Philadephus 'Belle Etoile'

The English seem to love this American Native.
Philadelphus lewisii is a great native plant here in Washington state. You can find it on both sides of Washington, we are divided by the Cascade Range. I think the idea of bringing native plants into the garden is a viable thing and where applicable it should be encouraged.

The hybrid I fell in love with several years ago is the much sought after true ‘Belle Etoile.’ Abundant or profuse flowering can't even start to describe the cloaking of this shrub when in full bloom. White flowers with a burgundy center inside highlighting the soft gold stamen.

P. 'Aurea' This lovely golden leaved variety is sometimes prone to summer burn but will be fine if you water it through that hot spell.

P. 'Innocense' Very fragrant white flowers appear in late June. Leaves mottled and splashed cream, more of a painterly look. Height and Spread about 5-6 feet.

P. 'Variegatus' Very fragrant, single flowers that are creamy-white, again blooming in June. The leaves are broadly edged in creamy-white. About 6 feet tall but it seems a bit tighter than 'Innocence.'

These next two varieties I do not have in the nursery, but hope to obtain them in the near future.

P. ‘Virginal’ Clusters of double highly scented white flowers in mid to late June. I tad larger at 7-10 feet tall and wide.

P. ‘Frosty Morn’ Fragrant clusters of double, almost fringy looking flowers that are highly scented. Blooming in June through July. Shorter at 4 feet tall and can reach up to 6 feet wide.

I just had to get these out as my last posting I had mentioned Philadelphus and knew that there was information I wanted to share.

In my garden I am thinking how to arrange them with Hydrangeas and Viburnums. True that is a lot of summer blossom, even heavy on the cream side here with my soil type, but I feel that it could create a spectacular view.

Calycanthus, not like any other shrub you grow

Calycanthus a great shrub, hardy, and a wonderful addition to any home garden landscape.
Calycanthus Venus. Sweetshrub I believe is a common name, this one lives up to that name without being common at all. Orchid or magnolia-like blossoms of white with a heart of purple and gold have a wonderfully sweet fragrance, I have been told that the blossoms can get up to five inches across, but I have only seem them about three myself.
In our hot summers it might be best to plant this one with a break from the sun in the afternoon.
Another great variety is Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine', or Sinocalycalycanthus 'Hartlage Wine'. This one is lovely. I was amazed a few years ago when I grew them in one gallon pots that it bloomed the first year and the blossoms were almost two inches across. This variety has a more subtle fragrance not like its parents- C. sinensis and our American native C. florida ( and just to more technical-Sinocalycanthus chinensis (Chinese Sweetshrub or Wax Plant) and Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice or Sweetshrub) to produce what was considered a new bigeneric hybrid that was later named ×Sinocalycalycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’) A lot of information just for one shrub but I don't want to insult anyone in the mean time.

Both are great as specimen plantings, but they do differ in size. I have been in a nursery in the Bellevue, WA area ,not dropping names, and have seen eight foot tall specimens of 'Hartlage Wine' but have been told it may reach fifteen feet all and ten feet wide. It has been mentioned that Venus will only reach about eight feet tall and ten feet wide. I am unsure but either here in Central/Easter Washington. I guess it would depend on your growing conditions.

I do like the fact they are both summer blooming, and can be sporadic, but a few blossoms that linger are better than no blossom at all.

Another thing one might concider doing from a design pount of view is to echo the blossom color in the garden, or punctuate that echo.
To echo the blossom color you would want to plant somewhere in your garden, mainly in the same viewing area a plant that has some like charteristic. I might plant Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' in the same garden area ad Calycanthus 'Venus'. Both have creamy white blossoms with a darker eye. But maybe to punctuate that echo I might plant a Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' next to Venus to make that dark eye sing and stand out when it is blooming. I might use Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' to make 'Hartlage Wine' even more wine and less rust in color. But those are just my thoughts, you can invent your own combinations.

Syringa 'Bloomerang Purple'

I am excite this year to have many new and interesting flowering shrubs. One of them is is Syringa 'Bloomerang Purple'. This new variety promises to bloom not just once, but twice or more per season if treated properly and taken care of.

There are many shrubs I will talk about. I do not carry many Syringa as I think they are a bit to pushy in the pot. I have a few Syringa 'Sensation' and am on the look out for some antique and properly labeled varieties.

The one strange shrub that I have that crosses over this direction is Lonicera syringantha, but that is a separate posting altogether.

Daylilies-my top picks

Daylilies, I just like them. You can abuse and neglect them as much as you want and they still bounce back.

I am making a list of what varieties I would like to sell in the nursery this year. In my zone 5/6a its not always about hardiness. Where I live is also high mountain desert, open, and sunny hot summers that fade flowers. Pastels are not first choice.

Hemerocallis flava- A good species and a top notch plant. Sweet citrus scented blooms in a nice shade of yellow. Though not a repeat bloomer they tend to sway me.

Strutters Ball- Deep, luscious purple, big blossoms, with a chartreuse throat.

Elain Strutt- Cantaloupe, melon, large and surprisingly a nice large blossom as well.

Hyperion- Classic yellow, clear, and a great bloomer.

Outrageous- Mango with a huge red eye...just huge!

Christmas Is- I can't believe I was asked why they named it 'Christmas Is?'
The name says it all. Red with a very green/chartreuse eye. it repeats and is just a good, good, daylily. See image.

Sunday Gloves- A good white, softly fragrant and just a sweet sounding name.

Green Flutter- A clean yellow with an apple green fading throat. Really shines in the landscape.

Chicago Apache- Here is a good red. These are large blooms, full and tall. It really looks nice with other perennials. An easy 30 inches or taller.

Spider Miracle- Yellow, huge and floppy. It reminds me of big Easter hats or big summer straw hats that ladies wear. I just couldn't believe when it got almost three feet tall.

Tigerling- A smaller echo of 'Outrageous' and not as mango in the outer edges.

Corky- Wire like stems that are darkish brown, hold a continual flower wand of golden yellow. The outside of these small beauties are bronzed. Short foliage. I like this variety near the front of the boarder.

Alabama Julbilee- Reddish Orange huge blossoms that have hints of gold toward the throat.

Hemerocallis 'Barbary Corsair'- Though small it has a wonderful blossom with lots of punch. Wine with a green throat.

I am looking for suggestions and I am looking for intense color, good form. Repeat bloom, size of blossom are also good factors.

Again, there are so many great daylies out there and we all have favorties, I am trying to create a list of varieties that I think will stand up to our desert summers.

Do the gods think this Seattle?

Rain, rain, and more rain.
Since I woke up this morning it has been nothing but rain. No, this is not the sweet mist of early spring, but a continual driving drizzle that that creates little likes in shallow depressions, streams in the gutters till they plug because they are frozen, and wet dog that want to climb onto your lap!

This is rain that keep paint from drying indoors, and makes your cars windshield wipers work overtime. (Honestly too happy that I do not live in a metropolitan area where this is the type of rain that causes accidents.)

I should have kept my big mouth shut when I said this was going to be a wet winter.

O gosh, big wet clumpy flakes of snow in the mix- Are they sticking?

Am going through the catalogs and I made a choice to raise and offer Lagerstroemia indica Dynamite. I have put a few into the gardens of a client and though they do not bloom till August or September I might as well offer them to people here. Don't I actively sell Xanthoceras sorbifolia? Interest people in Hibiscus moscheutos and tell them to screw the rules and just try things?

Starting to sketch how I want to display plants around the nursery this year and thinking about the ease of watering them as well. I know I don't like walking into a nursery and having everything in the same exact spot as last year. If you are a nursery and can move things around, then by all means please do.

Post AVATAR, work to do

Alright, the movie visually was a feast. The Botany, though familiar was individual as well.I think if you are a closet Treckie, sci-fi film nut, like the aspect of good CGI, and a first for me 3D, then you might might like this film though it has a very predictable storyline.

I am heading out to the nursery to start bringing in the hardy hibiscus. I am have about 400 of them potted up and need to have another 300+ for my HOT FOR HIBISCUS weekends. Color varieties are amazing now and they have ceme so far from thier basic couple.Thank goodness for people like the Flemming brothers and their passion for Hibiscus. July 30&31, August 6&7.

Colors, or named cultivars include MOY GRANDE, FIREBALL, FANTASIA, ROBERT FLEMMING, KOPPER KING, BLUE RIVER II, PLUM CRAZY, PEPPERMINT SCHNOPPS, SWEET CAROLINE, TORCHY, LUNA RED, PART FAVOR, SUMMER STORM, TURN OF THE CENTURY, SULTRY KISS, CRANBERRY CRUSH, PINK ELEPHANT , and maybe OLD YELLA. There might be some seedlings on dislay if not for pre-sale next year. So this should be a great event. The Friday and Saturday evening of the first weekend should also hold promiss of a class or presentation. More details as I develope them.

Have a good rest of the day!

Jan 2- recovered and dinking around

Forty degrees- and though the ground is still frozen I am have taken a little walk around the nursery and ranch to see what is really going on.

My mother would like me to replace the small Pinus nigra with a more substantial Picea pungens. I think the Pinus is a much better choice, but she is being insistant.

As I walk around the nursery I am choosing a site for the shop/potting shed and I already know that it will be on the west side of the sales area. I am unsure if I will paint the building chartreuse with red trim, or paint it barn red and put chartreuse trim onto it. Suggestions have been made to change my building color, but I do like the bright (almost electric) look of things around here.

I have received confirmation of Proven Winners shrubs, and am combing through the Select Seeds catalog looking for fragrant annuals that would make good cut flowers.

As some of you have known me for several years, and others not long at all, you may or may not know that I am involved with the local farmers market here in Moses Lake. I vend as well as serve on the board for the past five years. Actually our farmers market board is made up of the people who vend at the market. Quite different from some of the other farmers markets I have visited. This year instead of just selling plants I am also thinking about selling cut flowers- people can brighten the inside of their homes, not just the outside.

I am starting to plan out an event calendar for the year and though I have a couple strong events for the nursery I am trying to think of a couple more that might be equally as strong.

Mothers day weekend I am ususally out of town for Garden Expo, but I think I am going to try to have some large baskets brought in and doing some sort of container class.

Sometime in June I would love to have a two weekend, though it might be two day class (this also might work better) 'Building a Better Boarder' -Designing and installing a colorful boarder that you can enjoy all year.

July 30 and August 6 will be a two weekend event-Hot for Hibiscus Weekends

Late September I would like to try a 'Thinking of Fall' container class

Late November- Creating arrangements for your front steps. How to use cut greens and the containers you have as welcoming arrangement outside your door. I know a couple friends of mine have had success with this in other areas and I should as well.

Off to see Avatar! -will let you know about the plants.