GardenDesignOnline

Books: Flowers, Flowers & More

This beautifully illustrated book by British garden historian Advolly Richmond takes us through the stories of more than 50 classic blooms that shape many gardens today.  In A Short History of Flowers (Quarto Publishing PLC, 2024), she brings us tales of intrigue, romance, boom and bust economic cycles, piracy, and much, much more. 

As Richmond notes in the Introduction, "The diversity in our garden flowers is a celebration of the endeavors and, in some cases, sacrifices of the people who located and recorded them." 

Who would've thought that the common hollyhock (Alcea rosea or Althaea rosea), a staple in many cottage gardens, is linked with the wife of King Edward I (Queen Eleanor, 1241-90), who is said to have brought it back from the Holy Land, where they found it during the Crusades. By the 15th century, the plant was a common sight in English gardens, as it is today. 

And, did you know that Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) was the favorite flower of French fashion designer Christian Dior? It grows wild in most parts of Europe, and was once called 'mugget' from the French 'muguet'. The French celebrate ily of the valley day on May 1st, a tradition dating back to King Charles IX.  Dior often wore the flower in his buttonhole, and it inspired many of his designs, as well as perfume Diorisssimo.  When he died in 1957, his coffin was covered with lily of the valley. 

Each entry in the book is accompanied by the artwork of botanical illustrator Sara Jane Humphrey, and her illustrations will make you treasure this book forever. 

 

And so what to do with all those beautiful blooms? In The Fragrant Flower Garden (Ten Speed Press, 2024), authors and designers Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis show you how to use the scented blooms that you can harvest from the trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, annuals and vines that grow in your garden.  They outline which ones are best for sun and shade, which ones are fragrant during the day and the night, which ones are best for screening, climbing, ground covers and more.  

The authors profile their favorite scented plants, and each entry includes growing instructions, how to the use the plants , ie, in landscapes, containers, cut flower gardens, etc., and each one includes a description of the aroma:  lemony, tangy, almond, floral, spicy -- you name it.  But the descriptions will help you decide which plants you want in your garden, along with myriad ways to use them. 

 

 

Birds and flowers definitely go together, and you'll find the answers to all your questions in  Bird Friendly Gardening (Cool Springs Press, 2024) by writer and photographer Jen McGuinness. 

Jen clues you in to which birds are attracted to which blooms, requirements for the plants, and requirements to foster a bird-friendly environment. 

There are garden plans in the book for balconies and patios, small, medium, and large-space landscapes, and even a deer-resistant garden.  Illustrative photos and drawings throughout will help you plan every aspect of a garden filled with flowers and birds. 

 

 

Easter Rose -- Happy Easter

Easter Basket Rose
(Rosa 'Meipoten')

A lovely rose for Easter ... Easter Basket from Star Roses.  This floribunda was hybridized by Meilland in 2007, and it's a continuous bloomer. The semi-double ruffled flowers are yellow, edged with pink, giving them a very old fashioned look, but they only have a slight fragrance.   The foliage is medium green, and blooms are on a medium height, bushy shrub. 

A nice spring plant that would make a lovely low hedge or it could be used as an accent plant in the border.  Nice color, as well, for Easter.

 

Books: Flowers & More Flowers

There's always room for flowers in any garden, even if the one you have is tiny.  The answer is flowers in pots, and British author and gardener Arthur Parkinson will show you the way.

In his new book, The Flower Yard in Containers and Pots, (Rizzoli, 2024), he shows you that you can have a luscious garden on a small front porch, a doorstep, a roof or a balcony if you don't have enough room elsewhere. 

As he says in the introduction, the book isn't so much a guide for growing, but it "highlights the plants that I have found will grow well in pots, those that have attributes of clout and glamour, traits that -- especially in small gardens -- are really needed when space is at a premium. 

In the beginning chapters, Parkinson what containers can be used for planting; materials you'll need; what plants to avoid; and which ones will provide shelter, food, and all kinds of wildlife. 

The book then divides into seasons -- with a showcase of which plants to grow, plus the when and how. Yes, you can grow bulbs, roses, and figs in pots, as well as herbs, and climbers, all kinds of flowers, and in winter -- even crabapples. 

And in the back, there's a very useful list of mail-order suppliers of bulbs, plants, seeds, pots and much more. If you didn't think you had room for a garden, Parkinson will prove you wrong. 

 

If you're looking for an easy way to acquire flowers for all those lovely arrangements, look no further than The Cut Flower Handbook (Quarto Publishing Group, 2024) by Lisa Ziegler, author and owner of the Gardener's Workshop, a small farm where she grows amazing blooms. 

She explains how to locate a cutting garden, then how to plant, grow, and harvest the best flowers for ravishing designs. There are profiles of 50 of Lisa's favorite cut flowers, each with growing facts and tips, as well as beautiful photos of each. 

In the back of the book, you'll find a page with suggestions for irrigation supplies and tutorials; plugs and plants; seeds; and equipment for garden and cut-flower supplies. 

And for more info, visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com for videos, online classes, podcasts and more. 

Commissions earned on book sales. 

Philadelphia Flower Show 2024

Philadelphia Flower Show
March 2-10, Philadelphia Convention Center

click images to enlarge

It's going to be flowers, flowers, flowers at this year's show, with the theme, "United by Flowers."

You'll enter the show through a bloom-filled garden that features the largest body of water ever created for the entrance display, with spectacular floral sculptures emerging from a glass-like center.  The garden connects the water to the "sky" above, reminiscent of a tropical sunset.

PHS VP and Creative Director Seth Pearsoll explained the show's overall theme: "In a world where loneliness has become an epidemic, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show brings people together to connect over their shared love of gardening and floral beauty.  It is a place where magic happens, and where people from all walks of life come together as one."

This year's landscape design exhibits include Apiary Studio, a firm that specializes in unusual materials and designs, the adaptive re-use of urban decay, and hardy plants to create gardens and outdoor spaces that are certainly dynamic and break from the usual mode. 

Among the other designers is Kelly D. Norris, one of the country's leading horticulturists.  He's an award-winning author and plantsman, and his latest book, "New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden", was named as one of the top 10 books of 2021 by the AHS. 

Other exhibits include the Kids' Cocoon, where young guests can plant seedlings, read stories, and participate in other activities, with hourly programming from 10 am - 7pm every day, with the exception of Sunday March 10th. 

There will also be many other events, including an after-hours dance party, tours led by professional horticulturists, early morning tours, guided photo tours, and Fido Friday, when you can bring along your dogs.

Don't miss this year's show ... it promises a spectacular experience.  

New Plants 2024

just a few of the new 2024 plants from Spring Meadow Nursery:

photos: Spring Meadow, click to enlarge

Abelia Brilliantina™
(Abelia x grandiflora 'KEYFLY')

If you've tried abelias before and were unimpressed with their sometimes untidy habit, then you might want to plant this new one.  It has a dense, neat habit, at a height of about 3-4 feet, a width of around 3-5 feet, and scented white blooms in summer that also attract pollinators. 

 

 Double White Just Chill™ Camellia
(Camellia 'FARROWCJWD')

This fall-blooming pure white camellia joins Just Chill Red Tip and Just Chill Double Mauve with large blooms and thick evergreen foliage.  The flowers appear mid-fall into winter, with a height of 5-8 feet and width of 3-5 feet. It needs full to part sun and is hardy in Zones 7 (6b with protection) to 9, although Spring Meadow says it's survived very well in their West Michigan trial gardens. Bred by MIke Farrow, it's also deer resistant and heat tolerant.

Bigleaf Hydrangea Wee Bit Innocent™
(Hydrangea macrophylla 'SMNHMC')

With big, showy flowers in shades of pink or blue, this hydrangea blooms in summer and then again sports some flowers in late summer and fall.  It's said to have florist-quality blooms along with outstanding performance in the landscape. It takes full to part sun in Zones 5-9 with a height of just two feet and a slightly larger width.  It's compact and disease resistant, and can be planted in clay or alkaline soil.

Yardline™ Viburnum
(Viburnum x 'NCVX5')

This evergreen viburnum is truly a winner, because of its tall, narrow habit at 6-12 feet high and a width of just 3-4 feet.  Its white flowers bloom in spring, and it can used almost anywhere in the garden.  Try it as a specimen, a hedge, in containers, or grouped throughout the landscape.  Bred by Dr. Tom Ranney in North Carolina, it's also drought tolerant once established and free of pests and diseases.  Zones 7-10, it does best in full sun.

Check the Spring Meadow online catalogue for all of the new introductions.

PHS Gold Medal Plants 2024

Here are the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's 2024 Gold Medal Plants.  These are considered exceptional plants for mid-Atlantic gardens, although they'll grow just fine in many other locations.

photo courtesy PHS

Sugar Shack® Buttonbush
(Cephalanthus occidentalis "SMCOSS')

Unlike the usual buttonbush, this cultivar is much smaller and has a compact habit, so it's great for smaller gardens.  It has fragrant, globe-shaped flowers in spring, and bright green, glossy foliage that turns burgundy in fall -- and that's followed by bright red fruits. 

Spring Meadow Nursery

Approximate size is 48-60 inches high with a similar width.  It's often used in rain gardens and prefers moist to wet soils in full sun to part shade. It also attracts a variety of pollinators and is hardy in Zones 4-8.  So what's not to like about this plant!

 

 

 

Magnolia 'Genie'
If you've always wanted a flowering magnolia but didn't have room for one, this tree is the one for you.  At just 10-13 feet high and five feet wide, it would be perfect as a front yard specimen or tucked into a border anywhere else in the garden.  It has deep red to purple scented flowers that repeat bloom through the growing season, it's resistant to diseases and pests, and it's tolerant to both heat and cold.  An additional attribute is that it can be grown in an extra-large container, so it would easily grace a front porch,l a deck or patio. Bred by New Zealand plantsman Vance Hooper from cultivars of M. soulangeana and M. lilliflora.  Hardy in Zones 5-8.

