tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81473269814263209542024-03-23T03:13:34.383-07:00Linda Cochran's GardenNotes from Froggy Bottom and beyondLindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-16836402764890272312016-09-08T07:41:00.000-07:002016-09-08T07:41:17.016-07:00Mimulus Lewisii<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNjMKkacoT_PLntFj2uKbA7TVQ27yKCQXE8pMptdWGTkNO_1Taz5GdREBM1WeMfQr0wzHEcOtREvtFRy2oq-9PkxvktkvgSB5XzLK8dd_o_BcfWCwChNa_BshCyXrT5U56z2M5uTAZyY/s1600/Mimulus+Lewisii+for+web+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNjMKkacoT_PLntFj2uKbA7TVQ27yKCQXE8pMptdWGTkNO_1Taz5GdREBM1WeMfQr0wzHEcOtREvtFRy2oq-9PkxvktkvgSB5XzLK8dd_o_BcfWCwChNa_BshCyXrT5U56z2M5uTAZyY/s400/Mimulus+Lewisii+for+web+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimulus lewisii at Paradise, Mt. Raninier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBT6_mElv75BtogtNeBcnPfS5xTCBDBUP-mdPusfsgHZGLaFQ2mVg2H-vj4KPhnFVN-iGJrkJ0OwkSnqCT9eUFpYh-EukcH5pR2BFjXo2gx0Z0nAxa7xXq3tdrTmejUIgeTvpqEh_T0E/s1600/Mimulus+Lewisii+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBT6_mElv75BtogtNeBcnPfS5xTCBDBUP-mdPusfsgHZGLaFQ2mVg2H-vj4KPhnFVN-iGJrkJ0OwkSnqCT9eUFpYh-EukcH5pR2BFjXo2gx0Z0nAxa7xXq3tdrTmejUIgeTvpqEh_T0E/s400/Mimulus+Lewisii+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Mimulus lewisii at Paradise</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQEXjBevTQU5Ij4FWJudb17rjaA5BalTlyxRrIyTAE-GTbmJ3fKJvQ_47gVtw1nuom9Z5wccT3RrF_C4jx6M4jEddxPWm0ud6HOQxaxO3XERPWDs0DLEAezIbxHHvhIlPTIQlnSkc-IU/s1600/Mimulus+lewisii+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQEXjBevTQU5Ij4FWJudb17rjaA5BalTlyxRrIyTAE-GTbmJ3fKJvQ_47gVtw1nuom9Z5wccT3RrF_C4jx6M4jEddxPWm0ud6HOQxaxO3XERPWDs0DLEAezIbxHHvhIlPTIQlnSkc-IU/s400/Mimulus+lewisii+small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimulus lewisii at Crater Lake, Oregon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IYZa6CDuX42We9EETvEytemSoMdtEIuB6Mp99BWybA3nQkamtPpHNq-xP6PLbBKieuzy4XoI9cF7JFIUrwMyhALSvY0ZokGZIFtcmlirM2WrAHUo30OCG3wLypjSnO3otCHL9l6pqZo/s1600/Mimulus+lewisii+seedling+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IYZa6CDuX42We9EETvEytemSoMdtEIuB6Mp99BWybA3nQkamtPpHNq-xP6PLbBKieuzy4XoI9cF7JFIUrwMyhALSvY0ZokGZIFtcmlirM2WrAHUo30OCG3wLypjSnO3otCHL9l6pqZo/s400/Mimulus+lewisii+seedling+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimulus lewisii seedling in my garden</td></tr>
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Many years ago, when I was first starting my old garden on Bainbridge Island, I came across some plants of Mimulus lewisii at Wells Medina Nursery, and I was at that stage of gardening when I bought all unusual plants I could find. I was warned by the nursery staff that these plants, although native to the Pacific Northwest, were tricky to grow in a garden setting. I bought them anyway, planted them in a fairly wet area of my old garden (much of it was very wet), and that was the last I saw of them. I don't really remember what happened to them, but in any event, they did not thrive. So I had thought, until very recently, that these were difficult plants in a garden setting.<br />
Recently, as you probably realize by now, I have become interested in native plants, and Mimulus lewisii is one of our most showy native plants. So I have given it another go, and I am here to report on that effort. First, I should preface this by saying that a couple of years ago I purchased three plants of a Mimulus lewisii hybrid with Mimulus cardinalis from Annie's Annuals, and I had planted them in one of the moistest spots in my new garden. They loved it there. In the second year after planting they bloomed almost all summer, although I was disappointed in the color of the blossom--it was a very pastel pink, not the darker pink of Mimulus lewisii, although the flower shape was much the same. Then, in the third year I could see that I was going to have a problem with this hybrid. Not only was it spreading aggressively from the roots, but it was also freely seeeding itself about the garden. So I bit the bullet and took all of this hybrid out of the garden. I still see seedlings of it popping up in its old location, though. <br />
Last year I came across Mimulus lewisii at Woodbrook Native Plant Nursery in Gig Harbor, Washington, and so I bought a plant and planted it in my new garden. This was a plant in a four inch pot, and not very impressive in its container. I also happened upon more of these when I was visiting Wild Ginger Farm in Oregon, and so bought three more, which I also planted in my new garden. By the way, if you ever get the chance to visit Wild Ginger Farm, it is a great place, and I highly recommend it. <br />
All of these plants did well after being planted, even though they weren't planted in particularly wet spots, although they also weren't planted in the driest areas of my garden, either. As they bloomed I noticed that the Wild Ginger Farms plants were a lighter pink, more like the hybrid, than the plant from Woodbrook Native Plant Nursery. After much googling, I found that the flower color of Mimulus lewisii can vary from light pink to dark pink, depending on its area of origin. So if you want a dark pink flower on your Mimulus lewisii, make sure it is a form which has dark pink flowers. <br />
I eventually took out all the light pink plants, leaving only the darker pink one. That one has done well and I see lots of little seedling plants of it around the mother plant. I have also found seedlings from last year which are now mature and flowering in the garden. The last picture above is of one of those seedlings. So I intend to dig up some of those seedlings and try them in different parts of the garden, particularly on the very steep slope behind my house.<br />
As you can see from the pictures above, Mimulus lewisii is a common sight at high elevations in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It tends to grow at stream edges or in very wet meadows, although I saw a lot of it at Artists Point near Mt. Baker recently growing in what looked liked gravelly areas at the side of roads, and on top of Artists Point itself. Even so, those are probably fairly moist areas due to the fact that there was probably recent snow melt in the area. In any event, I think it is safe to say that Mimulus lewisii is a moisture lover, and would probably not do well in a dry part of a garden. It also seems to grow in fairly open conditions, so I doubt it would do well in the shade of trees. Otherwise, it does not seem to be all that difficult a plant to grow in more lowland conditions. I saw some of the most attractive collections of it at Paradise, Mt. Rainier where it was growing in damp meadows, along with Castilleja parviflora, lupines, and Bird's Foot Pedicularis. I would love to get a meadow like that established in my own garden someday.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-41499311588645118242016-09-07T11:30:00.000-07:002016-09-07T11:33:08.796-07:00Louseworts, aka Pedicularis<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodFRUZpVrJtNawEbAPz3bo3AfI0atbF1pKCqcMNKaZFVR1T4YmFO3RWa9y2rR0UJww-iLYD6FGWMqaKDCBUOvsud4bSLMG0LU3H6S3N_U6-qquYDFTcFp31clXfnTC0T_nN9jA6t_eYM/s1600/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodFRUZpVrJtNawEbAPz3bo3AfI0atbF1pKCqcMNKaZFVR1T4YmFO3RWa9y2rR0UJww-iLYD6FGWMqaKDCBUOvsud4bSLMG0LU3H6S3N_U6-qquYDFTcFp31clXfnTC0T_nN9jA6t_eYM/s400/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedicularis ornithorhyncha, or bird's beak lousewort at Paradise, Mt. Rainier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX-CP7NDTDBafRNnVStmKr2Up1J9oRSzfWftLPGvMueCjMltkIZ4EmlfROFmJktIQWTuzSwJtHhJmHXQsgDYhxBJoBRAzG0LdiEdDlKY64yNAHwr5XJTu6vIVGN0R2UKg-a4RzTDEn3I/s1600/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+by+water+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX-CP7NDTDBafRNnVStmKr2Up1J9oRSzfWftLPGvMueCjMltkIZ4EmlfROFmJktIQWTuzSwJtHhJmHXQsgDYhxBJoBRAzG0LdiEdDlKY64yNAHwr5XJTu6vIVGN0R2UKg-a4RzTDEn3I/s400/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+by+water+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird's beak lousewort by a stream at Paradise, Mt. Rainier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwA8UJSbxJq8jKPC3NgXtV1EbkuJIHyTZZUb9cUAr1Lwb3QcOcwBRaBXQKoT0qEBdAUrQzSzXFxNzXGKnAnDhf3SEyT0LDrfNZmfsz_GetENUPvqQOFwKLRPbbvbJS9r1VslLCfwh4Ao/s1600/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+in+landscape+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwA8UJSbxJq8jKPC3NgXtV1EbkuJIHyTZZUb9cUAr1Lwb3QcOcwBRaBXQKoT0qEBdAUrQzSzXFxNzXGKnAnDhf3SEyT0LDrfNZmfsz_GetENUPvqQOFwKLRPbbvbJS9r1VslLCfwh4Ao/s400/Pedicularis+ornithorhyncha+in+landscape+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More bird's beak lousewort at Paradise </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBnrT9-JCEXIsgSE7vbR3HVzKafF-voOQiZ0QRcugLAFgbGNgioJidc8flcSOKnuvxsWfsXEISBBdo9BDJ9RWOnG0t4fdKt64z1v5Cuo8BKPqSKG18wQWDFMd9_0Hn8_MY0UoUfM5mtM/s1600/Pedicularis+contorta+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBnrT9-JCEXIsgSE7vbR3HVzKafF-voOQiZ0QRcugLAFgbGNgioJidc8flcSOKnuvxsWfsXEISBBdo9BDJ9RWOnG0t4fdKt64z1v5Cuo8BKPqSKG18wQWDFMd9_0Hn8_MY0UoUfM5mtM/s400/Pedicularis+contorta+for+web.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably Pedicularis contorta at Paradise</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSBBIFyRQnyrUK18XpKMMUZCRkDuAbpUDd6ICn2R-MHqjEEzecDrUA8JgSI4N7ghy1UhmnT1qh_DpOUQMZkyIrUgKRcxE-QBNabGDA90mWhFICjgwpYDor88unJe47yOD_DL6Yr97m34/s1600/Pedicularis+contorta+for+web+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSBBIFyRQnyrUK18XpKMMUZCRkDuAbpUDd6ICn2R-MHqjEEzecDrUA8JgSI4N7ghy1UhmnT1qh_DpOUQMZkyIrUgKRcxE-QBNabGDA90mWhFICjgwpYDor88unJe47yOD_DL6Yr97m34/s400/Pedicularis+contorta+for+web+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Pedicularis contorta at Paradise</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWVpa2GqiFzHpaNBbQC9AcytTnjLz4p6XvATORW8WWN9aEmCUBfiBfbmkKszUVWlXcBeWTYwh2gPt1sFlGwoUqzR-1RLQDnzsQU3X50_qB4KpEyEFUJwk8rqSsSyATQYah9z5e7nChMw/s1600/Pedicularis+groenlandica+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWVpa2GqiFzHpaNBbQC9AcytTnjLz4p6XvATORW8WWN9aEmCUBfiBfbmkKszUVWlXcBeWTYwh2gPt1sFlGwoUqzR-1RLQDnzsQU3X50_qB4KpEyEFUJwk8rqSsSyATQYah9z5e7nChMw/s400/Pedicularis+groenlandica+for+web.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedicularis groenlandica, aka elephant's head lousewort at Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier National Park</td></tr>
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I have done a fair amount of hiking this summer in both Mt. Rainier National Park and in the Olympic National Park, both of which are just a few hours drive from where I live now. One of my purposes in doing so was to see and photograph wildflowers, and in the process, I became aware of a genus that seems to me to hold great promise for the home gardener. That genus, of course, is Pedicularis, which, until this year, had been completely unknown to me.<br />
As it turns out, there are at least 8 species of Pedicularis which are native to the Pacific Northwest. A listing of these can be found <a href="http://www.pnwflowers.com/browse/genus/pedicularis">here</a>. And a review of those species reveals that almost all of them are very striking plants. In particular, Pedicularis groenlandica is very showy. I have posted above, as the last image, an iPhone photo I got of this in a marshy meadow at Reflection Lakes in Mt. Rainier National Park. This was taken at the end of the flowering period for these, so even though there were many of them at that location, I was only able to get the one shot you see above. However, if you want to see more amazing images of these plants, here is a good <a href="http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Pink%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/pedicularis%20groenlandica.htm">link</a>. This plant is found in the high mountains of western North America, and in Canada and Greenland (hence the name groenlandica). It grows in moist marshy areas.<br />
These plants are in the Orobanche (commonly referred to as broomrape) family, and they are parasitic or hemiparisitic on other plants. It is probably the case that these Pedicularis are hemiparasitic in the same way that castillejas are hemiparasitic; that is, their roots gain nutrients from the roots of nearby plants. It is for this reason, probably, that they have not been cultivated much in gardens, just like castillejas have not been cultivated much in gardens. But as we saw in my earlier <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2016/07/castillejas.html">entry on castillejas</a>, castillejas have proven to be amenable to cultivation, so why not Pedicularis? Indeed, I have uncovered various protocols online for growing Pedicularis from seed, including one <a href="https://courses.washington.edu/esrm412/protocols/PEGR2.pdf">here</a>.<br />
These plants are showy enough, it seems to me, that even if great care must be taken to get them to grow from seed in the home garden, such care would be warranted. I can remember when Dactylorhizas were considered difficult to grow and hard to find. Not so any more, simply because gardeners have taken up their cause and lo and behold, it turns out they are not so difficult after all. And many of the Pedicularises rival Dactylorhizas in showiness.<br />
