Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura'

POSTED BY KIM — “Later bloomers” — no, I’m not talking about *myself.* (cough cough)  I’m talking about plants in my yard that are still blooming strong ON DECEMBER 1st!!  I’m especially surprised by my yarrow.  That’s going to be a plant I add to my “top recommendations” list next year just because it blooms and blooms with little attention.

Check out my little picture show here.  Click on the image if you want to see it bigger (and you know you do)…

Helleborus 'Josef Lemper'

When I returned home – back to the rolling hills and welcoming hills – for Thanksgiving break, I was delighted to find many of the plants in my woodland were none the worse for my absence.  The hellebores, in particular, were looking fine.  The little clumps of seedlings that I transplanted back in April, and over which I’d spent many hours of nervous watching and concern, have established nicely and promise to bring a rich tapestry of flowers - not next spring, possibly not even the next, but three years from now, they should stun us all with armloads of magnificent bloom.

But while the promises of future bloom were smile-inducing, the current flush of bloom on my two-year-old plant of  ‘Josef Lemper’ were even more happy-making.  Three autumns ago, when I was making one of my fall plant-hunting expeditions, Roxanne talked me into buying this plant.  To be truthful, I wasn’t convinced that it was anything special, but I was very new to hellebores and decided to give it a go.

It bloomed a little the spring after planting.  I wasn’t impressed, but I’m never one to throw a plant out if it isn’t overtaking the garden, so it stayed.   And now I’m so glad I left it. 

As the plant has matured, it has become more graceful and generous of bloom.  But the best thing about it is its bloom time.  Last year, it bloomed on Thanksgiving.  Did it again this year!

‘Josef Lemper’ is a selection of Helleborus niger.  I’d definitely try a Helleborus x hybridus selection, such as one of the Lady series, as they’re the easiest to grow.  But, then, ‘Josef Lemper’ has been very tolerant as well.  It gets no special treatment in my garden.  For extending bloom time in your garden – and to provide flowers for the Thanksgiving table – consider ‘Josef Lemper’.

I don’t know who Josef Lemper was, but he should be proud of the plant that bears his name.  It’s a winner.  Thanks alot, Roxanne!

POSTED BY KIM — Do you see why I love this flower??  It is mid-November and this plant is going gangbusters.  This particular cultivar is ‘Oranges and Lemons,’ my favorites.  It blooms like an annual — this flower is never *not* in bloom.  And there’s no need to deadhead — the seedheads provide fantastic interest all in themselves.

The secret to successfully growing blanket flower is well-drained soil, so if you live in St. Louis, watch your clay.  Also, it blooms best in full sunlight.

I dare you to not love it!

See? Little seedheads...

POSTED BY KIM — Have you ever planted a perennial that died, so you planted it again, and it died again? So you planted it again?…  How many times are you willing to buy the same plant before you realize that no matter *how much* you love it, this plant just isn’t going to make it in your garden?

Some customers refer to this phenomenon as the “Three Strikes You’re Out” rule of gardening.  If they really love a plant, they’ll give it three tries before finally wising up — and giving up.

Corydalis is one of those plants that may require multiple tries before you find the spot where it’s happiest.  Which is ironic — and frustrating — because it has self-seeded at Sugar Creek Gardens and is growing along the foundation of the gift shop.  We can have a dozen pots in the shade house limping along, but walk outside and look under some racks and WOW! the corydalis is so beautiful it’s ridiculous.

Here’s my story: I loved the delicate foliage on this airy little groundcover, and its yellow flower blooms almost non-stop throughout the growing season, so I bought one and put it in just the perfect spot in my garden (MY IDEA of the perfect spot — not the plant’s). And it died.  So I tried it again.  And it died again — but not before re-seeding a few feet away.  The new plant was very happy along the foundation of my house where it’s nice and dry.  So I gave up and just let it be, and for a few years it was okay.

Then a few months ago, I lost a dogwood tree that was very near my corydalis.  When I had the tree removed, it opened up that space quite a bit and allowed in more indirect sunlight — and my corydalis EXPLODED!  So I’m enjoying this happy accident. 

Corydalis is around to keep gardeners like me humble.  And sometimes frustrated.  But I’ll enjoy it more because of that.

I just noticed the bug in there -- ??

Blooming in early November -- *watch out!!*

POSTED BY KIM — I love crocosmia.  When my husband and I went to England a few years ago, I was surprised to see it all over the countryside.  It has such a tropical look — it was kind of funny to see it in the middle of these English cottage gardens.

I’ve got a few different varieties in my garden, but this one is ‘Lucifer.’  And it’s blooming *right now* — about 3 months after its first set of flowers.  Shocking!

A close up.

Crocosmia — which actually start as bulbs — bloom best in full sun, with well-drained soil.  ‘Lucifer’ grows to about 3′ tall, and it’s a real hummingbird favorite.  They are somewhat prone to spider mites, so pre-treatment is recommended.

Another really popular crocosmia we sold this year was ‘Limpopo.’  (Below.)  The picture doesn’t do it justice!

POSTED BY KIM — I took my camera outside at work the other day (along with my umbrella) and noticed this beautiful combination of colors in the garden behind the gift shop.  (That’s Maria and Wendy’s garden.)  The red leaves from the Japanese Maple and the bright lime foliage from the Heuchera ‘Citronelle’ almost glow in the dark — stunning.

