Monday, September 21, 2009

The "Calendar Autumn" Arrives Tomorrow...

Nice shot of showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) above that Marv and I saw at Earthspirit Farm this morning. We went to pick up hostas and got a wonderful tour from Jean. This goldenrod was a beacon but be warned, it is rhizomatous and will create a large, spreading colony as it did in this location. Marv and I finished our road trip up at Olbrich Botanical Garden where Mark from grounds passed along some nice phormiums and a large bamboo. We'll utilize these next year for sure and appreciate our colleagues sharing. Below is another shot from Earthspirit of the variegated Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus') that offers wonderful color, movement and texture. As with any larger ornamental grass, be sure to accomodate the "real estate" that that plant will engulf and realize that division is eventually imminent.

Janice and Terry did some planting today (daylilies, lilies and columbine) amongst other tasks while Larry worked on irrigation repair, hauling various things around and odds and ends. Dr. Gredler mowed and did some lawn aeration with his little tractor (see below to the right). Marianne spent most of the day in the clearance sale but was able to do some work with the irises as well. As a side note, Earthspirit Farms (mentioned above, http://myearthspiritfarm.com/) is one of the other sites for displaying irises as part of the 2010 American Iris Society meeting. The golden dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush') image to the left was taken there as well. We've lost all four that I've planted at Rotary Gardens but Jean had a nice 9' specimen doing very well in a sheltered (from wind) spot.

The Grumpies had a productive day removing annuals, digging up leaking water spigots, hauling block, collecting leaves, etc. I missed most of their morning due to my trip with Marv but it sounds like they accomplished plenty of work and continue to be the stalwarts of our summer gardening efforts. Mary was here to weed and we saw Mary and Dave H. tidying up their area as well. Lisa continues to organize our daylily lists and current donations and we look forward to an organized approach to that collection. We have a volunteer cookout this upcoming Wednesday evening and it looks to be a good turnout. I'll be happy to relax after the plant sale is over that same evening. Then of course, we reinventory and start the process of dealing with what is left over (some plants go back, some are donated and some we'll continue to sell). Today was beautiful weather and the gardens continue to look great and draw late season visitors. Below is a shot of wooly thyme growing with a golden juniper (maybe 'Mother Lode'?) and creating a nice combo of color and texture. This was taken in Jean's rock garden today.

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