Rain

0.25" rain early this morning.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/95161789.html?elr=KArksUUUU

I am in favor of good fences.

Unfortunately, the Village of Hales Corners does not allow fences except for dogs and pools.

Maybe I should get a dog.

On the Need for Driftwood in the Garden

http://www.finegardening.com/item/14343/driftwood-and-grasses

Reminder to self: Get some driftwood for the garden.

Purpurea

Clematis recta 'Purpurea'

Blooming this week at Monches Farm (link here)

This is the first I have heard of this bush clematis.

No bear in the garden yet

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/94983669.html

Several bear sightings in southern Wisconsin but none in Hales Corners.

Yet.

Montana

Amsonia tabernaemontana 'Montana'

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=T930

Drought tolerant, handles part shade, and compact habit.

Worth trying.

Elijah Blue

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C760

Short-lived, intolerant of poorly drained soils, requires full sun.

Sounds like three strikes to me.

Spider Web Frame

http://www.gardeningwithkids.org/15-1302.html

This might be an interesting experiment.

Toad in the garden

Toad near the bee hive composter this morning.

Farm Fresh Atlas

http://www.farmfreshatlas.org/southeast/

Features Monches Farm on page 14.

On the Nature of Green

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/indispensable-green.aspx

I particularly enjoyed the author's description of hellebores.

Repotting

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/simple-guide-to-repotting-container-plants.aspx

A good guide that covers the basics.

The Herb Garden Redefined

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/herb-garden-redefined.aspx

An impressive list of eclectic herbs.

Rabbit in the garden

I inadvertently kicked a rabbit out from underneath the pagoda dogwood today.

Tough environment for rabbits with all of the foxes and coyotes lurking about.

Toad in the garden

There was a toad near the Desdemona today.

Always exciting to see a toad in the garden.

Edible flowers

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8513.html

Raccoon in the garden at night

I set out the dead chipmunk that I scraped off Parkview Lane as bait.

Flaming Carpet

Sedum 'Flaming Carpet'

Available from Great Garden Plants (link here)

I like the way the 3 varieties work together.

Garden art

http://www.finegardening.com/item/14310/theres-an-anteater-in-the-garden

I am a huge fan of certain types of garden art, and this is one of them.

Bebbs Oak

Hybrid oak available from Oikos Tree Crops (link here)

I would like to try some.

Vigorous grower with good acorn yield sounds like a winner to me.

Dead chipmunk

There was a dead chipmunk on Parkview Lane today, apparently killed by a car.

Auto accidents seem to be the main mortality factor for all kinds of wildlife.

Toad sighting

There was a toad near the bee hive composter this afternoon.

Toad sightings are far too rare in the garden.

Rain

0.5" rain last night, which was twice the forecast but far short of the 2"/week requirement for most plants competing with tree roots.

Wisconsin NR 40

http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/plants.asp

Includes several plants in my garden such as russian olive, dame's rocket, ox-eye daisy, and others.

Midwest Invasive Plant Network

http://mipn.org/

One of many organizations waging war against invasive species.

Invasive Species

Today, I attended the monthly MGV Brown Bag at the County Extension Offices.

The presenter was Kelly Kearns of the Wisconsin DNR (via speakerphone).

She provided an overview of the efforts to contain invasive species in Wisconsin.

Interesting and educational.

It was kind of strange that I was the only one present.

All About Tomatoes

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8879/all-about-tomatoes

A treasure trove of information.

Deer in the garden

There was a lone deer in the garden yesterday just before dusk.

She was eating the dogwood in the maple garden.

Luckily, we have enough dogwood to share.

Sweet Woodruff in the garden

At one time, Sweet Woodruff was rated as "not worth growing" but it seems to have recovered some of its former reputation as a reliable shady groundcover.

Wild Cucumber in the garden

I planted a package of seeds in Fall, 2008.

In 2009, we had several plants, which in turn produced seed.

Now we have one lonely little plant.

Not sure what the problem is but I am ready to give up on wild cucumbers.

Chameleon

Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'

Available from Great Garden Plants (link here)

Despite of claims of aggressiveness, ours is barely hanging on.

A late sleeper, ours is barely out of the ground.

Disappointing so far.

Globeflower in the garden

This plant is doing well in a tough spot.

Globeflower enjoys extra moisture, and this area tends toward dry.

Shooting Star in the garden

Very nice native plant.

We should add more of them.

Rhubarb in the garden

We have one healthy rhubarb in the garden.

The other is dead, and is about to be replaced by something else, maybe gladiolus.

Redbud in the garden

I visited Gettysburg in 2008 and 2009, and saw millions of little redbuds that looked just like this.

Othello in the garden

The neighbors are dumping their sump water in the vicinity of Othello, which really enjoys the extra moisture.

I have tried to grow other varieties of Ligularia in the past, and could not keep them alive because I could not pour water on them fast enough.

Othello is looking good.

Also note that the rock behind Othello is the largest rock in the garden.

Costmary

Tanacetum balsamita

AKA Bible Leaf

Available from Mountain Valley Growers (link here)

I might have to buy it mail order since none of the local vendors ever have it.

Fox in the garden

Neighbor Ken said there was a fox in the garden this morning.

I did not see it, but he said it was only here a few minutes.

The Garden Conservancy

http://www.gardenconservancy.org/?utm_source=12MB+Active&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010+05+19

Preserving America's Exceptional Gardens

Snow Day Surprise

Exochorda 'Snow Day Surprise' (Pearlbush)

As described by Tim Wood, The Plant Hunter (link here)

Over the Fence

http://organicgardening.com/blogs/overthefence/

Gardening blog.

Herb Faire at Boerner 2010

http://www.herb-society-wisconsin.org/Herb_Society_Wisconsin/HERB_FAIRE.html

Saturday, May 22, 9am-4pm

We plan to attend.

The 11am talk by Dr. Nino Ridgway on Umbrella Herbs looks interesting.

Ostrich Ferns in the garden

Earlier this spring, we were worried that these ferns had not survived the winter.

Now, they are exploding out of the ground.

Maybe to the point that they should be dug & divided.

Osage Orange in the garden

Newly planted, purchased from Heritage.

I have high hopes for this one, should yield some nasty thorns.

Jack in the garden

We have a great many jack-in-the-pulpit in the backyard.

This one is interesting because it is a volunteer in the front yard.

The far front yard about as far from the ones in back as it can get.

Lilies in the shade

Recommended in Shady Retreats: 20 plans for colorful, private spaces in your backyard (2003) by Barbara W. Ellis, page 106.

Lilium canadense (Canada Lily)
Lilium 'Martagon Hybrids'
Lilium henryi (Henry Lily)
Lilium pardalinum (Leopard Lily)
Lilium pumilum (Coral Lily)
Lilium superbum (American Turk's-Cap Lily)

Wild ginger in the garden

This is one of several clumps of wild ginger in the garden.

They all derived from one small pot purchased many years ago from Shady Acres.

Forget Me Nots in the garden

Each year I scatter various seed mixes around the garden.

Odd how it works out that there is just this one clump in the entire garden.

Ferns in the garden

Nancy's friend Mary Orley gave us six ferns, four of which are planted here along the garden pool.

These kinds of ferns like plenty of extra moisture, so this should be a success.

Maybe.

Deer track in the garden

There were deer in the garden when we were in Arizona.

Columbine in the garden

I have great difficulty keeping columbines going in the garden, but this is a particularly tough individual that came up as a volunteer between the patio blocks and has persisted for several years.

Also note the piece of rusty pipe that I dug out of the garden last fall.

Chocolate Geranium in the garden

This is a true hardy geranium, not a pelargonium (obviously).

Very slow to develop, I thought it was dead.

Mountain Bluet in the garden

Also known as Perennial Bachelor's Buttons.

Hardy and a reliable self-seeder.

Arborvitae in the garden

Two new arborvitae, obtained (free) at Boerner Botanical Garden's Arbor Day Celebration.

Bleeding Heart in the garden

Planted Spring 2010, purchased from Shady Acres.

Part of my ongoing but largely unsuccessful campaign to establish Bleeding Heart in the garden.

Bleeding Heart has a reputation of being one of the easiest perennials to grow, and I have no end of trouble with it.

Black Lace in the garden

Not as vigorous as the old-fashioned elderberry, but a striking specimen.

Beacon Silver in the garden

This started out as one small pot and has expanded greatly.

Several sections have been cut out and transplanted.

Great plant.

The Garden Harlot

http://thegardenharlot.blogspot.com/

Interesting blog with gorgeous photos of flowers.

Bugleweeed in the garden

Just one of several fine stands of bugleweed in the garden.

Gardening snobs insist on calling it Ajuga, which could be excused if they called most other things by their scientific names.

Rain

2.5" rain in the gauge since May 8.

The garden looks lush and overgrown, so lack of moisture was not a problem while we were in Arizona.

Ground Cover Veronicas

http://wimastergardener.org/?q=GroundCoverVeronicas

Would love to try some but they require full sun and well-drained soil, and I have neither.

Indian Wood Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHLA5

On my wish list.

Vertical gardens

Thanks to Nancy for calling my attention to this one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/garden/06vertical.html?pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

Interesting experiments.

Going to be fascinating to see the long-term results.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the garden

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/id

There was an adult male rose-breasted grosbeak in the garden today, feeding on the seed cylinder on the hook system in the backyard.

Superweeds

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

Interesting article on Roundup-resistant weeds.

Life finds a way.

Gardening has been hijacked

http://www.thewildgardener.com/

Features the quote about gardening being hijacked by a gang of interior decorators.

Ghost

Lamium maculatum 'Ghost'

Available from Bluestone Perennials (link here)

Deer resistant, tolerates clay soils and dry shade.

This is a winner.

Crabapple pictures

Because of the warm windy and stormy weather, the crabapple trees have already passed their peak of bloom.

Luckily, I took several pictures while they still looked great.

Plant purchases

We attended opening day at the New Berlin Farmers' Market yesterday. We bought a bleeding heart from Mrs. Jerry.

We attended the Hosta Sale at Boerner yesterday, We bought a toad lily and a hellebore.

Rain

We got 0.25" Friday night.

We got a trace Saturday night.

Joe Witt

Acer tegmentosum 'Joe Witt'

Available from klehm's Song Sparrow Farm (link here)

Would make an excellent understory tree.