Plants

Bloomin’ Update

/ Kevin / 8 Comments

Plant seeds.  Add sun and warmth.  Mix with water.  And wait.  Well, the waiting is over, and it seems like everything is exploding in the garden.  Here are some pictures of what’s blooming right now.  Enjoy!

The Niko Blue Hydrangeas are full of blooms. I actually rooted several of these from the original one that Joe's grandmother had planted about 40 years ago.

The Hardy Geraniums are out of control.I planted a ring of white Hydrangeas under a pine tree in the front yard. They're still on the small side, I think because the giant pine sucks all of the water from them.

Remember the Gloxinia that I wrote about in a previous post about bringing plants home from the office? Well, this is the result.

This is the "red something" Hydrangea that I purchased from Home Depot a few years ago. Clearly, the blooms are not red, but they do appear to glow in the dark at night. This picture probably does not do the shrub any justice -- you'll just have to take my word for it.

Purple Petunias.

I have a love affair with Hydrangeas. I rooted 5 plants from the original one, and planted them along a stone walkway leading to my backyard.Bees are going crazy with the newly opened Liatris.

Lavender is planted along the walkway to the front door. My plan was to have people brush passed it, releasing its scent. Of course, I find myself intentionally making sure I touch it so that I can smell its fragrance.

Please indulge me one more Hydrangea. The blooms on this one are various shades of purple.

Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned for more blooms.

Celebrating The Good Old Summer Time

/ Kevin / 2 Comments

Aaaahhhh.  The Summer Solstice.  For me, it’s a reminder of just how little we are.  Just think about it.  As we go about our ordinary lives, our giant orb revolves and rotates in a celestial dance, rewarding northerners with the longest day and shortest night.  (Of course, the pessimist in me says, “Great, now the days start to get shorter, the nights longer, and winter is just around the corner.”  Quite a jump, I know.) 

The Three Village Garden Club held their judged flower show at the Neighborhood House in Setauket, Long Island.

In any event, it’s no wonder that ancient Druids to modern-day beachgoers celebrate this day.  That’s why I took up my friend Rachel’s invitation to attend a judged flower show, hosted by her Three Village Garden Club on Long Island and scheduled to coincide with the Summer Solstice.

Although I do consider myself a gardener, I am of the backyard variety.  Garden club members, though, are a whole other breed of gardener.  I mean, I like to garden, usually for myself and Joe.  Garden club members take it to a competitive level, and the Three Village Garden Club is no exception.  These gardeners know latin and common names, and they carefully drive their entries, each in small glass vases, to the competition.  I get upset when my grocery bag with the milk falls over when I make a left turn — can you imagine if my hydrangea entry took a spill?

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June Is Busting Out All Over

/ Kevin / 6 Comments

This is the start of a very hectic week for me, so my writing time is limited.  I hate when that happens, since writing is one way that I like to unwind from a busy day.  In light of this, as well as the fact that I can’t figure out how to post a PowerPoint on the blog, I thought a walk around the yard and some photos would do me some good.  Besides, it gives me a chance to play around with a different kind of post.

 The truth is that this walk was an inventory of what still needs to be done.  The beds are mulchless, and a weekend of rain and cool weather seems to have washed away most of the flowers and turned the lawn into a jungle.  By the way, the cool weather was a bit of a shock, since last week was stifling hot.  But that’s how the weather is on Long Island these days.

Nevertheless, the walk was a nice breather.  And now, without further delay, are some photos of what’s blooming.

Here is Gazania (above), which I started from seed a few months ago.  I was thrilled with the colors, and I’m looking forward for more of them to bloom.

This is a lace cap hydrangea (above).  I picked it up a few years ago from Home Depot because it had red or burning in its name.  To me, that meant it would have red flowers.  In actuality, the branches have a hint of red.  As you can see, it’s covered with blooms, but I’m never quite sure that I like it — since I was really hoping for red flowers.  But when I see it covered with this:

then I have to admit that I love it.  What’s especially nice is that as the flowers age, they seem to glow in the dark at night.  It’s truly magical.

When I look at these photos, I’m stressed and relieved all at the same time.  Stressed because there are those days and weeks when life takes us away from what we truly love and enjoy.  Relieved because somehow, nature takes care of itself and it allows me time to stop and smell the roses.

