Well, my last blog talked about the upcoming Garden Writers Association (GWA) annual symposium to be held here in Indianapolis. I’m sure you are all dying to know if I won the Gold in 2011. As a matter of fact, no, I did not. GWA did not award the Gold in my category this year. Both my competition and I had to settle for Silver. As my friend Scarlet once said, “As God as my witness, I’ll never go hungry again”. Now, what does that statement have to do with this blog? Frankly my dear, not a damn thing. It’s just what came into my head and I have to get those things out of my head right away sometimes. Anyways, I’m quite proud of my Silver Award in Electronic Media Writing.

From all the comments I heard, the symposium was quite a success. From the networking, to the breakfast catered by Nourish, to the gardens visited, to the lectures attended, most seemed very pleased. As is so often the case, they were surprised and delighted at the qualities of our city. The folks at Plants Nouveau (Angela Treadwell Palmer and Jim Martin) were so giddy over being here they got hitched – multiple times I think.

We had not one but two camera crews to film here. One was with Oklahoma Gardening. I saw host Kim Toscano shooting with Chad Franer, Director of Horticulture, about the green roof on the Sutphin Mall.

The other crew was Growing a Greener World (a series on Public Television and online) with Joe Lamp’l. They did a piece with Chad on the Rain Garden. Speaking of the Rain Garden, here’s what one GWA attendee said about ours: “Now THIS is a rain garden!  THIS is what it’s supposed to look like!” Jim and Chad did a fantastic design job on that garden.

We visited gardens four of the five days of the symposium. This was three days split 50/50 gardens and lectures, then a full day post-symposium tour. All in all, we visited one urban vegetable garden, four public gardens, two retail gardens, and ten private gardens. It is a lot to pack into four days. Here are a few details and images.

We started our visit to the Wishard Slow Food Garden in White River State Park with yoga.

The Children’s Garden at Garfield Park was a hit with attendees.

It also won the first Jim Wilson Mentoring Award from the GWA. That included a much needed $1,000.

Here’s the overview of the award from GWA: The Jim Wilson Mentoring Award will be presented to the individual or organization in the area of the Annual Symposium that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for gardening, encouraging others who may not otherwise come outside to experience, learn, and have success in garden.

White River Gardens and the Zoo were big hits as well. White River Gardens grows these Victoria waterlilies from seed every year! Can you imagine?

I forgot to take any pictures while we were at the IMA. I was terribly busy, along with the rest of the Horticulture staff, being a good host.

Avon Gardens was a perfect spot for lunch and shopping.

And then you could drop a few more dollars at Soules Gardens.

But I must tell you, it is the private gardens that gets people’s hearts astirrin’ and minds awhirrin’ with story ideas. The private gardens are why people go on the tours. And I think we really impressed them.

So my first ever experience helping to plan a national symposium is over. I want to thank all involved but especially Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp who had the dream and gumption to make it happen. And likewise a special thanks to all my co-workers in Horticulture. I know you have had to come in on many week-ends this year for programs and this was another one. You worked extra hard to make things look so beautiful and I do so appreciate it. And yes, I know there have been times you thought there was a live hand grenade sitting at the table with you.

But bless you all, you didn’t even say a thing to me. Not even when my head went flying across the garden and hit that brick wall.

And it’s a good thing. I’m in close touch with my inner femme fatale.

The same can be said of taking time to enjoy the labors of your gardening. Rarely is it not lovely to stroll through your garden in the morning, the earlier the better some days, I admit. Come afternoon it is much lovelier to stroll through your shaded garden – if you have one. And again, come evening the temperature usually moderates so it can be nice to do the daily inspection or sit out in the garden and just relax.

But you need some plants out there or why bother? Something that does well in the shade. Something that shows well in the evening light. Something not too demanding as it is July and hot and humid and you are a little weary of garden chores. How about a shrub? How about a white flowering shrub? How about a tough shrub? How about a native white-flowering tough shrub for shade that also does well in the sun? How about Hydrangea arborescens, smooth hydrangea?

This plant can be seen back home in southern Indiana growing on the cut bank of the gravel road, clinging to the soil, and live no matter what the weather has been. You gotta be tough to grow along a gravel road. Trust me. That’s the ‘hood I grew up in.

