Sometimes before we can put one group of plants in we have to remove another group. This is of course most common in the annual areas. One of my major annual plantings is the Cutting Garden next to the Greenhouse. Most years I only do a summer planting there but this year we had the Garden Club of America national meeting in Indianapolis. Something had to be done for an earlier show. In these still rough economic times, buying enough pansies or other Spring ornamental to cover the whole area was out of the question. So what to do? Mix it up and make it work. I bought some pansies for a few spots so there would be instant color. For the rest of the area? Lettuce. Direct sown lettuce.

A few years back I did a lettuce planting in what is now Nonie’s Garden at the main IMA entrance. For that I started plants under fluorescent lights and made an intricate design.

This year would need to be simpler, just a simple pattern of green and red lettuce. The weather was not the best so I got the seed planted a bit late, resulting in a less lengthy period of ornamental value from the lettuce plants. Eventually the planting turned out quite nice.

Since the plants were started late, they were actually right at harvest size this week when I needed to remove them for the summer annuals. You don’t waste that much produce in a trip to the compost pile. We contacted Second Helpings, an Indianapolis based non profit community kitchen specializing in food rescue, fighting hunger and culinary training, and they said they would accept the lettuce.

I had a larger than usual group of volunteers that morning so we went to work immediately. I could not harvest until we weeded the beds. I just couldn’t.

Then we had to first harvest the plants from seeds that fell outside the pattern. We had to. I’m telling you we absolutely had to.

And then we had these beautiful beds for a few minutes before harvesting began.

Here’s part of the haul.

By the time we finished both beds we were able to give Second Helpings over 117 pounds of lettuce – all that from 3 ounces of seed. Pretty good seed to product ratio, considering I wasn’t even trying to grow a crop. We will have more produce later when Jonathon’s vegetables in the Tanner Orchard start producing.

I replaced the lettuce with Celosia and SunPatiens^® (similar in appearance to New Guinea impatiens) that were a gift from Sakata Seed. Thank you Sakata^®!

I’ll report on them more later in the summer hopefully. This is my first time growing the SunPatiens^® in quantity. You will be able to see all three forms – Vigorous, Compact, and Spreading in a variety of colors. Impatiens have come a long way since the days of “Shady Lady.”

So don’t let a little heat keep you shut in at home. Hot damn! It’s gonna be a colorful summer.

In addition to devoting many hours to planting the annuals and tropicals, I have been edging the beds.

I know they should be edged every year to keep them nice and sharp, but I just don’t get to it every year – which is a mistake, or rather, two mistakes.

First of all, I lose that nice clean edge. Your garden can be full of weeds, the perennials needing deadheading, the shrubs needing pruning, but……. if you have a nice crisp edge on the bed? Nobody sees the flaws. It’s like the eyes just stop traveling past the edge cut.

The other mistake created by not edging is especially problematic if you have turf bordering your beds. That grass sneaks into the plantings. Before you know it, the damn stuff is twelve or eighteen inches into your perennials or annuals. And it is always harder to get it out of the areas you don’t want it than to get it into the areas you do want it!

Anyway, this year I seem driven to edge (rather than driven to the edge which is a whole ‘nother blog for someplace other than this IMA site). When planting in annual beds it is nice to do the edging before planting, if only because when you are done you are done. I can say this spot is finished and not really think about it anymore. With perennial beds,for whatever reason, I feel I can wait a little longer to get to them. But I have a lot of annual beds, so you may think the reverse in your garden.

Most folks are going to use a foot operated edger to get the job accomplished. You have at least a few options, including whatever you have on hand that can do the trick. Preferences here run toward a couple things:

The half-moon edger is very traditional. You simply step on the edger, pushing it into the ground, then pull the handle back to loosen the soil.

This is followed by cleaning out the cut so you remove the grass, etc that may be there. Clean (as in no grass or weeds) soil can be tossed back into the bed.

Another popular hand tool is the King of Spades. You can actually use any spade but this one is THE King.

Or is this?

Or is this?

Or is this?

It gives a very clean cut but you do have to step higher. You could pretend you are a Rockette.

For my larger areas here I like to use this baby:

A real live gas-powered edger with a cutting knife:

When you get done you feel like you’ve been trying to hold onto one of those machines they mix paint with. But you get a lot done quickly. I mark my edge with those little construction flags to guide me, especially for curves or long straight edges.

