December 2010 Plant Profile: Prunus ‘Mount Vernon’

December 2nd, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

Contrary to its original form (Prunus laurocerasus), this selection of the common, overused and potentially invasive Cherry Laurel is a welcomed addition to any landscape. ‘Mt. Vernon’ is beginning to appear in many urban plantings both as a hugging evegreen groundcover or as a prostrate specimen shrub in front of a border. It is truly versatile, hardy, and a very dependable plant with glossy, deep green foliage that looks fabulous all year around. It is also slow growing and doesn’t have the “seeding-around” problem associated with Cherry Laurel in our climate. The low, almost creeping habit is exquisite especially around hardscapes and any areas you need to “soften” in appearance.

Common Name: Mount Vernon cherry laurel
Location: Soest Garden Bed 6
Family: Rosaceae
Origin: Garden Origin
Height: 12-15″
Spread: 4-6′
Bloom Time: Early Summer
Bloom Type/Color: Insignificant spikes of cream white flowers.
Water/Soil: Well drained, moderately moist. Can tolerate some drought once established

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November 2010 Plant Profile: Osmanthus fragrans v. aurantiacus

November 14th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

In the three years I’ve expected it bite the dust, this plant has survived our winters and we’ve enjoyed the fruity scent from this form of Sweet Olive every autumn. Osmanthus fragrans is a popular shrub/small tree in the warmer regions of the United states (USDA Zone 8 +) and in China, where it is highly revered and its scented autumn blossoms are used to scent and flavor tea. This orange flowered form aurantiacus is not as common in the United States and it’s also not known to be as hardy. So, it was surprising to me that our two large specimens in the Fragrance Garden are thriving. Perhaps the fact that we started with large specimens, are enclosed by other plantings and are against a southwest facing wall contributes to their success OR I’ve even began to wonder if this isn’t aurantiacus, but a selected named cultivar of O. fragrans that is truly hardy and well worth propagating to see if it’s something we can recommend to gardeners in the Puget Sound region. We can grow straight O. fragrans, but it really requires a protected location and benefits from the radiated heat from a nearby building or paved surfaces. Instead, I’ve recommended gardeners seek out a cross known as Osmanthus x fortunei to plant in their gardens. It is very much like O. fragrans, but with broader, darker green leaves and larger, more profuse flowers with the same apricot-like scent. You can read more about it here. For now, just follow your nose during your next visit to CUH and admire this plant in person.

Common Name: Sweet Olive
Location: Fragrance Garden
Family: Oleaceae
Origin: China
Height: 12-20ft.
Spread: 4-6ft.
Bloom Time: Late October throughout November.
Bloom Type/Color: Axillary flowers arranged fairly densely throughout plant.
Straight species is a creamy yellow, but this a rare orange form and supposedly not hardy selection of this species.
Water/Soil: Well drained, moderately moist.

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CUH Update – November 2010: Color and Winter

November 12th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

It’s been a cold nippy November and we’re taking a little extra time to put on a few extra layers before heading outside to work. Temperatures are dropping and it’s really time to start thinking about winter. The plants are on their last legs and the last of the tremendous fall foliage we’ve been blessed with this autumn are carpeting our grounds and exposing an occasional clear blue sky above. Indian summer has been frequent and we’ve all been soaking it all in.

The Lagerstroemias this year have had wonderful fall color to make up for its lack of prolific flowers this summer and the Parrotia persica in the Soest Garden have exhibited the best color yet in the three years I’ve overseen them. All of the fall blooming stars never fail to hit their queue and some of the regular summer bloomers have hung around for a little encore. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ continues to churn out blooms along with salvias, chrysanthemums, and various asters. Of course, the grasses are hitting their stride and are looking spectacular and I’m finding that more and more people are catching on and are willing to try them out in their gardens because they are so eye-catching and easy to maintain.

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' illuminated by an autumn sunset

November is also a time when we prepare the nursery for the winter and our cohorts over at Washington Park Arboretum have helped us put up the plastic covering on our hoophouses and brought our container stock into a bed of sawdust where they overwinter.


