Our Volunteers Rock!

We had a great volunteer turnout today and the weather was once again perfect. Sunshine and highs near 80 degrees F are most welcome as we know that this weather is a temporary gift from Mother Nature! The top picture above shows our talented group of Grumpettes with Janice this morning. This group includes Glenna, Marilyn, Suzy, Karen, Mary, Shirley, Jenny and Bev. All the ladies did a great job with clean-up around the gardens and they brought back many loads of debris that were later hauled off by Dick H., directly above. Shirley and Bev did some nice work in the sunken garden while Jenny was raking in various "hot spots." Glenna, Marilyn, Suzy, Karen and Mary cut back hostas in three different garden areas and also collected other debris. We typically cut the hostas down before a hard frost that will turn them mushy and less desireable to remove. We've learned some hard lessons in the past regarding the timing for this task. Janice did a nice job coordinating everyone and in the afternoon, we had Mary and Myrt in to tidy up the entrance garden slope where lots of previously frosted coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) were looking sad. Nice shot to the right of some fall color in the Japanese garden. The red in the foreground is from a fullmoon maple (Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium') and the yellow in the distant left is from our largest redbud tree (Cercis canadensis). Both of these trees have yet to peak and will look dynamite this weekend. To the left is Shirley in the sunken garden. While some volunteers are assigned areas to maintain, Shirley takes care of entire gardens as needed and is a top notch gardener. Grumpies included Bob C. and Ron collecting leaves in various locations as did Ron W. and our new Grumpy, Dave. Dick P., Maury, Dick C., Tom C., Pat M. and Dick H. worked on putting down a new electric line (from the Terrace garden) that will ultimately supply two more outlets in the Children's garden. These outlets will be extremely convenient for our youth education programs and various events down in that garden space. This will also negate the need for 150' of extension cords everytime there is a need for power in that garden. Dr. Gredler was here to mow and collect leaves and our carpenters (Vern, Jim and Bob A.) kept busy with some carpentry repairs and the start of construction on another really neat, all-accessible planting table. Rollie worked on installing the latest batch of memorial bricks and will continue the work tomorrow. To the right is the engaging fall color of the Amur maple (Acer ginnala). This is one of our specimens in the Japanese garden and although this species is starting to show some reseeding/weedy tendencies in only slightly warmer climates, I feel few trees can match the consistent and always beautiful fall color of this smaller-statured maple. These colors will intensify to even a deeper red in the coming week. Below (left to right) are Tom C., Dick P. and Maury (supervising with his hands in his pockets) sizing up the electrical project yesterday. They did a great job with installation today. Further below is Rollie who never passes up a chance to "mug for the camera." Nice shot above of an Amur maple (Acer ginnala) trailing over one of the spillways for the new stream in the Japanese garden. We have three of these trees trained (pruned) to cascade over different areas of the stream or dry sea and they really become conspicuous with the onset of fall color. It was another busy day out in the gardens with the youth education volunteers leading another group of kids out to the prairie for the Bird & Prairies program. It is nice to see so many young visitors form some sort of connection with RBG as they will be our future employees, volunteers, members and word-of-mouth advertisers! Nice shot of Bev W. to the right in the sunken garden today. She adopted a nice chunk of that garden and has given it lots of attention. We could use a lot more volunteers like Bev out in the gardens! The grounds staff had a busy day. Larry worked on more weed whipping around the gardens and helped the crew with the electric project near the Children's garden. Big John cleared more plants, emptied containers, hauled debris and did a nice job tidying up some of the unsightly remnants of the extensive Japanese garden project. Janice coordinated the morning volunteers and had her afternoon group in for leaf raking/collection. She also was out in the Ornamental Edible & Compact Vegetable collection (still looking good) to cut back and/or remove select plants. I flitted about and spent quite a bit of time preparing for being gone tomorrow and all of next week on vacation. Limited blogging probably (if it matters to anyone!) but will enjoy the time off before the major shift to final garden clean-up and extension cord slingin' for the Holiday Lights Show. To the left is the fall color of the golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) which is a "deciduous conifer" that will lose needles in fall and refoliate next spring. Native to China, where this tree can get over 100' tall, golden larch has done well for us and that clear golden needle color really glows in this location near the shade garden. To the right are the blooms (previously featured) of the black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata, unknown variety) that have made it thru some of the cooler evenings. We were just commenting how this annual vine has always been quite "restrained" for us until this year, where it has gone bonkers and engulfed all nearby plants and real estate. At the Ball Seed Trial Gardens (West Chicago, IL), I saw some new varieties of this vine that had pinkish red flowers and a nice reddish orange bloom. I'll seek those out next year but will be prepared to hold this vine "in check" if it explodes again. Directly below is a shot from yesterday of young students enjoying a sensory scavenger hunt in the Smelly Garden. At the bottom is a shot from today with the distant arched bridge framed by lots of fall color. Signing off for now. Get outside and tidy up your yards, plant bulbs and enjoy fall before it's a distant memory!