Hydrangea arborescens can grow from three to five feet tall and wide, on average. Unlike the more sought after Hydrangea macrophylla (big blue and pink blooms), this hydrangea blooms on new wood so you can cut it back every year if you want and it still blooms (this also reduces the size somewhat). It will even bloom after one of our vicious winters. And yes, I know many new forms of H. macrophylla claim to bloom wondrously every year, but I have yet to see one truly pull that off. I want them to, yet the performance just doesn’t seem to match the promotional literature in my experience. But I will keep trialing them.

If you are going to grow H. arborescens in the sun, which is fine, make sure your soil is good and be prepared to give it some extra water. Also don’t be surprised if it wilts in the heat of the midday sun. It’ll perk right back up in the evening.

The straight species has a lacecap type of flower.

All those tiny flowers are fertile – they can make seed. The bigger flowers are sterile – they are just for show. Cultivars have been selected that have all sterile flowers.

These are much showier. I won’t say prettier because that may or may not be true. Personally, it depends on my mood of the moment.

You can choose a plant based on the leaves, as well as flowers. H. arborescens subspecies radiata has silvery undersides.

Even light breezes can move the leaves and reveal this hidden beauty.

The cultivar “Samantha” is selected from this form and has large heads of sterile flowers. This is not our finest plant.

We have had some Phytophthora problems with our “Samantha” plants, but I don’t know if that is a culture issue because of where we planted them or a sign of a plant susceptible to this disease. Or did the plants have the disease when we received them? No other H. arborescens plants have had a problem here so I’m not worrying about it just yet.

Another cultivar is “Hayes Starburst.” I am loving the bloom on this selection. The flowers are double and the sepals (not really petals) are just a little more pointed.

I have a clump of five young plants in one of the beds on the Sutphin Mall. They look good so far in this challenging spot.

For those who want a pink hydrangea, there are pink forms of H. arborescens available. The first to hit the market is from Proven Winners.^® Invincibelle^® Spirit (“NCHA 1″) was developed in a breeding program that used a wild pink form crossed with the old standard “Annabelle” that has giant, white ball-shaped flowers. The pink color is very strong when the bloom begins.

It does fade, as you can see from this photo, but that is to be expected. I bet a little afternoon shade would help hold the color too.

One dollar from each plant sold goes to breast cancer research.

Watch for more pinks to appear soon.

Here is a shot of my new and improved Annabelle, a cultivar called Incrediball^® (“Abetwo”).

It has stronger stems, plus more and larger flowers than Annabelle. I have seen the blooms side by side and they are larger. My plant needs another year to prove it doesn’t flop. You can find more about it and Invincibelle^® Spirit in this Proven Winners^® press release from 2010.

Another very nice cultivar is White Dome (“Dardom”). The name comes from the dome shaped flowers.

It is considered a more vigorous growing selection. Our plants in the Southwest Border Garden have done very well.

The blooms of H. arborescens make good cut flowers and dried flowers as well. I especially like the large ball-types picked when green and dried. They hold that nice green shade for a long, long time.

So there you have it – a tough, easy to grow, long-blooming, reliable-blooming, good foliaged shrub for shade or sun. So smooth…….. hydrangea.

In the meantime, while I’m out weeding, here are some pretty pictures for you all to look at. To make it more interesting, here are the plant names too. You put the names with the pictures. Have fun.

Magnolia ‘Coral Lake.’ Cercis chinensis ‘Don Egolf.’ Mattheucia struthiopteris. Cercis Canadensis ‘Pauline Lily.’ Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulfureum.’ Tulipa ‘Dorodgne.’ Cercis Canadensis ‘Appalachian Red.’ Brunnera macrophylla. Mertensia virginica. Cercis Canadensis ‘Alba.’ Fothergilla major. Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird.’ Tuilpa ‘Blumex.’ Tulipa ‘Blue Aimable.’ Tulipa ‘Ballerina.’  Viburnum carlesii ‘Cayuga.’ Malus ‘Prairie Fire.’ Cornus florida v rubra.

