Autumn Splendor at Stonecrop

Stonecrop Gardens has become a destination for gardeners and students of landscape design since it opened to the public in 1992. I have visited several times in different seasons, and find it particularly striking in the fall.

Its founder was Frank Cabot, a financier and self-taught horticulturalist who began gardening to relieve the pressures of venture capitalism and ended up creating two of the most celebrated gardens in North America—Stonecrop in New York, and Les Quatre Vents in Quebec. He also founded the Garden Conservancy, and served as chairman of the New York Botanical Garden and advisor to botanic gardens in Brooklyn and Ontario.

the gravel garden with alpines and dwarf conifers

Stonecrop began as a private garden in 1958, when Frank and his wife, Anne, built their home on 60 acres in the Hudson Highlands at an elevation of 1,100 feet. They began to garden on the rocky site and soon developed a passion for alpine plants. Since choice alpines were hard to come by, they started their own alpine mail-order nursery. Although the nursery no longer operates, you will see many alpines in Stonecrop’s gardens and greenhouses, that available for sale. 

Tufa troughs with alpines and dwarf conifers

Over the years the Cabots’ garden grew to 12. In the mid-1980s, they began planning for Stonecrop to become a public garden that would inspire and educate other gardeners. They engaged English horticulturist Caroline Burgess, who had studied at Kew Gardens and worked for Rosemary Verey. Under Caroline’s direction, Stonecrop’s gardens have expanded in scope and diversity and now contain an encyclopedic collection of plants. Caroline continues to serve Stonecrop as its director today.

Caroline Burgess in the systematic garden

A visit to Stonecrop is a serious immersion in plants and design ideas. Plan to spend several hours with a plant list in hand. Some of the highlights include a cliff rock garden, woodland, and water gardens, an enclosed English-style flower garden, and systematic order beds representing over 50 plant families. 

Asters, dahlias and persicaria in bloom in the flower garden

The flower garden is an english-style cottage garden with color-themed beds

Inspiration may be found in all seasons, from the spring show of bulbs and the explosion of color on the cliff ledge, to summer’s profusion in the flower garden and the subtleties of fall foliage and fruit in the woodland. In late September when I visited, the flower garden was bursting with tall dahlias, asters, love-lies-a-bleeding, persicarias and other perennials and annuals.

The rock ledge was built from stone on the property as well as blasted rock from a road construction project. A lovely stone bridge lies across the pond, which is surrounded by weeping katsuras and cherries and a grove of metasequoias. Rock crevices are planted with dianthus, dwarf Lady’s Mantle, bergenia and sedums. A wisteria-covered pergola offers beautiful views of the pond and woodland.

The woodlands are carpeted with ferns, hostas, Goat’s Beard, Solomon’s Seal and sedges. In autumn, the acteas are lovely. Rodgersia frames a second pond with a 2,000-square-foot conservatory housing tender specimens, and display greenhouses of alpines, tropicals, and succulents.

Stonecrop, 81 Stonecrop Ln., Cold Spring, NY 10516 (845) 265-2000 www.stonecrop.org

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Plant Colchicum Now for Blooms This Fall

by David Burdick

Last fall, I saw that Jana was presenting a program at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on FallScaping. Thinking she might somewhere in the presentation mention the autumn flowering bulbs of the genus Colchicum, I sent her the list of the ones I grow commercially in Western Massachusetts for mail order sales. After taking a look at it, she must have realized that I am a bit obsessed with them. Because many gardeners remain unfamiliar with them or are unsure of how to use them in their landscapes, she graciously offered me the opportunity to share a bit of what I know about these marvelously weird bulbs through her blog.

As a gardener in New England, I dread the coming of the first killing frost. All the tropicals in pots have to be moved in, and much of the riot of annual flowers that has made the growing season so colorful is abruptly gone. I soon realize though, that by no means is the garden or gardening finished for the year. Fall brings some of the bluest skies and nicest weather for working outside. Beautiful perennials like Sanguisorba canadensis, Vernonia and a number of asters continue to bloom. Others like Amsonia hubrichtii and Lysimachia clethroides have foliage that turns fantastic colors. We also see the appearance of the Colchicums, with their clusters of  4”-8” stemmed wine goblets in every shade from rosy-pink to purple and white magically mushrooming out of the ground seemingly overnight. Their flowers resemble Crocus, hence their common name of “Autumn Crocus.” They are marvelous.

colchicums at stonecrop garden in new york

Now for the weird. The fall-blooming Colchicums send up their blooms without any accompanying foliage. This has given rise to one of their common names “naked ladies”. Their wide, green, Hosta-like leaves arise from the ground very early the next spring, and continue growing until they yellow and die down in July. The flowering portion of their life cycle begins with flower buds poking through the ground starting in late August and continue through early October depending upon the cultivar/species.

During the dog days of August, very few gardeners are thinking about planting bulbs. It usually takes a few of those aforementioned frosts and a series of colder nights to get us warmed up to the idea. Yet it is the ideal time to plant the fall blooming Colchicum, and if done now or in the earliest part of September, one will reap their floral rewards in just a few weeks’ time (and so will the butterflies and bees that flock to them). Planting as soon as you can get them also helps with another bizarre aspect these autumn bloomers possess, which is that the bulbs will start the flowering process whether placed in the ground or on your windowsill, no soil or water needed. In fact, some people will occasionally choose to enjoy the flowers inside before finally incorporating them into their gardens. (I guess now is the time to mention that they also make nice cut flowers).

colchicum gioia brown

Be aware that if you are just noticing these bulbs for the first time and then head to the local nursery to purchase some, they may already have spent their bloom while sitting in their display boxes. They’re still viable, but you will have to wait until the following fall to see the floral show.

Up to now, I’ve been referring to the Colchicum as a bulb. To be botanically correct, it should really be called a corm. I’m not eager to go into specifics as to what the differences are, other than that corms (gladioli and the true crocus are also examples) completely replace themselves annually. The object you plant this fall will be totally used up, and if should you dig it up come the following July it would only be represented by a slim, slimy wafer of tissue with one, two, sometimes three-four replacements in its stead. The oddly shaped corms often have an extension from the bottom called “the foot”. Roots of newly planted corms do not come from the central bottom of the corm as one might expect, but rather emerge from the base of this “foot” and any other additional sprouting floral tubes the corm may produce. These shoots also include the rudimentary buds that will produce the leafy stems in early spring. Two floral tubes from a corm mean two new corms will develop to replace the original, three means three replacements will form, etc.

So how does one use them in the garden? Colchicums require a well-drained soil and prefer sunny locations. Incorporating them into herbaceous borders can be tricky, as the mass of leaves from established clumps can be quite substantial. I have successfully used them next to some of the classic late season perennials, especially ones like the ornamental grasses, Japanese Anemones, Russian Sages, or the smaller Joe-Pye Weeds, all plants that wait until the weather starts to warm before beginning their rapid growth stage. Place the corms at the perimeter of the foliage spread of their neighbor. The sunny spots at the bases of trees and in between shrubs display them well, and they will perform happily here provided that competition with surface roots is not an issue. Please, please do not fall victim to the old horticultural saw still being regurgitated that an ideal situation for them is amongst vinca minor, where “the green of the groundcover’s foliage provides the perfect foil for the emerging Colchicum blooms”. That design may look great the first time the newly planted corms flower, but be aware that the light conditions where vinca grows well does not grow colchicum well; they will soon dwindle away.

The nuances between all the kinds I choose to grow may involve their depth of color, whether the petals are checkered or not, time of bloom, length of flowering time, and foliage size. Here are a few of my favorites:

‘Disraeli,’ with bright, rich rosy-purple tulip shaped flowers treasured for their intense tessellation (darker lines of color that create a very attractive checkering pattern on the petals).

‘Poseidon,’ a bear of a grower with the longest flowering period of any we grow. Deep lilac.

‘Innocence,’a beautiful white that often will begin with petal tips colored with apple blossom pink.

‘World Champion’s Cup,’ broad lilac petals and what I call “walk by fragrance”. We are the sole US producers of this one.

Cilicicum, last to start blooming with short, funnel-shaped flowers and a delightful fragrance.

I only wish that I could get my hands on even more varieties, as there are lots of beauties in European gardens that I would like to trial, but sourcing from overseas has become almost impossible. As of now, I offer 20+ types through our mail order listing, and believe I am the only U.S. grower of a few of the varieties. My premier advantage is that I can begin shipping by the second week of August, where those coming from Dutch suppliers are never available before Labor Day. Ask for a list of everything we offer in the late summer/early fall by emailing me at david@daffodilsandmore.com or check out the website www.daffodilsandmore.com.

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Bartram's Garden: The Home of America’s First Botanist

John Bartram was America’s first botanist, plant explorer, and collector. He compiled a stunning selection of flora at his home garden and nursery from plant collecting expeditions across eastern America, as well as through his trades with European collectors. Located on the west bank of the Schuykill River, Bartram’s Garden covers 45 acres. It includes his 1728 home and the historic botanical garden and arboretum that showcases North American plant species collected by three generations of Bartrams.

