A Damp Monday

With some decent rain yesterday, it was damp out in the gardens and mainly overcast until the afternoon. We knew it would be a muddy endeavor out in the gardens but with a busy week, we forged right ahead despite the expectation of muddy boots. The top photo is the vivid foliage of the 'Pewter Lace' Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum). This is my favorite variety of Japanese painted fern for the darker maroon fronds. Directly above are some of our Grumpies this morning. The second photo up shows Stan (look to the right of that photo) finishing the "candling" of one of our layers Scotch pines (Pinus sylvestris) near the oberservation pier. Stan has been doing a great job and is a real asset out in the gardens. Directly above are Bob C. (left) and Ron W. lifting tulips (Tulipa) in front of the Parker Education Center this morning. It's ironic that all of our 5,000 white tulips are done blooming when really, they should have just started opening based on a "normal" spring! We lift these and share them with volunteers as we re-do the color scheme each year (starting with the spring tulips). Big John and Pat had started this lifting process earlier and the entire gang was also helped later by Larry and Dick H. While it was a bit messy, it was definitely timely. To the above right is the cutleaf weeping peashrub (Caragana arborescens 'Walker') in front of the building which is always striking with that texture and yellow spring blooms. To the left is a hybrid false indigo called 'Starlite' Prairieblues (Baptisia x bicolor) which comes from the breeding program of Dr. Jim Ault at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This variety is quite fetching and is an introduction of the Chicagoland Grows Plant Introduction Program (www.chicagolandgrows.org/).

Del was here to do some mulching in the color rooms garden and Dr. Gredler was in for a morning of mowing and an afternoon of small projects. Dave, Jim, Bob and Vern worked on various projects including a new glider they are building for our Dinner Dance in July. Shirley came in for some significant weeding efforts and we also saw Rollie, Dr. Yahr, Ray Y., Steve H. and Dick H. (who helped with many tasks today). To the right is a shot thru the hosta hollow garden to the Ma Chii' structure in the distance (fern & moss garden). Directly below is the colorful growth of the 'Moon Frost' Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) which is "flushing out" in the alpine garden. We've had this variety for many years and it finally caught my eye this morning. The next photo down shows the dark maroon spring growth of the 'Red Fox' katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Rotfuchs') in the hosta hollow garden. While the foliage will turn mostly green with hints of maroon by July, the spring coloration is dynamite. The grounds staff had a busy day today as well and I saw everyone except Jenny E. this morning. While Pat and Big John focused primarily on tulip lifting, John went on to work on some clean-up and he headed out to pick up more of our 2012 art leaf projects. John and Pat's painting progress may be thwarted with rain this week but I can sure use them out in the gardens! Marv and Terry placed and secured our first batch of oak leaf projects that was ready to go out in the garden. We still have 25 or so to place but hope to do that throughout the remainder of the week. Marv and Terry also worked on composting, painting and some other odds and ends. Just about everyone helped out with unloading two truck loads of perennials for the spring plant sale. Janice was in to coordinate some plant sale details and was helped by Marianne (and Dick H.) who was also out in the gardens weeding and putting together her cutting display. To the right are the vine supports (5 total) that are along the west expanse of our visitors center. Years ago, we felt that we need to "scale down" that tall brick wall and these vine supports have done the trick with the addition of this golden silver lace vine (Fallopia aubertii 'Lemon Lace') which has been quite vigorous the past couple of years. This woody vine also gets white flowers late in the season (October) and we cut it back severely each spring. To the left is the showy leaf of the 'Dale's Strain' coral bells (Heuchera americana). I think this variety competes well in terms of color with the other types; including the fancy maroons, oranges, chartreuses, etc. To the right is the fresh spring foliage of tuber oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius). We have this grass in many partly shaded locations (woodland walk, shade garden, fern & moss garden, etc. Note the short, arching form which lends itself to repetition or grouping in the garden. Directly below is the North point garden looking pretty nice as the tulips (Tulipa) fill in around the structure. This garden sure has a nice view and we often see visitors sitting on the many benches and Adirondack chairs in this location. At the bottom is the yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea) which is one of my favorite perennials for the shade garden. This perennial blooms from April until frost and does like to drop seed and colonize (in a good way!) open areas in the shady or partly shady border. This perennial is indispensable! Our perennials for the looming Spring Plant Sale (see details on our website) were delivered today and tomorrow we pick up all the vegetables. Herbs arrive on Wednesday and with lots of volunteer tagging/pricing help, we'll be ready for the pre-sale (RBG Member only) on this Friday, May 11th (9 am - 4 pm). Become a member and get first dibs and a 10% discount!

