Swamp Rose

If ever there were two words that didn't go together, Swamp and Rose are the two.  But despite the images that come to mind when one hears those words - dank, humid, thorny - viewing this plant will quickly disperse them.
The Swamp Rose (rosa palustris) is a native American Rose which grows across the South and East in moist, swampy ground. It's graceful, arching and nearly thorn-less branches bring architectural beauty to the Garden at any time of year. And is especially beautiful weeping into a pond or stream. The Swamp Rose will tolerate dryer conditions, but not grow as large.

The Swamp rose will bloom in late Spring after many other species have finished. The flowers are often double and generally a vivid pink and heavily perfumed. This Species Rose is disease resistant and its Hardiness Zones are 5-8. With a spacing of  3ft.- 4ft. and a height of 4ft. - 5ft.

Redoute' painted this rose in the garden of Empress Josephine of France.

Pumpkin Seedlings!

So far so good! This variety is Big Max which can grow up to 100 lbs. I'm just hoping for a few good ones to carve. A great book on Pumpkins is The Compleat Squash A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes and Gourds by Amy Goldman.

When Good Food Goes Bad...

Could this food have come from the Haunted Garden?

It always seem like someone

is watching me. :)

At one of the local garden shows I was introduced to a plant called Doll's Eye (Actaea pachypoda). Creeping looking thing and we all know how much I like creepy :)

And I come to find out deadly. Since I do not have kids or dogs, and I always wear gloves that I wash after each use. I usually do not worry too much about deathly toxic plants or plants that make you ill....but I generally try to avoid them.

I would have done this with this one too if I would have known how toxic it is, but I was too distracted by how interesting it was. Here is a bit more information on the toxic properties:

It's a good thing the creepy-looking berries of this plant aren't enticing*, because consuming the fruit of a doll's eye plant (or white baneberry) could kill you. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins that can have an immediate sedative effect on cardiac muscle tissue. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Yeah, I am a bit concerned now too. :)

I have one in the front garden area of the house where my friends kids play when they are over (all of them over the age of 7).....I am going to move it to the back of the yard, where very few people visit and make sure I let my friends know about it, just to be safe.

If it is anything like the Datura (Angel Trumpet) and Monkshood plants that used to be in my garden....it won't last long. I have not been able to get either one to like the northwest climate.

Either way, I would never recommend putting a toxic plant in your garden...because you just never know. For a quick run through some of the most toxic plants check out this site.

* I beg to differ on that point of the description...I think the fact that they are white berries that look like eyes is going to make the extra intersting to toddlers...although this is coming from a lady with no children, so I could be mistaken.

Adder's Tounge

Adder's Tongue(Erythronium americanum) is also known as Trout Lily or Dogtooth Violet. A magical herb which is actually a member of the lily family. You will find these beauties forming very large colonies in moist rich woods. Their leaves give them away the shape is of an Adder's Tongue and does look very reptilian. The molting also looks similar to a trout's markings.
Adder's Tongue also has a Magic history in literature.

In Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)
2nd Witch
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and howelt's wing--
For a charm of trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
- Shakespeare

In Ben Jonson's Masque of Queens
in this verse
"I ha' been plucking, plants among,
Hemlock, henbane, adder's tongue,
Night shade, moonwort, libbard's-bane."

Adder' Tongue can be found in speciality bulb catalogs. They come in yellow, pink and white forms. I don't suggest digging them from the wild. After all their name is Adder's Tongue so be careful!

Spring! Preparing the Haunted Garden!

Spring!!!
Time to start preparing for my Haunted Garden!  First I pick the seeds and plants I want to use for a glorious Halloween Color Garden!  Orange Marigold, Orange, White, Purple Impatiens, Coleus, Cosmos, Sunflowers are just a few I plant Some I start from seeds and the annuals like Marigolds and Impatients I buy. We have a special trellis for our Moonflowers. As they begin to grow we'll add white lights so the Moonflowers will grow over the lights! Moonflowers germinate best when the soil has had a chance to warm from the sun, so plant them according to your location. If you live up North you might want to wait until the end of May! It looks bare to begin but by August all our Orange Daylilies will be blooming and the Marigolds, Impatiens and Coleus will be mature plants.  Oh and don't forget to make use of Chrysanthemums,they are wonderful and because they are perennials no need to plant every year!

Daylilies, Part Deux

Thanks to everyone for adding a few to my growing list! Some I already had added, but I learned of a few new ones too.

And I just HAD to go look up a Lily Munster! Of COURSE there should be one named after her! Isn't it gorgeous? And so delicate, just like Lily!  Hmmm, I wonder if there is one named for Morticia. .but then, she favored her rose stems, with lots of thorns, didn't she?

I haven't had a chance to do some more digging, but this is my list that I composed, when I posted my first few selections, adding the new ones that were suggested. (And I'm definitely going to look for the Jack O'Lantern Pansies. They are one of my favorite flowers!)

So, for your reference, here they are:

Daylilies



Annabelle’s Ghost


Apparition


Bat Signal


Bella Lugosi


Brown Witch


Creature Of The Night


Ghost Fingers


Ghost Of Thunder Road


Goblin Moon


Grey Witch


Halloween Harvest


Halloween Hocus Pocus


Halloween Kisses


Halloween Magic


Halloween Masquerade


Halloween Party


Halloween Trick


Happy Halloween


Lily Munster


Little Witch


Madam Spider


Merry Witch


Midnight Magic


Moon Witch


Nosferatu


Pagan Passion


Pagan Ritual


Pumpkin Blast


Pumpkin Kid


Pumpkin Pie Spice


Pumpkin Patch


Pumpkin Prince


Pumpkin Roast


Pumpkin Time


Salem Witch


Spell Binder


Swamp Creature


Third Witch


Water Witch


Vampire Lestat


Witch Hazel


Witch Stitchery


Witches Coven


Witch’s Brew


Witch’s Stick


Witch’s Thimble

I'm going to continue my search, and will add new ones as I find them.  If you know of some that aren't on here, please let me know so that we will have THE listing of daylilies perfect for Haunted Gardens!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!