Red Buckeye Update

We are having the most amazingly warm weather here in eastern North Carolina (77F or 25C on Christmas day) More warm days are promised & it looks as though we will not see frost until the first of next year although we have experienced frost earlier this season.

In early November I posted about the seeds of my Red Buckeye that I collected & potted up.
Of the seven seeds, three were dug up by squirrels even though they had chicken wire over the pots. Is there squirrel wire I wonder? Anyway after battening down the said wire no more raiders have gained access.
We have had a very wet year, well above 60 inches of rain which is a lot even for us.
This what I found in the corral by the potting shed this morning.

Looks like 3 have or are germinating they must think it is spring.
One I think I planted upside down & that looks like a root  at the top.
(Yes, there are cyclamen seedlings in there too.)
 What to do?
 These seeds are supposed to need stratification (winter cold) before germinating. Shall I put these in the potting shed to protect them for the cold still to come or pile leaves over the top of them where they are outside? Decisions, decisions.....

Collards in the rain

After two weeks away a day of rain.

 Just at sunset in the garden to cut some collards for dinner.

Spied these self seeded beauties yesterday growing through a bed of chickweed in the old veggie garden. Probably helped by germinating next to the compost they are twice the size of anything I purposefully planted.

Probably should have 'photoshopped' the utility pole out of this photo (if I knew how)

 but would it still be real?

Meyer Lemon Tree

Since it will drop into the 30's this weekend the lemon trees are in the garden room. After a long summer outside at the edge of the circle they moved onto the south facing porch when we had an October dip in temperatures but now it's time to head indoors. They will just get the afternoon sun at a west facing window but it seemed enough last year & is their only option to stay warm.

 The flowers are so scented they fill the room & will have to be hand pollinated with a feather.
There are 3 large lemons on the older tree & 5 smallish lemons on the shrubby plant. Probably should have removed some of those.  Hopefully they will be ripe by Christmas.

I bought a granular citrus fertilizer & applied every month but the dark green leaves & healthy crop of flowers I also put down to my homemade liquid comfrey concoction.
There is lots of advice from YouTube videos on how to grow these tropical trees. I like the one from Logees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DooPww-e8Xk

November Flowers

Evergreen Chrysanthemums are in full bloom & the sages are still going.

Hillside Sheffield Pink

Ryan's Yellow

Salvia leucantha & Salvia 'Indigo Spires'

Below Carolina Aster; Sasanqua Camellias with red Dogwood foliage & under the trees Cyclamen hederifolium

Red Buckeye

Aesculus pavia the small tree known as Red Buckeye lost it's leaves a while ago. Often the squirrels get to the seeds before I do. According to the Wildflower Center in Texas they are full of fat so are either eaten or degrade quickly after dropping. This year it has been so wet especially for the last week or so the seeds are sprouting before they have a chance to drop to the ground.

 Hard to see but in the top photo the shoot is poking out of the seed. The middle photo looks as if the 'Pink Snow' Camellia sasanqua is growing out of the seed pod but that's just an optical illusion.
Below the seeds ready for potting see that they are ready to root.

Learn more of this slow growing but interesting native tree.

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AEPA

 My seedling, now 10 feet tall, a gift seedling from Nelda's tree, is probably 15 years old. Another gardening example of delayed gratification!

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua 'Cleopatra' with Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
These Camellias are self cleaning that is they drop their petals adding another layer of color to the landscape

The fall here in Eastern North Carolina is as colorful or maybe more so than spring. Some gardeners feel worn out by this time of the year but for me it is an exciting time. Yes, there is a lot to cleanup if you like that kind of thing but I prefer the more natural look. (To me cleaning the garden of all the dead & dying seems a bit too much like housekeeping.)
One of the staples of fall color are the Sasanqua Camellias. All of mine are old varieties as I propagated them from a previous old garden. These large evergreen shrubs are understory trees in their native Asia. 

Appleblossom

Showy Natives for October

The usual tangle of mostly native plants in the rain garden.

Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) falling over Goldenrod (Solidago). Goldenrod, (not the cause of excessive sneezing BTW) is the state flower of Kentucky; Nebraska & South Carolina even if they might be slightly different species.
The vining plant is Carolina aster (Aster carolinianus or maybe Ampelaster carolinianus)
it has no tendrils or suckers but weaves its way through other plants or trellis.

In the circle the Amsonia hubrichtii is starting to get its yellow foliage before going dormant and the Aster grandiflorus makes a nice contrast.
Also in there the native coral honeysuckle
( Lonicera sempervirens) but out of flower now

Digiplexsis

A hybrid of the purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea ) of Europe & its hot blooded Canary Islands look alike ( Isoplexsis canariensis ) Digiplexsis is new in my garden.

I bought this at Big Bloomers in Sanford NC in the spring. Once things got going promptly forgot about it.

I have been clearing out some of the circle to revamp it for something less attractive to my deer friends. (Getting rid of daylilies  & roses replacing them with grasses & sages.)   I came across this lovely bloom.

 Luckily we have had plenty of rain and it fought it's way through the jungle in the circle.

It will be interesting to see if it survives next year.

In warmer areas they think it might be evergreen. This link tells more.




http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3889

Fireworks Goldenrod

I have always been slightly puzzled by the name of this variety of Goldenrod
( Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' )
But this year I saw it in a different light. On July 4th in California my family attended a fabulous firework display while we sat on the grass in the dark.

( I admit that a lot of my firework experience has been on rainy November nights in a British back garden with my Dad lighting the paper of rockets in bottles and running back to watch only to have the things fizzle out drowned by the downpour. We always had sparklers which could be enjoyed under a porch out of the rain.)
In sunny dry California the fireworks were fabulous ending in sparkling showers of shooting stars.
Just like this Goldenrod.

This website has some nice historical information about this variety

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Solidago-rugosa-Fireworks

Nettle-leaved Mullein

I grew these two plants from seed this year not expecting them to bloom but here they are
Verbascum chaxii 'Album' meaning  white & the yellow, we'll just that.

 I thought I ordered the white but this one is yellow & just starting to bloom. I have had the so called 'Southern Charm' variety in the garden for 13 years & it's still going. Popping up each year.

 Since the circle has so much competition it really doesn't have many stalks at once. The summer heat wilts the flowers in the middle of the day but in the morning they seem fresh again. Spring & fall are probably it's best times & if you actually watered your garden during dry periods it would no doubt do better, My ornamental plants have to survive without supplemental water.

Deep rooted they are survivors not to be voted off the island. 

I once saw  these for sale at Plant & See Nursery but as with my own nursery experience they didn't seem to sell.

You can get seed from seed swapping/saving sources.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a432

Inland Sea Oats

It's August so the seeds of the so called River, Upland, Inland or Northern Sea Oats (Casmanthium latifolium) are starting to mature. Decision time for tidy gardeners. This lovely native grass enjoys some shade or even mostly shade & a moist environment although in shade it will tolerate dryish soil.
The most attractive aspect of this perennial plant are it's drooping seed heads which sway in the slightest breeze. 

The copious amount of seeds produced makes some gardeners nervous and in damp soil the seedlings can be a problem if you don't want, well,  a sea of sea oats! The easy solution to this is to cut the seed heads before they hit the ground. They make great dried arrangements either by themselves or with other dried material. Do strip the leaves as these can be messy later on.

If you want the colony just cut back in February as advised in the link below
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHLA5

Small Flowered Zinnias

I have just two varieties of zinnia in the garden. This red type I saw years ago in a fall garden at Montrose in Hillsborough NC looking spectacular with dark foliaged dahlias. I have not been able to grow the Dahlias successfully but the zinnias come up from seed I saved from last year. Select Seeds, where I got the original seed, calls it 'Red Spider'. Here's what Monticello says about it.
Zinnia pauciflora was grown in eighteenth-century gardens and was sold by Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon in 1804. Like its larger-petaled brethren, pauciflora is an annual flower native to South America. The small, attractive flowers show orangish-red throughout the summer and are very different from the hybrids now so popular.

My absolute favorite  is Zinnia angustifolia (linearis) 'Star White'. It self seeds in the gravel driveway and makes a great border for a sunny site. I have tried it in less sun but it becomes leggy & falls over. I always buy a lot at Big Bloomers in Sanford at the beginning of the growing season and volunteers come up in June to be transplanted or not. (Those that escape the herbicide my husband uses for the weeds in the driveway that is!)

You can see the ones I planted at the back of this area & volunteers in front. Free draining soil is essential for this all summer until frost flowering annual.

Figs

The fruit is ripening on the 'Celeste' fig tree which this year is about 15 ft tall & almost as wide. I first planted this about 10 years ago further back in the garden to give it frost protection but there was not enough sun. Once moved to the edge of the gravel driveway it really took off.
I believe we will have to prune it down to a reachable height. The birds get a lot of the fruit. Mockingbirds sit on the overhead line & complain when we pick some for ourselves & Sandy dog really likes them but is not prepare  to harvest unlike our former furry friend who would pick the lower hanging fruit.

Celeste is a small fig but so sweet. Perfect with creamy blue cheese & wine, but what isn't?

