Last fall we bought $80 in bulbs and planted them literally days before the first snowfall.
I set some of the smaller bulbs aside to plant in pots, as I worried that they would be lost in a yard that is still so blank. Together, Davin and I planted the pots and placed them in our very cold, but covered, south-facing, unheated porch (what we optimistically refer to as “the greenhouse“) and watered them on occasion.
Today the first of those bulbs bloomed!
Leave a commentThis week has been a frenzy of cleaning, selecting plants and planting. As hard as I try, I’ve got perpetual dirt-under-the-nails. I should have thought to take a picture to show what I mean.
I haven’t been up to much in the side/street garden (it really needs a name) so I’ll start there. Earlier in the week I transplanted a hyssop that used to take up residence in one of the planter boxes on the deck. Today I moved a big bunch of anise-hyssop that sprouted in one of the large containers on the deck. Now it can spread itself all around the street garden. That’s okay cause it’s a native that can withstand drought and attracts lots of beneficial insects to the garden. I’ve got my own mini version of The Clash of the Titans happening down there.
And speaking of titans, the plume poppy is up to it’s usual tricks. It’s massive and growing fast! I have already pulled out a bunch and have tried transplanting some into containers and the large planter boxes on my deck. I am discovering that plume poppies do not like to be transplanted. All the leaves are dying back, however the roots underneath the soil are good and new leaves are slowly poking through the surface. I decided they would be good in the planter boxes because they’re tall and hardy and will provide good screening and pretty tropical-look foliage once established. I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner. This morning when I was out taking photos, I discovered a pigeon living underneath the dense plume poppy foliage. See, it’s not all bad.
The wild rose bush I planted last year seems to have attracted a healthy colony of aphids. The plant looks good, has grown quite large (I’m thinking it’s time for a trellis), and is producing lots of flower buds. But the aphids! The horror! I’m not freaked out much by bugs but you should have seen how thick they were along some stems. It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. They were like teeny, tiny, evil robots of destruction, making their way over a densely packed spread of shivering green and red bodies searching for a position with stem contact. Yikes. I first discovered this last weekend on the way out for lunch and vowed (shaking fists at the sky) to get to it the next day. Thankfully, it rained overnight and that washed off a good many of them. This week I have been going out daily to wash them off followed by a douse of my herbal buzz spray concoction (it’s in the book). I was pleased to discover that year-old herbal bug tea still smells okay — which is good since the wind shot some of it back at me. As predicted nothing else in the garden has any sort of bug infestation — just the roses. In fact most of the plants around the roses are insect repellents, but those crafty aphids still managed to find their way to the gold.
The soil is terrible on that side of the garden (the new side) and I’m sure that’s not exactly helping the roses fight the good fight. The plants look healthy but one look at the soil tells me otherwise…. I really need to add more amenders to that side and add two more bags of mulch to the entire garden. Weeds are coming up faster than I can pull them in certain spots and the soil on the newer side is just sadly lacking in decent organic content. I used up all the compost in containers so I’m going to have to buy some.
What else is happening:
And now moving on to the deck:
First there was the cleanup. That’s boring stuff so I won’t bother. I decided to do as little as possible before leaving for New York because I worried that plants would not survive in my absense. Unfortunately a few of the alpines I purchased at the Parkdale Plant Sale did not make it. A cosmos I bought as a prop for a television appearance was eaten by an animal. And speaking of plants eaten by animals, an unknown mammal is back at it again this year. It could be a squirrel or a raccoon since they are the only culprits around here. I have yet to see either on the deck but am left every morning with the remnants of a disaster. Okay I’m exaggerating because anything they tend to be interested in that I have covered with a chicken wire or plastic bottle cloche has been left untouched. However, some plants that were not covered have been either completely eaten (a newly planted sedum. Who knew? They never go for this!), or partially eaten (lavender, sage).
A bunch of containers are yet to be planted up, and with this Sunday’s Herb Fair at Harbourfront I expect to have a lot more planting to do, but here are some photos of finished projects.
More News:
- A bunch of us from the Toronto YGG group are meeting up at the Herb fair this Sunday at noon for a plant geekery field trip. Anyone in the area is welcome to join us.
- I’ve begun posting about my trip to New York over here. I am also keeping a general book-related journal here.
