October Nights

It's always a shock to me when the cooler mornings arrive and I find myself with three layers on as opposed to heading out in a t-shirt every morning. Northern WI has already seen some frost which isn't unusual. However, the low temperature last night was between 36 and 39 degrees F which is cold enough to affect some of our tropicals. Note the "tinged" coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) two photos above. Tonight will be another cold one and we'll start digging up and storing some of our most sensitive tropicals in the coming weeks (prior to Oct. 1 for sure). At the top is a nasturtium (Tropaeolum sp.) close-up which is a cold tolerant annual and will bloom strongly until hard frost. If you've never observed a nasturtium close-up, they are "other-worldly" in appearance and quite tasty (both leaves and flowers). Our Janesville Area Herb Society volunteers always use nasturtiums in the herb garden sections (3) that they have tended at the gardens for 22 years! Directly above is the 'Numex Twilite' hot pepper (Capsicum annuum). This is a beautiful pepper that is also used for culinary purposes and is classified as HOT at 50,000 Scoville heat units. There are many hot pepper varieties from the breeding program at the University of New Mexico and the Numex portion of the variety name is a good indication of that origination. To the right is the annual Palm Springs daisy (Cladanthus arabicus). Located in our Smelly Garden, this annual (from North Africa), also called criss-cross plant, has wispy foliage and a light fragrance as well. This annual is a powerhouse of blooms and has looked like this for four months. To the left is one of our four uniform containers near the gazebo. The centerpiece is the 'Diamond Head' elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta) with the gold filler being the 'Molten Lava' ornamental shamrock (Oxalis vulcanicola) and the trailer is the 'Bonfire Orange' trailing begonia (Begonia boliviensis). This composition is in quite a bit of shade but is quite colorful and showy.

Volunteers today included Kay out in the garden doing more purging of annuals here and there. She also spent time in the shade garden collecting leaves and other debris. We'll see her this Friday too. Mary H. and Nancy teamed up to also remove spent annuals as needed. This is almost a daily task and the cold temperatures are certainly a contributing factor. Mary W. and Elsa were in to do some work in the herb garden and Mary H. (#2) and her daughter did a nice job tidying up their assigned garden berm across from the shade garden. Dr. Gredler was in for more mowing and aeration duties. Bill O. came in to do some boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet') shearing near the herb garden and we also saw Steve B., Tracy B., Elaine, Cindi B., Dr. Yahr, Vern and many others as well. To the right are the wispy white flowers of the perennial black snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'). This perennial has featured maroon/green leaves all summer and the late white flowers are a nice addition as they extend well in to October. The foliage is a nice attribute as it combines well with yellows and whites during the early/mid summer months. Unfortunately we're seeing a tendency for this variety to drop plenty of seed so be vigilant! The babies will be quite conspicuous the following spring and are not easy to pull out! Directly below is the border that Don and Pearl maintain. I think the maroon/red combination is one of my favorites and the "near black" contribution from the 'Diamond Head' elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta) and 'Prince' elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is quite dynamic. Directly below is the German statice (Goniolimon tataricum) which has this long-lasting cluster of small, star-shaped blooms. This "dome" of color is quite impressive.While the morning was quite chilly, we all bundled up and went outside. Directly above is the glossy, dark maroon foliage of the 'Round Midnight' basil (Ocimum basilicum) which we think is one of our darkest varieties. This is also a culinary basil with plenty of uses. Marv and Terry spent some major time smoothing out our primary gravel paths which involves the use of our end loader. Marv has a good system for smoothing out and "fluffing up" the paths. Terry then rakes them smooth and they look as good as new. We do this 2-3 times each year and it really is worth the time as it not only improves the path surface but mitigates any mounds, bumps, dips, lumps and potholes. The guys do a nice job with this. They also worked on other projects including watering containers (windy today!). Big John ran some irrigation today but also worked on removing some small trees in the color rooms garden. He also did some significant weeding as well and placed new labels in the daylily (Hemerocallis) collection. To the right are the seed capsules of the 'Carmencita Pink' castor bean (Ricinus communis). Each of those spiny capsules, once dry, will split and reveal three seeds. Castor bean is poisonous (particularly the seeds) but is a wonderful large tropical that we use as a backdrop in our annual beds or where we want that "tropical look." To the left is the perennial fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) called 'Redhead'. I love this textural look and I'm sure visitors have been inspired to enjoy a tactile engagement with these specimens as well!

