The Start of 2020
2020 Gardening at Holly Grove
Since I have started my garden journey each year with the coloring of the Ginko I will add some new history from ‘The Ginko Pages’. I didn’t know some of this. The Ginko was in North America and Europe but disappeared 7 million and 2.5 million years ago respecytively.
It survived in China and was mainly found in monasteries and palace and temple gardens. It went to Japan in 1192 and Korea.
In 1691 German Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716), a physician and botanist, discovered the Ginko in Japan where he had been sent (1690-92) by the Dutch East India Co. He brought seeds to Holland to the Botanic Garden in Utrecht where a tree still exits dating 1730/1767. It is 16.27’ in circumference. It is interesting that the Ginko at Holly Grove also has a 16’ plus circumference!
In 1754 the Ginko was cultivated in the nursery of James Fordon of London and in Kew, 1762. In 1784 it was in the garden of William Hamilton near Philadelphia.
Thursday 24 November 2019
Well, an early freeze about 25º last week did the Ginko in. No yellow; brown leaves from the freeze and most of those have fallen. I wait all year for this highlight of the park at Holly Grove. Alas, start waiting for next year. Also the deer ate half of my newly planted Ginko of a couple years ago. We’ll see what happens to that. Dr. Stuckey planted a Ginko before we arrived which died a couple years after we came here??
We normally have a frost by the 15th of November and the Ginko will still turn about Thanksgiving but with a hard freeze such as we had it will not hold its leaves. It did this a couple years ago.
We were gone to Burma but I had done what I could to prepare for the known coming bad weather. I had already taken in the pots (early this year) and I also took in the hanging ferns. They tolerate about 30 or so but not below so I take them in and out. I also put pinestraw up the trunks of the citrus and moved them to the south wall of the annex as well as the potted oleanders. They did pretty well; some burn on leaves, worst on the Kaffir lime. Maybe it needs to go inside for such weather. I do not want to haul all the citrus in and out.
So the pastures are brown and the cows eating hay.
The farfugium are burned back before blooming. The camellia blooms all gone except one sasanqua under an oak on the south drive. Trees that had leaves left are brown.
The ornamental sweet potato vines have rooted so I potted up. I have also watered all my indoor potted plants as we are leaving for NOLA tomorrow and for ILM for about 10 days on Monday.
Thursday 5 December
Have returned from North Carolina after about 10 days. I brought the stella d’or daylilies in a pot that had not done well in Wilmington. I plan to try it in the hot bed. I also brought some ipheion which had naturalized at the Habib Temple across the street from our Wilmington house. They have been there as long as I can remember. Ogden[1] calls these spring starflowers, Ipheion uniflorum. They hail from Argentina and Uruguay. He says they multiply rapidly by offsets, seed, and droopers. I brought some earlier last spring and forgot where I put them except a clump under the live oak at the edge of the patio which are now leafed out. I put some of the new clumps there also plus near the sago and at the SW corner of the house; all places I walk near daily to see these little blooms in spring.
The Brent and Becky’s bulb order that I had forgotten I sent arrived while I was gone. I did find in the catalogue my plans for where to plant these items.
Narcissus aureus, the golden sun as Ogden calls it, selection ‘Soleil d’Or’, an old garden narcissus appearing in early January. I put it in the hot bed which needed some very early color. I am cutting back all the dead, mostly canna and solidago in the bed. Looks better with just that. Add some pine straw. Try to map out what I have. Most of the perennials I put out last spring did not make it except the achillia, terra cotta. Even the daylilies I added didn’t do much.
The other two narcissus for the hot bed are modern jonquil hybrids: Martinette (early spring, Division 8, Tazetta) and Kedron (mid spring, division 7, Jonquilla). I have had Falconet in the bed for several years which blooms well. Falconet is another tarzetta-jonquil cross similar to Martinette per Ogden.
The Narcissus x odorus Linnaeus (Campernelli) (#25) is to go into the front lawn so I can watch it from the gallery. Ogden notes this is an antique originating from southern France, Spain, and Italy. “Campernelles provide more springtime gold in the South than any other flower and have done so since the earliest days of European settlement.” They were recorded by Clusius in 1595 and Parkinson discussed them in his Paradisus. It has wonderful hybrid vigor common to sterile crosses. They begin to show around the first of March.
