Don's favorites

Don has lots of favorite gardens, but the greatest of all is hidden away behind a 3-rail split cedar fence in the front of the house. It is overrun, but full of character. Apple and cherry trees grow along side shrubs and perennials of all sorts. It is survival of the fittest! Here are some of Don's favorite pictures.

Visit each family member's garden

Spring photos

(13 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

The lowly Bishop's Weed (Snow on the Mountain) is an excellent ground cover for dry shade and poor soil. It becomes more varigated as the summer approaches. It is not invasive in these conditions.
Ornamental Pear. This might be a Cleveland Pear, which is the one that has demonstrated the best hardiness and bloom in Rochester. It still died back (but recovered) 5-6 years ago after an especially cold winter.
The Blue Woodland Phlox makes an early spring appearence. Don is not sure about it's hardiness and it could be relatively short lived.
Hyacinths make an early appearance in the spring garden. These bulbs tend to come up the first year after planting, but may die out the next year. However, a few bulbs seem to take to Minnesota and will last for several years. They do not self multiple and the blooms tend to get a little smaller over time.
Common Flowering Quince (Texas Scarlet). The Quince are really a zone 5 plant. However, our Quince have survived for years here in zone 4b. They wax and wane depending on the previous winter. The winter of 2003-04 was relatively mild. Still, blooms tend to occur at the bottom of the shrub and only a few quince actually make it to maturity.
Common Flowering Quince (Texas Scarlet). The Quince are really a zone 5 plant. However, our Quince have survived for years here in zone 4b. They wax and wane depending on the previous winter. The winter of 2003-04 was relatively mild. Still, blooms tend to occur at the bottom of the shrub and only a few quince actually make it to maturity.
The Minnesota strain (recently replaced by a Wisconsin strain in some nurseries) of Redbud growing here is hardy, but the extent of bloom is dependent on the severity of the previous winter (like so many other ornamental trees). The winter of 2004-05 was moderately harsh and the bloom was limited. The blossoms appear before the leaves. In the background is a Japanese Larch, a unique tree that turns a beautiful yellow in fall and then looses its needles for the winter.
Donald Wyman flowering crabapple. The buds are pink and open to a mainly white flower. The leaves are quite resistant to fungus. The red fruit persists into winter. The fruit is not as attractice to the birds as the Snowdrift white flowering crab, nor are the flowers as densely blooming. The Pileated Woodpecker visits ocasionally in the winter. This tree will become more rounded over the years.

Summer photos

(4 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

Clematis Davidii (or something like that). This was available from Miller Nursery, NY, but is no longer listed. It is a great climber and very winter hardy! It needs to be cut back every winter. A row of 4 plants are shown here along a 3 rail split cedar fence.
Clematis Davidii (or something like that). This was available from Miller Nursery, NY, but is no longer listed. It is a great climber and very winter hardy! It needs to be cut back every winter. A row of 4 plants are shown here along a 3 rail split cedar fence.
A self seeded Ironweed (center - purple flowers) grows to 10 feet (despite poor clay soil). This plant seems taller and more vigorous than it's parents suggesting the occurence of a unique subspecies. Ironweed is a fine and reliable plant that generally comes back in the same place yearly, and also provides the gardener with a crop of well disciplined offspring for transplanting.
Dahlias bloom late in the summer with the tree form Hydrangea Tardiva (background). Dahlias need to be dug up each fall or new bulbs planted each spring. Don hasn't have much luck with over wintering; finding a dry room with a steady temperature of 35-45 degrees in Rochester during the winter is difficult. It has been easier to simply buy new tubers each year. Dahlias need to be watered and/or mulched to promote growth. They are somewhat attractive to deer, but an ocasional spray with Hinder will effectively deter them.

Fall photos

(16 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

The Ginko tree is incredibly slow growing. It turns a nice yellow in fall.
Dwarf Blue Spruce look wonderful covered in falling maple leaves. In the background is a Korean Maple. It's color is brilliant but it is not reliably hardy here in Minnesota.
The Knockout Shrub Rose tolerates a fair amount of shade. It blooms in early summer and again into late fall. It tolerates the first few frosts. It is shown here under dwarf apple trees. Deer love this plant.
Walker's Low catmint (front) is easily transplanted from volunteer plants. It tolerates some shade and a variety of soil types. Like all herbaceous plants it is completely deer resistant. Shown here in the fall, it looks good from spring to fall.
Autumn Blaze Maple turn mainly red in fall. They are the most consistent maple for color here in Minnesota.
The Winter Red Winterberry sounds like a nice shrub to have...abundant large bright red fruit persisting into winter, but not high on the list of Johnston Honey favs. The deer like it as do the rabbits on occasion (wire cage). It is very slow growing. The quantity of berries varies from year to year and it doesn't do so well in dry or shaded conditions. To top it off, fall foliage is so-so!
American Hazelnut is reliably hardy here in Rochester, MN. It is a slow grower and produces reasonably good eating nuts after about 8 years of growth. A single wrapped nut is shown in this picture. When the nut is ripe it falls to the ground. The fall color is an added attraction. This shrub needs to be protected from deer in early life.

Winter photos

(4 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

Domesticated ducks really don't like the winter here in Minnesota. In fact, their feet freeze to the ice and coyotes prey on them when there is no open water nearby. Some learn to fly and escape to the nearby Zumbro River for the winter.
The Japanese Larch loses it's needs in winter.
Winter scene.
Autumn Blaze Maples stand upright, the result of aggressive pruning of the lower branches. This allow for denser tree planting and preservation of the grass under the trees. Long dangling branches from a nearby Weeping Willow hang in the foreground.
Johnston Honey Jar

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