tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54315057413526945342024-03-18T17:35:17.608-04:00Continuous InterestA gardening blog about plants. Mostly.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-81644302421545511412017-03-12T17:39:00.002-04:002017-03-12T17:39:48.428-04:00Cold realityEvery year is strange in its own way. This year, thus far, has been unseasonably warm. When I say thus far, I'm actually being somewhat generous, as temperatures returned to March normal on Friday. Unfortunately, certain plants had already developed to the point where their cold-susceptible flowers were already open. <i>Magnolia</i> x <i>loebneri</i> 'Leonard Messel' is one of those.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxZ4iU0LVNsbCEJ3wkzzSA_p7GAdKgA7juTIT5HtemJ7QMb7LmtMqjpkhyphenhyphenwX0fQxHD_PF8AxNng-xnBgYqH3gxqpSLIA_vwUsdWr2gUmJhlrWbNOiM7MlDNvGBIAAD-cZ_golEvvpCaI/s1600/001_9090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxZ4iU0LVNsbCEJ3wkzzSA_p7GAdKgA7juTIT5HtemJ7QMb7LmtMqjpkhyphenhyphenwX0fQxHD_PF8AxNng-xnBgYqH3gxqpSLIA_vwUsdWr2gUmJhlrWbNOiM7MlDNvGBIAAD-cZ_golEvvpCaI/s1600/001_9090.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Magnolia</i> x <i>loebneri</i> 'Leonard Messel' on 10 March, 2017</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQjn9KKWCCTvhFiBd7SWgJ7Cmf7jX0NjFoEc3tClyuMN9B3ubEf6Aao_M45AweGQkErBK0dDR5sbKfGNSZIV-CfjPZU7WxwLEg-MhZxTDEFWOHbjNEJOqK1gk98g_HXnznjM12L1Zdu8/s1600/001_9106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQjn9KKWCCTvhFiBd7SWgJ7Cmf7jX0NjFoEc3tClyuMN9B3ubEf6Aao_M45AweGQkErBK0dDR5sbKfGNSZIV-CfjPZU7WxwLEg-MhZxTDEFWOHbjNEJOqK1gk98g_HXnznjM12L1Zdu8/s640/001_9106.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grown here in a partly shady location, more flowers can be expected in a sunnier spot.</td></tr>
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In the past, I have observed 'Leonard Messel' locally flowering around the second week of April, and in 2016 mine was in full bloom by the 18th of March. And while it's still possible for frosts to occur through April and early May, the chances of it happening are typically lower. Overall, my 'Leonard Messel' has fared well when it was in bloom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgD6HDLwuZmYRtDjfjQ4FDcB3Bv91atz6x-kf14KzwCOhz7lo7S7kd0wvkjP1J1kTPFGtdVplHgarNYUp_tRzPnB320y4kMYfUu2PSeQkNbydJnHJR8nGeQ5wgO3OhuD-bMlrdpwuEu44/s1600/001_9104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgD6HDLwuZmYRtDjfjQ4FDcB3Bv91atz6x-kf14KzwCOhz7lo7S7kd0wvkjP1J1kTPFGtdVplHgarNYUp_tRzPnB320y4kMYfUu2PSeQkNbydJnHJR8nGeQ5wgO3OhuD-bMlrdpwuEu44/s640/001_9104.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to being so beautiful, the flowers can smell great (more so on a warm day).</td></tr>
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The low for Saturday the 11th was 21°F.<br />
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By Saturday afternoon, the overall plant didn't look too different, but closer inspection revealed the tender nature of the flowers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlsZc6TBN1Yjr3czzFLStD6O_d8JBXBJvUyLzBmKr55jbmVckuGAcqNVLzCqPwyvrbe_0gLbp_6iZSo5gHsBYORloGtBrrRPINKl_s5vxzGPo2ABYjdnSU6r3Scaczl6bpI2fVClOM_o/s1600/IMG_0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlsZc6TBN1Yjr3czzFLStD6O_d8JBXBJvUyLzBmKr55jbmVckuGAcqNVLzCqPwyvrbe_0gLbp_6iZSo5gHsBYORloGtBrrRPINKl_s5vxzGPo2ABYjdnSU6r3Scaczl6bpI2fVClOM_o/s400/IMG_0650.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5wI67p0-OpX-cFkDH0NQIs1OiQyL0h1pjDRoBv9t-DRkzLedY3CQke5HCjx4ziBk3DPc2gS-t3o_Dvy8zJeiRlLdbnHjVhyphenhyphenvma0bZO7vnS8574cRN8vzEMjTIqfebxK0YxH1K6RCLkw/s1600/IMG_0653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5wI67p0-OpX-cFkDH0NQIs1OiQyL0h1pjDRoBv9t-DRkzLedY3CQke5HCjx4ziBk3DPc2gS-t3o_Dvy8zJeiRlLdbnHjVhyphenhyphenvma0bZO7vnS8574cRN8vzEMjTIqfebxK0YxH1K6RCLkw/s400/IMG_0653.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Magnolias that tend flower early in the season (<i>M</i>. <i>kobus</i>, <i>M</i>. <i>stellata</i>, <i>M</i>. x <i>soulangeana</i>, etc.) will always be at risk of getting damaged by cold snaps, but in the years when they flower unscathed, they can be fabulous. Even though there will be occasional years that disappoint, in the long run you will appreciate having taken the risk of growing one.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's always next year.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-10464028273795277392017-03-03T16:02:00.001-05:002017-03-03T16:02:37.421-05:00Early is a gamble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Jasminum</i> <i>nudiflorum</i> is among the earliest flowering of the shrubby plants. Aptly called winter jasmine, it may start blooming at the slightest hint of warmth in late winter. This year, at the <a href="http://cincinnatizoo.org/horticulture/" target="_blank">Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden</a>, a significant portion of the flowers were open by mid-February:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievcCwfivLpHmgCtCkdcVnIy1pXsIjKikoyibDymdLbjzePTp6fskoBoEfYL5HxJHAms3nCKXtulC7_XCJgDxdsvcOQFLKd4ZhyphenhyphenIWTelih7t9XmTWLvLocz5w7KLVEkK64UaBkjnAD2OE/s1600/IMG_0549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievcCwfivLpHmgCtCkdcVnIy1pXsIjKikoyibDymdLbjzePTp6fskoBoEfYL5HxJHAms3nCKXtulC7_XCJgDxdsvcOQFLKd4ZhyphenhyphenIWTelih7t9XmTWLvLocz5w7KLVEkK64UaBkjnAD2OE/s640/IMG_0549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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By February 22nd, it was nearly in full bloom:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWLu68Jl1QOTVDl2a9Hx5Ou86ykLazHu9O4dFFHJ-cQPegMcYRmuvEXFh-nAW7yU5zNshzMhXxHEuD-Oz5Au0wTj_7B65c1rt8pEa-sHZ-LRlkOgjTsZ3Qx78LuKO6bGrKW0BYoDXmwA/s1600/IMG_0566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWLu68Jl1QOTVDl2a9Hx5Ou86ykLazHu9O4dFFHJ-cQPegMcYRmuvEXFh-nAW7yU5zNshzMhXxHEuD-Oz5Au0wTj_7B65c1rt8pEa-sHZ-LRlkOgjTsZ3Qx78LuKO6bGrKW0BYoDXmwA/s640/IMG_0566.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDd30LHDXyv_VRInUH7VmFnwNOdYhpG-cCDKYvoUHvLTfKDP0OqaMV8Sr7cyaPcojA-Yx2utm1kThA_-Jt-tboFcMKGksxZP_onCx9ou_f-drDAhZR1ukHdnzpY4tmyKBdncE5ZMvfhE/s1600/001_8996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDd30LHDXyv_VRInUH7VmFnwNOdYhpG-cCDKYvoUHvLTfKDP0OqaMV8Sr7cyaPcojA-Yx2utm1kThA_-Jt-tboFcMKGksxZP_onCx9ou_f-drDAhZR1ukHdnzpY4tmyKBdncE5ZMvfhE/s640/001_8996.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
Descriptions of its habit may be quite subjective. As I photographed the plant at left, one passerby described it as flopping. Now, it's possible that their glass is only half full. I didn't think to ask, but I did point out that they could, instead, think of the delicate green (all winter!) stems as arching, or gracefully cascading down the slope atop which it had been planted.<br />
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In my opinion, it seemed to me to be a particularly effective use for the plant, as it has a tendency to layer (root where branches touch the ground), thereby reducing erosion. Form and function combined!<br />
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It has been <a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a152" target="_blank">elsewhere</a> described as vining. That might be the case in richer soils, or shadier situations. Although winter jasmine will tolerate a great deal of shade, such conditions will result in the formation of fewer flower buds.<br />
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Relatively inconspicuous during initial expansion (perhaps because they are too small and widely distributed to attract attention), partially developed red-tipped buds will open into the bright yellow, 6-petalled flowers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MaKzCxLKyadpgFcQHcjQPbIDJ-JgkTNHxB6yGyeVQM9ZLGFzbnEWrlCmJ0Di5o8XxJ8PsqxUenMX8oDdjtzEx0o6aLVpb6XWxjbS-JVItebwLDvvJiJ95wyN60ww_3LFLN2fdiCiWio/s1600/001_9015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MaKzCxLKyadpgFcQHcjQPbIDJ-JgkTNHxB6yGyeVQM9ZLGFzbnEWrlCmJ0Di5o8XxJ8PsqxUenMX8oDdjtzEx0o6aLVpb6XWxjbS-JVItebwLDvvJiJ95wyN60ww_3LFLN2fdiCiWio/s1600/001_9015.jpg" /></a></div>
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In spite of numerous flowers, little or no seed development seems to occur. However, as I alluded to above, it may slowly spread by layering (as raspberries do, only at a more reasonable pace).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1Wfg-vmGHnAJJdJs6R2F_gieO5cW5TdTkhOfywsPOT3JFgoUi7QHKdQNKR0LUUaLHhulQ6dCCLKnHO4kelyl1iPQIy4pqlW2Tw0diJRQkZ_ZjwgMT0lq_Bj52h29JpFLPBaFBujBo7A/s1600/001_9000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1Wfg-vmGHnAJJdJs6R2F_gieO5cW5TdTkhOfywsPOT3JFgoUi7QHKdQNKR0LUUaLHhulQ6dCCLKnHO4kelyl1iPQIy4pqlW2Tw0diJRQkZ_ZjwgMT0lq_Bj52h29JpFLPBaFBujBo7A/s640/001_9000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aside from the tendency to lose flower buds in harsher winters, the only shortcoming, at least around here, is the unseemly lack of fragrance in a species of <i>Jasminum</i>. All in all, I find that winter jasmine is worth the gamble.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com532tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-25068225035555319292015-04-23T22:27:00.001-04:002015-04-23T22:27:29.451-04:00And the winner is...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRQ2EIMx66BJ7rxpq7pBWuANNwNQ8G5wyVBuQWqIl_0s6zOstVtJhXcOg5ivo2GvSr3NXFSPyvSuYN64nc4N0k11799O8t8-IQZxqaUSRZ6ZsXp25Jeed1i0RjTkt45T7Hujd9r17QF4/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRQ2EIMx66BJ7rxpq7pBWuANNwNQ8G5wyVBuQWqIl_0s6zOstVtJhXcOg5ivo2GvSr3NXFSPyvSuYN64nc4N0k11799O8t8-IQZxqaUSRZ6ZsXp25Jeed1i0RjTkt45T7Hujd9r17QF4/s1600/image1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i>Epimedium</i> x <i>versicolor</i> 'Sulphureum' (foreground), and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i>Epimedium</i> x <i>perralchicum</i> ‘Fröh</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">nleiten’ (background)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Epimedium</i> x <i>versicolor</i> 'Sulphureum' seems to be the most commonly available of the <i>Epimedium</i> spp., but, for a showier </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">dry shade/part sun </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">groundcover, I would sooner recommend <i>Epimedium</i> x <i>perralchicum</i> 'Frö</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">hnleiten’. Both are seen above in my garden where they get full late afternoon sun.