A Split Day For Me

I'm actually finishing this blog from home this afternoon as I split my day between RBG and the home "office". My intent this afternoon is to continue developing and refining the design for our future Wellness Garden. This new garden space has been talked about for over 12 years and we are now focusing on a specific area with specific intent (in regards to usage, ornamental contribution and program potential). This space would not just be all accessible but would be developed for active use with horticultural therapy initiatives for a wide audience. We've had some recent donations and increasing interest in this garden and our Garden Development Committee and Board of Directors are forging ahead with these refined plans based on all of our previous work and research. Exciting. This morning though, I went in to the Horticulture Center and took this first photo (left) of one of our 25 garden supports awaiting it's next vegetable selection this summer. These beds at the Horticulture Center have been used for trialing annuals initially but have been dedicated to growing and displaying vegetables for the past seven years. Janice works with Master Gardeners to maintain this space and much of the past produce has been donated to area food banks. These 10' tall towers have had heirloom pole beans, gourds, squash and this year will have vigorous tomatoes tied/trained on to them. Gardening up! To the right is an ice encased ninebark (Physocarpus) in front of the Visitors Center which is right under the eaves (no gutter). This ice will be gone soon with May temperatures coming back by mid-week.

We had a nice turnout of Grumpies this morning including Bob A. (to the left) painting the new tops for the refurbished garbage and recycling bins. It was amazing how deteriorated these had become but our carpenters did a nice job with this project. Jim and Vern were also here this morning starting on the next task which is to make another 20 of our popular obelisks (sold in the gift shop and at plant sales). Del worked on some carpentry as well and both Terry (right) and Marv did some more work on the PVC tubes that will be supporting our bowl planters. The guys also are getting some of our yard supplies (potting soil, etc.) arranged and in the sun to thaw out for use quite shortly. Urban and Pat headed out to do some more pruning and Pat shifted to some painting later in the morning. Dick H. was back and worked on cutting and bending more of our aluminum sign stakes. Dr. Gredler was in to work on the yellow Adirondack chairs (directly below) and Larry worked on some different projects. With my early departures this week, I wont be able to report on afternoon RBG activities (obviously!).The winter shots included here are from this weekend. Above is a solitary winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) peaking out. Many plants generate a small amount of heat with growth. I noted the melted snow around snowdrop (Galanthus sp.) clumps out in the gardens and skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), with very early blooms (probably blooming already), will melt its way thru snow as well. Of course, the mild temperatures later this week should do the trick and the white stuff will be another memory. To the right is the winter adonis (Adonis amurensis 'Fukujukai') that I've featured very recently in the blogs. This early bloomer will be shining again shortly. To the left are some 'Karl Foerster' feather reed grasses (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) that normally will stay rigid thru the winter and had done so until Friday night. There are very few ornamental grasses that have the winter stature to remain upright after a damp snow like the one we experienced. This snow made me feel better about our decision to cut our grasses at RBG a bit earlier than usual. If we had waited, they would be less fun to cut back being all crumpled, matted and flattened. To the right is the winter form of a young Kentucky tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) near the arboretum. This tree normally has a rugged branching structure which in this image is accentuated with that sticky snow. I'm not sure what variety this is yet as the older females will produce seed pods (we've seen none yet). There are some good male varieties out there if the pods are considered messy.

At the bottom is one of our six new signs that we'll install out in the gardens this spring (with their new bases/holders). This sign is for our All-America Selections (AAS) collection and will be installed in the garden space east of the visitors center. See www.all-americaselections.org/ for more information on this neat organization. A generous grant covered the costs of our first 20 garden area signs (four years ago) and it was nice to add these new ones for 2012. We'll also be installing some neat signs (similar in style) in the parking lot islands along with our new tree plantings. It's nice to take all of our garden interpretation, including plant labels, to the "next level."