I recently acquired seed of some Pedicularis from <a href="http://www.hardyplants.com/flower/Pedicularis.html">Specialty Perrennials Seeds</a>, and I intend to directly sow the seeds into some moist beds I have in my garden. I can only hope that at least some of them come up!Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-56800786773817954982016-08-30T14:27:00.000-07:002016-08-30T14:27:11.107-07:00Leave Room In Your Garden For Annuals!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo49fQsJwZDgJT8kSMnf2W8F-IInOpvA1jDDSxetPsTybx8QwqZThFAqxd-r-rHu0u-TKer1aDFz3dSItarkBr5b0BjeQqiNHfJ9B98zE-r5oRumrhPs01AumDaDzO04oyYEDs3XEtAms/s1600/New+border+with+annuals+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo49fQsJwZDgJT8kSMnf2W8F-IInOpvA1jDDSxetPsTybx8QwqZThFAqxd-r-rHu0u-TKer1aDFz3dSItarkBr5b0BjeQqiNHfJ9B98zE-r5oRumrhPs01AumDaDzO04oyYEDs3XEtAms/s400/New+border+with+annuals+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New border in my garden with annual echiums and Ursinia anthemoides</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvS8msv7MtQ5ewPLHcM48EDj1ZB3q7d4hbEIjiJA0C6k68qspOYPXslyKwmryidvx9UESmBenjsyKe2cS06wpv7VHKasBXHuYC0WqYuiM6byAYO4MDYR9bhYlj0r9PM3taSP0dMdqAiM/s1600/Clarkias+in+the+garden+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvS8msv7MtQ5ewPLHcM48EDj1ZB3q7d4hbEIjiJA0C6k68qspOYPXslyKwmryidvx9UESmBenjsyKe2cS06wpv7VHKasBXHuYC0WqYuiM6byAYO4MDYR9bhYlj0r9PM3taSP0dMdqAiM/s400/Clarkias+in+the+garden+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self sown Clarkia unguiculata in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG9PvH2P6O9xb1cekQW2N_3RyRjGQatzEo-6zqi8xENouacitGdAkDPyuZyJvx1_czNd9ondeRd1s7CsZEclZ099WNyRp10hfMaj2ZnaI3pfO3pMWpvdzhz-TrP_z8_DGyfvwPFtTHEU/s1600/Orange+Wallflower+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG9PvH2P6O9xb1cekQW2N_3RyRjGQatzEo-6zqi8xENouacitGdAkDPyuZyJvx1_czNd9ondeRd1s7CsZEclZ099WNyRp10hfMaj2ZnaI3pfO3pMWpvdzhz-TrP_z8_DGyfvwPFtTHEU/s400/Orange+Wallflower+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchusa capensis and self sown wallflowers in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FvHwyPH4JMt5DhbbkuRpYpftW2U7oOhaHtULPS84Ogv5Zzi7Hvg7JTmNOuiKvaILHzLcVyrtFR-VU6RYlnW0REff9Y0JmsC91h-sRwSmFivQHqYO8TVCKTWBlYRZWBYXxp1_FkYcj6Y/s1600/Collinsia+heterophylla+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FvHwyPH4JMt5DhbbkuRpYpftW2U7oOhaHtULPS84Ogv5Zzi7Hvg7JTmNOuiKvaILHzLcVyrtFR-VU6RYlnW0REff9Y0JmsC91h-sRwSmFivQHqYO8TVCKTWBlYRZWBYXxp1_FkYcj6Y/s400/Collinsia+heterophylla+for+web.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collinsia heterophylla in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzzyjnZ3-TjdppEBqGSBZVZ8SeKXQlvI7HCVddsb63eXo1XUISxQ8AtlOWyW3TL-f9C-0ghuwCM9qDVaeVhd9vTIqfYzcSqWc_xev1QW8Uv2pDzbsT6rvijpwyBk7DC0yWyMYhJGq7To/s1600/Phacelia+campanulata+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzzyjnZ3-TjdppEBqGSBZVZ8SeKXQlvI7HCVddsb63eXo1XUISxQ8AtlOWyW3TL-f9C-0ghuwCM9qDVaeVhd9vTIqfYzcSqWc_xev1QW8Uv2pDzbsT6rvijpwyBk7DC0yWyMYhJGq7To/s400/Phacelia+campanulata+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phacelia campanulata in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv0ua0SEF5J_itKOBYCWczOKgN3EKQxozA298plj8hzUXUxs6VF_nedUNNrQ6C1tTH4Hj9jf_zpL-yWxlh277wwQx8d50qnTVAx1oRTEVHInheBqTS3uyfzJKscxjS00wO1PnSpaabrk/s1600/Flower+Tapestry+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv0ua0SEF5J_itKOBYCWczOKgN3EKQxozA298plj8hzUXUxs6VF_nedUNNrQ6C1tTH4Hj9jf_zpL-yWxlh277wwQx8d50qnTVAx1oRTEVHInheBqTS3uyfzJKscxjS00wO1PnSpaabrk/s400/Flower+Tapestry+for+web.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self sown California poppies and echiums in my garden (along with some alstroemerias)</td></tr>
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One way in which my gardening style has changed over the years is that I am much more open to serendipidy in the garden. It used to be, when I first started gardening, I planned everything out in my head, and then I adhered to the gardening adage that used to be in vogue, particularly with respect to English style gardens, that no bare soil should show in a garden. I no longer think that way of planting is the way to go. Ever since I discovered the joy of annuals, particularly annuals grown from either self sowers or by sowing purchased seed directly in the garden, I have seen that there is a need to have some bare space in a garden. Otherwise, where would there be room for annuals?<br />
And the great thing about annuals is that you can acquire mass quantities of plants for only the price of seed, that you can drastically change the look of the garden from year to year, and even from season to season, and that you can be free to experiment. Furthermore, by using annuals you do not have to buy large more permanent plants to cover bare spots, but instead can simply sow annual seeds in those bare spots while you wait for your permanent plants to grow.<br />
In the top picture above, there is an image of a bed in my new garden that I just prepared this year. I took up some sod to make it and added a lot of the compost/sand mix that I have been using in my garden. I then planted some more permanent plants in the bed, such as restios, a Tiger Eyes sumac, some Blue Leap agapanthus, and some penstemons. There still was a lot of bare space, so I took some seed of Ursinia anthemoides (an orange flowered daisy from South Africa which I previously blogged about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2014/06/orange-is-new-white-aka-ursinia_27.html">here</a>), and an Echium plantangineum Rose Bedder that I had gotten from <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/echium/echium-rose-bedder.html">Outside Pride</a>, and sprinkled it over the area. That is all I did. I did not add anything over the top, nor did I press the seed into the ground. Anyway, the plants came up like gangbusters, and the only thing I have had to do since is thin the seedlings a few times, and make sure the area is weeded. I did all this quite late in the season--probably in June, but the flowers are now coming into bloom in a very gratifying way. The Rose Bedder Echium is not very rose, but that does not really matter to the look I was going after. Anyway, this experience tells me that in our climate, with its very long growing season, annuals can be sowed in waves--some early and some late--to get a continuous wave of color in the garden.<br />
I am particularly taken with the more wild annuals, not the lumpy tame looking ones so often found in nurseries. In this I have been greatly influenced by <a href="https://www.anniesannuals.com/">Annie's Annuals</a>. Some of the ones I am particularly fond of include California poppies of various colors, Ursinia anthemoides, Collinsia heterophylla (a California native pictured above), Phacelia campanularia which I previously blogged about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2016/08/phacelia-campanularia.html">here</a>, clarkias of various sorts, and Anchusa capensis (which may technically be perennial, but acts like an annual here). I will be writing a separate blog post about Anchusa capensis soon. Two of my favorite sources for annual seeds are <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/">Larner Seeds</a>, which specializes in California native seeds, and <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/">Outside Pride</a>, an Oregon seed company which carries a wide range of annuals. Both companies send large amounts of seed in each packet, which I cannot say about all seed companies. Also, <a href="http://www.seedhunt.com/">Seedhunt</a> is another good source, particularly for California native seed. There are many other seed companies, and sometimes it pays to just spend some time googling them, which is what I often do to while away the time while I am drinking coffee in the morning.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-65095282840338589522016-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:002016-09-07T08:05:09.940-07:00A Trio of Late Summer Alliums<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfNtftv5NvD6SVEk6pMocpmqZkXJdQS_ISytSOviPlGeyXjKiorvNQSG_u4VaWKVBVYfVMwk00NTL59Wb0LGiP1NMNR2L9hu7Eqj_EegTtaLDWlWepRzXpEGTfDEKIuQVA2QtytpIC-Y/s1600/Allium+Summer+Pink+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfNtftv5NvD6SVEk6pMocpmqZkXJdQS_ISytSOviPlGeyXjKiorvNQSG_u4VaWKVBVYfVMwk00NTL59Wb0LGiP1NMNR2L9hu7Eqj_EegTtaLDWlWepRzXpEGTfDEKIuQVA2QtytpIC-Y/s400/Allium+Summer+Pink+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium 'Summer Pink'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteXQpBTJykAREu5kbp4sTx7cVnbkqxFpUk42zTPZQxEIxSIX8VdmUGWb3P-Dd2QpWxyKh5f_mIwniLhjBCXqwRhs85rLDwGGqsGnXH6d52qiaHOneRjUWXr5a-5MWxfy2rg6seU3HCas/s1600/Allium+Millenium+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteXQpBTJykAREu5kbp4sTx7cVnbkqxFpUk42zTPZQxEIxSIX8VdmUGWb3P-Dd2QpWxyKh5f_mIwniLhjBCXqwRhs85rLDwGGqsGnXH6d52qiaHOneRjUWXr5a-5MWxfy2rg6seU3HCas/s400/Allium+Millenium+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium Millenium</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX-Zn5cPmugQWmnbEw0A8nol1c8GHVd57ijsScL0nVXIXXu8Io72iucH-mj8NzMPByD2CnMZibwdXKeFyXWZJYmI4nwoA2aO6G0tdhQ2M7X4F3sYFWqIaIUmFHIppC9lYKb8ihTQBx-w/s1600/Allium+August+Confection+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX-Zn5cPmugQWmnbEw0A8nol1c8GHVd57ijsScL0nVXIXXu8Io72iucH-mj8NzMPByD2CnMZibwdXKeFyXWZJYmI4nwoA2aO6G0tdhQ2M7X4F3sYFWqIaIUmFHIppC9lYKb8ihTQBx-w/s400/Allium+August+Confection+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium 'August Confection'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSUBs87d5Xo-Qh7FxdiA8GAKMyhgZtC6ubhoeZgZt1EHhw0u-AeSIDTEDIPpNiI3agIDR17wRHNAQaQyJWz2XsWdxpZkDVg_F0rTY2oIA3wGSNQSSjWUyk62Dnkw_U8j2yIMwZsRbvO0/s1600/Allium+August+Confection+in+Landscape+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSUBs87d5Xo-Qh7FxdiA8GAKMyhgZtC6ubhoeZgZt1EHhw0u-AeSIDTEDIPpNiI3agIDR17wRHNAQaQyJWz2XsWdxpZkDVg_F0rTY2oIA3wGSNQSSjWUyk62Dnkw_U8j2yIMwZsRbvO0/s400/Allium+August+Confection+in+Landscape+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium 'August Confection' in the landscape</td></tr>
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Since moving to my new garden I have become quite interested in some of the smaller, late summer flowering alliums. I believe I had grown some of these in my old garden, but they kind of got lost there--it was a much bigger garden than my present one, and it had generally wetter and shadier conditions than I have here. I acquired 2 of these last summer from <a href="http://www.farreachesfarm.com/Allium-s/2129.htm">Far Reaches</a>, 'August Confection' and 'Summer Pink', and I planted them in the driest part of my garden. So far I have been quite impressed with how well they have handled drought conditions, and with how good they look with everything I have planted them with. Their foliage is a nice clean green or bluish green, and it compliments the flowers very nicely. That is something you can't say about many alliums!<br />
Anyway, in my reading about plants I had come across glowing descriptions of another allium, Allium 'Millenium', and it sounded pretty good, so this spring I ordered three plants of this one from High Country Gardens. So, while I don't have a long experience with growing this allium, I can report that it seems to grow very similarly to the other two, and its flowers seem to be larger than those of the other two and they seem to last longer. This makes it a winner in my book, and I plan to order more of Allium 'Millenium' in the spring. 'Millenium' is now widely grown by many of the national mail order nurseries, so it is widely available, as a google search will reveal.<br />
I should point out that all three of these alliums come from the allium king, Mark McDonough. You can read a little something about him in this 2007 <a href="http://www.hortmag.com/plants/plant-profiles/a_man_obsessed_with_alliums">article from Horticulture</a>. As that article notes, there are many late summer and fall blooming alliums, and most gardeners do not seem to be aware of their existence. I myself would like to learn more about this group of alliums, and would like to grow more of them. They certainly do provide a punch of color to a late summer dry garden, when there is often not much going on.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-42437149682395510552016-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:002016-08-15T08:34:18.349-07:00Erigeron Glaucus 'Wayne Roderick"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJExKuMWNhwFuSyQXePYwZCLtSmA8331Hc6SgEZEWm02qFtRycIA38hCqb-LL9U9yjrgaTQxfyFhYs9iDeAHQ2JiJBEcAFb4w5DflIBDsR2obxuOZhP1jXS8e-Oao_FiznJ2U8m_PFqk/s1600/Erigeron+glaucus+Wayne+Roderick+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJExKuMWNhwFuSyQXePYwZCLtSmA8331Hc6SgEZEWm02qFtRycIA38hCqb-LL9U9yjrgaTQxfyFhYs9iDeAHQ2JiJBEcAFb4w5DflIBDsR2obxuOZhP1jXS8e-Oao_FiznJ2U8m_PFqk/s400/Erigeron+glaucus+Wayne+Roderick+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' in my garden</td></tr>
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There are a few plants that I have resolved to buy many more of for next year in my garden. Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' is one of those. For the curious, the others are Allium 'Millenium', which I will have an entry about soon, and Agastache 'Sonoran Sunset' which I wrote about not too long ago in this blog. Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' is a form of a California native seaside daisy. It grows with an evergreen base of foliage, fairly low to the ground, and then the daisies themselves are about a foot high over the foliage. The evergreen base is supposed to be utlimately about 2 to 3 feet in diameter. According to the blurb from <a href="https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=3214">Annie's Annuals</a> this plant is tough, easy, deer resistant, drought tolerant, and attractive to native bees. What more could you ask for?<br />
I have now grown this plant for two years, and I find it lives up to that hype. If the flowers are deadheaded it blooms all summer. It's evergreen base stays nice and neat all year round. Its flowers, while not the stars of the garden, are very pleasing secondary players in the garden, mixing well with other plants and colors. In my previous garden I had grown an erigeron that I have now forgetten the name of. It was not this one, though, and I concluded then that it was too weedy. For that reason I had steered clear of erigerons until now. 'Wayne Roderick' has made me change my mind about this group of plants, and I may grow some others in the future. One is particular that I am looking at is Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All'. This is a form of Pacific Northwest native with darker purple flowers. Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-21909090931049480812016-08-09T10:30:00.000-07:002016-08-09T15:51:11.695-07:00Lomatium Columbianum<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7KFsklOr-ZIleVMaeF1h1md4JAfj9y60VQxQtvvWL_XHT0PScCWsl-V2Etlo-W3Y39YwS403K5Gr7RYL1rjIpq5EPSQcxEf2hr2LsatBATptAO2k4rcx6QIz5PaoU36urrtvnPTneM/s1600/Lomatium+columbianum+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7KFsklOr-ZIleVMaeF1h1md4JAfj9y60VQxQtvvWL_XHT0PScCWsl-V2Etlo-W3Y39YwS403K5Gr7RYL1rjIpq5EPSQcxEf2hr2LsatBATptAO2k4rcx6QIz5PaoU36urrtvnPTneM/s400/Lomatium+columbianum+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lomatium columbianum plants at Rowena, near the Dalles, Oregon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQUp7OaiA6w3BstoiDbs6kcernkexHs1ILAOigwVmK88edOFxRtSYRcyhokCl2PYTXyS0e7OScoks-E3RQC-QhpL14xPd0gBXIaVmKdShdGWfl-sboIVz8HzWtiqsuXVYSdypeAS5cHM/s1600/Path+Through+Lomatium+Columbianum+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQUp7OaiA6w3BstoiDbs6kcernkexHs1ILAOigwVmK88edOFxRtSYRcyhokCl2PYTXyS0e7OScoks-E3RQC-QhpL14xPd0gBXIaVmKdShdGWfl-sboIVz8HzWtiqsuXVYSdypeAS5cHM/s400/Path+Through+Lomatium+Columbianum+for+web.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path through Lomatium columbianum plants with balsam root and lupines at Rowena</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0rXeyodSMprAHnJjF_Br2_8RSlRiEILwz4iBf3dpwkF70_eOFl90_UMTLarRffhNac9sKJG30Tib_jK4A6UKJxntp2WptNDRARWGl_6gEd_e4Qyryo8hLAdJZOGNVMhdhve6sYqnKSk/s1600/Lomatium+columbianum+seedheads+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0rXeyodSMprAHnJjF_Br2_8RSlRiEILwz4iBf3dpwkF70_eOFl90_UMTLarRffhNac9sKJG30Tib_jK4A6UKJxntp2WptNDRARWGl_6gEd_e4Qyryo8hLAdJZOGNVMhdhve6sYqnKSk/s400/Lomatium+columbianum+seedheads+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lomatium columbianum seedheads</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg072Z5xEKyIYbmmHh-HryJ7RgU4jO1HBeSi6Yn_-e99ebn_7lJslBJHGsaInaijiFuBGsl28btxyVXEcx4HkMw68N0ALsdSgG4oYt3YeqFUH_ulpBxOcVXtzyTVuRBwk_R3PpTr9tjTa8/s1600/Lomatium+Columbianum+Flower+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg072Z5xEKyIYbmmHh-HryJ7RgU4jO1HBeSi6Yn_-e99ebn_7lJslBJHGsaInaijiFuBGsl28btxyVXEcx4HkMw68N0ALsdSgG4oYt3YeqFUH_ulpBxOcVXtzyTVuRBwk_R3PpTr9tjTa8/s400/Lomatium+Columbianum+Flower+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lomatium columbianum flowers</td></tr>
