tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82285799227860247442024-03-13T03:07:16.330-04:00Cannas and Bananas: Creating a Bold GardenKim's adventures transforming her suburban yard from blah to boldKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-92117912764121077162017-11-20T11:22:00.002-05:002017-11-20T11:22:31.743-05:00Fall Plant Swap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT6n7GEzkjpq2aaFBok12bheGKCubnNW4-XW12E59E8HucbNe9RzrfxMtgez8LvcG5nS90kpLvzY2FYa6gy5erJVXYu9EfyADi4uiBwl0snjilhOWj_4VImoS_ivpwJGxxbMuQMWDpfeS/s1600/IMG_3905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT6n7GEzkjpq2aaFBok12bheGKCubnNW4-XW12E59E8HucbNe9RzrfxMtgez8LvcG5nS90kpLvzY2FYa6gy5erJVXYu9EfyADi4uiBwl0snjilhOWj_4VImoS_ivpwJGxxbMuQMWDpfeS/s320/IMG_3905.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Yesterday I went to a plant swap organized by a local nonprofit (thanks <a href="https://www.facebook.com/braveharvestfarm/" target="_blank">Brave Harvest</a>). Everyone brought potted plants or cuttings to trade, and the organizer provided pots, potting soil, and rooting hormone. I wish I had taken more photos of the event in action, but honestly I was having too much fun geeking out with other people who love plants as much as I do.<br />
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Here's a pic of my new babies. I decided to keep put them in my bathroom so that I can keep an eye on them. This spot is more protected from my dogs and kids, and it's the most humid environment I have in my home.<br />
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I got cuttings of two different <a href="http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/cassia.html" target="_blank">cassias</a> -- one with large leaves (<i><a href="https://floridata.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Senna+alata/1097" target="_blank">Cassia alata</a></i>) and one with small leaves (<i><a href="https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/cassia-bicapsularis/" target="_blank">Cassia bicapsularis</a></i>). I cut back the foliage on the larger cassia after this photo was taken, to help prevent it from drying out before it forms good roots. I also snagged <a href="http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/4949/lady-margaret-passion-vine/" target="_blank">Lady Margaret passion flower</a> (<i>Passiflora </i>x Lady Margaret) and Turk's cap (<i><a href="https://floridata.com/Plants/Malvaceae/Malvaviscus+penduliflorus/523" target="_blank">Malvaviscus pendiflorus</a></i>), all of these from the same generous gardener. My friend Erin also gave me a small, spiky, vase-shaped aloe and some twee succulents that remind me of little tongues (or even lateral lithops, given the patterning). She said they're some type of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteria" target="_blank">Gasteria spp</a>.</i><br />
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Cross your fingers that these babies all make it!<br />
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(The little plant on the windowsill is a<br />
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<br />Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-47348687124248059522017-08-24T10:50:00.001-04:002017-08-24T10:57:25.439-04:00I'm back!I'm back! Yes this blog has been dormant for awhile, but I'm finally tinkering in the yard again so I thought I may as well document what I'm planning and planting.<br />
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For my birthday this year I treated myself to a number of plants destined for the foundation bed in the front yard -- knockout roses, Texas sage, flax lily, and a variegated lemon tree. The lemon tree went in a different bed though.<br />
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This picture was taken earlier this summer. And then <a href="https://floridastorms.org/2017/06/29/june-2017-now-rainiest-month-ever-in-gainesville/">it rained basically non-stop</a>. Seriously. This was the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154872523797749&id=112109212748&substory_index=0">wettest summer on record</a> here in Gainesville. So now my grass is brown, not green, because all this moisture seems to have created the perfect conditions for <a href="http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/lawns/problems-and-solutions/lawn-diseases.html">some sort of lawn disease</a> to creep in and take hold. I'm guessing it's fungal. But that's another post for another time.Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-18876688462683012852011-07-16T20:01:00.001-04:002011-07-16T20:07:54.440-04:00Make it rain, or how to install your own DIY irrigation systemDespite how hideous our lawn has been looking, my husband wisely pointed out that we probably aren't ready to install new sod yet. He reminded me that we're missing something really important: a reliable way to irrigate new sod.<br />
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I pointed out that we have a functional sprinkler and a long hose. He said I was crazy.<br />
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Okay, not really. But he did say that there was no way he was going to drag a hose around the yard for weeks and weeks to make sure that the new sod wouldn't fry in our hot Florida summers. I had to admit -- he had a valid point.<br />
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So we decided to spend our Independence Day weekend installing a proper irrigation system.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQYfYE3J9jM5e54-9Cc0-sptKypGhM6-COEsRkdnGiK_zExqZQonaYNtioFGpifQzRXhcV29dQ6PGPszwXpKqsTd6rzMDHeJo-cW5psJtk72wLNYeYA3TqSYjeWywYaVkH4pmSa3Mfe-2/s1600/280415_10150299446046944_698936943_9150059_1923788_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQYfYE3J9jM5e54-9Cc0-sptKypGhM6-COEsRkdnGiK_zExqZQonaYNtioFGpifQzRXhcV29dQ6PGPszwXpKqsTd6rzMDHeJo-cW5psJtk72wLNYeYA3TqSYjeWywYaVkH4pmSa3Mfe-2/s320/280415_10150299446046944_698936943_9150059_1923788_o.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
All in all, I think we dug at least 130 linear feet of trench. Since our soil is so sandy, it was relatively easy to get the trenches dug. I say "relatively" because it's still a lot of heavy lifting compared to the desk jockey stuff I do on a day-to-day basis. If we were going to do it again, I might want to rent a trencher. Of course, that requires advance planning, and we didn't decide that we were embarking on this project until sometime on Saturday.<br />
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On the positive side, we did have a few extra bodies who stopped by while we were digging trenches.<br />
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Our dogs love spending time with us when we're working in the yard, and being the softies we are, we let them. The black one is hilarious -- any time we dig a hole, he always starts rooting around in the soil like a pig hunting for truffles. Here he is sniffing the soil and digging deeper. If only we could train him to dig in a controlled fashion!<br />
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It took awhile, but ultimately we got all of the trenches dug and all of the pipes and irrigation heads laid out and glued together. We opted for overhead spray heads rather than drip emitters, since those are the best option for irrigating lawn areas. We even installed a timer and a <a href="http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/maintenance_and_care/watering_and_irrigation/rain_sensors.html">rain sensor</a> so that the system will run only when the lawn needs water.<br />
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Here's the finished project, with the soil tamped back in place. Now we just need sod!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5kBEZ90zI3lwQ6HWo0K5uoPq-YliaidEEXfwFx1iSARnswXNCzn8XX02Jxw12DBJL_nyceFKTj8dJex8Xx0L2GPHV-8lMBSiCOk0VA1xFYWrIiG2VStbg7e5rsg4i2P6qQmg4EoNnz8e/s1600/279435_10150300830391944_698936943_9169196_7922892_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5kBEZ90zI3lwQ6HWo0K5uoPq-YliaidEEXfwFx1iSARnswXNCzn8XX02Jxw12DBJL_nyceFKTj8dJex8Xx0L2GPHV-8lMBSiCOk0VA1xFYWrIiG2VStbg7e5rsg4i2P6qQmg4EoNnz8e/s320/279435_10150300830391944_698936943_9169196_7922892_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Would I do it again? Absolutely. It was a lot of work but it saved us a ton of money to do it ourselves. Our cost for materials was about $300, whereas we would've paid a professional upwards of $1,000 to do the same job. Plus we ended up with a huge feeling of satisfaction, which is priceless.<br />
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For anyone who's interested, here's a fun time lapse video that we took on the second day of the project.<br />
