Does Big John's smile look forced above? I think it is as he dug up and potted over 60 purple coneflowers (
Echinacea purpurea 'Prairie Splendor') that we had growing out in an annual bed. These were
part of our American Garden Award display and this variety blooms the first year from seed. We didn't want them to go to waste and will transplant some and give the rest to volunteers. John had to do plenty of digging today but the weather sure was perfect for it. He also mowed and watered later in the day. We had a very productive day wi
th Marv & Terry working on creating a new path (see below), running sprinklers and irrigation and accomplishing other tasks around the gardens. Marianne started working on holiday lights then moved to "sprucing" up the plant sale items near the main building, transplanting coral bells, planting kale and plenty of watering. Little Jerry continued to prune conifers in the alpine garden and tidied up here and there. We had Kay here working in the shade garden and she did her wonderful job as usual. Dr. Gredler was here to fertilize, collect debris, make runs to the dump and other task. Dr. Yahr was also here keeping an eye on the progress out on "the point." It's looking pretty good out there and three loads of topsoil came this morning and are being leveled out as I type! We also saw Vern, Del, Mary Kay and Mike today. Nice shot to the left of 'Dolce Blackcurrant' coral bells (
Heuchera) with golden ornamental shamrock (
Oxalis vulcanicola 'Molten Lava') in the shade garden. To the right is a foxglove (
Digitalis purpurea 'Virtuoso Rose') still blooming strong in the English cottage garden.
I was able to get out in the gardens today to fertilize various lawns and was glad I took my camera along for the ride. The lighting this time of year is so nice and the colors really have a rich tone.
I realized that I need to do more "walk arounds" to not only notice impending tasks but also to appreciate some of the neat plants, garden features and seasonal transitions that are out there. I went on WCLO radio today with Becky ho
sting and was able to promote all of our upcoming events for the rest of the year and even put a plug in for memberships and volunteerism at the gardens. Both our local radio and local paper (
The Janesville Gazette) have been very supportive of our events and goals for engaging the community. To the left is the start of fall color on the Tiger Eyes sumac (
Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'). It should continue to go thru orange tones in to some reds. Fall color, as with most plants, will vary from year to year but early signs seem to indicate some showy colors on the way in October. To the right is a unique amaranth (
Amaranthus caudatus) called 'Dreadlocks'. These specimens are in our sunken garden and if you remember the old love-lies-bleeding, this is a "knotted form" of that species. I think this annual is aptly named and is certainly a conversation piece in the full sun garden.
The shot above and all those below were taken last night at Olbrich Botanical Gardens up in Madison. I had a prese
ntation regarding "Bulbs" that went very well although I had a small audience. I was asked if I knew that I was competing with President Obama who was also in Madison last night. I replied, "Oh, is he presenting on bulbs too?" I went early so I could catch the setting sun and took
some nice shots. I like the random color above and was impressed with the extended interest and color throughout the gardens. Jeff and crew do a top notch job and I cant' say enough about that garden and encourage everyone to visit often. There were many visitors enjoying the gardens and it looked like the transition to fall arrangements, containers, etc. had begun. To the left is part of the herb garden and to the right is a container with the same Tiger Eyes sumac seen above. Olbrich uses quite a few woody plants in containers and they look great. Winter storage of these plants is the challenge for us but they seem to have that worked out at Olbrich. Below are some of the white bushclovers (
Lespedeza thunbergii 'Avalanche') used to great effect in the rose garden at Olbrich. I featured the pinkish 'Gibraltar' in previous blogs but was smitten with this white variety and its cascading habit. Needless to say, this variety will be acquired for next year! The bottom photo is one of their tropical borders still looking sharp with a containerized succulent used for accent.
Does Big John's smile look forced above? I think it is as he dug up and potted over 60 purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea 'Prairie Splendor') that we had growing out in an annual bed. These were
part of our American Garden Award display and this variety blooms the first year from seed. We didn't want them to go to waste and will transplant some and give the rest to volunteers. John had to do plenty of digging today but the weather sure was perfect for it. He also mowed and watered later in the day. We had a very productive day wi
th Marv & Terry working on creating a new path (see below), running sprinklers and irrigation and accomplishing other tasks around the gardens. Marianne started working on holiday lights then moved to "sprucing" up the plant sale items near the main building, transplanting coral bells, planting kale and plenty of watering. Little Jerry continued to prune conifers in the alpine garden and tidied up here and there. We had Kay here working in the shade garden and she did her wonderful job as usual. Dr. Gredler was here to fertilize, collect debris, make runs to the dump and other task. Dr. Yahr was also here keeping an eye on the progress out on "the point." It's looking pretty good out there and three loads of topsoil came this morning and are being leveled out as I type! We also saw Vern, Del, Mary Kay and Mike today. Nice shot to the left of 'Dolce Blackcurrant' coral bells (Heuchera) with golden ornamental shamrock (Oxalis vulcanicola 'Molten Lava') in the shade garden. To the right is a foxglove (Digitalis purpurea 'Virtuoso Rose') still blooming strong in the English cottage garden.
I realized that I need to do more "walk arounds" to not only notice impending tasks but also to appreciate some of the neat plants, garden features and seasonal transitions that are out there. I went on WCLO radio today with Becky ho
sting and was able to promote all of our upcoming events for the rest of the year and even put a plug in for memberships and volunteerism at the gardens. Both our local radio and local paper (The Janesville Gazette) have been very supportive of our events and goals for engaging the community. To the left is the start of fall color on the Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'). It should continue to go thru orange tones in to some reds. Fall color, as with most plants, will vary from year to year but early signs seem to indicate some showy colors on the way in October. To the right is a unique amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) called 'Dreadlocks'. These specimens are in our sunken garden and if you remember the old love-lies-bleeding, this is a "knotted form" of that species. I think this annual is aptly named and is certainly a conversation piece in the full sun garden. 
ntation regarding "Bulbs" that went very well although I had a small audience. I was asked if I knew that I was competing with President Obama who was also in Madison last night. I replied, "Oh, is he presenting on bulbs too?" I went early so I could catch the setting sun and took
some nice shots. I like the random color above and was impressed with the extended interest and color throughout the gardens. Jeff and crew do a top notch job and I cant' say enough about that garden and encourage everyone to visit often. There were many visitors enjoying the gardens and it looked like the transition to fall arrangements, containers, etc. had begun. To the left is part of the herb garden and to the right is a container with the same Tiger Eyes sumac seen above. Olbrich uses quite a few woody plants in containers and they look great. Winter storage of these plants is the challenge for us but they seem to have that worked out at Olbrich. Below are some of the white bushclovers (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Avalanche') used to great effect in the rose garden at Olbrich. I featured the pinkish 'Gibraltar' in previous blogs but was smitten with this white variety and its cascading habit. Needless to say, this variety will be acquired for next year! The bottom photo is one of their tropical borders still looking sharp with a containerized succulent used for accent. 
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