Bartram was a Quaker, a denomination that produced many naturalists at that time. He taught himself about plants through books and his own observations. His curiosity fueled a desire to collect plants from all over New England, as far south as Florida, and west to Lake Ontario. He collected seeds and plant specimens and established a relationship with another plant collector—London merchant Peter Collinson. Their plant swaps led to a burgeoning business. Prominent patrons and scholars in Britain were fascinated by the native American species, and were eager to purchase from Bartram’s Garden. In 1765 King George III appointed Bartram Royal Botanist. At home in Philadelphia, Bartram received both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Bartram’s international plant trade and nursery business thrived under his descendants. Son William accompanied his father on most of his expeditions and became an important naturalist, author, and artist. William’s drawings of birds and turtles were used in publications in 1758. He transformed the garden into an educational center that trained a new generation of botanists and explorers. Granddaughter Ann Bartram Carr built a successful nursery business that introduced Asian plants to the American public.

The Bartram garden has many distinct areas to explore. In front of the house is the Ann Bartram Carr garden, which celebrates her Asian plant introductions such as peonies and dahlias. Behind the house are the kitchen, flower, and medicinal plant gardens. And beyond those are woodlands of trees and shrubs that were collected, grown, and studied by the Bartrams from 1728 to 1850. These are primarily native plants of eastern North America: flame azaleas, highbush cranberry, Carolina allspice, sweetbay magnolia, and more. A bog garden illustrates the Bartrams’ fascination with carnivorous plants. A separate area is devoted to plants William Bartram collected in the South, including bottlebrush buckeye and oakleaf hydrangea.

The garden also contains three especially notable trees:

Franklinia alatamaha: John and William Bartram discovered a small grove of these trees in October 1765 while camping by Georgia's Altamaha River. William eventually brought seeds to the garden, where they were planted in 1777. The species, named in honor of John Bartram’s friend Benjamin Franklin, was last seen in the wild in 1803. All Franklinia growing today are descended from those propagated and distributed by the Bartrams, who saved this tree from extinction.

Cladrastis kentukia (Yellowwood): A notably old tree, possibly collected by French plant explorer Andre Michaux in Tennessee and sent to William Bartram in 1796.

Ginkgo biloba: The Bartrams’ is believed to be one of three original ginkgos introduced to the United States from China in 1785.

The property continues to the edge of the river, where there are opportunities for water recreation. Native plants and those discovered by the Bartram family are available for purchase year-round in the Welcome Center.

Bartram’s Garden 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19143 (215) 729-5281 bartramsgarden.org

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Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum is a wonderful place to visit from June to September, when the exquisite rose garden is in bloom.

The three families whose names were given to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House all shared close ties to New Bedford’s dominance of the whaling industry in the 19th century. The beautiful Greek Revival mansion was built in 1834 for William Rotch Jr., one of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of New Bedford. Rotch was a Quaker who had distinguished himself by helping to found several banks and schools. He built his house on a hill overlooking the port, with room for expansive gardens on the south-facing side of the property. Rotch had a tremendous passion for horticulture, with a particular interest in the cultivation of pears, which were a popular fruit in New Bedford at that time. He created a bountiful garden of vegetables, fruits, and exotic ornamental species brought back from whaling voyages. Rotch founded the New Bedford Horticultural Society. He shared his horticultural interests with his son-in-law James Arnold who would later become benefactor of the Arnold Arboretum. (Below: William Rotch, Jr and James Arnold and family)

Edward Coffin Jones, a successful whaling agent, purchased the mansion in 1851. The Jones family expanded the garden and added the Victorian pergola situated at the main axis of the ornamental gardens. Jones’s daughter Amelia Hickling Jones lived in the house for 85 years. Photographs of the garden from the late 19th century show the pergola covered with wisteria and parterre beds edged with boxwood and filled with roses, hollyhocks, and calla lilies. Amelia became a prominent philanthropist in the community supporting the arts and founding a children’s hospital. With no heirs, the property was offered for sale when she died in 1935.

photo courtesy of rotch-jones-duff house

In 1936 the property was purchased by successful businessman and politician Mark M. Duff whose fortune was made in whale oil, coal, and oil transportation. Duff hired Mrs. John Coolidge, a Boston landscape architect, to enhance the garden with ornamental beds, reflecting pools, and graceful walkways. Duff was extremely fond of tulips, and more than 7,000 bulbs were planted during the Duff tenure, which concluded in 1981.

Today elements of all three residencies remain. A massive copper beech, planted by Amelia Jones in the 1880s, greets you at the front entrance of the mansion. On the left side of the house, stone steps descend to the formal boxwood rose parterre garden, the star of the property. The best view is from the porch of the house, where you can clearly see the pattern. The 19th-century wooden lattice pergola punctuates the garden, and its intricate lattice work casts lovely shadow patterns on the ground below. An heirloom apple orchard is sited nearby.

The Garden Club of Buzzards Bay has been involved in restoring these and other gardens on the property since 1982.  In the southeast corner, the club has created the kind of naturalistic woodland garden that might have existed on the site in the late 19th and early 20th centuries while referencing modern horticultural and environmental practices. Here you will find trilliums, Tiarella, trout lilies, and Solomon’s seal in early spring. The club also operates the historic greenhouse and maintains an adjacent historic collection of about 50 boxwood specimens.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-1401, rjdmuseum.org
Hours: May–Oct.: Wed.–Sat. 10–4, Sun. 12–4.

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June Garden Tours 2023

June is the ideal garden tour month for the Northeast! Below is a listing of several tours open to the public. Please note that the information was provided by the organizations listed below. There are many additional Open Garden Days sponsored by the Garden Conservancy in New York, New Jersey and other states. Please visit https://www.gardenconservancy.org for more information.

Massachusetts

Highfield Hall and Gardens

Falmouth, By appointment
Highfield Hall and Gardens, http://highfieldhall.org
Ticket Price: $12
We invite groups to coordinate private tours of our gardens with our Landscape Director, George Chapman.

6/3 90th Anniversary Garden Tour

Holliston, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, Rain or shine
Holliston Garden Club, http://Hollistongardenclub.org
Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 on day of tour
Tickets available to purchase on our website. Pre tour price $25. Day of tour $30. Pick up tickets at the Holliston Library. Magnificent display and variety of 7 gardens in Holliston and one in Millis. Drawing at each garden for a $40 gift certificate to Fiske’s General Store.

6/4 Norfolk County Open Garden Day

NORFOLK COUNTY, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/norfolk-county-ma-open-day\
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 2 private gardens in Needham and Milton

6/9–6/10 Artistry in Nature

Carlisle, 10 am–4 pm
Carlisle Garden Club, https://www.carlislegardenclub.org/
Tickets: $Seniors, 65+ $20, Adults $30. After June 5th, tickets are available at $35 online or in person.
Artistry in Nature features 6 fabulous private country gardens and 2 beautiful public gardens. Come experience the country and get fabulous ideas for using native plants in your garden!

You can pick up or purchase your tickets at Carlisle Town Common on both days of the tour between 10:00am-3:00pm. At that time you'll receive your booklet/guide to the gardens!

6/9–6/11 Boston Bonanza Weekend with the Conifer society

Massachusetts, various locations
American Conifer Society, https://conifersociety.org/news-events/event/ner-rendezvous-wakefield-estate/
The majority of the events for this weekend sponsored by the American Conifer Society are free - with a few workshops and Saturday night progressive dinner as paid ticketed events. 4 private gardens, a nursery, a local Arboretum will be featured as well as topics of interest to gardeners and people interested in learning more about conifers.

6/10 South Shore Open Garden Day

Cohasset, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/south-shore-ma-open-day-2
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 3 private gardens in Cohasset

6/23 Secret Gardens of Marion

Marion, 10am – 3pm.  Rain or shine
Marion Garden Group, http://mariongardengroup.org/secret-gardens-of-marion/.
Tickets: $35 in advance, $40 on day or tour

A self-guided walking tour of 8 stunning public and private gardens throughout Marion, on the picturesque shores of the Southcoast of Massachusetts.  Visitors will enjoy a variety of garden styles including expansive waterfront vistas, intimate cottage gardens, hardscaping, container gardens and more.  Additionally, two gardens will feature local plein air artists, Jay Ryan and Barbara Healy from the Marion Art Center.

Secret Gardens of Marion tour starts at Bicentennial Park, 1 Spring Street, Marion,MA.  Tickets and tour maps will be distributed at Bicentennial Park.  Marion is located one hour south of Boston and 20 minutes northwest of the Bourne Bridge.The event is organized and managed by the Marion Garden Group (MGG). Those wishing to include lunch are invited to purchase a boxed lunch from partner restaurant, Kate’s Simple Eats.  A prompt to purchase lunch is conveniently accessible on the ticketing webpage. Please note dogs are not permitted.

The Marion Garden Group is an organization of Marion-area residents interested in gardening.  Its goals are to assist in the enhancement of the town’s parks and landscape projects and to further expand members’ knowledge of gardening through discussions and presentations by experts in the field.  The Secret Gardens of Marion tour is a bi-annual event that raises money for the beautification of town public spaces.

6/24 June In Bloom

Mattapoisett
Mattapoisett Woman's Club Garden Group, http://Mattapoisettwomansclub.org
Tickets: $30 before 6/23, $35 on day of tour

The public is invited to view several fabulous gardens selected for a variety of gardening styles.  Inspirations will await attendees who visit the various gardens— from formal to informal, woodsy to cottage, seaside to secluded. The gardens will highlight the use of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, trees, and beautiful container plantings.

