Piet Oudolf Garden additions and Physocarpus

Hello again,

This week, the Piet Oudolf garden is starting to look great.  It almost always looks good, but it's starting to really come to life, I should say.  New combinations installed last year are some of the highlights of today's blog.

Anemone sylvestris with Nepeta 'Early Bird'
It makes me laugh sometimes to think that I used to not like either plant in this photo. Maybe it's the sum of all parts that make it look great.  But these two look spectacular together.  The Anemone really brighten up the garden nicely. And the Nepeta are becoming a fine addition to the edges of the garden where I had difficulty growing things before.



Monarda bradburyana and Nepeta 'Early Bird'
Who would've thought Nepeta would make it twice in a row. Piet matched these up very well.  That man continues to impress me.  I go back to a conversation with Roy Diblik about Nepeta in which he told me that "It just works well in the landscape.  You can always rely on it to look good when you go back to check on the job site.  The Monarda pictured should be in bloom next week, if it ever warms back up. Their dark, reddish foliage mixes really well with the purple flowers.

Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia
I love the Amsonia genera, and this one could be my favorite.  For today, it is.  I love the contrasting dark stems, with the light green foliage.  Blue flowers are just a bonus.  We originally had planted red species tulips at the base of the plant, but they have mostly disappeared since planting.  When they were there, the red flowers also contrasted nicely with the dark stems.  These will grow 3' tall and as wide.  I would mix it with an Echinacea cultivar with orange flowers for later season interest.

Physocarpus Summer Wine®
At the employee entrance to our building, I planted these Summer Wine® four years ago.  They have begun to really occupy the area well.  The bottom right corner of the picture is Cotoneaster apiculatus which has textural contrast.  Without irrigation, they have thrived here.  Flowers are a week or so away.  These plants, four years later, are about 6' tall and wide.  They make great substitutes for Prunus x cistena.

Physocarpus Coppertina™
A little lighter in color than the aforementioned Summer Wine®, Coppertina™ has copper tones, mostly in its newer foliage.  Later in the season, it will take on a much more purplish cast.  It always appears a little lighter than the Sambucus Black Lace™. The two varieties mentioned seem to be fairly resistant to the powdery mildew this plant sometimes gets.  At the very least, they prove to be resistant in a dryer landscape.  Neither plant is subjected to large amounts of irrigation and do very well.

Thanks again for reading.  Until next time, have a great day!

Fall colors in September

Hello again,
It's mid-September and fall colors are starting to show. Our Honeylocust have already started to drop it's golden leaves. Amelanchier's are starting to show some of their beautiful oranges and reds. Crabapples are losing leaves and showing off their gorgeous fruit. Roses are starting to look phenomenal! Here are some of the others that look stunning. As well as another new project being installed this week.
Coreopsis tripteris
One of my favorite natives is the Tall Coreopsis. The purples that start to show on its foliage at this time of the year are outstanding. It grows to 8' tall and can be a reseeder, so space and a little diligence with pulling the seedlings are good ideas when planting this one.

Zizia aptera

Another native showing great color is the Golden Alexander. Most of the foliage and seed heads have turned this color of red. We have a nice planting of this in front of our pick up yard and they look stunning right now. It flowers in early spring when the Salvia first start to bloom. This plant will do well with moisture, but can also handle a good amount of drought.

Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'

This is also in front of the pick up office. I really didn't expect this plant to come back when we first installed it. I thought it would offer up some nice mid-summer color but it would succumb to the winter. In general, Butterfly Weed really likes superb drainage or they risk rotting. In this area, it remains very dry and that was the key to its success. These have been flowering since June and still have lots of blooms still going. It's fun to see its cottony seed heads surrounding a bright orange-yellow flower. A great deal of Monarch butterfly larvae have been feeding on these plants all year. It has been fun to watch.

Liatris aspera with Allium 'Summer Beauty'

These beauties just started blooming this week. Already, I have counted at least 6 different species of butterflies drinking the nectar. Some of the smaller butterflies have been the most beautiful. The seed heads of the Allium are quite nice in contrast with the flower color too. Being such a late bloomer, it was nice that the Allium filled the area earlier in the season with flowers. Other natives that would work well with it include Ratibida pinnata, Eryngium yuccifolium and Panicum virgatum.