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One of the native plants of which I am currently enamored is Lomatium columbianum, aka the Columbia Desert Parsley. This plant is endemic to the easterly parts of the Columbia gorge, meaning that is only place in the world in which it is naturally found. It can be seen in great abundance if one visits Rowena, near the Dalles Oregon when the wildflowers are blooming. A description of Rowena can be found <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/oregon/placesweprotect/tom-mccall-preserve-at-rowena.xml">here</a>. I visited there this last April when the balsam root and lupines were in bloom, but as you can see from the images above, taken during that trip, this lomatium was pretty much through blooming by that time. So, it can be concluded that this Lomatium comes up relatively early in the spring and finishes blooming well before many other springtime plants. It has probably adopted this strategy because it grows in a fairly arid climate, and it grows and blooms when there is adequate moisture, and then, like many of our western natives, it goes dormant for the summer.<br />
In my opinion this plant is one of our most beautiful native plants, and it puzzles me why it is not more commonly offered for sale. It is not a difficult plant to grow, but it does require well drained soil, and it does have a growth habit that requires some advanced planning in deciding where to grow it. This growth habit is as I have already mentioned, i.e., it starts its growth early and then goes dormant in the summer, meaning it disappears from the garden in the summer. Furthermore, as you can see from the pictures above, a mature plant of this is not tiny. It can be up to a couple of feet tall and several feet in diameter. So one must plan for an ultimately large plant, which then leaves a bare spot in the garden. This growth habit, however is not unique to this Lomatium. Ferula communis, the giant fennel,which is a much more commonly grown plant (also in the same family as Lomatium columbianum) from the Mediterranean has a similar growth pattern, yet that does not deter people from growing it (or maybe it does). One just has to figure out plants which will fill in the holes left by the Lomatium's dormancy. Possibilities are various annuals or various bulbs. such as Tigridias. Indeed, if one has successfully grown Ferula communis, then I would surmise that one can successfully grow Lomatium columbianum, and in much the same conditions.<br />
As you can see from the pictures above, one of the most striking things about this plant is its very blue, feathery foliage. Even if it never flowered, its foliage alone would make it worth growing. The flowers, in my opinion are a bonus, and the fact that they are (usually) a deep, dark pink is the icing on the cake. The picture of the flower in my image above is not a very good one, because the flowering season was almost over when I took it. If you google this plant, you will be treated to many better images of the flowers, some of which can be found <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/codiferous/sets/72157632534786811/">here</a>. I have been told that the flower color can be somewhat variable. Some of the flowers are a deep rich magenta, almost, while others can be a washed out pink. So I would hope some aspiring plant breeders could perhaps develop a strain of darker flowered Lomatium columbianums for the good of mankind!<br />
I have grown this plant for a few years now in my garden. They can be acquired from <a href="http://www.farreachesfarm.com/Lomatium-columbianum-p/p0656.htm">Far Reaches</a> and from <a href="http://www.humblerootsnursery.com/#!plants/md1ey">Humble Roots Nursery</a>. They are also grown by <a href="http://www.sevenoaksnativenursery.com/">Seven Oaks Native Nursery</a>, a wholesale native plant nursery in Albany, Oregon. I have found that it takes them several years in the ground to reach maturity, so one must be patient. That was also my experience with the Ferula which I mentioned above. Also, as I mentioned above, they should be planted in full sun in well drained soil. They should also be protected from slugs when they first come up, since the slugs can devour all their new growth overnight, it seems. <br />
<br />Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-18511870327553288992016-08-03T11:00:00.000-07:002016-08-03T11:00:08.890-07:00Agastache cana 'Sinning' (aka 'Sonoran Sunset')<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQwDsJxaocf7Q1l58E90-Fisz7mR-CoqjgNGpzBuFkv54dCu1xm3eEOH46elnt0AAqH0_QaBtMoUiZmBf66AQNa1j1E0LPht9lbVpxGbla8cl-J8Kd5gggaN4dt5oBfXX1jLsKgY-6Uw/s1600/Agastache+Sonoran+Sunset+2+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQwDsJxaocf7Q1l58E90-Fisz7mR-CoqjgNGpzBuFkv54dCu1xm3eEOH46elnt0AAqH0_QaBtMoUiZmBf66AQNa1j1E0LPht9lbVpxGbla8cl-J8Kd5gggaN4dt5oBfXX1jLsKgY-6Uw/s400/Agastache+Sonoran+Sunset+2+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agastache cana 'Sinning' (aka Sonoran Sunset) in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9N0GTxVaQ3UJU6Ir16J_NdR9_-3vcGJx6Rt-4wHiPOJBNW6BhbXaDfqG5o2JXXaqK439gwcPzIr9vlKG1jWWZmvQ2j5Wrnq8CxLOOMwr5S-PSCiYjRouRyoAno66MOyHODLAGn8l3rEM/s1600/Agastache+Sonoran+Sunset+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9N0GTxVaQ3UJU6Ir16J_NdR9_-3vcGJx6Rt-4wHiPOJBNW6BhbXaDfqG5o2JXXaqK439gwcPzIr9vlKG1jWWZmvQ2j5Wrnq8CxLOOMwr5S-PSCiYjRouRyoAno66MOyHODLAGn8l3rEM/s400/Agastache+Sonoran+Sunset+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wider view with an unknown Echinacea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIXPogDABAVgAw74jHhKMZaNSkMX-c3u0N_t-fZj4UOyZ63jLZck0OSBo7_XLuzRjp7jta3rE2pzRAQGSwyr6bDe_dlyMCVguN-hTtYMae8YdyakuCot_R5yNkIc4uvDnAnpq1iZSq9o/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIXPogDABAVgAw74jHhKMZaNSkMX-c3u0N_t-fZj4UOyZ63jLZck0OSBo7_XLuzRjp7jta3rE2pzRAQGSwyr6bDe_dlyMCVguN-hTtYMae8YdyakuCot_R5yNkIc4uvDnAnpq1iZSq9o/s400/IMG_2738.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An even wider view with delphiniums, melianthus and restio</td></tr>
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I have grown quite a few agastaches over the years, and I even bloggged about one previously, <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2013/06/agastache-rasberry-summer.html">here</a>. I have planted several agastaches in my new garden since they fit in with the look I am going for, they are drought tolerant, and deer resistant. Also, the hummingbirds like them and that is always a plus. I should add that my new garden is completely open to whatever critters we might have around here, which include not only deer, but rabbits, coyotes, bear, raccoons, bobcats, and even mountain lions. Not that most of those will eat my plants, but the deer and rabbits certainly are a threat. So plants which critters do not like are also a plus, and generally they do not bother agastaches.<br />
The particular agastache I am talking about here is Agastache cana 'Sinning' (aka 'Sonoran Sunset'). This is a Plant Select plant, and you can read what they have to say about it <a href="http://plantselect.org/plant/agastache-cana-sinning-pp-13-673/">here</a>. I acquired three of these late last summer from <a href="http://www.fbts.com/">Flowers By The Sea</a>, a mail order nursery specializing in salvias, and also other plants which hummingbirds like. I should mention that they send very good plants, and are to be recommended. A quick google search reveals that there are a number of other mail order nurseries which also carry this agastache. It could be sold either under the name 'Sinning' or the name 'Sonoran Sunset'.<br />
Although I do not recommend planting these sorts of dryland plants here in the fall, these did quite well over the winter. Their foliage stayed good, practically unblemished (although we had a mild winter, so this might not be the case in a colder winter), and once spring arrived and they started to grow, their foliage continued to look good. I should mention that good foliage is not something agastaches are generally known for. They made full, relatively compact shrub like growth, and now they are putting on their floral show, and, as you can see from the images above, it is a good show. So, I have to conclude, based admittedly on my very short experience with this plant, that it is the best agastache ever! Hopefully I will not have to eat my words based on further experience.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-76874250222463371122016-08-01T17:06:00.000-07:002016-08-01T17:06:41.569-07:00Phacelia campanularia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGE6vxrzGzE9w2wiaw1Ya6-hA1UO8_ZUFjKF4ec8eeNP9vOlbb-7feDPLtKO98o2tZ0w7wrn0smovJIIz1KkL5ZKE_TNqPN0DUNw_9KvzD2_TiTd0Rbbm4ZYLvVS9ADjhnXAyGUuXfPM/s1600/Phacelia+campanularia+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGE6vxrzGzE9w2wiaw1Ya6-hA1UO8_ZUFjKF4ec8eeNP9vOlbb-7feDPLtKO98o2tZ0w7wrn0smovJIIz1KkL5ZKE_TNqPN0DUNw_9KvzD2_TiTd0Rbbm4ZYLvVS9ADjhnXAyGUuXfPM/s400/Phacelia+campanularia+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phacelia campanularia in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phacelia campanularia in Joshua Tree National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phacelia campanularia with other wildflowers in Joshua Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers in Joshua Tree near Cottonwood Springs with Phacelia campanularia (the blue flowers)</td></tr>
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I have been growing more and more annuals in my garden, mostly west coast natives, and one that I particularly like is Phacelia campanularia. This is a California native, found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. While there are many Phacelias native to the west coast, and while I have not seen them all, of those that I am familiar with, P. campanularia seems to me to be the most attractive. It sports electric blue flowers, which, on a well grown plant, pretty much cover it, making it really pop in the landscape, as you can see from the images above of it growing in Joshua Tree National Park. I have grown one other Phacelia, P. viscida, but I find campanularia to be the more attractive plant, both by reason of its flowers as well as its growth habit. Viscida is not bad, but campanularia is better. Also, viscida has proven to be a prolific self sower in my garden, so much so that some would call it a nuisance.<br />
I must make a confession here, though, and that is that so far I have not been very successful with this plant. The one you see in the picture at the top that bloomed in my garden constitutes the sum total of my success with it. I have come to the conclusion that this is because this plant does not really like to grow in pots, and when it is transplanted from a pot it never gets its roots properly established to perform well. I have recently sown seeds of this and they readily germinate, given water, and so I am experimenting with how they do grown from seeds directly sown in the garden. I will let you know how that goes.<br />
As for the growing conditions that Phacelia campanularia likes, I would guess that well drained soil in full sun would be best. However, in order to get the plants going from seed, some water needs to be applied. Since these are annuals, and since in their natural habitat they sprout, grow, flower and die in a very short time period, I think they probably can be sowed several times in our climate for successive flowerings. My guess is that they would not appreciate a very humid climate, but this is only a guess. <br />
