The Garden Buzz

Bob Saget? No, Bog Sage, Really.

Still wit gathering, but you can get a bit of the 'Buzz' over at Herb Companion magazine. I've just added this beautiful herb with the unfortunate name to my herbal wish list. Click and read all about it.

Mexican Sunflowers: Carrying a Torch for Tithonia

I'm always stumped when asked to name a favorite flower. It's usually whatever is blooming at the moment. Of course, it's kind of like being asked to name a favorite child. And just for the record, I love both of mine equally for their equally different charms.

Mexican Sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia, "Torch" with bee       The Garden Buzz

However this year, my choice is simple. The Mexican Sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia, wins hands down, for ease, color, form, foliage and wildlife value. This bright beauty is a member of the daisy family, but it's more bodacious, with flaming orange flowers and striking green foliage. Depending upon your height preference there are three varieties from which to choose; "Torch", the tallest at 4-5 feet, "Sundance" at 3-4 and finally "Fiesta del Sol" at 2-3 feet. There's even a yellow Torch available now.

Potato-leaf shaped foliage is attractive too.

Tithonia is an annual flower that's easy to start from seed, growing best in full sun. It makes a great cut flower or container specimen as well. 

Artsy image of black swallowtail and tithonia                The Garden Buzz

Beyond it's dramatic beauty and statuesque shape, the greatest thing about Tithonia is what it brings to the garden...butterflies, bees and hummingbirds! Not many flowers draw all three in such numbers. And don't forget the goldfinches that perch on its sturdy branches to munch on the attractive seedheads.

Sturdy stems with raindrops

Plant Tithonia and I guarantee you will have a garden buzzing with lively visitors.

Another swallowtail visitor on Tithonia "Torch"         The Garden Buzz

 

Welcoming wildlife into your garden is so rewarding, you might want to check out my latest Star Tribune article, Planting for Pollinators, for more tips toward making a wildlife haven. 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: August 15, 2011

I'm going to go off the garden path this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and do it a little differently. Usually I'm guilty of the same game the garden catalogs play, lots of colorful closeups and no full length views of the subject at hand. It's tempting to go in tight for the beauty shot. Maybe get out the macro.

I thought you might appreciate it a little less edited this time. I won't show all the warts and weeds, but you'll get a better idea of this garden I'm trying to make my own out here in the water, woods and wetlands.

My "office chair" on the porch

Across from the porch, I watch butterflies and hummingbirds on these zinnias

 Pee Gee Hydrangea blooming with courtyard beds in the background

Oops, I couldn't resist, Zinnia "Cool Crayon Colors"

Looking back towards the porch, Nodding Onion blooms attract bees and butterflies

Alliums along the path looking out to docks

Pole bean tower in the "hot mess" garden; a freeform, oft self-seeded veggie potager including Italian parsley, nasturtiums, signet marigolds, kale, beets and strawberries.

Beyond the beans, Joe-Pye weed blooming

Over the fence, the blooms of aquatic Duck Potatoes

Purple elderberries on the path by the pond

Further along Rudbeckia "Herbstsonne", phlox, and fading blooms of Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea

 Hang in there, we're halfway through!
Lots of bees browsing native Culver's Root

Reliable beauties, Annabelle hydrangeas with Nepeta Souvenir D'Andre Chaudon

Clethra "Ruby Spice" smells sweet

Swallowtail on lily

 

Black swallowtail on Mexican Sunflower, "Torch"

Rudbeckia "Cappuccino" started from seed with ornamental millet

 Warm sunset colors 

Out front, the blank canvas where my pine trees stood before a violent windstorm felled them. Check out my funky new stone wall. I'm studying the spot while I wait for it to "speak" to me and tell me what to plant. Any ideas?

 

 Uncommon annual, Cerinthe with blue-green foliage and dangling blue-purple buds

Not blooms but a beautiful combo, maidenhair fern and coleus

(Note the large mosquitos on wall above the container, it is Minnesota after all)

And finally, the blooms of Persicaria "Firetail", Joe-Pye Weed and Rudbeckia planted just outside my son's bedroom so that he might glance up from his laptop and perhaps see a hummingbird or butterfly. What a nice mama he has.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!!!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: July 15, 2011

Whoosh! That's me shifting gears right now for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. From foliage to flowers, that is. I just spent the morning interviewing a talented landscape consultant and scouting photos in her incredibly clever garden. Rather than relying on bursts of bloom to carry her design through the season, she employs a wide variety of foliage from perennials, grasses, shrubs and even veggies that exert a steady and beautiful influence on her yard.

