New Sculpture Preview: Three For Thursday

Cindy, of From My Corner of Katy, has started the Three for Thursday meme, where anything goes, as long as there's three.  This week, I thought I'd give a sneak peek at the steel sculpture in progress. I've just cut it out, and the very rough edges need to be smoothed.  It will replace the angel windchimes in the woodland garden.








Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint: the working title is "Daphne."

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Contemplation

Of Nanoprairies, Sculpture and Gnomes

Gentle readers - I've been lost in my new sculpture project, but managed to write a couple of posts.  The first is a review on Carpe Geum of the book "How to Survive a Gnome Attack."  The second is a post about the Nanoprairie of Squirrelhaven, on Beautiful Wildlife Garden.  The image above is of an ex-aster in the Nanoprairie.

The sculpture project is more plasma cutting than welding at this point, but it's coming along well.  I will posts photos of it when it is assembled.  It's completely different from my first garden sculpture, and I'm getting pretty psyched about it.

In the garden, I've been getting the last of the plants purchased this summer into the ground and overseeding the lawn.  The bulbs should be arriving soon.

Happy gardening,

Mr. McGregor's Daughter

The Truth About Heptacodium miconiodes

Heptacodium miconiodes flower and calyx

This is for Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden, who is considering getting a Heptacodium miconiodes, or seven-sons flower. As with all of the posts in "The Truth About" series, this is truth as it pertains to my garden.

I do love the tree, but it has a problem. It was in full bloom, looking its best, but then I saw this:

That branch is dead for no apparent reason.  Clearly, this was a recent death, as there are dried buds on it.  That isn't the first large branch to die this season.

The large hole is where a huge branch died.  I don't know if the tree has a disease, as it otherwise appears healthy.  I can cut out the dead wood and overlook the holes in the silhouette, as the merits of the tree outweigh the imperfections.

Wildflower Wednesday: The ex-Asters

Finally, the ex-Asters are blooming.  They were rather late this year.  The plant above is a volunteer wilding, possibly a hybrid of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, the calico aster.  All I know is that it produces froths of tiny white blooms in partial to full shade.  It gets no TLC of any kind and has planted itself at the base of a boxelder.  It's happy, I'm happy.

Here's a closer look, larger than life.

It shows the composite nature of the ex-Asters.  Each one of those central yellow things is a flower.

Here's the center of a former New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Honeysong Pink'. (A New England aster cultivar counts as a wildflower because different flower colors occur as natural variations.  For an example, see my Beautiful Wildlife Garden post for this week.)

composite flowers of Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

It's the first of the New Englanders in my garden to bloom.  The common name is a misnomer, as this species is found throughout United States.  It would be an excellent replacement for the rose as our national flower.

The quarter-sized flowers also come in the familiar purple (in bud, bottom right, above).  Yes, they're common as weeds, but I wouldn't want to be without them.

The following ex-Aster is an ericoides, which means it is heath-like.

For more Latin fun, here's its full name: Symphyotrichum ericoides var. prostratum 'Snow Flurry', which means it's heath-like, lays on the ground and has white flowers.  It's a big groundcover with little flowers.  This one withstands drought and prefers average to dry conditions.

For a big round blob of color, you can't go wrong with the aromatic ex-aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium.

This is 'October Skies', purportedly a dwarf, but the species grows one to two feet tall, while this thing easily passes that.  I need to move one of them, as it's crowding out a Monarda, a Clematis, a Cotinus and several other things that I haven't seen in two months.

 That particular plant is at the top of a small slope, which suits aromatic ex-aster perfectly.

The newest ex-Aster to Squirrelhaven is one I've wanted for a long time, Symphyotrichum macrophyllum, the big-leaved aster.

Unlike the sun-lovers above, this one likes a bit of shade, as does Eurybia divaricatus,

the white wood aster.

With such great variety and beauty, who needs mums?

Thanks goes to Gail, of Clay and Limestone, for hosting Wildflower Wednesday, where you can find other wildflower posts.

A Toad, Some Bulbs, and Lots of Roots

The little toad eyed me warily as I worked.  The spade had sliced the tranquility of its home, and it feared for the worst. Apologizing to the toad, I continued digging up roots from the Forsythia we cut down in August.  Digging roots and disturbing toads wasn't part of the plan for today.

