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Tag: Elisabeth Ginsburg

Natural Life in the Garden: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

 

Depending on where you live, December is probably a slow time in the garden.  The stalks and other debris left over from the gardening season just past may still haunt the landscape like horticultural ghosts.  The sustainable gardener living inside your head knows that at least some of that debris will serve the habitat needs of the local birds and small animals.  The guilty gardener  dwelling in the same head space will probably anticipate the headache that will happen when spring clean-up time rolls around.

Looking Both Ways

No matter which of those forces speaks the loudest, December is a time to look backwards and forwards in the garden.  The catalogs that proclaim the arrival of next season’s delights have already started arriving.  Many of us will be too busy to pay attention in the frantic run-up to winter holidays, setting those wish books aside for dark January evenings and weekends.  In the meantime, we make our houses look more like gardens, hanging seasonal greens, filling spaces with festive plants like paperwhites, poinsettias and amaryllis, and working to keep the houseplants alive until daylight begins its yearly return.

In the Rearview Mirror

Though time is precious right now, it is helpful to think about what worked and did not work in the natural life of your garden.  Whether that “garden” is an array of potted plants on a terrace, an acre of garden beds, or an indoor houseplant display, it is probably home to notable successes and a few notable failures.  I like to start with the successes, like the asters that bloomed last fall in such profusion that they looked like an Impressionist painting, or the flowering quince that produced twenty fragrant fruits despite  the fact that it is supposed to be purely ornamental.

I celebrate the happy accidents and surprises too, delighting in the rose bush that appeared to come back from near-deadness, and the miniature iris that has multiplied so much that I have had divisions to give to a friend who admired the plant.  (Any development that inspires gifts to gardening friends counts as a garden success.)

Weathering Success

Think of the times during the past year when weather worked to advantage.  In my yard, a long wet spring may have made for a depressed gardener, but it was great for the water-loving hydrangeas.  The absence of a late cold snap also meant that those well-hydrated plants did not lose any buds to freezing temperatures.

The wet spring, followed by a relatively early summer made for abundant tasty blueberries.  I enjoyed   a few of them and the birds feasted on the rest while I was away for the Fourth of July weekend.

Living with the Wildlife

Some of us, reflecting on the past season, think about the intrusion of deer, groundhogs, aphids, Japanese beetles and other animal and insect pests.  But if we are counting up our successes, we should also reflect on the abundance of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.  If even one hummingbird sipped nectar from your butterfly bushes or potted lantanas, you can celebrate a small garden miracle.

Sustainable Landscape

You can check the mental “garden successes’ box if you did something to make your garden more sustainable.  Laying organic mulch, limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides, planting pollinator-friendly species, or finding ways to reuse or recycle plastic pots are all small steps towards the bigger goal of making our gardens and, by extension, our world, healthier.

Turning Defeats Into Victories

The only value in failure is learning from it and doing better in the future.  Last summer, some of my friends’ tomatoes were affected by blossom end rot, a common problem caused by insufficient calcium in the soil or growing medium.  If something like this happened in  your garden last season, you can lament the loss of produce, but plan for better results next summer by adding calcium to the soil and watering consistently.

If disease is a problem among your ornamentals and food plants, do not waste time lamenting your “black thumb”.  Go online or seek out an experienced gardener and find out what you can do going forward.  If  the disease affecting your plants was contagious and invariably fatal, like rose rosette disease, remove the affected specimens without guilt and replant with species that are unaffected by the ailment.

Sins of Omission

Most of us find ourselves guilty of sins of omission, like not weeding, watering or tidying enough, or buying plants or bulbs and not getting them in the ground in timely fashion.  If you are indulging in this kind of guilt and recrimination, spare yourselves and anyone else who has to listen to you.  Think realistically about your garden and the time it takes to keep it productive and attractive.  If you really don’t have enough time, maybe you should rethink your plant choices, and opt for flowering shrubs instead of annuals and perennials.  Enlist help if you can get it, or, rethink your notions of “neatness”.  You don’t have to cultivate a jungle, but you can relax a bit about getting every leaf or weed out of the beds.  If a plant is just not working, or takes too much work, give it away or compost it.  There is always a remedy, especially if your garden “failure” has taken root in your head, as well as in your beds.

And remember that unless you are a professional gardener, you are working for yourself, not anyone else.  If your garden makes you happy, it is a success—now and in the future.

 

 

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Holiday Decor by Nature

Halloween has passed, Daylight Savings time has bowed out, and the spring-blooming bulbs have been planted (maybe). It’s time to think about holiday decorations, no matter what holidays you celebrate.

Gray and Damp Meets Vibrant and Creative

Depending on where you live, winter may be snowy, or simply gray and damp.  I think those conditions make brightening up interior spaces extremely necessary for mental health.  Everyone should adorn their living spaces according to their aesthetic, cultural and/or religious beliefs.  Budgetary parameters are a given for most of us, but creativity is free.  Natural decorations, foraged from your garden, the grocery store, or the edge of the roadside can beautify the house and without breaking the bank.  After all, most of us also have to think about buying holiday gifts.

Ever Popular Evergreens

If you have access to evergreen boughs or sprigs, your holiday decorating is off to a flying start.

Think about holly, magnolia and euonymus varieties.  All have decorative leaves that can be used in indoor and outdoor arrangements, affixed to wreaths or formed into swags, mantelpiece garlands or stairway roping.  Berries, like those on many varieties of holly, are a definite plus.

Some varieties of holly and euonymus, as well as “false holly” or Osmanthus heterophylla, may boast variegated leaves, which make a nice contrast with green-leafed varieties.

Pine, fir or spruce branches are lovely as well.  If don’t have access to trimmings from those conifers on your own property, it’s possible that neighbors and friends may have an abundance.  It never hurts to ask, but always make sure to do so before pruning someone else’s tree or shrub.

