Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, June 2010

I've decided, for the first time, to formally participate in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. I may have posted flower pictures on the 15th of the month before, but never on purpose. So here is what is blooming today here among the leaves.

First indoors:

Sinningia speciosa variety (Florist's Gloxinia)

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen'

And Outdoors:

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Rudbeckia hirta cultivar

NoId Lilium (Asiatic lily)

I'm pretty sure that this is Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns'

Sedum kamtschaticum

Clematis 'Jackmanii'

Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce.' I included this photo just because I love how the colors came out so oddly. Something about the contrast between the bluish foliage and the yellow flowers confused my camera, I guess. The plant isn't as otherworldly looking in person.

All photos open larger when clicked.

Outdoor Garden: Foliage Containers

This year, I decided to fill my part sun/part shade containers with plants chosen for foliage interest. My taste in outdoor plants seems to be the opposite of my taste in houseplants, since outdoors, I tend to choose plants mostly for their flowers, rather than their foliage. So I thought I'd try something different. I picked Iresine herbstii, (Bloodleaf) Strobilanthes dyerianus, (Persian Shield) Senecio cineraria, (Dusty Miller) and Begonia 'Dragon Wing' for these containers. The last does flower pretty much continuously, but I consider it a foliage plant in this case, since I purchased it because I love the way the leaves look. I like the red flowers, too, but consider them a bonus, rather than the main attraction.

One of the containers, filling out nicely

The trick will be convincing myself this fall, once frost is looming, to treat them as annuals and let them die out. Everything except the Senecio cineraria can be kept as houseplants, and I have done so in the past, with varying results. (And I admit, I'm itching to try the Dusty Miller as a houseplant, since nothing I grow indoors looks remotely like it.) Strobilanthes, although often listed in houseplant books, really does not enjoy the indoor life in my experience. I've kept a Dragon Wing Begonia going for a couple of years at a time, but they are messy, dropping flowers often and leaves occasionally. I had an Iresine for 3 or 4 years, and really loved it, but it got leggy, gangly, and unwieldy.

Center pot, which is larger than the other two. Here I used Helichrysum petiolare (Licorice Plant) instead of Dusty Miller, because I wanted a trailing effect in this container.

All three containers, which are under my kitchen windows, against the eastern wall of my house. These get filtered sun in the morning, because of the nearby maple tree; full sun for a brief period around noon; and then bright shade for the rest of the afternoon, as the sun is blocked by the house. All of the plants seem happy with this arrangement, though the Persian Shields wilt occasionally during the full sun period.

I guess I need to face facts: I hate letting perfectly healthy plants succumb to frost. So I'll probably salvage one Iresine (there are three, one per pot) and one Dragon Wing (there are five, one in each of the smaller pots, and three in the large pot.) And I'll probably plant the Dusty Miller in the ground, if I can. These are supposedly tender perennials, typically grown as annuals, and usually listed as hardy only to zone 8. However, here in zone 5, I've had them return from the roots for three and four years running. One finally died after it flowered in its third year; the others have never achieved flowering size.

Adventures in Growing: Expectations

I received a couple of interesting responses to Monday's post, regarding my Sansevieria hallii. I had mentioned that my plant produces one new leaf every year, and in the comments, two different people stated, in very similar terms, that such a slow growth pattern would drive them crazy. I was somewhat taken aback, because it would never have occurred to me to be bothered by this. Come to think of it, it wouldn't have bothered me much if the plant hadn't put out a new leaf this year. In fact, as long as it remained healthy, and didn't lose any leaves, I don't think I'd mind too much if this Sansevieria never added another leaf ever again. (Okay, I'd mind, but not to the point of madness.)

Then I started to wonder why that was. I'm not being critical of the people that commented; I find their opinions perfectly reasonable. I just began to wonder why my mindset was so very different. It is not that I don't have expectations for certain plants, and I do find myself disappointed if those expectations aren't met. I expect plants purchased specifically for flowers, like Hippeastrum, (Amaryllis) to bloom. I wait with eager anticipation for the cuttings I take to root, and the seeds I plant to sprout. I kind of wish that some of my younger Hoyas were mature enough to bloom, but the fact that aren't, and probably won't be for at least a couple of years, isn't driving me crazy.

A previously posted picture of my Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island Pine.) I've had this plant for a couple of years now, and while it does put out new growth--note leaf tips--it does so very slowly.

