Swampgardener

It's HGTV Green Home Giveaway Time!

2010-05-07T17:54:00.002-04:00

Hello folks! I know its been a while since I last posted, but since beginning this blog, I've started a new job, which keeps me away from the garden and the home computer quite a bit. However, I felt it was my duty to share the news that HGTV is giving away a "green" home in Plymouth, Mass this year. I think there's still 28 more days to enter daily, so get right on it!

The house seems a bit less ostentatious than their usual giveaway--probably because it's a Green home giveaway, and not just a Home giveaway (not exactly sure what the difference is). The house seems lovely, not so sure about the gardens. I really wish they would give more details on the size of the lot and the outdoor features. It seems a glaring oversight to neglect an area that can be devoted to growing food, doing composting, etc...if it's supposed to be "green," but then, HGTV consistently gives short shrift to the "G" in their programming.

Anywho, I hope someone I know wins!

Curse You Big Box Stores, Curse You

2010-02-01T14:43:00.003-05:00

This is what my garden looks like now. Frozen and/or dead. Looking at it daily is pretty painful. I can glean no happy insights just now. Spring is just too far away, the snow is too gray, and the wind is too bitter.

With these happy thoughts as reference, you have to understand why I couldn't resist buying these:

9.99 for 10 Lilies! 9.99 for 6 Dahlias! It was just too tempting to pass up. So while my yard might be uninspiring, there are definitely some inspiring shopping opportunities out there.

Learning about Garden Blogging!

2010-01-25T11:33:00.002-05:00

I'm a regular reader of a couple of garden blogs, most notably Garden Rant, and C.L. Fornari's site, Whole Life Gardening, and there's a few things I really like about those sites.

The Ranters seem to be in touch with all the really important trends and issues in home gardening and the gardening industry. The readers who leave comments actually seem to want to have a discussion, rather than random incendiary insults, which you find at most sites. I've learned tons about the politics and business of gardening from Garden Rant.

C.L. Fornari, on the other hand, is from Massachusetts, and just writes really practical advice on plants and the joys of gardening.

As I do more gardening and writing, I'm trying to figure out where I fit in, and what sort of blogging I like to do, and I've decided to seek professional advice; I'm attending an actual Garden Writer's Association event at the New England Grows convention.

New England Grows sounds like fun, but I'm really attending because there will be a talk about how to improve your garden blog or web site from Richard Banfield, an internet designer and marketer.

So here's hoping I learn a thing or two! And if any of my readers, all one or two that are not family members, are thinking af attending, there's still time--registration is open until January 28th!

Should I Bite the Bullet?

2010-01-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

The actual title should probably be, "Should I Bite the Worm?" but it doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Pictured above, is a "Can O' Worms," a worm composting system that I've been mulling over purchasing. I think it's between the Can O' Worms and the Gusanito Worm Bin. They both run around $100, and I've read pros and cons for both.

The bigger question is, should I really embark on growing a colony of worms in my basement? I keep reading about how awesome worm castings are (that's worm poop for the uninformed), and how I can cut down on household waste, but I'm still a bit nervous.

I mean, it's sort of like getting a puppy. There's a breaking in period, where the worms have to get acclimated to my bin, I have to water and feed the worms, and I have to do maintenance (i.e. figure out how to separate the worms from their poop). And it's sort of a lifetime commitment. What if we have to move? Do the worms go on a moving truck? Do they need care when we go on vacation? Will we need a worm sitter as well as house and dog sitter?

My husband already thinks I'm slightly deranged from all this gardening obsessing, so I think this would put me over into the certifiable category. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it, but maybe my husband is correct, and this just puts me one step closer to my own special kind of bin (looney, that is).

Photo credit: http://www.wormbins.com/

Not Quite Seed Starting Time

2010-01-21T10:26:00.004-05:00

As we're in the depths of winter here in Massachusetts, my yearning for gardening seems to be inversely proportional to the mercury level. I troll my favorite seed and plant sellers (Bluestone, Antique Rose Emporium, and Pinetree Gardens), compulsively loading up my cart, then leaving the site, swearing I'm only going to buy plants from Kane's Flower World on May 1st.

I did, of course, order some seeds from Pinetree. I'm obsessed with Nasturtiums, several neighbors mentioned that they missed the giant sunflowers I had planted the year before, but opted against last year, and I've decided that I can't have enough basil.

Thinking about the rest of the seeds I'm going to start , I stumbled across this story on MSN, "Five Foods it's Cheaper to Grow." And usually, I'm a bit dubious about gardening advice from the major media, but I actually agreed with what they said. With limited time, space (heat and light too), and money, I had to think hard about what I really enjoying growing and eating, and if any newbie gardeners are thinking about making a stab at it, it's a good article for some general advice.

After my own first attempts with the veggie patch last summer, I've whittled down my list of plants significantly. This year, I'm going to focus mainly on tomatoes, basil, lettuce, and try to get by with just one cucumber and zucchini plant each (way too many cukes last year from just two plants), and then maybe buy a couple pepper plants (the Massachusetts growing season is really too short to start them from seed).

Now I have to try and hold myself back from starting up my seed operation, and count the days until March. I'm sort of satisfying myself with indoor plants and forced bulbs, but man, winters are tough on a gardener in New England.

A cutting from the oft-cloned family Pothos.

Winter Sights on the Way to the Library

2010-01-04T17:09:00.009-05:00

I made my bi-weekly pilgrimage to the Swampscott Library with my son, and saw a few interesting sights along the way (besides watching my son repeatedly fling himself onto the snowbanks lining the sidewalks--oh, to be five again and loving snow!).

Of course, since my house was the first stop, I had to memorialize the 5-15 inches of fluffly stuff we got this weekend.

Quite a change from this shot from late June:

Of course, it's hard to appreciate January in Massachusetts, with pictures like the above, just teasing us, but I like to think that days like this makes me appreciate the warmer weather even more. And there are some lovely things to see, like these Sedum seed heads poking out of the snow at a house along the way to the library.

Or even slightly more whimsical sights, like this green chair and blue hose. They sort of make me think the owner was in the middle of the driveway, enjoying a sunny day in his/her garden, and then bamm! a blizzard struck.

And even on a day when it doesn't get much above 30, these Rhododendron flower buds, were a hopeful reminder that Spring will come.

Some Unexpected Fall Sights

2009-11-16T14:15:00.005-05:00

Except for a few cold weeks early in October, we've had a really mild November, and some of my plants are still trying to bloom their little hearts out. Every one of my roses were in bloom these last two weeks and even my Nikko Blue Hydrangea bloomed a bit (though the above buds were knocked back this week).

Weirdly enough, I've had a ton of these little Jalapeno peppers ripening these past few weeks (I made Turkey chili again this week), even though the other pepper (sweet banana) plant I bought was totally killed by the cold. So thumbs up to jalapenos! These are super hardy plants.

Another surprise and delight has been this sweet pea plant, which I sowed way too late in the spring. I totally forgot about them, and lo and behold I got this one plant growing on my fence. I really like sweet peas, but I'm still scratching my head a bit about where they should go and when exactly I should plant them. I had pretty much thought I was going to forgo planting them next year, but this one pops up and now I'm in love again.

As I was raking up my sidewalk today, I looked around and everything is pretty much brown and going dormant. The air is a bit more still and the sun is hanging lower on the horizon, making 1:00 PM, feel a bit more like sundown. In some ways, its my favorite time of the year because it makes me appreciate all the energy that went into getting to this point, and gives me a chance to rest a bit from the usual gardening chores. At this point, I'm pretty psyched to hang up the weed wacker, stow away my pruners, and actually enjoy having pretty nails again.

On to the seed catalogs!

-Steph

-Steph

If I had to Pick a Favorite

2009-10-24T15:25:00.007-04:00

Rosa 'Belinda's Dream'

As the days get shorter and colder, I start to think more about how I want the garden to look next year, than do any actual working in the garden. In thinking about what I would do differently, what I want more of, etc..., one thing really strikes me; the success of roses in my garden.

Rosa 'Flower carpet Yellow'

When I first started out, I was really nervous about Roses; everyone said they were finicky about sun and soil, prone to mold and disease, but none of those things have really played a role so far. Maybe I've been lucky in my choices, but I have noticed a lot of roses growing in Swampscott, from the ubiquitous Rosa Rugosa along the shore at my favorite beach, to my neighbor's humungous noisette that blooms in the Spring. Maybe they like the shore climate, with its near constant wind, short Spring, long Fall, snowy, but relatively mild Winter temperatures (rarely does it get below 20 or 25 here). Or maybe I'm super lucky to have a very sunny corner lot, that gets full sun for over 10 hours during the summer.

Grandma's Rose on October 22!

Beyond the aesthetics of roses (which far more talented and poetic writers than I, have rhapsodized about), they have some wonderful characteristics that have made them my favorite:

1) After the first season (once they've developed a taproot), they are virtually drought tolerant (my Knockout and Flowercarpet roses are a testament to this).

2) The shrub roses totally stand up to wind! I have a windy corner, and many of my flowers just don't do well with all the wind (i.e. they all fall over). My roses probably do better because of the wind (less chance for mold to take hold).

3) Many varieties bloom for three seasons! I've been enjoying blooms since June, and it's October and almost all my roses are still blooming. For me, gardening is about the flowers, and to see a few buds lighting up a scraggly corner just makes my day.

