Takoma Gardener

What's "blooming" in January?

Think of those quote marks as a wink to the quaint notion that blooms MATTER.  In fact, I have a little story about that.

When the Associated Press photo editor called me to set up a shoot of me in my garden earlier this month there was grave concern that this would even be possible.  Did I have ANYTHING blooming, even a HOUSEPLANT?  And that just got me started on my schtick about evergreens and rocks and ponds and garden furniture and all that good stuff and she fell for it!  No seriously, though a nongardener working and living in Manhattan, she could envision all that looking damned photogenic.

And the photographer herself immediately saw all the best shoot locations - standing under an arched doorway, against the backdrop of a waterfall, on a teak bench with evergreen foliage and red berries behind me and ON AND ON.  (Did I mention it was about 40 degrees and a bit windy, too?)

But back to blooms because that's what gardenbloggers show off on the 15th of every month and I only have one really sad-looking and disappointing hellebore bloom (H. foetidus) that you don't want to see.  That's why I'm showing you my friend Pam's rosemary as it looked just last week, which she assures me will be its happy state right through the winter.  Gotta get me some of that.

And here's a favorite winter photo of mine, taken at the National Arboretum.  Don't winterberry hollies look awesome massed like that and paired with grasses?  For the Latin-inclined, that's Ilex verticulata.

"Will this groundcover work?" The Trial of Creeping Sedum

This is Part Umpteen in my series about Getting Rid of My Lawn in which I ponder the question of what plant(s) to grow instead.  As much as I enjoyed the book Covering Ground, it didn't - and couldn't - answer every question about every site, so experimentation is needed. 

Now there are lots of plants being tried (or "trialed," to use my new favorite hort term) as replacements for turfgrass and they have to meet these requirements:

• Short enough to drag a garden hose across them
• Drought-tolerant
• Less labor-intensive than the lawn was, or at least more enjoyable tasks than lawn care, so you see I'm setting a low bar.
• Happy in this sunny, sloping site with really nice soil.

Here's the plant I have the most of, since it grows as a weed here.  I call it creeping sedum but if you know the Latin name, please tell me.  I did notice that that groundcover book cautioned about this group of plants doing a poor job of preventing erosion on hillsides because their roots are so short.  It's always something, to quote the beloved Rosanne Rosannadanna.  But I ain't giving it up without a fight.

Then there's my own question/doubt about this plant:  Will it be evergreen enough to look decent all winter in the center of the whole backyard?  Here you see it photographed in January, so whadaya think?

Bloom Day? More like Green Day - evergreen, that is

Funny thing - by reading gardenblogs from other climates I've come to better understand my own climate and how it affects my gardening choices.  I now see that it's only because my beds and borders aren't covered with snow all winter that I care about having evergreen groundcovers.  And unlike other gardeners who write about raking dead leaves into their borders for the winter, I quickly remove fallen leaves because I'd much rather see the evergreen groundcovers underneath (and potentially being smothered by) them.

Something that all temperate zone gardeners can agree on, though, are the glories of evergreen shrubs and trees, like the ones I grow listed here just below the deciduous ones.  But today it's not those big green partners in my garden that I've come to praise but rather the evergreen perennials that I wouldn't even see if I didn't continue to stroll my garden through the winter.  But stroll I do here in Zone 7, more days than not.

Euphorbia amygaloides (top) is my new favorite perennial.
The lamb's ears (above) are starting to look ragged and definitely aren't  blooming but they still look good, even after our first snow.  Same goes for the Pulmonaria (right).  Liriope looks look good all year. Carex?  Same deal. (Photos in the links.)

And how about the Persian ivy 'Sulphur Heart' (above left)?  It's well behaved and always gorgeous.

The double-edged sword that is liriope

There's no groundcover known to humankind that's as successful as liriope at preventing erosion on even the steepest hillsides, at surviving wet or bone dry conditions, and doing all that in full sun or deep shade.  You can yank it roughly out of the ground and cram it back into the ground and it won't complain.

Best of all for budget gardeners who need to cover ground, it'll spread and fill out quite quickly. Just divide the clumps you bought and they'll soon be ready to be divided again and before you know it - no bare ground will be showing, and weeds don't stand a chance in the thick mass of sheer liriope.

THE LIRIOPE THAT SPREADS - ONLY FOR CERTAIN SPOTS!

That said, the spreading type of liriope that I've just described will, given some direct sunlight, continue to spread and smother everything in its path that's not substantially larger than it - like a tree.  Yes, Liriope spicata spreads SO aggressively by runners, it'll go below cement and come back up on the other side. In the photo on the right is an example of where spreading liriope should never be planted - in a mixed border with other small plants - and it'll be quite a chore to remove it without hurting the plants around it.  Small gardening error there.

However, there ARE places for spreading liriope and an example is shown in the top photo - all by itself in a contained area, like the right-of-way between the street and the sidewalk.  Another might be a steep, shady embankment where there's room to remove each year's unwanted spread without damaging any nearby plants.  Or anywhere in full shade.