Marianne did a nice job tidying in the entrance garden and in many other locations as well. The wind made leaf collection a waste of time but Marianne purged spent annuals and did some weeding as well. She also watered, checked the cutting display and processed some woody plant labels that will soon go out in the gardens. Pat removed the moss rose (Portulaca) collection as it was suffering with the cold temperatures. He also worked on weeding, gutter cleaning, vine removal and other tasks. Jenny came in as a volunteer and did a nice job organizing all of our aluminum labels that we use for the annuals out in the gardens. I spent half the day fertilizing all of our lawns. I normally do it later in October but thought the smell (of the fertilizer) would deter the skunks and/or raccoons that are tearing up our turf looking for tasty grubs. The damage is becoming significant quickly and we don't want our wedding garden lawns (formal, sunken, gazebo) looking like mine fields! To the right is the start of fall color on the fullmoon maple (Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium') in the Japanese garden. This coloration will ultimately go thru a bright orange to a brilliant scarlet over the next three weeks. Below is a morning shot in the Smelly Garden which is still looking good and the popcorn plants (Cassia didymobotrya) are still blooming strongly with those fragrant, yellow flower clusters. At the bottom is the new shed that our Grumpy carpenters just finished. This structure will alleviate some of the congestion of supplies in the Horticulture Center and will be filled quickly with items yet this fall.

Minus One / Plus Three Hundred

Today saw the loss of a large mulberry (Morus sp.) tree in the gazebo garden. This tree had become a hazard and was being held up by a neighboring hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). We thought it was one wind storm away from coming down and I'm glad we didn't test that theory. L.P. Tree Service came early with five guys (see pictures). We had Larry, Pat, John, Jumbo Jim and Dick H. helping as well. The access in to the garden went well and clean-up was top notch as the process only took 2 hours or so total. While we lost one tree today, we planted about 300 perennials, shrubs and small trees (more on that later). The top photo is of the 'Fatal Attraction' purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) which is a selection from the Netherlands (Piet Oudolf). This is a strong-stemmed variety with large, vivid blooms. The stems even have some color as well. This is a good example of what a coneflower should be as so many of the new varieties have beautiful flowers but wimpy, floppy stems. Directly above is the 'Stripe It Rich' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) in the woodland walk garden. It sure softens that little nook between the rocks.

Ron K. was in to do more planting in the woodland walk garden today and installed about 120 perennials throughout that space as well as some really neat witchhazel (Hamamelis sp.) varieties ('Purple Ribbons', 'Grape Fizz' and 'Kohanke Red'). These should grow in to beautiful specimens. I have more plants for Ron but he'll get increasingly challenged to keep up with falling leaves in that space too! Kay came in for some tidying in the shade garden then more weeding/removals in our All-America Selections Display Garden. We continue to primp our annuals but those that are spent are quickly removed. Kay filled her cart quickly today. Mary W. did some weeding and planting in the herb garden this afternoon and Vern spent the afternoon working on some carpentry projects. Maury, Glenn D. and I met this morning regarding our spring tree sale (April 2013) and Dr. Gredler spent the morning mowing out in the gardens. We also saw Dr. Yahr and many others as well. Bill O. came in for mowing and other duties too. To the mid-right is Big John preparing a border for planting today. He removed the annuals, composted and installed a nice collection of perennials and shrubs along the length of this space (just opposite the Smelly Garden and North point garden).

