POSTED BY KIM — Jealous?!

POSTED BY KIM FOR TINA — Our own Tina Paletta gave a holiday decorating talk this weekend, and when I came in this morning I found one of the handouts, which I thought would be fun to share with ya’ll.  I love when Tina works, because the next day I come in, the gift shop is always a little sparklier. 

Tina says:

1.  Garland for front doors, mantels, and staircases may all be started with the same simple steps.  Artificial garland forms the base, and fresh or more artificial greens and berries may be added to the  mix.  But don’t stop there!  Fruit, pine cones, flowers, and beads may also be added.  The sky is the limit!

Fresh greens from the neighborhood — Spruce, Yew, Arborvitae, Boxwood, Holly, Hemlock, Cedar, Pine, and Evergreen Magnolia.  Fresh greens froom the Christmas tree lot — Frasier Fir, Balsam, and Noble Fir.  From the florist — Eucalyptus leaves of several varieties.  Fresh greens should be added to the design the day of the party or at the earliest, the day before.  They dry quickly.

2.  Tablescapes ad mantle tops may feature special collections: teapots, Santa Claus collectibles, silver pieces, etc.  Scale down the amount of greens because the items should be the focal point.

3.  Christmas tree — A popular look in decorated trees this year is a tree of all the same color, or monochromatic.

4.  Bows — Ribbon wire is essential for easy tying.

5.  Decoration for outdoor containers — Containers may be left outdoors and loaded with greens, berries, and ornaments (gazing balls and large plastic ornaments).  If available, mini-evergreen shrubs may also be arranged in containers and window boxes.  The containers must be frost-proof.  These designs will turn a dull patio or deck into a festive holiday landscape.

Another Tina Original...

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 — I do a lot of digging in my yard.  I install plants.  I move plants.  I move plants again.  Dig dig dig.  And over the years, I’ve unearthed some pretty interesting things.  The quartz thing in the picture above was found in the bed by my front door.  I was removing ROCK that had been spread several inches deep over the entire bed, and as I reached real soil, I stumbled on to this gem.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s kind of sparkly, so I cleaned it up and now it’s in my living room as a bookend. 

I’ve also uncovered, over the years:

• Coins (mostly pennies)
• Nails (lots of nails!)
• Army men
• Metal toy cars
• A small statue of St. Joseph (head down, natch), I assume buried by a past homeowner who was trying to sell the house (FYI, I reburied it)
• A golf ball

The golf ball was one of my favorite finds, because I was digging underground about 10″-12″ when I first spotted it and thought it was a turtle egg!  We have an active turtle population in our neighborhood, and I’ve been lucky enough to watch a turtle lay eggs in my backyard and see the babies hatch.  So I was quite surprised, then disappointed, then tickled when I realized it was a golf ball, because I know exactly who buried it there. My 10-year-old goofball son!

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever unearthed in your yard??

POSTED BY KIM — Is this not the most beautiful rose you’ve seen in your LIFE?!  ‘Abraham Darby’ is the only climbing rose I have at the moment, and right now, it’s spectacular.  I could see this bloom from my bedroom window and I had to take a picture of it.

‘Abraham Darby’ is a David Austin rose.  Mine is 3-4 years old, and it’s always bloomed wonderfully with much neglect from me.  In fact, I hadn’t even staked it until this year — I just let it sprawl where it wanted to.  (Now I have a pretty obelisk and I’ve tied it up — like I know what I’m doing.)  It also has a wonderful fragrance.  Include one of these blooms in a flower arrangement and listen to everyone gasp.

(FYI — this from Wikipedia about Abraham Darby, the man:  “Abraham Darby made one of the first and most important steps in the Industrial Revolution. His method of smelting iron provided abundant supplies of the raw material that the Industrial Revolution needed most. Iron from his process went into steam engines, bridges, all of the inventions of the 19th century. Smelting coal with charcoal would not have supplied iron in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements of the Industrial Revolution.”) Who knew!?

I did have a ‘Zepherine Drouhin,’ known for its thornless qualities and its ability to take some shade, but it only blooms once a year — for a week or two in the spring — and then it gets heavily infected with black spot.  What a train wreck!  So I pulled mine out and replaced it with a Mutabalis rose, also known as the Butterfly Rose, because as the pink flowers open and age, they turn different colors — pink, salmon, apricot, yellow — and it gives the effect of butterflies around the plant.    It’s quite happy — but just to be sure it STAYS that way, I’ve fenced it off with chicken wire.  The rabbits eat my roses in the winter, so I have to stay vigilant.

Here is info on the Missouri Botanical Garden website about winterizing roses.

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 -- ??

POSTED BY KIM — I found this silly little book sitting around the office last week, and after flipping through it, decided it might be worth a second look.  The illustrations are really cute — this would make a great holiday gift for the gardener who has everything (even slugs)!

There are some great ideas in here – and some not so practical.

Some good:

• Dust your plants and surrounding soil with diatomaceous earth.
• Fill a shallow container with beer, cola, or coffee. Check the container the next day and dispose of any dead bodies.
• After you eat a grapefruit, place the halves in the garden. Wait a few days and check — they should be loaded with feasting slugs. Dispose.

Some (in my opinion) not-so-good:

• Put petroleum jelly around the base and tops of your plant containers.  They won’t be able to make it to the top.
• Go out at night with a flashlight and chopsticks and pick them off individually. Dispose.
• Get a bunch of chickens. They eat slugs.

And as page 94 says, if all else fails, go out at night with this book in hand, find a slug, and give it a good wham! with the book. Wipe the cover. Success!

The majestic oakleaf hydrangea.

ANYWAY, some of my hydrangeas are *spectacular* right now.  I always love a plant that gives me an extra season of interest, so it’s worth noting those hydrangeas that go above and beyond the call of duty.

Hydrangeas: I salute you. 

Not a shrub, but still a hydrangea! Hydrangea anomala petiolaris, the beautiful climbing hydrangea, showing its beautiful fall color. (Note: this specimen is 4 years old and still hasn't flowered. But it's worth the wait.)

Hydrangea 'Angel Smile,' a catalogue buy. Again, it's never bloomed -- it's probably a zone too cold in St. Louis. But I keep wrapping it in burlap hoping! And look at that fall color!

A mystery hydrangea, maybe 'Tokyo Delight.' When we installed the new rock wall along the drive at Sugar Creek Gardens, the girls took home a lot of the plants in the bed. There was a small stub of root from a hydrangea, and Roxanne handed it to me and said "Here, take this home and stick it in the ground." Voila!

A close up of 'Tokyo Delight.' Yes, that is a flower bud!

Again, the oakleaf hydrangea. Can't get enough of them...

Hydrangea 'Lady in Red.' NASTY! I don't know what happened here -- it's normally one of the most beautiful fall hydrangeas, but it looks more like 'Skanky Lady.'

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!