Tennessee Coneflower

A few years back, my sister tried planting an herb garden at my place. She had a collection of seeds she planted but it didn't fare so well. She tried using one of the garden beds I had yet to renovate - that bed had been used by the previous owners for vegetables and the soil was poor and spent. Most of the seeds refused to germinate. So I popped a few plants in....like most gardeners I can't stand to see empty garden beds! Most of the plants I got from local nurseries as they tried to unload their nursery stock in mid- to late summer. But one of the plants I picked up as a local home and garden place was going out of business. (I miss Chase Pitkins!) Anyways...it was a Tennessee Coneflower.

It's taken it a few years to come into its own - especially after my sister stopped trying to "weed" it out thinking it was a weed. But it's turned into a nice plant. Unlike other Echinacea like E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, its petals flex up, not down. While I like the backward curving and somewhat "droopy" petals of the other coneflowers, the Tennessee Coneflower is charming.

Like many native plants, it is hardy and needs no special care. It does not require rich garden soil or even fertilizer for that matter - I have never renovated that garden bed! Pests seem to avoid it but the butterflies and other pollinators love coneflowers. The small seed eating birds love the coneflower seed heads. (I have to beat the birds to the seed of purple coneflowers I have to collect any seed!) It is an endangered flower in its native range. Perhaps you have room for this charmer in your garden?

Here's the PlantFiles page on the Tennessee Coneflower.

-kim

Have you plarned yet?

Plarn is the plastic yarn made from plastic grocery bags. (See how to make it here.) It's my new garden twine of choice. It's plentiful, free, and re-uses something that would have otherwise just been put in the recycle bin.

Since plarn is far from picturesque, I've included a picture I took the other day at Powder Mills Park of wild yellow flags and buttercups. If you look close, you'll see the faint blue of forget-me-nots in the background. Simply beautiful. Take your camera and go out for a visit this week. If you have younglings, take them too and be sure to stop at the fish hatchery in the park. There are fish food machines and a few quarters will provide your kids with tons of squeals (as the trout jump and splash getting the food) and you with many terrific photo opportunities.

By the way, if you like my nature photography (all through the RCGC site and this blog), be sure to check out my other favorite blog, The Friends of Ganondagan and the Gallery pages on their website. My pictures are scattered through the blog and the website. Plus I've been creating a slideshow about once a month for their Gallery pages. Many of the pictures feature wild, native plants. I hope you enjoy!

-kim

What's blooming in your garden?

What's blooming in your garden today? Here's a picture from mine and a favorite garden visitor of mine - I love watching bumblebees as much as butterflies.

-kim

Pix from our recent events

GardenScape
Director Christine Froehlich created a really beautiful and compelling display for RCGC in the main GardenScape exhibit hall – on short notice and a shoestring. We had streams of visitors picking up Garden Center info, and lots of new people contacting us about our programs.

Guy Coppola ready to greet the public.

Book signing with Tracy DiSabato-Aust

Tracy was such a gracious guest and lots of fun! The book signing was a success all round.

Symposium

We had lots of great feedback on the Symposium. Tracy DiSabato-Aust and Bruce Zaretsky are both dynamic and articulate speakers, and we left en

ergized with new ideas for plants proven to be well worth using by one of America's best designers, and inspired with ideas for gardening in more environmentally concious ways.

Some of Guy Coppola's pictures

Things to Make Your Garden Greener

A month or two back I came down with a cold. While it is never fun to get sick, it sometimes offers us a chance to do things we wouldn't otherwise get a chance to do - like read. I read an article titled The Green Path by Stephanie Kaza (Shambhala Sun, January 2009). It is an article excerpted from her new book Mindfully Green. The book is about incorporating "green living" into all aspects of your life - it is not about just putting a blue recycle bin by the curb once a week. It is about letting a deep compassion and responsibility for the well-being of our planet color your every action and thought. It is a path to follow throughout your life. I must say that this book has garnered a place on my "must read" list.

As gardeners, we have at least one foot firmly on that "green path" but maybe there are more things that we could do to make our ever-abiding love and passion for gardening more green. Here are a few things for you to consider. Even adding just one item from the list can make a difference!

Make your garden greener by:

1. Reduce, Re-use, & Recycle - These are the core tenants of eco-friendly behavior. Look for places to re-use plastic pots and containers. Cut strips of fabric from old clothes to use for ties. Buy products made from recycled items. Old watering cans, wooden boxes, and more can make creative planters. Look for a creative use for an item before putting it into the rubbish or recycle bin - you are only limited by your own imagination!


2. Compost - Landfills do not need to be burdened with your kitchen waste or yard clippings. Start a compost bin. Your plants will love the black gold that comes from the compost bin! Here's a document to get you started.