Directly below is one of our elevated PVC pipe planters with trailing tomatoes (Lycopersicon) in the Ornamental Edible & Compact Vegetable Display. These look nice and have finally filled in well. Some of that collection is past peak but overall, it's still very colorful and popular with visitors. I wanted to share the next photo down from home. This is one of our planter boxes on the back deck. The colorful ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum) are from the 'Pretty In Purple' variety which also "colors up" nicely late in the season. The orange flowers are lantanas (Lantana camara). The entire composition cascades nicely out of the planters and has become more colorful in late summer than it was previously! The flower above is on the Mexican flame vine (Senecio confusus 'Sao Paulo') in the Smelly Garden. While I haven't detected a scent yet, this vine has finely hit stride and is blooming strongly (3" diameter blooms). Butterflies are flocking to it as well. For some strong, sweet fragrance, consider the seven-son-flower (Heptacodium miconioides) which is a large shrub/small tree with fragrant white flowers as seen to the right. These blooms extend in to October and end up appearing pink as the petals fall and the calyces turn bright pink. The exfoliating/peeling bark of this multi-stemmed woody plant is quite ornamental too.

Our Tuesday grounds staff had a busy day. Larry, Big John and Pat began the day by getting ready for L.P. Tree Service to arrive. We had to move and remove some plants that would be in the way of their access. All three guys helped with the tree removal process. Larry also push mowed, put up signs and worked on some other projects as well. Big John prepared the border as described above and accomplished planting in that space and in the fern & moss garden. He also worked on smoothing out some of our gravel pathways. Pat did a nice job doing the final "tidy up" of the gazebo garden after the tree removal. This was timely as there was an event in that space this afternoon. Pat also planted a wide ride range of perennials in various locations and weeded the North point garden this afternoon. To the left is the consistently showy foliage of the 'Purple Flash' ornamental hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) which we have all around the gardens.

Janice worked on preparing some signs for our upcoming Electronics Recycling event which will be held this Saturday, September 22nd from 8 am until 4 pm in front of the Lion's Beach House just west of the Parker Education Center. Check out our website at www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org to see more information on this "green" fundraiser and for information on what items will be accepted for recycling. Janice also worked on preparing labels for our new hosta collection and inventoried some garden spaces for label needs. To the right is the soft, silvery foliage of the 'Berggarten' sage (Salvia officinalis). This is a culinary sage (hardy to zone 5) that is a big component in our white/silver/blue theme this year for obvious reasons. I like the foliage contribution and this plant always looks good with some morning dew on the leaves. Directly below is the 'Skyrocket' variegated fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum). This annual grass has a nice clean variegation and is just peaking with the flowing pink inflorescences (flowers/seed heads). This grass is also a component of our 2012 color theme. At the bottom is one of our many morning glories (Ipomoea sp.) that have reseeded along the fence at the Horticulture Center.

Demise Of The Bog Boxes

This week will feel a lot more like Autumn with cool days and even cooler nights. The chance of rain did materialize which was nice (albeit brief). While the season has been long and hot, there is no shortage of color out in the gardens. Above are two of the annuals in our Smelly Garden. The top photo shows the 'Limelight' four-o'-clock (Mirabilis jalapa) which has chartreuse foliage and showy pink blooms (1.5" dia) in the afternoon. The flower scent is described as an "orange-honey perfume" but I think that's a bit exaggerated. I like all four-o'-clocks but this one is a real eyecatcher and was part of our charteuse and pink theme years ago for obvious reasons. Directly above is the fragrant trumpet of the downy thornapple (Datura meteloides 'Evening Fragrance') which can perfume a large area at dusk. Be wary as this is a poisonous plant which may be a factor in it's selection and location.

Today saw the removal of our "bog boxes" near the zig-zag bridge. These two structures were originally built back in the early 1990s when the zig-bridge was constructed. The intent was to feature bog or wetland plants and historic photos showed beautiful irises and other moisture loving plants in these large "containers". The boxes were repaired and their height raised eight years ago when the pond level continued to rise. However, deterioration and more fluctuating water levels has made these an eyesore and liability for the past couple of years. Marv (upper right) and Terry (left) spearheaded the start of the removal with some assistance from Russ, Rollie and others over the course of the day. The guys did a nice job and didn't shy away from the muck.

Larry ran irrigation today and worked on repairing more irrigation heads among other duties. John also did lots of watering, hauled bulbs over to the gift shop (still on sale!) and helped with many other projects. Pat was in as a volunteer and he worked on painting and staining projects all morning. I toured the gardens this morning as we had lots of volunteers out there and I was checking on the progress of some of the tasks and projects. Apparently we had a busy weekend and it's nice to figure out some of our more important and/or timely projects for the week. We have a huge mulberry (Morus sp.) tree in the gazebo garden that has split and needs to be removed. We hope to have that done tomorrow morning. To the right are the showy blooms of the native Short's aster (Aster shortii) which is one of my favorites for a woodland edge. This aster can take quite a bit of shade too and combines nice with goldenrods (Solidago sp.) too. Directly below is Dick H. who took many loads of debris to the dump today. Much of the generated debris was from the above-mentioned bog box removals.