I am adding to my Spanish Bluebells or wood hyacinths. Long known as Scilla campanulata they now are known as Hyacinthoides hispanica. Ogden says, “This old Southern favorite is one of the finest spring bulbs for naturalizing in woodland, and will even succeed in the dark shade under live oaks….They have been popular since Elizabethan times and came to the South with the earliest settlers.” The related English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) needs cooler, damper conditions. My older planting (about 2 years) is not yet very noticeable. It is in deep shade under live oaks along the allée just after crossing the cross road.
Most of the sasanqua blooms are dead due to the bad freeze except Yuletide. Gov. Mouton has a bloom. And some other Japonicas. The ligularia at the front walk is trying to bloom. Narcissus are coming up all over.
Deer have about done in one of the Peckerwood Garden trees. Keep knocking over the caging.
Wednesday 18 December
We have returned from ILM with some more asphidistra and some lirope. Hard frost this am with ice on the collards and the lily pot on the patio. Temperature was 32 on the rear gallery but the ice suggests worse.
The farfugium in front has bloomed.
I did pick some salad greens and pot greens.
We did our highway garbage run. Picked up some limbs. Lots of rain and wind in our absence.
Watered the pots in the annex. I think one orchid is putting out a flowering stalk.
Seed catalogues are coming with the Xmas cards.
Thursday 19 December
Made wreaths for the gate, the front and the rear doors. This year used podocarpus. Those at the HVAC needed trimming back.
Wednesday 25 December
Its warmer but not much sun so looks gloomy today. I put out the asphidistra I brought back from Wilmington around the trees north of the annex and replanted the older ones put out last month that I think Tattie dug up. I am also putting out a lot of lirope that I also brought from ILM.
I am starting to weed in the potager. I hope to get it in some shape this winter. We are finally here for several days—a couple weeks.
I cut several camellias for the table and living room for our anniversary and Christmas. There are several blooming. One blooming well is a formal double pink edged white, small bloom. Another or two I planted when we came here (now nearly 15 years) are a nice size and blooming pretty well.
Watered pots and continue to water the orchids with warm water and fertilizer as I did last year. There is definitely a bloom stalk on one.
Friday 27 December
Planted a Lady Vansittart (1887 from Japan, named by Guernsey’s Caledonia Nurseries) in the north lawn. Planted it high, mulched heavily with pine straw. Used the fertilizer I got from the gardener, Bart Brechter, in Houston, MicroLife, acidifier, 6-2-4 from San Jacinto Environmental Supplies, Houston. I think this plant came from Larry Bates this year.
I have bought some metal labels like Bates to use on other ones that aren’t labeled well.
I am weeding and mulching in the potager and cutting back from the south farm drive. Connie has been picking up sticks.
It has been warm but rain is coming and cooler weather.
Saturday, 28 December
Another cloudy, sometimes rainy, warm day.
Planted another camellia, Sea Foam (1959). It came from Green Nurseries of Fairhope, AL (“Quality Plants Since 1932”). I purchased it from Clegg’s for $30 this fall. Nice large plant. “Many, many petaled double white flowers on a tree-like grower. Excellent cut flowers. Likely the very finest white C. japonica in existence,” reads the tag. How could I not buy it? Again planted it slightly proud with lots of pine straw and chicken wire to the top of the bush held with bamboo. Near the drive north of the annex. I used one of my new metal tags. No fertilizer since a lot left from the pot. This is one of the camellias I really liked last year in Houston.
Monday 30 December
We have begun 10 days of lows of 30-40 and highs of 50-60. No frost predicted. Sunny today but heavy rain Thursday.
Planted another camellia north of the annex. A nice blooming plant from Bates labeled Grace Albritton (a formal double light pink). That it is not, according to my resources. It has a nice formal double dark pink bloom. The plant is in full bloom right now and looks good. I did fertilize, mulch with pine straw and cover with chicken wire, held with bamboo.
Tuesday 31 December
Another sunny day but still chilly. I am weeding, mulching potager and cutting on the south farm road as I was yesterday.
Planted another camellia, north side beyond the oak with the swing: Prince Eugene Napoleon (1859). Introduced by Belgian horticulturist de Costa and named to celebrate the birth of the future Prince Imperial. I had bought this last spring online from Savannah.
[1] Garden Bulbs for the South by Scott
Ogden, 2007. I quote him often. This is a great book on bulbs for the South.
