The recent rains and increasing heat have plants really growing well at the gardens right now.  The turf has also gone bonkers and our mowing schedule is already at “full speed ahead.”  Nice shot above of perennial sea kale (Crambe maritima) in the Scottish garden.  Today was probably our busiest Thursday yet this year.  Thursdays are usually busy but today was exceptional in that all the carts were out being used almost the entire day and we had a full parking lot at the Horticulture Center for the majority of the day.  Our talented grounds staff included Janice, Larry H., Cindy, Shania, Alex and myself.  We all had gardening duties which now includes watering due to the increased sunshine, heat and lots of new plants in the ground.  Our volunteers accomplished a wide range of tasks and our impressive list of volunteers today included Kathy P., Eva, Marilyn, Suzie, Ron R., Steve E., Alan, Bob K., Jim, Ron Y., Vern, Dr. Gredler, Peg, Barb, Sandi, Mary H., Kathy P. (#2), Bill O., Greg P., Cheryl P., Steve, Marsha M., Dick H., Maury, Mary K., Jim H., four RECAPPERS and many others.

‘Grand Prize’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

‘Pleniflora’ double-flowered Japanese kerria (Kerria japonica) – woody shrub

Gold Bullion™ pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia ‘Bachone’) – woody tree (above and below)

‘Silver Heart’ false forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) – perennial

Lady in Red® ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Tuilad’) – woody shrub

the Chestnut House volunteers did a great job planting all of these elevated containers this morning (above and below)

Marilyn (left) and Suzie in the woodland walk garden

Dr. Gredler (above) mowing by the cool Kaleidoscope Planter

red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) – woody tree

‘Silver Moon’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

white bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’) – perennial

the classic ‘Palace Purple’ coral bells (Heuchera) – perennial

Korean mountain ash (Sorbus alnifolia) – woody tree

‘Popcorn’ Japanese snowball viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum) – woody shrub

Rock’s peony (Paeonia rockii) at peak! – woody shrub

cattail iris (Iris typhifolia) – perennial

Today was pleasantly warm and it looks like the warming trend will continue through the weekend with some days reaching 90 degrees F.  Plants are really growing now out in the gardens and it’s nice to see all the fresh and colorful foliage as well as flowers.  Above is the interesting leaf of a variegated horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum ‘Variegatum’) in the alpine garden.  We had quite a few visitors today and our youth education program was in full swing.  Our grounds staff of Larry H., Shania, Alex and I all had a wide range of duties.  This time of year we’re juggling lots of tasks including mowing, weeding, watering and planting.  Our volunteers today included Kathy P., Eva, Kay, Stan, Kristin, Marleen, Connie, Sharon, Dennis, Jenny, Gena, Patti, Sue, Myrt, Vern, Barb C., Sandi, Maury, Dick P., Kath and many others.  It was another very productive day!

‘Sunglow’ vine maple (Acer circinatum) above and below – woody tree

‘Kelly’s Gold’ boxelder (Acer negundo) – woody tree

‘Zebra Stripes’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

shredded umbrella plant (Syneilesis aconitifolia) – perennial

more planting today! – Sue (far left), Patti, Gena and Myrt (closest)

‘Dre’s Dagger’ lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) – perennial

grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.) are finishing up quickly with the heat – perennial bulb

golden leaf mukdenia (Mukdenia rossii ‘Ogon’) – perennial

‘Hanky Panky’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

umbrella leaf (Diphylleia cymosa) – perennial

‘Tricolor’ variegated Corneliancherry dogwood (Cornus mas) – woody tree

yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea) – perennial

‘Tidal Wave’ katsuratree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) – woody tree

We had a foggy start to the day and in fact, the air was so moist and heavy this morning that it felt like light drizzle.  The day did warm up to 70 degrees F with intermittent sunshine and we all had a full day out in the gardens.  Above is our boulder wall near the fern & moss gardens softened by ‘All Gold’ golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) that was planted as plugs in these nooks and crannies over 12 years ago!  The top photo shows the vividness of our moss island which has received plenty of invigorating moisture over the last couple of weeks (as well at TLC from Marv B.) and looks quite lush right now!  Our grounds staff of Cindy, Larry H., Big John, Alex and Shania all had a busy day which included lifting tulips, mowing, rototilling, weeding, planting bananas, planting pollinator friendly plants, path work and much more!  Our volunteers of Kathy P., Eva, Marv B., Vern, Bill O., Dr. Gredler, Marleen (and friend), Steve E., Alan M., Barb C., Peg and many more also kept busy with myriad tasks.  Mirjam and Marcia were out planting in the English cottage garden this afternoon.  An afternoon meeting of our Horticulture Therapy Committee (Dr. Darcie, Dr. Tom, Karen, Sharon, Elaine and Art) met to discuss our fun and exciting August 8th symposium (details to be announced soon!).   It was another great day and the heat coming later in the week will really get plants moving along (weeds too unfortunately!).

