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Hope Hope is with you when you believe The earth is not a dream but living flesh, That sight, touch, and hearing do not lie, That all things you have ever seen here Are like a garden looked at from a gate.
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Autumn is like an old book: Marred spines turn mean yellow, staples rust red-orange. Every stained page is stressed by a splat of color. Rough-red, like an old tavern, we become hungry birds and prepare for fall. Shape and shadow are candied citron as lanterns turn bitter yellow. Autumn is a red fox, a goblet filled with dark wine, a hot chilli pepper with smoky eyes. Pressed leaves take in the colors of seafood paella and saffron; these leaves are like death, climaxing with a smile. Autumn: Her dress is a net of mussels; dark shelled, it covers up summer’s weatherbeaten body. So pull out your boots and stand on an aged, wood floor like an evergreen. Mary Hamrick : "Autumn"  
Sicilian refers to the region, Honey speaks about the nectar secreted by the flowers, Garlic points out the family bonds. But there is not a single hint in the common name of Nectaroscordum siculum that might reveal the skunky smell the plant (especially its leaves) gives off when bruised. But who wants to intentionally injure the fancy twisted leaves of this exceptionally ornamental garlic to be repelled by the odour? Nobody. But everybody is or will be enchanted by the elegant air Nectaroscordum brings to every garden, even the smallest one. This species deserves our attention if we care for reliable, ornamental and unusual plants and want to look after them in the garden. Although the list of such individuals is long, why not start with Sicilian Honey Garlic?
 Brown colours find it really difficult to be appreciated, especially in the garden. Unless we talk about garden tables and chairs - which more and more often look quite gaudy- you will not find a lot of examples of plants grown for their brown appearances. Thus all earth shades are almost absent for the whole year, except for the wintertime when everything around becomes more or less brown, which means devoid of life. It is not the fault of various brown colours to be totally neglected by our attention. Conversely, it might be our indifference to beautiful trunks, branches, stems, fruit and...flowers trying to appeal to us in winter. Although the flowers at that time of year are quite lifeless, their shape and colour might still look extremely attractive. So is the case of climbing hydrangea. Let us have a closer look.
Sometimes writing about garden life confronts us with uneasy choices. One of them is called Physalis alkekengi or Chinese Lantern. I do feel awkward now when I want to praise the plant and at the same time I cannot forget about its less praiseworthy "idiosyncrasies". Chinese Lantern can boast about its rare- looking bright, orange red inflated calyx, and many of them, each a home for a single scarlet berry residing inside, but it can also be accused of exceptional vigour which is hard to control. And if not controlled, the plant easily escapes from the confines of the garden and becomes a noxious weed. Sad, isn't it!
Keeping in mind the fact that Physalis is often labelled as a plant with aggressive tendencies let us see the whole picture. And the view of a late fall garden where Chinese Lantern poses a threat to everything growing around is quite spectacular. Its hanging super-ornamental red papery husks are the only bright spots illuminating the flower beds at that time of year. Vicious plants do not behave like that, do they?  Some grasses need to be called ornamental if they want to be noticed as though it was not enough for them to look the way they look and be decorative. I am sure that my observation reflects the quite harsh reality almost all grasses have to experience: being a grass is not sufficient to be satisfactory. Of course, there are exceptions and a lot of people like grasses but that appreciation requires preliminary good will and effort: to place structure and texture before colour( which is almost always green), and that is not easy. However, the moment you reshape your expectations a little, you will see a wonderfully subtle world of straight lines and wavy curves, all dressed in various kinds of green tones and undertones (sometimes other paints as well) and fascinating intricate inflorescences. How about a short encounter with Pennisetum alopecuroides, a very uncommon grass commonly known as Chinese fountain grass? I am sure it can reshape and enrich all your expectations. Let us start!
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 AuthorI was destined to be born gardener. In order to become a professional one I had to enjoy years of studying at various schools and universities... read more Archives
Kwiecień 2015
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