Wayside Gardens Voices

What Exactly is a Wayside Garden?

While browsing a few news articles for tidbits about Wayside Gardens I came across this article, “Ooty's Wayside Gardens Go to Seed”, on the front page of The Hindu, India's national newspaper. My first thought was (foolishly) “why would we be mentioned in an Indian newspaper?”-- we don't ship to India.

It is actually a very good article about how wayside gardens in Indian urban areas are increasingly at risk from modern development, surely not a concern isolated to India. As many American urban gardeners have found, it can be very hard to maintain a respectable plot in the hustle and bustle. Also, it is getting more and more difficult to conserve historically significant gardens in booming cities where air pollution and new construction dominate.

The revelation for me, however, was that “wayside gardens” are more than just the name of a company, they are a particular kind of garden. I had just never thought about it. Dictionary.com defines “wayside” as “the side of the way” (obviously) or “roadside.” Wayside gardens are simply decorative gardens planted along the roadside. I have never noticed them locally, but I am certain that they will start to stand out a little more now that I am looking. I guess many people probably plant wayside gardens without even knowing that is what they have done. I will be more conscious of the roadsides from now on, and maybe I will eventually update this post with a picture.

If you have any experience with roadside gardening or want to share a picture of your wayside garden, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at jdurst@parkseed.com

John Durst
Wayside Gardens Voice

P.S. I thought of an example of a wayside garden, the DOT projects where they plant flowers or ornamental trees along the interstate, sometimes on hills facing traffic. In the spirit of the article, however, I understand a traditional wayside garden to be a more cozy thing, an invitation into your home, maybe even a botanical welcome mat. I guess the big cities have little time for such frivolities.

What to buy, what to buy

Is this what's called being an enabler?! (I would do an emoticon here but I don't have the time to hunt for all those little symbols. Picture a winking face with a tongue hanging out, please.)

First, I would scoop up that Geranium, because any serious gardener should scoop up that Geranium. We've never seen blooms like this, and they are more than merely distinctive, they're beautiful. Go ahead, make the other Master Gardeners jealous -- and don't leave them alone with Double Jewel for one second.

I wouldn't recommend the Rose to everyone, but you are a gardener who can truly appreciate it. Put it on that hummocky area you've got at the back of the garden. It will catch the setting sun, and then you'll thank me!

And to range around your Winged Thorn Rose, I think you must have L. pardalinum. It's a native, with Turk's Caps blooms, and let's face it, beside that Rose, only the exotic and beautiful will do! I know you love a good heavy blooming Lily, and this one attracts your beloved hummingbirds. And I like the idea that between the Rose and the native Lily, you will have a truly low-maintenance garden spot, free of pests.

For a container, I think you should have Betula Filigree Lace. It's a bit slow-growing for garden use immediately in a garden the size of yours, but you will enjoy it for years in a fancy tub.

Of course you must have one of the new Hydrangeas, but I can't choose between the Dutch Ladies and the Halo series. Of the Dutch Ladies, Sharona would probably suit you best, with its tricolor pastels, but you would adore the serrated petals of Angel Wings, too. On balance I think you might find the new colors more interesting over time than the new petal form . . . and you will never hear me suggest that you get both!

I wish I could interest you in Arisaema, for our selection is fantastic. But I leave that challenge to better, stronger horts than I!

Cheers,

Tamsin

Geranium Orkney Cherry vs. Sweet Heidy

Dear Tamsin,

Spelling noted! (And I'll post separately to let Customer Service know!) Thank you for clarifying the difference in habit between these two . . . and given that I need to fill in space between very established Roses that shouldn't mind one bit, Orkney Cherry seems my best bet. I have to admit, anything that can claim to be the "heaviest blooming" of its type gets my vote automatically!

I love the look of Sweet Heidy, though. I may just have to try one or two in a flowerpot this year and see if I fall in love with them.

Thanks again,

Kay Ravenel

Geranium Sweet Heidy v. Orkney Cherry

First, I must beg everyone at Wayside to be aware of the spelling error in our print catalog for Sweet Heidy -- it's Heidy with a 'y', not an 'i' as we would spell it. It's important because Marco van Noort named it for his wife. All those plant introductions, all that labor, and this is the one he's chosen to give his wife's name to! This alone tells us how special Sweet Heidy is.

The biggest distinction between Sweet Heidy and Orkney Cherry, aside from the foliage and bloom colour, is the habit. Sweet Heidy is partly trailing, a good plant for hanging baskets, flower pots, low walls, terrace gardens, that sort of thing. Give it a place to trail and it will do so, stretching about 2 1/2 feet long if need be. Simply lovely, needless to add.

Orkney Cherry is a spreader, and for a Geranium, it wastes no time! Give it bare soil and it will grow a 2 foot mat of fairly dense (this is a Geranium after all, not a creeping Phlox!) foliage of absolutely beautiful green spotted and veined faintly in deep pink, the same colour as the blooms. It's a good choice for the border, because while it's aggressive, it won't choke anything out or really get in the way.

That said, most people will prefer Orkney Cherry because it's the heaviest-blooming Geranium I've ever seen, full stop. The bloom season is endless too, but Sweet Heidy has an extra long season as well. For sheer number of flowers in a season, there's no beating Orkney Cherry.

To give Sweet Heidy its due, the flower colour is its remarkable (and unique) merit. The flowers emerge a sort of cream colour with infusions of pink, which darkens as they mature. Finally they acquire blue edges, whilst keeping the pink further in, and the cream around the base. It's the only hardy Geranium I know with this multi-ringed look. I hesitate to call it tri-coloured because all the shades aren't present throughout the life of the bloom, but it is really distinctive and rather amazing.

Hope this helps! I would choose Orkney Cherry for the Roses, but knowing you, it will be a completely different plant that gets that position of honour before the season's over!

Cheers,

Tamsin

Sweet Heidi vs. Orkney Cherry

Dear Tamsin,

If I could only add one, would you recommend Geranium Sweet Heidi or Orkney Cherry? Both seem very long-blooming, and I love the colors. I'm going to put one of them in around my David Austins on the south side of the house.

Sincerely yours,

Kay Ravenel

Product Administration

kayravenel@gmail.com