The Ghost Fern

All the photos included here (mine) are of the 'Ghost' fern (Athyrium hybrida 'Ghost') which has quickly become one of my favorites to use around the part/dappled shade garden. This fern is a hybrid between the Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) and the lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina). Originally found in the Virginia garden of Nancy Swell many years ago, this perennial fern (hardy to zone 4) offers the best features of both of its parents. The 'Ghost' fern offers the silvering and burgundy highlights of the painted fern parent as well as the height and adaptability of the lady fern genetics. Maximum height of this fern is around 30" or so whereas most Japanese painted fern varieties are only 15" tall. It's important to note the variability in the coloration of this fern in these shots. Those images where the fronds seem a bit more "greenish silver" were taken before mid-summer. Those that look more silver were taken later in the year. We probably have 50 or so 'Ghost' ferns out in the gardens and they pair well with hostas, false-forget-me-not (Brunnera), barrenworts (Epimedium) and other shade-tolerant perennials. The silver contribution of this fern in shadier locations offers "illumination" and interest to a garden setting that does become more dependent on foliage contributions of both color and texture. This fern prefers moist, rich, well-drained soils but is fairly adaptable as a specimen or groundcover in tougher locations. In future blogs, I'll mention the wide range of Japanese painted ferns and varieties of importance. There are also other hybrids (same parents as 'Ghost') that have some other interesting features and I'll discuss them later as well.

A Winter Wonderland

The wet snow started yesterday afternoon and when it was done, we had another 3-4" of heavy snow to contend with last night and this morning. I was in briefly at the gardens today and all these photos are from either the gardens or my house. The top picture is the woodlands adjacent to the Horticulture Center and above is a shot looking up thru my Twisty Baby contorted black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Lace Lady') at home. Another shot of the branching on this tree can be seen in the lowest right photo. Larry and Bill did a nice job with snow removal at the gardens. I had a Home Garden Tour committee meeting with Jean and Barb but also saw Dr. Gredler (painting Adirondack chairs), Jumbo Jim and Urban. After my meeting I walked thru the gardens and noted the little "blips" of yellow (see to the right) where the winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) are currently buried. They'll be fine and the snow is already melting a bit although we may get more later today. To the left is the silhouette of the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) in the arboretum and directly below are the dried fruiting structures of this deciduous conifer. To the lower right are some conifers arching down with the weight of the snow. I didn't note any broken branches from snow weight although some of mine at home were really bending downwards. Note my Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White') further down (lower left) along the side of the house. This would have been the perfect snow for our Holiday Lights Show but we'll take the moisture as it will help the gardens regardless.

Tree Sale In 50 Days!

Today was very productive in the office for me. I spent some major time on our Spring Tree Sale (more details below). We did have some nice volunteer help this morning with Dick W. coming in and heading out in the gardens for the last of the larger ornamental grass cutting. He has been using a new hedgetrimmer (donated to RBG by him!) on these grasses and it was a "hot knife thru butter" for this cutting. He did run in to a metal sign (hidden in the grass) earlier in the week which created some excitement but this power tool has paid for itself in saved labor already! There are still many smaller grasses and perennial remnants from last year that we'll work on next week. Rose and Urban were in to continue painting culvert pipes (white) and started painting some of our containers for the terrace garden which will also be white. The terrace garden (behind the visitors center) always echoes the annual color theme of the entrance garden (silver/white/light blue). Dr. Gredler continued repainting our Adirondack chairs for the North Point garden and children's garden. We also saw Gary, Bill and some others today.

Above is a shot looking up in to our beautiful, native white pine (Pinus strobus) which is one of nine (9) selections that will be available at our second annual Spring Tree Sale this April 20th and 21st (8 am until 3 pm both days). We'll also be having some Earth Day activities those days and admission to the gardens is free both days. All the photos in this blog are of our "offerings" for the sale. I did have to pillage some images from the internet but most are mine. To the left is the Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca 'Densata') and to the right is the fall color of the Northern red oak (Quercus rubra). Directly below is a row of Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) which are great as a shorter windbreak or hedge. This shot is from the internet (as is the Black Hills spruce). Of course, I would be ethically remiss if I didn't mention that deer find this evergreen particularly delicious...as evidenced throughout RBG.This is the second year that we've offered this tree sale and are doing it again in conjunction with the Janesville Blackhawk Golden "K" Kiwanis club here in Janesville. Details regarding this sale, as well as more detailed information on all nine selections, can be found on our website at www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org under the EVENTS section. The sale last year went very well and we've expanded our selection as well with the inclusion of three deciduous selections. All of these are offered as bareroot, 2-3 year old transplants which are typically 15"-18" in height. We bag these up in groups of five and keep the roots moist and they're ready for direct planting and we provide planting instructions as well. All trees will be $1.85 each (plus tax) although orders of 50 or more trees (any combinations) will receive a 10% discount. See our website link for information on how to pre-order after April 1st. Sponsored by East Point Sportz Pub and Woodman's Food Market, this sale is a fundraiser for both organizations (RBG and Golden K) with our share applied toward the continued operation and improvement of RBG. To the upper left is a good-sized Norway spruce (Picea abies) not far from my house. Look how wide these can get but I like the upswept primary branches with dangling secondary branchlets. That is a neat look and this species is ideal for windbreaks and is considered the most disease-resistant for our area. To the right is a Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca), although to be accurate, this is the variety 'Fat Albert'. Younger Colorado blue spruces look nice in the landscape although we've all seen the older specimens thinning from various fungal issues. These may be overplanted in our landscapes but still have some value with their adaptability in a windbreak as well as that contribution of blue in the landscape. To the left is the start of fall color on a nice looking sugar maple (Acer saccharum). This native tree has plenty of value in the landscape and the fall color is awesome but can be variable. I photographed this specimen a couple years ago on Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus. To the right is the adaptable and underplanted white or concolor fir (Abies concolor). This is the variety 'Candicans' but the straight species has a nice blue tone as well. This is considered the best fir for the Midwest and I've seen some nice specimens around this area. This specimen is located on a slope just west of the Parker Education Center. At the bottom are the very late (November?) leaves of the swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). These leaves were a nice golden yellow in fall. I like this oak a lot and we have four at the gardens. They are quite adaptable and can take a wide range of soils and moisture despite their native range of bottomlands and streamsides. Of course, wildlife value (food, shelter, nesting sites, etc.) for all of our tree sale options is a consideration as well.