4) Okay, I will mention the aesthetics. Roses are gorgeous! They come in a ton of colors, and a single flower goes through many changes while it blooms, so it's like you get three or four flowers out of one.

Rosa 'Sunflare' when it first starts to open.

Sunflare once its fully open.

Whatever the reason roses do well in my little garden, I'm thankful!

Claiming the Hellstrip

2009-10-08T18:09:00.004-04:00

We live on a busy corner, surrounded by about 100 feet of sidewalk and that lovely weed-filled strip along the road, frequently called, a "hellstrip." I believe the term was coined because the strip of land and scrub gets blasted with fiery summer sun, foot traffic, and loads of salty slush (here in 4-season land). I've pretty much avoided the 'strip, but my sister recently pointed out that it looks "scraggly," and I had to agree. It didn't look so bad before, but now that my front garden looks so phenomenal, the hellstrip's general state of neglect is glaringly obvious.

The "hellstrip" in all its glory.

So yesterday, I made my first attempt at beautifying, and planted some excess Rudbeckia. I was actually pretty stunned at how easily the weeds lifted up, and I was even more surprised by the state of the soil. I expected rock-solid clay, as I have in most of my yard, but I was happy to find some nice crumbly loam, with several little earthworms (and a few grubs). I'm not sure if I'm officially "permitted" to plant in this space, but I figure the town can't be too bothered by some not-so tall flowers in place of the weeds, especially since there are other hellstrip offenders directly across from the town hall.

Besides that little work I did, I've been pretty much leaving the garden alone. I'm pretty amazed at how much is still in bloom, especially the roses.

Like, this Christopher Marlowe rose I bought a week or two ago (above). It's continuing to put out buds, and I love how this rose starts orangey and pink, and then has tons of petals, and eventually looking like an old-fashioned cabbage rose.

My old standby Pink Knockout rose has bloomed again and looks particularly lovely against the insane mass of Boltonia.

Even my Grandmother's rose has started blooming again, and just looks phenomenal when it first breaks bud. I'm not sure if it has a virus, or if its natural, but up close, the petals have hints of white and darker pink veins.

Besides the roses, there are a few more happy surprises.

Like these miniature Shasta Daisies, which have bloomed for the third time this year!

Even my Nepeata 'Six Hills Giant' is putting out new blooms, and IMHO, the Staychis looks fantabulous!

Oscar seems to be enjoying the garden too.

-Steph

Plans for Next Year

2009-09-26T15:21:00.006-04:00

The late summer/early fall front garden.

The garden has begun its Fall decline, with things looking more rusty, brown, or golden yellow. So I'm starting to take stock and think about next year.

For one thing, I will absolutely be planting more Dahlia's. My one purple Dahlia I got from Home Depot has been such a surprise and a delight that I can't wait to try more. I like plants that require little care and bloom for a long time. The Dahlia totally fits the bill.

The oft photographed pale purple Dahlia,
continuing to bloom its little heart out.

I took a trip to Lowe's for some compost to dump on a few patches of dirt that were rather too clay-like for my comfort, and came across a huge rose sale... so of course I walked out of there with three bags of composted manure and a new rose bush, a rather leggy-looking Christopher Marlowe (a David Austin shrub rose) for a wopping $5 (which my husband still felt was too much money, because in his words, "would you have bought that rose anyway? So now you just spent $5 more than you would have if there hadn't been a sale.").

Rosa 'Christopher Marlowe'

In all honesty, I really was thinking of buying another rose bush or two (add roses to my list of garden addictions) in the Spring. My front/side yard is like the Sahara and roses seem to really like the 10+ hours of sun I get during summer. So I was going to buy another rose, and I was lucky enough to find a cheap one that I liked; Rosa 'Christopher Marlowe'. In my opinion, this is a truly slutty rose; it has tons of petals, buds that are pink with shades of orange and yellow, a lovely scent, and it reblooms. I mean how could I resist that for five dollars? The photo above really doesn't do it justice (the link sort of does).

Common culinary sage (Salvia officinalis).

For next year, more plants from seed. I had lots of success with sage, love-in-a-mist, echinops, sunflower, and allyssum (not to mention the tomatoes, basil, and cilantro). The sage in the picture above, I grew from seed this Spring. I think this plant might actually be a clump of three individual plants, but still, this baby got huge in just two seasons. Plenty for stuffing the turkey. Truly easy to grow, high germination. Not to mention that the sage is really pretty. I'm thinking about spreading it in a few more places as an edger, but first I'll wait to see how it does over the Winter.

Last lesson - mulch! I didn't mulch the garden this year and have grown to regret it. I wanted to see how many of my plants would self sow. Hah! A ton of plants did self sow. They're called weeds and most of my summer was spent weeding. Never again.

-Steph

It's Grass Season!

2009-09-26T14:27:00.005-04:00

Karl Foerster Grass in full fall glory.

Ornamental grass that is. Ever since we inherited a clump of Maiden Grass at our first home in St. Louis, I have been in love with ornamental grasses. They are virtually care free, and they bring movement and sound into the garden. Despite warning about requiring lots of room, I try to plunk 'em down all over the place in my .08 acre lot. My love affair is helped a bit by the fact that Kane's Flower World sells 4-inch pots for $5, pretty much all season. I've planted various Miscanthi and even a giant Ravenna grass (which I gave away to my sister, who has a much larger yard). In the last three years of growing, I've started to learn a thing or two.

Miscanthus 'Gracillimus' looking quite airy.

1) You absolutely cannot move most of these grasses (warm season) until they start growing. If you move them while dormant, they die. I've learned this through trial and error (mostly error).

2) I have mostly planted varieties of Miscanthus (there are about 8 million), and have had best luck with two kinds, Variegated Miscanthus (Miscanthus 'Variegatus'), sometimes called Japanese Silver Grass and Zebra Grass (Miscanthus 'Zebrinus'). A strong third place finisher is Miscanthus 'Gracillimus.' I've found that all three hold their form really well, even when battered by some tough winds (especially Zebrinus).

3) If you want them to bloom, don't move them! I have a horrible habit (shared by many gardeners, I hear) of moving my plants around constantly. Few of my grasses bloom because I tend to move them at least once, if not twice during the summer. I finally let the Karl Foster grass (seen above) stay in one place, and they've rewarded me with lovely golden blooms.

4) Alone (as in not in a hedge grouping), the grasses look best in corners, towards the back of the border, with plants with more nondescript foliage. My favorite pairings of grasses, are with roses, dahlias, cone flowers, and Shasta Daisies. There's something about the narrow blade of the grasses that make a great canvas for the bold flowers and more blah foliage of those plants. So if you have a tall flower, with splindly stems, pair them with some Miscanthus. Actually, scratch that, you can pair grasses with anything with a broader leaf.

Red Double Knock-out Rose looking lovely
paired with Miscanthus 'Variegatus'

The Tomato Report

2009-09-07T12:57:00.003-04:00

Yummy, cherry tomatoes!

My first attempts at growing tomatoes was, in the final analysis, quite successful. I probably harvested about 30lbs of tomatoes, and have been enjoying them for several weeks, both the indeterminate/vining variety and the determinate/bush variety.

Lessons Learned:

Stay away from Bonnie/Walmart seedlings. Not even getting into the whole blight issue, the large vining tomato seedlings I bought produced large, watery, mealy, pretty tasteless tomatoes. From three seedlings, I got lots of them, and they were quite large too, but in the end, just not much better than anything in the grocery store, and good for only sandwiches and hamburgers, not much else, which kind of defeats the purpose of trying to grow them.

Grow tomatoes from seed.
I got my seeds from Pinetree Gardens. I planted about 6 seedlings, and just got tons of beatiful, delicious, cherry tomatoes. I gave away batches to neighbors and family members and got raves. I started the seedling early, on a windowsill in peat pots, probably in mid to late February, got nearly 100% germination, and repotted them into 4-inch pots. I also cut back side shoots pretty religiously. My seedlings were quite large when I planted them around memorial day. I think next year, I will try doing the tomatoes in batches, so that I have an early batch and a later batch, to extend the harvest.

Companion planting works (I think).
Along with my tomatoes, I also planted some very stinky basil, marigold, and nasturtium. The basil supposedly keeps away certain kinds of insects because of their powerful scent, the marigolds deliver some kind of chemical to the soil which keeps away nematodes, and the nasturtium attracts aphids and other bad bugs, keeping them away from the veggies. I can certainly vouch for the aphid attracting power of the nasturium, and the stinkiness of the basil. As for the marigold, it was just nice to have some flowers, interspersed among the tomatoes. Next year, I will definitely be trying more basil (so yummy), and nasturtium (prettier than the marigolds in my opinion).

Pretty, but tasteless.

Not all Tomatoes are Alike.
Last year, I had no idea there were two main kinds of tomato plants, indeterminate, i.e. they keep growing indefinitely, until the cold kills them, and they are usually viney or sprawling, and determinate i.e. they grow to a certain size, flower, and produce one major harvest. I tried both kinds, and found that neither exactly sticks hard and fast to the rules. My determinate or bush variety did continue to flower after its first major flowering period, and the indeterminate definitely slow down quite a bit as they weather grew cooler towards the end of the summer, and since the fruits are larger, they take much longer to ripen than the smaller variety.