Leave a commentGuest post by “The Bulb Lady” Debbie Van Bourgondien
Mention a grandmother’s garden, and a mental picture inevitably forms. Somehow bearded irises (Iris germanica) always seem to be part of that picture. Perfect flowers for cutting, as showy as orchids, they seem to fit into any kind of grandma’s garden, from the cottagey style that we usually think of in that context to the garden of an Asian grandma who treasures them for the fanlike simplicity of their foliage.
And did you know that many of them are even fragrant?
But Grandma’s irises they usually came in any color you wanted — as long as it was purple. Not so today. Today you can find bearded iris in just about any color (or combination of colors) imaginable, from a pure sparkling white, like “Celestial Flame” to black (Superstition.)
Time for a basic vocabulary lesson here — you may wonder where the “beard” is on these iris, and what I mean by a “fall.”
If you look carefully at an iris you will see that it has 6 petals. Three of them sweep upward, somewhat like a crown. This petal formation is called the standard. Three petals also sweep downward so that they look like they are providing that crown with a base. The downward petals are the falls. Many iris have one color of fall and a different color of standard ? OR the standards, falls or both can display multicolored patterns, different colored edges or simply shadings from deep to light.
Now, if you look carefully at the falls, they will show you a fuzzy sort of (I hate to say “growth” – it sounds so bad!) ? anyway, you’ll see a fuzzy line heading down into the flower’s throats. That is the beard , and it can be any color from orange to the same tone as the falls or standard.
Many bearded iris are two-toned. The rich and exotic ?Supreme Sultan? comes in the hard to find color combination of bright yellow beard and rich mahogany falls. For true delicacy there is ?Hidden World? with pale pink standards and white falls. One of my favorites is ?Batik?, which is a blue and white blend whose petals really do look as if someone had used the ancient batik process to color them. And some are banded ? ?Eastertime?, for instance, is creamy ivory, but has a perfect gold edge around the petals ? almost like a setting for a jewel.
Between the standards and the falls (not to mention that beard!) you have endless possibilities for color blends ? and some iris are REALLY colorful ? Check out ?After the Dawn?, for instance, that has falls in creamy yellow with a white wash, standards in a watercolor-dreamy blend of apricot and violet ? and a deep apricot beard. Or ?Tequila Sunrise?, which has striking yellow-orange standards (they seem to shade from pale to deep tones) and falls that are deep violet but bordered in a toasty color ? gorgeous! So there really is an iris color to suit any sort of garden scheme.
Iris time comes in May and June, after all the spring glories have begun to fade. There is nothing as impressive as a collection of bearded iris ? showy as orchids ? blooming in the sunshine (and they will bloom in part shade, as well!) Not only that ? but you can grow these successfully not only in the north (Zone 4) but in Zone 10! All they really require is well-drained soil.
Growing
Bearded iris grow from rhizomes ? when they arrive you will see something looking a bit like a torn potato with buds. From those humble buds the flower and leaves will rise to glory. When an iris is done flowering that part of the rhizome is essentially all used up ? but it doesn’t stop ? instead the rhizome creeps out in all directions sending out more buds and more flowers.
For this reason, it takes only a couple of years to have a really glorious iris bed. Plant the rhizomes in equilateral triangles of three about 24″ to the side. At the base, plant two rhizomes with their roots facing into the triangle; at the point plant one with its roots facing into the triangle. Plant an upside down triangle of the same size next to it. In this way you are getting a good spacing for your plants, and allowing them room to grow. You can plant a whole bed this way and if you pay attention to form, it will not only look lovely, but if you choose colors with care it can look like a living rainbow.
Bearded irises prefer a light but medium rich soil ? they sulk in clay. When you plant them you don’t want to cover the entire rhizome ? some of it should still be visible on the surface of the garden bed. Make sure that they get at least 6 hours of sun a day ? the more sun, the more they flower.
Because they grow so quickly, they will probably need dividing in about three years ? in which case you have lots to share with friends. Or, if as so many people have done, you have become addicted to these beautiful flowers, you can start another iris bed.
These flowers really do look wonderful grown in masses in beds all to themselves. If you can’t bear to devote a whole bed to a one-season flower, fill in with annuals ? the fan-like spears of foliage will look great among mounds of petunias.
But they also look great used like exclamation points in the mixed border. If you want to draw attention to some feature in your garden, plant it near a bearded iris. The leaves will draw the eye right up to what you would like us to notice even if the iris isn’t blooming. Just be sure to leave them plenty of room to expand ? unless, like I do, you enjoy digging up your plants and rearranging them in an endless round of exterior decorating.
