The Frog Prince in my Garden

Photo is the copy-write property of allanbecker-gardenguru.The Rainbow Knock Out Rose is one of the most important plants in my repertoire and the most difficult to find. Last year, it was available from only two wholesalers in my region who reached a  sold out position by mid season. Half way through, what turned out to be a bumper year for my garden design business, I had to source it from a big box store. Although the plants were scrawny and, for my purposes, overpriced, I had no other choice but to purchase every one that I could find. I promised my clients that the unimpressive diminutive plants, that appeared, at first, to add nothing to their newly designed gardens, would knock their socks off by the following year. 

A garden writing colleague had mentioned that in her region, a similar unavailability occurred. She reported that most retail nurseries refuse to stock it because Rainbow Knock Out Rose doesn’t show very well in its pot. That is true. It is a Frog Prince in the garden. Not only is it unattractive at point of sale but until it produces its first full flush of blooms, it resembles an ugly brambly bush. However, once it starts pumping out multi-hued coral roses, it becomes a prince as it takes visual ownership of the flower bed.

Unfortunately and realistically, no nursery can expect to do business by promising the consumer to take a chance or to wait and see. Consequently, most refuse to buy and miss out on a great and pleasurable visual experience. I am fortunate that my clients trusted me; they have not been disappointed. Some have asked me to plant additional Rainbow Knock Outs after watching the first one develop. 

Imagine an almost spherical shrub, 3 feet high and wide, completely coated in many hues and shades of pink, yellow, coral and blush. It resembles a giant luminous scoop of bubble gum-peach ice cream. For those who live in temperate climates, that might not be such a big deal. Just south of where I live, in the warmer parts of the United States, gardeners have a wide selection of warm, tropical-colored flowering plants that bloom impressively at various times of year. By comparison, the cold climate gardener in USDA Zone 4b, has very few of these experiences. That is why the contribution to the garden of Rainbow Knock Out Rose is so significant. 

How sad that a plant that delivers such a moving experience to the patient gardener should be so unattractive at point of sale that it is removed from market. Perhaps it should be tagged with a luxurious glossy image attached to a plastic wand stuck into the pot. The Endless Summer series of Hydrangeas are marketed that way and I believe that Rainbow Knock Out would benefit from a similar treatment. However, growers should pay special attention to the quality of the photograph that they use. The consumer needs to see two images:- one, a close up of the rose when it is still a deep coral color and two, an image of the shrub coated in multi-hued flowers. 

On the other hand, I’ll bet the breeders are now working to develop an improved Rainbow Knock Out that will present well at retail. In the gardening business, the market is a powerful and influential force that drives change. Meanwhile, I will continue to hunt and collect as many of these roses as I can. This plant belongs in the category of takes your breathe away.

Sisychrinum; a Subtle Beauty Perennial

The best way to tempt a gardener into buying a perennial, that he or she certainly does not need, is to display it in bloom during the spring buying season. That’s how this plant made its way into my garden, into the flower beds of my clients, and into my heart.

Have you heard about this plant? I didn’t think so! Miniature perennials with tiny flowers receive little publicity. One has to look hard to see them in the garden and even harder to find them at the nursery. So discreet are they that growers bulk them up with extra fertilizer in the hope that they will bloom impressively at retail so that shoppers will take notice.

Sisychrinum is a neat, tiny plant that grows in a spray-like bouquet. Its leaves and stems radiate from a center clump that doesn’t appear to grow very wide. Its miniature sword-like foliage resembles tiny fountains. When it blooms in early summer, the sun is not yet strong enough to fade the delicate-but-rich shade of violet-blue of its petals. This unusual color tone is accentuated by a sparkle of yellow in its center to enhance an already attractive flower.

I plant this beauty at the front of the border where it can be seen when strolling past the flower beds. Sadly, this is not a perennial that projects but I am certain that if I had the room to grow it in groves, then surely it would be noticed from far.

