Monthly Archives: May 2014

Garden Alphabet: Helianthus (sunflower)

Helianthus (sunflower)

A neighbor had a lovely stand of sunflowers that caught my eye on a walk this week. The orange variety was especially striking. I keep meaning to grow sunflowers here, but I never seem to get around to it. Not sure why, but I will keep trying in future years.

Helianthius

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 Helianthus L. /ˌhiːliˈænθəs/[2] (sunflower) is a genus of plants comprising about 52 species[3] in the Asteraceae family, all of which are native to North America. The common name “sunflower” also applies to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus.[4] This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions as food crops and ornamental plants.[5]

The genus is one of many in the Asteraceae that are known as sunflowers. It is distinguished technically by the fact that the ray flowers, when present, are sterile, and by the presence on the disk flowers of a pappus that is of two awn-like scales that are cauducous (that is, easily detached and falling at maturity). Some species also have additional shorter scales in the pappus, and there is one species that lacks a pappus entirely. Another technical feature that distinguishes the genus more reliably, but requires a microscope to see, is the presence of a prominent, multicellular appendage at the apex of the style.

There is quite a bit of variability among the perennial species that make up the bulk of the species in the genus. Some have most or all of the leaves in a rosette at the base of the plant and produce a flowering stem that has leaves that are reduced in size. Most of the perennials have disk flowers that are entirely yellow, but a few have disk flowers with reddish lobes. One species, H. radula, lacks ray flowers altogether.

The domesticated sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is the most familiar species. Perennial sunflower species are not as popular for gardens due to their tendency to spread rapidly and become invasive. — Wikipedia

More information on Helianthus (sunflower):

Previously in Garden Alphabet:

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Noted: Public Gardens and Social Media from Garden Rant

 
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
 

For my new volunteer project promoting DC’s public gardens, the focus is on images, using them to create videos, but then what? Just a slide show? I think not, because Pinterest and Instagram are hot-hot-hot and gardens are uniquely suited to visuals, to say the least.

The research on marketing with Pinterest is consistent – beautiful photos are all-important. But then I asked garden writers who use Pinterest and they went farther, telling me that gardeners want more – “added value,” like Pinterest boards that teach. Kat White suggested using “Great ideas for winter interest from XYZ Garden,” and photos that show the benefits of visiting a garden. So we’d show people relaxing, learning, and admiring the flowers – just what Professor Benfield’s research on garden tourism -has shown works to attract visitors.

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“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts. 

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Noted: Great Design Plant: Golden Alexanders for Early Spring Color from Houzz

 
 
I’m a big fan of native plants. I’m a big fan of having my garden in bloom every day of the year. Early spring to midspring often presents a challenge regarding those, but there are plenty of choices — one being cheery Golden Alexanders, a prairie and meadow standby that’s tough as nails. Since it’s in the carrot family, it also serves as a butterfly host. Wow. Didn’t I just describe the perfect plant? Let’s learn more about it then.
 
 
 

“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts. 

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Noted: How to Design a Great Garden on a Sloped Lot from Houzz.com

 
 

Frequently we gardeners run up against what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle in our quest to attain a beautiful and functional garden space. So it is with the dreaded sloping lot.

Over the years I’ve had a turbulent relationship with my own lot that entered my life with a 30-foot drop from back to front. The working relationship was so difficult that I didn’t even 

own a wheelbarrow until four years ago. When I purchased my home, there was no garden; in fact, there weren’t even any front steps. My solution was to carve a tiered water feature into the side of the hill and plant a garden around it.

Let’s find a solution for your sloping yard that really works for your lifestyle, then discuss how to build a garden around it.

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Gardens can be beautiful or productive and are often both at the same time. — from A Gardener’s Notebook ebook

Fagn 01

Buy or Download a sample of From A Gardener’s Notebook via Amazon.com

“Gardens can be beautiful or productive and are often both at the same time. Every gardener brings their own energies, their own attitudes, their own wants, needs and desires to their garden, making each one a unique statement on their creators. Whether you are growing vegetables, flowers for cutting or the world’s largest pumpkin, gardens can hold a special place in your heart.”

From A Gardener’s Notebook by Douglas E. Welch
DouglasEWelch.com

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Flowering Now: Morning glory (Convolvulaceae)

Morning glory (Convolvulaceae)

A lovely morning glory scene caught this week in my neighborhood.

Flowering now: Morning glory scene in the neighborhood

Photo: Douglas E. Welch, A Gardener’s Notebook

From Wikipedia…

“Morning glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of which are: Calystegia,Convolvulus, Ipomoea, Merremia, Rivea, Astripomoea, Operculina,Stictocardia, Argyreia, Lepistemon” — Wikipedia.org

More information on Morning glory:

Previously in Flowering Now:

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Interesting Plant: California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

The state flower of California, the golden color of these poppies sprawling across open grasslands seems to imitate the gold that attracted so many to the state in previous centuries. These poppies were found right here in my neighborhood, but in the past we have travelled to the California State Poppy Reserve to our north to see them in their natural habitat. I haven’t had much success growing them in our garden, but others seemed to have developed naturalized, self-seeking patches throughout their gardens. Maybe I need to try again.

California Poppy

Photo: Douglas E. Welch

“Eschscholzia californica (California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight, cup of gold) is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico, and the official state flower of California.

It is a perennial or annual growing to 5–60 in (13–152 cm) tall, with alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are ternately divided into round, lobed segments. Theflowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 2 to 6 cm (0.79 to 2.36 in) long and broad; flower color ranges from yellow to orange, with flowering from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather.[1] The fruit is a slender, dehiscent capsule 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in) long, which splits in two to release the numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It survives mild winters in its native range, dying completely in colder climates. — Wikipedia


More information on California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica):
 
Some of these books may be available at your local library! 

 

Previously in the Interesting Plant series: 

Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas

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Noted: DIY: Backyard Composter from a Garbage Can + What Can Be Tossed from Inhabitat

DIY Composter Project

DIY: Backyard Composter from a Garbage Can + What Can Be Tossed

Many cities around the world now have composting programs so household food scraps and garden clippings can be mulched rather than ending up in landfills. This is a great practice, but there are also a lot of places that don’t have a program like this, including the little village I currently live in. Whether you’re a country bumpkin living on the edge of a forest (like us) or a suburbanite with a bit of yard space to play with, it’s actually quite simple to create a compost bin of your very own: all you need are a few low-cost items from the hardware store.

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Here comes the sun

 

Previously in my Instagram Photos…

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