GardenDesignOnline

Sensuous Garden Plants

William Cullina has certainly got it right:  In his new book, Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), he calls them "Serene and Sensuous Plants for the Garden."

Cullina, director of horticultural research at the New England Wildflower Society, says the biggest threat to native plants is "habitat loss due to human activity."  And if you're worried about the effect of temperature alone on some of your favorites, take a look at Cullina's projected plant hardiness zones in the year 2075:  Montana in zone 6?  Upper New York state in zone 7, as well as western Alaska???  Yes, it is quite frightening, and all the more reason to read this very informative and delightful book.

Cullina is one of the country's most appealing horticultural writers.  It's not only his vast knowledge about plants. I can't think of anyone else in the business today who writes so descriptively about plants.  The maidenhair fern, he says, has a "calming and electrifying" visual appearance ... "much like the view of of a frolicking city at night from a distance."

He compares Equisetum (Horsetail) to "aging rockers who trudge on wearily year after year singing the same tired hit that ... thrust them into the limelight 40 years ago."  And Climbing Fern (Lygodium palmatum) is "an enigma rapped in a riddle topped with a glaze of mystery."

For each plant group, Cullina starts with an introduction to the species, tells you about their anatomy and habitat, and how to grow them.  There are special sections as well on why certain plants thrive in soil derived from serpentine rock; types of lawn that can be established with native grasses; why evolution is difficult to study.

The book contains some 300 color photographs, many of which were taken by Cullina himself.  And believe me, the fern photos are some of the best I've ever seen -- a great guide for identification.

Cullina's previous books include Wildflowers; Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, and Understanding Orchids: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World's Most Exotic Plants.

He next book is entitled Understanding Perennials.

(click on image or links to purchase books)

Stepping Out

A couple of weeks ago, at the Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen's Trade Show (MANTS) in Baltimore, some of the hottest new plants on display were these low-growing groundcovers called "Stepables®."  Shown left is Hernaria glabra 'Seafoam' (Striped Rupturewort) -- I'd never heard of it, either -- but as a 4 to 12 inch high variegated creeper, I could certainly see it in planting beds, around the patio, or planted with bulbs.  It's got some  terrific recommendations:  it takes temperatures to minus 20 degrees F, pink-purple flowers, part shade to full sun, drought tolerant and deer resistant. That's hard to beat, and you can also use it on pathways because it will tolerate heavy foot traffic.

This plant was all over the show -- Leptinella x 'Platt's Black' (Black Brass Buttons).  It has almost black, ferny type foliage and yellow flowers in spring. It grows almost flat to the ground, takes dry soil conditions and part to full shade, and is hardy to zone 5.  So if you're looking for a groundcover with a different color and texture, this might just be the one. Here, it's shown planted with bulbs.

This is a very nice viola, too, Viola grypoceras exilis 'Sylettas.'  The green foliage is tinged with silver, and pinky-purple flowers bloom in late spring.  If you look closely, you'll see that this plant sort of looks like cyclamen.  It takes clay soil (perfect for those of us in the mid-Atlantic region), shade to part shade, and it's hardy to zone 6.  It'll also do well in dry shade and humid conditions. 

I wouldn't put violas in every garden.  I think they get lost in large ones, but I'd certainly opt for a few around a small townhouse patio or in an urban garden where they'd easily be noticed.

The thing I like about all of these "Stepables" is that they give you many other groundcover options.  It's easy to get sick of mazus, creeping thyme, vinca, pachysandra, and other ubiquitous plants, but now there are scores of new options.  One display at MANTS was showing 50 different types of these plants alone.   

You should be able to find them in any nursery, and the labels will tell you what kind of foot traffic they'll bear, as well as growing conditions.  It's a new lease on life for designers working with groundcovers.

(click on images for large view)

(all images: Stepables)

Global Warming Events

Jan 30 9AM EST  Webcast on Global Warming

Architecture 2030, a non-profit research organization involved in the effort to find practical solutions to climate change, is hosting a webcast called Face It on Jan 30th to help kick off FOCUS THE NATION, a nationwide teach-in on ways to combat global warming.

The  webcast builds on the organization's teach in last year, which focused on the role of design education in global warming.  Architecture 2030's founder, Edward Mazria, urges a global moratorium on the construction of any new conventional coal plants and a phase-out of existing coal plants by 2050.  In addition, he calls for a global initiative to require all new buildings and building renovations to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2010 and to be carbon neutral by 2030.

More than 1100 educational institutions are taking part in Focus the Nation events on January 31st, which are expected to draw millions of people across the country. It is the largest teach-in in US history, and its central challenge is to educate the country about the challenges ahead and possible solutions to address the problem.

