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: 550 10076 141 7494

Articles from Digital Flower Pictures.com

Peony 1969-12-31 17:59:59 PeonyJust a classic flower today. My Peonies were beautiful this year, and I hope yours were too.?The peony is beautiful, yet it is supported by a stalk.Chinese Proverb ...

Modern Shrub Rose 'Lillian Austin' 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Modern Shrub Rose 'Lillian Austin' I went and got my roses yesterday at Pound Ridge Nurseries in Westchester County. It is a real high priced nursery but they have the goods. They really sell some gorgeous stock. As a contractor they give me a slight discount. It didn?t really matter what they were charging at this point. I needed some roses and they had them, nice selections too. I kind of fell into the old trap of buying what had the most flowers and buds for Sunday. I got the following varieties:Strike it Rich (a 2007 AARS winner. Grandiflora. Yellow)Moondance (which I featured here)Pink Travatia (Pink. Romantica® Hybrid Tea. Over 100 petal count. Enormous flowers that look like an old fashioned rose. I got this one because the sign said it was one of the ?strongest disease resistant roses?.)Sheer Magic (another 2007 AARS winner. Can?t really describe the flower color, it is awesome though.) Rainbow Sorbet (Nice orange, red and yellow rose. Floribunda. Strong fragrance. Petal ...

Grandiflora Rose ?Strike It Rich? 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Grandiflora Rose ?Strike It Rich?This is a portrait of ?Strike It Rich? right before it went into the garden. It is beautiful rose with a strong fragrance. I like Grandiflora roses because the flower retains some of the hybrid tea looks while often blooming in clusters. I saw that this rose can produce 5-inch flowers but the ones blooming on my plant are about 3 inches across. Maybe that will change when it gets growing in the ground. As I said yesterday it is a class of 2007 AARS winner. If your interested in the criteria for a rose to be chosen check this post.The new roses all looked nice in their respective places in the garden. I?m sure I?ll be posting some photos during the season. This is the last day before the big Garden Party at the Estate on Sunday. I kept thinking that yesterday was Saturday and it was confusing but I finally convinced myself it was only Friday. I will be glad when it is over and I can go back to working just 50 hours a week. I am going to the party as I us ...

Apothecary's Rose 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Apothecary's RoseRosa gallica var. officinalis 'Apothecary's Rose'This rose was blooming at the nursery when I bought my roses. I had seen and heard of it before but was unaware of it?s history. Here is an article the explains it more eloquently then I could:Rose Magazine.comOne thing that I didn?t realize was that this rose can grow in part shade. That certainly is something that I will remember. I guess it has been collecting names through the centuries. Synonyms:Apothekecary's RoseApothekerroseCommon Provins RoseOfficinalisOld Red DamaskRed ProvenceRed Rose of LancasterRosa gallica duplexRosa gallica maximaRosa gallica var. officinalis Ser.Rosier de Provins ordinaireRosa gallica var. duplexRosa gallica var. maximaAt the nursery they had another Old Garden Rose called Rosa Mundi which is the same species as the Apothecary's Rose. It is a striped rose which at first glance I didn?t like but after looking at it for awhile thought that it was pleasant to the eye. While I was int ...

Black Hills Spruce 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Black Hills SprucePicea glauca 'Densata'(PY-see-uh) (GLAW-kuh)Pinaceae (py-NAY-see-ay)This is a nice little tree that is growing in Pound Ridge, New York. I have to confess to not knowing a thing about it when I purchased it several years ago. It is a type of White Spruce that is native to South Dakota. The final height is listed anywhere from 20 to 100 feet but if it is ever going to get there it better start growing a little faster. It has grown maybe 2 feet in the 5 to 7 years it has been in the garden. It is a handsome tree with a nice bluish-green color and interesting branching structure. I would recommend it as something a little different in the evergreen department. Here is a link for more information on this plantmonrovia.comMonrovia.com is a good site as it has a lot of information about each plant.The Garden Party went off without a hitch. I saw some old friends and met a few new ones. I did enjoy myself and answered a lot of questions about the gardens. ...