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RhYjiJ7BPJ5QSvMyClRLOzuF2yAAXgcE_MMX6gnbN-rqrfN5Wq_7NbeD52F9Zw04fSHQpCiyp7xVLwdzcgWiKl5Lv3qpuJdLesUO49UDHBVvuaGTXwp0IzT7a9-QUW2qIRZVArqa4E0/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RhYjiJ7BPJ5QSvMyClRLOzuF2yAAXgcE_MMX6gnbN-rqrfN5Wq_7NbeD52F9Zw04fSHQpCiyp7xVLwdzcgWiKl5Lv3qpuJdLesUO49UDHBVvuaGTXwp0IzT7a9-QUW2qIRZVArqa4E0/s1600/image2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i>Epimedium</i> x <i>perralchicum</i> 'Frö</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">hnleiten’, with the foliage of <i>Galanthus</i> <i>elwesii</i> in the background. Yellow flowers are those of <i>Stylophorum</i> <i>diphyllum</i> (celandine poppy). </span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-22375843340397685002015-04-05T17:59:00.002-04:002015-04-05T18:19:46.388-04:00Glory of the (s)now<i>Iris</i> <i>histrioides</i> 'Frank Elder' has been in full bloom for a week now, the last bit of color faded from the <i>Eranthis cilicica</i> a couple days ago and the <i>Eranthis hyemalis</i> and <i>Galanthus elwesii</i> are well along into setting seeds by the time the first <i>Chionodoxa </i>(glory of the snow) flowers open in my garden. Glory of the <i>snow</i>?! Here, the snow is good and gone by the time this blooms, but <i>Chionodoxa</i> spp. are known to flower while the snow is still on the ground in their native habitats of the eastern Mediterranean.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4UK8FVWMQAHHZVZpzxb6618Rdg-mkiq0G199MctpXLt5R79VknGIXIs5pH2ch6AZMBKnZKO-hkLrkFzVJ3SYX0dwKfNnmaoz13gbZzcTFk5PwGEoFiC45dKgRBIJ5pngBLGP-RN4ins/s1600/DSC_2488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4UK8FVWMQAHHZVZpzxb6618Rdg-mkiq0G199MctpXLt5R79VknGIXIs5pH2ch6AZMBKnZKO-hkLrkFzVJ3SYX0dwKfNnmaoz13gbZzcTFk5PwGEoFiC45dKgRBIJ5pngBLGP-RN4ins/s1600/DSC_2488.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small beginnings - most of the 300 <i>Chionodoxa</i> I planted around 2002. I think I need to mow a little later than I have.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lHhAlu_Wt0ixRZnkOpwO3t8RS53BuLx6vvUt_DTkLLHm9tEh16PDGherVIWvtqhnvCZWNuxbXI4O2doCFlviYsS71GNIZTsXuQjtR6vC-1plFLk6SW_wNiMQmwnhfDt-GrrRMzySgHo/s1600/DSC_2458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lHhAlu_Wt0ixRZnkOpwO3t8RS53BuLx6vvUt_DTkLLHm9tEh16PDGherVIWvtqhnvCZWNuxbXI4O2doCFlviYsS71GNIZTsXuQjtR6vC-1plFLk6SW_wNiMQmwnhfDt-GrrRMzySgHo/s1600/DSC_2458.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chionodoxa</i> sp.</td></tr>
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Although the Royal Horticulture Society's publication <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/PDFs/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-bulletins/hyacinthaceae" target="_blank">"Hyacinthaceae - little blue bulbs"</a> (2005) recognizes 8 species, it seems as though only four species are currently widely accepted. One might even <a href="http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Chionodoxa" target="_blank">find</a> it lumped into the genus <i>Scilla</i>. Nomenclatural squabbles aside, the differences between the widely accepted species are subtle enough that they are confused in the trade. Some years ago, I ordered and planted 300 <i>Chionodoxa forbesii</i>. I didn't pay close attention to differences among them until I recently read the aforementioned RHS publication, and now I think I might have representatives of <i>Chionodoxa</i> <i>forebesii</i>, <i>C. luciliae</i>, and <i>C. seihei</i>. I'm not even sure.<br />
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What I do know is that I like 'em. A lot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZMhLpz08ZOwX52hClQBBYWqwNpK4xxOPyn3KraaDfe_3OD9bfE-Fh7lxBcIaVYmfnDHa4rS_HvXwgzQXS_81nBlPxlf4WxoyJka6VWZvAAoGx9u-_y7huBC2gtponkUcUlkyI0PKvvg/s1600/DSCN4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZMhLpz08ZOwX52hClQBBYWqwNpK4xxOPyn3KraaDfe_3OD9bfE-Fh7lxBcIaVYmfnDHa4rS_HvXwgzQXS_81nBlPxlf4WxoyJka6VWZvAAoGx9u-_y7huBC2gtponkUcUlkyI0PKvvg/s1600/DSCN4498.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little closeup action. Can I get a hubba hubba?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWKfHQo2O0fA-0QVDUbjtDIHzrs8yRSgS_G2ONARLFpNYhZ-Lt6i5XqsaAwHP3T7pR5aHyRJ9tnFfuNo2v3QqoUhe-BKGYcYPWCnRn1pS5bALajs-W-GUo3tEo7iQALujoQYnq24Cksw/s1600/chionoINDY3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWKfHQo2O0fA-0QVDUbjtDIHzrs8yRSgS_G2ONARLFpNYhZ-Lt6i5XqsaAwHP3T7pR5aHyRJ9tnFfuNo2v3QqoUhe-BKGYcYPWCnRn1pS5bALajs-W-GUo3tEo7iQALujoQYnq24Cksw/s1600/chionoINDY3.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scans of slides I shot in the '90's, this and the next image show the naturalizing potential for <i>Chionodoxa </i>spp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfNmaeBu0XjgE_zGgaCHvg-f5LH5FnKJ3WsbfAKwwHBRAHg5Q-ZZly9IklzkU93hsvnLNWSZ_r783sEEY2M0lNCApN06B4XkXFkFt77EjXtscjS6kqsKmCC8a9dKQVr2YHwLgMQUrot4/s1600/Chionodoxaluciliae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfNmaeBu0XjgE_zGgaCHvg-f5LH5FnKJ3WsbfAKwwHBRAHg5Q-ZZly9IklzkU93hsvnLNWSZ_r783sEEY2M0lNCApN06B4XkXFkFt77EjXtscjS6kqsKmCC8a9dKQVr2YHwLgMQUrot4/s1600/Chionodoxaluciliae.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe, someday, my yard will be covered in lavender blue like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUgCvO2Xo32WFjqaONq4KvvRHVkNYbVBcns0xc9p_PQLwGuNrPi-mn2ae36l-UTlv3tooKhq3jQirKcvUuBQYYrrb6mvEfFmxfsIOf6qR46VMgl-UMZkRW1JHFShTXaE2sMxtcPiMQgY/s1600/DSC_4132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUgCvO2Xo32WFjqaONq4KvvRHVkNYbVBcns0xc9p_PQLwGuNrPi-mn2ae36l-UTlv3tooKhq3jQirKcvUuBQYYrrb6mvEfFmxfsIOf6qR46VMgl-UMZkRW1JHFShTXaE2sMxtcPiMQgY/s1600/DSC_4132.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chionodoxa</i> with little competition under a redbud (<i>Cercis canadensis</i>). </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaReSCTVExUFZ41j0GJLunWceTp2eZbVFRxc8y33cOpupnrBpaSEp8qE5znfKVPmHOKHkk237scz62JAlIeYp5CFeNJA6ipoeaZPKcbMhhRFB9mYP1xQ-bcc5lw1aYZcNUbzoKF65JdaQ/s1600/20100323-DSCN6728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaReSCTVExUFZ41j0GJLunWceTp2eZbVFRxc8y33cOpupnrBpaSEp8qE5znfKVPmHOKHkk237scz62JAlIeYp5CFeNJA6ipoeaZPKcbMhhRFB9mYP1xQ-bcc5lw1aYZcNUbzoKF65JdaQ/s1600/20100323-DSCN6728.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C</i>. 'Pink Giant'</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-45929322391747920552014-09-20T11:07:00.003-04:002014-09-20T11:07:30.910-04:00Pretty, not pink.<i>Conoclinium</i> <i>coelestinum</i>, formerly known as <i>Eupatorium</i> <i>coelestinum</i>, may also be known by any of several common names: wild ageratum, hardy ageratum, blue boneset, blue mist flower, pink eupatorium. The last (the pink part, anyway) is a misnomer that likely arose from film-recorded images of the flowers.<br />
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While the flowers are actually a lavender-blue, print and slide films images show them as pink; something to do with film's limited spectral sensitivity? If anyone can tell me the definitive answer why this is, I'd love to know.<br />
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Anyway, the advent of digital imaging appears to have overcome this problem, and I can tell you that hardy ageratum (which is the name I first learned for it) really looks like this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOvDZu8zsdtGrlPuhyphenhyphen4kdHsDjAU2B71PBGWz2IZhJ7uIuZPaFrKpzTgM3PgnktKZE0oxW2LsopRtOT-uRT152wME28bCkcLTrHMBr3oOzGpW5H31tasaqI0NoUv5Hd3ilrQ9cdl7wHsA/s1600/001_0761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOvDZu8zsdtGrlPuhyphenhyphen4kdHsDjAU2B71PBGWz2IZhJ7uIuZPaFrKpzTgM3PgnktKZE0oxW2LsopRtOT-uRT152wME28bCkcLTrHMBr3oOzGpW5H31tasaqI0NoUv5Hd3ilrQ9cdl7wHsA/s1600/001_0761.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shaded colony of <i>Conoclinium coelestinum</i> just coming into bloom.</td></tr>
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I haven't paid enough attention in previous years to know if this is anomalous, but hardy ageratum here in my garden has been in flower since the first week in August. And it's still going:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiUOfRyHPUd_ZVvU3D6Sx8jlymYUYed-g5vSFhqUM7yxe-gaT7RNfSuyrg02MPgJ6I43-W3FihkNFMyqwZT5KiLqTSBZsfcJZOJVpubz0hG69jGZZr0vph5M7Iaw2Jc4dljtm281FED4/s1600/IMG_4968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiUOfRyHPUd_ZVvU3D6Sx8jlymYUYed-g5vSFhqUM7yxe-gaT7RNfSuyrg02MPgJ6I43-W3FihkNFMyqwZT5KiLqTSBZsfcJZOJVpubz0hG69jGZZr0vph5M7Iaw2Jc4dljtm281FED4/s1600/IMG_4968.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evening light, earlier this week, on a smaller colony of blue mist flower.</td></tr>
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The first colony above is now a bit on the sprawly-falling-in-on-itself side of things, but still has flowers. All the same, it's due for a cutting-down before the seeds start forming in earnest. Like those of many other members of the aster family, hardy ageratum seeds disperse on the wind via fluffy pappi (plural of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappus_(flower_structure)" target="_blank">pappus</a>) reminiscent of hairy parachutes. Shearing the plants now, rather than letting the few blooms sputter on, will reduce the number of unwanted seedlings popping up elsewhere.<br />
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While we're on the topic of unwanted spreading; the astute reader has noted my use of the word colony. Hardy, or wild, ageratum does move about via rhizomes and can eat up a fair chunk of space in the garden where one is not mindful of marauding sprouts.<br />
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In spite of its tendencies to wander, I appreciate hardy ageratum for the color it gives shady/partly-sunny spots at a time of year when many other blooms are spent. Consider pairing it with some large-leaved hostas for a textural contrast, as well as a vigorous partner which can keep up with it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-24208274106049046942014-08-09T18:11:00.001-04:002014-10-05T16:57:07.776-04:00Well, last weekend I had a lot I should have planted (attendees to <a href="http://www.perennialplant.org/" target="_blank">PPA</a> symposia, especially their tours, tend to pick up a couple of things here and there). I DID plant <i>Lindera</i> <i>glauca</i> var. <i>salicifolia</i> (<a href="http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=lindera+salicifolia+" target="_blank"><i>Lindera</i> <i>salicifolia</i></a>? <a href="http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=lindera+glauca" target="_blank"><i>Lindera</i> <i>glauca</i> var. <i>somethingelsia</i></a>? taxonomists appear to be fence sitting on that one), <i>Lobelia</i> 'Fried Green Tomatoes' (seen here, in front of the 'Sutherland Gold' elderberry),<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-O1-dTyt40XV6A-viIvxX-5CQNtI95pALUc9LFecPOl0sNm6ZL9iOcL3yX2ufig_Fb1U3bd3h9f40Z4LuWGPeEUdlaZhkakvZ1090zuN-CiCqW1HcJ1Qf09ETxZ9UrvYfaPcF-JL5ls/s1600/001_0757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-O1-dTyt40XV6A-viIvxX-5CQNtI95pALUc9LFecPOl0sNm6ZL9iOcL3yX2ufig_Fb1U3bd3h9f40Z4LuWGPeEUdlaZhkakvZ1090zuN-CiCqW1HcJ1Qf09ETxZ9UrvYfaPcF-JL5ls/s1600/001_0757.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></div>
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a couple <i>Andropogon</i> <i>gerardii</i>, <i>Teucrium</i> <i>hircanicum</i> (planted, I kid you not, somewhat sideways as it is normally kinda lax),<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmOllOWUqOxsJzuzq0REkHC1IvdtnC2B2AJw6ZSa85OfghdjRX2aQEeCNNIleqZyMifFDseDM9HsD3MwifwWxRETQkc4pX3q-_e0g0XiWDPuLgvr5S-q93PWgPuXQMJ3YRYfB46UrNvM/s1600/001_0754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmOllOWUqOxsJzuzq0REkHC1IvdtnC2B2AJw6ZSa85OfghdjRX2aQEeCNNIleqZyMifFDseDM9HsD3MwifwWxRETQkc4pX3q-_e0g0XiWDPuLgvr5S-q93PWgPuXQMJ3YRYfB46UrNvM/s1600/001_0754.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Phlomis</i> <i>russelliana</i>, <i>Kniphofia</i> <i>uvaria</i> 'Echo Mango',<br />
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<i>Geum</i> 'Totally Tangerine' and I put bits of a <i>Carex</i> <i>siderosticha</i> 'Banana Boat' (detecting a fruit theme?) in several locations.<br />
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That leaves me needing to plant <i>Caryopteris</i> <i>divaricata</i> 'Snow Fairy', <i>Heuchera</i> 'Pistache', <i>Deinanthe</i> <i>caerulea</i> 'Blue Wonder', <i>Arisaema</i> 'Starburst' and <i>Salix</i> <i>repens</i> var. <i>argentea</i> ('Argentea', some would say). Well, maybe not that last one. It seems to have greatly resented being left in the driveway for a couple of days. I would give the willow (sun plant!) crap about how the <i>Deinanthe</i> (shade plant!) looks remarkably better, but the latter may have benefitted from even the light shade offered by the seemingly sacrificial <i>Salix</i>. And, to be fair, maybe the willow needed more water than the false hydrangea.<br />
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I also should repot a couple of tiny (but, they were only $1!) succulents (<i>Stapelia</i> or <i>Huernia</i> [did you know <i>Asclepiadaceae</i> have been <a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=30239" target="_blank">lumped</a> into <i>Apocynaceae- </i>]? and <i>Echeveria</i> or <i>Aeonium</i>?)<br />
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More sometime soon on how well the willow recovers. If at all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-66924934444255946632013-04-24T19:35:00.001-04:002013-04-25T07:29:58.188-04:00A Cercis sampler.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFplHUzguqTxCsqQ26sL325enLOCRC0pnJqA_TbecNUoHHOyQW7JA0wm-5Ik-O2ifhaR-0i8ScDG14pQJA-Tta3Q-p2X0jV_gmmaJ9ZR0iGTaN5w0PAoJa7cJJq512F0IAaCKA-TPZ-9Y/s1600/DSCN4694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFplHUzguqTxCsqQ26sL325enLOCRC0pnJqA_TbecNUoHHOyQW7JA0wm-5Ik-O2ifhaR-0i8ScDG14pQJA-Tta3Q-p2X0jV_gmmaJ9ZR0iGTaN5w0PAoJa7cJJq512F0IAaCKA-TPZ-9Y/s1600/DSCN4694.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cercis</i> <i>canadensis</i> (eastern redbud)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51EWs0ifOQfyn48nMfNqsog_U4h0epTKrpcVcom9p0bh4cfr_6DTZUiWt2spCnLrsW-wf-pIWYLALjUCUsOrMhV4mhbdw62jtHvDm0MqOmqCwDAYi1JVumGT-nFoPrRGtCiuT9AfRlPE/s1600/DSCN2201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51EWs0ifOQfyn48nMfNqsog_U4h0epTKrpcVcom9p0bh4cfr_6DTZUiWt2spCnLrsW-wf-pIWYLALjUCUsOrMhV4mhbdw62jtHvDm0MqOmqCwDAYi1JVumGT-nFoPrRGtCiuT9AfRlPE/s1600/DSCN2201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Profuse cauliflory on redbud.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiY141vQE6OpLfISJV3bhbBgssE19aymFt8odLskmFNZmr1M2E2XaF_DVspq7KYkN4hLfQxp2Do4bo5GO-Fuz1Pv4w95j5BhsPuTeHlfWwYxB9cTLxveE2aLK3qvOudlOvGLsP2zuVJM/s1600/DSCN2204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiY141vQE6OpLfISJV3bhbBgssE19aymFt8odLskmFNZmr1M2E2XaF_DVspq7KYkN4hLfQxp2Do4bo5GO-Fuz1Pv4w95j5BhsPuTeHlfWwYxB9cTLxveE2aLK3qvOudlOvGLsP2zuVJM/s1600/DSCN2204.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of one cluster of flowers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF86RARNuet3cDHI7FNr4AEaDFRD3TqWBooF3TQcxq1QFM4Haz0xmhUoE1HWYvv36kiE_MzdtmIImw5vlFU0iTkBPScSPsved74AqeHyUckGj_c7q54uZxbNnmuCgIzJWryPom9DF-VL4/s1600/DSCN0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF86RARNuet3cDHI7FNr4AEaDFRD3TqWBooF3TQcxq1QFM4Haz0xmhUoE1HWYvv36kiE_MzdtmIImw5vlFU0iTkBPScSPsved74AqeHyUckGj_c7q54uZxbNnmuCgIzJWryPom9DF-VL4/s1600/DSCN0257.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In some years the fruit set (flat pea-like pods) can be very heavy. I find them attractive. The subsequent seedlings can, in a garden setting, be annoyingly numerous.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTLGVE_Iq3UWcUk8OK9ip1-SB0MQ3NB4RDXKXOQk5bB7czEKXiwfr79kjB5nu2E9b3YoTo-lVelRt2YOlJOcPT9-VGY1zA4PJcxjTOxkP7eUEPo0cZtHKAubn3AecKicqNx6zNXumAB8/s1600/001_6978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTLGVE_Iq3UWcUk8OK9ip1-SB0MQ3NB4RDXKXOQk5bB7czEKXiwfr79kjB5nu2E9b3YoTo-lVelRt2YOlJOcPT9-VGY1zA4PJcxjTOxkP7eUEPo0cZtHKAubn3AecKicqNx6zNXumAB8/s1600/001_6978.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed pods on <i>Cercis</i> 'Oklahoma'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZiEJLstJbiM2i7506gMUEhR3Roj2rARw4wwe-W4zDrKsnwImz4OjwdVzSV2D8hm8L1Dp27OJ7SgD9CMZGkdnX-zdhapWskB0ObbBm8-hys8NzL2BPIijSFX8ndqHMIB1q5Dv3Xfgb5E/s1600/001_5684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZiEJLstJbiM2i7506gMUEhR3Roj2rARw4wwe-W4zDrKsnwImz4OjwdVzSV2D8hm8L1Dp27OJ7SgD9CMZGkdnX-zdhapWskB0ObbBm8-hys8NzL2BPIijSFX8ndqHMIB1q5Dv3Xfgb5E/s1600/001_5684.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one looks pretty much like your average <i>C. canadensis</i>. But when the leaves emerge:</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04UqIMWTzYlyIrofNGoTw9ratu7JT-g-jI9s-RUN4ru778izop-shtMw2nEZY-k-gYbTRel0CGq4WfWAaDkIyMwV56skgXJSx6SCBJgFknGEYaBbBozxDu4tWy-1at1X4KQcWkHyO42E/s1600/ccanforpanJEA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04UqIMWTzYlyIrofNGoTw9ratu7JT-g-jI9s-RUN4ru778izop-shtMw2nEZY-k-gYbTRel0CGq4WfWAaDkIyMwV56skgXJSx6SCBJgFknGEYaBbBozxDu4tWy-1at1X4KQcWkHyO42E/s1600/ccanforpanJEA.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C</i>. 'Forest Pansy' has purple foliage at emergence and for a little while after that. Mileage varies... Some newer cultivars are better at retaining their color through summer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuMfO1I_hozrxVLvZBqa866rDX9QdCsOngKOnvSbOPalUigbzH4tzxsSU6WzBOk_uAGnILCYhgu-DCzHfnElB2PoZyMM1SD7yHclLUHXfuhRKYRV83MZPOK4cTBD4ahpNtk_cbO7nla8/s1600/Cerciscanadensissilvercloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuMfO1I_hozrxVLvZBqa866rDX9QdCsOngKOnvSbOPalUigbzH4tzxsSU6WzBOk_uAGnILCYhgu-DCzHfnElB2PoZyMM1SD7yHclLUHXfuhRKYRV83MZPOK4cTBD4ahpNtk_cbO7nla8/s1600/Cerciscanadensissilvercloud.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C. 'Silver Cloud', an early variegated selection</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061DiTnBVLokzJXyci9iEqUqxc-DZlhZAdces7-wbo-BMogoPxjtQ6N6pMhr28beVYIfryclJsIWR5ntbek39BIMeTf6QVD-Cc-cS7q_ASjUgl6RHN0UTMRIi4RC9aAErxKkJKdGNSSo/s1600/DSC_4829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061DiTnBVLokzJXyci9iEqUqxc-DZlhZAdces7-wbo-BMogoPxjtQ6N6pMhr28beVYIfryclJsIWR5ntbek39BIMeTf6QVD-Cc-cS7q_ASjUgl6RHN0UTMRIi4RC9aAErxKkJKdGNSSo/s1600/DSC_4829.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also 'Silver Cloud'; again, mileage varies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeI9qfhX3WEg8Cl1jTcrPOVoOaWWy7DLLCLdWAm0t6vR-yaVF6E9QP8pcQC0RsaXDOlMDL4vWppYH1Cbeuk67Rj7zyfVNfLOL2kw3hyphenhyphentPsVlCrdVLpow8KQMUHfRLnHRCnK2Ko_sb9R4/s1600/20080112-DSCN6534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeI9qfhX3WEg8Cl1jTcrPOVoOaWWy7DLLCLdWAm0t6vR-yaVF6E9QP8pcQC0RsaXDOlMDL4vWppYH1Cbeuk67Rj7zyfVNfLOL2kw3hyphenhyphentPsVlCrdVLpow8KQMUHfRLnHRCnK2Ko_sb9R4/s1600/20080112-DSCN6534.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brr! But here's a good look at the form of <i>C</i>. 'Covey' (commonly marketed as Lavender Twist). Aside from the weeping habit, the leaves and flowers are much like plain old redbud. One can now get this form with either variegated or purple foliage ('Whitewater' and 'Ruby Falls', respectively).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Rmpxe-DAK1br7pvYiRMsPLeWjCJ9U0WbFrvx0_BEecu_Ik_XuinioKPYHkC_kuSnT-327jJgjXhTTxTXL3LRovgry3gXxalNSbBRlzqnDTuZXGcZJjkGjt-o8mCDdcVivfi9_4XA26o/s1600/001_5667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Rmpxe-DAK1br7pvYiRMsPLeWjCJ9U0WbFrvx0_BEecu_Ik_XuinioKPYHkC_kuSnT-327jJgjXhTTxTXL3LRovgry3gXxalNSbBRlzqnDTuZXGcZJjkGjt-o8mCDdcVivfi9_4XA26o/s1600/001_5667.