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Hellebore Botany – Which Stage is Acceptable For Flower Show Judging

The Garden Artist Posted on by

The question was posed as to why some Hellebore’s can be entered into Flower Show judging and others are rejected. Here’s the long answer. Understanding the botany of the Hellebore will help explain the answer to the Flower Show suitability. The attraction and colors of the Hellebore, Figure #1, are not supplied by petals but rather sepals. Petals are usually lost after a flower is fertilized but sepals and bracts don’t suffer the same fate … Continue reading →

The Pause That Refreshes – Gardening in The Winter

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My thermostat read 10° last night so when it’s that cold I tend to warm myself by planning what I will be doing this coming year in my garden. It is the calm before the storm. I like to read so with a hot cup of coffee and sometimes a blanket over my lap I settle down to a good book of how others tend their gardens seeking inspiration and camaraderie. I read new books … Continue reading →

Hurricane Sandy Stole Some of My Tree Friends

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I lost some friends. Sandy came to visit and in a fury broke, smashed and tore away some of my garden friends. These huge and venerable trees were here before I moved into their space many decades ago. They’ve provided me with the backbones of my woodland garden. They helped me design the paths I carved out of the thickets. They offered the strong verticals of a towering garden design. These old oaks shared their … Continue reading →

Losing my Patience with Impatiens

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The backbone of the shade gardener’s summer display has been Impatiens for as long as I’ve been gardening (which is longer than I’ll post in a public forum.  But that long starring role has come to an abrupt halt this year (2012) due to the infamous, Downy mildew fungal like disease caused by the pathogen, Plasmopara obducens. The symptoms caused millions of gardeners to drag out their hoses in attempts to combat the disease, which … Continue reading →

The Joys of Gardening in the Shade

The Garden Artist Posted on by

So now, after an unusually warm & snow-free winter, the weather has already skimmed the high ’80’s during the month of May. As I sit on my deck exhausted from the heat, wondering how I’m ever going to be able to do all my planting after I’ve indulged at our plant sale & exchanged plant trophies with my gardening girlfriends. The good news is that I’m a shade gardener. (That’s not to be confused with … Continue reading →

Winter Interest

The Garden Artist Posted on by

My garden doesn’t go into the winter season all tidy & neat. I enjoy seeing seed heads popping through the snow. The visual treat of shadows cast about by the wind, dancing along the walls seen from the windows of my warm home. From my dining room window, the seed heads of tall grasses are seen swaying in the breeze with the floodlight of the pure winter sun behind them. From the kitchen window the … Continue reading →

Planning For Next Year’s Fall Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on by

One of the ways I plan for next year’s garden is to take a look around, make notes & gather ideas from other gardens. This is particularly helpful in planning the fall garden. I look for what plants have continued to hold their own & still look beautiful into this time of year. I avoid looking for suggestions at the nurseries & gardening centers because those plants have been coddled, fed, trained, trimmed & produced … Continue reading →

Deadheading Rhododendrons

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Why? Deadheading the spent flowers on a rhododendron tends to focus the energy of the plant towards new flower production and general plant health. It also improves the sight of the plant when not in bloom. How? To deadhead, use your fingers and gently rock the base of the spent flower truss back and forth until it separates from the plant. That’s it. Now you can either toss the spent bloom under the shrub for … Continue reading →

Notched Leaves on Rhododendrons

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NOTCHED LEAVES ARE CAUSED BY WEEVILS Notched leaves on your rhododendrons are caused by a variety of species of weevils. The adult forms of the weevil tend to feed at night during the springtime when you’re resting after a hard day in the garden. The damage will not kill your plant, just cause unsightly notching on the leaves. Of course, the leaves being evergreen will be around awhile to annoy you. These notches on the … Continue reading →

Rhododendron and Azalea Cultural Information

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Generally speaking, cultural requirements are less “demanding” for lepidote (small-leaf) rhododendron and azaleas, both evergreen and deciduous. They tolerate, and to some extent require, more sun than elepidotes, and azaleas will also tolerate less well-drained soil. In all other respects, the general guidelines outlined above apply to all plants in this family. Site Selection Rhododendrons prefer a site that provides afternoon shade, some protection from wind, good drainage and air circulation. Sloping terrain is also … Continue reading →

Rhododendrons and Azaleas Classification & Differences

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This is part of an outline of a ten minute talk I gave to the Centerport Garden Club on November 9, 2010 HOW ARE RHODODENDRONS CLASSIFIED? Rhododendrons are classified into two major groups, lepidote and elepidote? Elepidotes are large leaved rhododendrons. They are the type of shrub that most individuals would associate as being a rhododendron. They do not have scales located on the underside of the leaves. Plants tend to be very large in … Continue reading →

Rhododendrons and Azaleas- Classification

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This is an outline of a ten minute talk I gave to the Centerport Garden Club on November 9, 2010 Botanical Classification Rhododendrons and azaleas belong to the genus Rhododendron of the heath family (Ericaceae). The heath family includes the heaths and heathers, blueberries, mountain laurels and several other ornamental plant groups.  Most members of this family require acid soil and good drainage. This is a selection of the Rhododendrons submitted to the judging of … Continue reading →

Flower Arranging the American Way

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I saw this wonderful flower arranging video on YouTube. I want to share it with you since it is so clear and shows the creative mind at work. In this video Jane Godschalk takes us through a flower arranging technique from the book Flower Arranging the American Way by Nancy D’Oench, Deen Day Sanders and Mike Hales. I have the book and it is worth getting if you are like formal and competition flower arranging. … Continue reading →

Propagating Plectranthus

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Plectranthus and other members of the Lamiaceae family, like Coleus, are easy to propagate. These tender perennials are not hardy in my Zone 6 garden so before frost I bring in a few of my favorite plants as stock plants. If the plants are small enough I overwinter them in a pot with soil and towards the end of winter I begin propagation. If the plants are too big outside in the fall I proceed … Continue reading →

Snow in the Garden

Today the sun is shining on the beauty of my garden after the blizzard of February 10th, 2010.

I haven’t been out yet since I’m leaving all the shoveling to my hubby Dave. But I ventured to take the screens out of some upstairs windows and shot some photos and video of the heavily snow-laden branches.

It seems from my perspective so far that the only major damage is the loss, yet again, of the top of the American Holly, (Ilex opaca). I don’t remember what year it was but it happened once before over 15 years ago. The central apex broke at the time from another snowstorm but grew back with a double lead. I don’t know yet whether I’ve lost just one or both.

I made a short, one-minute video of the garden as it looks this morning before the wind picks up and blows all the heavy snow from the branches. It will be fun to watch the garden perk up during the day as the snow begins to rearrange itself.

 

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