Daylily - Luminary

What more can I say - the picture speaks for itself!

Oriental Poppy

This is an all time favorite.  It blooms very early in the spring with paper thin almost velvet type blooms.  They are sometimes hard to get established but once you get them going they are very hardy.  One note to remember once they are done blooming in the spring they will die back and it will look like you lost the plant, but be patient they will grow back once it cools off in August.

Columbine

This is one plant that I don't have.  I do however get a lot of request for plants that do well in shade, and you can only have so many hostas, so this is a good choice for shade.

Black Eye Susans

This is a native plant here in the midwest.  It is great if you have a deer problem because it is definately not one of their favorites.

Happy Holidays

To everyone out there - hoping you all a very happy and safe holiday season!

Flower Request.

I have had a request for a list of plants (flowers) that I sell at the farmers market so they could see what I all have.  Everything you see on this website (unless specifically mentioned) is in my flower beds or Franks.  With continued post we hope to have most of our plants displayed in full sight for you all to see.

Double Delight - daylily

Peach with Melon center - Daylily

I bought this one a number of years ago at a Master Gardener sale - all the plants were donated and most of them were unmarked, so a grab bag bargin turned into a wonderful surprise.  I have never been able to find a picture of this variety so I don't know the correct name, I just call it Peach with Melon center.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) Having a plant sale at your home

Here a just a few things to consider before you have a plant sale at your home.

One should decide what the purpose of the sale is. To get rid of excess plants, dabble in the commercial aspects of plant sales, or to make a little money to reinvest in new plants.

Take inventory of your plants and decide what plants should be thinned out and offerred for sale.   Hostas make a great first choice.  A large plant can be separated into anywhere from 6 to 12 new plants.  Just take a large knife and have at it.

Next you will need some pots and potting soil, along with a type of plant tag (cut up miniblinds make great plant markers).

When I had my first plant sales at the house I would co-ordinate it with the city wide garage sale weekend and pick up a ton of customers that were out and about looking for bargins.  You can use flyers and signs at your descretion and never under estimate word of mouth.

It is a good idea to have a second person help you with the sale, that way one person is always taking the money and bagging plants while the other is answering plant questions for browsing customers. Customers love to see the plants growing in your gardens, another good reason to have a second person to serve as a tour guide.

I use plastic bags (yeah the ones that your groceries come home in, do the words 'recycle' and 'free' come to mind) to bag up potted plants for my customers.  One bag holds 2 one gallon potted plants comfortably and the handles make it easy to carry.

Remember the saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words'?  Unless you are selling a plant like a hosta you are going to need a picture of the plant in bloom.  People definately want to see what it looks like when it is blooming and since different perennials bloom at different times through out the growing season, you are never going to have them all blooming at sale time.  I take my digital camera and get pictures during the season as they are blooming;  then transfer them to my computer,  upload them to an oline photo developer (usually as cheap as .06 a print) and then laminate them and use them over and over again.  The laminating helps protect the picture from a rainy sale date.  These pictures are place in front of each group of a specific plant where they are the first thing a customer sees.  One more tip on pictures - they don't have to be professional, as you can see from some of my pictures there is occasionally a hand or boot or onion patch in the picture.  To an experienced gardener this will give them warm fuzzies - it will tell them that this is an actual picture of the plant growing and thriving (hardy) in this plant zone.

Ice Carnival - Daylily

Probably the closest thing you will get to a pure white daylily.

Ice Carnival

Height - 28 inches
Zones 3-10
Booms - mid to late July
Fragrant 6 inch near white Blooms

Black Eye Stella - Daylily

BLACK EYED STELLA

14"-18" HEIGHT

3"-3.25" BLOOM

ZONES 3-10

EARLY BLOOMER

REBLOOMER

GTOTM (Garden Tip of the Month) Composting Leaves

In an earlier blog regarding the division of irises, soil amendment was mentioned.  This is a perfect segue to the tip of the month; What does one do with all the leaves left behind by mother nature every fall?  The answer is simple!!!  The recycling and composting of leaves is an excellent thing to do for your garden soil, plants and the environment  in general.  Consider the benefits of mulching and composting the leaves each fall back into your gardens and around plantings:

1. They will help conserve moisture.
2. Controls soil erosion.
3. Regulates soil temperatures in summer and winter.
4. Reduces weeds.
5. Reduces stress of drought.
6. Insulates the soil.
7. Helps winter survival of plants
8. Adds a variety of nutrients back into the soil.
9. Improves soil structure.
10 Promote an environment for earth worms, natures natural soil aerators!
11. Prevents leaves from entering the water ways, or landfills.

