How Does Your Garden Grow (Part 2)

As I ventured out into the fields, it was row after row of color.  All of the plantings were labeled with the variety, NEW if they would come out next year and EXPERIMENTAL with the type of plant and a number.

The New introduction Red Whopper Begonia is on the left in full sun!

This is Angelonia Archangel Pink

(looks more purple than pink but very full flowered)

This is an Experimental Celosia

(no name yet just a number)

Gomphrena Qis Red and Fireworks

This is a large airy spreading selection, have not seen this in the nurseries.

Experimental Hanging Begonia

Experimental Curly Parsley

(much tighter crown development)

What I am beginning to figure out is that if it is experimental it does not have a name just a number, test garden plants have names and if they work out well they are marked "New" and put on the market in the near future.  Many of their previous introductions are mixed in with all of these others so it does become confusing if you are not already acquainted with the selections.

Zinnia Zahara Double Fire is available through Burpee Seed, in fact I grew this for the south side of my home.  However, it was in very limited supply as a grown plant at the nurseries.

Veronica Atomic Blue

Spreading Salmon SunPatiens

Phlox Top Shelf Grenadine Dream

There were several phlox in the test garden already given names but this one looked the best after all the heat we have had.

There are many perennials in the test gardens but they have suffered with the intense heat we had, coneflowers were not worthy of photographing and many plantings had completely died out.

This was a great looking Butterfly Bush, no name that we could find, upright and full of flowers.  They do not deadhead at Ball, so this drove me crazy wanting to make these look even prettier than they were.  They just do not have the manpower to do this with all of their plantings.

Ninebark Ruby Spice

Hydrangea Sweet Summer

This was a wonderful looking hydrangea, smaller about three feet full with white flowers speckled with some pink tones.

Hydrangea Fire and Ice

(smaller hydrangea and most of the blooms were gone on this one, supposedly the flowerheads make stunning color changes throughout their blooming season)

Hibiscus Luna Rose

(a rounded bush type hibiscus)

Coleus Redhead Container

Cleome Container

Dicondra Groundcover With Petunias

(I have seen this groundcover in the nurseries but have never bought it, looked wonderful spilling over the rocks)

Container planting with impatiens and gold coleus in upper right corner, never have seen a coleus like this!

Wall of Coleus

I think they might be using the Woolly Pockets for the hangings on arbors and pergolas.

This is a new succulent that looked interesting called Bush Pearl.

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