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Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-52369555703184545832011-07-15T13:57:00.000-04:002011-07-16T20:02:36.455-04:00Lush lawns: the must-have accessory for bold gardensGood-ness! It's been awhile since I posted. Here's the quick update on the seedlings. A good number of them survived, despite the fact that I neglected to transplant most of them out of their six-packs. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/53228494@N00/5942004796/'><img src='http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/5942004796_ce235709a6_b.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />These castor beans were a few of the ones that found permanent homes in the yard, and well, now I think they're just showing off to make the others jealous.<br /><br />It's pretty amazing, really. Some of the plants that were stuck in six-packs were 18" tall and had shoved their little roots out the bottoms of the pots and into the soil below. I'm convinced that the only reason they survived at all was because of the <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-far-so-good.html">microirrigation system</a> that my husband set up. I seriously love that man.<br /><br />And speaking of irrigation and why I love my husband, that brings me to my next tale.<br /><br />For awhile now, we've been making plans to replace our old "mixed" lawn with a new, freshly sodded, beautiful green lawn. My husband is a turfgrass researcher, so it's perhaps not surprising that he wants a nice lawn in front of our house. Of course his specialty is golf courses and athletic fields, so I'm pretty confident he'll never turn into one of those crazy lawn-obsessed men who you see weeding their yard with tweezers every Saturday morning! <br /><br />I've never been the kind of person who felt compelled to have a nice lawn. Mostly it's because I'm <strike>lazy</strike> busy with other things and don't like the maintenance involved.<br /><br />That being said, I've come to realize that a good looking lawn can work wonders in a garden. As y'all know, I'm the kind of gardener who likes to mix lots of bold textures and colors in my plant beds. As lovely as that can look, it can sometimes be a little visually overwhelming. That's why you need a quiet place for the eye to rest -- like a lawn.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/1525485369/" title="Lush container at McMayhill & Baker home by Gardening in a Minute, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/1525485369_4aaec2e76a.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Lush container at McMayhill & Baker home"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/2423272069/" title="DSC_0306 by Gardening in a Minute, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2423272069_aec8879a03.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0306"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/2880813059/" title="Landscape bed at Bates Garden in Portland by Gardening in a Minute, on Flickr"><img alt="Landscape bed at Bates Garden in Portland" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2880813059_e8fea744f0.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Think of it as the gardening equivalent of a neutral. Having that constant green backdrop will help make your bold and exciting plants really pop. <br /><br />So we've been trying to kill off what's left of our current lawn. In short, it's ugly. After the winter <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-official-spring-has-sprung-in-our.html">rye grass</a> petered out, we were left with brown, brown, and more brown. Ugh. I'm somewhat embarrassed about what my garden looks like right now. I know it's temporary, but I still feel like the neighbors probably drive by every day and wonder what the hell we're up to.<br /><br />As I said, our plan is to completely re-sod the front yard, but there's something important we had to tackle first. Check back tomorrow for the full post on how we installed our own irrigation system!<br />Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-87543583200496573952011-03-25T17:58:00.001-04:002011-03-25T17:58:00.092-04:00Seedling updateIt looks like I'm having better success this year with starting plants from seed. Here are two shots of the first few plants popping their heads above the soil line.<br />
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And here's what they look like now (sorry for the vertical image -- iPhone issues).<br />
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What a difference! The only ones yet to sprout are the white datura and green nicotiana. I owe my hubby a big thanks for setting up the microirrigation system. Without that, I'm not sure the plant babies would've stood a chance.<br />
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Looks like I'll either have up-pot these or transplant them pretty soon here, before they get too big for those little cell packs.<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-53564718857204390282011-03-24T17:51:00.002-04:002011-03-25T11:03:20.878-04:00Lovely springWe have had one of the loveliest springs that I've ever seen. I guess it's because we had a consistent stretch of consistent cold and then a gradual warming up, rather than the cold/hot/cold that we've had in other years. <br />
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The fragrance coming from the orange blossoms has been off the charts. I wish that this picture could be scratch and sniff so that you could smell the flowers firsthand!<br />
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All of the flowering trees and shrubs are blooming their hearts out. I just adore this <i>Chionanthus virginicus</i> outside my husband's office. <br />
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And now the herbaceous plants are revving up to bloom. Here's one of the soap aloes that we planted last spring along the street.<br />
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For those of you living farther north, hang in there -- hopefully spring won't be too far off!<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-87783975283331187202011-03-02T09:34:00.003-05:002011-03-25T11:05:32.484-04:00So far so goodI decided to start some seeds this year. I figured I had little to lose since I already had a bunch of seeds hanging around from <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/04/blank-canvas.html">my last attempt</a>.<br />
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So far they're looking good! I planted them last week and already the zinnias and roselle are popping up. <br />
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I think a big help is that my wonderful husband set up a timed microirrigation system to help keep them moist. That's really what I had problems with the last time. The seeds came up on their own, but I think they dried out before I got them planted in the ground.<br />
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Who knows--maybe this year I'll break the seed-starting curse!<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-88168475427906056032011-02-26T09:55:00.002-05:002011-03-25T11:05:46.897-04:00Snail orgyOne of my succulents has been looking pretty shabby for awhile now. I figured it was probably the result of cold damage.<br />
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But today I hatched another theory.<br />
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Do you see these? ALL of these snails came out of that one pot, and I'm guessing there were probably more that I missed. <br />
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As angry as I was at them for ruining my pretty plant, I just couldn't bring myself to destroy them. Something about the sound of the shells crunching seemed like it would be akin to nails on a chalkboard. <br />
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Instead I opted for the "catch and release" method, flinging them into one of the wilder corners of the yard. Hopefully they'll stay there. <br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-61833888236616959332011-02-17T09:32:00.003-05:002011-02-17T09:49:33.002-05:00Spring!It's official! Spring has sprung in our yard. So far, the camellias are in bloom...<br />
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...and the Japanese magnolia has also mustered a few blossoms, despite the fact that the squirrels have been treating it as an all-you-can-eat buffet.<br />
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Best of all, our lawn is still a lush green since my sweet hubby overseeded with rye. It's funny--for once we have a green lawn with brown plants instead of the other way round!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/53228494@N00/5453050877/"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5453050877_d9e39d33b4_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center><br />
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I know most of you are still trapped under a blanket of snow and that spring is still weeks (or months) away. Just think of it this way--you still have oodles of time to look at seed catalogs and plan your garden. <br />
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I'm realizing that if I want to start any seeds, I'd better not wait much longer. Maybe I'll try starting some cardoon again since I still have <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/03/picking-plants.html">some of those seeds</a>, and definitely some tomatoes. We'll see!<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-50144250455135099482010-10-14T16:32:00.000-04:002010-10-14T16:32:00.172-04:00Small is powerfulThe last few days I've been reminded that small doesn't always mean insignificant. In fact, small can be quite powerful. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/53228494@N00/5078899397/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5078899397_c1fed7b3a5_m.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The fragrant olive bush (<i><a target="_blank" href="http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/plants_and_grasses/shrubs_hedges/tea_olive.html">Osmanthus fragrans</a></i>)in our backyard just started blooming. Even though each flower is no bigger than a pencil eraser, they all pump out an amazing amount of fragrance. <br /><br />Case in point: every time I step out the door, I can smell the flowers. Nevermind the fact that the shrub is at least 40 feet away. <br /><br />In fact, this shrub is a big part of why I fell in love with the backyard and bought the house. Well, the shrub and also the orange tree, but that's another story for another time. <br /><br />At any rate, every time I smell these tiny flowers I'm reminded of an old saying:<br /><blockquote><br />"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito."</blockquote><br /><br />Ain't that the truth!<br /><br /><br /><br />Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-12098204911335538512010-10-13T09:13:00.003-04:002010-10-13T10:16:12.835-04:00No orange meatballsFall has finally arrived here in North Florida. The mornings and evenings are noticeably cooler, the sun is dipping lower in the horizon, and it seems like everyone is plopping potted mums by their front doors.<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/53228494@N00/5078332770/"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/5078332770_cdf62cd6d0_m.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center><br />
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Don't get me wrong--chrysanthemums aren't bad plants. I even like spider mums a little bit. But the orange and yellow meatball-shaped mums are sooooo overdone. <br />
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This fall, why not think outside the usual plant palette? Choose plants that have warm colors like yellow, orange, or even purple, but avoid making any stereotypical plant choices like mums. Trust me. Your neighbors will thank you. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5078466354_f298d3e9a7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5078466354_f298d3e9a7.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
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<center></center>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-28616475474712228372010-08-20T14:29:00.002-04:002010-08-20T14:35:34.255-04:00Canna damage<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4905689392/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4905689392_75f2cda5d3_m.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4905689392/">Canna damage</a><br />
Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sassycrafter/">sassycrafter</a></span></div>The other day, I noticed a lot of damage on this canna. I figured I'd better take a look at the plant and see what was going on. After a brief scouting session, I found a hungry <a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in289"><span id="goog_972893002"></span>larger canna leaf roller<span id="goog_972893003"></span></a> that was treating my beloved canna like his own personal all-you-can-eat buffet. This was definitely not cool in my book, since this was the <em>Canna</em> 'Intrigue' that I paid good money for on <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2010/04/plants-to-drool-over-part-ii.html">my trip to Plant Delights Nursery</a>.<br />
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If you live in Florida and don't know about canna leaf rollers, then it's time you learned. Most of the people I work with here at UF/IFAS would probably agree that leaf rollers are the most troublesome canna pests in our state. In fact, all of the damage that I found on my plant seemed to be the result of a single critter. Sure, it took me a few days between when I noticed the problem and when I checked it out. But still -- that's a lot of damage for just one caterpillar.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LyraEDISServlet?command=getScreenImage&oid=2332299" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LyraEDISServlet?command=getScreenImage&oid=2332299" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larger canna leaf roller (UF/IFAS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The <a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in290">lesser canna leaf roller</a> can be a little harder to discover. These caterpillars are much smaller and typically roll themselves up in the edge of a leaf, where they then feed only on the top layer of the leaf.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LyraEDISServlet?command=getScreenImage&oid=1609907" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LyraEDISServlet?command=getScreenImage&oid=1609907" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesser canna leaf roller (UF/IFAS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So if you have cannas in your yard, be sure to scout for pests often. It's a snap to <a href="http://www.gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/maintenance_and_care/pesticides_beneficial_insects_and_ipm/scouting_kit.html">make your own scouting kit</a>, and it's much easier to get a problem under control if you find it early. You can hand pick the pests if there's just a few of them, or treat the plant with a biorational insecticide like Bt (<em>Bacillus thuringiensis</em>) that kills the caterpillars without harming <a href="http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/maintenance_and_care/pesticides_beneficial_insects_and_ipm/beneficial_insects.html">beneficial insects</a>.<br />
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Needless to say, that leaf roller won't be bothering my plants again.Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-15676141477922329782010-08-02T17:42:00.003-04:002010-08-03T08:56:07.123-04:00Dreaming of a cooler time--Pacific Northwest, Part IIIIt's officially hot. Temperatures have been in the mid-90s or higher for days now, and the heat index has gotten as high as 105. Both me and my poor plants feel like we're melting, so I figured now was as good a time as any to put up those final photos from my spring trip to the Pacific Northwest.<br />
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After we left Seattle, we were destined for Victoria, BC. We drove to Post Angeles and then took the ferry across the Straits of Juan de Fuca.<br />
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The weather was pretty amazing while we were in Victoria, BC -- not too hot and not too cold. We poked around the town area for a day or two, and then headed to our ultimate destination -- the world-famous <a href="http://www.butchartgardens.com/">Butchart Gardens</a>. The place was pretty surreal -- kind of like Walt Disney World for gardeners. <br />
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Here's the shot that everyone takes when they visit Butchart -- the view from the staircase at the top of the sunken garden. There's a<a href="http://www.butchartgardens.com/the-gardens/our-history/our-history.html"> really cool story behind this garden</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4602460807/" title="Sunken garden at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1234/4602460807_d5363b1c16.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Sunken garden at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a><br />
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It was a little overcast during part of the day, but the place was still non-stop, in-your-face texture and color. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4602509289/" title="Amazing orange tulips at Butchart Gardens by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/4602509289_030008ca3c.jpg" width="375" alt="Amazing orange tulips at Butchart Gardens" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4602499935/" title="Yellow and green tulips at Butchart Gardens by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/4602499935_f75cba7b37.jpg" width="375" alt="Yellow and green tulips at Butchart Gardens" /></a><br />
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See what I mean? Those tulips were insane! I swear that I didn't Photoshop these shots to enhance the color. And speaking of tulips, I couldn't believe how well our shirts matched the tulips in this shot. Crazy, eh?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4603151162/" title="Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4603151162_dfd19afbf6.jpg" width="375" alt="Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a><br />
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It seemed like everything was bigger and better at Butchart. Get a load of this arborvitae hedge -- it has to be one of the hugest hedges I've ever seen. Jason is just barely visible at the base of the hedge, even though he's over 6 feet tall. If you're trying to create privacy in your yard, this is definitely the way to do it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4603169656/" title="Huge arborvitae hedge at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/4603169656_51bf57a578.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Huge arborvitae hedge at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a><br />
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On a smaller scale, I thought this was a clever and inexpensive way to create a visual barrier between a path and a lawn area. I guess if you have close to a million visitors each year, it's important to keep them off of the lawn.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4602532267/" title="Split bamboo edging at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4602532267_edd65db460.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Split bamboo edging at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a><br />