Architecture 2030 is also unveiling two competitions during its Face It webcast, worth a total of $20,000 in prize money.  The two competitive categories are graphic design and video, but for more details, you'll have to tune in to the webcast.

New 08 Plants (IV)

Pinky Winky™ Hydrangea
(Hydrangea paniculata 'DVPpinky')
I planted one of these late last summer, and I can't wait to see the blooms this year. If it lives up to its PR, it should be a garden classic: 12-16 inch upright blooms (white, turning pink) on strong stems that prevent flopping; 6-8 feet at maturity; takes sun or part shade; and once established, it's drought-tolerant.  To Zone 4.  Developed by Dr. Johan Van Huylenbroeek at the Flemish DVP breeding station. As a hedge or a specimen, this paniculata would likely be terrific.  So let's see if it lives up to its promises.

Weigela florida 'Eyecatcher'

There's always room for another weigela, especially when they're small, like this one. It only reaches two feet in height, so yes, it would be perfect in a container, as in the photo.   With chartreuse leaves and dark red flowers, it would also fit well into tiny townhouse gardens, deck planters, or small backyard patios.  Weigela don't look like much after they flower, so the yellow-ish leaves are an added attraction. Zone 4, part sun is best, tolerant of most soils.  Developed by noted British plantsman David Tristram.

 

The Perfect Filler

Not Your Mother's Coleus

For the longest time, I couldn't tolerate coleus in my garden.  My mother always grew coleus and started zillions of them from cuttings that were placed all over the windowsills.  To me, they all looked the same, year after year, always that purple color, with the frilly colored edge.

In recent years, however, there's been a revolution in coleus growing, and if you haven't already succumbed to all the new varieties, you should definitely take another look.  In his new book Coleus: Rainbow Foliage for Containers and Gardens (Timber Press,  2008), author Ray Rogers illustrates why coleus is the perfect filler plant -- for indoors and outdoors, for containers and garden beds, for perfect combinations with many other plants.

One of my favorite coleus cultivars has a dark burgundy leaf with a chartreuse edge. In a container with the chartreuse sweet potato vine, or in a garden bed next to a gold-leafed hosta, they are absolutely stunning.  Rogers lists at least nine of these "red with green edge" coleus.  He lists 14 "red with yellow edge," others that are "mostly yellow," orange or green (and many other colors).  In addition, he notes the cultivars with lovely duckfoot, twisted, or elongated leaves.  Other new coleus have tiny leaves that contrast beautifully with larger-leafed types and trail over the edges of beds and containers.

Magnificent color photographs by Richard Hartlage illustrate exactly how coleus can complement a planting of red barberry, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum,' or be trained into a standard rising above a container full of geraniums.

These new types of coleus are not always easy to find, so you may have to seek them out at special nurseries or plant sales.  I always buy several different kinds at the annual plant sale at the US National Arboretum in Washington DC. If you haven't found a source in your neighborhood, this book is a terrific guide to all the new types of coleus on the market.  And it will open your mind to the great joy of an annual that's absolutely invaluable throughout the summer.

(click on image to purchase book)

Happenings February 2008

Feb 2-April 13  Annual Orchid Show, Washington DC
"An Alphabet Garden of Orchids," US Botanic Garden 202 2225-8333
Feb 2-March 16, Annual Orchid Show, St. Louis, MO
"Storybook Classics," MO Botanical Garden, 314-577-5100
Feb 2 Sustainability Symposium, Cleveland, OH
8:30AM-4:30 PM, "Linking Land to Lake," Cleveland Botanical Garden 216-207-2816
Feb 4-6 Landscape Design Studio I, Glenview, IL
Am. Academy of Landscape Design, 847-657-7900
Feb 6-8 New England Grows, Boston, MA
Horticultural Industry Trade Show,
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
Feb 9 "The Greening of the Garden," Atlanta, GA
8AM-3:30 PM, Symposium, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 404 876-5859 ext. 2558
Feb 9-March 9, Orchid Mania, Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Botanical Garden, "The Seductive Orchid," 216-207-2816
Feb 9 Designing Extraordinary Mixed Plantings, Kennett Square, PA
9AM-4PM Workshop with landscape architect & author Scott Scarfone, Longwood Gardens 610-388-1000 ext 559

Feb 9-24 "The Quiet Voice of Metal & Stone," Portland, OR
Portland Japanese Garden, Exhibition by sculptor Michihiro Kosuge 503-223-1321