After raking all those leaves simply put them somewhere in a big pile and cover with a tarp and let them decompose over winter and add them in the spring at the depth of  3" or more as mulch around plantings and in your garden beds.  I choose to shred them in the fall and apply after the gardens are somewhat cleaned out.  Leaves do not change the PH of your soil.

****A word of caution is in order. If your leaves are from black walnut trees, be sure there are no nuts in your leaves as they will have ill effects on your soil and plants.

Shasta Daisy

I love this plant - very hardy and seeds itself like crazy.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) - Potting Soil

I have found that it is best to get a good grade of potting soil.  A good grade will give your potted plants a jump start and make them look great.  A good grade will be pourous - absorbing water but letting excess water filter through.

I usually select one that has slow release ferterlizer that will feed the potted plants for up to 4 - 6 months.  All the plants that I don't sell at the market are not store in pots over the winter (they get planted back in the ground)  so 4 - 6 months is a good time frame.

I always buy the 2 -3 cubic feet bags - you get the best price.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) - Nursery Pots

When I started out I asked friends and family to save all their pots from plants they had purchased.  As you can imagine the first year or so I had quite an assortment of pots - different shapes, sizes and colors.  I even asked my customers if they were not going to reuse the pots if I could have them back - explaining that it would help me keep my expenses down.  That in turned allowed me to do the following:

A.  reuse the pot and cut my expenses (helping out the small guy - me)
B.  continue to offer a showy high quality plant at a bargin price (big plus for the customer - them)
C.  recycle a none biodegradable item and decrease the refuge in our landfills. (the world - everyone)

As I expanded from a couple plant sales at the house to the Farmers Market - presentation became very important.  I was now competing against established nurseries so not only my plants but my pots needed to have a unified and professional look about them.  I went online to look for a source of nursery pots and found by ordering in bulk you can get pots for as inexpensive as 12 to 16 cents a piece.
Just go online and do a search on Nursery Containers, and find the supplier that best meets your needs.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) - Plant Tags (stakes)

For many years the only plant tags I used - were cut up mini blinds.  Don't laugh - no expense involved!

Again I had friends and relatives saving their old mini blinds for me.  You can make them look professional if you take a siscors and round the tops off (no sharp corners) and then cut the bottom into a V shape that will be inserted into the pot to identify the plant.  They are a little wider than most of the standard ones you can buy so you have more space to identify the plant.  I typically use a Sharpie market to print the plant name on the tag so more space is better.

If you do buy tags at a nursery or farm/home center you should be able to get a pack of 50 6inch tag stakes for between $1.49 - $1.69, that's a good price.

Daylily - Happy Returns (a stella variety)

14"-18" HEIGHT

3"-3.25" BLOOM

ZONES 3-10

EARLY BLOOMER

REBLOOMER

 

Bearded Iris - Tall White

Daylily - Burning Ember

A stunning red with a deep yellow throat.  The leaves are curled back like they are burning.

Daylily - Yellow Ruffel

A star shaped yellow ruffel.

Coreopsis Early Sunrise (Tickseed)

This is a perennial that is near and dear to my heart.  When I first started selling plants at the farmers market it was definately my 'bread and butter' plant.   The thing I love about this plant (and is a big selling point with my customers) is the fact that you can keep this perennial blooming all season long.  Since perennials typically have specific and sometimes short blooming season, this is a big plus. 

The secret to keep it blooming is to cut the spent flower stems fairly deep - don't let them go to seed heads.  If you do this the plant will continue to use it's energy to reproduce and send up new flowers - if you don't cut the spent flower heads off the plant will use that energy to set seed heads.  A word of caution if you want new plants (and trust me you do, the typical life spand of a plant is 3 years) don't cut the spent flowers off in the fall, let those go to seed.  This will give you new plants that will shoot up the following spring.

There are a number of different varieties of Coreopsis - my favorite is Early Sunrise because it has a double bloom that makes a very showy plant.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) - separating bearded Iris

Since Frank made a great comment regarding the mini bearded iris - now seems like a perfect time to talk on dividing bearded iris.  The best time to divide your bearded iris is in August, that will give them time enough to get establish and you will get plenty of blooms next spring. 