And I know we may get slapped my Mother Nature a few more times but, by crackers, I’m going to revel in the joy of the moment.

If the weather wasn’t enough to get excited about, there was the arrival of spring annuals. It’s been a few years since we put in a spring show so I am so excited about doing it again. There’s even going to be tulips! Damn! I can feel the sap rising.

Speaking of sap, did you know the National Maple Syrup Festival is in Indiana? Indiana! Not Vermont or one of those other tiny northeast states. It was the first two weekends in March so watch for it next year. It’s in Southern Indiana (almost in my opinion but not quite) in the town of Medora.

Anyway back to plants. Everything I mentioned in my blog two weeks ago is still blooming like crazy and new things are opening every day. I mentioned the Crocus siberi ssp sublimis “Tricolor.” just opening at that time. Now they are in their full glory.

The daffodils that were just showing color are now in full bloom.

In the Garden For Everyone (GFE), the Iris histrioides ‘George’ are putting on their show. At one time I think all the species of this type were clumped together as I. reticulata (reticulated iris). These early spring beauties come in shades of blue and purple mostly, occasionally white.

A close-up of the falls reveals a pattern perfect for a fabulous shirt.

Also in GFE, the large hybrid crocus (Crocus vernus) are in full bloom. This is ‘Pickwick.’

One of my favorite early spring bulbs is Anemonne blanda, Grecian windflower. I have ‘Blue Shades’ in beds around the Sutphin Fountain. These are a true joy.

One of the great joys in working with plants comes when something that is not supposed to be hardy survives our winters. I planted Juncus pallidus ‘Javelin’ in the arc in front of Sutphin Fountain last summer. They looked good at the end of the season so I left them for winter interest. The spiky foliage was nice even when dead and brown. These survived intact and erect through all our snow, sleet, and ice.

But look what I discovered.

Those are healthy green shoots. I am certain they survived our horrible winter even though listed as a zone 7 plant. Joy!

For the first time in a few years we are planting spring annuals. We will use some of the traditional cold tolerant plants like pansies and stock.

But we cannot leave it at that. Experimentation is required for survival! A trio of my trials follows.

I have used ‘Redbor’ kale (Brassica oleracea) before but this is the first time I have planted it in March.

In the past it has gone in the ground in May and lasted until freezing weather in October/November. Once, I took a few home when I finally pulled them at that time, planted them in my yard, most survived the winter. I’m using these with Tulipa ‘Dordogne’ by Sutphin Fountain.

Yes, it’s edible. But look how beautiful the leaves are.

I’m also using the ‘Redbor’ in the Pocket Gardens at the fountain end of Sutphin Mall. This time I’m mixing it with Erysimum (wallflower), another species I’ve used before but these plants represent new breeding work. I noticed a nice fragrance when I was in close getting the pictures. The one I picked is ‘Citrona Orange’. Look at that color. More joy.

Another plant that has undergone a good deal of breeding work since I last tried it is Nemesia. This is not a species that cares for our heat and humidity but tolerance has been improved so I’m hoping an early warm-up will no longer cause it to shut down flowering. This is Nemesia foetans ‘Poetry™ Blue.’

We will start planting these and some others in the coming week so be watching as you walk about. We like to share in the joy.

I’m not so big on the whole New Year’s resolution thingie but I do see the start of a new year as an opportunity to do some things different. “That” didn’t work so well last year so I think I’ll try “this” and see if it is an improvement. And “that” and ‘this” could be a plant, a technique, or an attitude.

If we are talking about changing a plant, I have a few questions to ask. Is the new plant going to be resistant to the disease problems of the old plant? Is it going to be happier in the cultural conditions than the old plant? Most importantly, is it going to be prettier than the old plant?

I may not want to do a complete change-out with something I’ve never grown. Then again, I may. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet and take a chance. But other times I like having an opportunity to see the plant growing in real-life, or even grow it myself. I get the chance to trial a few things every year. Unfortunately, that can mean spending my hard-earned cash. If I am lucky there will be some I do not have to buy. These are usually just one or two of a new selection being introduced. I just love trialing these new plants. I’ll have moments of “there are just too many new plants to absorb into the market” quickly followed by “more, I need more plants”. It’s quite the roller coaster.

