Hosta

Everyone knows the advantage of Hosta in the garden as a foliage plant or groundcover with most varieties hardy down to zone 2. The range of colours and variegation patterns seems endless. Less often do the flowers get noticed. In fact, I know gardeners that cut the flower stalks off rather than let them bloom. I don't think Hosta flowers are given their due. From the bicoloured bud of 'Captain Kirk' (above) that opens to a little white bell with a lavender stripe, to the more pendulous bells of 'Sun Power' in much darker lavender tones, they are almost as varied as the foliage. Some varieties have their flowers all bunched at the top of the stalk like 'Halcyon' with is blue toned buds and others have their flowers spaced out along the stalk like 'June' with her dainty, pale buds that open to almost white flowers. Hosta is easy to grow, requiring minimal care. As long as it is planted in the right spot, it will generally get bigger and bigger until it outgrows the space and needs division. Dividing Hosta is also an easy task since it is very forgiving of the process. The key, in my garden, does seem to be finding the right spot where it will thrive rather than simply survive. Hosta are good at surviving. When deciding on where to plant any new Hosta, a rule of thumb is that the bluer the leaf, the more shade it needs and the lighter the leaf, the more sun it can take. In fact, 'Blue Cadet' will turn green in sun, despite its' name. There are exceptions to this rule such as 'Blue Mouse Ears' which likes a lot of sun so always read the tag. But if you are like me and find yourself often without tags, the rule of thumb will come in handy. Additionally, blue leaf hosta are said to be more slug resistant than their light leaf cousins. Despite their over-use in the building landscape arena, I highly recommend Hosta as an addition to every garden. Their reliability can always be counted on.

Date Night Dahlia - 'Wine & Roses'

'Wine & Roses' is very pretty in the garden and makes me think of Victorian fabrics. She buds up and starts to open quite dark purple but very quickly shows her white, becoming a 5" white waterlily flower with rosey purple tips on a 4.5' plant. I am not entirely happy with the photographs so far but I may not get more blooms from her and I was happy to have been able to see her at all this year. With frost warnings, I won't get that pleasure in regard to most of the rest of the dahlia until next season.

New Gardens

When we moved here, there was not much of a garden. There were the Boardwalk Garden beds which were shade gardens jam packed with full sun plants. It was pretty and built on minimal space because a gardener did not live here then. The first year, we didn't make many changes. I put in the Nursery for all my plants brought from my city garden and we built the firepit which is a 25' circular patio of pavers with a 42" firepit in the centre. Our continued work the next year was all in the back yard where we started. Last year, I managed to get enough done in the back that I felt I could start the front. This garden is new at the front of the house. It is my orange garden. I can tell it is new because I have to weed it constantly which is something that goes away after I have been gardening a bed for awhile. My friends can tell it is new because it has gravel mulch which I would never use and will, eventually, remove. Although this garden is not finished yet, I was very happy many times this season that I managed to get it half done so far. The addition of flowers in my dining room window view and out the sunroom window has been well worth the effort. The number of times that flower view has made me pause to appreciate it as I moved through the house made me decide to deal with the view out that same window in the other direction. I have taken down the bushline along the sidewalk and we are considering moving the chiminea seating area closer to the deck before I start to build the garden there. The only plants left are 3 or 4 Juniper that were inside the bush. I will very likely move them out further because I want flowers up at the house and I can't stand the smell of Juniper, which to me, smells like ammonia. The first time I noticed that, I spent 2 weeks trying to find where in my garden my cat had decided was a litter box until I realized it was the Juniper off the front step I was smelling! I love the excitement of a new garden. I already know which Dahlia will be planted in these two beds next year and which of my perennials will be divided to plant here. The only question left is can I find an orange rose I love.

Storm Update

Follow up to my Waiting for the Storm post:

Dahlia 'Alpen Cherub'

A beautiful collarette, 'Alpen Cherub' is pure white with a hint of pale yellow and a big golden button centre.  The stalks stand at 3.5 feet tall and this bloom is 3.5" across.  It was planted late (in July) when Danielle brought me lots of dahlia tubers, so it may typically get taller.  This would look wonderful with Danielle's 'Hot Lips' dahlia.  Here is another picture of it.