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A redder redbud: <i>C. canadensis</i> 'Appalachian Red', fenced against deer rub.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lMPXyOpGbO1AC0BWnF8Pb1GEK_67HLO6AEktodXNuOh3TBH5ptQQjk5wwFC4lCOahgK7SgpVTbRCIku0HSr2f_JowWnz_EGBcjPdDlWiOjkap487LG1SwLNP626z98a8UcSxOa-JSZQ/s1600/001_5673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lMPXyOpGbO1AC0BWnF8Pb1GEK_67HLO6AEktodXNuOh3TBH5ptQQjk5wwFC4lCOahgK7SgpVTbRCIku0HSr2f_JowWnz_EGBcjPdDlWiOjkap487LG1SwLNP626z98a8UcSxOa-JSZQ/s1600/001_5673.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. canadensis </i>'Alba', the white redbud (whitebud???).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylDeqA2qIAh8owQh_IxReEREmRSENfWhTtEA1NukxNfRfFCTJoOG5gs2ecJwrSHL_LHOskS0LCXdSuv-S7nrhM_zhgz94_7vMYHa-Y9V0R081DNaJq6ZbGUnQ3SkHi7TCpRsrrV0hZcs/s1600/001_8997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylDeqA2qIAh8owQh_IxReEREmRSENfWhTtEA1NukxNfRfFCTJoOG5gs2ecJwrSHL_LHOskS0LCXdSuv-S7nrhM_zhgz94_7vMYHa-Y9V0R081DNaJq6ZbGUnQ3SkHi7TCpRsrrV0hZcs/s1600/001_8997.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. chinensis</i> 'Don Egolf' is compact and floriferous.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-47638953192203232232013-04-06T20:52:00.000-04:002013-04-06T20:52:33.381-04:00Late, but here.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Warm April day. Gotta be outside. Things still to cut back (little bluestem, your days are numbered), Weeds already need pulling (fewer dandelions will be blooming around here this year). I love getting out in the garden. But, I really look forward to working in the garden on the early warm days.</div>
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I love fragrant plants (have I mentioned this yet?). Sometimes a thing does not need to be visually enticing to be appreciated (consider bacon).</div>
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Hyacinth gives us olfactory and visual stimulation, though. I could weed and cut back stuff and, and,... maybe lounge in the hammock all day by the hyacinths. Mmm, hammock. Doze off a couple yards downwind (some find the fragrance overwhelming when close by). Take a little nap. Awaken to the gentle hum of honeybees making their way from one bloom to the next.</div>
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-sigh-</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXT2hEpjayN1xxdUTEtxVuqIZOAMTXqtX1DkF9dVOKkK8SE3OBBKyicVaLQqDoV6inhLlhYvTUxwRZUdpio8yE4vCwUzBv1PW7nFs3LChZYLbMXkhzSnxKBIzgYJjs6NiCOsT2J5J3cwc/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock' with honeybee. H. o. 'Peter Stuyvesant' in background</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-27334156295780598462013-03-26T16:28:00.001-04:002013-03-26T16:28:35.900-04:00Lindera, bacon, or both?<span style="font-family: inherit;">What's better than being married to someone who risks losing a hand to save you the last two slices of bacon from the mouths of ravenous teenagers, you ask? (Editor's (wife) note: NOTHING)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Growing </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Lindera benzoin</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (spicebush), one of the earliest shrubs (beaten out, here, by witchhazels) to bloom every year, that's what! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-2Sp_PouXwxDEE8Z_clLQB_s1YFdx6XuUC7Ujd5QmkGt9EavL_eri_9JBIhxftuQ2ZV2c6ln3sk358SjYrKo5MUmfHSEnVkFaGbqBACFbOMiK4O-max77VxDVv2pfM8B9eGrT5LHvVI/s1600/DSC_4416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-2Sp_PouXwxDEE8Z_clLQB_s1YFdx6XuUC7Ujd5QmkGt9EavL_eri_9JBIhxftuQ2ZV2c6ln3sk358SjYrKo5MUmfHSEnVkFaGbqBACFbOMiK4O-max77VxDVv2pfM8B9eGrT5LHvVI/s1600/DSC_4416.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindera benzoin (spicebush).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, perhaps that is a little over the top. I get that not everyone is into bacon; it's not for everyone (my apologies/condolences to those who aren't permitted). I suppose it's equally possible that one might not be interested in growing a shade-tolerant shrub with fragrant flowers under a window that catches breezes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVZ8W_UDTKhYv4zpACevwt35nxE6_j9GazfmC3JRTpyp3Dq5EHdO6BLE5Qxv0UHTre54vNRp9vM4uTqUKBhaD3D-f2AIgQ00bPkTVdoHPv57_D27cwb4b9-dync_RmVENNkl1DbfRiH4/s1600/DSC_4341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVZ8W_UDTKhYv4zpACevwt35nxE6_j9GazfmC3JRTpyp3Dq5EHdO6BLE5Qxv0UHTre54vNRp9vM4uTqUKBhaD3D-f2AIgQ00bPkTVdoHPv57_D27cwb4b9-dync_RmVENNkl1DbfRiH4/s1600/DSC_4341.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 8' tall in 2008. Local deer seem to be slackers, so I cut it back myself in 2011</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Heck, some of you might not even look forward to opening your windows to bring in that first breath of warm, fresh spring air (personally, the wait is killing me). </span>Perish the thought of<span style="font-family: inherit;"> experiencing the frisson that might accompany inhaling the delicate perfume of those numerous little yellow flowers found in clusters up and down the slender, yet sometimes </span>lengthy (see above), stems of the spicebush.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8XJwe9plrxTrOitMhDl4jP-Mn4WhjgcRZe6sjYDL0XjG7d8TvvWsNHZO9-pFTp1EzySvzU1KDLreUcfK5n1sCWcljRw388TzygCb84bJqfgih9wWmGtvYTw9jDciCftkDRJkFFMGjZk/s1600/DSC_4424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8XJwe9plrxTrOitMhDl4jP-Mn4WhjgcRZe6sjYDL0XjG7d8TvvWsNHZO9-pFTp1EzySvzU1KDLreUcfK5n1sCWcljRw388TzygCb84bJqfgih9wWmGtvYTw9jDciCftkDRJkFFMGjZk/s1600/DSC_4424.jpg" height="428" title="you wish you could smell this" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individually insignificant, the tiny flowers are borne in overwhelming numbers. Certainly whelming numbers, at least.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know, too, that a shrub which merely grows medium green, unvariegated, yet-tasty-to-the-larvae-of-the-beautiful-spicebush-swallowtail foliage which turns yellow in fall may be equally unappealing.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Dn94_KuhkQPkrb-qKIsTlOYdZX7FLPN4nOcXVP7AwCYozE3AKKFS1eOduvInc8kh7ysvIS7o6JYDhUWTSU1BhZOikquPvZYfDfrKsT6RUzjN1pCnEujPGLJ77KupZmoIUG3U_m5YBU/s1600/001_9410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Dn94_KuhkQPkrb-qKIsTlOYdZX7FLPN4nOcXVP7AwCYozE3AKKFS1eOduvInc8kh7ysvIS7o6JYDhUWTSU1BhZOikquPvZYfDfrKsT6RUzjN1pCnEujPGLJ77KupZmoIUG3U_m5YBU/s1600/001_9410.jpg" height="428" title="On the grounds of Hauck Botanic gardens." width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though mid-October (2009) this is pretty representative of average summer foliage, hints of fall color notwithstanding.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw7e4kn7mCgOInTht0uIukg_IuNCHb1-sYG9hSwFB52mis_xmqpO-_wVDm3mzAB2dkCTlwC-Rqyr3CPVq25Ck6dsFwPX_oSZVLu5VlNhZmSNDYASbpOLwxqmVkwsBwCypOJgJF0LwDNU/s1600/001_2877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw7e4kn7mCgOInTht0uIukg_IuNCHb1-sYG9hSwFB52mis_xmqpO-_wVDm3mzAB2dkCTlwC-Rqyr3CPVq25Ck6dsFwPX_oSZVLu5VlNhZmSNDYASbpOLwxqmVkwsBwCypOJgJF0LwDNU/s1600/001_2877.jpg" height="428" title="Did you guess Hauck Botanic garden again? You're right!" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One year and six days later, full bore fall color.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUlQdwuEjmzgLRk_kmzbIq3fzUWnIUKo6rfeoSKtscUro3quQmYpgClHj9-ODHHdjQ7xdbw0W9iAVuHOAa-wGlJzd4xIXq2Qltx7_0tsdxorhdgOzLLySr0T5ddubUtd1-YSqp3KoTeQ/s1600/DSC_5062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUlQdwuEjmzgLRk_kmzbIq3fzUWnIUKo6rfeoSKtscUro3quQmYpgClHj9-ODHHdjQ7xdbw0W9iAVuHOAa-wGlJzd4xIXq2Qltx7_0tsdxorhdgOzLLySr0T5ddubUtd1-YSqp3KoTeQ/s1600/DSC_5062.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An anomalous curled leaf conceals...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAQ5tk1B3nHW1ezBAlq4rews3HxPWNsv5a6Zhehw3AfEt2-eN3xkLlKAmlB3HYNNFLLWZIIz-QdxxHBkzp6kVGqmCfXWBDg6iQpNkHceKmp59-w1mX4ZTkQJ7lgvcvYCROxVmcwkPEbk/s1600/DSC_5065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAQ5tk1B3nHW1ezBAlq4rews3HxPWNsv5a6Zhehw3AfEt2-eN3xkLlKAmlB3HYNNFLLWZIIz-QdxxHBkzp6kVGqmCfXWBDg6iQpNkHceKmp59-w1mX4ZTkQJ7lgvcvYCROxVmcwkPEbk/s1600/DSC_5065.jpg" height="214" title="Here's "looking" at you." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a spicebush swallowtail larva. Don't be fooled by the eyes; this is the posterior end.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrPAoE7-T_lYnYYlgZp-p9dMsyhjb5n76eASdOuz-g_T0rgCg6BkzY2s2XDl6YRhEOKbnW3GKkB6025MUk79ikhXKq99HjDIU3bA8hs9mQO8cmdYP-8z1gPX2gC_Np40JDOLu3qX-skU/s1600/DSC_5066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrPAoE7-T_lYnYYlgZp-p9dMsyhjb5n76eASdOuz-g_T0rgCg6BkzY2s2XDl6YRhEOKbnW3GKkB6025MUk79ikhXKq99HjDIU3bA8hs9mQO8cmdYP-8z1gPX2gC_Np40JDOLu3qX-skU/s1600/DSC_5066.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty pupal case</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And those little red berries it produces, reportedly eaten by songbirds, are certainly responsible for a scattering of seedlings around any but the cultivar 'Rubra' (I've never laid eyes on one yet) and probably represent a threat to any nearby Amur honeysuckle colony!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEY3OgoJfzzFAQG-qd06kOcSGBe5n3LJ9-h9pjKKKzTJmfHDprzMkPxz04jlyhOzLl1fTxGYeyYhdtpC4Vdkj8Zf2vQKZFYWFR6SJBjFeAifysjBjFmgjuvV9Eu7sQayZ8-OytPzPnb4/s1600/001_8615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEY3OgoJfzzFAQG-qd06kOcSGBe5n3LJ9-h9pjKKKzTJmfHDprzMkPxz04jlyhOzLl1fTxGYeyYhdtpC4Vdkj8Zf2vQKZFYWFR6SJBjFeAifysjBjFmgjuvV9Eu7sQayZ8-OytPzPnb4/s1600/001_8615.jpg" height="640" title="Only persistent as long as the birds don't find them." width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty threat to Amur honeysuckle? You be the judge.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Never mind, either, how well it's adapted for use in one of those trendy rain gardens (in the wild it's commonly found growing in bottomlands [which have nothing to do with your derriere- grow up!]). Although it hasn't happened to the spicebush in my garden (northeast corner of the house, the bed surrounded by perforated drain pipe connected to the downspout), have reported that deer may make a meal of the slender branches. So, deer like it. I bet they don't like bacon, though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, I still understand that, like the many <a href="http://wesselsgardenway.com/2012/02/08/winter-blooming-witch-hazels-more-than-just-barney-fifes-after-shave/" target="_blank">witchhazels</a> (locally, they win the first-shrub-to-bloom contest), spicebush isn't for everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps not even for some of you who DO like bacon.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-88457467301956624542013-03-19T19:53:00.001-04:002013-03-19T19:53:43.890-04:00To cut back, or to wait?<br />