Warm & Muggy (Day 3)

It was another warm and muggy day although I don't think it go over 70 degrees F. It looks like we missed the chance of more rain and may not see it until next week. We had some overnight drizzle but I don't believe it amounted to much. As usual, it was a busy Friday out in the gardens. I was able to get out and apply some herbicide in some of the "weedy jungle" areas and while we do prefer manual removal for our weeds, we simply don't have enough hands to keep up with 20 acres. I'm the only one who applies herbicides and feel comfortable using this method as needed. I had my camera in my pocket all day so was able to catch some stunning plants today like top photo of the perennial flax (Linum perenne) in the herb garden and directly above is the white columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium 'Alba') in the sunken garden. To the left is another columbine (Aquilegia sp., unknown variety) in the woodland walk garden and I do appreciate breeding efforts that make the flowers face upwards for full viewing effect! To the right is dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis) which is frequently mistaken for a native woodland phlox or garden phlox. This reseeding perennial, while native to Eurasia, has been in North America since the 1600s. This extremely fragrant plant seeds itself with abandon (not as bad as garlic mustard though...) and can be seen along many woodland edges, roadsides, etc. We remove it when we see it but do smell the sweet flowers before we discard it! To the left is one of my favorite grasses for a "mid height blue look". This is the blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens 'Blue Sapphire') that is really a nice, textural clumper for full sun.

Marv and Terry worked together on many projects today. The guys first transplanted a small, upright spruce (Picea abies 'Cupressina') that needed to be relocated because of some fence re-routing that will occur shortly. The guys also watered in all of our new trees and spent a good portion of the day continuing to clear and level the parking lot islands. I'm looking forward to the end result with our improvments in those islands and continue to be surprised by how many plants we need to remove or relocate before we can proceed. Janice worked on plant sale preparations, weeding and other tasks. She has organized the layout of the plant sale as we'll need to be ready for the rapid influx of plants arriving as early as next Monday. Pat came in to continue his painting efforts on the porch overlooking the English cottage garden. We also saw Big John and Little Jerry today. Marianne came in to set up her cutting display and set-up the compost sale details for tomorrow (thanks Marianne!). To the right is the colorful spring foliage of the tricolor European beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Roseo-Marginata'). I love the pink highlights on the leaves which look pretty good until very late in the season when they fade or show some minor scorching. We positioned our specimen in afternoon shade to maximize the duration of the most vivid foliage. To the left is the white bloom cluster of my Twisty Baby contorted black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Lace Lady') at home. The flowers are so fragrant! You'll see black locust trees everywhere blooming over the next two weeks or so. Try to get a whiff of the blossoms! This variety is known for an interesting, contorted form and the two we have at the gardens (English cottage garden and Japanese garden) look nice too.

We also were fortunate to have Kay here weeding primarily in what we call the "Gredler berm". This large bed is near the gazebo and has always been a problem area for weeds. Kay did a nice job in there and will finish it up with her next visit. Lynn S. was in to tend the English cottage garden and we saw Mary H. and her daughter maintaining their space by the shade garden. Chris G. was in to tidy up the herb garden and you can see her in the lower left of the bottommost photo. She's supervising the Nature's Touch guys with their flagstone path project and I'm sure kept an eye on the proceedings. To the right is the early growth (pre-blooms) of the variegated feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam') in Magda's garden space. I like the look of this variety although there are many others as well. Directly below are the showy pink flowers of the 'Haaga' rhododendron (Rhododendron hybrida). This variety is bone hardy and I'll say that this specimen is having its "breakout year" as I've never seen it look better!

More Mugginess

It was another sticky day with temperatures again near 85 degrees F with high humidity. It looked like it would rain a couple times but no such luck although some local areas received some rain. Above is a shot of our North point garden. There is a mother goose nesting near this area and daddy goose has been hissing and attacking just about everyone getting near the structure. We'll put up a sign very soon. We've had some aggressive geese in the past but this one steals the show. The 1,000 tulips (Tulipa) we planted around this garden are just starting to peak. To the right is the variegated climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris 'Miranda') which has done remarkably well. The featured specimens, climbing up two cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) are almost 30' tall which is impressive with 10 years of growth. To the left are the cheery yellow blooms of the 'Lemon Lights' azalea (Rhododendron sp.) near the zig-zag bridge. We don't grow azaleas and rhododendrons very well but we do have a couple nice specimens. We continue to tinker with the soils, soil pH and various exposures in the effort to improve the performance of these types of plants.