How do you know when it is time to divide them?  When your rhizomes become crowded and are growing on top of each other is a sure indication that they need to be separated.  Another indication is when you notice you are getting less and less blooms each year (you may have a ton of leaves but few blooms), this indicates that the plants are fighting for nutrients in their crowded environment and only produce foliage growth.

How to plant?  The most common mistake made with bearded iris is planting too deep. First make a 3" deep depression about 6" in diameter. In the center make a small, fist-sized mound of soil. The rhizome is placed on top of the mound so that 1/3 of the rhizome will be above the soil. Spread the roots out to support the plant, replace the soil, firmly pack around the roots to remove air pockets and water liberally. DO NOT plant bearded iris in a low area; they will not tolerate standing water. I would suggest 12 -14" as a good distance between rhizomes. This allows the new growth to fill the area between plants in about three to four years.  And then it is time to separate again.

Fertilize or not?  If your soil is rich in nutrients (a good mix of compose can accomplish this) there should be no need to fertilize.  If you soil has not been amended I would suggest a fertilizer low in nitrogen such as 6-10-10. Fertilizers high in nitrogen tend to cause bacterial rot and lush, but weak, foliage growth. When selecting fertilizers for irises, be sure that the 2nd and 3rd numbers are bigger than the 1st. These numbers stand for the amounts of phosphorus and potassium in the mixture. Phosphorus and potassium are the key nutrients in root and bloom production.

Autum Joy Sedum

A fool proof plant - drought tollerant, does well in poor soil and grows well in full sun, partial sun and a northern exposure.  This plant holds it shape well even during the winter - quite a sight when it is snow covered.  Blooms in the fall starting mid August through frost.  One of my biggest sellers at the market.  I
typically split the plant in early spring (early April) as soon as it shows signs of growing.  I dig the entire plant up and break it into chunks leaving a larger portion to replant as the 'mother' plant.  All the smaller plants are then potted for sale at the market.

Siloam Fairytale - mini daylily

Another Mini Daylily

Miniature cream-pink with orchid-purple eye. Very floriferous.

Blooms: Mid to late season.

Height: 18"

Zones: 3-10

Siloam Doodlebug - mini daylily

Another great plant for the front of a flowerbed

Miniature lemon-yellow with striking purple-red eye

Height: 18"

Bloom: Early to Mid season

Zones: 3-10

Dwarft Bearded Iris - yellow and wine

This small guy is great for the front of your beds.  Blooms very early in May.  The folage only reaches a hight of 6 inches but is very vigorious and multiplies quickly.  Very large blooms for a dwarft variety.

Condilla - delightful double gold daylily

This has always been a favorite of mine - large foilage and large beautiful double gold blooms.

Nanna Ballerina

A few years ago a good garden friend gave me a perennial, but she didn't know the name of it. Never to pass up a free plant I gladly accepted it. I searched for the identity of this perennial for well over a year and resorted to the fact that I would never know its identity. Even garden centers couldn't help me out!!  About a year ago(in growing seasons) I  visited the horticultural garden located on the University of Wisconsin campus. In itself this garden is a delight and a must see garden.  To my surprise, there it was in bloom and identified!! It has been referred to as similar to baby's breath  but slightly larger. It is a member of the achillea family. One word of caution, it is a fast grower but can be contained. Enjoy!

Mary Todd - daylily

A very showy large yellow flower.  For some reason I keep forgetting the name for this flower I can remember it's a famous lady - good thing Frank has a good memory.

Evening Primrose

I just had to include this plant in my blog.  It is a super seller at the Farmers Market - I have a ton available every year and I always sell out.  When it is blooming people will buy it even if they don't have a place for it - it is a bright sun yellow color that people can't resist.
You may recognize it under a different name - perhaps sundrop or pot-of-gold?  It is a very prolific plant and multiplies rapidly, however it is easy to maintain because the root system is very shallow allowing you to easily keep it under control using a hand trowel to did up excess plants.
It will grow well with all different sunlights - I even have some on the north side of the house where the leaves stay a dark green and it typically blooms a couple weeks later than the plants that are in full sun.  It's typical blooming season is mid to late June.
Last year I had some toward the front of the house and a neighbor's son came over and used his new star war sword and wacked the tops off.  No worry - I trimmed the broken tops off and much to my surprise they shot new leaves up and by the end of July I had new blooms.  So this year after my June blooms were done I cut the tops of...and sure enough by late July early August I had new blooms.  LOL live and learn!