We had a nice turnout of Grumpies today. Two photos up are Lloyd (left) and Ron B. (right) working on tidying up paths near the gazebo. Raking paths is becoming a daily chore with so many leaves coming down early off the cottonwoods (Populus deltoides). Larry H., Ron Y., Del, Urban and Eugene also worked on path tidying this morning and I believe they went thru the entire gardens. The guys also ran our terrace garden umbrellas to storage this morning. Russ helped out Marv and Terry with the bog boxes while Stan did a nice job tidying/pruning in the Japanese garden. His attention to detail makes him well suited to that task like all or our best workers in that space (Karen, Little Jerry, Jumbo Jim, etc.). To the right is the variegated giant reed grass (Arundo donax 'Versicolor') which is one of my favorite, large & showy annual grasses. This patch is in the North point garden although we have them around the gardens. This summer, they all grew over 7' tall in one season. To the left is the Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) in the sunken garden. This is my favorite mid-height tropical (24") for awesome foliage. What a neat plant! To the lower right is the showy foliage and blooms of the red Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) in our vertical planter at the Horticulture Center. I'd never seen it bloom and really liked the rosy/maroon shades on both leaves and blooms.

Rollie helped with the bog box project and also smoothed and regraveled some path areas in need of attention. Maury came in to help out and Dr. Gredler was out doing his Monday mowing rounds. Gary came in and made/processed more plant labels for some of our new perennials and memorial trees. The carpenters (see Dave, Vern & Jim above, left to right, Bob A. off camera) finished up their shed project and will be moving on to some other monumental carpentry tasks. Their work doesn't slow down much at all and is not limited by the seasons. I have plenty of ideas for them! Today we also saw Kelli C. (thanks for the treats!), Barb M., Bill O., Jason, Mary W. and many others. Jumbo Jim and a RECAPPER also did some solid work out in the Japanese garden.

Directly below is one of my better shots of the English cottage garden this morning, capturing lots of color and texture. The bottom photo is one of our eight containers in the sunken garden. The centerpiece of this one is the 'Princess' elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) with surrounding 'Defiance' coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) with the trailer being the durable creeping golden Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Goldilocks').

Alpine Garden Work Day

This morning, we had a wonderful collection of volunteers descend on the gardens to help tidy up and plant in the alpine garden. I should mention that my account here is secondhand as I was unable to make it to work due to becoming sick last night and experiencing a bed-ridden day today. Larry gave me updates throughout the day as he and Bill went about their tasks of watering and preparing for the three weddings today. Sue & her granddaughter Lily were in to help pick produce. Jumbo Jim also had four RECAPPERS out in the gardens today helping tidy up the Japanese garden. Larry also mentioned seeing John and Jackie.

Iza and Ed G. coordinated the volunteer efforts in the alpine garden (seen above in April) which was the second such work day that we've had with these volunteers, all from out of town. All the volunteers are members of the WI/IL Chapter of North American Rock Garden Society and have personal experience with their own rock gardens. It was great to have their expertise and we really appreciate their efforts. Larry mentioned that they were so efficient with planting the first wave of 150+ perennials that they took out their "back up" plants as well. Great work!

Cooler Mornings

The light fog on this chilly morning (48 degrees F) made for a nice picture of the arched bridge as seen in the above photo. It was chilly this morning but the day was beautiful with sun, blue skies and a high temperature of 75 degrees F. The "rain" yesterday amounted to 2/10 of an inch which barely wet the ground. We ran irrigation all day and even set up sprinklers in various areas. The morning dew though was thick and made flowers like the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia 'Fiesta del Sol') directly above just glisten! I had a nice walk around this morning and do appreciate the cooler, "fall-like" mornings. I wonder when our first frost will be this year? Not far from the Mexican sunflower was one of our many patches of 'Purple Majesty' ornamental millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as seen to the right. I love this annual grass and the flower heads, while showy and architectural, produce lots of tasty seed for the yellow finches and other wildlife. There are other neat varieties with similar flowering structures. Research 'Jester', 'Purple Baron' and the chartreuse-leaved 'Jade Princess' for some other options.

