Soggy But Productive

This day has been overcast and we had some decent rain from 9 am until 11 am or so. The occasional light drizzle is keeping things damp and the garden can certainly use more of this rain to be certain. The picture above is of a nice white Japanese anemone (Anemone hybrida 'Whirlwind') with its clear white blooms and yellow center. This plant is about 36" tall and looks great with a dark backdrop where the white really "pops".

Marv, Terry, Janice and Marianne have been accomplishing a "pre-emptive" strike on some of our annual beds prior to cooler temperatures. We will pull annual beds as soon as they begin to fade and when cooler temperatures are on the horizon. Larry has been doing odds and ends and is also repairing some of our irrigation lines and heads. The Grumpies kept busy with plant removal then moved inside to help test/repair twinkle lights for our annual holiday lights display. Tony and Rick are finishing up collecting old gravel from our "dry sea" in the Japanese Garden. The Saturday crew picked up most of it but we're making sure that certain "focus areas" are addressed prior to regraveling (happening tomorrow if the weather holds!).

Nice shot of our 'Silver Dollar' eucalyptus (Eucalyptus cinerea) in one of our seasonal beds. Native to Southeast Australia, this is a small tree that would normally reach 25-60' tall. Here we have it started from seed and once planted, it will "spring" up to 3-5' feet during a hot summer. The foliage is aromatic and pinching/cutting back stems will create a bushier look. We love the bluish silver leaf coloration as do florists and flower arrangers. It's interesting to note that there are over 700 species of Eucalyptus distrubuted primarily throughout Australia and that region in general. The tallest flowering plant (Angiosperm) in the world is the Australian mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) with the current record holder at over 320 feet tall. Only the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) of North America (both Gymnosperms) are taller! As a side note, in 1872, William Ferguson measured a downed Australian mountain ash in Australia and it was estimated to be over 500 feet tall!!! A great book about the worlds giant trees and those that climb them is The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. What a great read! Neat coral bells (Heuchera 'Citronelle') below that offers some nice color in a partly shaded garden. This plant benefits from organic soil, plenty of water and decent drainage.