PHILADELPHIA | OUTDOORS » BULBS, TUBERS AND CORMS http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com Tue, 21 Jul 2015 01:29:35 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.37 FROM THE ARCHIVES: IMAGES OF SPRING http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/images-of-spring/ http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/images-of-spring/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2014 13:29:17 +0000 http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/?p=87

IMAGES OF SPRING

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

Nick is digging me out. The view out my window is of splendid white icing on the earth. But it’s cold! It helps to think of the colors  of spring, which will be here soon (wishfully thought).

Tulip at right is Sun Spot…a mid-season double with long-lasting bloom that we discovered last year. It’s a variable tulip…no two alike.

This is my first blog entry, and it’s a learning process. I’ll get it figured out and add to it regularly, to remind friends and client-friends of the beauty of nature and it’s possibilities for us! 

We’ll have many images and things horticultural to share, and hope you’ll share yours, too.

“So what do you need besides a miracle?  Tulips, lots of Tulips.”   Anonymous

]]> http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/images-of-spring/feed/ 0 FROM THE ARCHIVES: SPARKLING THE FALL GARDEN http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/archive-sparkling-the-fall-garden/ http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/archive-sparkling-the-fall-garden/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:45:39 +0000 http://www.philadelphiaoutdoors.com/?p=195 SPARKLING THE FALL GARDEN

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

Summer flew by in record time. Yesterday we were planning and prepping our beds for summer gardening. Today we’re bemoaning the very first frost-blackened tips and thinking…ok, time to put energy to clean-up!

 
There is a special beauty to the autumn garden. Overblown Impatiens against colorful foliage…Dahlias doing what they do, on steroids, in neon overdrive…even the cover of fallen leaves on the garden floor…how the autumn sun casts a sparkle upon the earth…and the invigorating smell of it all. If you can wait til a complete frost to attend to end of season chores, then by all means do. That means removing or cutting back those annual and perennial plants that are gone by, allowing those that are still respectable to show off. A bit of thought to the interplay of forms and colors at this time of year, when grooming the garden, is a worthy effort.
 
Leave Hydrangeas intact until we’re assured of an overnight frost. Then cut the heads, with stems…before the frost!!… and bring a bundleful indoors. Remove foliage, put directly into a big bowl and enjoy the carmine, lime, cream, and violet hues all winter.
 
Someone on a side street in Chestnut Hill has smartly…or serendipitously…combined raspberry red Mums with what remains of a planting of summer’s bright orange “Fire” Profusion Zinnias. Wish I had a photo to share. Delicious.
Consider the Dahlia…take quiet time this winter to peruse some of the many fine catalogs available online (my favorite resource is Swan Island Dahlias ). Growers and hybridizers convey their passion with brilliant photos of out-of-this-world blooms and exuberant new introductions. You’ll be hard-pressed to turn away, even if you’re aware of the tedious staking and deadheading (and digging in fall if you want to re-use the tubers) required to keep this class of plants vital and producing. Once the weather cools, Dahlias put on a razzle dazzle show unlike anything else in the plant world. Bouquet combinations are unlimited.
 
In the next few posts, we’ll discuss efficient and garden-smart ways to put your bit of the earth to bed for the winter.
“The days may not be so bright and balmy – yet the quiet and melancholy that linger around them is fraught with glory.  Over everything connected with autumn there lingers some golden spell – some unseen influence that penetrates the soul with its mysterious power.”   Norther Advocate
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