Rain: 5/8"

There was an additional 5/8" rain Sunday morning.

Rain: 7/8"

7/8" rain last night.

Rain: 3/8"

3/8" rain Friday night.

Bloch's Farm

http://blochsfarm.com.farming.officelive.com/default.aspx

Would make a good road trip.

Monrovia

We attended the adult education class at Boerner this afternoon.

The presenter was Nicholas Staddon of Monrovia.

The topic was new introductions.

We won a $200 japanese maple as a door prize.

I planted it this afternoon and will try to get a picture up tomorrow.

Hummingbird in the garden

There was a hummingbird working the bee balm in front of the living room window this afternoon.

Tiny toad in the garden

A miniature toad was near the western rain barrel this afternoon.

Smaller than a dime.

Hop Tree

Ptelea trifoliata

Out of stock at Forest Farm (link here)

This Wisconsin native has a reputation as a good understory tree.

St. John's Wort

Today is St. John's Day (celebrating his birthday).

So I burned St. John's Wort picked fresh from the garden.

I am having trouble finding any decent online references for the beneficial effects but the following link refers to banishing evil:

http://www.conjure.com/incensebk.html

I have read somewhere that it was supposed to bring good luck in the coming year but I cannot find that reference now.

Rain: 3/8"

3/8" rain last night.

Rain: 2.5"

2.5" rain Tuesday night, again far in excess of what was forecast.

Rain: 2"

2" of rain Monday night, far in excess of what was predicted.

The storm brought down a big branch on the ash in front of the living room window.

Wine Cups

Callirhoe involucrata

http://www.monchesfarm.com/FEATUREcallirhoe).htm

Zone 4, deep tap root.

Intolerance of wet heavy clay winter soils makes it a unlikely choice for the Hales Corners garden.

More on late blight

http://www.rodale.com/late-blight?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_06_21-_-Top5-_-NA

Dread disease.

Arctic Summer

Verbascum bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer'

http://www.finegardening.com/item/15054/reader-photo-snow-in-the-middle-of-summer

Impressive.

More on Lemon Balm

http://www.nutrasanus.com/lemon-balm.html

The improved memory effect would be nice.

Lemon Balm

http://oldfashionedliving.com/lemonbalm.html

We love our lemon balm.

And we have a lot of it.

iRobot Looj

http://store.irobot.com/family/index.jsp?view=compare&categoryId=2878870&cp=2804605&s=A-UnitRank-IRBT

Interesting idea for cleaning gutters.

Not cheap.

Constructive criticism

One of the neighborhood ladies who walks by our yard every day (and has for many years) stopped today to tell us:

"You have an unconventional garden. But I like it. Do not stop what you are doing. Keep going."

She also referred to our garden as "spontaneous."

I found her comments particularly interesting because she has a beautiful garden.

Fireflies in the garden

There are fireflies in the garden just after dusk tonight.

As per the following link, they are beneficial insects.

The larvae are predators of slugs, and I need all the help I can get against slugs.

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/homegrnd/htms/firefly.htm

Lady's Mantle

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

One of my favorites.

But it does not self-seed the way I hoped it would.

Rainfall: 1/8 inch

1/8 inch rain last night.

Rainfall: 0.75"

0.75" rain yesterday in a short violent thunderstorm that left small tree branches down and standing water all over the yard.

Tomato blight 2010

http://www.rodale.com/tomato-blight?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_06_18-_-Top5-_-NA

The dread tomato blight returns.

Cat in the garden

A very friendly tabby cat in the garden this morning.

No collar.

Maybe it can do something about the voles.

Rainfall: 0.25"

0.25" rain last night.

Rainfall: 1.75"

1.75" rain yesterday.

Short, violent thunderstorm.

Beat everything down to the ground and standing water everywhere.

Herbal Wisdom

Essential Herbal Wisdom

A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs

by Nancy Arrowsmith (2009)

I am reading and re-reading the library copy but worth buying. Growing hints and lots of interesting folklore.

Available from Llewellyn (link here).

