Late Blooming Perennials

This is the time of year when perennial gardens are running out of steam and customers come in looking for something that is “...blooming right now.” Unfortunately a lot of the late bloomers are also very tall, so hard to sell late in pots.

Artemisia lactiflora is a nice early fall bloomer.




Unlike most artemisias, this plant is not invasive and it can grow in moist soil. I use the feathery sprays of blooms in fall bouquets.

The species of Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) spreads quickly and can be unmanageable. I like the cultivar, ‘gateway’ which is bushier than the species. I was also excited about the possibilities of ‘Little Joe’ eupatorium, advertised as a “dwarf” version , 3 - 4’ tall, but it’s still at least 5’ tall in my gardens.




In the foreground of the above photo is one of my favorites - ‘Lorraine sunshine’ heliopsis. One of my customers says: “This plant makes me smile.” It has great variegated foliage which has not yet reverted back to green. The flowers are long lasting, making it nice for the garden and bouquets.



Last but not least, is one of my favorites - Purple Showers viola. Often, and it is the case this year, this perennial blooms the entire growing season. It’s grown from cuttings, so doesn’t spread all over the place by self-seeding. Rather it remains in manageable clumps of color. I’ve been using it as a cut flower for small bouquets. It has been called the “energizer bunny” of violas.

Perennials for Foliage

Flowers come and go on perennials, but their foliage is a permanent part of the garden landscape. I think shapes and textures of the plants are just as important as blooms, particularly as summer comes to an end and flowers are limited.

Hostas are the first plants that come to mind when considering foliage.

Above is an "oldie," Gold Standard. In front of the hosta are the spotted leaves of a pulmonaria.

This above hosta is Sun Power (planted in full sun) and behind is the maroon foliage of Britt Marie Crawford Ligularia. Hosta has its fair share of problems, namely it is filet mignon to the deer and slug population.


Jack Frost Brunnera (above) is a fairly recent introduction to the perennial world and it will become a classic. The silver foliage glows in the shade garden. It has inconsequential small blue flowers in the spring.


Its parent, Brunnera macrophylla, which I call "perennial forget-me-not" is loaded with flowers in the spring, and keeps the nice heart-shaped leaves all season, but doesn't stand out like its sport. Brunnera have no insect problems and the deer don't eat them either.

Sedums also have nice foliage (and few pest problems.) Below is Autumn Charm.



Besides yellow and silver and maroon leaved perennials, the foliage itself may be matted, mounded, spiky or arching, all creating a sense of contrast in the gardens.

With this summer's heat our "shade garden" has been a pleasant place to relax. Below is a photo of mixed foliage, mostly european ginger and variegated carex (sedge).

I love European ginger. Unlike American wild ginger, this cultivar has glossy leaves which gradually carpet the ground. It has strange flowers under the leaves that are unnoticeable.


Another plant I like for its foliage and form is amsonia tabernaemontana. It has pale blue flowers in the spring, which are barely noticeable to my eye, but in full sun it grows into a completely trouble free mounded plant that looks like a shrub. In the late summer I use the foliage to fill in bouquets.



Above the amsonia is seen behind a mat of low-growing perennial geranium.

Cimicifuga is another nice plant for its arching shape. This plant has an interesting collection of common names - "Black Cohosh," "Snake root" and "Bugbane." The foliage also comes in various darker shades, although these grow slowly for me. This one is Brunette.


Folks are straggling in now looking for fall blooming perennials, so that will be my next blog entry!

My Vermont Summer Garden

It is a cool evening, family and visitors have left, and the weather is once again pleasant. This is a photo of a four-year-old persicaria polymorpha, or giant fleece flower.

Persicaria Polymorpha

Descriptions usually list it as 5' tall. Ours is always at least 8' tall with no particular encouragement. It looks like a cross between a lilac and an astilbe on steroids and it is in bloom for about two months. Customers assume it is a shrub, but it's a perennial and as such needs to be cut back in the fall, quite a project.

Another successful plant this summer is 'red romaine' lettuce.

'Red Romaine' Lettuce

I bought heirloom seeds and was pleased with the rich burgundy color. It brightened up the salads and was a nice garnish as well.



Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon (above) has always done well for me. It has smaller red flowers.



I also like to use clematis (here Jackmanii) for bouquets. This arrangement also has cupids dart (Catananche caerulea), annual bachelor buttons and tall ageratum.

I rely on lavatera for cut flowers.

