The Dating Game Continues

I’ve been writing this blog for three years. During that time there has been no other posting that got the response than the one titled “plants and dating”. Mmmmm…apparently it struck a chord with lots of people.

In that posting, I mentioned that my Ramblin' Red Climbing roses which have wintered very well in the past died down to ground level this year and clematis which never seems to do well for me were thriving this year. Just like dating, it can go on for months or even years and then end without warning. You can read the entire posting here.

So the love affair continues with the clematis. What do you need to know to grow them? First full or nearly full sun, good organic soil and most importantly, they like warm tops and cool bottoms. What does that mean? Mulch the soil around the base with wood chips to keep the soil cool and moist at all times. The vines or the top part of the plant like full warm sun.

Here is a picture of one of the clematis blooming in my yard.



I’ve got a new love for white in the garden…something about it is refreshing. There is one color that every garden should have in it and that is the color blue. Why blue? It brings the color of the sky into the garden. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. In the background is the gazebo…note that you can barely see the climbing roses coming up from ground level.

For more information on growing clematis click here.

For more information on the various varieties of clematis click here.

Make your day a good one.

The “Other” Geraniums

When it comes to geraniums, most people think of the standard annual geranium, the ivy geranium, Martha Washington geranium and finally the scented geranium. All of those are annual geraniums. What most people either forget about or don’t know about is the “other” geranium – the perennial ones. These are a must in any perennial garden. They start blooming about this time of year…well, actually a bit earlier – everything is late this year. They are unbelievably reliable, hardy and easy to care for. The blooms range in color from whites, pinks and blues. They range in height from about 12-18 or more inches.

Here is a picture of one blooming in my yard right now.



For more information on perennial geraniums, click here.

Make your day a good one.

You should have been here yesterday...

There is a garden saying that I have seen many times that reads "You should have been here yesterday, my garden looked perfect then."

So it goes this past weekend. I was in my yard most of Saturday morning planting a few things and doing some cleanup. Before lunch I looked around and thought to myself that the yard looked as good as it gets...darn near perfect.

A few hours later and while not totally destroyed, it looked much different. My area of Minneapolis did not get the worst of the storm and hail, but it did it's share of damage.

Here are a few random tips and things to keep in mind if your yard and garden had some storm damage.

It is important to clean up all the debris and foliage around the yard. Cleaning up the debris can help prevent disease problems.

Perennials should be given a week or so of recovery time and then given an all purpose granular fertilizer to help give them a boost of energy to help them thru the rest of this growing season.

Annuals that are totally defoliated will probably not recover and should be replaced.

Annuals that still have leaves on them and are not totally crushed should be given at least a week of recovery time to see how they look. If they start growing and look as if they will recover then they should be fertilized with a water soluble fertilizer.

The only trees that need to have a wound dressing type of product applied to cut limbs and branches are oaks and elms.

Annuals will help fill in the holes in perennial gardens.

Most trees and shrubs will recover and should generate new leaves. It will be important to keep hail damaged trees and shrubs well watered during the summer and fall. The hail has stressed the plant and what you want to do is reduce any other stress on the plant such as needing water.

It is absolutely not too late to plant or replant warm weather vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. I didn't plant them until late about the middle of June last year and I still had a great crop.

Make your day a good one.

For the Birds

Almost a year ago I put a rock water feature in my back yard. I finally got around to getting it cleaned out and running a couple of weeks ago. No small task, but worth the effort.

Besides the great sound of running water in my yard, I had forgotten how much the birds love it. During the morning hours there is what seems to be a continuous line of birds waiting to take their turn to splash around in the water. Robins, wrens, sparrows, cardinals, finch and more. It's great fun to watch them from my kitchen window as I eat breakfast.

As you plan your landscape, don't forget the birds. A birdbath (keep it filled at all times) or a fountain will surely please them.



Now, if I could just get them to hang up their towels when they are done with their bath.

Make your day a good one.

Garden Season is Here

What has long considered the traditional kickoff of the garden season is upon us. When I was young this was the weekend that we would plant the acre plus vegetable garden and the acre plus of pumpkins and gourds. The weekend always included a trip to Marimel Greenhouse which at the time was my version of heaven with so many plants to pick and choose from.

With the cold late spring, this feels more like the kickoff that I remember.

Right now you can do almost everything and anything in the yard, from dividing perennials, planting seeds (flowers and vegetables) putting down grass seed, getting rid of dandelions, etc.

If you have not put down crabgrass preventer, you are on the cusp of it being too late, but you can put it down anyway and hope for the best.

Here is a photo that I took in my backyard - spring at its best.



Make it a great and safe weekend.

Plants and Dating

My most recent life conclusion is that gardening / growing plants is just like dating. Ok….play along with me on this one. You meet and things are pretty good. The relationship can go on for a few months or maybe even a few years and then it can end with or without warning. When it ends, get over it - move on and start the next one. So it goes with my yard this year. If you have followed this blog during the last few years, you know that I love the Ramblin’ Red climbing shrub rose. I have seven of them planted in my yard. They have completely grown over a large metal gazebo in my back yard covering it with hundreds and hundreds of red blooms every summer. For the last seven years they have survived the winter and leafed out at about 6’ above the ground.

On the other hand, there is the clematis. I also have a love affair with the clematis, especially the Jackmanii Clematis. 30 plus years ago when I was just a toddler, (I already told you to play along with me.) I planted a couple of these on the farm in LeSueur where I grew up. To this day, they have survived every winter, leafing out each spring 8-10 feet above ground. For years I have planted a few in my Minneapolis yard only to have them not come back the following year.

So, imagine my surprise a couple weeks ago when I noticed the three clematis I planted last spring were all leafing out. On the other hand the Ramblin’ Red climbing rose appeared totally dead. It is now sending up small sprouts from ground level – not dead, just a major setback.

So, my relationship with the Ramblin’ Red climbing rose is rocky right now. It’s not over, just on the skids so to speak. On the other hand my renewed affair with the clematis is back on. Let’s see how our summer goes.

For more information on the Ramblin’ Red climbing rose click here:

For more information on the Jackmanii Clematis click here:

For more information on growing shrub roses click here:

For more information on growing clematis click here:

Make your day a good one.

Container Gardening

Container Garden Ideas Using Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens

Part Sun
New Guinea Impatiens
Coral Bells* (Red leaf variety)
Candlestick Vine
Euphorbia Diamond Frost
Bacopa


Shade
Impatiens
Kimberly Queen Fern or Hosta *
Caladium
German Ivy
Bridal Veil

*Perennials should be removed from the container garden in mid-late September and planted in the garden. Water well until frost and they should come back up the following year.