In The Garden

• Arts & Culture

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     A century is a long time.  In today’s society, families move around the country frequently, and few families remain on the same homestead.  On October 1, 1924, Robert V. and Bertha M. Hooten moved from a tenant farm in Northeast Township, east of Orleans, to a small farm in Northwest Township, north of Prospect.  On October 13 of that year, Bertha gave birth to a girl, whom she named Helen Marie.  That baby would grow up and marry Charles Purkhiser, and they would become my parents. 

     Grandma Hooten loved flowers of all kinds.  She had brought some shrubs with her when she came to the farm, and began planting them.  Many of those plants are still growing here at what I now call Sandhill Gardens.  Grandma and my parents involved me in gardening from a young age.  We raised a lot of fruits and vegetables, but Grandma always included some flowers to attract pollinators and to provide beauty.  She also had a large collection of tropical plants that she brought into the house during the cold months.  I developed a true love for the gardens, and learned from these capable teachers.  It was only natural that I would later take the Purdue University Master Gardener courses. 

     When moving to a new home, some people like to clear out what is there and design from a clean slate.  While there have been some changes made from Grandma’s original plantings and I have added many new plants, there are still many of Grandma’s shrubs and flowers growing right where she planted them.  On Saturday, September 28, I will be celebrating a century of gardening at Sandhill Gardens by the Hooten and Purkhiser families.  I invite you to join in the celebration.  There will be a plant exchange beginning at 10 AM, and garden talks throughout the day. 

     Highlighting the celebration will be the plants that Grandma Hooten planted a century ago.  Several such plants form informal hedge rows on both sides of the driveway.  On the south side are a large bridal wreath spirea and a mock orange.  The north side of the drive has a forsythia, three lilacs and  rose of Sharon.  I have added a double-flowering rose of Sharon.  There are also two of Grandma’s peonies (or, as she called them, pineys), but they have been cut back for the season.  Over the years, I have added many more peonies, including tree peonies and intersectional peonies.  One of my favorites is a wild mountain peony from Japan.  It is from this plant that most of the modern peonies have been bred.

     Another of grandma’s original plants is a tall sedum that has white flowers.  The original planting was under the kitchen window.  That original house is no longer there, but the sedums still grow in that place.  I have taken cuttings and have more of them growing in other parts of the garden now.

     Perhaps the plant most requested by family members is grandma’s old-fashioned rose.  The light pink double rose has one of the most fragrant scents of any flower I have ever smelled.  It is a one-time spring bloomer, but that scent is so wonderful that it definitely earns its place in the landscape.

     The original snowball viburnum still grows in the front yard, and another, propagated from a cutting, is in the moon garden I have planted at the top of the cliff.       

     I cannot promise that the gardens will be spectacular.  The weather, my aging body and malfunctioning equipment have stymied my attempts to make everything perfect, but you will see a lot of plants and one of the most breath-taking views in southern Indiana. I’d love to see you there.  The gardens are located at 3061 N. County Road 810 W. in West Baden Springs, IN.   

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     Autumn will arrive on Sunday, September 22 at 8:44 AM Eastern Daylight Saving Time.  However, it appears that summer just does not want to let go.  Warm temperatures remain in the forecast.  A tropical system may bring some chance of much-needed rain to the Hoosier Hills this week, but cooler temperatures are not expected, with highs expected to be near 90 degrees.

     If you visit garden centers, you may see signs claiming that fall is for planting.  Normally, that is so, but the weather conditions need to be more fall-like to really be good for planting.  Perennials, trees and shrubs may all be planted in the fall, but timing is important.  For most plants, they need to be planted early enough to allow good root establishment before the ground freezes.  Without good root establishment, the plant may suffer from heaving during the freeze-thaw cycles typical of an Indiana winter.  It the roots are heaved out of the ground, they may freeze during the next cold snap.  Even if the cold does not kill the plant, the heaved roots will become desiccated if there is little snow cover.

