Suspended Animation

Day number seven of gloomy skies and temperatures at least 15F degrees below normal. It stopped spring's progress in its tracks and is making many flowers last a long time. At least it has not gotten cold enough to do much damage to any flowers or emerging vegetation. You can see on this view from the trolley stop into the Perennial Garden that the early Daffodils are in full bloom. We have many 1,000's of daffodils and these should remain in phenomenal bloom through the predicted seasonal (warmer!) weekend. Ice Follies Daffodil (Narcissus Large Cup Division II) has soft yellow center's again this spring as the temperatures have been so cool -- this makes 3 cool springs in a row! Often they are at best cream and sometimes look fully white during our warm springs. Gold Tide Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia 'Courtasol') is in full bloom and a Plant of Merit because it is a low growing forsythia that won't engulf an entire garden. Forsythia is always a blast of color in the early spring landscape. More subtle are the fragrant clusters of pink flowers on the Dawn Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense) which often blooms by early February for us -- only to be killed off by a harsh freeze. This is a big shrub (easily 8 feet tall): look for them on the south ramps of the Visitor Center. Magnolias are always freeze tender and the buds of most are bursting forth from the warm spell a week ago. This is Magnolia 'March 'til Frost' which is a rebloomer but its spring bloom is the fullest with deep burgundy goblet-shaped flowers. Only time will tell if these will all open ok -- actually so far so good. The delicate flowers of White-Forsythia (Abeliophyllum distichum) is related to Forsythia but is NOT a true Forsythia. The flower buds were depicted in an earlier blog but the delightful blooms really add early spring sparkle to the landscape. It forces very easy indoors in winter as do all these early spring flowering shrubs. This shrub takes more time than forsythia to become a nice landscape plant and also requires some pruning so it doesn't become a disheveled mess (thinning older canes for forcing is a good thing!). It is a very rare shrub in the wilds of Korea. The lichens are loving this weather and since "Alice algae and Freddy fungus took a like'n to each other" these symbiotic alive organisms prosper from each other and don't harm the tree (hackberry shown). They are a good indicator of good air quality and such images cannot be found from Greater Kansas City's more urban core. Japanese Cornelian-Cherry Dogwood (Cornus officinalis) is one of our earliest blooming small trees and its clusters of tiny yellow flowers cover it in a yellow haze. These will produce tart red fruit by late summer -- edible but very tart. Look for These and their European relative (Cornus mas) throughout the grounds. The flowers of Cornelian-Cherry Dogwoods are very frost and freeze resistant. The vivid red berries on the American Holly (Ilex opaca) on the north end of the Visitor Center also made me take a photo to share today. These beautiful berries have been colorful for almost 6 months now. May you make plans to come visit Powell Gardens this weekend and enjoy the early spring landscape. After more than a week of gloom it will be a breath of spring and fresh air! Most of the spring beds are planted including in the Heartland Harvest Garden. Our plant sale list is now on-line so start making your wish list for that event the first weekend in May. The spring flower and companion plant seeds available now in the Gift Shop are also on-line so be prepared to pick some of them up and get your garden for the 2011 season already underway. The sun will come out soon!

Greenhouse Preview

Powell Gardens' NINE greenhouses are in full swing of production for the 2011 Growing Season. A quarter million plants are in production now; 240 varieties for the spring gardens, 600 varieties for the summer gardens and 420 varieties for the Spring Plant Sale!

Golden Ranunculus or Persian Buttercups (Ranunculus asiaticus) in Greenhouse #6 grabbed my attention with their glorious warm yellow flowers. Yes they are closely related to the little woodland buttercup growing wild around here. Greenhouse #6 finishes many of the spring display crops so they look fabulous when they go to the conservatory or elsewhere in the gardens.

Fairy Primroses (Primula malacoides) in various shades color a bench in greenhouse #6; a perennial favorite flower for the cool, spring season for us.

Fragrant Stocks (Matthiola incana) fit the bill as well!

Here's an overview of part of Greenhouse #6. The plants in the foreground are for the spring plant sale.

Greenhouse #7 stores many of our unhardy edible plants for the Heartland Harvest Garden and our collection of banana varieties (Musa spp. ) is bursting at the seams and aching to go outside after all danger of frost has past in May.