Spot of Sunshine - Dahlia 'Ferncliff Fuego'

'Ferncliff Fuego' is worth a closer look. The first I have that buds up lighter than it blooms, it was my first Dahlia pick when I decided to order them last Fall. Colour and clarity are his best features with clear, bright tones making him look like blossoms of sunshine in the garden. He is a 4.5' plant with 7" flowers in semi-cactus form. I highly recommend him for any Summer garden, he is striking.

Picnic Anyone? - Dahlia 'Kari Fruit Salad'

'Kari Fruit Salad' is on the small side of small with 4" cactus flowers on a 4' plant although she did not get as tall as that for me this year. She is another that was darker in bud than in bloom. She is a purple/pink/yellow blend described as eye-catching, which she is. She also has a lot of blooms and is listed as a good cutflower. I cut all my dahlia because they last forever in a vase but she does have good length to her stems. As Linda says, she looks good enough to eat!

Bright One - Dahlia 'Kasasagi'

Bright red with hints of golden yellow, this dahlia is certainly eye-catching - regardless if the blooms are only 2 inches across.  This is the second to bloom of all the dahlia that Danielle brought me in July.  It's classification is P-FL which means pompon shaped flower and flame blend colouring.  The flower stalks are 2.5 feet tall.  This is its third day in bloom and definitely more rounded than when it first opened.

Planting in Bagged Soil

This is pretty indicative of what my soil is before being ammended. This has been dug to ammend but nothing had been added yet. You can see the little chunks that are obviously not loam. They are also impossible to break up when either too dry or too wet; for different reasons but the result is the same. I can't dig after rain and to dig in the heat of Summer requires watering prior to digging. This year we had a lot of rain in the Spring that left me with much to plant late in the season and I resorted to planting in ground with bagged soil. This is a practice I do not recommend. It is definitely emergency only strategy and should never be used to plant perennials. The problem with planting in only the soil dumped out of a bag rather than mixing that soil with your current garden soil thoroughly before planting is that most plants will typically take the path of least resistance to both water and sun. They may grow roots through the bagged soil and then when those roots hit the permanent soil, which would take more strength to grow through, they will instead curve around the hole and start to grow circular much like a root bound potted plant. The risk then is that these plants never actually set root in the permanent garden soil and a good wind can pick them right up out of the ground to leave them lying in the garden with their tidy little round root balls. Having said all that, if we get the same wet Spring next year, I fully intend to plant all of my dahlia in bagged soil. I figure since they get lifted in fall, it is not such a big risk with setting root and I want earlier flowers next year so I won't be waiting out the weather as long as I did this year.

The Quiet One - Dahlia 'Ferncliff Cameo'

Moving on in our Dahlia story, this is 'Ferncliff Cameo'. She is supposed to be a 5' plant but in my garden this year, she barely made 4'. It was an odd year so I expect she will be taller next year. Her flowers are 5", opening pale yellow but quickly fading to pale pink. She is very pretty and super dainty. This year, I have her planted with brighter colours that really over power her. It was a side effect of my planting season. Next year I plan to plant her in the Bird Sanctuary in the newly created sun spot which is currently under development. That garden will have a pink and white theme she will fit right into with her quiet tones. So far, she is the only yellow I am allowing in that garden. I think she will be well worth the compromise.

Spelling Challenge - Dahlia 'Taratahi Ruby'

I am just now getting to the point where I don't have to look up the spelling every time I want to write it down but this is 'Taratahi Ruby', my next Dahlia. She is a 4.5' plant with 5" waterlily form flowers. She is very bright in the garden, even from a distance. I know she is hardy because I found her down on the ground with one flower and two buds and within 2 days of standing her up, another of the buds is open. Ruby is an accurate description of her colour, with a yellow streak that looks like a very light dry-brush stroke but in a bright colour tone. She is a beauty.

Waiting for the Storm

We are expecting Hurricane Earl to hit Nova Scotia tomorrow morning so I headed out to stake my glads this morning.  Perhaps it's optimistic to think that stakes will actually make a difference!  I've also been out taking pictures because I'm sure the scene will look quite different by Sunday.  It's a little sad to think that I may not even see many of my glads and dahlias that are yet to bloom.  Having seen the effect of Hurricane Juan, I'm trying to be realistic.

