A Marigold By Any Other Name....

...won't smell as good!  At least not to me.

I'm going to mix it up this time and feature an annual.  It is Tagetes tenuifolia, also known as Signet Marigold.  And it is a favorite of mine.  I don't often see it in stores but you can find seeds easily.

While I am not a fan of the smell of marigolds, this one has a lemony scent I adore.  The foliage is fine and ferny.  Flowers are smaller than typical marigolds but equally vibrant in oranges and yellows.

They also can deter pests from veggie gardens, and they attract bees and butterflies.  I am told they are edible but have yet to try them.  I just love their wonderful scent!

Featured Perennial - Bowman's Root

Our second featured perennial is Gillenia trifoliata a/k/a Bowman's Root.  This native plant has lovely mahogany stems and clean, pretty foliage.  But when it blooms it is even more lovely.  White flowers float above the slender stems like butterflies.  The blooms can last for months starting in spring.  And the show continues into fall when the leaves take on yellow and orange colors.

This is a tough, clump-forming, zone 5 plant that takes shade to part sun and grows to around 3 feet. It prefers acidic soil but will take some lime.  Best to keep it consistently watered but may exhibit some drought tolerance once established.  It makes a beautiful woodland garden plant.

An alternate botanic name is Porteranthus trifoliatus. The common name supposedly comes from settlors' description of Native Americans who use this plant as a medicinal.  It is also known as Indian Physic.

Hot In The City

Now that we finally have some heat in Chicagoland, don't forget to water. Containers especially need it often since they dry out fast. Water and let it drain through the pot.  Then water another time or two.

Also, keep newly planted trees and shrubs well watered until established. A good schedule is every day for the first week, every other day for the second week, etc., for at least three weeks.  Let the hose run at a trickle for 30 to 40 minutes.

A long soak every few days is better for all in ground plants and lawns than every day for a few minutes. It encourages the roots to go down for water and nutrients and not stay at the surface.  And water plants at the base - not on the leaves.  Some plants can get powdery mildew and other problems from wet foliage. 

Featured Perennials

Here is the first in a new feature on unusual perennials:
Geranium phaeum also known as Mourning Widow or Dusky Geranium.

This is a true hardy geranium that is shade tolerant.  Lovely maroon flowers are held above lobed foliage.  The cultivar 'Samobor' also has maroon splotched leaves.  Flowers appear in late spring to early summer.  It exhibits drought tolerance once established.  An easy and beautiful plant that is one of my absolute favorites!

Gardening Quotes

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' "  -- Robin Williams

Tulipmania and Tech Stocks

The tulips have replaced the daffodils and allium are on their way.  But as we say goodbye to a favorite spring bulb, we know our loss is only aesthetic and seasonal.  In seventeenth century Holland it was also financial.

Tulips found their way to Europe via Turkey around the middle of the 1500s.  They may have been cultivated in Turkey as early as 1000 AD.  Special colors were coveted and flowers with brilliant streaks especially so.  (Now it is believed these were the result of a mosaic virus).  In Holland a horticulturist named Carolus Clusius and others began hybridizing the most unusual varieties, and the Dutch love affair began.  Only the wealthiest could afford these beautifully marked varieties.  Later solid colors were sold to the masses and everyone was able to enjoy their beauty.  But at a price.

The mania and prices for specialty bulbs hit a high in 1636-37. The Dutch controlled the trade and bulbs were sold as an investment. It was a speculative market based on future cultivation of a coveted bulb.  Promissory notes were sold and resold at ever higher prices until the flower was finally available.  The investor who held the paper and received the actual plant was the loser.  Like the tech stock bubble it was all based on something virtual – nothing concrete.  The Dutch called it the “wind trade” – transactions based on air.  And like in recent times, at some point the bubble burst.

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
Therese of Lisieux