A Nice November Day

Today was just perfect weather with some sun and some clouds but a nice warm up in to the upper 50 degrees F. This was a nice day for lots of garden work and set-up duties for the Holiday Lights Show (HLS). We had lots of volunteers as usual on a Monday morning and almost the entire grounds staff was here too (Pat as a volunteer). At the top is some of the glossy fruits on our 'Red Peacock' crabapple (Malus sp.) that has always put on a nice fruiting display. Birds seem to go after these berries once January comes around. At the Saturday, Plant Appreciation symposium, Dr. Laura Jull spoke on winter interest with woody plants and mentioned the impact of the showier crabapples that have a reliable fruit set that persists on the tree before the birds come after it. Dr. Jull also featured one of my favorite conifers which can also be seen to the right. This is the 'Blue Cloak' concolor fir (Abies concolor) near our alpine garden which is one of two specimens that we have of this showy variety at RBG. Tired of blue spruce (Picea pungens 'Glauca')? Try a concolor fir (Abies concolor). Directly above is another shot of our photogenic entrance in to the Japanese garden. The 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) to the right gets an even brighter red fall color that is really quite showy. Not far from this location, I ran across Tina B., one of our volunteer photographers, taking late season pictures of plants and people. She did such a stellar job last year of photographing our iris collection, she's thankfully continued to help and photographed the marigold (Tagetes) collection this year too.

Grumpy projects included bulb planting supervised by Big John. To the left are Dick P. (left) and Gary (right) planting a clump of tulips (Tulipa) in the beds around the new North Point arbor (see photo below). The guys made quick work of the 1,000 tulips planted in those beds this morning (50 groupings of 20 bulbs each). Dave, Bob C. and Dick H. also helped plant bulbs which included another 800 or so miscellaneous bulbs planted along the new North Point border across the road from their morning planting. Dick P. later helped Tom C. troubleshoot all sorts of power issues we were having with our lights show. Maury returned our rental screen for the symposium to Madison and ran out for supplies. Dennis and Larry worked on collecting leaves and Dennis was later helped by Jenny, our lone Grumpette today. Pat skimmed the fourth, and last, rose crescent bed of the older cocoa bean hull mulch. Pat took care of all four sections himself, over the past week, which is remarkable. Urban was on a ladder all morning pruning suckers off of crabapples (Malus sp.). Ron W. and Dick K. spent the morning hauling back benches to the Horticulture Center (see second picture below). We bring all of them back for safekeeping, repairs and possible re-staining this winter. The guys have developed a good system for keeping track of where benches should be returned when spring comes around. I believe the guys haul back almost 40 benches this time of year. Dave, Bob A., Vern and Jim were in to finish working on some carpentry projects which included the all-accessible planting table seen three photos down. Those inserts will contain the plantings which are easily reached from the curved, inset edge. Great job guys. Rollie did a nice job with another round of mowing and we saw Bill O. in the afternoon (he collected leaves/debris). We also saw Kelli, Mary W., Chuck S. and many others at the Horticulture Center today. To the right is the showy, Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) which not only has nice, upright form and flowers, but also starts getting a golden-orange fall color (picture here in the parking lot islands).

The grounds staff kept busy today and most of us were involved with HLS preparations. After supervising the morning bulb planting crew, Big John worked out in the parking lot islands of the visitors center. He removed signs from trees that will be shortly removed as part of a rennovation project and cut back perennials and collected debris from that same area. Larry helped me run cords in many different areas but he also found time to plant some bulbs and continue with some other duties. I've normally run every cord in the past but we have so many veterans of this event, I had Marv, Terry, Marianne and Larry all running cords to areas that are ready for some "juice." This was a huge help and became even more vital once we learned that we may lose the next two days of HLS preparations to some cold and persistent rain. To the right is the clear golden fall color of the White Tigress hybrid maple (Acer tegmentosum x davidii) which I also featured recently for it's white striped, ornamental bark. To the left is the "hard to compete with" fall color of the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua). I like this fall color stage when you can see maroon and red on the exterior but all manner of yellows and oranges on the interior of the canopy. Cool.