Cones and Nuts

Squirrels and chipmunks are not the only creatures that profit from collecting fallen acorns, pinecones and chestnuts.  They are everywhere at this time of the year and generally free for the taking.  Every year decorators and florists use these nuts and cones in creative, high-end arrangements and you can too.  Hot glue them to store-bought or homemade twig wreaths.  For a dose of opulence, cover your finds with gold or silver spray paint.  Let the gilded cones or acorns dry and pile them up in a basket adored with a big bow.  Nothing could be simpler or more festive.

Garden Finds

Suppose for a moment that you haven’t had a chance to do much garden clean-up.  You are in luck, because perennial beds and borders can yield some great decorative “finds”, and almost all are thoroughly dried and ready to be used.  The faded flowerheads of sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ and perennial yarrows make great decorative accents.  Dried rosebuds, left on the bushes after hard frosts can do the same job.  Likewise with rose hips.  Some crabapple varieties bear bright fruits that persist on the trees.  Harvesting a few boughs will add to the festive array in a window box or planter.

Roses of Sharon, when not cut back after flowering, produce interesting seedheads, which can be used as is, spray painted, or covered in glitter.  By harvesting them, you have also you’re your bit to curb at least a little of the plant’s flagrant self-seeding tendencies.  Poppy pods, large and small are longtime favorites with florists, decorators and craftspeople.  In fact, just about any desiccated plant material that does not disintegrate when harvested can play a starring or supporting role in holiday decorating.

If you have forgotten to cut and dry hydrangea flowerheads last summer, all is not lost.  Yes, they have probably traded their summer colors for shades of buff and tan, but they too will come in handy for decorating.  Spray paint them to match your holiday color scheme.

Invasive Virtues

If you have an invasive vine, like Asian bittersweet, honeysuckle or wisteria in your garden, or invading your space from a neighbor’s less-than-pristine back forty, harvest lengths of the vine, strip off any remaining leaves, and wind the pliable vines into a kissing ball, in the same way that you would roll up a ball of yarns.  Secure with florist’s wire and decorate with some of those pinecones, acorns and fancy ribbons. One caveat—be sure of your vines’ identities.  Do not try any of the above with something that you suspect might be poison ivy.

Pet owners and those with small children—either your own or the offspring of visiting friends and relatives–should make sure that any decorations with potentially toxic or swallowable components are well out of reach

Deck the Halls

So deck your halls with boughs of gardenalia.  If inspiration falters, check out shelter magazines and online resources.  You may not be able to muster quite the opulence of the spreads that you see in holiday decorating features, but you can still let loose your inner stylist.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Decorative Gourds by Elisabeth Ginsburg

It’s that time of year again…All manner of skeletons, witches, tombstones and other items of Halloweenalia are popping up on stoops, porches and front lawns.  But something else is also populating these autumn displays—decorative gourds—and they will hang around long after the skeletons retreat to attics and garages.

Decorative gourds can be tall, squat, smooth or warty, and come in a variety colors. All are part of the squash or Cucurbitae family of vining plants that is also home to melons and cucumbers.  The most common decorative gourds belong to one of three genera: Cucurbita, Lagenaria or Luffa.

Large, smooth-skinned gourds, like the popular goose or swan’s neck types, are part of the Lagenaria genus, native to Africa.  Their present incarnation as decorative items follows thousands of years of traditional, practical use.  At various times and in various places, dried lagenaria have served as drinking, dipping, and storage vessels, and have also been made into musical instruments.

The cucurbita gourds are widely used for decoration, and include all the sizes and types of pumpkins and squashes.  What’s the difference between an edible cucurbita and a decorative one?  All develop from golden, trumpet-shaped blooms.  Edible varieties, like those used for fall and winter pies, soups, and casseroles are usually called “pumpkins” or “squashes” (as in winter, Hubbard and patty pan squash).  Decorative varieties, raised for ornamental use are generally called “gourds”.

 

Of course, the edible varieties can also be highly decorative, as floral designers and crafters have long known.  The little “Jack Be Nimble” pumpkins fit right in with their bumpy gourd relatives.  A patty pan squash is actually similar in shape to some of the ornamental gourd varieties.  Equip a Hubbard squash with a set of googly plastic eyes from the crafts store and you have an excellent Halloween creature for your porch or doorstep.

The cucurbita that fit the gourd category generally have harder outer skins than the edible types, and come in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes.  They can be yellow, green, orange, cream, or combinations of two or more of those colors.  Often adorned with stripes or splotches, many also sport appealingly bumpy skin.  Piled up in a large container or basket, an array of decorative gourds is a seasonal eye-catcher.

One caveat about outdoor gourd arrangements… In many neighborhoods squirrels or other four-legged creatures are prone to nibbling on pumpkins and gourds.  To ensure that your decorations stay intact, spray them with one of the better-smelling deer repellants.

Luffas are sometimes known as “sponge gourds” or “vegetable sponges”.  On the vine, they look a lot like their green-skinned relatives, zucchinis, and the flesh has a similar taste.  With a shape that is either straight or slightly curved, luffas can be added to fall displays. Later, when the skin dries to a brown color and the seeds rattle inside, the plants can be used to make the popular luffa bath sponges.  To create your own bath luffa, remove both ends of the dried fruit and shake out the seeds.  Soak the luffa in water and then peel off the softened skin.  To obtain the white or creamy color characteristic of commercial luffas, soak in a solution of one part chlorine bleach to nine parts water.  When the luffa has whitened, rinse it and allow to dry.