The 'Brown Turkey' in front of the house was so distressed last year that I cut it to the ground this spring. It responded by shooting up as a multi seemed bush I think I'll keep it that way. A few small green figs are forming I wonder if they will ripen before frost.

http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/2012/07/figs-the-forgotten-fruit/  

Red Bellied Water Snake

Another not so welcome visitor to the garden this week is this water snake http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/nerery.htm
Here it is emerging from the downspout extension that helped to keep the pond filled.

 Red bellied water snakes come every year to the pond & eat the fish & frogs so we decided to do away with the pond. They are not venomous but what's the point of having a pond when the fish are eaten on a regular basis.

Two yards of hardwood mulch has filled about two thirds of the pond. I punctured the liner about a foot down the sides & we will let that settle my plan is to create a bog garden & hopefully still have frogs but all the immature tadpole / polywogs I am afraid were sacrificed.

It's A Birdfeeder!

We are having more of a problem with deer in the garden this year. I read In "Horticulture" magazine that a spray of diluted milk is recommended by the director of a West Virginia botanical garden. It has had some success. I don't know if this is because the deer have found other things to eat in the garden.

Our dog Sandy stood quite still & just looked at this deer while I took the photo. No help there!

Magnolia grandiflora

Even when summer heat reaches into the 90's the Southern Magnolia with it's stately shade and wonderful white flowers looks cool inviting. Our two have grown to form an archway in the side garden.

The sweet fragrance is an added bonus which draws you out to look more closely at of these waxy beauties.

 The many stages of the flowers as they progress towards those huge cones with red berries are fun to watch. Do not be tempted to limb up this tree just mow around it to blow the leathery leaves back under the low hanging branches to recycle nutrients & keep it tidy. I use these tough leaves as sunshades for newly planted seedlings, they come with their own stakes as the petioles are long, strong & stiff.

Psychedelic Colours in the Circle

At the end of May this mix of colors in the circle is slightly mind bending.
The native Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with the European Catchfly (Silene ameria)
an annual with showstopper qualities this reseeds generously.

 Achillea 'Paprika' (red above) dead head for more bloom later if you can, a great Yarrow spreads easily. At left with the South American Verbena bonariensis. This is may be perennial & seeds around a lot much to the dismay of neat gardeners. A favorite in English gardens where I guess it is not such a successful reseeder.  Tall & airy & butterflies love it, as do I.

New Dawn Rose

New Dawn looking fabulous after rain.

 I was contemplating taking the roses down from this trellis over the front porch. People in their seventies have no business climbing on ladders to prune roses. However, this looks so good & the other one at the old veggie garden has died. Either I killed it digging it's roots from my compost bin or it got some of the many rose diseases, either way it's dead so maybe a reprieve for this one.
The Lady Banks Rose is going as it's flowers were all killed by frost & it's too big for this location. Maybe I'm learning to match my energy to my garden. Ha!

Clematis 'Betty Corning'

This is said to be a hybrid crispa/viticella Clematis. I cut it back to a couple of good buds 8-10 inches above the ground in late winter. For me it has been easy and requires no extra help other than clearing away encroaching plants from it's base. Though I am a bit worried about the Indigofera with it's huge root system that is surrounding it.

Betty Corning came from Albany, New York in the 1930's & she is one of my favorites.
The little bells sway in the breeze & keep going until the heat wears her out.
In the fall she generally has a little revival before frost.
I have had her for several years & even in drought times she has come back from shriveled & brown to green & flowering after a good rain.
Now that's my type of plant! (I do not water ornamentals after they are established)

Baptisia & Friends

Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is just finishing blooming I had planted it under the cascading branches of Buddleia alternifolia amazingly they seem to have the same color blossoms. Each year I say I am going to prune/ train this Buddleia into a much nicer shape maybe this will be the year. It blooms on old wood so my excuse is I remember it too late & then the Carolina Aster, also on this pole, starts to green up & there goes another resolution down the drain or is that up in smoke?

Louisiana Iris 'Black Gamecock' above in the Rain Garden & the species Baptisia australis has seeded itself here too.

Another Blooming Tree

Styrax japonica  I got this as a seedling from a gardening friend's neighbor when collecting plants for the Arboretum Plant Sale many years ago. Probably 10 since next week is our tenth anniversary sale.

It has finally become a flowering tree worth looking up.  Now just tall enough to stand beneath and look up into the so called snowbells. If you get up close it has a faint fragrance, always a plus for me.

A little shade is necessary for this understory tree.
Here growing under a Red Maple at the side of the gravel driveway.
I suspect it's roots have access to the rain as it travels down the slope to the rain garden.
 Moss grows here so an indication of it's preferred situation. Acidic soil, moist but well drained. Pink versions are available  & the native snowbell has a more delicate appearance.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=STAM4