I won’t say edging is the answer to all your garden issues, but I’m here to tell you it does wonders for sprucing up the garden so you are not driven to the edge……. the edge of madness.

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.

Shall we recap?

Lots and lots of rain all last Spring. Then come July you cut off the supply. You remember that? I do. The evergreens dying this year as a result do.

And this winter. What was that all about? Snow and cold starting in November, 20 degrees below normal. New Years Eve. 60 freaking degrees! And then back to below normal temps along with snow-ice-sleet, snow-ice-sleet, snow-ice-sleet, snow… I believe you get the picture, Muthah. It became a bit of a chore to even work up a tolerance of the weather.

And now the little stunt you pulled this week. Was that really necessary? Was it? Would you like me to go over that with you? Well, like it or not I am. But before we get to this week we need to take a look at the week before. Let’s get in the Way-Back Machine.

Monday, March 21^st. 78 degrees and balmy. Over 20 degrees above normal.

Tuesday, March 22^nd.  74 degrees.

Wednesday, March 23^rd. 75 degrees.

What a beautiful world in those three days. Yes, too warm, much too warm. But you knew that. And you gave it to us anyway. Let’s take a look at some of the floral delights occurring those three days.

The Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry dogwood) was in full bloom. All these tiny individual flowers come together to make a perfect echo of the warm yellow sunshine.

The other early harbinger of spring likewise was strutting it’s stuff, the forsythia. Most are Forsythia x intermedia. If a reader still has one of the old varieties they might want to consider replacing it with a newer heavier blooming cultivar. The newer ones tolerate your nasty temperament much better giving more color even after cold winters.

Here’s an old cultivar.

Here is a newer dwarf called Gold Tide (“Cortasol”). It gets about three feet tall and four wide.

It has an interesting history according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. It’s the result of irradiation experiments in France. Yes, France. They hit plants of Forsythia x intermedia “Spring Glory” with gamma rays. They then collected seed from those plants. One of the seedlings was selected and became known as Gold Tide in this country. Oh yes, we be messing in your stuff.

And here’s a newer tall cultivar called “Northern Sun.”

See the difference, Muthah?

And the magnolias simply could not stop themselves. They had to open up in glorious mad love with the weather. Our Magnolia x loebneri “Merrill” just threw off its winter bud covers and expressed its delight. Look how happy it was. Look!

Even little Spring ephemerals had begun their short but ecstatic dance. On Oak Island the Erythronium albidum (white trout lily) shows its elegant spotted foliage and graceful swan-like bud.

Then Wednesday night arrived. Surely you remember that? I was sitting at my computer. I heard the oddest racket, like somebody was throwing things at my house hitting the aluminum siding, the windows, the roof. I went out to investigate. This. This is what you were throwing at my home. You!

Fortunately you screwed up your recipe and the hail stones were soft so they collapsed some when they hit taking a good deal of their force out of them. Likewise, fortunately your arm grew tired quickly and you gave up. And yes, I did indeed notice my neighborhood seemed to be the only one hit. I’m watching you, yes I am.

The next day, Thursday, March 24^th, the high was 48. 48! A 30 degree drop from Monday. What kind of game do you think you’re playing, Old Girl? It wasn’t a game that stopped all the plants I’ve mentioned from going right on with their Spring revelry that’s for certain. They know how to handle your mood swings.

And did I let your little show of force and anger stop me? Your temper tantrum? Not only no, hell no! We have Spring annuals for the first time in a few years as I mentioned in my last blog. My volunteers and I got out two afternoons this week and planted Tulipa “Dordogne” and “Redbor” kale in front of the Sutphin Fountain.

You will see a Spring Show of annuals all over the gardens soon. I will not be stopped. Not even after the stunt you pulled this Wednesday.

Wednesday. You recall Wednesday? Shall I illustrate for you, Muthah? Oh please. It’s no bother at all.

I will not be stopped by your antics. I think you should realize that by now. You throw your heat and cold at me, your drought and flood, your sunshine and tornadoes, and I continue to garden. This year will be no exception. I don’t know what your problem is but maybe it’s time for a visit to the Betty Ford.

Think about it.

In the meanwhile, just in case you have more planned for me…..……

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.