While the world of decorative gourds is large, the growing requirements are fairly uniform.  All require sunny space and room for the plants to sprawl.  If space is at a premium, or you are growing the gourds in a container, try vertical cultivation.  As the vines grow, tie them to a sturdy vertical structure that is strong enough to support the weight of the vine when it bears mature fruit.  Check regularly through the growing season and tie in new growth.

Whether raised in-ground or on a trellis, gourds need lots of warmth, water and fertilizer (diluted if necessary, and applied according to manufacturers’ directions).  In the garden, some growers like to plant the seeds in mounds of soil or hills.  This means that the resulting sprouts will have to be thinned, but that is not difficult.  The time from seed planting to maturity varies, but generally gourds need a good long growing period—between 90 and 180 days until the fruits develop hard, glossy skins and the stems turn grayish brown.

 

The gourds available from retailers are generally uncured, meaning that the flesh inside is still moist, with seeds clinging to it.  To display for longer than a few weeks, drying or “curing” is a good idea.  This is an easy step.  To dry the fruits, wipe to remove any dirt, and check for bruises or soft spots.  Discard any showing damage.  Dip the rest in the same nine-to-one water and bleach solution used for bleaching luffas.  Lay the gourds out in a warm, dry place, making sure that they are not touching each other.  Turn periodically and shake the gourds.  When you can hear the seeds rattling inside, the gourds are dry and ready for arrangements or craft use.

Growing your own gourds is a great activity for adults and children.  The seeds are large and easy to handle, the flowers are eye-catching, and the end results are dramatic—as long as you exercise a bit of patience during the growing period.  Major seed producers often sell ornamental gourd mixes, which also provides the element of surprise as your plants produce a variety of fruits in all shapes and sizes.

For many people fall is like New Year’s, with school, sports, and other activities picking up after the slower days of summer.  It should be a fun and exciting time before the dark days of winter.  Add to that excitement with a colorful, lively display of ornamental gourds.

 

Butterfly Magnet Container Plants

     

Butterflies, along with other winged beauties like skippers and moths, bring magic to the garden with their colorful wings and intricate flight patterns.  But the magic doesn’t stop there.  Butterflies are among the VIPs of the pollinator world, transferring pollen as they swoop from flower to flower in search of nectar.

One of the best things about butterflies is that they don’t care whether nectar-bearing plants are growing in garden beds, containers or window boxes.  That is welcome news for people with limited spaces.

Nectar is the Name of the Game

To draw butterflies to your containers or window boxes, choose plants, including annuals, perennials and shrubs that are rich in nectar.  Butterfly—attracting annuals and reblooming perennials may stay in the same containers all season long, flowering from spring until frost.  Perennials can also be grown that way, but some gardeners prefer to plant them in liner containers that can be dropped into decorative planters and boxes and then changed out when flowering is over.  An alternative strategy is to use large containers for mixed plant arrangements, incorporating both annuals and perennials for more bloom and prolonged interest.

 

Butterflies in the Name

Some of the best butterfly plants have “butterfly” in their names.  Butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a great example.  Traditional butterfly bushes are shrubs that grow anywhere from 48 to 72 inches tall, but breeders have come up with smaller specimens, like little ‘Pink Microchip’, with soft pink flowerheads and an 18 to 24-inch height and spread.  Reblooming from late spring or early summer onward, the tiny, fragrant flowers are a butterfly’s delight and may also attract hummingbirds.  The ‘Pugster’ series of small buddleias offers blooms in shades of purple, pink and white, all of which top out at 24 inches tall and wide—perfect for medium to large containers. Butterflies love the sun and so do butterfly bushes, so pick a bright location for your containers.

Perennial native butterfly weed or Aesclepias tuberosa, with its brilliant orange flowers, is both a host and food plant for monarchs, and will do well in container positioned in the sunshine.  Since its good looks last only as long as the flowers, it is best grown in a liner, or a pot that can be moved to the back of the container array when the plant is not in bloom.

Irresistible Mint

Members of the mint or Lamiaceae family are irresistible to butterflies, with the added attraction of toughness and ease of culture.  North American native Agastache or hummingbird mint is a great addition to any sunny container garden, and some varieties are perfect for small spaces.  Little agastaches in the ‘Poquito’ series boast minty-smelling foliage and sprightly flower spikes that reach 11 to 14 inches tall in shades that include butter yellow and lavendar, with blooms appearing regularly in the summer and early fall.

Catmints (Nepeta) are virtually indestructible, flowering in flushes throughout the summer, with gray-green aromatic foliage and soft blue spikes of tiny flowers.  Container growers will appreciate compact varieties like ‘Little Trudy’, with deep blue-purple flowers and a maximum height of ten inches.    Light shearing after flowering will promote regrowth and additional blooms.

Smells Good, Tastes Good, Looks Good

If you want to combine pollinator attraction with culinary desirability, fill your containers with another mint family member–rosemary (Rosemarinus officionalis).  Traditionally this shrubby, aromatic herb grows to impressive size.  It can be grown in containers in topiary form, but for gardeners limited by both space and time, a better choice is a dwarf variety like ‘Blue Boy’, which grows only six to eight-inches tall, with a wider spread—about 15 to 18 inches.  This trait makes the plant good for window boxes and hanging baskets, as well as taller containers.  The flowers are light blue and borne in abundance.  Rosemary is generally not hardy in cold winter climates.  Container culture makes the plants easier to bring indoors when frost threatens.

A Butterfly Banquet of Annuals

There is a reason why traditional annual flowers like zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers have withstood the test of time and the ebb and flow of horticultural fashion.  They are easy to grow from starter plants or seeds, bloom over a long season, and require little care.  They also feature flowers that are rich in nectar, which means that your garden will also be rich in butterflies and other pollinators.  For containers, choose varieties on the shorter side (or use large containers for traditional tall varieties).  Zinnias like the ‘Thumbelina’ and ‘Lilliput’ series offer a rainbow of butterfly-attracting colors and plants that grow only 12 to 18-inches tall.

For something small but flashy, try dwarf marigolds like ‘Bolero’, with red and yellow-splashed petals on plants that grow only 12-inches tall.  Use them alone in single-variety containers or combine with other, less flamboyant varieties for high contrast in small space.

We think of sunflowers as the giants of the summer garden, but smaller varieties are easy to grow in containers.  ‘Sunray Yellow’ features the traditional golden-yellow petals surrounding big, dark seedheads.  It rises to only 20 to 22-inches tall.

And don’t forget petunias—old fashioned and reliable, they are universally available and loved by butterflies.  Aim for newer varieties with blooms that are less likely to “ball-up” when it rains.  As with all annuals, deadhead faithfully for best results.

Health and Sustainability

Container gardens can be every bit as beautiful as in-ground landscapes, but require a slightly different approach to care.  Regular watering is key, especially in hot weather.  For the sake of plant health and sustainability, use a water-retentive planting compound like Sunshine® Black Bear® Indoor & Outdoor Growing Mix.  Regular feeding, especially for annuals, is also important. Use a balanced commercial product, diluted, if necessary, according to manufacturers’ instructions.  Eliminate or minimize the use of pesticides.  In a healthy ecosystem birds and other pest predators will take care of the majority of insects that attack plants.

Healthy Plants, Healthy Pollinators, Healthy Humans

Pollinators, including butterflies, are essential, not only to flowers, but to all food crops, and ultimately to human survival.  Do your part for beauty and sustainability by creating great container gardens full of flourishing butterfly-friendly plants.

 

 

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey

Peach Flowers

Every year the color specialists at Pantone select a “color of the year”. For 2024 the color is “Peach Fuzz”, a soft yellow/orange shade that conjures images of ripe fruit and summer sunsets.  The “fuzz” part adds homey, comforting associations.

In the garden peach is a good companion, harmonizing with shades of white, blue, green and even certain pinks. Even though the Pantone “Peach Fuzz” is a defined hue, peach flowers and foliage can run the gamut from pale tones to shades that are close to coral. Peachy blooms are popular with florists and frequently makes trips up the aisle in brides’ hands

Spring into Peach

Peach starts the garden year with a bang.  Some of the “pink-cupped” daffodils, like the heirloom variety ‘Mrs. Backhouse,’ actually bloom in peach tones (depending on soil and light conditions).  Real peach thrills sprout with the tulips, like the much loved Triumph tulip ‘Apricot Beauty’ that boasts large blooms and tall stems.  Later in spring, the peachy drama amps up with varieties like the late spring flowering ‘Stunning Apricot’, which blooms in a slightly more saturated shade.  Fragrance lovers can revel in ‘Gypsy Queen’, a hyacinth that has been transmitting peachy garden vibes since its introduction in 1927. If you have the space, invest in a flowering quince bush like the ‘Peach’ variety that is part of the Double Click® quince series. Mature quinces cover themselves in blooms, delighting bees and humans.

Summer Daisies

Early summer is daisy time, and the daisy clan is full of choice peaches.  The annual cosmos ‘Apricotta’ has an almost ombre quality, with peach petals shading to pink.  Many coneflowers (Echinacea) bloom in peachy hues, but the appropriately named ‘Apricot’, a single-flowered variety that is part of the Fresco™ series, with gray-green foliage and non-fading color.

The tickseed or coreopsis range has expanded almost exponentially of late, and includes the threadleaf variety, ‘Crème Caramel’, which is not really caramel-colored, but peachy-pink.

In the shade garden the double impatiens ‘Ole Peach’ lightens things up with pert little blooms that work at border edges, containers and window boxes.

Daisies, including the peachy ones, thrive on sunshine, consistent moisture and a good soil amendment like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost.

Peachy Leaves and Shady Business

In shady situations, peach tones can come in the form of tall foxgloves like Digitalis ‘Dalmatian Peach’.  The plants are generally biennial, but if you let them, they self-seed regularly.  For spots that are both damp and somewhat shady, feather astilbes, like ‘Peach Blossom’ fill the bill.

For foliage color that spans the seasons and stands out in the shade, try shade-tolerant varieties of perennial coral bells (Heuchera) like compact ‘Peach Flambe’ and ‘Peachberry Ice’.  Both bear dainty spring flowers on tall, slender stems, but the leaves, which are opulently ruffled, are the real attraction. Heucheras also have neat mounding habits making them good team players in the garden.

Climbing to the Sky

Sometimes space it at a premium and climbing plants are a great answer.  ‘Giant Peach Sunrise’ mandevilla, part of the Sun Parasol® series climbs between six and 10 feet in full sun or very light shade.  It is frost tender, but makes a splash during the growing season.  Black-eyed Susan vines (Thunbergia), are easy-to-grow annual climbers that also paint walls and supports in peachy colors.

 

What About Roses?

The universe of peach-tinted roses seems to grow every year.  David Austin’s ‘The Lark Ascending’ is medium peach with a loosely cupped flower form, while his ‘Roald Dahl’ is a more intense shade.  ‘Oh Happy Days’™ is a soft, eye-catching hybrid tea, and ‘Peach Profusion’ offers pointed buds and a multitude of blooms on a floribunda shrub.  If landscape or groundcover roses are more your style, you can count on ‘Peach Drift’® roses that grow only about two feet tall and 1.5 feet wide.  The Knock Out® rose family has taken the garden world by storm, and includes ‘Peachy Knock Out’® among its members.

