Dirty Fingers Muddy Knees

Green is the Color of Spring

by Susan | Mar 18, 2016 | gardening

While I wait for the seeds I ordered to arrive, while I wait for bulbs I planted to come up, while I wait for it to quit raining so I can start working the soil, I can enjoy the colors of green.

It has been an incredibly rainy spring so far. Yes, you say it always rains in the Pacific Northwest, but we have been keeping our dryer springs a secret. I guess it wasn’t a secret last year when the cry of ‘drought’ even reached our corner of the U.S. This year, not a worry in the world. The snow pack in the mountains is a 125% of normal and still climbing. We can feel it down in the lowlands even if we can’t see it. That is because the cloud cover has been low and wet. We know the peaks are there white and beautiful, but we only get to see them if we tweet, facebook, or text all our friends when a sighting occurs.

So while we wait the plants don’t. The herbaceous greens are pushing out and the warmth of the winter has things leafing out a little sooner. I even have hosta leaves showing along with trilliums. I thought I would share the brilliant green colors in my garden right now. You should picture me with a camera in my hand, waterproof boots, down vest under a raincoat and hood covering my head. Wait a minute, that has been my attire since January. That is the wardrobe of spring this year.

Even the dog is waiting for it to stop raining.

Trillium

Anemone

Hydrangea ‘Lemon Daddy’

Pulmonia ‘Dark Vader’

Day lily ‘golden zebra’ (hemerocallis)

Frittilaria

Aquilegia ‘Leprechan Gold’

Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’

Dactylorhiza maculata

Spotty Dotty

Podophyllum pleianthum

NWFGS: A World Away On The Na Pali Coast

by Susan | Mar 5, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

The Northwest Flower & Garden show has been a success! My garden ‘A World Away On The Na Pali Coast’ won a silver medal and we had fantastic conversations of all types through out the show. In addition to being a garden creator I was also a garden seminar speaker. My talk on Carpet Gardening was well received if not a little on the short side. For those of you that weren’t able to make it to the show here is a quick tour of the garden for you to enjoy!

Our silver medal winning garden is a Northwest Tropical Garden with many of the plants seen here hardy in our area.

#nwfgs plantswoman design carpet gardening

An example of Carpet Gardening using Black Mondo Grass, Rockfoil and Spiked Moss.

A favorite this Helleborus ‘Snow Frills’ pairs nicely with Helleborus ‘Snow Fever’ (pictured to the right).

#nwfgs plantswoman design live edge deck

This ‘live edge’ deck caused quite a stir. Made out of custom milled cedar planks.

These little Fritillaria, or checked lilly, were also crowd favorites showing up in many other gardens at the show.

Helleborus ‘Snow Fever’.

Snow Drop Fever: Beguiling Galanthus

by Susan | Feb 14, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

I remember seeing my first snowdrop as a child in my Grandmothers garden. She didn’t have much else going on in the garden but the old established clump of snowdrops came up every year.

I’ve always planted snowdrops in whichever garden I’ve established. This year however I became more interested than ever before. When I lived in the UK I knew they were passionate about Galanthus but never really knew the obsession. Maybe I’m starting to. The mystery of Galanthus cultivars and their variations are what drive the galanthophile to search, pay high prices and even steal rare bulbs. To understand more clearly I looked for what some call the ‘Snowdrop Bible’. This is book, called ‘Snowdrops: a Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus’ by three experts in England is the undisputed authority on Galanthus. It is also undisputedly the most expensive book I’ve ever coveted. No I did not buy it (Amazon can get someone else to spend $2,221.00 on it). I mentioned it to a friend and he said he had one. I begged to borrow it and promised not to spill coffee on it. He had no idea of its Amazon value and thought that John Grimshaw one of the authors had probably given it to him.

Reading and studying everything Galanthus became an afterhours treat. The more I read the more intrigued I became. I ordered bulbs from Turkey and from Carolyn’s Shade Gardens (great U.S. source), purchased some from the nursery near me, in Seattle, the wholesale nursery, ‘Far Reaches Farms’ and even moved some from my old garden. Hmm… maybe the obsession is catching.