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And I know this shot doesn't look like much, but I had to share it. Those little stumps in the right side of the frame are bananas! Yes! Bananas in Canada! My guess is that they have to cut them to the ground each fall and protect them with straw, but they might be left to fend on their own. I'm guessing they're <em>Musa basjoo</em>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4603164536/" title="Bananas in Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1127/4603164536_b528241d6f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bananas in Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a><br />
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Well, that's about it for Butchart. I guess now it's time for me to brave the heat and turn over a new leaf, pulling out the melted plants in my yard. Ugh. Wish me luck!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4602480089/" title="Sunken garden at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4602480089_41729d7cc6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Sunken garden at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC" /></a>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-73788151194715713822010-07-27T10:32:00.005-04:002010-07-27T10:34:44.106-04:00Plant death tolls<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/3963894744/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2615/3963894744_bff836b60f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/3963894744/">Trip to PDN</a><br />
by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/gardeninginaminute/">Gardening in a Minute</a></span></div>So the ensete is still hanging on. I wish that it looked as good as this one that I saw at Plant Delights Nursery last year, but ultimately I think its days are probably numbered. I think I'll probably have to add it to the tally of "plants I've killed" before summer is over. <br />
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But thanks to the Plant Delights Nursery E-newsletter that I received today, I don't feel quite so bad about it. Apparently, Tony Avent and his esteemed colleagues have killed their fair share of plants too. Here's what he recently wrote:<br />
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<blockquote><br />
"Here at PDN, we’ve celebrated a milestone recently, as our database indicates that we have now passed the 20,000 mark for killing plants. 20,194 dead accessions (different plants) is actually our current total, so don’t even think about complaining that you have a brown thumb. Our dead/alive plant rate now stands around 50%, but since our goal is trialing, experimenting, and learning the possible parameters under which each plant will grow, these numbers are actually a good thing...I’m constantly reminded of the late Dr. J.C. Raulston’s quote, 'If you’re not killing plants, you’re not growing as a gardener.' No truer words were ever spoken."</blockquote><br />
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Amen! This makes me feel at least a little bit better that my beautiful ensete may ultimately wind up in the compost pile. At least I'm only in double digits of plants that I've killed. That five-figure mark is a completely different league. <br />
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If you'd like to hear Tony's pearls of wisdom firsthand, subscribe to the PDN newsletter <a href="http://app.streamsend.com/public/kYKQ/XB8/subscribe">here</a>.<br clear="all" />Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-38531951448867848632010-06-18T09:11:00.001-04:002010-06-18T09:11:40.125-04:00Ensete death march<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4711786110/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4711786110_2d9a015cdb_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4711786110/">Sick ensete</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sassycrafter/">sassycrafter</a></span></div>Well, it looks like I was right. My beautiful ensete is dying. This is what it looked like after I came home from my out-of-town conference this week. Definitely not good.<br /><br />I just wish I knew what was going on with it and if there was any way to save it. I'm wondering if nematodes might be the culprit, since they're mentioned in <a href="http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Ensete_ventricosum_'Maurelii'" rel="nofollow">this article</a>. If that's the case, I'm thinking that my best bet would be to get a <a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sr011">nematode assay</a> done before I plant another ensete in the same spot.<br clear="all" />Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-709545625883719152010-06-16T13:49:00.008-04:002010-06-16T13:49:00.572-04:00Front garden progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4687801777/in/set-72157603825946330/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4687801777_df8c083734_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Earlier this week I blogged about the potentially sick ensete. I figured I might as well share some photos of the other beautiful things that have been going on in the front garden. <br />
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First off, the cannas and bananas have been going gangbusters. The 'Red Stripe' canna that <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2010/04/plants-to-drool-over-part-ii.html">I bought at Plant Delights Nursery</a> last September is getting huge, and the 'Intrigue' canna is looking beautiful. The striped canna is 'Bengal Tiger'. It was a generous passalong plant from <a href="http://tomsgreenthumb.blogspot.com/">Tom</a>, along with a dwarf Cavendish banana that's doing splendidly.<br />
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Speaking of what I bought at PDN, the chasmanthium seems to have died. Very sad. It turned brown over the winter and I cut it down in spring. It put out a half-inch or so of new growth but then never grew any more. In Southernese, I'd say it up and died.<br />
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But back to the pretty stuff. Here are some macro shots of the cannas and bananas for you to salivate over.<br />
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<i>Canna indica</i> 'Red Stripe' <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4687802409/" title="Canna indica 'Red Stripe' by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Canna indica 'Red Stripe'" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4687802409_7fc6b4f4f3.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Canna 'Bengal Tiger'<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4687802679/" title="Canna 'Bengal Tiger' by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4687802679_58713387b1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Canna 'Bengal Tiger'" /></a><br />
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<i>Canna</i> 'Intrigue'<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4688435712/" title="Canna 'Intrigue' by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Canna 'Intrigue'" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4688435712_2d90bb0e0a.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<i>Musa acuminata </i>'Dwarf Cavendish'<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4687803271/" title="Dwarf Cavendish banana by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Dwarf Cavendish banana" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4687803271_a59eed6776.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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And one of the mystery cannas that we transplanted recently is about to bloom. I'm wondering if it might also be 'Red Stripe'.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4687803489/" title="Unknown red-flowered canna by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4687803489_be1f4692de.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Unknown red-flowered canna" /></a>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-16911054303551585302010-06-13T13:43:00.003-04:002010-06-13T13:49:14.528-04:00Sick ensete?<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4696951142/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4696951142_d0c752f4d7_m.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4696951142/">Sick ensete?</a><br />
Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sassycrafter/">sassycrafter</a></span></div>We planted this beautiful ensete back in April. It's been doing great and has double in height since then. But all of a sudden it's looking a little sick.<br />
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It's listing to one side, and the leaves have started wilting. If wilting were the only symptom, I'd wonder if the cause was just the 90+ degree weather we've been having.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4696316541/" title="Sick ensete? by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4696316541_efc4013295_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sick ensete?" /></a><br />
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But the leaves are also looking chlorotic, namely in patches that correspond to where the leaf is sagging. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4696954760/" title="Sick ensete? by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4696954760_6f8b2bce7d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Sick ensete?" /></a><br />