6/24 Garden Oasis

Roslindale, 11 am to 4 pm
Roslindale Green & Clean, http://www.roslindalegreenandclean.org/
Tickets: $20

Roslindale Green & Clean hosts Garden Oasis, the seventh Roslindale Garden Tour on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Join us as we feature gardeners who have created oases of calm in each unique space. Each garden is a unique blend of perseverance and creativity, particularly impressive given the challenges of an urban setting. All of these private gardens will inspire you with their stories, design, and genuine love of nature. The proceeds of the tour benefit continued improvements to the public green spaces in Roslindale.

Connecticut

6/10 Through the Garden Gate

Manchester, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm, rain or shine
Perennial Planters Garden Club of Manchester, http://manchestergardenclubs.org/perennial_planters.htm
Tickets: $20
Through the Garden Gate Grab your sun hat and join Perennial Planters Garden Club of Manchester for their biannual garden tour, “Through the Garden Gate.” Visit six beautifully designed private backyard gardens in Manchester, including a secret garden near Case Mountain with a landscaped hillside with stone boulders, seasonal perennials, and a beehive collection. Check out an historic Greek Revival home with a hidden swimming pool, including a stone patio and sweeping gardens with roses and hydrangea. Another charming garden is graced with trellises covered in fragrant heritage roses. On a quiet street, wander around a large part-shade, part-sun perennial garden with an extensive collection of hostas. Also view a vibrant farmhouse herb garden and newly restored flower garden with beautiful stone patios. Date: Saturday June 10, 2023, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, rain or shine. Advance Tickets - $20 Day of Tour Tickets - $25 Tickets will be available starting mid-May at the following locations: • Garden Sales, 308 Oakland Street, Manchester • Woodland Gardens, 168 Woodland Street, Manchester • Highland Park Market, 317 Highland Street, Manchester • Highland Park Market, 1320 Manchester Road, Glastonbury Or, reserve your ticket online here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/manchestergardentour2023 Proceeds from this garden tour fund local horticulture-related non-profits and scholarships.

6/10–6/11 Art & Garden Tour

Northeastern Conn: Mansfield, Willington, Coventry, Ashford, 10 am–5 pm
Connecticut Art & Garden Tour, https://artgardenct.com
Tickets: Free

Visit nine professional artists' private gardens, many with additional guest artists. Bring your camera or sketch book. Find inspiration and discover treasures for your own gardens. Experience paintings, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, pyrography, photography, calligraphy, gourds, and other works of art. The gardens, which vary in style, include a woodland trail, acres of mountain laurel, two sculpture gardens, fountains, pools, a wildflower meadow, stone arches, paths, terraces and an abundance of flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Art work, much of it horticulturally inspired, will be available for purchase. Individuals, families and groups are welcome. This relaxing self-guided tour through Ashford, Coventry, Mansfield and Willington in the beautiful hills of northeastern Connecticut is free. 

6/11 Fairfield & Hartford County Open Garden Days

Fairfield & Hartford Counties, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 4 private gardens in Burlington, Westport and Riverside

6/17 Litchfield County Open Garden Day

Litchfield County, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 6 private gardens including Page Dickey’s and Bunny Williams’ gardens.

New Hampshire

6/17 Cheshire County Open Garden Day

Chesire County, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 2 private gardens in Westmoreland and Jaffrey

6/24 Hillsborough County Open Garden Day

Hillsborough Count, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/hillsborough-county-nh-open-day
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 4 private gardens in Nashua, Milford and Goffstown

Kinney Azalea Gardens: Rhode Island’s Hidden Gem

The Kinney Azalea Gardens are a hidden gem—a private garden that grew out of the horticultural passions of Lorenzo Kinney, Jr, who moved there with his wife, Elizabeth, in 1927. The first azalea and rhododendron plants were planted shortly, with help from Lorenzo’s father, the first professor of botany at the nearby University of Rhode Island. Lorenzo inherited a love of horticulture from his father, and a love of plein air oil painting from his mother, who was URI’s first painting professor. Lorenzo was able to pursue both in the creation of his garden.

Azaleas became his passion after visiting Elizabeth’s native Virginia and seeing the extensive azalea plantings in southern estates. At that time, there were few azaleas available for northern gardens, so Lorenzo began collecting azaleas from the southern U.S. and from around the world, and hybridizing his own—a hobby that turned into a second career. His hybrids, known as the K-series, can be seen on the K Path in the garden. A beautiful peach hybrid is named in honor of Elizabeth.

With help from many high school and college students, Lorenzo planted five acres of gardens. One of those high school students, Susan Gordon, went on to earn a doctorate in plant sciences. She worked extensively with Lorenzo from 1976 until his death in 1994 at the age of 100. The gardens have stayed in the Kinney family, and visitors are still welcomed!

Dr. Gordon manages the gardens and continues to develop new hybrids. She has planted a sixth acre as Galle’s Footsteps, a series of five footprints, each devoted to an azalea hybridizer. The area is dedicated to the late Fred Galle, author, horticulturist and friend of Lorenzo’s. She has also created naturalized areas with native shrubs and perennials to preserve the biodiversity of the garden.

The azaleas are at their peak from mid-May to early June, when the garden is ablaze in pink, white, red and coral. There are hundreds of azalea and rhododendron cultivars, and collections of mountain laurel, boxwood, pieris, leucothoe, itea, calycanthus, and oakleaf hydrangeas. You will also find a stand of mature umbrella pines that was a wedding gift to Lorenzo from his parents, and a 10-foot circular moongate that was built by a local landscape architect and stonemason.

You can also purchase azaleas, rhododendrons, leucothoe, mountain laurel, and other shrubs, both in pots and as full-grown specimens from the garden. Cash and check only.

Kinney Azalea Gardens, 2391 Kingstown Rd. (Rte 108), South Kingstown, RI 02879, (401) 782-8847, kinneyazaleagardens.com. Admission by donation, open daily dawn to dusk, street parking.

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Big Rhodys

heritage museums and gardens, photo by jana milbocker

By CJ Patterson

A number of years ago, I was selling a rhododendron to a citizen, and he was thrilled with it.  It was Calsap (Catalgla X Sappho), a large frilled white with a dynamite purple-black blotch, very showy. He had seen it in our flower show and was smitten.  He had asked about it, and was told “it will be hard to find”. As he picked it up to head for the cash register, I remarked “it gets big, so be careful where you site it.” He froze in mid-lift and turned.  “What do you mean, big?”

calsap, photo by jana milbocker

And so it begins. Breeding with R. yakushimanum, R. brachycarpum, and other compact, slow-growing hybrids has changed our aesthetics in the garden. Nowadays, if it isn’t a little green toadstool, no one knows what to do with it. We really do need to cultivate some creativity in our garden design. One of the most fun things about Rhododendrons is their sheer variety. Every natural plant form from hedging, groundcovers, and foliage accent to small trees can be found amongst the rhodys right along with the standard rounded green shrub. All it takes is a little imagination to use them.

photo by jana milbocker

My Calsap loving customer had a small suburban garden, and I think the term “gets big” suggested a giant shambling mound that would eat the dog. I admitted that Calsap could indeed fill that description, but that it would take it a number of years to make it to the dog-eating stage, and in the meantime, if he gave it a good site with a half day of sun, and regular deadheading, he could look forward to being the envy of the neighborhood for two weeks every year for quite a while. Personally, I like a really big rhododendron. Something about a tree-form rhododendron that you can stroll under is irresistible to me. Like an evergreen magnolia, only better because it’s a rhododendron. And then once a year, it blooms gloriously, not a flower here and there like the magnolia, but great masses of bloom. Anyone who owns a mature “Andy Paton” will know what I  mean. 

heritage museums and gardens, photo by jana milbocker

And they can be so useful.  Big rhododendrons can be used as accent plants, or hedging, or blocking a nasty view.  They are good for anchoring beds, be they wildflower, perennial, or rhody collection.  I speak here of the varieties that have a naturally upright growth habit, with a solid scaffolding of branches that can be pruned up a bit to allow for air circulation and “head space” for underplantings. But which to choose?  There are so many fine varieties to choose from!  In no particular order, here are some suggestions for a “big” rhody.  All are dependable healthy solid citizens, hardy to at least USDA zone 6, and several to zone 5 or lower.

cadis, photo courtesy cornell university

Cadis (Caroline X R. discolor) is an old Gable hybrid that has stood the test of time, and is now considered a standard. A sturdy upright grower with strong crotches, it will reach 6-8 feet in ten years and bears copious masses of candy pink flowers in late midseason, as shown in the picture to the right. It takes good disease and drought resistance from the pod parent Caroline (an earlier hybrid of Gable which is famous for its ability to turn away the slings and arrows of outrageous weather) and an upright tree form habit and later bloom period from the pollen parent, R. discolor.

Wyandanch Pink, courtesy ARS

Wyandanch Pink is one of the fastest and largest growing Dexter hybrids.  A mature specimen can have multiple upright trunks 4” or more in diameter. Add to this hardiness to at least USDA zone 5, and you have a good candidate for the colder garden.  It is one of the hardiest Dexters we can recommend for western Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Its main flaw is that because it is such a fast grower and grows so large, that it can have brittle wood.  For this reason I do not recommend planting it under white pines or where it will catch the wind.