The key is to prevent the rootballs of these otherwise hardy plants from freezing and thawing and by having them in sawdust, it’s almost like having them directly in the ground where the soil temperatures stay relatively even so the top few inches of sawdust can freeze, but the whole rootball itself is perfectly fine underneath.

October and November are very busy planting times for us and rather than overwintering the whole inventory, we’ve been working on finding permanent homes for some of the plants in stock. We are looking forward to the bloom of a generous donation of Hellebores from Ernie and Marrieta O’Byrne of Northwest Garden Nursery who have bred the fabulous “Winter Jewels” series. Paying them a visit last summer to pick up these plants was such a treat. Their gardens are some of the best I’ve ever visited and their breeding program was so fascinating to learn about.

So, look for these Hellebores peppered throughout CUH in the winter time and look for “Winter Jewels” at your local nursery!!

T & L Nursery also came through with another donation to us this year with a nice assortment of new ornamental grasses and some classic perennials such as Siberian Iris and herbaceous peonies that we’ve never had in the garden before. They will be a fabulous addition to the wonderful assortment of perennials we have.

McVay Courtyard after later leaf drop

If you ever have any questions about the grounds and landscapes here at CUH, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We aren’t always out in the garden to greet you, but we hope you’ll enjoy your visit.

Cheers,

Riz
Soest Perennial Display Garden
rhr2382@uw.edu
206-897-1434 (voicemail)

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October 2010 Plant Profile: Symphyotrichum (Aster) lateriflorum ‘Prince’

October 11th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

Symphyotrichum (Aster) lateriflorum ‘Prince’


A regular visitor to the garden recommended that I make sure that I profile a plant that would stop people on their tracks when they walk by it and for October of this year, I’ve selected a dashingly handsome Aster, or now properly known as Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Prince’ thriving happily in Bed 8. After years of sulking in the same bed; but overtaken by other plants, I finally moved it where it would receive full sun and less competition and, oh boy, did it take off! It is a much revered plant in the fall landscape because of its compact habit, dark purple foliage and the masses of miniature daisy-like blooms that bloom for weeks until a very hard frost. Many who see it are surprised that such a small plant could produce so many flowers!

Common Name: Calico Aster
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Garden Origin
Location: Soest Garden Bed 8
Height: 1.5ft. tall
Spread: 2ft. wide
Bloom Time: Late September to hard frost
Bloom Type/Color: Small composite, white with pink centers.
Exposure: Full Sun
Water/Soil: Average, well drained.

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CUH Update – October 2010: UW Classes, plant evaluations and fall color

October 11th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'

Classes in UW are in full swing as is the fall landscape at UWBG. Color is just beginning to show on our deciduous trees and the fall-blooming perennials are slowly waiting in the wings to burst into flight and glorious bloom here at CUH. After a inconsistent and late summer, fall seems to be right on queue as the weather slowly cools and our usual autumn tasks are well underway: fertilizing the lawn, planting and transplanting, monotonous raking and gathering of fallen leaves in either cold wet or windy weather, and one of my more favorite task is evaluating the year’s successes and failures in order to plan for next season.

Our formal evaluations were actually done on a crop of hardy perennials supplied to us by Blooms of Bressingham. For years we’ve received material and grown them on for people to see, but it was just last year that we resumed our formal trials and gave “BLOOMS” our feedback on how well their plants performed. This season, I decided to step it up; I recruited a enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteer to help me with maintenance and evaluations based on a set of criteria. We noted things like flowering period, stem and foliage quality, and pest and disease resistance. Maintenance practices were also jotted down to determine a variety’s overall performance throughout the growing season. I hope to develop an exclusive page that will feature photos of each variety under evaluation and our findings. There are some exceptional varieties and a few that never should have entered the market based on our criteria. So, stay tuned for those results!

Helichrysum Pink Sapphires - a brand new variety drawing much attention as it completes its 2nd year of evaluations.

One of the more exciting things to observe as an employee is being able to access “behind the scenes” to see the number of student projects taking place. Graduate students and post docs run various experiments and several classes make use of our facilities to set up labs and it’s all very fascinating to see. At times I feel like I’m so out of touch with recent developments and research, but it’s reassuring to know that there are hard working individuals answering various questions concerning our ever-changing ecosystems and landscapes.