 

Fall Fancies

Dahlias, once thought to be old hat, are now riding a wave of popularity, with peach-flowered varieties available in a range of flower forms and levels of color intensity.  Daisy-like ‘Apple Blossom’ is on the yellow end of the peach spectrum, while the pom pom-type, ‘Amber Queen’ offers a more saturated color that is closer to orange.  Low-growing ‘Easy Duzzit’ is a collarette variety, with peach shadings.  It is perfect for smaller scale displays in containers.

Perennial garden chrysanthemums, long among gardeners’ favorites are distinct from the “hardy” varieties that are widely available in stores in fall.  Once planted, the garden types return and flourish for years.  Some of the peachiest varieties include daisy-flowered ‘Mary Stoker’, which opens in yellow tones, but ages to peach.  ‘Chiffon’ is a cushion mum with petals that shade from pale at the tips to rosy peach at the centers of the flowers.  It truly shines in a sunny fall border and helps close out the gardening season on a cheerful note.

The season for fresh peach fruit is short, but in the garden, the peach season provides a ready supply of delectable treats throughout the growing year.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey

Mouse Ear Hostas

 

 

Hostas are the salvation of many a shade garden.  With leaves ranging from pale green to darkest blue-green, and a host of shapes, sizes, variegated options and bloom times, they are relatively undemanding workhorses.  Many are also prolific, with dividable clumps that make it easy and inexpensive for average gardeners to increase supplies over time.

No Space for Giants

But not everyone has space for a variety like the enormous ‘Empress Wu’, which grows nearly four feet tall and almost six feet wide.  Even a more moderately-sized variety, like the old favorite, ‘Royal Standard’, at 26 inches tall and 18 inches wide, may be too big for small space and container arrays.  Those situations call for small varieties—either miniatures, which grow up to six inches tall, or small cultivars that grow up to 10 inches in height.  One of the best-known is   ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, which grows only six to 12 inches tall, with a spread of eight to 12 inches.

Mice in the Garden

While some small hostas have the word “mouse” in their varietal names (usually indicating descent from ‘Blue Mouse Ears’), many more fit that variety’s miniscule dimensions.  Gardeners sometimes refer to all the small cultivars as “mouse ear” hostas.

When attached to real mice, “mouse ears” are tiny.  The typical leaf on a mouse ear hosta is a little larger, ranging from slightly bigger than a thumbnail to the size of a potato chip.

Plant breeders, ever conscious of market trends, including the trend for small-space landscapes, have gone to work and produced lots of small varieties that mimic the qualities of larger specimens, while adding a unique charm of their own.

Singing the Blues

Hostas with blue-green leaves add contrast to shady spots.  An offspring of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, little ‘Thumb Bluelina’ is only five inches tall with a spread of about 17 inches.  ‘Thumb Bluelina’s’ leaves are medium blue-green, and about the size of a thumbnail.  The plants would work especially well massed at the front of a shady border, or providing a splash of blue in a rock garden.

Golden Green

Finding light in small, dark spaces can be hard, but mouse ear hostas can romp to the rescue.  ‘Sun Mouse’, which boasts ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ in its genetic heritage, features golden green leaves that are longer than they are wide, and ripple at the edges.  The plant is a mighty mite at six inches tall and about 18 inches wide.  Like many hostas, it bears lavender blooms in summer.  ‘Golden Needles’ sports an unusual color pattern, with green-gold leaves flecked over the entire leaf surface with darker green.  ‘Yellow Saphire’, grows even lower, rising only one inch, with a spread of eight inches and pointed, leaves that are more yellow than green.  Its low stature makes it useful as a small-space groundcover.

Twice as Nice

Variegated leaves—where the green base color is edged, striped or splotched with a contrasting shade, can sparkle in the shade garden or container array.  ‘School Mouse’, another ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ offspring, came to market by way of a series of complicated breeding maneuvers.  Rising to eight inches tall, with a 12 inch spread, the plants shine with green foliage (sometimes with blue overtones), edged in yellow green.  Even smaller, at only five inches tall, little ‘Mini Skirt’, also shines with slightly wavy yellow leaf margins.  ‘Twice as Mice’ has the mounding habit of many larger hostas, but only tops out at five inches tall and 18 inches wide.  Its blue-green leaves come complete with feathery cream edges.

Shapely Foliage

Hosta collectors treasure specimens with interesting leaf shapes and configurations.  If you have an urge for the small and unusual, try ‘Golden Fantasma’, at only three inches tall and 12 inches wide.  Its abundant golden leaves are narrow and pointed at the ends, like small swords. ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ features similar golden-green swords that are darker green on the undersides. ‘Crazy Mouse’ is a little larger at 8 inches tall and nearly two feet wide.  Its rounded leaves are more blue than green and tightly clustered together, making the plant look almost flower-like.

Easy on the Gardener

Mouse ear hostas, like their larger relations, are among the easiest plants to grow.  All thrive in shade, but some will tolerate fair amounts of sun.  Start mouse ears off with well-drained soil, amended with a nutrient-rich mixture like Fafard Garden Manure Blend.  Water regularly until the plant is well-established. If your small hostas are growing in containers, they will need relatively more water than specimens planted in-ground.  If you live in a cold winter climate, store containerized hostas in protected locations.

Clumps of happy hostas—large or small—will grow in size, making division the best option for increasing supplies.  It is easiest to divide hostas in spring, when the young shoots are just emerging.  Dig up the entire rooted clump, and then use a sharp spade or garden knife to divide the clump into several pieces, making sure that each one has a section of roots attached.  Replant the new divisions or donate them to lucky friends, who will almost certainly welcome your gift of healthy “mice”.

 

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Lovely Lacecap Hydrangeas

The lacecap bigleaf hydrangea is planted in more alkaline soil, hence the pink flower color.

