E is for Eupatorium purpureum

Eupatorium purpureum is such a twisted name for the common Joe Pye Weed.  Joe Pye sounds like someone who got off a boxcar in 1940 at the West Jersey layover.  Eupatorium purpureum sounds like a Greek statue at a botanical garden.

In truth, The genus Eupatorium is named for the Greek Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, who was an enemy of Rome in Asia Minor and lived from 132-63 B.C.

Lore has it that Joe Pye was a Native American Indian who used the plant as a fever medicine.  It's description can still be found in herbalists data.  I don't advocate using any plant for alternate medicine but I may try drying the Joe Pye leaves and burning them as a fly repellent at our next picnic. 

Joe-Pye is known by the common names Queen of the Meadow, gravel root, kidney root, mist-flower, snakeroot and purple boneset.  It has varieties from dwarf to ten foot tall. 

This lovely perennial is so under-used in gardens it's almost foreign to most gardeners.  I've always enjoyed that odd perennial and if not on the expensive side (Joe Pye isn't), I often give them a try. 

This is my Joe Pye Weed in it's original garden setting.  Since planted, a Red Twig Dogwood and an ornamental grass have decided to spread and the JPW was in too much shade.  Last year I moved and hopefully it will thank me with loads of flowers and healthy abandon. 

  
A few facts:  Hardy in Zones 3 to 9, it needs lots of sun and room to spread.  It likes slightly moist rich soil but once established will live in less than ideal soil - although it won't bloom as well.  It forms a loose looking plant averaging 4 foot tall.  It looks especially well in a naturalized or informal garden.  A native wildflower, it has it's slow easy way of doing things.

The wildflower foliage is dark green (sometimes spotted) and the flowers are in shades ranging from pink to purple.  It will naturalize easily and does well if planted where it can informally spread.   Sources call it a herb, a wildflower, a butterfly/bee attractor and an ornamental.  All are right.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Monarch, and the Tawny-edged Skipper are just some of butterflies known to love Joe-Pye.  Notice the little bee on the first photo.  It's also attractive to hummingbirds and wasps.

It flowers in the fall when most everything else has finished and continues until the first hard frost. Some will pinch back in the Spring for a shorter/bushier plant, others will stake the stems and I simply let them go willy-nilly.  Different varieties have different colored flowers and a few are fragrant.  They do well when picked for vase use or dried.

I cut the dried stems down to the ground in Spring.  Joe Pye is late to emerge and leaving the stems until Spring is a reminder where NOT to dig.  It can be grown from seed or plant sets - and divides easily.  Plant some other short and thick perennials around it as a brace or to cover the long stems.  Mine has never been invasive but there is that warning on some publications.

D is for Deciduous

This is the old Black Walnut tree behind our house.  As a deciduous tree, it has both it's leaves and the walnuts during these months. 

Isn't "Deciduous" one of those fun words to roll off your tongue.  One of those words that makes you want to insert it into casual sentences.  "How's your deciduous today, my dear?"  "The sky is so wonderfully deciduous."  Or, "I feel a deciduous coming on."  "The deciduousness of this is deciduously delicious!  Oh, yeah!

Then Webster pulls us back into reality with the following:  "(1) shedding the leaves annually, as trees and shrubs.  (2) falling off or shed at a particular season... (3) not permanent; transitory." 

Deciduous in the animal world describes when animals loose their horns - such as deer.

Very few nursery stock, catalog or plant description doesn't include whether a plant keeps it's leaves in the winter.  In doing this, the word "deciduous" is a natural term.  Wikipedia says, " In a more specific sense deciduous means the dropping of a part that is no longer needed, or falling away after its purpose is finished. In plants it is the result of natural processes."

The large tree on the right is the same Black Walnut in the winter; without leaves or walnuts.

“The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.”  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trees are the most obvious deciduous plant in our northern climate.  Some shrubs and herbaceous perennials are also included.  The opposite of deciduous is evergreen.  All plant functions have a reason.  Loosing the leaves in the winter is often tied to survival during cold - it takes less energy.  The flip side to that coin is it takes more energy to put on leaves in the spring. 

"Deciduous" is also a progressive funk rock group that would require another whole set of descriptions. 

The old walnut in a storm.

I'll just stick with this overview of the botanical version. Without getting into every known description and reasoning, let's just use this bit of knowledge as a better way of understanding the term when buying a plant, what to expect from that plant, and knowing how better to use the plant.

Deciduous is used in the medical field to describe the "baby teeth" of humans.

In some perennials the term deciduous is used the same as dormant.  This would be true of daylilies.  They are termed dormant, evergreen and semi evergreen.  These terms not only apply to how the leaves react to cold weather but they indicate how well they perform in different hardiness zones.

“Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.” (from Fireflies, 1928) - Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel laureate poet, writer, philosopher (born 5/7/1861)

Choose the right deciduous form and a plant can be beautiful in both of it's seasons - such as our old walnut.  In the summer, they provide shade, nesting and food substance.  In the winter, they provide roosting perches, form, and grandeur. 