Plants of this can be purchased from <a href="https://www.anniesannuals.com/">Annie's Annuals</a> and I have also seen them at <a href="http://www.xeraplants.com/Xeraplants.com/Xeraplants.com_1.html">Xera Plants</a> in Portland, Oregon. Seeds can be gotten from <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/product/desert-bluebells">Larner Seeds</a> and <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/california-bluebell-wildflower-seed.html">Outside Pride</a>.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-81224611104750858222016-07-25T08:29:00.002-07:002016-07-25T08:29:28.023-07:00Native Plants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balsamroot and lupines at Columbia Hills State Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower tapestry including castillejas and penstemons at Johnston Ridge, Mt. St. Helens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower field at Johnston Ridge, Mt. St. Helens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower field at Crater Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCAnVOYEYrTMZpyDfaVsIiJeu56azGM5YsgUhXu8XNDTXvgJQ68YcysNI3NRsoRswPI-dP1ibFrunSG_hnShpckUELo8Unat_SmW7KnjYZVPU6K1tZzuJkKrbDqyMWBFfWXDtD2hEryc/s1600/Scene+from+Columbia+Hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCAnVOYEYrTMZpyDfaVsIiJeu56azGM5YsgUhXu8XNDTXvgJQ68YcysNI3NRsoRswPI-dP1ibFrunSG_hnShpckUELo8Unat_SmW7KnjYZVPU6K1tZzuJkKrbDqyMWBFfWXDtD2hEryc/s400/Scene+from+Columbia+Hills.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phlox, lupines, and balsamroot at Columbia Hills State Park</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNMZYgcLxGCnBuFIuZJRSGR47_HaU7QsENEwh5E4SYSkFLnQ0DLw_o2sKQSNZnCCnJ1K2MKz21hTuocAq_jHzNYdICEMUcJW4mubGVWBH9E6x6oYJsJCLDP0fNFHEUoHBNeDKdKYNjsI/s1600/Castillleja+and+Penstemons+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNMZYgcLxGCnBuFIuZJRSGR47_HaU7QsENEwh5E4SYSkFLnQ0DLw_o2sKQSNZnCCnJ1K2MKz21hTuocAq_jHzNYdICEMUcJW4mubGVWBH9E6x6oYJsJCLDP0fNFHEUoHBNeDKdKYNjsI/s400/Castillleja+and+Penstemons+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penstemons and castillejas at Crater Lake</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNHWWdx-23tEOiUms35UJy5K_eLquY6rTNByj8W_FYebomG7U6Eh4hRW67Dqn4jouNJ5YizQz1jFpgGUJh8msjiaAltz0bza0gMzyoojmoFg9XyOXglz3glwCBq7pSAjq0qKSkXYr99w/s1600/Lewisia+rediviva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNHWWdx-23tEOiUms35UJy5K_eLquY6rTNByj8W_FYebomG7U6Eh4hRW67Dqn4jouNJ5YizQz1jFpgGUJh8msjiaAltz0bza0gMzyoojmoFg9XyOXglz3glwCBq7pSAjq0qKSkXYr99w/s400/Lewisia+rediviva.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lewisia rediviva in my garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKA9t_rQe1AIHqarY4MkIUyWmSaNoDcyPXGX7fuFInp5ejTtKIBo93k5Yo-y22FnZyiYcqub4sfx6qlL4gcUp-vnn4MX1VfZ5RgrXcEExpAwjffQ3_G8xUC5S4V0GFqaq7mWZFN3ta6p8/s1600/Wildflower+tapestry+3+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKA9t_rQe1AIHqarY4MkIUyWmSaNoDcyPXGX7fuFInp5ejTtKIBo93k5Yo-y22FnZyiYcqub4sfx6qlL4gcUp-vnn4MX1VfZ5RgrXcEExpAwjffQ3_G8xUC5S4V0GFqaq7mWZFN3ta6p8/s400/Wildflower+tapestry+3+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower tapestry at Johnston Ridge, Mt. St. Helens</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5bzLTOuOW5RC2acHJ3EHvOhn1Sm522lS-GJzNcn-NZGPmMB5xv6-q4WXLEH13rw2vTGpUx4ByTGjsl4HtSZKP9R2sD9dLenRxv2kJJr3GOOnDYD3_LaEbDx2cDayj7x2fF2nbArHqwg/s1600/Calochortus+in+field+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5bzLTOuOW5RC2acHJ3EHvOhn1Sm522lS-GJzNcn-NZGPmMB5xv6-q4WXLEH13rw2vTGpUx4ByTGjsl4HtSZKP9R2sD9dLenRxv2kJJr3GOOnDYD3_LaEbDx2cDayj7x2fF2nbArHqwg/s400/Calochortus+in+field+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus on the John Day River, Oregon</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_rQCZpO9jz06Rgob2uRMbkq-4DP9yIvWWwbb7dt1ojMfDug6je1Ov8gXR-n3nCe4EjibUkotTUx7flr8KnBLQEEnpSZJV3YenF3Fvh00ENXxI8aM9gF4nR5G4mzHt0pd6sD1znlIkcw/s1600/Calochortus+sharpened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_rQCZpO9jz06Rgob2uRMbkq-4DP9yIvWWwbb7dt1ojMfDug6je1Ov8gXR-n3nCe4EjibUkotTUx7flr8KnBLQEEnpSZJV3YenF3Fvh00ENXxI8aM9gF4nR5G4mzHt0pd6sD1znlIkcw/s400/Calochortus+sharpened.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close Up of Calochortus on the John Day River</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0SA_jvbFDmJ0qYaveFsAoc8VhppE7cMPDI6JE44a_nVlqVLbZ79arQi-XYS5PA1Hl5S4HExc7UYJA5Dq9sRkQ8KXciy_LKwAeMKJLEy6b7oWKhf-77bqG737R-rZ1dvtMuTt79g9TVY/s1600/Castilleja+and+Balsamroot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0SA_jvbFDmJ0qYaveFsAoc8VhppE7cMPDI6JE44a_nVlqVLbZ79arQi-XYS5PA1Hl5S4HExc7UYJA5Dq9sRkQ8KXciy_LKwAeMKJLEy6b7oWKhf-77bqG737R-rZ1dvtMuTt79g9TVY/s400/Castilleja+and+Balsamroot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castillejas, balsamroot and delphiniums at Rowena near The Dalles, Oregon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TtyvKUdiFMK8r-jmlm6H1qGg9marD5jLrbDE7lr_Tprl2deic7rLlifBJOEljtudkvKPG5UAYrWiROqCkvDlo4x5Zs3JHJmB9_wjTYS-yfHgKIVv-eDEyIjYSDH1NvVudijJ9-HQcQg/s1600/Lupines+and+Balsamroot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TtyvKUdiFMK8r-jmlm6H1qGg9marD5jLrbDE7lr_Tprl2deic7rLlifBJOEljtudkvKPG5UAYrWiROqCkvDlo4x5Zs3JHJmB9_wjTYS-yfHgKIVv-eDEyIjYSDH1NvVudijJ9-HQcQg/s400/Lupines+and+Balsamroot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupines and Balsamroot at Rowena</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWSWW2pBq74xNCi2B4iX5PWPdKxemziPUhThALovSz_kaQ14VSDiLdfEHOkYNSW-mW417etsq4uKQOy5czA6fqbkH2_kA-15RDKhimxp8hVtoRNUTdy-Iu-1EJwlhG5Hyrtjyeigrjz4/s1600/Dichelostemma+Pink+Diamond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWSWW2pBq74xNCi2B4iX5PWPdKxemziPUhThALovSz_kaQ14VSDiLdfEHOkYNSW-mW417etsq4uKQOy5czA6fqbkH2_kA-15RDKhimxp8hVtoRNUTdy-Iu-1EJwlhG5Hyrtjyeigrjz4/s400/Dichelostemma+Pink+Diamond.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dichelostemma Pink Diamond in my garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwK30pZamTmDhFV1iNSMnNbmlFNBERhsYGG_kCJYflYv0neJYkitxOhOB4SdgcJEDq96N5GzMUrzuO6V6EbfeRuuqF-XJLhhzL6MqCWegmJrb8pQmWD1MVYYzzSIyrgfshGIU2utvkGo/s1600/Lupines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwK30pZamTmDhFV1iNSMnNbmlFNBERhsYGG_kCJYflYv0neJYkitxOhOB4SdgcJEDq96N5GzMUrzuO6V6EbfeRuuqF-XJLhhzL6MqCWegmJrb8pQmWD1MVYYzzSIyrgfshGIU2utvkGo/s400/Lupines.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupines and balsamroot at Rowena</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5JP3wnDsGjyKJToRznZLo2vbvc8suZVJ4SYpmUM0eBo-xBnTjdJaNKbSHYop-B5DSlcBnuWCqJU6y4gbm-MYVRmlJhbsjw18Aht90eJpIYVPg_mBiM3cY_ndgCs5AGPvXZRhE1z_qqk/s1600/Mimulus+lewisii+3+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5JP3wnDsGjyKJToRznZLo2vbvc8suZVJ4SYpmUM0eBo-xBnTjdJaNKbSHYop-B5DSlcBnuWCqJU6y4gbm-MYVRmlJhbsjw18Aht90eJpIYVPg_mBiM3cY_ndgCs5AGPvXZRhE1z_qqk/s400/Mimulus+lewisii+3+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimulus lewisii at Crater Lake</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5VI8T6U4dTHu3ustGe4-5M0KTHeLm-rGVxW2sf8TkJspYJ678TiDfVNbnecHwNbDolVSOk1cs98ZK7_IDE54rLiDUFgMrbMum6dc1tqcSBJRVbxVbnzccyH14HQk4lhBCU10kT0l1Kg/s1600/Mimulus+lewisii+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5VI8T6U4dTHu3ustGe4-5M0KTHeLm-rGVxW2sf8TkJspYJ678TiDfVNbnecHwNbDolVSOk1cs98ZK7_IDE54rLiDUFgMrbMum6dc1tqcSBJRVbxVbnzccyH14HQk4lhBCU10kT0l1Kg/s400/Mimulus+lewisii+small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimulus lewisii close up</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMDEq0Okc7rG8q3oQHK8C_TMmWfKQpQa5M8qnrPAyCI2j9cCRu4_RGGpBaaKIzQu5tIYY-lJ57Gtz5HjApVNqQfTEgPCkU1WNCbrIHKxWOQskcKW7HT539wXUK6vLfmJ5JJruTMMz_Hc/s1600/PCH+Iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMDEq0Okc7rG8q3oQHK8C_TMmWfKQpQa5M8qnrPAyCI2j9cCRu4_RGGpBaaKIzQu5tIYY-lJ57Gtz5HjApVNqQfTEgPCkU1WNCbrIHKxWOQskcKW7HT539wXUK6vLfmJ5JJruTMMz_Hc/s400/PCH+Iris.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Coast Iris Hybrid in my garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW7EYtLSwIdsEcpYuXPbBqazZW_0qaB4HjYDskpoalYCrkmfcTZUnTlXt7Zh1_BNWEwAB1R6fKokd39NTZ0qEwKC4FAd66lod8fnSlzJ6bb0hZYf8BrvMYN-jfu02ZZILdzsxy0VwW90/s1600/Penstemon+Barrettiae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW7EYtLSwIdsEcpYuXPbBqazZW_0qaB4HjYDskpoalYCrkmfcTZUnTlXt7Zh1_BNWEwAB1R6fKokd39NTZ0qEwKC4FAd66lod8fnSlzJ6bb0hZYf8BrvMYN-jfu02ZZILdzsxy0VwW90/s400/Penstemon+Barrettiae.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penstemon barretiae at Derby Canyon Natives in Peshatin, Washington</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYK_znqQ30gA1s0kq1uSLcIsYekPMGqNgMHk_Zzh_jmS8Ute2zeJNXNQGZrqLGDHa1Ky51ldewlTQ1e9HuB2Xo7vmdpSNOdK5KidCFsW_uWaciZpzDKySs5DIOzEVDlh1MvlBRUYJBt3o/s1600/Penstemon+rupicola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYK_znqQ30gA1s0kq1uSLcIsYekPMGqNgMHk_Zzh_jmS8Ute2zeJNXNQGZrqLGDHa1Ky51ldewlTQ1e9HuB2Xo7vmdpSNOdK5KidCFsW_uWaciZpzDKySs5DIOzEVDlh1MvlBRUYJBt3o/s400/Penstemon+rupicola.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penstemon rupicola in my garden</td></tr>
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I am growing more and more native plants in my new garden. For those people who have known me for a long time, this is something new, since I have, in the past, been a champion of exotic plants from all over the world. And I still like those exotic plants, and I still have many of them in my new garden. But in my travels around the western United States, I have discovered that there is a wealth of beauty in our native plants, and that many of these plants are hard to come by in the nursery trade. To me, that represents a new challenge in gardening!<br />
When I refer to native plants, I generally mean plants which are native to the western United States. If a plant is native to Washington and Oregon, so much the better, but I don't want to limit myself to just those places in my search for beautiful, garden worthy plants. I know there are some who think we should put blinders on and look only at plants which have historically grown on the little patch of land which is our garden, but I think that approach is not only boring, but it ignores all the great, beautiful plants which might thrive on our little patch. I am limiting myself right now mainly to those plants which are native to the western United States simply because I am looking for drought tolerant plants, and this is the area which has those kinds of plants. But if I find a plant from the Great Plains, for example, which will thrive and be beautiful in my new garden, I will also want that plant.<br />
In future blog posts I will talk about some of these plants and my experiences in growing them. Some of the ones I am particularly enamored of presently include penstemons, particularly the shrubby ones, castillejas which I have already written about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2016/07/castillejas.html">here</a>, lewisias, various bulbs including <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2016/07/calochortus.html">calochortus</a> and dichelostemma, Lomatium columbianum, astragalus, oxytropsis, Pacific Coast Iris, opuntias, and balsamroot.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-73142664594001494242016-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:002016-07-22T12:24:44.323-07:00Dierama<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjHIKaH3jNwXrUud9FjF_HBhsEupB0Pb7x376wVhCxCs4jpzZxcZcG_GkD8MAtmFT2KzUj3ljek-Pmb1l8MpYjhtCL6IornNtI7QGrO4yhyphenhyphenHq2Cccnvq130fxKwgcFez-olydekJ3rf8/s1600/Dierama+Closeup+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjHIKaH3jNwXrUud9FjF_HBhsEupB0Pb7x376wVhCxCs4jpzZxcZcG_GkD8MAtmFT2KzUj3ljek-Pmb1l8MpYjhtCL6IornNtI7QGrO4yhyphenhyphenHq2Cccnvq130fxKwgcFez-olydekJ3rf8/s400/Dierama+Closeup+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close Up of Dierama flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backlit dieramas in my garden</td></tr>
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In my old garden I tried unsuccessfully a number of times to grow dieramas. I didn't succeed with them there until I created a bed by adding 10 yards of sandy loam to a sunny bed right outside the front door. This was a bed that didn't get any supplemental water in the summer, and the sandy loam was indeed very sandy. I planted a Dierama pulcherimum there which I had purchased at <a href="http://www.dancingoaks.com/">Dancing Oaks.</a> This was in a 4 inch band pot, yet one year after planting it, it had bulked up in a gratifying manner and had even flowered. In the past when I had planted dieramas they had sulked until they finally died. So I can only conclude that they didn't much care for my compost rich, moist beds in the rest of my old garden.<br />
I believe it was in the third year that I had this plant from Dancing Oaks that I dug it up and divided it into 5 or 6 sections to move to my new garden. Dieramas grow from what look like corms, and they are very easy to divide. In any event, the plants you see in the pictures above are those divisions. I planted them in a mass in my new garden, not out of any design principle, but merely to get them in the ground. It was my intention to spread them out more after I had finished preparing the garden soil in my new garden. As you can see, I have not gotten around to doing that, and I may never get around to it. These plants, which were small divisions when planted, have bulked up nicely. This is the third year they have been in this new garden.<br />
A little googling will reveal that there are many different species of dieramas, as this <a href="http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Dierama">article</a> on the Pacific Bulb Society's website explains. Dierama pulcherimum is a southern African species, as are most of the dieramas. Although the one I have is pastel pink, there are darker pink, and, indeed, almost purple forms of this plant. I might, in the future, acquire a darker pink one, but I am not sure I like the darkest forms because they do not show up as well in the garden. Many people do covet those dark forms, however. I have noticed recently some very interesting dieramas at <a href="http://www.farreachesfarm.com/">Far Reaches Farm</a>, including a number in their display garden. I might just have to acquire some of those.<br />
Dieramas are usually evergreen, with a grass like foliage base. In a harsh winter this foliage base may appear pretty beat up and brown, and it is perfectly ok to cut it back just like you would cut back a grass. This is best done in the spring, just as new growth is starting in. This past winter was so mild that the foliage looked good and I did not have to cut it back.<br />
From a design perspective, dieramas should be placed where their dangling flowers can best be appreciated. That I why I thought it would be better to place them throughout the garden, so they would act as accent plants, and their form could be appreciated. However, I have now concluded that they do not look bad in a mass, even though I never would have thought so before. I have planted each one about a foot and a half to two feet from their neighbors. In between I have planted some Anchusa azurea. This is a plant which blooms before the dieramas, and which is cut back after bloom, so by the time the dieramas bloom, the anchusa is just a neat rosette at ground level.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-24784236778732280282016-07-20T12:08:00.000-07:002016-07-20T12:08:32.699-07:00Calochortus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am growing more native plants in my new garden, and I will be having a blog post on that subject in the future. One of these is calochortus, which is a bulb native to much of the western United States. There are approximately 70 species of these, according to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calochortus">Wikipedia</a>, although very few of them are available for sale anywhere. You can, however, buy a few types of bulbs of these from the big bulb suppliers. That is what I did last fall--I ordered a color mix of calochortus venustus (I think) from Brent and Becky's Bulbs, but I must confess that I didn't get around to planting them until February of this year. That late planting did not seem to faze them, and the pictures above are all of those bulbs. By the way, these bulbs can be had for not too much money so it is mystery to me why more people do not grow them. <br />