It started with my attention being drawn to a Calycanthus floridus 'Athens' sucker that was encroaching on the Aquilegias. The cloudy, cool weather was perfect for liberating that sucker from the mothership and replanting it elsewhere. When the new shrublet was pulled from the earth, a large clump of congested Narcissus 'Ice Follies' came with it. The daffodils needed to be divided anyway, so instead of just replanting them, I decided to add some to the area across from their current location, the former home of the recently removed forsythia.

After nestling the Calycanthus shrublet in its new home, I began to trowel holes for the daffodils. It quickly became apparent that the forsythia was not dead yet, and root removal was necessary before the bulbs could be installed. The job called for major spade work. The toad understood none of this.

It just maintained what it thought a safe distance, which got progressively closer to the house. I gave up, ceding the area to the toad. The bulbs will be planted another day.

Fall Foliage Friday

Maianthemum racemosum/Smilacina racemosa

It's two memes in one:  I'm a day late for Pam's (Digging) Foliage Followup, and I'm riffing on Dave's (The Home Garden) Fall Color Project,
,
which urges bloggers to capture fall in photos.  The Fall Color Project posts will enable a reader to follow autumn's progress southward.

The first sign of autumn at Squirrelhaven this year is the foliage of the Smilacina racemosa, now known as Maianthemum racemosum (above), but they start turning in August if stressed by drought.  What really clued me in to the onset of fall was when I noticed the Cornus alternifolia.

Cornus alternifolia starting to turn

The Hydrangea quercifolias (oakleaf hydrangeas):

Hydrangea quercifolia showing some red

'Snow Queen'

chartreuse and red on 'Little Honey'

'Little Honey'

a Geranium hybrid:

There are a few more plants, but I'm having difficulty typing, so this is it for this week.

And Where Are the "Asters"? -Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, September 2010

Rose 'Carefree Beauty' has rebounded in the cooler weather

The Year of Weird keeps rolling along with the New England and smooth ex-Asters conspicuous by their absence.  It's definitely autumn out there now, as there are some plants formerly known as Aster blooming and several plants, such as the 'Carefree Beauty' rose (above) are getting a second wind in the cooler, wetter weather.

There's this thing, a wilding ex-Aster, blooming away beneath the Norway maple and despite the depredations of passing deer.  The hybrid wilding in the woodland garden is still in bud.

I may not be cross-eyed and painless, but I'm definitely sleep-deprived and brainless, so I failed to put the ex-Asters together in the collages.  It took me a while to figure out how to do collages in Photoshop. Please bear with me.

Poor Geranium himalayense x wallchianum 'Gerwat' (Rozanne®) blooms for so long that it gets taken for granted.  On the right is the newest ex-Aster to Squirrelhaven, Eurybia macrophylla.

The ex-Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' has started spitting out a few blooms.

The other stalwarts of fall, the toad lilies, are in full bloom. Above is Tricyrtis 'Tojen'.

Below, representing itself and 'Gilt Edge' is Tricyrtis 'Gilty Pleasure'.


Chartreuse foliage is good. Just check out my new Corydalis 'Berry Exciting', below right,

and the foliage of Cornus 'W. Stackman' (Golden Shadows™) setting off Phlox 'Laura.'

The Phloxes are reblooming well (except for 'Starfire', which may be dead).

Here's my favorite Phlox paniculata, 'Nicky' loaded with buds, with Geranium 'Blogold' (*Blue Sunrise™? Blue Sunrise®?) and the aptly named Solidago 'Fireworks'.

Finally blooming for the first time following a moving experience is the dwarf goldenrod, Solidago 'Dansolitlem' (Little Lemon®).

That's it on the bottom. On the top is the new flush of Clematis Rhapsody.

Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon' has been blooming sparsely but steadily all through the heat of summer. It's nearly done for the year.

On the left is the foundation of the fall shade garden, Anemone x hybrida 'Andrea Atkinson'. That is one tough plant to kill.


On the left, well supported this year, is Anemone 'Party Dress'. On the right, Colchicum 'Autumn Queen', blooming for the first time. Thank you Kathy (Cold Climate Gardening)!