The one thing I hear people object to in bearded irises is that the foliage sometimes turns unsightly. This shouldn’t happen if you give the plant plenty of good air circulation and make sure not to overwater it, but not to let it get bone dry. These plants tolerate drought quite well ? but don’t put them through it if you don’t need to. And when you fertilize, DON’T use nitrogen ? or at least use a low ?nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen is what leads to most of the problems you hear about with iris – avoid it and yours should sparkle! And if some of the leaves do die back, simply pull them off, or, as so many people like to do, trim the leaves into a fan shape ? they will put forth fresh, new foliage before you know it.
There probably isn’t an easier plant for creating a spectacular display than the bearded iris ? something grandma knew ? and so should you!
Debbie Van Bourgondien and “The Bulb Lady” are one and the same. For over 95 years, the Van Bourgondien family has specialized in providing high quality Dutch bulbs and perennials to discerning gardeners. Visit www.dutchbulbs.com to get a FREE subscription to their catalog.
Comments OffIn this part of the world (southern Ontario) it isn’t uncommon for people to begin craving springtime as early as February. People reach out to brighter days and warmer weather anyway they can. One of the easiest ways to satisfy this need is to purchase forced bulb plants such as crocuses, tulips, narcissus and hyacinths. Unfortunately since these plants don’t flower long enough to make it through until spring, many of us are left with several pots of dead plants by the time the first crocuses appear.
Bulb Plants That Are Commonly Forced:
These plants may be withered but they aren’t dead yet. With a little extra work you can save them and give them a second life in your garden, resulting in more value for your buck. However, they will not grow indoors again so do not attempt to force them a second time. Forcing bulbs drains their energy resources and throws them out of whack. The only bulb that can withstand a repeat performance of this process is the amaryllis (Hippeastrum).
When the flowers are dead, cut them off with a sharp pair of pruners and leave the foliage intact. Continue watering the plant as usual and be sure to keep it in a sunny area near a light source. The leaves must be able to continue producing energy through the process of photosynthesis.
When the leaves turn yellow and begin to fade, reduce watering to about half. Once the leaves have withered entirely, discontinue watering and allow the soil to dry out.
After the soil has dried out, remove the bulbs from the pot and cut off the dead foliage near the base of the bulb. Wipe the bulb clean with a dry cloth. Do not allow it to become wet again. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry and dark place such as a paper or mesh bag. There must be ample air circulation and the bulbs must remain dry or they may rot.
In the fall plant the bulbs outside in your garden or give them to someone with a garden if you don’t have one. The plant will put on a poor show the first year with undersized, few, or no blooms but should perform well the following year.
Comments OffGuest post by Beate Schwirtlich
More than any other, these tough and lovely plants signal the true ending of winter. They couldn’t be hardier, surviving frost and late snowfalls, unwiltingly waiting to open on a sunny day. But you’d never know it to look at their delicate blooms. These are no hothouse beauties. That’s why I’m so fond of them. They are not glamorous, not demanding. And they are everywhere. I don’t have any in my own garden, not yet. I just enjoy everyone elses.
Crocus is Greek for “Saffron”
Soil: Well drained soil
Light: Full or part sun
Plant: 1 inch apart, 5 inches deep
Perhaps less familiar to admirers of the crocus are the varieties that bloom in fall. Crocus Sativa is best known among these–this variety may even be considered glam. The stigmas of this crocus (three on each bloom), when harvested and dried, make the most expensive of spices, saffron.
A member of the iris family, the crocus is native to Southern Europe and Asia. Representations of this flower have been found on Egyptian heiroglyphs, frescoes, tablets and pottery excavated on the island of Crete, artifacts that date back to 1600 BC. The earliest documented gardens of the West, those of Egyptians, Greeks, and the Minoans of Crete (2100-1600 BC) all grew the crocus. The plant was native to the area, but was incorporated into the earliest gardens, which existed at that time as an extension of agriculture. It’s the valuable and useful Crocus Sativa that gets much of the attention of historians.
You don’t need too much expertise to grow these beauties. They thrive any place where winter is followed by spring, and can even be planted right in the lawn. If you choose to do this, let your grass grow uncut for a full six weeks after flowering. Don’t chop off that foliage–the plants need those six weeks to photosynthesize and store energy for the next year’s blooms.
Suggestions:
There are over a hundred varieties of this bulb. Get your hands on some, and give them a try.
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