A Grand Day Out at the Chicago Botanic Garden Part I

Carl Linnaeus

Spring Fling's first official stop was the Chicago Botanic Gardens, located not in Chicago, but in beautiful Glencoe, Illinois, a North Shore suburb.  It's nearly impossible to see the everything at the CBG in a day, and I didn't even try.  I've been here many times before.  I used to be a member when the kids were small and enjoyed a day out in the stroller here.  So it was fun to experience it fresh with friends who were visiting it for the first time.Frances, Gail, Shawna, Chris, and Monica wait for the tram tour to begin.

One of my favorites places at the CBG may seem surprising:  the vegetable garden.  But the CBG elevates it to an art form.It was funny how many of us bought a salad at lunch.  I wonder why?More from the CBG in the next post.

For Part I of Spring Fling, click here, Part III is here, Part IV is here, and Part V is here.

Early Kickoff to Spring Fling

Over a year ago, the Austin bloggers asked me to host this year's Spring Fling in Chicago.  In honoring that request, I picked up a group of early arrivals at the train in Barrington (Diana, Layanee, Carol, Dee, Pam and Cindy), for a visit to Rich's Foxwillow Pines, in Woodstock, IL, and a visit to my garden, Squirrelhaven.  Only a group of garden bloggers would make a detour so that Texans (Pam, Digging) could smell Lilacs.It was great to get reacquainted with friends made last year, and to meet new friends.
We were given a guided tour by Rich,and saw lots of cool plants.But mostly it was fun just to share the experience with others who feel the same about plants. (Cindy from My Corner of Katy pointing out a weight on a plants.)
(Dee, Red Dirt Ramblings, taking a photo of Carol, May Dreams Gardens.)
After a tour of Squirrelhaven and some refreshments, it was off to dinner at Francesca's.
And the best part is, I get to meet even more garden bloggers tomorrow!

Success in Dry Shade

Professor Penumbra here, to enlighten you about the challenge of gardening in dry shade. It is not all doom and gloom. We will use the garden of Squirrelhaven as our model.

Every year, unless there is near constant rainfall, the soil of the garden and lawns of Squirrelhaven dries out so completely that it develops large cracks. This spring alone, despite the moisture from the melting of snow and the abundance of spring rain, the garden and lawn already began to crack from a mere 10 days without measurable rainfall, going from squishy and too wet to plant, to parched and too dry to plant in about a week. Such conditions are too inhospitable for Astilbes. By August, the leaves are typically brown and blooming may be stunted or absent. Yearly, the Aruncus has decreased in size. If it hadn't been for two back-to-back wet summers, it would probably have died already. It has long since ceased to bloom. The gardener here insists on growing Caulophyllum thalictroides for sentimental reasons, even though it prefers more moist conditions than that in which it finds itself. By midsummer, its foliage is usually starting to tatter.Astrantias don't bloom nearly as long as they should. Don't even think about planting those bold foliaged moisture-loving plants Ligularias and Rodgersia here. They probably wouldn't survive a season.

So you must be wondering what can be grown in dry shade? Two of the stalwarts of Squirrelhaven may surprise you: Hostas and Daylilies (Hemerocallis hybrids).Both prefer more moisture, but will perform adequately in dryness, and, while the Daylilies don't bloom as profusely in shade, the blooms hold their color better. Another surprising couple of performers are the Lobelias 'Monet Moment' and L. syphilitica. Despite the dryness, they bloom for a couple of months. Heucheras, Heucherellas, and Tiarellas perform well in dry conditions, appreciating the good winter drainage. For groundcovers, Epimediums, Wild Gingers (Asarum canadense), Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis), and Labrador Violets (Viola labradorica) thrive here. Columbines do very well, as do Peach-leaved Bellflowers (Campanula perscifolia), both seeding freely.

The native woodlanders Solomon's Seal (Polyganatum species), Solomon's Plume (Maianthemum racemosum/Smilacina racemosa), Anemonella thalictroides (Thalictrum thalictroides), and Geranium maculatum all perform well without much moisture, while the native Celadine Poppy tends to die back in the middle of a dry summer, rather than continuing to bloom, and the foliage of Sanguinaria canadensis dies back earlier. For autumn bloom, Japanese Anemones and the native Woodland Aster (formerly Aster divaricata) do very well and Monkshood (unknown Aconitum species) manages to provide a good show. The best performing Fern here is the evergreen Christmas Fern. Hellebores thrive in the dry shade, even the fussy Christmas Rose (H. orientalis).