I know some people will think this hosta looks sickly, but I think against the red foliage of the maple, it’s really beautiful.  Besides, I can’t cut back the hosta foliage yet — there’s probably a dozen baby bunnies living in there. 

In the same bed, the beautiful fall color of Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple.

POSTED BY KIM — I gave a talk the other day at the nursery about the beauty of the fall garden, and one thing I like to do is go out that morning before work and cut a sample of anything that’s blooming in my yard.  There are still many flowers that put on a full show — yarrow, roses, Russian sage, salvia, etc., etc., but the three plants that everyone wanted to talk about were 1. Rudbeckia ‘Indian Summer’ 2. an unnamed mum that I originally got from my mother-in-law, and this beauty, Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis.’

Mums are a tricky subject — we sell lots of mums at Sugar Creek.  There are true perennial varieties, you plant them and they always come back, and then there are the “hot house” mums we get from annual growers.  These are the beautiful mums that you typically see at grocery stores, farmers markets, and many nurseries this time of year.  If you plant them, sometimes they’ll come back, sometimes they won’t.  I think a lot depends on how early in the season you get them in the ground, what kind of winter we have, and simply how hardy the variety is.  Mostly, we think of them as annuals — enjoy them for several weeks, then pitch them when they’re finished.

If you’re looking for a true perennial mum, ‘Clara Curtis’ is a good place to start.  We also carry the Igloo series of mums, with a white or raspberry bloom, and these are very hardy, as well.  And no pinching required!

POSTED BY KIM — This cool rainy weather has prevented me from digging in my garden — and believe me, I have a lot of digging to do! — but many of the perennials are catching a second wind and looking gorgeous all over again.

This is Penstemon ‘Rondo,’ which is planted in a new little garden by our front checkout area. It’s a supremely versatile plant — likes hot, sunny conditions and will rebloom if deadheaded.  It’s also a little butterfly magnet.  This is the second set of blooms to appear in the last few weeks, and the purple is a real traffic-stopper.

I think Penstemon also do well in neglected soil, so if you have a hot spot in your garden with “unfortunate soil,” this might be a good plant to try there. 

“Unfortunate soil” — I think there’ s a song or poem in there somewhere! 

POSTED BY KIM — Coneflower hybridization has been especially active during the last several years — doubles, oranges, fragrants, reds, yellows, etc.  ‘Tiki Torch,’ ‘Tomato Soup,’ ‘Mac ‘n Cheese,’ ‘Hot Papaya’ — the list goes on and on.  So if you’re a coneflower lover, it’s been fun!

Now I’m going to tell you about a new coneflower that I think is more exciting then all of them — ‘Little Annie.’  “Dwarf” doesn’t really describe this diminutive flower — it’s really a miniature.  It reaches only 6 inches tall (yes, 6 inches!) and is *loaded* with buds and blooms.  The flower petals are tiny tiny, and the little leaves are perfectly to scale — it’s adorable!  It’s also probably sterile, which works in the plant’s favor because it sends all its energy into flower production.

This little beauty was hybridized by Eric Stahlheber at Southernwood Gardens in Jonesboro, Ill.  Eric is a lucky, lucky man, because I think this tiny coneflower is going to change the way a lot of us garden.  The coneflower — which has typically been in the 18″ – 3′ range — is finally going to move to the front of the perennial border.  And ‘Little Annie’ (named after his wife) is such a profuse bloomer, you can almost use it in containers for summer-long interest and to attract butterflies.

I’m going to make a bold prediction and say this is going to be the hottest coneflower in the next two years.  ALSO, it actually isn’t being released until 2011, but Eric has agreed to grow some for Sugar Creek for spring 2010, so yay for us!  We’ll have a limited supply, and I know they’ll go fast. 

If you’re going to get excited about any new plant next year, make it this one…

POSTED BY KIM — I’ve added a new category to our blog: plant thugs.  We all have experience with them, and today I’m going to talk about one of my thugs: Tanacetum feverfew.  When I first saw this sweet little face in the nursery, I couldn’t resist.  Do you blame me?!  Come on!  It’s adorable!

And then it re-seeded.  Oh…my…goodness.  Feverfew *everywhere.*  So now when I see its green leaves sprouting in the ground, I beat it to the punch — pull it up (and pull, and pull, and pull), and maybe leave one or two plants that will flower so I can enjoy them in small quantities.

Other plant thugs might include:

• Lily of the valley
• Chameleon plant (Karen Collins has a funny story about how this got started in her garden — she asked for a piece from a neighbor and planted it herself! – and the years she has spent trying to remove it)
• Chinese lantern
• Campanula
• Mint, of course
• Annual poppies
• Ladybells
• Cleome

Now if you love it, a thug is not a thug.  I have campanula that has completely overtaken sections of my garden, but it’s a nice groundcover that keeps the weeds down, and it flowers on top of it — I love it.  Same with annual poppies — I ADORE annual poppies.  I don’t care where they come up, I’m keeping them.

You can see in the picture below where I started yanking out sections of the feverfew.  Live and learn! 

Don't be fooled by its sweet demeanor. This plant will follow you home.