Vanda Orchid

 

Rainbow Orchid
Vanda ‘Judy Russ’

(VAN-duh)

This blog kind of defaults to Orchids especially this time of year. Vanda Orchids are one of my favorites mainly because of the large flowers and the color range. They are relatively easy to grow and are often used for breeding.

Japanese Camellia

Japanese Camellia

Camellia japonica ‘Valtevareda'

(kuh-MEE-lee-a) (juh-PON-ih-kuh)

Synonym: Common Camellia

Practicing a gardener’s optimism I dutifully ordered 12 more “hardy” Camellias for a garden in Scarsdale. The last two plantings got wiped out by the bad winters. One or two branches with a couple of weak leaves had to be considered a total loss. Since the owner really wants some outdoor Camellias I was willing to try again. This time I tried to find a warmer, more sheltered area of the garden and will be erecting burlap wind barriers and spraying with wilt pruf. My feelings are that the last batch got a little too much sun and wind in the winter.

Well I haven’t posted a black and white flower picture recently so here are two of Camellia japonica cultivars growing under glass,

unnamed

Yellow Million Bells

Yellow Million Bells

Calibrachoa

(kal-ih-bruh-KOE-uh)

We grew a lot of annuals this year. Several weeks in the spring were devoted to procuring and planting them. Among the many species were several varieties of Calibrachoa. This used to be one of my favorite flowers but it seems that many of the new varieties are not as vigorous as they should be. The dreamy almost impossible colors are eye-catching and hard to resist at the nursery but next year we will not be buying as many.

The mounding and trailing habit are useful as is the spilling effect in containers. Million Bells grow 6-8 inches tall with a large spread. They are one of the plants that truly lives up to the phrase, “blooms May to frost”. Calibrachoa can tolerate some very cold weather and slightly more than light frost. It was the last good looking annual plant in several gardens.

Now I know that if a plant doesn’t do well it is usually not the plants fault. It’s because I failed to provide it with the ideal growing conditions. We are lucky that many of our annuals are grown in the same location every year so the soil is loose and amended. Now if the weather doesn’t cooperate there is not much you can do about that. In the case of Calibrachoa I have found that they are best grown on the dry side and lean soil.

Here is another annual flower. While I have grown the blue form for many years this is the first year we grew the pink flowered one. It really looked nice while filling it’s space up.

Pink Fan Flower

Scaevola aemula

(skee-VO-luh)

“All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray.

I've been for a walk on a winter's day.”

Santa Monica Pier

White Zinnia

White Zinnia

Zinnia elegans

(ZIN-ya) (ELL-eh-ganz)

One of the benefits of our dry summer was good Zinnias. The foliage stayed remarkably clean with a very light spray schedule. The roses we grew were also strong blooming on huge canes. Both the roses and the cutting garden Zinnias were on drip irrigation which helps keep the diseases in check.

In my pack of mixed Zinnias this white beauty appeared. It seems to have been some sort of mistake as all the others in the flat were typical reds, yellows and oranges. We had a freeze warning last night but I don’t think it got as cold as they said. Isolated pockets of frost and freeze probably happened but it wasn’t general so the season rolls on for a few more days anyway.

Daylily Closeup

Daylily

Hemerocallis cv.

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

Despite one of the hottest and driest summers I can remember the Daylilies proved they are tough, hardy performers in the garden. Despite installing several new irrigation systems for clients this summer I don’t have one at my house so the Hemerocallis lived and bloomed on a little bit of hand watering and that's it.

With this kind of weather it is easy to see the faults and shortcomings of the irrigation systems at work. It is generally easy to put down too much water and that isn’t good for most ornamental shrubbery. It is also easy to see dry spots that are usually not apparent when nature cooperates with some rain. While we didn't go through anything like the drought out west our area is used to at least some summer rainfall and even the thundershowers didn't come this year. Lucky things are getting back to normal (ugh, just in time for winter) in the precipitation department and we were able to keep most everything we planted alive but I do know that plants sometimes show their drought damage several seasons down the road.

 Bonus foliage picture. These are some Nandina domestica leaves

Clematis

Clematis
Clematis triternata 'Rubromarginata'
(KLEM-uh-tiss) (try-tern-AH-tuh)
Synonyms: Clematis flammula var. rubromarginata

This is a slightly different twist on Clematis compared to the large flowered garden cultivars. It seems to make its mark by having a huge shower of smaller flowers. The vine is also more aggressive and larger growing. A good end of dormancy shearing will keep this plant in check and still provide good flowering. The group shot shows how pretty a big group of the flowers are.

Showy Medinilla

Showy Medinilla

Medinilla magnifica

(med-in-NIL-uh) (mag-NIH-fee-kuh)

This is a tender tropical plant native to the Philippines. It has slowly become available here in the Northeastern United States. It is usually in flower when offered. It can be used as a big container plant or a greenhouse plant. It doesn’t do great as a houseplant since it craves high humidity. The foliage is a great dark green with veins. It can be a little coarse looking but definitely adds a tropical flair.

Cattleya Orchids

Cattleya Orchids
(KAT-lee-yuh)

A couple of flowers from my favorite group of Orchids. It is hard to match the brilliant colors, aroma and stateliness of the Cattleyas. They can be slightly tricky to grow but in general they are not as fussy as some Orchids. Both of these Orchids have kind of an unusual color. The light purple was delicately shaded and the other flower reveled in its tropical color.

