Just Another Rainy Day

It's raining again. The plants that already live in my garden are loving it and growing like weeds. The weeds are growing too, unfortunately. If I remember right, last spring started out like this, and we marveled over how lush and green the gardens were, until summer hit and the rain stopped. Such is a gardener's life.

So when it's too wet to plant or get the gardens ready to plant, what's a gardener to do? Go plant shopping, of course! Mom called me late last night and said if I wanted to be at her house at 8:00, she was going to Indian Trail Garden Center in Columbus Grove, and I could go along. Well, I hadn't been feeling well all day and didn't relish the idea of having to get up early enough to catch the ride, but never let it be said that I passed up an opportunity to shop for plants!

Nestled in a small town in Northwest Ohio, near the banks of Plum Creek, lies Indian Trail Garden Center. It's about an hour or so from my house and not really on the way to anywhere else I go, so when I get the chance to visit, I take it. This time, I didn't really expect to purchase much, but we all know how that goes. And the fact that they had some of the finest looking plants I've seen all year at great prices played to my weakness.


Our Little Acre is going to be on the Master Gardeners' Garden Tour this year and though I won't be doing much of anything differently than I do any other year, when buying plants this spring I do have the tour in the back of my mind. In other words, I'm trying to pay more attention to color and form and texture and all those design elements that my mind doesn't take to naturally.



My usual mode of operation is to stroll through the garden centers and if I see something I like, it pops into my cart. I worry about where I'm going to put it when I get home. Today was no different and heaven help me, there were so many wonderful things that I overshot my budget. Wait . . . I don't have a budget. That might be the first thing that gets me in trouble, but really, who could resist such hot stuff like this?

Nemesia Juicy Fruits™ 'Kumquat'

One of the highlights of my visit was getting to meet one of my readers! Mom had been there the week before and was talking with one of the employees about being at the Cincinnati Flower Show. The employee mentioned that a blog she follows had posted pictures from the show and it only took a few minutes for Mom to realize it was my blog she was talking about! Kathy and I had a great time talking flowers and plants and gardening and I look forward to seeing her again when she attends the garden tour.

I ended up getting most of what I'll need for my window boxes and container plantings, so even though I spent more than I expected, it was all necessary! Really! And I found a really nice large pot of 'Crimson Red' rhubarb that I bought to grow for Romie. He likes it. I don't. See? It isn't all about me after all!

Peony's Envy

When I come across a business that does something exceptional, it grabs my attention. And I remember places like that. It could be what they're selling, their prices, or the service I get when I shop there.

Last week, while Mom, Kara and I were attending the Cincinnati Flower Show, we came upon a simple, small booth with a smiling, petite woman standing behind a table. On that table, lined up like soldiers, were small black bags, each with a photo attached of a single bloom of a gorgeous peony.

Now even though peonies are one of the first flowers I can remember from my childhood, and I live near what was once known as The Peony Capitol of the World, they were never on my list of "oh I must have that" plants. And then I attended the Cleveland Flower Show in 2005, was smitten by a tree peony ('Sahohime'), and suddenly nothing was the same as far as peonies were concerned.

There are herbaceous peonies (including the fernleaf), tree peonies, and intersectional peonies. There are also such things as Japanese woodland peonies (a type of herbaceous) which might be considered a 'species' peony, something I just discovered this week. Peony's Envy, a grower in New Jersey that specializes in peonies, was the vendor we encountered at the Cincinnati show. We spent some time talking with Kathleen Gagan, the owner, and came away with some valuable information about growing peonies.

We also each walked away with a little black bag. Mom got a tree peony for the Smiley Park Children's Garden, Kara got an herbaceous peony, and I got an herbaceous single ('Moonlit Purple Lotus').

Peony's Envy is the second largest peony retailer in the U.S. and we know why. When you have an excellent product and provide service with a smile, that's what happens. From May 1 through June 15, you can visit their display gardens and nursery near Bernardsville, New Jersey. You can also order online from their website.

Deep In the Heart of Tulips

I always say I'm not wild about tulips, and then spring comes and one of the things I love seeing the most is tulips. So last fall, I decided to plant some more of them. Am I glad I did that? With so many of them in bloom right now here at Our Little Acre, you bet I am!

Tulipa 'Princess Irene'

When I planted 'Princess Irene' last fall, I expected a more pink tulip than they have turned out being. They're actually orange with a violet streak on the outside of each petal. While still pretty, I'm still searching for the hot pink/magenta one with those same streaks. Kara has them in her garden, but she doesn't know their name.

One of my favorite things to do when the tulips are blooming is to photograph their centers by sticking the nose of my camera right down in them. What works of art they are!





Last Saturday, we went to younger daughter Jenna's house to help her with some landscaping and planting. I walked in the front door and she said, "Mom, come around back and see these amazing pink flowers that came up. I don't know what they are, but they're so pretty."

As I rounded the corner and saw the row of flowers blooming, my eyes lit up and I said, "SPECIES TULIPS! You've got SPECIES TULIPS!!" Jenna wasn't too impressed, but I sure was. And darling daughter that she is, she didn't object when I asked if I could have some to take home. Bulbs included. She must really love me.

Tulipa hagerii 'Little Beauty'

When I got home, I did a little research, trying to find out just which tulip it was that Jenna shared with me. As far as I can tell, this little beauty is called ... oh look at that ... 'Little Beauty.'

Species tulips are smaller, shorter, have narrower foliage and are likely to naturalize. I've had 'Lady Jane' species tulips for several years and love their delicate lily-like blooms. I've moved those twice, but they have enjoyed their present home in the Japanese Garden for several years now and have indeed multiplied.

They are not natives of The Netherlands like their hybrid progeny. Found in the highlands of eastern Europe, they are also called botanical tulips. They like rock garden-like conditions with lots of sun and excellent drainage.

Tulipa 'Lady Jane'

There are a few other tulips yet to bloom here (once it quits raining and the sun comes out), and there are others that I want to procure this fall for planting in the gardens.