As I studied them the realization of what I didn’t know became clear. Some galanthus simply labeled ‘Snowdrops’ with no botanical name had variations within in the pots. They are probably a collection of Galanthus elwesii based on the way the leaves are held, color of leaf and size of leaf. Many of these variations are created within a group of galanthus while they are in the ground. If a new variety is found in England it is studied and grown on for several years to see if it is worthy of a name and becomes valuable because of its form. This often takes several years. I don’t think there is any such protocol here in the U.S.

I’ll share with you the variations I have found within the pots I purchased and the variation that has been growing in my garden for several years.

Galanthus unknown 3 – This was purchased at Well’s Medina Nursery. It was in a pot with other bulbs that looked to be normal cultivars of Galanthus elwesii. This one, however, had a mostly solid green X on the inner petals. The species have a small green W on the tips of the inner petals.

Galanthus unknown 4 – This was in a flat labels ‘Snowdrops’ from Valley Nursery. The entire flat was normal species type except this one bulb. It has a pronounced X up the inner petals and the outer petals fly upward.

Galanthus unknown 5- This was in the same flat labeled ‘Snowdrops’. The thing that is different about this one is the top is mostly yellow. Sometimes a snowdrop will have a yellow ovary and yellow in the blossom. I will wait and see what develops with this one.

Galanthus unknown 2 – This is from my old garden. It is growing under less than ideal conditions very close to a large cedar tree. However, they are doing well and the clump is increasing each year. It is a consistent color variation. The green on the inside is the opposite of a regular snowdrop. The white is the small part on the bottom and the green is in the main body of the inner petals. The outer petals have a green blush on them, most unusual for Galanthus. We will see how it produces in this garden.

The ones that are named from nursery sources are also wonderful.

This one is Galanthus ‘Blewbury Tart’ from Kelly at Far Reaches Farms. It is a very nice double that faces outward instead of upside down.

Galanthus Hippolyta is a sweet double with clear green mark from Wells Medina Nursery in Seattle. I have more on the way from Carolyn’s Shade Garden.

This Galanthus poculiformis groupl ‘Lady Mary Grey’ is not mine yet. It is in a friends garden and is most unusual because the inside perianth is very short and white, very different than a regular Galanthus. I will be able to get a start as it goes into dormancy.

This is another Galanthus that wants to come home with me. It is Galanthus elwesii x plicatus ‘George Elwes’. It is growing on the edge of the driveway and has good large blossoms that hang nicely in the wind.

Is that enough to make you start thinking about a collection of your own? How can you not love them?

Growing Galantus

Exposure: Like light dapple shade with high canopy.

Soil: Moist soil that doesn’t get to dry in summer. Light humus rich, some experts say lime is best but they seem to grow fine here in our mostly acid soil.

Zone: 4 -9

Planting: When planting ‘In the green’ be careful not to disturb the root systems as much as possible. Don’t allow bulbs to dry out. When buying as bulbs, be careful of dry, soft bulbs with no green showing. They will probably not produce a plant.

Designing with Galantus

These are lovely in big sweeps. They usually will propagate themselves easily with bulblets. It is hard to reproduce from seed. Dividing clumps is a good way to increase the quantity. Use them along edges of pathways where they can be observed easily. On top of rock or ledgestone walls is also ideal. Good companions are early blooming small narcissus, Wood anemone, and Ranunulus cultivars (I love Ranunulus ‘Brazen Hussy’). They can also be naturalized in grass. Wait until finished blooming and dormant before mowing. English Daisy and crocus look good with the grass bedding.