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree."

- Joyce Kilmer, 1886-1918, Trees

The Mullet

I wanted to illustrate a way to trim or undercut an evergreen shrub to make a beautiful display area.  There used to be a wonderful example in the side yard of the Kewanee Congregational Church.  I had a great photo of it that I can no longer find.  Today the area isn't that great.  

The idea is to have a curve made out of stones.  The inside of the curve is lower than the outside.  The outside has a birm built up so it slopes backward from the top of the wall.  In the middle of the back of the stone wall is a medium sized evergreen bush.  It's the cascading type.

The evergreen has had the front portion trimmed from under.  This undercutting lets the bush look like a mullet.  Since I no longer have the Congo photo, you're just going to have to do visualization.  

Picture Rod Steward with green hair and where his face is substitute dark brown shade.  Substitute his neck for the trunk of the bush.  This area would be shaded because his bangs hang over.  Then visualize his shoulders as the rock.     

The area of his chest would be a semi shaded area in front of the curved rock wall.  Because his bangs overhang the wall and the front of the wall - it will be somewhat shaded.  It's a great place for a bird bath or other statuary.  Also, plants like ferns, impatients, moss, tulips and perhaps some other rocks of interest.  

This might be a simple (REALLY SIMPLE) drawing of what I'm trying to example - or - it's a bad (REALLY BAD) drawing of Rod Steward.  I'll let you be the judge on this one.



This new Golden Globe Arborvita will one day be a good option for mullet undercutting. 

Nikki Sixx's Mullet.  This allows you to visualize a piece of statuary at the front of the wall.  Yes, I know this probably isn't on the same level as the beautiful and peaceful little area at the Congo Church but come on folks work with me here.

Juniper Gold Coast, 3 x 5 ft.  This juniper would work if it had been pruned when it was younger.

Others that would work:

Arcadia Juniper, Juniperus sabina 'Arcadia' 18" x 5 ft. - bright green

The Grey Owl Juniper, J. virginiana 'Grey Owl',  3 x 5 ft. - gray
Juniper - Mint Julep, 6 x 6 ft - fountain like branches
The Bald Cypress Cascade Falls, Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls', 12 x 5 ft. - weeping speciman

Sorry, but if there's talk of mullets, there has to be a picture of the mullet boy:  Billy Ray Cyrus.  Do not, under any condition, undercut your evergreen into a Billy Ray Mullet - Just say NO or, you'll have a bad case of "Achy Breaky Garden"

And "No" Mrs. Carbunkle, I haven't been drinking.  A little line dancing maybe...

Stewart, Sixx and Cyrus photos courtsey of their publicity.

C is for Coreopsis

Coreopsis "Baby Sun"

Has a small red eye and grows to about 16 inches tall. 

Coreopsis "Early Sunrise"

A dwarf variety that is considered short-lived. 

Coreopsis "Moonbeam"  This short buttery yellow flowered plant, with fine leaves, is rather short-lived.  It was 1992 Perennial Plant of the Year.

Asteraceae Coreopsis (or Tickseed) is a sweet variety of perennial plants (classified as a herb from the aster family) that every gardener should try.  The daisy-like flowers can fill in areas or become a mass planting - it behaves well in either.  (Coreopsis is a genus with approximately 100 species, both annual and perennial.  We'll only talk about the perennial in this article.)

There's good  variety among Coreopsis species. C. grandiflora (known as common tickseed) has bright yellow flowers on tall stems that bloom all summer. C. rosea has finely textured leaves with pink daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. The increasingly popular C. verticillata is called the thread leaf coreopsis because of its extremely fine and ferny leaves. The flowers are also delicate and profuse.

Other than the variety of yellows: C. verticillata is red and C. Sweet Dreams is dark red and pink.  C. Cosmic Eye" is red and cream.  C. "Sienna Sunset" is orange colors. C. Route 66 is two toned red and cream with red spots.   Check the cold/hardiness Zone on plants you buy if you want the perennial variety (hardy from Zone 3-8). 

 

Coreopsis prefer a sunny area and tolerate most any soil except water logged.  Once they are established, they don't require additional watering or fertilizer.

They are called "work horses" because they start blooming early in summer and continue until frost.  A little deadheading keeps it full of blooms.  (Once they bloom, I take my garden shears and give the top a little haircut.  Stop doing this before the last flowering to let seed heads form.)

Most Coreopsis will eventually die out if they are not dug, divided and replanted.  Share the wealth of these little work horses by dividing every 2-3 years, transplant to same depth and water well until established.

You may find Coreopsis in most garden shops and they're not terribly expensive.  It looks similar to Gallardia, Helenium and Hellianthus but they have different families and attributes. 

Coreopsis make a great cut flower and are attractive in pots.  It is deer resistant.  One Illinois native is Prairie Coreopsis.

Coreopsis is beneficial to long-tongued bees, short-tongued Halictine bees, and flies. Other insect visitors include wasps, butterflies, skippers, moths, and beetles. These insects usually seek nectar from the flowers, although bees often collect pollen for their larvae and adult beetles eat pollen. The caterpillars of the moths Dimorphic Gray and Wavy-Lined Emerald feed on the foliage.