Here's the "short list":

• T. 'Black Parrot' (Parrot)
• T. 'Rai' (Parrot)
• T. 'Rococo' (Parrot)
• T. 'Tinka' (Species)
• T. clusiana 'Cynthia' (Species)
• T. 'Pink Fountain' (Fringed and pictured at right, in my garden this spring - I want more!)
• T. 'Crispion Sweet' (Peony & Fringed)
• T. viridiflora 'Esperanto' (Viridiflora)
• T. viridiflora 'Eye Catcher' (Viridiflora)
  
• T. humulis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata' (This one is a maybe, because it's expensive)

A favorite book of mine is Tulips: For North American Gardens by Brent and Becky Heath. Brent and Becky's Bulbs is an excellent source for tulips, as is John Scheepers.

I love tulips.

Spring Imitates Summer (and this is for the birds!)

This past week had people giddy in our part of the country over the unusually warm temperatures. Not only does it energize us after a winter of ice storms, deep snow, and frigid cold, it seems to have the same effect on other living things.

'Lemon Beauty' and 'Pipit'

Never before have my daffodils all burst out in bloom at the same time. I have early, middle, and late season varieties, but all except 'New Baby' are in full bloom now. That's what daily highs in the 80s will do.







I put my Oriole feeder out last weekend, because I knew it was coming up on time that they should be passing through here, and yesterday I saw one scoping it out from a nearby tree!
















And if that wasn't thrilling enough, I also saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak doing the same thing near the seed feeders. Last year, they bypassed us altogether.




Neither of them will spend the entire summer here. The orioles will nest, raise their young, and move on. The grosbeaks will stay even shorter. But however long we have them, it's thrilling to see the friendly grosbeaks and hear the brilliant song of the oriole as we relax on our patio or work in the gardens.

This evening, as I was talking to our neighbor on the patio, a little flash of blue zipped past us. We saw it in the tree, about the size of a wren and in full dress blues. An Indigo Bunting!

I guess Our Little Acre is where it's at in the bird world this week!



____________________
Photos of Oriole and Grosbeak are from 2007.
Indigo Bunting photo taken this evening.

Cincinnati Flower Show 2009 - The Window Boxes

One of my favorite parts of the Cincinnati Flower Show each year is the Window Box Showcase. Stations of four-square window boxes are planted with one hanging basket and one window box. Various themes can be found, as well as some that are just plain pretty.

Peppered throughout the grounds were these large painted pots. This one by the windowboxes shows the Cincinnati skyline in the background.

Everything in this display is edible!

The orange and yellow flowers in this display are collarette dahlias; the purple is trailing verbena.

Perhaps not showy from a distance, this display using succulents was one of my favorites.

So much beautiful texture in this one!

Another of my favorites was this display using those electric blues of hydrangea and lobelia with some lime green thrown in.

What Tree Is That? - A Review

In the U.S., Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Friday of April. Many will plant a tree on this day, but I want to call attention to a new publication about trees that may help you, whether you're planting one or trying to identify one.

So we're walking through the woods again, and there's this awesome tree off to the right. It's got the loveliest white clusters of blooms and we see them every spring. We always wonder what they are and vow to get a tree guide that we can take along on our hikes so we can figure it out, but we never do.

So when What Tree Is That? - A Guide to the More Common Trees Found in North America arrived in the mail the other day, I let out a "Woo-hoooo!" The Arbor Day Foundation puts out this fabulous publication and I have them to thank for helping us identify the tree in question, as well as providing plenty of excellent illustrations and information to allow us to identify plenty more.


The format of the book is well-organized, with such details as:

• water resistant
  
• take-along size
• glossary of terms
• step-by-step approach to identification
• side flaps for bookmarking
• color illustrations for each entry
  

This is the complete North American edition and is well-priced at $14.95. There are many tree guides out there, but the reason I especially like this one is its size (8.5 x 4 x 0.3 inches, 164 pages) and ease of use.




Identification of the trees is done by a process of elimination. (Are the leaves SIMPLE (one BLADE attached to a stalk or PETIOLE)?)


It also has a list of online resources and a Field Notes section at the back, for recording your own observations. Just an aesthetic item of note - they've used a favorite font of mine for the titles and headings - 'Terracotta' by Frank Lloyd Wright.

By no means should this be considered the be-all and end-all of tree identification sources, but it does include the commonly-found trees in the U.S. (and much of Canada). To be any more complete wouldn't allow for the portability that What Tree Is That? has. If I could change anything about it, it might be to make it spiral inside the outer cover. But now we're nit-picking and that wouldn't be fair to such a fine publication put out by our friends at the Arbor Day Foundation.







Where to get it:
Arbor Day Foundation - $14.95 + $4.95 shipping
Amazon - $14.95 - qualifies for Free Shipping on orders over $25

Pamphlets are also available for the Eastern and Western U.S. for $4.95 each from the Arbor Day Foundation.













_________________
The product or merchandise being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for testing and reviewing the product. All opinions expressed here are mine, with no suggestions whatsoever by the manufacturer or distributor. If I like it, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.

Cincinnati Flower Show 2009 - Part One

Since I took over 200 photos of the Flower Show, it has taken me quite a bit of time to wade through them to find the best views and get them resized. I'll be sharing them with you in parts so that one post isn't so graphic intensive. I know dial-up readers will have a hard enough time waiting for them to load the way it is.

"Prepare to be Astonished!" they said. In many ways I was, but the nasty weather we experienced as we attended the 2009 Cincinnati Flower Show on Monday literally put a damper on things. The only thing that could have made the weather worse for walking around outside would have been snow and I was beginning to wonder if we wouldn't see that. We could see our breath and I was so cold I actually bought a hot chocolate to drink to warm me up. I don't even like hot chocolate.

The show was at a new location this year. They moved it from Coney Island, which was very picturesque, to Symmes Township Park. In time, I think they will adapt things better to this location, which I have read is to be its permanent home. With the economy the way it is, I would imagine this was not the best timing to prepare a new location for such a large show.