I planted these in the little bed in front of my house. That bed is mounded and has fairly sandy soil. It is in full sun. These are the sorts of conditions that calochortus like. In the places they grow in the west, they would be dry in the summer, although I am pretty sure that a little sprinkler action will not kill them. You certainly would not want them to be completely soaking wet all summer after they have gone dormant, though. I grew some of these in the front border of my old garden for many years, in an area that received no supplemental water in the summer, and they did quite well there.<br />
I recently acquired some Calochortus tolmiei from <a href="http://www.sevenoaksnativenursery.com/">Seven Oaks Native Nursery</a> in Albany, Oregon. Seven Oaks is a wholesale nursery which grows many unusual native plants. In addition to tolmiei they grow other calochortus, and I am sure I will be acquiring some of those others in the future. Another good source for calochortus is <a href="http://telosrarebulbs.com/">Telos Rare Bulbs</a>. I will probably be ordering some from her in the future. I would recommend her <a href="http://thebulbmaven.typepad.com/the_bulb_maven/2012/05/calochortus.html">blog post</a> on calochortus.<br />
Calochortus can be seen growing wild in many part of the west. I belong to two Facebook groups, one for California wildflowers, and the other for Oregon wildflowers, and both of these groups have constant postings of beautiful pictures of calochortus. These bulbs come in many different forms and colors and I am constantly amazed at their variety. Even though there are these many forms and species of calochortus, there does not seem to be much seed being collected, nor much growing of these plants commercially except for what I have mentioned above. I would hope that gardeners in the west would realize how great these natives are and attempt to grow them. <br />
Calochortus have sort of long skinny foliage and stems, so they grow very easily through other plants or among grasses. That is the way they grow in the wild. They mingle very easily with other plants in the garden, particularly those that enjoy similar conditions. Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-83327306779199802442016-07-19T16:13:00.000-07:002016-07-19T16:13:52.916-07:00Dry Garden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene from the driest part of my new garden</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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I thought I was fairly well acquainted with plants that tolerated our dry summers here in the Pacific Northwest because in my old garden I had a large front border which I never watered. I have found, however, that there are dry gardens and there are dry gardens. The dry garden area that I used to have in my old garden was in a garden that existed over a fairly non draining clay sort of soil. It actually got fairly wet in the wintertime, particularly a foot or so down. Furthermore, the soil had been improved by me over a period of 20 years by the addition of compost, so the soil retained some moisture well into the dry summer period. In contrast, in my new garden the soil seems to be a sort of sandy glacial till. It is not the sort of sticky clay that was present in my old garden. <br />
While the soil conditions seem to vary in my new garden, so that some areas are wetter than others, in one part of the garden it is quite dry. This part also does not receive any water from the sprinkler system, it is in full sun, and it is the most mounded area in the garden. All these factors combine to make it very dry in the middle of summer here. Last year I planted some Melianthus major and some Lobelia tupa in this area, since in my experience these were great, drought tolerant plants. I learned, however, that they are not that drought tolerant. While they are still alive, they are clearly suffering and stunted from lack of water. Elsewhere in my garden where I have these same plants, they are doing quite well, but not in this dry area. So I have resolved to remove them, and to concentrate on even more drought tolerant plants in this area.<br />
The picture above shows a portion of this area and it illustrates the sorts of plants I am putting here. In the picture is a Yucca rostrata, one of the plants that I am relying on in much of my garden to provide evergreen structure to the garden. As you can see, this plant does very well in our climate. My main problem with it is that I have to search out specimens of the right size, and they are sometimes hard to find. In other words, I don't want to pay for very large plants, but I don't want tiny ones either. Five gallon specimens are just right.<br />
I am also planting lots of hardy opuntias in this area. I have gotten a number of these from both <a href="http://www.cistus.com/">Cistus Nursery</a>, and from <a href="http://www.geoscapenursery.com/">Geoscape Desert Nursery</a>, a mail order nursery in Idaho. These should also provide some structure in this area. <br />
In the picture you can also see some other plants that have shown they will do well here. In the background you can see Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson' which I blogged about recently. In the foreground is Allium 'August Confection', a plant I got from <a href="http://www.farreachesfarm.com/Allium-August-Confection-p/p0397.htm">Far Reaches</a> last year. This seems to be performing very well in this very dry location, and it blooms and provides interest at a time of year when many other plants are past their prime. There is also an Eriogonum latifolium in the picture. This is a seedling of a plant I got last year from <a href="https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2622">Annie's Annuals</a>. None of the original plants I acquired last year are still alive, but I am hoping that this seedling will survive, based on the theory that sometimes seedlings survive better than their parents which were planted into the garden from a pot. I am also trying other eriogonums here, and some penstemons, including Penstemon barrettiae, Penstemon newberryi, and Penstemon azureous.<br />
I have also planted lots of bulbs in this area, including Scilla peruviana, Dichelostemma Pink Diamnond, Calochortus tolmiei, and Allium Globemaster. If you count Lewisia rediviva as a bulb, I have also planted lots of those here. There are also some self sown Stipa tenuissima (or Nassella tenuissima, as I believe it is now called) here along with some self sown annuals, including various Phacelias. I am hoping Phacelia campanulata will self sow here eventually. All in all, I am looking forward to seeing how this part of my garden develops, because its dryness affords me a place to play with plants that I did not have as much success with in my old garden.<br />
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-69262305653305168832016-07-14T15:40:00.000-07:002016-07-14T15:40:40.597-07:00Restios In My New Garden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the long bed in my new garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Rhodocoma capensis plants in my new garden</td></tr>
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As I explained in a previous post, there is almost no shade in my new garden, and I am trying not to plant too many trees or shrubs. This, however, leaves the problem of what to do for winter interest in the garden. One of my solutions for this problem has been to plant lots of my go to restio, Rhodocoma capensis. This restio, in my opinion, is the best one for our climate here on the Olympic Peninsula. As I explained in a previous blog entry on the subject of restios, this one performed very well for over 10 years in my old garden, never suffering any winter damage. So, one of my first plantings in the new garden consisted of 5 plants of Rhodocoma capensis, planted at intervals in the long bed which is on the south side of my house. The pictures you see above are of these plants. This is now their third year in the garden, so you see they are doing very well. <br />
Since them, I have planted more of these, all around the garden. From a design standpoint, I think it helps a garden to look like one cohesive whole if there is repetition of key plants. These plants are good for this purpose because they are evergreen, and hence provide year round interest. Furthermore, while they can get tall (6 feet or more), they have an airy, transparent look which makes them seem less oppressive than, say, various columnar shrubs and conifers which are often used for a similar purpose in a garden. Indeed, at one point I contemplated using columnar conifers as exclamation points in this border, but I have now come around to the realization that these restios will serve that same purpose while being a little more graceful.<br />
I have also concluded that it is important not to plant any shrubs adjacent to the restios, because I want to be able to see the restios rising up out of the surrounding foliage. Planting anything too tall and opaque around them would destroy the view of them that I want to see. After all, their graceful shape and texture is one of the things I like about them.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-23585611616836070542016-07-03T11:30:00.000-07:002016-07-03T11:30:49.196-07:00Castillejas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castilleja integra in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrxf85Fi7jVGzFwvRxHo0JDsKGPNTroF_RWwsuj1uT27G4xzvJN4qVnp0PC9zm_9L6EevKU7TeiE5kf5yt0JUyCf2vz_N_DlLosbx3evReovqdQ6qVRAGa8-xjlKAFzjAiWk1N0bRXno/s1600/Castileja+and+penstemons+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrxf85Fi7jVGzFwvRxHo0JDsKGPNTroF_RWwsuj1uT27G4xzvJN4qVnp0PC9zm_9L6EevKU7TeiE5kf5yt0JUyCf2vz_N_DlLosbx3evReovqdQ6qVRAGa8-xjlKAFzjAiWk1N0bRXno/s400/Castileja+and+penstemons+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castilleja miniata with Penstemon Red Rocks in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdIUToyCYvNy82ogUuyelH4E0bAYtr8hymUqFUZ2ZZYHaGyCZyIpROyzzCICiHo4WFo4chac6eDlZ058BFPVpMpJ5Htc8OOlJoQl8mKm2ksWhSEwHJCVGNFQS6yomMVR4uhjAmdDDZjw/s1600/Castilleja+hispida+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdIUToyCYvNy82ogUuyelH4E0bAYtr8hymUqFUZ2ZZYHaGyCZyIpROyzzCICiHo4WFo4chac6eDlZ058BFPVpMpJ5Htc8OOlJoQl8mKm2ksWhSEwHJCVGNFQS6yomMVR4uhjAmdDDZjw/s400/Castilleja+hispida+for+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castilleja hispida in my garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castillejas at Johnston Ridge, Mt. St. Helens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castillejas in a moist alpine meadow at Todd Lake in the central Cascades, Oregon</td></tr>
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If you do any hiking at all in the Pacific Northwest you have probably seen castillejas, known by their common name of Paintbrush. I have seen them growing in virtually all habitats, from forests on the Oregon coast to blasted hot, well drained areas in the eastern parts of Oregon and Washington. And until recently, I had thought they were too difficult to grow in a garden setting. This notion that they are difficult garden plants probably stems from the fact that they are partially parasitic on the roots of other plants. More precisely, they are hemiparasitic, meaning their roots tap into the roots of nearby plants to obtain nutrition from them. Furthermore, experts have described them as nearly impossible to cultivate in the garden and difficult to grow from seed. These notions, as we shall see, are erroneous.<br />
I first discovered that castillejas are, indeed, available in the nursery trade when I happened to see them on the list of available plants at <a href="http://www.sunscapes.net/">Sunscapes Rare Plant Nursery</a>, a mail order nursery in Colorado specializing in rare plants suitable for that climate. So last year I got three plants of Casilleja integra from them, and planted them near Stipa capillata in my garden. Two of them survived, and one of those is what you see in the first image above. Castilleja integra is native to the inland southwest in Pinyon and juniper forests. It is native to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The plant in the picture above is on a sloped area in my garden, so it is well drained, which I assume is something that Castilleja integra would require.<br />
Also, last year I visited a native plant nursery in Gig Harbor, Washington--Woodbrook Native Plant Nursery--and lo, and behold, they had Castilleja miniata available, so I purchased three of these and planted them by a Stipa gigantea and Pentemon Red Rocks. This is seen in the second picture above. These did exceedingly well there. One of them even bloomed last year, and that same plant has been blooming again this year. It started its bloom in April, and still seems to be going strong. As it turns out, Castilleja miniata is one of the more common castillejas here in the Pacific Northwest, and it is probably more tolerant of moist conditions than some of the other castillejas. Indeed, it appears that many castillejas enjoy moist conditions. For example, the castillejas growing by Todd Lake, seen in the last picture above, were growing in a very marshy meadow.<br />
I also acquired some Castilleja hispidas last year from <a href="http://www.dancingoaks.com/">Dancing Oaks Nursery</a>. I planted these in a much drier part of my garden, thinking that was what they wanted. As it turns out, I was wrong! I think it got too dry for them, particularly as they were first getting established. Anyway, only one of them survived, but that one is now blooming. Castilleja hispida is also a Pacific Northwest native. The third picture above is of a Castilleja hispida in my garden, planted near some penstemons.<br />
Not too long ago I also received some Castilleja chromosa from Sunscapes. These were tiny plants, but at least two of them are still alive in the garden. Only time will tell if they survive and thrive.<br />
