Above is a picture of 'King Tut' papyrus (
Cyperus papyrus) at Boerner Botanical Gardens. It has flopped a little after some earlier light frosts but still has a wonderful form and great texture. This image demonstrates the importance of texture in the landscape. Papyrus is not hardy here but will grow quickly in our summers and has equal value in garden beds, containers and the water garden. Not far from where I took the picture of the papyrus, I was delighted to see the blooms of an annual vine that I've tried to grow for many years. Below is the purple bell vine (
Rhodochiton atrosanguineum) that is native to southwest Mexico. Note the dangling, tubular black flowers surrounding by rose calyces (grouping of sepals). For us, this vine has been a weak grower and peak flowering is quite late. This specimen looked good and I'm glad I took a decent picture of the intriguing blooms!
It started raining last night around 5 pm and didn't stop until this morning around 9 am. It's been cool and damp all day. For the most part, we all did inside work today. Marv and Terry decorated obelisks with lights and did some event prep outside as well. Marianne is testing, repairing and preparing our "icicle lights" that will be dangling from our larger trees. We have a local tree service (L.P. Tree Service) donate time and hang these for us which is much appreciated. Janice worked outside all morning with a dedicated high school group. They collected perennial debris and leaves from three different garden areas. Julie assisted and we were very impressed with these teenagers. Dr. Gredler hauled gravel and did some odds and ends. Rick and Tony also worked on lights and indoor activities. I'm putting together digital pictures from my files that we may use on some fancy new signs that will be installed throughout the gardens next year. We had a grant pay for the creation of 22 top quality garden signs that will really look professional and improve our interpretation considerably. Interesting picture below. I took this shot at Boerner again. They had just erected this framework around their large yew (
Taxus sp.) hedges and presumably will cover this framework with fabric, burlap or some other covering. As labor intensive as this is, the benefits include minimizing damage from snow and ice storms and keeping deer from nibbling! I'm envious although we don't have the resources to accomplish this same level of protection. Look at the bottom image for their approach to protecting their famous rose collection! A lot fancier than rose cones but apparently quite effective.
Above is a picture of 'King Tut' papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) at Boerner Botanical Gardens. It has flopped a little after some earlier light frosts but still has a wonderful form and great texture. This image demonstrates the importance of texture in the landscape. Papyrus is not hardy here but will grow quickly in our summers and has equal value in garden beds, containers and the water garden. Not far from where I took the picture of the papyrus, I was delighted to see the blooms of an annual vine that I've tried to grow for many years. Below is the purple bell vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineum) that is native to southwest Mexico. Note the dangling, tubular black flowers surrounding by rose calyces (grouping of sepals). For us, this vine has been a weak grower and peak flowering is quite late. This specimen looked good and I'm glad I took a decent picture of the intriguing blooms! 
It started raining last night around 5 pm and didn't stop until this morning around 9 am. It's been cool and damp all day. For the most part, we all did inside work today. Marv and Terry decorated obelisks with lights and did some event prep outside as well. Marianne is testing, repairing and preparing our "icicle lights" that will be dangling from our larger trees. We have a local tree service (L.P. Tree Service) donate time and hang these for us which is much appreciated. Janice worked outside all morning with a dedicated high school group. They collected perennial debris and leaves from three different garden areas. Julie assisted and we were very impressed with these teenagers. Dr. Gredler hauled gravel and did some odds and ends. Rick and Tony also worked on lights and indoor activities. I'm putting together digital pictures from my files that we may use on some fancy new signs that will be installed throughout the gardens next year. We had a grant pay for the creation of 22 top quality garden signs that will really look professional and improve our interpretation considerably. Interesting picture below. I took this shot at Boerner again. They had just erected this framework around their large yew (Taxus sp.) hedges and presumably will cover this framework with fabric, burlap or some other covering. As labor intensive as this is, the benefits include minimizing damage from snow and ice storms and keeping deer from nibbling! I'm envious although we don't have the resources to accomplish this same level of protection. Look at the bottom image for their approach to protecting their famous rose collection! A lot fancier than rose cones but apparently quite effective.
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