PHILADELPHIA | OUTDOORS » PERENNIALS AND ANNUALS

IMAGES FROM OUR NURSERY

Susan — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:01:22 +0000

An other-wordly Calanchoe, about to be put into the greenhouse for winter.

Helleborus “Silver Dollar”. How fabulous is that foliage?! In winter, flowers open a pale green color with prominent yellow stamens, then petals soon transform to white with pink-brushed undersides.

Dwarf Pieris, soon to be incorporated into an evergreen border.

Such a pretty pumpkin, a gift from Joe Marano, local nurseryman (Marano Gardens, Bethlehem Pike, Ft Washington)

Tiarella (Foamflower) “Running Tapestry”, excellent shade groundcover with showy white flowers in spring.

Kale, an extra from planter projects.

Lustrous Tassel Fern, earmarked for an upcoming installation.

Swiss Chard.

Illicium (Star Anise), a very interesting evergreen shrub, in flower.

Ornamental Millet, another leftover from planter projects.

KRAZY FOR KALE

Susan — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 21:02:33 +0000

“The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words.”

NOTE FROM CAROLE

Susan — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 06:34:46 +0000

Had to share this.

Some years ago we landscaped an Ocean City property for dear clients in Jenkintown. Every spring we make the trip to check out the ocean (see if it’s still there) and open the gardens. Our clients do the important work…they maintain their place to perfection through the summer.

So, what follows from Carole is really a testament to her and Joe. Thoughtful design provides the backbone, but ongoing maintenance creates the sparkle.

“Hi Susan:

Our Ocean City Gardens continue to receive rave reviews!

Passersby actually thank us for the pleasure the gardens give them during their walks and bicycle rides…some have told us that the gardens are a destination for them! We have even had people use our gardens as backdrops for their family photos!

But the ULTIMATE compliment happened last week so I wanted to share it with you….

A woman we had never met before came to the house and presented us with a beautifully framed 11 x 14 photograph of the house and gardens!

She told us that she has been admiring our gardens for the past 5 summers, telling everyone she knew that they must come by and take a look at the most

beautiful gardens she has ever seen! She explained that one day last month when she felt that the gardens were at their peak, she went home, got her camera, came back and took several photos, had them developed and had her favorite framed for us!

I, of course, was thrilled and told her all about you and your team!

So Susan, once again, thank you for sharing your amazing talent with us and know that you and your team are greatly appreciated!

Carole”

WHY KEEP THE GARDEN GOING?

Susan — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:55:00 +0000

The preceding post highlighted the visual joys of the garden in late summer into fall. Too many of us are by now scurrying to ready children for school and to get back to the hustle and bustle in general. Why keep the garden going?

Because nectar and pollen are precious sustenance to Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds migrating south.

Because our endangered population of honey bees, without which there’d be a world without fruits and far less colorful, require nectar for their winter stores. So do butterflies and other native critters.

Because songbirds feed on seeds and fruits.

The songbirds keep singing like they know the score and I love you I love you I love you like never before. Eva Cassidy

CLOSE UP IN THE LATE SUMMER GARDEN

Susan — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:48:08 +0000

Gardens can become tired by August. And so can we, of them! Here, a few images of plants…workhorses… that will happily take care of themselves and provide vivid beauty in late season when most of us prefer to sit back and sip. Above, Purple Coneflower and Dahlia. Dahlias are late to bloom, but once they do, the show electrifies as the temperature cools.

Coreopsis “Zagreb” is a cheery perennial that blooms throughout the summer. Here with tangy “Fire” Profusion Zinnia and a bit of Angelonia. Pale colors can wash out in the late summer light. For that reason, aside from white which always pops (especially at night) we prefer to use bolder colors in our borders.

Annuals come into their own, especially when provided with fertilizer through the season. They can smother the most insistent weed. Above, Angelonia in two colors, “Punch” Vinca, Salvia “Victoria Blue” and Coleus. None of these varieties require deadheading beyond a rare snip.