In James McNeil Whistler’s famous 1871 painting, Whistler’s Mother, the title subject wears a lace cap and does not appear very happy about it.  Most of us would probably have the same expression if we had to don similar headgear.  Installing a lacecap hydrangea in the garden is a completely different experience and is highly likely to produce smiles instead of frowns.

Mopheads Versus Lacecaps

Mophead hydrangeas have more puffy, rounded flower clusters.

The garden lacecaps are eye-catching varieties of bigleaf or mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) or Japanese mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata), and it is the floral “lace” that makes them different. Instead of the large, globe-shaped flowerheads familiar to hydrangea lovers far and wide, lacecaps have flattened flowerheads (technically called corymbs), characterized by wide centers of small true flowers, surrounded by lacy outer borders of large sterile florets.  Depending on the variety, lacecaps bloom in the same colors as mopheads, bluer in acid soils, red or pink in alkaline soils, and lavender or purple when the soil is neutral.  All the macrophylla hydrangeas feature the same large, medium to dark green leaves that are shaped like toothed teardrops. Japanese mountain hydrangeas tend to be smaller in stature and the leaves have more toothed, or serrated, edges.

Japanese Origins

Lacecaps have been around for some time.  The first wild shrubs were discovered in Japan in the 1870s by English plant hunter Charles Maries, just a few short years after Whistler immortalized his mother.  By the end of the decade, two varieties, the white-flowered ‘Veitchii’ and the pale blue or pink-flowered ‘Mariesii’ had been introduced commercially in Europe.  The two are still available through some retailers today.

Modern Developments

The opulent ‘Izu no Hana’ bears double outer florets with pointed petals.

Modern breeders in Japan, Switzerland, the United States, and elsewhere have produced several other winning varieties, sometimes marketed as part of trademarked series.  BLUE WAVE is the new, trademarked name of an old variety, ‘Mariesii Perfecta’, which features vibrant blue flowers and was introduced into commerce in 1904. It is a compact variety, with a 3.5-foot height and spread.  ‘Lady in Red’ is even smaller at two to three feet wide and tall, boasting dramatic dark red stems and leaf veins.  Its leaves turn scarlet in the fall.  For even more drama, try ‘Zorro’, with near-black stems, and red fall foliage.

The opulent Japanese variety ‘Izu no Hana’ bears double outer florets with pointed petals.  For even more petals, ‘Lanark White’ offers small blue florets that jostle in the flowers’ centers with a number of the larger sterile ones that are repeated in the outer margins.  The overall appearance is that of a lacecap/mophead mash-up.

Variegated leaves can add interest to the garden, and varieties like Hydrangea macrophylla var maculata feature the characteristic green, elliptical leaves edged in cream.

Pruning and Blooming

Traditional lacecaps flower on “old wood”, which means this year’s flowers grow on last year’s stems. Late summer pruning is often recommended.

As with other mophead hydrangeas, traditional lacecaps flower on “old wood”, which means this year’s flowers grow on last year’s stems. Therefore, the best time to prune them is in the summer after their big flush of blooms has past. Another problem with the trait is that the buds can be frozen by late spring frosts, resulting in a loss of summer blooms.  Newer varieties, like ‘Twist and Shout’ (part of the ENDLESS SUMMER® series of lacecaps and mopheads), bloom on “new wood” or stems produced in the year of bloom, which solves the spring frost problem.  If you have experienced hydrangea disappointment when plants produce few or no flowers in any given year, it is worth seeking out new varieties to fill holes in your planting scheme. (Click here for a detailed hydrangea pruning guide from Proven Winners®.)

Hydrangea Hydration and Care

The pale blue or pink-flowered ‘Mariesii’ is a very old variety.

All bigleaf hydrangeas prefer uniformly moist soil and light shade.  Heavier shade will result in fewer blooms.  When planting, add a rich soil amendment, like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost.  Mulching is also a good idea for moisture-loving lacecaps.  The shrubs will succeed in large containers, as long as you water regularly throughout the growing season and feed with commercial plant food applied and diluted according to the manufacturer’s directions.  If pesky spring frosts are a routine occurrence and you love your mature, traditional mophead and/or lacecap hydrangeas, you can wrap yours in comfy layers of burlap in the fall and remove it in spring when all danger of frost has passed.  This doesn’t look particularly attractive, but may greatly improve the chance of abundant summer blooms.

Border Carnations

 

Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus and hybrids), with their ragged, “pinked” edges, lovely colors, and long vase life, are staples of the cut flower trade.  They also have a lengthy and celebrated history in gardens, going in and out of fashion many times over the centuries.  The plants are having a renaissance right now, as flower lovers have come to appreciate their tried and true virtues.

About Dianthus

Carnations make lovely garden flowers, especially in early summer.

The dianthus family is large, with over 300 species, and contains carnations of all sizes, not to mention sweet Williams and the short-statured plants known in this country as “pinks”.  In Europe, especially in Great Britain, the term “pinks” is used more generally to include just about all dianthus.  Given the amount of interbreeding among species over the years, this may be the best informal way to categorize the whole group.

The flowers that you buy in bunches at the local florist or supermarket are generally referred to as “florists’ carnations”.  They are specific varieties grown under greenhouse or controlled field conditions and sold in bulk to the floral trade.  Cultivars that grow outdoors in home gardens are categorized as “border” or “garden” carnations.  Between the two categories, the world of beautiful carnations is wide.

Garden Carnations

Carnations are available in lots of cheerful colors and most are fragrant.

Border or garden carnations are generally short-lived perennials, hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 10.  The stems can grow as tall as 3 feet, though many varieties, especially those developed in the last few decades, are considerably shorter.  The stems are erect but tend to arch.  Depending on height, some garden types may need staking or other means of corralling.  The blue-green to gray-green leaves are long, narrow and attractive in their own right.