The In-between

by Susan | Feb 7, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

In between winter proper and spring proper is when the rarities and oddities that make up a well-structured garden shine. Now is the time to seek out the in-betweens to fill in the seasonal lull. Helleborus species is one of the most intriguing plants blooming in my zone 7 garden right now. Yes, even though it feels bitter outside with a howling wind and sideways rain (only in Washington do we have at least 100 different names for rain), it has been fairly mild this year. Nurseries are open but there are plenty of parking spaces right up front. Bare Root trees and shrubs are in bins and hellebores line the shelves. Helleborus are sometimes called ‘Christmas Rose’ or ‘Lenten Rose’, but here they should be called an In-between Rose. They were still dormant at Christmas, not wanting to stretch their heads above the soil as if there were no hot toddy’s waiting. Lent and Easter, changing as they do, are hard targets for a plant to hit on schedule. But right now, enjoying fitful, scarce sun, bowing to the blustery wind and creating color for raindrops to reflect are these wonderful hellebores.

Recent introductions have created so many beautiful colors and shapes that even the hellebourophile (think Galanthophile) can find one never seen before. The Mardi Gras collection from Charles Prices breeding program are stunning. From the Slate Shades colors with plums and dusty purple/black to the Apricot Shades with sunny yellow touched with warm pink edges. They are so welcome this gloomy time of year.

Another favorite breeder of mine is Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne from Northwest Garden Nurseries in Eugene, Oregon. They hand pollinate the seedlings they select and have made some beautiful, amazing helleborus. This lovely ‘Painted Double’ is one of theirs.

Occasionally there is a hellebore that catches my eye and has no name. This one is unmarked at the grower but I love the clear yellow/green with darker green micro petals. The small freckles of dark burgundy are just a touch of color. Maybe I should grow it on and name it, Freckled Rose maybe? After my sister Rose who has freckles.

Designing with Helleborous

As for design tips they are one of the most versatile plants I know. You can use them as evergreen ground cover with the flowers as an extra. The Mardi Gras Series have really nice palmate leaves that look good through the winter. Under planted with snowdrops, aconites, and anemones they will create an unforgettable display. I had one that I displayed in a large urn by the front door. I simply pulled it out of the garden about now and popped it in the urn. It was really easy to see as the elevation of the urn helps being able to view the downward facing flowers. After they started to fade I pulled the whole clump out of the pot and put it back in the garden. I used the same plant in this manner for about 5 years then changed to another more ‘current’ variety. They are really easy and forgiving (obviously).

Growing Helleborus

BLOOM – January – March.

PLANT – Moist, (not wet) loamy soil, lighten with leaf mold.

HABIT – Hardy to Zone 5, spreading slowly 15 – 18” high and up to 2 feet in spread.

WHERE – Plant them in half shade to full shade. I find they flower better with a good splash of morning sun. They like shelter of big trees and open shade.

TYPES – Helleborus argutifolius, hybrids, nigers and foetidus with lots of promiscuity thrown between them

WHAT TO EXPECT – Plants, that when happy spread, produce seeds and seedlings to share, can be used as cut flowers. Some helleborophiles cut the leaves off in the spring so the flowers show to advantage. They will cross-pollinate in your garden so you may someday have a seedling that no other gardener has.

Garden Show 2016

by Susan | Jan 31, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

Two weeks to go. The plans have been in the works since July of last year. All the planning and purchasing that began long ago and is now coming to the frenzied end. This is my fifth time doing a display garden and I can’t help but remember the first time I went to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. A friend suggested I go with her and her husband. I was amazed at the display gardens and all of the people experiencing a little bit of spring in February. Wandering through the gardens I could not even imagine the set up and work it would take to recreate it. Little did I know…

Years later, after a career change to Landscape Designer and a feature article in Sunset Magazine, I was invited by the director of the show to do a small display called ‘Living it up’. I was nervous and thought as long as it was only a patio space I could do it. After creating planter boxes out of old roofing they were then planted with columnar apple trees and spring flowers. A bistro table and a few other containers on a permeable concrete floor and I was done. Whew!

