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Labor Day Rose

I like to put up rose pictures on holidays ... of namesake roses for the special day. Well, no surprise here ... but maybe you rose growers ought to take notice.  There's no such thing, as far as I know, as a 'Labor Day' rose.  But there are a lot of what I'd call "workhorse" roses.

 'Knockout,' a 2000 All-America Rose Selections  Winner, has been around for some time now, but it truly is a workhorse in the garden, blooming from May until frost. And it now comes in a variety of colors, from pale to deep pink, yellow, white, and probably more. If deadheaded regularly, this rose just keeps on coming.

Since Knockout's appearance, there are some other "workhouse" roses that certainly merit consideration.

The HomeRun rose, introduced by Weeks Roses, now comes in pink (watercolors) and red, and it's another disease-resistant, non-stop bloomer.  I had this rose in my own garden, and I love it because it provide color all season long.  BUT -- do not deadhead this rose if you want it to keep blooming ... it does best if you leave it alone.

Finally, consider the Drift Rose -- introduced by Conard-Pyle, and it, too, is another workhorse.  It's a great groundcover that keeps on coming ... this one is Apricot Drift, but it comes in a wide array of colors, from pale pink to red, as well as peach, coral, and even white.

None of these roses are known for fragrance, but who needs scent when you're looking for disease resistance along with steady color. 

(photo: AARS)

Happenings September 2023

Selected Events Around the Country:

Exhibitions:

Thru Oct 15, Chihuly in the Garden, St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden
Thru Sept 17, Artist Ebony G. Patterson, Bronx, NY
Art & Nature: sculptures, horticultural displays & more, NY Botanical Garden

Events:

Sept 1, 40th Succulent Plant Symposium, San Marino, CA
9am-5pm, The Huntington, lectures & plant sale

Sept 8-10, What's Out There Weekend, Cleveland, OH
Tours of Parks, Gardens, Plazas, neighborhoods, and much more. TCLF
Sept 9, Garden Dialogues, Weekapaug, RI
2-3:30pm, Talk & Tour, Oceanfront House, TCLF
Sept 9-10 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CO, CT, NJ, NY
CO: Larimer Cty; CT: New Canaan, Litchfield, New Haven Ctys; NJ: Essex, Somerset Ctys; NY: Nassau, Suffolk, Ulster, Westchester Ctys.
Sept 9, "Uncommon Plants for Home Gardens," Stone Ridge, NY
10am-noon, Talk & Tour, Hortus Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Garden Conservancy
Sept 9, "High Plains Prairie Garden," Fort Collins, CO
5:30pm-7:30pm Talk & Tour, Gardens on Spring Creek, Garden Conservancy
Sept 9, "Changing Seasons, Sleepy Cat Farm," Greenwich, CT
4pm-6pm, Talk & Tour, Sleepy Cat Farm, Garden Conservancy
Sept 9, "Land Trusts: Preserving Open Spaces," North Salem, NY
10am-noon, Talk & Tour, Baxter Preserve, Garden Conservancy

Sept 13-15, Urban Tree Summit, ONLINE and DC Area
12th Annual Summit, Lectures, Tours and more.
Sept 14, "The Politics of Plants," Boston, MA
7-8:30pm, LA Conversation, Calderwood Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Sept 16, Garden Dialogues, Salem, MA
11am-12:30pm, Garden Talk & Tour, Peabody Essex Museum, TCLF

Sept 20-21, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA
Sept 21, Climate Week Symposium, Bronx, NY
9:30am-noon, "Cultivating Resilience," NY Botanical Garden
Sept 21, Sissinghurst Through the Seasons, ONLINE
2pm EST, Fall Episode, Garden Conservancy
Sept 23, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NH, NY
NH: Monadonock Region; NY: Dutchess Cty.
Sept 23, "Discovering Blithewood," Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
1-2pm and 3-4pm, Talk & Tour Blithewood Garden & Arboretum, Garden Conservancy

Sept 28-29, Restoration to Garden Workshop, Boylston, MA
9am-4:30pm, "Plants and Wildlife New England Style," NDAL
Tower Hill Botanical Garden
Sept 28-30, America in Bloom Symposium, Spartanburg & Greenwood, SC
Lectures, Tours, More
Sept 29-30, Garden Futures Summit, Bronx, NY
"How Gardens are Changing the Future."
Lectures, NYC Garden Tours, NY Botanical Garden &
The Garden Conservancy
Sept 30, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: Westchester Cty, NY
Sept 30-Oct 1, What's Out There Weekend, Rhinebeck, NY
Tours of Parks, Estates, Neighborhoods, Campuses