Spring 19 Days Away?

I flipped the calendar today and noted the official date of spring. This warm weather has been consistent for sure. It was also quite mild today also. The Janesville Gazette had an article in the morning paper that talked about the unseasonably warm winter and it featured a photo of the winter adonis (Adonis amurensis 'Fukujukai') from RBG that I've shown in previous blogs including the one from yesterday. I hit the road early and delivered seeds to our third and last vendor. It was nice to see Natalie and Audra and they always seem to be enthusiastic about what they'll be growing for us each year. I wonder what they say about me after I leave though...? The top picture shows the daffodils (Narcissus) poking up which can be seen all over RBG as well as our home gardens. This foliage is very frost resistant but is also coming up a bit earlier than usual. Directly above are more winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) which are poking up in droves all around the gardens. To the left are the start of some crocus (Crocus sp.) appearing. To the right are more hellebores (Helleborus) getting ready to open up very shortly. I also worked on presentations and am getting information together for our Tree Sale (April 20th and 21st, 8 am - 3 pm) where we'll be offering 2-3 year old transplants (15"-18" tall) seedlings of Norway spruce, Colorado blue spruce, concolor fir, sugar maple, Black Hills spruce, Eastern arborvitae, white pine, red oak and swamp white oak. Our website will have more details on all of these selections very soon as well as additional event details. This is the second year that we've paired with the Janesville Blackhawk Golden "K" Kiwanis group for this fundraiser.

We had a superb turnout of volunteers today. I missed most of the action with my seed delivery but was back to observe the cart loads of debris (above) coming back regularly. Dick W. and Terry finished cutting back the larger ornamental grasses out in the gardens so we have many "grass haircuts" out there like the one below. Dennis was back and did a nice job cutting back our 'Flame' willows (Salix) on the west bank near Lions' Beach. These will respond with new growth that will again turn bright reddish orange from November thru March. Urban and Pat were out pruning most of the morning and focused on the color rooms garden and arboretum. Larry was bouncing between projects, ran some errands and helped over at the Horticulture Center. Dave, Jim and Bob A. continued work on the new garbage/recycling bins and Del was in to work on some carpentry as well. Bill O. came in around lunch time and helped with some odds and ends. Dr. Gredler continued his painting with efforts on obelisks and Adirondack chairs. Our next project will involve the restaining of our benches (see bottom photo) although some are in more need than others. We also saw Gary and some others today. To the left is a dwarf white fir (Abies concolor 'La Veta') in the dwarf/miniature conifer section of our alpine garden. I like that shade of blue and note how most of the needles curve outwards and upwards on the stems (characteristic of most firs). The warm weather also has some perennials poking out of the ground. To the right is one of our perennial stonecrops (Sedum telephium 'Red Cauli') peaking out in this "Aprilish" weather. Hard to believe that the rest of the grounds staff (Marv, Marianne, Terry, Janice, Big John, Pat and Jenny) all start back in a month!