Spellbinder, photo by CJ patterson

Spellbinder is a very large growing hybrid by Leach {(R. maximum X Russell Harmon) X (R. calophytum X sutchuenense)} that was bred for a tree form plant. It has plenty of hardiness from the pod parent, and a solid tree form from the pollen parent to give a sturdy tall upright plant.  It does not root easily from cuttings, so it may take a little searching for, but I have seen it in nurseries. It is hardy in zone 5 and should have at least a few hours a day of sun to bud up well.

katherine Dalton, courtesy Cornell university

Katherine Dalton is a Canadian hybrid of R. smirnowii and R. fortunei and taking the best from each parent.  A healthy hardy strong growing plant, with good clean foliage and well clothed, a dense upright plant with a shared leader, very resistant to snow load and windstorms.  It does not set many seedpods and so does not need much deadheading, a happy characteristic in a plant you need a stepladder to deadhead.

Now we reach the varieties that, while splendid, may take a bit of searching, but they are totally worth the trouble.

Babylon, photo by CJ patterson

Babylon (R. calophytum X praevernum). This is a famous plant, found in many collections, but almost unknown in the standard nursery trade, probably because it takes a while to mature to a flowering specimen. To become a convert, try looking at the specimen plant at Sakonnet Gardens in RI shown in the picture to the right. It needs a sheltered position as it blooms very early, with enormous trusses of white with a large jewel red blotch cascading over the plant. It is hardier than you would expect from the parentage, and I have seen trusses from west of I-495 and from southern NH, but their growers have been careful to provide both light shade and good air drainage. Even so, late frosts may ruin your show, although it seldom injures the plant.

babylon, photo by CJ patterson

Atroflo I and II (R. atrosanguineum X floccigerum) Another antique from Gable that is an ideal beginner’s plant for a tall rhododendron. It is an excellent foliage plant with long slender leaves of dark green with fairly thick indumentum beneath. It flowers freely with at least a half day of sun, bright rose in a medium sized truss, and the petals look like they were made of crinkly tissue paper. Habit is upright to a fault, growing up before filling out.  Branches that touch ground layer easily and then reach for the sky, forming a separate leader.  An Atroflo neglected in a large planting will form a little woods of its own, shading out its neighbors. Unfortunately, mine never seem to get much more than 15 feet or so tall, but perhaps they are not ideally situated. Atroflo I was the first to be selected from the seedlot for floral characteristics, but later Atroflo II was selected as being not quite as tall, but hardier.  Other than that, they are nearly identical in the garden.

hardy giant, photo by cj patterson

Hardy Giant (R. fortunei X fictolacteum) One of the earliest attempts to produce a hardy tree rhododendron, this uses R. fortunei as a pod parent for hardiness and fictolacteum as a pollen parent for size, as it is a true tree species related to R. rex. Unfortunately, the enormous leaves of the pollen parent did not come through, but it did yield a handsome sturdy upright plant with good foliage (though not overlarge) and a growth habit that grows up about twice as fast as it grows sideways. It blooms in early midseason with ample trusses of white flowers tinged pink. Solidly hardy to zone 5b and probably more, given a sheltered position with good air drainage. Our first plant grew to 12 feet in 20 years from a cutting, almost twice as tall as wide.

Russell Harmon, photo by cj patterson

Russell Harmon is a hybrid of our two native broadleaves, R. catawbiense and maximum and was introduced by La Bar’s nursery in the 1950s. It is about as hardy as you will get in a large rhododendron, down to -25F or better, and once established, is pretty bulletproof for a tall rhododendron. It roots easily and does not seem to be much discouraged by drought, once established. Personally, I think this rhody would be the poster child for the term “abundanza”, growing ten feet tall and fifteen feet wide, and once it reaches its maximum height it will continue to grow sideways. When it reaches its allotted space, it should be pruned.  It will reward good light with very large trusses of magenta tinged flowers, not individually large, but plenty of them. It blooms late in the season, too late for most shows which is unfortunate, as its tall triangular trusses are much loved by judges.

duke of york, photo by CJ Patterson

Duke of York (R. fortunei X Scipio) Last but not least, one of my all-time favorite rhodys, an antique from the early days of hybridizing.  Large flowers of pink with a slight tinge of magenta in lax but copious trusses, on a taller than wide plant, it is a healthy and long-lived vigorous variety bred in England but completely hardy in zone 5b here. When I was still working at the Arnold Arboretum, I found three of them at the base of Hemlock Hill that had been planted nearly 100 years earlier and were still in wonderful shape, at least twelve feet high and still blooming prolifically. I was thrilled to find that it roots easily and grows like a weed, and brought cuttings to P4M, where others shared my enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I made the major error of mentioning the plants to a garden designer, and she enthusiastically rerouted a major footpath right over them. In vain did I point out that rhododendrons do not like having their roots pummeled by traffic and that a stream of callous visitors would pull the plants down and rip off their stems (“there are so many flowers, no one will mind if I take a few” and rip them off they will do. I never mentioned a plant to upper echelons again.) I have not been back in many years, so I do not know if they are still there, but if they are, they are worth the extra hike when you visit the arboretum. The variety is so tall growing that I decided to experiment with it. I planted four rooted cuttings as a little grove, and then stood back to see how they would grow. The good news is that they grew into a wonderful grove that I could walk unimpeded under as though it were a grove of trees. The bad news is the closed canopy is very dense, allowing little light to filter down, and you cannot even tell when the plants are flowering except from a distance. And, of course no wildflowers or companion plants will grow under them.

scintillation, photo by jana milbocker

So I recommend tall rhodys to you as an accent plant, a boundary fence, or a visual screen from the neighbors. Use your imagination. A friend and chapter member, Berta Atwater had a superb garden and grew many unusual rhododendrons, but she also grew many standards, but with extra flair. She grew a row of Scintillation and limbed them up when they got big enough, and planted a group of clipped white R. kaempferi underneath. Come bloom time, the effect was stunning, and out of bloom was very elegant. Unfortunately, eventually a hurricane came and trashed the planting, but it was glorious while it lasted.

CJ Patterson is Vice President of the American Rhododendron Society, Massachusetts Chapter, and District 6 Director of the American Rhododendron Society. She and her husband have been hybridizing rhododendrons since 1986.

Prepping your Peonies for Spring

By Dan Furman, Owner, Cricket Hill Garden

Spring is here and we in the northeast are just about a month away from peony season. All types of peonies have a well deserved reputation as tough, long lived perennials that put on ostentatious displays of colorful blossoms year in and year out. A little annual basic maintenance of established peonies will help ensure that they remain healthy and vigorous for years to come. Here at Cricket Hill Garden we have thousands of plants growing in our display garden, stock plant blocks and nursery. Here is what we do ensure that our plants are off to the best possible start.

peonies at cricket hill nursery

Clean up any old foliage from left over last year which can harbor disease. It's best to dispose of old peony foliage in the fall at the end of the growing season, but as with many things, better late than never. Since fungal pathogens can survive for long periods on old foliage, if possible discard old foliage outside of the garden unless you have a compost pile that gets hot.

fertilizer ring: a 'ring' of granular soil amendments including lime, azomite, and pro-gro fertilizer are applied around the drip line of a peony in early spring

All peonies like a slightly acidic to neutral pH. Many areas of the Northeast have acidic soils. Lime is used to ‘sweeten’ the soil and raise the pH. If you are in an area with acidic soils and it's been a while since you added any lime to your peonies, spring is a great time to do so. Sprinkle one cup of garden lime around the drip line of established peonies. Use less for younger plants. 

Depending on your soil, you may also want to fertilize your plants for increased blooms. Some are blessed with rich soil which delivers all the nutrients peonies need to grow and bloom well without any fertilization. At Cricket Hill Garden, we are not so lucky. Adding compost to the soil in your garden is an investment in the long term fertility of your garden. Like many good investments, it can take a few years to pay dividends as the nutrients filter down to the root zone.

For a more immediate boost, we like to apply a granular organic fertilizer in the early spring such as Pro Gro 5-6-5. We apply 1-2 cups of this fertilizer around the base of the plant and lightly scratch it into the soil. We also use Azomite, a crushed volcanic rock powder, contains 70 different minerals and trace elements. These micro-nutrients help facilitate healthy plant growth. We have found to be an excellent supplement for our peonies, other perennials as well as in the vegetable garden. Bone meal is high phosphorus fertilizer which is also good for peonies, but is best applied in early summer after the bloom. 

The soil amendments are lightly worked into the ground. This final step of ‘scratching’ the soil amendments and fertilizer into the ground is very important. If simply left on the surface, they will cake and not break down into the soil as quickly.

One green growth has commenced, we will begin fertilizing the peonies with Neptune’s Harvest. For area where fungus is an issue for us, we apply the organic fungicide Actinovate. This is only effective when the air temperature is above 40° F.  

Pruning Cut: cutting a stub of dead wood from above live buds waking up in early spring

For tree peonies, early spring is the best time to do any necessary pruning. First remove any crossed or damaged branches. Next weak and interior growth can be pruned out. Some tree peonies are prolific in sending new shoots from the ground. While some of these can be kept and allowed to grow, allowing all to grow will sap too much energy from the established stems. Thin out all but the strongest of this new growth. Many tree peonies are grafted onto herbaceous rootstock, which is liable to sucker. If you see a herbaceous peony incongruously growing right next to your tree peony, this is the sprouted root stock. Remove these suckers. Leaving them will weaken the tree peony.

suckering rootstock: the eyes of a suckering herbaceous rootstock emerging next to a tree peony stem. These should be removed.