LOOKAHEAD:

October 5, Mega-Eco Symposium, Philadelphia, PA
10am-6pm, Symposium on Very Large-Scale Landscape Projects
Penn Design, Meyerson Hall
Oct 20, Perennial Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA
Scott Arboretum
Oct 26, Ecological Landscape Alliance, Season's End Summit, Boylston, MA
8:30am-5:30pm EDT, In person, Tower Hill Botanical Garden or ONLINE.
Oct 27-30, ASLA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Books: Botany, Potted Edibles

Recently, at the local farmer's market, I bought some mini tomatoes just about the size of blueberries... some of the best-tasting tomatoes I've encountered.  So it made me think I should try growing some edibles in containers on my balcony once again.  I've had luck with herbs, but everything else has been a disaster.

Now, excellent advice in this new book  (Cool Springs Press, 2023) by Pam Farley, whose website is BrownThumbMama.com.  Farley surmises that you haven't tried container food gardening in the past, so she takes you through the process for success step-by-step: container size and materials, soil, planting, watering, and much more.

Best of all, there are planting guides for vegetables, fruits and herbs that tell you everything you need to know to grow your crop successfully.

Maybe I'll just give those tiny tomatoes a try next spring.

 

I already have a couple of books on this subject, but this book,  A Gardener's Guide to Botany (Cool Springs Press, 2023) by botanist Scott Zona, is surely one of the very best.  The photos and drawings that accompany the text explain the sometimes difficult plant concepts in perfect detail, and the botanical tips throughout the book are worth the price of it alone. If you've been stumped about tendrils and stipules, xylem and phloem, girdling and grafting macro- and micro-nutrients, then this is the book for you.

And best of all, the writing is clear and concise so that you'll understand everything that might have seemed difficult in the past.

 

 

 

Commissions earned on sales.

Happenings August 2023

Selected Events Around the Country:

Exhibitions:

Thru Oct 15, Chihuly in the Garden, St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden
Thru Sept 17, Artist Ebony G. Patterson, Bronx, NY
Art & Nature: sculptures, horticultural displays & more, NY Botanical Garden

Events:

August 1-5, Garden Communicators Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN
Aug 5, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: IL, NJ, NY, WA
IL: Dupage Cty; NJ: Hunterdon Cty; NY: Sullivan Cty; WA: Kitsap Cty

Aug 10, Ecology-Based Landscape Practice, Madison, WI
9am-4:30pm, NDAL, Darrel Morrison, Larry Weaner & others
Madison Arboretum
August 11-12, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC
Aug 12-13, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: ME, NY, NJ
ME: York Cty; NJ: Bergen Cty; NY: Ulster, Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady Ctys
Aug 12, Habitat Gardens in the Catskills, Tannersville, NY
4-6pm, Lecture & Tour, Mountain Top Arboretum, Garden Conservancy

Aug 13, Garden Dialogues, Amagansett, NY
11am-12:30pm, Talk & Tour, TCLF
Eric Groft, CEO,  Oehme van Sweden
Aug 15, Ecology-Based Landscape Practice, Potomac, MD
9am-4:30pm, Glenstone Museum, NDAL, Larry Weaner & others
Aug 19-20, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, OH, WI
CT: Fairfield, Litchfield Cty; OH: Portage Cty; WI: Milwaukee Cty
Aug 19, The Magic of Greenfire Woods, River Hills, WI
10am-Noon or 2-4pm, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy
Aug 19, Garden & the Wilderness, West Cornwall, CT
10am-noon, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy

August 23-25, FarWest Show, Portland, OR
Aug 26, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CO, CT
CO: Denver Metro; CT: Fairfield Cty

LOOKAHEAD:

Sept 20-21, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA
Sept 28-30, America in Bloom Symposium, Spartanburg & Greenwood, SC
Lectures, Tours, More
Sept 29-30, Garden Futures Summit, Bronx, NY
"How Gardens are Changing the Future."
Lectures, NYC Garden Tours, NY Botanical Garden &
The Garden Conservancy

Oct 20, Perennial Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA
Scott Arboretum
Oct 27-30, ASLA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

 

Books: Roses, Bloom Colors

If you love roses, as I do, then you definitely want to have a copy of this book, The Color of Roses, close by. (Ten Speed Press, 2023). Author Danielle Dall'Armi Hahn, owner of Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, CA, profiles 300 different roses in brilliant color.