Oh, one last thing, determinates tend to grow smaller, more grape or cherry-like tomatoes, and are better for containers. However, I grew them in raised beds and containers, and they definitely performed much better in the raised beds than in the containers. We're talking leaps and bounds, or pounds and pounds better!

Next order of business -- on the to the veggie seed catalogs!

Not Buying a Plant Because of Its Flowers?....pshaw!

2009-08-25T10:18:00.007-04:00

My first, but hopefully, not my last Dahlia.

I read a recent blog posting on GardenRant that linked to a list of garden "hard truths" and one of the truths sort of bugged me, stuck in my craw, if you will.

"Flowers, from a design standpoint, are non-essential--throw pillow equivalents. It’s foliage that makes the garden. Or, as a former Sunset garden writer once put it, 'Buying a plant for its flowers is like choosing a wife for her bonnet.' "

I have heard this advice/truth before and its always bothered me. It seems to me that it seems to imply that "real" gardeners don't care about flowers, short-lived and fragile -- they just take away from the true stars of the garden -- the foliage. I know there are Hosta collectors out there, and people go ape for rare types of conifers, but I couldn't imagine a garden that didn't have flowers. I can imagine visiting such a garden once, but not returning to it. So in defense of the lowly flower, I will supply these photos as a rejection of this "hard truth."

I supposed the foliage is lovely on these California Poppies and Nigella damascena, but I wouldn't have planted the seeds if they didn't have these delicate and delightful flowers

My new favorite rose is this Belinda's Dream. It reblooms, it smells nice. I can offer no comment on its foliage.

This Carefree Spririt Rose is all about the flowers, contantly, non-stop. I supposed you could argue that the rose is great not because of its flowers, but because it is drought tolerant and disease resistant, but I think the flowers are really nice.

This Strawberry Candy Daylily is a repeat bloomer and drought tolerant, but I just think its pretty.

My floribunda rose, "Sun flare" does has terrific foliage, but I certainly wouldn't care about it, if it didn't have the most lovely yellow buds throughout the summer.

Two of my favorite plants, Lavender (Munstead variety) and Yarrow (Achillea). Both have that gray, spidery foliage that is popular these days, but I love the combination of the flowers, the soft purple spikes with the contrasting white umbrels.

Everyone seems to be putting down the lowly Rudbeckia (brown-eyed Susan), but it blooms for over a month, is drought tolerant, and the yellow contrasts with almost everything in my pink and purple garden, especially this Flowercarpet rose (a line of roses I am totally in love with).

I think the Rudbeckia also works well with my Rubrum Lily, which has the most wonderful scent, and blooms for quite a while.

I did buy this Caryopteris divaricata for its foliage, but I love how it provides a framework for the Cosmos to weave through. So I do admit readily, there are qualities to plants besides their flowers you should absolutely consider, like drought-tolerance, length of bloom, disease resistance, and whether a plant's form/foliage/color will complement its plant neighbors. Considering how a plant will look after its lost is flowers, perhaps should be emphasized more, but buying a plant just for its foliage seems to be missing the point a bit.

-Steph

List of Plants:
Purple Dahlia
Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Rosa 'Belinda's Dream'
Rosa 'Sun flare'
Rosa 'Carefree Spirit'
Rosa 'Flowercarpet Pink Supreme'
Caryopteris divaricata 'Snow Fairy'
Lilium speciosum Rubrum (Red Species Lily, Rubrum Lily)
Cosmos bipinnatus (Cosmos, Mexican Aster)
Rudbeckia fulgida (Brown-eyed Susan)
Hemerocallis 'Strawberry Candy' (Daylily)
Lavender angustifolia 'Munstead' (English Lavender)
Achillea sibirica (Siberian Yarrow)

No Blight...Yet

2009-08-14T17:27:00.005-04:00

As many New Englanders already know, this has been a terrible year for tomatoes; endless rain, overcast days, cool nights, and a horrible strain of late blight that came early. So far, knock on wood, my tomatoes seem OK. I started some from seed (determinate/bush variety) and bought some seedlings (indeterminate/vining). Both kinds seem blight free.

i

I'm a little more worried about the cucumbers, which do seem to have developed a mildew. I got several beautiful cukes early this year, but the newer flowers and fruits seem to be blackening.

Today was pretty sunny, so things seem better, but I'm still not convinced about this whole veggie thing. It's just too stressful! But the tomatoes are pretty much better than anything the grocery has to offer...and Basil is about the easiest thing to grow and tastes good in everything (now that I've figured out that they need to be harvested constantly for best growth), and I'm not a big cucumber eater, but they were really crispy.

So I'm thinking next year, I'm going to look for cucumber and tomato varieties that are resistant to the more common fungi. I suppose this means I'm going to keep "farming.'

-Steph

P.S. Garden Rant already did a piece on late blight, so here's their much more informed take on the topic.

List of Links
Cornell U, Agric Dept: Late Blight on tomato
Salem News: Late blight hits farm tomatoes
Garden Rant: Some thoughts on late blight

My Garden in August

2009-08-07T18:14:00.003-04:00

Despite all the rain, or perhaps because of it, the garden is looking particularly floriferous (is that a word?) and abundant these days. I'm sure it won't last too much longer, so I captured a few moments of the garden at its summer peak.

Here's the front-left:

Front-right:

My son made me buy this Dahlia plant when I was browsing the seed aisle -- his instructions were, "I want the big one." He rarely shows an interest in what I plant, so I went along with him. I dubiously planted the tuber in the Spring and pretty much forgot about it, until I noticed this lovely flower this week. What a surprise! Now I'm totally in love with Dahlia's and can't wait to try some more.

Another happy surprise was the Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist). I sprinkled some seeds this Spring, and hoped for the best. It's now growing around my Belinda's Dream Rose, and I just love it. You can't tell from the pictures, but the Nigella petals actually turn a lovely periwinkle blue as they ripen.

Here's the Nigella in close-up. Isn't the common name perfect?

-Steph

Late Afternoon in July

2009-08-02T10:58:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a truly memorably beautiful day; no clouds (a rarity this summer), no mugginess, and gentle sea breezes. After a perfect beach day, I took a survey of the garden and was happy with a few things I found.

Like my bush tomatoes are starting to ripen:

And the bush cukes are just going nuts. They don't seem to mind the wet weather:

Many of my flowers are really peaking or beginning their decline, but there were a few standouts.

Like these hemerocallis (daylily) that I saved from the %50-off rack at Home Depot:

Or this Belinda's Dream Rose that I ordered from Antique Rose Emporium -- it's supposed to be just about the perfect rose (its an Earthkind rose -- drought and disease resistant, and a repeat bloomer, with the classic, cupped bloom form). I planted it this June, and its beginning its second bloom of the summer.

Many of my hydrangeas are beginning to decline, but are still lovely. Like this Nikko Blue Hydrangea that I feel is making a nice pairing with my variegated dogwood (Cornus alba 'Ivory Halo').

I got this Alpenglow Hydrangea last year, a sale item from Bluestone Perennials. It came in a 4-inch pot and is now about 2ft x 2ft. I love how the electric pink has mellowed to a softer, mauvey pink.

I caught Auggie, frequently known as the Devil Dog, taking a breather under my Japanese Dappled Willow (Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki' ). Belying his nature, he looks rather sweet and cuddly.

-Steph

My First Lily! (and other stuff)

2009-07-28T17:51:00.007-04:00

The Lily above is Black Beauty. I ordered these from Old House Gardens, and so far, I'm delighted with how they've come up. They're eventually supposed to grow to between 5 and 7 feet tall! Though currently, they have only reached about 2 and 1/2 feet. Everyone says that Lilies are eaten by the Lily Leaf-eater Beetle (rather appropriately named), so I'll be on the look-out, but so far, so good.

My Double Red Knockout Rose continues to delight:

And here's my new favorite Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Variegata'):

I was actually pretty shocked that this Hydrangea bloomed; most garden sites suggest that the buds freeze higher in zones higher than 7. I'm in 6b here in Swampscott, but the shrub is on the North side of the house, tucked up against a very warm PVC fence.

The Gaura have gone crazy this year. I actually cut them back earlier in June because they were starting to flop over:

-Steph

P.S. The pic below is for Maria -- this is the Hardy Pampas Grass (aka Ravenna Grass) I'm thinking about tearing it out. It's a Monster!

The Fells, Round Two

2009-07-22T10:27:00.009-04:00

Got back from vacation on Sunday night, and after some failed attempts at the laundry pile, trips to the vet (my dog will be toothless one day), and more failed attempts at housekeeping, I'm posting again! My satellite internet connection in New Hampshire was too slow for uploading, and The Fells really needs more than one posting.

There were many beautiful flowery tableaus, but unfortunately, going through the film today, I noticed many of my shots didn't render well. We made our visit almost exactly at noon, which is, I'm learning, just about the worst time to photograph flowers. All the light just bounces off the flower, straight into my camera.

Here's an example from the rose terrace:

The pink rose didn't turn out bad, but the white daisies just looked kind of blurry. Oh well, even if the flower pictures weren't great, there was a ton of other things to see.

The pond/sculpture in the old garden:

There was even a little frog in the water:

The Fells frequently showcases art, and we were lucky enough to visit during a sculpture show, Animal Attractions. We could have this elephant on an ironing board for a cool $11,000!