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Spring IS upon us. As many have undoubtedly noticed, it's quite unlike that of 2012. Dire longterm portents aside, I'd rather have a speedier warmup.</div>
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Last Saturday, in those hours when the weather was pleasant, I found the time to cut back the old foliage on the hellebores. By the look of the largest clump (others in the garden have been moved once or twice, which is something one should avoid doing with hellebores), I was a bit on the late side.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggp8zKRdBh6n5aA18KlL9_5JCQuDdR2LViLgZCZTsq0AlUGUJeQUAtgOE5RKZ2ruzgcL0Acv85BL5WuGo5LN6GTNUD2ayMMNLl8w0DmC0_KdBF_i5kaQ_U3G_mQGm4ABiCdYbTKmfrD-s/s1600/IMG_2899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggp8zKRdBh6n5aA18KlL9_5JCQuDdR2LViLgZCZTsq0AlUGUJeQUAtgOE5RKZ2ruzgcL0Acv85BL5WuGo5LN6GTNUD2ayMMNLl8w0DmC0_KdBF_i5kaQ_U3G_mQGm4ABiCdYbTKmfrD-s/s1600/IMG_2899.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore, partially divested of last year's leaves.</td></tr>
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A lot of new growth was six to eight inches tall and had not only buds but open flowers. Taking care to avoid accidentally cutting new stems makes cutting back slow work. But, I think the dense older foliage can provide some needed protection for the new growth from late cold snaps and snow.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfa6DKBLKRdNSVWg4CsG6dk5fCXq3QIiQDLoX_QAUl5EMw2rMnfJNtSvxLmYkaAnOxvkbtY6Acs3ApKCSwQrW43I9Kqew_YLlp1DEchbs2makGfXWRv0OJRnotcZbkYzGr71aMqsQ6K8/s1600/IMG_2902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfa6DKBLKRdNSVWg4CsG6dk5fCXq3QIiQDLoX_QAUl5EMw2rMnfJNtSvxLmYkaAnOxvkbtY6Acs3ApKCSwQrW43I9Kqew_YLlp1DEchbs2makGfXWRv0OJRnotcZbkYzGr71aMqsQ6K8/s1600/IMG_2902.jpg" height="478" title="astonishing amount of old foliage on tarp to left" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly exposed hellebore.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have some scant evidence in support of this: new shoots of other clumps, their old foliage being less dense, had suffered some light, but still apparent, cold damage. It could be, too, that they're in a less sheltered location.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrI_rQKMwt8cGTdO1uZuUqizHSAXUUmX8clA-ZENneJpTehwrX7W4H7OEu0FbRqwc-Ii4LabQ3GRnfq5NdZ2x_HGbMzICv414yVSqiJwkouve56vU01QSv4tpLmy1F8OZ7q2TN1LIo6Y/s1600/IMG_2905-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrI_rQKMwt8cGTdO1uZuUqizHSAXUUmX8clA-ZENneJpTehwrX7W4H7OEu0FbRqwc-Ii4LabQ3GRnfq5NdZ2x_HGbMzICv414yVSqiJwkouve56vU01QSv4tpLmy1F8OZ7q2TN1LIo6Y/s1600/IMG_2905-1.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some browning on this year's growth.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either way, in spite of my annual fretting over whether I've waited too long before cutting, or that I've cut them back too early, they haven't failed to put on a decent spring show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now is also a good time to cut back old <i>Epimedium</i> (images of several can be seen <a href="http://www.continuousinterest.com/2013/01/plants.html" target="_blank">here</a>) foliage. That is, it's certainly much, much easier to avoid inadvertently cutting off new growth right now. Now, I just hope it doesn't get too cold over the next few days.</span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-38759811445683943792013-03-13T13:51:00.001-04:002013-03-16T08:55:50.294-04:00Putty in my head<br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Sometimes we may learn more from a man's errors than from his virtues.</i></span></span><br />
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-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow</div>
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Sometimes my brain fails to deliver the right information about the thing I see. Please allow me to explain, to your benefit.</div>
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Yesterday found me outside (that's happening a lot lately, and should continue; warmer please!?), poking around in the woods at East Fork State park. I should be looking up. However, knowing that spring ephemerals are starting to show up (Hello, harbinger of spring!), I can't help but look down.</div>
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So, I'm pretty excited because I think I've spotted some putty-root (Adam and Eve is another common name; the latin name is <i>Aplectrum hyemale</i>) in a location that isn't as remote to me as, say, the Smoky Mountains.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7aOsS5z6Nyr1Pq0SZ1V-a7BxDILERClHCYh8vVNrf_xq04jlsSjFyMLQvIuiNeBKZ0AqvKgBMHEpVJOZwRy8fhkFofzJcYJTY1nFgtmVBwqe8bIupdiKViNqanpTESo-ICANtAVdPKw/s1600/IMGP1203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7aOsS5z6Nyr1Pq0SZ1V-a7BxDILERClHCYh8vVNrf_xq04jlsSjFyMLQvIuiNeBKZ0AqvKgBMHEpVJOZwRy8fhkFofzJcYJTY1nFgtmVBwqe8bIupdiKViNqanpTESo-ICANtAVdPKw/s1600/IMGP1203.jpg" title="somewhere in Great Smoky Mountains National Park" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aplectrum hyemale</i>, or putty root.</td></tr>
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As I said, I was excited and I couldn't help but share my discovery with others around me (what point is there in knowing something cool without being able to share that knowledge?).</div>
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A native orchid! The leaves emerge in fall, persist through winter, and senesce (die back) just as the flower emerges. I have yet to capture an image of the blooms, but one can see images of those at the PLANTS database profile for <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=APHY" target="_blank">putty root.</a></div>
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And then, last night, as I lay in bed, I realized that it wasn't putty-root that I found. I had soundly misremembered the name of what I had actually seen. The foliage I saw belongs to the crane-fly orchid (or cranefly orchid; Why crippled? I have no idea, but am willing to entertain any theories).</div>
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Like <i>Aplectrum hyemale</i>, <i>Tipularia discolor</i> also pushes up new leaves in autumn which then disappear as, or before, it blooms. However, those leaves look like this:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZjhnAidM2rmVRVtNZYbuAYQdaIDLNdxhuJ4QbzD9zrwdllYhVMjhSPfK7Oz8NHRqN_Tj_ZsWmIOBmUFUvRlSDI10j5fWibVKPA51uDuQxscHdHMqbJgOdP-rnbuFh5yUgUu_S4b5DCs/s1600/IMGP1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZjhnAidM2rmVRVtNZYbuAYQdaIDLNdxhuJ4QbzD9zrwdllYhVMjhSPfK7Oz8NHRqN_Tj_ZsWmIOBmUFUvRlSDI10j5fWibVKPA51uDuQxscHdHMqbJgOdP-rnbuFh5yUgUu_S4b5DCs/s1600/IMGP1085.jpg" title="also somewhere in Great Smoky Mountains National Park" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tipularia discolor</i>, or crane-fly orchid. NOT putty root.</td></tr>
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Not green-and-white striped. Spotted. The spotting varies between individual specimens, and can be quite attractive. The underside, if one were to turn the leaf over, is purple (I've seen newly emerged leaves look purple on both sides). Again, I have yet to capture an image of this flowering, so I will refer the reader to the PLANTS database profile for <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TIDI" target="_blank">cranefly orchid</a>.</div>
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So, while they have a similar lifecycle, and while they take on a roughly similar form, it's relatively easy to distinguish the two when in leaf. The hard part is getting my brain to maintain the proper associations, and deliver the right name sometime sooner than eight hours after seeing the plant!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-89183373559408080032013-02-23T13:43:00.003-05:002013-02-23T13:43:55.917-05:00Bowman's rootOne might almost mistake a well-established <i>Porteranthus trifoliatus</i> (also known as Gillenia trifoliata), or Bowman's root, for a dainty shrub.<br />
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In the part shade cast by a sweet-gum (which is much hated by my wife) to the south side of our house, this perennial throws up around a dozen wiry reddish stems that top out, with flowers, at around two feet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhT7aAMr871wiEb3gnL-x08dXY35yBRCYiKkwAqkE9M0eICM_3eDkokBN0QVYi1a-hXPkIhCZqfhATlX_bVc3NmttMN2FuMYnmnMhMS8xlooxgJWP1qVC4kjMhM2l3EMu6An_wV8F5oo/s1600/DSC_4674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhT7aAMr871wiEb3gnL-x08dXY35yBRCYiKkwAqkE9M0eICM_3eDkokBN0QVYi1a-hXPkIhCZqfhATlX_bVc3NmttMN2FuMYnmnMhMS8xlooxgJWP1qVC4kjMhM2l3EMu6An_wV8F5oo/s1600/DSC_4674.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Porteranthus trifoliatus</i></td></tr>