I didn't see any garden volunteers out in the gardens today with the exception of Ron K. in the woodland walk and both Dr. Gredler and Bill O. mowing. Ron planted another 250 or so perennials in the woodland walk which included a vast assortment of columbines (Aquilegia sp.) that we like to poke in all over the gardens each fall. He has done such a nice job in that space and is now faced with the perpetual challenge of collecting leaves as they start to bury that space. Dr. Gredler did his mowing in the morning with Bill finishing up in the afternoon. With a wedding this evening and three tomorrow, we spend significant time getting the garden tidied up for the influx of visitors. We also saw Rose and Urban (painting at the Horticulture Center) as well as Maury, Dr. Yahr, Mary W. and many others. Marianne volunteered this morning and helped prepare many labels for our alpine garden work session tomorrow morning (thanks Marianne!). To the left is the variegated, Japanese Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium fortunei 'Pink Frost') in the English cottage garden which always catches my eye in spring with the sharp foliage. It's nice to see the pink flowers just starting to add to the show. This species/variety should bloom strongly until frost. To the right is the beautiful (and tasty) 'Rosa Bianca' eggplant (Solanum melongena) in the English cottage garden. I eat a lot of eggplant although whether you eat it or not, it sure is a true "ornamental edible"! Directly below is one of the many varieties of purple elephant grass (napier grass) that are becoming so popular. This grass (Pennisetum purpureum) variety is 'Vertigo' and it is a nice mid-height component in the bed, border or container. Getting 3-5' tall, this annual grass has narrow blades and gets the darkest color in full sun. Imagine combining this grass with plants that feature reds, yellows or whites near this textural and colorful foil. The white blooming plant is a dwarf flowering tobacco (Nicotiana 'Perfume White').

The photo above was taken in the English cottage garden this morning where Lynn (RBG volunteer) has artfully combined annuals, perennials and vegetables. Note the Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) in the foreground and to the back left, the amber plumes of the 'Hot Biscuits' grain amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus). Some ladies on a tour yesterday commented on the beauty of this garden and noted this "hodge podge" approach. Mission accomplished! A repeated element in this space also includes ornamental hot peppers with a focus on those with cool foliage. To the right is the 'Purple Flash' ornamental hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) which does have small, showy, glossy purple fruits but look at that interesting foliage!

Our grounds staff had another busy Friday getting the gardens watered, mown and prepared for our weekend visitors. Big John ran irrigation, set up sprinklers, mowed, hand watered and helped haul out some materials for our work session tomorrow in the alpine garden. Marv also ran irrigation zones and set up many sprinklers with Terry. The guys also removed a dead tree, sheared, watered, mowed (Terry) and bounced between many timely projects. Janice helped make some signs, inventoried our new plants and spent time in the gardens watering and weeding as well. Everyone was involved in some way or another with watering our copious containers and/or the holding yard. To the left is the golden dragon willow (Salix x sachalinensis 'Golden Sunshine') which has bright gold foliage from May until frost. This plant, if left alone, will grow 20' tall and wide in time. We trim this variety back severely in winter to keep it in the 6' tall range and the best gold coloration occurs in full sun. We sold this variety last week at our Fall Plant Sale too. To the right is our number #1 hummingbird magnet in the gardens. This is the 'Black and Blue' indigo sage (Salvia guaranitica) which is always showy and is mass planted throughout our reception garden every year. One of our volunteer photographers, Santos, has achieved some of his best hummingbird photographs in close proximity to these annuals. Directly below is the rugged looking cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). Though just an annual, this plant will gain some size and interest quickly over our warm summers and will occasionally bloom nicely (see blog from yesterday). At the bottom is a scenic shot thru the English cottage garden to the formal gardens. The container collection in the center of that garden was changed over by Marv, Terry and Lynn last week to feature flowering kale (Brassica sp.) and pansies (Viola sp.).