3. Skip the pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers - These poisons are very earth unfriendly things and they have no place in your garden. If you do absolutely need such a product, look for products that could be used in organic gardening or for items that aren't broad spectrum in nature. Broad spectrum pesticides kill the beneficial insects as well as the problem ones.


4. Grow your own food - There is a growing movement to "eat local." While much of this focuses on supporting local farmers, your own veggie garden is part of that too. If you don't have the space or desire for an entire vegetable garden, why not tuck a few edibles into your flower beds? Some vegetable plants are quite beautiful. There are peas and beans with colored blossoms, kales and chards for nice foliage, peppers for ornamental fruits, and even some variegated varieties (ex: fish pepper and variegated tomato). Check out this list from the 100 Mile Diet site to get some encouragement to grow your own veggies or at least visit the local farmers' markets.


5. Try some native plants and/or some heirloom varieties - Native plants are well-suited to the climate and growing conditions. They will need little to no special care - no pesticides, fertilizers, excessive watering and more are needed for them. They also great restorers of natural habitat for butterflies and other wildlife. Heirloom varieties are old varieties of plants with terrific qualities, history, and genetic diversity. Give them a try and save some seeds for next year's planting too! Here's some reading on native plants and some reading on heirlooms.
   


6. Harvest rainwater - Why not? Barrels by your downspouts provide you with free, soft water for your plants. While you are at it, household "graywater" can also be used in your gardens. See this page for more information on graywater. On the topic of water, be water-wise. Use water-wise plants, mulch to conserve water, water early in the day to minimize evaporation, and cut lawn-watering completely or to a minimum. Less watering will encourage the grass to send deeper roots.


7. Less lawn - Less lawn reduces mowing and resource needs. Mow the grass longer to protect the roots. Leave more "wild" areas for habitat and beauty. Or plant trees and shrubs as they are the great carbon dioxide burners of the planet.


8. Use eco-friendly garden furniture - Look for salvaged wood or sustainable wood. Skip teak unless salvaged or reclaimed. Choose woods like oak, sweet chestnut, western red cedar, larch, or douglas fir that can be used outdoors without treatment. Recycled materials are also a big plus.


9. Go local for your garden needs - Less shipping and resources required. Shopping at your locally owned and operated garden centers and nurseries also helps to support your local economy and business people. These nurseries and garden centers are staffed by people who know and love plants. It is also my experience that they have much better quality plants than your MegaMarts.



10. Skip the peat moss – Peat can be derived from different materials and what is usually available in the United States is from Canadian sphagnum moss. These mosses grow in specialized wetlands (bogs) or “peatland” and are home to many rare and specialized organisms. The peat moss is commercially harvested or “mined” from these bogs. The harvesting process involves digging a network of drainage ditches and settling basins so that the water drains away from the wetland and the bog begins to dry out and die. Once that happens, all surface vegetation is removed and the deposit is ready for drying and harvesting procedures. While some say that peat can be sustainable harvested, it largely is not - peat accumulation is only around one millimeter per year! There are very good alternatives such as Coconut Coir - it is free of bacteria and fungal spores. Here's some reading on peat from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. (Picture of a pitcher plant at the Zurich Bog - a very special place in our own backyard.)
    

Hopefully this gives you a few things to consider. And unlike Kermit the Frog, it is easy being green!

-kim

Hydrangeas for the North

Hydrangea pro Tim Boebel has created a very nifty myspace page with pictures of his favorite hydrangeas for the north, as well as a slide show on how he constructed a container (pond) big enough for lotus to thrive for years. Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/hydrangeasinthenorth.

I'm looking forward to Tim's class at RCGC, Winning Hydrangeas for Rochester Gardens, Wednesday, March 18, 7-9 pm: "Tim Boebel, nursery manager at Wayside Garden Center, has been studying this charismatic flowering shrub for years, both at Wayside and in extensive trials in his home garden. Tim will discuss the merits of the up-and-coming introductions for ‘09 and ’10, and will also give you the lowdown on the established varies which rank high in overall beauty as well as performance in our cold climate. Have you been frustrated by the lack of bloom on supposedly hardy varieties? Much of the information about hydrangea culture was developed for areas much warmer than Rochester. Tim has perfected a very different method for getting reliable blooms in our climate and will detail the steps in this slide-lecture with handouts." See the Education Pages on our website for registration info.

Reuse your Christmas Tree

Don't toss your Christmas tree! It's a handy design tool. Use it to mimic plants you think you want in your garden. You can easily drag it around and locate anywhere you want (unlike the real thing).

With a little imagination you can fantasize how a new tree or shrub might look.

In my  case, I want more conifers. I"m not quite sure where yet, so I'm experimenting. Give it a try. It's a great way to recycle the tree and formulate your next garden plan.