Reflections on the Summer Garden Part 1

                             Beebalm (Monarda Didyma)

 

Monarda didyma 'Raspberry Wine'

In the throes of winter, I like to reflect on the summer with all of its glorious warmth and welcoming garden treasures.  So let's start with a reflection on Beebalm!

Beebalm is a must-have deer resistant garden plant.  I honestly can't say enough good things about it!  Adaptable to almost any soil (mine grow in clay soil) these beautiful herb plants shine when in bloom.  Hardy to zones 3 (protection suggested in 3)-9 these lovelies are the plant of choice for hummingbirds and hummingbird moths.  As a member of the mint family they like to spread, but they are not quite as aggressive as their mint cousins.  I like to divide them every 2-3 years to keep up their vigor and also spread them to new places around the yard. 

Full to part sun will keep them happy.  Beebalm typically blooms from July well into August.  I've seen mine start blooming at the end of a particularly warm June.

 Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' is irresistible to hummingbirds when it blooms.  A good mildew resistant variety.

During wet or humid summers or if plants are crowded (preventing good air flow) some varieties are prone to get powdery mildew.  Powdery mildew looks like fuzzy white patches and can cover the leaves and stems of the plant.  Personally, I turn a blind eye to the mildew and let nature take its course.  It won't kill the plants nor will it prevent them from blooming.  I'm also not a perfectionist!  If you prefer to combat mildew, choose an organic-use approved fungicide such as a copper based spray like Champ® or a product called Mildew Cure®. 

 Monarda didyma 'Blue Stocking' is my favorite!  A lovely heirloom variety from the 19th century.

Green budworms, although not common, can also bother certain varieties.  These small light green worms burrow into the buds of the flowers, sometimes destroying them before they can open.  Using organic sprays is a must in order not to harm the birds and bees that visit these flowers.  I find the best thing that works is an insecticidal soap, such as Safer®, sprayed on the buds at dusk.  Spraying at this time reduces the chances of beneficial insects and birds from coming into contact with it (just to be safe!).  It will also stay wetter longer with the absence of the sun to dry it up, as most organic sprays are only effective as long as they're wet.  Hand picking of the worms and destroying overly infested buds is also a great way to rid them from the garden.  

Be sure to read and follow the directions on any spray, should you decide to take that route.  Safety first, even in the garden!!  

Sanitation is key to help win the war on bugs and fungus.  At the end of the season be sure to remove all infected parts of the plant from the garden.  This will help reduce the chance of recurrence.

                               Monarda didyma 'Stones Throw Pink'  A lovely rosy color!

Beebalm is a New York native and was used by the settlers as far back as the 18th century.  It traveled by way of seeds to Europe in the mid-1700's and has since naturalized there.  Many hybrids have been cultivated since then.

The smallest beebalm grows to 12 inches and the larger varieties can reach up to 4 feet!  The taller varieties make a wonderful border plant.  Colors range from flaming red to mellow pinks and violet purples to white.

It's scented foliage has lemony undertones and has a wide range of uses in cooking, tea, medicines, and potpourri.  It's colorful edible flowers liven up fresh summer salads!

The flowers are perched upon strong stems and are a wonderful and long lasting cut flower for your summer bouquets.  

            Monarda didyma 'Raspberry wine'  Close-up shot.  Also a mildew resistant variety.

A truly endearing plant, Beebalm will surely become a favorite in your summer garden.  Between its colorful spiked blooms and the whimsical winged visitors that it attracts, you will have hours of enjoyment!

 

A Zone 4 Spring

What's Blooming in the North Country

    With winter behind us we look forward to glorious sunshine and warm weather.  We go out to our gardens and inspect the ground, waiting patiently for that first bulb or plant to spring up and take away the doldrums. The somewhat mild winter killed one of my very favorite perennials, due to lack of snow cover, but I'm grateful that I didn't lose more. 

    Spring was early for us this year.  Our apple trees bloomed a full three weeks early and are already past peak bloom.  With all but one clump of bulbs left blooming, I decided to photograph the remaining spring delights, before they too were gone.  Spring is so fleeting and yet in the short space of time that it occupies, it awakens all of our senses perhaps more than any other time of year.  One could say that it's because we are left deprived from a grey and cold winter that we appreciate spring so much.  After many dark and cold days, spring certainly does wonders for the poor soul that climbs out of their winter bunker to discover an explosion of flora and fauna.  I think the bulbs, flowering trees and shrubs, the scent of the apple trees perfuming the air, and that first touch of a warm breeze is the real reason no other season can come close to topping it. 

    Heirloom or "old fashioned" plants are my favorite plants.  They may not be as flashy as the new hybrids out there, but they are hardy and have stood the test of time.  The following photos were taken using macro filters on my 50mm lens.  Here are some old favorites in bloom now:

 Dicentra Spectabilis 'Alba'  "Old fashioned bleeding heart"

Unfortunately, the geese ate all of the flowers off of my pink one so I currently can't show it off!

 Viola 'Bowle's Black'

A Victorian favorite

Syringa vulgaris  "Old Fashioned Lilac"

I found this growing by an stone old foundation and took a slip of it.  A few years later I had a fine blooming specimen!

The 'dreaded' dandelion!  

I love them even if they are a weed!  They're also very nutritious to eat!

 Nepata mussini  "Catmint"

Love its scented foliage!