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Plus the roots are starting to pop free from the soil, as if they might be decaying.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4696952924/" title="Sick ensete? by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4696952924_47083b0ac2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Sick ensete?" /></a><br />
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Any ideas what might be going on? I'm wondering if it might be some sort of fungal or bacterial disease. I'd love to be able to treat the problem, but I need to know what's going on before I apply any potential pesticides.<br />
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This makes me very sad.Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-64629441924719811132010-06-01T16:14:00.000-04:002010-06-01T16:14:41.166-04:00Spring in the Pacific Northwest, Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/4605976193_71b2f8025b_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/4605976193_71b2f8025b_m.jpg" /></a></div>Here's the second post about my recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. After <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2010/05/spring-in-pacific-northwest-part-i.html">spending time in Portland</a>, we made our way up to the Seattle area. Our first stop was in Renton at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, aka Seattle Seahawks practice facility. As you all know, I'm much more interested in plants than I am in turf, but even I enjoyed this stop.<br />
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We got to peek in the indoor practice field which was HUGE. Nike was filming a commercial of some sort while we were there, so we had to sneak in between takes. The outdoor practice fields had a great view of Lake Washington, but it was pretty overcast that day so my pictures aren't that great.<br />
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We got back on the bus and headed up to Seattle and met Nolan Rundquist, the <a href="http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/arborist.htm">city arborist</a>, for a walking tour of the city. It was really interesting to hear about all of the challenges his team faces trying to grow trees in an urban setting. Here's a shot of us on the tour. Of course I just had to put up this particular photo because of the Dahlia Lounge sign, given <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2008/10/dahlia-jackpot.html">my love for dahlias</a>.<br />
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The euphorbias that we saw all over the city were amazing. I wish we could grow these here in Florida, but I've heard that they're prone to powdery mildew.<br />
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I really loved the color and texture combinations in this bed.<br />
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The next day we got a tour of Qwest Field where the Seattle Seahawks play, and a tour Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play. I have to say, it was pretty freakin' cool to get to walk on the fields. I mean, how many times do most people get do that? Plus, I've been a big baseball fan since I was a kid, so this was a real treat for me. Here's one of my favorite shots looking down the third base line at Safeco Field.<br />
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But y'all want to see pictures of plants, right? Fear not! The plant jackpot came when we headed up the road to <a href="http://www.bellevuebotanical.org/">Bellevue Botanical Garden</a>. It was a delightful garden full of all sorts of fabulous plants in stunning combinations like this one, which I think was a gold sedge and <em>Ophiopogon nigrescens</em>. I'd love to come back and see this garden as it changes from season to season.<br />
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Check out this beautiful Japanese forest grass (likely <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_484367386">Hakoenechloa macra '</a></i><a href="http://www.terranovanurseries.com/r/pages/plants/hakonechloa-all-gold.php">All Gold'</a>). Isn't it beautiful? Sadly, I've also heard that this one won't thrive here in Florida. Sigh.<br />
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I loved this <i>Cotinus </i>for its striking contrast between the foliage and the flowers. I'm wondering if we can succesfully grow smokebush in Florida. My trusty <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Living-Garden-Book/dp/B0000C7GEZ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275422107&sr=8-2">Southern Living Garden Book</a> says it can be grown as far south as Georgia, but I'm thinking that Florida might be a little too warm for it.<br />
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The garden also had tons of ferns, and I've been a sucker for ferns ever since college. They're so primitive and yet so fascinating!<br />
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We also saw lots of primroses throughout our journeys in the Pacific Northwest. This was a fairly new plant for me.<br />
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Well, that's all for now. The final installment will include the photos I took when we went up to Victoria, British Columbia and visited <a href="http://www.butchartgardens.com/">Butchart Gardens</a>. If you've never seen photos of Butchart, you're in for a treat. I promise the next post will be chock full of bold plant combinations for all of you daring gardeners!Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-50683746695204385112010-05-21T16:02:00.000-04:002010-05-21T16:02:20.831-04:00Spring in the Pacific Northwest, Part I<div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portland, OR -- The City of Roses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I promised to post about my vacation to the Pacific Northwest, so here goes. I took <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/sets/72157623925853411/">a lot of photos</a>, so I'll try to pick only the best ones to share with all of you plant lovers. Let's start with the highlights from around Portland, OR -- The City of Roses.<br />
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Our first stop was the Nike Worldwide Headquarters campus in Beaverton, OR. We were treated to a presentation by the landscape architect and then had a walking tour of the campus. The landscape was designed with a berm around the entire property, which effectively created a beautiful environment that feels totally separate from the surrounding city of Beaverton.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allee and fountain at Nike World Headquarters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I developed my newest plant crush while we were at Nike: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellebore">hellebores</a>. I just loved the form of them, and their texture was unique in that it was papery. (Note: a little digging on the internet revealed this because what looks like petals are actually sepals.) We ended up seeing a lot of these throughout the trip in a number of different shapes and colors.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore at Nike World Headquarters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore at Portland Rose Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More hellebores at Portland Rose Garden</td></tr>
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We Floridians had a hard time resisting a few of the perks of spring in Northern climates -- fragrant lilacs and soft, feathery lawns.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scratch and sniff</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real grass!</td></tr>
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Our next stop was <a href="http://www.berrybot.org/">Berry Botanic Garden</a>, which was a truly amazing place for a plant nerd like me. The gardens were originally the private estate of <a href="http://www.berrybot.org/administration/history.html">Rae Selling Berry</a>, a plantswoman who collected rare plants from across the globe. After her death in 1976, a dedicated group of people banded together to form "The Friends of The Berry Botanic Garden" to purchase the estate and preserve the gardens. Sadly, financial woes are forcing the garden to close, so it's rather fortunate that we had the chance to see it. Such a shame, really. It's an amazing garden. (For some reason I can't find my pictures of their <a href="http://www.berrybot.org/pubs/fs_trough.html">trough gardens</a>, which were pretty cool.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn redwood at Berry Botanic Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>These beautiful blue flowers are on striking three-foot tall stalks. We had seen them at Nike, as well. Our docent at Berry Botanic Garden told us that they're native bulb called <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camassia">Camassia</a></i>, and that the Native Americans used to eat them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camassia at Berry Botanic Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And of course, there were tons of beautiful ferns including this lovely maidenhair fern.<div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maidenhair fern on nurse log</td></tr>
