Tag Archives: Porcupine Grass

Garden Update: Monarda, Milkweed, and a Moon

25 Jun

My husband and I began a very optimistic plan to lay a 450 sq. ft. patio this past weekend. The two of us. By ourselves (since our kids have all scattered far and wide). Our intention was to make a good start and to try to finish by next weekend, in and amongst working full time during the week. One tiny setback: a torrential downpour that occurred on Sunday morning, turning our denuded (but not yet paved) patio area into a mud pit. More on our venture later–but on the plus side, while we were toiling away I had multiple opportunities to admire how full and lush the garden has become (and to remind myself, repeatedly, of how much nicer the whole yard will look when swathes of dog-worn grass have been replaced with cobblestone pavers).

I have always loved the garden in June, when many of my favorite plants are in bloom. The photo on the left shows a small section containing a neglected bird feeder and (clockwise from top left) variegated Porcupine Grass, Montauk Daisy (not yet in bloom), yellow Tickseed (Golden Gain), tall lilac Verbena Bonariensis, a tiny bit of pink Monarda (Raspberry Wine), wine red Asiatic Lily (Tiny Ghost), small purple spikes of Veronica (Royal Candles), and orange Butterfly Weed. To the right is a close-up of the Monarda, which is new to the garden this year.
 
I added a couple more Butterfly Weed plants this year to fill in the space a bit and also because I love orange and Butterfly Weed is so cheerful and such a magnet for, well, butterflies–including Monarchs. I will be on the lookout this year and will bring in any Monarch caterpillars I see, to avoid the unknown fate that befell their 2012 counterparts. (I do not really blame the Nuthatch….).

And finally, after a grueling day digging dirt and laying bricks, we were rewarded with a lovely sight in the night sky: the Supermoon. I definitely did not have the right lens to do it justice–but here is a very rough view of the moon looming over a neighbor’s house, with a passing cloud absorbing some of the lunar glow.

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Fall Foliage

10 Nov

Flowers are fantastic, but foliage can add interest to any garden long after the flowers are gone. Admittedly, my gardening philosophy is very, very basic (roughly on par with my gardening skills), but one element of that philosophy is that every garden needs a diverse range of foliage: different colors, patterns, shapes, and textures. And if you can find a perennial with foliage that changes color in the autumn (or presents you with some other dramatic display, such as plumes), that’s an added bonus.

Here are two plants that have been putting on a show in recent weeks:  Porcupine Grass, with plumes shooting at least 8 feet in the sky  (plus close-up of the plumes) — and Crape Myrtle (Siren Red), whose foliage appears to change color depending on the time of day:

  

  

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Tis the Season for…Crape Myrtle

31 Jul

It’s that time of year. All over our neighborhood, Crape Myrtles (also known as Crepe Myrtles) are in bloom.  The long-flowering trees and shrubs originated in Asia, but made their way to the southeastern part of the United States more than 200 years ago after a pit stop in Europe. With so many different sizes and colors to choose from, there is bound to be a Crape Myrtle for almost every garden.

Our Siren Red is a relatively small variety–it will only be about 10 feet tall when fully mature, which is just right for our townhouse yard.  Of course, I also thought the Porcupine Grass was just right for our yard, but failed to adequately imagine what 8-foot tall clumps of  vibrant ornamental grass would look like at their peak; with two of them on either side of the Crape Myrtle, it is in danger of becoming the filling in a Porcupine Grass sandwich. I’m hoping the Crape Myrtle will soon outgrow the Porcupine Grass. If not, I’ll have to think of a Plan B.

I chose the Siren Red because of its size, and also because of its beautiful deep-red flowers. With crimson-colored new-growth foliage that turns green, and berry-like buds, every part of Siren Red is a pleasure to behold:

  

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The Understated Elegance of Switchgrass

23 Jul

This is the time in my garden when the show-stoppers from June have faded away and the autumn-flowering beauties have yet to burst forth.  I have not quite been able to ensure a completely steady stream of new blooms from March through October. A few troopers are still hanging in there, but this is when the ornamental grasses shine. There are two grasses in my garden: Porcupine Grass and Switchgrass  (Shenandoah). If plants can be categorized according to personality type, then there is no question as to which is the extrovert and which is the introvert.

Porcupine Grass grows like mad, has beautiful stripes, and is more than 6′ tall; it rarely gets overlooked. Here is a photo of it at eye level — it is tall, lush, and spectacular, a show-off in a garden of  show-offs:

But there comes a point at which the Porcupine Grass is too much: too tall, too bold, too loud.  And it is precisely then that the slower-growing Switchgrass comes into its own. Tucked away in a far part of the garden, it rarely gets much attention. But it is a gorgeous grass, with burgundy tips and delicate spikelets (flowers)–the epitome of elegance.  Proof, again, that quieter personalities have a great deal to offer any garden.

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Tall, Colorful, and Handsome

5 Jul

In an earlier post, I included a photo of Garden 2 (G2) in 2011. Here is a photo of G2 last month:

As you can see, G2 has exploded. The focal plant, Crape Myrtle (Siren Red) is now well over fence height, with the Porcupine Grass on either side towering more than 6′. Ultimately, the Crape Myrtle will be taller than the Porcupine Grass; I just hope it doesn’t get suffocated before it gets there. A recurring lesson: check the spread (width) of your plants before planting them.  I only had eyes for height; width wasn’t really a consideration. I was looking for tall, colorful, and handsome, and in some cases ended up with fat and jolly instead. But it’s hard to be upset with a happy plant.