2020 Gardening at Holly Grove
Since I have started my garden journey each year with the coloring of the Ginko I will add some new history from ‘The Ginko Pages’. I didn’t know some of this. The Ginko was in North America and Europe but disappeared 7 million and 2.5 million years ago respecytively.
It survived in China and was mainly found in monasteries and palace and temple gardens. It went to Japan in 1192 and Korea.
In 1691 German Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716), a physician and botanist, discovered the Ginko in Japan where he had been sent (1690-92) by the Dutch East India Co. He brought seeds to Holland to the Botanic Garden in Utrecht where a tree still exits dating 1730/1767. It is 16.27’ in circumference. It is interesting that the Ginko at Holly Grove also has a 16’ plus circumference!
In 1754 the Ginko was cultivated in the nursery of James Fordon of London and in Kew, 1762. In 1784 it was in the garden of William Hamilton near Philadelphia.
Thursday 24 November 2019
Well, an early freeze about 25º last week did the Ginko in. No yellow; brown leaves from the freeze and most of those have fallen. I wait all year for this highlight of the park at Holly Grove. Alas, start waiting for next year. Also the deer ate half of my newly planted Ginko of a couple years ago. We’ll see what happens to that. Dr. Stuckey planted a Ginko before we arrived which died a couple years after we came here??
We normally have a frost by the 15th of November and the Ginko will still turn about Thanksgiving but with a hard freeze such as we had it will not hold its leaves. It did this a couple years ago.
We were gone to Burma but I had done what I could to prepare for the known coming bad weather. I had already taken in the pots (early this year) and I also took in the hanging ferns. They tolerate about 30 or so but not below so I take them in and out. I also put pinestraw up the trunks of the citrus and moved them to the south wall of the annex as well as the potted oleanders. They did pretty well; some burn on leaves, worst on the Kaffir lime. Maybe it needs to go inside for such weather. I do not want to haul all the citrus in and out.
So the pastures are brown and the cows eating hay.
The farfugium are burned back before blooming. The camellia blooms all gone except one sasanqua under an oak on the south drive. Trees that had leaves left are brown.
The ornamental sweet potato vines have rooted so I potted up. I have also watered all my indoor potted plants as we are leaving for NOLA tomorrow and for ILM for about 10 days on Monday.
Thursday 5 December
Have returned from North Carolina after about 10 days. I brought the stella d’or daylilies in a pot that had not done well in Wilmington. I plan to try it in the hot bed. I also brought some ipheion which had naturalized at the Habib Temple across the street from our Wilmington house. They have been there as long as I can remember. Ogden[1] calls these spring starflowers, Ipheion uniflorum. They hail from Argentina and Uruguay. He says they multiply rapidly by offsets, seed, and droopers. I brought some earlier last spring and forgot where I put them except a clump under the live oak at the edge of the patio which are now leafed out. I put some of the new clumps there also plus near the sago and at the SW corner of the house; all places I walk near daily to see these little blooms in spring.
The Brent and Becky’s bulb order that I had forgotten I sent arrived while I was gone. I did find in the catalogue my plans for where to plant these items.
Narcissus aureus, the golden sun as Ogden calls it, selection ‘Soleil d’Or’, an old garden narcissus appearing in early January. I put it in the hot bed which needed some very early color. I am cutting back all the dead, mostly canna and solidago in the bed. Looks better with just that. Add some pine straw. Try to map out what I have. Most of the perennials I put out last spring did not make it except the achillia, terra cotta. Even the daylilies I added didn’t do much.
The other two narcissus for the hot bed are modern jonquil hybrids: Martinette (early spring, Division 8, Tazetta) and Kedron (mid spring, division 7, Jonquilla). I have had Falconet in the bed for several years which blooms well. Falconet is another tarzetta-jonquil cross similar to Martinette per Ogden.
The Narcissus x odorus Linnaeus (Campernelli) (#25) is to go into the front lawn so I can watch it from the gallery. Ogden notes this is an antique originating from southern France, Spain, and Italy. “Campernelles provide more springtime gold in the South than any other flower and have done so since the earliest days of European settlement.” They were recorded by Clusius in 1595 and Parkinson discussed them in his Paradisus. It has wonderful hybrid vigor common to sterile crosses. They begin to show around the first of March.
