Ferns

It's beautiful out today. Well, let me clarify, it's beautiful for the end of January. I had a lovely walk around the neighborhood where I looked at all kinds of winter plant material. Coming back to my porch I noticed how nice this fern looked. It will take some digging around but this spring when I go over my plant labels I will take note of what type of fern this is and try to find more for my garden.

Ferns have been catching my eye quite a bit the last few years. Surprising to me is the many different conditions where I have found them thriving. Two years ago we traveled through Northern Germany. One of the castles we visited had real life grotto. Be still my beating heart! This combination of ferns and Wisteria is just stunning.

One of the first ferns I grew (back at Old Country Gardens) was the variety "Ghost". It grows well here in Centerport too, this last spring I learned that it's super easy to divide and hardly missed a step when replanted. I have not had the other ferns here grow as fast.

Here's "Ghost" with a purple Heuchera. I took this photo at the Peconic River Herb Farm, one of my must visit places here on Long Island. 

This nice green fern came without a name. That's because I dug it up in a field at our friends house in upstate New York. It's been happy for three or four years so I'd like to see some more come along. Maybe I have to go dig a few more...

One of my new experiments this past season was this perennial shade pot. I'm hoping these babies make it through the winter, in about 8 weeks I'll know for sure.

Echinacea - Purple Cone Flower

The common name of Echinacea is Purple Cone Flower. I really don't know why it's called that because in my eye, the flower is closer to a dusky pink and the cone itself is definitely orange. Whatever the reason, I just couldn't have a garden without this wonderful perennial.

If the name Echinacea is familiar to you, it's because they use this plant to make a herbal product to help when you have a cold. I've never tried it so I can't tell you more about what it exactly does.

At first the flowers open very flat.

Quickly the petals begin to relax and curve downward. The cone becomes more pronounced. (How do you like the daylily 'Primal Scream in the background?)

Before you know it the petals are all the way down. The plants grow quite large and are covered with blooms in various stages so you can see many different flower forms on one plant.

Echinaceas turn me into a touchy feely person, I just can't resist feeling these cones over and over again. They apparently are quite attractive to a host of other creatures such as butterflies, bees and best of all, come autumn they bring flocks of bright goldfinch to the garden.

This year I have a new variety blooming in my back bed. I had tried one of the fancy yellow varieties there a few years ago but it died. Somehow it must have cross pollinated with the pink ones there because this year I have these luscious white blooms.

I've seen the white varieties in other places and grew them myself many years ago but they tended to limp along. This one is quite different, to begin with, it's chin high on me and I'm 5'7" so that's pretty high for an Echinacea. I'll be keeping my eye on this beauty!

One more note, Echinacea make great cutting flowers so if you have the, include a few in your bouquets.

Melanie

Adenophora lilifolia

Adenophora lilifolia has been with me for many years. I know I brought it from my old house where I had a nice little clump growing near the back door. What I don't remember is where or whom I got this plant from.

Adenophora is very similar to a Campanula. It grows a tall stem that is very upright and in early July (in New York) it is covered with lavender blue bell shaped blooms.

In another day or two I should have quite a few of these beauties blooming.

This morning I did a google search to see what information I could find out about Adenophora. According to my research, they like sun to semi-shade, are slow to establish, need excellent drainage, rich soil and resent being transplanted.

Much of that information is accurate with my own experience in growing them for 20 years. I have them in full sun with lots of compost (but they are slower there) and I have them in very filtered light with very lean soil. In the shady spot they are much more numerous, although it's taken years for them to fill in.

In the last year or two my Adenophora have self seeded into the gravel of the driveway. I was amazed at how many seedlings were there this year. Unfortunately the information on-line was correct when it said they resent being transplanted. I've worked hard to get them while they are very young.

Last year I managed to get a few seedlings out of the gravel and put them in a pot. They overwintered extremely well in the pot and filled it with growth in early spring.

If you have the chance to grow these beauties, I would advice you to give them a try. Today I'm going to cut one off and see how they hold up as cut flowers.

Melanie

Evening Primroses

Some perennials have been around forever. They're those plants that when you first begin gardening, somebody will gladly share a plant or two.

After gardening for years many of us tend to turn our noses up at those beginner plants. That too is a phase, it's taken me many more years to realize just how valuable those old fashioned perennials are.

A nickname I love is pass-along-plant. A plant that is easily passed from one gardener to another, or if you are lucky, one generation to another.

Since my parents and I are immigrants, I don't have plants that have been handed down in my family but I do have many pass-along plants that have been given to me. One of the first plants shared with me was evening primroses, more formally known as Oenothera tetragona.

Some parts of the country use the nickname "Sundrops" for this plant family, that's the danger with using nicknames instead of learning the botanical name.


The photos you see here (number 2 and 3) are actually a hybrid form of Oenothera, one that goes by the name 'Cold Crick'. If you've grown the old fashioned Oenothera (evening primrose), this variety is quite different. It doesn't travel by underground runners, instead it stays nicely in a small, compact clump. It also is shorter that the old fashioned variety but when it blooms, well put on your sunglasses because it's just as bright as it's family member.

There's also a pink variety of Oenothera, it's full name is Oenothera speciosa. This plant does have the underground runners and in my garden it has run a bit. The funny thing though is it all ran in one direction (south) and ended up butted up against the Belgium block border of my driveway.

It really is a lovely little perennial, I keep forgetting to slip out a few pieces and add them to different parts of the garden so I can have some to share. Actually, there might be a few extra pieces, it's not an early emerger so I have to go take a careful look tomorrow morning.

We'll begin our big Mother's Day plant sale tomorrow afternoon, around 1:00 pm. That gives me time to dig out a few more perennials in the morning. The weather has been so uncooperative here this week.

We'll also be here all day on Saturday and for a few hours on Sunday morning (unless we're sold-out by then).

Stop by and say "hi"!
Melanie