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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Signs of Life - What to Do?

I was pretty sure that evergreen Euphorbia stygiana had thrown in the towel after our freezes this winter. It looked a little brown for an evergreen.  The branches aren't black though.
 
 Look, some new leaves!

And at the tips, new green growth!  Glad I didn't get an urge to tidy up the garden this winter.  (Sloth triumphs again!)

Podophyllum pleianthum emerging from the soil looking like parasols - so adorable!  This was a very old clump that had declined so much over the last four years that I didn't notice it when digging holes for tulip bulbs.  I found the large roots and saw that they were growing in horrible hard pan soil.  No wonder they were fussing.  After an excavation and addition of copious amounts of compost and manure, they were once again placed in the soil.  I hope they thrive in their new digs.

Arisaema kishidae peeking out  from its camellia petal bed. 

Bergenia buds.
 
Rheum palmatum atrosanguineum is a cool plant but it needs something (like maybe a new home) to keep it from dying back in the middle of the summer and leaving a huge vacant gap.

So, what's your take on this plant?  Does it just need to be divided?  It's only been in place for about four years.


Here's a wider view showing the whole mess.  The original plant is now the big thing in the middle that looks like a tree trunk. Divide and conquer or death?  It does have great red foliage in the spring as can be seen here.
 
Inside, the appearance of black pots sprouting begonias on every available spot of countertop is a sure sign that summer is growing nearer every day!  Driving home this evening, I noticed that some of the earliest maples have begun blooming.  The acceleration toward summer will be happening very rapidly over the next few weeks.  It's an exciting time to be a gardener! 
 
Still, the houseplants are eagerly awaiting their outdoor summer vacation.

Maybe it's time to admit that I don't really hate houseplants.  Have you started seeing signs of spring? 

31 comments:

  1. I noticed color on the trees too the other day, it is such a welcome sight. I don't know what to tell you to do about the Rheum, other than give it to me. I bet the Euphorbia would grow up from the roots with new top growth if you cut it all back to the ground. I did that with a couple of my Euphorbias (different ones), and there is very nice new growth coming up. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any signs of life from my Begonias that died back inside.

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    1. Sorry you haven't seen any growth from your begonias maybe you could give them a little water and see if that helps. You need several plants that I'm getting rid of/dividing this spring - rheum, lonicera fragrantissima, some of this: http://www.bluestem.ca/miscanthus-giganteus.htm I'd better get digging!

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  2. I had that same Rheum for a few years and finally got rid of it...I think it needs all day partial shade...or just copious amounts of water to keep up those big leaves...and I just didn't have the time for such a fussy plant. It would look amazing in the spring, but as soon as our summer heat/drought would hit in July, it would wilt as soon as the sun hit it each day...I got so tired of looking at it I just gave it to someone else...and wished them luck!

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    1. Good advice Scott. I think it will go live in Alison's garden so I can still visit from time to time.

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  3. I love your sentence "Sloth triumphs again!"! I often find myself not doing anything for lack of knowing exactly what to do, and many times that's exactly the right thing to do! I don't know anything about Rheums, so I can't help you with that, but I do remember how gorgeous it was in previous posts.

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    1. I've been doing nothing with this damned Rheum for too many years. Every spring it seduces me into keeping it with it's shockingly beautiful red leaves and every summer around mid july it starts looking horrible. It doesn't keep producing leaves so the old ones get tattered, slug eaten, and collapse on top of things around them leaving a giant hole where the plant once was. Every year I swear that I'll do something about the thing but spring is a great time to transplant so the cycle continues. This year is the one!

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  4. My Euphorbia stygiana did the same thing. It looked absolutely horrid and the very day I went to cut it down I noticed new leaves. What to do!? I waited a day to mull it over then spent a little time really looking at the plant, I noticed there were black stems and when I cut into a stem that was putting out new growth it was back inside, although showed signs of life the closer I got to the tip. It might have come back had I more patience but I chose to get rid of it instead. Please keep us updated on how yours does! (so I can feel regret)

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    1. You may get a prize for getting rid of the eyesore and not watching it die slowly over a period of months, throwing out ill fated new leaves as part of its death throes.

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  5. I dug up a Rheum that was in an unfortunate spot and new plants keep appearing there. Don't look at this as advice...just sayin.
    Another experience to share for what it's worth. My euphorbias all seem to bounce back no matter how much I mistreat them.