Double Barrel

Today was another wonderful day of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70 degrees F. This was the perfect fall day that we should all enjoy and remember when we're in that snowy January waiting for spring! As the first Wednesday of the month, today was a free admission day at the gardens and we saw lots of visitors enjoying the late season color. There was also another successful Story & Stroll program which brought many children and families to the garden. There was also a large group of kids here this afternoon enjoying the Smelly Garden. Thanks to our youth education volunteers! The top picture shows Marv bringing back two (of the five) large culvert pipe planters from the North American garden. As I took this picture, I thought it looked like a double barrel shotgun. Marv and Terry made quick work of getting them out of the way this morning after the Grumpies dug them out on Monday. The second photo down shows some of the work occuring along the Japanese garden shoreline. This Bobcat was able to pull in boulders that had been pushed in to the water and the guys are doing a nice job rebuilding the shoreline edge which had really eroded and sagged over the past decade or so. Directly above are just some of the visitors we saw today enjoying the gardens. To the above right is the 'King Tut' Egyptian papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) looking nice out in the gardens and although it wont make it thru a hard frost, this sedge (Carex) relative has awesome texture and receives lots of attention in the many places it is utilized around the gardens. To the left is the variegated fuchsia (Fuchsia triphylla 'Firecracker') which has the double whammy of awesome, pink-variegated foliage and dangling orange flowers. I've featured this plant many times over simply because I can't walk by without taking another picture.

Volunteers today included Kay (see directly below) who worked with Pat on clearing out one of the large annual berms just east of the visitor's center. There was a lot of biomass to get out of there and Pat had to use a saw and sturdy shovel to remove the castor beans (Ricinus communis 'Zanzibariensis') which had topped out at about 12' tall or so with 6" diameter trunks. Kay later tidied up in the shade garden after the first project was complete. Dr. Gredler was in to work on the turf and we also saw Dr. Yahr, Magda, Maury, Dick P., Tom C., Ron, Bev and others. It's nice to have such consistent and dedicated volunteers as they have made such a huge impact on the gardens and this year in particular went very well. I truly consider this a "break out year" in terms of showing the visiting public what we're all about (both with our gardens and our educational mission). The trick will be maintaining that momentum which is closely tied to our fundraising and marketing efforts too! To the right is the always showy (and native!) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) near the North Point garden. We have this shorter (30") grass around the gardens and I like it when it is blooming like this and starting to get an "orangey" fall coloration. The inforescences (flower/seed heads) smell like buttered popcorn when peaking (they really do!). I like large grouping of this grass in full sun. Very textural. Further below the shot of Kay raking is a nice shot of kale (Brassica sp.) still looking great (unknown variety). Our kale should look good thru the rest of the year and doesn't mind some brisk evenings..I'm sure today was the ideal outdoor day for the grounds staff. While we started with hooded sweatshirts, it was t-shirt weather by lunchtime for sure and shorts are still in evidence (not on me!). This year the grounds staff has worked in some extreme cold and heat and this week has certainly been ideal. Marianne worked on purging more spent/ugly annuals from the terrace garden and entrance garden. She also put together a nice cutting display that features many of the plants still looking great out there. I receive dozens of compliments on the cutting display each year and am sure to pass it on to Marianne who has made this part of her routine a great way to engage visitors regarding some plants to look for out in the gardens. Although I've seen cutting displays at other gardens, I've never seen as many samples and fresh combinations. Big John did some handwatering this morning. Unfortunately, due to some major valve problems, our water system is shut off. John (and others) had to haul all water in watering cans today. John continued working on clearing unsightly annuals out of the "flag berm" which is our planted area along Palmer Drive (that has our three flag poles). John also watered containers, helped at the Visitor's Center, cut back some tropicals for storage and hauled some bagged compost. Marv and Terry, after hauling the blue culvert pipe planters, moved on to clearing more frost-tinged annuals out in the gardens. The guys did a nice job organizing our "back yard" at the Horticulture Center and moved on to cutting back golden ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Nugget') in the parking lot. We cut them down to a couple inches every year or two and they bounce back the following year with 3-4' of fresh, colorful growth. To the above right are some of the 'Grasshopper' sedges (Carex sp.) which has offered great color and texture amongst our ferns in the fern & moss garden. I'm not sure how hardy these are so we'll leave them in and hope they'll make a repeat performance next year. To the left is the increasingly awesome fall color of the Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'). We see variable fall color on our 50 or so specimens out in the gardens although this one (near the east gate) is the most impressive right now. To the right is one of my favorite ornamental grasses. This is the Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) which blooms late, can tolerate part shade and gets around 36" tall. The plumes are actually pinkish at first and go to cream by late September. This specimen is in the woodland walk garden where it only gets morning light. This grass will also get an orange/yellow fall color. I worked in various projects and was able to get thru the gardens on a comprehensive tour. I was out with Dr. Yahr too and was also able to get around with some herbicide for the second time in over a month. The sun and heat were perfect to target some problem weed areas. I also met with Maury, Dick P. and Tom C. regarding some additional power outlets (out in the gardens) that we'll install tomorrow. Who said prairies were boring!? Directly below is a look at our prairie which is being utilized again tomorrow for youth education. That pink/tan coloration is given by the fall coloration of the prairie grasses, primarily big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). At the bottom is the fruiting structure of the Eastern wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus). The capsule from this large, deciduous shrub, is splitting, showing the orange/red seeds inside. A different species of this shrub (Euonymus americanus) with similar fruiting structures is called "hearts a bursting" because of this similar look.