There are a few things you can do to help prepare your garden for a storm:

• wrap up and put all your hoses inside
• move anything loose inside, such as ornaments, empty pots, watering cans, buckets, tools, garbage cans, green bins, patio furniture, BBQ
• take down and store portable gazebos, tents, awnings
• move potted plants to a sheltered area or inside
• stake anything tall

Things blowing around can do a lot of damage in your garden!

The Baroness - Dahlia 'Baron Katie'

'Baron Katie' is one of my favourite for sure. Her classification is BB ID FL meaning, small (4-6") flowers in the informal decorative form and flame blend colours. She was described as 4' with 5" flowers in flame colours although the accompanying image looked very pink. Here she is true to description, in very flame colours. The listing also promised blooms and blooms which was right on the money. She sends blooms up forever. She was the first to open in my Front House Garden and there a trio of her is planted close enough to look like one big plant covered in blooms. Her blooms in that garden are 5.5". She reminds me of cat's eye marbles and her bright, cheery colours are perfect for the orange theme of that garden. If I could only have a couple of Dahlia, she would be top of my list!

Dahlia 'Longwood Dainty'

This is the first to bloom of all of the dahlia that Danielle brought me and I couldn't be more pleased.  The plant is small, only a foot or so, and the flowers are small, about 2 inches.  I love this shade of orange!  As it matures, the pale yellow becomes more prominent.  I'm hoping all the dahlia will survive Hurricane Earl this weekend!

Another Dahlia - 'Raeann's Torch'

I am loving Dahlia! Meet 'Raeann's Torch', another collarette flower form. Her flowers are slightly larger than 'Hot Lips' at 5" but she grows to the same height of 4'. This is her colour when she first opens and she buds up even darker than this. However, very quickly, she matures to a lighter colour combination that always makes me think of a child's colouring book. Only her collar remains a darker lemon yellow. Whenever I walk by her in the garden I feel young again.

Let's Talk About Bugs!

Earlier today, Linda was telling me about the flying ant swarm in her garden last week. Just after telling her that I have never experienced a swarm other than bees and didn`t think I would much like having an ant swarm, I stepped outside. The air was thick with tiny little flies. The garden was so full of them, that I had to be careful about breathing and was brushing off my clothes and shaking out my hair before coming back into the house. They seem to be gone now and it looks like no damage was done. Although we have a week or so each year where these little flies are prevalent in the garden, I have never seen it like this. Eventhough they were easily visible everywhere in the air and at dusk even became a glowing green colour, I couldn`t capture them swarming mid-air. This group resting on the Calla at the front deck was the best I could do. It is not supposed to rain tomorrow so I hope they are not back because they definitely kept me in the house today.

Bright Delight - Dahlia 'Art Deco'

I wasn't even sure that I really wanted a dahlia when I picked up Art Deco on clearance for $1 in early June of 2008.  The poor thing needed to be saved.  Since then it has multiplied nicely and next year we will have enough to fill the top of our rock wall out front.  It's quite short - about one and a half feet - and looks wonderful with yellow daisies.  The blooms are 3-4" and the petals are pale orange on the top side and dark red on the bottom.  The difference in colour from sun to shade is interesting.

The Next Dahlia - 'Gerrie Hoek'

Further to our Dahlia story, I would like to introduce 'Gerrie Hoek', an heirloom (1942) Dahlia. She was described in the catalogue as a pure pink waterlily flower form. She has, however, a yellow glow emanating from her centre. Although apparent when she is opening, the glow really comes alive when she is mature. She was the first I planted this year and the first to bud up. Flowers are 5" and the plant grows to 4' in my garden. Despite her flower size, I would describe her as delicate. I think she needs something white to bloom with. My initial thought is Gooseneck Loosestrife but since I have never seen that blooming other than in a photograph, I want to talk to Linda, who has, before I decide. I considered planting something yellow with her but I am afraid that will detract from the effect of her glow in the garden. Even alone, she is stunning.

Plant Pair - Catmint & Dropmore

Plants: Catmint, also known as Nepeta, unknown variety in the herbaceous perennial group. Growth habit: Mounding to about 1 ft. high. Dropmore Honeysuckle, Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'. Growth habit: climbing vine to 20 ft.

