Digital Flower Pictures.com Almost daily informative blog about plants, gardening and photography. Written by a professional Estate Gardener from Connecticut. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 158 10076 53 8622

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Nemesia 2007-09-01 05:36:00 NemesiaNemesia 'Sunsatia Mango'(ne-MEE-see-uh)Scrophulariaceae (skrof-yoo-larr-ee-AY-see)Synonyms: InupyelEvery year I plant about 15 large containers that act as a barrier for a steep drop-off. I usually go down to a couple of nurseries (both retail and wholesale) and get a collection of different annuals. I always get some stalwarts like Petunias, Marigolds and that type of thing and then I try a few new things. This year among the new plants I bought, with the hope they would do well were this new Nemesia and even though I didn’t know it from the scientific name of Erysimum, some Wallflower. Both turned out very well with the added bonus of being fragrant.The color on the Nemesia is fantastic and it hasn’t stopped blooming all summer. ‘Mango’ was introduced in 2006 although the ‘Sunsatia’ series has been around for awhile.Siberian WallflowerErysimum x marshallii(er-RIS-ih-mum) (mar-SHALL-ee-eye)Brassicaceae (brass-ih-KAY-see-ay)When I planted this it only came with a t ...

Nemesia 2007-09-01 05:36:00 NemesiaNemesia 'Sunsatia Mango'(ne-MEE-see-uh)Scrophulariaceae (skrof-yoo-larr-ee-AY-see)Synonyms: InupyelEvery year I plant about 15 large containers that act as a barrier for a steep drop-off. I usually go down to a couple of nurseries (both retail and wholesale) and get a collection of different annuals. I always get some stalwarts like Petunias, Marigolds and that type of thing and then I try a few new things. This year among the new plants I bought, with the hope they would do well were this new Nemesia and even though I didn’t know it from the scientific name of Erysimum, some Wallflower. Both turned out very well with the added bonus of being fragrant.The color on the Nemesia is fantastic and it hasn’t stopped blooming all summer. ‘Mango’ was introduced in 2006 although the ‘Sunsatia’ series has been around for awhile.Siberian WallflowerErysimum x marshallii(er-RIS-ih-mum) (mar-SHALL-ee-eye)Brassicaceae (brass-ih-KAY-see-ay)When I planted this it only came with a t ...

Outtakes from ABC Wednesday 2007-08-31 04:52:00 Outtakes from ABC WednesdayEvery week when I participate in ABC Wednesday I have a lot of pictures left over from that particular letter. This week I went with Foliage as the ‘F’ word (that sounds funny) and had ‘F’ruit as a back up. So I thought I would go ahead and post the fruit pictures. The definition of fruit in Botany is: the seed-bearing structure of a plant, e.g., an acorn. It was easy to find all sorts of examples of this out in the garden this time of year. I actually had many more examples of this type of thing but decided to post these. The first picture is from the Estate and is the seed capsule of Large Leafed Cucumber Tree (Magnolia macrophylla). I read somewhere that this tree holds the record for having the largest simple leaf in North America. It really adds a tropical feeling to gardens in this area as it almost looks like a Banana Tree.This second photo is from a Fragrant Snowbell Tree (Styrax obassia). I don’t know why more people don’t grow Styrax be ...

Outtakes from ABC Wednesday 2007-08-31 04:52:00 Outtakes from ABC WednesdayEvery week when I participate in ABC Wednesday I have a lot of pictures left over from that particular letter. This week I went with Foliage as the ‘F’ word (that sounds funny) and had ‘F’ruit as a back up. So I thought I would go ahead and post the fruit pictures. The definition of fruit in Botany is: the seed-bearing structure of a plant, e.g., an acorn. It was easy to find all sorts of examples of this out in the garden this time of year. I actually had many more examples of this type of thing but decided to post these. The first picture is from the Estate and is the seed capsule of Large Leafed Cucumber Tree (Magnolia macrophylla). I read somewhere that this tree holds the record for having the largest simple leaf in North America. It really adds a tropical feeling to gardens in this area as it almost looks like a Banana Tree.This second photo is from a Fragrant Snowbell Tree (Styrax obassia). I don’t know why more people don’t grow Styrax be ...