Coney Island had some permanent buildings that housed some of the displays, whereas everything in Symmes Township Park was under large tents. Wind and tents just don't get along very well. And there was literally no place to go to really get away from the weather. People (us included) were going into the restrooms and warming themselves by using the hand dryers. Several vendors were seen closing up early, because it wasn't very pleasant for them either and the weather kept the crowds away. Yet we tried not to let the weather keep us from enjoying the show.

Let's look at the show itself now.


The first thing we noticed when the shuttle dropped us off were the large urns on each side of the entrance. VERY LARGE and attractive, even though they held no colorful blooms. It looks like they took the original steel "Cincinnati Flower Show" sign from the Coney Island location and placed it at the entrance here, except it seems smaller.

Once through the entrance, Vendor's Row began immediately and we were tantalized by the wonderful and colorful offerings, as we knew we would be. Healthy bulbs from The Netherlands (yes, the vendor traveled all the way from there - we asked) were a dollar apiece for oriental lilies. I can't believe I left there without a single one!


We zigzagged our way through the length of this first group of vendors and remarked how on a warmer day, it would be difficult to make our way through the narrow path. No problem on this rainy day though! Our problem was trying not to poke people's eyes out with our umbrellas.


One advantage to less people shopping is that we got to visit with the vendors more than usual. Instructions on planting, tips on growing, and just friendly chit-chat was possible and served to make our day more enjoyable.


It's always fun to see what unusual vendors are there that are remotely garden-related. One of the new ones this year was Brite-Spots. They're little polymer beads the size of Minute Tapioca that swell when you add water and you can use them for cut flowers in vases as well as for growing some types of plants (think bamboo).

One of our favorite stops along the way was Peony's Envy, new to the show this year. We spoke with owner Kathleen Gagan at length and learned so much about growing peonies. She was charming and there will be a separate blog post about her business in the coming days, because she deserves more attention than merely a mention in this post. Until then, you can visit her at Peony's Envy.




This frog fountain would look pretty good in a large pond or lake setting.

There were some pretty amazing bonsais and we got some great tips on growing them from this vendor.

These willow birdhouses were nice and the birds liked them, too. We watched a robin trying to make a nest in one. The vendor said the robin had been working on it for a couple of days, but they kept it cleaned out, so that whomever might want to purchase it didn't have to take away someone's home in the process!


In the Grand Marquee, landscape gardens and displays were housed in three tents and these were indeed impressive. There were far fewer outdoor rooms featured as in the past, a welcome change, as far as I'm concerned. Several of the displays were done in a manner that can easily be duplicated in gardens both large and small.



By far, the display that garnered the most buzz at the show was the...hmmm...what to call it... There were nursery rhymes represented within its confines, but the one that was the main focus was "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe..." There just aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe the creativity and ingenuity it took to create this thing.

Click on each photo to enlarge it so you can see the detail in this display!

Sweet potato curbs!

Yes, the shoes are planted with lettuce.

More favorite displays:

The roof of the bird feeder was planted with live plants.

A true cottage garden.

There are always a few displays that are full of whimsy.

Fishing, anyone?

I really liked the Asian influence in this one, which also has a bit of Frank Lloyd Wright look to it.

Copper fountains

Beautiful colors and textures here ...

And take a look at this backyard retreat. Pergola??

Half was inside the tent and the other half was outside and built to include the existing tree.



One of the most beautiful fairy gardens I've ever seen was actually a "village" that could be viewed 360° and made extensive use of logs and succulents.




Yet to come: The window boxes, exotic table settings, and vignettes on a theme.

Earth Day 2009

Earth Day
2009

“There are no passengers on planet earth.
We’re all crew.”

– Marshall McLuhan –

Swedish Meatballs at IKEA

Due to the cold, rainy weather, it was decided to spend the second part of our first day in Cincinnati somewhere inside. Walking around Grandma's Gardens wasn't too bad because it was in the low 60s, but it was drizzly and after a few hours out in that, we wanted to be somewhere warm. Kara and I had never been to an IKEA store, so the decision was unanimous to go there next.


While en route, we encountered some bumper-to-bumper traffic where we sat idling for quite some time. All of a sudden, a continual warning beep began to sound in our van, and Kara noticed the temperature gauge was all the way in the hot zone. We got off at the next exit and pulled into a gas station. I opened the hood and called Romie. He suggested we call AAA, but after sitting there for awhile, the gauge went right down and we figured it was due to sitting for a long time in traffic. We decided to go on to IKEA, which we did with no problems.

For those of you that are familiar with IKEA, you know how fun it can be to walk through the store and be amazed by the creativity and design genius behind so much of what they sell. And the fact that they can sell it for such reasonable prices make it even more enticing. If you aren't familiar with IKEA, their concept is:

"Provide functional, well-designed furniture at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. Create a better everyday life for the many people."

The first IKEA store opened in Sweden in 1958 and the company is now headquartered in The Netherlands. There are currently 296 stores in 36 countries and they are the world's largest furniture manufacturer.

Many IKEA stores also have restaurants that serve some typical Swedish foods. We had a late lunch/early supper while there and I had the Swedish meatballs. They were wonderful and the lingonberry sauce combined with the meatball sauce made them especially tasty. I wanted to try the almond cake, but they were out of it.


We all agreed that much of the furniture wouldn't hold up under many years of use, but it certainly was nice for the money and the design details were impressive.


We spent a lot of time in the organizational products area, as all three of us love that kind of thing. Kara bought some storage containers and I purchased some modern design metal hangers for use in our downstairs coat closet. Four of them were $1.99 on clearance.


I've been looking for a rug for our front porch that can withstand the weather and IKEA had just the thing! It was made of sisal and interwoven with spring green fibers and had a matching border all the way around. I plan to put it in the area where we have the porch swing and matching chair that my dad made for us.


When we decided to call it a day, it was pouring down rain and we were glad that our Homewood Suites room was just a short distance away. All in all, it was a good day and we were glad to relax and rest up for the big day on Monday, when we would attend the Cincinnati Flower Show.

To Grandma's Gardens We Go

On the recommendation of Marcella from Colorscapes in Defiance, Mom, Kara and I began our two-day adventure to the Cincinnati area by visiting Grandma's Gardens near Centerville, Ohio. Marcella was right - it's a must-see garden center. It opened for business in July of 1979 so they're celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.