Sun Boxes is a solar-powered sound installation.  It’s comprised of twenty speakers operating independently, each powered by the sun via solar panels. Inside each Sun Box is a PC board that has a recorded guitar note loaded and programmed to play continuously in a loop.  These guitar notes collectively make a Bb chord.  The loops are different in length and therefore continually overlap, evolving the piece slowly over time.

The work creates space; it’s an environment for one to enter and exit.   The footprint this environment occupies is similar to that of a city.  A metropolis. It’s a burst of technology in the middle of nature.  However, unlike most cities I have been to, it does not just take over the space. Rather, Sun Boxes interfaces with the environment and collaborates with nature.  Participants are encouraged to walk amongst the speakers and surround themselves with the piece.  Certain speakers will be closer and – as a result – louder, so the piece will sound  different to different people in different positions.  Allowing the audience to move around the piece will create a unique experience for everyone.  Sun Boxes is not just one composition, but many.

There are no batteries involved, so Sun Boxes is reliant on the sun.  When the sun sets the music stops and doesn’t start until the sun rises.  The piece changes as the length of the day changes.  Since the amount of sunlight varies from day to day, so does the composition.  We are all reliant on the sun.  It is refreshing to be reminded of this.  Karlheinze Stockhausen once said, “Using short-wave radios in pieces was like improvising with the world.”  Similarly, Sun Boxes collaborates with the planet and it’s relation to the sun.

The IMA is celebrating the Spring Equinox with a three-day installation of Sun Boxes starting Friday, March 18.

When the weather breaks this time of year and nature frees the plants to begin their cycles again, it is as if I have never experienced all this spring rebirth before. Never saw a crocus bloom before. Never smelled a witch hazel before. Never felt the velvety buds of a magnolia before. It is all completely and totally new.

The warm temperatures this week allowed me to go out and rediscover or re-experience many of the early spring plant awakenings. Or perhaps I should call it late winter. Early March straddles that winter/spring fence with a vengeance. I cannot say we are in the throes of one or the other. As a child I recall there being a DAY. On that day we went from winter to spring. There was no going back and forth between the two. It may be the distorted memory of childhood. But it may not.

So what did I find yesterday afternoon on my spring-plants-bursting-out-all-over walk-about? Crocus are usually one of the first to appear. Like every other year they did not disappoint me. Around Sutphin Fountain I planted a little species crocus, Crocus siberi ssp sublimis “Tricolor.” First I found them just emerged from the soil through the fallen leaves of the Dawn Redwoods. See that slightly thicker white spear in the middle? That is a flower bud.

They’ve been coming back for five years now. When I went to another bed, one that was getting more of that precious sun, I found flowers almost fully open and showing their brilliant colors.

Along Woodstock Drive near the Southwest Border Garden the “tommies” were blooming, Crocus thomasinianus. This species is famous for being squirrel resistant. And self-sowing. These were in full bloom.

I like the silvery reverse to the petals as well.

Look at all those bright orange flower parts – anthers and stamens, stigmas and styles.

Saffron is the stigma and style of a crocus. Not this species, a different one, Crocus sativus.

Another early spring bulb is snowdrops – Galanthus nivalis. I cannot help it, I just love seeing these again each spring.

This is a tough little plant. Here’s one surging its flowers upward from under a rock outside the Formal Garden.

I love this little double one too.

Of course few bulbs scream spring like Eranthis hyemalis, winter aconite. It generally blooms even earlier than the crocus.

Some of the early daffodils are coming along strong too. I found one showing color.

And though I’ve known of Hellebous x hybridus, lenten rose, for 20 years now, I still get excited when they start budding. Look at the striking colors of these from the Woodland Edge Garden. They were already growing under the last of the fallen leaves before the snow melted completely. These stem and leaf colors will quickly turn to deep green.

We remove the old winter damaged leaves but you would not have to, I suppose. But the flowers show off better.

These little seedlings are already up and growing. I love the yellow color but some sun and they will be dark green too.

The witch hazels are still blooming and perfuming the air.

Soon the bright blue Anemone blanda, Grecian windflower will bloom as well.

I never get tired of seeing these flowers of the Japanese butterbur, Petasites japonicus. I just love saying “butterbur”. They are so other worldly. I’m sure if we ever travel like they did on the original Starship Enterprise these are the sorts of plants we will find on those strange new worlds.