The next year the invitation came for a bigger space. An example of a natural swimming pond was the plan. I like to plan and build ahead so we sprayed the pond liner in an old warehouse and built the deck in the barn. The gabion wall that surrounded it was the most time consuming part because it had to be done at the show with rock from Marenakos. The most challenging part was the supplier for the plants didn’t cover them during a cold snap and they all froze two weeks before the show. ARGHHH. A call to a species Rhododendron grower filled in the plantings with borrowed finery. It was exciting to have Evening Magazine film a portion of their show sitting on the deck in the garden.

In 2011 the show theme challenge was to use a literary reference in the garden. Great Expectations was created with dark plants on one side that changed to light plants on the other side. A recycled metal bridge with worm wood planks connected the two spaces. Again recycled planters this time filled with hellebores from Marietta O’Bryne, a grower in Oregon who created the ‘winter jewel’ series. The most challenging part of this garden was getting the bridge to be level and creating a stone pathway on sawdust fill. People wanted to walk into the space and sit on the stone bench so keeping them out was difficult.

Hollywood was the next theme given to us from the show officials. I’m not a big Hollywood fan so it was a challenge. I love beach gardens and have worked on many. Using the movie ‘Zorba the Greek,’ the beach garden ‘It’s never too late to learn to dance’ came into being in the middle of downtown Seattle. The garden shack was the most challenging part of this garden. The builder I was working with had no idea what the garden show was or the logistics of working in the build. The shack was finally completed and was being stained at the last hour with stain dripping on the plants as we were hurrying to get the rest of the garden done. Planting a sweep of grasses with daffodils made it feel so light and spring like. We created columns with dripping water, which was quite effective.

2013 saw the Garden is Art theme, ‘Terra Cadence: Rhythm of the Earth’, was my title for the garden. I partnered with a glass artist and interior designer to create a hanging glass chandelier that complimented the restricted palette of the garden. The plants were green and white and had a calm serene feel. A precast concrete rill was made ahead of time and the water ran through the middle of the garden (and onto the floor). The most challenging part of this garden was the water that ran back under the rill and filled up the sawdust. After the 3^rd day it started coming out the sides of the garden. Every morning we had to do a little mopping before the show opened.

This year the show’s theme is America the Beautiful and I’m looking forward to building a garden depicting the Na’ Pali Coast in Hawaii. The natural cedar deck and boulder fountain will give us the feeling of being in the tropical garden in our own back yard. Placing a Japanese Soaking tub in the center of the garden helps you be immersed in the garden. The build will be fun with new people helping and I’m sure there will be challenges but that is part of the fun of the garden. Stay tuned for updates and pictures of the build and of the finished product. Come and join us at the show!

Lighten Up!

by Susan | Jan 22, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

Gone are the days of festive Christmas Decorations. Tree is down and baubles and bits are packed away for another year. There is something about the excess and over stimulation of Christmas that calls for peace in January. Likewise when all the surfaces are clear of clutter it’s time to add something calming, soothing, and bright. White is the solution.

I raided the greenhouse for plants and set them into white containers is a perfect fresh look. White candles in gleaming votive holders, keep the dark outside at bay. I like to use a fresh scent like ‘linen’ in the main living area and a lovely floral like ‘gardenia ‘ in the bedroom. Both fragrances replace the smell of baking, pine, and cinnamon of the holiday season.

A trip to Ravenna Gardens (http://www.ravennagardens.com/) yields a lovely airplant and container while a stop to Windmill Gardens (https://www.windmillgarden.com/home) adds a staghorn fern to the mix. The staghorn fern has a wonderful grayish white on the leaves. I can still find paperwhites (narcissus species) to force in the nursery near me so in a container they go with some curly willow to hold up the leaves. Windmill Gardens also had some 4 inch pots of snowdrops (Galanthus sp) and Muscari ‘Golden Fragrance’. These are planted in re-purposed white containers and brought inside to watch as they grow and bloom. Muscari ‘ Golden Fragrance’ is new to me this year. It looks to have an unbelievable yellow flower with a purple topknot.

Even these pottery vases look calm and beautiful on the galvanized gray table. In the middle are cuttings of White Forsythia being forced.

