Canada Lilies

There are only three true lilies native here in the Northeast, and one of them is the Canada Lily, or Lilium canadense. (Our other native lilies are Turk's Cap Lily and Wood Lily.)

Canada Lily

Three years ago I bought three lily plants from Garden in the Woods, a native garden and nursery, and planted them in the gazebo garden.  They took a bit to get established, but now are flourishing.

Sometimes also called wild yellow-lily or meadow lily, Canada lilies are native to eastern North America and found in open woodlands, moist meadows, and savannas.  They prefer dappled or partial sunlight and medium to moist soil and are hardy from zone 3 to 9.

My lilies bloomed for about three weeks from the later part of June through early July, with gorgeous apricot and yellow flowers, freckled underneath.  Canada lilies may be different in coloration, though, ranging from yellow to red-orange.

These lilies attract Halictid bees (aka sweat bees) and large butterflies such as Swallowtails and Great Spangled Fritillaries.  The only thing I actually noticed enjoying my Canada lilies, however, was a hummingbird.  I got some great pictures of it... if only the memory card had been in my camera.

I keep all my lilies in my protected gazebo garden so that the deer don't eat them.  I have spotted a few of the invasive Lily Leaf Beetles in my garden, but on my other, non-native lilies.  It's the first time I've really noticed the beetle in my garden.  They have released several parasitic wasps throughout New England for a biological control, so I do hope that they won't become a problem.

Historically Canada lily was used medicinally for such things as stomach disorders, dysentery, rheumatism, irregular menstruation, and snake bites.  The buds and roots of these lilies were traditionally eaten by Native Americans, and the bulbs are said to have a bitter or peppery flavor.  Some sources label the lily roots as 'starvation food' eaten in times of famine, so I don't think I shall be trying them any time soon.

I would rather have the flowers in my garden anyway.

Happy gardening!

A Season of Daffodils

Well, last year was a rather rough year for me, and this year has been rough for everyone with the coronavirus and everything going on.  I count my blessings, though, as my family is staying healthy and able to do work and school remotely.  With health issues in the family, we will be home for quite awhile, so we are very grateful for a yard - and, of course, a garden.

We had a really cool spring, so the daffodils were later to bloom, but they seemed to last forever.  Even the snow we got in the middle of APRIL(!) didn't seem to slow them down or hurt them at all.

Daffodils are among my favorites, and they were such a joy to see in the garden this spring.  There is just something so cheerful about them, and they really helped to lift my spirits.

Clockwise from top left: Narcissus 'Audubon', N. 'Bell Song', N. 'Acropolis', daffodils with Tulip clusiana 'Tubergen's Gem', N. 'Tahiti'

I was gone so much last spring helping my mom when she was ill, that there were a few varieties I had planted the fall of 2018 that I saw in bloom for the first time this year.

Narcissus 'Firebrand'

miniature daffodil 'Little Sunray'

There are a few varieties missing from the garden this year.  I'm not sure whether to blame bulb flies or the strange couple of winters we've had with cycles of rain and freezing instead of our normal snow cover.  But then again there are other varieties that have multiplied.

N. 'Thalia'

N. 'Hawera'

With the cold weather I find myself cutting and bringing daffodils inside more often.  I am enjoying having flowers in the house this year...

...especially the fragrant ones.  I smelled the flowers from this heirloom white variety before I even saw them.

Narcissus albus plenus odoratus

Now at the end of May, the temperatures are heating up, and daffodil season is winding down.  These are some of the last of them clipped from the garden.

Until next year, lovely daffodils.

Happy gardening, dear readers, and stay safe.

Fire the Gardener?

During the winter I always come up with so many plans for the garden, and it is always right about now that I realize just how many of those didn't come to fruition due to the laziness of the gardener.  (I really should fire her...)  

Lonicera sempervirens 'Tangerine Princess'

I have a shoebox full of seeds not sown, and my deck is full of seedlings not planted.  A new garden section isn't dug, and the beds are not all nicely weeded and mulched (even though I promised myself that this year would be the year.)

Thankfully it is also easy to overlook all those faults.  This time of year the garden is usually bursting with blooms that far overshadow the weeds, and this summer is no exception.

Clockwise from top left:  hellstrip and front garden, Delphinium elatum 'Million Dollar Blue', Clematis 'Niobe', driveway garden, 'The Wedgwood' Climbing Rose

And there are some accomplishments this year to celebrate.  The overabundance of bulbs ordered in winter might have been planted on the late side of spring, but some are already in bloom, such as this Aztec Lily.