Schizachyrium 'Carousel'

Thought the picture is somewhat blurry, the colors are there to see. The autofocus on my camera no longer works, and it's like learning how to use a camera all over again. I digress. 'Carousel' is an amazing plant if just for this time period. But the colors throughout the year are outstanding. Even in winter, the foliage is a different brown than the seeds which gives it contrast all year round.

Sedum display bed

A new project that we started this week was to replant our Sedum varieties in a new "Sedum Sun". There will be one on each side of this path. Gustavo and Eric are the ones planting it in the picture here. 30 varieities of Sedum will be displayed when all is said and done. One large group representing the sun and 14 rays. It has started out very nice, and should be completed early next week. More pictures to follow.

Hibiscus bed

In this trial bed, we have all of our Rose of Sharon Hibiscus. There are five varieties in bloom in this area. Lavender and Blue Chiffon, 'Lil' Kim', White Chiffon, and Sugar Tip. They are all looking very nice. It is a great time to come out and take a look at these beauties.

Rosa Easy Elegance® All the Rage and Physocarpus Summer Wine®.

I have to admit to not seeing this combo all year. It was quite by accident. I most often see this garden from the other side of the Ninebark. The dark foliage of Summer Wine® with the bright coral color of All the Rage is a very nice contrast. The colors this morning with the strange rain clouds overhead perhaps made it more impressive. But clean foliage on both of these plants warrants use.

Even though it gets used more often now than in the past, Calamintha nepeta ssp nepeta is such a great plant I need to continue showing it. Non stop blooms from late June until frost. And look at how bright it makes this area. Calamagrostis brachytricha, Amsonia hubrichtii and Schizachyrium 'Carousel' offer fall colors all around it. Allium 'Summer Beauty' in front shows off her nice seed heads in contrast.

Thanks again for reading. Hopefully you enjoy this article. There will be more to come soon. Until next time, have a great day!

More favorite plants

Hello again,
Today we meet Judy Wehrmeister and her favorite plant, Physocarpus Summerwine™
A member of the Midwest team since 1996, Judy serves the Michigan and Indiana region. Her professional experiences include Inventory Control, Purchasing and Sales. She serves on the Board of Directors as Past President for the Southeast Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association. Judy earned her Associate’s degree in Landscape Technology at Oakland Community College in Rochester, Michigan.

Right now, with the deciduous plants bare, I am very attracted to bark. This may be an under-used and under-talked about characteristic of woody material that the time to enjoy is now!

One of my favorites is Physocarpus opulifolius, Common Ninebark; Summerwine™ is the name of mine. I love its bark in the winter! The varying colors (are there nine?) of the stems stand out lovely against the white background of fresh snow.

Here’s some fact from U of I Extension: 5–10 x 5–10’; hardiness zone 2-6; Full sun to partial shade; rounded with arching branches; tolerant of all soil conditions. Annual pruning is needed to keep the plant in good shape.

They produce clusters of white to off-white flowers in early summer drying to papery fruit taking on a pinkish to flesh color in mid-late summer; autumn color is a poor yellow. Can be used for specimen, border, hedge or massing.

The one in my yard is in front of some blue spruce trees. I’ve started a patch of ornamental grass and some sedum in complementary colors nearby.

Thanks again for reading!

Cool Summers make Warm Fall Colors

Hello again,
It seems like the fall colors are fairly extended this year. Certain things dropped immediately with the first frost, but others maintain there beauty for much longer. I've been very impressed with the golds I'm seeing this year. They seem so much richer than in years past. Here are some interesting fall pictures I took yesterday.
First I'll start out with our recycling program. It has been a very beneficial thing to some of our customers. This is the product that we ship out. So once we've collected enough plastic, we make these nice cubes of containers that we send out to be recycled. People have asked what it looks like, so here it is! Beautiful isn't it? It is much more beautiful than sending it to the landfill.


Tilia cordata 'Glenleven'
Glenleven Lindens haven't been the greatest for fall color the past few years. This is because of the invasion of Japanese Beetles who make the foliage nearly completely lacy which doesn't allow for much color. We did spray our trees this year so that the beetle wouldn't affect the plants as much. It worked! Our Lindens are beautiful this fall. What a sight!

