The Ozaukee Gardener
Information Page
Here's where you'll find details on information
mentioned in Elizabeth O'Connell's
weekly column, which runs in the Ozaukee Press
Migration Maps
As mentioned in the April 16, 2008 "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here are some links to online maps of migrations:
Journey North -- Hummingbirds, monarchs, robins, swallows and more!
Hummingbirds.net -- Ruby-throated hummingbird tracking map
Midwest Fruit Explorers
As mentioned in the October 10, 2007 "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here are some links to fruit-growing information:
Follow this link to watch a great little video about a standard city lot in the Chicago area with over 170 miniature apple trees! Gene Yale walks you through his back yard and talks about his trees, which are full-sized fruit varieties grafted onto dwarfing rootstock.
Follow this link to visit the Midwest Fruit Explorers website. This is a group of amateur fruit growers who share information and conduct seminars several times each year to help others learn grafting and growing techniques.
Birding Symposium
As mentioned in the January 31, 2007 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here is the link to the 2007 "Recent Developments in Wisconsin Ornithology" Symposium, which will take place on February 23 and 24 at the Port Washington Country Inn and Suites.
Click this link for the information and registration form (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)
Gardening Classes etc.
As mentioned in the January 4, 2007 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some links to gardening classes and events:
Riveredge Nature Center: Upcoming
Events
Ozaukee Master Gardeners: Event
Calendar (PDF)
Boerner Botanical Garden: Adult
Education & Programs
Chicago Botanic Garden: Winter
2006-Spring 2007 Course Catalog (PDF)
Olbrich Botanic Gardens: Educational
Program Schedule
Fox Valley Wild Ones: Website
with programs, workshops, etc.
Milwaukee Rose Society: Website with
events listing
Wisconsin Daylily Society: Website
with events listing
Garden Tours Overseas
As mentioned in the March 22, 2006 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some links to garden touring in other countries:
Australia - Open
Garden Scheme
Belgium - Jardins Ouverts-Open Tuinen
Britain - National Gardens Scheme
Japan - N.G.S. Japan
Netherlands - Nederlandse Tuinenstichting (Dutch Garden Society,
NTs)
New Zealand - New Zealand Gardens Trust
Scotland - Scotland's Gardens Scheme
USA - The Garden Conservancy
Weeds!
As mentioned in the June 22, 2005 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some links to details on oxalis and "orchid weed"!
Oxalis:
"Yellow woodsorrel" - WeedAlert
"Sour on sourgrass" - Berkeley Horticultural Nursery
Orchid Weed:
"Helleborine" - Connecticut
Botanical Society
"Epipactis helleborine" - University
of Wisconsin
Tender Perennial Suggestions
As mentioned in the April 9, 2003 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some suggestions for tender perennials for use in container gardens from a presentation by Anthony Noel at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
Mr. Noel's point here is that there are lots of other choices for containers than red geraniums with cordalyne spikes for sun or impatiens for shade. I'm sure everything he recommends is great, if you can afford it.
My alternatives aren't meant to be the same as his but to suggest that there are things in your yard that can be used creatively to make your container gardens unique - at least until everybody else tries it. Using plants at hand will stretch your gardening dollar.
As always, I suggest you invest in good containers of ample size. The new lightweight, xxx are great. They're easy to handle and provide insulation for plant roots in places that are hot and sunny. Smaller pots make more work for the gardener since you'll need to water more frequently. Some plants also need more room to grow large enough to make the kind of display you'll want.