I think one of the reasons, is that these days, I seldom purchase a plant that I am not satisfied with, as is, this very minute. I may see the potential in a plant, picturing it larger, more vigorous, in bloom, or what have you, but if I don't actually like what it looks like right now, I am likely to leave it on the shelf. If I already think a plant is attractive, I'm unlikely to be disappointed if it doesn't change much. Another reason is that I'm happy if the plant's growth pattern is in line with its natural behavior. If my Sans was supposed to produce multiple leaves in a short time, then yeah, a leaf a year would be maddening.

Euphorbia lactea cristata. Crested plants are often slow growers. I've had this plant for a few years. It could have gotten a bit bigger during that time, but I can't swear to it. Fortunately, I think it is cool-looking as is.

A third reason is probably just that I have a lot of plants. I no longer know exactly how many I have, but 350 is a reasonable guess. When you have that many, several plants are usually doing something interesting at any given time, so it doesn't usually matter if any particular plant is just sitting there, doing nothing readily observable. There is a corollary to that third reason, as applies to Sansevieria: I have quite a few different types, that grow at different rates, so as a member of that group, the S. hallii has its own peculiar charms.

Another previously posted picture of some of my other Sansevierias, from last fall. In front: Sansevieria kirkii var pulchra 'Coppertone'. The rest, clockwise from the left: S. masoniana, NoId S. trifasciata cultivar, S. kirkii var kirkii, and S. cylindrica.

Ultimately, all growers of houseplants have differing expectations regarding our plants. As can be seen from many of my previous posts, I am thrilled with new growth from my plants, and am frustrated when they do poorly. But just as often, I am happy to just let them be whatever they are going to be, in the moment. My late mother would never have believed it, but my plants are going a long way towards teaching me patience and calm, qualities that she tried to instill in me, but that I have had great difficulty in achieving.

Right on Schedule

In one of my earliest posts, I discussed a few of my Sansevieria species, and showed how they had grown over the years. I mentioned that my Sansevieria hallii would produce a new leaf every year, whether I kept it indoors or put it outside for the summer. Well, this year is no exception.

Sansevieria hallii on the front porch, acclimating to the outdoors. There is a new leaf forming at the base of the leaf furthest to the right.

Closer view of the new growth

I love this plant. The phrase, "Strong, silent, type" seems very apt. (Well, plants don't generally make noise, but some of them manage to be drama queens nonetheless.) It has those thick, solid leaves that have earned it the sobriquet 'Baseball Bat.' It is easy to care for, liking a sunny spot indoors and minimal watering. And it puts out its single leaf every year, no fuss, no bother.

What I didn't mention in my original post was that it was sent to me as a single-leaved plant in 2005, by the same generous Garden Web poster who had sent me my Crassula ovata 'Gollum' two years previously. Thanks, CactusMcHarris!

This and That, Indoors and Out...

...And back to normal, I hope. It is amazing how many plant tasks can fall by the wayside when I am off my feet for a couple of days. I'm behind in moving my succulent plants outdoors, I'm behind in my indoor watering schedule, and I'm way, way, behind in my weeding and mulching outdoors. I'm also further behind than I'd like on my blogging. So, I hope this post will serve to bring everything up to date here among the leaves.

I did manage to get my four Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plants outdoors, shaded by a shrub for now, to be moved into full sun later. They've had a rather hard winter indoors. I've put several more succulents out on the front porch, and moved about 15-20 of the acclimated plants to full sun in the backyard. Once they are all out back, and I've had a chance to properly arrange and groom them, I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of the entire collection.

More succulents on the porch. Several of the plants at the head of the line (to the right in this photo) will be moving to the backyard tomorrow. I hope I can have everything back there by next weekend.

I also put the Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant,' that I wrote about on May 29, outside a couple of days ago:

Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' just hanging around. Even though they are not the sort of flowers hummingbirds like, I hope the red color might attract some, who can then avail themselves of the feeder hanging on the right. I've heard that hummers do like Weigela florida 'Red Prince,' the row of red flowered shrubs seen in the background.

Indoors, Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen' has produced yet another bloom spur. I wish my other Hoyas would get with the program!

More Hoya carnosa buds, on the ninth (or is it tenth?) bloom spur of the season.

My "Peanut Cactus" with the multiple Latin aliases has put out another bud, so I'm looking forward to another luscious orange flower in the near future.

After it blooms, this Chamaelobivia aka Lobivia aka Echinopsis will join my other cacti outdoors

As for the my outdoor garden, the Salvia/Sedum beds up front are really showing off their colors:

Three views of my front garden beds. Peppermint (the cat, not the plant--I don't have any of that, thank goodness) seems unimpressed, as usual.

