Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum

Today's perennial spotlight is on a plant that not too many people grow. Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum (commonly called meadow rue) has been growing in my garden for at least 10 years. It's one of those treasures I bought many years ago at Franks nursery.

I have it in a lousy spot, extremely dry, shade for most of the day except two hours of direct sun right around noon.

One of the mistakes I made with this lovely perennial is planting it at the edge of a border. In a shaded spot like this it wants to lean towards the sun and there's nothing much there for it to lean on.

I did put a metal structure there and have a few wires to help it stay inside the form but it really isn't the right spot at all for this perennial. The piece I've moved to a sunny area is much happier but too small to photograph right now.


Unlike the other Thalictrums I grow, this variety has blue foliage, hence the word "glaucum" in it's name. The blue foliage and the sulphur yellow blooms are a great combination!

If you leave your Thalictrums alone (that means leaving those ugly dead blooms on them for awhile), they will scatter a few seedlings. For some reason I've got a bunch of little babies growing right out of the cracks of the belgium block border of my driveway. The foliage is in the bottom left corner, the bloom is in the top right corner.

Other Thalictrums grow here too. Next to my telephone pole is a large clump of Thalictrum
'Elin'. I just did a quick search on this plant and was surprised to see that it is a cross between Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum and Thalictrum rochebrunianum (hmmm, a thalictrum I don't grow!).

Now this is a case of the right plant in the right location. It's at least 8 feet tall right now and stands up perfectly straight.

At the total opposite spectrum is the teeny tiny Thalictrum kiusianum. This dwarf Thalictrum is so small that if you didn't know it was here you'd mistake it for clover or some other little thing. Last year I planted a piece in a dish garden and it did better there than it does in the garden. Maybe it finally feels it has room to grow without any thugs taking over?

Oops, looking at the photo I see exactly that, a little piece of clover snuck right in the middle :-)

Most likely the most well known Thalictrum is Thalictrum aquilegifolium. As the name says, the foliage looks just like an Aquilegia (columbine) and many people mistake it for one, that is, until it blooms.

I find Thalictrums easy to grow, they have no pests that I'm aware of and require little extra care. Try one out, I think you'll love them!

Melanie

Hardy Geraniums

Each year at this time I find myself photographing and writing about my hardy Geraniums.

For those of you who are new to my writings or new to the world of perennials, there are true Geraniums that are hardy perennials here on Long Island (USA zone 6b). These Geraniums look nothing like the tender Geraniums people buy for their planters, those are actually named Pelargoniums.

Hardy Geraniums are incredibly valuable to the perennial garden. Probably the most common variety (certainly the first I ever grew) is Geranium sanguinium pictured here in the opening shot. The color of the blooms is almost impossible for the camera to capture.

One lesson that needs to be learned when growing hardy Geraniums is that they rarely stand on their own. They tend to be soft stemmed and much prefer to cascade, sprawl, lean and meander on and around neighbor plants. If used correctly, this tendency can be quite charming.

Unfortunately this trait tends to make hardy Geraniums look messy or leggy in pots and messy plants are hard to sell.

Once planted in the ground though it's a whole different matter. In many cases their growth is thick and lush, allowing no chance for weeds to come up. You can see how nice and tight this clump of Geranium sanguinium is.


An important thing to note when you go out looking for hardy geraniums is that there are varieties that require sun (the sanguiniums up top do best with a good amount of sunlight although they will tolerate lower light conditions) other varieties prefer some shade and a few require even more shade. The bloom you see here is from Geranium phaeum also known as the "mourning widow geranium". This is one that does well in the shade.

Interestingly, I just read on one web site that this Geranium also grows in sunlight but that website was a Brittish site. Keep that in mind when you research your plants, what takes full sun in England is very different than what might take full sun here.

Geranium pratense 'Midnight Reiter' is another shade Geranium. In my experience this one does not clump up as vigorously as other varieties but you can see it is certainly a most welcome addition to the shade garden.

One more shade Geranium that I've grown to love is Geranium nodosum. This beauty does not bloom as heavily as the other Geraniums but as you can see, it has beautiful lush foliage. Those of you who know me well know that I'm always on the hunt for plants with great foliage.

Foliage is definitely a plus on most of the hardy Geraniums. In a semi shade (morning sun) location, the foliage of Geranium 'Nimbus' is just wonderful.

Today I saw the first bloom on 'Nimbus', more are sure to come.

I guess I can't say I favor any one Geranium over another but can tell you that this Geranium 'Bevan's Variety' wins an award for growing into a lush clump in a location that is hostile to so many plants. Dry shade under a life-sucking Norway maple, this baby just keeps on going.

The cantabrigiense Geraniums (this one is 'Cambridge') deserve a posting of their own and I've done exactly that in the past. At the top of this blog and my other blog at Melanie's Old Country Gardens you can type "Geranium" into the search bar and find past articles on these wonderful perennials. This is my 104th posting on this blog but the other has 380 so if you are looking for lots of information, check that site out too.

Off to play in the dirt,
Melanie

Hakonechloa 'All Gold'

While I'd never be able to pick a single favorite plant from my garden, I would have to include this Hakonechloa 'All Gold' right at the top of the list. It's not the first Hakone grass (also known as Japanese forest grass) that I've grown but it most certainly is the showiest.

I have 4 clumps now, two of them quite large and yet I find myself loathe to cut into them to divide them out. Still, I'm trying to get myself to do this before the sale days this coming Thursday, Friday & Saturday.

It has incredible value as an accent plant and as a combination plant. Here you see it mixed with the foliage of an Astrantia (Masterwort) seedling.

Backed by lavender blue blooms on one of the Veronica's, the 'All gold' continues to look stunning.

