Rhododendron

The main purpose of this blog is to keep a record of the plants in my garden. I wanted to publish a post whenever something was in flower. But that has not been easy to do. Life keeps getting in the way. I didn't show you my Rhododendron when it was in bloom. So here it is now.

Rhododendron means 'rose' (rhodos) and 'tree' (dendron). It belongs to the family Ericeae. Azaleas are part of this family too. There are over 1000 species.

I have no idea which one I have. I planted it many, many years ago and never expected it to survive in our cold climate. It is evergreen, but very cold winters can turn the leaves yellowish-brown.

Each year it seems to have less blooms on it. I wonder if it is happy where I have planted it. No....I know it is not happy! The Sweet Cicely is crowding in on it. And the goose neck loosestrife is taking over this entire bed. (but more about them later) I am going to have to do some serious weeding in order to save my little Rhodie. But I know it will be worth the hard work!

Many rhododendrons are poisonous. For grazing animals and especially horses, this shrub can be fatal.

Family: Ericeae. Genus: Rhododendron.

Chives

I love the chives in my garden! I grow them mainly for the wonderful violet flowers that bloom in spring. But chives belong to the onion family and can be used as an herb to flavour many culinary dishes. In our climate they die back each fall and re-appear in early spring. It is the first herb I can harvest after a long winter. And nothing tastes better than some fresh chives on a baked potato shortly after the snow disappears. They can be grown from seeds and can easily be propagated by divisions.

Chives are the smallest species of the onion family. They are a bulb-forming herbaceous perennial that grow in clusters. The leaves are hollow and can be cut to their base without damage to the plant. New leaves will grow back as the summer progresses. Bees love chives and this plant can be used to lure bees to the garden to fertilize other plants. The plants themselves, however, contain sulphur compounds which repel other insects. Chives are rich in vitamin A and C and contain trace amounts of calcium and iron. But eating this plant in large amounts could cause digestive upsets. Early gypsies believed that hanging bunches of dried chives around the house would ward off illness and evil spirits.

Family: Alliaceae. Genus: Allium. Species: A. schoenoprasum

Common Name: Chives

Wisteria

I realize that I have more plants than I can handle at the moment. Lots of things are coming into bloom right now. I will show you my Wisteria. For years and years I wanted a Wisteria, but could not figure out how or where to grow it. I was afraid that our climate would not allow me to grow this gorgeous plant. But boy! Was I wrong!

About 4 or 5 years ago I bought a small wisteria plant. I planted it near the fence, thinking that it could climb up that. A few days later I found that my plant had been dug up and was lying in a wilted heap on top of the soil. It was a mystery. I never found out exactly what happened to it. I replanted it, but unfortunately it never did well after that. I bought another plant the following year and watched it carefully. It started to grow and grow and grow! That sucker grew at least five feet that first summer. The following year I had a single drooping grape-like bloom! I was ecstatic! My neighbout was not! He kept cutting every new shoot that came over the fence into his yard. He had had a wisteria in his yard a few years prior to this. It was a present to his wife from their daughter for Mother's Day. It had many wonderful blooms on it the second summer they had it, but he cut it down because "it was growing too fast". That silly man does not like plants!

I bought a trellis for my wisteria, but it soon became too small. The plant has intertwined in it and I guess I will have to leave it there, but next year I am going to have my husband build an arbor for it to properly grow on. I love this plant and think it will look so amazing with all the flower clusters hanging down. I can already imagine myself sitting under it! Wisteria is a woody herbaceous perennial vine. It grows by entwining itself either clockwise or counter clockwise on anything that is available.
Wisteria is considered to be a weed in many parts of the world. And it certainly can be invasive. Its vigorous growth can choke out other plants. But it can easily be pruned to keep it in check. I plan to give mine a place of honour in the garden!

There appear to be two kinds of Wisteria. One is a Japanese Wisteria. (W. floribunda) It grows in a clockwise direction. There is also one that is a Chinese Wisteria. (W. sinensis) It grows counter clockwise. Mine grows clockwise so it must be the Japanese variety.

