How Does Your Garden Grow (Part 1)

We very rarely get to see what goes into making our garden grow with all of the beautiful plants we put in each year.

I was lucky enough to be invited to tour Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Illinois.  They are open to the public on the weekend but not on weekdays.  I was able to go on a weekday and given permission to photograph all of their gardens. 

Ball is a major supplier to Burpee Seeds and many other seed companies throughout the world.  They do not market their seeds to the retail market but do sell to growers worldwide.  The company began in 1905, introduced the Wave Petunia, Dazzler, Elfin and Fiesta Impatiens, the black petunias this year and many more too numerous to mention.

Ball is continually experimenting with vertical gardening and this wall of ferns and other houseplants is actually growing in their lobby.  This is not a Woolly pocket system but was made of a freestanding metal structure with apertures for holding soil and plants.

This is the Woolly Pocket System outside on one of their patios with a wide variety of plantings, all annuals in zone 5.

Begonia Lana

These are very large begonias and seem to have come out of the Angel Wings type and Rex Begonias.

 Begonia Black Fancy

Bliss Scarlet

This is a tuberous begonia that will be new on the market in spring, very large double flowers.

Whopper Bronze Leaf

This is a new fibrous begonia on the market in the spring, huge and can grow in the sun or shade.

They are introducing some new impatiens and also improving on varieties that have been with us for awhile

Improved Purple Wave

Silver Tidal Wave Petunia

I grew this from seed this year but I have not seen it in the nurseries.

New Electric Cherry

You will see this next spring in the nurseries.

Celebration Icy Blue

This was not a new introduction but it was beautiful!

It was very noticeable that there is a distinct trend towards all sun impatiens with many more introductions than ever before.

Patchwork Peach Prism

Spreading White Impatiens

I have not seen this in the nurseries yet.

Patchwork Lavender

Patchwork Impatiens and Blazin' Rose Iresine
Partial Shade Plantings

There are many labeled mature specimens in the shady areas.

A Pergola of Petunias

 

I will revisit Ball Horticultural to show some of the new dwarf shrubs and experimental plantings.



Blooming Again

We all want continually blooming gardens and this is an achievable goal if we plan ahead.  Deadheading is of course one way to insure rebloom but using the correct plants is also part of the solution.

Blue Paradise Phlox

Snapdragon La Bella (grown from seed and planted in the spring) is coming up behind the daylilies that have been cut down.  Snapdragons will take the cooler weather and even a light frost, 

Pink Gaura is also coming up behind the Dark Ruby daylilies that have been cut.

Gaura is not always a perennial in my area but the white one came back this year.

Coleus Sedona is coming back from being ravaged by insects.

Pulmonaria Raspberry Splash

Gaura is coming up between the Pulmonaria, daylilies have been cut down behind.

Pink Meidiland is beginning to bloom again.

Phlox Shockwave

New and just planted already has been whipped around by a storm.

This was an unnamed phlox from Home Depot.  The tag purposefully had the name cut, wonder why!  I bought two of them to fit between the foliage of daylilies that have been trimmed.  The phlox is tall enough that it will come up through the foliage next year.

I am hoping it might be Peppermint Twist which I have been looking for the past two years!

On my weekend trip to Wisconsin I went back to Northwind Perennial Farm and picked up a few plants that were on sale.  I am adding another Amsonia Northwind Select to my front pathway border.  If they get as big as the ones I saw on their farm I am in trouble.

This is a Molina Moor Grass that will be planted in back of the daylilies out in front.  When the daylilies are cut down the grass will show for a fall display.

I should cut some of the Amaranthus in the south side raised bed.  It can be put in containers either fresh or dried.

Daylily Amelia was cut down and behind it is Sedum Autumn Fire which does not flop.  I replaced Autumn Joy in this location because it was very messy looking all over the ground.  Autumn Fire is not quite as showy in regard to color but it will stand through the fall and winter.

Arnie's Choice Daylilies beginning to sprout after being cut down a couple of weeks ago.  Plumbago is spreading underneath.  In another week all of those brown stalks can be easily removed.  I think I will put some small cabbages in this area for the fall, must be careful of all the bulbs underneath.

Miscanthus Little Kitten comes up late at first hidden by bulb foliage and then daylilies.  It will eventually put forth long fuzzy seed heads for a fall display.

The Becky Shasta Daisies have been cut to the ground and behind them Boltonia Pink Beauty is getting ready to bloom.

At the edge of Miscanthus Udine on the south side raised bed Purple Dome Aster will be blooming for the fall.

Eupatorium Chocolate is at the end of the zinnias on the hot south side but it will put on a show of cloudy white flowers in the fall.

This is Sandra Elizabeth my latest blooming daylily.  It has taken the place of earlier blooming Hyperion and Red Magic.  Underneath them Vera Jameson Sedum is getting ready to bloom.

Vera Jameson Sedum

Around The Garden

It is that terrible time of the summer when our plants are bitten up, wilting, brown spots and general disarray in the garden.  I have had terrible rose problems this summer with midges and Japanese Beetles and am looking for a single rose that is fit to show.

All The Rage

The phlox has mottled leaves but it ready to rebloom again.

I have begun cutting down the daylilies that have already bloomed so that other plantings can peek through.

The vegetable garden seems to have done well this year, huge tomato plants but I am not sure the yield will be that great.  The Fanfare cucumber has been just great, no disease and wonderful tasting cucumbers.

Fanfare Bush Cucumber

I have lots of miniature eggplant and now need to make a delectable recipe out of them along with the multitude of hot peppers.

Hansel Eggplant

I have to give the Gardener's Supply double decker tomato cages a thumbs up for holding up the Super Beefsteak and the Big Boy tomatoes.

Super Beefsteak Tomato

Nasturtiums supposedly keep aphids away from the vegetable garden, don't know, but I haven't seen any!

Blue Sunshine Geranium has been a winner all summer.

The coleus border, Indian Summer, with black sweet potato vine has done well all summer.  However, the sweet potato vine is a mound and not trailing, never had one like this!

This is Kim's Knee High and it has been my best Echinacea, blooming all summer never losing color.

I deadheaded Sweet Lorraine Heliopsis and it has put forth a multitude of blooms.

Perilla is an annual in my area but it is a wonderful plant to grow, related to coleus but much stronger and taller.  It fills in my border along the fence with Sweet Lorraine Heliopsis.

Rudbeckia and Zahara Zinnia
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The south side is doing great this year with plants that welcome the heat and humidity.

Zahara Zinnias

Purslane has been a star this year in the heat, goes well with other tropicals.

Pennisetum is getting its fuzzy little flowers.

Henry's Garnet Sweetspire has been trimmed back and Limelight Hydrangea is ready to bloom.

Tidal Wave Petunia with Ninebark Summer Wine.  This is a spreading petunia like you have never seen, but does well in the landscape with some pruning.  I don't recommend it for containers unless you have a huge amount of room to let it trail many feet.

 Autumn Fern is new under the Chanticleer Pear with Lirope.

Heuchera with Japanese Painted Fern

Raspberry Ice Heuchera also under the Chanticleer Pear

Japanese Painted Fern with Lirope and Heuchera Flowers

Heuchera Vilosa Purpurea

Hydrangea Starlight Let's Dance

Lady Lucille is new this year and mid-season to late blooming.

Silom Space Age

Mid-Season

Unique Hydrangea is beginning to bloom.

It's been an unusual summer in that I didn't think I had much to show because of all the heat and the insect damage, but I guess I was wrong.  There is always so much more than what we see is going wrong with specific plants.