Green Thumb Momma

Arum italicum 'marmoratum' (commonly named "Lords and Ladies") is by far the strangest plant in my garden. It's backwards, and beautiful.

arum italicum 'marmoratum'

My arums are growing in full to part shade on the north side of my zone 7 home. The soil is fairly dry as it is lives under the eaves of the house. It has rhizome-like roots, buried very deep in the soil. It's height and spread: about 12" tall and forms large clumps with time. It's leaves resemble caladiums or elephant ears in appearance (heart-shaped and attractive) . . . but, they aren't as colorful; only green with light green veins. The leaves produce paper-thin white spathes which both die back. The leaves are followed by rattle-like green spikes lined with green berries. The berries turn blaze-orange with time.

Pretty plant, but why is it backwards and strange? Timing. The leaves appear in early fall and stay green all winter long. The white spathes appear in spring and the orange berries in late spring. The plant dies with the beginning of summer.

Different and wonderful. Try it out in your garden for winter interest. By the way, I plant summer shade annuals (like impatiens and coleus) over the arum for the summer.

[Two words of warning here. 1. If you leave the orange berries to die back the plant will multiply and spread. 2. Removing the orange berries requires care - the plant "juices" are very irritating/burning to the skin. Wear gloves. Wash hands and arms immediately after handling the plant.]

Remembering 9/11/01. . .

I've started a new perennial bed. I've never done this before, start to finish. It will be a 30' x 5' island in the middle of the back yard. I've been following Andre Viette's recommendations as outlined in his books and on his website www.inthegardenradio.com (check out "Preparing the Bed" in the tips & advice section.)

Hubby sprayed the grass with a turf killer. We've worked on removing the sod slowly - it is a serious workout in the heat and humidity. I hope to get the last bit of sod up, edge with bricks, and loosen/till the soil this weekend (going to call Ms. Utility today!). I've got the recommended amendments already (Plant Tone, gypsum, greensand, Osmocote.) This weekend I hope to get some topsoil and compost in the trailer. The edging bricks are leftovers from Hubby's parents. They had some walkways installed -- lucky me! Thanks Grandmom, PopPop and G.G.

Hubby will have to help, because it's beefy manly work (wink, wink). Besides I love to see (not smell) him working hard with his work boots and shorts - it's fabulous. Hauling the bricks, the topsoil (for 8-10" deep) and the compost . . . I'd rather have someone else do that.  Then, there's the mixing too. Everywhere you read the gardening guru's tell you, "Make sure the soil is healthy. It's by far the most important aspect of gardening." I agree. Get it right the first time.

It's the planting I love . . . the creativity and imagination realized. Such satisfaction and enjoyment in the end product . . . my pastors will see a sermon there!

Almost all the plants in this new bed will be transplants and divisions from elsewhere in the yard. I will buy more of the same plants to fill in where there's an empty spot. I don't forsee any other plants needing to be added. The bed will be greens, purples and light pinks. . . so imagine a dogwood and a pink crape myrtle as bookends. Caryopteris, miscanthus, and russian sage for height and winter interest. Also peonies, tall and creeping sedums, heucheras, catmint, mazus, veronica, stachys, echinops, and phlox.

Can't wait for next spring . . . Inspired to get your hands dirty? I am.

One of the milestones in the annual routine for gardeners is the arrival of fall catalogues. I just received my first in the mail today. I couldn't wait to get my 2-year-old to her nap, so I could peruse is peace. While I love looking at wonderful pictures, letting my imagination run wild, I've made some observations about catalogues that I will share in my next post. Stay tuned.

There is a general perception that spring is the best time to plant new goodies. But, for many plants early fall is the best time. It gives root systems a good long time to get established before hard winter sets in . . . come springtime they've got a jump start to perform much better for you in spring and summer.

So, I've ordered several things from www.bluestoneperennials.com. Bluestone's got a great reputation on websites like www.davesgarden.com, but this will be my first ordering experience with them. One of the perennials I'm hoping will be a success is a groundcover under the Latin name geranium macrorrhizum (not one of the annual geraniums used often in containers). This perennial geranium will hopefully be THE panacea for all my garden problems. A tough plant; it has a good rep as a weed proof barrier loving both wet and dry conditions as well as sun and shade. If only there were such a plant! Wet, dry, light, shade . . . I usually call these weeds . . . or ivy if you've read any previous posts! So the verdict is out on the wonderplant for now. Unlike preciously mentioned daughter who will jump from the stairs into my arms with wild abandon and absolute trust in my willingness and ability to catch her, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Since I'm on the genus species, geranium rozanne is the Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year for 2008. I've planted two in the front yard. It has bloomed all summer! With beautiful purple-blue flowers, it's sprawling. I'm going to buy more, and try it in different locations. Check out past PPA winners on their website, www.perennialplant.org. I've got several past winners in my garden, and each is well-chosen.

I feel jealous of my friends' well-manicured hands, while mine are rough, cut up, dirty . . . wait, I've changed my mind. Go get some dirt therapy.