Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’ (Jerusalem Sage) on 11-9-19, #647-11.
Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. This afternoon was very nice and the temp was in the 50’s. Seeing a few Six on Saturday posts this morning inspired me so I went outside to take a few photos. Well, I am a newbie because I don’t think I have ever made a Six on Saturday post. How do you do only six?
#1 is the Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’. I bought this plant from a seller on Ebay in 2013 for its interesting flowers. It is very borderline hardy here I think so every fall when we have an “F” in the forecast I cover it up with a big flower pot. I did that again when we had the first “F”. Then I oddly forgot about it after that. From 2013 until now I protected this plant to the point of insanity. When it would get cold, I covered it at night until I finally had to keep it covered. We have had several “F’s” and temps have been in the low 20’s. A few days ago I was coming out of the barn and looked toward the corner bed. I thought, “HOLY S—T! I FORGOT ABOUT THE PHLOMIS!” Here it is alive and well while most everything around it is dead.
This is the third location for this plant. It first in the middle of the south bed then I moved it to the southwest corner bed. Then, I planted the Baptisia there and it took up so much room it shaded the Phlomis. My first idea was to move the Baptisia to the southeast corner but it wouldn’t budge. So, I told the Phlomis I was sorry but I had to him again. I suppose it is a “he” since its name is Edward. I dug him up and he wasn’t too thrilled about the whole ordeal… Normally, he gets fairly tall and his leaves get very impressive. This summer, he didn’t grow as well and the leaves didn’t get as large. He did adapt and get over the move and now he is showing off! I now have a sticky note stuck to the computer that says “REMEMBER THE PHLOMIS.”
Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum (Elephant Garlic) on 11-9-19, #647-1.
#2-The Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum (Elephant Garlic) are all alive and growing well. They are pictured above in the southeast corner bed but they are scattered all through the south bed ad well. I usually dig a few of their bulbs to use in cooking. They produce a lot of bulbils which make single bulbs the following year then bigger bulbs with cloves the next year. They have amazing flower heads which I think are a good substitute for the more expensive Allium species an cultivars. At some point, I guess I should lose the “var. ampeloprasum” part of the name because it isn’t legit now. I never understood how a variety could be the same name as the species anyway…
Buddleja ‘White Profusion’ on 11-9-19, #647-2.
#3 is the Buddleja ‘White Profusion’. The Butterfly Bush thrived on neglect this past summer. Basically, the entire south bed went wild which is why I haven’t taken many photos of it. 🙂 I have no idea what that is growing to the left and only noticed it after I looked at the photo. GEEZ! I normally keep this bush deadheaded so it will look tidy and keep it flowering well but I think I only did it once this past summer. It will continue to have green leaves until it gets REALLY cold. One year it stayed green all winter and grew HUGE the following summer. When I bought this plant in 2013 it was only supposed to grow around 4′ tall. Labeling has changed since then because this bush gets MUCH taller than 4’… Hmmm… I bought it and put it here because it was supposed to be a smaller cultivar. Even so, I really like this cultivar and it attracts an abundance of butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths.
Celosia argentea ver spicata ‘Cramer’s Amazon’ on 11-9-19, #647-4.
#4–Celosia argentea var. spicata ‘Cramer’s Amazon’. Well, what can I say? They came up, they grew, they flowered, and now they are dead. Don’t let that fool you because each inflorescence is FILLED with seed than has fallen out, or will fall out, that will come up next spring. DOUBLE GEEZ! Still, they remain my favorite Celosia because of their maroon and green bi-colored leaves and they grow so tall. They make great plants to cover up the wall and are a good background for the plants in the front of the bed. That is until they branch out and try to cover them up, too. We manage, though…
Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) on 11-9-19, #647-10.
#5–Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo). Every time I post about the Nandina I mention it is my favorite shrub and that I brought it with me from Mississippi. While it doesn’t grow as well here as in Mississippi, it is hanging in there which I am very thankful for. Some bird species like the berries, especially the Titmouse, as they migrate through here. I only see a few Titmouse here but they came by the hundreds in Mississippi. I always liked using the leaves of the Heavenly Bamboo in flower arrangements instead of fern and palm leaves. The Nandina is a great all-around shrub in my opinion. I know in some areas they can be a bit invasive, which is why there were so many at the mansion. A few more here would be a good thing…
Cannas on 11-9-19, #647-3.
#6–The Cannas… All I can say is they had a pretty good summer. Despite the Japanese Beetles shredding their leaves they still put on an impressive show and grew to their normal 8-12′. Now I have to cut them down and mulch the bed with leaves. Works very good since they aren’t supposed to be cold hardy here. I can’t imagine digging all the rhizomes, storing them for the winter in the basement and planting them again in the spring…
Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 11-9-19, #647-5.