Conditions: Catmint is drought hardy and can grow in most soil conditions, Dropmore Honeysuckle prefers average to evenly moist soil and will not tolerate standing water. Both are full sun but will do well in part shade which is where I am growing them together.

The down side: Although Catmint is considered aromatic, I find that it is only so if you rub or step on the leaves. Dropmore Honeysuckle has no scent so this pair does not provide a fragrant spot in the garden.

Why I like them: Catmint has grey-green foliage and a serated edged leaf with a lacey appearance. The lavender/blue flowers bloom on spikes. The Dropmore has wide, smooth edged leaves that appear a light, bright green and darken with age. So when neither are blooming, which is only in early Spring, the foliage keeps them interesting. The flowers of the Dropmore, although called Scarlet, are more orange in appearance and bring out the lavender flowers of the Catmint in a way you don't notice them on their own. The Dropmore will climb to 20 ft. but it will also crawl along the ground, or in my case, rock edges and fill in open spaces for quite a distance. It will also tolerate regular pruning to keep it smaller which is how I grow it. It is given a space here and anything beyond, I regularly chop off but it never misses a beat. Dropmore can get leggy at the bottom of the plant, particularly when it climbs. Catmint is just the right height to cover this. Both bloom from early Summer through to frost so I am never without blooms in this spot eventhough the Catmint blooms come in waves throughout the season.

Plant Pair - Laura and Nora

It was undoubtedly one of my best planting decisions when I put Nora Leigh next to Laura.
Plants:  Both are phlox paniculata, 'Laura' (on the left) and 'Nora Leigh'.  Commonly called tall phlox or garden phlox, these both grow to about 3 feet.  Each stalk wears a big bunch of small flat blooms on top, like a shower cap.
Conditions:  Tall phlox thrives in full sun but will grow in partial shade.  I've grown it in average garden soil and it does fine for me.
The down side:  Powdery mildew, but it doesn't affect either of these as much as some others.
Why I like them:  Where do I start?  The heavenly scent overcomes me whenever I walk out back in August - I have 13 varieties.  The masses of bright colours bloom over a long period.  These two in particular provide a nice contrast side-by-side.  Some phlox are like chameleon, changing colour depending on time of day and temperature.  Laura changes from bright fushia to mauve to dark purple.  Nora Leigh's blooms are a little smaller but she makes up for it with striking green and cream foliage.

Slug Solution that Works

In follow up to my previous post about Slugs:
I am happy to report that Kelly and I have been using the ammonia solution with success.  The formula is:  7 parts water to 1 part ammonia.  I read about this in a gardening magazine at some point.

Kelly is spraying early morning; I'm spraying less regularly in the evening.  The solution melts slugs on contact - I'll refrain from posting a picture of this!  It also seems to be a good deterrent.  I can see that if we start early next year, we'll be able to keep the population down right from the start.  I'm hoping it'll make a difference with other bugs as well.

Our Dahlia Story

Linda and I have had Dahlia in our gardens for awhile but this year, we stepped it up a notch. It started with my bright idea mid-winter to order 49 varieties of Dahlia, three tubers each. All I can say is that winters here are a long time to go without gardening and some decisions are made under the influence of cabin fever! It really got interesting in Spring when Saskatchewan had its' first rainy season that seemed to never stop.

For reasons I will detail in a future post, I cannot dig my soil when it is wet. The result is concrete chunks that nothing could grow in. Amending my soil when wet is equally disasterous. Coupled with my short season, this meant that most of my new dahlia were going to wither without ever being given a chance. It would have been tragic if Linda and Judy had not jumped in to save the day.

I planted Dahlia on every day I could until it was clear it was getting too late in my season. About this time, I was invited to visit Linda and accepted. I then took one of each unplanted variety to my friend Judy's in the city. She planted them in her garden while I was gone. I took one of each variety and popped them into pots in my garden and left them in my husband's care. I took the last of each variety in my suitcase to Linda. She and Kelly planted them in her garden while I was visiting. My hope is that at least one of each variety will survive in one of these places and we will all exchange next Fall or the following Spring, eventually leaving each of us with all varieties. Or, at least, all the varieties we each decide we want to grow.