I’m looking forward to observing some of my trial plants from 2010 as this new year progresses. One of my most anticipated is Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime™ (‘Jane’), a dwarf version of ‘Limelight’ that is a part of the Proven Winners line-up.

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

It’s hard to imagine I will be as enthralled with it as I am of ‘Limelight’, but you never know. I love ‘Limelight’. I have not seen a Hydrangea paniculata cultivar I don’t prefer yet. And there are a ton of them to look at. Proven Winners had Little Lime™ in full lime glory in their booth at the Garden Writer’s symposium in Dallas. I was shocked at how green the flowers were. Almost glowing lime green. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. My photo doesn’t do them justice.

This cultivar is supposed to stay down around 3 – 5 feet tall. We’ll see. It’s not like I have any problem with my eight foot tall ‘Limelights’, but I am sure some folks would really appreciate a smaller plant. And even I can see where it would be advantageous to have a wider palette to select from. There are times when a H. paniculata would be ideal, until you realize it really does prefer to be over six feet tall. The simple fact is the paniculatas give you some of the best ornamental value possible from a shrub. Add to that, they are tolerant of a variety of soil and light conditions, plus are super cold-hardy.

As with ‘Limelight’ the green color of Little Lime™ is at the bud and post-bloom stages. The flowers are a creamy white in between and eventually take on the usual pinks and burgundies as they age. Little Lime™ will be excellent for fresh cut and dried floral arrangements, as well. Remember, you can trim all the paniculatas for shaping or size control in late winter/early spring and not affect blooming. Shoot, you can even do it in late spring if you don’t get around to it in a timely manner. This is NOT true of the traditional blue and pink hydrangeas. Never do more than a little tipping back on them. Don’t mix them up, people. I mean it!

Another H. paniculata I’m keen to see in bloom is Mystical® Flame (‘Bokratorch’). This one is from Novalis. Mystical® Flame is supposed to bloom earlier than the average paniculata. My hope is that the post bloom color is as magical and flamboyant as the model promoting this plant at the GWA symposium.

The onset of cooler weather brings on burgundy red color to the blooms.

www.novalis.com

Please, please, please be true. This cultivar is also smaller, averaging only 3 ½ to 4 feet tall. It has multiple things going for it then – smaller size, early bloom, and incredible color. All the culture and desirability points mentioned earlier apply here as well.

You may have noticed I tended to not report everything on these plants as fact. That is because I have not grown them for a full season as of yet. You cannot be sure if the hype is correct, no matter how much you may like the plant or the person presenting it, if you have not seen it mature for yourself.

So, welcome 2011. Welcome Little Lime™. Welcome Mystical® Flame. May the four of us and the rest of the world have a stellar year.

Here is the painting in all its glory in the IMA’s Early American galleries. So what went on behind the scenes to get it here? About 85 hours of careful conservation work.

The painting installed in the IMA’s Early American Galleries.

Conservation work always begins with a thorough examination. A conservator has to understand the layers of the materials that comprise the painting, and have an understanding of how those materials age and what sort of damage, if any, they incurred. In short, the examination breaks down the construction and condition for all the layers that make up the painting. Paintings are composite objects and include a variety of materials. For traditional oil paintings, these include a fabric support mounted to an auxiliary wooden stretcher or strainer, a ground or preparatory layer, paint layers, and a varnish layer.

The painting before treatment. The colors look muted and hazy under heavy layers of dirt, soot, and discolored varnish.

Raking light image before treatment. The painting had large planar distortions in the canvas and the there were prominent mechanical cracks in the ground and paint layers.

Once the examination was complete, the first step was to address any structural issues. In the case of Roesen’s Still Life, there was a small tear in the canvas and there were some areas where the paint was actively flaking and several cracks in the paint that were unstable. The importance of addressing structural concerns is quite simple: you want to prevent further damage to the object.

Stabilization, or consolidation, involves the application of an adhesive to the areas of flaking or insecure paint. This is often done by adding the adhesive to the specific area with a small brush. The adhesive chosen depends on a great number of factors including the original materials for the painting, the strength of the adhesive, what solvent is necessary for the adhesive, and whether or not the adhesive needs to be heated during or after application, to name a few.