The Salvia plants visible in these shots are Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland,' though I have S. nemorosa 'May Night' blooming in these beds as well. The Sedum with the yellow flowers is S. kamtschaticum. The red-and-yellow flowers are Gaillardia, either G. aristata 'Arizona' or G. aristata 'Goblin,' or both. These have reseeded themselves from my original plants. The white flowers are Thymus vulgaris, culinary thyme.

Salvia officinalis, culinary sage

I love to grow Sage, Thyme and Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) in my garden as ornamentals. I almost never harvest from them for cooking. If I get the notion to grow fresh herbs to actually use, I grow them in containers out back.

Now that I'm feeling like myself again, I have a busy weekend ahead. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just Lounging Around

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, and it is kind of a cloudy, lazy day here among the leaves. Luke seems to have the right idea:

Luke reclining behind my terrarium centerpiece

He does seem to be thinking, "Why is she waving that camera around while I'm trying to rest?" though.

Oh, Mr. Grant!

I have a confession to make. Occasionally, some of my plants get a bit neglected. One of those plants is my Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant.' During the fall/winter, it hangs in the spare room where we keep our cats' litter boxes, a room where I am disinclined to spend a lot of extra time. So I occasionally forget to water it. Not only that, the room has only a north window, which is not an ideal situation for an Epi. It is a bright room though, and it does get additional light reflected off of the off-white siding of the house next-door.

And how does Mr. Grant reward me for the neglect and less than ideal conditions? Like this:

Leaf with several flower buds

Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' whole plant, showing the leaves a bit worse for wear. I moved it into the kitchen to photograph.

I've counted 12 flower/buds in various stages of maturity. And how will I reward Mr. Grant? With a summer outdoors, where it will get plenty of light, humidity and rain.

Possible Blog Hiatus

Tomorrow morning, I am having dental surgery to remove two wisdom teeth. Depending on what my recuperation period is like, I may not post for a few days. Of course, since I don't usually post daily, the break might not be any longer than my usual time between posts.

If I do post, and things don't seem quite right, blame it on the happy pills.

10/04/10 Edited to add: Comments on this post have been disabled, as it has become a magnet for spam.

In Praise of Succulents: Outdoor Sedum Edition

In a post from last December, In Praise of Succulents: Sedum Edition, I counted the ways I loved my Sedums, mostly focusing on the indoor varieties I grow. I did post one picture featuring some Sedums in my outdoor garden, but no individual pictures.

Why do I love Sedums for the outdoors? For one, they are one of the few succulent genera that includes species hardy here in USDA Zone 5. For another, despite being succulents, they don't seem to object to my rather dense clay soil. They've held on and come back strong, despite the fact that we have had some wet summers over the last five years, one or two of them extremely so. They provide flowers in the early summer, and colorful foliage interest throughout the growing season. They are easy to grow from seed. I can also pick them up reasonably cheaply, if I look among the groundcovers, rather than the perennials, at the nursery.

First, a look at some of the varieties I grow:

Sedum platycladus

Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce'

Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood,' I think.

Another Sedum spurium cultivar.

Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'

I think that these are both Sedum acre

I'm not sure about this one. It could be Sedum album 'Coral Carpet'. I love the color and form.

And to get an idea of where I grow them, here are some views of the bed along the sidewalk in front of my house, which they share with Salvia, Artemisia and Juniperus, among other plants.

Facing north

Facing east

Facing south

The Pi bed, facing west. The stones, which are somewhat obscured with foliage, are arranged in the form the Greek letter π (pi.) Mathematics was my husband's field of study, and he has a great affinity for π, enough that he has posted on various internet forums as "BobPi." The large green mounds are Sedum kamtschaticum.

Another nice thing about Sedums is that there are plenty of low-growing forms to choose from, all the better for a bed near the sidewalk. Low-growing plants don't obstruct the view of the rest of the garden from the street.

Outdoor Garden, May 19-24: Irises

The bearded Irises (Iris germanica crosses and cultivars) have been putting on quite a show, first the yellows, then the blue/dark blue bi-colors, then the dark purples, and finally the pale purples/lavenders. Here they are in my garden over the past week:

Circle around our street tree, May 19. The yellows had been opening up for about a week at that point.

Same circle, today. The dark and light purples are making their appearance.

Bi-colors by our Birch. (Betula species)

Bed near the front door May 19. Yellow Iris with Alliums and Clematis.

Same bed from a different angle, today. The dark purples are now dominant.

Dark purple, close up. The light hit the flower so that the richness of color can be seen.

Pale lavender Iris, close-up.

I think I also have a few whites near the birch tree that haven't opened yet. They were planted there when the tree was smaller, and there was no shrub bed nearby, so they are kind of hidden. I'm going to be a busy plant lady doing divisions this summer, I think.

As always, click the photographs for larger views.