Plant Handled

Inevitable as it is, I am always saddened when I come to the last page of the current issue of Gardens Illustrated , and yet, it is here, on the last official page where one finds Frank Ronan’s monthly column ‘The Writer’s Plot.’

In September’s issue, his column is entitled, ‘Let it all hang out,’ and one of his memorable quotes is as follows:

‘…But gardeners know that that the best place to be is among the plants, and that gardens always feel best when you are crouched in the middle of a border, handling and being handled by the plants that surround you.’

I decided that I wanted to see if I could find a few visual representations of this sentiment. Let me know what you think of the results that I stumbled across:

  I have always had a soft spot for this last shot, and pausing to remember the contortionist twists and turns that I put my torso through in order to capture this moment of beauty, I haven’t a doubt that this is the true definition of what it is to be ‘plant handled!’

A Gentle Decline: I Don’t Hardly Think So!

All photos: September 25, 2011

Calamagrostis brachytricha 

The Rare and Unusual Border 

Persicaria [Fallopia japonica] variegata ‘Compactum

Thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide’

Corydalis ‘Wildside Blue’ with Pinellia tripartita ‘Green Dragons’

 

Fabulously chartreuse foliage of Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’

 

Cory up close and personal!

  Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ with Saruma henryi

Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’

 

Acer campestre ‘Carnival’

 

Snake-like flower spikes of Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’

 

Aconitum austroyunnanense

Visions in a World of Blue

September Newsletter

What is that delightful fragrance?

‘Tis the time of year when the bugbane, snakeroot, Cimicifuga or Actaea, pending on which of its ever evolving names one chooses, begins to bloom in Teza’s Garden. It is one of my favourite Fall flowering beauties, and as such, I have these tall, shrub-like garden stalwarts wherever there is room for them!

My favourite remains Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty,’ with its deep purple, near black foliage that rises close to 2m in height. Its long arching wands of snake-like flowers add a touch of structural whimsy to the Shaded Walk this time of year, and as mentioned earlier, the delightful aroma leaves me next to breathless!

I also grow ‘Brunette,’ ‘Black Negligee,’ White Pearls,’ and ‘Pink Spike,’ which is supposed to surpass the fragrance of all that have come before. Truth be told, I have yet to see her bloom in my garden, but perhaps the fault lies in where I have planted her. Somehow she has a hard time competing against an overzealous Euphorbia cornigera ‘Goldener Turm’ that has all but smothered her! Note to self: transplant Pink Spike this fall!

This remains one of my favourite gardening seasons, what with the cooler temperatures, and the presence of the late flowering beauties such as Kirengeshoma, Aconitum and the delightful Aster ‘Little Carlow’ – all of a palate that fluctuates between rich blue-purple to the endearing whipped buttery yellow!

  While it remains somewhat elusive to photograph, one of my favourite late season bloomers is Strobilanthes attenuata ‘Purpurea’ a towering beauty to 2m that covers the end of its stems with a rich blue purple flower that closely resembles a ram’s horn. Literally hundreds of flowers between mid August to late September. This afternoon, the ground beneath it was a blanket of this same rich colour. The flowers usually fall within a day or so, but there is always a multitude to replace them!

The later of the two Kirengeshoma that I grow [ the earlier being K. koreana – by far the more handsome of the two with its pewter coated palmate foliage and flowers that are decidedly more upright in appearance] this one being K. palmata, continue to delight me with it’s waxy whipped buttery yellow shuttlecock shaped flowers! The abundance of moisture this Spring has resulted in both clumps nearly tripling in size! I may have to start referring to their home as the ‘Waxbell Walk!’

 Head and shoulders [well not really, as she is somewhat more diminutive in height!'] above all other Fall flowering Asters is A. cordifolius ‘Little Carlow’ – which in my humble opinion remains the most handsome! Shiny, deep green lance shaped foliage is a far cry from the powdery mildew susceptible stalks of many of the other Michaelmas daisies.  Its opalescent mauve flowers contain a bright yellow boss before being pollinated as the season progresses!

  I have always dreamt of having my signature plant blooming in the Fall garden, and on one or two occasions in the past four years, was blessed with a somewhat fleeting presence. This year, thanks largely to yet another Lost Horizons acquisition, I am enjoying this exact wish! Corydalis ‘Wildside Blue’ has been blooming nonstop since I brought it home last month! Indigenous to the gardens of esteemed plantsman Keith Wiley’s Devon, England nursery, it appears to be a much more vigorous grower and bloomer than other blue flowering species! Music to this gardeners ears!