It is late for Dahlia to be starting but in our gardens, this year, they are. A few are blooming, many are budding up and all three of us are hopeful for late frost. The result is that Dahlia seem to be all we talk about lately. New flower forms, sizes and colours have generated a fresh excitement for my garden in the last few weeks.

I will start with Dahlia 'Hot Lips' which is the collarette above. It opens deep, deep red and fades to an orange-red that is not as dark but is twice as bright. Height was listed as 3.5' but it is much closer to 4' in my garden. Flowers seem to range between 3.5" and 4". I want to say it is one of my favourites but I am already in danger of making them all favourites.

One of the things I have noticed about the few Dahlia that have opened so far is that they do change colour very quickly after opening. Each individual flower lasts a long time but they do not seem to open true to the mature flower colour. Of course, what I notice in this odd weather year may not be the same as what I notice next year. This is what gardening is all about for me. The discovery. I am looking forward to more and more Dahlia discoveries. Since they will not all bloom for me this year before frost, that excitement will carry over into next season. I am already anticipating it!

Gladiolus Thrips II - Corm Storage

Further to my earlier post on Gladiolus thrips, here is my latest update. This is a new bud on my 'Hunting Song' which were right beside the infected 'Velvet Eye' of the last post. I have been spraying them down twice a day but I got to them too late at the start. This is obviously better than the 'Velvet Eye' opened so I am trying to be happy about that. I have removed the foliage on all other Gladiolus in that front house garden but I left this single patch of 'Hunting Song' because I am anxious to see them. I received some great advice for treating the infected Gladiolus for storage and Spring planting from one of my bulb suppliers and here is what she said....

"Store them over winter in a cold dark location but not freezing. Before storing them for the winter we recommend you soak them in a mixture of 1 ½ tbsp of Lysol and 1 gallon of water for a half hour at least, let them dry and then store. When you remove them from storage and go to plant them next spring do the same thing but after soaking, plant them while they are still wet. I have read that they can be soaked for up to 6 hours but we don’t find that to be any more successful…"

This is exactly what I am going to do. Then, next Spring, I am going to plant all the Gladiolus that were infected this year on their own, away from the Sun Gardens. Even the damaged flowers of this year made me see that they are worth one more try so I am going to put some effort into it. Wish me luck.

Time to Divide

I'm pretty sure the rule is:

• early blooming - divide in fall
• late blooming - divide in spring

I'm not sure where that leaves those things that bloom in the middle of the summer!  I have read that hosta can be divided fall or spring but not sure about the rest.  Besides, I'm not much good for following rules so we move and divide as the mood hits us.  I don't remember having any casualties but I'm sure it was a real struggle for a few of those plants.

Daylily Division

This is the year I discovered the daylily. I have always known about daylily having several 'Stella D'Oro' that I was not impressed with and had seen many, many varieties that I felt were equally unimpressive. It started with Linda's 'Frans Hals' and progressed to Alison's Red and my unknown above. Somehow, these bright colours from the Fall palette have converted me to a daylily lover. This week, I came upon an article in a recent issue of Canadian Gardening on the daylily and learned two very interesting facts. One of which turned out to be critical for the survival of my daylily since my new found fondness has got me determined to divide them this year so they will spread throughout the Sun Gardens next year.

Fact one is that some daylily are nocturnal, opening in late afternoon and remaining open until the next morning. This would be more interesting were I planning an evening wedding in my garden but is still a fun fact I am glad they included. Unfortunately, there were no nocturnal varieties listed.

Fact two is much more helpful for my garden because I tend to divide when I find time rather than following the old adage that I can never remember about spring blooming and fall blooming division times. According to the grower (who, from the photographs, clearly knows what he is doing with daylily), you have to divide Daylily at least one month prior to the first hard frost in your location. This is so they can have enough time to build up their sugars before they go into full dormancy. This is a critical fact in my garden because frost comes early and I work right up to it.

I am so glad I found this article now. For me, this means I need to start daylily dividing today. The fact that Canadian Gardening saved all the daylily I have out in my garden, more than justifies my regular over-spending at the magazine stand :)