What on earth is this? It's a fresh new banana flower! This is 'Williams Hybrid' banana, the huge foot long flower bud is just starting to emerge though you can see the "fingers" of baby bananas (the female part of the flower) in the upper right. The pointed "beak" part of the flower is where the male flowers are located but not yet opening. It takes about 10 months for bananas to ripen so we won't be able to enjoy these until next winter!

These are benches of seed trays and seed flats where all seeds begin their germination journey at Powell Gardens in Greenhouse #4.

The seedlings are then transplanted by hand into cell packs where they can bulk up and be ready for transplanting into the gardens.

Here's a mass of perennials destined for the Spring Plant Sale here on May 7-8. These will be transplanted into larger pots next week so they will become top-of-the-line perennials for you to purchase and take home.

Shrubs for the Spring Plant Sale got their start back in February and should be nice full plants for you to purchase by early May.

Kudos to super Greenhouse Staff and volunteers who grow all these crops so that the plans and designs of the Horticulturists and Gardeners become a reality. Our glorious gardens all begin here: from seeds and cuttings all transplanted by hand. It always makes me feel good watching these "babies" grow and mature each season. May they bring us great beauty and joy; sustaining our bodies and souls in the 2011 gardening season.

Spring Conservatory Display 2011

Our Spring Conservatory Display opens to the public on Saturday, March 12, 2011. Orchids steal the show as usual but look for Begonias and other spring flowers and colorful tropical plants from all colors of the rainbow. Fairy Houses are a hot gardening trend and 33 custom made in house styles will be set in the flower-filled indoor garden.

Miltonia Orchid has a face reminiscent of a pansy and its cheeriness on this springy day really grabs your attention.

This red-leaved Cordyline (sometimes called cabbage palm, though it's not a palm) is native to New Zealand but it's spiky foliage is becoming very popular here as a container plant.

Pastel Ranunculus with crape-paper-like flowers are set with dark red cyclamen for a beautiful composition. Ranunculus are a classic spring only annual with gorgeous flowers. It's hard to believe they are first cousin to our wild buttercups so their other common name Persian Buttercup doesn't belie.

The intricacies of some orchid's flowers make them look unreal. This one is on our tree of cork and I couldn't reach its name.

Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis) are a great orchid for beginners and new hybrids are giving them more colors and patterns than their ever popular white standard. This is a the new cultivar 'Mei Dar Blackberry.'

Pink Ranunculus with pink-flowered and silvered leaved Cyclamen create a very harmonious combination. The silvery Dusty Miller in between also color echos the cyclamen leaves to make them stand out even more.

Autumn Carnation Encore Azalea is in full bloom and is one of 10 of these popular repeat-flowering azaleas considered hardy through zone 6. We will be planting these 10 hardiest cultivars outdoors in the gardens for the first time this year.

The slipper orchids like this Paphiopedilum are always popular and intriguing.

Colm. Calatante 'Solar Flare' is the label on this interesting orchid in shades of orange.

Golden yellow Ranunculus are as welcome as the sunshine today. These are Persian buttercups for sure.

The stunning fan shaped leaves of Bismarckia nobilis palm are surely a study in texture and form. Their chalky blue coloration makes them a stand out among palms.

This unique orchid is a cross between two Genera and is why the "X" is seen before the Genus of its botanical name: X Degarmoara 'Jay Yamada Kauai'.

The translucency of this orchid makes it look completely different when back-lit. Many orchids are stunning that way so be sure to look at them from many angles.

This Cattleya 'Binosa' with purpled lips and green petals and sepals is another of the 1,000's of the variations in the Orchid Family. Over 25,000 species have been cataloged and many more hybrids and cultivar selections make it the most diverse plant family on Earth. Come enjoy its splendor along with many other flowers and foliage to help chase away the winter blues. On display March 12th through Easter Sunday with an ever changing display as various orchids are rotated in from the greenhouses as they come into bloom. Don't forget to see the small bulbs that are the outdoor harbingers of spring and listen to the new bird arrivals in the garden too. The Eastern Meadowlarks finally sang this morning, a couple weeks later than normal. Spring is almost here!