The new Gauras (Passionate Rainbow) on both sides in the front filled in quite nicely, but have yet to bloom. I suspect they will not this year. Maybe I am fated to not have Gauras, though I love them. But the yellow Euphorbia is still pulling its weight, as it has been since March. And new this year are two Azaleas–the two lighter green plants at the far left- and right-hand sides of the photo, just below fence level. I planted them in April, and am already fairly certain they are getting too much sun, so a relocation may be in the works. Another lesson worth repeating from 2011: don’t be afraid to move plants around. Of course, it would be best not to do it at high noon in 100+ degree weather (of the kind we have been experiencing lately); even the hardiest plant would have a rough time under those conditions. In fact, I can’t blame them. I’d wilt, too, if I were unceremoniously dumped into a hot hole with the sun beating down on my head. So I will keep my eye on the azaleas  and move them if needed–on a cooler, overcast day when rain is predicted.

I leave you with a couple other photos of the garden from June: a corner of Garden 1 (G1) featuring some pink and orange Echinacea, as well as Rudbeckia Giant Coneflower, which is stunningly tall, colorful, and handsome, and a total bird magnet.

And Garden 3 (G3) looking down toward G2, with the coppery Hibiscus and crimson-colored Yarrow in the foreground, and orange Butterfly Weed by the tree. Don’t be fooled by the Yarrow, however. It is proving to be all show and no substance. More on that soon.

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2011: Garden Phase 2

19 Jun

In the Spring of 2011, with the arrival of the squirrel-proof daffodils, tulips, camasia, and allium, and as the plants from 2010 began growing into their own, the flower garden started taking shape. But there was a lot of bare flower bed remaining. Enter Phase 2.

That spring/summer, I planted a couple of real favorites in Garden 2 (G2): Gaura (Belleza Dark Pink) and Euphorbia (Ascot Rainbow). The Gaura bloomed and bloomed all summer — small fuchsia flowers atop waving spikes. The Euphorbia has yellow-green variegated foliage and bubbly “flowers.” It is a joy from very early spring until the autumn. Here is a picture of it in April of this year, with the Crape Myrtle foliage just beginning to emerge in the background.

I added Tickseed (Golden Gain), Salvia (Caradonna), and Gaillardia (Trumpet Red) for more color. Here is what G2 looked like in early June, 2011. (Note that the leaves on the Crape Myrtle have grown in by June). Tall Asters are at the sides by the fence with Montauk Daisy and Asiatic Lilies in front, Porcupine Grass is also along fence toward the center with Euphorbia and small Gaura and Salvia in front, and Crape Myrtle is by the fence post with Gaillardia and Tickseed in front.

By now, you will have discovered that which I fight against, but fail to overcome: I love symmetry. I can’t help it. In each of the flower beds there is a central zone with a central plant, and identical (symmetrical) plants on each side.  In G2, the central plant is the Crape Myrtle. I have managed to uproot this tendency very slightly in G1 (and when hanging art on the walls of my house), but I have been more successful inside than out. In the garden, I hope that this love of order, comforting as it may be to me, will be less obvious as everything grows in. Plus, I doubt anyone other than myself will be looking at the garden long enough to notice….

Next: Herb Garden.

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2010: Garden Phase 1

19 Jun

Some of the very first plants I planted in our new flower beds in the summer of 2010 were NE Asters  (Purple Dome), a Crape Myrtle (Siren Red), two Porcupine Grasses, some Asiatic Lilies (Tiny Dino and Tiny Ghost), a couple Montauk Daisies,  Red Hot Pokers (Flamenco), Echinacea (Red Knee High, Rocky Top Hybrid, Big Sky Sundown) and some daylilies (Baby Darling). After getting them in the ground, I waited to see what would happen. What happened was that that I loved the Porcupine Grass as it grew tall and striped, the Crape Myrtle with its red new-growth foliage and its crimson blooms, and the fact that in late summer, the Asters exploded in masses of bright purple blooms surrounded by buzzing bees that our dog persisted in chasing despite retaliation on the part of the bees. And the Montauk Daisies are so cheerful that I forgave them for being white in a garden that is mean to be bright.

Here’s new-growth foliage on the Crape Myrtle, from this year, with Porcupine Grass in background:

But even with these plants, I was aware that the garden was still fairly bare. So in the fall of 2010, I planted bulbs under the watchful eye of the neighborhood squirrels. Having battled bulb-eating squirrels before, I built impenetrable defenses around my bulbs: I coated them in foul-smelling deer repellent spray before planting them, covered the planted area with chicken wire, added a bit more soil, and topped up with a light layer of mulch, which I sprayed again. It worked — no squirrels got my bulbs. Note: use this method only if you do not ever plan to move the bulbs elsewhere or plant anything else in close proximity to them.  The chicken wire served as a great defense against my own future landscaping plans. But I got the best of the squirrels, so it was a small price to pay to have to pull out the wire cutters a couple of years later.

Next: Phase 2.

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