The Age of the 'Atom'

As the unknown gladioli (possibly 'Vulcano', from a mixed bag of hardy glads) started to fade away, a new wave of taller gladioli took the stage.

I feel pretty confident in saying that this next batch are 'Atom', because this cultivar is rather recognizable and has been around for so long that there's plenty of information about it (including photos) online.

'Atom' was introduced in 1946, grows to around 30-36" tall (noticably taller than 'Vulcano', but still short compared to the average "florist hybrid" gladiolus), and is very distinctive, with "flowers of vermilion red with white edging".

This is a "primulinus" glad, which doesn't mean a whole lot to me, to be honest.  All I know is that this type of glad, like the "nanus" gladioli, grow shorter than the huge, frilly hybrids and sport smaller flowers-- but are still completely gorgeous and eye-catching.

(Who could ever argue that a flower as brilliant as this wouldn't attract its share of attention?)

These types of glads are cold-hardier than the hybrids and stand a better chance of returning year after year-- in some climate zones, without being dug up and stored for the winter.  (Some still say, however, that digging and storing glad corms is best.  My take: Do what you want.  I'm just not that dedicated!)

Reading about gladiolus, I'm always surprised by the approach sellers and garden writers feel obliged to take.  Not "Hey, look at these beautiful spikes of color!" or "Don't you want something that's easy to grow and gorgeous?!" but "Now, I know the bare mention of glads makes you want to barf, but hear me out!  They can actually be okay to grow in the garden!"

Apparently, we're supposed to almost instinctively dislike them.  They're too showy.  Too gaudy.  Too tall.  They're "funeral flowers".  (Incidentally, I've read that the tuberose also fell out of favor, at some point in the past, because people associated it with funerals.)

So people thought they were lovely enough to want to use them to honor the dead-- and that's a reason to dislike them, now?  (Maybe I simply haven't been to so many funerals with gladiolus to have noticed and made an unpleasant association.  Then again, maybe it's a personality thing...)

Anyway, please look at the photo below and tell that poor, sweet little flower to its face that you don't like it.
I dare you.

These old-fashioned gladioli (or gladiolas) are supposed to be less-objectionable than the modern hybrids (which I will confess to liking, too).  They're smaller, shorter, and less froufrou.  They're also less common.

This is my first year growing these types of gladiolus, so I'll be watching carefully to see how they do next year.  (How many will come back and will they bloom as well as they did this year?)

If they seem successful, they'll have been a worthwhile investment, and I'll probably order more types.  Though many cultivars of old-fashioned glads have been lost or at least become rare, there are still a fair number of color options-- and there are people hybridizing these old-fashioned ones and coming out with new cultivars.  (Check out this hobbyist's hybrids.  Some striking results!)

There are still some of the mix that have yet to bloom-- and probably more photos of the 'Atom' glads I've yet to upload and edit-- so I hope there will be more gladiolus sightings on this blog in weeks to come.

Sampler Tray

Another "little of this, little of that" photo-centric post!

...Starting off with bog sage (Salvia uliginosa).  It's really starting to take off again.

All of these photos are of the established patch I planted last year, but the new one in the Oval Bed is doing very well, too-- already tall and blooming, just not as dense as the "old" clump.

I think it looks its best when viewed against a dark background.  I'm pleased with this plant, which is good, because it seems to be establishing healthy colonies.

The pieces I transplanted to the Long Island Bed in the front are just sitting there.  Maybe it doesn't like the clay soil.  Whatever the reason, it's not doing much, but the summer is young.

I was amazed to see that the forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis) has a small spike of buds ready to open!  This plant doesn't usually bloom until very late in the summer.  I guess this early flowering has something to do with the mild winter and early start it got, this spring.

It's just the one spike of buds, so far, though.

The piece I dug up and moved to the shady corner by the shed is not in bud, but it seems happy enough.  It may not like the dampness of the soil in the winter, but I think I'll leave it and see what happens.  It's only a small piece, so no great loss if it doesn't overwinter.

Annual coreopsis has a way of popping up here and there, sometimes where you least expect it.  I saved seeds from last year, but haven't gotten around to planting them, so I'm glad to see that several plants took it upon themselves to grow unaided.  It's a simple wildflower that can sometimes look weedy, but it has pleasant associations for me (I got my start from Granny L.), and the sunny yellow goes with anything, so it's fine that it wanders the garden and will reseed itself hither and thither.  It's also easy to pull up, if it ever tries to grow where you don't want it.

Some of my older purple coneflowers are getting tall this year.  I guess they're getting better established, now.  It looks like I may need to stake some of them against heavy rains, though.

They are very easy to grow from seed (or have been, so far), and I have plenty of seeds, so I should be able to get more of them growing to fill in empty spots in the flower beds.

Mom gave me a couple of starts of a different type of airplane plant/spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum).  The one I already had (also given to me by Mom, years ago) has white/cream edges and a green stripe down the center of each leaf/blade (probably C. comosum 'Variegatum').  This one is inverted, with the cream down the center and the green on the edges (C. comosum 'Vittatum', or possibly 'Bonnie', if the leaves get curlier as it grows).  Pretty!

I love these plants, because they're so easy to grow-- and they work very well as houseplants.

Wider shot of the garden (rose arbor on the right, looking down the curvy path:

Rose of Sharon, looking especially dramatic against the dark corner of the semi-shade garden:

The French hydrangea (unsure of variety, maybe 'Merritt's Beauty'?) is blooming.  It's very purple this year.

The next photo focuses on succulents surrounded by roses and a purple coneflower (not yet in bloom) on the eastern edge of the semi-shade garden.  In the background are a hydrangea, giant plume ginger (Curcuma elata), annual coreopsis, and forsythia sage.

Purple conflowers in front, giant plume ginger (and others) in the mid-ground, and hydrangea in the back:

Looking the other way, you can see one of the pale pink roses of Sharon, the forsythia sage's bud spike, and bog sage-- as well as the big sago palm across the lawn:

The red passionflower vine ('Lady Margaret', I think) has quite a few buds, and I think I caught the first flower:

Rose arbor from outside the fence:

The white crepe myrtles seem to be blooming earlier than usual, this year:

These gladioli ('Vulcano'?) are nearing the end of their bloom:

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' is in flower!

I was excited to find the blooms (which are a pretty, soft lavender), but some of the leaves look a little scorched.

I've already moved one of these plants to the front yard-- a spot I hope will provide some relief from the afternoon sun.  I'll be keeping tabs on them to see which location works best.

More photos soon!

More Daylilies

You didn't think we were done with them, did you?!

Don't worry; it's a slightly smaller dose, this time.

First up is 'Kwanso', which came from either Mom or Granny L., many years back.  I wonder how 'Kwanso' manages to look so neat and tidy compared to most double/triple daylilies I've seen... (Actually, I'm not sure this is 'Kwanso'.  Maybe it's 'Flore Pleno'... I'm not sure how to tell the difference, but I tend to remember one name better than the other, so 'Kwanso' it is!)

I'm still working my way through a backlog of photos, but these are the most recent of the bunch.  The daylilies seem to be slowing down, so I think we've passed the peak of our daylily season.  There are still some that have yet to start, though, so things might pick up again.