Finally, earlier this year I managed to find the list of available plants put out by <a href="http://www.sevenoaksnativenursery.com/">Seven Oaks Native Nursery,</a> a wholesale native plant nursery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. They listed both Castilleja miniata and hispida in mass quantities! So I made a trip down and bought mass quantities, and planted them in my garden. They seem to be doing well, and I hope that next year I will have a show to rival that found in some of the areas in the wild where castillejas abound.<br />
After growing these plants for a little over a year now, I can convey the following bits of wisdom. First, they need a fair amount of moisture to get established. I have killed a few by letting them get too dry. Second, while not particularly picky about host plants, I don't think you can go wrong planting them near grasses or penstemons. I have also heard that eriogonums and salvias are good host plants. From what I have read about suitable host plants, the most important point is to make sure the host likes similar conditions to those preferred by the castilleja. Duh! Finally, while they should be planted close to the host, they shouldn't be completely shaded out by the host.<br />
I have found two very good articles on growing castillejas in old issues of the North American Rock Garden Society Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 2, and Vol. 65, No. 3. These are available as free downloads if you go the the <a href="https://www.nargs.org/">NARGS website</a>. One of these articles tells how to best grow them from seed, and I plan to try that this fall and winter. There are many tantalizing castillejas to be found in various seed lists, There is even a pink flowered castilleja native to the Olympics which I want to try. There are also some annual castillejas which I am going to try. Hopefully my garden will soon be overflowing with castillejas, much to the hummingbirds' delight.<br />
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-73532544894661181092016-07-01T17:05:00.000-07:002016-07-01T17:05:01.523-07:00Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Monardella macrantha 'Mavis Sampson' is one of my new favorite plants. I got three of these last year from Far Reaches, and all of them did well, although the one shown in the picture did the best. This one is planted in probably the driest and sunniest part of my garden. It is on a very slight slope and the sprinkler system does not reach it. Last summer I did water it every once in a while because I wanted it to establish well, and I have found that even drought tolerant plants do better with some watering, especially when they are first getting established. The other two plants of this are on more of a slope in an area of the garden that the sprinkler system does reach, and it's an area that receives a little bit more shade (although it would still be considered full sun). Both of those plants, while doing well, are not as big as this one. Although you can't really tell the size of this plant from the picture, I would say it is about two feet across.<br />
As you can see from the picture, this monardella is fairly flat to the ground, and that makes it somewhat of a challenge in deciding where to put it in the garden. Obviously, it would not do in a regular herbaceous type border, nor would it do in any spot where it would be in danger of being swamped by its neighbors. However, it would do nicely in a rock garden, or in a bed populated by taller solitary plants, like opuntias or yuccas. I have also seen it successfully grown in containers. There is a good example of this at Far Reaches.<br />
This plant is a California native which has proven to be so hardy that it was a Plant Select selection in 2014. Plant Select, for those who don't know is a joint project between Colorado State University and the Denver Botanical Garden. Its mission is to find and recommend plants suitable for growing in that area. I have found that almost all Plant Select plants do quite well in my garden, even though it is considerably wetter and milder than the climate that its plants are aimed at. On their website Plant Select calls this plant Hummingbird Trumpet Mint, which gives a clue as to its appeal to hummingbirds.These wonderful blooms, by the way, last all summer.<br />
In googling this plant, I came across an article in Pacific Horticulture magazine, found <a href="http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/a-new-imonardellai/">here</a>, which sets forth the history of this plant in great detail. This was a Pacific Plant Promotion plant, offered in the year 2000 by Pacific Horticulture magazine. I was on the board of that magazine at the time (I think) and I remember voting in favor of the Pacific Plant Promotion program, but I did not, at the time, fully appreciate this particular plant. So apparently it has taken it this many years, and the efforts of Plant Select to really get this great plant out into mainstream horticulture.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-10148051803344276152016-06-26T15:29:00.000-07:002016-06-26T15:29:09.437-07:00New Garden Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After not writing my blog for a long time, I have decided to start again. The main impetus for this is that I am finally acquiring enough new material in my new garden to have something to write about. As I may have previously said, we moved from Bainbridge Island to a much smaller house and lot in Port Ludlow, Washington, which is a small resort community on the Olympic Penninsula, not too far from the Hood Canal Bridge. This location is somewhat cooler in the summer than Bainbridge Island, but not much colder in the winter. It may get slightly less rainfall since we have been told that it is partially in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. I have seen little evidence of that, though. <br />
The new house, being in a resort community, has all sorts of restrictions placed on what we are supposed to do with our landscaping, so I am trying to work within those restrictions and not offend any of our neighbors. So far everybody has seemed appreciative of what I have done. The house was new construction on a half acre lot, although it had sat around empty for about 5 years because of the real estate crash. There was some landscaping installed, including beds laid out and lawn. There was also a sprinkler system. So far I have not changed the layout of the beds and lawn (much), but I have removed almost all of the plants that were here. There are still a few left, but I am planning to remove all those within the next few years. So, since moving here about 2 and a half years ago I have spent a lot of time just removing the existing plants and amending the existing soil. I have been using a mixture of 70% compost and 30% sand. This mixture seems to be better for drainage than a pure compost, and drainage is important because I am trying to grow lots of drought tolerant plants. I put this on top of the existing soil. I found in my old garden that if you do this, instead of digging it in, the creatures in the soil will eventually do the work for you. So far this has worked quite well in my new garden. I think I have so far put down about 50 yards of this in the garden.<br />
This new garden is quite sunny. I took out all trees which had been planted here--these included several Deodar Cedars, and several large maples, way too many trees for such a small area, anyway. So now there are no trees on the landscaped portion of the lot, except for two embothriums that I have planted, and a small Chief Joseph pine which will never get very large, or so I am told. I have also planted two crepe myrtles in a bed up against our house. I am not sure how these will do here, bloomwise, since we don't get much summer heat, and crepe myrtles require a certain amount of heat to bloom well. So if these fail to perform, out they will go. I have to keep reminding myself not to plant trees since I want the garden to remain sunny. I should add that the back portion of our lot is forested and consists of a wetland within that forest, so we are not supposed to do any gardening there.<br />
The picture you see above is of a small bed in the front of the house that used to contain a weeping birch and many Viburnum davidiis. Both of these kinds of plants are planted all over Port Ludlow. I should add that I do not like Viburnum davidii. It reminds me of freeway plantings. So out they all came. I have planted this bed with relatively small plants that I want to intermingle in a natural way. I have planted a number of Yucca linearifolias and rostratas in the bed to provide some winter structure. I also have a number of cold hardy opuntias here. This year I also acquired a number of shrubby native penstemons which I have planted in this bed. I will have a subsequent blog post about those. I have planted a number of self sowing plants here also, including the coastal form of California poppy, Anchusa capensis (the blue flower in the photo), and Clarkia unguiculata. I have also planted some lewisias and some gentians. And I have planted some bulbs, including some alliums, calochortus and Anenome coronaria. Other plants in the bed include an orange wallflower, Xerophyllum tenax, and Asclepias tuberosa. As these plants settle in and get bigger I am sure I will have to do some editing.<br />
When I first started gardening I planted in a 'blocky' style where the plants were arranged in blocks of one type of plant. I am not doing that in this garden. I want the garden to look natural like these plants just found their way here and are growing in a wild manner. I am not trying to color coordinate or even to alternate types of foliage. I find that this type of gardening is very freeing, and I am enjoying myself, experimenting with all sorts of plants that are new to me. So in subsequent blog entries I will tell you about how this experiment is going.<br />
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-77425699985640930352014-06-28T09:53:00.000-07:002014-06-28T09:53:55.453-07:00Schizanthus<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schizanthus blooming in the potager at Heronswood</td></tr>
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Another one of the more successful annuals we are growing in the potager at Heronswood is Schizanthus. This annual is native to Chile, and is a member of the solanaceae or nightshade family. I have previously grown these in my garden on Bainbridge, and they had done well and bloomed for a very long time. After reading about them on the internet, I conclude that they are particularly good in our climate, since they apparently don't like too much heat, and they don't require full sun to do well. <br />
The one in the picture above is one we grew from a seed strain called 'Angel Wings', which we obtained from <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/butterfly-flower.html">Outsidepride</a>. This is, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizanthus">Wikipedia</a>, a cross between S. pinnatus, and S. grahamii, called Schizanthus x. wisetonensis. Unfortunately, it is a mixed color seed strain, and we got many plants with a very pale pink or almost white flower. As I explained yesterday, I do not like to use those pale colors. They just do not fit in with our color scheme in the potager. What I would like is a seed strain with the color you see in the picture. I searched the internet in vain, though, to find such a strain. We may have to create our own at Heronswood. We could call it the Heronswood strain of Schizanthus!<br />
We also purchased some plants of Schizanthus grahamii from <a href="http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=963">Annies Annuals</a> for the poatager. If you click on the Annie's link you will see what that plant looks like. Although the pictures of it are very attractive, I do not think it is as good a garden plant as those of the Angel Wings Strain (provided you have a plant in the right color) because the flowers are more sparse than those on the Angel Wings plants, and because it seems to have a shorter bloom time. I do like S. grahamii, though, and I intend to get seed of it for next year, despite these differences. <br />
In researching the question of whether there was a solid magenta color seed strain of Schizanthus, I came across pictures of Schizanthus litoralis <a href="http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2009/01/schizanthus_litoralis.php">here</a>. These pictures showed this species, which is a very attractive purplish pink color, covering a hillside in Chile. So I have resolved to get seed of this species for next year. I think I might be able to get seed from <a href="http://www.chileflora.com/">Chileflora</a>.<br />
There are also a number of dwarf strains of Schizanthus on the market and those are usually what you find at most retail nurseries. Those are fine for containers and baskets, but do not work so well in a situation such as the potager, where plants have to be taller than the hedges surrounding each bed. Some of those dwarf strains come in straight colors instead of mixed color strains. There are also some other seed strains, as evidenced by the Schizanthus offered in the <a href="http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/search?q=Schizanthus">Chiltern</a> catalog. I think we may have to try some of those seed strains next year. Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-49070559260460107892014-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:002014-06-27T10:34:06.315-07:00Orange Is The New White aka Ursinia Anthemoides 'Solar Fire'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Often when one mentions that a particular flower is bright orange, the first reaction of many gardeners is to recoil in horror. I think this reaction is based first on the idea that used to be prevalent in garden writing that white and pastel gardens were tasteful, and that bright colors were low class, and second, on the idea that colors could be viewed in isolation, instead of being viewed in a painterly way, i.e., how a particular color contributes to the scene one is trying to create. I should also state that I am not trying to be a color Nazi--anything I say about color is merely a reflection of my own taste. I think everyone is entitled to their own taste when it comes to color. There is no right or wrong in picking color--it is just what one finds to be attractive.<br />