Today is pretty much a wash out here with 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. At least it's not snow. It is a really big storm that is pelting the island today.

Dwarf Spike Speedwell

Dwarf Spike Speedwell
Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'
(veh-RON-ih-ka) (spi-KAH-tuh)
Synonyms: ‘Glory’

One of the reasons I like this plant is it stays shorter and is less rampant then the other cultivars. It can really fill a bright, sunny, dry place very well. After blooming a light shearing will help clean up the look and give a nice uniform ground cover. This isn’t the best flower picture I have ever shot it does give that forest of blue look that this plant can give. It is really a lovely color.

Cactus Dahlia

Cactus Dahlia

Dahlia cultivar

(DAHL-ya)

Well the Dahlias are done for the year with the last couple of nights toasting them black. I don’t usually pull them out right after the frost because there are other gardening chores to be done. They can stay out another couple of weeks, if necessary, because we are right on the fringe of the area where they would be hardy. In my 30 plus years of gardening experience Dahlias have actually lived in the ground all winter here twice. Normally that takes a combination of conditions for that to happen including a very well drained planting site, warmer than usual weather conditions and a warm microclimate space in the garden. I don’t plan for that perfect storm to happen so I remove the tubers and put them in the root cellar for the winter, usually packed in peat moss.

This Cactus type was really beautiful in the garden this year and was producing nice flowers up until a couple of weeks ago. The tubers got mixed up this year so I don’t know the variety.

Wordless Wednesday: Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Wordless Wednesday

Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Showroom Condition

Three Sacred Lotus

 

Sacred Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera cultivars

(nee-LUM-bo) (noo-SIFF-er-uh)

This picture is from a summer trip down to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Lily Pool Terrace area is always a highlight for me. The long pools feature many different Lotus and Waterlily plants as well as a great fountain. There is also easy access to the Palm House and Garden Café. The long Perennial Borders flanking the side usually feature some interesting plants. On one side of pools there is a large featured border of annuals that is loaded with spring bulbs, very colorful!

Although the trip to the BBG is a little more difficult for us it always seems to be worth it. This was shot with Karen's D80 with an old style 24-70mm Nikon lens.

Wordless Wednesday - Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea

(boo-gan-VIL-lee-uh)

Boston Ivy Fall Color

Boston Ivy

Parthenocissus tricuspidata

(par-then-oh-KISS-us) (try-kusp-ee-DAY-tuh)

Synonyms: Japanese Creeper

Not a flower but Boston Ivy never fails to deliver in the fall color department. This is a plant that a lot of people find undesirable but here on Long Island it is a popular Estate plant that is used to cover both large and small masonry structures. It has taken me a little getting used to but it has won me over with its energetic growth in sometimes very tough areas. I personally don’t like to grow it on painted wood surfaces as it can degrade them fairly substantially. This picture was taken in Brooklyn.

This is a clinging vine that can grow without support. The roots secrete calcium carbonate on the adhesive pads and that allows it to stick to walls. Now one problem I used to have was the damage it caused removing the roots from surfaces but I have learned that by cutting the vines first so they die the process is much easier. There are several different types available now but I like the species for best growth. The gold form ‘Fenway Park’ is striking and a DNA match to the ivy on the walls of the ‘Green Monster’ at the ballpark.

Just to keep things honest here is a rose covered with dew. Roses are great this time of year as they bloom very late. I just keep deadheading them and hope for the best. Quite often there still some flowers and buds on the plants when they get heavily mulched and covered for the winter. I am not sure of this variety but it looks familiar can any one guess?

Yellow Garden Mum

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Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum 'Donna'

(kris-AN-the-mum) (gran-dih-FLOR-um)

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Synonym: Chrysanthemum x morifolium

Here are two Chrysanthemums that have been brightening up the landscape here. You may not realize it but when you go to the nursery or pick up a couple of mums at the supermarket you are practicing an age-old tradition dating back centuries. While the mum you plant may look like any other flower it is actually the product of years of scientific research and breeding work. ‘Donna’ is a bright yellow member of the Yoder brothers Prophets Series. It was introduced in 1991 and has shown remarkable staying power by keeping on the available varieties list that long. Most varieties are changed out every couple of years.

A new trend for my mums is the actual regrowth of them in the spring. Most of these mums have always been sold as “hardy” but failed to come back. The last couple of years, despite harsh winters, they have appeared in the spring. This is what I have learned about this process. I move the mums in early spring because they have been planted in our seasonal display areas. It is an easy job since they don’t really make a root system during the fall. I usually place them in the perennial border or in the rock garden for the rest of the year. Since we often plant a lot of mums at once in the fall a selection process takes place in the spring where we only take the healthiest and strongest plants for replanting. That way we don’t get overrun with any particular variety. If the plants warrant it division of the roots is okay at this time. A full sun area with adequate water is needed for placement. We usually pinch the mums several times during the season to promote bushiness and later flowering. A Chrysanthemum left to its own devices can bloom as early as July 4^th depending on the type (early, mid or late season).

This next picture shows an unknown name that has a different flower type. Chrysanthemums are broken down into 13 different classifications by flower shape.