Marianne finished up her final luminaries, did some garden clean-up and helped wire up displays (run cords) in the reception and sunken gardens today. Marv and Terry ran cords, pounded in more tree stakes, installed more displays and started installing their C9 candle displays to help guide traffic. The guys have almost all the displays secured out in the gardens and are positioned to help with the last touch up phases of the set-up next week. Janice worked on some of the last obelisk displays and we'll see her for more tasks tomorrow. With the exception of some minor deskwork and some small distractions, I was able to place cords for most of the day out in the gardens. I really feel good about how far along we are and I don't think we're that far away from one of those brutal weather days that REALLY makes us appreciate the early start. To the right are some of our golden weeping willows (Salix alba 'Tristis') along the shoreline that really glow this time of year (and in spring). Directly below is a foliage close-up of 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) which was quite striking in the distance (and up close) with that yellow obelisk in the background. At the bottom is some neat fall foliage of the European cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum opulus) which can be quite variable. The golden edges on the reddening leaves caught my eye today.

A Delightful Day Of Gardening

Today was overcast and windy but turned out to be a pleasant Sunday with temperatures in the lower 60 degrees F. I had a nice day gardening at home and accomplished plenty of clean-up duties. I had my camera so took some shots as I went along. The top picture shows some of the leaves that I'm still collecting. I like the lime highlights on that Norway maple (Acer platanoides) leaf and noted that 90% of the leaves in our yard drift down from huge maples (silver, red, Norway, boxelder) from all of our neighbors. The image directly above is the annual, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) that shrugs off all by the most severest frosts and continues blooming (and reseeding). Other highlights (below) include Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) still looking good in my deck planter, continued blooms of a hardy chrysanthemum ('Single Apricot'), neat foliage on my 'Vancouver Centennial' fancy-leaved geranium (Pelargonium) and some "hitchhiking" seeds from the globe thistle (Echinops) that clung to me by the hundreds.

Two pictures above is the tinge of reddish color on my Golden Spirit smokebush (Cotinus coggygria 'Ancot') and directly above are some of my trimmings from a contorted European filbert (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') which is also called Harry Lauder's walking stick. They do benefit from some serious pruning and thinning. The variability in the "wandering stems" is amazing Further below is the cool, striped bark on the White Tigress striped maple (Acer hybrida) which is a supposed cross between Acer davidii and Acer tegmentosum. To the left is the orange fall color on my Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) in the back yard. It's about 12' tall and has filled in well. To the lower right is the golden fall color on the variegated Solomon's seal (Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'). At the bottom is a closeup of a lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.) leaf and some artwork on my back fence. Lots of progress today, more to do this week. I'll be laying out cords tomorrow.

Successful Symposium

We had an awesome symposium today and everything went very smoothly for our Plant Appreciation event. I believe our attendance was around 100 participants with a smattering of RBG volunteers and staff as well. Kris K. had everything well-organized and we had great volunteer assistance for set-up, facilitation and clean-up at the end of the event. Breaks and the lunch went well too. The top image shows our top-notch line up of speakers. From left to right are Richard Hawke from the Chicago Botanic Garden (presented on the "Best of the Best", perennials)., Roy Klehm of Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery and Beaver Creek Nursery (presented about peonies), Dr. Laura Jull from UW-Madison Horticulture Department (presented on Woody Plants for Winter Interest) and Jim Nau, Manager of Gardens and Greenhouses at the Ball Seed Company (presented on Hortus Mustus; annuals and perennials). Directly above and to the right are some pictures of our silent auction and raffle set-up (respectively) for acquiring lots of neat plants from Song Sparrow Nursery. There were 47 specialty items and the proceeds supported RBG. Roy also sent everyone home with a free peony which was very generous. We had so much volunteer help today (Jane, Janice, Pat C., Big John, Pat M., Dennis, Larry, Maury, Carrie A. and many others) that everything went very well. Kelli, Polly, Lori, Kris, Mark S., Amanda and myself were working as staff and I was impressed with the seamless teamwork. We had a very quick "turnaround" at the end of the symposium at 3:30 pm as there was a huge event at 5 pm that needed to be set-up very quickly. Overall, a great day. We will be having both a spring and a fall symposium next year as well and look forward to reading participant reviews of today to see what they thought. Below is Kris K. giving announcements and at the bottom are the attendees. We appreciate them spending the day with us and hope to see them at future events and certainly out in the gardens.