With that said, what I am describing here is how I go about using color in the garden. As it happens, and as regular readers of this blog probably know, I like bright colors that are (if you are familiar with photoshop) in the CMYK color space. This means that I like saturated color that consists of lemony yellows, clear oranges, bright pinks/magentas, turqouise blues, and purples. Since I like saturated colors, I don't like to use whites or pastels in my compositions. I also don't like to use reds that are not on the pink side of the color wheel, and I don't like to use navy type blues. but clear sky blues are acceptable. As for yellows, while I prefer lemon yellows to more orangy yellows, any type of saturated yellow is acceptable in a compostion.<br />
I should also say something here about the use of greens in my compositions. When I first started gardening, and for a long time afterwords, I was enamored of variegated plants. I have now mostly gotten over that, and the reason has mainly to do with how variegated plants 'read' in a compostiion. White variegated plants often read as white, and, since I don't like to use white, I have basically concluded that the white variegated plants, although individually attractive in many cases, do not enhance the garden pictures I am trying to create. So I stopped using them. Yellow variegated plants, on the other hand, can read as yellow, and therefore, are more acceptable. However, I have found that even they should be used in moderation, or else there will be too much yellow in the garden. The same goes for yellow foliage plants--use them in moderation or the garden may OD on yellow. As for red foliage, I think that some in moderation is OK, but the brighter the red the better--otherwise, the eye just sees a dark dead space when it rests upon that foliage. In my compositions, I like the vast majority of foliage to be bright green. I find that that color is the background for everything else, and it sets off the other colors I like to use best.<br />
Anyway, this brings us to orange and Ursinia anthemoides 'Solar Fire'. This is a plant that I was first introduced to by Annie's Annuals. Their description of it is <a href="http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/search/lst.srch.asp?prodid=1076&srch_term=ursinia">here</a>. This is a South African native, and you can read more about it at the Plantzafrica website <a href="http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/ursinanthem.htm">here</a>. That site and also the <a href="http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za/ByName.asp?SearchText=ursinia">Silverhill Seeds</a> site (a seed company specializing in South African seeds) seem to indicate that the color of the flowers of Ursinia anthemoides can vary somewhat, but the plants we have grown all seem to be the bright orange seen in the pictures above. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. By the way, we grew our Heronswood plants from seed we got from <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/">Outsidepride</a>, and I would recommend them as a source--they send a lot of seed in a packet, in a timely manner, and it germinated well.<br />
These Ursinias have these bright orange daisy flowers which bloom for a very long time above attractive ferny foliage. As is evident from the pictures above, they seem to go well with all other colors in the Potager, and indeed, they seem to make those other colors pop. And that is why I titled this blog entry 'Orange Is The New White'! It used to be that writers on color in the garden always spouted the nonsense that one had to have white in the garden in order to have a place to 'rest the eyes'. What does that even mean? How many paintings or other works of art require white as a place to 'rest the eyes'? If you need such a place (and I doubt that you do) isn't the orange of Ursinia anthemoides 'Solar Fire' a much better resting place?<br />
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Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-76935149679802667772014-06-19T13:24:00.001-07:002014-06-19T14:20:18.007-07:00Heronswood Potager Project Report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3wY9g_DPKnYBlirC4mRhi10c_b9a5zSs4EqyyPGSa6O3-D_PAxUl-Ts5Q1Kb2mykxcQ0jMJV3fH2y-3hd1N_TnBZYZCsMjuhxk5pkBdIsiD1IHbMG33dXGmJQoHrDULF31SW7BMZzvw/s1600/Poatager+1+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3wY9g_DPKnYBlirC4mRhi10c_b9a5zSs4EqyyPGSa6O3-D_PAxUl-Ts5Q1Kb2mykxcQ0jMJV3fH2y-3hd1N_TnBZYZCsMjuhxk5pkBdIsiD1IHbMG33dXGmJQoHrDULF31SW7BMZzvw/s1600/Poatager+1+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potager at Heronswood with delphiniums</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ursinia anthemoides</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi0sJ8UnOF3tdZJYQjNZ8H2fX4JPgF3kWETrKxc3URltkgFfoM5q8t9MK2gbyqfoV8jtyXs-liWLKoS_akdNfuhQ2FatuYMxA75N5CqD8b6eOuJDxVwJ8e3G4zRFuVlgaw4JZZmjAvMo/s1600/Poatager+3+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi0sJ8UnOF3tdZJYQjNZ8H2fX4JPgF3kWETrKxc3URltkgFfoM5q8t9MK2gbyqfoV8jtyXs-liWLKoS_akdNfuhQ2FatuYMxA75N5CqD8b6eOuJDxVwJ8e3G4zRFuVlgaw4JZZmjAvMo/s1600/Poatager+3+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petunia integrifolia with Ursinia anthemoides</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_B-lClElU0CT4U4FyNi8zg-w7w7VfvoSUD2Tn0IZtBXVLyuLNHrj1Dwl0BNEYbbBwdQ2iZaeOubOlscwmWrWExqBAsVsyDpRlBfVbsNodY_4UzJegtdUJCTCcdKwCm2wc0thGCwD70U/s1600/Potager+2+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_B-lClElU0CT4U4FyNi8zg-w7w7VfvoSUD2Tn0IZtBXVLyuLNHrj1Dwl0BNEYbbBwdQ2iZaeOubOlscwmWrWExqBAsVsyDpRlBfVbsNodY_4UzJegtdUJCTCcdKwCm2wc0thGCwD70U/s1600/Potager+2+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calendulas starting to bloom in the potager</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6uvz6ZYObolAfUEqaPHwTgbuP9ZwgIvmENdAhLc5qUB-r8L2cLpGPKz8cI3JWtIhJ-_CKrdPuma03APX9Tfxg-vuoLMjFl4PiG8dbCaR3LPqDrStC5DWdfJfUVchrZUnY6VxBygnBkc/s1600/Potager+4+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6uvz6ZYObolAfUEqaPHwTgbuP9ZwgIvmENdAhLc5qUB-r8L2cLpGPKz8cI3JWtIhJ-_CKrdPuma03APX9Tfxg-vuoLMjFl4PiG8dbCaR3LPqDrStC5DWdfJfUVchrZUnY6VxBygnBkc/s1600/Potager+4+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schizanthus with Ursinia</td></tr>
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Those of you who see my Facebook posts know that I have been working at Heronswood on a project to create a planting scheme in the Potager. As many of you already know, the potager is a section at Heronswood that was originally created for a vegetable garden. It consists of 8 beds, in a geometric pattern, each surrounded by a dwarf boxwood hedge. Most of these 8 beds are in full sun, although 2 of them are a little bit more shaded than the others. There were 4 large clumps of edible rhubarb in 4 of these beds, and in the other 4, there were established cardoons. It was decided to leave these existing plants in place, although I think that it has now been decided that these will be removed for next year. The rhubarb looks bad later in the summer, so it does not help the picture we are trying to create, while the cardoons seem to not be doing so well, and they also need to be cut back at a time when the rest of the plantings should be going strong.<br />
So, to get to the point, the plan for the potager is to create a wildflower meadow look, using annuals we have grown from seed. We also bought some plants from Annie's Annuals just so we could get the beds going earlier than if we just planted our own seedlings. Structure was to be provided by planting Musa Sikkimensis in each of the beds which would provide a nice big broad leafed contrast to the fine and fussy foliage of the annuals. Dan Hinkley gave divisions from his plant to the garden for this purpose, and they are all growing happily now, albeit still small.<br />
All the delphiniums that I had at Froggy Bottom, and which I wrote about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/delphiniums.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/08/more-delphiniums.html">here</a>, have been brought to Heronswood and planted in these beds. These have done so well and are so spectacular that plans are afoot to grow more of them from seed and plant more in these beds for next year. We have also planted in excess of 200 orienpet lilies (I described these <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/07/lily-satisfaction.html">here</a>) in these beds, both to act as stakes for the delphiniums, which I previously described <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-way-to-avoid-staking-delphiniums.html">here</a>, and to add even more punch to these borders. Once these lilies get going (they will not reach their full size for another year or two), it should be like walking into a fragrant forest of lilies when entering the potager in lily season!<br />
We devised a slightly different scheme for the 2 more shady beds, involving using aconitums instead of delphiniums, and planting divisions of Hedychium 'Tara' (previously described <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2013/09/hedychium-tara.html">here</a>) from Froggy Bottom. We did not think the delphiniums would do well in the shade of those beds, but we have now revised our view, realizing that those two beds are sunnier than first thought. So delphiniums will go there next year, instead of the aconitums. We also thought that the annuals would not do well in those two beds because of the shade, but we are now realizing that they will do just fine. We found that out because we planted many of them in those two beds, and they grow and bloom, despite its being less sunny than in the other beds.<br />
As for the annuals we are growing, a conscious decision was made to use as many west coast natives as would meet our criteria as we could. Therefore, more than half the annuals we are growing are California (and maybe Oregon and Washington) natives. It is actually hard to find annuals that are native to the Kitsap Pennisula. I do not even know if there are any.<br />
You may ask what our criteria for choosing these annuals were. Well, first of all, they had to be between one and three feet tall to grow up above the boxwood hedges. Second, they had to be plants that would commingle well. Finally, they had to be in jewel tones with a fairly even spread between yellows/oranges, blues/purples, and pinks/magentas. No whites allowed! Anyway, this post is getting to be too long as it is, so I will have a post another day describing exactly which seeds we ordered and how I think they have done.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-27578116546048499262014-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:002014-06-13T09:19:08.736-07:00Eriogonum umbellatum 'Sulphur Yellow"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3-xOO9GltwDoBR1jj5QDLtZ8zqnHTCUmEgHvLcCNpG7RJLpNBZltMud5WTzTDEcl29tD7D56gXHTc7bAJ2L9kcbLDdacJ2ofHsW8gi0q3oPTNwpnMjFFrhf691e7oHKNUIXVAO3Aqp0/s1600/Eriogonum+umbellatum+Shasta+Sulpher+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3-xOO9GltwDoBR1jj5QDLtZ8zqnHTCUmEgHvLcCNpG7RJLpNBZltMud5WTzTDEcl29tD7D56gXHTc7bAJ2L9kcbLDdacJ2ofHsW8gi0q3oPTNwpnMjFFrhf691e7oHKNUIXVAO3Aqp0/s1600/Eriogonum+umbellatum+Shasta+Sulpher+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eriogonum umbellatum 'Shasta Sulphur' in my new garden</td></tr>
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Those of you who have spent hours studying the offerings on the Annie's Annuals website, as I have, probably know that Annie's offers a number of eriogonums, commonly known as buckwheats. Although I wasn't familiar with these until I ordered some from Annie's a couple of years ago, it appears that the eriogonums are a very large genus, second only to penstemons in the number of species for North American natives. They are native almost all over the United States except in the northeast. If you are interested in butterflies, it appears that eriogonums are plants to have in your garden. There are a number of eriogonums that are hosts for butterflies, some of them endangered butterflies, as described <a href="http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=112045">here</a>. <br />
Late last summer I ordered some of these plants from Annie's, including three of the one in the picture above, Eriogonum umbellatum 'Shasta Sulphur'. The description of the plant, along with better pictures than I have, is <a href="http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/search/lst.srch.asp?prodid=4066&srch_term=eriogonum">here</a>. Since I foolishly ordered these very late in the summer, and I didn't get around to planting them, they stayed in their Annie's pots all winter, out in the cold and rain, with no protection whatsoever. I was amazed to see that they made it through the winter unscathed, and now that I have planted them, they are flowering and doing well.<br />
According to the Annie's blurb, they make a tidy mound of evergreen foliage 1 foot high and 3 feet across and have these sulpher yellow flowers starting in the spring and lasting until late summer. That sounds pretty good to me! The shade of yellow of the flowers is another quality that I particularly like. It is the sort of yellow that makes blues, pinks and oranges just pop. <br />
I have ordered a couple more eriogonums and in the future I will report to you on how they have done. In the meantime, if you are interested, you can check out the website of the <a href="http://www.eriogonum.org/">Eriogonum Society</a>.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-31140426973500665462014-06-12T09:48:00.000-07:002014-06-12T09:48:15.431-07:00Tropaeolum polyphyllum report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDXpUPCN1yvFvwknPQymvnKoBjZgJ3SqSH10sj2RBmu-VkvMAGzKlS67q57lq9Ahk-4Ti6eIrD7Nps00Rqwjc-KyvEY70RWODziO5Ya8mb9dMONw5MGMRPiIyzIDstL5XXTn8kPBHINI/s1600/Tropaeolum+polyphyllum++with+poppies+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDXpUPCN1yvFvwknPQymvnKoBjZgJ3SqSH10sj2RBmu-VkvMAGzKlS67q57lq9Ahk-4Ti6eIrD7Nps00Rqwjc-KyvEY70RWODziO5Ya8mb9dMONw5MGMRPiIyzIDstL5XXTn8kPBHINI/s1600/Tropaeolum+polyphyllum++with+poppies+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropaeolum polyphyllum with pink California poppies</td></tr>
