My Startling Jungle

POSTED BY CALEB

My garden has gone rather wild in the months that I’ve been absent. It reminds me of these words by Vita Sackville-West, the famous English gardener.

“Follow my steps, oh gardener, down these woods.

Luxuriate in this my startling jungle.”

- Vita Sackville-West, The Garden

This spring's abundant rain - combined with the richness of rotted leaf compost - has caused the kitchen garden to burst forth into growth and fruit.

Here's my 4th of July harvest. I unwittingly planted rows of white, green, and 'Boothby's Blonde' (a creamy yellow heirloom) cucumber next to each other. They're all interbreeding and giving me some crazy fruits. A few squash made their way into this colander, too.

A final shot of Queen Anne's Lace. It's the signal flower of midsummer in the country. An emblem of happy days in the sun...

Happy Times at Sugar Creek

The white house, the surrounding greenery, the abundant growth and flower - wouldn't Sugar Creek make an excellent subject for an Impressionist painting?

Good things are happening at Sugar Creek these days – we’re looking great!  Here are a few photos which I hope will inspire you to hop on over and see what’s growing.

Golden Jubilee agastache is a summer-long celebration. Its gorgeous chartreuse foliage and fuzzy blue flowers make it a magnet for garden guests. Even better, the bees love it.

This is one of our newsletter plants, but it's just so lovely that I had to post the photograph I shot of it earlier today. Coreopsis 'Redshift' - give it sun and excellent drainage and your days will be brighened by these cheery red-and-yellow daisies all summer long.

Another funny flower for a sunny spot - Echinops. We have 'Veitch's' and 'Taplow Blue', both of which are reliable old varieties. Don't let the thistly foliage scare you - they won't overrun your garden.

Head down to the hydrangea hut for a fragant surprise. Daphne 'Summer Ice' is in full bloom. You won't find this plant in the big box stores - it's one of the many specialty pieces we grow specially for you. Beautiful variegated leaves and summer perfume - what could be better?

One of the most stunning of the many new echinaceas is this mouth-water-inducing coneflower called 'Green Jewel'. Amazing large flowers, pale green with deeper tips. Refreshing on a hot summer's day, with or without a mint julep.

Another pretty flower for the cottage garden, malva 'Appleblossom'. A now-neglected old-fashioned favorite.

I have monarda 'Raspberry Wine' at home and am always thrilled by it. Beautiful flowers, leaves scented of bergamot (Earl Grey tea). Give it space, and you'll be thrilled too. Along with the hummingbirds and bees.

Flowers always make people happy and none more so than this beautiful pink veronica 'Giles Van Hees'. More fluffy pink flowers - another good bee plant. Bees are happy at this time of year...

I couldn't leave without getting an image of this yucca 'Ivory Towers'. Such an architectural plant. They're really starting to put on some size now that the weather's heating up, so come in and grab one before they're all gone.

Euphorbia Euphoria

My jaw dropped when I saw this...

Last week, when I was visiting Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, TN, I turned a corner and came up this bank of Euphorbia charcais.  Isn’t it astonishing?  I’ve never seen this euphorbia thriving in this part of the world – I planted one once (it was a measly mail-order specimen) and it quickly perished.  But that was several years ago – I think I’ve learned more about them since.

One very obvious thing I’m noticing from this bank of euphorbias at Cheekwood is that they want impeccable drainage.  You can’t really tell it from the photo, but this whole area is a sort of series of rocky ledges with a little soil scattered throughout.  Also, it was a southern or western exposure, protected to the north by large trees and the mansion.  I don’t have this sort of situation – particularly not the mansion – but I’d like to try again.  After all, if it grows in Nashville, it should grow in southeast Missouri.

Euphoriba myrsinites is one of the coolest plants we have at Sugar Creek right now. Its strange scaly branches sprawl out like some desert reptile. Beautiful dusty blue leaves and lime-green flowers. Image courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden.

 

We don’t have Euphorbia charcais at Sugar Creek, but if you want to experience Euphorbia euphoria in a slightly more manageable way, we have several pleasant smaller cultivars for you to try.  Ask to see the euphorbias or look for them in the sun perennial section (under “E”).  Plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot, and they’ll soon be the talk of the neighborhood.

