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Showing posts with the label Northwind Perennial Farm

Wider View of Epimedium Colony and Shredded Umbrella Plant - February 2024

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Yesterday, I posted an update about the trio of Spine Tingler Epimedium that are planted near the large Catalpa tree in our backyard .  Those three are planted amongst some of the other Epimedium (Amber Queen) that we have had planted for a number of years. At one time, I had five (5) Amber Queen Barrenwort/Epimedium - Here's a look in May 2021, when I planted two new ones to bring the total to five .   By the time I planted the Spine Tinglers last May (2023), there were just four Amber Queens left.   And that's what we're looking at today:  Four Amber Queen Epimedium and Three Spine Tingler Epimedium.   Below is a wider view of this colony showing all eight plants: I've amended some parts of the front and back beds with biosolids last Fall.  Looking at this section, I'm thinking that these could use a slow-release feeding via some biosolid topdressing and/or mulch. I didn't manage to post about these, but I also added a pair of Shredded Umbrella Plants in among

Autumn Moor Grass - Peak Season - October 2023

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Back earlier this Summer, I bought and planted eight Autumn Moor Grasses - Sesleria Autumnalis - from Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin .  They went in a staggered planting in our front porch beds to provide two things:  something interesting in front of the boxwoods that wasn't too tall AND something that would come up after the large Allium foliage begins to die back and would hid the dying leaves.   One of the things at all gardeners chase is the notion of a four-season garden.  You want things to be interesting and in-bloom in Spring, Summer and Fall.  And, ideally have a little winter show during dormancy.  That notion - of bloom time coupled with their short height - is what sold me on these Autumn Moor Grasses .  They show strong in the Fall.  Here we are on October 1st and what do they look like in their first year?  Like real stars: They're just what I wanted - with low, mounding foliage and see-thru seed heads that rise up above.  The Dusty Miller volunteers sort-

Anemone 'Lucky Charm' Blooming - August 2023

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There are a few plants in our garden that are there because I was drawn to them.  There are a few that were simply impulse-bought.  There are others that I was influenced by others like Roy Diblik , Austin Eischeid or Erin the Impatient Gardener.   Then...there's this other set:  They are the ones that exist in our yard and garden because of Nat.     That list of Nat-influenced plants includes the Saucer Magnolia and any/all of our Allium.  Another one of those that Nat-influenced plantings are anemones.  I've likely written this story before, but the connection with Anemone flowers comes back to our wedding day.  We've had them (now) in both of our houses (not in Equation Boy/Man and Vic's house that we lived in for two years) since last year when I planted three from Northwind Perennial Farm. Here's a post from more than ten years ago (eeek!  ten years!) of the plant that Nat's Mom gifted us for our garden back in Elmhurst .  And h ere's a post from Augus

Getting to Know Sedum Three-Ways (Neon, Carl, Stardust) - August 2023

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On a recent visit to Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin, I found myself face-to-face with a table of Sedum plants.  Stonecrop is what some may call them.  They're NOT new plants in general and not necessarily new to me, either.  I had some inherited Sedum in our house in Elmhurst that seemed to do just fine along the driveway.  Didn't think about them much then.  And haven't thought about them much now.   We also have some Angelina Sedum that I really like in a few spots.  But, these more upright sedum?   Don't have them in our garden, but that doesn't mean I can't 'get to know' them a little bit, right? Below are signs for three:  Neon, Karl and Stardust.  The sign for the Neon variety says a lot (to me):  We've been buying Sedum since the 1970's.   Lol.  The Stardust sign is even better:  This is an upright sedum with white flowers.  Go find a spot.  Another LOL. For me, the Neon and Stardust sedums are viable - as they're listed for 

Four Hakonechloa Macra (Green) Grasses Planted - July 2023

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My Hakonechloa Macra Forest Grass crush keeps growing.  It started with the All Golds that I bought at one of the Morton sales, but has morphed towards something else:  the 'straight' green versions that I find up at Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin.  I planted three of them in a border last year and they've quickly outperformed the All Golds that are planted close-by .   One of the things that I observed in our backyard garden this Spring was the need to help 'hide' the dying foliage of the tulip bulbs that I have planted under the large tree-swing Oak tree.  I have some hostas and ferns in there, but they don't move fast-enough to help.  And, based on watching these Japanese Forest Grasses, I've discovered (this Spring) that the straight Green ones emerge must earlier than the All Golds.   So, on a trip up to Northwind, I put four of these in my wagon.   They look really great in the sun - see below: This area is what I'd call 'part shade'

Campanula Poscharskyana - Blue Waterfall In Bloom - Summer 2023

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Editor's Note: While this post is going up in mid-July, the first photo showing this blue bloom in our garden are from mid-June.  I wanted to get this into the [garden diary] before I forgot about it.    Last year, we bought and planted a single ground cover plant from Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin that has blue blooms called Campanula Poscharskyana or Blue Waterfall .   I stuck it into the little understory garden behind the River Birch clump and amongst some other Roy Diblik-sold plants.   Northwind calls this Campanula 'vigorous' and after one season, I'd say that's true. Below is a photo showing this groundcover in mid-June 2023 in what I'd consider full-bloom. As you can see, it is spreading out in every direction with blue/purple-lined runners.  And has a cluster of green foliage in the center that is taller than those runners.  We don't have a ton of flowers in our garden, so having this in bloom is nice in this section.  Also, like every oth