Doublefile Viburnum Viburnum plicatum 'Newport' (... 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Doublefile ViburnumViburnum plicatum 'Newport'(vy-BUR-num)CaprifoliaceaeThis is one of my favorite Viburnum. A dwarf form of the Doublefile Viburnum it has attained about a 4 foot by 4 foot size after 10 years. It is a reliable bloomer that has great fall color. It takes one of the most annoying characteristics of Doublefile Viburnum out of play, which is they often get way too big for where they are planted. When a Doublefile is planted in the wrong place it requires a lot of pruning, which ruins the arching graceful shape of the branches. I am on a big planting job in Westport (I?m actually a sub-contractor on this job) and they planted 7 or 8 huge Doublefiles along the road two years ago. Of course they were too close to the road and had to be pruned. Tomorrow I have to rip them out because they had completely lost their shape. I have my eye on two of them for my house but it is a story that I have had to deal with many times. Here are a couple of Primula shots. I grow a way bette ...

Cineraria 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Kind of a Wordless Wednesday Some archive shots of Cineraria flowers. Cineraria ...

Miniature Rose 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Miniature RoseI am not sure which variety of miniature rose this is. About 15 years ago I bought about 50 mini roses and the tags have long since gone missing, as did some of the roses. Quite a few have survived and even thrived. I had my camera at work yesterday but only managed to take this picture, as the light wasn?t great. As a matter of fact it rained most of the day and was a like a typical English summer day. This rose was only 6 inches tall so rather than get down of the wet ground to take its picture I plucked it and set it on the stone. I was hoping things at work would calm down but it doesn?t look that way now. Everything is getting an extra spurt of growth with this rain and cool temperatures so I have had to run around and do some pruning to keep the walks and paths open. I went to another garden I take care of and it needs a lot of work, as things have again gotten overgrown. The more you prune things the more that encourages them to grow. Here is another one from the E ...

Tchaikovsky® Rose 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Tchaikovsky® RoseIn many ways this rose has underwhelmed me in the garden. That was until today when I was pruning what was left of the rose garden after the deer had come through and decimated it. I found this rose growing very low on the bush and it really stopped me in my tracks. Maybe because it was about the last flower left standing but I think it was because it was so perfect. It was actually growing upside down and when I turned it over it captured my heart. Since the owner is away for awhile I cut it and gave it to my wife. It was lost anyway and if I hadn?t had to prune all the roses I might not even have seen it. The roses have been growing fantastically in this area in general. I went to a friend?s house the other night and he doesn?t have much of a garden (putting it nicely) and there were these two shrub roses that were covered with nice peach colored flowers. Not a hint of black spot, either. Today I went and picked up a few plants at the wholesale nursery, which is real ...

Korean Fir (Abies koreana) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Korean FirAbies koreana 'Horstmann's Silberlocke'(A-bees) (kor-ee-AH-nuh)Pinaceae (py-NAY-see-ay)This is one of those plants that I have tried photographing a 100 times (kind of like those Lily-of-the Valley flowers). I am going to call this the best I can do and move on. It is a unique and fun tree to have in your garden. References say that it gets to 20 feet but mine are 15 and 20 years old respectively and are less than 5 feet tall. I do take the occasional stray growth off it but it is not too often. On one tree I had a regular Fir shoot coming from the bottom that was all green and I just removed it. This photo isn?t of my trees but of one at the nursery. It shows the bonus full-size cones. Fir cones are always fascinating to me. The real story is the white new growth and the way it curls. Later the needles flatten out a little more and it is still dramatic but a little less so. I would highly recommend this tree as a nice accent. Today I am finishing that big planting job in ... Korean

Southern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Southern Maidenhair Fern Adiantum capillus-veneris(ad-ee-AN-tum) (KAP-il-iss VEN-er-iss)PteridaceaeI saw this dainty beauty in the greenhouse at the Bartlett Arboretum on Sunday. I have been growing a little patch of Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) and that plant looks almost coarse compared to the Southern Maidenhair. A. pedatum isn?t really coarse, it is a beautiful groundcover plant that is easy to grow. I think the Southern type is hardy to USDA Zone 7 so that is why it was growing indoors in Stamford. I love the soft green foliage contrasted with the wiry black stems. This plant has been used medicinally since ancient times. I am going to keep my eye out for this plant if I head down South this winter. (Synonyms: Venus-hair fern, True Maidenhair, Capillaire commun, Capillaire de Montpellier. Hair of Venus) ...

