Five for Friday

 

 

Need five reasons to love this deciduous shrub?

§  Its spring bell-shaped flowers of creamy yellow with delicate red to purple veins look beautiful in rain or sun.

§  It loves acidic, well-drained soil and partial shade but can handle full sun. Just one word of caution – it doesn’t like it dry.

§  Placing this shrub adjacent to evergreen foliage make its spectacular fall color of red, yellow and orange pop. And when I say spectacular fall color, I’m not overstating that characteristic one bit.

§  It doesn’t have many known pests or diseases. This is always a big plus in my book.

§  And it’s a great structure planting to enhance your property. This slow-grower can ultimately reach heights of 30’ depending on its location. In other words, it’s like the wee bear’s porridge, just right.

For those who don’t recognize this multi-faceted shrub, its name is Enkianthus campanulatus, Redvein Enkianthus. I wanted to give you five reasons to love it before I gave it away. Yes, it’s a quick five for Friday for those of you who might still be lingering around this holiday weekend. If you find the soil a tad soggy for loads of planting, why not shop around for some new additions. Maybe the Redvein Enkianthus can be put on your ‘must-have’ list to spice up your landscape menagerie.

It’s a wrap to another week but this one is a bit different. It’s the start of a busy holiday weekend so with that said, I choose this wonderful quote penned by Roman Payne. “It’s not that we have to quit this life one day, but it’s how many things we have to quit all at once: music, laughter, the physics of falling leaves, automobiles, holding hands, the scent of rain, the concept of subway trains... if only one could leave this life slowly!” How beautifully put. So whatever you do this weekend, be safe and try to linger; not rush. And if you can unplug, wherever you may be, always make room to plant!

To our fallen heroes, we honor you this weekend and thank you for your sacrifice and service.

Image by Ann Bilowz © Enkianthus campanulatus, Redvein Enkianthus  

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#Plant Strong

 

Does part of your Memorial Day weekend include a visit to a nearby garden center? If so, I'll take a guess. You might be over 40 and part of a dying breed. Do you experience the plant world firsthand? On a scale of 1 through 10, are you #Plant Strong?

Here’s an interesting tidbit from Ellen Wells, the editor at Large, Green Profit regarding Gen Y’s favorite stores with her thoughts summarizing some insightful research from the Urban Land Institute.

“Hold on to your seats for some shocking news: Despite their reputation, Gen Y consumers actually enjoy shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. That’s from research conducted by the Urban Land Institute. And some of their favorite stores are JCPenney, Target, Walmart, Kohl’s and Kmart.

A few more results of the 1,200 Gen Yers surveyed:

37% love to shop, 48% enjoy it, 12% find it a chore and 4% hate it
70% of women and 50% of men find shopping to be entertainment, expect novel options to keep it fresh, and say it’s an important way for them to spend time with friends and family
91% had made an online purchase within the previous six months
45% spend an hour a day looking at shopping websites
 
The Urban Land Institute recommends that retail centers constantly reinvent themselves to “keep it fresh” and present “novel options”—such as creating pop-up shops, changing décor, adding a variety of specialty foods, and increase the options for in-store pick up of online orders. Also important are pedestrian-friendly options, as many Gen Yers prefer to walk or bike to where they are going. The report also suggests that Gen Yers like “third places” where they can linger and meet friends, go online and network, places like Starbucks or juice bars at gyms, lobbies of office buildings. It even mentions gardens with seating!”

Just this past year, two of my favorite specialty nurseries, Seawright Gardens and Blanchette Gardens, both in Carlisle, MA and open to the general public threw in the trowel. Both decided it was time to retire. Their garden destinations were perfect for those who had an obsession for Daylilies, Hostas, Astilbes and so much more. While these retirements may have nothing to do with this constant ‘reinventing’ and ‘keeping it fresh’, who shall be next in line to fill these big plant shoes? Who can keep those rooted connections to the plant lover’s world? As you can see from the above research, while it is doable, it takes constant inspiration to connect those less tuned in to this tangible exterior world. The plant journey is ultimately leading someone to experience it in person.  

So to wrap up this Thursday thought process that weaves its way into today’s images, it’s a quote from C. JoyBell C. accompanied by this potted Amaryllis sprouting different blossoms in the same pot. “We fool ourselves and cheat ourselves when we say that all of us are the same. We should not want to be the same as others and we should not want others to be the same as us. Rather, we ought to glory and shine in all of our differences, flaunting them fabulously for all to see! It is never a conformity that we need! We need not to conform! What we need is to burst out into all these beautiful colors!”

Thursday's message - Reinvent, keep it fresh and just like Boston and Oklahoma, garden and nursery centers, be # plant strong.  For everyone else, have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. And if you can, make a visit to your local nursery and experience firsthand the great 'green' world of plants.

All images by Ann Bilowz ©

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. Like our fan page https://www.facebook.com/abilowz follow on twitter https://twitter.com/annbilowz or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Style on Wordless Wednesday

 

Rachel Zoe states that “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” So on this wordless Wednesday, it’s an array of purple images from the garden today. It’s the beauty of the sun starting to peek through this morning's clouds and dapple itself on everything purple from last night’s rain.

Remember your garden says as much about your style and who you are without the words. Purple – it’s one of my favorite colors since I was a kid. I love wearing it as much as I love purple popping up everywhere in the garden.

 

What’s your style? An image can say it all!

All images by Ann Bilowz ©  

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. Like our fan page https://www.facebook.com/abilowz follow on twitter https://twitter.com/annbilowz or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/