Unlike most perennials that are enhanced when grouped with others, I do not use this one in compositions. Its striking visual appearance allows it to take ownership of its spot in the garden so that it requires no other flowers around it. In spite of its diminutive dimensions, this perennial is a veritable specimen plant. It makes such a beautiful statement by itself that I am considering sprinkling several through out the garden beds, just as I did with Dicentra spectabilis.

This will be the third season that Sisychrinum will be growing in my garden. I cannot yet report if it is a perpetual perennial or if it will be short lived. No matter. If it dies after a few years, I will replace it with great pleasure because pleasure is what it has given me.

Vertical Garden Design

There is a new trend developing in horticulture. It is called vertical gardening and it refers to growing plants on walls, either in pots attached to a vertical surface, or directly planted into a growing medium that has been affixed to a wall. Before this new concept was introduced, a vertical garden referred to landscapes planted with design elements that drew the eye upward. Often, such elements help to make a small garden appear larger by tricking the visitor into gazing upward to avoid confronting the physical limits of a small space. Other times, they simply give the eye a rest from the unintended horizontalness that sometimes overtakes a garden’s design. Here is a photo of a bold colored garden arrangement, refreshing in its verticality.  In this composition, columnar evergreens introduce a vertical theme echoed by the spikes of the orange perennial, Kniphofia. The image, used here with written permission, was taken by Jordan Jackson who garden blogs at Metropolitan Gardens. The photo was taken in August 2009 in Regent’s Park at St Andrews Gate. in London. UK.

Gardening in Hard Clay Soil or the Importance of Being Stubborn

The last two homes I lived in were built on hard packed clay. Gardening was challenging. Unlike my colleagues who have made peace with nature and plant only what will grow in dry or wet clay, I was never prepared to compromise or surrender. I am flower deprived because my growing season is short. That’s why I was determined to plant everything on my wish list. Clay was not allowed to be an obstacle. I found a way to overcome the situation and now I grow whatever l like that will thrive in my zone.

I amended the clay soil according to prevailing conventional wisdom of the times [it was many years ago]. Not only did I create a fertile, clay-based growing medium, but also I inadvertently created elevated flower beds. The additional quantities of garden sand, organic matter, and quality earth, used to amend the clay, increased the height of the beds by two feet. Now, they were sufficiently elevated and amended for perennials and roses to thrive. If ever their roots would reach a layer of unamended compacted clay below, they would have no difficulty penetrating that level. The soil would have softened and lightened over time, with the help of the nutrient-rich humidity and natural occurring elements in the organic matter above.

Today, soil scientists advise us not to use sand because it impedes proper drainage. Nevertheless, I continue to use it to help loosen hard soil. I break up the surface of the dry, hard packed clay with a shovel, making certain that the blade deeply penetrates the clay, spread a thin layer of garden sand over it, and power spray with a garden hose nozzle set to jet. The pressurized combination of water and sand penetrate the man-made crevices, making it easier to till and blend the soil with the other additives.

For those readers whose homes are built on large tracts of clay, I would not recommend amending expansive areas of land. The high cost of purchasing and spreading good quality organic matter, [sea compost is the best] that might help alleviate the problem, puts a damper on projects of such magnitude. I would suggest paying attention only to growing beds.

Beside sea compost, here are additional organic additives that one can include in the mixture of amendments to help convert clay soil to loam:- Chipped straw, composted manure, autumn leaves that have been shredded by the blades of a lawn mower, kitchen scraps [must be buried], old decomposing mulch, confetti from an office paper shredder, ripped up newspaper that has been soaked in water, shredded, waterlogged cardboard from boxes and cartons, coffee grinds, shredded pure cotton wadding, crushed egg shells, vegetable and fruit peel, coir, lint from a clothes dryer, bread crumbs from the catch tray of a toaster, composted garden waste, gypsum, peat, peat moss, rich black earth, and garden lime.