It’s Time to Twist and Shout

POSTED BY PEGGY:  Hydrangea ‘Twist and Shout’ is the latest in the everblooming Endless Summer Series of Big Leaf Hydrangeas.  Endless Summer Hydrangeas bloom on old wood (last year’s growth) and new wood (this year’s growth).  This means if you accidently prune your Big Leaf Hydrangea or a cold winter kills last year’s growth, it will still bloom.

Endless summer Hydrangeas also repeat bloom.  Old fashioned Hydrangeas like Nikko Blue, produce just one set of blooms.  Endless Summer Hydrangeas continue to produce new flowers all summer.

What is so special aboout ‘Twist and Shout’?  It is the first Lacecap re-bloomer.  The Original Endless Summer and it’s sister ‘Blushing Bride’ have the big mophead flowers. Twist-n-Shout flowers have a lacy center of small flowers surrounded by larger blossoms of pink or periwinkle blue, depending on soil types.  Twist and shout is a cross between H. ‘Penny Mac’ and H. ‘Lady in Red.  The stems are sturdy and red (like it’s mother Lady in Red). Another bonus….the leaves turn red-burgundy in fall. It is easy to care for and hardy to zone 4.  Twist and Shout grows 3-5′ tall and wide.

Twist and shout Hydrangea Lacecap Flower

 

Twist and Shout Lacecap Hydrangea

Just like the Original Endless Summer Hydrangea, Twist and Shout blossoms will be pink or blue depending on the acidity of your soil.

How to get Pink blooms on your Endless Summer Hydrangeas:

To have pink blooms you need to have an alkaline soil.

• To help raise your pH you can apply lime several times a year (Espoma makes a great organic lime) .  Aim for a pH of about 6.0 to 6.2, if it goes above 6.4, your hydrangea may experience an iron deficiency.
• Use fertilizers with high levels of phosphorus such as 10-40-10. Phosphorus helps to prevent aluminum from being taken up in the plant’s system.
• Consider growing your hydrangea in a large pot where it would be easier to control the pH.

 

Endless Summer Original Pink

How to get Blue Blooms:

Lowering the pH of your soil to a pH level of about 5.2-5.5 will produce blue flowers. Using a soil acidifier ( Espoma also makes one) will lower your soil’s pH for blue blooms.

• Thoroughly water the plant before adding any acidifier. Follow the instructions on the bag.
• Adding large amounts of organic matter, such as peat moss and composted leaves, will acidify the soil as it breaks down.

 

Endless Summer Original Blue

Remember to check the pH of your water as well as your soil. If you are trying to turn your flowers blue and you have hard water, it will be difficult to achieve. Also remember that concrete foundations and walkways tend to leach lime, raising the pH in that area.

Incredible Edible of the Week: cilantro ‘Delfino’

Notice how ferny-frilly these leaves are. Can't believe it's still cilantro - until I smell it. Then I know for sure!

POSTED BY CALEB – Look, look, everybody – we have ‘Delfino’ cilantro!  This great little plant is a ferny-leaved version of cilantro.  It tastes and smells just the same as regular cilantro, but it’s easier to use in the kitchen and resists bolting for longer than the standard variety.  This great little plant performed so well in test gardens throughout the nation that it was chosen as one of the All-America Selections for 2006.  Local growers have testified to its success, too – you can read about it here in one of my recent articles for Sauce magazine.  We’re already noticing ‘Delfino’s bolt-resistance here at Sugar Creek.  The normal cilantro is shooting up to flower, but ‘Delfino’ is still beautifully moundy.  Run in and grab one before they’re gone!

 

'Delfino' even looks nice as a container plant. Put in on your patio - make a Mexican salsa garden with tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, and cilantro.

I asked some of the Sugar Creek girls about what they do with cilantro.  Here’s what they told me:

 Peggy – Use it as a seasoning for fish tacos or sesame noodles

 Wendy – Add it to summer salads.  Sprinkle it on chicken.  Or, try it with summer veg like carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and sugar snap peas.

 Tina – Use it in guacamole.

 Nancy – Add it to salsa, guacamole, and stewed meats.  She said, “My husband added cilantro to our salad last night.  He claimed it would ‘wake up’ the lettuce.  And it did!”

Yellow Impatiens: fun, fresh, tropical and exotic

POSTED BY PEGGY: I just love the Fusion Glow Exotic Impatiens. They are soft yellow with a orange eye.  I paired mine up with a yellow striped Hosta, multi colored Coleus and a gorgeous yellow Nonstop Begonia. I love the way they look in my green ceramic pot with the red drip.