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Then we headed to <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=841&searchtext=washington%20park">Washington Park</a>, <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=1113">International Rose Test Garden</a>, and the <a href="http://www.japanesegarden.com/">Japanese Garden</a> where we were set loose to pursue free-for-all, self-guided tours. I'd been to the Japanese Garden before <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2008/09/greetings-from-portland.html">on a previous trip</a>, so Jason and I decided to poke around the rose garden and the park. Plus, it had been a full day and it seemed like it would be nice to just wander and relax.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amphitheater in Washington Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This is where I discovered another one of my other plant crushes -- these large shrubs that put off a wonderfully soft, sweet smell. At first I thought they might be a hydrangea of sorts, but it turns out they're a viburnum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viburnum in Washington Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And here are some of the yet-to-be-blooming roses in the rose garden. I'm imagining what this would look and smell like come mid-summer. Amazing, I'm sure!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose garden</td></tr>
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Well, that's about all the time I have for now. Here's one last shot from the Portland Rose garden. They actually had what looked like bananas and brugmansias in this garden, but they were pretty puny at this point in the spring and not at all worth taking a picture of. I promise that the next posts will feature more of the bold plant combinations that you've come to expect from Cannas and Bananas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun dial in Shakespeare Garden in the Portland Rose Garden</td></tr>
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</div>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com1Portland, OR, USA45.5234515 -122.676207145.2829145 -123.1431261 45.7639885 -122.2092881tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-48116464042614533942010-05-12T13:49:00.003-04:002010-05-12T13:54:04.428-04:00Perennial underacheiver<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4596232898/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/4596232898_8c3525b252_m.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4596232898/">Amaryllis</a><br />
Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sassycrafter/">sassycrafter</a></span></div>You'd think I'd be raving about this beautiful amaryllis. It's a stunning shade of coral and the blooms are at least six inches across.<br />
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Truth is, I've been pretty disappointed with this plant because it's been a perennial underachiever in my yard. I planted it back in early 2001 after receiving it as a gift plant just before Christmas. While it's put up plenty of great foliage over the years, it had never bloomed. Until now, that is.<br />
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And bless its heart, it was kind enough to open up just before we left for our recent vacation to the Pacific Northwest. By the time we got back, the flowers had wilted down to little wisps.<br />
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Speaking of the Pacific Northwest, I shot nearly 400 photos of plants, gardens, and other fun things while I was out there. In the next weeks, I'll be putting up a few posts highlighting what I saw and revealing my newest plant crush.Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-6600413175836669442010-05-11T13:04:00.008-04:002010-05-20T09:55:20.586-04:00Epcot wrap-up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4516041587_420807ede6_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4516041587_420807ede6_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/">Epcot International Flower and Garden Show</a> wraps up this coming weekend. If you've never been, it's totally worth checking out. The Disney Horticulture staff create stunning plant displays all over the park, including some amazing topiaries. They also feature a special pavilion called Garden Town where you can go and listen to talks from the big names in gardening.<br />
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If you can't make it this year, you can always mark your calendar for next year. The festival typically begins in March and runs through mid-May.<br />
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These photos were taken when I was there a few weeks back helping out with the <a href="http://mastergardener.ifas.ufl.edu/">Florida Master Gardener</a> "Ask the Expert" booth. The first shot features a new topiary installation that played off of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic">American Gothic</a>." I loved that the bed included a number of edibles, given that people have gone so crazy over vegetable gardening. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516044155/" title="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/4516044155_7e6143933d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Okay, so the purple lablab beans in this photo aren't exactly edible, but they do look good growing up those bamboo tripods. I'll bet that the tomato plants in the mid-ground are setting fruit by now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516042719/" title="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4516042719_0d18aa0d1d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I was also excited to see that the horticulture staff had included cardoon in a few of the planters this year. I tried to <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/03/gardening-at-night.html" rel="nofollow">start some cardoon from seed last year</a>, but my poor plants never made it past the seedling stage.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516675082/" title="Cardoon at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Cardoon at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4516675082_5191e0a8ac.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Here's a close-up of the amazing texture on the leaves.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516040527/" title="Cardoon at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Cardoon at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4516040527_6e4bc05b71.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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I also got a chance to visit with my friend <a href="http://www.debraprinzing.com/">Debra Prinzing</a> from the Garden Writers Association. She was the featured speaker that weekend and was talking about her beautiful book <a href="http://www.debraprinzing.com/books.php?book_id=5">Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways</a>. And just before I saw Debra, I learned that she's <s>the new garden editor</s> a contributing editor for gardening at <a href="http://www.bhg.com/">Better Homes and Gardens</a>. How cool is that? Congratulations, Debra!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516682740/" title="Debra Prinzing and me at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Debra Prinzing and me at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4516682740_bbe21278aa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Every year there's at least one plant that people stop by the booth and keep asking about. This spring, it was definitely delphinium. I found this container with delphinium over in the England pavilion, though they've probably changed it out by now to a warmer-season plant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516686106/" title="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4516686106_b1349cdcc4.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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And finally, here's a signature view over one of the lagoons by the monorail. People just love the floating containers and the broad strokes of colorful bedding plants. If you look closely, you can see that the pink plants were just installed. They look like petunias and they probably replaced a cool-season annual. They'll no doubt fill in over time to create the wall-to-wall plants look that Disney is known for.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4516047297/" title="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010 by sassycrafter, on Flickr"><img alt="Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2010" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4516047297_793f11644d.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Well, I hope to blog again soon about my own garden. I still have some design tweaking to do in the front yard, but it's amazing how quickly all of my new plants are all filling in. I get butterflies every time I pull into the driveway and see how well my new cannas and bananas are doing. Stay tuned for photos!Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-34333222751292887042010-04-12T16:50:00.069-04:002010-04-12T16:50:00.459-04:00Plants to drool over, part III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3963949620_f0913496c3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3963949620_f0913496c3_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Welcome to the third and final post about the cool plants I saw at the 2009 Garden Writers Association conference!<br />
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This time I'll be recapping what we saw at the <a href="http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/index.php">JC Raulston Arboretum</a> on the NC State University campus. I'll start by saying that we saw a ton of cool things, and I'll do my best to highlight them all. I'll also say that it was pretty nasty while we were there -- overcast and drizzly -- so not all of the photos are the best.<br />
