Monthly Archives: February 2011
This is an exciting time of year to get mail. There is sure to be a plant/seed catalog received every other day and reading them gets the creative juices flowing. Not to mention the bank account flowing. I love them all, but there is one that takes it all to another level. One that makes me consider selling all of my baseball cards or renting out my kids as cheap labor. Here she is:
RareFind Nursery is located in my home state of New Jersey (Jackson) and I’ve been purchasing from them for about five years now and THEY KICK ASS. The funny thing is that they are best known for their rhododendron and azalea collection – and I have no interest in either. Rhodies because they die instantly with my poor drainage and azaleas because I have bad childhood memories of them. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but all I remember are the hideous and obnoxious azalea blooms in May each year. Anway, if you like rhodies and/or azaleas, this place will truly blow you away.
Here are some of the plants I’ve added to my online shopping cart. I’ll let them sit there and marinate for a while until I can scale the list back enough and not have to get a second job to pay for them:
The bark on this Acer Griseum (Paperbark Maple) needs no further explanation.
I might struggle to find a companion to match the bloom color on these Baptisia ‘Midnight Prairieblues’ but hot damn they are phenomenal.
A variegated River Birch (Betula nigra ‘Shiloh Splash’)? Um, yes please!
As usual, I am a sucker for the foliage shape and color of this Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of gold’ (Redbud).
I do not own a Hamamelis (witch hazel) and I’m still a bit sketchy on them, but there is no denying their unique blooms, color and most importantly, the fact that most bloom this time of year. There was a Hamamelis festival at RareFinds this past weekend and one of these year’s, I’ll make it.
More foliage love on this Oakleaf Hydrangea ‘Little Honey’. Of course, I do need some more shade for these and will have to get creative.
Ninebark ‘Coppertina’ has been on the must list for a while now.
You friggin kidding me? A viburnum (‘Park Harvest’) with that foliage color? Color me impressed.
There are so many more to check out and I’m sure my list will grow longer. The true fun is in the planning and dreaming.
ONG
A recent conversation I had with a “friend” via Facebook:
Friend – “What’s with all the flower stuff you post all the time?”
Me – “I write a gardening blog.”
Friend – “LOL, Are you serious?”
Me – “Yeah, although it is more like a … landscaping blog.”
Friend – “Oh, like about your lawn and stuff.”
Me – “Um … yeah.”
Friend – “Cool.”
I was annoyed that I had to dumb down the explanation of my blog and make it more “masculine”. It just seemed like an easier way out of the conversation I didn’t want to have in the first place.
It also got me to thinking about the concept of a male actually liking flowers. Let’s face it, there is a stereotype that exists when any man likes flowers. I’ve heard them all; some times very bluntly and other times just implied. And as is the case with almost all stereotypes (and don’t I know living in New Jersey), they are frustratingly naive and an easy way to put people into nice clean boxes.
The truth is, I like this:
As much as I enjoy this:
Why can’t I enjoy both equally without it being questioned? Hell, I have Sade and System of a Down on my Ipod. They each represent different aspects of my personality.
I didn’t know that liking a colorful and fragrant flower made you that much less of a man. After all, is there anything more powerful than watching a plant survive the winter, thrive through it’s ensuing growth of foliage in the spring and then reach it’s peak when the flower blooms in all it’s glory? C’mon now, that is the circle of life at it’s finest. Not to mention, flowers are the result of getting your hands dirty and full of callouses. Pretty masculine if you ask me.
When I took the picture below so it could be used for my Facebook page and for my Twitter avatar, I intentionally set it up to represent me and my varied interests:
The execution of the photo may be off a bit and not so obvious, but that is me (with a god awful cheesy smile by the way) holding a shovel as if it were a baseball bat. With that, I hope that I can bring a unique perspective to garden writing and even help dispel the notion that men can enjoy flowers without it seeming odd or god forbid, even feminine.
Almost everyone I work with has no idea that I write a gardening blog, let alone that I have a strong interest in plants and flowers. I can’t tell you how much fun I have when I do get a chance to spring a little nugget on them out of the blue.
Coworker – “I grow this catmint stuff and it’s beautiful until June and then I want to rip it out.”
Me – “If you cut it back drastically in early June, you’ll get a second flush of bloom and the foliage will look fresh”
Coworker – “What is “flush” and how do YOU know that?”
Me – “I’m cool like that.”
They don’t know whether to take me seriously or not and I couldn’t love it more. Always fun to keep ’em guessing.
