Wayside Gardens Voices

Hot New Tulips From Wayside Gardens

Tulips are generally impressive, the varieties available from Wayside Gardens this fall are no exception. These new tulips offer an exciting new perspective on an old garden classic. Breeders have definitely taken a few liberties with the traditional tulip blooms and foliage, often looking more like some impressionist rendering of a tulip than a simple flower.

Tulipa 'Doll's Minuet' is a perfect example of these dynamic tulip varieties. The deep rosy petals twist and dance out of the bud like a slowly growing fire. This is one flower that will have your garden guests doing double-takes.

Another beautiful new tulip, Tulipa 'Black Jewel', has deep maroon, frilled petals with tiny sparkles of gold flecks on their tips. It is a very classy and intriguing flower with long sturdy stems perfect for cut-flower arrangements.

Bulbs will ship in the fall for fall planting. Remember, fall is the best time of the year for planting!

Flower Bulbs & Our Office Amaryllis Has Bloomed!

Does anybody remember way back on Dec. 26 when I shared some pictures of the the amaryllis in our office? Well I just thought I would follow up with a picture now that it has bloomed. It really is pretty. If any of you purchased one of the Wayside Garden's Amaryllis this holiday season and would like to share your blooms with us feel free to email them to me at tandrews@parkseed.com. If you do, I'll post them here for everybody to see. If you don't have any amaryllis pictures, I may also post pictures of your cat, if I think they are funny.

If you missed out, check out other items in the Wayside Gardens Bulb Collection. I'll post pictures of those too, once they bloom--just send them in. Here's our office Amaryllis - well, it's Jamie's amaryllis, but I believe I have the best view of it from my desk.

Winter Blooms: We've Still Got Plenty of Amaryllis

It's obviously too late to order them for the holidays, but there is plenty dull winter left to brighten up, and a huge blooming fragrant houseplant is just what you need. We've got Amaryllis in green, red, and white--the Jade Serpent is my favorite. With up to 8 huge, lime-green to white blooms in just over a month, it is sure to give you the winter sparkle you're looking for.

It isn't all about the blooms. They grow so fast, you can actually notice the change throughout the day. A coworker who's desk is next to mine has been tracking hers every few hours for the last couple weeks. They are really fun to grow, and the spectacular blooms are really worth the build-up.

You can see here where she was keeping measurements for the the first nine days, from 12/15 until Christmas Eve. But now it's too big for this envelope.

Time to Divide Bearded Iris

In most of the country, now is the time to divide your Bearded Iris.  You should do this every two or three years in midsummer, after blooming but before the weather starts to turn (July or August, usually).  Regular division of the rhizomes does wonders for preventing root rot and borer damage.  Plus, it encourages the plant to grow more vigorously and to flower more.  It also gives you a great opportunity to thoroughly inspect the plant for damaged or diseased parts that can be removed.  Bearded Iris is one of the easier plants to divide (especially when it comes to lifting the plant), but as with any division, be sure to allot enough time to finish the job, so you don't have to leave your plants out and vulnerable longer than is necessary.

If you're looking for an interesting Iris to try out this coming Spring, give 'Dangerous Mood' a try.  Not only is it a stunning flower that's sure to leave an impression, it is one of my favorite plant names of all.

Allium Gives your Garden Whimsy

Does your garden take itself too seriously?  The answer to a garden that needs a little playfulness could very well be to grow some onions. Not, of course, the sort of onions that you eat (though that's not a terrible idea, either).  What I'm talking about is ornamental onion plants, Allium. 

"Allium" refers to the entire onion genus, which is one of the largest plant genera.  It includes onions, chives, garlic, shallots, and leeks.  When gardeners talk about growing Allium bulbs or flowers, though, it is usually the ornamental sort that they are referring to.  These drought-resistant bulbs bloom, usually in early summer, with fun, colorful round inflorescences that look almost like balloons or something out of a children's book (these inflorescences are actually "umbels," meaning that the flower stalks are all of the same length and stem from a single point).  These whimsical blooms are sure to get curious comments from the neighbors.  They also last wonderfully in both fresh and dried arrangements, so they're great for adding an unusual touch indoors, too.  The classic ball-shaped Allium blooms range from the smaller 'Purple Sensation,' which carries flowerheads of around three inches, to the huge, 9-inch balls of the Giant Allium.  For something even more eye-catching, try the "Tumbleweed Onion," Allium schubertii.  Its flowerheads grow to as big as 18 inches with pink flowers at all lengths along the flower stalks, creating an effect not unlike a floral firework.