Anemone Lucky Charm - Second Season - July 2023

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One year ago tomorrow, I planted a trio of Anemone Lucky Charm that we brought home from Northwind Perennial Fam in Wisconsin, tucking them into our backyard .  That first year...they were temperamental.  They wilted at the slightest dry period.  I baby'd them all Summer and Fall - hand-watering them - to keep them happy.  They seemed to go dormant in normal fashion.   This year, they emerged again and seem to have established themselves quite a bit MORE.  They no longer require attention and are now putting on some size.  See below for the current state of these three: These have special meaning to me - and I'm really excited to see these put out some blooms that I can bring in to Nat this Summer - they bloom in September and October. 

Carex Montana From Northwind Planted - July 2023

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I've been all-in on Team Carex thanks to Roy Diblik and his Northwind Perennial Farm up in Wisconsin.  He introduced me to sedges (Carex) and talked about how he uses them in his plantings.  Over the years, I've bought a number of different sedges from Northwind including: Bromoides and Little Midge , Albicans and Pensylvanica .   Now, I can add another one to the list:  Carex Montana.  The photo at the top of this post shows three Carex Montana plugs that I bought from Northwind last month and planned on planting by the Linden trees that are espaliered.   Below is the sign from Northwind that includes this description:   You've noticed the rich, soft green, beautiful foliage. Plant this in your shade garden and develop a ground layer of soft textures that will enliven your other plants and reduce weed seeds from germinating. Mix this Carex with other Carext to create a tapestry of colors and textures. Why not?? Haven't you wood chipped long enough??? Shots fired at

Sesleria Autumnalis and Summer Beauty Alliums Planted - Front Porch Beds - June 202

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The front porch bed continues to be a spot in our garden where I've focused some of my attention this season.  It was #3 on my 2023 to-do list - to plant out that bed after the Norway Maple tree was removed last Fall and a small Triumph Elm was planted.  In early May, I posted a 'plan' of sorts for the bed that included the planting of a short, compact grass along with some clumping Alliums in front, backed by some new Boxwoods, Disneyland Roses, grasses and some flowering shrubs.  How have I done so far this year? I worked the soil conditions - using biosolids in a vertical, deep-dug mulching exercise .  Then, I dug out and transplanted a Boxwood to the back . Once the slate was clean, I started to plant.  First, with three bareroot Disneyland roses .  Then, I planted five Green Velvet boxwoods (1 gallon small ones).   And most recently, I planted a new Fire Light Hydrangea shrub where I had previously had a Vanilla Strawberry variety.   Here's the list that I outl

Brunnera Macrophylla Back For First Spring - April 2023

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Last year, we planted a pair of heart-leaf brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla) from Roy Diblik's Northwind Perennial Farm up in Wisconsin and planted them in the understory garden of our backyard.  This is the little section that my middle child has been planting with various low and mid-height perennials.   These managed to avoid the rabbits last Fall and then went dormant.  They've sprung up this year - a bit behind the other cultivars like Jack of Diamonds  and Queen of Hearts - and have their small flowers putting on a little Spring show.   Here, below, are both of them showing up for their first Spring: This one below is interplanted with tulips:

Alchemilla Mollis 'Auslese' - Ladys Mantle - September 2022

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 This is the second new (to us) perennial that we recently planted that came from Roy Diblik's Northwind Perennial Farm.  I'll admit that I made one of the core gardening mistakes ( don't buy just one of anything ) with both of these recent additions, but these were picked out from the shade section by my middle child.  This post is about Alchemilla mollis 'Auslese' - or Ladys Mantle.  The sign at Northwind is below and points out that this works in part shade, has yellow flowers and spreads out to about 20".  It also calls out the scalloped, grey-green foliage. And, here below, is our pint-sized plant.  Of note, after just a few days home, I've come to realize that this thing needs to be watered regularly.   So, what, exactly is this?  Is it like a Heuchera?  Is it ground cover?  (If so, it would count towards my 2022 to-do list goal around groundcover, right?) The University of Wisconsin Horticulture Extension has a page up about Lady's Mantle where

Campanula Poscharskyana - Blue Waterfall - September 2022

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On a trip up to Wisconsin recently, we brought home a couple of part shade perennials from Northwind that were destined to go into the Bird's little backyard garden that sits along the northside fence.  Both of these were new (to us) and will work in the understory section of the beds.  The first one is commonly known as Serbian Bellflower, but is listed at Northwind as Campanula Poscharskyana - Blue Waterfall.  See below for a look at the 1# plant that we brought home....and was PROMPTLY eaten by the dang rabbits.  Below is the sign from Northwind Perennial Farm where they describe the plant as 'vigorous'. What it doesn't, explicitly say is the word 'groundcover'.  But, that's what Bluestone Perennials call it: a short, mounding groundcover .   #5 on my 2022 to-do list was to 'fall in love with groundcover' and this is another data point towards that goal.  As of late last month, I had planted 20 ground cover plants this season including a variety