When we arrived at the front gate, we were met with what is probably the most visually appealing garden center I've ever visited. Situated on 14 acres, it includes the original 1880s Victorian farmhouse that has been restored and now serves as a gift shop.






Beautifully landscaped, it was a pleasure just to stroll about the "backyard" as we looked at a large selection of pottery and other items for sale.


The back porch of the house was full of garden whimsy and decorator items for the home.


Inside the house, we found plenty more to tempt us. More garden art, figurines, pottery, jewelry, Vera Bradley products, signage, garden toiletries, and many boutique items filled each of the rooms.


Adjacent to the house was the perennial pavilion, where rows of native plants, familiar favorites, and new introductions were plentiful and displayed in a very organized manor. Being alphabetized by name made searching very easy and with such an extensive inventory, it was a real time-saver. These were also separated by sun/shade, which was helpful as well.


We worked our way through the outdoor sections, which included roses, shrubs, grasses, and trees. Pathways are mostly paved and carts are available for collecting your purchases. Employees were readily available for help, friendly, and knowledgeable about their products.


I was thrilled to find a small section with native plants, including woodland wildflowers. For a couple of years now, I've been hoping to find Hepatica for our Wildflower Way garden and here I found Hepatica acutiloba, a.k.a. Sharp-leaved Hepatica.

For the first time ever, I found a 'Jelena' witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena') that was very nice. It was a larger-sized shrub, but of course, a special planting such as this comes at a price and it just isn't in the budget right now.



Toward the back of the property is a small pond, where ducks were swimming. Beautiful pines were reflected in the water, providing a photo opportunity. A set of small railroad tracks surrounds the pond and at various times the miniature train runs, giving rides to children.


There are Tennessee fainting goats and pygmy goats living nearby and once again my desire to have a pygmy goat of my own came to mind. I can't seem to talk Romie into this, even though I reminded him that he had a goat when he was growing up, as did my dad. I'm not giving up on this just yet, though!


Several greenhouses contained annuals, herbs, tropicals, seeds, garden tools, and many, many hardscape items (fabulous fountains!) as well as just about any product needed to enhance growth and inhibit pests and diseases in your garden.

I especially liked the outdoor wall art featuring photos of garden related scenes and the beautiful pottery.




And what garden would be complete without a resident cat? Jasper was holding court and graciously allowed me to take a couple of photos of him, despite his being in recovery from recent surgery.



Grandma's Garden isn't just another nursery. It's a destination that should be on every gardener's itinerary when traveling in the Dayton/Cincinnati area.

8107 State Route 48
Waynesville, OH 45068
Directions

(937) 885-2740

Spring Hours:
Mon. thru Fri. 9 to 8
Saturday 9 to 6
Sunday 10 to 5

Additional photos taken during our visit can be found here.

My purchases:

• Garden Peony (Paeonia lactiflora 'Cincinnati')
• Perennial Flax (Linum perenne)
  
• Sharp-leaved Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba)
  
• Showy Sedum (Sedum 'Garnet Brocade')
  
• Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus var. nana)
  
• Heirloom Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Brandywine')
  
• Heirloom Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple')
  
• Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum 'Limon')
  
• Mossy Saxifrage (Saxifraga x arendsii 'Triumph')
• Eucalyptus

Can you believe what restraint I showed?

Spring Training - Redux

Since the next couple of days will be chock full of fun, what with Mom, Kara and I going to Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Flower Show (and other things), I'm rerunning a previous blog post from April 2007. Today was spent much like the one described here...

As I finally sit down at 11:00, feeling every single day of my 49+ years, I am struck by a genius thought that has come too late. Like baseball, gardening is a sport. It's a game we play with nature, spring through fall. There is winter - the off season - and then we begin with spring training. Well, baseball does anyway.

We should.

Oh sure, we sometimes do a spring training of a sort, by starting seeds inside, caring for our house plants, and going to garden shows. It's our way of gearing up for the active growing season in our gardens.

But what about the muscles? WHAT ABOUT THE MUSCLES?!? Yes, they're screaming at me right now. They are in the midst of a full body revolt against what I did to them these past four days. I tried to pace myself, I really did, but you know how the saying goes - "Make hay while the sun shines." And boy, did we.

We cultivated, we planted, we moved things, we weeded, we trimmed dead foliage, we watered, we hauled flagstone ... you get the picture. And we were not properly conditioned for all this physical work. What were we thinking? Baseball players wouldn't dream of going out on the field on opening day without weeks of spring training. They know it would likely result in a pulled muscle or two, and we should know better than to go all out after a winter of living like slugs, without getting ourselves in better shape.

So I know better and you know better, and maybe you DID better than I did. But I hate, hate, hate exercise and now I'm paying the price. I don't know why I hate exercise so much, when I love nothing better than to be outside crawling around on my knees, digging in the dirt, and exerting myself with much more effort than a simple 30-minute Pilates would take. But the fact is, every spring I do it the same way and every spring I get the same result: Overly sore muscles while dragging my tired butt up the stairs to bed each night.

I sleep really well though.


*Photo from www.ultimatebaseballgm.com

April's In Bloom!

It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day once again, and finally we have real flowers blooming in the gardens outside! We've emerged from the depths of winter relatively unscathed, in spite of it coughing up its one final breath this week. Monday and Tuesday brought damp wet, cold, dreary conditions and we were whining as hard as it was raining at times.

Arabis alpina 'Snowcap'

I went out at the end of the work day on Tuesday, to check on blooms for Bloom Day, and there was a new one that I hadn't expected. I hadn't even seen it coming. The Rock Cress (Arabis alpina) has begun to show its petite white blooms that it will wear for the next couple of months.








The daffodils are still looking good, although a bit waterlogged at the moment, like everything else. It's just the early ones that are blooming, but the mid- and late season daffs are putting on buds.