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This specimen sits near the end of a run of perforated drain pipe, which while I wouldn't classify the area as being generally moist, it's better off than many other areas in the yard. In any case, the plant is doing well enough that I have found seedlings of it in the general area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircmsKrwVy4X07mT35Vwkt8e1nCLeurAVQ-88Df3xO0sWSjwWcYBfPsL8CLAu5UmSgdWBRwvdTBrLNDCJe5xZBMu2cHnoR3b0w_MaTKWa6m9UEYFq_b_oiVusHOCGRwbyXCh1GqmslYdo/s1600/DSC_4675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircmsKrwVy4X07mT35Vwkt8e1nCLeurAVQ-88Df3xO0sWSjwWcYBfPsL8CLAu5UmSgdWBRwvdTBrLNDCJe5xZBMu2cHnoR3b0w_MaTKWa6m9UEYFq_b_oiVusHOCGRwbyXCh1GqmslYdo/s1600/DSC_4675.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flush of five-petalled white flowers appears some time between mid-May and early June.</td></tr>
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As the specific epithet <i>trifoliatus</i> suggests, the leaves are in threes (three leaflets, really).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU4EuiF9TC4TWdqNJo60XW1k6-jdK2GhQMhM2AoNahFU40PFK4c9GfUz9wAp7mRPfMGVP-z7ObM6b8r6Z7WObtCsMK8t0Gpcff2-pskfhWnat9WI94kRzWqRbMknNadwVFw4aApGpoUI/s1600/DSC_2692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU4EuiF9TC4TWdqNJo60XW1k6-jdK2GhQMhM2AoNahFU40PFK4c9GfUz9wAp7mRPfMGVP-z7ObM6b8r6Z7WObtCsMK8t0Gpcff2-pskfhWnat9WI94kRzWqRbMknNadwVFw4aApGpoUI/s1600/DSC_2692.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More blooms may appear sporadically over the remaining growing season.</td></tr>
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Fall color is uncommon for most (but not all!) perennials. <i>Porteranthus trifoliatus</i> usually turns a nice, if not showy, yellow. One possible benefit to the challenging weather conditions we've experienced the past few years is that stress sometimes, in some plants, results in greater accumulations of the compounds that give us great fall colors. That's the only explanation I have for the one year that this plant colored like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze529uhtDAh8jxtwUyDKJ6Vyh2Z3IUxEe1nDqZA3hyc4uKITdyWVYByLxWfh6YYezDoHRd0dRFgYVrY9IsrjV2bRMjUk7sfcX7GoXWmCuNXjZzMjO5gKKd9y2tgEl3tuiQ5cL7SNZyQ8/s1600/IMG_0120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze529uhtDAh8jxtwUyDKJ6Vyh2Z3IUxEe1nDqZA3hyc4uKITdyWVYByLxWfh6YYezDoHRd0dRFgYVrY9IsrjV2bRMjUk7sfcX7GoXWmCuNXjZzMjO5gKKd9y2tgEl3tuiQ5cL7SNZyQ8/s1600/IMG_0120.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange pushing toward red, 2010.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-74698020035150948422013-02-15T15:32:00.005-05:002014-10-05T16:55:05.897-04:00Warm thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know it's going to get warmer here. Soon, though possibly not soon enough. For a chilly and dreary day, here are some reminders that we were once warm and will be warm again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-XCbGJ7mbazl_F3WV-hx_L4xxKZBNFomR5jE5dx8aOmm1l0k_3o8x6qA-eusHqperFM2j4N4rGGbzm8r-QA4LY-yr5clUYjd903g999UZ0WF5rdiqm2U3ujlh04b04-AARYxjcaeyws/s1600/DSCN6313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-XCbGJ7mbazl_F3WV-hx_L4xxKZBNFomR5jE5dx8aOmm1l0k_3o8x6qA-eusHqperFM2j4N4rGGbzm8r-QA4LY-yr5clUYjd903g999UZ0WF5rdiqm2U3ujlh04b04-AARYxjcaeyws/s320/DSCN6313.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's <i>Calotropis procera</i>, or roostertree, as I found it when visiting (back in 2005) the island of St. John.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38xa-3WMSSPfweTOuwSckhkQapB3HOMJho1dkN6Yd6HT1ozIKvXtDWYRuq7TYRbCXDXV7PSDkyIliqKDO6-lxNSrp00o4nKoBmx0taxeUOCtV0NxRA4MS14N4JvWhJWd2CnhWtOVNalo/s1600/DSCN6350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38xa-3WMSSPfweTOuwSckhkQapB3HOMJho1dkN6Yd6HT1ozIKvXtDWYRuq7TYRbCXDXV7PSDkyIliqKDO6-lxNSrp00o4nKoBmx0taxeUOCtV0NxRA4MS14N4JvWhJWd2CnhWtOVNalo/s640/DSCN6350.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calotropis procera (roostertree)</td></tr>
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As a member of the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae), it reminds me of the many <i>Asclepias </i>species (which are in the same family) one will see along roadsides and in fields across much of North America in the summer time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bJJIQ75qTQ8Z1fSuDCVdp95XDL2Q9yzvgWo3YN5XX8P74o1JjCAQ2Ko_mJia_6BAVWEq6iKiLtzBfts98TgdF8uNiuFDUX-YkbAL2b2za9Uv4LH1IdU9U-1j6iM5LB18-y8FhPJqakM/s1600/IMG_0779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bJJIQ75qTQ8Z1fSuDCVdp95XDL2Q9yzvgWo3YN5XX8P74o1JjCAQ2Ko_mJia_6BAVWEq6iKiLtzBfts98TgdF8uNiuFDUX-YkbAL2b2za9Uv4LH1IdU9U-1j6iM5LB18-y8FhPJqakM/s640/IMG_0779.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Asclepias</i> <i>syriaca</i>, or common milkweed, with sweet pea.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLx_mvxbJ_7kEETR_N0HWyyYaa4Kywic9VjbzAZV_-61oh0oIQuasgVf2NdamQOcCa0qC8TjJ3ZYS9FT2aFmVYzbC4l2bxqqRWVo4ksXcQllHEGPwhTkEPaQ0kdqbZ-8vJ_f62s9KKmlc/s1600/001_4015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLx_mvxbJ_7kEETR_N0HWyyYaa4Kywic9VjbzAZV_-61oh0oIQuasgVf2NdamQOcCa0qC8TjJ3ZYS9FT2aFmVYzbC4l2bxqqRWVo4ksXcQllHEGPwhTkEPaQ0kdqbZ-8vJ_f62s9KKmlc/s640/001_4015.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Asclepias</i> <i>syriaca</i> with Japanese beetle.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWTh6RGbzVs8nSzfR9NfkJtPpYYd3ip1Bdj-X5GET0frU3fbKUfQEAgBttaKZK48ahce91QP6oMXI7N8hYctokIUpIrFjdNOrwE4QtGT8OrPgHLVdkQDHEPqQjuoPZNUcITXZbaRdTy4/s1600/001_3897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWTh6RGbzVs8nSzfR9NfkJtPpYYd3ip1Bdj-X5GET0frU3fbKUfQEAgBttaKZK48ahce91QP6oMXI7N8hYctokIUpIrFjdNOrwE4QtGT8OrPgHLVdkQDHEPqQjuoPZNUcITXZbaRdTy4/s640/001_3897.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Asclepias tuberosa</i>, with <i>Lysimachia nummularia</i> (moneywort) 'Aurea' running around underneath.</td></tr>
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Let's keep warm thoughts!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-16494455505458916772013-02-08T17:46:00.001-05:002013-02-08T17:46:15.720-05:00'Palibin' lilacGiven the fact that <i>Syringa</i> <i>meyeri</i> 'Palibin', or dwarf Korean lilac, has been in the trade since the 1920's, one might expect to see more of it in the landscape. After all, it really has quite a lot going for it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDU0RuR6ai-16DRJK9wNeH4dHHyw1dpWeYyDQV_OtQBktSF562JCBcB7ag57fc0-a14RXqxrgsv_AP8YsvHOOoHF5ZzSRbhbmYXf6U0RYJDfKLmg2twGXDKmgTGrlE4uQVuhui48FIPU/s1600/DSCN7181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDU0RuR6ai-16DRJK9wNeH4dHHyw1dpWeYyDQV_OtQBktSF562JCBcB7ag57fc0-a14RXqxrgsv_AP8YsvHOOoHF5ZzSRbhbmYXf6U0RYJDfKLmg2twGXDKmgTGrlE4uQVuhui48FIPU/s1600/DSCN7181.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Palibin' blooming in early May of 2006.</td></tr>
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The more familiar common lilac, <i>S</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>, easily reaches heights of eight or nine feet and typically forms a clump just as wide via suckers. <i>S</i>. <i>meyeri</i> is, as the common name suggests, more diminutive in nearly every aspect. It typically tops out around four or five feet in height and spread, possibly making it more appealing for the smaller garden/yard. For what it's worth, 'Palibin' blooms slightly later; usually only beginning to bloom when common lilac is peaking bloom.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjIFukq3ntcezmRAC6a9X15rnNelMlhfULC2QCRJj1oMmT6bCABaBnwQ13AfzFTwvBcwI6Kq4VP8DhuS3YqLeK8nZa0uarSIwG6tjANCihp9ykU8PpnJY3rc9x_8XJ2SCOYrMjVgU5nM/s1600/001_1482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjIFukq3ntcezmRAC6a9X15rnNelMlhfULC2QCRJj1oMmT6bCABaBnwQ13AfzFTwvBcwI6Kq4VP8DhuS3YqLeK8nZa0uarSIwG6tjANCihp9ykU8PpnJY3rc9x_8XJ2SCOYrMjVgU5nM/s1600/001_1482.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same specimen as above, late April of 2010. Still less than 5' tall, but spread out a bit. </td></tr>
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Discounting size, 'Palibin' still has a number of advantages over common lilac, most notably that it is resistant to powdery mildew. While the leaves of many common lilacs gray over and possibly drop off, the medium-green leaves of 'Palabin' stay clean through the humidity and heat of summer. I've grown 'Palibin' on both the east and north sides of my house (sometimes I test limits) and never saw any mildew. However, it also produced fewer blooms in those locations. A sunny location would really be optimal as far as limiting potential mildew problems and getting the most blooms.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5WQQZTf-v992WXIKp5dupC3MZCP09v1EswSQMqtDYnA7m2XyxZ8zPfmYUgvqjIIkVkGdiWyr00fJX4QFqRDc18Y-DI-buxjrN7zUKA2l5zy6jGmYOLstdNImMIL-QuCJDv867OjH6TY/s1600/DSCN7162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5WQQZTf-v992WXIKp5dupC3MZCP09v1EswSQMqtDYnA7m2XyxZ8zPfmYUgvqjIIkVkGdiWyr00fJX4QFqRDc18Y-DI-buxjrN7zUKA2l5zy6jGmYOLstdNImMIL-QuCJDv867OjH6TY/s1600/DSCN7162.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Palibin' and bronze fennel</td></tr>
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The flowers of 'Palabin', as with most lilacs, are delightfully fragrant. But that fragrance differs from that of common lilac. Whether that's better or worse is a matter of judgement best left to the nose that will be inhaling the scent.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfk-939KYzH4jz0IczmEBUHoAFeZkvAkBWkTJP5htnClHdBSn4wX5AiMTb49dBYSTJZQIrI0lq2rkEMyT9AiQcOGVeaDI5r6XzKVbYl47YbyYgfyr-acrCjHkEZ3dNiHSkFkdcCYRWak/s1600/DSCN7179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfk-939KYzH4jz0IczmEBUHoAFeZkvAkBWkTJP5htnClHdBSn4wX5AiMTb49dBYSTJZQIrI0lq2rkEMyT9AiQcOGVeaDI5r6XzKVbYl47YbyYgfyr-acrCjHkEZ3dNiHSkFkdcCYRWak/s1600/DSCN7179.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Palibin' and ragwort</td></tr>