Flower Bulbs for Fall Planting

It is almost time for fall planting, and that means it is time to order your flower bulbs. Wayside gardens has an extensive line of internet exclusive bulbs that will fill your garden with color from late winter right through the next fall.Check out all of our tulip bulbs, crocus bulbs, and the great varieties of Amaryllis.

Planting bulbs is the best inexpensive way to fill your garden with the biggest variety of colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes. Most bulbs are planted in the fall to bloom the next spring. Most of the plants that grown from bulbs are perennials that come back year after year. If you choose strong varieties and care for them properly, the flower bulbs you plant this fall may become the most important feature of your flower garden. Some people start with only a few daffodils or crocus, and in a few years they have planted hundreds of bulbs because of their reliability, beauty, and relatively low cost.

Healthy Flower Bulbs?

Bulbs should be firm and never mushy or rotten—small amounts of surface mold should be okay. If only a small part of the bulb seems to be mushy, try slicing off that part with a knife and stick it in the ground anyway. It's better to give it a fighting chance than to just assume it's dead and throw it away.

Bulbs that have already sprouted will be vulnerable during the winter, so make sure your bulbs have as little new growth as possible. Larger flower bulbs, like tulips, produce bigger plants and tend to come up later in the season than plants from smaller bulbs. Plants with smaller bulbs, like crocus, come up much earlier

A Bog Garden Story from Wayside Gardens

Good Research Makes a Happy Gardener

While probing for ideas that might add a little intrigue to the pitifully uninspiring flora of my backyard, I was told by a fellow Wayside Gardens employee to check out bog gardens. My first thought was of a marsh or swamp, something more appropriate for a wildlife preserve or ghost story than my simple little yard. However, trusting my source, I dove, head-first into that murky swamp of information, the all-knowing internet. Using my favorite search engine, I typed in the obvious “bog gardens” and amassed a king’s feast of information that was all completely useless.

While wading through the many explanations of what a bog garden might be and the varied items that I should purchase to enhance my garden, I realized the one thing I always try to tell myself before starting any home-improvement project: Always start your research with reliable academic resources, and work your way up to the commercial resources. That is one thing I have learned while working at Wayside Gardens. By the time you get there, you should know what it is you need to buy. I had not even thought to ask myself if I even knew what a bog was much, less how to plant anything in one. So, I did my research.

Apparently, if you have a low spot in your yard that never completely dries and you plant some elephant ears there, you have not created a bog garden as some of the sources I found would lead you to believe. It is a clever way to turn a problem into an asset, but not a bog garden. A bog is actually a type of wetland formed from a deposit of dead plant matter, most commonly some type of moss or lichen. Its moisture comes almost completely from precipitation and tends to be slightly acidic. An exotic environment for exotic plants- It’s exactly what I was looking for.

I also found that recreating this environment on the small scale is not very difficult; some people even create indoor bog gardens in terrariums, which would be a perfect way to display those bog-loving carnivorous plants and make an excellent conversation piece. I just needed a place that will hold moisture and that I could fill with peat. I had the perfect place, that gross little pond insert that I installed two seasons ago, or as I like to call it, my “mosquito nursery”. I just cleaned that out and poked a few holes in the bottom for drainage- lined the bottom with coarse sand and filled it with moistened peat. The moss maintains the acidity and I use a soaker hose to keep my bog damp. I planted an Iris “Holden's Child, this very interesting Juncus effusus Unicorn, and two Pine Hibiscuses. Some of these plants could even be purchased right here at Wayside Gardens. Situated in the center of my garden, accented with two lawn gnomes and a pink flamingo, my bog has definitely added spice to my back yard.

John Durst
Wayside Gardens Voice

Jdurst@parkseed.com

Agapanthus Back in Black

Dear Tamsin,

Oh, Back in Black -- I saw the P.O. fly by for that one, but had completely forgotten about it! I must say the photo is alluring.

I haven't even paged through Collector's yet, and it's driving me crazy. Can you tell me what the best things would be for me to get, based on my garden? At least that will whet my appetite and force me to sit down with my garden plan and my Visa and see which one wins!

Sincerely yours,

Kay

Kay Ravenel

Product Admin

KayRavenel@gmail.com

Agapanthus Back in Black

Why, this one, of course! Agapanthus Back in Black, the first from that likely lad over at Darwin, Piet Zonneveld. If even a fraction of his seedlings make it to market, I predict we will soon be entering an Agapanthus renaissance.  The breeding is simply first-rate, full stop.

Have you placed your order yet, Kay? I know you've got the inside track over there in Product Admin, but even you might not realize how quickly the Collector's is liable to sell out once it hits the mailboxes and cyberspace! If you want that amazing species Rose -- and I know you do! -- reserve it today, as we always say!

Cheers,

Tamsin