There are close-up photos of each rose bloom (by photographer Victoria Pearson), along with a brief description of the kind of rose, size, fragrance, and breeder. The book is divided by rose colors, so if you're looking for an easy-to-grow white or apricot or pink rose, you can easily find the cultivars you'd like to consider.

In the introduction, Hahn says the book is "a reference and color guide for those choosing plants for their gardens, designing for a special event, planning for home floral arrangements, or simply dreaming about a future full of roses." She simply takes the mystery out of growing and using roses to best advantage.

While some of her recommendations will be familiar, there will be many others that will be new to you, all roses you'll want to try in your own garden, on your balcony, or simply to find for an arrangement.  Roses are special for so many occasions -- and the ones you'll want are all in this book.

Commissions earned.

Happenings July 2023

Selected Events Around the Country:

Exhibitions:

Thru Oct 15, Chihuly in the Garden, St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden
Thru Sept 17, Artist Ebony G. Patterson, Bronx, NY
Art & Nature: sculptures, horticultural displays & more, NY Botanical Garden

Events:

July 7-16, Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, Various Locations
July 8, Designing with Tropical Plants, Mattituck, NY
10-11:30am, Tour and Lecture, Garden Conservancy
July 8-9 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, CO, OH, MA, NJ, NY
CT: Hartford Cty; CO, Routt Cty; OH, Portage Cty; MA, Berkshire Cty; NJ, Monmouth Cty; NY, Suffolk Cty

July 12-15, National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Knoxville, TN
July 14, Woody Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA
9am-5pm, Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College
July 15, Ecological Gardening as if Survival Mattered, Solvay, NY
1pm-3pm, Lecture and Tour, The Gardens at 404, Garden Conservancy
July 15, Hillside Gardening Solutions, Ithaca, NY
10am-noon, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy
July 15, Garden Dialogue, Denver, CO
10-11:30am, Talk & Tour, TCLF, Elizabeth St. Garden
July 15-16, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, MA, NY, RI
CT, Windham Cty; MA, Berkshire Cty; NY, Tompkins, Westchester Cty; RI, Newport Cty.

July 22, Gardening Against the Grain, Point Pleasant, PA
4pm-6pm, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy
July 22-23, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: ME, NJ, PA
ME, York Cty; NJ, Hunterdon Cty; PA, Bucks Cty.

July 24-28, Perennial Plant Association Conference, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Annual National Symposium.  Lectures, Tours, More.
July 29, Shabby Chic Maintenance, Millbrook, NY
10am-noon, Lecture & tour, Lithgow Cottage Farm, Garden Conservancy
July 29-30, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, MA, NY
CT, Litchfield Cty; MA, Berkshire Cty; NY, Dutchess, Columbia Cty
July 30, Behind the Scenes at Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
4pm-6pm, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy

 

LOOKAHEAD:

August 1-5, Garden Communicators Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN
August 11-12, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC
August 23-25, FarWest Show, Portland, OR

Sept 9, Garden Study Weekend, Washington, CT
Sept 20-21, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA

Oct 27-30, ASLA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Happenings June 2023

Selected Events Around the Country:

Exhibitions:

Thru Oct 15, Chihuly in the Garden, St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden
Thru Sept 17, Artist Ebony G. Patterson, Bronx, NY
Art & Nature: sculptures, horticultural displays & more, NY Botanical Garden

Events:

June 3, "Ashes to a Garden Haven," Kenwood, CA
1pm-3pm, Garden Conservancy, Lecture & tour
homeowners and garden designer Keeyla Meadows
June 3, "Naturalistic Edible Landscape," Boiceville, NY
4-6pm, Lecture & Tour, Garden Conservancy, Brunel Sculpture Gdn
June 3-4 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours:
CA, CT, MA, MO, NJ, NY, SC, VT
See website for exact loctions.