I had a morning presentation today on Container Gardening at the Thrive! Over 60 Expo held at the Pontiac Convention Center here in Janesville. I followed Ho-Chunk Bingo which was a first for me. Sponsored by the Janesville Gazette, this event was quite crowded as there were booths, vendors and other features aside from my topic (which attracted 50 or 60 attendees). I saw some familiar faces (including many volunteers...Geesje, Jan, Fred, etc.) and scooted back to the gardens to continue fertilizing our lawns in the off chance that we'll get some rain overnight. I quickly realized how out of shape I am after pushing that fertilizer spreader around for two hours. Time to get lean and mean as crunch time is just around the corner (as is our spring plant sale!). To the right is the showy (and fragrant) foliage of the golden lemon balm (Melissa officinalis 'All Gold'). A member of the mint family, this herb can be a spreader and reseeder but really has some eye catching color (as opposed the green leaf version). We also like to use this variety in the Smelly Garden and the Ornamental Edible Collection. Directly below is a cool alpine plant that I never noticed in the past. This is the leatherleaf powder puff or globe daisy (Globularia cordifolia). I thought the little flowers looked neat and these specimens are in our alpine garden which is currently at peak for color. Members of the Wisconsin and Illinois Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) will be helping us renovate this space later in the summer as part of a grant we received two years ago for some improvements. The next photo is another of our cool tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) in the fern & moss garden. This is an unknown variety but I'm sure Song Sparrow Nursery carries it if you match my photo to their catalog! We had another nice volunteer turnout today and of course I can say that every day around here! We had a nice combination of our "Grumpies" and "Grumpettes". Suzy and Mary R. came in to weed the sunken garden while Shirley was in the color rooms garden battling some entrenched weeds. Bob C. did some composting (larch wall planter) while Del did more mulching with shredded bark near the Japanese garden. Tom C. came in for some electrical improvements over at the Parker Education Center. Dr. Gredler was in for some mowing and we saw Urban this afternoon as he was pruning out green "reversions" that are showing up in our variegated Norway maple (Acer platanoides 'Drummondii'). We also saw Dick H., Dr. Yahr, Sandy C., Dave E. and many others. Our Thursday volunteer team from the Chestnut House was also in attendance and they did a nice job weeding out the vegetable beds around the Horticulture Center. Our vegetable collections at the Horticulture Center have fluctuated over the years with heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplants, heirloom pole beans, gourds, squash and other odd and ends. This year we'll be training tomatoes up our vining supports and will include an expansive bell pepper (Capsicum) collection. All varieties that we'll later display are also on sale at our Spring Plant Sale (see our website for details). To the above right is the always impressive bloom of the Rock's peony (Paeonia rockii) that is close to 12" in diameter. Oddly enough, we've never observed seed pods on this specimen as someone collects them every year, knowing full well how expensive this peony is to purchase. We weren't going to collect the seeds anyway but the sheer audacity of someone helping themselves for logically, the opportunity to make some money. To the left is the common, but always enjoyable, dwarf Korean lilac (Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'). This lilac, while smaller statured than French lilacs (Syringa vulgaris), has lots of flower power and enjoyable scent. I've also seen this shrub in some of the toughest urban situations where it is not just existing, but thriving! There are some examples in Janesville of this lilac in narrow, hot, parking lot islands with minimal soil, no supplemental watering, salting impacts, etc. and they still look just fine. To the right is another azalea (unknown variety, unfortunately) that is just glowing near the zig-zag bridge.

The grounds staff kept busy today. Big John and Larry had some set up duties at the other building and Larry moved on to lots of plant sale preparations, tree staking and the installation of many more of our tree signs. Pat worked on the roses, "planted" tree signs too and then spent the remainder of the day painting. Janice weeded various areas and worked on many projects between a meeting and her involvement with the Chestnut House. Jenny continued her weeding focus in the shade garden and it looks so much better. She also helped water late in the day as the rain never did materialize. Below is a shot of in our fern & moss garden and at the bottom is some of the recent progress in the herb garden. Note the statue in the center holding up a ball cap.

