Big Bloomers Flower Farm

Sunday, June 21, 2009

PLANT OF THE MOMENT-COREOPSIS GRANDIFLORA "PRESTO"

So...I've been wondering??? What does it mean when customers are selling YOU plants? Hummmm.......

The other day a couple of our "regulars" came in. The couple are a "couple" and I always enjoy seeing them and what they are buying. You can always spot "kindred spirits". People that enjoy growing things and being able to appreciate hard work and the beauty of what you can create. Of course all the hard work is never appreciated as much as one simple bloom on a flower.

I asked if I could help them find anything and they showed me two plants they were looking for.

The first was a salvia and we happened to have a four-pack of the one they were looking for. Gotta take advantage of those four-packs of perennials whenever you can.

The second plant was a coreopsis. They had picked a stem cutting with flower and leaves to try to match it to some they are growing already, since they were not sure of the name. They told me it was very short six to twelve inches tall. I was a bit intrigued by their short stature but I am not usually swayed by coreopsis, for reasons you will later learn.

We went down the bench that contained all our coreopsis, looking at size and flower color and couldn't find one we could be sure was the right one. He walked down with me looking and comparing flowers and leaf structure while she stayed behind. We were all the way down the bench when she said she found it. Actually, right where we had started looking. It was Coreopsis grandiflora "Presto". Actually.... a very cool name for a very cool plant.

I commented after looking at and admiring the short and stocky growth habit of this nice little plant, that I don't really grow coreopsis that much. I love the threadleafs but I just can't seem to make them happy enough to grow in my sand and the grandifloras need too much deadheading for my liking. He got a sly smile on his face when I mentioned the latter and said,"Its no problem for me, I just wack em with the weed wacker". We laughed and I thought that wasn't a bad idea at all.

Didn't think much else about it till the couple came up with their purchases. He had eight of the coreopsis and I commented "Oh my, I guess you really DO love this plant". They laughed and explained they were starting a new bed and really wanted that solid splash of yellow up front. He commented that they bloom for a good, long time and when they get tired he just wacks them with the weed wacker and in two weeks they are blooming their little heads off again.

OKAY....I told him...you sold ME.

After they left, I walked back into the greenhouses and retrieved one for myself and and for this reason Coreopsis grandiflora "Presto" is my plant of the moment.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Plant of the Moment-Rosa Zephirine Drouhin

So.....Today at work I was in the "white fenced area". This is the area we keep most of our roses. I was there to collect some Knockout roses to restock an area where we also have them closer to the entrance of the nursery as a convenience to our customers.

While I was there I noticed a rose that was growing very vigorously about two feet taller than the other climbing roses in that area. I also noticed that this rose was almost fully green to the bottom, which is a bit unusual here in the south where older growth usually starts showing signs of black spot even for the most diligent gardener. Hummm, I thought...It has a name I can't pronounce and I don't know very much about this rose. So I picked out the Knockouts that I needed and made a beeline into our office to "google" this Zephirine Drouhin. I clicked on the first link that was listed and saw that I NEEDED to grow this rose.

http://roses.toytrains1.com/zephirine_drouhin.htm

Zephirine Drouhin is considered an heirloom rose. It is vigorous, floriferous, highly scented and blooms spring through fall with the strongest flushes of bloom being of course in the spring and in the fall. OH OH OH did I say it was completely thornless? Well I guess I just did.

I promptly walked back out to the "white fenced area" and claimed one for my own. My only problem being now where do I put it. I have an archway at the entrance of the walkway leading to my house and thought I would put it there but then after much rethinking, I was sure it would be to vigorous a rose to use in that area since the archway is very lovely and decorative and I was worried it would be completely hidden by this vigorous grower.

In the meantime I pulled Cinda (one of our greenhouse managers) into the "white fenced area" to show her this vigorous rose that SHE needed to grow too and also showed her the link that made me fall in love with it. I expressed to her my concern about it taking over my lovely, metalwork archway. She said to me "well...don't you have a deck". EUREKA..."Yes...YES" I said (well I might have screamed that part). "I do...I do have a deck, and...and..and I have a nicely dug and amended spot right in the corner where I recently lost a shrub." To which I added "You are a GENIUS" (I might have screamed that last part also).

Tonight after I got home from work I planted my lovely Zephirine Drouhin in that already amended spot on the corner of my deck right next to the stairway that my husband and I love to sit in the early morning and look out into the back fields and woodland. I imagine that in the coming years when we sit there with our morning coffee we will have the added pleasure of enjoying the fragrance of this strongly scented and lovely rose and for this reason Zephirine Drouhin is my Plant of the Moment.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

WHERE'S ALLEY?

Our girl Alley is well known, far and wide for being a counter-potato. She is a plopper. She loves to plop herself here and there and everywhere but she especially loves to plop herself down into just about anything on our counter.

She was gone for a couple of days and she is very happy, as are we, that she is back here in a "box" on our counter.

Gotta love our girl Alley!

Friday, May 22, 2009

FOR FATHER'S DAY..HOW BOUT GIVING AN AGAVE

In my experience at the front desk at Big Bloomers I have noticed that agaves are a particular favorite of our male customers. It seems most of our agave "collectors" are men.

Agaves are one tough and dangerous plant. They make really great stand alone specimen plants and they are drought, heat and humidity tolerant which we have our share of here in North Carolina. I have small dogs so I mostly use agaves in large pots.

John was excited to bring in some really great new specimen agave this spring.

Agave 'Burnt Burgundy'

This agave hybrid has blue-gray leaves with a sharp burgundy edge. It grows 12-15 inches tall and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave funkiana 'Blue Haze'

This funkiana has beautiful powdery-blue leaves with a near-white central midstripe. It will grow to about 2 feet and is hardy to Zone 7.

Agave funkiana 'Fatal Attraction'

'Fatal Attraction' has narrow dark green leaves with a lighter central midstripe. It grows to two feet tall and wide and is hardy to zone 7.

Agave parryi ssp huachuensis 'J.C. Raulston'

This is one very special agave and is a clonal selection of parryi growing at the J.C. Raulston Arbotetum in Raleigh. It forms a perfect 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide tightly held clump of blue-gray wedge-shaped leaves. 'J.C. Raulston' is hardy to zone 7.

Agave 'Silver Surfer'

This is a large agave. It sports rigid silvery-blue leaves 5 feet fall by 9 feet wide. Quite a stunning specimen plant and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave toumeyana

Agave toumeyana has thick, upright gray-green leaves with unraveling filifers along the leaf margins when mature. It is a small agave, 12"x 12" and being so would be perfect in rock gardens, front of the border or added to a container garden. It is hardy to zone 7b

Agave utahensis ssp utahensis

This is another small agave forming a small clump of 6-8 inches. Like toumeyana it would be great in rock gardens or added to a container garden. This one is hardy down to Zone 6 so my sister in Connecticut could actually grow this one in her landscape.

Agave 'Zebra'

Agave 'Zebra' has marbled broad bands of pale green running horizontally through its v shaped leaves when it is mature. It grows about 3-4 feet tall and wide. This one is fast growing but will be slower growing if it doesn't have regular water. Its hardy to Zone 7.