... regarding why I lost more plants this past winter than any other time since I've been gardening....
but first I would like to introduce you to Angelica. From my hybridizing friend Dennis Ledvina, this is one amazing plant which is a cross between M cylindrica and M. 'Sawada's Pink'. This is the first time that my eight foot tree has bloomed. Where yesterday morning there were only 12 buds, by this evening there are 12 bowl shaped blossoms measuring at least eight or more inches in diameter. At first they opened with a slight hue of pink which quickly gave way to white within a short period of time... and the fragrance is out of this world as they literally wafted as far away as the neighbor's yard. I have not been this excited about a magnolia in years. On top of that, tomorrow will bring the first blooms on "Blushing Belle" which Dennis has described as one of his best... just can't wait! In the meantime, a few more pictures of Angelica... the first one below shows the bloom's initial color as they begin to open...
Within hours, the bloom expands and becomes white with dark pink flares at the base of each petal...
Another creation by Dennis, Simple Pleasures has come into peak today, but will continue to bloom with fresh buds over an extended period of generally at least a month...
My little plant of Magnolia "Jane Platt" is also blooming for the first time...
"Pink Perfection has similar look to "Jane Platt", but many more tepals and larger flowers. This bloom is just starting to expand...
A number of stellata magnolias are also at peak just now... these are "Royal Star"...
Here, "Ann" is prepared to open it's blooms backed up by the unlabeled soulangiana that I shared a while back...
I lost my large "Leonard Messel" some years ago, but a small plant of the same cultivar is coming into bloom. It's hue is on the rich side as it's located in a shady and cooler portion of the gardens...
The first bloom of hundreds on Magnolia soulangiana 'Brozzonii' has opened...
There are a number of other magnolia cultivars coming into bloom, but far and away the most outstanding at this time is "Wada's Memory". It's a neat experience just walking beneath it as it sheds the occasional petal...
... and for an unmitigated mass of blooms, it is a stand-out...
Elsewhere in the gardens, new cultivars of daffodils unfold with each passing day, while the earliest have gone past...
I added lots of trilliums last spring and they are doing very well... also have luteum and erectum...
Soon the mertensia will be in full bloom, accompanied by celandine poppies added last season which I am hoping will seed about as well...
As I wander through the gardens I continue to find plants that have succumbed to some sort of a problem this year. I am sure last season's drought is responsible for some of the death and destruction... well water just isn't the same as rain water. Then there's the rabbit damage... very extensive this year despite all the precautions I took in the fall.
However, the biggest problem had to do with the winter itself and here is my theory...
We first got cold and snow just before Christmas but it didn't stay around all that long. We received a lot of rain somewhere in January and then it froze hard, only to be followed by a lot of snow a short time afterwards. I believe that this combination of events is what caused so very much damage. It can be seen in many local winter wheat fields as well. I could figure it out, but I'm guesstimating I have a loss of between one and two thousand dollars worth of plants. The Rockery was one of the hardest hit areas... many of my beautiful primula rotted and died. Only today I discovered that my cyclamen pupureum have rotted as well... one bulb had been with me a number of years and was 5" in diameter. We are blessed with beautiful soil... a dark and rich loam... it's great except in a situation like this it can hold way too much water and the freezing of the smothered plants in January was probably a recipe for disaster. Once I get past my remaining surgeries, I think I will try to do some amending of soil in the portions of the rockery that haven't been done yet.
I have also been very concerned about the new cypripedium bed since I had seen no signs of life. I decided to gently remove the pine and spruce needle mulch today and have discovered that two of the lady slippers are showing some growth. The intensely amended soil felt very damp and cold to me, but also loose... I think we may be ok with this expensive undertaking after all... I'll know soon enough. Once the orchids are in good growth I will return the mulch about them.
Tomorrow is to be another gorgeous day in the 70's and more magnolias will certainly open. I'm going to enjoy the remaining two days till my second surgery to the fullest and I'm really hoping that the doctor is wrong and the third surgery will prove to be unnecessary... I NEED to hit some nurseries... they're calling my name!
And one final thing... just when I totally gave up on receiving the 110 lilies from England after the customs fiasco, I got an e-mail today saying they will be shipped tomorrow via a different carrier!
So in a couple years, after some growth, I will have orienpets to ten feet in height and blooms to thirteen inches in diameter... things are looking up... literally!!
Take care,
Larry