A "Dry" Gap In The Forecast

I thought we'd have a total rain out for the day based on the dark skies and rain this morning. However, it stopped raining early and while it was cloudy most of the day, it was a perfect gap in the weather to get out in the gardens and everyone took advantage of the opportunity. The sun peeked out around 2 pm and we hit that 80 degrees F with no problem. We had a visit from the Rockford Area Garden Club and with the potential chance of rain, I was prepared to do an indoor presentation. However, the weather held for a nice tour with 30 members of that group. They were a fun group and seemed to enjoy the tour. The highlight was pointing out Marianne weeding and introducing her as part of the prison work/release program. Above are some peonies (Paeonia) blooming today (unknown varieties). The photo directly above is one of the many tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) donated by Roy Klehm of Song Sparrow Nursery many years ago. Our best tree peony specimens are "peppered" throughout the fern & moss garden and Japanese garden.

The grounds staff did another stellar job out in the gardens and were all as "busy as a bee"..(see to the left). To the above right are Terry and Marv working on the oak leaf art projects and preparing them for installation out in the gardens. The guys also set up benches for the spring plant sale (see our website for details), reset some bricks in a problem path area, prepared more container soil and accomplished other projects as well. Jenny and Marianne were both weeding demons with Jenny in the shade garden and color rooms and Marianne in the formal gardens and ultimately the color rooms with Jenny. Pat and Big John started the day with mulching in the woodland walk garden and moved on to some other projects as well including tree planting. With the surprisingly dry weather, they were able to also do some painting on the porch/balcony in the English cottage garden. I accomplished some timely desk work which included finalizing my presentation on Container Gardening for the Thrive! - Over 60 Expo being hosted by the Janesville Gazette tomorrow. I had hoped to spray some herbicide and fertilize the remainder of our lawns but there is just not enough time in the day. To the right are the showy blooms of the 'Lipstick' ornamental strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa). This plant is a spreader that we'll thin out shortly but the blooms are so engaging right now.... Directly below are the showy blooms of the white bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba') and further down, the dark, ruffled foliage of the 'Rosita' European filbert (Corylus avellana) in the Scottish garden. I sure do like maroon in the garden, particularly combined with whites and yellows.

It was nice to have a good volunteer turnout as well. Above (from left to right) are Myrt, Nancy and Gena. What a glamourous job they have weeding amongst those tulips. The ladies actually worked a good portion of our western gardens and did a great job out there. Dr. Gredler was in and worked on some various projects as the lawns are in good shape and shouldn't need mowing until Wednesday. Work by Nature's Touch continues in the herb garden where we're having new aluminum edging installed and flagstone paths created to replace the old, compacted gravel paths. This will be a significantly aesthetic improvement and I think the Janesville Area Herb Society is excited about the improvements. The flagstone spacing will allow for some small gaps to plant creeping herbs as well. To the right is a shot of the alpine garden beyond the tulips (Tulipa) with the rose garden pergola in the distance. To the left is a shot of our south Japanese garden entrance with our largest 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). The golden shrub in the foreground is the 'Golden Sunshine' willow (Salix sachalinensis) which is quite bright and we're keeping it medium sized with some serious pruning.

Gary came in to continue his work on our plant sale registers (programming) and met with Marianne regarding the details. Maury was in for a meeting and ran out for some timely supplies for many of us. We also saw Dick H., Bev D., Tom P., Dr. Yahr and many others as well. To the right are the often overlooked blooms of a coral bell (Heuchera). This is the variety 'Lipstick' which has deep red, trumpet shaped blooms. Granted, most coral bells have the primary attribute of colorful foliage. This green-leaved variety has the merit of these airy (but showy) blooms. Speaking of colorful leaves on a coral bell...below is the variety 'Frosted Violet' which has a dark maroon cast but with these overlays of pinkish violet. This variety always catches my eye although you don't really appreciate the artwork involved with the foliage until you get quite close. At the bottom is one of our PLANT SALE signs which is being dusted off and will be ready for the end of next week. With pick-ups and deliveries all next week, we're looking at another great sale with a wide range of vegetables, herbs, perennials, bagged compost, etc. Check out www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org for plant lists for all vegetables and herbs. While the sale runs Saturday and Sunday (May 12th & 13th), there is a "pre-sale" for RBG Friends members at 10% off the duration of the sale. Of course on Friday, RBG Members also get "first dibs" as well.

