Today's bloom is in under the crape myrles in the front of the garden.  It was yesterday's Viagra Moment.

size reference

notice all of the flies.

Today's new Viagra Lily bloom that is next to the pond is being stalked by the pond gator.  Flies were substantial and the odour was strapping.

Need I say anything - of course.  If erection lasts for more than four hours contact your local gardener.

photo - Denise Henhorffer/Courier-Post

This is a photo of us taken during the Garden Tour.  It was used in an article in the Courier Post about Garden Tours.  Here is the link.

www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100522/LIFE02/5220301/1066/life02/Dig-it-

If the link doesn't work just copy and paste it into your browser.

This is Phase One completed last year of your typicaly clear cut New Retirement Community that required community board approval for the design and new bed plantings.  The arborvitae were requested by the homeowner and used as a privacy screen for the patio.  To the left of the arborvitae is a young filbert or walking stick tree.  I used a red lace leaf japanese maple as the focal point and main attraction on the left corner of the rear patio surrounding it with a variety of perrienals and stones.  Nothing has been planted this year, and all that you see survived the blizzards of the 2010 winter.  The planting beds were all given a rounded shape all across the back of the building leaving a five foot wide grass entrance to the back yard.  Phase Two will consist of different beds and shaped mounds in the yard with tree and periennial plantings.  The customer is very pleased with the results and is anxious to have Phase Two approved and installed this year.

Dracunculus vulgaris - Viagra Lili

The joys of having a lot of different plants.  This morning one of my water iris went into bloom.  I'm not sure yet what type it is yet but will try to find out. 

Thanks for all who came through Ferret Hollow.  It was a great sunny day, well over 600 people attended.  The hit of the day were the starburst allium, Allium schubertii, that I have been growing for a number of years.  Unfortunately two of them didn't make it through the rough winter we had.  The pond Koi were busy spawning in the newly 50% water change that cleared it up quite a lot from all of the pollen that was in it.  The other hit are all of the Viagra Lilies, Dracunculus vulgaris, that I have spread out around the garden. Their flowers grow to over 2' and I have measured my largest one at 28".  Unfurtunately they were not quite ready to bloom.  One should be popping in a couple of days.  They propogate using fly's instead of the typically used bee's and to attract them they have a slight smell reminiciant of rotting meat for the first day.  They are the cousin of the Voodo Lily, Amorphophallus, that has the largest flower in the world growing upwards of 8 feet in its native environment with the plant growing to 15 feet. 

Keep your eyes out in the Courior Post for photos and an article on the event.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me using my contact link.

Allium schubertii - Ornamental Onion/Allium

Dracunculus vulgaris - Viagra Lili

A visitor from the night.

I have been told by a number of other pond owners and dealers that there is a problem with pond water colour this spring, turning into a dark brown tea.  In speaking with them we have come up with the probable cause - POLLEN.  This spring has had an extraordinary amount of tree pollen in the air - a brownish green color.  On some days everything is coated with a thick layer.  We generally feel that it should clear up with the end of the tree pollen season pretty soon.  One way to lessen the amount of the colour would be to do a water change.  I wouldn't do more than about 1/4 - 1/3 of the total volume cleaning the brown residue out as you empty.  It's a very good idea to use the run off water to fertilize your garden which is very high in nutrients that plants just love.  I use two 25 foot sump pump 2.25" hoses, inexpensive at Home Depot, to reach most of my garden.  Remember to add pond salt back into the water all around the edges.  It's good for the health of the fish.

My Favorite pond supply is Pond Pro Aquatics in Jobstown, NJ.  The owner Don has quite a great setup.  They absolutely have the most pond fish that I have yet to encounter.  Mostly KOI but also carry a large selection of Comets, Shubunkins, Tadpoles and Snails with a large supply of aquatic plants.  The free range Chickens make it an interesting visit.  The shop is located on his father Don Sr.'s family farm in the middle of farm country in NJ.  A very nice drive out there past horse and goat farms.  for information - 609-723-4220

When buying garden tools make sure to spend the extra money and buy well made preferably forged steel.  The tool will last you a long time.  Most store bought tools are cheap, poorly made and will break, bend or fall apart when used.  My favorite place to get tools is at the best garden center in the entire Philadelphia Tri-State region - Terrain at Styers.  Well made hand forged tools are a bit pricey but well worth it. What was the best garden center was bought by the owners of Anthropologie who gave it a do-over turning it into a complete magical experience.  It is located in Concordville PA on the corner of Rt 1 and Rt 322.  Go and spend an afternoon there, have lunch, shop in the home store, buy all of their top quality stock of plants, pick up planters, fountains, everything that you need for the home landscape except the person to install everything that you couldn't live without.  They'll do that too for a fee, so will I.  My latest want is a hosta called Fire Island.  It is an offshoot of the Red October hosta but has yellow leaves instead of green but has the same red petioles.  It is just stunning.  None are in at the moment but one is on display in one of their many beautifully planted containers.  - off to Ferret Hollow.

The tools that I use most of the time are a forged steel trowel, a  Japanese Hori Hori Weeder Knife, a three pronged cultivator claw, good leather gloves, and of course good knee pads.  Also a good idea to be wearing glasses or sunglasses for eye protection.  You never know when one of the branches are going to make a bee line to your eye when you are least expecting it. 

A cold Wnter of 2010 Blizzard