Sad Loss

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I just found out tonight that one of my local twitter gardening buddies, Peter Vandenberg (@pdvvandy), died in his sleep unexpectedly on Tuesday night. Even though I only met Peter once in person, I held many conversations with him over twitter. He was a kind soul, and I know will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He and his wife collected hostas, and they held a yearly plant sale with all proceeds going to school children in Uganda. Peter was born with polio and was an avid bike rider. He was trying to see if he could match the time to qualify for the paralympics. If you would like to make a donation in Peter's name, the charity he believed wholeheartedly in was the Alliance for Youth Development. Their web page is http://www.allforyouth.org/.

What's the Buzz About Sedum?

Sedum is a standard plant in many gardens, because it adds color in the fall when most other plants are dying off for the season.  It's easy to grow, and I have put it in my sunny and shady beds and it works in either place.  It also is a great magnet for bees and butterflies!

Helenium - the long lasting perennial for color

On Wednesdays, I usually post a wordless Wednesday post that features plants that are blooming or are just interested at that time.  I realized last week that as I was looking around in my yard at what was still blooming in late September, that my helenium were still blooming.  I guess it wasn't until I started posting pictures every week that I realized just how long the blooms on the helenium last.  I started taking pictures of my helenium in July, and they are still blooming over 2 months later.  Not only are they long lasting, they also are magnets for bees and butterflies.  I have mine growing in both sun and part sun, and they do fine in both locations.   Helenium can get quite tall by fall, sometimes reaching over 4 feet tall.  So last year I did an experiment and cut them in half in early summer.  My plants stayed shorter, and still bloomed just like asters would if you cut them in early summer.  Some different varieties I have in my garden are 'Chelsey', 'Mardi Gras', 'Red Gold', 'Sahin's Early Flowerer', and 'Moerheim Beauty'.

Plant Sale this Weekend

My friend is having a plant sale this weekend.  If you are looking for perennial and hosta, it's a great fall sale.  If you click on the picture, it will make the image bigger.

Cheesehead Gardening Episode 10 - Dividing Peony & Late Summer/Fall Hosta Care

Green Bay Botanical Garden Sale

Today is the 15th Anniversary Celebration & Art Harvest at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens.  Don't let the rain keep you away, there is a lot of great plants available at this sale!  The Green and Gold Hosta Society will be hosting their annual hosta sale.  Some great hostas will be available while supplies last.  Like daylily instead?  The BAD buds daylily society will be holding their annual daylily sale.  There are also native plants and herbs available.  The sale is from 9am to 5pm today!  I plan on being out this afternoon rain or shine!
More Information about the sale.

Wordless Wednesday

Seed GROW Project September Update

My "spitfire" nasturtiums have really taken off.  Can you believe the size the of the leaves on them?  They are almost as big now, as the ones I saw in Alaska in late spring.  These are the ones that I started uses my water bottle cloches in early spring.  The ones I started once the threat of frost was gone this spring, are no where near this size.  Speaking of frost.....there was actually a frost watch out for upper Wisconsin this weekend.  We were "up-north" for the weekend, and one morning it was in the upper 30's.  Yes, welcome to Wisconsin.  Just this past week it was 90 and humid, we were running the air.  This weekend we were running the heat up at the cabin.

And yes....the earwigs are still eating the leaves on my plants.

I'm growing spitfire nasturtiums for the Seed Grow Project.

Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds!

Wordless Wednesday