Outside at the front door the white theme continues. The white sleigh and white birch from Christmas remain but I put up the snowflake lights and early blooming plants crowded around the base. Hellebore ‘Winter Jewel Cherry Blossom’ throws its first flower up with more to follow. The Camellia ‘Buttermint’ is budded heavily. A couple of Daphnes are just starting to push flowers and the edgeworthia buds are tight and fuzzy but beginning to show their lovely yellow/cream color. Not to be missed are the evergreen fingers of Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ contrasting with the upright branches of the February Daphne.

Dig These Plants:

MUSCARI ‘ GOLDEN FRAGRANCE’

Yellow Grape Hyacinth –Early spring blooming bulb, grows 6 “ to 1 ft and spreads. Blooms in early April Zone 5 -8 in full sun to part shade. (photo by easytogrowbulbs.com)

DAPHNE O. ‘ZUIKO NISHIKI’

Winter Daphne Evergreen compact shrub in zones 7 -9. (photo by www.plantlust.com)

WHITE FORSYTHIA

Abeliophyllum Distichum Deciduous shrubs reaching 3 – 5 ft in height. Produces fragrant white forsythia type flowers. Low maintence growing in full sun to part shade. Zone 5 – 9

DAPHNE MEZEREUM ‘FEBRUARY DAPHNE’

Deciduous in Zones 5 -8 Upright growing with purple flowers on bare branch in late winter. Fragrant and reaching to 3 feet. (photo by Kurt Stüber)

EDGEWORTHIA C ’NANJING GOLD’

Paper Bush. Up to 6 feet tall in Zone 8, loving Sun to part shade. (photo by www.plantlust.com)

MAHONIA E.’SOFT CARESS’

SOFT CARESS OREGON GRAPE -Long slender evergreen foliage with a fragrant yellow flower blooming in early spring. Part Shade to full shade in Zones7-9.

Plants I Dig: January

by Susan | Jan 15, 2016 | Plants I Dig

Even in the cold and dark of winter there are plants to observe and enjoy. It has been in the 20’s for the past week and the ground is frozen. Even in this the Hellebores in my garden are starting to show color. In the open garden they are showing but are slower to raise their heads. The leaves are more damaged and they look a little rough. The one above is ‘Yellow Lady’.

This white hellebore is near the house under the eves and looks better. In the long run they will both be full and lovely but it will be fun to see the difference in growth. I usually cut the damaged leaves off so the blooms can show to best advantage.

This hellebore is ‘Peppermint Ice’, one of the winter jewel series. It is a double white/blush with red edge.

Nandina ‘Firepower’ has beautiful winter foliage. Being evergreen it creates great structure in the winter garden. The winter color is red, purple and burgundy. The summer color is bright green with red tips. The leaves are wider and loosely held which creates good wind movement. Hardy to zone 6 and tolerant of most soil types.

Veltheimia bracteata, South African Forest Lily

The January plant list wouldn’t be complete without something from the greenhouse. This South African Bulb is not hardy here but it winters well in the greenhouse and blooms early in the year. Veltheimia bracteata or South African Forest Lily. This was my first complete year growing these bulbs. During this past summer they looked terrible. Every leaf fell off and I was thinking they were dead. I continued to water them lightly but still no leaves. Then in the fall they started to sprout leaves and became very robust. Now they are fabulous and blooms are shooting up from the main bulbs. There are several offshoots and they are creating new bulblets in the same pot.

After the Christmas holiday with all the decorations put away it is time to bring the Veltheimia inside. Now they are in the window and I can enjoy their buds opening. Seed catalogs are beckoning and the Garden show is looming but for right now I can just enjoy the winter garden.