Carex Albicans - Firepit Border - August 2022

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A few days ago, I showed how the Bird added a single Carex Albicans to her little backyard garden and mentioned that I had bought a few more of these plugs.  I intended to plant all four back by the fire pit border, but she wanted one, so it went in her garden.  As I talked about in that post, these sedges are plugs from Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin, where gardener Roy Diblik evangelizes for Carex as the cure for garden groundcover.  Below is the sign from his nursery: These Albicans are darker green than the Bromoides that I planted yesterday under the Hornbeams .  Below, you can see some of them before planting: Here, below, is the layout of these three.  They're close to the fire pit gravel border and will (hopefully) fill in and cover up some of that mulch. I could plant four dozen of these and that wouldn't be enough, so three barely makes a dent.  But, every garden has to start somewhere, right?   These three additional Carex Albicans now add to the total of care

Carex Bromoides with Carex Little Midge - Planted Under Hornbeams - August 2022

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Just yesterday, I posted a photo showing off the Carex Albicans that The Bird planted as ground cover in her little backyard garden and talked about how that marked the 12th sedge that we've planted in the backyard.   I had posted about planting a little cluster of four Carex Bromoides earlier this Summer and included a video from Roy Diblik where he talks about his favorite Carex and how he combines them.  In that video, he talked about Bromoides, muehlenbergii & muskingumensis (Little Midge).  And how to combine them together with a dominant species and 'islands' of other species in various percentages.   That video pushed me to think about how I can use some of these in our landscape and how to create a unique pattern that is unique to our garden and isn't a 'monoculture'.   When we were up at Northwind in Wisconsin, I came home with some of the Carexes that Roy talked about:  Eight Carex Bromoides.  And Two Carex muskingumensis Little Midge.  When p

Carex Albicans - Woodland Sedge Added - August 2022

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The last plant that my middle child planted in her garden from Roy Diblik's Northwind Perennial Farm was a result of me advocating that she try something that Roy has (I think) made famous:  a sedge.  Or...a Carex.  She picked out a Carex Albicans . Here, below, is the sign from the nursery table up in Wisconsin: It reads:  "Perennial sedge that grows in dense, mounded tufts. In late spring, interesting scaly flower spikes emerge.  An excellent selection for dry, shaded sites." Below, you can see where she planted her Carex Albicans plug - just adjacent to the Helene Von Stein Lamb's Ear - Stachys byzantina that she planted in July of this year .  By my count, I (now) have 12 sedges in our garden. 5 Everillo sedges  - planted in 2020 and 2021 2 Carex Pensylvanica under the Hornbeams - planted in 2021 4 Carex Bromides by the Astilbes - planted in Summer 2022 1 Carex Albicans in the Bird's garden - planted late Summer 2022 I also have a pair of Prairie Dropseeds,

Brunnera Macrophylla - Added to Garden - August 2022

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We have a couple of clusters of Brunnera in our garden - a trio of Jack of Diamonds on the southside .  And a trio of Queen of Hearts on the northside .  Both of those sets have done well and are quite striking in their silver-tinged foliage.  They work well in shady spots and have seemingly established themselves over the past growing season (plus).  Last week, I showed a photo of one of the new perennials that the Bird bought up at Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin (White Wanda Speedwell - maybe White Wands Speedwell... ) and mentioned that she bought a few other things.   This post is about a pair of Brunnera Macrophylla - Hearth-leaved Brunnera - that she bought and planted in her little garden in the backyard.   Below is the sign from Roy Diblik's nursery in Wisconsin: And, here (below) shows the location of the pair of these Brunneras in her garden.  They're planted in front of the Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum (you can see one of them at the top of the photo.  Al

Veronica 'White Wanda' - Northwind Perennial - August 2022

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My middle child is my gardening partner.  She has created a little garden of her own in the backyard and each time I take her to the nursery, she's picking up a plant or two to add to her little patch.  She's 'getting to know' some of these plants.  Some work, some won't.  The last time we went to Northwind Perennial Farm up in Wisconsin, she came home with this cool Lamb's ear .  This trip, she bought a few different things including this Spike Speedwell below.  The sign - you can see it in the photo below- calls this Veronica 'White Wanda' Spike Speedwell.  But....I can't find anything called White Wanda out there on the Web.  Plenty of 'White Wands' like this one at Walter's Garden .  But...maybe this is a Northwind creation - they named themselves?  ( Being a Marvel family, I'm not going to lie:  the name White Wanda kinda was a draw here... ) The sign above talks about this being a 'perfect height' for behind low-growing