The singular look of the flowers is a combination of the distinctive ragged or ruffled edges, and the opulent, semi-double or double petal array of each flower.  Most bear a characteristic spicy scent reminiscent of cloves, sometimes with other sweet fragrance notes mixed in.  Available colors range from purest white to near-black, with bi-colored or even tri-colored varieties available from specialty merchants.  While there are no true blue carnations (unless you put a cut stem in a container of water mixed with blue dye), the color and pattern ranges are still impressive.

Modern Garden Carnations

The ‘I Heart You’ Carnations has bright pink blooms that age to near-white.

Modern large-flowered garden carnations are the result of hybridization of several different species.  English author and gardener Vita Sackville West wrote admiringly about the Chabaud carnations, developed by a French hybridizer in the eighteen seventies.  Some Chabaud types, like the pink-flowered ‘La France’ and ‘Benigna’, with white petals laced with red, are still in commerce today.  Another antique variety, ‘Mrs. Sinkins’, combines shorter stature—about 12 inches tall—with big white flowers.

Modern varieties tend to be more compact than some older ones and come in an array of arresting colors and color combinations.  As with many commercial hybrid plants, they are often marketed in named series protected by trademarks.  Each series shares common features, like short stature and unusual coloration. Selecta One’s 2020 Dianthus introduction, ‘I♥U’ is a singular beauty with a compact habit and fluffy flowers that are rose-pink when they first open and age to near white.  Scent First™ ‘Tickled Pink’ bears bright cerise flowers on 10-inch stems. ‘Horatio’, a hybrid splashed with dark red and white, grows to 12 inches.  Little Sunflor™ ‘Amber’, at six to eight inches, is shorter still, with bright yellow petals.  Flow® ‘Grace Bay’ is creamy yellow with narrow red edges, and dimensions similar to those of ‘Amber’.  Super Trouper™ ‘Orange’ may be closer to peach than tangerine, but its unusual coloration stands out.

Growing Carnations

Carnations are some of the best cut flowers you can grow if you choose long-stemmed varieties.

Like other members of the dianthus family, carnations are relatively easy to grow if you give them full sun and well-drained soil on the alkaline side of the pH spectrum.  If you have acid soil, it may be best to install your carnations in medium to large containers or add lime to your garden soil according to package directions.  Gardeners with heavy clay can amend the soil with organic material like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost.

Humans may love carnations, but garden varmints, like rabbits and deer, generally do not.  If you have cats who roam the garden and are prone to sampling plants, take care, as the flowers can be irritating to feline mouths and stomachs.

At different times and places, carnations have been known by evocative names like “sops-in-wine,” “gillyflowers” and clove pinks.  Whatever you call them, they add both beauty and drama to the summer landscape.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Exotic, Accessible Agapanthus

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Brides traditionally wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”  Gardens—whether they are arrays of containers, in-ground beds, or window boxes–often contain those same elements.  Agapanthus, sometimes known as “Lily of the Nile”, combines all of those attributes in a single plant.  The “something old” is Agapanthus africanus, an ancestor of today’s varieties, which appeared in Europe as early as the seventeenth century, but is native to South Africa.  “Something new” describes the many new agapanthus hybrids that feature increased bloom size, a broadened color range, and more compact size.  “Something borrowed” is the “Nile” in the common name, which has persisted, though the plants have nothing to do with that great river.  The “something blue” refers to the most common flower color.

With all those sterling qualities, plus the ability to flourish equally well in the ground or in containers, agapanthus marries the exotic and the accessible, with beautiful results.

An Onion Cousin

The genus is part of the Alliaceae or onion family, but its growth habit might remind you a little of holiday amaryllis (Hippeastrum), with tall, fleshy stalks and long narrow leaves.  Those stalks generally grow between 18 inches and four feet tall, depending on variety, on plants that spread of at least 1 foot.  The rounded flowerheads or umbels appear at the tops of the stalks and are made up of scores of trumpet-shaped florets, which appear in shades of blue and blue-purple, as well as white.  You can buy varieties of Agapanthus africanus from some vendors, but most commercially available agapanthus plants are hybrids.  The number of those hybrid varieties has increased steadily over the years, with new generations of agapanthus hybrids succeeding older ones.

Beautiful Tender Perennial

Agapanthus is a tender perennial that is only marginally hardy in cold winter climates.

Given its origins in the southern hemisphere, it is not a surprise that agapanthus is classed as a tender perennial that is only marginally hardy in cold winter climates.  New varieties are more cold-tolerant than older ones, but all can be overwintered successfully. Some varieties feature evergreen leaves.

Blue and White Hues

If you like blue, you can choose a light blue variety like ‘Summer Skies’, which also has the benefit of being cold hardy to USDA plant hardiness Zone 6.  For brighter blues, choose tall ‘Blue Yonder,’ or the slightly shorter (24 inches) ‘Kingston Blue’.  If you want dramatic dark blues, go for ‘Black Buddhist’, with dark purple buds and dark blue-purple florets, or ‘Back in Black’ with dark flowers and black-streaked stalks.  The extremely floriferous ‘Storm Cloud’, also bears umbels of highly saturated blue-purple.

Cool white cultivars include ‘Cold Hardy White’, which is hardy to USDA plant hardiness zone 5, and bears white florets on 12- to 16-inch stalks.  Somewhat taller, at over three feet ‘Galaxy White’ is hardy to USDA zone 6,

Double the Fun

There are many white agapanthus varieties from which to choose.

Little ‘rfdd’ Double Diamond grows to only about 12 inches tall but makes up for its short stature with umbels of double or semi-double white blooms.  It is not terribly cold-hardy but is eminently suitable for container culture and overwintering in cold winter climates.