THE WELL-BEHAVED LIRIOPE

Liriope muscari is the "clumping" kind that does not spread by runners and basically stays where you put it.  It blooms purple, not white like spicata, but it shares all the good qualities of the spreading kind - incredible toughness and adaptability - without the invasive behavior.  And there's an especially attractive green-and-white variegated variety of this plant, which brightens up any shadey spot.

But budget gardeners, the bad news about clumping liriope is that you'll have to buy many more of them to accomplish the same coverage you'd get quickly and cheaply with the spreaders.   And clumpers usually aren't available free from your neighbors, as spreaders are.  So it's easy to understand why so many homeowners use clumpers where they shouldn't, even after being warned.

THE DILEMMA POSED BY SPREADING GROUNDCOVERS

This one plant epitomizes the dilemma of anyone in need of groundcover for a large area: if a plant fills in quickly, it usually will also spread where you don't want it to go.  And certainly the word "invasive" is a flag for anyone.  So here are some good follow-up questions to ask:

• In what situation does it spread so aggressively?  In the case of spreading liriope, it's only a problem when it gets direct sunlight.  I've seen it growing in the shade for years, not spreading at all. 

• And how hard is it to remove the unwanted growth? If it's a matter of a few shallow-rooted seedlings, removing them might be a easy enough.  But plants like Liriope spicata that spread by long, tough runners are actually much harder to remove than turfgrass, which everyone agrees is hard work. So you're warned.

DETAILS

• Can take sun or shade, soggy or dry conditions. 
• L. spicata blooms white in summer; L. muscari blooms purple.
• Hardy to Zones 6-9.

CARE

• Sheer back in late winter (although in full shade and there's usually no need because the foliage looks fine even after the winter).
• Easily divided using a cheap steak knife.
• It's not just extremely drought-tolerant but also moisture-tolerant - an amazing feat by a plant.

Photos from top.  A good place for spreading liriope is in the right-of-way.  Next, a crowded perennial bed is NOT the right place.  But bottom, in the shade beneath a deck it's well behaved and one of very few things that will grow there.

November "Bloom" Day, in which "blooming" is a metaphor

Okay, now's the time for gardeners in temperate climates to get creative with the term "bloom".  Doesn't it really mean looking its best?  Showing off its color?  Yeah, I thought so.  So no problem; there's plenty to show off in mid-November.

First, here's why it's best to grow big-leaf Hydrangeas where they can be their natural size and require no pruning.  Why remove these gorgeous blooms right after blooming, as required, when they look this good for SO long?

On the right you see the foliage and berries of Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur," a terrific plant for small gardens.

More fun with foliage from the lovely Japanese maple 'Green Cascade' on the left, or how about the serviceberry on the right?

Now we do have to look harder to find perennials blooming, but in the photo below left these Euphorbia amygdaloides blooms haven't changed since they first appeared in June.  And what's more, the foliage is evergreen.

And finally, below right, Amsonia hubrichtii is still eye-popping, lush and gorgeous against a backdrop of Nandina.

I waited all season for this? Reassessing asters

Now you KNOW I love New England asters.  I feature them  prominently in photos showing off my garden.  I tout them as native plants that require no fussing at all, even in periods of drought.  But this year's superdrought taught me to ask one more questions about a plant's (supposed) tolerance for drought.  To wit:  Will it not only survive but actually look good?

See, after devoting a huge chunk of prime garden real estate to asters all season long and waiting, waiting, waiting for the big pay-off, this is what I got - a scattering of blossoms in a sea of diseased-looking foliage.  My hort friends tell me the drought is the cause, so I have a decision to make:  either water them more regularly get rid of them altogether.  Or, at the very least, devote less space to asters and finding some mid-summer bloomers to include in this prime spot instead.  You know how gardeners love an excuse to acquire more plants?  I'm looking through catalogs already.

Bottom photo: what I expected them to look like.

Right Plant, Wrong Place

I've sung the praises of this super-sustainable shrub, the beautybush or Kolkwitzia - as a prime nesting place for birds.  As a shrub that arrived via UPS looking pitiful but hit the ground running - or growing.  As a fast grower that never needs supplemental watering, which is saying quite a lot in these days of record drought.  I even defended it against Michael Dirr's dissing: "dull foliage," "little to excite even a passionate gardener."

But this report isn't about the plant but about where I had it growing - wedged in between the garage, a large Miscanthus grass, a full-size cherry laurel and a fast-growing Arborvitae 'Green Giant' - and you can take the word "giant" as a giant tip-off. 

In the next photo you see it tied up and pruned back enough to not interfere with its neighbors, constrained to act like some scrawny rhododendron, not the huge, sprawling, 8x8 mound of lushness it wants to be.

NEW HOME
So as you see in the final photo, I took the seemingly drastic but harmless step of moving the shrub to a large open area.  Granted it doesn't look like much yet - because it's been hacked back to a shadow of its former self, not to mention of its potential self. 

