During the first ten days of January, the weather has been mild. Colder and more “normal” weather is in store, but spring is ever on my mind.

The seed catalogs continue to arrive, and I continue to enjoy them. The DUTCH GARDENS spring planting 2012 catalog arrived the other day, and although my order is not complete, I have a list already started. There are several new oriental lilies that look promising. With some space remaining in the “apple tree garden” and a little space left in the “pine tree garden,” there will be room for all. BLUESTONE PERENNIALS has been read, the list has been Brailled, and an order has been submitted. Those plants are scheduled to arrive in mid-May, which will be just perfect. They will mostly replace perennials that have died off in the old perennial garden.

It is always fun to try something new. Last June, at the Master Gardner’s Polk County Garden Tour, I saw some impressive ligularias growing in the shade. They had large leaves, and yellow flower spikes. Not knowing which one to order from BLUESTONE, I ordered them both! There is plenty of room for them under the viburnum bush in the southwest corner of the garden. Beth is trying some Anchusa and some thermopsis, whatever they are. The Anchusa are supposed to grow four feet tall with blue flowers. I like big plants, so I’ll enjoy watching them grow. The thermopsis bloom yellow, but that is all I know.

The early forced bulbs have been a disappointment. I gave the paperwhite narcissus until January 1 to bloom. They failed to do so, so they went out into the trash. I thought that perhaps the bulbs had been damaged, but they were large and firm. Their leaf growth was prolific and healthy. I called GARDENING TODAY on W.H.O. on Sunday morning, seeking answers. The bulbs may have been defective, or I may have indeed given them too much of a chilling period outdoors, resulting in cold weather damage to the flower buds. I’ll try again next year.

My iris reticulata are also doing poorly. The leaf growth looks good, but I haven’t given up on them blooming yet. I won’t wait forever, and soon they will have a “bloom or die” date.

There is better news on the current forced bulbs I’ve brought in for a bloom show. The Dutch Master, or King Alfred daffodils I brought in, are showing buds. The delph blue hyacinths are also showing bud spikes. My goal is to have the daffodils bloom by Beth’s birthday, January 25. If they don’t make it, it’ll be close.

Out in the sun room, on the south table, other pots of forced bulbs are forging ahead. The purple crocus will be budding soon. Several pots of hyacinths are already showing their bud spikes. The tulips have also broken ground, and should bloom in March.

And while we’re out in the sun room, the Christmas cactus is quickly losing its luster. It’ll rest until spring, when hopefully it’ll exhibit some new growth outdoors. The scented geraniums are tall, leggy and ugly. They will get a severe trim outdoors this May. My two “Springfield violet” zonal geraniums are doing well, and showing some new growth and blooms. They are getting tall and leggy as well, and will be severely cut back in May.

I have already completed the Braille labels for the BLUESTONE order, and they’ve been affixed to markers. The same will occur with my DUTCH GARDENS order, once it is complete.

The sweet autumn clematis, which I bought in a 2-inch pot three years ago, is full of white starry blooms.  I carried this vine with me from my last apartment where it threatened to overtake the roof.  My morning glories, both kinds grown from seed collected from previous years, are popping with daily blooms.  They are happily married to my sweet autumn clematis.

My butterfly bush, Buddleia Petite Purple, is loaded with nectar-rich flowers bobbing invitingly for any wandering winged creature to sample.

I came across a toad lily during my wanderings at Fort Tryon Park.  This orchid-like flower only comes out at this time of year. This park is one of my favorites in the City and is also home to the Cloisters.  Its magical gardens are poised high above the Hudson River with a breath-taking view of the Palisades.  I love coming here every season but its autumn glory is pure magic.

Masses of purple passionflowers covered a fence.  The bees were drunk with nectar.

Autumn is actually the best time to plant perennials.  The soil temperature is still very warm from the summer, which helps the roots grow stronger and establish the plant. You may think autumn as waning in life but there is a very strong pulse beating through these vibrant beauties.

I am looking forward to paging through my Bluestone Perennials catalogue this weekend.  I’ve been a loyal customer for years and I still some back because the people are so nice, sell vigorous and healthy specimens and stand behind them if you have any problems. If you’re thinking of trying a rose, look at Antique Rose Emporium.  They specialize in Old Garden Roses, the kind that are hardy, often deliciously scented, and are cheaper than buying a dozen cut roses that last less than a week and have their scent bred out of them.

This is my favorite time of the year.  I start planning my garden for next year—and I only have pots. You would be amazed at how much you can grow—just try it and allow the season to surprise you.  As we pass through the gate into autumn, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.

Anyhow, I opened the box, and found it full of plants – and I hadn’t placed an order. After unpacking everything, I found a card that said the order was from “Anonymous.” Mysterious!

Surprise plants!

Inside, were some Japanese anemones – which I had seen in bloom at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens last fall and fell in love with, a flowering quince, an iris, some wild geraniums, a small climbing (I think) hydrangea, pink echanacea and a spirea. I’ve already mapped out spots for most of these plants in the yard. It’s exciting! Someone who really knows me well ordered these – but who?

I called around to a few people on the list of likely suspects, but came up empty. Until I called my Dad (who lives in Madison.) After some prodding, he finally told me he had sent the plants – what a nice surprise!

Thanks, Dad!

This afternoon I organized my catalogs and planned what I will buy, and it really is a little of everything.

As I am now starting to think about where I am actually going to put plants- and designing the gardens a bit beyond the basic “I like that, I should buy it.”  Not much, but a little.