'Sagitta'

'Tete-a-Tete'
(and Luna)

'Jetfire'


'Rip van Winkle'

'Replete' is in full bloom, but I just can't post another photo of its ugliness. If you really want to see them, you can see a photo here that I took yesterday.



Though the Chionodoxas that first bloomed are looking weary, they're at their best in another location where they opened later, beneath the cypress shrubs.


Last week's cold temperatures had me pulling out the sheets and covering the Magnolias and the Snow Fountain Japanese Weeping Cherry tree (Prunus 'Snow Fountain'). Once we got over that, I took the sheets off and the weekend's warmth and sunshine brought out the blooms.

They're still opening and though the cold did a bit of damage to the 'Leonard Messel' Magnolia, it would have been worse had I not covered them.

Magnolia x. loebneri 'Leonard Messel'



Hyacinth 'Festival Blue'

There are hyacinths and there are grape hyacinths. We have some of both. While I wish the larger hyacinths would multiply, they really don't much. The grape hyacinths? Can't get rid of 'em. I tried one year and everywhere I dug, those teeny tiny bulbs showed up everywhere.

Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum)
with a stray Striped Squill (Puschkinia)

I finally decided "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" where they're concerned. It's not that I don't like them whatsoever, I just don't want them everywhere. But they have a pretty short season, so now I just let them do their thing.


Another bright yellow spot in the trellis garden is the lone blooming Primrose (Primula x polyantha). There are also a red one and a blue one, but they aren't blooming yet.

In Ohio, Vinca minor is considered to be an invasive vine. You can go to just about any rural cemetery that's located next to a woods or creek and find it growing in abundance. It's still sold in nurseries and garden centers, however. I'm not sure how that is, but I wasn't going to buy it when I saw it every other day, out and about. We have a bit of it at the back corner of Max's Garden (around that other invasive - Morrow's Honeysuckle) and we can keep our small patch of it under control easily by just tearing it out when it starts to creep out of bounds.

Vinca minor

In one of the triangle gardens, the Donkey Tail Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) has settled in very nicely after planting it for the first, last spring. It's begun to bloom and while I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I got it, I couldn't be happier with it. It's one of those "plant it and forget it" kind of plants, and I like the unique appearance it has. It's dramatic, like those giant agaves, except that it's not nearly as large or spiky.

Donkey Tail Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites)

The wonderful Hellebores are weathering the weather like the troupers they are and we'll enjoy their blooms for quite a few more weeks.



Finally, the wonderful spring wildflowers are just beginning to come to life. First to bloom in the Wildflower Way garden is the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), with many others soon to follow suit, but I'll leave those for a future post.



Be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see her list of other Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.

Good Morning, Indeed!

I received this "card" from my friend Shelley this morning and wanted to share it with you, as Christians the world over celebrate Easter today.

Geranium Confusium

So let's clear up this confusion about geraniums once and for all.

"What confusion?" you may ask. Geraniums are those flowers you see in planters on the patio at McDonald's and your grandma had them in her window boxes. They come in red, white, and pink. They don't survive freezing temperatures, so if you live in the northern zones, you either have to bring them in for the winter, or buy new ones each spring.

That's right, isn't it? Not exactly.

We do call those geraniums, but they're really Pelargoniums. But there are geraniums that really ARE geraniums and they're perennials. So why are Pelargoniums called geraniums if they're Pelargoniums and geraniums are another thing altogether?

While you wrap your head around those thoughts, let me show you some photos of my Pelargoniums.

'Red Happy Thoughts'

'Red Happy Thoughts'

'Salmon'


Citronella Scented Geranium


'Chinese Cactus'

'Mr. Wren'

While commonly known as geraniums, these annual types are of the genus Pelargonium. They are hardy only to zone 9. That leaves much of the US out of loop when it comes to leaving them in the ground year round. Fortunately, they aren't expensive plants to buy every spring.

This past fall, I decided to try the drying method of overwintering my Pelargoniums, instead of leaving them in their pots when I brought them in. It's now time to pot them up and see if they'll take off and grow. I think at least a few of them will, because I see green on them now!

Of these types of geraniums, there are zonal, seed, ivy, stellar, scented, regal and fancy-leafed. A concise explanation of each of these types can be found here. At Our Little Acre, we have grown all except the seed type. Regal geraniums are also known as Martha Washington geraniums here in the US, as well as pansy geraniums because their blooms resemble those of pansies.

Martha Washington 'Imperial'

Now that you know the annual-type geraniums are actually Pelargoniums, what about the true geraniums? Hardy geraniums are perennial and survive winters as cold as Zone 3 in many cases. They come in shades of purple, blue, white, and pink and are commonly known as Cranesbill.

Here in Ohio, as in many other areas, hardy geraniums grow wild. We have "relocated" several small clumps that we found in a nearby woods and along an abandoned railroad track, to our "Wildflower Way" area. I've also got several hybridized cultivars scattered throughout the gardens:

'Ballerina'


Unknown Purple

Unknown White

'Victor Reiter, Jr.'

'Samobor'

'Rozanne'

'Striatum'

So are we straight on this now?

Love Those Hellebores!

Daffodils and Crocus and reticulated Iris seem to get all the glory this time of year. And for good reason! Those of us that are hungry for color have our appetites satiated by these old-time spring favorites. Even those that aren't into gardening all that much love them and know what they are. But there are others that put on a fabulous show this time of year, in a slightly understated way.

Today, when I was at work, my co-worker Julie asked me about a new plant that she'd heard about recently. She wondered if I was familiar with it. "Helleborgs, I think they're called," she said.

Ah...Hellebores. Yes, I know them and love them. Julie, this is for you.

My mom was the first to introduce me to these unusual beauties. I think we were at the 2005 Cleveland Flower Show and there were some for sale. "Buy this," she said. I did, and several times after that, whenever I found them at a reasonable price. You see, Hellebores used to be quite expensive, but they have come down in price, just like orchids and Clivias.

If you've got a semi-shady spot, a Hellebore or two might be just the thing. Often, they're one of the first blooms of spring, and in some places, they'll even bloom in late winter. Mine were covered by a couple of feet of snow several times this winter and the foliage ended up being pretty ragged. When I noticed new shoots were coming up out of the ground, I simply cut the damaged foliage out. New shoots continue to emerge alongside the big buds and open flowers.