Lavatera Trimestris

I put a few coleus and one perilla (above left) together in a pot to add color to the perennial display gardens. I have been a bit disappointed with coleus 'red head' (lower right), as I had visions of it becoming a bright red for the entire summer. It is more of a muted red. But coleus Florida City Yalaha (above right) is a bright winner.



'Fresh Look' celosia (above) is easy to grow from seed and is splashy in the garden. Here I have planted it with 'Lemon Gem' marigolds, which have completely stopped blooming and are non-performers for the time being. I'm not sure why they are on strike.

I always grow amaranthus tricolor ('Joseph's Coat') because I enjoy its tropical look.

Amaranthus Tricolor

Here's another amaranthus that has lost its tag. It came highly recommended from either Fedco or Johnnies. It certainly is a performer, but tends to overwhelm the garden. I do, however, now think it might be fun to have a garden with just amaranthus varieties, as there are so many different types and they are all on the wild side. Next year?







I often suggest to my customers that they think about foliage contrast for the impression of color, since perennials, with a few exceptions, do not bloom all summer. Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford' has dark maroon foliage and does fine in full sun. Here it is planted next to 'Sun Power' hosta.


Another nice foliage plant is heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine.' The foliage holds its variegation (many plants revert back to green) and it is particularly lovely when in bloom.


We have actually started to sell a few mums, which is a good thing since they are budding up early. And I am already ordering plants and seeds for next year.

HEAT and HUMIDITY and Daylilies on Sale

I do not understand how folks survive “down south.” I am OK in 30 below weather - toss another piece of wood in the fire, perhaps find a thicker turtle neck and make sure you are wearing good wool socks.

When the temperature goes above 90 degrees and the humidity is high, as it has been the past week, I switch into a low gear.

Once again, the returning power of new guinea impatiens astounds me. One hot day I neglected to water this big pot in a display garden and it looked the way I felt.




But it bounced back after a good dose of water -




With the help of my son I have been keeping the daylilies watered in pots. They are on sale now (ALL $6.50 each, buy five and the sixth one is free.)

MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE

YOU WIN

GENTLE SHEPHERD

GUS BLANKENSHIP

I am hoping for less humidity in the future. Farmers' markets have been slow and folks are generally dragging. A friend gave me a wonderful birthday gift - a used air conditioner in the kitchen.

Time Marches On

It was unrealistic to think I could run the greenhouse/nursery business, participate in two farmers' markets and maintain a blog. Finally we have moved almost all the annuals into the "big greenhouse" and we are already transplanting mums.



We still have quite a few baskets, mostly new guinea impatiens because they were slow to size up this season.



Speaking of New Guinea impatiens (some people call these New Zealand impatiens) ((??)) here's one with a variegated leaf - the 'paradise' series.



Vermonters tend to like New Guinea impatiens because they are flashy and bright, and our summers are so short we need splashy colors. One thing that is fascinating about New Guineas - when they are not watered they shrivel up and look like total goners. I found these two eight inch baskets in another greenhouse where they had been forgotten and were bone dry.

I knew they could be saved, so I took a before photo - here -



And then I drenched them and four hours later, here they are!




The gazania enjoys the sunny weather we are having right now.



I am eating fresh veggies from vendors at my farmers' markets and loving it.



Here's a cute little boy enjoying an early tomato.



The Danville Farmers' Market is held Wednesdays from 9 am - 1 pm and the St. Johnsbury Market is held Saturday from 9 am - 1 pm.

TOMATOES !!

My "tomato house" hardly has any "big" tomatoes left, and many customers have resorted to taking home heirloom tomatoes when they are accustomed to buying 'Big Beef' and 'Early Girl.' I have been asked to print the list of tomatoes I sold here because some folks have no idea what they purchased.

I would love to hear the results of the plantings, as many of these varieties are new to me as well. (I will be planting quite a few.)

I'll start with a photo of 'Box Car Willie', a variety I didn't have on the list, but I did sell. It is described as follows:

"Very prolific over a long season it is well suited for use as a "main crop" tomato. Indeterminate vines."




- - - -

MY LIST (most sold out) HEIRLOOMS - Individual plants - $1.50 each

Aunt Ginny’s Purple - Heirloom Beefsteak - some prefer to Brandywine. Indeterminate - 75 - 80 days. 12 - 16 ounces. Big!

Black Cherry - 75 days. Look like large, dusky purple grapes - rich flavor that makes black tomatoes famous. Large vines yield very well. This one lasted the longest in the late blight season.

Black Krim - 80 days. Dark red-purple fruit, rich sweet flavor. Always places high in tomato taste trials. It’s very juicy. An heirloom from Russia with very unique looking, large fruit.

Brandywine - 80 days. The most popular heirloom vegetable. Superb flavor. A great potato-leafed variety from 1885! Pink fruit up to 1-1/2 lbs. each.

Burpee Gloriana - 70 days - Early determinate with 6-8 ounce globe shaped fruits. “Outstanding yields.”

Cabot - 75 Days. semi determinate -4 to 6 oz. red globe, excellent flavor.

Cherokee Purple - 80 days. An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890 variety sweet flavor very large sized fruit. “Real old-time tomato flavor.”

Cosmonaut Volkov - 75 days. A smooth and attractive, medium-large red tomato that has a full, rich flavor. The productive vines yield well even in hot weather, good for canning or slicing.

Cuostralee - 75 Days. 1 to 2 pound fruit, French heirloom with excellent balanced taste - “not mild”.

Delicious - 90 days. Huge 1-to 3-lb fruit that are fairly smooth for a giant tomato, and, as the name implies, these are delicious! In 1986 it set the world record for weight, with a giant 7 lb 12 oz fruit.

Early Rouge - Excellent yields of “top grade” 6 - 8 ounce globe tomatoes.

Earl of Edgecomb - 70 Days High yield of 6 to 10 oz. globe fruits of vivid orange, usually blemish free, assertive, delicious taste.
Kimberly - Very early cherry tomato - sweet and juicy. Set fruit in cooler weather. Productive.

Koralik - 65-70 days. 1" Russian cherry tomato is bright red and borne on heavy trusses of 6-8 fruit, which are sweet and flavorful. Good for small gardens.

Moskvich - Early and recommended for its taste. 6 oz.

Opalka - 80 days., Ind, high yield of 3 to 5 inch long, fat paste tomatoes usually with a knob at the blossom end, great for either sauces (very few seeds and meaty) or fresh eating.

Orange Banana - 80-85 days. Unique, orange, banana-shaped paste tomatoes. These tomatoes are bursting with fruity sweetness. Delicious fresh and perfect for drying, canning and paste.

Paul Robeson - 75 days. Purple-black beefsteak - can grow to 4 inches across. Has won taste awards.

Plum Lemon - - 80 days. Bright canary-yellow 3" fruit, looks just like a fresh lemon. from Moscow. Delicious, sweet taste.

Prudens Purple - 75 Days Purple pink, developed from Brandywine, comparable in taste, but matures earlier.

Red Penna - Huge tomatoes - medium maturity - Indeterminate.

Rief Red Heart - Heart-shaped 1 pound tomatoes.

Siletz - 52-75 days. One of the better early tomatoes. Dwarf, determinate plants produce good yields of perfectly shaped, 8 oz. fruit that are loaded with old-time tomato flavor and are sweet.

Sweet Home - Heavy producer medium maturity - indeterminate - 16 - 24 ounce fruits.

Urban Beefsteak - Early, Ind, oblate, 6 to 10 oz. red, very productive, one cropper.

More New Plants

My “to do” list is overwhelming and the customers are keeping me busy (hooray!), so the best I can produce for the blog right now is photos of plants I have not grown before. I am a huge fan of pansies and they are flourishing this year.

Matrix Sunrise

Delta Mix Citrus

Basil and rosemary are probably the two best selling herbs here. In the foreground of the following photo is a new variety I am trying, 'Nufar' basil. This is the first fusarium resistant variety of basil and it has a sturdier habit than the other sweet (Genovese) basil I grow from Fedco seeds.



Cascadia Bicolor purple is a variegated and vegetatively grown petunia. It scores high points for the consistency of variegation in the bloom, but the stems are fleshy and more upright than I like, so I will probably not grow this one again.



It is 5:30 am Saturday morning and I must go finish loading the trucks for St. Johnsbury Farmers' Market.

Happy Mothers' Day

The snow is falling lightly (I hope!) outside and I just wanted to post a few photos before I head back to the greenhouses. Business yesterday was good, despite cold, windy and wet weather. Praise be to the mothers!

First some photos of damage from that last freak snow storm ... the day after.



In the next photo my son is on the right with the red hat. He took apart all the wood and with the help of my pal Rose and a carpenter, rebuilt all the tables.


Part of the roof...



And now for the good stuff - nothing was hurt inside the greenhouses.



"The tomato house" -





A lot of fuchsias went to new homes yesterday...



And here is a "Kids' Corner" customer. I sell plants for ten cents each for children 16 and under (limit five plants each.)



And now I must scurry back to the greenhouses.