Sun and Soil

No matter what variety you choose, plant the rhizomes just below the surface of the soil.  If you buy container-grown agapanthus and want to transplant to a decorative pot or tub, make sure the top of the soil surrounding the plant is on level with the top of the soil in the chosen container.  Situate your plant in a sunny location with some afternoon shade, if possible.

Agapanthus bloom best when they are slightly potbound, so select an appropriately-sized container.  Use a quality potting mix like Fafard Ultra Container Mix with Extended Feed, and make sure the agapanthus has consistent moisture.  Fertilize with a balanced plant food, diluted according to manufacturer’s directions, during the spring and summer growth period.

A Long Winter Nap

Cold climate dwellers should bring potted agapanthus indoors to a bright, frost-free location for the winter, watering occasionally.  When spring returns, take the plants outdoors and begin watering and fertilizing once again.

Opulence Divided

Brilliant blue or white agapanthus look great as single specimen plants.

Brilliant blue or white agapanthus look great as single specimen plants, and opulent when massed in large tubs.  Happy plants will form clumps, and you can increase your supplies by digging, lifting and splitting those clumps (with a sharp spade or garden knife), and replanting the divisions.  If you share those agapanthus divisions with the gardeners among your friends or neighbors, they will most likely be grateful for the gifts of “something borrowed” and “something blue” from you.

 

 

Creating Japanese Kokedama

February can be the longest short month for gardeners. In cold winter climates it is frequently too soon to get out in the garden and work. Elsewhere it may be gray, rainy, and dismal. Indoor gardening is a good way to beat the cold-weather doldrums, and the Japanese art of kodedama is a relatively easy, inexpensive means of enjoying a green project indoors.

What is Kokedama?

Asparagus fern is an easy-care kokedama plant.

Kokedama means “moss ball” in Japanese, and the words define this container-free method of growing small to medium-sized houseplants in mossy orbs of potting medium. Instead of a pot or other vessel, the plant of your choice grows in a soil mixture enclosed in a sheet of sphagnum moss (typically) and held together by nylon or burlap garden twine. The result can be hung from the ceiling or displayed on a decorative plate or tray.

Kodedama is interesting enough for adults and a great activity for children, with adult help and supervision.

Picking a Kokedama Plant

Choose small- to medium-sized non-spreading plants for kokedama.

Almost any small to mid-size plant that does not spread will work. If you plan to hang your kokedama, try English ivy (Hedera helix), asparagus fern (Asparagus setaceus), or trailing heart-leaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum). For a flowering ball, think about African violets (Saintpaulia hybrids, click here to read more), flowering kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), or bromeliads, like terrestrial Tillandsias or Guzmannia. Dwarf fancy-leaf begonias make showy kokedama. If you have a sunny space and love succulents, smaller specimens will also grow well.

Think about where you will display your finished moss ball and choose plants that flourish in the available light. Flowering subjects generally like more light than foliage plants.

Raw Materials for Kokedama

Tillandsias can make very kokedama good specimens.

Like any good recipe, kodedama starts with an ingredient list. Necessary kokedama supplies:

  1. Sphagnum sheet moss or loose coarse sphagnum moss
  2. Well-aerated potting mix or bonsai soil (available at some garden centers or online)
  3. Quality standard potting mix, like Fafard Professional Potting Mix
  4. Garden twine or nylon filament
  5. Large bowl
  6. Scissors
  7. Garden or rubber gloves

Have all of your materials ready before starting. The process can get messy, so work on an easy-to-clean surface or cover the work area with plastic or paper.

Creating Kokedama

Start by forming a ball of soil.

Assemble the chosen plant, plus all the ingredients, with a water source nearby. Your finished kodedama will probably be 5 to 8 inches wide, depending on the size of the plant.

Put on your gloves. Soak the moss in water for a few minutes to make it pliable. In a bowl, mix equal parts of the bonsai and potting mixes. Begin adding water, a little at a time, until the mixture holds together when scooped up in your palm.

Form the mixture into a ball (like making a snowball). When you have a cohesive ball, split it by cutting or twisting. Remove the plant from its container, and gently remove the excess potting mix, but be sure not to harm the plant’s root ball. Insert the plant between the two halves and then reform the soil ball around the plant, patting and turning until the mass holds together. Be careful not to bend or harm any of the plant’s stems.

Wrapping Kokedama

Make sure the sphagnum moss covers the soil ball before tying.

Place the plant ball atop the moistened piece of sheet moss and pull the sheet moss up around the ball, tucking it at the base of the plant. Take the twine or filament and wrap it around the middle of the ball, leaving about six inches free to tie at the end of the process. Continue to wrap twine around the moss (like winding yarn into a ball), until the kokedama is held securely. If you are going to hang the finished creation, make a couple of hanging loops of the same length at the top of the ball and tie them together (see the image under Picking a Kokedama Plant). Trim and loose ends of twine or tuck them under. The kokedama is finished and ready to hang or display.

Aftercare and Keeping Kokedama Going

If you plan to hang your kokedama, be sure to tie the plant firmly.

As you might expect, you can’t just water a kokedama with a watering can unless you want a drippy mess. The best way to water is to soak the ball in a bowl of water for about five minutes and then let it drip dry for half an hour or so in a strainer or colander. Watering frequency may vary depending on the plant type and also the level of humidity in the air. If the ball feels relatively light and/or the leaves are droopy, the kokedama needs a drink. Dry air may mean watering every few days. Feed by using soluble fertilizer diluted according to the manufacturer’s directions and added to the water in which you soak your kodedama,

Most plants, even slow-growing succulents, will eventually outgrow their kodedama packages. When that happens, you can either use the plant to make a bigger kodedama, install it in an appropriately sized container, or, in the case of a perennial plant, transfer the former kodedama subject to the garden.