Bonanza Daylily

Here is a great flower to use in a group.  It goes particularly well when planted inbetween a red and a yellow.  Since it is yellow with deep red ...it makes the 3 colors flow together smoothly.

GTOTM (Garden Tip of the Month) Gardening with Rodents!!!

With the days getting progressively shorter,and most perennials going to sleep for the upcoming winter one can look forward to the next gardening season in the upper midwest. Wait!!!! There is some gardening to be done yet this fall. Now is a perfect time to augment your spring landscape by planting a variety of spring flowering bulbs readily available at a variety of sources at this time of year. In fact on a recent Sunday afternoon I did just that. About two hours later I discovered that something had dug up the newly planted bulbs!!!. Thus the topic of this posting. To prevent this from happening to you, I recommend two tried and tested methods of preventing squirrels, chipmunk, and other animals from digging up your bulbs. 1) I place wire mesh over the planted area securing it with rocks, bricks or covering the ends with soil. Personally I like to use chicken wire. In the spring simply remove it as you see the growth poking through the soil. 2) Generously sprinkle cayenne pepper over the planted area. As the animals start to dig, the pepper will stick to their paws and they will lick the pepper off. While hot to the human taste, cayenne pepper has a bitter taste for animals. This will discourage them from staying in that area. I would interesting in hear about other tried and tested methods of dealing with this problem. Happy Gardening!!!

Bi-color Daylily - Pocomania

Pocomania is typically not one of my favorite daylilies. It is worth mentioning that it is very prolific and under the right circumstanses blooms a very long time. Last fall I put in a plant just below the down spot from the water gutter on the southwest corner of the house. It bloomed from late July through the first week of October. With that said plenty of sun and moisture make it one happy camper.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month) - pruning flowering bushes

Ever prune your over grown flowering bushes in the fall and then next spring you have no blooms (or very few)? Here is a rule of thumb - if you have bushes like Lilac or Forsythia that bloom early in the spring - the appropriate time to purne them is in the spring right after they are through blooming. If you prune them in the fall you cut off the new growth (from the current year) that produces the blooms the following spring.

Red Daylily - Wild Heart

If I haven't mentioned already I am particularly fond of Daylilies. I have quite an assortment of shapes and colors - but by far reds are my favorite. It took me a while before I could actually part with some of my reds and offer them for sale at the market, but once I did they sold like hot cakes. Here is one of my favorites called Wild Heart.

GTOTM (Garden Tip Of The Month)

Not sure this would qualify as a tip, but I am sure those of you that have flower beds are probably dreading going out at this time of year to clean up the bed. Forget it!
I never clean a flower bed in the fall. I let the natural folage act as a mulch for the plants over winter. Also being somewhat commercialized I want the plants that have seed heads to stay in the garden over winter. Seed heads mean you will have new plants popping up in the spring.

New plants = more plants to pot = more sales at the Farmers Market = more cash.

An even more important thing that a lot of people don't think about.....those extra seed heads provide a ton of food over winter for birds, squirrels and a number of other animals (some we don't even know about).

And if that hasn't convinced you.....some plants hold their shape well. The one that comes to mind most frequently is Autum Joy Sedum. It stands tall and proud over winter and if you have a group of them they are quite a scenic conversation piece when they are snow covered.

Last of the fall plantings

Peach Velvet

Burning Ember




A couple days ago the weather was nice - sunny and mid 60s, so I decided to plant the last 2 remaining potted daylilies. The one was Burning Ember that I had left over from this years farmers market, and the other was Peach Velvet that I accidentially dug up while weeding an older flower bed.

Here is a little about me to help you get a better picture of who I am and what makes me tick.

I live in the midwest - Dubuque Iowa. If you look at a map Dubuque is located along the Mississippi River right where the three states meet (IA/IL/WI). One bridge across the river goes to IL and the other to WI.

My passion in life is perennial plants. I have sold plants at the local farmers market for the last 12 years. This blog is intended to share information on that subject - I am truly hoping others will feel free to post information that they have learned from their experiences, as specific subjects come up.

Dubuque Iowa falls in the Plant Hardiness Zone 5, so my information will typically be geared to that zone.

The Garden Spot - the beginning

If you haven't already guess the theme and content of my blog will be centered on gardening and garden tips. Hope you enjoy and find it useful.