We came in today with some significant rain coming down. With tonight being our first scheduled "test night" for the lights show, we were worried about finishing up in the rain and of course, the moisture is always an issue. Nice shot above of 'Dale's Strain' coral bells (
Heuchera americana) still looking good in th
e gazebo garden. The rains abated for most of the remainder of the day and it became almost balmy (upper 50 degrees F) when the sun peaked out. Some serious rain hit Madison and Rockford and apparently Rockford had a tornado as well. I spent the day outside running cords and adjusting various elements of the the lights show. Larry also checked cor
ds and displays around the gardens after we turned everything on this morning. We have plenty of "issues" to contend with but this is no different than our first test night for any of the previous years. We'll make adjustments over the coming weeks and cold temperatures and hopefully no rain would be helpful as well. To the left is the yellowing fall color of black jetbead (
Rhodotypos scandens) that also has some interesting fruit (drupe) clusters that form after the white spring flowers are pollinated. This arching shrub (rose family) is extremely tough and adapted to bad soils and minimal sun exposure. We have a nice patch of them in a tough, shady spot in the gazebo garden and they have thrived. To the right is a close-up of the fall color of another barrenwort (
Epimedium x
rubrum). This perennial has done well for us in partial shade and challenging soils. I've shown many barrenworts in past blogs and my interest in them is well established.
After conceding to what appeared to be an apparent "rain out" today, the Grumpies rolled in as the sun came out. It was a very productive day out in the gardens. Above is one of our vehicles hauling supplies for deer protection which was the primary "flavor of the day" activity. Dick P., Rollie, Big John, Maury and Ron W. all help
ed secure fencing and protect our "target hedges." We'll finish this task tomorrow and will start burlapping smaller specimens for at least some protection (primarily in the Japanese garden). We're still protecting the sunken garden hedge (see to the right) but the damage is so severe that there is little to no regeneration around that
entire hedge. I'm really not sure what the future of that hedge will be but total removal is not out of the question. To the left is Urban who was out again pruning back crabapple (
Malus sp.) suckers and having a great time. Pat and Bob were here to finish up on their pathway regraveling project and helped the other guys later on. Bill O. was here to lend a hand here and there and was a big help. Vern, Bob A., Dave and Jim worked on the accessible planters and some other carpentry items. Terry came in and put up almost all of our remaining lights displays. He did a nice job of not only placement but of really securing these displays. Randy will be back Saturday to finish up his corrections and modifications. We appreciate his time greatly. Dr. Gredler was here to paint and do some other projects and we also saw Dick W., Little Jerry, Mary W., Janice, Polly, Dick S. and others. Below is the fall color of our English oak (
Quercus robur) in the Scottish garden.
This time of year marks the transition for me from cord running to 2011 planning. I've always kept busy thru the winter (as has Larry) but I've never had more on my plate for the following year. I'm looking forward to going
thru the seed catalogs and starting to come up with some planting schemes. However, I also have to work on designing two garden areas, verifying labels that can be made on the laser engraver, getting presentations ready, etc. Needless to say, it can be just as busy as spring or summer in terms of time. While I'm fairly desk bound and will add 15 lbs. over the winter, the amount of work I can get done before April will translate to how smoothly our spring will start. I truly feel that the gardens have improved every year and we'll make sure that 2011 isn't
the exception. We'll start working on our collections research and other tasks as early as next week. My other big project is labeling and sorting the 7,000 digital pictures I took this year, many on my travels to Chicago, L.A. and NYC. To the left are the shiny black seeds of the blackberry lily (
Belamcanda chinensis). This hardy perennial has the leaves of an iris, flowers like a lily and has seeds like a blackberry. These seeds are great in dried arrangements too! To the right is more fall color on one of my favorite perennial geraniums. This is
Geranium x
cantabrigiense 'Karmina' and the fall color is secondary only to the beautiful pink blooms in mid-Spring. This geranium will tolerate part sun (as most will) and seems very drought tolerant. The bottom image is of the cone set for the Tanyosho pine (
Pinus densiflora 'Umbraculifera'). I saw some monster-sized versions of this pine at the Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL) and the reddish bark is very striking.
e gazebo garden. The rains abated for most of the remainder of the day and it became almost balmy (upper 50 degrees F) when the sun peaked out. Some serious rain hit Madison and Rockford and apparently Rockford had a tornado as well. I spent the day outside running cords and adjusting various elements of the the lights show. Larry also checked cor
ds and displays around the gardens after we turned everything on this morning. We have plenty of "issues" to contend with but this is no different than our first test night for any of the previous years. We'll make adjustments over the coming weeks and cold temperatures and hopefully no rain would be helpful as well. To the left is the yellowing fall color of black jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens) that also has some interesting fruit (drupe) clusters that form after the white spring flowers are pollinated. This arching shrub (rose family) is extremely tough and adapted to bad soils and minimal sun exposure. We have a nice patch of them in a tough, shady spot in the gazebo garden and they have thrived. To the right is a close-up of the fall color of another barrenwort (Epimedium x rubrum). This perennial has done well for us in partial shade and challenging soils. I've shown many barrenworts in past blogs and my interest in them is well established. 
ed secure fencing and protect our "target hedges." We'll finish this task tomorrow and will start burlapping smaller specimens for at least some protection (primarily in the Japanese garden). We're still protecting the sunken garden hedge (see to the right) but the damage is so severe that there is little to no regeneration around that
entire hedge. I'm really not sure what the future of that hedge will be but total removal is not out of the question. To the left is Urban who was out again pruning back crabapple (Malus sp.) suckers and having a great time. Pat and Bob were here to finish up on their pathway regraveling project and helped the other guys later on. Bill O. was here to lend a hand here and there and was a big help. Vern, Bob A., Dave and Jim worked on the accessible planters and some other carpentry items. Terry came in and put up almost all of our remaining lights displays. He did a nice job of not only placement but of really securing these displays. Randy will be back Saturday to finish up his corrections and modifications. We appreciate his time greatly. Dr. Gredler was here to paint and do some other projects and we also saw Dick W., Little Jerry, Mary W., Janice, Polly, Dick S. and others. Below is the fall color of our English oak (Quercus robur) in the Scottish garden.
thru the seed catalogs and starting to come up with some planting schemes. However, I also have to work on designing two garden areas, verifying labels that can be made on the laser engraver, getting presentations ready, etc. Needless to say, it can be just as busy as spring or summer in terms of time. While I'm fairly desk bound and will add 15 lbs. over the winter, the amount of work I can get done before April will translate to how smoothly our spring will start. I truly feel that the gardens have improved every year and we'll make sure that 2011 isn't 
the exception. We'll start working on our collections research and other tasks as early as next week. My other big project is labeling and sorting the 7,000 digital pictures I took this year, many on my travels to Chicago, L.A. and NYC. To the left are the shiny black seeds of the blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis). This hardy perennial has the leaves of an iris, flowers like a lily and has seeds like a blackberry. These seeds are great in dried arrangements too! To the right is more fall color on one of my favorite perennial geraniums. This is Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Karmina' and the fall color is secondary only to the beautiful pink blooms in mid-Spring. This geranium will tolerate part sun (as most will) and seems very drought tolerant. The bottom image is of the cone set for the Tanyosho pine (Pinus densiflora 'Umbraculifera'). I saw some monster-sized versions of this pine at the Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL) and the reddish bark is very striking.
No comments:
Post a Comment