As seen above, our main color scheme has filled out nicely and I caught some good light this morning for these sho
ts. Oddly enough, I'm deciding on color themes for next year as we need to secure our quantity pre-orders of certain annuals and will have our baskets designed very shortly. This necessitates some early decisions but it's nice to get it done with and avoid any last minute hassles. We've had many compliments about the gardens and our entrance garden t
heme in particular. Some have called it "too dark", "too rich" or even "foreboding". Mission accomplished if this scheme brings out some response, even if it is not overly positive. I'll try not to spill the proverbial beans regarding our 2011 colors as we still have lots of 2010 work yet to accomplish. We'll be snipping back on some of our annual beds to keep them looking fresh and are removing spent annuals or any problem areas that are struggling. Our sheer volume of annuals requires lots of care and attention but sure makes some serious impact. Nice shot below of our sunken garden looking tidy. We've had lots of weddings down here recently and are glad it has withstood all the foot traffic and usage well.
We had a small but effective crew today. Larry worked on pushmowing, weedwhipping and various odds and en
ds. Big John pushmowed, planted, watered, weeded, etc. as he had many smaller projects to tackle as well. Janice worked on watering, weeding, moss tidying, and other projects out in the gardens. I had some meetings and continue to work on hanging basket designs and preparations for the looming iris sale. Dr. Gredler and Bill were here to mow and we also had Kay and Margaret (The Dangerous Duo) out doing an awesome job weeding in the reception garden. It was in dire need of attention and the ladies provided just that (much to the chagrin of that deceased weed population). We had a garden development committee meeting (Dick P., Iza, Joanne, Gary, Dave, Dr. Gredler, Chris, Hal and Big John). Hal and Doris also worked in their area which includes a large metal sculpture that we're currently considering
painting. We also saw Maury, Jim W., Bev and others. It was a brutal day out there and I'm glad we have such tough people for grounds staff. Volunteerism has understandably dipped but hopefully we'll have a strong turnout the rest of the late summer / early fall season. Check out this grass to the left! This is the variegated Malaysian pleated palm grass (
Setaria palmifolia 'Variegata') that we're growing for the first time this year (in the windowboxes above the English cottage garden). It is getting a bit large for its container but I was blown away by the pleated foliage. While the variegation isn't strong, the pleating is cool. This grass is low (24") and very "outward spreading" (wide). The grass to the right is the variegated giant reed (
Arundo donax 'Versicolor') that looks dynamite with the sun shining thru the foliage. The green version isn't as visually exciting but has some merit in the garden. This grass has some notoriety as being invasive in warmer climates (CA and TX for example) but also has merit as a potential biofuel as well (grown over 20,000 acres in FL). In our Midwestern climate, it is a non-hardy grass that will get over 7' tall in just one season! We've overwintered it with heavy mulching and seen it return on occasion in microclimates where the soil stays just a smidge warmer in the winter. Below are some nice shots of the wishing well garden which will become more child-themed next year. I'm thinking of calling it "The Smelly Garden" with a primary focus on scent. More rain on the way this week (maybe tonight) although I hope our Thursday bus trip to the Chicago area isn't too damp.
ts. Oddly enough, I'm deciding on color themes for next year as we need to secure our quantity pre-orders of certain annuals and will have our baskets designed very shortly. This necessitates some early decisions but it's nice to get it done with and avoid any last minute hassles. We've had many compliments about the gardens and our entrance garden t
heme in particular. Some have called it "too dark", "too rich" or even "foreboding". Mission accomplished if this scheme brings out some response, even if it is not overly positive. I'll try not to spill the proverbial beans regarding our 2011 colors as we still have lots of 2010 work yet to accomplish. We'll be snipping back on some of our annual beds to keep them looking fresh and are removing spent annuals or any problem areas that are struggling. Our sheer volume of annuals requires lots of care and attention but sure makes some serious impact. Nice shot below of our sunken garden looking tidy. We've had lots of weddings down here recently and are glad it has withstood all the foot traffic and usage well.
ds. Big John pushmowed, planted, watered, weeded, etc. as he had many smaller projects to tackle as well. Janice worked on watering, weeding, moss tidying, and other projects out in the gardens. I had some meetings and continue to work on hanging basket designs and preparations for the looming iris sale. Dr. Gredler and Bill were here to mow and we also had Kay and Margaret (The Dangerous Duo) out doing an awesome job weeding in the reception garden. It was in dire need of attention and the ladies provided just that (much to the chagrin of that deceased weed population). We had a garden development committee meeting (Dick P., Iza, Joanne, Gary, Dave, Dr. Gredler, Chris, Hal and Big John). Hal and Doris also worked in their area which includes a large metal sculpture that we're currently considering
painting. We also saw Maury, Jim W., Bev and others. It was a brutal day out there and I'm glad we have such tough people for grounds staff. Volunteerism has understandably dipped but hopefully we'll have a strong turnout the rest of the late summer / early fall season. Check out this grass to the left! This is the variegated Malaysian pleated palm grass (Setaria palmifolia 'Variegata') that we're growing for the first time this year (in the windowboxes above the English cottage garden). It is getting a bit large for its container but I was blown away by the pleated foliage. While the variegation isn't strong, the pleating is cool. This grass is low (24") and very "outward spreading" (wide). The grass to the right is the variegated giant reed (Arundo donax 'Versicolor') that looks dynamite with the sun shining thru the foliage. The green version isn't as visually exciting but has some merit in the garden. This grass has some notoriety as being invasive in warmer climates (CA and TX for example) but also has merit as a potential biofuel as well (grown over 20,000 acres in FL). In our Midwestern climate, it is a non-hardy grass that will get over 7' tall in just one season! We've overwintered it with heavy mulching and seen it return on occasion in microclimates where the soil stays just a smidge warmer in the winter. Below are some nice shots of the wishing well garden which will become more child-themed next year. I'm thinking of calling it "The Smelly Garden" with a primary focus on scent. More rain on the way this week (maybe tonight) although I hope our Thursday bus trip to the Chicago area isn't too damp.
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