No Plant Left Behind

/ Kevin / 9 Comments

Rudy -- the movie.

I have always been a sucker for the underdog.  In the movies, I love the story where the weakling, the geek, the wallflower, the fill-in-the-blank, comes of age, achieves self-realization, and conquers against all odds.  It’s like in the film Rudy, in which Daniel Ruettiger is told that he is too small to play football for the University of Notre Dame.  Everyone has to root for the guy.  That’s probably part of the reason I chose my profession, school social work.  You really can’t ever give up.  You just have to keep finding new ways to help, so that everyone can have their moment when they can be hoisted onto the team’s shoulders.

The same philosophy has followed me into the garden.  As soon as seeds begin to sprout in the greenhouse or ground, the experts say it’s time to weed out any plants that are not keeping up.  Huh???  Doesn’t everyone need a chance or two or three?  Maybe some plants are slow growers.  Maybe they need some extra time to reach their full potential.  Maybe they could flourish with some differentiated propagation.

Believe me, I am no Mother Teresa of the yard.  I have had my moments when I have lost it with a plant.  Remind me to tell you about the sunflowers and the squirrels — definitely a Mommie Dearest moment.  It’s just that there are times, many times, when I attribute human emotions to plants.  Who wants to have a legacy of never bloomed?

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Three Cheers For The Red, White, and Blue

/ Kevin / 10 Comments

Memorial Day.  I really struggled with writing something to post in honor of the day and in honor of gardening.  Every newscaster is quick to point out that today marks the unofficial start of summer, which in my world means that all of May has gone by and I have yet to get everything in the ground.  As I worked outside this holiday weekend, digging, planting, weeding, pruning, and barbecueing, my first instinct was to take a couple of photos around the yard and post them — you know, a red, white, and blue motif. 

Red, white, and aaaahhhhhh blue.

Then I had a second thought.  It seemed disrespectful toward the true spirit of the holiday.  So I went online to look for something that I could comment about, something about veterans and gardening.  There was plenty of information on Victory Gardens from World War 2, as well as healing and therapeutic gardens for returning soldiers and older veterans.  One website, though, captivated me.

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Honey, The Plants Are Home

/ Kevin / 6 Comments

They’re baaaaaack.  I don’t know if this happens where you work, but at my job, co-workers are carrying out their potted plants to return them to the yard after a winter in office exile.  For me,  it means loading up crates, cleaning the office, and hoping that the plants will reacclimate themselves to outside living.  Right now, they all look pale and sparse and leggy — sort of like me after a long winter’s night.

This is the geranium I grew from seed several years ago. It is now sitting in the backyard, getting ready for summer blooms.

The question, though, remains.  Why do northern gardeners go to such great lengths to save their plants?  For some, it might be the value of the plant, or the challenge of being able to cheat cold temperatures of their delicate herbaceous victims.  For me, it’s more about the story behind the plants that I save each year.  So here is a piece of my story, as told by my plants.

First, there’s the philodendron which I have had since I was a pre-adolescent!  This plant actually came from a cutting  from a plant that my mother had in the kitchen of my childhood home.  I think I had decided at some point that I wanted a plant in my bedroom.  I thought it was pretty cool that I could take a piece of this plant, place it in a cup of water, and then watch the roots grow.  Since then, the plant has traveled with me from my parents’ house to the current home I share with Joe to my office and to the backyard.  We’ve been through so much together, it seems kind of cruel to leave it outside at the end of the growing season.  Continue reading →

Carnivorous Plant Devours Long Island

/ Kevin / 8 Comments

The other day, my friend Rachel presented me with a gift: a carnivorous plant.   In my mind, carnivorous plants could only be found in two places: a primordial soupy rain forest swamp or a sci-fi film (think Little Shop of Horrors or The Day of the Triffids).  In all honesty, it’s kind of cool to have a carnivorous plant in the yard.  It’s also a little intimidating.  Does this mean I have to barbecue steaks for me, Joe, and the plant?

Eric Kunz is the man behind Wowflowers, Long Island’s largest supplier of carnivorous and unique water plants, as well as the only licensed grower of these endangered and protected species in all of New York State.  He is passionate about his plants.

According to Mr. Kunz, the plant I own is “Jersey Girl,” a type of Sarracenia purpurea, or purple pitcher plant.  The plants are native to North America, and can be found living in bogs throughout New England and along the Canadian border.  He also assures me that caring for these other worldly perennials is easy.

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Peony, When You’re Not Strong

/ Kevin / 10 Comments

When I woke up this morning, I saw that one of my peony plants had bloomed overnight. 

Then, I saw the rain.

It’s safe to say that I have a love – hate relationship with rain, very unlike my love relationship with peonies. 

I actually look at most rainy days with a sigh of relief, especially today’s since it’s been dry for a whole week.  It means that I have a day off from watering.  (In the same way that I’m one of the last hold outs in the lawn mowing department, I also drag a hose and sprinkler all over the yard.  That’s a whole other post.)  So I bring all the flower pots out from any sheltered areas and let them soak up the moisture, because a good rain is much more quenching than my Gunga Din efforts. Continue reading →

My Momma Always Said

/ Kevin / 4 Comments

I am a creature of habit, and Sunday morning is my time to go food shopping.  I am the second person in the supermarket.  Because I live in a bustling and over-crowded suburbanopolis, this 7:00 am ritual creates the illusion for me that I actually live in a small town.  I get to visit with Sue the cashier, and Diana behind the deli counter.  I also get to say good morning to the first shopper in the store.

But on this particular Sunday, the parking lot filled up early.  All men.  As they stumbled from their cars and walked slowly and stiffly to the doors, it looked like a scene from Morning of the Living Dead (if there was such a movie).  This is Mother’s Day.

If your family is anything like mine, Mother’s Day is the unofficial start of planting season — at least that’s how it is here on Long Island.  Every nursery and garden shop is packed with flats and bushes and shrubs and hanging baskets.  And that idea led me to think about gardening and mothers. Continue reading →

I’ll Show You My Plants, If You’ll . . . (Part II)

/ Kevin / 4 Comments

These are Cherry Splash Hybrid Impatiens (left).  I started the seeds in February.  Everything I’ve read indicates that impatiens seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover them with soil.  Each time I’ve done that, the results have not been great.  Two years ago, I began to cover the seeds lightly, and this appears to work much better for me.  I think it helps to keep the seeds moist.  In any event, it is always very exciting when plants bloom while in the greenhouse.

 

On the right is a group shot.  On the left, the plants with the red blooms are Easy Wave Red Petunias.  Moving upward are Gerbera Daisy Crush Mix, and Blanket Flower Arizona Red Shades.

 

Here we have a variety of geraniums: Orbit White and Horizon Red Ice.  The grassy looking plants just below the geraniums are Gazania Daybreak Petticoat Mix.  These were also planted in late February.  Actually, I find growing geraniums by seed relatively easy and rewarding.  The seeds are large enough to handle (as opposed to the impatiens seeds), and I usually get a nice return.  When I begin the seeds, I plant about five of the seeds in a single pot.  It’s also important to water from the bottom to keep the soil from compacting and allowing the roots ample space to grow.  At this stage, the seedlings have been given their own space in which to grow.

 

These are various zinnia, cosmos, and sunflower seeds.  These are the easy seeds, which can be planted where you’d like them to grow.  I planted some of these outside already.  I’m not sure, though,  if the weather has still been too cool for successful germination, so I planted extra seeds in these flats — kind of an insurance policy.  After they develop their first set of true leaves, I’ll move them into the garden.  The seeds are: Zinnias Elegans Queen Red Lime, Zinnia’s Pastel Cutting Mix, Italian White Sunflower, and Cosmos Double Click Cranberries.

 

This is Coleus Carefree Mixture.  Coleus is one of those plants that bring me back to childhood.  I like the variety of colors.  I like the texture of the leaves.  I like being able to pinch them to encourage branching.  And I really like the ease of propagation: clip, water, root, plant.

 

I  purchased Caladium bulbs while on vacation in Florida.  They’re a souvenir — a very colorful souvenir that will eventually be planted in very large pots that receive dappled sun. 

 

Well, that’s the tour of the greenhouse and what’s growing inside.  Here’s hoping to a season of sun, just enough rain, lots of blooms, and very few pests.