One of the great debates around peonies is whether or not to mulch. It has clear benefits, but if done incorrectly can also have negative effects on the plant. The best materials are double ground wood chips, bark mulch, chopped leaves and ‘clean’ compost which is free of weed seeds. Wood Chips are less than ideal but actually the material we use most here at Cricket Hill Garden. The benefits of applying a 1-2” layer of mulch around your peonies are many fold. It will suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil as well as build soil health as the material breaks down. The dangers of using mulch are that they can build up to too heavy a layer overtime, making it difficult for the new shoots of herbaceous and intersectional peonies to emerge in the spring. Another potential pitfall is to apply too much directly around the stems of the peony. This can cause this area to retain too much moisture and lead to disease problems. It is best to keep the ‘drip line,’ the area underneath the foliage of the plant, free of mulch. Beyond the drip line the mulch will serve all of its beneficial roles in the garden without posing a danger to the peony.

Wood chip mulch: A layer of wood chip mulch helps suppress weeds around a woodland herbaceous peony

Now that you have your peonies all prepped for the coming season, it is time to actually stop working for a little while and enjoy the fleeting beauty of spring in your garden!

Cricket Hill Garden offers tree peonies, herbaceous peonies and fruit trees by mail order and in their nursery.

Cricket Hill Garden, 670 Walnut Hill Rd. Thomaston, CT 06787, 860-283-9393, treepeony.com. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 am-4 pm.

Spring in New England's Garden in the Woods

bloodroot

April is the perfect time to visit Garden in the Woods, New England’s living museum of rare and common native plants. It is also the home of the Native Plant Trust, whose mission is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants, and encourage both home and professional gardeners to choose natives when they plant outdoor spaces. 

great white trillium

trillium cuneatum

Garden in the Woods began in 1931 when Will C. Curtis, a self-trained botanist and landscape architecture graduate of Cornell University, purchased 30 acres in north Framingham. He began clearing, planting, and sharing his garden with others. When he opened the garden to the public in 1934, Curtis wrote: “I am bringing together all the Wild Flowers and Ferns hardy in this latitude and establishing them in natural environments where they can easily be reached and enjoyed by the interested public.”

As he entered his 80s, Curtis became concerned about the future of his garden in the midst of a busy city. In an agreement with the New England Wild Flower Society, he pledged to donate the garden if an endowment of $250,000 could be raised. Wild flower hobbyists from every state and Canada, along with 450 different garden clubs, conservation groups, foundations and businesses, heeded the call. On Curtis’s 82nd birthday in 1965, the deed was transferred to the Society. With the land came Curtis’ collection of nearly 2,000 native plant species. Within a few years, the Society moved from its Boston headquarters to the garden, added a nature center, and purchased 15 acres of adjoining land as a buffer from surrounding housing developments.

rue anemone

Erythronium, scilla and bleeding hearts

Today the Garden is the largest landscaped collection of wildflowers in New England, containing over 1,700 kinds of plants representing about 1,000 species, 200 of which rare and endangered. Ponds fringed by native blue irises, swamps with skunk cabbage, and a bog where carnivorous yellow pitcher plants catch flies illustrate the variety of Massachusetts habitats. Rare and common native flora create a changing tapestry of flowers and foliage throughout the seasons.

Mayapples unfurling their leaves

canadian anemone

The best time to visit Garden in the Woods is in the spring, when the blooms of trout lilies, squirrel corn, Virginia bluebells, pink lady’s slipper orchids, Canada violets, blue woodland phlox, twinleaf, and Jack-in-the-pulpits cover the forest floor. In late spring, rhododendrons and azaleas burst into bloom, followed by clethra and the legendary franklinia in summer. Curtis was a fan of white flowers, and you see them everywhere: white varieties of wild geranium, bluebells, Virginia rose, great lobelia and cardinal flower. Partridgeberry and red baneberry, which normally produce red fruit, here produce white.

marsh marigold

Since the gardens are planted with natives and maintained organically, they attract a multitude of butterflies, honeybees, and other insect pollinators, as well as frogs, turtles, black snakes, dragonflies, and birds.

painted turtles bask on a log

Although the plantings look spontaneous, most of the plants were raised from seeds cultivated at the Society’s Nasami Farm nursery and meticulously placed in the landscape. A wide selection of native plants is available for sale at the gift shop. You can also purchase plants at Nasami Farm from April to early October; Saturday and Sundays, 10-5, and weekdays by appointment. 128 North St., Whately, MA, (413) 397-9922.

Other gardens dedicated to native plants include Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, PA, and Mount Cuba in Wilmington, DE. New York Botanic Garden and Stonecrop in New York, Jenkins Arboretum in PA and Leonard J Buck garden in Far Hills, NJ also have many natives. Other native plant nurseries include Native Landscapes in Pawling, NY, and Earth Tones Native Plants in Woodbury, CT.

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The Longstalk Holly

By Joan Butler

Longstalk holly (Ilex pedunculosa) is a unique and beautiful addition to the home garden. This large evergreen holly, native to China and Japan, was first grown in North America from seeds planted at the Arnold Arboretum in 1907. It has proven to be long-lived and extremely cold tolerant, with some of the original specimens still gracing the Arboretum landscape. It is dependably hardy through Zone 5. In my garden, it has survived temperatures as low as -10 degrees with ease.

Like all hollies, it prefers a well-drained, slightly acidic soil. It thrives in partial shade and has no serious pest or disease problems. Its smooth, green leaves are 2-3 inches long x 1 ½ inches wide, with a satiny sheen and gently rippled edges that catch the light.

Its most unique feature is the bright red berries that hang from one- to two-inch long slender stalks (pedicles), resembling tiny cherries. These fruits (drupes) are one-quarter inch in diameter and ripen in early fall. They persist on the plant well into winter, until they are eaten by birds and other wildlife. As is common in hollies, both male and female plants are needed in order for the female to set fruit.

My own longstalk hollies were planted over 25 years ago. They were slow-growing at first, then hit their stride and are now 12-foot tall beauties that add grace and distinction to my shrub border (upper right in photo). Their long branches are very supple, and it is amusing to watch squirrels as they try to inch their way along the swaying branches to nibble on the tasty fruits. Towards the end of winter, the only berries left uneaten are at the very tips of the branches, and I have seen robins on the ground attempting a weird jump/fly up to a low branch to grab a berry on their way down.

The longstalk holly is surprisingly under-used in the home landscape. Its lustrous, wavy leaves add depth and motion to the garden as they catch the light of the sun. Its shiny red, dangling berries add unique beauty and provide food for birds. Its graceful form adds elegance to the shrub border. In his book, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael Dirr calls it “the most handsome of the evergreen hollies that can be grown in northern gardens”. Easily grown, with few pests or diseases, and beautiful in all seasons, longstalk holly deserves a place in every home garden.

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Japanese Umbrella Pine: A Living Fossil for the Winter Garden

One of the most beautiful evergreens for the winter garden is the Japanese Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata), a slow-growing specimen that always attracts attention. It is an elegant conifer with long, thick, lustrous needles and a fascinating history.

The Umbrella Pine is actually not a pine at all.  It is a coniferous evergreen that is now classified in its own family, the Sciadopitaceae. The Umbrella Pine can be traced to the Triassic period, some 250 million years ago, when the continents were joined and much of North America was near the Equator. At that time, the Japanese Umbrella Pine and its then-numerous relatives flourished in what is now Eurasia, northern Europe and northern North America. But as the continents moved and flowering plants replaced conifers, the Umbrella Pine’s range and species diversification shrank. Today, this once successful family is reduced to just one species growing in the cool cloud forests of central Japan at elevations of 1,500-3,000 feet.

Enthusiasts and collectors of unusual and historical specimens consider the Umbrella Pine a “living fossil”. A living fossil is any living species of plant or animal with no known close relatives outside of the fossil record. Growing a living fossil in the home garden is one way to help preserve rare or endangered plant species since it increases their geographic range. Other trees that are considered “living fossils” include the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia), and Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana). For more examples of living fossils, visit the Arboretum at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Conn., which displays more than 250 species and cultivars of trees and shrubs from the Dinosaur Age.

Japanese umbrella pines frame the entrance to the dinosaur state park in rocky hill, Ct.

Francis Parkman, a Boston historian with a passion for gardening, was the first to grow this conifer outside Japan.  In 1861, he was sent the first Umbrella Pine - along with the first Japanese maples to be grown in America - by George Hall, an Oriental trader. Parkman named this unusual conifer Japanese Umbrella Pine because the whorl of stiff flattened needles at the end of each shoot resembles the spokes of a Japanese umbrella.

Although the Umbrella Pine has a narrow growing range (Zones 5-7), it is an ideal tree for much of New England. It enjoys moist, acidic, well-drained soil, full to part sun, a sheltered location, and is not subject to diseases or pests. In nature, it grows as a 120-foot tall tree with a dense, symmetrical growth habit and reddish-brown bark that exfoliates in shreds. In the garden, it is very slow growing - often making only 6 inches of growth a year to a height of 25-40 feet. The luxuriantly rich evergreen needles are 2 to 5 inches long.