Shrubs for dry shade are more of a challenge. Evergreens seem to fare the best. Boxwood (Buxus of unknown species), has thrived here, freely reseeding. Yew also does very well, despite the winter predations of deer. Thujas, both occidentalis and plicata, tolerate the shade and dryness, growing more slowly than in moister conditions. Of deciduous shrubs, the best performer is Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), blooming and sporting autumnal foliage color despite the lack of moisture. Cornus alternifolia performs adequately, but its fall color suffers from the dryness.

The two wet summers have revealed a positive side to dry shade. It has kept in check some plants in need of it. Before those wet summers, the Japanese Anemone (Anemone x hybrida 'Andrea Atkinson') was well behaved and stayed in its beds. During and after those summers, it has begun sending out long, deep runners, crowding other plants and popping up in the middle of the paths. The native Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), is planted in a confined area. The dryness kept it at a manageable 3 feet; after wet summers, it has soared upward and outward, obstructing the path. The extra moisture has turned Aster tataricus into a raging beast, forcing the gardener to remove vast quantities of it. Even Goutweed, which was growing here when I bought the property, was kept in check until I dug it all out.

Clearly, there is no need to despair of dry shade. While challenging, a garden can grow and bloom in such conditions.

This post is part of Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild.

Chiaroscuro

Shade is the subject of this month's Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild.  Shade connotes coolness and peace, a respite from the blazing sun.  Squirrelhaven has shade in abundance, from full shade to morning shade with afternoon sun, all of it dry.  In  fact, the only place on the property with a full sun situation is a corner of the front lawn.  There is so much I could say on this topic that it could fill a book. I decided, therefore, to limit myself to the shade of the woodland garden in the middle of the day, during the growing season, when it is most appreciated.
It is difficult to describe the degrees of shade with any exactitude.  The best I can do to describe the mid-day shade is to borrow a term from art, "chiaroscuro," from the Italian "light-dark." Breaking the rules of photography by shooting in the middle of the day, I was reminded of the paintings by the Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, whose paintings are famous for their use of this technique.  This type of shade is fluid and dynamic.
In the middle of the day, the blooms of Geranium maculatum seems to be lit from within in the bright beams through the overhead canopy of leaves.In this type of light, chartreuse foliage seems to glow.Strong contrasts in light and shadow call for strong colors,while white flowers shine.Dodecatheon media alba

Cornus alternifolia

It seems to cast a spotlight on different plants at different times, calling the viewer's attention.Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'


Tree Peony with Phlox divaricata in shadow

Cornus alternifolia 'Stackman' (Golden Shadows) with Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume'

I was excited when I moved to Squirrelhaven, as I finally had a chance to garden in the shade. I suppose there are gardeners out there who hate shade, and view it as an obstacle to achieving their garden visions.  They just don't know what they're missing.

Tree Peony Watch: Day 2 - The Long Wait is Over

The Tree Peony is in bloom!  Yesterday saw the first bit of color in the bud. Watch the bloom open over the course of today:

While it took only 24 hours to make the transformation, the wait to see the bloom of this Tree Peony was one day short of two years.  Last year it was loaded with buds when an unforecasted frost zapped them all at the end of April.  I've been hyper-vigilant this year, with a sheet at the ready.  All that effort paid off.

I purchased this plant sometime between 2001 and 2003 as Paeonia suffruticosa 'Kamatanishiki.'  It first bloomed in 2006, and, shortly thereafter, I realized it looked nothing like 'Kamatanishiki.'  (But see the 'Kamatanishiki' at Dirt Therapy.)  I've concluded that it is 'Ofuji Nishiki' a Rockii Hybrid.  (Rockii hybrids have dark flares in the center of the blooms.)  I like it even better than 'Kamatanishiki.'  This plant is the diva of Squirrelhaven and worth every bit of the trouble.  Does your garden have any divas?

