Blurry Vision

I've been staring at my computer screen all day which I'm sure can't be good for me. I see spreadsheets even when my eyes are closed.... Above is a portion of the spreadsheet I create as I order seeds so we can keep track of varieties for later redistribution to our nurseries. This spreadsheet is also used for labeling and for separating out colllections with color coded labels so we can be ready to roll when the marigolds above arrive in four months as plants! More seed ordering and spread sheet action next week for me.

We had a busy day around the Horticulture Center with Dr. Gredler here all day making red obelisks a deep, midnight blue (part of our blue and yellow theme this year). Maury was in and out all day and we had a meeting with some Golden Kiwanis members to finalize some details for our collective tree sale on April 22 & 23. We'll be offering small transplants of Norway spruce (Picea abies), Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens glauca), Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca 'Densata') and Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) and are getting our posters and promotions ready to go. All of these trees will be $1.75 each and we have 10,000 total to sell. With proper promotion (and interest) we should be able to sell out. Janice was here to work on her projects and Bill came in to tidy up the Horticulture Center and help Dr. Gredler. We also saw Mary W., Mary D., Jim, Big John, Marv and Marianne. Below are some more shots from my Olbrich excursion yesterday.

I always enjoy the winter containers at Olbrich including those I saw yesterday. Note above the colorful use of golden arborvitae (Thuja), pine (Pinus) and hot peppers (Capsicum) in this hanging basket. What an eye catcher! The greens in the container below are punctuated with red-stemmed dogwood (Cornus) and sumac (Rhus sp.). Olbrich clears snow off a large percentage of their paths allowing for winter visitation (recommended) and thereby does create some nice container arrangements for punctuated color interest throughout the gardens. Using the photos below as examples, winter is a great time to appreciate the interest (sometimes subtle, sometimes not) that our plants can provide during the four months that we are huddled inside. The image to the left shows a golden falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mops') that offers that bright coloration all year round and is even more engaging with some clean white snow clinging to it. To the right is the dried flower of a panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, unknown variety) that to me is still very interesting. This dried head will be shed in spring with new growth but will be quite rigid and noteworthy for the balance of the winter months. I love the panicled hydrangeas as many will start white, age to pink, amber and then have this nice winter effect. It is not a shrub that only has flowering impact for two weeks! Lots of great varieties out there now but put them in full sun for the best growth and don't let them ever get thirsty. Yesterday (and today) was so frigid, the rhododendrons below felt the same way I did. This is a natural process by the plant to help minimize winter moisture loss (and winter damage) of those evergeen leaves by shrinking their surface area. Warmer temperatures, spring moisture and sunshine from a higher "solar angle" will cause the leaves to unfurl in a couple months.
My winter blogs never fail to mention ornamental bark; which was much in evidence at Olbrich. To the left (below) is the furrowed bark of the three-flower maple (Acer triflorum) and to the right is the coppery, exfoliating bark of China Snow Peking lilac (Syringa pekinensis 'Morton') that is always so captivating. It was sad to see that some of the lower bark had been peeled off (probably kids) and my photo was taken further up in the tree. Showy nonetheless. Further below is the peace symbol out in the rounded lawn area in the middle of the garden and of course, no winter landscape should lack colorful stems like those of the red-stemmed dogwood (Cornus sp.) at the bottom of the blog. Get outside and see what catches your eye.