Rain On The Way

It looks like there is a chance of precipitation over the next six days or so. We could use the rain but the sporadic forecast might affect our activities out in the gardens which also includes the painting that Big John and Pat have been accomplishing recently. The recent rain has allowed us to remove weeds fairly well although that begs the question of whether or not we're removing weeds as fast as new ones are sprouting? Probably not! The top photo shows the light pink bloom cluster of the 'Toba' hawthorn (Crataegus x mordenensis) getting ready to open (near the observation pier). Many of our other hawthorns (Crataegus sp.) are starting to bloom as well. Directly above is the dark foliage of the 'Dark Towers' beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) in the English cottage garden. Our new volunteer, Lynn S., is doing a dynamite job keeping that garden clear of weeds and the perennials are quite prominent. This perennial (introduced by the University of Nebraska) will have tubular, light pink blooms in early summer and will reach a height of 36" or so. While I like the similar variety 'Husker's Red', this one seems superior in dark leaf coloration. Speaking of foliage, to the above right is the variegated foliage of the 'Stairway to Heaven' Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans). The pink highlights in spring will fade to a nice cream and the variegation offers interest well beyond the blue flowers in spring. We have lots of these throughout our woodland gardens and the foliage on these 18"-24" perennials is striking. To the left are the chalky blue stems of one of our hybrid false indigos (Baptisia hybrida). Most of our false indigos will be blooming within the week but the colorful stems really caught my eye as well. To the right is another species of quamash or camassia out in the gardens. I've recently featured the darker 'Blue Danube' camassia (Camassia leichtlinii) but this lighter blue Camassia cusickii has a nice, lighter, pastel blue look to the flower spikes (24" in height). Directly below are three of the eight grain selections that will be part of our Grains of the World collection out in the gardens. I went to our sign maker today to start the process of creating educational signage for this collection (organized by Janice) that will include eight economically important (and nutritious) grains. The selections include amaranth, pearl millet, quinoa, oats, teff, triticale, barley and sorghum. The next photo down displays the short but showy flower spires of the carpet bugle or bugleweed (Ajuga sp.). All bugleweeds are vigorous groundcovers that can become a nuisance but I feel they all have merit as tough groundcovers that can be neglected (and occasionally controlled).

We had another busy day out in the gardens. Big John and Larry jumped right in to mowing duties. John later connected with Pat for painting the back porch (behind the Rath Center). Pat cleaned up around the rose crescents in the French formal garden earlier in the day. Janice and Jenny (with some help from Pat) also took all of our plants outside for some fresh air and warmth. With evening high temperatures around 60 degrees F, we'll keep everything outside for now as many plants were languising inside the Horticulture Center. Janice and Jenny then both moved to weeding and clean-up projects in various areas. I was able to fertilize about 1/3 of our lawns and timing was perfect with the impending rain. I'll try to finish the remainder of the fertilizing during the dry spells this week. To the right is the orange spring foliage of the 'Sweet Tea' foamy bells (xHeucherella) in the shade garden. I'm a big fan of every foamy bell variety that I've met in the past and this one is no exception with those warm orange colors. To the left is the sub-tropical looking, copper-toned foliage of the Rodger's flower (Rodgersia podophylla 'Rotlaub'). This perennial, preferring rich soils and part shade, should be sending up some creamy flower plumes in the coming month or so. I enjoy the foliage of all Rodger's flower varieties as much as the flowers. Most of the spring bronzing will turn green by mid summer but the bold texture is certainly not lost.

Kay was in for some weeding duties near one of our entrance gates. She did a nice job cleaning up this nightmare area and this space looks the best it has in years. Ron K. continued his monumental weeding task in the woodland walk garden and has proven his worth very quickly! Del was in to do some mulching along the east end of the gardens. Dr. Gredler came in for some mowing duties and we also saw Maury, Dr. Yahr, Dick H., Gordy and many others. Rose and Urban stopped by and went out to water some of our newly planted trees. To the right is a close-up shot of a Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) bloom. They tend to get lost under the foliage so you have to look closely. Directly below are the blooms of the yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium) which is an uncommon small tree / large shrub with foliage like a mountain ash and very showy spring blooms. At the bottom is a "root box" that our carpenters just finished that will be installed in the Nancy Yahr Memorial Children's Garden shortly. Note the sliding green panels for checking out roots. We totally copied this design from the same structure I observed at Bookworm Gardens on the UW-Sheboygan campus (go visit!). I hope this works out. The challenge is making sure the green panels stay closed with the exception of observation time. I've seen too many root boxes that get algae, condensation and other substances that screen the intent of actually observing the roots.