I am adding to my Spanish Bluebells or wood hyacinths. Long known as Scilla campanulata they now are known as Hyacinthoides hispanica. Ogden says, “This old Southern favorite is one of the finest spring bulbs for naturalizing in woodland, and will even succeed in the dark shade under live oaks….They have been popular since Elizabethan times and came to the South with the earliest settlers.” The related English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) needs cooler, damper conditions. My older planting (about 2 years) is not yet very noticeable. It is in deep shade under live oaks along the allée just after crossing the cross road.
Most of the sasanqua blooms are dead due to the bad freeze except Yuletide. Gov. Mouton has a bloom. And some other Japonicas. The ligularia at the front walk is trying to bloom. Narcissus are coming up all over.
Deer have about done in one of the Peckerwood Garden trees. Keep knocking over the caging.
Wednesday 18 December
We have returned from ILM with some more asphidistra and some lirope. Hard frost this am with ice on the collards and the lily pot on the patio. Temperature was 32 on the rear gallery but the ice suggests worse.
The farfugium in front has bloomed.
I did pick some salad greens and pot greens.
We did our highway garbage run. Picked up some limbs. Lots of rain and wind in our absence.
Watered the pots in the annex. I think one orchid is putting out a flowering stalk.
Seed catalogues are coming with the Xmas cards.
Thursday 19 December
Made wreaths for the gate, the front and the rear doors. This year used podocarpus. Those at the HVAC needed trimming back.
Wednesday 25 December
Its warmer but not much sun so looks gloomy today. I put out the asphidistra I brought back from Wilmington around the trees north of the annex and replanted the older ones put out last month that I think Tattie dug up. I am also putting out a lot of lirope that I also brought from ILM.
I am starting to weed in the potager. I hope to get it in some shape this winter. We are finally here for several days—a couple weeks.
I cut several camellias for the table and living room for our anniversary and Christmas. There are several blooming. One blooming well is a formal double pink edged white, small bloom. Another or two I planted when we came here (now nearly 15 years) are a nice size and blooming pretty well.
Watered pots and continue to water the orchids with warm water and fertilizer as I did last year. There is definitely a bloom stalk on one.
Friday 27 December
Planted a Lady Vansittart (1887 from Japan, named by Guernsey’s Caledonia Nurseries) in the north lawn. Planted it high, mulched heavily with pine straw. Used the fertilizer I got from the gardener, Bart Brechter, in Houston, MicroLife, acidifier, 6-2-4 from San Jacinto Environmental Supplies, Houston. I think this plant came from Larry Bates this year.
I have bought some metal labels like Bates to use on other ones that aren’t labeled well.
I am weeding and mulching in the potager and cutting back from the south farm drive. Connie has been picking up sticks.
It has been warm but rain is coming and cooler weather.
Saturday, 28 December
Another cloudy, sometimes rainy, warm day.
Planted another camellia, Sea Foam (1959). It came from Green Nurseries of Fairhope, AL (“Quality Plants Since 1932”). I purchased it from Clegg’s for $30 this fall. Nice large plant. “Many, many petaled double white flowers on a tree-like grower. Excellent cut flowers. Likely the very finest white C. japonica in existence,” reads the tag. How could I not buy it? Again planted it slightly proud with lots of pine straw and chicken wire to the top of the bush held with bamboo. Near the drive north of the annex. I used one of my new metal tags. No fertilizer since a lot left from the pot. This is one of the camellias I really liked last year in Houston.
Monday 30 December
We have begun 10 days of lows of 30-40 and highs of 50-60. No frost predicted. Sunny today but heavy rain Thursday.
Planted another camellia north of the annex. A nice blooming plant from Bates labeled Grace Albritton (a formal double light pink). That it is not, according to my resources. It has a nice formal double dark pink bloom. The plant is in full bloom right now and looks good. I did fertilize, mulch with pine straw and cover with chicken wire, held with bamboo.
Tuesday 31 December
Another sunny day but still chilly. I am weeding, mulching potager and cutting on the south farm road as I was yesterday.
Planted another camellia, north side beyond the oak with the swing: Prince Eugene Napoleon (1859). Introduced by Belgian horticulturist de Costa and named to celebrate the birth of the future Prince Imperial. I had bought this last spring online from Savannah.
[1] Garden Bulbs for the South by Scott
Ogden, 2007. I quote him often. This is a great book on bulbs for the South.
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