And how was your gardening week?

Thank You Peter: One More From the WishList!

My employer and I did a road-trip last Friday to some of our suppliers to check out what was in bloom and to check and see what was on offer for 2012. Its always an exciting time for me, as I begin compiling the ‘WishList’ items that I hope to be able to introduce to the benches next Spring.

I’d read about a most beguiling shrub Leptodermis oblonga, also known as the ‘Himalayan Lilac’ and quickly added it to my personal WishList. And yes, I did squeal with delight, when, after ogling a new silver leaf Caryopteris, Peter asked what I thought of the shrub next to it. At first [and hence the reference to its striking Lilac-like appearance] I mistook it for Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin.’ Can’t say that I am impressed with the genus as a whole. but upon closer appearance I realized that it something entirely different. I think I surprised Peter by recognizing the name Leptodermis! Needless to say one came home with me!

 Definitely diminutive in habit, typically growing to between 0.2 – 1m in height, with slender branches that are grey to pale brown in appearance, with thin bark that is usually exfoliating as it emerges.  Leaf blades are typically papery, sometimes leathery, lanceolate or oblong [sometimes elliptic or subovate] between .7 – 2.5cm in length. Flowers are sessile, usually three fascicled and terminate on branches, rarely axillary on upper part of branchlets, lobes are subtriangular with a stiff apiculus at apex, subequal to calyx in length. Its corolla is purplish red and funnel shaped.

Leptodermis begins to bloom in late Spring, and as this recent photo attests, it has a lengthy flowering season! It emjoys sharply draining soil, and is frost hardy to Zone 6. I am curious to see whether it will over winter in my diminutive micro-climate. If so, clients can expect me to expound it virtues next Spring when it hits the benches front and centre!  Endemic to sunny hills and slopes, roadsides and thickets of Gansu, Hebei, N. Henan, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan.

 

A Twining Beauty

Another of my Lost Horizons treasures is blooming! I have always been enamored of the genus Aconitum, toxicity aside, and have amassed a decent collection, so was thrilled to see that Larry had added a new, climbing/twining one to his eclectic inventory! Here is what he says about it in his famed catalogue:

Aconitum austroyunnanse is a rare climbing species from China where it twines itself up shrubs or scrambles over boulders with large palmate foliage. Long stemmed, rich blue tinged with purple helmets appear in late July. 

I am rather impressed with the flowers on my plant, as they seem to be decidedly more lobed in appearance than with most of the ‘helmet heads!’ I am most intrigued with its almost claw like appearance.

Famed plant hunter Bleddyn Wynn-Jones, owner of Crug Farm in Wales, also offers it in his catalogue. Here is his write up:

Aconitum austroyunnanse BJW7902

A climbing perennial species I collected seed of from the Western Heights overlooking Kunming, Yunnan. Where it twined up scrub and over large rocks to 3m tall, bearing large three-parted palmate leaves. With generous axillary inflorescences of long stemmed deep blue tinged purple flowers 5cm long, primarily composed of a large upper helmet-shaped petal. Coming into flower in late July. Best growing into the sun any good soil.

If you’re as avid a fan of this genus as I am, I highly recommend adding this to your garden repertoire!

 

Garden of Solace and Tranquility

It has been a bittersweet week, and more than ever, I find myself turning to the garden for solace. How magically it is able to soothe frazzled nerves, act as a balm against the abrasive sting of grief, and to remind me that the greatest beauty in the world belongs to Nature itself.

A delicate and beautiful reminder that life indeed is fragile and should never be taken for granted. Let the important people in your life know how much they are loved.

I was thrilled to discover that the blooms of a recently acquired Corydalis ‘Wildside Blue’ are indeed that same electric icy blue that first enamored me to this plant four years ago.

Tricyrtis ‘Taipei Silk’ is a personal favourite, and when examined this closely, one cannot help but revel in its mesmerizing beauty.

When I created Teza’s Garden, it was as a place to house an inventory of rare and unusual perennials, but in the past week I realize that I was remiss – in fact it was more about creating a personal sanctuary of beauty and tranquility, allowing myself a space where I could step into the cooling shade of foliage and leave the outside world behind, if only for a fleeting moment. I fall on my knees in gratefulness!

  Here is where I shall come to reminisce, to transform grief into celebration, and to give thanks for the beauty and friendship that touched my life, and most importantly, for the beauty that continues to do so on a daily basis. Many thanks to those who offered kind words of support.