Today was another perfect day with blue skies, sunshine and ample warmth (74 degrees F). The gardens are still looking quite colorful with many plants still looking good after the light frost this past weekend. Fall color is not at peak for a week or two but we're seeing some nice hints of color around the gardens. To the right is the nice golden fall color of the hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) with 'Autumn Purple' white ash (Fraxinus americana) coloring up nicely in the background. The top picture is a leaf of our variegated ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Variegata') in the entrance garden. While the leaf variegation is quite variable, overall it is a good look for this slow-growing cultivar. Directly above is another nice shot of the arched bridge from across the pond (observation pier). Note the equipment to the left of the bridge. We have Nature's Touch Landscaping rebuilding the boulder retaining wall along that coastline as it has suffered from settling and years of visitors rolling in the top row of rocks (usually teenage fishermen). The end result will be a sturdy wall with larger boulders and a nice defined, level pathway. The guys have spent two days with that backhoe trying to collect dozens of boulders that have been rolled in to the water over the years. Those three passengers in the hot air ballon (seen to the left) got a nice view of the gardens this morning with a low-level coast over the gardens. At one point, we thought they might land in the pond. The Janesville Hot Air Balloon Company has flown over many times and usually lands in the field near the Horticulture Center as they did today. I haven't been offered a free ride as of yet...