Once a painting is stable, the treatment stages that have a more aesthetic impact can be carried out. For the Roesen, this stage of treatment began with the removal of dirt and soot from the varnished surface of the painting. This was done with an aqueous solution with a slightly elevated pH that had the addition of chelators (that’s where the coursework in chemistry comes in handy).

After stabilizing any areas of flaking paint, the heavy layers of dirt and soot were removed from the surface of the varnished painting. Look how bright the red flowers appear once the dirt is removed.

Once the dirt and soot were removed, I was able to then remove the discolored natural resin varnish. This was done with a mixture of organic solvents that were selected after careful testing. Here, I’d like to recount that importance of that initial examination. The understanding of what the materials are that comprise the painting is paramount when carrying out a conservation treatment.

The visual effects that the layers of dirt and discolored varnish have on the appearance of the painting are quite dramatic.  Those darkened and hazy layer not only affect the colors, but the tonal balance as well.  The yellowed varnish made the painting appear very flat.  This is especially noticeable in the pink flowers, as you can see in the images below.

After the heavy dirt and soot were cleaned, the yellowed varnish was removed subtle details and nuances of color could once again be appreciated.

The visual effects that the yellowed varnish had on the artist’s palette were quite profound. In this image, you can see some of the pink roses cleaned and compare them to one that still has its varnish (in the lower left). After the varnish is removed, you can see the cool undertones and a translucency to the soft petals.

After the layers of dirt, soot, and discolored varnish were removed, it was time to address those large undulation distortions in the canvas. This was done with controlled, local humidification. But first, the painting needed to temporarily be taken off its stretcher.

Here the painting is temporarily taken off its stretcher so that the large, undulating distortions could be reduced.

One of the common problems that cause bulges and distortions in the canvas is dirt and debris that becomes trapped between the stretcher bars and the canvas.  Roesen’s Still Life was no exception. In fact, you can see what was behind the stretcher in the image below.

Trapped beneath the stretcher and the canvas, along the bottom of the painting, there was an accumulation of dirt, dust, and debris. In this case, there were wings and casings from bugs (dead long ago) and bits of dried evergreen (probably from decorative greenery hung near the painting when it was still in a private collection).

Debris, such as the organic materials found behind the stretcher on the Roesen, is very reactive to moisture.  If exposed to high humidity, these materials will hold moisture for a long time, which can cause further distortions in the canvas and lead to cracking and flaking paint.

The dirt, dust, and debris were vacuumed from the back of the painting.

The dirt and debris were vacuumed from the reverse of the painting. After the vacuuming was complete, the localized humidity was carried out to remove the distortions. The distortions can have an effect on the structural stability of the many layers comprising the painting, but it also has a visual impact. The bulges can cast shadows and distort the spatial depth of the composition. Once the distortions were removed, the painting was re-stretched back onto its original stretcher.

After the application of a new coating of varnish, the compensation began. The painting was in relatively good condition. The areas that needed visual reintegration included the small tear in the lower left and areas where there were prominent cracks in the paint.  There were small losses of paint surrounding the tear. These areas had to be filled to adjust the depth of the missing paint and ground. The fills are textured to match the surface of the surrounding original paint.

In this image, the prominent cracks in the paint appear as light-colored lines in the blue flower bud and just below the bud. The lines appear lighter because you can see the ground or preparatory layer in the crack.

Inpainting is carried out with stable conservation colors and a very small brush. This stage of treatment is approached so that the materials and technique make the inpainting reversible. This is done mainly for ethical reasons, as highlighted in the AIC’s code of ethics and guidelines for practice. When inpainting, color is added only where the original is missing or damaged.

In this image you can see the process of inpainting, where new, stable colors are added only to areas where the original is damaged or missing.

For reference, here’s the painting again before treatment.

Here is the painting after treatment. By comparison to the image taken before treatment, the painting has more vibrant colors, the subtlety and details are legible once again, and the spatial depth is much improved.

