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Waterwise Gardening Talk

  • March 15, 2011 12:12 pm

I’ll be teaching several classes for the Town of Cary this year.

Saturday, 19 March at 10:30 am I’ll be doing a talk at the Herbert Young Community Center, 101 Wilkinson Ave, Cary, NC 27511.

The class is called What’s in a Water-Wise Landscape?  Seven Steps to a Healthy Property (#50361)

The fee is $5 for Cary residents and $7 for non-residents.

You can register online, here https://classweb.townofcary.org/eConnect/Start/Start.asp or you can call the center at 919-460-4965 to register.  You should also be able to get in if you just come in on Saturday—head to the front desk at the center.

I’ll also be doing a pruning class again on 9 April as well as repeating this one on 21 May.  You can see more about these classes in this section of the Town of Cary’s Spring Program Brochure, page 13.

I hope to see you there!  Let me know if you are coming!

Happy Birthday, JC Raulston

  • November 24, 2010 12:04 am

He would have been 70.

JC Raulston was a professor at NCSU and founder and director of the arboretum there until his untimely death in 1996.

He was an amazing plantsman who inspired many from horticulture students to arboretum volunteers and nursery owners.   He was one of my advisors, professors and employers when I was a student.   Before I even became a student in the horticulture department I knew him as an arboretum volunteer.  I loved going to arboretum events because he’d give away plants for which he always had great stories and descriptions.   Eventually, I worked one summer at the arboretum where he’d fly in (sometimes literally) provide a list of things to do and be gone off to another lecture.

The arboretum, now called the JC Raulston Arboretum, became internationally known due to JC’s love of plants and desire to spread that love around.

The arboretum has changed a lot–most for the better–but I still see him in lots of plants there.  The Prunus mume in the Winter Garden, the Fantasy Crape Myrtles at the new entry and the many Japanese Maples all remind me of him.

Bobby J. Ward has written an excellent biography of JC Raulston and his horticultural ambassadorship in Chlorophyll in His Veins.

Plan- and plant for a better world.  –JC Raulston

Winter Planters for Cary, NC Garden

  • November 6, 2010 11:52 am

I finished the pots I posted about previously.  The pots fit beautifully into their settings and definitely complement the landscaping and home.  I used plants that will provide some great winter color and texture.   Winter color can be challenging anywhere but in NC gardeners do have many options. 

Two pots were added to the front porch turning matching pairs of pots into threesomes.  The four pots weren’t enough for the large, gracious entry of this traditional brick home.    I had already potted the existing containers when the new ones arrived.  Standard dwarf ginkgos were used to add some vertical interest–and as something very unique.   I reused some variegated ivy to spill from the pots with the ginkgos.  The smaller pots got a mixture of pansies, snapdragons, ornamental kale, Ajuga reptans ‘Black Scallop’ and Sedum tetractinum.   I used the same plants in the new pots but added some variegated boxwoods as a permanent accent.  The boxwoods, quite small now, will grow to add substance and year-round color to the planters.  New, large pots round out the grouping at this home's entry.Three pots at front entry.

The  Ginkgos will lose their leaves, but will be perfect for some winter lights to brighten the porch.

Two more pots were installed in the back woodland garden next to a gazebo.  These pots replaced some old half barrel planters that were rotting away.  Removing those was a bit more work than I’d expected.  Ferns, variegated ivy and a few more plants were growing in these planters.  The ivy had escaped going right into the ground and even growing up and under the gazebo.  I removed all of the plants, soil and the rotting wood.  There were even rocks that had been in the bottom of the barrels.   The new pots were quite a bit taller than the barrels.  I trashed the ivy and planted the ferns and some Epimedium between the pots and the gazebo.  The large growing ferns will soften the space and be lovely next year.    A fall blooming Japanese Anemone was growing with a fern and that was planted also.  It has room to spread around and will bloom better out of the pot.

The new pots got evergreen Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora),  Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis), Epimedium, some miniature Narcissus and a few Pansies.  The Lenten Rose had been growing (rather poorly) in the barrel planters.Pots at gazebo entry in Cary, NC gardenLeaf motif pot for woodland setting.