So in conclusion:
- I love flowers
- I don’t care what others think about that
- I despise the stereotypes that go with it.
- I need to not smile in pictures any more
ONG
Listen, I like flowers as much as the next guy … um I mean … as the next gardener who is male … never mind. I dig flowers and I am damn proud of it. But, my true love, the one that gives me reason to get my hands dirty and full of nasty blisters is none other than … the foliage.
I am consumed with foliage and it’s different textures, different colors, different shapes and how it changes from season to season. To me, that is the essence of gardening. I am by no means an expert, but I do get annoyed when I see garden design decisions being based solely on flower color. While I see bloom color being a factor in the overall decision making process, it is typically a factor for a short period of time (albeit a strong one) and then is gone. The plant shape, size, texture and foliage color are so much more impactful on the overall scheme of the design.
With that in mind, I thought I would share some of my favorite foliage photos. As I reviewed these, I got all sorts of fired up and “en fuego”, so take a deep breath and get ready to be dazzled.
When you think hydrangea you immediately think about the impressive blooms. But the foliage color and shape is phenomenal both pre and post bloom:
The phenomenal color of the Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’ (St. John’s wort) enhanced after a rainfall:
Hibiscus blooms are prolific, but how can you not like the color, shape and texture of it’s leaves:
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| Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ |
Newly emerging foliage often takes on a unique look that allows it to stand out in the spring. Like with this Ninebark ‘Diablo’:
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| Ninebark ‘Diablo’ |
Some times, the simple act of foliage filling in quickly in the spring, with a promise of what is to come is enough for me:
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| Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (Catmint) |
Geranium blooms are all that, but I’ve come to appreciate the lacy foliage and find it to be a great contrast perennial, especially when placed next to other perennials with more bold foliage:
Speaking of bold foliage, I finally came to grasp the concept of utilizing this concept (preferably in small doses). I have two Yucca ‘Golden Sword’ located in my front bed and they have acted as a true focal point, even into the winter:
I have long been obsessed with using yellow/chartreuse foliage color. I have tried real hard to not overdo it. These dwarf spireas provide a nice punch of color along my front entry and I honestly find the blooms take away from the shrub. I will often cut black the blooms in an effort to keep the foliage pristine:
I have a ton of Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’ under my shade trees and they will change foliage color from spring to fall as the trees fill in and the amount of shade increases:
And then there are those plants where the foliage is really all it has to offer and damn do they look good:
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| Hosta ‘Guacamole’ |
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| Sedum ‘Red Carpet’ |
And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t include my absolute favorite foliage type of all, the ornamental grass:
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| Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ |
ONG
It has officially been one year since I started this blog. I honestly never thought I would stick with it this long or that people, other than my family, would even read it. My initial intention was to use the blog as a chance to share my garden photographs with friends and family. That was it. A chance to show them that all of the time spent in the garden actually resulted in something that was worthy of a photograph or two, or three.
Well, for me, it has grown to be much more than that.
Looking back, there were some posts that were atrocious, like this one. Some others that were creative but still a bit odd, like this one. And some that were admittedly a bit whiny like this one. But overall, I am happy with the direction the blog went as it was an accurate portrayal of what I was feeling at that time. I’ve tried my best to be honest about my many shortcomings yet share my excitement for all things foliage and flowers. Being able to write about my passion on a daily basis and to actually have people enjoy reading it, has blown me away. I still get just as fired up today to read your comments as I did when I first started.
Looking ahead, I plan on treating my gardens as more of a scientific laboratory this year with the hope that I can experiment in different ways and share those results with you. Sort of like what I did when I planted a few Hibiscus plants last summer. I also hope to visit more local gardens and share those photos with you. I have already mapped out a few potential interviews with some people in the business that will hopefully offer a glimpse into the world of gardening/horticulture in an interesting and unique way.
I’ve babbled enough, thank you for reading this blog and feeding my narcissistic ways. It has been an amazing creative outlet for me and I will continue to ride the wave wherever it may go.
Gracias
ONG
Dear readers,
Please oblige my attempt to cure my seasonal affect disorder.
Thanking you in advance,
ONG
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| Campanula glomerata ‘Joan Elliott’ (Bellflower) |
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| Peony ‘Bowl of Beauty’ |
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| Physocarpus ‘Summer Wine’ (Ninebark) |
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| Amsonia Tabernaemontana (Eastern bluestar) |
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| Leucojum aestivum (Summer Snowflake) |
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| Tulip ‘I don’t know the type’ |
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| Narcissus (Daffodil) |
