Long vVew of the New Rock Garden

Ready for small plants and ground cover plantings

I put my last holly bush in today and am now ready for the small flowers and ground cover. Jim helped me move a large amount of clean topsoil from the sheep paddock too beef up the soil quality a bit yeaterday. We have heavy clay soil in this area of NY. I am excited now about planting some ground cover plants and some perennials.

Tuberous Begonias

My Mother always grew Tuberous Begonias when I was growing up so when I was needing something that would grow in partial shade in hanging pots I went back to my Mother's old standby flowers and I have been delighted with the color and constant blooms. This year I picked bright red but in the past I have enjoyed yellow, white and pink Tuberous Begonias as well.

If you are looking for a colorful, attractive flower to grace your garden, try the tuberous begonia. It is easy to grow, does well in the shade, needs moderate care, and will reward you with a lovely display of blooms all summer long.





My Tuberous Begonias





Tuberous begonias come in shades of white, pink, red, yellow, orange, and salmon, as well as bi-colors. If they have a darker edge to the petals, they are called "picotee." Double flowers are male, and single flowers female. The large flowers are usually double and may be six inches or more in diameter. Plants generally grow 12 to 18 inches tall




History
Botanically, begonias are from the Plantae kingdom; Tracheobionta (vascular plant) subkingdom; Spermatophyta (seed plant) superdivision; Magnoliophyta (flowering plant) division; Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons) class; Dilleniidae subclass; Violales order; Begoniaceae family; and Begonia L. genus.

Begonias grow from fibrous roots, tuberous roots or rhizomes. Some are grown for foliage, others for their ostentatious blossoms.

Since 1777, when the first begonia was introduced in England, cultivators have established thousands of variations. Begonias are native to South Africa, Asia, Mexico and Central and South America.

Tuberous Begonia
The tuberous begonia is a native hybrid from South America. It is grown for its large flowers and works as a greenhouse plant or bedding plant. This begonia does well in semishaded environments. Tuberous begonias are not winter hardy.

Looking West to the road

There has been so much rain I can't work the soil until it dries back out somewhat.

Too Hot and Sticky to Garden

Variegated Boxwood I put in last night

It is very humid here today. No thunderstorms as yet but it feels so close outside I would not be surprised if we did not get some pop up thunderstorms late this afternoon or this evening. We did get some showers last night so the garden is muddy. I guess I have to hold off until it dries out some but maybe after it cools off a bit after dinner I will move some more rocks around.

Growing Hollies

Hollies have been used in decoration and for landscape applications for over 2000 years. There are 20 species of American Holly. There are about 128 species of Asian Holly and 200 species of English Holly. With such variety, it's easy to find a holly which fits your taste and your environment.

Hollies make a distinct statement in the household outdoor plant environment. They look great trimmed low and spreading as a foundation plant. In the winter landscape, the evergreen varieties show up against the bleak surroundings. The curly, colorful, sometimes variegated foliage is intriguing.

Some holly varieties grow into tall trees while others grow not much taller than a dwarf fruit tree. Since holly foliage is bunched and tightly knit, the holly can be trained into a hedge. The holly serves as a formidable barrier as a hedge. Unlike a solid fence, the holly hedge does not present the imposing and lifeless impression of a wood or masonry wall.

Hollies flower but the flowers are small and hardly sensational. Small, greenish-white flowers bloom in warm weather but only upon the female plant. Instead of bright and sensational flowers, the holly produces berries: red ones, yellow ones, or orange ones.

In order to get those bright red berries which look so great in a Christmas wreath, the gardener needs both male and female plants. Cross-pollination is necessary for berry production. The gender of the American holly is difficult to determine until it blooms and produces berries. Indeed, some years may pass before the plant shows gender characteristics.

There is good reason hollies are associated with Christmas decoration in cold and snowy climates. In many parts of the world where winters are cold and snowy, the soils are inhospitable. The deciduous varieties are hardy to 30 degrees below zero; the evergreen varieties can tolerate temperatures to 15 degrees below zero. Though hollies prefer an acid soil, they will easily adapt to less than ideal conditions.

Gardeners and landscapers are often unaware of the deciduous varieties of holly. The reason for this might be that the deciduous varieties are often referred to by other names. Deciduous hollies are common in the northeast of the U.S. where it is called "winterberry". Woodsmen and farmers may be more familiar with these varieties than gardeners are. Winterberry is found mostly in the woods, rarely in the backyard garden. The berries are typically orange in color, rather than red. But winterberry is in the Ilex family, along with its evergreen counterparts.

Smaller hollies are not unusually expensive in garden shops but the cost can get high if the gardener wishes to purchase a large lot of them to train into a hedge. Propagating them from seed is an option but it's not a very good one. Growing holly from seed takes a great deal of time. The holly seed is protected by a coating which temporarily prevents propagation. This coating of enzyme and pulp allows the seed to survive the cold winter and begin its growth in spring when the weather warms. For those with a great deal of patience, however, the pulp can be stripped from the seed, washed in cold water, and grown indoors.