Metasequoia glyptostroboides
While on the topic of trees. How about these beauties. I love the coppery-orange color these create in fall. We have Taxodium as well on the property, but they don't color up as nice as these do.




Viburnum lentego
This could be considered a small tree or large shrub. Nannyberry Viburnums have always been one of my favorite plants. I love the fruit and love the fall color. The flowers aren't the greatest, but overall the plant is a winner. Native to our area, this particular shrub is always covered in Cedar Waxwings when the fruit comes. They strip these plants of fruit in a matter of hours, not days.

Viburnum 'Winterthur'
Sticking with Viburnums, there are few plants that rival the fall color of this plant. The reds it produced each year are magnificent. I get little fruit on the plants because they require another variety of V. cassinoides to pollinate them. But fruit is secondary to the fall color and year-round appeal that 'Winterthur' foliage offers.

Viburnum molle 'Morton'
Another Viburnum!!! They sure have nice fall color, don't they? Native plants might be the best way to go for fall color! I liked the array of colors this plant was displaying. This is a future introduction for the Chicagoland Grows® program. It is similar to a Viburnum dentatum, but the foliage seems more broad, and the bark peels. So once the fall color is done, the bark provides winter interest!
Physocarpus Summer Wine®
In fall, the Ninebarks start to show nice red colors. While typically a purple foliaged plant, the combination of purple and red is outstanding. Some leaves have half purple, half red foliage and are quite desirable. I've noticed this in the past, but not to the extent that I'm seeing it this year. All the cultivars look nice, including Coppertina, Diabolo and 'Center Glow'.

Rhus aromatica 'Grow Low'
Who thinks of 'Grow Low' Sumac for fall color. I usually don't. This year has changed my mind. This planting which borders our prairie is quite beautiful. Everywhere I look, these are looking nice. And by everywhere, I mean everywhere. These are planted in every commercial job from Chicago to the Mississippi. So every commercial site looks pretty good right now. This salt tolerant plant has become a staple for our customers. While that does not need to change, I just need to stress diversity. If we can make these areas more diverse, we will not have to face a disease like we have with Ash on these guys. There can be too much of a good thing.
Vernonia glauca

The only thing I don't like about the plant is how it likes to reseed itself anywhere it can find a piece of dirt. Of course, my favorite thing about the plant is its seed though. Look at how great it looks going into winter. It does however move around with reckless abandon, so a formal garden or a smaller garden is not screaming out for it. If you have a larger area where you don't mind a few volunteer plants that get close to 6' tall, then this is for you!
Oenothera 'Cold Crick'

This plant was truly spectacular in bloom. I've never seen such brilliant yellow and so profuse. Then it goes into summer being a somewhat boring piece of foliage. Then in fall, it turns into a blazing sunset of colors. Allan Armitage says there are no perennials better for fall color than Amsonia. I beg to differ. He wrote that before the introduction of this plant. It reminds me of Geranium 'Max Frei' for fall color, only much better. We are still in the trial phase of this plant, so we do not actually grow it. I'm not sure what the market would be for it. If you are interested and think we should grow it, please email me at mgplanttrials@gmail.com

I've realized lately, that I do not show enough garden pictures. Sure I show you a lot of plants that are in the garden, but sometimes, the look of the whole garden says so much more than it's parts. In this case, we have Sporobolus heterolepis with Echinacea pallida and Allium 'Forescate'. This area of the garden receives very little maintenance. In fact, we weed it once a year, and do a spring burn. Watering is not necessary. It has become one of the more sustainable areas of the landscape. The plants cover the soil well enough that weeds are not growing in between. Except for a seedling Miscanthus, this area has been virtually weed free all year this year. That says a lot. I've never seen weeds as bad as they have been in '09. So, I will be efforting to show you more garden pictures in the future. You all want the big picture, right?

Thanks again for taking the time to read this. I hope you find something interesting in here. And if not, let me know what you'd like to see. I love getting feedback, but I don't receive it enough. Until next time, have a great day!