This is the time of year (like May and June) where there is no shortage of substantial work to be done. The grounds staff did a nice job today. Larry ran some irrigation until we found a severe leak with our valve system and had to shut everything down. Larry worked with this system most of the day which involved pumping out our valve chamber which was flooded. Larry also worked on pruning and some odds and ends. Big John worked on clearing out the front sign area and also did some container watering. He continued some selective removals in the azalea/rhododendron area too. Janice continued to clear the most frost-sensitive (ugly) plants from a wide range of the garden. She also had a Volunteer Committee meeting and helped with watering duties later in the day. I was able to get outside for some herbicide applications and had some meetings. I have three presentations this month that I'll be preparing for as well (Ferns & Mosses, volunteer dinner and Bulbs). To the right is a cool piece of sculpture/garden art that I saw at Jennifer E.'s house last night. I always like the personal touch in the garden and this art certainly caught my eye. Directly below is the start of fall color (golden) of our tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Note the interesting leaf shape which is defined as "a simple leaf with broad truncate apex with a short acuminate lobe on each side" Dirr. When I worked at Fernwood Botanical Gardens & Nature Center in Niles, MI, this tree was growing native throughout the woodlands and there were some 100' specimens with perfectly straight trunks. A neat tree that you don't see much around here at all. Further below is the vivid red of the native, Virginia creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) that you'll notice hugging tree trunks and branches out in the woods this time of year. We had another nice group of volunteers out in the gardens today as well. Our youth education volunteers did another nice job leading young students thru the gardens and prairie for their youth program (Birds & Prairies). I saw Mary W., Mary D., Sandy, Laura, Bev and Shirley although I'm sure there were more helpers out there. The prairie looks pretty nice right now and the kids seemed to enjoy the program. We also saw a high school photography club (Edgerton, WI) come thru the gardens this morning. Bill O. was in to help tidy many pathways throughout the gardens and has collected more leaves than anyone in RBG history. Dr. Gredler was in to mow, aerate some lawns and run many loads to the dump. We're bringing debris back faster than we can haul it off! Kay was in to help with removals and did a great job removing annuals and tidying up one of the larger beds in the North American garden. Pat was in and helped with our pushmowing and helped tidy up the curbline of the entrance garden. Rollie and Dick P. were in to start placing the new batch of memorial bricks and we also saw Maury, Dick H., Jean and many others. I forgot to mention that we also saw Little Jerry yesterday. To the right is the dinosaur kale (Brassica oleracea 'Lacinato') still hanging in there and looking good despite some nibbled holes in the leaves... The stonecrops (Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy') to the left (not at RBG) are showing the classic flopping form that so frustrates gardeners. When gardeners mention this occurance, I usually ask what their soil is like. Stonecrops will get quite lush and top heavy (floppy) in overly rich soils and would be more compact and upright in leaner soils (gravelly or sandy). These specimens could also be older plants and in need of a nice spring division for rejuventation. Again, this sedum would do better in tougher soils. To the right is the start of fall color for the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) which can be quite a vivid red/maroon by mid October. This photo is from the home of a RBG volunteer but shows the nice merit of this hydrangea for color, form and leaf texture. Directly below is the vivid yellow blossom of the African daisy (Osteospermum sp. 'Voltage Yellow') which doesn't mind the cool evenings and really perks up in September and early October. That blossom is about 3" in diameter and a very eye-catching shade of yellow. At the bottom is the marbled nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus 'Alaska Mixed') which also shrugs off the chills and offers some nice leaf coloration and interesting blooms (both leaves and blooms edible).

A Tinge Of Frost

Apparently we had some light frost over the weekend and saw some of the evidence this morning in the gardens. At the top are some sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas) that universally looked a bit "tinged" and are quite sensitive to anything under 35 degrees F. While I didn't see any frost at home, some co-workers and volunteers mentioned frost at their homes both early Saturday and Sunday morning. We normally don't see hard frost for a couple weeks and that may still be the case with this week looking fairly warm with highs in the mid 70 degrees F and lows in the 50 degrees F. Further above are Bob C. hauling removed annuals (one of dozens of trips) and directly above is Janice tidying up in the sunken garden, the last site for an outdoor wedding this season.While there are still plenty of leaves to collect, the frost allowed us to expand our duties today to removals. We had a great turnout of Grumpies including Pat and Bill S. above. These guys removed the marigold (Tagetes) collection which still had some color but there was some slight frost damage and we'd like to get these out before they drop too much seed for next year. The guys moved on to other removal projects after this one. Both Rons, Urban, Bob C. and Gary were in the North American garden also removing annuals. They cleared out five beds and even toppled our culvert pipe planters (no small project) to be hauled back to the Horticulture Center. See Ron W. and Urban to the lower right. Needless to say, there were plenty of trips back and forth to haul debris back for our compost pile or for a load to the dump. Maury helped the guys as well but also worked on arranging details for some looming projects. Rollie and Dick P. took one of the trucks to the Milwaukee area to pick up one of our memorial brick orders. Jim, Vern and Bob A. sized up some carpentry projects outside and repaired a damaged bench from the gazebo garden. Dick H. was in to help here and there and took a couple loads to the dump as well. Mary Q. and Shirley were in as our "Grumpettes" and they helped purge frosted annuals from the reception garden and sunken garden with Janice. We also saw Kelli, Tony F., Kay R., Dr. Yahr, Kris, Roman and many others over here too. Magda planted in her berm this morning (perennials and bulbs). Dr. Gredler was in for his mowing rounds too. To the upper right is the nice golden fall color of the shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). To the left is the nice fall look of the annual, purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum') in the sunken garden. This grass, although not winter hardy, sure is nice looking and I feel it can't be overused. Speaking of grass, directly below is the remnants of the flowering "haze" provided by a large grouping of annual switchgrasses (Panicum elegans 'Frosted Explosion') that was originally developed for the floral trade but found extensive use in bedding arrangements as well. What a neat, textural look. Further below is my favorite goldenrod (this specimen is in the sunken garden). This is the rough-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks') and this variety was developed in Europe many years ago. You can see how it gets the name and has a nice, two month season of bloom (late August in to early October).