Feb 12-13 Grading & Drainage I, Glenview, IL
Workshop, Am. Academy of Landscape Design 847-657-7900
Feb 14 "Colored-Leaf Plants in the Garden," Bronx, NY
10AM-12PM Lecture, NY Botanical Garden, Terra Nova Nurseries President Dan Heims 718-817-8747
Feb 14 "The Authentic Garden," Bronx, NY
10AM-12PM Lecture , NY Botanical Garden, Scott Arboretum director Claire Sawyers 718-817-8747
Feb 14 "Gardens of Kyoto," Wellesley, MA
7PM, Lecture by photographer Charles Mann, MA Hort Society 508-869-6111
Feb 14-15 Grading & Drainage II, Glenview, IL
Workshop, Am. Academy of Landscape Design 508-877-7630
Feb 14-17 6th NJ Flower & Garden Show, Edison, NJ
"The Entertaining Garden," NJ Convention Center (800) 332-3976
Feb 15 Conifer Symposium, Athens, GA
9AM-3PM, State Botanical Garden, U-GA, Callaway Bldg. 706-542-6156
Feb 15-17 Yard, Garden & Patio Show, Portland OR
Oregon Convention Center 503 682-5089 or 800-342-6401
Feb 16 "Color Your Garden, Nurture Your Soul," Stockbridge, MA
2PM-4PM, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Lecture by Timothy Walker, Director of Oxford University Botanic Garden in Britain 413-298-3926
Feb 20-24 Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle, WA
Washington State Convention Center (206) 789-5333
Feb 21 8th Land Ethics Symposium, Langhorne, PA
"Creative Approaches to Ecological Landscaping," (215) 862-2924
Feb 21 "China & Global Plant Conservation," Swarthmore, PA
12PM Lecture, Lang Performing Arts Center Cinema, Swarthmore College  610-328-8025
Feb 21-24,  27th Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, Hartford, CT.
CT Convention Center, 860-844-8461
Feb 21-24 Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show  Providence, RI
RI Convention Center, 15th Annual Show, "Fairy Tales" 401-272-0980
Feb 22  Annual Green Matters Symposium, Wheaton, MD
8:30AM-4:30PM, Brookside Gardens, "Sustainable Landscapes."  (301) 962-1470
Feb 22-24, 17th Annual Flower & Garden Show, Little Rock, AR
Statehouse Convention Center, 501-821-4000
Feb 23,  2nd Annual Design Workshop, Baltimore, MD
8:30-4PM, Perennial Design & Care with author Tracy DiSabato-Aust, Horticultural Society of MD, Sheppard Pratt Conference Center 410-821-5561
Feb 23, Native Plant Spring Symposium, Austin, TX
8AM-5PM, "Habitat Conservation, Citizen by Citizen, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 512-232-0100
Feb 28 "Serene & Sensuous Plants," Wellesley, MA
7PM, Lecture  by William Cullina, Director of Horticulture for the N.England Wildflower Society, MA Hort Society 508-877-7630
Feb 28-March 2, "Orchids Gone Wild," San Francisco, CA
62nd annual Pacific orchid exhibition, SF Orchid Society, Fort Mason's Festival Pavilion 650-548-6700
Feb 29 "Hardy Terrestrial Orchids," Northampton, MA
7:30 PM, Lecture by William Mathis, Carroll Room, Campus Center, Botanic Garden of Smith College 413-585-2740
Note: Lecture Opens Spring Bulb Show March 1-16, Lyman Conservatory

LOOKAHEAD:

March 2-9, Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, PA
"All That Jazz," PA Convention Center (215) 988-8899
March 6-8 Annual Conference, Ecological Landscape Assn, Springfield, MA
Mass Mutual Center, "Re-visioning the Landscape." (617) 436-5838
March 8-16, 14th Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, Rosemont, IL
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (773) 435-1250
March 12-16 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, San Francisco, CA
Cow Palace, "Make Life Beautiful." (206) 789-5333
March 12-16 Canada Blooms, Toronto, CA
Annual Flower & Garden Festival

images: US Botanic Garden, Portland Japanese Garden

Garden Trip to Ireland

The Great Gardens of Ireland

I have to admit that I'm not nearly as familiar with gardens in Ireland as those in Britain.  But there are several that should be just as well-known, and you can visit them on this summer trip.

Landscape Architect & Professor Robert McDuffie of Virginia Tech leads this 13-day trip that actually begins in Belfast at Butterstream, also known as the Irish Sissinghurst. While in the north, you'll also see the Botanic Gardens, and two National Trust properties, Mt. Stewart and Rowallane, which includes the national collection of penstemons.

On to Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, the world-famous gardens at Annes Grove in County Cork, the amazing Bay Garden created by Francis and Iain McDonald, and finally, Helen Dillon's garden.  Helen is perhaps Ireland's most well-known garden writer, who recently published a book in the United States, Down to Earth with Helen Dillon.