Tree Peony Watch: Day 1

There it is, the first bit of color in the bud of the Tree Peony.  It won't be long now.  I can hardly wait, especially after last year's disappointment of no blooms.

An Unexpected Visitor

Unlike the guests who will be visiting Squirrelhaven in less than two weeks, yesterday's guest showed up unannounced and without calling ahead for directions. I was heading through the garden to go out the gate when movement caught the corner of my eye. It was large and striped. When I looked, I saw a Cooper's Hawk in the garden.This isn't the first time I've seen one around here, but it is the first time I've been this close to one. High in the trees, the birds continuously screeched warnings until the hawk left. I hope this welcome visitor returns soon.

This morning marks the latest frost since 2002, the low of 31 F on that year's May 21 marked the latest date it had ever gotten that cold. The latest frost since I've lived in this house was May 30, 1996. So, while unusual, this light, patchy frost is not unprecedented. It's too early to determine whether there has been any damage. I'm not going to worry about it, but I'm glad I haven't gone yet to get my pepper plants.

May Bloom Day 2009

The Squirrelhaven Woodland Garden is in full bloom. Compared with the photos from last year's post, things are slightly ahead this year and much, much larger. (Probably the result of all that rain last year.) With such an embarrassment of blooms, I decided to put them into collages. Click on any image to enlarge.Left top to bottom: Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) (it wouldn't be May Bloom Day without one), Trillium grandiflorum, buds of Melianthemum racemosum f/k/a Smilacina racemosa
Center: Disporum sp.
Right: Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles sp.) still blooming but starting to form fruit, Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Left top: Tiarella 'Oakleaf;' left bottom: Thalictrum thalictroides f/k/a Anemonella thalictroides;

Center: Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon media album)

Right: Epimedium niveum? and Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Right top to bottom: Brunnera 'Jack Frost,' Polemonium reptans 'Stairway to Heaven'
Center top to bottom: Brunnera 'Looking Glass,' Brunnera 'Hadspen Cream,' and the last of the Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Right: Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson' with a Hellebore

Top row: Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine' with Thalictrum thalictroides (Anemonella) 'Oscar Shoaf,' Labrador Violets (Viola labradorica), a big Allium whose name I've written down somewhere*

Center: Phlox divaricata 'Plum Perfect'

Bottom row: Bearded Iris "IWHWIBTP" (It Was Here When I Bought The Property), Iris cristata 'Eco Little Bluebird,' Thalictrum 'Thundercloud' in bud.

Left top to bottom: Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) just starting to smoke, Hellebore, Iris siberica buds, Geranium macrorrhizum

Center top to bottom:Epimedium 'Lilafee,' Crabapple

Right: Thalictrum thalictroides f/k/a Anemonella rosea, Dicentra 'King of Hearts'

Top row: Heucherella 'Sunspot' with Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume,' Thalictrum/Anemonella 'Cameo,' Dicentra 'Bountiful,' not 'Zestful' as I've been calling it. (I found the tag when I pulled up some Lamium.)

Center: Heucherella 'Burnished Bronze'

Bottom row: Geranium maculatum, Tiarella 'Pink Brushes,' Tiarella 'possibly Iron Butterfly'

Left top: Sedum kamtschaticum in bud, left bottom, Calycanthus floridus 'Athens' in bud

Center: Celadine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)

Right: Little Merrybells (Uvularia perfoliata)

Left: Tree Peony (Peony suffruticosa possibly 'Chojuraku') in bud (edit. I just saw a photo of 'Chojuraku' on A Study in Contrasts. It doesn't look like mine, so I think mine might be 'Ofujinishiki.')

Right top: in bud, Peony 'Mons. Jules Elie' (Yes, I've finally decided that's who it is.)

Bottom right: seedhead of Pulsatilla vulgaris

Things blooming but not shown: Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower' (identical to Geranium maculatum except for a slight difference in the leaf), and Viola soraria. The Columbines (Aquilegia vulgaris hybrids) and several Clematises are in bud.

While yellow seems to be the color of April, around here, pink is the color of May. Speaking of May, take a virtual trip to May Dreams Gardens to visit Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

*It's Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation.'