Forest Rouge™ blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium ‘McKrouge’) – woody shrub (above and below)

‘Godzilla’ Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum) – perennial

‘Dale’s Strain’ coral bells (Heuchera americana) – perennial

‘Arc de Triomphe‘ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

‘Dr. Robert Yahr’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial (named after the founder of RBG)

‘Ocean’s Fury’ hybrid crested painted fern (Athyrium hybrida) – perennial

‘Pink Lanterns’ wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – perennial

‘Pearl Frost’ Japanese orixa (Orixa japonica) – woody shrub

‘Eye Declare’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

variegated panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Yuki Gessho’) – woody shrub

variegated masterwort (Peucedanum ostruthium ‘Daphnis’ ) – perennial

the flower of Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) – perennial

‘Aquamarine’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

‘Yellow Princess’ barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum) – perennial

‘Rotlaub’ Rodger’s flower (Rodgersia podophylla) – perennial

Today was rainy almost the entire day!  We fluctuated between a light drizzle and heavier rain and it was fairly cold as well!  I didn’t have much time for photography as I was catching up on desk work.  I thought I’d share some photos from my Sunday visit to Lilacia Park in Lombard, IL (Chicago suburb).  This 8.5 acre park (designed by famous landscape architect Jens Jensen and dedicated in 1928) has a massive lilac collection among other nice plantings.  I enjoyed the colorful visit albeit in a drizzle.  Ironically, I grew up not far from this park (Villa Park, IL) and didn’t appreciate it until later in life.  The park has an interesting history and Lombard is known as the “Lilac Village”.

Today involved lots of indoor projects with some outdoor activities between rain drops.  Our grounds staff included Larry H., Cindy, Janice, Shania (first day!) and me.  Our volunteers included Kathy P., Dr. Gredler, Steve, Jim, Vern, Maury, Dick P., Sandi, Barb C., Dennis, Gretchen, Peg, Ann R., Barb T., Sue S., Marcia N., Gary S. and some others.  It was a bummer to lose a day of active gardening but we didn’t have a real shortage of tasks at all!

‘Mandarin Lights’ azalea (Rhododendron) – woody shrub

beautiful old weeping mulberry (Morus alba ‘Pendula’) – woody tree

neat massing of creeping phlox (Phlox sp.) – perennial

peak blooms on blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) – woody tree

Bloomerang® Purple lilac (Syringa hybrida ‘Penda’) – woody shrub

‘Red Pixie’ lilac (Syringa hybrida) – woody shrub (above and below)

‘Pocahontas’ lilac (Syringa x hyacinthiflora) – woody shrub (above)

‘Leon Gambetta’ French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

variegated French lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Aucubaefolia’) – woody shrub

Tinkerbelle® lilac (Syringa hybrida ‘Bailbelle’) – woody shrub (above and below)

‘Karen’ lilac (Syringa pubescens subsp. patula) – woody shrub (above)

‘Lois Amee Utley’ French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

‘Montaigne’ French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

‘Lilac Sunday’ lilac (Syringa x chinensis) – woody shrub (above and below)

‘Marie Frances’ French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

‘Wonder Blue’ French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

‘Josee’ lilac (Syringa hybrida) – woody shrub (above and below)

‘Charm’ lilac (Syringa vulgaris) – woody shrub

variegated Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’) – perennial

candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) – perennial

‘Antoinette’ tulip (Tulipa) – bulb

I was a bit surprised by the rain last night and was worried that volunteers might avoid our first volunteer work Saturday due to mud and/or the overcast skies.  Well, we had a great turnout and planted exactly everything I had placed out on Friday (and a bit more!).  Our focus was the reception garden, sunken garden and some tropicals near the Giant Aquarium.  Thanks to Big John and Janice for helping facilitate as well as both Larry O. and Bill taking care of some other business around the gardens. These days involve more than planting.  There is the tidying component, watering, labels, recycling plastics, cleaning tools and ultimately keeping everything running smoothly.  Mary Kay and Alan ran the Compost/Pansy Sale and the Janesville Area Herb Society had a meeting and work morning as well.  We also saw Marcia L., Dr. Gredler, Maury and Barb C. today.  However, our excellent, volunteer planters included Tina, Sue, Lily, Kath, Heather, Donna, Nicole, Marv, Brian, Mike, Hal, Dorris, Bonnie, Elaine, Gena, Patti and Barb.

Tina B. (above)

Bonnie S. (above)

Hal and Doris (the “Dangerous Duo”)

Marv (my father-in-law) sitting down on the job

Kath M. (above)

Sue (left) and Lily

Barb S. (above)