Student Interns & Symposium Preparations

This morning was a cold start with temperatures in the upper 20 degrees F. I used my ice scraper on my vehicle windows for the first time this fall. However, it did warm up nicely and was a sunny day in the mid 50 degrees F. It was perfect weather for Holiday Lights Show (HLS) decorating as well as gardening. We had a great crew today which included student interns and their instructor from Shepherds College in Union Grove, WI (www.shepherdscollege.org). Leslie, the horticulture instructor, has brought students here for many years and today we had the help of Ray, Sean and Tess (see top picture above with Leslie, driving). Janice and Mary W. also worked with the crew. The image directly above shows our new garden area between the North Point garden and the alpine garden that was recently developed. The boxes all represent bulb groupings that I placed for our interns to plant today. They made quick work of planting over 1,000 tulips (Tulipa), ornamental onions (Allium) and grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.). The gang also cut back perennials in that area, planted some perennials and helped tidy up. We greatly appreciate their help. To the above right is Tess' cool hat! To the left is our druid sculpture (note the tree she's holding) in the reception garden. She sure has an intense stare as she protects Mother Nature and watches more decorations installed in that garden area. This sculpture was originally on top of the House of Mercy nunnery over 100 years ago. The House of Mercy was the start of the vast Mercy Health System in our area and down in Northern IL. This statue is on permanent load from the Rock County Historical Society and is an important (and recognized) feature at RBG.

Other volunteers today, aside from Mary W. mentioned above, included Pat who continued scraping off our cocoa bean mulch from around the roses. We like this type of mulch for function and appearance but I don't feel that it breaks down consistently and does develop mold problems. We re-apply this mulch every year (fresh). We also saw Don, Maury and others at the Hort Center today. Maury, Dick P. and Gary helped me (thankfully) put up the huge screen for the symposium today. I've done this before with Mike M. in the past and it is a challenge to say the least. To the right is the fall color of the native nannyberry viburnum (Viburnum lentago) in the color rooms garden. Directly below are the bulbs I hauled out for our planting project this morning. That area should look dynamite in May of 2012!Directly above is the late (but awesome) fall color of our sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) tree near the arboretum. The blend of red, purples, oranges and yellows makes for a dynamic look after so many other trees have lost their leaves. Pretty cool. The grounds staff had a busy day as well. Janice started the day helping me with signs for the symposium and she also worked on potting up and preparing plants before she worked with the Shepherds College gang. Marianne finished laying out all of her luminaries including getting all the strands and bulbs in place. That is a lot of stooping! She did it in record time this year and had time to plant perennials too. Marv and Terry continued to haul out displays, obelisks and other decorations around the gardens. Marv smoothed out the primary gravel path today too which is perfect timing for our HLS traffic as well as snow removal with our big snowblower attachment. I had a morning meeting and spent the rest of the day on the last of our symposium details. It looks like we'll have 100+ tomorrow for our first ever fall symposium. We have a great line-up of speakers and some fun topics. To the right is the fall color of one of our bloody cranesbill geraniums (Geranium sanguineum) in the alpine garden. The leaves looked neat this morning covered with a bit of frost. The frost looked neat all over the gardens, including on the seedheads of the compact, perennial black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa 'Viette's Little Suzy') seen to the left. Along Palmer Drive, I've been enjoying the transition of fall color on the American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus) along the road. The summer leaves (green) have been transitioning to an pinkish orange and the shot to the right is taken from underneath the tree with the leaves backlit. These leaves should even turn more orange in the next week or two. I like the American smoketree as much as any of the European smoketree (Cotinus coggygria) varieties. Directly below are the frost outlines on the edges of the cranberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus) which is turning maroon this time of year. At the bottom is the brilliant peak of fall color on the Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum) along the Eastern arboretum edge. Market Mingle (indoor farmer's market) at RBG tonight. Big day tomorrow and next week starts my full time job of slinging cords.