Though the sculptures were amazing, I really enjoyed the weathered urns found on top of the stone walls throughout the estate:

And the shady passageways:

The views of the meadow from the house were pretty good too:

I can't wait to go back in the Fall!

-Steph

A Visit to the Fells

2009-07-12T20:04:00.006-04:00

We're on vacation this week, near Mt. Sunapee, New Hampshire (the Live Free or Die state), and woke up to a chilly morning. Rather than wait for the weather to warm up and find ways to entertain my 4-year old that did not involve getting in a rather chilly lake, I dragged both husband and child to The Fells, a late 20th century estate, whose grounds and mansion are open to the public.

The estate has pretty much everything; a long border, rock garden, Japanese-style Lily pond, Rose Terrace, meadows, 1.5 mile nature walk with lake/mountain views, plant nursery, plus tours of the house. For the passionate gardener, it was a lovely trip, for the hubbie and kid, meh. I definitely want to return, sans child (and spouse).

View of Lake Sunapee from the Rose Terrace:

Part of the actual house and part of the long border:

The Climbing Hydrangea Vine covered wall and fountain:

Since my Internet connection is not so good from up here, I will be posting again, with more pics. And since there was just so much to see and enjoy, I can't do it justice with just one post.

-Steph

P.S. Mt. Sunapee is an easy 2 hour drive from Boston!

A Quick Shout Out to Cleome

2009-07-10T13:42:00.005-04:00

Cleome (Klee-o-mee) hassleriana, common name Spiderflower has finally started to bloom in my garden! I grew these beauties from seed this Winter, started under grow lights in my drafty basement. Out of the 12/16 pots, only 4 plants germinated. I babied them along and kept all four alive. Weirdly, I got all three colors, pink, purple, and white (pink is my favorite, hands down). I've tucked the four here and there in the sunny front garden, and they seem to be doing well.

They were definitely a bit of a pain to get going, but well, worth the effort (and if I had bought these, I probably be out 20 bucks, instead of the $3 or $4 for water/soil/pots). Seed-grown annuals are the best! I think Cleome will now be in the same category as Nasturium, Cosmos, Alyssum, and Sunflower -- required in my garden.

-Steph

I Found My House!

2009-07-08T11:02:00.004-04:00

I was looking for information about Nahant, having decided to drive around it, scouting out places to go on a bike ride with my son, and stumbled upon a collection of photos that were archived in the Swampscott Public Library collection of digital images (actually, really cool pictures, part of a larger collection of North Shore community digital archives). And actually found a picture of my house (well, half my house) circa 1932!

Our house is on the right side, corner, the one with the double wrap-around porches. The picture is fascinating for several reasons, not the least of which is that a picture of our house from 1932 actually exists. For one, the porches no longer wrap around our house, something I always wondered about, since the current design doesn't seem right.

Since we moved in, we knew we had to rebuild the front porch. The problem heated up last Fall when a storm blew a section of the top-most railing right off. The whole thing is a painful eye-sore which I try to camouflage with my garden, hoping no one looking at our house, ever looks up.

Finding the picture makes me a little heartsick; our house clearly has been put through the ringer, and though I love its location, I know we'll never be able to bring her back to her former glory.

Or maybe we will. Now that evidence exists with regard to how the house/porches used to look, it's going to be really hard not to just bite the bullet and try to bring it back to its original form -- obviously when I win the lottery.

-Steph

Fun with a Camera

2009-07-01T10:57:00.007-04:00

I have often complained on this blog about having difficulty taking closeups of flowers, but a few days ago, my Dad let me borrow his Canon Rebel XTi digital camera.

I love how the blades of grass below the Hydrangea are sharp, but look soft and cushy at the same time.

I'm not sure what is prettier, the foliage or the flower on this Nasturium.

Roses almsot always look best up close. I agree.

I've always loved this pink Hydrangea ('Alpenglow') just before it goes totally hot pink. I'm glad I caught it.

I know what will be on my Christmas/Birthday/Mother's Day Wish List this year. Either that, or sell my first-born.

-Steph

Summer?

2009-06-29T09:10:00.010-04:00

At this point it feels a bit redundant to complain about the weather, but it is just awful! I am sure my neighbors thinks I'm even more bonkers (they already think I'm bonkers) for gardening in the misty/sprinkles that pass for a break in the rain, but I don't see a choice. On the other hand, I haven't had to water very much.

Despite the lack of sun, there have been a few bits of inspiration around the garden. Many plants are beginning their bloom, and have grown into monsters with all the rain.

I've been calling the unnamed rose bush I dug up at my Grandma's a Hybrid Tea, but because it is starting to develop multiple blooms on one stalk, I'm actually starting to think it is a Floribunda. Once it breaks bud, it's this bright pink.

After a few more days, it matures to this heavenly pale pink.

This rose is lovely, but difficult. Aphids love it, it already has some black spot and leaf curl, but I've decided to go organic in my garden, and if a rose can't handle it, well, that just means I have to go on a hunt for something that will do well in my garden. I've already become devoted to my Knockout roses. I've got two, a pink, and a double red.

Here's the double red.

It's already bloomed once, and it's beginning a second round of blooming. The blooms first open, looking a little like a classic Hybrid Tea rose. The red is so bright, the light just bounces off my camera, making it hard to shoot.

Another rose I've had some success with is my Flowercarpet Yellow (it's behind the Miscanthus - the clumping grass). I bought the plant last year, and it just churned out the flowers immediately. I didn't water it, or fertilize it, just let it go, and this year it's even better.

The Flowercarpet series, as the name suggests, is supposed to spread widely and stay low, but the yellow's form has been pretty upright and non-spreading, but the rose production is so amazing, I went out and found a 'Pink Supreme,' which is just now starting to bloom. I also recently planted another shrub rose, 'Belinda's Dream,' which is supposedly disease resistant and very heat/humidity tolerant. I'll keep you posted about how these work out.

Now that I have a few roses, I'm totally in love. Definitely, a rainy-day-blues buster of a plant.

-Steph

Urban Farming?

2009-06-18T20:09:00.009-04:00

I've never actually grown anything other than flowers (and I'm still pretty new at that), but this year I decided to dive into veggies. I consulted a couple books over the winter (Square Foot Gardening, The Organic Home Gardener). I poured over online seed catalogs, loading and clearing my shopping cart. I was highly overwhelmed, but in the end, I grew a bunch of bush tomatoes, cucumbers, mesclun, radishes and herbs from seed, then bought some Bonnie tomato and pepper seedlings.

Here's my tomato patch:

I've already enjoyed some of the Basil, Cilantro, and Mesclun and I discovered I really don't like radish. I'm still a little undecided about how ugly the patch is (apparently the whole attractiveness of veggie gardens is quite a "hot" topic in the gardening world), but so far, I feel like the experiment has already been a success.

One thing that I've found to be really different about veggie gardening, opposed to flower gardening, is that it's a lot more heart wrenching/nerve wracking. When a flower dies or gets eaten by some critter, I have a momentary spell of remorse or anger, but if food doesn't grow, well, that's a whole nother matter!

My loss of some cucumber seedlings was just devestating (even though my husband pointed out, he really doesn't like them anyway). Some cold weather and my bush tomatoes started to turn a bit yellow -- tragic! There are aphids munching away on my vining tomatoes as we speak, and I've been researching a non pesticidal cure (there are several, but efficacy is dubious - I'm screwed).

So I will finish this post with a few pictures of my flowers, a much more upbeat topic, to be sure. The iris and peony have pooped out, but roses are chugging away, and the Shastas unfurled today!

And because the long shot is still a little scraggly looking, I thought I'd post some close-ups.

The rain-tipped Shasta Daisy:

A clematis (Hagley Hybrid), beginning its bloom:

Grandma D's rose (I think it's some kind of Hybrid Tea) beginning to bloom:

The author of the Organic Home Gardener (Patrick Lima) writes about how all veg gardens should include flowers, he included some quote or saying, something along the lines of "Vegetables are for the belly, but flowers are for the soul." I'm probably horribly butchering the original, but I think the sentiment is correct.

-Steph

A New Garden is Not Cheap

2009-06-05T09:21:00.005-04:00

I moved this Clematis this Spring, and it has put out its first and major bloom. It really grew a ton since last year, and makes me want more Clematis because they make me feel like I'm in Hawaii (I can always dream), but these plants are really expensive! I did start some from seed, Clematis 'Radar Love.' Three sprouted, and I gave one away, but it will probably be a couple years until I get blooms.

There's lots of new things going on in the garden this year.

I bought some new perennials:

Achillea 'Coronation Gold' (Yarrow)
Geranium 'Brookside' (Cranesbill)
Dianthus 'Tiny Rubies' (Cheddar Pinks)
Potentilla fruticosa 'Abbotswood'
Artemisia 'Silver Mound'
Rosa 'Sun Flare'
Rosa 'Belinda's Dream'
Iris sibirica (white) (Siberian Iris)
Lilium speciosum 'Rubrum'
Lilium 'Black Beauty'
Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's Ladder)

Though technically I bought the lily bulbs last year, but this is the first year of growth.

Annuals from Seed:

Pink Impatiens (common, but pretty)
Nasturiums
Sweet Pea
Thunbergia
Morning Glory
Cosmos
California Poppy
Nigella (Love in a Mist)

Starts of the Nasturium, Sweet Pea, Thunbergia, and Morning Glory have all been eaten by some dastardly creature. Curse you, wildlife!