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As a genus, <i>Syringa</i> doesn't usually have much to offer in the way of fall color, but foliage on 'Palibin' may change a bit in autumn.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQRwxpG2Sp5M1URj1Ab85jpNb67o9nnAojoafnqIpJ_guYIpqOj7lFCpZQM-YL9JrG4pBMfWekv3uemt1iFC_2Cnn_W8moHN9w0QXEwZjpeN29F3oIsPfa7iFqwhpvJ6quRqfl9AEcxM/s1600/001_9462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQRwxpG2Sp5M1URj1Ab85jpNb67o9nnAojoafnqIpJ_guYIpqOj7lFCpZQM-YL9JrG4pBMfWekv3uemt1iFC_2Cnn_W8moHN9w0QXEwZjpeN29F3oIsPfa7iFqwhpvJ6quRqfl9AEcxM/s1600/001_9462.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 2009</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-56573324054696248592013-02-01T13:09:00.000-05:002013-02-01T13:09:17.484-05:00If a plant flowers in the woods...Being something of a plant pig, the word "showy" suggests to me that people who see a plant so described will immediately suffer a loss of interest in all other things going on around them. Potted specimens in garden centers will cause parents to ignore the child who is shoulder deep in yonder aquatic plants display. Neighbors driving past your garden will run into parked cars while craning to get a better look at it. The last properly marked division on the donated plants table at the charity sale may incite violence in otherwise intelligent, pleasant people.<br />
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<i>Scutellaria serrata</i> isn't that kind of showy. While this perennial may, when it's blooming, be the showiest thing going in its <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=scse5" target="_blank">natural habitat</a>, it possesses a much subtler beauty in the garden. I've been growing it in a couple different exposures in my garden for over a decade. Over that time, the plants that have been in morning shade/afternoon sun have performed as follows: New foliage emerges a light, bright green, the margins delicately edged in purple. Growth tops out at close to a foot in height. It blooms, for me, in mid-to-late May.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZw8tcNzBnbaH2Z0Kspac4Ypp09STvtjbr9T9IjH_x6XHibVl0C4b1MJdQFaBUeFRvvN0HSIoOpQbnOrHY9pqgZ_aVrSbOmhIBJqsh1k-Zvl60eyHeWsrYK1uHZUJQdiAnutTwbFdMHso/s1600/DSC_2687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZw8tcNzBnbaH2Z0Kspac4Ypp09STvtjbr9T9IjH_x6XHibVl0C4b1MJdQFaBUeFRvvN0HSIoOpQbnOrHY9pqgZ_aVrSbOmhIBJqsh1k-Zvl60eyHeWsrYK1uHZUJQdiAnutTwbFdMHso/s1600/DSC_2687.jpg" height="640" title="Showy? You decide." width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A single mature flower is approximately 1" tall. Mid-May blooms, 2007. </td></tr>
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Somehow I've not taken a picture of the whole plant when in bloom. Perhaps this upcoming May... The seed pods that develop after that offer some interest, but are small and might be easily overlooked. For me, the real post-bloom attraction is the development of color in the foliage as summer progresses. The bronzy purple tint at the leaf margins intensifies and spreads with age. I suspect the extent of that will vary with exposure to sunlight, so folks who grow this in more shade will probably get different results.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBtM2fZGDHfvaoZPWol5Idd2VNjjoBP8HV_EDYN6XANtM0gQE-uahdjXSBJGtDdGw0uAfyqp8XicBqp7d6PoM3qm7vOoxwvrqJGOP1imNhyZFdMnkkHULabHM4s2cfrJ2UY6zSOZi8dg/s1600/DSC_0885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBtM2fZGDHfvaoZPWol5Idd2VNjjoBP8HV_EDYN6XANtM0gQE-uahdjXSBJGtDdGw0uAfyqp8XicBqp7d6PoM3qm7vOoxwvrqJGOP1imNhyZFdMnkkHULabHM4s2cfrJ2UY6zSOZi8dg/s1600/DSC_0885.jpg" height="640" title="Leaves of Salvia lyrata ex 'Purple Knockout' on the lower right." width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scutellaria serrata holding a few seed pods, leaf margin color harmonizing with Berberis 'Concorde'. July 2006</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffUGxYGeWREtdaCGc0JAJmjbRRfWtDcVkBRLXETaO4lKnOwT4tmw3yl5XlWfS_TieHQ11Zw9r6V1Xkw4_zEkwiyBzhUdrBW8iXnD_dJD3H12SF4WaE167jMmykr2-hefhuyS6kIZbo2k/s1600/IMG_0767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffUGxYGeWREtdaCGc0JAJmjbRRfWtDcVkBRLXETaO4lKnOwT4tmw3yl5XlWfS_TieHQ11Zw9r6V1Xkw4_zEkwiyBzhUdrBW8iXnD_dJD3H12SF4WaE167jMmykr2-hefhuyS6kIZbo2k/s1600/IMG_0767.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same showy(?) skullcap with a tuberous pink Allium and more Salvia lyrata ex 'Purple Knockout'. July 2009</td></tr>
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Over time, a single plant will slowly increase to a clump of about one foot across. I've divided such clumps maybe twice. Pests that trouble other nearby plants seem to pass by this skullcap, and the droughts of late seem only to intensify the leaf bronzing. This is one of those plants that may not be conventionally showy, but which still deserves to be recommended due to their rock-solid reliability.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-33863699362499017232013-01-29T11:38:00.000-05:002013-01-29T22:24:22.590-05:00A little reminder<br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that someone, someday, will be walking around the yard without me (supposing I move, get hit by a bus, etc.) and they will come upon something they want identified (here I beg the indulgence of my readers for what I accept to be a conceit of hopefully minor proportion; that my garden may hold a couple of plants which give a person pause to wonder…). That’s one, of a couple, reasons why I try to keep some record of plants I grow.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You wouldn’t think that I’d have much trouble remembering what plants are in my own garden, especially since I like to label things. I admit that I make things difficult for myself by tending not to label a plant until it has lived through one winter. On the one hand, I avoid the unnecessary time spent making a label for things like the <i>Dracunculus</i> <i>vulgaris</i> (voodoo lily) that refused to arise from the $15 tuber (but I optimistically labeled a newly planted <i>Sauromatum</i> <i>venosum</i>, [also called voodoo lily] last fall- go figure). On the other hand, my pragmatic caution (sounds better than pessimism, what?) leaves me wondering where I even planted the <i>Dracunculus</i>.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CshOkh0H-5Q2lJ0mTrYhBXui4FDkPs26KbPAJIdxM2SNfY-fywn30-iwL4a2hVtB6s-NXaU1sNtqnimP2bNOI420-sr-_S5VFqreClBaSyvd4F61EZIelx04rtuHl7umoE79Z7XRM3E/s1600/001_3195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CshOkh0H-5Q2lJ0mTrYhBXui4FDkPs26KbPAJIdxM2SNfY-fywn30-iwL4a2hVtB6s-NXaU1sNtqnimP2bNOI420-sr-_S5VFqreClBaSyvd4F61EZIelx04rtuHl7umoE79Z7XRM3E/s400/001_3195.jpg" title="Not fragrant, could easily lurk." width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young voodoo lily, relatively subtle in leaf only. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrssV-eFyf3fFOF3Q22pVz9Ib00vuAmm52Oz8nciowgPWolrG5ZTOT3EZkXDhClvMCSAAZqVPw4ZdEGNgyEm8OLKLpxi_IJr2uygcFDDCYEptEIgczAU3mJy_S0FzpKu3-AQmSJlOp2o/s1600/IMG_2059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrssV-eFyf3fFOF3Q22pVz9Ib00vuAmm52Oz8nciowgPWolrG5ZTOT3EZkXDhClvMCSAAZqVPw4ZdEGNgyEm8OLKLpxi_IJr2uygcFDDCYEptEIgczAU3mJy_S0FzpKu3-AQmSJlOp2o/s400/IMG_2059.jpg" title="Smells like something died, really hard to miss!" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dracunculus vulgaris</i> in bloom.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've lately been trying to update a spreadsheet that amounts to a personal accessions list for my garden (for the unfamiliar, that's essentially an inventory of plants that one is growing or has grown). Keeping such a list isn’t just my way of indulging an obsessive-compulsive urge, it’s a way to track successes and failures so I can make informed purchases, site plants for optimum growth and ornamental effect, and finally so I can relate sound information about those plants to others.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With that in mind, this (nod to mild obsessive-compulsive tendencies) spreadsheet includes a column with the title "labeled." Ideally, every record would include a “y” in this column, or at least the designation “n/a” (applied to plants no longer with us [<i>Rheum</i> <i>palmatum</i> var. <i>tanguticum</i> ‘Rosa Auslese’, how I miss you!]).</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhdvG0Z2uGYORiLzIwTo8AmW_b2Ebm6sJUHIXHZz5HgMy8pr8olYaACBPI7RMrzWUw5FJQUk3Ys1J-Ocy05KqbIb8eGpW5KOQZB_mE9CRgqyYYtEhFvdsaENMj9z5F9qjneyn_-VpqPY/s1600/DSCN6165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhdvG0Z2uGYORiLzIwTo8AmW_b2Ebm6sJUHIXHZz5HgMy8pr8olYaACBPI7RMrzWUw5FJQUk3Ys1J-Ocy05KqbIb8eGpW5KOQZB_mE9CRgqyYYtEhFvdsaENMj9z5F9qjneyn_-VpqPY/s400/DSCN6165.jpg" title="Two year old plant; bloomed in 2005 and never came back. Sob!" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Rheum</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">palmatum</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> var. </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">tanguticum</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> ‘Rosa Auslese’</span></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, the “labeled” column is littered with more occurrences of "?"and "n" than I care to have. Because, as I’ve already alluded, sometimes I forget what I've planted and where, I can't always put out a label and change the "n" or "?" to "y"(these little things can be so gratifying). What to do, but carry on and see what (or if) things pop where?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, when I go to plant the next <i>Dracunculus vulgaris</i> (a gardener does not give up after killing only one of anything), I can’t be sure that I’m not plopping it into the same deadly (poor drainage? too exposed/cold? did the bloody squirrels find it?) spot as the last time. Then again, maybe I’ve just somehow missed the foliage of the tuber from 2011, so there’s a chance that when I dig a hole to plant a fresh tuber in what seems like a perfect spot, no labels indicating something hidden and biding its time, I’ll put the spade right through the old one.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-58509241352434367672013-01-23T12:56:00.001-05:002013-01-23T12:57:41.080-05:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmgxsKaEkcODkzpmWpW5AqIk6822Ci0-uq_0SfWVlFqLLmsp8zSvTFXCuYUGnXAWqQ2eP9zROmGPZRGf65JJF-v_2rc83Igb6ybDMye6uFQN5GQYlViMtL1z_1_Os4B5ODbkFuo28ygg/" title="Hamamelis virginiana, Hocking Hills, 23 Nov. 2012" width="640" /> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-22580049306054865312013-01-17T14:45:00.001-05:002013-01-18T12:46:09.463-05:00Plants!