 Narcissus poeticus

Given to me by my grandmother, who loved to share her heirloom flowers! 

Convallaria majalis var. rosea  "Pink lily of the valley"

Smells just as good as its white counterpart below.

Convallaria majalis  "Lily of the valley"

Smells like heaven!

 Pulmonaria officinalis  "Lungwort"

It's been in bloom since early March and although the blooms are fading, there is still that gorgeous foliage to enjoy!

 Myosotis sylvatica 'Bobo Blue'  "Forget me not"

And who could forget these blue beauties!

 Viola- Not sure of variety.  This one has been with me since I was a child and has followed me across three states!  It's now naturalizing and blooms in abundance.

 Lamium  "Dead Nettle"

It has nice foliage too!

 Last, but certainly not least---Apple Blossoms!!!

Oh, apple blossoms how I've fallen under your spell!

    They may be simple flowers, but I can assure you they are pure pleasure to the nose and the eyes!  Up next to bloom in the garden are the Peonies and Iris!  Stay tuned! 

Begonias of Another Age

    In honor of  #linnaeusday I decided to write in my blog for the first time!  #linnaeusday is about sharing plant history, so I decided to dust off this article that I originally wrote for and was published in The Begonian, a bi-monthly publication of the American Begonia Society.  Enjoy!

 

Heirloom Begonias

    There are certain Begonias that evoke memories of an age gone by.  Their presence connects us with another time when tropical plants were a novelty.  The Victorian era was filled with a sort of plant madness.  Nurserymen sent scouts around the world to gather exotics.  The newfound plants were quickly introduced to the marketplace where they fulfilled the public's insatiable hunger for tropicals.  Hundreds of specialty nurseries popped up all over the U.S. selling the latest and greatest in houseplants.  What a time it must have been when you think of how few of those original nurseries are still left.  Begonias were among the most popular plants and among the most hybridized.

    Victorian homes typically did not have much light and were on the cool side.  Only the wealthy could afford a greenhouse. When the Wardian case was invented people could have a mini-greenhouse in their home.  Many a Begonia found its way into these fancy terrariums.  Those that did not get encased in glass spent their time on windowsills and in gardens. 

    Cane-like Begonias had a proud stature in the Victorian parlor and garden.  They were prized for their cascading often spotted "angel wing" foliage and large umbels of flowers.  One of the first and still one of the best was B. maculata, discovered in the early 1800's.  Other popular cane-like Begonias included B. lucerna (1894), B. coccinea (1843), and B. corallina.

 A group of Cane-like Begonias

    Shrub-like Begonias were used in bedding as well as in the parlor with the first species of this group being found in 1688!  I found much mention of the shrub-like group in my small collection of antique books on plants. B. 'Thurstonii' (1887) with its "elephant ear" leaves and pretty pink flowers was admired greatly.  B. echinosepala (1871) was loved for its heavenly scented white flowers and elongated leaves.  B. scharffiana (1888), B. fuchsioides (1847), B. nitida (1789), and B. 'Kewensis' (1894) were also among the many grown in this group.

 B. echinosepala (1871)

    Rhizomatous were dependable and were loved for their exotic foliage and sprays of pink and white flowers.  B. 'Erythrophylla' ("beefsteak" or "pond lily" begonia) was introduced in 1845.  More than likely your grandmother grew this indestructible, smoothed leaved, pink flowered plant.  Other favorites of the time were B. 'Ricinifolia' (1847), B. hydrocotylifolia (1842), and B. heracleifolia (1830).

 An example of a rhizomitous Begonia

    B. rex was discovered in 1856 and became widely available in 1858.  Endless amounts of hybrids ensued.  They were loved, much like today, for their seemingly limitless color combinations.  B. 'Comtesse Louise Erdody' (1883), B. 'Fireflush', and B.'Silver Queen' (1875) are just a fraction of all the different varieties grown at the time.

 An example of a rex Begonia

    B. semperflorens (1821) and its many hybrids were delighted in for their floriferousness.  Begonias in the Semp group were used as summer bedding plants and in the winter kept the windowsill bright.

    Tuberous and semi-tuberous Begonias were grown in summer and then stored away with the Gladiolus and Dahlias.  I found mention of B. dregei (1836) in two old books from my collection.  It was apparently admired for its abundance of white flowers.  Also mentioned were B. 'Weltonensis' (1864), B. froebelii (1874), and B boliviensis (1859).  The early 1900's saw a surge in many cultivars of the tuberhybrida class, which were adored for their large colorful flowers, as they still are today.

    In a book, dated 1900, called Plant Culture by George W. Oliver, I found and excerpt that suggests Victorians would force cane and shrub-like Begonias into dormancy after time as a bedding plant.  He describes: "Old plants will hibernate in boxes under the bench of a moderately warm house."  Interesting piece of advice.  I myself have had success with Begonias placed in my basement to force them into dormancy.  In the same book he describes B 'Gloire de Sceaux' as "a trifle miffy" and sings the praises of B. 'Gloire de Lorraine'.  What I also found interesting was the mention and high recommendation of B. grandis, then also called B. evansiana.  It is described as being great for borders and applauded for being cold hardy.  And hardy it is, surviving as far north as zone 6!

    The general hardiness and boundless beauty of these plants sparked the fancy of our predecessors.  Now, generations later Begonias are still a shining beacon in our homes, gardens, and greenhouses.

Begonias are always a pleasure to have around the house!