Some with generous budgets have successfully used perlite or vermiculite as humidity trappers for dry clay. Gardeners situated on wet clay, who experience spring flooding, might consider gardening on berms, higher wall-reinforced beds [decorative materials are available], or in large containers. These elevation solutions are necessary because pooling water may overwhelm beds that are only two feet off the ground and damage plant roots. Environmentally correct gardeners will avoid using peat or peat moss because these are not renewable resources. In the UK, a tax on peat is under consideration. However, in some areas, peat moss may be the only affordable organic additive available. Coir is one of the most renewable resources because it is nothing more than ground up coconut shells. It also provides work for poor laborers in third world countries.

For those who have been dreaming about planting beautiful perennials and roses but were stymied by natural occurring clay, I hope this post will be an inspiration to think outside of the box. The trick is not to plant at grade level but at least two feet off the ground, or higher.

Delphinium Inspired Flower Beds

This garden features Delphinium elatum Sweethearts with Delphinium elatum Sunny Skies. These are three year old plants grown from seed.

When I posted my last blog about Delphiniums, I was contacted by Lorraine Roberts of Plant Paradise Country Gardens™ who was proud to inform me that she grows and sells Delphinium elatum from seeds that she imports from New Zealand.

Delphinium elatums combine with Persicaria polymorpha, sibirian iris, campanula, malva, erigeron, Miscantheus giganteus...

Some readers may remember that I have already blogged about this variety of Delphinium, developed by plant breeder Terry Dowdeswell in New Zealand. Because traditional Delphinium are short lived, he worked to find a strain that was robust and hardier. The result was elatum, a variety that offers longevity and hardiness, growing in climates as cold as Zone 3 [that would be zone 4, USDA].

Delphinium elatums combine with Persicaria polymorpha, daylilies, erigeron, oxalis triangularis, iris pumila 'Baria', Asiatic lily 'Fangio', Malva, and miscanthus gigantheus.

Unfortunately, it is not conceivable to ship plants from New Zealand to North America. Consequently, several nurseries on this side of the globe have been successfully growing elatum from Dowdeswell seeds.

Delphinium elatums combine with Persicaria polymorpha, daylilies, verbascum, iris, Japanese Anemone 'Pamina", Silene armeria, Asiatic lily 'Fangio', and Painted Daisies.

Lorraine’s growing and selling facility, Plant Paradise Country Gardens™ is an organic perennial nursery, destination garden centre and display garden. Readers living in the Greater Metropolitan Toronto area, might like to know that, by car, it is located only 45 minutes north of the intersection of Highways 401 and 427, at 16258 Humber Station Road in Caledon Ontario, 905-880-9090. It is open from April to October, Wednesday to Sunday 9:00am to 5:00pm and there is a Google map on the website for further directions.

Delphinum elatum Sunny Skies with Sweethearts

Delphiniums are such outstanding perennials that at Plant Paradise Country Gardens™ they celebrate Delphinium Day in July with festivities that include a catered lunch, a guest speaker, door prizes and guided tours of the gardens. Tickets are available at their website www.plantparadise.ca.

Delphinium elatum Purple Passion

Delphiniums bloom in all shades of blue, purple, pink, and white. They begin flowering, in full sun, by the end of June and continue for 4 to 6 weeks. At this nursery, when the blooms have finished, they cut down the plants to about three to six inches from the ground so that they will start re-blooming again in September and last until frost.

Delphinium elatum Morning Lights

All of the Delphiniums in the photos are staked. That care advisory is a must otherwise strong rain and wind will crack the stem of the plant. Unlike other perennials whose bent stems are sometimes no impediment to blooming, the delphinium flower experiences instant death upon cracking and there will be no additional blooms on that stem until the next season.

Delphinium elatum Royal AspirationsSome gardeners with small gardens may think they can only grow small plants. This is not so because the Delphinium gives a small garden height, which gives it the illusion of a larger garden without sacrificing space.

All images are the copyright property of Plant Paradise Country Gardens™and are used with their permission.