Veggies and Herbs from seed/seedling:

Tomatoes
Peppers
Cukes
Green Onion
Mesclun Mix (already eaten)
Radishes (easy, but I don't like them)
Alpine Strawberries
Sage
Cilantro
Basil
Catmint (for Oscar, the best cat ever)

Honorable Mentions:
Grandma Dixon's Rose -- I dug it up and planted it in my yard. At first it was being eaten, but after a few sprayings with Horticultural Oil/Spray, it seems to have recovered and is budding!

-Steph

P.S. If I disappear after this post is published, my husband will be the prime suspect.

Foxgloves and Romance Novels

2009-06-03T09:28:00.017-04:00

I wrestled for a while with the thought of letting the world outside my family know that next to gardening, my next great passion/addiction/timesuck is Romance Novels. Rarely do the two worlds connect. Occasionally, I might read a novel in my garden, which is truly enjoyable. Sometimes the destined lovers share an embrace in a garden, but that's generally the extent of the synergy. However, a recent Eloisa James novel featured one of my new favorite plants! As the plant is just now coming into full bloom, I had to share why I think this plant is so amazing, though I won't give away how it was used in the novel.

Last year, I tried my hand at sowing plants from seed (mostly driven by economy), and one of my successes was Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). Foxglove is a biennial, meaning it only grows foliage in its first year, flowers in its second, then dies. Most people are like, "Why bother?" and according to some garden book I read a while back, biennials are disappearing from our gardens.

This year, I had several healthy clumps and had been waiting impatiently as they started to develop flower stalks and finally blooms. Some of the plants are real monsters, at almost four feet. They seem to like a little dappled shade, but that's about it. I sowed more this Winter, and plan on keeping it up for a while.

If most biennials are as beautiful and easy to grow as Foxgloves, then their disappearance is a tragedy. Okay, maybe not a tragedy like the ones that occur in my novels, but it's a travesty at least. These plants germinate easily, and are almost impossible to kill. I would forget to water the seedlings, I moved them repeatedly from pot to pot, I stomped on their little leaves once I planted them outside, but they took took it all, and turned out just lovely. Here's a closeup:

-Steph

P.S. One thing to note, these plants are very poisonous. Hmm, could that be a plot point in the novel? I won't give that away, but I did want to warn anyone thinking of growing them. Keep them away from animals and children, especially the vase water if you opt to cut them and bring them in. One last piece of synergy, I believe Foxgloves might be featured in Amy Stewart's new book, "Wicked Plants." I love Stewart's writing, so I have no doubt it will be a great read too. I mean, she's no Eloisa James, or anything, but she holds her own.

Views of the Spring Garden

2009-05-27T10:34:00.006-04:00

Last year I was a bit flattered when Susan Harris of Sustainable Gardening and Garden Rant (my favorite ranter, btw) emailed me for before and after shots of my lawn removal projects for a piece she was doing about the same. I was pretty horrified when I couldn't find anything to send her. I had never actually taken any before pictures of my yard before I started to tear it up. I think when I started I really had no plans, so the idea of documenting what I was doing never occurred to me. Now it's something I regret, and in general, both my husband and I have started taking more pictures of work we do on various projects around the house.

In the same thinking, I thought I would also try to be better about taking pictures of my garden each season, so that I could watch the progression of color and shapes. I'll try to take pictures from similar angles and locations for comparison. So here goes:

Views from the front left and right --

New this year is the Yarrow (Achillea 'Coronation Gold') and the yellow rose 'Sun Flare.' I really like the Yarrow. It has this hazy quality which allows other plants to peek through, and supposedly butterflys love it.

Things are definitely a bit scraggly, but the Dianthus (the pink stuff) and the Nepeta (purply stuff) are in full bloom. I absolutely love the Nepeta (Walker's Low). It blooms like crazy and has lovely grayish/silver foliage. It's really a great plant. Because it's part of the mint family, I think it can spread, but I've never found any suckers away from the mother plant, so maybe it's not a problem with this variety. Sorry about the digression.

View into the side garden from the front --

There's a lot going on in here, but its going to take a few years until I really appreciate this part of the house. I've planted a lot of Miscanthus and a few Arborvitae. I'm trying to create a screen for the seating area, but this part of the yard takes a lot of punishment. It gets full sun all day, and its like a wind tunnel, so I've struggled to find plants that will work. I've pretty much decided to focus on the ornamental grasses and roses, so it will take a while for everything to get big enough to make an impact.

Views along the fence --

I've planted daylilies and salvia. I'm still a bit undecided about this. I think I need something that blooms earlier than either, but also has to be indestructible because of the full sun, and proximity the street.

This little grouping is one of my favorites. It's another Nepeta (Six Hills Giant), Blue Grass (Festuca 'Elijah's Blue'), and Lamb's Ear (Staychis maybe 'Helen VonStein'). This little area takes a beating, has horrid, gloopy clay soil, and is in full sun, but the plants seem to love it.

That's it for the tour. I do need to include some pictures of the back, but I think it will be in a separate posting because there's a lot going on back there right now.

In parting, I will leave you with a few pictures of my Siberian Iris and Bearded Iris in bloom. My sister gave me both, and tried to adhere to my purple/pink/white color scheme when dividing them, but the crazy yellow/maroon Bearded Iris snuck in anyway. It totally doesn't go in my blue/purple Spring garden, but I love it anyway.

-Steph

p.s. The little blonde elf is my son, who graciously allowed me to photograph the yard while he played on his old scooter.

The Longest Two Weeks

2009-05-20T09:32:00.009-04:00

One thing I used to be confused about was why none of my stuff was blooming in Spring, when my sister and Mom had lots of color in their respective gardens. I had the answer when I stumbled on a blog or an article about seaside gardening and found out that Spring comes one to two weeks later to the coast than it does inland. Happily, Fall also comes later as well.

So while my sis in Pepperrell has already been enjoying her Columbine and Bearded Iris, I've been on bloom watch. Today I was finally gifted with my first bloom of both!

Maria (above-mentioned sister) gave me these bearded Iris, graciously digging and splitting hers for me. What an amazing plant! It's almost four feet tall, with multiple blooms. The silver sword-like foliage is an added benefit.

I grew this Columbine from seed. I think I have a special affinity for the plant because of it. I found the Columbine was very easy to grow, so if you have the patience, they are worth it. I got these McKana's Giant Hybrids at Home Depot -- so they're fairly ubiquitous. I think next Winter, I'm going to experiment with some different colors.

-Steph

One note: I loathe the color of my house (as displayed in the Columbine picture above). I call it "Road Color" or "Old Asphalt Gray." My husband threatens to paint it two or three times a year, but its not peeling enough to justify the expense/undertaking. Grrr!

The Cure for SAD

2009-05-01T11:47:00.015-04:00

We've had a warm sunny week, and I finally feel inspired to post. I think it's safe to say Winter is gone (it was 90 on Tuesday). The garden is waking up up. Here are some signs:

Tulips are really blooming away.

The new patio peach (Prunus persica 'Bonanza') is starting to grow leaves.

The mesclun mix is growing nicely. A few radishes survived some critter.

I wasn't so sure about this Viburnum, but I love it this Spring.

Hardening off tomatos and basil.

The Vinca vine is blooming.

Becoming a Seed Addict

2009-02-23T15:03:00.008-05:00

This weekend I received my order of seed packs from Swallowtail Garden Seeds. My husband just rolled his eyes when I tried to explain to him that by buying seeds I was really saving him money. Though he wasn't convinced, and in reality, saving money isn't the main reason I bought the seeds. The fact is, I'm finding this whole seed-starting stuff quite fun.

Last year, I thought it would be a good way to grow a few Impatiens (I just can't stomach paying so much money for annuals), and while shopping for the annuals (Sunflower, Impatiens, Pelargonium, Cosmos), I grabbed packets of Echinacea, Columbine, and Foxglove. The Impatiens I grew were a bit of a let down (they are Impatiens, afterall), the Pelargoniums were quite lovely and overwintering in my basement, the Cosmos took over, and the Sunflowers were show stoppers. But the real surprise was the Echinacea; almost every seed germinated, and I got three large plants, two of which bloomed from August, well into November.

This year, I'm trying to branch out a bit (ha, ha), and bought more perennials and some veggie and herb seeds. I'm discovering, no doubt, as countless thousands have before me, a wonderful satisfaction in watching life develop from the tiniest speck.

Mid Winter Desperation

2009-02-13T11:59:00.004-05:00

A few days ago we had a bit of a thaw and about 2-3 feet of snow melted away from the yard. I found this Fescue (Festuca, Elijah's Blue) peeking out from underneath some melting snow. It's impressive how blue and healthy the grass was, despite being buried under snow and certainly getting pelted with ice melt, since it's at the end of our driveway.

Owen rediscovered his "Sanbox Table" that I built for him last year. He pretty much spent the entire summer, dumping the sand out of the box, onto the porch, but there were a couple toys he hadn't seen in a while so he was pretty happy.

In my desperation/longing for flowers, I was suckered into buying this mini-rose from the grocery store (which is generally frowned upon, because they're so difficult to keep healthy). It had a ton of orange-tipped yellow buds. I'm still not very good at the close-ups with my camera. It's a Canon Powershot and doesn't allow for much manual tinkering. It seems to have a hard time focusing on the foreground, instead of the background, especially when there's a lot of light. I may be lobbying the hubby for a better camera next Christmas.

