joene's garden » hydrangea

A bad combination-A Gardening Oops

joenesgarden — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:28:41 +0000

Garden bloggers love to share pleasing photos of beds or containers they've created or seen and wax poetic on the attributes of this plant or that. Gardens are supposed to be beautiful … well, duh … so why wouldn't bloggers flock to their computers to post their best, most spectacular photos and plant wisdom?

But, in real life, gardens are not always beautiful. Sometimes things just don't work. A plant is in the wrong place, the season is too wet or too dry for a plant to thrive, or plant-eating creatures/plant-attacking pathogens take over.

To deal with these real-life gardening issues there's GOOPs Day. GOOPs is the acronym I created for Gardening Oops. I've declared the first day of each month GOOPs Day … the day I share one of the gardening blunders I've made in my 30+ years of tending Connecticut gardens and the day I offer you the chance to do the same.

I come to my October 2011 GOOPs after missing, thanks to hurricane/tropical storm Irene's power outage, the chance to post a September 2011 GOOPs. Irene's life and land damage was enough of a regional and local mess that I need not go there. So, back at it this month, I present a plant combination from one of my gardens that caused me wonder what I was thinking!

I love coleus. I grow them in pots on windowsills during cold months. I start new coleus from seeds each spring. I grow them in outdoor containers and use their seemingly endless foliage and color variations for interest when garden flowers are taking a rest.

I'm always on the outlook for new coleus and this spring 'Saturn' coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) caught my eye. When I purchased Saturn the yellow-green mid-leaf color was more pronounced than that depicted on the plant tag. But it was early, Saturn had been growing in a greenhouse in partial shade so, I reasoned, its darker red coloration more similar to the plant tag had not had a chance to fill in as it might have if grown in full sun.

I brought Saturn home to plant along the outer edge of a morning-sun bed dominated by two hydrangea, a variegated lace cap and a classic blue Endless Summer. The bed also contains ivy ground cover punctuated by what ever dark-reddish heuchera decides to survive. I thought Saturn's dark-red-tinged-with-a bit-of-yellow-green foliage might complement the heuchera and ivy without distracting from the hydrangea.

Well, plants don't always turn out to look like the lovely photo on the plant tag.

My Saturn's foliage never developed more burgundy. It continued on its mostly yellow-green leaved path. It never bushed out in response to pinching back, as other coleus do.

It grew lankier than I expected and, at the same time, the lace cap hydrangea grew more bushy and wider.

The blue-green-edged-in-white variegation of the hydrangea foliage and the yellow-green-edged-in-burgundy variegation of the coleus foliage became a visual cacophony that makes me cringe!

The best thing I can say about this combination is that it's provided me with GOOPs fodder.

I still like Saturn … it still has a chance in my gardens. I've taken Saturn cuttings to see how its foliage acts when grown in pots with indoor light but, if it survives the winter without coming down with aphids, I'll find a more complementary spot for Saturn to thrive.

Now it's your turn to share a gardening faux pas. Leave your GOOPs in a comment below or share a comment and a link back to your own GOOPs Day blog post. Here's hoping my GOOPs prevent similar GOOPs in your gardens.

Garden thoughtfully …

Categories: Gardening, GOOPs-Gardening Oops, Perennials & Annuals.
Tags: coleus, coleus 'Saturn', Gardening blunders, gardening oops - GOOPs, hydrangea.

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Rainy Connecticut for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day

joenesgarden — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:47:58 +0000

With my Connecticut gardens receiving soaking downpours – pushing three inches of rain since early yesterday morning – I have some soggy additions to the August 2011 Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Carol, at May Dreams Gardens hosts this garden-fest on the fifteenth of each month so garden bloggers from all over the world can share what's blooming in their gardens.

Gomphrena and ageratum happily soak up the rain.

Autumn Joy sedum will soon burst into pollinator-attracting blossoms.

But phlox blossoms are putting on their final show.

The classic white zinnia I started from seed are off to a late start but that's okay … they will brighten the beds during late summer/early autumn.

Hydrangea paniculata and buddleia would have a flurry of bee and butterfly activity if not for the rain.

Just two days ago I caught the morning sun glinting off of the last of my Hemerocallis Hyperion. With such a sweet lemony scent, I hate to see it go.

The new-to-my-garden Knock Out Rosa 'Radyod' has lived up to its promise to bloom all season. It took just a brief flowering break in July after delighting me with many flowers during early summer. More buds stand ready to open after this flower fades.

Most of the Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' blossoms – an Endless Summer selection – have shaded to their late summer purple-blue tinge. But one large blossom shows off the early summer blue and the late summer tint.

One of my favorite blossoms, scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue', has flowered since late spring. Deadheading is the key to keeping this perennial in steady bloom.

Some flowers of an unknown variety of variegated hydrangea macrophylla still look fresh and cool blue.