But back to blooms.

Bouncing between heat waves and thunderstorms, my garden is both suffering and thriving. Here's a smattering of what's happening...

Zinnias, the essence of summer bloom, with the frothy seedheads of Deschampsia "Hair Grass" in the background. Having fun with my iPhone camera for this shot.                    The Garden Buzz

Marigolds, old summer standbys, look fresh and new next to lemon thyme  The Garden Buzz

A little Martagon Lily peeking from out of the hydrangeas

Insects on False Spirea shrub.                   The Garden Buzz

Trial plant: Campanula "Viking", compact, non-invasive and hummingbird-friendly

Trial plant: Rose "Candy, Oh", a sweet rose bred by a sweet guy, Dr. David Zlesak       The Garden Buzz

A different sort of catmint, Nepeta "Souvenir D'Andre Chaubord with bigger, looser flower spikes that draw hummingbirds        The Garden Buzz

Hydrangea "Let's Dance Starlight" blooming big this year!

Bumblebee in the background of Asclepias incarnata, Swamp Milkweed, milkweeds are the sole larval plant of the Monarch butterfly

Alien pod, or macro shot of a blueberry?

A thick carpet of Chameleon Plant, Hottuynia cordata, attractive but aggressive to somewhat invasive in my garden.

Trial plant: Proven Winners Leucanthemum "Daisy May" emerging from where the mesclun bed is bolting. I'm a sucker for a good daisy.

On the other hand, invasive Oxeye daisies, that I allow to bloom on a limited basis in my garden, love the high meadow look.

Another macro shot, a painterly image of Dahlia "Mystic something or other"

And finally my little green visitor...

Summer Window Box Recipe with Coralberry Punch

Coralberry Punch sounds like just the refreshing beverage I need during these dog days of summer...but more about that in a bit.

I'm always on the lookout for lovely window box combinations. I see them in magazines and vow to remember and repeat them in my own creations. I even photographed bunches of them for future reference in Charleston while I visited that charming city.

But I seem to forget them once spring arrives and I'm at the garden center. So many choices, am I the only one who gets overwhelmed by them all?

My window boxes are a nice shade of terra cotta that contrasts well with the taupe-y stucco and stone trim of my home. That is, until you go to plant them. Any pretty shade of pink acquires the characteristics of a plastic flower next to the oranges tones of the box.

I learned this the hard way. Yellow doesn't do much better. Last year I played it safe and stuck in a melange of coleus that blended better but not great.

I knew I wanted to try a wine/lime color scheme; using various foliage shapes and colors. I needed a filler flower with prolific small blooms to bring it all together. Wandering through the nursery I spied the new Proven Winners Superbells "Coralberry Punch" that turned out to be just the ticket.

This Calibrachoa hybrid sports peachy color petals with a dark red flare and yellow eye, offering lots of shades to play off of when combining plants. This new plant doesn't need deadheading which works for me, since I don't need to climb up into these beds for that chore on a regular basis.

They've filled in even more since I took this quick iPhone photo.

Best of all, it doesn't clash with my window boxes. And as a bonus, hummingbirds love the tubular blossoms. They were buzzing within inches the moment I started planting them. As Miley, would say, "Pretty cool".

Window Box Recipe 

Superbells "Coralberry Punch" (Calibrachoa hybrid)

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) "Aureola"

Big Leaf Ivy

Beets "Bull's Blood"

Coleus "Red Wizard"

Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia) "Aurea"

 

Don't limit your window boxes and containers to just annuals. Look around your own garden and see what perennials and even small shrubs can be used to perk up your pots. I dug up and divided the forest grass and creeping Jenny from areas of my yard. The big leaf ivy was mostly from last year's containers that I overwintered as houseplants. When fall comes I'll replant the first two and once again overwinter the ivies, making this a more economical and interesting solution to filling my window boxes every year.

Happy National Pollinator Week!

Celebrate National Pollinator Week by planting trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs and fruits that attract and support these vital forms of wildlife. It's what puts the buzz in The Garden Buzz!

Check with your local extension office for lists of pollinator-friendly plants for your region, it's easy.

I've posted this article link below recently, however I'll repeat the link since it provides an emphasis on pollinators and their behaviors, along with plant information.

http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening/attract-pollinators-to-your-garden.aspx

 

 

 

Turkey in the Straw, Literally

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from THE GARDEN BUZZ!!!