As the tree ages, 3- to 6-inch-long oval-shaped, brown pine cones will appear. Even the pine cones are slow growing – they take almost two years to mature after pollination. Because of its slow growth rate, the Umbrella Pine can be used in rock gardens. It makes a unique addition to the home landscape as a specimen or lawn tree, or even as part of a foundation planting. Attractive, unusual, but somewhat pricey, this long-lived conifer will be a prominent focal point in any garden setting.

Japanese umbrella pines frame a collection of azaleas at the kinney azalea Garden

New cultivars from Iseli Nursery include ‘Joey Cozy’, an upright, narrow variety that grows to 20’ high and withstands snow load due to its shorter branches. ‘Picola’ is a dwarf variety which grows to 4’, and ‘Richie’ grows to only 12’ high and features yellow spring growth.

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Winter Sowing for a Bountiful Harvest

I love to test new gardening techniques, and for the past two years I tried winter sowing. The technique was popularized by Trudy Davidoff, once a novice, thrifty seed starter, who was challenged for space. Her small home in New York state did not have room for grow lights and seed trays. After some research, Trudi discovered that many seeds need a chilling period to trigger germination, so she decided to mimic what happens naturally. She sowed seeds in containers in late winter and left them outdoors to germinate naturally, without supplemental water or fertilizers. The technique was a success, and Trudi spread the word through a website and Facebook group (Winter Sowers).

After experimenting with winter sowing, I am a convert. The technique is simple, inexpensive, and fun, and allows you to do some gardening during the winter. You don’t need grow lights, heat mats, or seed trays. Your seedling will not be killed by “damping off,” and you do not need to “harden off” the seedlings before planting them outside.

 When to sow

Most winter sowers recommend starting after Christmas. I sowed seeds over a period of several weeks last year. For seeds that need stratification or scarification, late January to mid February gives them enough of a chilling time to trigger germination. Seeds that don’t need it can be started later – I started some in March in my Zone 6a garden.

Photo from Joegardener.com

How to Winter Sow

In nature, cold hardy seeds can withstand freezing temperatures, but they are insulated by fallen leaves and plant debris. In winter sowing, that protection is provided by your container, which become a mini-greenhouse. Most of us already have various options to use at home: one gallon plastic milk jugs, 2-liter soda bottles, restaurant take-out containers, and plastic containers that greens and salad mixes are grown in. I used all these options last year, and also purchased some aluminum pans with plastic lids from the Dollar Store, which worked great. It’s best to have 3” of depth for the soil.

Once you’ve got your container, you need to create holes for drainage, air and venting. You can use a Phillips-head screwdriver for this. Heat up the tip of the screwdriver and touch it to the plastic. It melts a good-sized hole without much effort. Make many holes for both drainage and venting. If you’re using a milk jug or a soda bottle, slice around the circumference about 5-6” from the bottom. Don’t cut it completely off. Instead, leave about an inch to work like a sort of hinge for the lid.

For sowing, I recommend a good quality potting soil. Seed starting soil is not necessary, and also provides zero nutrients, so you will need to fertilize if you use it. Dampen the soil, and sow your seeds to the depth specified on the seed packet. Trudi recommended a “mass planting” where you scatter the seeds on the soil instead of carefully spacing them out. This works well for small seeds. Water gently, replace the lid, and label with a paint pen or permanent marker. Tape the milk jugs and soda bottles closed with duct tape, and any other lids that may fly off in a strong wind.

 Where to place containers

Your winter sown containers need the warmth of the sun, and access to rain. They should also be protected from animals and foot traffic so they don’t get knocked over and heavy winds. I placed mine close to the back door so that I could easily keep an eye on them.  As the temperatures start to warm in the spring, check the containers often for germination. It’s so exciting to see the seedlings emerge! Once they begin growing, you can cut larger openings in your container for air circulation or remove the lids. Make sure that the soil remains damp–water as needed! When the seedlings are tall enough to reach the top of the container and have a sturdy root system, they are ready to transplant into the garden.

 Plants that can be winter sown

Annuals: alyssum, calendula, celosia, cleome, cosmos, dahlia, emilia, gaillardia, helianthus, lavatera, linaria, four o’clocks, morning glory, nasturtium, nicotiana, pansy, petunia, portulaca, rudbeckia, snapdragon, sunflower, viola

Perennials: asclepsia, bellis, coreopsis, digitalis, echinacea, flax, gaura, grasses, heuchera, inula, lewisia, liatris, malva, nepeta, oenothera, poppy, red hot poker, salvia, yarrow

 Herbs: basil, chamomile, chives, dill, hyssop, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme

 Veggies: Arugula, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, carrots, celery, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, radish, pumpkin, spinach, winter squash

 See my article “12 Terrific Seed Companies for 2022” for seed company recommendations.

I hope that some of you will try winter sowing this year! With 70,000 members, the Winter Sowers Facebook group is a great resource for ideas and information. Trudi has retired, so her Winter Sown website no longer exists, but there are other online sources as well.

Sundance Orchids & Bromeliads

For the orchid or bromeliad lover, there is no better place to visit than Sundance Orchids & Bromeliads. With nine modern greenhouses situated on five acres of landscaped grounds, Sundance is the largest retail and wholesale nursery in the Fort Myers area. The selection of orchids will satisfy both the collector and the casual gardener: frilly cattleyas, oncidiums, encyclias, and phalaenopsis in shades of white, yellow, pink, and purple; delicate dendrobiums; bulbophyllums; and a large selection of vandas imported directly from Thailand.

Plants can be purchased separately or in beautifully composed arrangements in pots or Mopani driftwood logs. In addition to orchid plants and growing supplies, Sundance offers repotting services, classes, and a “Summer Camp” for orchid owners who travel.

Bromeliads are the nursery’s second focus, with a huge selection of plants available for outdoor landscaping or decoration of the lanai or indoor spaces. Tillandsias, also known as air plants, are a type of bromeliad. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes that can be displayed individually in creative containers or combined with orchids and other ferns and succulents in custom “live log” arrangements.

Like many public gardens and nurseries, Sundance Orchids grew from a hobby. Founder Lee Behrhorst retired to Florida from Pittsburg in the 1990s. When he found that he could not create a large outdoor garden in his gated community, Lee began to collect orchids for his lanai. Hobby turned into obsession, and when his collection outgrew his house, Lee began to search for greenhouse space. In 2001 he found land with a dilapidated greenhouse that became the home for his 3,000 orchids and a small nursery business. Lee’s passion began to include bromeliads, and as his business grew, so did the number of greenhouses. When he retired in early 2017, Lee sold the business to long-time employee and orchid enthusiast Jacki Garland and her partner Elijah Spurlin. Hurricane Irma devastated the nursery that year, destroying half of the greenhouses and causing huge plant losses. Jacki and Elijah have worked hard to restore the business, and no evidence of the hurricane is visible to visitors today. Beautifully planted flower beds welcome you to the greenhouses, which are overflowing with more than 25,000 orchids and 20,000 bromeliads. Travelers can have purchases shipped to their homes.

You can also order plants from the nursery’s website, sundanceorchids.com

Sundance Orchids, 16095 S. Pebble Ln., Fort Myers, FL 33912. 239-489-1234 sundanceorchids.com

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Bonnet House: An Artistic Retreat in Florida

The former home of artists Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett provides a wonderful immersion in art, architecture, international folk art, and gardens. You will find an eclectic house with an art studio, courtyard garden, shell house, and art gallery situated on 35 acres of Old Florida habitat.

Frederic Bartlett was born in 1874 in Chicago, the son of a prosperous businessman. The World’s Columbian Exposition inspired him to pursue a career in art. He studied under James Whistler and Pierre Purvis Charannes in Europe, attended the prestigious Royal Academy in Munich, and became a muralist and collector of Post-Impressionist art. Many of the masterpieces he collected by van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, and Toulouse-Lautrec were later donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Frederic built Bonnet House with his second wife, poet Helen Louise Birch, in 1921, when Fort Lauderdale was a small outpost on the New River. He designed the main residence to resemble a Caribbean plantation house, with a central courtyard and a hallway with brightly painted doors, window frames, and ornate railings.

Helen died in 1925, and it wasn’t until Frederic’s marriage to Evelyn Fortune Lilly in the 1930s that a renaissance of collecting and embellishing the house occurred. Frederic encouraged Evelyn to pursue her interest in art, and Evelyn became a painter in her own right. The creative couple transformed Bonnet House into a jewel box of color, pattern, and ornamentation, with paintings, antiques, and folk art collected abroad, mural-adorned ceilings, faux marbled floors, and walls inlaid with seashells.

The Bonnet House grounds are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other. It encompass one of the last examples of a native barrier island habitat in South Florida. Several different ecosystems can be found on the property including the Atlantic Ocean beachfront, sand dunes, a fresh water slough, mangrove wetlands, and a maritime forest. The land is a haven for fish and wildlife, migratory and indigenous birds, and for manatees that occasionally visit the canal. With acres of buffer on all sides, the house is situated in a very private peaceful oasis in the midst of a busy city.

The gardens and grounds display a blend of native and exotic flora. When you enter the property, a long allée of stately paperbark tea trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia) lines the drive. These trees sport white bottlebrush flowers and are native to Australia. The Bartletts built their boathouse in the center of the property at the end of their private canal off the Intracoastal Waterway. East of the boathouse is the fruit grove consisting of mango, sapodilla, guava, Surinam, cherry, avocado, mulberry, calabash, and citrus trees. The grove was carefully cultivated by the Bartletts and the fruits were favorite household delicacies.

