Garden.True.North
  • Blog
  • Classes
  • Picture Gallery
  • Contact
  • Gardener Quiz
    • Seed Question
    • Temperature
    • Soil Test
    • Tools

​Garden Stories

​​Garden.True.North is about gardening in Zone 3,

​sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Memories

8/20/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
When I see a Hollyhock it reminds me of my Grandma Minnie who made a doll fashioned from a bloom.  I became curious if I just remembered this as a fiction or it was a real thing.  So I did an Internet search on "Hollyhock dolls" of course, and there are videos on how to make them, images, and tutorials.  I'm not the only one who has such memories.  

I've been trying to grow hollyhocks in my vegetable garden for several years with a few failed attempts.  But last year I bought a plant, this spring it came back and has put forth at least 6 feet of growth and many flowers.  

Hollyhocks are an old fashioned cottage garden plant that provide visual height to your garden.  They are considered either biannual or a short-lived perennial. They need full sun and rich, moist soil.  I have my growing in a spot that receives about 6 hours of sunlight a day.  My plant has now been blooming for over 6 weeks and shows no signs of quitting.  Leaving the flowers to seed will help ensure plants for future years as hollyhocks are self-seeders.   Another option is to cut it back to the base after blooms have faded to have it come back for 2-3 years.

I'm hoping that mine will come back next year. ​
1 Comment

Spikenard – Love It or Leave It

8/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Aralia cordata 'Sun King', common name is Golden Japanese Spikenard, is bright chartreuse, stands about 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide plant.  It brightens up any area it might be in, one could say it dominates, or putting it nicer it is a focal plant.  
 
I added this to the front of my vegetable garden for all these reasons.  My vegetables are fenced in and are the first things visitors see when entering our property.  This showy plant keeps the area from looking too utilitarian.  It is placed in a challenging area, since it is right next to a black-topped drive in a 3 foot by 10-foot bed.  I needed a plant that would die completely back in the winter so it does not interfere with snow piles from the drive. 
 
It produces clusters of star-shaped flowers in late summer that add to late flower bouquets.  It does well for me in an area that gets about 6 hours of sun and is advertised as doing well in full sun to full shade.  In other words, it is not picky except that it does not do well if allowed to dry out.  I also have had no trouble with deer nibbling on this one.
 
The University of Arkansas Extension named it the plant of the week in September 2015, a link to their write-up is shown below.  The University of Tennessee named it the plant of the month in May 2016.  Since its introduction in 2000, it has received a lot of positive press. 
 
The downside of this plant is that it suckers, although I have not had a problem with that yet after two years.  The chartreuse color may overwhelm a garden of native plants; this would seem out-of-place.  It is non-native, the common name gives you a clue on that, although there are native Spikenards. 
 
This plant has does its job for the place I had to fill.  I enjoy its brightness and low maintenance requirements.  In the right place, I can recommend this as a plant to try. 
  
For more information:
University of Arkansas Extension 
Missouri Botanical Garden
University of Tennessee
 
0 Comments

    Classes


    ​Handouts for programs
    ​are on the
    ​ "Classes" tab. 
    ***************
    ​Check out my Garden Course catalog if you are interested in  a presentation to your group - Click Here

    Link to North Country Master Gardener Volunteers' website

    Archives

    November 2022
    April 2022
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Annuals
    Fall
    Garden Events
    Garden Trends
    Garden Visits
    Low Maintenance
    Miscellaneous
    Monthly Calendar
    Perennial & Biennial
    Spring
    Summer
    Travel
    Trees And Shrubs
    Vegetables
    Winter

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • Classes
  • Picture Gallery
  • Contact
  • Gardener Quiz
    • Seed Question
    • Temperature
    • Soil Test
    • Tools