I was trying to get a picture of my little seed starting operation that I just placed over the heating grate, but Shadow got curious and stepped right into the picture, which actually made the shot a lot more interesting. I put these New Guinea impatiens seeds in soil about two weeks ago, and there's been no sign of life (the packet says they should germinate in 3 days). I don't have a heat mat, so I figured it was just too cold in the basement for them to get going. I'm hoping they will sprout now that they're in a warmer location. Of course, they must survive the two dogs and a 4-year old.

-SG

P.S. If you're reading this blog because you get an email, you should really go to the Web site. Apparently, none of the links work in the emails.

Dogs, Dirt and Healthy Kids

2009-02-10T09:48:00.015-05:00

Put away the bleach, get out the shovel! I now have even more support for dragging my 4-year old outside to play with mudpies while I weed. According to a recent article in the New York Times, we can now forget washing our kids' hands after they've been playing in dirt! There's this "Hygeine Hypothesis" that basically supposes that when a baby stick things in his/her mouths, it's a test drive of the immune system. The more exposure to bacteria, viruses, and worms, the baby has, the healthier that child will be as an adult!

I had heard/read before that people who grew up on farms or who had lots of pets, actually had fewer illnesses, so I felt justified in having two dogs (I was doing it for health!). And all teachers know that the first few years of teaching are pretty much spent with a cold, then after this immunity building period, it's rare to get sick again. This has also been somewhat supported by evidence that children that went to daycare are less sick in elementary school than children that stayed at home.

So get lots of pets, don't clean your house, let your kids roll around in the dirt, and don't feel guilty for sending your child to daycare!

Sowing

2009-02-02T09:55:00.010-05:00

Last week I started seeds in the basement. I know it's a little early, since the safe frost free date is around May 1st here. The thing is, last year I started the seeds later and was really unhappy with the performance of some of my annuals. I mean, they bloomed like crazy, but in like, September. Not to mention the fact, that the frost free date last year was more like April 15th. So I was hoping to get a bit more size/blooms by starting my seeds a little earlier this year.
I think the seedlings in the picture above are white Sweet Alyssum, and are ridiculously easy to grow (probably could have waited on these). They were a great filler and bloomed all summer, well into late October/November.

In other sowing activing, I'm experimenting with Wintersowing (great Web site). I tried a few kinds of seeds, Cleome, Delphinium, Alyssum, Chives, Sweet Pea. Apparently, you can start just about anything that's native to temperate zones this way. I've read that Delphinium in particular are suited to this type of sowing because they need a period of cold to germinate. For fun, google "pot ghetto," which is what you call your winter sown flats (a rare instance in which gardeners are not PC). Some people sow hundreds of pots of seeds this way with great success.

My pot ghetto is pretty tiny. More of a pot tenement.

-SG

P.S. Here's a pic of the last days of some forced blooms I splurged on. It was really nice to have the blooms, so no doubt, I will be experimenting with forcing bulbs next Winter.

It's Dream Home Time

2009-01-23T10:02:00.005-05:00

Every year HGTV gives away a "Dream Home" worth millions that the winner usually opts to sell for the cash. This year, the home is in Sonoma, CA. The house looks lovely, as do the interiors, but I have to admit, I was less than impressed with it's gardens. Tons of grass out front, some boring shrubs around the foundation, a teeny, tiny area tucked between the house and the garage for gardening, and more grass in the back. The patio and pergola look nice, but sort of plunked in the back. Don't get me started on the Arborvitae hedge in the back. The one sort of cool thing was a grape arbor (which makes sense when the house is smack in the middle of wine country).

Don't get me wrong, I'm entering the sweepstakes daily. And telling everyone I meet to do the same, but it does sort of bother me that the "G" in HGTV is a bit neglected.

Graphic from HGTV Dream Home Web Site.

22, Feels Like 3

2009-01-14T09:26:00.015-05:00

Apparently, it is unseasonably cold this week. I'm hibernating due to the frigidity, but I did lean onto my front porch to get this shot of my Scotch Broom (a pink one). I have my doubts about whether it will survive the winter in a container, but I bought this plant on a whim (curse you, Home Depot) and was never happy with it (just read all the nasty reviews on Dave's Garden, it will make you shudder). So I dug it up and put it in this container to see if I will like it any better. The jury is still out.

My sister gave me this houseplant over the weekend. Well actually, I stole the houseplant from her (thanks Maria and Don). It was a little sickly looking, so I did a little pruning, and voila, healthy as a horse (well, maybe except for those black tips).

Yesterday I went to Home Depot again, this time for some screws to hang this gift from my sister.

Then, acting on the same urge that struck me when I bought the Broom, I couldn't leave without the following:

Happy New Year!

Should I Even Bother?

2008-12-16T12:58:00.007-05:00

Why am I posting a picture of some scraggly-looking Pelargoniums? Well, this is my first attempt at overwintering and I wanted to share my progress. I seem to have overcome the worm infestation (you can still see a little of the Dipel powder I hit the plants and worms with). I fed the plants about a month ago and they put out quite a bit of growth. This is the sunniest spot in my basement and the plants, though a bit spindly, seem reasonably happy. Every so often, I do check if they need water and I rotate the plants 90 degrees.

In other basement news, I've started to think about my little seedling nursery. I put together this comically delicate worktable, made out of an old door and some scrap wood. I bought two different kinds of 4 foot flourescents (cool and warm spectrum), as suggested by some helpful Home Depot guy. I also bought a timer this year (instead of mostly forgetting to turn off the lights at night like I did last year) and another shop light fixture (I'm doubling my seedling capacity!). Combined with an old fan, I hope to have the makings of a seedling factory. I've already ordered and received some seeds from Pinetree Gardens, so despite the winter gloom, the gardening will begin again pretty soon!

-SG

Not about Gardening

2008-11-03T12:44:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the major digression, but since the weather has hit freezing here in coastal Massachusetts, I have to find other ways to pass my time (other than cleaning my dirty house). So here's my latest project - Grandma's old buffet. I took the circa 1960s buffet (believe me, not an antique), made out of veneer and fiberboard, sanded it a bit, added casters, painted it black, coated the top with polycrylic, and voila, newish looking buffet. It took a couple of hours, but brought the old girl back to life for a few more years.

I also painted an old, extremely heavy, mirror black and hung it using this French Cleat/Walldog screw system. Can I just say, these screws were awesome! I've been futzing around with wall anchors for my plaster walls, but these things just went right into the wall and actually seemed to stay there. Miracle!

-SG

Worms!

2008-10-23T13:23:00.007-04:00

In my quest to prove to my husband that I can save money by growing plants from seed, I split and potted up about 10 Pelargonium plants (zonal geranium) that I had started from seed last Winter. I found a home for them near a sunny window in the basement, and hoped for the best. (Here's information about keeping your Pelargonium's alive until Spring i.e. overwintering).

Some people don't really like Pelargoniums, but I think I'm a fan out of nostalgia; my grandparents always grew them in a pot on their patio, next to a statue of St. Francis. They are pretty drought tolerant and they were really easy to grow from seed, so I'm not giving up on them.

However, I may have to -- I went to check on them in the basement, to see if they were alive or needed water. To my dismay, they were clearly being eaten. There were little holes in the leaves, or sometimes entire leaves eaten to the stem. On closer scrutiny, I was thoroughly grossed out to discover little green worms were the culprits. Some were tiny, others were more than an inch long. I picked off as many as I could find, and went about researching if my plants were goners.

After some googling, my suspicion is that the worms are cabbage loopers. I did buy some Dipel Dust (an organic bacterial insecticide, which kills the worms), and I'm hoping it will do the trick. It's possible I have Tobacco Budworm, a common Pelargonium/Geranium pest, but the worms weren't reddish or brownish, and the Dipel might work on them too.

Wish me Luck!

-SG

P.S. Why is there so much confusion over Geranium's? If I refer to them as Pelargoniums, no one has any idea what I'm talking about, but Geranium is actually the scientific name for a Cranesbill. Which are much more rare (though awesome)...

Photo credit: Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University

Even Less Mowing!

2008-10-15T13:45:00.007-04:00

Why, you may be wondering, have I posted a pic of some grass, a pile of compost, and some scraggly looking plants? In fact, you are witnessing the birth of my newest plan, tentatively titled, "The Hedgey Strip." As part of the plan, I spent the last few glorious October days expanding the strip of earth that borders the fence in an effort to bring some sort of organization to the chaos that has been reigning thus far in the Side-yard.

You see, the yard has this gentle slope and anything I have planted near the fence is at eye-level and provides little privacy. You can sort of see the slope from this angle, and the reason why I might want to have more privacy (and it's not to hide the kid's toys, Maria). The only way I can think to solve this problem (besides ripping out the existing fence and adding one that's 2 feet taller) is by planting further up the slope in certain areas. In the early summer, I bought a bunch of tall grasses to make sort of a hedge, but I haven't been happy with the results. The grasses have done fine, but they have a tendency to get beat up by the winds that wip up the street and hit my corner lot. So now I've expanded 75% of the bed (for more flowers, of course) and I'm researching/contemplating what kind of plants to fill it in with. Whatever I plant has to be pretty wind resistant, take full sun, kind of erect (since I don't want anything flopping onto the turf that borders the bed), and pretty too. This problem may take a while to solve, but luckily I have all Winter to ruminate! -- I'm trying to accentuate the postive aspects of the upcoming season.

