Flood, Soy Bean Meal, and Breaking The Rules

Blogging is an interesting activity.  I'm not sure why I post random thoughts about gardening on the Internet.  It is a nice chronology of my gardening activity.  Maybe that's it?

My house in Chicago abuts the North Branch of the Chicago River.  Generally, the water depth is less than one foot and I would characterize it as a creek rather than a river. Last week, though, we had a flood and the water went up about 11 feet in a few hours.  This is only the second time that this has happened in 17 years.  All of my plants were submerged for a few hours. For those interested in what a flood looks like in your backyard, I've attached a picture.

After the water receded, I was left with a dilemma.  About one week prior to the flood, I was working on preparing my beds and I had applied soy bean meal as I had heard it was a good, inexpensive, organic source of nitrogen.  After the flood, I had a dilemma and didn't have a clue as to whether to reapply soy bean meal as a top dress to my plants. Did it wash away?   I decided today to re-apply it.   If it did wash away, at least it was organic.  Maybe fish and ducks like soy beans?  I was surprised that more plants don't die after being under water.

I bought two Phlox stolenifera 'Sherwood Purple' the other day.  What a great looking plant.  I dug two holes and put them in the ground.  I didn't amend the soil with any organic matter or even water them in.  What heresy, right?  There isn't a garden book out there that doesn't talk about amending the soil . . . . . blah, blah, blah.  I don't have great soil here in Chicago.  It is mostly clay.  At the end of the day, though, I didn't feel like getting out the compost, lugging it to the backyard, digging, and then planting. 

Flooded Backyard

Helleborus x hybrid 'Carousel Strain'

I acquired this plant in 2009 and I think it bloomed the first year and then I never remember seeing it bloom again.  I think part of my problem was that I didn't remove the evergreen leaves in the early winter. 

Because I didn't prune away the leaves, I don't know whether it bloomed in the intervening years, and I didn't see it, or it didn't bloom.  Anyway, here it is blooming in 2013.  The colors are beautiful.  Here is the link to the youtube video from Springhill Nursery that provided me with the information I needed  :-)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvtSGQ0Km_A

What's Blooming in Chicago April 7

Iris reticulata  'Clairette'



Scilla mischtschenkoana 'Tubergeniana'



Pruning Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst' and Why I Dislike Creeping Euonymus

Does anyone really get those pruning diagrams where they have lightly shaded areas indicating the branches that should be removed?  Someone should post videos on pruning every plant that is available (maybe someday?)  I have a Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst' and today I took a crack at pruning it.  I hopefully followed the AHS diagram correctly and pruned it to its "low permanent framework."  Below is a picture.   I'm thinking that maybe I left too much stem.  The problem with gardening is that it takes a few months to really know.

Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst'

Other than pruning, I hacked, rather than pruned, at my creeping Euoymous vine and hopefully have hacked this one to death.  Last year, it had a horrible infestation of what I think is scale.  I never really like the vine anyway and the scale infestation was a good excuse to get me to remove it. Wow, what work.  I've lived in my house for 16 years and this vine was there before I moved in.  It was actually growing on itself without any support.  From a distance, it looked like a 2 foot shrub.  What surprised me was that here on March 29th that I could still see the insects all over it.  Here's a pic.  I don't know much about scale, but from what I read, the white insects pictured all over the leaf are the males.



Scale



Wave Pansies

I've grown a lot of pansies and these are truly different.  My understanding is that one of the criteria that Ball Hort uses for determining an appropriate use of the Wave brand is that the plant have a trailing habit.  These pansies definitely do.  I started these Yellow Wave by seed and as you can see in the picture the stems are trailing rather than growing upright.  These will look great in a container. 

Bulbs Are Peeping Up 2013

We still have snow on the ground in Chicago, but the bulbs are coming up.  Snowdrops and crocus are blooming.  Also, the hellebores are starting to push up. 

2012 Philadelphia Flower Show, Bartram's Garden,Terrain, Longwood Gardens, and Winterthur

I had the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia on a horticultural odyssey this past March.  The weather was unseasonably warm while I was there; the weather made it a great trip.  I always wanted to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show.  That was my first stop and  I went there during the week thinking that it would be less crowded.  It was mobbed.  There were so many people that at certain locations in the convention center you couldn't move; you stood still until the crowd moved.  I can't recommend it.  After the Flower Show we went to Bartram's Garden.   The Garden is historically significant as being, I think, the first botanical garden in America.  The Garden was recommended by the National Geographic Guide to gardening, but I can't recommend this one either.  While an interesting historical story, and there are some old, amazing trees still on the site, if you are short on time, I would pass this one up.  I've posted a picture. 

The next stop was Terrain at Styers, which is a relatively new retail garden/lifestyle concept store from Urban Outfitters.   I think Terrain was launched 3-4 years ago and at the time it was launched the focus was on the plants.  Over the intervening years, the concept for the store changed to a "gardening lifestyle" focus and away from the plants themselves. I'm guessing the plants are less profitable than the the furniture and accoutrements of gardening (organic towels, soaps and oils, dishes). 

Finally, the highlight of the trip was Longwood Gardens.  I would thoroughly recommend this one.  There aren't many places that can be described as "grand," but Longwood fits the bill.  A beautiful garden.  Also, the conservatory is huge and has a wonderful plant selection.  The blue Himalayan poppies were in bloom when I was there. 

Bartram's Garden.  Raised beds.  Prickly pear.

Longwood entrance

Rose arbor Longwood

Treehouse woven fence.  Longwood.

Field of minor bulbs blooming.  Longwood.

Blue poppy.  Longwood.

After Longwood, we visited Winterthur.  Also, a recommended place from me.  While the focus at Winterthur is more on the house than on the grounds, the grounds are lovely.