     Moisture is another important factor in fall planting.  Soil moisture levels are low after several weeks of drought, and plants must have moisture to get established.  Supplemental watering will almost certainly be necessary, even if we get some rain.  Watering deeply is necessary.  Plants that are watered sparingly will develop feeder roots near the surface to take advantage of the water sprinkled on the soil surface.  Letting the water soak deep into the soil will make the roots grow to seek that moisture.  It is better to water deeply and less frequently.  On the other hand, some plants will suffer if we get a lot of moisture in the winter.  Such plants should be planted in areas with good drainage, such as on banks.

     Garden centers will soon be marking down the plants, and it is hard to pass up bargains, especially for plantaholics like me.  I already have a nursery area of plants I have purchased, and I am sure I will find more as I visit garden centers this fall.  The truth of the matter is most nurseries do not have the capacity to over-winter plants in pots.  While some plants that are especially cold hardy may survive, more marginal plants need to be in the ground.  Big-box stores do not overwinter any of their plants, so they will either discount them or throw them in the dumpsters.  However, a bargain is not truly a bargain if you are just going to let the plant die. 

     Plants set out in the fall will need special attention through the winter.  While our winters tend to be wet, if we do not get normal precipitation, you may need to water plants in the winter.  This should be done on days when the ground is not frozen.  You should check on your plants frequently to see if they need water.  You also need to watch for heaving of the root ball, and take steps to get the roots back in the soil if heaving occurs.  One way to prevent heaving is to apply a couple of inches of an organic mulch after the ground is frozen.  This will insulate the soil and keep it from thawing.

      Over the next couple of weeks, I will be trying to plant some of the shrubs and perennials I have purchased.  It will be a busy time, as I will also be preparing to host my Century Celebration open garden event on Saturday, September 28.  Come on by Sandhill Gardens to help celebrate 100 years of my family’s gardening here.  We will begin with a plant exchange at 10 AM, and there will be some gardening talks and demonstrations throughout the day.  It will be pretty informal, but I invite you to come and see plants that my maternal grandmother, Bertha Hooten, set out in the fall of 1924.  She must have done it right, as many of them are still growing in the same locations a century later.  I hope to see you here.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     What are those yellow, daisy-shaped flowers growing along the roads?  This question has been posed to me many times, and there are many answers.  There are actually several different genera, each with multiple species that may have daisy-like yellow flowers.  Some are natives, and others were introduced and have naturalized.  The question of native or introduced sometimes gets pretty muddied.  Many native flowers were collected by early explorers and taken to Europe.  Some were bred to form new cultivars, which eventually made their way back to Indiana, where they escaped from cultivation.  These Nativars (cultivars of native plants) sometimes tend to out-compete the original species. Sometimes the native plants cross with the introduce plants, producing hybrids.  Even the experts argue if these plants are considered native or invasive.

     The easy answer to the question above would be to call all of them black-eyed Susans.  Indeed, that common name is often applied to such flowers, but is usually reserved for plants in the genus Rudbeckia, and most often to the particular species Rudbeckia hirta.  This common plant is a good example of a plant that has been the focus of breeding efforts, with several cultivars now existing.  It becomes difficult to determine the exact cultivar existing in a wild setting.  Rudbeckia fulgida is also native, but is rare in Indiana, and some varieties are considered endangered.

     The genus Helianthus is also common along Hoosier roadways.  There are many species, and this genus has long been the subject of breeding efforts to produce the sunflowers that provide food, oil and other products, and also to provide the many garden sunflowers popular as annual plants in flower beds.  We often see bees and other pollinators visiting plants of this genus, and their efforts result in many crosses.  The seeds drop or are carried by animals, resulting in many stands of sunflowers.  One particular native species that is presently in bloom is Helianthus tuberosa—the Jerusalem artichoke.  They have been called the intersection of flowers, food and foraging.  That common name is a big misnomer.  The species has nothing to do with Jerusalem and they are only very distantly related to the artichoke.  However, the tubers have been cultivated as a food crop for centuries by native peoples.  They were one of the earliest plants taken by explorers back to Europe, where they became popular for food and livestock feed.  In fact, the tuber was dubbed the greatest soup vegetable at a French food festival.  The tubers fell out of favor as a vegetable for many years, but have been making somewhat of a comeback.  They may be eaten cooked, raw or pickled, and are often touted as a low-carb alternative to potatoes.  They will propagate from seed or will re-grow from pieces of the tubers, so they often form dense colonies that are aggressive and will choke out competition.