Germander

http://www.herbcompanion.com/Gardening/Please-Bees-with-Germander.aspx

We have one germander in the garden, but according to this article, it would be easy to increase the number of plants by rooting cuttings.

Gorgeous narrow side yard

http://www.finegardening.com/item/14471/a-narrow-side-yard-becomes-a-fascinating-journey

The designer did an outstanding job with a tough spot.

Corpse flower

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/15/1681844/hoo-wah-rejoice-amid-scent-of.html

Michigan State's corpse flower bloomed for the first time in 15 years.

I sure wish I could grow something like that in my garden.

Japanese tree lilac

Syringa reticulata

We have been seeing a lot of specimens that look just like this picture from:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Syringa_reticulata_USDA.jpg

Although we have not yet seen one in person, the variegated 'Cameo Jewel' must be a stunner.

Northern Catalpa

We have been noticing some very nice specimens of Catalpa speciosa in our walks around the village.

Fabulous blooms like the one shown here from:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd24EIaG8Pdi6PP1FlXd24OQipqYTBNPzr0TVnlzMY2gKldHLPDhMOUr07xYYDxNSYd1wHwiRRVNDOouQHxUh2efhQrtp5mXgdY_QPHtaMxufrgKId0C7_4CaSzLvOGPl900bRFADoV4A/s400/Catalpa.jpg

AKA Northern catalpa or bean tree

Added to our wish list.

Numerous toad sightings

Many toad sightings in the garden over the last few days.

Maybe we have finally turned the corner on the toad population.

Raccoon in the garden

There was a raccoon on the picnic table yesterday at dusk.

Rainfall: 1/8 inch

1/8 inch rain last night.

EAB

http://www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov/

Earlier than last year (16 days) and spreading.

Giddy Over Gladiolus

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/landscap/h812w.htm

A good tutorial on gladiolus.

Native Plants

http://www.rodale.com/native-plants?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_06_10-_-Top5-_-NA

A plea for more native plants.

Dill

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/newsletter/sns-newsletter-dill-dishes,0,3346391.story

Herb of the Year 2010

Wachtel Tree Science

http://www.healthytrees.com/

Recommended by fellow MGVs for treating spruce problems.

Rainfall: 0.5"

0.5" rain so far today and it is still raining.

Fine Fescues

Thanks to Nancy for calling my attention to this story.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/06/08/unassigned/AP-US-FEA-Gardening-Slow-Grow-Grass.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

''Heavy clay is not a good medium,'' Diboll [] said.

[Neil Diboll, a landscape designer and president of Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wis., who began marketing an assortment of six ''No Mow'' fescues about 10 years ago.]

Horticultural Pumice

http://www.clppumice.com/horticultural.html

Sounds like a good product if I could find a local source.

Return of the Son of Grit, Part 2

My own ideas on grit:

play sand (tends to be too fine and too smooth)
chicken grit, crushed oyster shell (expensive)
chicken grit, cherry stone (heavy)
coarse builder's sand (have not been able to find it, need to check Lowe's or Home Depot)
perlite (too light causes tendency to blow away in wind)
patio stone base (worked pretty well, but may be too limey for some plants)

More on grit

"Several options exist, including perlite (available in garden stores), aquarium gravel, poultry grit (available at feed stores and agricultural supply stores), or horticultural pumice (available at better garden centers or through mail-order succulent nurseries). Do not use sand as it is too fine and clogs the pores in the soil."

Source: http://wimastergardener.org/?q=Haworthia

Grit

"If your soil is very heavy (high in clay), you will want to add 2 inches of sharp builder's sand along with the compost or manure. Sand alone will only make matters worse, but when it is added with organic matter to heavy clay, it does help loosen the soil."

- Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin by Lynn M. Steiner (link here)

Bath's Pink

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

Dianthus 'Bath's Pink'

Would love to grow it, but requires full sun and well-drained soil, and I have neither.

Superba

Rodgersia pinnata 'Superba'

Available from Heronswood (link here)

Would be a welcome addition to shady parts of the garden.