#7–Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla). When I took this photo it asked me where I had been? I had no good answer and I really didn’t want to make excuses. This planter, which came from an old coal furnace, is where the Tree Cholla, Sempervivum ‘Killer” and Sedum kamtschaticum var. variegata are all growing. The Semp did poorly this year after it went banananananas last year. It flowered then mostly died (which it is supposed to do). The offsets are doing only so so, which may or may not be normal. The Sedum kamtschaticum var. variegata looked better than ever this spring and flowered like never before then it just went to crap. I had to pull a little grass to take this photo and noticed the Sedum spurium ‘John Creech’ has infiltrated the planter. I think that is why the Tree Cholla was wondering where I had been because it knows that is not allowed. Oddly, I did manage to remove the grass without getting stuck. I think that was a first. As always, though, the Cylindropuntia imbricata is doing well and has grown a lot more this past summer. It agrees with me and is ready for spring already.
I took a walk to the back of the farm with one thing on my mind…
Diospyros virginiana (Persimmon) on 11-9-19, #647-6.
#8–Diospyros virginiana (Persimmon). In my opinion, the most important thing about Fall here is the Persimmons. I visit this tree as often as I can this time of the year because of the delicious fruit. Deer, turkeys, raccoons, and opossum also eat the fruit so it is usually not easy finding them on the ground.
This tree was LOADED with fruit but most have fallen off. Even the lower limbs are too high to reach so I have to throw a stick to see if I can get some of the fruit to fall off.
OOOPS! The stick got stuck…
I only managed to knock three down, but that is OK. Tomorrow is another day. Even if I don’t come back for more, eating only a few is worth the wait. While it is true a “F” does seem to speed up the ripening process, if we have a late “F” the fruit ripens anyway.
On the way back to the house I was wondering if I had taken enough photos for a Six on Saturday Post. As it turned out, I took photos of eight “plants” so I kind of screwed up. I suppose I could have left out a couple, but the plants behind me in the bedroom couldn’t decide which two to leave out… They reminded me there are six of them for next Saturday… It sounds like a plot to me. 🙂
Well, that’s all I have to say except I am still working on the Cactus and Succulent Update #3.
Until next time, stay well, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful. Thanks for reading and thanks for your comments in advance.
The Belmont Rooster 
Hi Rooster – interesting to see your 6 ! (8)
The Cramers Amazon & the buddlejia pics made me think about scale – they are perfect against the big wall backdrops – sometimes however beautiful a plant is if it’s going to work it just has to be BIG! I’m only just really getting that … when I’m helping clients choose plants trying to find out if there is a variety of the right scale is tricky – so much to consider with plant selection . 🤔
My favourite entry is the phlomis – such perfect shaped leaves. I have Edward in my garden – I got the pink one a couple of years ago as well but it disappeared
I was totally unaware of the Australian fires so I’m glad you posted that ! Thinking of them …
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Hello Debbie! I like bigger plants in corners and between windows or along walls with no windows. Sometimes you have to consider many factors like what the walls are made of. If they will need to be repainted at some point… Maintenance-free walls like brick, stone, or metal or vinyl siding are usually not an issue except for occasional cleaning. You also have to think about the lifestyle of the client and whether or not they have time or the money to keep shrubs pruned. There are a lot of cultivars that grow to a reasonable size and shape that don’t require pruning or shaping. The possibilities are endless!
The Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’ is a great plant for sure. I forgot to mention my Phlomis companion doesn’t flower that well even though that is what initially attracted me to it. Even though it doesn’t flower, the leaves are AWESOME! Maybe it will flower better where it is now where it is getting more sun. Only time will tell. Thanks for the comment!
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Well done getting it down to eight! I’ve never done a SoS maybe for the same reason. The persimmon tree is huge, do the fruit hang pretty well until taken? It would probably need a warmer summer than we have here.
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Hello Nancy! With everything so dead outside now I wasn’t sure I could even get six! This Persimmon tree is fairly tall and there are several others just as large. The fruit usually hang on the tree firmly until they are ripe they fall off on their own or when you throw a stick at the branches. You don’t want to eat the fruit until soft and ripe or you will get a BIG surprise. These are not like the big persimmons you find in the grocery store sometimes… I am not sure if they would bear fruit in your climate or not. Thanks for the comment!
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I did my final leaf cleanup in the side and back yards. I’m leaving the front until the birch finishes dropping its last ones. Tonight starts a colder spell and we might get 3″ of snow to boot. Boohoo!