<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Todays blog is inspired by something I came across earlier this week. David Sibley is well known among birders for authoring and illustrating The Sibley Guide to Birds, and he posted this image on Facebook:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiV5vapfp4O-g4VgzRN-9skD04x5x4wJWYV9yOxQepQzh40zyZdzZ0HHlGYKzQG1aPgAjt4n-KyjRkltdy-vHpbeGw4i4L28cUc1vrzFEQt_tRxbkfpuTNqlnBEX_H5P9T4pj8anM_KYM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-17+at+1.24.23+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiV5vapfp4O-g4VgzRN-9skD04x5x4wJWYV9yOxQepQzh40zyZdzZ0HHlGYKzQG1aPgAjt4n-KyjRkltdy-vHpbeGw4i4L28cUc1vrzFEQt_tRxbkfpuTNqlnBEX_H5P9T4pj8anM_KYM/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-01-17+at+1.24.23+PM.jpg" height="440" title="Bird" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=318380021594969" target="_blank">Original post can be seen here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course, that's just silly. We name parts so it's easier to describe, because we want to differentiate one thing from another. Indeed, that's also why we apply proper names to the owners of the parts. Then there's that unwieldy list of attributes (fancy word for parts)... there's something to be said for being able to putting a simple handle onto a long list of the parts. Why, if we didn't do that, it'd be just a little, confusing, wouldn't it?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plants" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i62dXsqDcEZXecCxDq0Uue6aOPbC1wfXOVI6OIxl8NQ3Qxpj91_83T020ih50RdfM2snngE_zXZeQ82vJWVwIhWnGNWqL64t8HvO-bUNcyDROc4iITVQaVtueEbMrU9g34UObBSYDKg/s640/001_1995.jpg" height="427" title="Plants" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two plants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plant" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5FJ_dgoY27ODXb9lUmN2E33Pi9Rmnu5e26l168UmRsGFsxY4qK4erGabOWF6-_Rbcs4_V4sipDtklQ9RrtNX0FSvn7ReQULi9g1ziMsEDH9LkOceeyTpHLtGdiauQGydT2pJ66Jvnck/s640/DSC_4703.jpg" height="428" title="Plant" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant with bits cut out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5431505741352694534" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pretty" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIKBeLcnKRuExwOd-ksQjkjYxEomMZ_yDBNoshyphenhyphenouU_d0yB1BFGhLRoVIO52wGGcq19HxoglJt8Ve5yt4lI8r4Zj5OX4042dJ6Au5G6vS2Aqftg-VjDkn9e3O8IWeBe7JhsUQrpmM41s/s640/DSC_2470.jpg" height="428" title="Pretty" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5431505741352694534" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plant" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVUkX4Snoqb13DJ9JD9BWqDolu3miJ17MQ5PcSwbbyUGUrUJ-6-hJvGkPeP2K8cmuQjoNp3oGjy3m05PzufLPMrXNzvNqK6NAQoeKQHkAFveDuFpIMfxHKywaozl77ebpIxSRh58E2zg/s320/DSCN7037.jpg" height="320" title="Plant" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY8JXdfDFbrfbt8BKOm66qW95RquN0WAA62IXnxBg7hqb8ixllNywbODBBdcTGDdlwE0HAy6pmuA8rIh9inkaRuT0kbMA-FOg9QBfKDJpctdA-WW6L-7NKOUK_hQT7IeJBLgPq6nMw7k/s1600/DSC_4387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plant" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY8JXdfDFbrfbt8BKOm66qW95RquN0WAA62IXnxBg7hqb8ixllNywbODBBdcTGDdlwE0HAy6pmuA8rIh9inkaRuT0kbMA-FOg9QBfKDJpctdA-WW6L-7NKOUK_hQT7IeJBLgPq6nMw7k/s320/DSC_4387.jpg" height="320" title="Plant" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_Ps4wdcXJMp-TnL8x5UCAgwvZtU7fUxn84kAMHRHtY3AXNxwWFHzH_3gqw_8TRpuZCDOLdV-iISmA-72UpS06GRiQKNifb5U3OYfVpXFb0srCvbelNqxvHEbKukYXGq9i4_Z4tGVEwI/s1600/001_1129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plant with sky in background" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_Ps4wdcXJMp-TnL8x5UCAgwvZtU7fUxn84kAMHRHtY3AXNxwWFHzH_3gqw_8TRpuZCDOLdV-iISmA-72UpS06GRiQKNifb5U3OYfVpXFb0srCvbelNqxvHEbKukYXGq9i4_Z4tGVEwI/s400/001_1129.jpg" height="400" title="Plant with sky in background" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant and bug.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-39002547364475435842013-01-11T10:51:00.001-05:002013-01-11T10:51:16.677-05:00Italian arum<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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Nobody I know raves over <i>Arum italicum</i>, but it's not a plant without its charms. Plus, it has a peculiar lifecycle.</div>
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One normally acquires a start in the form of a bulb, which should sited in part to full shade. I recommend getting that done early in fall because this Arum will grow new leaves BEFORE winter.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvIcAig5TRL_jbvwAfZ5NdpNcOzhUnnxnXhuPz3qo_i44h_FUZzI5hmZG9Iif5mWRuwFREj663f_Ch3EaBB0K1qNZGcWhFVs4pWbHwSFEajCtuSK3hx9v1N7LwZrGOVLixn-2i8zhP_I/s1600/001_8601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvIcAig5TRL_jbvwAfZ5NdpNcOzhUnnxnXhuPz3qo_i44h_FUZzI5hmZG9Iif5mWRuwFREj663f_Ch3EaBB0K1qNZGcWhFVs4pWbHwSFEajCtuSK3hx9v1N7LwZrGOVLixn-2i8zhP_I/s1600/001_8601.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh, variegated leaves, December 2012</td></tr>
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In a mild location (maybe a nice USDA zone 6 or warmer), those leaves will persist through winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRasICN2cIRZ_z6lvURfs4hPE3LQquwxLhXayK9lwzKYR42bEm84f7GQXuXg9iISyiMux34m3eNFNLZU0SNe1ar5B1eyKXv0BnVUBtaQDEFUhDIp1XrbvSnPb27u27u5s22pfiNsiVuz0/s1600/001_5393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRasICN2cIRZ_z6lvURfs4hPE3LQquwxLhXayK9lwzKYR42bEm84f7GQXuXg9iISyiMux34m3eNFNLZU0SNe1ar5B1eyKXv0BnVUBtaQDEFUhDIp1XrbvSnPb27u27u5s22pfiNsiVuz0/s1600/001_5393.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow atop sturdy leaves, February 2012.</td></tr>
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The attentive gardener might notice the curious spathe (the leafy looking bit) and spadix (the finger-like bit surrounded by the spathe) inflorescences around mid-to-late spring. They may be easier to spot the spring after a harsh, leaf-killing winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFP5z1oXMztmH5Ymr7PGw3y9aw2hicRwqwOS49prowmMAWpLLeDRdW1OJEiYHyNTGEUO-bTLnH5awynzEl3_0oytgslNZfb49n9aBTH88PA5UzfRR1XjdsHJsQkS9biXqI8NZP2uZ2zI/s1600/DSCN7047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFP5z1oXMztmH5Ymr7PGw3y9aw2hicRwqwOS49prowmMAWpLLeDRdW1OJEiYHyNTGEUO-bTLnH5awynzEl3_0oytgslNZfb49n9aBTH88PA5UzfRR1XjdsHJsQkS9biXqI8NZP2uZ2zI/s400/DSCN7047.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arum italicum in bloom</td></tr>
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Over the course of summer, the marbled leaves senesce (die off), and the pollinated blooms (there are tiny male and female flowers on the spadix) will develop fruit:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WL16NKj84AL8s1bPJfVCyee6WSLhkA8TfVrEKahJeQCD0VPO3z3ZdloAtJwH3ATJlqwJFLYCBgCIP1u1-ssAELUWrHLr4M3-nK-WIU_jznY2lDnXysIUSd3TDj68daTKwfAaGwC1Ws4/s1600/001_8526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WL16NKj84AL8s1bPJfVCyee6WSLhkA8TfVrEKahJeQCD0VPO3z3ZdloAtJwH3ATJlqwJFLYCBgCIP1u1-ssAELUWrHLr4M3-nK-WIU_jznY2lDnXysIUSd3TDj68daTKwfAaGwC1Ws4/s640/001_8526.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clubs of green fruit change to red-orange in late July or early August.</td></tr>
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Too many gardeners (and I'm among them!) site <i>Arum italicum</i> with only the foliage in mind. Once the leaves die back, one is left with 1 to 1-1/2' tall little stands of red-orange clubs. With more careful placement, these showy clubs could be punctuating the canopies of hosta gardens. It seems to me that the cultivars with faint red hues would make fine companions. Likewise, both the foliage and the fruit would show well against the bark of such plants as <i>Acer griseum</i> (paperbark maple) or Betula nigra (river birch).<br />
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The conscientious gardener may wish to be advised that <i>Arum italicum</i> can be an over-vigorous plant and may escape cultivation (robins and mockingbirds, among others, enjoy the ripe berries and thus distribute the seed). As attractive as the foliage may be (recovering well even after temperatures in the teens), it shouldn't be mingling with the natives in our natural areas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uY1ipGO7YDIyy8TDQJMoLpoudpbAfvmM7pibFxafD3FVs_7YbMDgurv9BmQ3z8E4obIruST_nAE38pD1nwSZZzUEYrekcvKITHtfECuW5MSq7DMvmljmoOQHPRWRijAhgppz2zvGW30/s1600/Arum+italicum+%2528Italian+arum%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uY1ipGO7YDIyy8TDQJMoLpoudpbAfvmM7pibFxafD3FVs_7YbMDgurv9BmQ3z8E4obIruST_nAE38pD1nwSZZzUEYrekcvKITHtfECuW5MSq7DMvmljmoOQHPRWRijAhgppz2zvGW30/s640/Arum+italicum+%2528Italian+arum%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vigorous variegation freed of snow just this week (9 January, 2013).</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431505741352694534.post-70258260578080308272013-01-09T17:00:00.000-05:002013-01-09T18:22:13.207-05:00And so, it begins!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">A break in the bleak! Although the snowdrops (I have <i>Galanthus</i> <i>elwesii</i> in my garden) are in their early stages of bud color, they are not yet open. But,...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first few blooms on my <i>Hamamelis</i> 'Girard Orange'</td></tr>
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I found several blooms on<i> Hamamelis</i> (witchhazel) 'Girard Orange', which has consistently been the first plant to bloom in my yard for the last several years. Here's to the beginning of the 2013 growing season!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16283176582730088359noreply@blogger.com2