Colchicum 'The Giant' has never looked better, especially now that the Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (gosh I love saying that) has gotten established.

These plants are divisions from the main group in the raised bed,

In bloom:  Sedum 'Bertram Anderson', Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Platycodon grandiflorus (balloon flower) and Campanula 'Samantha'

which were themselves passalongs from my sister's old garden.

Lobelia 'Sparkle DeVine' and on the right Callirhoe involucrata with Sedum 'Bertram Anderson'

The Sedums and ex-Sedums are either in full bloom or starting to fade now.

Hylotelephium 'Becka' (Autumn Delight)

a native Lobelia

Lobelia syphilitica

Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice' is back in bloom with the Lavender 'Hidcote', which is also enjoying a fall flush.



A frothy sea of Geranium 'Bob's Blunder' glows in the early autumn light.

There's no place better in September than the Chicago area, with blue skies, comfortable temperatures and that slanting autumn light.

Neglected and ignored plants in the woodland garden, Hosta lancifolia and Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac':

they're both a little too good to be true.

Another neglected and rarely pictured plant here at Squirrelhaven, Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina',

is looking much better now that Japanese beetles aren't feasting on it.

And now for something completely different:

a view of the patio containers, overflowing with Diascia and Callebrachoa.

Finally, the woody bloomers of fall:  Heptacodium miconiodes

the Seven Sons Flower is popular with the Monarchs; a pouting big-leaf Hydrangea makes a good companion for the Polyganatum biflorum with its ripened berries,

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer®)

and Caryopteris incana 'Jason' (Sunshine Blue®).  Remember when I thought this might be dead?


In addition to the "Asters" blooming late this year, the Cimicifugas (Actaea) 'James Compton' and 'Black Negligee' are also late.  The good news is that 'Black Negligee', which didn't bloom at all last year, has more bloom stalks than ever.

I hope this first Bloom Day of autumn finds your garden in fine shape. Thanks to Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Also in bloom:
Aster species (from the old Heronswood)
Campanula 'Sarastro'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue-eyed Blonde'
Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Alba'
Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Blue'
Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Janice' PPAF (with the gag-worthy moniker "Lil Miss Sunshine™")
Clematis 'Evipo 038'/'Fairy Blue' (Crystal Fountain™)
Echinacea purpurea
Eupatorium 'Phantom'
Eurybia divaricatus/Aster divaricata
Hibisbus syriaca 'Red Heart'
Hylotelephium/Sedum 'Matrona'
Hylotelephium/Sedum 'Black Jack'
Hylotelephium/Sedum 'Purple Emperor'
Hylotelephium/Sedum spectabile
Lobelia 'Monet Moment'
Lobularia maritime (Sweet Alyssum)
Malva 'Zebrina'
Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'
Phlox paniculata 'David'
Phlox paniculata 'David's Lavender'
Phlox paniculata 'Red Riding Hood'
Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge'

*I thoroughly agree with Dee of Red Dirt Ramblings in her recent guest post on Garden Rant about tradenames.  Trying to figure out whether the tradename should have a ® or a ™ after it is a royal pain.

Beautiful Edibles Part IV: Too Beautiful To Eat?

the cabbage as art

To wind up Beautiful Edibles week is the pièce de résistance, the most beautiful vegetable on the planet, the purple cabbage.  After seeing them growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden last year, I had to have them.  That decision was confirmed after seeing them used in urns at the Chicago Flower and Garden show.  Is it the perfect rosette form?

The texture of the foliage?  The color of glaucous blue with purple?  The way the raindrops bead up on it?

I've got three of them planted in containers, and this one is getting close to harvest time.

 It's not as big as a cabbage grown in the ground, but is more than sufficient for sauerkraut for two.  (The kids don't like sauerkraut.)

My family has a little joke about the girl:  she won't eat something if it's "too cute."  I used to wonder where she got it from, but now I know it's from me.  I find myself beginning to think that cabbage is too beautiful to eat. On its own,

or in with other plants.

I haven't protected them in any way, as I like to see the little cabbage butterflies, and the damage they do is minor.

I will eventually harvest at least one, because the beauty will start to fade.

Or will it?