Though they usually take a couple of years to get settled in, they are pretty easy to care for. A wise person once told me to always add lots of compost to the hole when you plant them, continue to dress them with it each summer, and they'll reward you by spreading and with an increased number of blooms.

Last year, I purchased a 'Red Lady' and it's blooming now, along with the others. I'm not sure what the other ones are, although I do remember buying some from Park's when they had a big sale on them a couple summers ago, that were labeled 'Pine Knot Strain.' 'Ivory Prince' was purchased about a month ago and is in the basement greenhouse, awaiting a bit warmer weather for planting outside.




Blooming now, in the trellis garden:

Helleborus sp.

Zone: 4-8
Height: 12-18 inches
Sun: Shade to Part Shade
Water: Average. Do not overwater.
Bloom time: Late winter/Early spring

Spring's Temporary Insanity

I know that spring is supposed to be a fickle season. Rain, sun, wind, snow, tornadoes, frost, floods, hail, sleet, thunder, just for starters. (What else is there?) But gardeners are eternal optimists and we don't think the ugly stuff will happen to us. Ugly as in well-below-freezing temperatures and snow. Not in April! Not in my garden!

But it's somewhat like labor pains. We moms who have experienced them remember what labor's like, but we really don't remember the intensity of the pain. Not until we're in its throes once again. The weather forecasters had predicted snow for today and nighttime temperatures as low as 26° F for the next couple of nights. Ouch.

As much as I would have liked to dismiss that information and stick my head in the sand, yesterday I took what little preventive measures I could and I covered a few of the spring bloomers.

At the front of our house, we have a beautiful snow fountain cherry tree that is absolutely stunning when it's in full bloom. (Seen here in April of 2007.) But for the last couple of years, its bloom has been cut short by strong winds or has been stopped altogether by a late freeze. At the moment, its buds are showing its white color at the edges and if we get what they're predicting, its blooming is in danger of being destroyed.

In our back yard, we have two Magnolia trees, newly planted last spring, and one of them - 'Jane' - is showing pink around the edges of its buds. The other - 'Leonard Messel' - is loaded with buds, but no color showing yet.

The snow didn't worry me much, but strong cold winds and plunging night temperatures did, so I grabbed a couple of old sheets and a mattress cover and wrapped the shrubs, securing them with clothes pins.


I'm glad I did. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I saw white on the roof, white on the grass, and white on the trees and shrubs. Not a lot, but enough to make me glad I'd covered things. By mid-day, the snow was gone, but the temperature didn't rise much and it's tonight and tomorrow night that will be cold enough to stunt budded blooms.

The spring bulbs that are flowering take this kind of thing in stride much better than the flowering shrubs and trees, perhaps because they're closer to the ground and avoid the strongest winds. They laugh in the face of a little snow.

Me? I'm staying inside and avoiding it altogether. This will all be over soon.

DeHaven Home & Garden Showplace

My initial plans for Saturday morning were to clean up the borders that Dad had edged for me on Thursday. About six inches of grass needed to be removed between the stone border and the little trench Dad's edger had cut. Not an easy job, but it needed to be done before the grass grew back over the trench.

Then Mom called.

Awhile back, she had mentioned a large garden center located in Lima, Ohio, which is about an hour away from me (but closer for her). DeHaven Home & Garden Showplace was having a spring open house and Mom wondered if I would like to go with her.

Grass removal? What grass?


We arrived at DeHaven's around 10:00 a.m. and when I saw the greenhouses there, my heart beat a little faster. There is nothing quite like the thrill and excitement of visiting a garden center in the spring that you've never been to before and that was the size of this one. That said, my intent was to show restraint with my purchases. Do you think I did?

The large greenhouse we walked into first had table after table with bright Pelargoniums of every color. A special display of Martha Washington geraniums caught my attention and I knew I'd be going home with one of those.


There were annuals and several perennials offered, including Proven Winners and many of them had blooms already, having been grown in the greenhouses. I spoke with John Bartok of Corso's Perennials, which supplies DeHaven's with many of their perennials. Corso's is also located in Ohio, and I'd visited them in 2007 on a garden tour with the Van Wert YWCA.


Pansies and Violas are the order of the day this time of the year and there were some of just about every color these come in.

Whenever I see the tiny Johnny Jump-Ups, I'm always tempted to buy some, because I love them, but they don't seem to love me. I've sown seed and planted plants and the seeds don't germinate and the plants disappear. That doesn't stop me from trying again and again though. I know. Who can't grow Johnny Jump-Ups?



There is a wonderful gift center, where I could have spent a lot more time and a lot more money, but I didn't have either. There's never enough money and Romie and I were due at Kara and Adam's at 2:00, so I had to keep moving.

DeHaven's has a little bit of everything, and we loved these summery, gardeny shoes by Oka B. They came in bright colors as well as more subdued, and were embellished with ribbons, jewels, and other things. Look at those orange ones. Happy feet!

Aren't these whimsical floral and heart pillows delightful?

This coppery sun was just gorgeous, and quite large. It would take a big bare place to hang this, and if my espaliered Pyracantha doesn't start showing signs of life soon, I could have just the spot for it on the south side of the pool house. I'm rooting for the Pyracantha, though.









A huge selection of seeds are offered, from Livingston Seed Company, Thompson & Morgan, and others. I purchased packets of seeds for beets (Beta vulgaris 'Early Wonder'), Amaranthus paniculatus ('Autumn Palette'), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica 'Dairy Maid'), and burgundy Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata 'Burgundy'). I was tempted to buy a packet of Meconopsis to try again, but resisted. I'll just admire Jodi's from afar.


Another greenhouse contains tropicals and herbs. This is where there's lots of drama, as you might expect. I was really tempted to buy an exotic-looking hanging pitcher plant, but I'd have to make a spot for it in the house, since it would need to be overwintered inside. I've already got every available hook accounted for by other winter hangers. Not that I couldn't put another hook in the ceiling...