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    1. The gift that keeps on giving, eh? I wouldn't mind part of mine staying there... Euphorbias are usually pretty tough so I'll hope for the best.

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  6. Great to see signs of spring in your garden Peter! E. stygiana is reputed to be not as hardy as its cousin x pasteurii. If it doesn't recover perhaps replace it with that one? Just a suggestion :)

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    1. A great suggestion, thanks guys. I'm still cheering this one on as it's a lovely creature most of the time.

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  7. Your evergreen Euphorbia stygiana looks pitiful and doesn't deserve to be considered evergreen. I tolerate a little winter shabbiness, but this one is hard to look at. I've desired a Rheum for a long time not realizing its prima donna. A shadier corner could be the answer, maybe it's worth a trial move before it ends up with Allison :-)

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    1. The Euphorbia was beautifully evergreen last winter and, being such a stately plant, I'm willing to overlook one winter. We all go through awkward stages. I personally am still there but most people eventually pass through their ugly duckling stage to become beautiful swans. Maybe the Rheum just needs to be divided to look better as it was lovely for the first few years I had it there.

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    2. Often, the ugly duckling is the last to realize it transformed into a swan...

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  8. Yes, signs of spring are all over now. Some neighbors have already mowed their lawns. Tom hopes to do the same this week as things dry off a bit.
    Ornamental flowering plum trees are turning pink, to go with the golden forsythia and daffodils. It's March beauty!

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    1. Such a great time of year! The huge drifts of daffodils around our school are blooming. Each fall the staff plants hundreds of them so that in the spring, when they bloom, we can remember how our children have bloomed since the beginning of the year. We all groan about doing it but it's a sweet tradition.

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  9. All your plants are complete mysteries to me, so I have no advice. However, I am very impressed by the pink Arisaema foliage - never seen that before!

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    1. Everything looks better coming up through a carpet of camellia petals! Picture yellow daffodils and blue pulmonaria blooming atop this. I love late winter/early spring here. Everything happens so quickly!

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  10. As excited as I get about signs of spring (which in our case began to appear in January), I imagine the impact on those of you up north is 10x greater after the winter you've had this year. I've no advice to offer on the Rheum - plants that can't get by with nominal water don't get an invitation to my garden these days no matter how beautiful.

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    1. Spring here is always exciting because once it starts, there's a very rapid succession of crazy bloom. Everything that has been bare springs to life. Hooray!

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  11. Aha! You've been found out! And here you've said over and over you aren't a houseplant person. What say you now, sir?

    Just teasing. I'm getting tired of my high-maintenance houseplants that I am also scared to put outside for the summer (really by the end of winter both the gardener and the plants need a vacation outdoors) but am looking to get more of the tough ones, like bromeliads. I love the spotted one on the piano, and even the pink/bluish one. (And I don't usually like pink, or so I say. maybe it's time for my own admission.)

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    1. Oh, you discovered my secret. O.K. I've been living a lie and denying my true nature as a lover of house plants. Although I've killed many through lack of watering, it will be different this time. I will remember the poor dears and care for them! It feels good to say it aloud, house plants don't totally suck.

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  12. I find this time of seeing what has made it through the winter so exciting!! I love Rheums!! they are hard to purchase here but I have one waiting to get planted this spring...I may have your same problem, I don´t know, I tried with one I grew from seed and has not grown anything in two years...it is still a little leaf.
    I hope you find a way to avoid that empty space in the summer.

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    1. It is an exciting time in the garden! I think that dividing the rheum might be the answer.

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  13. What a nice Bergenia in your garden, Peter! Mine is still lying although snow has melted.The buds are lovely. Also your begonias are enough big, waiting for outdoor life.
    Have a nice day!

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    1. Thanks, Nadezda! Bergenias are such hardy plants and their leaves are very beautiful. We both love begonias!

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  14. My Euphorbias all look terrible, I have notice plenty of seedling around though !

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    1. Hooray for seedlings! Our freezes weren't as bad as yours and my Euphorbia wulfeniis are blooming their heads off. This one hasn't bloomed yet but maybe if it lives this year and grows to 5 feet tall like it can do over time, we'll have some seedlings.

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  15. Things are definitely waking up. It's good to see your Euphorbia has life. I want to buy that species this year. And now the sun is shining. Hooray!

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    1. Sunshine and a plant to seek out. All is right in the world!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.