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I have previously posted about Tropaeolum polyphyllum <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/tropaeolum-polyphyllum.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/planting-scheme-with-tropaeolum.html">here</a>, and today I am going to report on what has been happening in that bed near the lionness at Froggy Bottom where I have this exquisite plant. First of all, I have been excavating in the bed, trying to find tubers of the tropaeolum so that I can have some for the new garden. As I said in my earlier posts, this plant is hard to find in nurseries, and so I particularly needed to dig up some tubers. I did manage to find some, but let me tell you, they are not all that easy to find! Anyway, even though that digging seemed to commit mayhem in this area, by now, you could hardly tell that any digging had been done. I think this tropaeolum is the sort of plant that is somewhat difficult to get started in a garden, but once it is, it is pretty much there to stay. <br />
Other developments in this bed are that the pink California poppies that I had wanted to get started here have, in fact, been established, and I think they go well with the tropaeolum flowers. They will have the added bonus of extending the season in the bed because they will bloom longer than the tropaeolum, and they will bloom again if cut back after their first bloom. You can see that an orange flowered poppy has also invaded the bed. That is what happens with these poppies, I have found. Other colors sometimes pop up, particularly if you have a number of different color strains in your garden like I do.<br />
Other plants in this bed include Scilla peruviana, which I previously wrote about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/05/scilla-peruviana.html">here</a>. You can see one of the last of these blooms in the upper left hand corner of the photo. This year the bloom time of the scillas was earlier than that of the tropaeolum, and I suspect that will almost always be the case. I also planted some Yucca linearifolias in this bed and you can see one of them in the upper left of the picture. Finally, some alstromerias which I wrote about <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/alstroemeria.html">here</a> have seeded themselves into this bed and in a few years will probably take it over, unless something is done about them. I haven't yet decided what I will do with them, if anything.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-8429538520922701122014-06-11T11:30:00.000-07:002014-06-11T11:30:25.776-07:00More Eremurus<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64EN5D5bNgIlr2Z9fNBxvYrYbBJ2RJgcEiYuluRcwbtI8KTaLzOnOcxsF2Ek-5SZApbnosZ00kAR67-FUNd4P2D1hZRSRwvdTnllrLHPo-1cga5UigXKId8z6teFdmznfwxv-umaT_2c/s1600/Eremurus+and+popppies+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64EN5D5bNgIlr2Z9fNBxvYrYbBJ2RJgcEiYuluRcwbtI8KTaLzOnOcxsF2Ek-5SZApbnosZ00kAR67-FUNd4P2D1hZRSRwvdTnllrLHPo-1cga5UigXKId8z6teFdmznfwxv-umaT_2c/s1600/Eremurus+and+popppies+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Border at Froggy Bottom with Eremurus 'Spring Valley Hybrids'</td></tr>
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I previously wrote about Eremurus <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/eremurus.html">here</a>, and I can't praise this great plant enough! While it is blooming, there are very few plants that match its magnificence. Although I have taken a lot of the eremurus in this border to my new garden, there are still enough left to make quite an impact. The ones in the picture above came from <a href="https://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=17-0108">Brent and Becky's Bulbs</a> or <a href="http://www.mzbulb.com/dp.asp?pID=63274&c=65&p=Eremurus+Spring+Valley+Hybrids+Mix">McClure and Zimmerman</a> as their Spring Valley Hybrids. There is also an orange eremurus to the left in the picture that you can see poking up behind the Nolina foliage. That one is called Cleopatra, and it is commonly found in bulb supplier's catalogs. It is not quite as tall as some of the others I have grown, although its color makes a standout in any garden.<br />
Other plants in this picture include Nolina nelsonii (on the left in the picture), Dasylirion wheeleri in the bottom center, Nasella tenuissima, Papaver somniferum, Salvia nemerosa (a cultivar that I lost the name of--but I think it is better than the usual), Echium vulgare (the blue flowered plant), Onopordum ancanthium, the tall grey plant on the upper right. and Verbascum bomyciferm. This is a border that is loved by the bees, and this year many of them seem to be busy with these flowers. I love it! I should mention that although the echium is supposed to be a noxious weed, it is considered by many to be one of the best bee plants around, and the honey from this plant is supposed to be excellent. While I don't want to get hate mail, I sometimes question the whole noxious weed control zeitgeist. If you don't like my philosophy on this, please do not post any comments, as I will probably delete them.<br />
Another point to make about this border is that it did not come about overnight. It has taken many years of experimenting with various plants and many years of allowing self sowers to become established to achieve this result. In my view no garden is really good until it has been established for awhile. Sure, given enough money you can make something that might look presentable in its first or second year, but that is not the same as establishing what is essentially a self sustaining community of compatible plants that, by the way, look beautiful together. This kind of gardening, and not the instant pictures so popular on TV makeover shows, is what I find interesting. Anyway, enough with the ranting for today!Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-31739544058342633342014-06-07T09:39:00.000-07:002014-06-07T09:41:31.923-07:00New Garden In Progress<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7H4sR0kwlR505RP6BACPbRYZ3wPowT3IVXRJSoQK58Wm1krGUJLu1MWeiP70aZiKmsdC_d38ToT3O41S6ekqEGaR2XZqipyTFXUJ9zCNfmxuQ229RFKo5lSN-oXyaUR8HPkhXXCqRteY/s1600/New+Garden+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7H4sR0kwlR505RP6BACPbRYZ3wPowT3IVXRJSoQK58Wm1krGUJLu1MWeiP70aZiKmsdC_d38ToT3O41S6ekqEGaR2XZqipyTFXUJ9zCNfmxuQ229RFKo5lSN-oXyaUR8HPkhXXCqRteY/s1600/New+Garden+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new garden, a work in progress</td></tr>
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I have been spending most of my time keeping up my old garden at Froggy Bottom, on Bainbridge, but I have managed to get a little bit done at our new house in Port Ludlow. This house is on a half acre lot, but the back part of the lot slopes steeply down into a woodland and protected wetland. That leaves only the front and side areas of the lot available for gardening. The picture above is of a long area on the south side of the house where I have been concentrating my efforts. This bed is actually quite large, larger than it seems in the picture, because I used a telephoto lens which has the effect of condensing distances. The bed is in full day sun, and is slightly mounded.<br />
The first thing I had to do in preparation for planting this area was to remove the absolutely awful plants that the developer had put in. This included a bunch of sickly nondescript rhododendrons, 3 large maples that would have gotten huge and shaded everything (I don't want shade), and 3 (also sickly) deodor cedars, which, by the way, become huge trees. It seems as if every single house in our subdivision has multiple deodor cedars, so perhaps I am breaking some unwritten rule by taking these out!<br />
After removing the existing vegetation, I had to decide what to do about the soil--it is terrible! The reason all the existing plants were so sickly is that the soil was so poor. They had all been there for over 5 years, yet they had not put on any noticeable growth, and they were all very yellow. Based on my experience at Froggy Bottom, I knew that any soil can eventually be improved by the addition of compost. I also knew that it was not necessary to dig it in--all one has to do is mound it on top of the soil, and given enough time, the soil creatures will do the work for you. So that is what I did. I bought 10 yards of compost and put it on top of the bed.<br />
My planting plan for this area is to create a drought tolerant, deer resistant (we have deer and lots of other wildlife here) fairly natural looking border. I intend to use yuccas, dasylirions , and, hopefully, nolinas to provide winter interest, along with Rhodocoma capensis. I have planted three Rhus 'Tiger Eyes' at regular intervals to provide shrubby height--I don't want any tall trees, but the Rhus will give some height, and I think their foliage fits in very well with the look I am going for.<br />
Other plants I have put into this area include lots of eremurus from my old garden, Eryngium alpinum and Eryngium 'Blue Jackpot", Amaryllis belladonna, Dictamnus albus var. purpureas, Echium russicum, Verbascum bombyciferum, Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy', Anenome coronaria, California poppies, and Eriogonum umbellatum 'Shasta Sulphur". The latter is a plant I got last year from Annie's Annuals and it did well over the winter and is now producing very pleasing citrus yellow flowers. Eriogonums are plants found all over the western United States which are recently being discovered by gardeners to be good garden plants for drought tolerant, wildlife friendly gardens. I am also going to try to get self sowers going in this bed, and I intend to try out lots of more unusual western natives here.<br />
I have discovered that there is almost no full shade at this new garden, and that is how I want it. I am so over all those weedy looking woodland plants! Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-63013450468506086112014-06-02T08:55:00.001-07:002014-06-02T08:55:32.160-07:00Verbascum Bombyciferum Revisited<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1WkLboL2t56gZZKZo6jBjujV9KgQ2dakMavm33FCrBr4vrh3eFnRI95k5MAlhg5n9yI521upwHE291Hgksmf4GOc57jB7xPZxQVNI2SHh1-bUGlF4Nytin7tocUyfOiMpFhuJNhCRtk/s1600/Verbascum+bombyciferum+1+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1WkLboL2t56gZZKZo6jBjujV9KgQ2dakMavm33FCrBr4vrh3eFnRI95k5MAlhg5n9yI521upwHE291Hgksmf4GOc57jB7xPZxQVNI2SHh1-bUGlF4Nytin7tocUyfOiMpFhuJNhCRtk/s1600/Verbascum+bombyciferum+1+small.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self Sown Verbascum bombyciferum in the front border at Froggy Bottom</td></tr>
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I wrote about Verbascum bombyciferum last year <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2013/06/verbascum-bombyciferum.html">here</a>. This year I am even more pleased with this plant because it has spread out in a pleasing way so that now it is found throughout the border and not just in one small part of it, as it was previously. I have found that with self sowers you have to be patient--it often takes a few years for a self sower to take off and to sow in a pleasing pattern. It has taken these verbascums about 5 years to really get going in the way I envisioned. Like almost all gardening, patience and close observation is the key. I say close observation, because it is easy to miss the seedlings of self sowers and to weed them up if not careful. <br />
I like these verbascums in this border for several reasons. First, their soft yellow flowers are very pleasing, especially when combined with the purple, blues, pinks and oranges which are prevalent in this border at this time of year. Second, their large broad leaves make a nice contrast to all the other busy foliage in the border. And finally, their gray furry texture also makes a nice contrast to all the greens in the border. I have tried many other verbascums over the years and this one, so far, is my favorite. Some of the others look very weedy, and, indeed, are major weeds. You see them all over eastern Oregon growing in weedy areas, such as alongside old railroad tracks, for example. Not Verbascum bombyciferum, but other kinds of verbascums!<br />
Terry Stanley once grew Verbascum epixanthinum, a relatively recently discovered species from Greece which has golden furry foliage, and I grew it in this front border. I have to say that it had very attractive foliage, and it was perennial, and not biennial, like V. bombyciferum. The flowers were not quite as attractive as those of bombyciferum, but I would have to say it is another verbascum well worth growing. Seed seems to be available from Chiltern and from Plant World Seeds. Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147326981426320954.post-22800495586639788712014-05-31T10:03:00.000-07:002014-05-31T10:04:18.205-07:00Front Border Panorama<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiH3H1xaez6gTd2MdBpLf7FWCWi2I0Q_prpkGfKjtdul1H88aii7HHH-6mvNzKPttb-fEqUIvn24jCCPGYc71k5WzRevlN2mSHzCNxDJpMT9H9EjkV5x6EOJvbL6JgyYUoWcI8UT3IeM/s1600/Front+Border+Pano+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiH3H1xaez6gTd2MdBpLf7FWCWi2I0Q_prpkGfKjtdul1H88aii7HHH-6mvNzKPttb-fEqUIvn24jCCPGYc71k5WzRevlN2mSHzCNxDJpMT9H9EjkV5x6EOJvbL6JgyYUoWcI8UT3IeM/s1600/Front+Border+Pano+small.jpg" height="142" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of front border at Froggy Bottom showing various yuccas, dasylirions, and Nolina nelsoniis</td></tr>
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It's difficult to get wide shots of my front border because inevitably there is an ugly car or house or chip pile in view, primarily because this border is sandwiched between the road, a circular driveway, and an empty lot that is home to various chip and compost piles. But by judicious cropping and combining 3 images into this pano, I have managed to give a view of most of the border in one shot (at least from one vantage point). In this image, the yucca looking plants with thick trunks are Nolina nelsoniis. The yucca with thinner trunk is Yucca rostrata, and the yucca looking creature to the left is Dasylirion wheeleri.<br />
I have previously posted about Nolina nelsonii <a href="http://lindacochran.blogspot.com/2012/06/nolina-nelsonii.html">here</a>. This is a plant that I intend to get for my new garden, but have not managed to find any that are large enough yet. I don't want to start with a tiny one, because it takes so long for them to reach the size shown in the picture (about 20 years). I had 2 of these bloom a couple of years ago, and although they are not supposed to, they died after blooming. Bummer! I think there might have been something going on with them that caused them to bloom and die. The other ones at Froggy Bottom are doing just fine and, thus far, have not bloomed.<br />
To see a larger version of this shot, click on the picture. Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12939074054298450560noreply@blogger.com2