After the Storm: A Lament for My Lost Pines

I thought I knew the subject of my next blog post. Yet Mother Nature had other ideas.

A historic storm of massive proportion, described as an inland hurricane, blew into town on Tuesday with harsh and sustained winds that tested roofs and toppled trees. By 9pm three of my majestic white pines were uprooted and lying across the drive.

My sad trees the day after the storm                  The Garden Buzz 

With as many as 22 states affected by this storm, I'm not alone in my loss. Driving around today I saw numerous downed trees; most evergreens dragged down by their non-deciduous bulk.

The white pines that stood by my driveway were a social hub of sorts; a gathering spot for the chickadees where they nabbed seeds from the feeder taking them over to the dogwoods for a nibble. Nuthatches scurried up and down the length of the trunks searching for insects and stealing a bite in between. Wrens made an annual home in the house that hung on a stubby limb. Cardinals flew in and out adding color and song.

 

The chickadees offer year-round entertainment in the pine trees

When we first moved in, the pines were just generic evergreens to me. As I got to know them, I learned that they actually did whisper with their soft needles and sigh from their uppermost branches. While they provided privacy they still allowed a little peek between the airy fronds. They sheltered and shaded us, and made us just a little mysterious.

 

 Last year on Christmas Eve the trees were so picturesque

The tree guys came and cleared the driveway leaving the rest of the sawed-off trunks saluting at awkward 45 degree angles, with the roots tilted from the earth. When they come back to clear them out completely, the yard will feel bare and exposed. Each time I drive in I am surprised at the new view of our home without the frame of evergreens. Looking out, the view of the neighboring houses seems strange after being half-hidden in the woods. It will take awhile to accustom myself to such a sudden transformation.

I know I should have respected a suitable period of mourning for my trees. Yet even in the very hour they fell, while the storm was still wailing outside, the gardener in me was considering the opportunities of a new landscape. I admit a little thrill ran through me...just think..full sun.

 

 To see the real impact of this change, check out my garden video featuring Pink Turtlehead; the pines are behind me in the last scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Video: Pink Turtlehead "Hot Lips" Ya Gotta Love This Plant

Don't worry. I'm not switching to all video. I'm just trying to get three videos "in the can" before the garden goes kaput! I've been granted the chance to do this courtesy of what the weather forecaster is calling "Septober".

We've had a whole month of Indian summer here in Minnesota. So I've been taking advantage of it to shoot three trial videos to see if it's a good way to add value and interest to The Garden Buzz. So far, the comments have been positive.

Shooting these little mini-films has me looking at my garden in a whole new way. I like to think that I always practice mindfulness in the garden. Yet, this has opened up even more avenues through which to enjoy the garden and all it has to give. Not that I haven't considered sound and movement before; still when it plays back, I hear and see what I might have been missing.

It's not all good. There are airplanes, pool pumps, car engines and such that I usually tune out. On the bright side there is water splashing, grasses rustling, insects buzzing and subtle birdsong that I need to notice more.

So without further adieu, here is the latest video featuring a favorite fall-blooming perennial...

 

Take a moment to go out in your garden. And just listen.

The Garden Buzz Has Gone Video! Salvia "Black and Blue" Ya Gotta Love This Plant

 

Wow! It worked. Check out the first in hopefully a series of "Ya Gotta Love This Plant" videos.

This intrepid yet camera-shy garden blogger has just ventured forth into the brave new world of video. It's been a steep learning curve since two days ago when I opened the Flip Video box. The journey from jiggly first shots to finished video has been quite the experience, mercifully filmed in the privacy of my own garden.

I have to hand credit to my son, Will Hayes, accomplished filmmaker and fun-engineer for giving me a leg-up on creating and editing with this medium. Watching him shoot and edit our Master Gardener garden tour video was educational to say the least.

As for the subject of the video...I'm often asked if I have a favorite plant. While I don't have one favorite, this one is always in my top ten. When all other annuals have faded, you can count on Salvia "Black and Blue" to look fresh until the final frost.

Even though summer is gone, make a note to get this plant in your garden next year. Don't let the Latin scare you, Salvia Guaranitica should be on your shopping list whenever you seek plants for good looks and great habitat.

For those of you that subscribe to The Garden Buzz through an RSS feed or email reader, it may be necessary to actually go directly to www.thegardenbuzz.com to view the video.

I look forward to your comments and feedback. A few questions to consider..

• Do you watch garden videos?
• Are they useful to you?
• What do you like to see included?
• What subjects would you like to see?