Sprekelia formosissima, aka Aztec Lily

And, thanks to my new gazebo garden that keeps out the deer, I am finally able to grow lilies.

Clockwise from left: Lilium martagon 'Pink Morning', Lilium pumilum, Lilium canadense

The gazebo garden is also full of poppies grown from seed this spring.

'Bridal Silk' Shirley Poppy

(Though when I say 'full' of poppies, I mean it, as not a whole lot of thinning happened....)

a rather full gazebo garden

I am am so excited to see my 'Princess Kate' Clematis in bloom for the first time this year.  I planted it two years ago, but transferred it to the gazebo garden last fall after it kept getting nibbled by rabbits.  When I bought it, there were conflicting reports about whether or not it would be hardy in my zone 6 garden.  Thankfully, if it made it through last winter with its lack of snow cover, it is most definitely hardy.  I love clematises, and this one is such a beauty.

Clockwise from top left: Clematis 'Roguchi', C. 'Lemon Bells, C. 'Princess Kate', C. 'Bees Jubilee' (I think)

There were a few plants lost from the winter, but more than enough in the garden have thrived and grown to make up for them.

Maybe I won't fire the gardener after all.

The Easy Care Gladiola

Showy gladiolas elicit strong opinions from gardeners, as they are diva plants in the garden.  Some love their dramatic, tall spikes of bold colors, while others (such as the well-known English gardener Alan Titchmarsh) hate them with a passion.  I personally like gladiolas and enjoy their showiness - but on the other hand, I hate how much work they take.  I have to stake each one in the summer so they don't fall over from their top-heavy blooms, and I have to dig them up for the winter, as they are not usually hardy in my zone.

I don't like gladiolas that much.

Thankfully there are other, easier-going types of gladiolas.  They may not be as showy as those dramatic divas, but neither do they act like it.  They are the smaller, hardier glads, such as the species Byzantine Gladiolus (Gladiolus communis ssp Byzanthinus), which I have in my garden.

Byzantine Gladioli

Native to the Mediterranean area, this gladiolus grows to 2 or 3 feet tall and doesn't need to be staked. It is also hardy up to zone 5, so I don't have to dig them up the fall.  Even those gardeners that say they don't like glads appreciate the gracefulness of this one, which more closely resembles a wildflower than a showy diva.

Sometimes known as Sword Lily, Jacob's Ladder, or Turkish flag, Byzantine gladioli corms (similar to bulbs) are usually planted in fall and bloom their bright magenta flowers at the end of spring through early summer.  They like full sun and well-drained soil, though they will tolerate part shade and even heavy clay if in a dryer area.  Over time they multiply to form nice stands of flowers that I've seen the hummingbirds enjoy.

stands of Byzantine gladioli next to Geranium sanguineum

According to Old House Gardens, less hardy imposters are sometimes sold under the name of Byzantine gladiolus, so you do have to buy them from a reputable source.  (I've always bought mine from Brent and Becky's Bulbs.)  I've grown this gladioli in both North Carolina and up here in Massachusetts and have had great success with it.  I just plant the corms in fall and let them do their thing.

Beautiful gladiolas with little care from me?

That's a winner!

Yellow Fever

The eagerly-awaited daffodil season started the end of March this year.  Of course, with the cold and snowy April we had this year, the earliest daffodils ended up looking a little chilly.

Thankfully the weather finally warmed up, and I think all of the spring flowers started blooming at once!

Clockwise from top: the very fragrant Narcissus x odorus flore pleno, Narcissus 'Cragford', Narcissus 'Electrus'

Anyone who sees my garden in spring can guess just how much I love daffodils.  My collection somehow keeps growing every year.  The botanical name for daffodil is 'Narcissus', named either for the Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) or for the Greek hunter from mythology who fell in love with the beauty of his own reflection.  Either reason is pretty fitting...

Narcissus 'Audubon'

Which is my favorite?  It would be so hard to pick just one, but every time I see the small and delicate-looking 'Beryl' with its wind-swept petals, I fall in love.  Photos never do this one justice.

Narcissus 'Beryl'

My favorite varieties are the miniature daffodils, whose blooms are often only the size of a quarter - or even as small as a dime.   And there's always room to tuck just a few more little ones in the garden, isn't there?

Miniature daffodils in my garden:
Top - N. 'Mite', Middle - N. fernandesii, N. 'Toto', N. 'Sun Disc', Bottom - N. 'Hawera', N. 'Xit'

If you really want to see a large number of different daffodils, though, go to a daffodil show.  The past couple of years I've started bringing daffodils to the Seven States Daffodil Show at Tower Hill Botanical Garden.