The blooms are borne on racemes - long pendular clusters -around the middle of June. They are a light lilac colour. Very beautiful! The leaves are pinate. There are about 9 to 15 leaflets on each. The seed pods look very much like beans, but the seeds are poisonous! This plant can live for 50 years! It'll be around a lot longer than I will.

Family: Fabaceae. Genus: Wisteria. Species: W. floribunda.

Common Name: Wisteria

Penstemon

I planted this plant in my garden three or four years ago. I don't remember what it was called. I just liked the way it looked This year I went back to the garden centre to ask about its name. I was told it is an Angelonia. That is all they could tell me about it. So I looked it up and found that it definitely does look like Angelonia, but Angelonia is only a perennial in zone 9 and 10. I live in zone 5a. It should be an annual here. But it keeps coming back every year since I planted it. So I'm a little confused. Edit: Well the mystery is solved. This plant is a Penstemon. And that explains everything.

There are two different colour of Penstemon in my garden. They were in the same pot when I bought them. One is a purple-blue one. The other is pink.

I have to look this one up, because I don't know too much about penstemon. I'll be back.

Family: Plantaginaceae. Genus: Penstemon. Species:

Common Name: Beardtongue

Maltese Cross - Lychnia chalcedonica

Maltese Cross is a herbaceous perennial. Mine are a deep reddish-orange, but many other cultivars have been developed. Maltese Cross will grow to three feet in height. I grow mine in a peony cage to keep them from falling over. These plants are easy to take care of and don't need special conditions. In my garden they are growing in some of the worst soil that I have and yet they are doing well. Maltese Cross originated in Central and Eastern Russia, from Kasakhstan to Mongolia and Northeastern China. They were brought to North America by early settlers.
The flowers are borne on tall stems in clusters containing many florets. The florets are shaped like a cross, hence the name, Maltese Cross. The seed pods are dry capsules which contain many seeds. I usually remove the spent flowers in order to make this plant flower throughout the summer. Also, if left to self seed, it could become invasive. But it is not difficult to keep this plant under control. In early spring it is easy to identify Maltese Cross. Then they can be removed or transplanted.

Family: Carophyllaceae. Genus: Lychnis. Species: L. chalcedonica

Common Names: Maltese Cross, Jerusalem Cross.

A Weed is a Weed

Meet my Goutweed! This plant is doing a number on my garden and I didn't even plant it here! It came over from the garden behind ours. My neighbour thinks it's nice. And I will admit that the leaves are very pretty and it does look nice in the dark corner of the garden. But now that it's here, it is my job to try to keep this herbaceous perennial under control. If I don't, it could take over my entire garden. They don't call this plant a 'weed' for nothing. Goutweed spreads by rhizomes. If I dig them out and leave even one small piece of root, it will grow back.
It is a member of the carrot family. This seems strange until you see the flowers which are borne in umbrella-like clusters. They have never flowered in my garden, but I think that is because they are growing in a dark, shady spot and don't get enough sunlight. Apparently it is possible to pick the leaves of this plant in early spring and eat them much like spinach. I have never done this. Goutweed just doesn't sound appetising to me. There is also evidence of this plant's early use as a treatment for gout and arthritis. Hence the name 'Goutweed', but a weed by any other name is still a weed! Hours of back-breaking weeding fun are in my future!

Family: Apiaceae. Genus: Aegopodium. Species: A. podagraria

Common names: Goutweed, Bishop's weed, Snow-on-the-Mountain, Ground Elder

Bleeding Hearts - Dicentra Spectabilis

I mustn't forget to post my Bleeding Hearts. These lovely plants have been blooming for weeks and they don't seem to want to stop anytime soon. I have a lovely pink one that has been divided many times. Bleeding Hearts are easy to divide in early spring. My plant's clones are growing in many gardens around these parts!


These plants are native to Japan, but they do very well in our climate. They love a shady spot in the garden and they are perennial. Their deeply divided, fern-like leaves stay on the plant long after the flowers die back. The flowers are heart-shaped, hence the name, Bleeding Hearts.

Family: Fumairiaceae. Genus: Dicentra. Species: D. spectabilis.

Common Name: Bleeding Hearts