Both the students and the general public have a most treasured resource here at CUH that’s celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library is one of the best in the nation providing both novice and professionals a tremendous number of resources related to gardening and plants. Be sure to check our calendar for upcoming events to celebrate.

Our Douglas Conservatory has never really lived up to its name as our collection of indoor plants have consisted of only random hand-me downs from various sources who didn’t want to bother with them and tropicals left over from seasonal containers, but with a few doing reasonably well. I asked one of our volunteers to work with what we have and create a more appealing composition. Here’s what we came up with:

With fall being an ideal time to plant and transplant, expect a few changes as we play another round of musical plants. Look out for new plantings, a lot of digging and thinning and, hopefully, a few pleasant surprises come spring. There’s plenty to do as we shift in the seasons and I invite you all to come and visit and see the transformation before your eyes!

R

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September 2010 Plant Profile: Begonia grandis ‘Heron’s Pirouette’

September 14th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

Probably one of the most elegant of all late summer to fall blooming perennials, this hardy begonia has been loved and admired by many avid gardeners since plantsman, Dan Hinkley, brought it back from Japan in 1997. It is somewhat late to emerge in the spring and it grows from a hardy tuber. The large, almost succulent leaves and stems provide a backdrop to airy inflorescences that dance in the breeze and soft pink, bubble gum flowers have a very faint, but pleasing fragrance. They produce little baby bulbils on the nodes of the stems so there’s always volunteers to share with gardening friends!

Common Name: Hardy Begonia
Location: Soest Garden Bed 5 (with a few volunteers in Bed 7 where it used to be)
Family: Begoniaceae
Origin: Japan
Height: 15-24″
Spread: 1.5-2ft.
Bloom Time: August-October
Bloom Type/Color: Pendulous racemes of soft, shell-pink with bright yellow stamens.
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Water/Soil: Well drained, but consistently moist.

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CUH Update September 2010

September 14th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

I can’t believe summer is almost officially over. What a seesaw of a season we had! Cooler than normal average temperatures, a few heat waves; nothing really stuck around long enough, and bloom time on some of the plants his year was really all over the place!

Oh well, it has been a busy and hectic summer that seemed to almost get away from us from time to time, but the plants can always be expected to put on a show for all to see and we take great pride in showcasing some of the best for the Pacific Northwest.

Several changes loom ahead as we painfully absorb the severe budget cuts we’re being forced to take. It’s been a challenging at times to stay motivated and just carry on as usual; however, the wonderful people I work with and our frequent visitors are always there to remind me of just how fortunate we are to just have jobs during these tough times and how great it is to work for a botanic garden. At times, I have to just tell myself, “Do it for the plants!”

Our wave of volunteers has subsided a bit as the upcoming school year approaches, but a handful have expressed an interest in continuing and we couldn’t be more pleased with the efforts they’ve provided these past few months.

New interpretive signage has finally been created and installed in the Soest Garden! After endless revisions, tweaks and printing snafus, they are mounted and ready for your viewing and learning pleasure! These signs are sort of a test run to see how well they hold up and how well they communicate the information we hope to provide about the plantings here. So, if you have any questions and/or comments, we would like to hear from you!

Each sign describes a bed\’s exposure, soil type, and amount of supplemental irrigation it receives along with just a few selections of plants suited to each condition.

Early September is peak time for cherry picking at CUH! Cornelian cherries, that is! Cornus mas, to be exact is an attractive small landscape tree and our grove along Mary Gates Drive draws many people who often climb the trees, break branches and stomp on the groundcovers, while we appreciate people picking and using the fruit, we politely ask that they refrain from climbing the trees or the fence and from ripping off branches. I feel like it’s the one thing we truly do (outside, that is) that allows us to provide the community with something besides gardening information, a venue for events, or just pretty gardens to look at and admire. I would love to see us hold a fall festival where we would invite them to take part and perhaps have them share the wonderful things they do with the tart fruits they so covet!