Just placed my order at Bluestone:

I bought the lime green Euphorbia that I’ve wanted for years (and mistakenly ordered “blackbird” instead a few years back).  The new “Incrediball” hydrangea- I’m a sucker for Annabelle as I’ve mentioned, and this promises to be an arborescens hydrangea on steriods.  I also bought the lime green hydrangea “limelight”.  Clearly I’m having a lime green fling, because I also bought Lamium Lemon Frost for the front groundcover.   I hope the lemon frost Lamium is as spready as its variegated cousins so I don’t have to buy more than one.

I’ve also bought more plants as I convert certain beds to a consistent purpose (the front beds will be more shady, the primrose bed will be larger and have more primroses.)

I have also bought a sweet violet.  I love violets.  I especially love that you can’t get them from most catalogs.  I love that my friends regard them as weeds.  I look at violets scooped from their yards as like having my friends in my garden.  Like friends, if you look closely- some are so unique.  I have a blue-grey one (violet, that is), a white with blue reverse (or maybe its the opposite way- it’s been awhile, I don’t quite remember), a bright, large royal purple.  Last year I tried to grow yellow and korean violets from seed and was unsuccessful (so far.  But who knows).  I am particularly excited about the sweet violets because I don’t think they actually grow this far north, but the catalog seemed to indicate that it did.  I’ll give it a go and see what happens.

I (being-counter trendy) am going to try a grass.  For the third time.  I know that grass has had its moment as a statement plant, but I still think there is still room for it somewhere- I just like its noise in the wind.  And we have plenty of wind.  I have no clue where I’m going to put it.  I’d love to grow it in a huge container on my patio.

I just received an email from Thompson and Morgan that my seeds are on the way.  Spring is coming!

I can’t wait.  The more it melts, the more excited I am about the possibilities!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

COREOPSIS Tripteris
GARDENIA jasminoides Kleim’s Hardy
Thyme Orange Balsam
PERSICARIA Lance Corporal
PHLOX paniculata Miss Ellie
CHASMANTHIUM Latifolium
SOLIDAGO Fireworks
THYMUS serphyllum Coccineum
DIANTHUS x Horatio
GLORIOSA Irish Eyes
HEUCHERELLA Crimson Clouds
HOLLYHOCK Old Farmyard
SALVIA nemorosa Lubeca
ASTER novae-angliae September Ruby

I’d also like to try growing some Amaranth this year from seed.  Perhaps the Midnight Gardener and I can split a packet of seeds, and compare results [although I suspect he'll do better, as he's more seed-savvy than I am!].

I’d like to start with a complaint in case anyone is listening: I wish Jungs made a master catalog for all of its various companies so that prices would be uniform and I wouldn’t have to pay so much extra in shipping to buy one thing here, and one thing there from each of their many subsidiaries. 

I know some people get crazy about buying things from such large companies, but I think that they should get over it.  A Wisconsin company, however large, is a good thing.  That is not to say that I don’t spread my money around the globe with my gardening purchases.  But I digress.

Speaking of shopping globally, UK-based Thompson and Morgan is the place to order seeds.  I want about 100 things in their catalog, but a word to the wise: just because they have seeds for everything, you probably won’t be able to grow anything that is not labeled with a first ”e” for easy germination.  You might have luck, but the seeds aren’t  free so I’d stick with those thing that you know you can grow.  This year I’ll be ordering Princess of India Nasturtium, which will be lovely cascading over rock walls; Fruit Punch poppies, which I already grow and love; Verbascum “Copper Rose”– a lovely copper shade of what we all know as Mullein (a weed); Dianthus, one of my favorite plants- probably “Crimsonia”; Echinops Ritro ssp. ruthenicus, a blue globe thistle, which looks great in arrangements; “Vogue Appleblossom” pelargoniums, what most people call geraniums, are very easy to grow from seed, even if they are the exception to my rule on “e” for easy, I’ve never had trouble with them.  Don’t count on them blooming right away.  Other flowers for my hot garden include Durango Tangerine marigolds, Nicotiana Langsdorfii, violets- “freckles” and “sylettas” and some Bulls Blood beets for their excellent foliage color.  I’ll give more advice about seed sowing when I actually do it- usually 8 weeks before last frost.   (Around St. Patrick’s day)

Some highlights from my other orders: Aconitum Bressingham Spire from Roots & Rhizomes (a Jung’s company)– I saw an Aconitum in a neighbor’s garden last year and realized that I had been missing out.  I will also get some Kniphofia– I love the half pink and half lime ones but will probably get red/yellow/orange because they are a touch hardier.  I’ll get these from Jung’s proper.

Bluestone Perennials won’t miss out either- a late flowering Anemone “Honorine Jobert” and Dianthus “Frosty” would have qualified me for a white flower discount if I’d gotten off my arse to order them.

I’m still undecided what I will get from Song Sparrow- maybe another tree peony, maybe the hydrangea “Hayes Starburst” would be lovely too.

I’m also ordering more Dahlias, there are never enough of them- Myrtle’s Folly is gorgeous and is available from Swan Island Dahlias.

Shockingly, nothing tempts me this year in the White Flower Farm catalog, although I have long wanted an enormous variegated petasites, I don’t have a place to put it, so I will have to pass on that.  This would be great to put by your pond, Betty.

So there is really no method to the madness here, just trial and error- the most fun part of gardening.