Yep, Coreopsis is an all around beneficial plant for beauty, ease of care, and for the environment.  Such a deal!   

Places To Go - People To See

Easiest possible way to enjoy the Chicago Flower Show is the bus trip March 9, 2011, sponsored by the Henry-Stark County Master Gardeners.  Registration deadline March 1st.

(enlarge these forms by double clicking, print and return your reservations as directed)  

Great way to spend at cold January morning:  Mid-Winter Horticulture Workshop.  Bats, Bees, and Heirlooms.  Reservation deadline by January 25th.

These three photos are of California gardens that will be on the May 2011 Bringing Back The Natives garden tour.  A grand total of fifty gardens are featured for a one day free tour.  Not that many of us will just happen to be in California that day but the web sight is inspiring. 

A wonderful effort to use native plants and become less dependent on watering and chemicals.  Most of the gardens are very small and should inspire even the most tired gardener.  The trick with using natives:  the more you do the less you have to do.  Although these gardens feature native CA plants, each of us has an opportunity to use our own area's native plants in similar ways.  Think - fifty gardens in this area featuring pockets or entire gardens of natives and reduced turf grass.  California dreamin' right here.

http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/ 

California photos courtesy of the Bringing Back The Natives press division.

Orange Ya' Glad?

The old "knock - knock" joke that ends with "Orange Ya' Glad" etc. reminded me about one of the most prolific garden colors:  ORANGE!

In fact there are so many orange flowers, those who determine current design taste seldom use orange.  Sad because orange can bring a garden to life like no other color.  Many orange flowers are for sun and often survive hot dry summers like no others.

Let's suppose you want an entire bed of orange; here might be some options:

There are multitudes of shades of orange tulips.  From the deepest color to the palest peach.  Some examples:  Fosteriana Tulip Orange Emperor, Mayflowering Tulip Dordogne, and Orange Angelique Tulip.

Poppy Helen Elizabeth

Other Spring flowers:  Juanita Daffodil, Wild Carnival Daffodil, and the Amadeus Mozart Daffodil.  Others are Orange Snow Crocus, Arum italicum, Poppy Helen Elizabeth and the Orange Crown Imperial. 

Hemerocallis  Bali Hai

Hemerocallis  Barbara Mitchell

Butterfly weed 

Columbine

Get into the summer months and ideas are almost endless.  Perennials could include any number of daylilies such as the two above.  Add to those Columbine, Butterfly weed, Iris China Dragon and Copper Classic.

Annuals such as Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus Alaska Mixed, Orange Glory Flower, Chrysanthemum Hannah, Canna Bengal Tiger, Marigold Flagstaff, Coneflower Echinacea Sundown Ppaf, Zinnia Zahara Double Fire.  


Some of the above plants last well into fall or you might add an orange mum or phlox.


I could list hundreds of orange flowers and maybe thousands!  To make an orange bed really stand out, add another color (just one) to give it some contrast.  A little spot of white or yellow.  An orange flower that has other shades such as yellow, green, or even a bright red.   Use both ends of the shades from the bright to pale. 

And, now you have a new idea!  Orange ya' glad I told you?

Wishes and Horses

This is a photo of my friend, Teri, and her horse, Lucy.  Quite the beauties. 

My family had a little saying, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” This comment would come right after we begged for something my parents deemed frivolous. Apparently there was a lot of frivolous begging since I remember the phrase quite well.




I’ve begun receiving my first 2011 garden catalogs and boy-oh-boy I might be in the first phase towards that horse farm!


If you have internet, the on line catalogs are almost endless. I do enjoy a paper copy for probably the same reason I enjoy reading an actual newspaper. I have my specific spot on the couch and the right pillow. I put my feet up, have a cup of tea and read.


I come from a family of readers. Some less than gracious observers might call us a bit compulsive and obsessive about reading. We find it necessary to have at least two, often three, books going at the same time. We’ve a stack of catalogs or magazines near our favorite sitting areas. Our library card is always in our wallet and a gift certificate from our favorite bookstore is like honey to a bear.


I read my garden catalogs in several ways (this is the place where less than gracious observers feel confirmed). I do a once through just to get the general idea of what’s being pushed for the new year. Later, I get more specific and actually read about plants that strike my fancy.


On Sunday afternoons when I simply don’t want to do anything remotely productive, I’ll play the mind game of “If I would win a chance to have ten plants from this catalog, which ones would I choose.” Try it!


For a wealth of ideas and wishes, nothing beats a plant catalog received in the mail on these long cold winter days. We dream of starting a new bed with that new flower or bush. We could actually expand another fifty feet to the West and put in a row of trees. If we haul in a semi load of landscape rock, we could build that waterfall and dig a pond and stock it with koi and start a rose garden and – somebody less than gracious just told me to breath deep…sorry.


Wendell Berry said it best, “We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?” Obviously, Wendell was a gardener.