Friday Afternoon Garden Club

Lonicera japonica 'Purpurea'

It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

Does fragrance play an important role in your garden? What are your favorite plants for fragrance? How would you describe the scent?

Garden Designers Roundtable: Creating a Focal Point

What is a focal point? How do you create one? How and where are they placed in the landscape? The answers to these questions - and more - are addressed today by my fellow members of the Garden Designers Roundtable. Please join me in viewing and reading their blog posts; it's sure to be an inspiring journey!

Andrew Keys : Garden Smackdown : Boston, MA »
Carolyn Choi : Sweet Home and Garden Chicago : Chicago, IL »
Debbie Roberts : A Garden of Possibilities : Stamford, CT »
Laura Livengood Schaub : Interleafings : San Jose, CA »
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK »
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX »
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In the Garden : Los Altos, CA »
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ »
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA »
Susan Schlenger : Landscape Design Advice : Hampton, NJ »
Tara Dillard : TaraDillard.com : Atlanta, GA »

Friday Afternoon Garden Club

It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

Are succulents at home in your garden? Do you have a favorite sedum, agave, or cactus? Do you have any soil prep secrets to share? Can anyone identify this plant for me?

Wordless Wednesday

Meet. . .Bergenia!

How can you resist a plant called pig squeak? Bergenia cordifolia, also known as heartleaf bergenia, Is one of the first herbaceous perennials to bloom in my garden each year. A number of hybrids are available with flower colors ranging from pink to white to salmon. Foliage size is also variable with leaves in the 9"-12" range.
The large, fleshy leaves are moderately shiny and, wonder-of-wonders, evergreen! The photo below shows some damage on the margins of last year's leaves (thanks to the leaf-cutter bees) with this year's foliage just starting to emerge.
Bergenia spreads by rhizomes and can be propagated by division in early spring. Bergenia prefers moderately moist soils rich in organic matter and will tolerate part (morning) sun or full shade. My photo illustrates Bergenia surviving, but not thriving, in my garden's lean, sandy soil. Bergenia is rated to USDA zone 3 and an altitude of 8,000 feet.

Beautiful companion plants include Heuchera, Aquilegia, and Geranium.

Friday Afternoon Garden Club

It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

Do you have fruit trees in your garden? What kind/varieties of fruit do you grow? Are they standard, semi-dwarf, or dwarf trees? How do you store or preserve your fruit crop? Do you have a favorite recipe that you look forward to making out of your fruit every year?

Wordless Wednesday

Frittilaria imperialis

Pond Cleaning Day

Yesterday, Jim gave the pond a light spring cleaning. The goal was to eliminate the decomposed plant material and fish waste that causes poor water quality. This was also an opportunity to give a few fish to a friend with a larger pond; too many large fish in our pond was causing concerns about water quality and overall fish health.
The first step was to remove the water from the pond. Jim hooked up a large, flexible pipe to a submersible pump and filled the blue tank, which would become the temporary fish home.Here comes 'Lucky"! The rest of the water was released into the gardens. The best fertilizer ever!

Once the pond was empty, it was time to bring out the industrial-strength shop vac. Out comes the black, stinky, anarobic goo! This was promptly deposited into the compost bins and throughout the garden beds---truly, black gold.
(Notice that most of our water plants sit on a shelf that rims the perimeter of the pool. Technically, this would be considered too shallow for water lilies, but ours thrive.) At this point, a blast of water from a high-pressure hose nozzle works well to loosen off a bit more crud from the boulders, pots, and pond walls (concrete, in our case). You can also employ a stiff-bristle brush if you want to, but, hey, no need to go crazy. A bit of algae and bacteria are a good thing!

The most time consuming part of this whole process? Refilling the pond! We use non-potable water from a small well on our property. The water is somewhat alkaline and we don't use any corrective treatment for it, but the plants and fish thrive anyway. (I'm convinced that most pond/fish care literature is way too fussy!)

As you can see, our hardy water lilies are starting to emerge and are packed into their pots. Stay tuned for Water Lily Dividing Day, coming soon!

Friday Afternoon Garden Club

Vinca minor

It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

What is the first herbaceous perennial to bloom in your garden each year?

Wordless Wednesday

Save the Date - April 15th

Girlfriends Night Out at Echter's Garden Center is a Party With a Purpose!
Join me on April 15th, 5:00-9:00pm, in this beautiful, flower-filled venue to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, supporting cancer research and treatment.

Local restaurants and caterers will offer wine and food samplings as you stroll through the greenhouses and enjoy live musical entertainment. Other businesses will showcase their jewelry, handbags and accessories, body care products, financial advise, travel opportunities, and more! I'll be available to answer your questions about landscape design, plant selection and care, and the latest garden trends for 2010. Door prizes and special discounts will be part of the fun.

Tickets are $15.00, with $10.00 of your ticket price going directly to the Vera Bradley Foundation. Echter's is also donating 15% of the evening's sales. Tickets are limited, so call 303-424-7979 in advance to purchase yours.

Bring your girlfriends for a special evening; you won't want to miss this Party With a Purpose!

Friday Afternoon Garden Club

Ivy Street Design Group, Denver, Colorado

It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

What is the #1 thing that you’d like to add to your landscape or garden this year? Space for entertaining? Plants---what kind? A new or updated Irrigation system? A water feature? A vegetable garden? Share your ideas here!