Silver Frost Garden Art

by Susan | Jan 8, 2016 | gardening

Winter solstice is an amazing day. This is the shortest day of the year and here in the Pacific Northwest it is really short. The day starts at 7:55 am and finishes at 4:20. The eight hours and 26 minutes seems shorter still if it is cloudy and the sunrise and sunset are not seen. In comparison on June 10^th the day was 7hrs and 34 minutes more. As we start the new year I can already feel that the difference. There are feelings of antsy frustration of short days and long nights. I am often pacing in front of the window waiting for the sun to rise so I can go outside. But there is also a feeling of hope. The stretch of beautiful cold weather has lifted my spirits and helped to lift the weight of dark days. The moisture in the air has created a thick frost that builds up day after day. In areas where the sun doesn’t reach it creates a silver sparkled world.

A wander through the garden was an absolute must. While looking for signs of spring I had the chance to observe frost coating on leaves. Even ordinary grass and fallen leaves are turned into beautiful sculptures.

Observation and stillness are needed in the winter garden. Birds take over and can be seen taking seed heads, grubs and sidling up to the bird feeder. Conifers, evergreen ferns, and broad leaved evergreens create the bones of the garden. Even in the cold buds of Camellias are swelling, tips of bulbs are pushing, and hellebores are beginning to lift their heads. Back in the house, warming up again, I start to plan.

One of the best things about the winter garden is there isn’t much to be done. I see the trees that will need pruned next month but the ground is frozen so I can’t dig, even weeds are wedged tightly in the soil. Usually my enjoyment of the garden is lessened by the work that needs to be done. In the winter I can just observe and enjoy.

Gardener’s Gift Time

by Susan | Dec 11, 2015 | Plantswoman Design

Pulling ourselves out of the garden to attend to such mundane things as Christmas Shopping is like pulling our boot out of a muddy flowerbed. But, relationship with humans is important too so off we go. As I’m shopping for my friends and family, I’m tempted by the things I want! No surprise there, but I thought I would share things that interest me in case they may interest other Gardeners you may know.

No list is complete without at least one book. Here I will list two. One of my Twitter friends has a book about growing winter vegetables. The Winter Harvest Handbook is available on Amazon, or directly from Eliot Coleman’s website. It shows how to grow winter vegetables in unheated greenhouses, economically and environmentally sound.

The other one on my wish list is ‘The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer’. Well know public garden Chanticleer is discussed by the gardeners who actually work in the garden. Pictures in the preview look wonderful

One of the perks of being part of the Garden writers of America association is the chance to trial new products. This year I was sent a Cobrahead Weeder. This handy tool is small enough to weed between new seedlings, new plantings, and still goes deep enough to get the root out. Even though I have one I’m still thinking of others that would love it too. www.cobrahead.com

When I get finished with the shopping it is time to get outside again. Working in the wet, cold weather causes hands to go numb! Bulky gloves are warm but difficult to work in. I have a two fold solution. I use my regular garden gloves, Atlas Nitrile Touch , and then put a insulated wool fingerless glove over the top. Then my fingers can work and the body of the gloves keeps my hands warm. This glove from Gander Mountain is perfect. It has thinsulate and wool both, it is reasonably priced and very practical. Any person working in a cool place would love them. Clearly I need a new pair!

Most gardeners have a journal of sorts to organize their thoughts and keep records. Christmas is a perfect time to start one for the coming year. If you have never done it before you will be hooked! Keeping track of when you buy things, where you planted them and how they did will help you decide to buy more, plant them in a different place or move them around. Moleskine has a garden journal with an expandable pocket for saving labels, seed packets or pictures. I usually get a leather covered one with a place to hold a pen. This way if it gets wet (from a hose or rain) it is protected well and the weight of the pages keep the various pens I use from bleeding through. It should be a tough journal with lots of pages. Barnes and Noble bookstore by me has several to choose from.

For the tech savvy gardeners there is PAPER 53. It is a downloadable app that you can draw on. It can be used with many mobile devices and has a ‘pencil’ that makes it super easy. The newest update gives you the option to take a picture of your garden and then draw over the top of it. This is great to sketch out ideas, see what a tree or shrub might look like in the scene. Draw out beds for gardens and make notes of plants you like as you shop in a nursery. I Love mine and use it often.

So there you have it, my 2015 Gardener’s Gift List. Did you see something you’d love? What would you add?