 

Shade container with Fusion Yellow Impatiens

The Fusion Impatiens series has the distinction of offering the first yellow Impatiens flowers. It took breeders years to isolate and stabilize Fusion Impatiens ‘Glow’ from its wild parent, but it was worth the effort. From their efforts creating ‘Glow’ came a whole series of exotic warm colors. Fusion ‘Infrared’ is a darker coral with shades of yellow and orange. Then there’s Fusion Apricot Frost, with luscious shade of apricot, dappled with citron and vanilla. The series looks almost tropical.

Fusion Impatien Radience

 

The Fusion series still has the non-stop blooming power of traditional Impatiens, but the flowers are an interesting cup shape with a deeper colored center. The flowers could be described at orchid shapedand are 1-1 ½” wide.  Mature plants will reach 12 – 16″ in height and width.  Like other impatiens, these grow best in morning sun and afternoon shade.

We have a limited supply of the Fusion Impatiens at Sugar Creek Gardens and the drip glaze pots too!

Herby Salad with Flower Petals

This was my salad at lunch today...

I’m following up on the calendula post with this photo of my lunch salad.  The base was lettuce (Breen, Outback, and Rouge Grenobloise, for those who worry about such things) with roughly torn leaves of mint and parsley.  Then, I broke up some chive and calendula flowers and tossed the individual florets over.  All from the garden.  I doused it in a garlicky vinaigrette and enjoyed.  A perfect salad for a late-spring lunch. 

I have to say that my dressing rather overwhelmed the flavor of the calendula petals, so I’m not sure exactly what they taste like.  I definitely noticed the chives, though – so nice to get just a hint of onion.

Rose and pansy petals also work well in salads.  Just make sure that they haven’t been sprayed with anything poisonous.

Looking for a shady groundcover with lots of texture? Try sweet woodruff.

POSTED BY KIM — We have lots of shade gardeners in our area — lots of big trees — so I’m always up for the challenge when someone comes in with a problem area and they assume the worst — like they might be stuck having to plant ivy or <gasp> more hostas.

A great little shade-loving groundcover is sweet woodruff, or Galium odoratum.

It really shines this time of year because of its fragrant, dainty white flowers.

It’s a nice spreader, without being overly aggressive, so it’s great to have some around because you can always dig up a  piece and move it to a new spot when needed.  It grows to about 6″-8″ tall, and blooms in the spring.  But even when it’s not in flower, you have the great texture of the whirled leaves.

Lean in and smell your computer screen...

I've got it planted around the base of a hydrangea 'Tardiva' to hide the shrub's "scraggly legs."

For the woodland garden, Solomon’s Seal is required

POSTED BY KIM — I justed wanted to share some pictures of my Solomon’s seal.  I planted a quart-sized plant three years ago, and this is what it looks like today.

It's hard to tell from this angle, but they're more than 2' tall.

Solomon’s Seal — or Polygonatum – is a very graceful, understated plant, I think — no flashy red or orange flowers here.  Just these dainty little white “bells” that hang underneath the foliage, but are quite beautiful.

How gorgeous are those flowers??

They prefer shade, and can take an average to wet environment.  Really, they’re a requirement for any well-rounded woodland garden.  I have mine tucked underneath a dogwood tree.

My favorite clematis: Rooguchi

See why I was so tempted?

POSTED BY KIM — We first started carrying Clematis ‘Rooguchi’ last year, and I kept walking by these vines with their sweet, bell-shaped flowers — and I just couldn’t stand it.  I remember when the first a bud opened, I carried the plant upstairs to our offices at the nursery to show everyone.  They’re so unusual.

At the end of the season, I finally broke down and planted this little 8″ tall clematis in my garden.  Today, about 8 months later, I have a blooming-machine on my hands.

This is about 6 feet high -- in less than one year.

My research says that it will top out at 6′-7′, and bloom consistently throughout the spring and summer.  ‘Rooguchi’ also will take a lot of shade, although I have it planted in a spot with morning and early afternoon sun.  My hope is that it stays clean for most of the season (and not “funk up” like many clematis do after they bloom).  I’ll keep you posted…

A look inside one of those blooms.