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The first photo shows some inventive planters that we eventually saw in the trials garden. I'm pretty sure they were just sections of drainage pipe that had been painted. Colorful, cheap, and affordable -- all good things in my gardening world!<br />
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Emily and I officially started our tour looking at some of the trees, including this cool magnolia. Can you believe that it has variegated leaves? It was hard to get a good picture since it is a full-sized tree, but I think you can see some of the yellowish leaves.<br />
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Once we made it to the bedding plant trials garden, I fell in love with <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_34049233">Gomphrena</a></i> spp. 'Fireworks'. The flower heads had much more interest than a typical round <i>Gomphrena</i> flower, and the plants themselves were quite thick and robust. I might need to buy myself some seeds from <a href="http://www.burpee.com/product/annual+flowers/gomphrena/www.burpee.com-fireworks-gomphrena.do?search=basic&keyword=47075a&sortby=newArrivals&page=1">Burpee</a> next year and give this one a try.</div><div><br />
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This orange bulbine was really beautiful. It was taller than the yellow bulbine that I'm used to seeing around here and had denser foliage. I could totally see myself using it in my garden somewhere.<br />
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And check out this odd-looking plant! Apparently it's a milkweed family plant called <i>Gomphocarpus physocarpus. </i>The seed pods were really cool, so much so that Emily and I both ran over to look at it as soon as we laid eyes on it. It was pretty tall, too -- maybe 6 or 8 feet. Very striking.<br />
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This is what they called the lath house. I liked that it seemed like a clever and easy way to create a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/3963175233/in/photostream/">shade house</a> by creating a framework with standard lumber and then topping it off with wood and wire snow fencing. Again, easy and affordable -- both good things.<br />
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We saw <i>Illicium mexicanum</i> 'Aztec Fire' in the lath house, and boy, was it hot! The leaves of the plant looked like our own native Florida anise, but the red flowers made it so much better. The sign said that it's native to Northeast Mexico. Apparently it's <a href="http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1563/mexican-anise-tree.php">commercially available</a> and is suited for Zones 8-9, so maybe I'll have to give it a try.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/3963959258_6e41f391b8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/3963959258_6e41f391b8_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Finally, we saw a lot of cool succulents in the rooftop garden and the xeric garden. The one on the left is similar to the one that I bought at Plant Delights Nursery. It was only a foot or so tall. The one on the right was <i>Agave</i> 'Mr. Ripple'.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3963198299_7f673b40b3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3963198299_7f673b40b3_b.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/3963199925_6b1736d7ed_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/3963199925_6b1736d7ed_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
That's all for the 2009 GWA updates. Come September, I'll be heading to Dallas for <a href="http://gardenwriters.org/gwa.php?p=meetings/index.html">this year's conference</a>. Can't wait!<br />
</div>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-23384319218495856402010-04-05T17:16:00.000-04:002010-04-05T17:16:56.744-04:00Plants to drool over, part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/3963877272_15c4e4900c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/3963877272_15c4e4900c_b.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>As promised, here's the second installment of the recap of the cool plants I saw during the 2009 Garden Writers Association Conference.<br />
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Our second set of tours took us to holy ground -- <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org=">Juniper Level Botanic Garden</a> at <a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/">Plant Delights Nursery</a>. If you don't know, the Plant Delights catalog is THE catalog to drool over every spring. Plantsman Tony Avent keeps it packed full of interesting and exotic plants that plant geeks everywhere love to covet. Plus, he has a great sense of humor. How many other catalogs do you know that stock cultivars like '<a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/07199.html">Get Nekkid</a>', '<a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/01079.html">Red Neck Heaven</a>', '<a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/00375.html">Elvis Lives</a>', and '<a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/07544.html">Bubba</a>'?<br />
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Needless to say, we were all pretty excited to see the nursery and garden, and few of us left without buying a plant or two. The first picture is me proudly holding my purchases:<br />
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+ <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1768703546">Agave parryi</a></i><a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/08152.html"> 'J.C. Raulston'</a><br />
<a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/08152.html"></a>+ <a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/08502.html">Chasmanthium latifolium 'River Mist'</a><br />
<i>+ <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1768703550">Canna indica</a></i><a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/03072.html"> 'Red Stripe'</a><br />
+ <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1768703554">Canna</a></i><a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/04743.html"> 'Intrigue'</a><br />
+ <i><a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/05019.html">Solidago stricta</a></i><br />
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Interestingly, I wasn't the only one to be smitten by the solidago. Several people I know picked up this plant. It's funny because the plant was not on my must-have list at the beginning of the morning. I've never so much as circled it in the catalog. (Note: I just realized that's because it's only offered at PDN open houses and online.) But we saw it in bloom in the garden and it was just gorgeous. The leaves are much less prominent than what I usually associate with goldenrods (even less so than the image on the PDN page), so the form is much more striking. Plus it was in bloom, and any nurseryman knows that customers are suckers for plants in bloom.<br />
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I had plenty of cannas to choose from. In fact, this entire aisle was full of cannas! It's a wonder that I came back with only two varieties. Damn budget.<br />
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The garden featured several whimsical touches, like this dragon coming out of a grouping of yuccas. Apologies for the blurriness, but this was an early morning tour. I'll say that it's because the lighting was low, but it could've been that I was still waking up.<br />
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Speaking of whimsy, Tony Avent even created his own mountain on premises, dubbing it "Mount Michelle" after the famous Mount Mitchell in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Here's a shot of Emily and Tom walking under that waterfall on Mount Michelle.<br />
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Tom insisted that we take his photo in front of this variegated ligustrum. Yes, the light coloring isn't flowers -- it's the leaves. And can you get over how big it is?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And speaking of big plants, check out this agave. Sure, Emily and I aren't exactly the tallest gals around, but this thing really was huge, I swear!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really liked this plant, which was just around the corner from the agave. I think it might be <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1514870117">Curcuma zedoaria</a></i><a href="http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/05680.html"> 'Bicolor Wonder'</a>. If so, it should get up to 72" tall. I might have to try this in the shady part of my front bed to give it a tropical punch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, those are my favorite photos from PDN. We spent the other half of the tour at the North Carolina Farmers' Market. I bought a small <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56536/">Albizia julibrissen 'Chocolate Summer'</a> there, which made me sooooo happy, despite the $40 price. I have wanted to have a 'Chocolate Summer' mimosa since 2007 when I first saw one in Oklahoma City. Yes, I know that the species type is invasive here in Florida. I'm hoping that the fancy cultivar will be less aggressive. If need be, I'll cut off the flowers before they set seed. I just had to have it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't take many photos at the farmers market -- just a few fall-inspired shots of pumpkins for sale. I'm not going to bother posting those, since I know that you guys don't come here for pumpkins. You want photos of bold and beautiful plants! Swing by later and I'll have another post that's chock full of beautiful plant photos from our visit to the J.C. Raulston Arboretum.</div>Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-66432927506762114502010-03-31T16:03:00.005-04:002010-04-01T10:05:30.125-04:00Plants to drool over, part I<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3963075245_56df9e6a54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3963075245_56df9e6a54.jpg" width="213" /></a>Today I realized that I never followed up with the <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/09/plant-delights-nursery.html">post-GWA post</a> that I promised. I hate not coming through on a promise that I've made, so here's the first recap of the trip.<br />