A Busy Day At RBG

It was a busy day today both out in the gardens with volunteer & staff progress but also over at the Parker Education Center with a huge gathering. The image directly above is of a portion of the crowd (280+) people that attended the Mercy Health System Volunteer Recognition Lunch. The parking lot was full and people were parking up and down Palmer Drive (our frontage road). I gave a presentation to the group on Healing Gardens that seemed well-received and it was interesting to see about 30 or so of our own volunteers in this crowd as well. The image at the top is the red fall color of one of our cranesbill geraniums (Geranium x cantabrigiense) in the alpine garden. Peak fall color for perennial geraniums, those that "color up", isn't usually until November and it sure can be vivid. To the right is a neat container that Vern brought in to show me. Now that container has character! To the left is the orange fall color of the Snow Fountains weeping Higan cherry (Prunus hybrida 'Snofozam'). This orange fall color is only rivaled by the masses of light pink blooms in early spring.

We had an amazing amount of volunteers here today with Grumpies, Grumpettes and our afternoon volunteer crews. Vern, Dave, Bob A. and Jim continued work on an accessible planter and are coming up with some "mock ups" for our art project next year. Tom C. and Dick P. finished installing some new electrical connections to the storage shed at the other building. Larry was out collecting leaves and debris while Gary and Bob C. did the same but moved on to woodchip mulching as well. Dennis and Dave (directly below) continued working on their woodchip project while Pat was in the rose garden collecting and removing an old mulch layer from around the roses. Ron and Bev were back in to help with Holiday Lights Show (HLS) set-up and continued decorating our arches with twinkle lights. Dick H. came in and ran many loads to the dump and picked up our repaired utility cart (with Big John). Urban was in pruning (see picture further below and to the left) the crabapples (Malus sp.) in front of the Parker Education Center and worked well in to the afternoon. Suzy did a nice job cleaning up debris in the woodland walk garden while Maury ran to Madison to pick up the big screen for our symposium this Saturday. Gena, Mary and Myrt came in after lunch and continued cutting back perennials, collecting leaves and in general, doing a nice job of fall clean-up. Janice's volunteers were in as well and did a great job in the Scottish garden with the same activities. Mary W. was in to help her out and we also saw Kelli, Val, Dorothy, Mike P., Chuck and Rollie (came in to mow) today. To the right is a nice shot of the south entrance to the Japanese garden. Directly below (second picture down) is the orange fall color of the variegated Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata 'Goshiki') which normally has green leaves with the white margins. I haven't noticed this combination of color (almost a "tricolor" look) in past years and thought it quite striking. Zelkovas are in the elm (Ulmaceae) family and are tough trees but have hardiness issues further north. The day was drizzling to start but it stopped raining shortly although it was dark and cloudy all day (despite promises of later sunshine). The grounds crew kept hopping as well. Big John worked on putting up lights on the gazebo and helped Larry in the reception garden. He also helped Dick H. with the utility cart pick-up this morning. Janice continued some work on the upcoming symposium this weekend, helped get some of our morning and afternoon volunteers oriented to their projects at hand and worked with her afternoon volunteers collecting debris. I continue to work on items for the symposium on Saturday but was glad to be the presenter at that luncheon today to help promote awareness of the gardens and mention our future Wellness Garden (just starting to plan for it). It's so nice to spend time with volunteers in general as they all donate such valuable time to the organizations that they support. To the right is the increasingly orange fall color of the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) in the Japanese garden. I featured a picture of this a couple weeks ago when it was a light melon color but wow! that is a brilliant orange. This is a marginally hardy woody plant for us and I sure hope it makes it in its protected location... To the right is the flame grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurascens') in the parking lot islands. Most Miscanthus' get a yellow coloration in late fall before turning brown. This variety goes thru a pink/orange stage that further develops to an orange/red in November (then goes brown by December). Ornamental grasses really are becoming "front and center" in the November landscape and their merits become very conspicuous this time of year with texture, fall color and inflorescences (flower/seed heads). Directly below are the fruits of the Harvest Gold crabapple (Malus hybrida 'Hargozam'). These fruits are at least 1" in diameter and are really showy right now. The birds clean them off over the winter but here is a classic case on how fruits can be ornamental as well. At the bottom is more of our Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) changing a nice fall color. Some of our ivy in sunnier spots is already red and dropping leaves. This batch on the north side of one of our buildings is going thru this pinkish red transition right now. Very colorful.