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Feeding Rhododendrons And Disneyland Roses - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 25, 2022

Tracking for the [ garden diary ] as well as the 2022 to-do list a couple of applications in the garden. First up is iron. Fast-acting iron. Chelated Iron . I applied this to the rhododendrons by the back stoop and the Little Henry Sweetspire out front. Below is a photo of one of the rhododendrons where I peeled back the mulch and sprinkled the pelletized iron. I applied this iron to both. This is the product that I've used the past two seasons . (below) Next up are the Disneyland Roses. This is the second application of rose food to my three Floribunda roses. This is the second application of the season. The first was in mid-May . In the photo below, you have to look closely, but if you do, you'll see the granular fertilizer.

Japanese Ghost Lady Ferns - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 24, 2022

Last year, I planted four Japanese Ghost Lady Ferns that I brought home from the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale around the base on the Weeping Nootka tree . These have done remarkably well in this spot and are putting on quite a show right now. Below is a peek at them: These are some of the various Pictum Japanese ferns that we have - but these are characterized as Lady Ferns.

Little Henry Sweetspire - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 23, 2022

Early Sumer is peak Sweetspire season. We have a trio of Little Henry Sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Sprich') planted in a little border by our front walk. I posted a VERY SIMILAR photo almost exactly one-year-ago when these were in bloom in June 2021 . Below, you can see the peak bloom season for these flowering shrubs. And, you'll also see the Saratoga Ginko that we planted last month peeking out in the middle . Last year, I applied some fast-acting iron to help darken these up and if I have that bag on hand, I'll do the same this week. These were planted in 2017 as part of our pre-move-in landscape planting. That means they've had five growing season with 2022 being the sixth.

Greenspire Linden Horizontal Espalier - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 22, 2022

What a difference on month makes. Especially when that month is in late Spring/early Summer. Below, you'll see what the current state of the pair of Greenspire Linden trees that are pruned into a horizontal cordon espalier form in our backyard. They've put on a TON of growth in the past four weeks and are in need of a cleanup. It appears that the lowest tier of the espalier has (now) reached the end of the frame, so I'm thinking that I can take the framework down. However....as you can tell from the photo....the tree is SO thick and lush that you can't *really* see the frame. Here is what they looked like four weeks ago . Below is a photo from mid-May of this year where you can see ALL FOUR levels of the horizontal cordon espalier:

Totem Pole Switch Grass - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 21, 2022

Earlier this Spring, I was concerned about our lone Totem Pole Switch Grass because it didn't seem to show any growth. Turns out, it is a slow-starter. Here's a post from mid-May when it had just started to emerge for the first time about three or four weeks behind other ornamental grasses . One month later, the grass is above my knees and is putting out some serious blades. No seed tips (just yet), but plenty of greenish-blue ornamental grass blades. See below for the current state: This is planted behind the troubled Norway Maple and seems to have figured out how to co-exist with some hard-to-grow conditions: a dense root mat from the Norway Maple tree + clay soil + hydrophobic mulch + quite a bit of sun + mostly drought(ish) conditions. Last Summer this put out seeds head by August, but has YET to reach the claimed heights of six feet .

State Of The IB2DWs Bed - June 2022

Posted by Jake Parrillo on June 20, 2022

Yesterday, I posted some photos showing the series of Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grasses around the garden . I also acknowledged that some folks consider them VERY basic. But, I guess they're a guilty pleasure for this gardener. In that post, I mentioned that I was planning on doing a follow-up on the IB2DWs bed that featured some of these same ornamental grasses. Here, below, is a view of the IB2DWs bed. Consider this the early Summer "State of the IB2DWs Bed". And, here below, is an annotated version of that photo. Orange = five Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grasses White = Bald Cypress tree Red = two Serendipity Alliums Blue = Prairie Dropseed Green = Peony Purple = two of the three Green Velvet Boxwoods that I planted a few weeks back Yellow = the trio of Blue Fescue grasses and Cat's Pajamas Nepeta from this season The bed is starting to fill-in this season, but it still needs some work to add some layers. I'd like to try to plant some additional grasses

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