The treatment produced wonderful results, both structurally and visually. The cracked and flaking paint was secured and the undulation distortions in the canvas were reduced, making the painting stable structurally. So much original vibrancy and detail were reveal by removing the discoloring layers of dirt and yellowed varnish. Now the painting can be safely displayed and thoroughly enjoyed by our visitors.

Special thanks again to Conner Prairie for their long-term loan of this painting.

Click here to see the first conservation blog post about this treatment.

Sometimes in the hostas.

Sometimes in the ferns.

Sometimes just right out of the ground.

Cover the children’s eyes. Give Grandpa another nitro-glycerin tablet. Warn the religious right. No, wait. Tell them Resurrection lilies are all over the garden. They won’t know the difference. It’s August and time for the Naked Ladies to put on a show!

This plant, Lycoris squamigera, is an old pass along plant that continues to be relevant in the contemporary garden. The amazing show in summer, when the blooms truly appear like magic thus the common name Magic Lily, is preceded by a much quieter presentation of strap shaped leaves in spring. The leaves last several weeks eventually drying up resulting in the plants disappearing until the bloom stalks appear. Lycoris can be planted in sun or shade. Because the leaves come up early they can do enough photosynthesizing to feed the bulbs before the trees leaf out completely. The plants are toxic to most of our usual pest creatures so will put on a show even with chipmunks and deer attacking your garden.

Growing up, I often saw clumps of the blooms along the edges of yards just growing in the grass, never in a flower bed. These people had to be very careful as the stalks come on fast and it would be very easy to cut off the tips (and the blooms) when doing the weekly mowing chore. When we got our first ones – passed along from a brother-in-law’s mother – they went in the lawn too. But right near some flower beds. When I bought my home here in Indianapolis the only flowering thing in the yard (besides two crabapples and two roses in the front yard) was three clumps of Lycoris squamigera in the back yard. I’ve since increased my numbers with bulbs passed along by friends and co-workers.

Fall is the ideal time to plant but if you are visiting great-aunt Sadie in May or August and she offers them to you? Take ‘em. It may take a couple years for them to resettle but they will. The one thing they really don’t like is being too wet. I nearly killed my original clumps by dumping too much rabbit manure on them. In fact, the only herbaceous flowering plants that came with my house have never recovered fully. So, while they are one of the toughest plants I know, there are limits.

We have two prime examples in our gardens for using this bulb. Neither is planting them in the middle of a turf patch. Both do include perennials that pretty much everyone can grow.

When I first started here 18 years ago there was a patch of large blue hostas along the main road. They turned out to be H. sieboldiana ‘Elegans’, a wonderful plant by itself. I had seen daffodils planted with perennials but I was really surprised when Lycoris flowers appeared above the massive leaves. Just this week I had somebody ask me about the “pink flowering hostas”. It’s been a question we have heard for 20 years.

The original planting was by former  IMA gardener and Greeenhouse supervisor Hollis Schuh. We did add some new bulbs a few years ago and the hostas need dividing every so often, but otherwise it is a pretty low maintenance area. It would be very easy to replicate at home on a smaller or larger scale.

Former Director of Horticulture Chuck Gleaves (now at the Kingwood Center) did something similar in a large bed along the path to the Formal Garden. This time the Lycoris was paired with Ostrich fern (Matteucia pennsylvanica).

To extend the show he planted Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) for early spring color. As the bluebells go dormant and the Lycoris leaves begin to brown, the ostrich ferns come on strong and hide all the ugly with their fronds. Then come summer, presto, stalks of pink trumpets appear in the ferns. It’s a great combo.

Lycoris also make great long-lasting cutflowers so don’t hesitate to plant large numbers. I love the blue highlights.

Now you all come on out and visit before the Naked Ladies end their show for another year. You will find them shaking their money makers all over the gardens.

White flowers.

White lightning.

White weddings.

White sport coats (with pink carnations of course).

White lies.

It is also a color, or the absence of color. Let’s not get all philosophical about that. For today it’s a color.