I leave you with this picture of Frog-gardener, the mascot for my yard. He's bedding down for the Winter, surrounded by Siberian Iris and Columbine, dreaming of Spring. I probably won't be posting much as it gets colder, so Happy Fall!
-SG

There's a Fungus Among Us

2008-09-26T13:27:00.004-04:00

My hostas look horrible right now. I think I have found the culprit; anthracnose!

Apparently it's becoming a problem for formerly indescrutable hostas, attributable to the humid, rainless weather. I probably won't do anything about the ugliness other than clip off the leaves and rake them up, but I'm thinking my hosta nursery in the backyard may need some major TLC. It's overcrowded, there's no edging. It's an eyesore even without the anthracnose. I better add it to my "To Do List."

-SG

Shout Out to Swampscott!

2008-09-22T17:02:00.009-04:00

I just wanted to thank everyone that has strolled by my yard and given me compliments on the flowers...this year was a real turning point for me in terms of figuring out how I want the garden to look and all the support has been gratifying. Maybe it's Swampscott, or just my little neighborhood, but I've met the most laid back and supportive people since starting to work on the yard. So thanks for your appreciation!

It's late September, but several of my plants are still chugging away, and I've included a few pix of my favorites.

Above is the Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) I started from seed this winter. There are a few more seedlings around the yard, but this plant was the only one that bloomed. I'm hoping the others make it through the Winter.

Would you believe this Boltonia (Snowbank) is actually growing in partial shade? Yup, totally awewsome. And finally, the Caryopteris (Caryopteris divaricata 'Snow Fairy' ) is blooming! Why so excited? It didn't bloom last year and I was pretty much giving up hope for this year, but then I noticed the most beautiful, delicate little blue-ish purple lovelies on my favorite shrub.

-SG

Lessons from Hanna

2008-09-07T16:41:00.015-04:00

Last night the remnants of Hanna blew in, dumping a few inches of (well-needed) rain. Upon inspection of the garden however, I learned a few things about big herbaceous perennials. For one thing, my sunflowers did not hold up well. The majority were either pummeled to awkward 90 degree angles or snapped entirely. My Boltonia didn't stand up to the rains well either (literally). They flopped over and needed staking to get them a bit more upright.

Not total tragedies, but I learned a lot. Next year, I will definitely cut back the Boltonia in June so that they are shorter and bushier. A few sources recommend doing so, but I wanted to see how they would look without any meddling. They are very top heavy and leggy, and succumbed to the rains, so I see the value in shortening them for sure now.

Taking a peek in the back-yard, I was happily surprised to find another showing of Clematis 'HF Young'. I bought this plant early in the Spring and it has done surprisingly well. It hasn't been a prolific bloomer, only 1 or 2 flowers at a time, but this is the third time this summer it has set blooms, so its turned into a nice repeater.

-SG

P.S. I leave you with a pic of my gardener's feet, post shower. I really need to wear boots.

Powdery Mildew - Aack!

2008-09-04T11:26:00.004-04:00

Despite all the glowing reviews I find about Echinacea, they too can suffer from a multitude of diseases. My sis asked me to research why her glamorous orangey/red Echinacea had black leaves and some powdery gunk on the leaves. My peony is also suffering from a similiar malady.

So after a bit of research, I found out that the recent weather is the perfect condition for mildew. How can that be? You might ask...it hasn't rained in at least two weeks. It has been sunny and gorgeous. Ah, hah! There you have it! These are actually the perfect conditions. Powdery mildew likes hot and humid conditions, with little rain. Rain or wind would blow it off. Apparently the only cure is to dunk the plants in fungicides or just cut the whole plant down to the ground (be sure to dispose of the infected stems/leaves and wash off your cutters).

I opted to cut away the peony stalks. They won't bloom anyway and I hope will make it back next year. At least this is happening at the end of summer, rather than at the beginning!

-SG

Photo courtesy of University of Illinois Extension

I Want This Man as a Neighbor

2008-08-27T09:51:00.010-04:00

Despite doing a boat load of work in my yard, I'm posting today about someone else! The dude with the cukes lives in Lynn and has a garden so awesome that he gets a write-up in The Daily Item of Lynn (an awesome source for local gossip). The yards on my street are all pretty small and except for a few pots of tomatos, I don't see much vegetable gardening. Ed sounds like a pretty interesting guy, picking beans from his 3rd floor window, using water from rain barrels, and I especially like his way to keep weeds down.

Another article I stumbled across that's worth a mention, is the story of a man in Lynn whose chickens were confiscated/removed by the city. If you read the comments to the article, there seem to be two camps; chickens are awesome and chickens do not belong in back-yards. I for one would love chickens, but have serious space limitations. Not to mention the fact that my dogs might like to eat the chickens.

-SG

I Heart Annuals

2008-08-22T18:59:00.005-04:00

Above is a shot of my Cosmos, grown from Seed Mat (courtesy of BloomingBulb.com) that has wound itself through Boltonia, with Perovskia (Russian Sage) and Pardancanda (Candy Lily) in the background. With the sunflowers in bloom (see below), the Impatiens, Pelargonium and Alyssum chugging away, and the biennials growing well (Hollyhock, Columbine, Digitalis), I'm pretty happy with my attempts at growing seeds, my annuals in particular. There's something to be said for a plant that can grow to over 9 feet, bloom for weeks and weeks, and cost next to nothing to grow.

Work, work, work

2008-08-18T20:39:00.008-04:00

Here's an "after" shot of the yard with the Landscaper mostly done. I think he promised to come back and put in some grass seed, but I'm kinda holding my breath. Joe (DiPietro) did manage to find me some more rocks and created a new flower bed where the Yew once was. I'm totally psyched with how everything has turned out...

I added another page to my website, a "To Do List," page. I can't say this was an original idea. Another garden blogger (I can't remember which one, my bad) suggested gardeners keep such a list to keep track of projects that need to get done. Brilliant idea, because it helps me prioritize, which my ADHD brain really needs help doing.

Today, I did a bit of work in the backyard. I'm having some trouble eradicating this Japanese Knotweed stuff. It's so invasive that people actually eat it as a means of controlling its growth. I pulled out a few new shoots (a daily chore of mine), and cursed the gardener that introduced this stuff to North America.

I also moved a bunch of stuff around, including the Variegated Hydrangea in the picture above, and potted up some Hosta for my sister's hillside anti-erosion project. My Hosta's look terrible. I think the slugs are happy.

-SG

Bringing in the Big Guns!

2008-08-15T10:31:00.004-04:00

Woo hoo! The image above is actually an improvment! What you are looking at is the former site of my Yew Stump and Dead Lilac Stump/Mound/Jungle. I called in the pros (Joseph DiPietro of Swampscott MA) and for a fee I got hime to remove the dreaded stumps. I am now a proponent of hiring professionals. It took them about an hour to do what would of taken my husband and I days and possibly the health of our marriage.

Now I just have to figure out what to put in the stumps' place!

-SG

My First Goldfinch

2008-08-08T10:03:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I actually managed to snap this shot of a Goldfinch snacking on some of my Sunflowers! I had to find my camera, then pry open the screen on my kitchen window, then figure out how to use the zoom feature on my camera... I got one picture in before the little fella skooted off. Awesome!

-SG

On Sale!

2008-08-07T09:03:00.008-04:00

Woo hoo! I just got some ridiculously good deals on plants! I know it's not polite to talk about the cashola, but I can't resist; Stella d'Oros for $2.50, perennial oregeno and thyme for $5.00 (big pots too). I have to give a shout out to Highland Gardens (on Highland Avenue). I have never bought plants from there b/c I find them a little pricey, but there was a ton of stuff on sale and the lady running the show was super helpful and really friendly to my 3-year old. They do have a really nice selection of shrubs and trees. I was longingly gazing at the Climbing Hydrangea Vine (Schizophragma), which is a plant that's on my Wish List.

The herbs were from a company called, "Sarah's Super Herbs," which had nice tags and a good website. The plants were really healthy-looking and large too. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for more of her stuff.

In other news, I finally plunked down the credit for some Lily bulbs from Old House Gardens. I really wanted 'Black Beauty' bulbs, which I have been lusting after for a while, but they have a $30 minimum so I also bought 'Rubrum.' I looked for Black Beauties in a bunch of places, narrowing it down to VanEngelen/Scheepers (50.00 /35.00 minimum) -- the best prices by far, but I've been warned they often subsitute. Carroll Gardens had them for a ridiculous amount of money (1 bulb for $11). Bluestone has a small selection of lilies at very good prices, but they weren't offering Black Beauty. Also, if Old House doesn't have the bulbs you want, you can opt for a credit + 10% instead of a subsitution, so I thought that was the best way to go). So wish me luck! Thanks for the pic from Carroll Gardens...

-SG

Seed Love

2008-08-03T20:01:00.005-04:00

I won't go into it here, but I created the very first draft of a new page on my website about my experiences starting plants from seed. It's called, "Starting from Seed." I know,I know I'm very creative. I pretty much just wrote about my experiences, which I probably should have done here, but oh well... I think when I have more time, I'll really put some time into making it more useful, maybe with some pictures of my grow light set up and flats, but until then, dear reader, you're stuck with what's there. And just so this blog post isn't completely boring, the picture below is of the Pelargonium (Geranium) that I grew from seed. I don't usually like red, which didn't render very well in the photo, but the color really is making me rethink that whole anti-red flower thing.