Next spring I'll report on whether this beauty lives up to its name, despite its inability to excite the likes of Michael Dirr.  Actually, Dirr concedes the beautybushes are easy to grow and may have a place in the shrub border, but that he's seen too many free-standing examples in need of help.  If by that he means they need a good pruning - I agree!  Vigorous shrubs like beautybush need renewal pruning every year, which simply means removing the oldest 1/3 of the stems back to the ground.  Given that 15 minutes of maintenance every year, this shrub will, I promise, deserve a stand-alone spot in the garden, especially from a distance (because Dirr's right - the foliage isn't spectacular).  And with this beautybush now standing quite alone at the back of my neighbor's very large backyard, we'll soon see who's right. 

See how gardeners, facing the on-coming bleakness of winter, keep their eye on the prize?  Spring, of course!

Perennials I've Killed

Honestly, it's more like Perennials I've Given Up On and Ripped Out.  That's because I hadn't yet learned this little ditty about them:  "First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap."  Unfortunately, it's true and really bad news for impatient gardeners like myself.  So truth to tell, I've given up on plenty of perennials before giving them enough time to show me their stuff.  Others have honestly underperformed for me:

• Monarda up and died after 3 years.
• Euphorbia 'Martinii' - they're dying one by one.
• Foxglove - famously short-lived in much of the U.S.
• Geranium 'Johnson's Blue,' which seem to do well for everyone else, so it's an unsolved mystery.
• Stipa tenissma - a gorgeous short ornamental grass that I had high hopes for.
• Artemesia 'Powis Castle' and others.  They hate humidity.
• Plants I started from seed which never had much impact in the garden: Campanula carpatica, Veronica spicata and Catananche carentea and Linum perene (Blue flax).

Photo:  the Euphorbia x Martinii that dazzles, until it up and dies.

For Blog Action Day - Eco-Assessments of Those Blooming Plants

I'm happy to join thousands of other bloggers in writing about the environment today - it's never much of a stretch for gardenbloggers, anyway.  That's especially true if they routinely write about sustainability and that's what I'm doing today.  Because today is also Garden Blogger Bloom Day, let's look at how sustainable - or not - those October bloomers in the previous post really are.

First up, the perennials.  New England asters, sedums and phlox demand and get absolutely no coddling from me - no fertilizer, no watering, only the spring mulching with leafmold.  Darn sustainable, huh?  And the asters have the added appeal of being native to my area.  Japanese anemone and hardy begonia are almost as carefree - I water them if it hasn't rained in a month or so and otherwise they're just as carefree as the others.  All except the begonia get chopped down when they stop looking good, which for sedums isn't until the new growth has appeared in early spring.  The begonia just turns to mush after the first hard frost.

Now the hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' is, like the oakleaf, far more sustainable than most hydrangeas, which are on the thirsty side.  But paniculatas can and do go a month in my garden without water and live to see another day.  No feeding.  No problems with disease or insects.  No pruning required.

Lastly, the roses. Traditionally the least sustainable, least eco-friendly plant group there is, right?  Spray, feed, water - and repeat every fricking week or two all season long.  And serious rosarians may still be growing those god-awful hybrid teas that produce show-winning blossoms atop ugly plants, but among regular gardeners these fussy plants have gone out of style, and good riddance to them.

Enter the new breed of landscape or shrub roses, like 'Knockout', the most popular of the bunch.  Here you see it blooming this week and if last year is any guide, these babies will still be blooming after Thanksgiving.  But most importantly, its foliage looks healthy - no insect damage, no black spot.  Now because these plants were planted in June of this year, I did keep them watered but I gave them no fertilizer at all (contrary to the instructions, but what the heck!).  And say what you will about common plants - and these guys are becoming as ubiquitous as foundation yews in the '50s - they're perfect for most homeowners, including many of my clients, who seem thrilled by this achievement in horticultural research.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Hort Researchers are Hot!

THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS
It's all well and good that these plants can survive without the wasteful application of resources, especially resources that are themselves toxic or require fossil fuels in their production, but do they actually do any good?  Like all plants, they contribute to air and water quality.  And they feed the pollinators, especially sedums, which are covered with bees every time I look. 

Further, if the plants are as beautiful as these, they give back to human beings by lowering our blood pressure and contributing to world peace.  And to nit-pickers who might wonder if these claims have ever been documented I only say - not yet.

Blooms Up for Tardiva Hydrangea, Caryopteris, Knockouts, Hardy Begonia, and Rudbeckia

Over on GardenRant this Caryopteris is being shown off, along with whatever my ranting partners have blooming today.  In this photo five caryopteris are massed for a nice late-season pow.  And here's lots more about them.

On the right are two pink

'Knockout'  roses, newly planted in the process of my backyard make-over.  With no fertilizer at all, I think they've performed very well in their first season in the garden.

Next up on the left is the Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva,' a favorite of mine.  Here's more about them.

On the right are some hardy begonia or Begonia grandis.  Here's more about them.

Finally, some rudbeckia, which I'm told is R. triloba, next to some sedum 'Autumn Joy' that the deer missed, and with an Arbovitae 'Green Giant' in the background.

Click to enlarge.