And, in spite of leaf-nibbles from hungry … and unwelcome … deer, plus weather fluctuations from hot and humid to cool and soggy, anemone blossoms started opening a week or so ago and will … Mother Nature willing … continue into September.

That's it from my zone 6a Connecticut gardens. Be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens to enjoy what other garden bloggers' have shared.

Categories: Bloom Day, Gardening, Perennials & Annuals.
Tags: ageratum, anemone, buddliea, daylily, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, gardening in Connecticut, gomphrena, hydrangea, rose, scabiosa, sedum, zinnia.

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It’s hot, but no complaints

joenesgarden — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:57:39 +0000

Six months ago …

Four months ago …

Today …

Tomorrow …

Next week?

Into August …

Life is good …

Categories: Seasons.
Tags: echinacea, hydrangea, snow, Tilly Face, tomatoes.

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Bloomin’ September

joenesgarden — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0000

With just half an inch registering on the rain gauge in the last few weeks and minimal watering on this gardener's part, it's a wonder of nature that so many plants are still attractive. Connecticut is officially about 5.5 inches below normal rainfall amounts for the year.

Lack of rain does not stop the need to transplant and tidy, harvest and can, and ready houseplants for their move back inside. Between these tasks I pause at every opportunity to marvel at the beauty of late-season bloomers and colors.

Bright orange tropical hibiscus scream «LOOK AT ME!»

Salvia stands deep, deep blue in front of coleus limelight.

A late lavender blossom tries to show up zinnia angustifolia, an easy-to-grow-from-seed annual that quietly blooms till frost.

Whites and pinks fill my gardens right now.

Here is a clematis paniculata dances above cosmos blooms. The clematis volunteered elsewhere but thrives after careful transplantation to it's current location.

Echinacea peeks out from behind a garlic chive flower. Lady chive must enjoy it's bloom time now before it's caretaker chops off it's head to prevent it from propagating. Don't let this late season beauty fool you – she will spread to all parts of your garden and, once sprouted, she does not give up her ground easily.

Pink carries on in Sedum 'Maestro,' one of the late season blossoms bees love.

But lavender comes to light in curly chives, set off here against the gray-green of santolina.

And, purples show up in hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' and phlox paniculata 'Blue Paradise'

Still, autumn's shades are evident as summer draws to a close. Dogwood leaves dress in a fashionable plum and berries of Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' live up to their name.

Today, garden bloggers take center stage at May Dreams Gardens where Carol hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Head to May Dreams Gardens to see the glorious blossoms shining during this last Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for summer 2010. Soon it will be time to embrace the beauty of autumn. Happy gardening everyone.

Categories: Bloom Day, Focus on Flowers.
Tags: clematis, coleus, curly chives, dogwood, echinacea, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, gardening in Connecticut, garlic chives, hydrangea, lavender, phlox, salvia, sedum, winterberry, zinnia.

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June Blooms

joenesgarden — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Cool days and nights and overcast skies marked the first half of June in south central Connecticut. Nearly daily rain of some amount interspersed with heavy downpours and strong thunderstorms kept soils consistently wet. Pansies, loving the cool temperatures, still bloom. Ferns and mosses thrive in the nearly constant moisture. The peonies were glorious, but short-lived – just as the biggest blossoms opened wide rains pelted them down. The last of my peony blossoms will go by this week, but later blooming iris are coming on strong along with many other happy blossoms to show on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, June 2010.

A trio of scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'

Trandescantia of unknown variety … traveled with me for years from house to house.

Dianthus deltoides, or Maiden Pinks 'Arctic Fire'

An ever lovely hosta … I don't recall hosta blooming this early before.

Louisiana iris 'Black Gamecock'

Peony hybrid 'Nancy Nora' dancing with Stachys (Lamb's Ear).

Allium 'Hair' shows off a unique personality.

Hydrangea Endless Summer flirting with nearby astilbe.

Coral bells … another long time plant companion.

A sea of lavenders. Can one ever have too many lavenders?

Iris ensata – unknown variety with huge blossoms. I cannot have too many iris.

The dainty shrub rose Mystic Meidiland.

Rose campion always has a mind of its own.

Penstemon digitalis.

And I fell for the new supertunia 'Pretty Much Picasso' – the name alone is enough to attract attention, but I could not resist the color combination of these flowers.

Last June my peonies were in full glory. This year everything seems to be blooming about 2 weeks earlier compared to last. I also had poppies blooming in 2009. This year the greens are there but, sadly, no buds popped up.

Be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens – the originator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - to see what she has popping from her soils and what other garden bloggers - from all corners of the U.S. and beyond – have to show off on this monthly bloomin' blossom bash.

Categories: Bloom Day, Gardening, Perennials & Annuals.
Tags: Allium "Hair", astilbe, coral bells, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosta, hydrangea, iris, lavender, penstemon, peony, pinks, Pretty Much Picasso petunias, rose campion, scabiosa, shrub rose, trandescantia.

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