Tobacco mosaic virus

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1168.html

Excellent article on this dread disease of tomatoes and other plants.

Interesting to note that tobacco smokers can transmit the disease.

Flowering Tobacco

http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/flowering-tobaccos-light-up-garden.aspx

I would love to grow flowering tobacco, but I am reluctant to do so because of the risk of transmitting tobacco mosaic virus, which is mentioned in this article.

Agricultural Cornmeal

The Benefits of Cornmeal from The Herb Companion (link here)

I have never used cornmeal but maybe I should try it.

Mulch Q&A

Mulching tips from The Herb Companion (link here)

Yarb Tales

http://www.ozarkfolkcenter.com/herbs/yarb_tales.aspx

Herbs in the Ozarks.

Orange Poppy in the garden

Too few blooms impoverish the view.

Herb Tower in the garden

Nancy got the idea for this herb tower from a Sunday Sampler at Shady Acres.

Hanging baskets in the garden

Just a few of our many hanging baskets.

Knockout in the garden

We got this Knockout rose free from Hawks Nursery last year.

Not bad for a free plant.

Cook with Herbs

http://www.cookwithherbs.com/index.html

We bought 3 pots of herbs from them at the Boerner Herb Faire:

Vietnamese coriander
East Indian lemongrass
Grossfruchtiger fennel

Rainfall: Trace

Just a trace of rain last night.

Hansa in the garden

A rugosa rose.

Dill in the garden

Dill is Herb of the Year 2010

Ernest Markham in the garden

Clematis vine already taller than the trellis.

That trellis was used for the hops vine last year.

Angel in the garden

One of several fine pieces of garden art obtained from Seasons of the Heart (link here).

Strawberry in the garden

Lots of green berries in the garden, and it would be nice to get a few ripe ones.

Ginkgo in the garden

This ginkgo tree was slightly damaged in a storm after this picture was taken.

Sloe Plum

Prunus spinosa AKA The Blackthorn Tree

Available from Oikos Tree Crops (link here)

Might be willing to take one on as a novelty item.

Tulip Tree in the garden

We have high hopes for this tree.

Rainfall: 1.5"

1.5" rain last night, again far in excess of what was predicted.

Beacon Silver in the garden

Vigorous spreader.

Lawn Gator

Available from Plow & Hearth (link here)

Clever piece of garden art.

Shotgun Fungus

http://www.mikesbackyardnursery.com/2010/06/do-you-have-shotgun-fungus/

Bizarre.

Salvia divinorum

http://www.sagewisdom.org/

I would like to try to grow some.

Creepy Germander

Teucrium chamaedrys

Available from Mountain Vallley Growers (link here)

On my wish list, and not available locally.

Egytian Mint

Mentha niliaca

Available from Mountain Valley Growers (link here)

Not winter hardy here in Wisconsin, but could be grown as an annual or a pot herb.

If I lived in Phoenix, AZ (AKA Paradise), I could grow it in the ground.

Variegated Comfrey in the garden

We have four kinds of comfrey in the garden:

Old-fashioned purple-flowered
Blue-flowered
Red-flowered
Variegated

Best Plants for Birds

http://www.for-wild.org/land/wibirdpl.html

Wisconsin's Best Native Plants for Attracting Birds

Note the inclusion of poison ivy on this list.

Coral Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens

Available from Sunlight Gardens (link here)

Might make a good companion for our Mandarin.

Angelina in the garden

Sedum 'Angelina'

Valerian in the garden

I love Valerian, even if it is on numerous invasive lists.

Silver lace vine in the garden

Silver lace vine grows up the Norway maple next to the driveway.

Red comfrey in the garden

Another variety much different than the old fashioned purple flowered comfrey.

Big Bluestem in the garden

We need more native clumping grasses in the garden.

Soil Detox

Norit Gro-Safe (link here) or activated charcoal

fine textured humate

zeolite

Garrett Juice (link here)

Thrive (link here)

Seven Sons in the garden

Heptacodium miconioides purchased from Monches Farm (link here) in 2009.

