Home Grown Horticulture

     Azalea season has come late this year, I'll blame the hideously cold and long winter. However, it has resulted in most of them blooming at once, and many parts of Tidewater are now cloaked in a riot of pink, white and red. The garden where I work is deservedly famous for its azaleas, and it takes real effort not to get distracted by all the color. One group of azaleas unique to the area are the McDonald Hybrids, developed by Dr. Sandra McDonald at Le-Mac Nursery in nearby Hampton, Va. Her goal in a decades-long breeding program was to produce hardy plants that bloomed with flowers like those more typically found on florists' azaleas. Dr. McDonald produced over 20 named cultivars and many one-of-a-kind seedlings, most of which are planted at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

     All of the McDonald Hybrid azaleas are evergreen, hardy to zone 7-8, and grow on compact plants.

Another Day at the Races

     Though it may not feel like it, spring is here, and it is busting out at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Some days I get so wrapped up in my work it takes a conscious effort to notice all the beauty around me.  Fortunately, I get to visit when I am not working, and last week I was there all day while my son's crew team was participating in one of the last regattas of the season.  Between races I was able to truly enjoy the garden without having to worry about trying to get anything accomplished.

     One of my favorite spring shrubs is the Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum), and they were peaking last Saturday.

     A talented co-worker of mine has a passion for small succulents and other plants appropriate to rock gardens.  There is one bed at the garden where she has been allowed to pursue that passion. 

          Watching over this relaitvely new garden is one of NBG's ancient crabapples.

     One of my responsibilities are the annual beds, and when I came on board last September all the cool season plants and bulbs had been ordered or were growing in our greenhouse.  So I had the plants, but that was it, there were no plans as to how they should be used.  However, I work with people who have vision and between us we got these areas planted, and in the process I now have a new appreciation for tulips.  In another month the plants in these beds will be pulled out and a new summer scheme will be planted.

     This combination reminds me that gardeners do not need to have unusual, hard-to-find plants for a design to look good.  This trio is a simple planting of purple leafed barberry (Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea), lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) and creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea').

     Much of the garden is maintained in a more natural state, and we make a great effort to promote regional natives. There are several large patches of mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) that thrive without any help from the gardeners.

     Another native we promote are native azaleas, which are far too underutilized and under-appreciated.  This one is Rhododendron canescens (Piedmont or Florida pinxter azalea).

Alabama Azalea (Rhododendron alabamense)

    Despite their sweet fragrance and understated beauty, the native azaleas are overwhelmingly outnumbered by their Asian cousins, which were some of the first plants put in the ground when the gardens began back in 1938.

Rhododendron x 'Formosa'

Rhododendron x 'Kirin'

Rhododendron x 'Tango'

Rhododendron yedoense var. poukhanense

     I know this has been a pic-heavy post, but I have one more to share with you.  The circled rower belongs to me, and he and his teammates did well enough to progress on to the next regatta.  For this, and many other reasons, I am proud of him.

Azalea Trio

There are many parts of the country that are cloaked with Azaleas right now, and Hampton Roads in no exception. We are fortunate here to be warm enough to grow my favorite group, the Southern Indica Hybrids. These are large growing plants, often reaching 5-6', or higher further south. They also have large, showy, single flowers and large leaves. Their blowsy growth habit prevents them from responding well to severe pruning (not that some people don't try) which can be the fate of so many other Azaleas. I especially like to see when a trio of the fuschia 'Formosa', the white 'Mrs. G. G. Gerbing' and bi-color 'George Taber' are planted together.

Rhododendron x 'Formosa'

Rhododendron x 'Mrs G. G. Gerbing'

Rhododendron x 'George Taber'

An Embarassment of Riches

After several days of above average temperatures, things in the garden are coming into their own at a fast pace. Unfortunately, my daily norm is to leave in a morning rush trying to get someone to school and myself to work on time and to arrive home late in the evening with little time to enjoy the garden. Its a shame, because there is a lot to enjoy right now.

I thought I was through with Narcissus, but this one popped up after all the others had faded.
Some of the few plants left from a previous owner are Azaleas (Rhododendron x), and since these are my favorite trio of 'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing', 'George L. Taber' and 'Formosa' - they were kept. These are all Southern Indica hybrids and they tend to have huge blossoms that remind me of orchids. I remember how large these grew down in Charleston, often hiding old garden sheds and abandoned cars under their blooms. Unfortunately they do not get nearly so big here.

How about a parade of Iris?

An unknown Allium, also planted by a previous owner.

The few Roses I have are starting to bloom. I planted Zephirin Drouhin (Rosa x 'Zephirine Drouhin') because of its shade tolerance, but I have since come to dislike its color and its general lack of vigor, but it smells nice and my wife likes it, so it stays.

The bright orange-red blossoms are from the Caramba Rose (Rosa x 'Tanabamar').

This is a David Austin introduction, Pat Austin (Rosa x ' AUSmum'), which I like with the variegated Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia) foliage.

This Maynight Salvia (Salvia x 'Mainacht') was just put in this week and was a free sample from one of the companies I buy plants from. I like purple, especially when it is mixed with yellow or chartreuse foliage like the Sunrise Abelia (Abelia x 'Sunrise') behind the Salvia.
Here is another purple and chartreuse combo, Sweet Kate Spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana 'Sweet Kate').

This path cuts through my side garden where many of my Hydrangeas are budding, and given this weather pattern we're in they could be blooming sooner than normal.

I hope some of this abundance will still be here for Bloom Day (and for when I have more time to enjoy it).