Sun
Salvia patens - blue flowers, silver foliage, zone 8-9
Penstemon "Russian River - maroon, zone 7-10
Penstemon 'Stapleford Gem'- lavender, zone 7-10
Pelargonium 'Lord Bute' - raspberry black, zone 10
Osteospermum 'Whirlygig' or 'Pink Whirls' - architectural flower in white
or light pink; daisy like with folded petals, zone 10-11
Alstromeria braziliensis 'Alba' - white with a green throat; plants have stiff roots which break easily - don't transplant' zone 8-10
Agapanthus 'Blue Imp' - clear, light blue lily-like
flower, zone 8-10
Abutilon - flowering maple comes in many colors, 'Snowfall' is white,
zone 7-10
Brugmansia - Angel's trumpet comes in many colors, fragrant; easily
started from seed
ALL PARTS ARE EXTREMELY POISONOUS, zones 8-11
Crinum x powelii 'alba' or 'rosa' - fragrant, amaryllis
type flower (bulb), zone 7-10
Cobaea scandens - purple flowered climber, zone 8-10
Clematis florida 'Sieboldii' - white flower with pinkish center,
climber, zone 6-9
Tweedia caerulea - forget-me-not blue flowered climber, easily started
from seed, zone 8-10
Senecio cineraria 'Silver Dust' - familiar bedding
plant used as standard, zone 8-10
Artemesia 'Powis Castle' - silver foliage, zone 7-9
Shade
Hygrangea macrophylla, lace-cap - woody shrubs in a
variety of colors
Arisaema candidissimum - Chinese jack-in-the-pulpit, spathe is striped
pink and green, zone 6-9
Zantedeschia 'Black Magic' - dark maroon calla lily (bulb), zone 8-10
You might also try these plants. I prefer them because most are zone hardy here. If you don't have room in a protected garage, you may be able to overwinter them by sinking their containers in the garden and mulching the area well. This has worked for me. You can also establish these plants in the garden and then take free divisions for your containers.
Salvia daghestanica - dwarf silver leafed sage zone 5-8
sun
Penstemon x Mexicale 'Pike's Peak Purple' - violet-purple, zone 5-9 sun
Penstemon linarioides v coloradoensis - lavender, zone 4-9 sun
Geranium phaenum 'Samobor' - light maroon flowers, leaves splotched which
maroon, zone 5-7 sun/part shade
Alstromeria 'Sweet Laura' - light yellow-orange; zone 5-8 sun
Clematis 'Snow Queen' - 7-10' tall, good for containers, white with pink
stamens, zone 5-7
Stachys byzantina - use in sun to replace Senecio or Artemesia, zone 4-7
sun
Pulmonaria 'Northern Lights' - in shade to replace Senecio or Artemesia,
zone 5-7
Athyrium nipponicum 'Ghost' Athyrium 'Ursula's Red' - ferns that
can be elevated in shade to take the place of Senecio as a standard, zone 4-8
Mini-Bar Rose Morning Glory -6', ivy leafed, variegated form with fuchsia
flowers can be trained on a topiary form, easily grown from seed
Miniature trees and shrubs also work well in containers, and can give tropical feel to the garden. When it comes to plants like bananas, however, be sure you know the definition of "dwarf." This just means smaller than normal and, since some plants grow to 30', a dwarf will be 10' or more. This may be larger than you're prepared to house in the living room over the winter.
Ficus carica 'Petite Negra' - this fig bares fruit twice a year in June and September. It will grow between 5-8' tall in a container, full sun, zone 7 plus
Musca Cavendish 'Super Dwarf' - this banana grows about 3-5' tall and may bare 3-6" fruit, full sun, zone 9 plus
Banana "look" can be mimicked with tubers like cannas, available in many leaf colors.
2003 Perennials and Alternatives
As mentioned in the January 29, 2003 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are the links to some of the new (and not-so-new) perennials that are available:
New Introductions
Echinacea 'Vintage Wine'
Echinacea
'Razzmatazz"
Coreopsis
'Limerock Ruby'
Coreopsis 'Mahogany Midget'
Geranium 'Jolly Bee'
Geranium 'Kahlua'
Geranium 'Samobor'
Old Favorites
Seed Savers Exchange
Christmas Gift Ideas
As mentioned in the November 27 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are the links to some gardening-related gifts:
Urban Heat Islands
As mentioned in the November 20 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some interesting links to information on the Web:
Chicago's Urban Heat Initiative
An MSNBC News Item on Urban Heat Islands and rooftop gardens
Back to Port Washington Garden Club home page