Ivy pelargonium in the garden

This ivy pelargonium basket was purchased at Basse's Farm Market (link here)

May Night in the garden

Sage 'May Night'

Baptisia in the garden

Perennial Plant of the Year 2010

Blue comfrey in the garden

We got this blue flowered comfrey from Monches Farm.

A little different look than the old-fashioned purple flowered comfrey.

More ox-eye daisies in the garden

They are prolific and reliable, which is why they are on the "do not plant" list of the purists.

Rainfall: 0.25"

0.25" rain this morning.

Angelica in the garden

These two angelica plants are enormous.

They are biennials, so once they flower and set seed, they will die.

Horseradish in the garden

We had horseradish in the garden for many years, but it eventually all died out.

This is a new planting of a pair that will hopefully be with us for many years.

Foxgloves in the garden

This has been our best year for foxgloves.

White allium in the garden

I love alliums in all their forms.

Just another pagan face in the garden

Virginia creeper and a pagan face on the spruce.

Two toads in the garden

There were two toads in the garden yesterday.

One was near the air conditioner and one was near the laundry tubs.

And I know there were two because I saw them simultaneously at once.

Solomon's Seal in the garden

The mature Solomon's Seal plants are getting quite tall.

Passionate Mix

Gaura 'Passionate Mix'

Available from Santa Rosa Gardens (link here)

I have never grown Gaura, but maybe I should try some.

Container Gardening Joy

http://urbansustainableliving.com/container-gardening-joy.html

Good concise summary.

The Impact of Lorrie Otto

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/95563839.html

She was a remarkable woman.

The Best Coneflowers

http://www.garden.org/regional/report/national/3469

Scroll down to the 4th story on the above link.

The study was done in Delaware, so results may vary in the Midwest, but a lot of interesting information.

Phantom

Petunia 'Phantom'

http://www.bhg.com/blogs/everydaygardeners/tag/petunia/

Coming in 2011 from Ball Horticultural

A truly black petunia would be awesome.

Valerian

Valerian is a confusing common name, referring to more than one species.

Here, I am referring to Valeriana officinalis AKA Garden Valerian.

Classified as ecologically invasive at:

http://www.botany.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SearchResults.cgi?Status=Ecologically%20Invasive

http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/photos/

http://www.invasive.org/species/list.cfm?id=139

Ox-Eye Daisies in the garden

Another one of my favorites banned as an invasive by the purists.

Maple Face

A pagan face emerges from a Norway maple.

There is some Lovecraftian admonition against this but I cannot quite recall what it is.

It is right on the edge of my memory.

Japanese Maple in the garden

The poor little guy is being smothered by garden thugs.

Hops in the garden

Obviously, I did not build the trellis tall enough.

Ferns in the garden

Ferns, dame's rocket, alliums and other goodies.

Rustic trellis

My latest efforts at building a rustic trellis, this one is for the dutchman's pipe vine.

Not yet finished but a good start.

Lambs Ears

Many years ago, Elizabeth wanted lambs ears so we planted 3 small pots.

They have expanded hugely over the years.

Lorrie Otto, RIP

http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/95479219.html

She was The Godmother of Natural Landscaping.

I met her at Boerner many years ago, she was an interesting person, passionate about natural landscaping.

Dame's Rocket

One of my favorites, a tribute to our European heritage.

Unfortunately, the purists consider it invasive.

Shelley used to sell it at Shady Acres until the whiners finally wore her down.

Still widely available in wildflower seed mixes.

Comfrey in the garden

These of just two of the many clumps of the old fashioned purple-flowered comfrey in the garden.

All of the purple-flowered comfrey are derived from the original gifts from my Mother about twenty years ago.

Bloomerang in the garden

Lilac 'Bloomerang' slowly but surely being engulfed by Elizabeth's lambs ears.

Black Lace in the garden

Elderberry 'Black Lace'

Not as vigorous as the plain old elderberry, but I like the dark foliage.