Illicium 'Woodland Ruby'
(Florida Anise Tree)
City dwellers in Zones 6-9 might want to consider this native evergreen, which has deep red strap-like flowers that bloom from early summer through autumn. It has to be protected from winter winds and favors some shade, but it will tolerate more sun if it's in a moist location. It's fragrant, deer resistant, and attracts pollinators, with a mature height of 6-7 feet and a width of about five feet. It does very well in urban gardens where space and light can be issues. Great for a screen or backdrop.

Also on the gold medal list this year:

Asparagus officinalis 'Millenium'
Hardy in Zones 3-10. Disease, deer, and drought resistant.

Japanese roof iris (Iris tectorum)
Showy blue flowers at a height of 12-18 inches.  It's deer resistant in Zones 6-9, and can spread rapidly in the garden.

'Brandywine' foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Bold white flowers in spring, bronzy foliage in fall. 8-18 inches tall, hardy in Zones 4-8.

2024 NYBG Orchid Show

Orchids are in fashion at this year's New York Botanical Garden pre-spring orchid show, and tickets are now on sale. The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion opens February 17 and runs through April 21.  Three noted fashion designers will display their personal fashion styles and their love of orchids along a "runway" installed in the garden's Enid A Haupt Conservatory. 

HIllary Taymour, founder and creative director of the label Collina Strada, promotes self-reflection, social awareness, and sustainability in her designs.  "We are in a crucial state of change right now," she says, "and the more we can do, the more we can impact others to take action."

The upscale luxury clothing brand Dauphinette has been called "The Happiest Brand on Earth." Founder and Creative Director Olivia Cheng's outwear collection features repurposed materials and preserved botanicals, and she's been named to Forbes' 30 under 30 Art and Style list.

And finally, botanical artist Kristen Alpaugh of FLWR PSTL, who creates custom wearables and is known for her experimental artworks, will showcase her innovative work, which is a blend of natural beauty and high fashion.

Thousands of iconic orchids and rare specimens will be on display at the show, and make sure to check out the special programs, including "Meet the Designers," orchid basics, orchid evenings and much more.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Pilgrim Rose

If you live in a zone with moderate enough temperatures into November, you might actually be able to bring in a bloom or two of 'The Pilgrim' for the Thanksgiving table.  So, if you haven't got one already, plant one for next year and you'll have the perfect bloom for the centerpiece.

A David Austin rose, 'The Pilgrim' has large, rosette-shaped blooms of a medium yellow color that are paler toward the edges.  The scent is a classic tea fragrance, mixed with a bit of myrrh.  As an upright shrub rose, it's height is about 4 feet high by 3 feet wide, but it can also be trained as a climber, in which case it'll reach about eight feet high.

(image: David Austin Roses)

Ginning Up the Paperwhites

My annual post on Paperwhites ... here it is again, for anyone who missed it in the past.   It takes four to six weeks or thereabouts for paperwhites to bloom, so get them started for Christmas.

image: K.vanBourgondien

Time to get out the Boodle's, Tanqueray, Beefeater or Bombay ... it's not exactly gin & tonic season, but it is the season for paperwhites.  And it's the gin that will make them a spectacular show.

Some years ago, researchers at Cornell University's Flowerbulb Research Program discovered that the addition of gin will stunt the growth of paperwhites and prevent them from that annoying habit of getting too top heavy and flopping over. According to Professor of Horticulture William B. Miller, here's the recipe:

Plant paperwhite bulbs in stones, gravel or whatever else as usual.  Add water, wait until the roots begin to grow, and when the green shoots above the bulb reach 1-2" in height, pour off the water and add an alcohol solution made from gin or almost any other hard liquor, including vodka, tequila, rum, or whiskey.  The solution should be one part hard liquor to 7 parts of water.

The result:  paperwhites that are one-third shorter, but just as fragrant and floriferous as usual.

Miller warns against using beer or wine because the sugars in them will cause a lot of problems.  The higher the alcohol concentration (within reason), he says, the shorter the plants, but don't use a concentration higher than 10 percent.   Rubbing alcohol can also be used to the same effect, but use one part alcohol to 10 or 11 parts water.

Miller says he and his researchers are not sure why the alcohol stunts growth, but he says "we feel it is simply 'water stress,' where the alcohol makes it more difficult for the plant to absorb water...enough to reduce leaf and stem growth, but not enough to affect flower size or flower longevity."

The Cornell website was passed on to me by my good friend Louise Crane, who saw an article about it in the New York Times.

And make sure to order your paperwhites early ... some of the cultivars sell out very fast.

 

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)