Yesterday we enjoyed the nice weather with a 2-3 mile hike near the reservoir. Lots of leaves on the trail meant we weren’t going to sneak up on any animals and there were many hidden roots to trip over. We didn’t. We watched a duck bobbing in the water about 20 ft down a cliff face. It seemed oddly rigid as it bobbed about. I threw a stick down to wake it up. It didn’t. Seems it was a decoy.
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Hello Jim! I haven’t even started Fall clean up yet because the Maple leaves are still falling. No point in starting until they are finished. Last week was nice but this week it is going to be MUCH cooler here as well. Not sure if “S” is in the forecast.
I am glad to hear you enjoyed a nice walk yesterday. Be careful with those leaf-covered roots, vines, and holes. There doesn’t seem to be much bird activity around here at the moment which is weird… Take care and thanks for the comment!
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When you mentioned digging those cannas I almost spit! I just dug the ones here and that was more than enough work (they wouldn’t overwinter here even with mulch), but just the idea of digging all of yours is crazy!
I was excited to see the persimmon tree. I just planted a bunch of bareroot seedlings yesterday and I’m hoping a few will survive the (1)careless planting and (2) approaching cold, since it is kind of late to get them in the ground. Hopefully they don’t mind. Maybe 20 years from now I’ll be throwing sticks, trying to knock a couple fruits down off my own tree!
Actually it won’t be my tree, they’re planted into the hill of the industrial park next door. As long as I can help them outcompete the tidal wave of pears they might someday grow up into something interesting. Even more so since they’re not native this far North.
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Hello Frank! Digging them all up in the spring of 2018 to spread them out was enough for me. If they were a very expensive cultivar I could be selling them. LOL! Four to six inches of mulched leaves help and even allowed the Colocasia along the front of the bed to survive the winter That was a shock! The cats lay on the leaves during the winter on cold days.
I am glad to hear you planted persimmon seedlings. If they don’t survive, let me know and I will send you some seeds from the tree here. Are the pears you mentioned the edible type or the invasive ornamental type? According to the USDA map, Diospyros virginiana are also native in Pensylvania. Thanks for the comment!
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A grove of edible pears would be awesome, but these are all the invasive type. 10 years ago there were none, now they’re popping up everywhere!
lmk if you want a few of the fancier leaved cannas, I always have too many and they grow as well as the others
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OH, that would be great if you could send some Cannas my way!
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Oh I also love the Nadina shrub, I actually have a vase filled with dried berries, not sure if it’s from this particular shrub, but I love it I’ve had it for a few years now. I also like the persimmons tree, love to eat them. Thank you
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Hello Masha! Glad to hear you enjoy the Nandina. I am glad I brought a start with me. Persimmons are AWESOME! Thanks for the comment!
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OH MY! You got persimmons! That is SOOOOO excellent! I met those when I was in Oklahoma at this time of year in 2012. Neighbors thought it was odd that I was so jazzed about them, but I had never seen them before. I happen to like the Japanese persimmons that I grew up with here too. I just happen to really like North American native fruits that are so underappreciated. I took a few persimmon seed back, and am now growing trees for here. They used to be grown only as understock for Japanese persimmons. I suppose I could have grown them from cuttings of suckers from Japanese persimmon trees, but I am very pleased with the seed grown trees from Oklahoma!
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Also in Oklahoma, I noticed that cannas were not dug in winter, just like here. I was impressed. I would not expect the to survive winter. I suspect that the fancier garden hybrids are more sensitive to frost than the species are.
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I noticed in a yard on Main Street a dark-leaved canna survived a few years without mulching. They didn’t return this spring so I think it has a lot to do with the severity of the winter.
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Of course. That is another one of the variables.
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There are always variables it seems.
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Hello Tony! A Fall without Persimmons here would not be right. They have always been a part of Fall here on the farm as far back as I can remember. The only Japanese Persimmons I have eaten were from Wal-Mart. They weren’t soft like the natives here are supposed to be here so I wasn’t sure how to go about eating them. 🙂 I was pleasantly surprised when I did take a bite and there were no seeds. The Paw Paw trees are gone, though. Thanks for the comment!
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Some cultivars of Japanese persimmon can be eaten while still firm. They are popular here again because so many people from Asia live here. Some like to dry them like the old families of Japanese descent of San Jose used to do. I prefer the really squishy ‘Hachiya’ persimmons! I eat them outside . . . and near a hose. ‘Hachiya’ used to be planted with ‘Fuyu’ as a pollinator because the fruit was supposedly better if it had a few seeds in it. I have eaten many persimmons, and never found those with a few seeds to be any better. I do find though, that fruit is better after slightly frosted.
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🙂
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You might find this to be amusing.
https://tonytomeo.com/2017/09/22/the-physics-of-fruit/
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GREAT STORY! 🙂
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Thank you. It is one of my favorites.
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