-SG

Holy Sunflowers, Batman!

2008-08-03T19:29:00.014-04:00

This Christmas I received some sunflower seeds from my little sis, planted them with little thought around the stump of my old yew bush and pretty much forgot about them. How could I have known they would totally steal the show in my garden this summer? This whopper is about 9 feet tall, and about 16 inches in diameter, and they just light up my yard. Neighbors
stop and stare. Grandma's point them out to their delighted grandkids. They've been a real joy and a fitting Christmas gift.

Other things that have been a surprising delight are the blooms on this Hyndrangea macrophylla (cultivar unknown). I got this sucker last year. It didn't bloom, then got some kind of gray fungus. After much research, I moved it to a sunnier spot and stopped watering it, the leaves started to get scorched and wither. I was not pleased. I pretty much gave up and left it to the dog's yard (see below), which is on the North side of the house, getting morning light only. I also can't reach it well with my hose, so gets watered only a little. And then whatever is back there gets trampled by the pups, but 'lo and behold, the loveliest little pink blossoms emerged just a few days ago. I'm in love again!

Just as I was going around the yard, snapping pics, my husband pointed out my dogs sitting under the Forsythia in the backyard. They looked really sweet. It's rare to get them near each other, relaxing outside. I, of course, missed the moment because, Shadow, the black dog, stood up, but I was glad to see them enjoying the garden too.

-SG

Rain!

2008-07-20T17:38:00.003-04:00

There were several plant emergencies to be dealt with today...some of my Echinacea were seriously wilting, major weed advances, yellowing and overcrowded seedlings, flopping Cosmos. Yikes! I could go on for pages...

So I clipped back the Echinacea (I hope it recovers; it was one of my first successful plant purchases), weeded about 2 bags worth of nasties, moved my Digitalis and Echinacea seedlings (that I had started from seed under grow lights this February), moved more light tolerant plants to the spot along my driveway that turned out to be full-sun, not partial shade, split the Dianthus, then planted a few Hosta that I had potted up last fall into bare spots that were weed hotspots (until I can afford something better). I also planted a new Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' along the driveway.

Along with all that busy work, I was mucho excited to find a baby Lavender ('Munstead') seedling that must have grown from seed from its parent. It was practically growing into the asphalt along the front bed. I moved it to a better locale (but don't have high hopes).

I'm definitely starting to have the mid-summer blues though. A lot of my early summer stuff is starting to fade, and I really don't have too much late summer plants to look forward to (I'm counting on the Boltonia to perk me up). Makes me think I should buy a few Asters or Lilies (I've been lusting over 'Black Beauty' bulbs from Old House Gardens, but have yet to plunk down the MC).

There are a few high points though; the Rose 'Yellow Carpetflower' is chugging away, and the Phlox, Platycodons, and Perovskia are all in full-bloom.

-SG

Daylilies and Blogs

2008-07-09T15:30:00.012-04:00

Where to begin...so much to write about and only two hands...first off, my awesome sister just started her own blog (inspired by moi) and it's already one of my new favorites. It's called "GrowinginPepperell," and she writes about gardening, mulch, husbands, and children.

And, oh yes, the Daylilies have begun blooming (though the Stellas have been at it for a while. I believe the picture above is of Hemerocallis 'To Janet.' I'm still waiting on the pinks, 'Chorus Line' and 'Strawberry Candy'.

Did you know there's a Daylily society? I didn't, but googled "daylily" because I wasn't sure if it had one or two "l's" and got a link to the American Hemerocallis Society. Cool.

In other news, I have begun a smallish (5x3) raised-bed project, intending to grow some tomatos and basil out there. It's also a handy place to plunk chunks of sod. This fall I'll throw some compost on top and maybe some topsoil. Visions of heirlooms tomatos are dancing in my head. Building it was actually pretty easy and cheap (about $30, not including price of dirt and compost).

Coincidentally, in the foreground is Amy Stewart's "Flower Confidential," which I borrowed from the library. It's really interesting and a good, fast read (my favorite). Makes me want to request organic, fair trade roses, from my husband next Valentines (or better yet, I can use it as an excuse to buy my own rose bushes).

What is the plural form of 'Iris'?

2008-07-05T23:06:00.003-04:00

Is it "Irises" or "Irisi" or is it just "Iris" (like fish)? The reason I ask is that my lovely big sis split her Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) and Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) and gifted me with quite a few extra (yay)! I had to sneak out yesterday morning to get them into the ground (and find a place for them).

I am super excited because...I was complaining to my Mom that though my garden looks great now, it looked really terrible in early June after the tulips and crocus (crocusi?) had bloomed; really green, and scraggly...she mentioned that I needed Iris, and now I will have them. I hope.

In other news, I fought another battle against the Japanese Knotweed. The war began last year when I decided to tackle the mess growing along my fence in the backyard, and discovered that when I cut down the nasty stuff, it grew back in like...10 more places. Today I'm hoping the strategy of going over to my neighbor's side of the fence (with his permission, of course) and digging up some largish clumps will turn the tide.

-SG

P.S. my Sweet Pea is blooming!

Blooming!

2008-06-26T08:16:00.008-04:00

Despite promises to refrain from purchasing more flowers, I had an hour to kill the other day and peeked in at Kane's Flower World. Big mistake...roses were on sale and I got the loveliest little Pink Knockout rose. The color repeats in my Dianthus, Phlox, and Coneflower, so for the sake of harmony, I haaaad to buy it.

I also snagged a couple Perovskia (Russian Sage) because these are impossible to find and have been one of my most dependable plants. In order to accomodate the rose bush, I had to expand the front bed a little bit and moved a few things around. I still haven't figured out this whole "planting in drifts" thing (mostly because I don't have enough plants to create a drift), but I think it has something to do with making the plants look like they're blending into one another rather than lined up like soldiers.

Many thanks for the kind words of support from neighbors and pedestrians. People have been really complimentary of my work and I have to admit, I like the praise!

-SG

Oooh! Farmer's Markets

2008-06-20T19:07:00.006-04:00

I was just catching up on reading and I found an article about the neighboring town's farmer's market starting up for the season! This reminded me of when I used to go to the Hoboken Farmer's Market. It was a strange site; young yuppies in business suits hauling home bags of leeks and strawberries. I always felt a bit overwhelmed by all the selection and rather wilted-looking retailers. Despite these misgivings, I have some noble plans to haunt the local markets, in search of the perfect tomato (which might inspire me to actually grow my own).

This actually reminds me of a bizarre and kind of disgusting story... My sister, who has a magic green thumb, lives in Pepperell, MA and has access to town mulch from the sewer treatment plant (it's best not to ask too many questions). She gets ungodly amounts of this stuff for ridiculously cheap, and grows some gorgeous flowers in her front lawn. One day, she noticed a curious weed growing out front, and thought it looked suspicously like a corn stalk. Rather than pulling the weed, she decided to let it grow (it's foliage was pretty, in her mind), and lo, and behold, it turned out to be corn! Needless to say, I always wear gloves when I help her out in the yard.

-SG

Moving to Blogger and my Yard is Bloooming!

2008-06-20T17:50:00.004-04:00

In an attempt to make this site a bit more interactive, I've decided to link Swampgardener up to a blog -- in affect my journal is now a blog that people can comment on. I will continue to update the plants page and other pages I have built, and will comment here when I do!

So I have been totally negligent about adding pictures...because everything is starting to bloom and it is soooo much better than last year. I'm not exactly digital camera proficient, and really need to practice a bit when I get some time. Here's picture of my coreopsis starting to bloom.

The other day I had an epiphany and decided that my side-yard will now be called my Garden, and will be completely taken over my plants and raised beds. I was out there mowing and weed wacking and just thought, "wouldn't this work be so much better if it involved planting flowers?"

I know this is a terrible segue, but I also wanted to comment on the fact that a bunch of the plants I started from seed this winter are actually doing pretty well. I had a few close calls, but it looks like the Alyssum, Sunflowers, Sweet Pea, Echinacea, Pelargonium, Nasturtium, Digitalis, and Columbine are all going to survive the summer! Now I've totally gotten the seed bug...

-SG

Welcome to Swampgardener

2008-06-20T17:25:00.002-04:00

Two years ago I moved to Swampscott, MA (Zone 6a) and decided my yard looked like a disorganized mess. So I started digging up lawn and planting a few flowers and shrubs. It's still a disorganized mess, but now it's my garden!

I've had limited success finding information about gardening in Massachusetts. I've found great stuff in many places, but I can't find other novice home gardeners dealing with my conditions all in one place (small yard, pollution, winters, ocean breezes, clay, dogs, and kids). So I thought I might start a site talking about my trials and errors (mostly errors), and maybe help some new gardeners out one day.

I also want to start keeping a document (a journal) of the things I've done for my own record-keeping. I'm starting to have trouble remembering what I planted where, so for the sake of my own sanity, thought I should start writing it down.

My apologies if you thought this site has anything to do with gardening in a swamp. Though here's a picture of a frog in my garden, attempting to disguise my sump hose and gas pipe.