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Before we even got out on the garden tours, I was drooling over plants. Check out this beautiful "floral" arrangement that was in the lobby of our hotel. There's nary a bloom in sight! That's the kind of creativity I like to see when it comes to gardening.<br />
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Our first tour was of the <a href="http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/">Sarah P. Duke Gardens</a> at Duke University. I remember visiting these gardens years ago when my family lived in Durham and seeing beds and beds of spring bulbs that took my breath away. Thankfully, the garden was equally captivating at summer's end.<br />
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I was especially in love with the area known as the Terrace Gardens, since they used a host of great tropicals in striking combinations. Here's a beautiful <em>Ensete ventricosum</em>, aka Abyssinian banana. Big surprise that I was drawn to it, eh?<br />
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The afternoon light was absolutely amazing the way it danced through the elephant ear leaves. I have no idea what species or cultivar they were, but wow were they pretty!<br />
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And as long as we're talking about elephant ears, check out this speckled one. I'm thinking it might have been <em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_925603892">Alocasia</a></em><a href="http://www.agristarts.com/aloc_hilobeauty.htm"> 'Hilo Beauty.'</a> You can just see some of the other bronze-leaved elephant ears from above in the background of this shot.<br />
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The Terrace Gardens also included red-leaved castor beans, possibly <em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_925603898">Ricinus communis</a></em><a href="http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/2-3-03.html"> 'Carmencita'</a> I know I've definitely mentioned wanting a red-leaved castor bean <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/03/picking-plants.html">at least once</a> before. I love the bronze foliage and spiky seed pods.<br />
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Okay, enough about specific plants for now. Let's talk about form. It was magical the way the various plant forms in this scene played against each other -- the tall hollies, the broad junipers, and the round mums. It was so energetic, even though all the plants were basically in the same color palette. I think there's a design lesson in there somewhere.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/3963827516_7445e6f70c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/3963827516_7445e6f70c_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'll put up another post soon with photos of our visit to Plant Delights Nursery, the Raleigh Farmers' Market, and the JC Raulston Arboretum. The full set of photos is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardeninginaminute/sets/72157622350442095/">available on Flickr</a>, in case you're craving more before then. Happy gardening!Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228579922786024744.post-72050797168452157532010-03-29T13:08:00.006-04:002010-03-29T16:01:18.819-04:00So much for what I said earlier<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4473089905/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4473089905_5077a8b0be_m.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassycrafter/4473089905/">New plants and mulch</a><br />
Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sassycrafter/">sassycrafter</a></span></div>I know I said I was probably hanging up my garden blogging gloves, but what can I say? Spring sprang and I got the itch that all gardeners do. I figured as long as I had made some solid progress in the yard, I might as well blog about it!<br />
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As always, you can click on the photo to make it bigger and see the plants in all of their glory.<br />
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<a href="http://turfdoctor.org/">Jason</a> and I purchased a bunch of new plants this week. The amazing part is that we got them all in the ground the very night they came home. If you know me, you know that rarely happens. Heck, I still have <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/03/weekend-surprises.html">plants that I paid good money for a year ago</a> sitting in pots in the front yards! And no, they aren't container gardens.<br />
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Here's what we bought and planted:<br />
+ <a href="http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/aloe_sap.cfm" rel="nofollow">soap aloe</a> (<em>Aloe saponaria</em>)<br />
+ <a href="http://grandiflora.pro/products/product-detail?category=All+Categories&sort_by=scientific_name&name=fireworks&page=1&product=1014#results" rel="nofollow">fireworks grass</a> (<em>Pennisetum setaceum</em> 'Fireworks')<br />
+ <a href="http://grandiflora.pro/products/product-detail?category=All+Categories&sort_by=scientific_name&name=ensete&page=1&product=1106#results" rel="nofollow">Abyssinian banana</a> (<em>Ensete ventricosum</em> 'Maurelii'). <br />
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Can I just tell you how excited I am to finally have an ensete in the front yard? I've been lusting after this plant since I first saw it at a Garden Writers Association conference three years ago. I splurged and bought the biggest size I could find so that the plant could get itself nice and big before the freezing temperatures return in December. They're root hardy here, which is good, but the leaves tend to burn back.<br />
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If you haven't ever seen the 'Fireworks' fountain grass, you should check it out. It's incredibly colorful. I'm not sure yet if it will survive our winters -- it's supposed to be Zones 9-11 and we're 8b -- but I'm going to give it a try. If it dies, I'll just put in something hardier. <br />
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Speaking of ornamental grasses, the bamboo muhly grass that I <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/09/headed-home-plants-in-tow.html">brought back from GWA</a> is still going strong. Jason and I debated about cutting it back but decided to leave it for now. And the river oats that I bought last year at <a href="http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2009/09/plant-delights-nursery.html">Plant Delights Nursery</a> are starting to come back, so that's good.<br />
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We also a dwarf Cavendish banana in the front yard, courtesy of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8228579922786024744&postID=7205079716845215753">Tom</a>. Apparently the squirrels in his yard wouldn't stop chowing down on it, so he decided that the only humane thing to do was to give away the plant. Lucky me! I guess his other option would be to shoot the squirrels, but that's probably less humane.<br />
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And I can't get over how nice it all looked once we added a "mulch veneer," as our friend Erin calls it. We spent $30 and got eight bales of pine straw. They just barely covered all of the crappy looking mulch that we got for free from the power company. Not a bad use of resources, if you ask me.<br />
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In the backyard, we planted the grow box with two 'Sweet Million' cherry tomato plants and also planted two jalapeno peppers in containers. And I finally got the fig tree in the ground after a year and a half. Yes, it's true. I'm hard on plants. Jason says I'm just "trialing" them to make sure they're hardy before I spend the time to put them in the ground.<br />
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We still have a lot to do, though. We need to remove the azaleas under the front windows completely -- we cut them back last year, but that's as far as we got. We need to remove the stumps along the south edge of the property where we cut out the overgrown holly bushes and viburnum (yuck). That's where I'm planning to finally plant those yuccas, but I don't want to put them in until the stumps are gone.<br />
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At any rate, it's been a busy gardening season so far. Who knows -- maybe it will be a good season for blogging too.Kim Taylor Krusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04276530094500297909noreply@blogger.com3