Salvia “Mystic Spires” (this relatively recent introduction deserves to be more available), Melampodium, Magenta Sunpatiens, Dreamland mixed Zinnias, a lime Echinacea, “Fire” Profusion Zinnias, Rudbeckia “Indian Summer”. There are a host of incredibly showy Salvias more widely grown in recent years. Beloved by hummingbirds and butterflies due to vivid colors and tubular flowers, they come into their own in late summer and fall. We were awed that the Salvia “Mystic Spires” we planted in 2013 bloomed through the first few fairly hard frosts that did in everything else.

A perky lime-colored Echinacea (Coneflower). Wish I’d kept the tag for identification! Stems are short and sturdy. The Sunpatiens in the background have become a staple for us in both sun and part shade. Here, Magenta. We love the Bright Orange, Dark Rose, White and Hot Coral varieties as well.

Eye-popping Hardy Hibiscus.

Angelonia, Magenta Sunpatiens, Rudbeckia Indian Summer, Salvia “Mystic Spires”, Phlox “David”, “Fire” Profusion Zinnia. Unlike the commonly planted Rudbeckia “Goldsturm”, which sports golden flowers that can be coarse in a field of pinks and blues, “Indian Summer” blooms are overblown and a bright, sunny yellow – a hue that plays more effectively with most other colors in the garden.

So find a comfy chaise, put your feet up and enjoy the show. You’ve earned it.

“More than anything, I must have flowers, always, always.” Claude Monet

JUDI’S PASSION

Susan — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 17:37:34 +0000

Judi’s loving the magnificent Passion Flower vine that’s been blooming at her shore house. Check out the images her iPhone captured…

“Lay down upon your pillow

And turn the lights down low

let me take you to the garden

where the passion flower grows.”

Charles M. Moore

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ROSE PREP

Susan — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:19:59 +0000

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

It’s time to prune your roses! The following is by no means an exhaustive how-to. But ample for ensuring a healthy start to the rose season. Refer to this article throughout the summer when maintenance pruning will encourage new growth and bloom, remove dead wood, improve air circulation and provide a pleasing plant shape. Maintenance pruning should not be tackled past August.

Caveats:

Do not prune non-recurrent old fashioned or once-blooming Roses ’til after bloom-time or you’ll lose the flowers.
Do not prune newly-planted Roses, other than dead wood, and be very conservative when pruning Roses that have been in the ground for only a year.
“Knockout” Roses are an exception on many fronts. I’ve noted successful fall pruning with little or no die-back. If you wish to maintain a thick, rounded shrub form, which is what these easy-care Roses do, then merely reducing to a manageable size and shaping as you please is required.

For all other classes of roses:

Keep pruners clean, sharp and well-oiled. It’s always good practice to dip pruners in alcohol before moving to a new plant.
Wear durable gloves and long sleeves! The thorns don’t get you, you get them, though it seems otherwise.
Remove debris (leaves, etc) from around the plant.
Look at the entire plant, but begin pruning by looking first at the base. You’ll make better decisions that way. Make cuts at a 45 degree angle, about 1/4 inch above a leaf bud that faces to the outside of the plant. See image below. Too much above leaves an unsightly stub. Too close to the bud means it won’t develop.
Cuts must be clean, not ragged. Hence sharp pruners!!
Remove all dead, diseased wood (branches that look black, shriveled, mottled). The pith (interior) of the branch at the cut should be white…if discolored, prune lower to find white pith.
Remove any branches that are thinner than a pencil.
Remove sucker growth below the graft.
Remove any foliage that remains on the newly-pruned bush. This is important to ensure that any latent infection is not carried forward.
Plan to prune 1/3 to 1/2 the volume of the bush. Remember that you’ll always wish you’d pruned more aggressively once the bush hits its stride.
Once you’re done, step back and look at the plant. If you think it’s still too congested at its center, remove more canes so that air will circulate well. If you’re pruning a shrub rose,create a desirable shape.
Scratch compost (manure, mushroom compost, household compost) into the soil around each rose. I mulch my rose beds with mushroom compost.

Done!!

Developing technique takes practice, but remember that you’re not likely to kill the plant if you make a mistake…and once the weather warms, your roses will grow like crazy anyway.

“You are responsible forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your Rose.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery