Personally, I’d rather not see my beautiful perennials falling over in mid- to late summer, would you? It is so much easier to consider staking certain taller perennials in the early summer than it is when they actually fall over and many times, unfortunately, snap at the base. We frequently stake our Phlox, Monarda, Sidalcea, and tall Rudbeckia varieties to name just a few plants.

You can use a number of items for stakes- bamboo which comes in a natural taupe color or painted green is probably the most common staking device. It’s strong, inexpensive and will last a quite a number of years. Of course, you’ll need to replace the string around the plants every year and removing old string from bamboo stakes is not my favorite job. This year, we’re trying a new type of stake pictured here that is spiral shaped, made of steel and covered in green plastic. It literally takes less than a few minutes to install. The stake really blends in well to the plant so that you barely notice it once the plant encompasses it. Consider staking now while your plants are still a reasonable size to manipulate- or you might be picking up their floppy stems come one windy, rainy day in August.

I recently had the great fortune to spot a newly hatched praying mantis egg case and several mantis babies from that case walking around the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden. A number of people have asked me whether or not I think mantids are good bugs to have in their gardens. Being an entomologist, that answer is quite simple: OF COURSE!

Now, do they really help in controlling plant pests? Yes, to a certain degree. Being predators means that they can eat some plant pests. However, mantids do not distinguish between plant pests and other insects considered ‘good’ like bees and butterflies. In fact, mantids can be cannibals and will readily eat other mantids if the opportunity presents itself.

So, should you buy egg cases to put in your garden? Yes, as long as you realize that while they are fun and interesting to have in your garden, mantids will not control all plant pests that rear their hungry heads toward your flowers or vegetables!

 Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

The adorable Chinese Mantis (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis)

Right outside my office window, I’m lucky to have the Chinese Ground Orchid, Beltilla striata, poking its pretty pink head out of the lush foliage. This particular orchid is unlike the orchids you see at different retailers in that it is terrestrial (it grows in the ground) rather than an epiphyte (one that grows on trees) as most orchids are. The flower, which can be pink or white (variety ‘alba’) is very similar to a miniature Cattleya flower.

Chinese Ground Orchids have a light, pleasant fragrance and can naturalize if given the right growing conditions. We grow them in a protected valley-like area here where they are in part shade almost all day. Because zone 5 is the border of their natural growing climate, you’ll need to mulch them in for the winter to protect them from the extreme cold. They like rich, organic soil and need to be fairly moist throughout the summer. Given these conditions, you’ll be rewarded with a over a month of blooms in the early summer! Enjoy!

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

This has been a busy month for me, more so than usual. I just returned from England, where I visited the world renowned Chelsea Flower Show and several famous English gardens.

England is truly a paradise for gardeners. Its temperate, fairly wet climate is near perfect for growing gorgeous trees, shrubs and perennials. I get serious garden envy when I visit. Our climate in Cleveland is quite a bit more extreme than England’s. Although we can grow many of the same plants here, they have a larger plant palette from which to choose.

Below is a picture of Great Dixter in the county of Kent in southern England. Notice the Taxus in the background that was probably planted in the early to mid-1900’s. Great Dixter, created by the late Christopher Lloyd, is known for its wild and seemingly random combinations of plants that definitely make a statement. He broke from the more formal English design of gardens and created a masterpiece that draws visitors from around the world. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend spending time seeing the great gardens of England.

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

A border at Great Dixter

When we see plant pests here at the Garden, we always try to use biological or least toxic means of control. So, when we came upon these sawflies on one of our small pines in the Gateway Garden, we knew the best control measure would be insecticidal soap. Soap is essentially potassium salts of fatty acids. Soft insect skins cannot tolerate soapy water, so the insects usually die fairly quickly once sprayed.

It’s important to inspect your plants and trees regularly. Pests like sawflies blend in well on the tips of the pine branches, so you may not notice them until you see significant damage to the tips. Sawflies also tend to feed as a group and can therefore do unsightly damage pretty quickly. Sawflies are actually in the insect order Hymenoptera, which includes bees, wasps and ants. They don’t sting, but they can be locally problematic on a number of different pine trees. Late spring is the best time of year to control them - when the larvae are young, soap works really well.

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Pictured below: European Pine Sawfly

I was very fortunate to help lead a recent Botanical Garden trip to Tuscany. While there, we toured many of Italy’s famous gardens: Ninfa, La Foce, Gamberaia, Villa Lante and others. It’s very humbling to walk amongst cypress trees that are several hundred years old or to wander through elegantly contoured boxwoods. I almost wish Cleveland Botanical Garden was located in zone 7- then we could grow those stately cypresses year round! The typical Italian style of these ancient gardens draws from a fairly simple palette of plants: boxwoods, junipers, cypresses, wisterias, lemon trees and roses. Of course, there are exceptions and some gardens have a more diverse collection of perennials. One of the more special plants we saw was an incredible white rose with a red center called ‘White Rock’. In doing a quick search, we’ve been unable to locate that particular cultivar here in the U.S. It may be that we will need to source it from Italy. If you know where we might find this unique rose, let us know!

‘White Rock’ Rose

Even with our warmer than average temperatures this spring, I’ve seen the usual spring butterflies flitting around the garden, including: cabbage whites, red admirals, spring azures and mourning cloaks.

What are they feeding on this time of year and what can you plant to draw them in? The mourning cloaks actually do not feed on flower nectar like the other butterflies I mentioned. They tend to feed on sugary tree sap. I know some of you are already saying, "Why would I want to have cabbage white butterflies in my garden?"

Yes, I know they’ll eat some of your leafy vegetables, but seriously, are they really horrible pests? NO! And if you think they are, just spray the caterpillars with a little soapy water and that’ll take care of them. So, plant creeping phlox, Himalayan primrose (Primula denticulata) and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera sp.) and you’ll attract these lovely spring butterflies to your yard.

Primula denticulata

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Just the other night, my husband and I watched 10 or so deer frolic in the front yard, outside our deer fence. The important part of that last sentence was ‘outside our deer fence.’ As gardeners living in eastern Cuyahoga County, aka deer country, we have no choice but to have a fence. Otherwise, we would essentially have no real garden to tend.

Here at Cleveland Botanical Garden, our visitors constantly ask us which plants are most deer resistant. Again, deer resistant is the key word, as deer will eat almost anything if desperate enough. Here is a good list to consult.

To wonder if deer will actually ever make it to the Garden here in University Circle scares me. I know they aren’t far. We frequently see them in Shaker and Cleveland Heights, and I feel sorry for them. Whether or not you think that humans are to blame for the burgeoning deer population, the fact remains that they are here to stay and it is up to us to manage them.

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod 

This past weekend, I visited Cincinnati and it was around 86°. Not surprisingly, plants there are a bit ahead of the ones here in Northeast Ohio. Many of the daffodils were on their way out or had completely finished blooming. Unfortunately, I saw what many people do to their daffodil foliage - they tie it up and fold it over to make the plant look tidy and presumably to hurry dormancy.

Well, unless you actually want a weaker daffodil next spring, don’t tie up the foliage. Remember, the blades are still actively photosynthesizing and providing energy to the bulb and the roots for next year’s flower. By wadding up the leaves, you decrease the surface area that the sun reaches, thus eventually weakening your future flower. It really makes no sense to me. Is it really that horrible to let the foliage yellow on its own before cutting it off? Do the right thing for your daffodils - don’t tie them up and they’ll continue to provide you with years of pretty spring flowers.

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Narcissus ‘Kaydee’

Annual plants certainly have their place in the Garden, but by and large, I prefer perennials. I derive great satisfaction watching the perennials grow year after year, creating lush borders throughout the Garden. Last year, I planted Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in my home garden and it was a real standout. Not only is it a low maintenance plant, but it bloomed almost all summer! What more could you ask for?!

The Perennial Plant Association liked it so much that they declared it the ‘perennial of 2008.’ It likes partial sun and can tolerate dry, hot conditions. It grows well, given a little fertilizer, and will reward you with pretty blue flowers until frost. It’s a hearty growing plant and will easily fill in the space you give it. I noticed that it attracts a good number of pollinating insects like bees and skippers. It would make an excellent plant for hanging baskets and should definitely be considered as a border planting. This is certainly a plant you should have in your garden!

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod