THE DIRT

This is Salley's specialty - and a place for us to keep you informed on what's happening at Willowglen

8.29.2020

Hi there, here we are in late summer with just the earliest hints of fall in the air. Lee & I are just back from a short perennial plant conference in the Twin Cities where we listened to speakers for a day and then toured gardens for a day. It was fun to get away and see other people's gardens for a change. Driving home we talked about what we had seen and had to admit that some of the perennial borders looked a little tired. You know what I mean, when all of the late-spring to mid summer bloomers are begging to be cut back and even the Rudbeckias are between their sunny glow and brown button stages. The one thing we did both agreed held everything together were the ornamental grasses. Especially the grasses that were used in masses (Four or more plants for the BIG grasses and ten and up for the shorter forms.) I'm not trying to set any rules here, it's just that I think the graceful flowering forms of these plants lend themselves to mass plantings in a way which speaks to us most  beautifully in the language of the prairie.  If you have ever stood in the midst of any fair sized prairie on a windy day you'll know what I mean. The vegetation rolls with the breezes, bowing down to the pressure of each passing burst of air. Indeed it is easy to understand how the prairie is so often related to the sea. It can actually feel a lot like being on a boat.

Lindy

8.02.2020
It's still raining in NE Iowa. One good note is that weeding is easy as the ground is soft (which is not always the case at this time of the summer).
Lindy's been very busy with design requests which keeps his imagination cranking out fun new ideas of the different situations he is presented with by customers. I've been working on the perennial gardens and it's phlox time! I love the smell of it. There's one cultivar I'm mightily impressed with and that is Phlox ''Nicky'. It's a dynamite color - deep but bright purple-pink. The ornamental grasses are also starting to take the stage. It's a great time for the gardens.

Lee

7.08.2010

We've just finished our first week of not running the retail garden center - and considering how much rain eastern Iowa has had in the past week, I'm a little glad to not have had the store open. Lindy has been determined to get the vegetable gardens back in control - we're getting closer..... The perennial gardens are full of wonderful colors - I do love daylilies - all of them!! Plus the monardas are full of hummingbirds. It's great to be gardening in July in Iowa. Oh, I know, the humidity can really make the air thick, but with a little thought you can arrange your day to do the heavy work either first thing in the morning (that's my time) or else late in the day. And then just lay low during the hot afternoon hours. Salley's secret is to hop into the creek at least once a day. 

5.25.2010
The days are flying by - and it's been feeling a little more like July than May - the display gardens are bursting into bloom now with Siberian iris, peonies, centaurea, lupines and alliums. I love gardening!! Thanks to all who have stopped by the shop during May - but don't worry (the rest of you) there's still plenty of plants - but now that the sales are starting I can't guarantee what it might look like by the last week in June.
I'm including here a picture of the barred owl babies that are growing up here in the woods around Willowglen - we were lucky enough to get the shot on the day they fledged the box. Happy days.
Lee

5.05.2010
We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the response from all of you so far during this final retail season!!! How great to see familiar faces and share stories of gardens built, lessons learned, and lives lived. Thank you, thank you.  And if you haven't made it out yet - don't worry there are still lots of plants and goodies for you too. Sounds like a touch of frost may be here this weekend - so the blankets will come out in force.....

4.11.2010
The greenhouses are filling up - I love this time of year! So far the weather has cooperated with our potting days and things are progressing nicely. We're growing a cool golden leaf bleeding heart that looks quite promising. We're hearing from some of you via this website which is great and what we had hoped for. Our plans to retire the retail part of our business is causing some talk. Just so you know, we're both fine, it isn't because of the economy - it may be a little because we aren't the 40-year olds anymore....... But mostly its because we have lots of horticultural projects we still hope to get to in this lifetime. So, if not now, when?
Lee

3.24.2010
Lindy and I are getting ready for another potting season - cleaning up the greenhouses, checking furnaces and moving in pallets of soil mix. We have great helpers this spring - one employee who helped us pot our very first season of perennials is back to help us pot our last season.