My hope is that every spring will be like this. Not the weather. Not the snow has melted. Not the “winter is over spring has started.” Rather, the “this is all new.” To start each spring like it is the first and yet carry all the memories of the ones past.

Then nature says, “Oops. It’s still winter. Sorry about that heat wave. Here’s some 10 degree weather to rebalance everything.”  The plants and I both are screaming, “NOOOOO! Too late. Spring launch sequence has been activated. Cannot abort mission. Repeat. Cannot abort mission. Catastrophic damage at this point. It’s too late. It’s too late!”

But you roll with it. As do the plants.In the meantime, it sure is nice out. This is the kind of weather that makes you want to get outside and get back to real horticulture work. That is to say, physical labor. So this week we pruned on the dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostrobioides) around Sutphin Fountain, the paperbark maples (Acer griseum) on the tunnel, and the red maples (Acer rubrum) on Sutphin Mall.

The dawn redwoods really just needed limbing up to get branches out of visitors’ faces when they stroll around the fountain. Essentially we removed some lower branches. The overall structure or skeleton of these trees is fine.  The paperbark maples didn’t need too much work either. Some branch removal to improve structure was about it.  The red maples on the mall required the most work. This is their third pruning counting the one that was done before they were dug and then brought here. Of course we removed low hanging branches again so they were not in people’s faces. But we also got up in the trees to remove dead wood, crossed branches, and any branches that interfered with healthy growth and good structure. For instance, if two branches coming from the main truck were stacked one above the other, only a few inches apart, we usually removed one. The same could be true of branches side by side. You want the branch structure to be balanced, if possible.  A limb on one side of the tree has a partner on the other side, not always exactly opposite but near if possible. Some trees were developing a second leader also. The leader is the highest growing point on the tree and you want a tree to have one as a rule. A second leader is usually growing at a very tight angle from the trunk along side the main leader. These angles are generally weaker and can cause the tree to split from storm forces or with age. And frankly, the tree just looks better with a single leader. The secondary leaders can be removed at the main trunk or be cut back part way to allow the leader to remain in its position.

Here’s a good portion of the branches we removed.

We then chipped them to use as mulch in the gardens later in the year.

Well now. I had not planned to go like that about pruning. I did take a few shots of some plants freshly released from their ice confinement. Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ is ready to take off again. Always does my heart good to see those little leaves.

The cardoons (Cynara cardunculus) don’t look so happy. But they are marginally hardy anyway.

This little sedum is as gorgeous as the day the first snow flake fell. Its scientific name is bigger than it is – Sedum dasyphyllum variety glanduliferum.

And I love the little hummocks of Carex radiata.

And the witchhazels (Hamamelis) are blooming!

These late winter flowering shrubs are always out first to welcome a break in the weather.  If it gets cold the petals just curl back into a ball and wait for a warmer day. We have them all over the property so any walks during the next month or more should lead you to some. Most are fragrant.

I expect snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) to be blooming very soon as these are our two earliest spring bulbs. And the hellebores will come on fast too since the forecast suggests no bitter cold in the near future. Subject to change, of course.

Otherwise, I might only think about the current weather….

Have I grown tired of temperatures 20 degrees below normal? Oh, hell yes. It seems so ridiculous to have so many nights in the single digits and it is only mid-December. I guess it is weather like this that makes those of us living in more northern climates so appreciative when Spring returns. You are just so relieved to not have that Ole’ Blue Northern pummel you anymore. At the same time, the snow makes a very pretty landscape. Here’s the view from my office window.

I captured a few images yesterday with my phone while we were shoveling out from another snowfall. Later in the day, after we got all the luminaria built, laid out, and lit, I ran out with the camera to capture a few other areas. Unfortunately the batteries died before I got far. If you have not been here for one of our two luminaria events every December, please put it on your calendar for 2011. 800-1000 luminaria bring a whole new look to the gardens, especially on snowy nights.

The gardens are beautiful in winter but we don’t clean all the walks. Please use common sense when traveling snowy or icy paths. And remember, a stop at the Greenhouse will give you a chance to warm up on really cold days.

In the meantime, enjoy (or tolerate) the cold as best you can. It’ll be spring before you know it.