     While there are numerous species of sunflowers, some of the similar-looking flowers belong to the      genus Heliopsis.  This genus is commonly known as false sunflower.

     The genus Silphium includes several species.  Prairie dock, cup plant, compass plant and various rosinweeds are included in this genus.  Most of them are tall plants with the flowers towering above some of the plant world’s most interesting foliage.  Many of the species are more common in marsh areas of northern Indiana, but the cup plant is common here in the south.  The leaves actually form cups along the stem, where rain may be caught and will persist for some time.  This plant is one that seems to attract the attention of visitors to my meadow.

     Other genera producing yellow daisies include Coreopsis, Helenium, Verbesina and Ratiba.  Many of these also exist in the meadow at Sandhill Gardens.  Come to the garden open house on September 28 to have a look at some of these plants.

• Garden

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     A truly great garden must appeal to all five senses.  The sense of hearing is probably the one least associated with gardening.  Many times, we resort to artificial means to add sound.  We hang wind chimes or set up a fountain to provide the sound of water splashing.  However, if we provide for the needs of nature’s musicians, they will come.  A recent visitor to Sandhill Gardens marveled at the sound of birds, frogs and insects.  Some creature is providing sound at almost any time of day or night.

     While the birds are still singing in the mornings, a major source of sound in the late summer garden is the hum of hummingbird wings and the buzz of bees.  With the intense heat recently, I have taken many breaks when gardening, and during those respites in the shade, I have enjoyed watching the ruby-throated hummingbirds flittering from flower to flower, providing a constant percussion.  The bees have also been busy, preparing for the coming of winter.

     While annual and perennial flowers provide feeding stations for the hummingbirds and bees, at this time of the year, a couple of shrubs are major sources of nectar.  Abelia and caryopteris are not native shrubs, but the constant presence of pollinators on their flowers in late summer and fall convince me that they deserve a spot in my landscape.  Neither has become invasive in Indiana.

     Abelia provides interest in all seasons.  There are about 30 species in the genus, many of which are at least semi-evergreen.  Even when not in bloom, the foliage is attractive and colorful.  The one at Sandhill Gardens has leaves that are green with accents of yellow, orange, bronze and burgundy.  The colors change with the season, becoming darker in the winter.  However, it is the tubular flowers that attract the bees and hummingbirds.  Abelia starts to flower in late spring, and, unlike most shrubs, continues to set new blooms into fall.  The buds are much darker than the open blossoms.  Since there are buds and blooms present together, the clusters take on a variegated appearance when viewed from afar.  My abelia has pink blooms, but there are species with white and yellow blossoms.  The black spruce and two large female blue hollies sited behind the abelia serve to make the shrub really stand out.  The bloom clusters make great fillers in bouquets, and will last several days as a cut flower.

     The blue of caryopteris makes a good foil for the pink abelia.  Commonly known as blue beard, this late summer bloomer also keeps blooming into late fall.  The steely blue is the color of the species, but there are cultivars with purple and white flowers.  The airy flower clusters are a great source of nectar, attracting native bees as well as honey bees.

     Both of these shrubs are low-maintenance plants, preferring sunny locations, but appreciating some shade in the hot afternoon.  Once established, they are very drought tolerant.  Neither of them has received any supplemental watering this summer, yet both are faring very well, despite the lack of rain.  They have few pest and disease problems and do not require a lot of pruning to keep them in shape.  If desired, the caryopteris may be cut to the ground in late winter and it will still grow to be a large shrub by late summer.

     Both of these shrubs may be propagated from cuttings or from seeds.  However, to ensure that they are true to the parent plant, it is better to use the cuttings.  Abelias may be produced from hardwood cuttings in the fall or from softwood cuttings in the spring.  Softwood cuttings root more easily, but plants produced from hardwood cuttings tend to be more hardy.  Caryopteris cuttings root easily and may be taken any time during the growing season.  Come out to the open garden at Sandhill Gardens on September 28 and take a cutting to grow you own shrubs.