

Italian Pansy

Viola x wittrockiana ‘Bolero Mix’

(vee-OH-luh) (wit-rok-ee-AH-nuh)

Violaceae (vee-oh-LAY-see-ay)

Hybrid Tea Rose Cesar E. Chavez

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Cesar E. Chavez’

Synonyms: JAColman

Another day another rose. I am posting this picture since I slogged my back up body (D70s) and some lenses for it through the Florida sun. It ended up taking 36 pictures and quite a few of them came out nice. This was taken with Sigma 24mm/1.8 lens and it seems to be a good match for camera.

‘Cesar E. Chavez’ is a deep red rose and the color is really only partially rendered here. The shape and color of this rose is so classic. Its parents are ‘Olympiad’ and ‘Ingrid Bergman’ two very beautiful red hybrid teas. ‘Cesar E. Chavez’ was introduced to the US in 2002 by Jackson & Perkins. It could have a spot in any garden I tend to.

Monte Carlo Red

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Monte Carlo Red'

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

Red Shrub Rose

Red Shrub Rose
Rosa

This was one of the few roses left after the hurricane. Since the rose garden is located in a windy and open area most of the flowers and foliage were affected. Already there are some new signs of life but I doubt it will get back to normal before the end of the season.

Luckily most of the other plants in the surrounding gardens came through without much damage but you could see that things had been whipped around and in general looked pretty bad. This estate is located in an elevated area, which saved it from flooding but also exposed it to more wind. Oh well, all we can do is wait for nature to repair itself and gently encourage the roses to come back.

Being a rose gardener is filled with a lot of ups and downs. Often times it seems just when we get things to where we want them some outside force acts on the garden.

This shrub rose, which I think maybe ‘Home Run’ has been a good citizen in the garden. It is a repeat bloomer that doesn’t seem to get too much disease. It is colorful and shapely.

This blog has taken on a mind of its own, publishing in a larger and different font. I guess that makes it easier to read.

Cardinal Flower

Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
(low-BEE-lee-uh) (kar-dih-NAL-iss)

It was nice to see the patch of Cardinal Flower still standing tall after the hurricane. The color is amazing on this perennial and I feel after years of referring to this plant as a biennial it is safe to call it a perennial. This plant has returned for its third year now. Cardinal Flower is best in the back of the border since it is a tall flower. It can take moist conditions and likes full sun.

This picture shows a little of the Hurricane Irene damage and the long road to recovery from the storm. We will be cleaning up for years. Close call for that van!



This is the plant list getting delivered for the new garden today. It is very exciting. There are still several items we are looking for but this will get us started.

5 Oriental Spruce (Picea Orientalis) 8-10 feet

17 Knockout Rose 3 gallon pot

1 Fastigiate Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus h. 'Fastigiata’) 10 gallon

2 Spreading Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. drupacea) 3 gallon

1 Dwarf White Pine (Pinus strobus ‘Nana’)

1 Mellow Yellow Spirea (Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon') 2 gallon

3 Flaming Silver Pieris (Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver') 3 gallon

3 Lo and Behold Dwarf Butterfly Bush (Buddleia hybrid) 3 gallon

6 Variegated Japanese Iris (Iris ensata ‘Variegata’)

2 Sheffield Hybrid Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum koreanum 'Sheffield' 1 gallon

3 Starshine Aster (Aster ageratoides ‘Starshine’) 1 gallon

3 Purple Dome Aster (Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome') 1 gallon

Arizona Red Shades Blanket Flower

Blanket Flower
Gaillardia 'Arizona Red Shades'
(gay-LAR-dee-uh)
Synonym: Indian Blanket

Red Zonal Geranium

Zonal Geranium
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Calliope Dark Red'
(pe-lar-GO-nee-um) (hor-TOR-um)

This was one of the many nice geranium cultivars that one of our wholesale suppliers was growing this spring. I liked the deep color and compact habit.

The annuals are really starting to hit the market now, which is good thing for us. The temperatures are not really cooperating as it has dipped down to the 30’s (F) here the last couple of nights. I need to temper my enthusiasm for planting outdoors but May 1 is always an important date for our gardens here although our last frost date is May 24th I don’t remember it happening that late for many years.

Dutch Hyacinth

Dutch Hyacinth
Hyacinthus orientalis
(hy-uh-SIN-thus) (or-ee-en-TAY-liss)

Despite the weather, which again today is rainy and cold, the Hyacinths have started to bloom. Over the last two years I have done two fairly large plantings of these bulbs. I learned something from the way I did it. For the first year I ordered a collection of 6 of ten different varieties and planted them in groups of three along a perennial border next to the driveway and it has looked good for the last two years.

Last fall the owner of one of the gardens I was working came out and said, “I ordered these” and handed my 75 Hyacinth bulbs of the same variety (forget what it was). On one hand it was disappointing to me that they were all the same on the other I was happy to have them for the garden. The garden is a bit, um, cramped but very charming and it was struggle to find some place to put them. I planted some groups of 10 and a few 5’s around some semicircular edging in the rose/herb garden and forgot about them. This spring I noticed what kind of looked like a miniature volcano of dirt lifting where I planted the bulbs. That was a first fr me. All of the dirt around the bulbs and on top was lifting up like sod. This should be interesting I thought. When I went back several days later (after a lot of rain) the bulbs were up and starting to bloom. The soil had sifted back down to the ground and everything was fine. I couldn’t believe how nice my little pink forest looked and smelled.

So I think the all of one variety, heavily planted groups were better than stretching out the different varieties. The picture is of a lone bulb that is probably from a long ago planting. The color is much hotter than most.

German Primrose

German Primrose
Primula obconica 'Libre Red'
(PRIM-yew-luh) (ob-KON-ih-kuh)