We were told by one of the DeHaven sons that this Bottlebrush or Foxtail Fern (Asparagus meyerii) goes in owner Tim DeHaven's garden during summer and gets moved back in the greenhouse for winter. It's hard to get a sense of size here, but this thing is HUGE. Notice the cinder block just beyond it, on the floor. I wouldn't want to be on moving duty when that time comes around!





Again, if I didn't have several orchids, with a few in bloom at the moment, I would have HAD to have this Phalaenopsis (Taipei Gold x Cassandra). I love the pink/yellow color combination. Yes, I showed restraint once again! Look at all the money I'm saving!









This plant got my attention. Whenever I see one that's unusual doesn't look familiar to me, I try to guess what it is by the shape of its leaves, the growth form, and its flowers. My first guess for this one would have been some sort of carnivorous plant. Wrong. It's a Kalanchoe ('Magic Bells')! It sure doesn't look the Kalanchoes I've seen before. I love when a genus shocks me like that.





We took a stroll through the large room where the grills, mowers, patio furniture and other lawn equipment was displayed. I'm not in the market for any of that, so we didn't spend much time there, but if I were, this would be the place to come to see it all.


There were several classes being offered throughout the day, including one on composting. I listened in on a little bit of that one, since we have a compost bin (one of last year's spring projects).

By this time, we were getting a little hungry and what do you know, DeHaven's was serving lunch! For free! I had a tasty hot dog and a pop while I took a second look around the greenhouse we'd been in when we first arrived.

Another nice touch for the day was a guitarist who was playing fabulous solos of many of my favorite songs. He was in the main greenhouse and I walked over to tell him how much I was enjoying his music. His name was Jim Boedicker and we had a nice chat. I hope many more people took the time to tell him they appreciated his music.


I'm a pushover when it comes to home and garden pottery, and DeHaven's has a nice selection with several different displays throughout the store.

See the large cobalt blue pot on the top shelf? Of course you don't - I bought it! This had to be the bargain of the day and even though Romie's voice kept running through my head ("You don't need any more pots..."), I ignored it.

The original price marked on the pot was good enough, then when I went to pay for it, it rang up at $16! Unbelieveable, to find a pot that size at that price. (It was like the white one on the left on the middle shelf.) The pots had been on special recently and that one just happened to ring up at the special price, even though that particular sale was over. DeHaven's, being an honorable business, let me have it at the sale price. Needless to say, I was thrilled!


I also found a soil thermometer here, so I purchased it, along with one of the Martha Washington geraniums I'd spied upon first entering the store. I chose 'Imperial', one of Oglevee's Elegance Series of Regal geraniums (Pelargonium x domesticum), although any one of them would have made me just as happy to own.









Lastly, I found Stump-Out here. That's what I'd wanted to get to try to take out the bush honeysuckle stump I talked about in a recent post about invasives. DeHaven's has a full selection of just about any product you'll ever need in the way of fertilizers, insecticides, weed treatments, etc.

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DeHaven's is a business that's large enough (79th largest garden center in the nation) to spend an entire day perusing what they have to offer. Owners Tim and JoAnn DeHaven are second generation owners and operators of the business, located at 775 Shawnee Road in Lima, Ohio. There is another location in Findlay, Ohio (15276 US 224 East).

Tim , who has a degree in biology, is known locally as "The G-Man." He does a Saturday morning gardening-centered radio show called "G-Man Radio" each week and both he and his wife make guest appearances on a local morning television show. He has been a featured speaker at various garden seminars and conventions, including The Ohio State Floriculture Convention.

Their three older sons work full-time and are shareholders in the business as well, so it truly is a family-owned, family-run business.

And the winner is ...

The Ethel Glove giveaway ended an half an hour ago, at midnight. While some people are sound asleep, dreaming of that Victorian-style hobby greenhouse (with cresting) magically appearing in the back yard at that hour, I'm wide awake, Tweeting to the peeps in my computer. Oh let me assure you I'll be dreaming of that greenhouse, too. Just later.

So the magic hour arrived, and Romie and I were sitting here preparing for the official drawing of the winner's name. I wrote all the entrants' names on pieces of paper, folded each of them once, and put them on Romie's lap. He was going in and out of consciousness (he's a morning person), but when I gave the signal, he reached into the pile of names and pulled one out.

We had an official witness to the drawing, who really wasn't all that enthusiastic either. Baby had gotten only 22 hours of sleep today and was fading fast, but she managed to make sure that the random picking of the winner was on the up-and-up.

So without further ado, the winner of a free pair of Ethel gloves is...


I can never remember whether it's Kim or Victoria that leaves the comments, but one of you now needs to e-mail me through my profile page with your shipping info, the style of glove you'd like, and the size. You can message me on Twitter (@OurLittleAcre), if you're into that.

Thanks to Ethel Gloves for sponsoring this giveaway and to all those who entered. Don't forget, you can still buy a pair (or two or three) of Ethels at a 10% discount and free shipping by using the code LITTLEACRE at checkout. This special code is good until April 24, 2009.

Congratulations, Kim and Victoria!

First Bumblebee

It was a glorious day here in the northwestern corner of Ohio. With rain predicted later in the day, there were projects that needed some serious work time, and it was a true joy to be out there doing them. Dad came out to help Romie with the grape arbor and they got it done! More on that in a later blog post.

Late in the afternoon, I was walking around the yard with my camera, talking with our neighbor Tom about the daffodils that were blooming. I was taking photos of them when a bumblebee buzzed his way right into the frame. A bumblebee! Already!


She was clearly on a mission, as we watched her methodically flit from bloom to bloom of the 'Jetfire' daffodils.



She'd crawl inside the cup for a little bit, then with flecks of pollen sticking to her legs and fluffy body, she'd move on to the next bloom, pollinating all along the way. It was a glorious thing to behold.




This got me thinking. With early blooms, was our little bumblebee friend making an early appearance, too? The Ohio State University site says bumblebees in Ohio come out of hibernation in May. My calendar says it's April 2nd, so I guess she is early!

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Just a reminder: Enter the contest to win a pair of Ethel Gloves by leaving a comment to this blog post. Don't forget to mention which style of gloves you'd like to win! Deadline for entering is midnight April 3, 2009 (that's tonight!).

When Invasives Invade Your Garden

I think we're all aware that each state has a list of invasive species that you are discouraged from planting and in some cases, prohibited from doing so. The main reason non-native invasives are no-nos is because they tend to choke out or inhibit growth of the natives, thereby changing the local ecosystem. Since all living things in nature depend on each other for survival, these changes mean sure death for at least some of our natural inhabitants, including native wildflowers.

Ohio's top ten worst offenders are:

1. Japanese Honeysuckle
2. Japanese Knotweed
3. Autumn Olive
4. Buckthorns
5. Purple Loosestrife
6. Common Reed
7. Reed Canary Grass
8. Garlic Mustard
9. Multiflora Rose
10. Bush Honeysuckles

A complete list of Ohio Invasive Plants can be found here in a PDF file.

As a home gardener, I'm not very knowledgeable about identifying many of these. Some hybrids with similar names and botanical genetics are sold in nurseries, and even some of the invasive species are sold in reputable garden centers. So what's a person to do?

Familiarize yourself with the names of those plants that are known to be present in your part of the state and don't buy or plant them. Have a look at photos of their leaves and learn about their habits. You may never become an expert at it, but you'll at least know more than you did before and in this way will become a more responsible gardener. The best place to learn about invasives is to visit your state's Department of Natural Resources website.


Let's move on to the problem child living at Our Little Acre. We have a Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) at the southeast corner of our property. Romie says we planted it shortly after moving here in 1977. That's more than 25 years before I became a gardener and to be honest, I don't remember planting it. Whether we did or we didn't doesn't matter now; I want it GONE.

So cut it down or dig it up, you say. Oh, if it were only that simple! An invasive shrub that has a 25-year head start doesn't give it up that easily.

When Max's Garden was created in October 2005, my desire at that time was to tame The Monster in the Corner. This large shrub was out of control, so we cut it back severely. I'm not sure if that was a good idea, because for every branch we pruned off, twelve more grew back in its place. And where Romie used a chain saw to remove a couple of large shoots at its base, even more shot up.

I vowed to keep up with the new growth by continually cutting it out, but it was not about to let the likes of me get the best of it. Finally, last fall, I threw a temper tantrum and ordered Romie to get rid of it once and for all. I didn't care how he did it. I just wanted it out of there.

The chain saw came back out, as did the axe. He buzzed and he chipped and he chopped and he buzzed. I kept carrying the branches to the burn pile, which grew higher and higher, hour after hour.

When he had whittled it down as far as he could go, there remained an ugly conglomeration of multiple hacked-off trunks and branches about six inches high. He'd had enough and we hoped the shrub had too.

But oh noooooo...not this thug. Spring is back and so is the Morrow's Honeysuckle.


After doing some online research, I think we're going to resort to chemical means. I'll be looking for Stump Out ®, which when applied to the stump causes it to decompose rapidly.

Some interesting facts about the Morrow's Honeysuckle came to light while I was looking things up. Morrow's Honeysuckle is thought to release a chemical into the soil that inhibits growth of spring ephemerals and the heavy shade it provides inhibits native plant growth.

Many Cedar Waxwings' wax spots in the eastern United States have taken on an unusual orange hue in the last 35 years, a phenomenon that has been attributed to Lonicera morrowii. The chemical involved in this color change is rhodoxanthin, a red dye found in the berries of Morrow's Honeysuckle. ¹


Sources on Invasives:

Missouri Department of Conservation
Center For Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Invasive Plants Council

Jack on the Morrow's Honeysuckle - February 2008

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¹Wikipedia

To Everything There Is a Season

It's April 1st already and I can't remember when we've had a March like the one we just had. Unless you count the flurries we saw swirling in the air on Sunday that melted the instant they hit the ground, we didn't have any snow the entire month. It all went north to Nova Scotia.

Temperatures were above normal, too. I've never sweat so many days while working outside in the gardens in March. I'm not even sure I worked in the garden in March in past years. I completed cleaning the leaves and twigs out of the gardens at least a week ago.

Perhaps the most obvious sign that we are enjoying an exceptional spring is by looking at what's in bloom and what is showing signs of life. You really can mark time by the flowers, because they each have their seasons. And while I'm happy that we're well into spring, I'm also a bit sad because part of it is over.

The snowdrops are turning to mush, and some of the crocus are laying down on the job, never to be perky again. There are still some crocus blooming though, because even among those, there are early ones and late ones. Only the giant crocus are still looking good though.

But not to worry - now it's the daffodils' time to shine! The first one opened up on March 27th, with several others following closely on its heels. 'Jetfire' is one of my favorites, because of its recurved golden petals and orange trumpets. When I first planted them, I was surprised at their size; I expected them to be larger than they were.

'Jetfire' in Max's Garden

Next to show was an unknown variety that I didn't plant, that is located beside the crocuses that I also didn't plant. I think the garden fairies are joining me in my efforts at brightening the corner where I live! There's only a very tiny clump of these and I plan to move it to a different location when it's done blooming.




'Sagitta' is preparing to bloom, as are a few other varieties.


The first 'Tete-a-Tete' daffodils that I planted last year just before Jenna's bridal shower are opening. I had bought several at Walmart, just to brighten up the landscape and now they're going to do the same thing this year. That's the great thing about spring bulbs. :-)

Still ugly after all these years, 'Replete' is trying once again to prove its worth. It's better than nothing, I guess, but each year I threaten to dig the bulbs up. How this was awarded Daffodil of the Year (1995) is beyond me. I don't remember where I bought them, but they in no way look like pictures I'd seen, such as this one. To me, they're just a mess...

...but strangely photogenic.

Besides the daffodils, the Puschkinia are in full bloom, and while they're diminutive, they're frilly and they brighten up a dark corner.














Hyacinth season is not yet upon us, but give them another week or so, and I think they'll be showing color.

This is just great, isn't it? Winter is GONE!