Locust Borer 2007-08-30 05:00:00 Locust BorerMegacyllene robiniaeWe haven’t had a bug post here for awhile so here we go.I hadn’t seen one of these bugs before and now I have seen three in two weeks. I probably just haven’t noticed it in the past. A little detective work was all it took to figure out what it was. My heart sank when I found out that that it attacks Locust trees but was lifted when I found out that it doesn’t affect Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). I have a couple of nice specimens of Honey Locust on the Estate (including one of the unusual ‘Halka’ type) and they have really turned into nice trees. This insect primarily attacks Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and its relatives. Those are mostly ‘junk’ trees in my mind, so they can eat all they want. Maybe the increased number of Robinia trees I saw this year is coinciding with having more borers around. It is a colorful fella that didn’t seem to mind being photographed. The emergence of the adults coincides with the Goldenrod ...

Foliage on ABC Wednesday 2007-08-29 04:34:00 Foliage on ABC WednesdayIf you are for Wordless Wednesday scroll down to the next post. Please consider joining our ABC Wednesday group.I caught this picture as I was enjoying a brownie and a Grown Up Soda at Wave Hill Gardens in the Bronx. If you have never been to Wave Hill it is in my mind one of the best Public Gardens in the US. It is a small, uncrowded, intimate garden in the Riverdale section. I love the plant collection and the gardeners always come up with something to impress me. The Wild Garden is a cacophony of various bulbs, alpines, perennials and annuals all together in a kind of mashed way. It all works brilliantly somehow and I am always in awe of it.Foliage is one of the more important aspects of a garden. I love how these were working to together. Most plants only flower for a couple of weeks at the most and for the rest of the time you are looking at the foliage. That why I always try and add some color to my gardens by using colorful foliage. Some of my favorites ...

Wordless Wednesday (Silphium) 2007-08-28 23:01:00 ...

Senecio (Senecio haworthii) 2007-08-28 05:11:00 SenecioSenecio haworthii(sen-NEESH-shee-oh) (hay-WOR-thee-eye)Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ay)Synonyms: Woolly Senecio, TontelbossieI love the color of the foliage of this South African native. It was growing in a pot at Wave Hill, since it is hardy to USDA Zone 10. I am not sure how this plant fits into the Aster family but it must be from the flowers. I couldn’t find any pictures on the Internet of the flowers so I am not sure. I like gray/white plants, as they always seem to shine in the garden. I saw some Dusty Miller, Coleus and Purple Petunias mixed together the other day and thought it was quite striking.Here is a member of the genus that you maybe more familiar with, String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). ...

Plumbago 2007-08-27 05:16:00 PlumbagoPlumbago auriculata(plum-BAY-go) (aw-rik-yoo-LAY-tuh)Synonym: Cape LeadwortI am not going to say much about the cultivation of this plant because I have limited experience with it. I do however enjoy the masses of blue flowers. Several years ago I had a couple outside growing in pots and some of them I trained as a vine and some as a bushy shrub. I don’t remember what happened to them. I should try them again sometime. One thing I like about Plumbago is the fact it comes in so many shades of blue. I am not sure if they are cultivars or what. It reminds of the old Buffalo Springfield (anybody remember them?) song BlueBird:“There she sits, a lofty perch.Strangest color blue.Flying is forgotten now.Thinks only of you.Just you.So, get all those blues,Must be a thousand hues.”By Stephen StillsI have a busy week ahead. People are starting to come home and I want everyone’s place to be ready. It is a lot of minor stuff but it takes times so there will be a lot of running aroun ...

Hybrid Tea Rose 'Peace' and Middle Name Meme 2007-08-26 08:20:00 Hybrid Tea Rose 'Peace'Synonyms: Béke, Fredsrosen, Gioia, Gloria Dei, Madame Antoine Meilland, 3-35-40Introduced in the U.S.: 1945 by Conard-Pyle (Star Roses)Size and Petal Count: 6 inch flowers with 43 petalsFragrant? : Yes, strongI took this picture to please myself. I wanted to take a group portrait of ‘Peace’ for awhile and the opportunity presented itself at the NYBG. I used my Sigma 17-70mm lens and after I had gone through the garden with my macro lens I decided to slap the wide angle on and try a few shots. I am glad I did. With photography I am always trying to challenge myself into doing something a little different (like a group rose shot). However I often find myself retreating into what has worked for me in the past (close ups).The Peace rose has aninteresting historyand to me it was one of the most important rose of the 20th century.I got tagged to do a meme about “for each letter of your middle name, list a fact or statement relevant to yourself or your life. So ... Hybrid

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Marilyn Monroe’ 2007-08-25 06:05:00 Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Marilyn Monroe’Synonyms: WEKsunspatI must say this rose is a beautiful apricot blend with just a hint of green. It was blooming profusely at the NYBG. It had what I consider a light fruity type of fragrance, its real beauty was in the delicate shading of the inner petals.Parentage: Sunset Celebration × St. Patrick Petal Count: 30 to 35Breeder: Tom Carruth. Here is an interesting article on Mr. Carruth’s career as a rose breeder:SFGate.com/King of the RosesFrom the article by Rayford Reddell, a list of Mr. Carruth’s AARS Award winning roses:/start quote/ 'Scentimental' No two blooms are exactly alike, with petals randomly splashed with burgundy, red, cream, and white. Blossoms are fragrant as all get-out.'Betty Boop' Single-petaled and bicolored Floribunda with shades of red and white.'Fourth of July' Red and white climbing rose.'Hot Cocoa' Blossoms are notably fragrant, foliage is glossy green and plants are resistant to common rose ailments.'Memorial ... Hybrid

Chinese Scholar Tree (Styphnolobium japonicum) 2007-08-24 04:57:00 Chinese Scholar TreeStyphnolobium japonicumSynonyms: ?, Japanese Pagoda tree, Sophora japonica This tree seems to have changed its scientific name recently from Sophora japonica to Styphnolobium japonicum. I didn’t know that until I looked it up. I photographed this tree at the NYBG last weekend. Normally the branches start too high to get an easy photograph of the flowers but this tree had some flowers at eye level. I had never seen the flowers close up and could see that it is in the Pea family, Fabaceae. It is one of the latest flowering trees in this area. There is a 40-foot tall specimen at the farm I am working on and yesterday as I was walking underneath it I heard a mighty humming noise. When I stopped I realized it had about a million bees working the flowers. It is quite a nice tree for the garden as it has a nice shape and the pinnate leaves cast a dappled shade. It is fast growing also. I planted one about 18 years ago and it has grown to about 40 feet already. It appea ...

Modern Shrub Rose 'Golden Wings' 2007-08-23 05:26:00 Modern Shrub Rose 'Golden Wings'Back to the roses again. This was a really pretty Shrub Rose. Even though it only has 5 petals, which I think makes it a single rose. A single rose, by definition has a petal count of 5 to 12 and the flowers often close during the night time hours. This rose was bred in 1956 by Roy E. Shepard. He was an outstanding rose historian and authored the book, The History of the Rose. Golden Wings has a nice strong fragrance and since I photographed it last weekend a propensity to re-bloom. Like many Shrub Roses it can tolerate a little shade. Parentage:Seed: Soeur ThérèsePollen: R. spinosissima altaica x Ormiston Roy ...

ABC Wednesday 2007-08-22 04:54:00 It’s is Wednesday again already. If you are visiting for Wordless Wednesday skip all these words and scroll down to the next post.Prairie Baby's BreathEuphorbia corollata(yoo-FOR-bee-uh) (kor-uh-LAY-tuh)I don’t think I have ever updated my blog twice in one day but I guess there is a first time for everything. I went to the New York Botanical Garden on Sunday to try some rose photography and while making my way out to the rose garden I had my eye out for a plant whose name began with ‘E’. I actually found several with these two coming out the best. The first one is Euphorbia corollata, which is known colloquially as Redneck Baby’s Breath. I hadn’t seen this Midwest native before but it certainly caught my attention as there was literally a million flowers on the plant. From a far I did think it was Baby’s Breath but as I got closer I could see that it wasn’t. It reminded me of a giant cloud of white flowers.Rattlesnake MasterEryngium yuccifolium(er-RIN-jee-um yuk-ki-FO ...

Wordless Wednesday 2007-08-22 04:51:00 ...