92.7% Planted

Above is a close-up of a neat, double gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta 'Maya') that is one of our Fleuroselect award winners out in the gardens. At 18" in height, this floriferous variety is a real eye-catcher, particularly in larger masses. Fleuroselect (http://www.fleuroselect.com/) is the international organization for the ornamental plants industry and is based in the Netherlands. Fleuroselect has been around since 1970 and their mission revolves around the testing, promoting and protecting of new plant varieties. There are Fleuroselect trial gardens in Europe and over 50 gardens worldwide that are display gardens for this organization. RBG is one of only six garden in the United States that displays for Fleuroselect and we've done this since 2002. We are in esteemed company with the other sites being Michigan State, Penn State, the University of Illinois, the University of Tennessee and Walt Disney World. Our Fleuroselect winners are mixed amongst the All-America Selections (AAS) in 9 large beds near the visitors center. To the right is a neat, double snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus 'Madame Butterfly') that was an AAS winner back in 1970. We like to feature older varieties too and the azalea-like blooms on this multi-colored (not just red!) snapdragon are amazing. To the left is the start of the drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon) which is a beautiful, violet-maroon "ovoid" of color hovering at about 30" in height. This fall-planted bulb, while a late bloomer, is also a rampant re-seeder so let the buyer/planter beware. To the right are the peak blooms of the often planted but "never to be ignored" smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'). This hydrangea is a workhorse and will bloom on new wood after being cut to the ground each winter at the gardens. Ample moisture is a must for nice blooms like this.

We had a great turnout of volunteers today. The weather was in the mid 80 degrees F and while the morning was pleasant, the afternoon was quite muggy. I was able to lay out more plants this morning and our first shift of planters included Janet (new volunteer), Mary, Marilyn, Ernie, Karen, Shirley, Hal, Doris and Judy. Directly below, from left to right, are Mary, Janet and Ernie planting in the gazebo garden this morning. The gang did a nice job planting four areas and Judy actually planted for six hours straight (see Judy in the second picture down)! Our afternoon planters included Gena, Mary, Myrt and Nancy. The ladies planted two areas, watered and moved on to some crucial and well-timed weeding. Karen M. was in to prune and tidy in the Japanese garden and Jumbo Jim came in with four RECAPPERS to help in that same garden. Grumpies included Rollie and Bill S. spreading mulch, Dennis spreading path gravel and Bob C. and Ron B. replacing fine gravel on some of our paths near the Japanese garden (see the guys further below and to the right). Dick H. worked on various projects including getting the next batch of stakes prepared for Ariel (RBG intern) who did a nice job swapping out our new labels for the old today. Dave, Bob A. and Jim worked on repairing/building our plant sale tables which will go in to service in about 10 weeks. Dr. Gredler was in to mow and water and Bill O. came in to tidy up out in the gardens. We also saw Polly, Kelli, Mary Kay, Dr. Yahr, Elsa, Chuck, Ray, Maury, Geesje, Glenna and many, many others. It was one of the busier Thursdays that I can remember. The grounds staff was also busy today. Above is Janice planting seeds out in the Ornamental Edible & Contact Vegetable display near the arboretum. She was addressing the current gaps with nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) and small sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). Janice also watered, fertilized and helped facilitate our volunteers. Big John was in to water, clear debris, prune and did some significant planting in the sunken garden. Larry kept irrigation going and spent most of his time pruning in the Japanese garden with Karen. I spent the day hauling plants around and was able to keep a half step ahead of everyone.

To the right are Ron B. and Bob C. replacing gravel. We do this on an annual basis and will skim gravel that has lots of soil or weeds and replace with some fresh stuff. This sure puts a nice touch on most of the gravel pathways. To the left is the Lemon-A-Peel black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata 'Lemon Star'). This vigorous annual vine is growing up many of our blue obelisks as part of our blue/yellow theme. We are offering some "light guidance" for these vines as they like to grab on to neighboring plants as well and grow laterally. To the right is another shot of the American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) growing in clumps along our shoreline above the zig-zag bridge. The birds will appreciate the berries in the coming weeks and we almost always enjoy seeing wildlife in the gardens. Another purpose of RBG is as a wildlife refuge although we don't enjoy the increasingly damaging deer browsing and some of the activities of woodchucks, bunnies and voracious Japanese beetles. Regardless, we hope to see more pollinators soon (bees, butterflies, etc.) and recent wildlife sighting include a large, soft shell turtle laying eggs and a hyped up muskrat along our shoreline. Our minimal chemical use policy in the gardens is also related to our appreciation of wildlife and minimizing any negative impact to those populations. Directly below is a bloom close-up of a sulphur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus 'Cosmic Orange') which has a profusion of vivid blooms throughout the summer (18" high). At the bottom is the silvery foliage of the 'Black Futsu' winter squash (Cucurbita moschata) that is part of Janice's 2011 squash display at the Horticulture Center. This rare variety (popular in Europe) is known for its heavy ribbing and dark color which ripens to an orange coloration. This squash supposedly tastes like hazelnuts. We'll see! Plenty of watering tomorrow and it will be a hot one!