All of these containers are irrigated with drip lines.  This makes maintenance much easier.  It is hard to hide the black 1/4″ tubing, but as the plants grow and fill in, they are hard to notice.  The tubing can be routed through the drainage holes in the pots which can make them less noticeable.   I do hope the homeowners are happy with their new pots.  It’ll be fun planting them again in the spring.

Leave Those Leaves…

  • October 19, 2010 8:30 pm

well, sort of.  

There are plenty of reasons why keeping leaves on your property is a good idea.   Here are three:

  • First, removing the leaves is a waste of perfectly good mulching material.  Have you ever raked up those leaves to place at the curb, then headed out to the garden center for bags of mulch to put in your beds?  Yes, fresh new mulch looks great, but so can chopped up leaves. 
  • Second, municipal leaf hauling and composting costs our towns money.  Fuel, equipment, labor are all needed for fall leaf clean collection.  If your town doesn’t compost, the cost is even higher and extremely wasteful. 
  • Last, have you ever raked those leaves into a nice neat pile at the curb only to see them blown around the next day?  Or blocking storm drains because they are on the street side of the curb?  You did know they shouldn’t be on that side didn’t you?  How hard is it to drive down narrow streets with piles of leaves on the street? 

Personally, I think the only legitimate use for leaf piles is to please exuberant children.  Compost piles are a close second, but who has room for one that can accomodate all those leaves?  Think about it, trees use nutrients from the soil to build their leaves, the leaves senesce and fall.   Many valuable nutrients are still in those leaves.  We remove the leaves, robbing soil organisms of their own nutrition (from the organic leaves).  Finally, we add fertilizer to replenish the lost soil nutrients which the trees then use… ad infinitum.

So, what can you do with all those leaves?  They can be used to mulch planting beds, natural areas (so-called, but usually far from natural) and even lawns. 

First, chop them up.  This will increase the surface area of the leaves and allow decomposers to break them down more easily.  Whole leaves (at least large ones) mat up keeping water and oxygen from getting to the soil below.  This tends to create anaerobic conditions in which most soil organisms cannot survive.   Dry whole leaves tend to blow around and rarely stay where you want them (until they are wet and matted).  Mowers can be used to chop the leaves.   Mulching mowers are great when you can just leave the bits where you are mowing.  Mowers with regular side discharges will send the leaf pieces where you want them.  A bag (this usually gathers dust, doesn’t it?) can help collect the leaves to be placed where you want them.  You can also use a leaf shredder or chipper.  The leaves must be dry for the best results in both chopping and spreading.  So get out there before it rains but sleep in a bit to wait until the dew dries in the morning.

Finely chopped leaves can even be left right on your lawn.  Well, really IN your lawn between the blades.  The tighter your lawn, the finer you should chop.  You could run over the leaves several times with a regular mower but a mulching mower would work even better (you’ve been meaning to get one of those anyway, haven’t you?). 

Studies have shown that mulching leaves into your lawn won’t harm the grass and even increases the microbial activity in the soil which keeps the soil more open and porous.  Just be sure the leaf bits don’t cover the leaf blades.  Here in the North Carolina Piedmont our fescue lawns have just been overseeded, so watch out for those tiny plants.  Hopefully, you got the seeding done weeks before most of the leaves fall and the new grass has been mowed once or twice.  You can find more information on mowing new lawn grasses on page 15 of NCSU’s Carolina Lawns publication.

Be sure you don’t forget those regular lawn fertilizations, especially if you are applying leaf mulch.  Many of the microbes which will be breaking the leaf bits down into soil goodies use nitrogen while working.  They’ll tie it up and keep your lawn from using it (but release it again when they are done).  For our NC fescue lawns the fall fertilizations are the most important.  Hopefully you got yours done around Labor Day and will be ready for the Thanksgiving treatment (remember those two holidays plus Valentine’s Day for fescue fertilization).  Other types of lawns should be fertilized as recommend for the lawn type.  Again, Carolina Lawns has good information for all homeowners.

So, this year see how many leaves you can leave on your property.  Maybe we’ll be dodging fewer piles on city streets.  In a few years your landscape may be looking so amazing that your neighbors will wish they had more trees.