For more info on the trip itinerary, click on "Gardens of Ireland" at the top of this post.

In the Magazines Jan 08

The American Gardener Jan/Feb 08

• New plants for 2008, including trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. My favorites among them: Autumn Embers™ witchhazel, 'Floating Cloud' redbud and 'Chocolate Mint' coleus. Check out many others.
• Marvin Snyder's conifer collection in Overland Park, Kansas
• Designing walkways with cottage-garden borders
• Heirloom tomatoes

Garden Design Jan/Feb 08

• Piet Oudolf's re-vamped garden at home in the Netherlands
• The organic sculptures of Belgium's Daniel Ost, the world's leading florist
• An American prairie garden in Germany
• Peekaboo garden furniture

Horticulture Feb/March 08

• New daisies of all colors
• Profile of Joy Creek Nursery & gardens in Oregon
• Striking combinations for containers
• Profile of plant collector Nickolas Nickou of Branford, CT.
• How to force species tulips
• Designing with flowering tobacco plants

New Lily Look-Alike

Alstroemeria x 'Mauve Majesty'

Cornell University has just patented this new Inca lily hybrid which will last for about two weeks in a vase and bloom throughout the summer and autumn in northern states until the first hard freeze.

Mauve Majesty was developed by professor Mark Bridgen, director of the Dept of Horticulture's Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center.  It's the first ornamental plant ever patented by Cornell.  The flower is not fragrant, but it has an unusual lavender-lilac color with dark speckles and a yellow throat. (click on the image for a larger view). It's widely available through nurseries and mail-order catalogs.

According to Bridgen, 'Mauve Majesty' is different than other Inca lilies because "it was bred for the garden, not as a commercial greenhouse cut flower plant."  He added that the plant  still makes excellent cut flowers, "but this is a beautiful herbaceous perennial plant for the garden that is winter hardy."  Bridgen also said that alstroemeria is the fifth most popular cut flower in the United States and is often found in arrangements in hotel lobbies and restaurants because the flowers don't wilt for up to two weeks.

'Mauve Majesty' is hardy to zone 6 and can be grown in coastal areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, northern New Jersey, and in much of the Midwest.  It will also survive in many parts of zone 5, so it's sure to be a real winner.

Alstroemeria is actually a rhizome with storage roots, and it grows best in full sun except in the deep south, where it benefits from afternoon shade.  In cold areas, it needs good drainage for the winter and lots of fertilizer in the summer months.

Prior to 'Mauve Majesty,' Bridgen patented 'Sweet Laura,' the only Inca lily that's fragrant, as well as 'Liberty', 'Freedom', 'Redcoat', and 'Patriot'.  Yet to come is a soft pink hybrid that he says will work as a potted plant on the patio.  He's also working on peach-colored cultivars, an orange one, too, and a few others that have spectacular fragrance.  So stay tuned.

image: Cornell University

Seeding Around

I picked up the current issue of Horticulture (which hasn't yet arrived at my house) at the MANTS trade show (Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen) in Baltimore last week.  And one of the articles is about plants that experts LOVE to grow from seed.  One of them, pictured here, is the 'Black Pearl' ornamental pepper, which could easily be used as a summer edging plant.   

I used to be a seed person myself, with the fluorescent light rig in the basement, seed trays, and all kinds of other paraphernalia.  I did manage to get going some pretty successful tomato and pepper plants, but wow -- what bad luck I had with all the flowers.  I couldn't get a sweet pea going to save my life, nor a petunia nor a daisy.

I did, however, have OK luck with sowing seed directly into the ground where I wanted the plants.  The zinnias and cosmos came up, along with a few nasturtiums.  My biggest mistake, which I highly regret, was planting morning glories.  I'd seen a photo in a book about Sissinghurst in which Vita Sackville West had woven blue morning glories over a small table-like structure to give her a "box" covered with blooming vines.  I never quite managed the technique, but yes, the blue color was stunning.  And now, I still have the darn things coming up everywhere all over my garden, and I spend hour upon hour pulling them out every summer.  What a nuisance! I do, however, love my pure white dame's rocket that I planted in the garden around the same time and that seeds around not quite so prolifically.  There's simply nothing like a huge mass of it to brighten up a dark corner on a spring evening.  And when it pops up in another location, it usually adds some height and interest that is not in any way objectionable.

So my recommendation is to try growing some of the Horticulture recommendations directly in the ground ... but do a little research before you plant to find out how these plants grow and what they're likely to do once they're established in the garden.

(image: ARS/USDA)