Seven States Daffodil Show in 2017

It is so much fun to get together with other daffodil-lovers and to see so many different varieties of daffodils all in one room.

the unusual-looking Narcissus 'Rip van Winkle'

There was worry that with the late spring we wouldn't have as many daffodils up and blooming in time for the early May show, but our fears were unfounded.  There was even extra excitement, as a couple guests judges from California flew in for the show, including Dr. Harold Kooporwitz, a noted daffodil hybridizer.

just one of several rows full of daffodils

So many beautiful blooms in one room!  Of course, one of the best parts is perusing the daffodils for new varieties that one might want for their garden...

A collection of 10 different miniature daffodils
(including a couple that I don't have that would look lovely in my garden...)

Even the daffodils outside somehow knew that there was a show going on and didn't want to be left out.  Tower Hill's Field of Daffodils was in full bloom just in time for the show.

Field of Daffodils at Tower Hill Botanical Garden

If you decide to visit a daffodil show, however, do be careful.  Those crazy people who love and collect daffodils are said to have 'yellow fever'...

N. 'Altun Ha'

and I've found it's quite contagious.

That's One Cold Shower

If April showers

bring May flowers...

what does April snow bring?

The coming May blooms might want to go into hiding for a little while!

Happy spring?

Give Winter Aconite Some Love

Snowdrops get all the attention for blooming so early, in late winter when supposedly nothing else is blooming.

But what about Winter Aconite?

No one often mentions poor Winter Aconite, aka Eranthis, but for me it blooms at the same time as Snowdrops - possibly a bit earlier.  And, while Snowdrops are lovely and all, the tiny Winter Aconites are far more welcome in my garden for the main reason that...

...they aren't white.

And after a long snowy winter, I'm pretty much ready for any color that isn't white! (No offense to you, Snowdrops.)

Now I do get why Snowdrops are far more commonly grown here than Winter Aconite.  Snowdrops are very hardy, easy to grow plants, and they are decently easy to sell as dried bulbs in fall.  Winter Aconite are fussier both to grow and to sell.  Bulb growers will sell dried Winter Aconite tubers in the fall, but the tubers really resent being dried out.  Out of the several dozen Winter Aconite tubers I've planted, only a handful have actually come up.

Soaking the tubers well before planting them helps to rehydrate them and increases the chance that they will come up.  Margaret Roach from A Way to Garden has recommended buying wax-dipped tubers that are now being offered from places such as Old House Gardens, as the wax prevents them from drying out so much.  She has had much more success with these (100%!), so that definitely sounds like a better way of selling them!

Winter Aconite is also more fussy about where it likes to grow.  They prefer cooler climates (zones 4 to 7), and they like partial shade or conditions under deciduous trees and shrubs where they get sun in winter and shade in summer.  They thrive in that magical rich, moist, well-drained soil, and they don't like to completely dry out even in summer dormancy.  Winter Aconites also prefer not to be disturbed - mark where they are so that you don't accidentally dig them up in summer (which I am totally guilty of, whoops!)

Winter Aconite seedlings

Winter Aconites are critter-proof, so once you get them established, they are thankfully pretty hardy and long-lasting.  When happy, they seed around and make large colonies of Winter Aconite in the garden.  They are best divided and moved in late Spring after their foliage starts to fade.

Eranthis hyemalis

There are two types of Winter Aconite commonly sold here in the States.  Eranthis hyemalis, native to Europe, is the most common one.  Eranthis cilicica, native to Asia Minor, is now thought to be a possible subspecies of E. hyemalis.  It blooms slightly later, has slightly larger flowers, and more deeply divided foliage than E. hyemalis.  E. hyemalis is said to prefer more alkaline soil, while E. cilicica prefers a more neutral soil.  There are also several Asian species, some with beautiful white flowers, but rarely sold here.

Eranthis cilicica

There are several cultivars of Winter Aconite out there, mainly from German and Scandinavian breeders, but they are hard to find and expensive here in the States.  E. hyemalis 'Flore Pleno' has doubled flowers, 'Schwefelglanz' has pale yellow flowers, and 'Schlyter's Triumph' has orange flowers, to name a few.  I am hoping that Winter Aconite will become more popular over here, and we will start seeing more interesting varieties available.  After the long winter, though, we will take whatever color we can get in the garden!

And I so enjoy those little splashes of yellow that pop up right after the snow!

Happy Spring!