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis triplinervis) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis triplinervis(a-NAF-uh-lus) (trip-lee-ner-viss)This was a cute little plant that I saw at Wave Hill. It was intermingling with several other plants out in front of the Conservatory. It looked like it would be fun for the fall border. It has a strange crossover branching pattern. The foliage is a nice color gray. Since it is native to the Himalayas it is hardy to USDA Zone 3. The gardens at Wave Hill were full of a lot of great botanical surprises. It is always nice to visit there. It was really windy but I managed a few snaps in between giant gusts. Yesterday, I planted most of the large trees in my new project. Only 2 more to go but they are probably the worst, they are two huge 5 foot across Globe Blue Spruce. They really look a lot bigger now that they are next to the front door then they did at the nursery. I am sure they will draw some blood when we are planting them. After that it is all container stuff, which should be easy. I will try and post a pict ...

Double Impatients (Impatiens walleriana ?Fiesta White?) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Double ImpatientsImpatiens walleriana ?Fiesta White?I bought a couple of hanging baskets of this flower. It seems lovely so far. It has just a hint of pink inside the flowers. I have been seeing more and more Double Impatients. More and more varieties of Impatients in general, and as with most types there is a whole series of colors named ?Fiesta?. While looking up this flower I found this site:UGA trials which was interesting to me as they provide performance data for a lot of different cultivars over the entire season. I figure if a plant can perform well in Georgia?s summer than it can certainly make in Connecticut?s. Here is a link to the 2005 data on ?Fiesta White?: I didn?t get all the plants in yesterday all though I really tried so it is back to Westport on Monday. I have to pick up my Japanese Maple also. Today I was going to New York but I have a lot of paperwork to do. I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping to 6:30 and need to start the paper chase soon. I am going to the p ...

Hybrid Tea Rose (?Fragrant Cloud?) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Hybrid Tea Rose ?Fragrant Cloud?Rosaceae (ro-ZAY-see-ay)Here are a couple of orange roses from the garden. I haven?t seen ?Cary Grant? or ?Playboy? this year but these two were blooming. ?Fragrant Cloud? is a hybrid tea rose with outstanding color and a strong fragrance. Mathias Tantau bred this rose in Germany in 1963. I didn?t think it was that old. The large blossoms are a real treat and can perfume a whole room when cut for the house. This rose has gotten black spot and mildew in my garden.Parentage: Seedling × Prima BallerinaPetal Count: 30Synonyms: Duftwolke, Fragrant Cloud '84, Nuage Parfumé, TANellisThere is only one climbing rose on the entire estate, ?Joseph?s Coat?. It has fantastic color on the flowers but it does have a lot of disease problems. It is also one of the thorniest roses I know of. It is not as vigorous as some climbers I have seen and seems to need a little more pruning than most. It is slightly fragrant and has a petal count of around 25. Bred by Armstrong & ... Hybrid

Dwarf Common Privet Ligustrum vulgare 'Lodense' (... 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Dwarf Common PrivetLigustrum vulgare 'Lodense'(lig-GUS-trum) (vul-GAIR-ee)Oleaceae (oh-lee-AY-see-ay)This shrub has been a good performer for me. It is listed as growing 4 feet but mine are at least 6 feet tall and have been sheared every other year. I like Ligustrum as a genus and this one is nice because of its dense branching and smaller stature. Privet turns into such a nice shrub when let to its own devices and not continually hacked into odd shapes and squares. There are a couple of huge Privet shrubs on the Estate and they are such a joy when they bloom. You might not recognize them as Privet as they are about 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The ?Lodense? cultivar is just as fragrant and is a nice alternative to other shrubs. I have had difficulty finding it at wholesale nurseries or I would use it more.Synonyms:European Privet ...