September is definitely the time to soak in the last rays of summer and see the gardens in their full splendor. I will try and take some more photographs and post them on Facebook, so if you haven’t joined the craze of social networking, it’s time to check it out! Or, just come and see us in the gardens!

facebook.com/UWBotanicGardens

Cheers,

Riz
Soest Gardener

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August 2010 Plant Profile: Lilium ‘Scheherazade’

August 5th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

A most outstanding hybrid lily known worldwide for its hardiness, vigor, and overall dependability in the garden. ‘Scheherazade’ was one of the first interspecific hybrids introduced on the market and began a trend that would revolutionize the world of lily breeding. Bred by L. Freimann using tetraploid (double the number chromosomes a plant typically has) forms of a cultivar called ‘Thunderbolt’ and a tetraploid form of the famous ‘Black Beauty’, you get a most unusual mahogany crimson edged in gold and later fading to cream born in profusion over stalks that have often been referred to as “Lily Trees”.

Lilium hybrid 'Scheherazade'

I counted over 40 buds and blossoms on ONE STEM! These are gently scented and not overpowering in fragrance like the Orientals (‘Stargazer’ and ‘Casablanca’) or trumpet lilies (Easter Lily). These were a donation from the great lily breeder and grower, Judith Freeman from The Lily Garden 2 years ago and now they’ve hit their stride.

Common Name: Scheherazade Orientpet Lily
Location: Soest Garden Bed 8
Family: Liliaceae
Origin: Garden Origin
Height: 5-7ft.
Spread: 1.5-2ft.
Bloom Time: July into August
Bloom Type/Color: Recurved tepals of rich mahogany crimson edged in gold cream.
Water/Soil: Well drained, moderately moist.

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CUH Update August 2010

August 5th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

It’s finally beginning to feel like summer; fairly consistent warm temperatures, scrambling to get containers adequately watered, and gravitation towards shade when working outdoors!

The past few weeks have been so busy and incredibly productive as we’ve been fortunate to have an arsenal of interns, work study students, and volunteers help us out in grounds several times a week this summer. While it takes a bit of patience and organization, the added number of bodies out there doing SOMETHING has helped to keep things under control. While skills are still developing, their efforts have made quite a difference and it seems like they’re savoring the experience.

Soest Garden Bed 4

Lots of summer pruning is well under way to keep our trees, shrubs, and vines growing here relatively healthy and happy. By pruning in the summer, we can work on shaping and training certain species, controlling unruly growth such as water sprouts, suckers, and aggressive vines that have over-”climbed”.

Our evaluations of BLOOMS OF BRESSINGHAM perennials are underway here at CUH and we’re beginning to see glimpses of potential bright stars for the garden. After our first round of evaluations of the new plants we’ve received the last two years, many are looking quite promising while others just bit the dust and would caution gardeners about using them. I hope we can develop a website where we can post our findings and we’re also hoping to have a separate evaluation sheet for visitors to the gardens to GIVE US FEEDBACK about the plants! Please stay tuned!

We’ve also just received a generous donation of perennial plants from Skagit Gardens. Each year, they send us new varieties to feature in our gardens so people can see them and look them up when they visit local nurseries. We’ve received some lovely Sedums, a salvia, and some wonderful tickseeds aka Coreopsis like this smashing one called, ‘Cosmic Eye’ bred by a colleague of mine, Darrell Probst.

Coreopsis 'Cosmic Eye'

We’re also quite active on our Facebook Page so to get the latest tidbits about news, events, and quirky happenings, do “like” us, ok!! haha

R

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CUH Update July 2010

July 8th, 2010 by Soest Gardener, Riz Reyes

We are experiencing quite a heatwave after weeks of cloudy, overcast and rainy days here in Seattle. We’re thankful for the sunshine and all, but the sudden warmth is a little unbearable without the transition to warmer temperatures we should have had in late May.

Everything is picking up with this surge of heat as irrigation is also in full swing. So WEEDS WEEDS WEEDS everywhere and we tackle as much as we can, but it’s so exhausting and uncomfortable working in such intense heat.

There are places to definitely cool off if you come for a visit: underneath the red oak in the Soest garden you’ll find a patch of grass and a wooden bench in which to sit and cool off and the site is a perfect spot for a little picnic. Another shady picnic site with a little more privacy is Goodfellow Grove.

Still too hot out? Swing by the Miller Library; get comfortable with a book or magazine and brush up on all things gardening!

Gonna keep it short and simple this time around and I hope you come visit us soon!

R

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