A Couple of Gnomes in the Garden

  • October 13, 2010 11:47 am

OFrancis Garden Gnome Bird FeederK, I’m not talking about typical garden gnomes.  Those kitschy little fellows that sometimes peek out of the foliage in many gardens.

I just planted two plants with the cultivar name ‘Gnome’.

Both are really cute and I put both in containers.  But they are both very different.  The first was a pair of standard ginkgos in a couple of matching contaGinkgo biloba 'Gnome' by Linden Landscape Design, Cary, NCiners that flank my client’s front door.  Ginkgo biloba ‘Gnome’ is a dwarf ginkgo and these are grown as a standard to create lollipop-like plants.  Gnome was discovered as a chance seedling by plantsman Ian Hiscock.  The foliage grows much more closely together than on typical ginkgos.   Soon the leaves should turn brilliant yellow and all fall at once, like other ginkgos.  They should have an interesting look in the winter and be gorgeous in summer.

Ginkgos by Linden Landscape DesignThe other gnomes couldn’t be more different.  I installed several miniature English ivy in some pots on the back terrace at his home.   These plants have tiny (1/2 – 3/4″) leaves of dark black-green.  Newer growth is lighter.  They should turn a more purplish color in winter.  We’ll see.  They are little now, but should be great plants to reuse in the pots over the years.  I’ll just root prune them when I replant the annuals.  Here’s a picture of the little cutie:  Miniature ivy 'Gnome' by Linden Landscape Design

NC State Fair Flower and Garden Show–Volunteers Needed

  • October 2, 2010 9:00 pm

This morning I got a real surprise.  After attending a very fun JCRA plant distribution I decided to stop by the NC State Fairgrounds to check out the Flower and Garden Show area.  I had heard that changes were being made there and wanted to see just what was going on.  Last year Erv Evans, noted in the world of North Carolina Horticulture, took over as the superintendent for the Flower and Garden Show.  So I thought I’d see what he’s been up to.  I’m afraid to say that I haven’t seen much of the show at the fair in a few years, but I used to enter many flowers, arrangements and once even created a patio garden there.  I also used to volunteer at the JCRA’s (before it acquired that name) booth selling T-shirts and showing off new plants.

Well, I wasn’t disappointed with my impromptu visit.  After a quick walk around to see what was happening, I ran into Erv.  He was working on the new train garden.   Yes, train garden.   Model trains will be installed in the garden by the NC Garden RR Society.  Erv Evans at the NC Flower and Garden Show Nearby, a cute replica of Thomas the Tank Engine will have his own spot in a red, white and blue garden designed just for him.  Tom Staley of Tom’s Train Station in The Shops at South Hills is providing the little engine that young visitors are sure to enjoy.

Erv told me that he’s been working all summer installing new plants, digging out long buried hardscape and rebuilding, fixing water features, finding volunteers to help…  Oh, yeah, that’s something he really needs right now–volunteers.  Volunteers are needed to help get things ready.  He also needs help during the fair and probably after (I forgot to ask about that).  Jobs needing done include everything from hanging flower baskets to sorting bottles for the flower show.  Even just sweeping up before and during the show would be helpful.  Email Erv at ervplantguy@gmail.com to volunteer.

Back to the show.  Erv said that the hot dry summer has been tough on the plants and on volunteers.  Many volunteers from the Gardeners of Wake County have been helping as well as some NCSU Horticulture students.  Recent heavy rains hammered lots of the plants (they still looked good to me) and caused some extra clean up work.  Erv has gotten many donations of soil and plants.   Daddy Pete’s has provided soil and mulch for the gardens, plants have been provided by Proven Winners including some gorgeous annuals in the square brick planters between the patio gardens.  The mum tree is back this year as well.  A metal form holds dozens of mums in full bloom.  Apparently the form has been gathering dust for a few years.

Impatiens "tree" at the NC State Fair Flower and Garden ShowErv’s put up some impatiens “trees” despite the difficulties of having them stolen and damaged.  They look great now.  Eventually, he’d like to have them all the way down the boardwalk.

Sculptor Joe Carnevale has created a special praying mantis sculpture just for the flower show.  Joe became well known after his first Barrel Monster created quite a stir in Raleigh.  Garden club members donated material for this fascinating piece–I won’t give it away, so be sure to take a look at what those were.  Here’s a sneak peak: Sculpture by Joe Carnevale at NC State Flower and Garden Show

Two barrel monsters will also be at the show, one male and one female.  Be sure to bring the kids to see these monsters.  I heard a wedding might be on the schedule.  There will be a bamboo sculpture by Will Hooker and his NCSU design students–apparently, chickens are involved.  I can’t wait to see.

Erv mentioned something about pink flamingos as well.  He nearly apologized for such a thing, but nothing’s tacky at the fair–after all you can get deep fried pickles there, can’t you? 

As usual, there will be three separate flower shows, so you’ll see fresh material during the entire fair.  (The show building will be closed for judging on 18 and 21 October–everything outside will be open all the time.)  This year there will be a judged bonsai show as well.  The Triangle Bonsai Society has always had an exhibit at the show, but this year you’ll see more of this wonderful art.  Erv said that there are more than one hundred demonstrations scheduled during the fair.   The show area will be lit at night and should be really pretty after dark.  Each garden should have lighting, so check it out.  The show will be open until the fireworks each evening.

So, if you can help get the show ready for fair opening, please let Erv know what you can do.  I know these tired volunteers could use your help.  Female Barrel Monster at the NC State Fair Flower and Garden ShowYou can just see the worry on this Barrel Monster’s face as she leans a weary forehead against a tree.  Erv had a similar look, but took no time to do any leaning.

Be sure to tell everyone about the great changes and don’t miss the show this year.  There really is something for everyone to enjoy at the Flower and Garden Show.

One more thing, check out this fun video of the Top 10 Reasons to Enter the Flower and Garden Show.  It’s too late to enter this year, but keep them in mind for next year.

Plant Distribution at JCRA

  • September 29, 2010 8:18 pm

This is one of the arboretum’s members favorite benefits.  Every year the JC Raulston Arboretum gives away plants.  Well actually they do it often during the year, but this is the big one.  

The JCRA propagates many plants, some rare and unavailable in the trade (yet).   Many are sent out to nurserymen to grow on and eventually produce for sale.   Others are just for members and associates of the arboretum.  I was lucky enough to get to do a lot of this propagation years ago when I worked for one summer at the arboretum.  Ah, I well remember sticking hundreds and hundreds of cuttings in the propagation beds.  And cleaning those Prunus mume seeds was really fun.  Actually it wasn’t so bad because we prepared the cuttings in the old technician’s office–in the air conditioning!

So, every October members get to line up and grab–that pretty much describes the scene–fantastic plants.  Over the years the giveaway has changed.  In the past it became almost dangerous as rabid plantaholics reached for their favorite goodies.  Now it’s become more civilized and rough behaviour is highly frowned upon.   I haven’t participated in a few years, but I’ll be there for this one.

If you aren’t a member it’s not too late to join in the fun.  Check out the JCRA’s website and become a member.  Then be ready this Saturday morning, rain or shine, when the whistle blows and the plants disappear.

Plantsman’s Lectures and a Plantsmen’s Tour at JCRA

  • September 29, 2010 8:18 pm

Noted plantsman, designer, writer and lecturer Richard Hartlage will be speaking tomorrow evening at the JCRA’s Friends of the Arboretum lecture in Raleigh:

“Twenty Years of a Life in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture”
Richard Hartlage, 2010 Outstanding Alumnus for Horticultural Science and Associate Principal, AHBL

September 30, 2010 (Thursday) – 7:30 PM-9:00 PM

Find out more here.

Then next Tuesday come back to the arboretum for a tour:

“Ornamental Edibles”
Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections

October 5, 2010 (Tuesday) – 1:00 PM-2:30 PM

Oh, don’t forget the JCRA’s annual plant distribution this Saturday.

UPDATE:  I almost missed mentioning one more event.  Next Thursday, 7 October, there’s another Friends of the Arboretum Lecture.

“A JCRA Alum’s Perspective of the U.S. National Arboretum”
Richard T. Olsen, Research Geneticist, Floral and Nursery Plants Research Division, USDA

October 7, 2010 (Thursday) – 7:30 PM-9:00 PM

There’s something for everyone in the next couple of weeks!

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  • Author: Lynn Wilhelm
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Garden Tours

  • September 23, 2010 11:24 am

I had time to tour two gardens last week.   The first was during Plant Delights Nursery’s open house/garden.   This mail order nursery, owned by plantsman Tony Avent, is open for several weekends a year.  During these weekends you can view the plants in Tony’s gardens and purchase them at the nursery.  The second garden was the Stevens garden in Cary, NC.  This garden was among four on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour.   Sadly, I was only able to see one of them.  Luckily, I chose Stevens’ Lakeside Paradise.  Entering this gorgeous garden is like entering a different world.

Plant Delights

Tony Avent’s place is a great garden to see his plants as grown in demonstration gardens.  But these aren’t typical demonstration gardens.   Tony’s philosophy of “masses of one” has created lovely gardens containing a great many species and cultivars of plants.  Tony trials new plants that he and others have collected, bred or found.  Those that turn out to be garden worthy are propagated and sold in the nursery.  Tony has some plants that are impossible to find elsewhere.   During this open house, Plant Delights also showcased copper sculpture by a local artist, J. A. Cobb.   His fanciful and figural pieces are charming.   I took some photos to share here, click them to enlarge and find out more about each.

Stevens’ Lakeside Paradise

The Stevens garden has a wonderful deck overlooking the back garden and lake.  The centerpiece of the deck is a very well trained Japanese Maple pruned in a distinctly Asian style.  Below the deck is an inviting gazebo.  At lakeside there’s a dock from which we were invited to feed the fish and turtles in the lake (the catfish were huge!).  A charming water garden and front courtyard finished off the tour.  Click photos find out more about the garden and learn a few great tricks the homeowners have used to solve some problems.

The Plant Delights pictures are the first four rows with the Stevens garden after.  To view all the photos after opening one of these below, just scroll down under the picture to see a thumbnail of the next photo.  Click on it so see more. 

 

Abutilon 'Cristina'
Abutilon 'Cristina'
Cestrum x 'Orange Peel'
Cestrum x 'Orange Peel'
Euonymus laxilorus
Euonymus laxilorus
Hedera helix flowers
Hedera helix flowers

Landscape Design Cary, NC Paeonia obovata
Paeonia obovata
Landscape Design Cary, NC Sarracenia 'Daina's Delight'
Sarracenia 'Daina's Delight'
Sarracenia flava
Sarracenia flava
Landscape Design Cary, NC Garden Spider
Garden Spider

Canna with Katydid
Canna with Katydid
Arisaema dracontium
Arisaema dracontium
Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen hederifolium
Hydrangea serrata 'Kiyosumi'
Hydrangea serrata 'Kiyosumi'

Frog greeter
Frog greeter
Frog waiter and patron
Frog waiter and patron
Frog archer
Frog archer
Crane sculpture
Crane sculpture

Stevens front courtyard
Stevens front courtyard
Hidden boy planter
Hidden boy planter
Stevens Garden Gate
Stevens Garden Gate
Landscape Design Cary, NC Stevens Japanese Maple
Stevens deck with Japanese Maple

Landscape Design Cary, NC Stevens gazebo
Stevens gazebo
Begonia pot
Begonia pot
Landscape Design Cary, NC Stevens' Lakeside Paradise
Stevens' Lakeside Paradise
Coppery pot
Coppery pot

Granite Birdbath
This 80 year old granite birdbath has a secret.
Wall potting bench
Wall potting bench
Foliage pot
Foliage pot

An Award Winning Project

  • September 3, 2010 3:32 pm

I just found out that a project I designed while working at Greenscape, Inc, won an award.  The project was submitted in the design-build division of NCNLA‘s Excellence in the Landscape program and won its Merit Award.

Greenscape and several contractors did a fantastic job on this complex project.

When I was called in to design this project the house, detached garage and the dragonfly shaped pool were already nearly complete.   I designed the deck, many stone walls, a motor court and driveway, several walks and paved areas, the fence and lots of planting areas.  The homeowners were wonderful to work with.  I posted the Oxford Project in early 2009.

Head below the fold to see some photos of this property from earlier this summer: Continue reading – An Award Winning Project