The Bartletts enjoyed collecting seeds during their travels abroad and planting these exotics in their Florida garden. The Desert Garden at the front entrance of the house features yuccas, century plants, silver palms, saw palmetto, and other unusual plants from arid parts of the world. The freshwater slough east of the house is lined with two rows of Australian pines. Gumbo-limbo trees, sabal palms, and paradise trees shade masses of wild coffee, silver palm, and coonties. The bonnet lily, a native water lily with yellow flowers and the property’s namesake, still blooms in the slough.

The courtyard sports a formal garden of coquina walkways and parterres built around a central fountain. Various palms, hibiscus, gingers, and other lush tropical plants thrive in this protected space.

Evelyn loved birds and animals, and the whimsical blue and yellow aviary was built by Frederic to house her macaws, monkeys, and other pets. Today, the Brazilian squirrel monkeys still live in the wild on the estate.

Evelyn was also passionate about orchids, and her collection featured 3,000 plants. Blooming varieties are rotated regularly through the bright yellow Orchid Display House.

evelyn’s shell house

Frederic died in 1953, but Evelyn continued to return each winter. In 1983 she gave Bonnet House to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation to ensure that the site would be preserved for the enjoyment and education of future generations.

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens 900 N. Birch Rd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-563-5393. bonnethouse.org

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Goodbye Summer, don’t hurry back

by Antonia Hieronymus

Summer is over and Fall is here. 

No more shorts and flip-flops, 
No more lazy hazy languid days
No more the deep honking bass of the bullfrogs
No more coffee on the patio with a spectacular sunrise.
With the dwindling of summer comes the rising doubt:
Where did it go? Did I make the most of it? Was I a good steward of my garden?
There were times that pots looked wilted, and times when the weeds ran rampant. There were beds that never quite got fully planted, and seeds that were never sown.
We gardeners are masters of seeing what still needs doing, rather than appreciating the true beauty and bounty before us.
So, as I put the garden to bed for the winter, there’s a tinge of regret.
And there’s also a tinge of relief. 
No more struggling to keep up with the watering
No more mosquito bites
No more weeding

Because I live in a temperate climate, I go through this cycle every year. By Spring I will be yearning to get out there and get my hands dirty and my back sore.

 But what if I didn’t live in a state which has winter? What if I were in Zone 10 and never had a killing frost? Then I’d always have the languid, the honking and the outdoor coffee. And would I appreciate them? Probably not - friends in Arizona have pools which rarely see swimmers, whereas in contrast every year my kids plunged into the still-cold water on the much-anticipated pool opening day with shouts of glee and squeals of delight.

Summer is over and Fall is here. I will don my sweaters and fill the wood basket. Coziness will replace sweltering heat, and I’ll be happy to enjoy cider and doughnuts instead of watermelon and peaches.

After all, it’s the seasons that make gardening possible. I garden because I love that connection to the earth. I love being in touch with Nature, in all her forms. As my garden goes dormant and gets renewed in Spring, so does my enthusiasm for it. There is a reason for that long winter sleep of both my garden and my zeal for it, it is the old-as-time turning of the earth around the sun. It is fitting that I will ebb and flow with the ebbing and flowing of life itself.

Antonia gardens in Wayland, Mass.

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Gilded Age Splendor in the Hudson River Valley

In 1895 Cornelius Vanderbilt’s grandson Frederick and his wife, Louise, bought the Hudson River estate known as Hyde Park to use as their spring and fall country estate. Frederick Vanderbilt was a quiet man, active in the business of directing 22 railroads, while Louise was a wealthy socialite. They built a Neoclassical Beaux Arts mansion furnished with European antiques, and outfitted with all the latest innovations: electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating. The final cost totaled $2.25 million—about $60.5 million in today’s dollars.

Hyde Park was a self-sustaining estate, providing food and flowers for the family’s needs there and at their other homes. The grounds had been shaped by several previous owners with horticultural interests. In the early 1800s, Dr. Samuel Bard planted exotic plants and trees in the European Picturesque style.

The next owner, Dr. David Hosack, had a passion for botany and established the first formal gardens on the estate, as well as extensive greenhouses to hold his exotic plants. He also hired André Parmentier, the most renowned landscape architect of that time, to design the landscape. Roads, bridges, and lawns were laid out to compliment natural features, while large areas were left wild. Today, much of Parmentier’s original design remains and continues to be admired for its grace and beauty. In the late 1800s, owner Walter Langdon, Jr., laid out the first formal gardens. He built the gardener’s cottage, tool house, and garden walls, which remain and are in use today.

The Vanderbilts added many amenities to the property to make it accessible, practical and beautiful. They installed their own railroad station (he was a railroad tycoon, after all), boat docks, a coach house, two new bridges over Crum Elbow Creek, a power station, and extensive landscaping.

A large, formal garden was common to most Gilded Age estates, and Frederick Vanderbilt, who had a horticulture degree from Yale University, established the Italian-style, terraced garden that we see today. An esplanade of cherry trees leads to a walled perennial garden, which opens up to a long reflecting pool and a brick loggia decorated with the statue of an odalisque in mid-dance. The path continues to a two-tier rose garden with a charming summerhouse.

The upper garden features formal beds, while the lower garden was planted in the Victorian “bedding out style” of annuals that swept through the country in the late 1800s. This garden exhibits a mélange of curvilinear shapes—crescents, hearts, and circular beds, all planted with bright annuals.

The Vanderbilts were part of a new wave of urban elite that moved to the Hudson River Valley to enjoy relaxed country living, the sporting life, farming, and outdoor recreation. Hyde Park saw lavish weekend parties with horseback riding, golf, tennis, and swimming, followed by formal dinners and dancing. When not hosting guests, the Vanderbilts strolled through the gardens and greenhouses twice daily and visited the farm.

These greenhouses were operational during the Vanderbilt era. When the Vanderbilts were in residence, the greenhouse staff began each day by gathering cut flowers from the carnation and rose houses, bringing them to the mansion, and arranging them in the service area of the basement. The parlor and chamber maids placed them in designated locations on the upper floors. The butler ordered flowers from the greenhouses daily, and created all of the arrangements for the Dining Room himself. If the Vanderbilts were in New York, the greenhouse staff boxed the cut flowers and shipped them to the city.

After Frederick Vanderbilt’s death in 1938, the federal government purchased the estate, thanks to the intervention of President Franklin Roosevelt. While the grounds, landscaping, and buildings were preserved, there were no funds to maintain the gardens, which suffered years of neglect. Today the landscape is restored to its 1930s appearance, thanks to the Frederick William Vanderbilt Garden Association—a group of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to bring the gardens to their former glory. The formal gardens were replanted with 3,200 perennials and 2,000 roses. An additional 6,500 annuals are planted every year. The restored gravel paths, shady arbors, ornate statues, and bubbling fountains give the visitor a glimpse of life in the Gilded Age. The mansion is also beautifully decorated and open for tours for the holidays.

Vanderbilt Mansion, 119 Vanderbilt Park Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538, (845) 229-7770 nps.gov/vama/index.htm

Excerpted from The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast

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Irrigation is Irregular

By Antonia Hieronymus

We just experienced the driest summer ever. The weather shows no signs of abating. Grass is brown, streams are just piles of rock and the reservoir has retreated, uncovering piles of dank stinking mud. Gardens are suffering, plants are struggling to survive.

Irrigation systems protect the  garden from the effects of drought. They are relatively affordable and dependable, offering stressed gardeners peace of mind that their hard work will not shrivel up and die, and offering them the chance to get on with other tasks.

So why don’t I have an irrigation system?

I spend hours watering by hand, in this time of drought an average of two hours a day.

It feels like I don’t have the time for so much labor, and yet still I resist an irrigation system.

The truth is that watering by hand is one of the most effective things I do in the garden. Not because I’m better with a hose than an inground system could be, but because it gives me time with my plants.

When I am watering I go around each bed, each tree and shrub.  I’m keenly aware of how much water each item needs and exactly how much it has received in recent days. I look at every plant individually, to see how it is faring. If it needs staking, or is getting diseased, I will notice. If its flowers are particularly splendid, I will rejoice, and equally if it is languishing, I will figure out why.  The beds which don’t quite work from a design standpoint I will transform. I get all my best ideas when I am watering.

I give a shout of joy when it rains, as gardeners I’m sure we all do. But if it rains for days I am already disconnected.

The reason I garden in the first place is that I love the connection to the earth, feeling the soil between my fingers. I make this huge investment of time, money and soul because it is my self-expression, my art.

Giving up the watering feels like being a parent and having someone else raise your kids—sure someone could do it, even raise them well, but the parent is the one missing out. Missing out on the highs and lows, the  victories and disappointments.

For my garden I want to be that parent who never misses a parent- teacher conference and who chaperones every field trip. I don’t want to miss a single minute of the growing up.

I’ll keep my hose.

Antonia gardens in Wayland, Mass.

