Here’s a treat: These beautiful photos were taken in the Conservatory range last week by Noah Le Claire-Conway, PhD student in Plant Sciences. (Equipment: Nikon D2X camera with an AF Micro Nikkor 60 mm lens.)
Jewel Orchid, Ludisia discolor
Brazilian Orchid, Epidendrum sp.
Watermilfoil, Myriophyllum aquaticum
Aristocrat Plant, Haworthia coarctata
Yellow Ice Plant, Delosperma nubigenum
Spoon-leaved Sundew, Drosera spatulata
Echeveria sp.
Papaya, Carica papaya
The angle of the sunlight coming into the greenhouse yesterday afternoon was making everything glow. I grabbed the camera, and tried to capture it even though my glasses are “in the shop” (caught without a spare pair!) The orchid, which doesn’t have a label, often looks bedraggled quickly, but the blooms have been holding up for over a week. The maroon and greenish flower is Hippeastrum papilio, also known as Butterfly Amaryllis. Peeking in at the Pharmacy Greenhouse, the beautiful magenta daisy-like flower with a purple center is Osteospermum. A beautiful sunny treat for today’s “Cold Rain and Snow”.
Well, a little bit ready for winter, as in: prepared. The gardens are mostly cut back, although the Dahlias still need to be dug up and packed away. There’s plenty of wood in the wood shed. Pulled out my winter coat, hat, and mittens. But ready for a couple more months of cold and dark? No.
What are you doing to get ready for winter?
That’s what everybody here is walking around saying, with a smile and a grateful look at the gray skies. Yes, it’s been quite a while. I like having a rain day to focus on the greenhouse, dividing and potting up plants, rearranging, cleaning up, and taking cuttings. Here are some greenhouse plants which caught my eye today.
Tibouchina/ Princess Flower
Mimosa / Sensitive Plant
Anthurium
Canna
Cactus–unlabeled!
Justicia carnea / Plume Flower
Polypodium Fern
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’  ‘Indian Summer’, I think! That’s what happens when I let everything seed in…
Rosa ‘Dortmund’
Megacyllene robiniae, the Locust Borer Beetle. A new one to me!
Apis mellifera, warming my beekeeper’s heart, and an ant (Lasius niger??) on Hydrangea ‘Tardiva’.
Solidago and Physostegia, the colors of September.
By my way of looking at it, this is a pretty good growing year. After a long cold spring, most of the summer has brought great weather. Not too hot or humid, just warm, sunny, and pleasant, with cool nights —Â a reminder of why in the days before air-conditioning, people would come north to New England for the summer. The soil is dry now, and a rainy day or two would be good, but still, I’ll take it! So many things have grown so well this season (and it’s not QUITE over!) that I wanted to share a few.
Orange flowers and vegetables are everywhere this year!
Mostly I like them, some, well, with so many great petunias to choose from, why would you plant this one:
But on to other abundant things!
More raspberries (almost) than I could put up, in my home garden.
A second cutting of hay in South County:
Hornet’s nests, big and beautiful in their own way:
Flowers and fruit of all kinds.
Did something grow really well for you this year? I’d love to hear about it!
An early explorer of Narragansett Bay, Giovanni da Verrazzano, saw the islands covered with Rhododendrons and was reminded of the Mediterranean Isle of Rhodes… or so goes one of our beloved mythologies of how our little state came to be named Rhode Island. Another story says that Adrian Block, a Dutch explorer for whom Block Island is named, referred to a “red island” in Narragansett Bay, Roodt Eylant in Dutch. Either way, we love Rhododendrons.
There are native Rhododendrons, R. maximum, in the understory of wooded areas all over the state. Tales are told that these groves of Rhododendrons were so big in colonial times that a person could become lost in them! The Ell and Long Pond area in Hopkinton has huge Rhodies which give a hint of this possibility.
Photo by Lauren Weeks
The cultivated Rhododendrons are also very much at home in our maritime climate. They thrive here, for the most part, and are widely planted as ornamentals. Their incredible tropical flowers are a big part of the late spring/early summer landscape, and I love seeing them as we approach the longest days of the year.
Rhodies come in a wide spectrum of colors. There are probably thousands of different pinks, along with whites of every variety, and purples from light to dark and approaching blue. There are some warm tones, like the deep red ‘Francesca’, and even orange and yellow, which are not often seen around here. Sometimes Rhododendron flower buds are a different color than the open flower. All have a splotch or eye which is sometimes highly contrasting with the flower color and sometimes barely visible.
Photo by Lauren Weeks
Photo by Lauren Weeks
Shallow-rooted, Rhodies like moist soil but not “wet feet”. They like a little bit of shade, being an understory plant. They will grow in full shade but flower more with some sun. They prefer acid soil, with good organic matter, and don’t like to dry out. They are mostly evergreen, with leathery long deep green leaves (although this varies from one species to another). Like other evergreens, they are susceptible to “winter kill” leaf damage when the ground is frozen. Planting in an area protected from strong winter winds helps prevent this.
Photo by Lauren Weeks
Being well adapted to our climate (zone 6-6A), many Rhodies grow fast. And what many home gardeners don’t realize is that they can be cut back hard. How hard? Down to little stumps! I love to tell bore students with the story of how my first job at East Farm was to cut down the Rhododendrons along the fence leading to the gate. I was horrified but they came back better than ever. So if they are covering the first floor windows of your house, don’t be afraid to cut back, AFTER they flower.
There are thousands of Rhododendron species around the world, native to environments from the tropics to the Himalayas. There are a multitude of hybrids and cultivars, especially if you count Azaleas, which are Rhododendrons (that’s another post). Most likely there is one you can grow at your house! The best way to find the right Rhododendron for your climate would be to visit your local nursery or greenhouse.
Photo by Lauren Weeks
There are very few blog entries for May in the archives. There is so much to do it makes my head spin, but the garden is positively enchanting at this time of year! Here’s a look at what is happening right now:
Azaleas and Rhododendrons blooming together.
‘Ruth May’ Azalea –interesting color…
‘Geisha’ Azalea, one of my favorites, just because.
The flowers of the Dove Tree / Davidia involucrata.
Bright red new growth on Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’.
Woody flowers of Carolina Allspice / Calycanthus floridus.
Cold-hardy banana (Musa basjoo) survived the winter!
Also looking good after a very tough winter: Opuntia humifusa, the Eastern Prickly Pear, native to RI.
Shade garden…Solomon’s Seal and more coming up through a carpet of Sweet Woodruff / Galium odoratum.
First I went into the greenhouse and took pictures of the seedlings coming up, because they make me happy.
Some are mine, for the Garden and the Plant Sale, and some are Andy’s, for Agronomy.
Then I looked out the window and saw Louis taking the cover off the overwintered perennials, so I went outside. I was glad to see that not only are the plants alive (I’m a worrier), but have even been thriving out there, under the blanket (which is now off).
Once I was outside, an advance scout for Spring caught my eye. Hands freezing, eyes tearing from the cold, I walked around the Garden. I found just a little bit of color to share with you.
URI Botanical Gardens Blog 