Let’s get back to those white flowers. White, the color of purity. White, the color of angel’s wings. White, the color of Styrofoam. White, the color of boring. I’m just not a big fan of white. Not that there is anything wrong with it. It looks great…….. in your garden. I tend to avoid it like the plague. Really it’s the white flowering herbaceous stuff I can get bored with quickly. Not everything mind you. I have sung the praises of Echinacea ‘Milkshake’ and Hosta plantaginea ‘Grandiflora’ right here in this very blog. But white flowering annuals? Ooooo, I don’t think so Martha. Nasty. And yet, I seem to like many of the white flowering trees and shrubs. I can’t explain why. Or at least I’m not willing to sit and spend much time trying to figure it out. I like them and that will have to suffice.

I have liked Viburnums since I first learned of them in college. This large diverse group of shrubs provides us with some of the great workhorses of horticulture. A particular favorite is Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum. The common name is doublefile viburnum because the flowers and fruit are in perfectly matched double rows along the stems. This plant gets big over time, several feet tall and wide. I think you could trim it to create a very nice small tree. Many cultivars exist but it is still hard to beat the species. The group planted below the Interurban bridge is exceptional.

That siting, so you can look down over the plants was inspired. This viburnum has great structure with its layered horizontal branching. The lacey white flowers will be followed by red berries that turn black and then quickly devoured by birds. In fall the foliage turns deep burgundy before dropping. Here’s a shot in the Southwest Border Garden that gives and idea of how large they can get.

Blooming at the 42^nd Street gate is Syringa reticulata, Japanese tree lilac. The large creamy white clusters are fragrant for sure. Whether it is good or bad fragrance is up to the individual nose. These have been used as a small street tree in recent years which speaks to their toughness. I think this plant draping over the brick wall is just lovely.

A great small shrub is Deutzia gracilis, slender deutzia. Here it is creating a fountain in front of the Northeast Border Garden.

Here’s a close-up of the flowers.

These were planted 13 years ago by Chuck Gleaves (our Director of Horticulture at that time), now at The Kingwood Center. They are still under four feet tall.

One of my very favorite trees is Chionanthus virginicus, whitefringe tree. This southeast US native is very happy here in the Midwest. These in the Southwest Border Garden are probably over 80 years old. They are just a few days shy of full bloom in these shots.

And now a tree that bloomed in our gardens for the very first time this week, Magnolia asheii. This is sometimes grouped with Magnolia macrophylla and is famous for blooming early. Charles Tubesing of the Holden Arboretum introduced this plant to me about 20 years ago. I can still see that slide of a three foot tall plant with a huge white flower right at the very tip. I almost missed ours in the Garden for Everyone. I had to use my iPhone.

I could go on but there is only so much time. Just come to the gardens regularly and look around. You really need to anyway. Once a week at the very least.

It’s Friday. And it’s been a long week. I think I’ll have another sip of that white lightening. It’s medicinal you know.

]]> http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2010/05/21/white/feed/ 5 white flowers Indianapolis Museum of art 2 3 Indianapolis museum of art flowers garden and grounds Indianapolis museum of art flowers garden and grounds 6 Indianapolis museum of art flowers garden and grounds Indianapolis museum of art flowers garden and grounds Indianapolis museum of art flowers garden and grounds http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2010/05/07/flickr-friday/ http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2010/05/07/flickr-friday/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 14:47:52 +0000 Kate http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/?p=12408 Check out our latest Flickr set from this year’s Perennial Premiere:

It’s almost too much yet it can never be too much. There’s stuff everywhere!I’ve been trying to photograph as much as possible and I can’t hardly keep up! Plus we have started planting over at 100 Acres while there’s still all the regular work to do. Let me just tell you it’s keeping me in a tizzy. And next week-end is the Perennial Premiere – Jumbo Size. Let’s face it. It’s the busy season.

But I refuse to ignore all the amazing and pretty plants putting on their big sex show this year. Yes, I said sex show. Those flowers you’re admiring ain’t for you. They are for the pollinators (more on National Pollinator Week later). But what the heck. Let’s be nasty voyeurs this week and take in the show.

If you have questions about any plants in particular, that’s why we have a comment section. I will try to find an answer for you.

I tried to find a video for the Forester Sisters’ “Too Much is Not Enough” but had no luck. So ……..