A more practical method of propagating holly is through cuttings. One year old cuttings from healthy holly bushes will be the best option for propagation. New growth is green and not yet established. Older holly wood has lost some of the enzymes needed for the plant to thrive.

To propagate from cuttings, dip the cuttings in a rooting enzyme. Place the cuttings in a plant bed of sterilized potting soil mixed with sand and vermiculite. Keep the soil moist while the plants are establishing roots. In an orange crate, one can easily propagate ten to thirty new plants for a planned hedge.


http://www.rusticgirls.com/gardening/growing-holly.html

I bought two Blue Princess Holly Bushes on Friday

Plant taxonomy classifies Blue Princess holly as Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess.' Ilex is the genus name for holly. The x meserveae indicates that the shrub is one of the Meserve hybrid plants. 'Blue Princess' is the cultivar name. A popular male pollinator is the aptly named "Blue Prince holly" (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Prince'). You'll sometimes hear these shrubs referred to as being part of the "blue holly" group.

Plant Type for Blue Princess Holly:
Blue Prince and Blue Princess hollies are evergreen shrubs of the broadleaf variety.
Characteristics of Blue Princess Holly:

While it's possible for Blue Princess and Blue Prince holly to top 12' in height at maturity, these shrubs, even with just minimal pruning, are easily kept at a fraction of that height. Prune to the desired shape and dimensions. Unless you're using them in a hedge, these plants look best when the pruning isn't too obvious. To accomplish this, stagger the depth of your pruning cuts. For more on pruning holly, see below.

The shrubs' leaves are a glossy, dark green color and moderately spiny. Their inconspicuous flowers bloom in spring (and sometimes again in fall). Blue Princess holly berries are bright red.
Planting Zones for Blue Princess Holly:
Blue Princess holly can be grown in zones 5-8.
Sun and Soil Requirements for Blue Princess Holly:

Grow Blue Princess holly in full sun to partial shade. These shrubs like a well-drained soil with a pH that is acidic. Mix in compost as an amendment.

To keep the soil sufficiently acidic around Blue Princess, use "Holly-tone" or a similar product as a fertilizer.
Best time to Prune Blue Princess Holly?:

When is the best time to prune hollies? Well, you may have to juggle some priorities and make a compromise. Some folks prune in early winter because they want to bring the cut stems with their holly berries into the house and enjoy them inside. Others prune later in winter, because they prefer their display of holly berries outside.

Of course, any floral buds (whether on a male or female shrub) located on the branches you prune off are buds that won't open next year, resulting in reduced pollination and fewer holly berries (hollies bloom on old wood).
Uses for Blue Princess Holly:

Blue Princess hollies, with their evergreen leaves and trademark holly berries, are fine winter-interest shrubs and certainly attractive enough to serve as specimens in the winter landscape. To ensure optimal enjoyment of these qualities during the long winter, plant Blue Princess hollies near your main entrance, perhaps in a foundation planting. Their evergreen leaves also make them an option for those seeking hedge plants that will provide color year-round.
In Quest of Holly Berries -- Telling Blue Princess Apart From Blue Prince Holly:

These bushes are dioecious. Only Blue Princess can develop the trademark holly berries, and it needs a male pollinator to do that. But the question is, if you're looking at a blue holly that has no holly berries, how can you determine whether it's a Blue Prince holly or an unfertilized Blue Princess? The answer lies in their respective flowers.


I know from experience that Blue Prince holly's tastes as a pollinator aren't restricted to the Blue Princess type of holly. The first shrub I planted in my yard in hopes of enjoying holly berries was another type of Meserve blue holly, named 'Blue Maid,' a female. I needed to find a male pollinator for her, and I selected a Blue Prince holly. This male-female pair didn't hit it off right away; but pollination did occur in their second year together. The holly berries began forming that year after a second, fall flowering.

Holly Berries


While it is necessary to plant a male pollinator such as Blue Prince in order for a female to produce holly berries, it is not necessary to maintain a 1:1 male-female ratio. That is, one male such as Blue Prince will suffice as a pollinator for several females.

If you don't particularly like the look of evergreen hollies such as Blue Princess but still desire holly berries, plant winterberry, instead. Winterberry is a deciduous bush and its display of holly berries, under the right conditions, is superior to that on the evergreens.

Branches festooned with red holly berries may be pruned before the holidays, so that the clippings can be brought inside and used for decorations (but see above).

Blue Holly

The "blue" in "blue holly" derives from the degree of darkness in the leaves: some term this color "blue-green." Three of the most popular blue holly male-female pairs are as follows:

Blue Boy (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Boy') and Blue Girl (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Girl')
Blue Stallion (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Stallion') and Blue Maid (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Maid')

by By David Beaulieu
And the shrubs discussed in the present article, Blue Prince and Blue Princess


http://landscaping.about.com/od/evergreenshrubsbushes1/p/blue_princess.htm