Nobleton & King CityHorticultural Society
Welcome
If you love gardening - or want to learn more about Canada's top hobby - join us at the Nobleton & King City Horticultural Society.
Monthly meetings are held on the fourth Monday of the month at 8 pm. at the Nobleton Community Hall (9 Old King Road, just opposite the Feed Store). They feature informative speakers, beautiful flower shows and plenty of friendly conversation. Guests are always welcome
Annual membership is $15.00, which includes meetings and show book. There is a $3.00 fee for non-members at the monthly meetings.
For information contact Tina Stone or Barb Downey
In The News
Ain't it sweet? See it blooming near the creek. Yes, I ask you very confidentially ain't physostegia sweet?
And yes I have a patch of sweet pink physostegia that stands about four feet tall, growing confidently near the tiny creek at the back of my garden. This native to much of the eastern half of North America grows well in damp, even wet soil, but adapts readily to average garden soil and has proven to be drought tolerant. It likes full sun, but will grow happily in partial shade. It is quite hardy in our area.
There are some 12 species of physostegias, all members of the mint (lamiaceae) family, but the most widely grown garden variety, popularly known as obedient plant or false dragonhead, is physostegia virginiana. This garden type grows from rhizomatous roots, like iris roots, but much much thinner and eventually forms a clump. Left on its own, it can become somewhat invasive, but is easily kept in check by dividing the clump every two or three years, and either replanting what has been split off elsewhere or giving it away. Its slowspreading habit makes it ideal for naturalizing or as specimen in a native plant garden.
Ain't the white nice? Look it over once or twice. Yes, I ask you very confidentially ain't the white nice?
The four-to-six inch long pink or white flowerheads grow atop square (common to all mints) stems and are made up of many little tubular two lipped flowers each half an inch to an inch long. These snapdragon (antirrhinum majus) like flowers can be gently moved by hand into a slightly different position, which they will temporarily hold (hence the name obedient plant), while false dragonhead comes from the fact that blooms resemble those of the plant dragonhead (dracocephalum).
The Latin/botanical name comes the Greek words physa meaning bladder, and stege meaning cover, as once the petals start to die the small leaves or sepals under them form a bladder-like covering around the seeds. This lovely, easy care flower, which blooms from late August into October, not only makes a great contrast plant for the back of the border, but can make a statement on its own as a specimen plant.
By the by I'm told there is a purple cultivar now available but I've not yet seen it.
Oh I repeat don't you think that's kinda neat? Yes I ask you very confidentially ain't physostegia neat." Apologies to Jack Yellen and Milton Agar (who wrote the original song for his little daughter Shane) Frank Sinatra and the Beatles.
Four foot two, spikes of blue, Oh what those blue spikes can do; Has anybody seen my . . . veronica? Turned up leaves, blooms to please, A 'knock out'? Yes sir, one of these; Has anybody seen my . . . veronica ?"
And the veronica in question is veronica longifolia subsessilis, or Japanese veronica, which I've been searching for in garden centres for at least two years and still haven't found (not that I have any more room in my small Tecumseth Pines garden).
Now let's put things in perspective and have a beginning. Veronica is like liatris (gayfeather), in that it's better known by its Latin/botanical name than its common names speedwell, bird's eye or gypsyweed. There are some 500 species of this plant that is native to Europe and Asia, but is now widely naturalized throughout much of North America. It gets its botanical name from its tenuous connection to the mediaeval legend of St. Veronica, who wiped Jesus' face with her veil as he struggled to carry his cross on the way to his crucifixion and found her returned veil bore his likeness. Early monastery botanists saw the resemblance of a face in the flowers of some types of veronica, perhaps gentian veronica (v. gentianoides) which flowers from late spring into early summer. The name Veronica comes from the Hebrew name Berenice through its Greek equivalent pherein (bringer of) nike (victory), not as mediaeval people thought from the Latin vera (true) and the Greek eikon (image).
Speedwell comes from the idea especially in Ireland that a traveller wearing a sprig of this pretty wayside flower would have a safe, speedy journey.
Veronicas are attractive, easy perennials to grow, ideal for the novice gardener. They do well in average, well-drained soil that has had some compost and/or composted cattle manure added (in too rich a soil they will grow too tall and flop over). They like full sun, but will tolerate some shade.
The v. longifolia cultivars such as Sunny Border Blue, Goodness Grows (blue), Alba (white) and the above mentioned Japanese one (blue with a suggestion of violet) grow from two-and-a-half to just over four feet high.
The more popular v. spicata, including Royal Candles (vivid blue), White Icicles, Red Fox (rose), Minuet (pink) grow about 18 inches tall, as do the old fashioned unnamed spicatas from grandma's garden and Crater Lake Blue, sometimes listed as v. latifolia. The low growing v. incana and the blue woolly speedwell (v. pectinata) seldom grow higher than a foot, making them perfect for the rock garden or the front of the border. Blue creeping speedwell (v. repens) is great for walkways between patio stones and in rockeries.
All the varieties mentioned are hardy in our area and most bloom from July into September. Now is a good time to plant them.
By the by, Culver's root or veronicastrum is a tall (with spikes of white flowers) relative of Eurasian veronica but native to North America.
Well if you run into a four foot two with a fragrance like myrrh, Golden blooms or silvery plumes, Bet your life it isn't her . . . Has anybody seen my---veronica?" (Apologies to Ray Henderson, Sam Lewis, Joe Young and of course Mitch Miller)