The grounds staff had no shortage of activities today. Larry checked all the water features for clogged pumps, etc. and we frequently look at our streams too as some unsupervised, "youthful" visitors like to make dams and move rocks around our water features which can create a significant problem if not noticed. I could go on about visiting parents who let their kids out of sight and allow them to treat the gardens like a playground but I'll spare you the rant (for now). Larry also did a "comprehensive weed whipping" around the gardens which may be the last one for this year. Marv and Terry planted three good-sized upright junipers and went on to clear an area and compost two recently exposed garden beds. The guys are also working on a project involving drainage from our terrace garden. Big John replanted some containers and moved on to some watering duties. Despite all the rain last week, some of the containers were parched and we're still planting some areas with perennials. Marianne tidied up the front entrance garden, removed caladiums, weeded the English cottage garden, planted lupines and did her cutting display. Janice spent most of her time in the sunken garden as we're trying to "preserve color" down there for the last wedding. This task involved judicious removals and the trimming of less-than-sightly perennials. She also went thru the fern & moss garden and adjacent areas. We usually don't have weddings this late but will hope for nice weather. I was out in the gardens talking to our contractor who has two more projects to finish yet this month. I was also able to assess the frost damage (not too extensive) and decide what we'll be removing yet this week. To the right are the silky seed structures emerging from the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) pods in our prairie restoration area. Look in to that open pod and see the rows of seeds ready for wind disperal near and far. To the left is the always engaging fall color of the Prairie Gem ornamental pear (Pyrus ussuriensis 'MorDak') near our parking lot adjacent to the Parker Education Center. I've been impressed with this pear for its spring flowers and fall color and it is supposedly a lot tougher than the weak-wooded Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana). We'll see. To the right are the wispy white blooms starting on the golden silver lace vine (Fallopia aubertii 'Lemon Lace') which is along the west side of the Parker Education Center on five trellis supports. This vine has done well for us and is considered a hardy woody vine as it will refoliate off of the older stems, left in place over the winter. The squash below, one from our RBG collection this year, is the variety 'Chirimen'. This Japanese variety was first offered commercially in the United States back in 1922. These smaller, 5-8 lb. fruits are actually sweet, mini-pumpkins that are quite popular in Japan and increasingly so here. At the bottom is a nice aerial shot (recently) sent to me by Dave G. with a view down across Lion's Pond to the west edge of the gardens. Those lighter areas out in the water are the sand bars that the swimmers try to target (although there is technically no swimming out there). I've not taken it for granted that RBG is situated on such a neat pond and we're already looking at ways of dealing with water quality, erosion issues, nutrient loading, native plantings, etc. as they relate to our neighboring ponds.

Dahlia Season

I was noticing how nice the dahlias were looking at RBG yesterday and forgot to mention how fortunate I was to see a dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) last weekend when I was there for the NAJGA (North American Japanese Garden Association) conference. All of these shots were in one of the showrooms at the Regenstein Education Center at CBG. The Central States Dahlia Society celebrated their 80th year by presenting the Midwest Dahlia Show. While we have some dahlias at RBG, I couldn't believe the impressive color range and size of some of these varieties (displayed in many rooms and greenhouses). These were some hard core dahlia fanatics and there is a lot of work in getting dahlias to "show quality" like this. Dahlias, while blooming well in summer, put on a heavy flush of blooms in late September in to early October and continue to fascinate me. We have focused on displaying shorter varieties with dark maroon foliage (no staking). This was an extra bonus for me to see this show and I'm inspired to try more dahlias next year. When I started at RBG, we had a dahlia collection that Dr. Sholl, one of our original "Grumpies", maintained. We ultimately couldn't maintain it but I continue to enjoy seeing dahlias and have never seen a variety I didn't like.