June 4, "Building a Japanese Garden," Roxbury, CT
10am-noon, Lecture & tour, Garden Conservancy
June 8, Sissinghurst in Summer, Garden Conservancy ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Lecture, Head Gardener Troy Scott Smith
June 10-11, Landscape Pleasures Symposium, Watermill, NY
Parrish Art Museum, Symposium & Garden Tours|
Speakers include Rebecca McMakin, Raymond Jungles, Charles Birnbaum
June 10-11, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours:
CA, CT, MA, NY, RI, WA
See website for exact locations

June 10, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Brooklyn, NY
10:30-noon, Talk & Tour, Amant
Nancy Seaton, Future Green Studio
June 10, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Southampton, NY
2-3:30pm, private residence, Talk & Tour
J. Brian Sawyer, FASLA
June 10, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Rye, NY
2-3:30pm, Talk & Tour, Jay Heritage Center
Mark Streiter, NBW
June 10, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Santa Barbara, CA
3-4:30pm, Talk & Tour, private residence
Nord Eriksson, ASLA, EPTDESIGN

June 11, TCLF Garden Dialogue, St. Helena, CA
3-4pm, Talk & Tour, Faust Winery
James Lord & Roderick Wyllie, Surfacedesign

June 17, South End Garden Tour, Boston, MA
10am-2:30pm, Self-guided, timed tickets -- don't miss it!
June 17, "Garden as a Unifying Force," Bridgehampton,  NY
10am-noon, Garden Conservancy, Lecture & Tour, Villa des Amis
June 17, "Garden Rooms," Westminster West, VT
3-5pm, Garden Conservancy Lecture & Tour, designer Gordon Hayward
June 17, "Gardening for the Birds," Falls Village, CT
4-6pm, Garden Conservancy, Lecture & Tour, author Page Dickey
June 17, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours:
CT, NH, NJ, NY,VT
See website for exact locations

June 17, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Geyserville, CA
10-11am, Talk & Tour, Cyrus Restaurant,
Andrea Cochran, FASLA
June 17, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Charlottesville, VA
9:30-11am, Talk & Tour, Liberty Hall
Mary Wolf & Paul Josey, Wolf Josey LA
June 18, TCLF Garden Dialogue, North Garden, VA
10:30am -12:30pm, Talk & Tour, Stillmeadow
Ann Boeschenstein, Grounded LA
June 23-25, Newport Flower Show, Newport, RI
"The Grand Tour," Floral Designs, Lectures, More.

June 24, Rockport Garden Tour, Rockport, MA
"Our Seaside Gardens," Tour of private gardens.
June 24, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours:
ME, NH, NJ, NY, WA, WI
See website for exact locations
June 24, TCLF Garden Dialogue, Bronxville, NY
11am-12:30pm, Talk & Tour, private residence
Renee Byers, Renee Byers LA

LOOKAHEAD:

July 7-16, Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, Various Locations
July 12-15, National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Knoxville, TN

August 11-12, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC

Sept 9, Garden Study Weekend, Washington, CT
Sept 20-21, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA

Oct 27-30, ASLA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Dying Beech Trees

image: Mary Pitts/Holden Forests and Gardens

It was first noticed in Ohio in 2012, but a disease that's ravaging beech trees -- both American and European cultivars -- is now spreading in the Midwest, throughout New England, and also into some of the mid-Atlantic states. Called Beech Leaf Disease, it's caused by a foliar nematode. a microscopic worm.  In spring, affected trees sport leaves with noticable dark bands and buds that fall off.  The leaves eventually wither and die, and the trees themselves succumb within several years. 

Scientists have not yet found an effective treatment to combat the disease, and it is spreading rapidly, attacking both saplings and mature trees. If you notice beech trees in your neighborhood that appear to be struggling, report it immediately to your state's forest service.

Memorial Day Rose

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

And what better way to celebrate than with a Memorial Day  Rose? This orchid pink hybrid tea was an All-America Rose Selections  winner in 2004. One bloom is said to be enough to fill an entire room with its strong damask scent.  It's a medium-tall, upright shrub, about five feet tall and four feet wide. Long stems, low thorns, and clear green leaves make it a good candidate for the cutting garden.  The blooms are about five inches in diameter, with a petal count of 50-plus.

In addition, it's said to have very good disease resistance and it's also quite heat-tolerant.

This rose was developed by Tom Carruth, then of Weeks Roses of Upland, CA. Memorial Day is a cross between Blueberry Hill and New Zealand, and it was Carruth's fifth AARS winner.

You should be able to buy the rose at most garden centers or from mail-order sources.  If not, you can check Weeks website by clicking on the link above to find a nursery that carries it. 

(photo: Gene Sasse (c) 2007 courtesy Weeks Roses)

 

Happenings May 2023 Update

EVENTS:

May 15, "Connecticut Gardens," Garden Conservancy Webinar, ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Author Caryn Davis profiles 44 Gardens.

May 20, Garden Dialogues, TCLF, Washington DC
10-11:30am, Tour & Talk, LA Jay Graham of Moody Graham