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Resplendent Dahlias on Enders Island

Looking for a wonderful daytrip? Enders Island is a beautiful 11-acre sanctuary off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut, and the site of St. Edmund’s Retreat, a Catholic Retreat Center. Accessible by a short causeway, the island provides an atmosphere of serenity and spirituality with its lovely gardens, seascapes and seaside Chapel.

The island was once the home of Dr. Thomas and Alys Enders, who gifted it to the Society of St. Edmund, a Catholic community of priests and brothers in 1954. It has since grown to serve a ministry of hope and healing, providing spiritual retreats, an institute of sacred art, and a ministry to people in recovery.

The gardens began in the early 1900s when the Enders transformed the barren island into their home. They built an Arts and Crafts stone house and began extensive landscape renovations. When the 1938 New England Hurricane devastated the island, the Enders commissioned the construction of the seawall that still protects the island today.

Restoration work on the gardens began in 1993. Fr. Thomas F. X. Hoar, SSE, recruited friends from throughout New England to help clean up and restore the landscape, which had become choked with weeds. In 2007, dahlia enthusiast Gayle Wentworth began attending mass on Enders Island. At the time, there were few gardens on the property, but Gayle saw the land’s potential. With a gift of tubers that were planted in two garden plots, the dahlia gardens were established.

Since then, the garden has grown to almost four acres in size, with 24 plots of dahlias. Gayle, now known as the “Dahlia Lady” continues to share her many gifts and talents, contributes dahlias from her own gardens, and obtains tubers from other growers and hybridizers. In 2021 an heirloom dahlia garden was established with contributions from heirloom growers. There are currently more than 2,000 dahilias of 400 varieties in the gardens. Peak blooming season spans mid-August to mid-September, when 90 percent of the flowers are in bloom. Many dahlias continue to dazzle until frost in mid-October.

In addition to the dahlia gardens, a rose garden with 80 rose bushes provides a lovely floral display outside the Our Lady of Assumption Chapel. Grapes, apples, peaches, pears, and peppers also flourish in the Island’s soil, later appearing in a variety of pies and jams crafted annually by staff and volunteers. Nestled into a natural rock amphitheater, the Garden of Two Hearts is a memorial to lost loved ones. Stone walls and walkways frame the gardens, and statuary enhances the reverent atmosphere.

Enders Island is located off of Mystic CT. (860) 536-0565 endersisland.org

Excerpted from The Garden Tourist’s New England, second edition, available here.

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Roses by the Sea at Fuller Gardens

Roses are the main event at Fuller Gardens. Now a test garden for the American Rose Society, it showcases more than 1,200 rose bushes. The 125 varieties have staggered bloom times, so there is color from June until October.

Fuller Gardens began as Runnymede-by-the-Sea, the summer estate of Bostonians Alvan and Viola Fuller. Alvan was a self-made businessman, art collector, philanthropist, and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts in the 1920s. The original landscape was designed by Arthur A. Shurtleff, but the garden evolved and was enlarged over the years, with the help of the Olmsted Brothers firm of Boston. The front garden was designed as the estate’s showpiece in 1938. It was meant to be appreciated from the street and utilized a “false perspective,” in which the back of the garden is narrower than the front, making the space appear longer than it actually is.

The Fullers rarely frequented the garden themselves, but they enjoyed viewing it from the upstairs bedroom windows and welcomed the public. The front garden was planted with hundreds of roses in formal parterre beds, and surrounded by hedges and flower borders filled with coneflowers, astilbe, salvias, baptisia, and geraniums. Statuary and tuteurs draped with clematis punctuated the hedges.

In addition to the front garden, you will find a second rose garden that is laid out in a circular pattern surrounding a central antique wellhead. It is enclosed by a privet hedge and a cedar fence upon which are trained espaliered apple trees. Perennial borders flank the beds of roses.

A shady Japanese garden provides a quiet sanctuary, with paths leading through hostas, ferns, azaleas, mountain laurel, and rhododendrons surrounding a pool filled with giant koi.

Near the remaining carriage house, a glass conservatory houses tropical plants, begonias, and vines. A large display bed of dahlias provides stunning color in late summer.

The gardens are meticulously maintained by a knowledgeable staff headed by director Jamie Colen. The roses are protected from harsh winter temperatures with buckets of soil heaped upon their crowns in early December. Instead of using mulch to suppress weeds, the staff weed the beds twice a week and pay careful attention to soil quality, amending it regularly with compost and lime. As a result, the roses are healthy and vigorous, with few pests and almost no diseases, so chemical treatments are unnecessary. As they age and need to be replaced, new roses are purchased from Roseland Nurseries in Acushnet, Massachusetts. The colorful gardens continue to delight the public as they did almost 100 years ago, and the Fullers are probably happily watching from above.

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It’s All in the Company They Keep

Article and photos by Joan Butler

As any plant collector will tell you, once you’ve been bitten by the “collecting bug”, you acquire a kind of acquisitive madness. You begin to notice subtle details of the plants you desire – details that somehow seem to go unnoticed by friends and family. You begin to seek out nurseries that specialize in the plants you crave, and you are willing to drive great distances to get there. And if you happen to have a friend who is bitten by the same bug – watch out! You will become what I call “enablers” to each other and suddenly you will find yourself with dozens (or hundreds) of beautiful specimens planted cheek-by-jowl in your garden beds. But your collection may not actually function as a garden.

Hosta Orange Marmalade

When I was bitten by the “Hosta Bug” many years ago, I followed the trajectory I just described. I still collect, but at a much slower pace, and I have worked at making my collection function in my garden by incorporating companion plants. When I think about pairing plants, I consider color (complementary or contrasting), texture (usually contrasting), as well as form, pattern and size.

Hosta Maui Buttercup, Lady's Mantle, Sundrops

Pairing yellow hosta with yellow foliage or yellow flowers creates a “Wow” moment in the garden. Hosta ‘Maui Buttercups’ is a medium/large yellow hosta, with stunning corrugated, cupped leaves – a truly beautiful form. The fuzzy chartreuse flowers of Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and the pops of bright yellow offered by the Sundrops (Oenothera) really call attention to the hosta and to the entire garden area.

Hosta Allegan Fog, iris Cristata

I absolutely love our little native Crested Iris (Iris cristata), and use it extensively in my gardens. Here it is paired with the unfurling foliage of Hosta ‘Allegan Fog’. Crested Iris adds spiky texture to the front of the border and contrasts effectively with the more solid form of hostas. And its colorful spring flowers of purple, white or lavender add another point of interest.

Hosta Aventurine, epimedium, bloodroot

One thing I particularly love about pairing epimedium with hosta, is that the shape of most epimedium leaves echoes the shape of the hosta leaves, but on a more delicate scale. I also appreciate the changeable colors of epimedium foliage, which allows them to influence neighboring plants differently depending on the season. Here, the early spring foliage of Epimedium x versicolor “Cupreum” contrasts and complements the sturdy blue Hosta ‘Aventurine’. The groundcover behind the two is our native bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). As the season progresses, the Epimedium leaves will become solid green, the bloodroot foliage will expand, and the hosta will produce flowers and its foliage will take on greener tones. All working together to produce different garden scenes.

Hosta Sagae, ferns, epimedium

The fine-textured foliage of ferns makes them perfect partners for hostas – that textural contrast elevates both! Hosta ‘Sagae’ is a large, upright, vase-shaped hosta that can be grown in sun or shade.  When grown in shade, pair it with Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) for textural contrast and Japanese Painted fern (Atherium niponicum) for textural and color contrast. Add an Epimedium grandiflorum cultivar into the mix and you have an eye-catching quartet from spring until fall.

Hosta Salute, Viburnum.

Woody plants with variegated or non-green foliage can bring a different level of interest to the hosta garden. The leaves of some trees and shrubs have variegation similar to many hostas (such as green leaves edged in white) and some have mottled variegation that pick up on the colors of the hosta planted in their midst. The leaves of Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’ have splashes of blue that echo the blue of Hosta ‘Salute’ and other blue hosta planted nearby. And its woody, open form adds year-round interest to the garden.

Hosta, hellebore

Hellebores also add year-round interest to the hosta garden. Their palmate evergreen foliage adds textural contrast during the hosta growing season and winter interest when the herbaceous plants have died back. Last year I planted a lovely hellebore with variegated foliage, including pink venation, called ‘Penny’s Pink’. Its dusky purple flowers were a welcome sight this spring and its gorgeous foliage contributes to its companion hosta throughout the growing season.

Hosta Ann Kulpa, Hosta Mabel-Maria Herweg, Heuchera

There are nearly 300 different hosta cultivars growing in my gardens and I try to get them to work together. For example, I pair blue hosta and yellow hosta for contrast and interest. And I might add a blue hosta with a yellow edge into the mix to tie it all together. I also pair variegated hostas that have different patterns. Here Hosta ‘Ann Kulpa’, green with a central yellow stripe, complements Hosta ‘Mabel-Maria Herweg’, green with a yellow edge. I complete the picture by including purple coral bells (Heuchera), a companion plant with a contrasting color.

Hosta Sugar & Spice, Corydalis

Other suggestions for great hosta companion plants include Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum), Fringed Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), Foamflower (Tiarella), Columbine (Aquilegia), Astilbe and Japanese Fountain Grass Hakonechloa).

Gardening with a collection is an adventure: a collector’s garden can contain an extraordinary number of plants. Incorporating companion plants and using design elements (color, texture, pattern and form) can transform an obsession into a garden.

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