I find it most amazing that no matter what leaf shape you pair it with, you end up with a fantastic interweaving. Hosta 'Sagae' behind it with it's golden edge was a true inspiration that I'm so happy I had last season.

The foliage and blooms of the hardy Geranium maculatum also look amazing next to another 'All gold' clump.

So my advice to you is if you see this beauty for sale, grab it! Yet more advice, any pot I've seen for sale is the saddest creature ever. For some reason this baby just doesn't look good in a pot. Add to that the fact that the pieces are extra small and extra high priced, still it's more than worth it.

Pulmonaria

One can always find Pulmonarias in Herb books. They've been grown for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years and are more commonly known as Lungwort. Most books state that the young leaves can be added to salads but I can't imagine trying them as they are hairy as can be...

Supposedly Pulmonarias clear congested lungs, I've also read that they are an ingredient in vermouth. Perhaps that's why another book states that they can cause liver damage? As always, I'll remind all of you that just because a plant is an herb, I do not recommend eating them without knowing more about the plant. This is one that would not pass my lips.

Most Pulmonarias have spotted leaves, in the summer some will also get powdery mildew but since they are already white, it doesn't bother me much.

Quite commonly Pulmonarias have pink flower buds that once opened, quickly change to blue or vice-versa. There are quite a few varieties on the market now, not only does the flower color vary but the amount of spotting on the foliage is another distinctive trait.

The most vigorous Pulmonaria in my garden by far is Pulmonaria angustifolia. Surprisingly, this one has no spotting at all on the leaves. The blooms are the most heavenly sky blue color imaginable.

Out front near the street in barren soil I've been growing Pulmonaria 'Dora Bielefeld' for at least 10 years. As you can see here, it has quite a clear pink bloom. I wish I'd had the forethought to move it to a better location and see what it could really do when grown in rich soil.

There are also pristine white Pulmonarias. The name on this one escapes me, I do know that I've divided out some pieces and shared them with gardening friends. While white is not my favorite color in the garden, it is a most welcome addition to the shade corners that Pulmonarias seem to tolerate.

My recommendations on growing these lovelies is to give them a spot with several hours of sunlight (preferably softer, morning light), rich soil that has been amended with compost and water during dry seasons. Other than that, stand back and watch them bloom!

Hellebores - The Lenten Rose

One of my constant goals is to give the botanical name along with a nickname in parenthesis. While the nickname of this plant is Lenten Rose, I do believe that many gardeners also know the botanical name of Hellebore.

Lenten Rose though is a pretty apt description for this wonderful perennial as it most certainly does begin blooming during Lent (that is, it does so here on Long Island in my zone 6b garden).

Hellebores can be quite expensive so one has to have either much money or much patience before amassing a large collection of them. In my case, it's patience, I've added one or two a year for about 8 years now.

Gardening books will tell you that Hellebores are shade lovers and will grow in lean soil. While that may be true, I've found that they reward me well for giving them a half a day of sun (morning is best) and lots and lots of compost.

Most often, Hellebores don't have single cultivar names but are sold as seedling lots. This white double is one of my favorites. If you leave the seed heads on your Hellebores they will reward you with seedlings near-by. I keep checking the ground near this beauty, no babies yet but I always have hope.


One of the reasons I heard for the down-turned blooms on Hellebores is to protect the pollen and reproduction organs from severe late winter temperatures. It certainly sounds like a good reason to me so I'll stick with that thought.

Every now and then you do find an upturned bloom. Hellebore hybridizers are working hard to get more and more varieties that do turn their faces upright. I love the freckles on this lovely seedling.

This last shot is the least artistic but the most exciting one for me. Last September I posted about dividing a large Hellebore in my garden. This is one of the divisions I planted out, each and every one of them is just chock full of blooms and buds! So much for thinking that they might sulk after division.

If you want to read the post about dividing your hellebores you need to visit my other blog, Old Country Gardens. Once there, you can type in the word "Hellebore" in the search field at the top of the blog and it will bring you to the post.

I've also added a search field to this blog and a list of post labels down the side.

Happy Spring!
Melanie

Kniphofia

One of my favorite photos is this one, taken in July of 2008 at the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover Germany. It was so far away from home and yet, at the same time, the gardens felt as if they could have been right here on Long Island.

In the center left of the photo is a large stand of Kniphofia, more commonly known as red hot pokers. While these plants are quite popular in England (and possibly Germany), they seem to be ignored by gardeners here in the USA.


Perhaps the problem is that most American gardeners are only familiar with the red hot variety, that is, the one with an orangish red tip and a yellow base. Yet this is only one of the colors available in this plant family.

This photo is an old scanned slide but it was taken in my garden and I've had this "red hot" Kniphofia for many years now.

Another Kniphofia that I've had for years (another oldie but goodie from Franks Nursery) is this lovely chartreuse variety. If it has a name, I don't have it labled in the garden. One thing I can tell you though is that the color here is not that far off, it truly is a chartreusse bloom.

True yellow Kniphofias are not difficult to find. I had this one in my garden for 4 or 5 years before it suddenly disappeared.

The same goes for this amazing Apricot variety. It was spectacular here for at least 4 years and then POOF it was gone. It makes me wonder if Kniphofias are short lived perennials. If that is the case then the solution is to divide them before their fourth year, something I will keep in mind in the future.

Doing some research online, I've found some interesting information on these plants. While I knew they needed good drainage, much to my surprise I read that you will increase your chance of overwintering them by tying the foliage together for the winter.

In past years I've noticed that when I cleaned around the Kniphofias in the spring that you could easily tug divisions out of the ground, as if they had rotted right at the soil level. Apparently by tying the foliage together, you keep the water and ice from getting inside that crown. Very interesting...

Anyway, my recommendation to all of you? Try this beauty in a full sun location. I don't think you'll be sorry you did!

Melanie