Archive for November, 2009

The Book of Six © Six End of Season To-dos

November 23, 2009 at 9:52 am · Filed under The Book of Six© ·Tagged , ,

As the fall season ends and we put our gardens to bed for the winter, here are six end of season to-dos to ready for spring gardening.

  1. Seeds – collect, organize, and store.
  2. Clean and put away pots.
  3. Cut back herbaceous plants – watch for harboring wildlife.
  4. Rake and mow leaves – put into the beds – it makes great mulch.
  5. Sharpen and put away tools  - Clean out the shed…how many of those tool did you actually use?
  6. Clean up potting bench – clean away the falling leaves and mess created by fall container planting.
Careful during the fall clean up so this Praying Mantid egg case doesn’t end up in the compost

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Sunday, November 22, 2009 A Week Puttering in Helen’s Haven

November 22, 2009 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Helen's Haven ·Tagged ,

When doing some fall clean up in Helen’s Haven, I found this Praying Mantid egg case on the Lantana.

It was a gorgeous week and today was the best fall day.  Did a little more fall clean up in Helen’s Haven.  Aster and I cut back the tomatoes.  Looks like we will be having fried green tomatoes this week, yum.   We then planted red cabbage, greens and broccoli we had in a holding area thinking a freeze would have zapped the tomatoes by now.  It has happened yet.  I was getting impatient, so out came the ‘matters.

Aster working in his Victory Garden

After Aster’s clean up

Aster's Broccoli

Almost the last of the tomatoes

My friend M.A. Newcomer over at Idaho Gardener is having a writing contest on Why I Garden. I entered.  I needed to be able to answer the question for myself.  It was fun.  Here is  Why I Garden

Did a post on Helen’s Haven Woodland Gardens Fall Woodland Gardens One and Too.

I posted this sighting on Glenwood Avenue.  A Fall Blooming Native Dogwood? After doing so, I found this hollyhock blooming.  What a whicky-whacky year.

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Last winter I started a hedgerow on the south side of the Red Bed.  I’m happy to report all that was planted is doing well.  This means the planting survived last years harsh winter, but may have been blessed by a stressless summer.  Now that  I know the hedgerow will be filling in more, I decieded to begin to remove the daylilies that were there.  I’m about halfway done and will finish in the next week or so.  In the meantime, I transplanted three Crinums in their place.

The Crinums were in a place that could not support their height.  They needed to be moved.  I should have known from the get-go and probably did, but was in denial.

South side of Red Bed hedgerow. Before daylilies were removed

South side Red Bed hedgerow after some daylily editing and adding Crinums

Other maintenance in Helen’s Haven this week.

  • Mowed
  • Weeded
  • Pruned roses
  • Deadleafed Elephant ears

Went to an open house of my client.  They have moved in after an 8 month renovation.  Their home is absolutely gorgeous!

For this client, I designed the front and back.  The back has a lovely low maintenance design to complement the pool and pool house, garage, patio and view from 2nd floor balcony

For another client, I designed a new fence and gate.  My inspiration was the existing porch railing.  The fence/gate is an extension of the porch to the right of the photo below.

This porch railing was the inspiration for the fence and gate

New fence and gate. Made for scrap left over for the gazebo installation

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Why I Garden

November 21, 2009 at 9:09 pm · Filed under Essays ·Tagged ,

Why I Garden

Finishing up after a day in the garden, a glass of wine in hand, I sit hard on the back porch chase.   “Ah, I say a little more loudly than necessary.”   I thought the need to express myself mattered only to me.  It’s the sound of a good day in the garden.  At the sound, Lily perks up.  She knows by the sound, I’m available.

From the moment born, Lily has loved flowers.  Perhaps it’s her destiny.  A smart girl at nine, she knows I may not put a puzzle together with her, and knows I definitely won’t play card games of any kind, but she has learned to ask me to stroll around the garden, something I’ve never refused.  Today is no different.  Even without the taste of my first sip, I happily agree to join her.

Taking her little hand in mine, we start our journey before ever leaving the stone floor of the covered porch.  As Lily points out a humming bird and butterfly, I find I’m watching Lily as her eyes brighten up at the bold colors of the wildlife entering the garden.  Her delight is my delight.  And so we begin our evening walk.

As we journey down the garden path, we pretend we are the wildlife entering the garden.  We see what the birds, bees and butterflies see.   We go to plants that entice us to take our noses and bury them deep in the flower’s nectar.

We share stories of friends, foods, and flowers.    This time together is uninterrupted; we cannot hear if the dryer buzzer blares or if the phone rings.  We are alone.  It is our special time together.  As Lily chatters, I reflect on why I garden.

Gardening provides me relaxation, creativity, beauty, and the satisfaction of knowing I’m making a difference in the one little plot of land that is in my care.  Without the garden, the kids wouldn’t have secret spaces to venture into or value the earth in her abundance.  First hand knowledge is second nature to them.  Even though I gardened for decades before the kids came along, I now garden for us.  For these moments.

My mind comes back to the reality of Lily’s chatter as she asks me,  “Do you think my hair makes my head look like a triangle?”  “No way,” I said.  “But if it did, you would be in good company, do you see the shape of the Praying Mantid’s head?   Here’s one; look closely.”  And so it goes on our evening stroll.


Why I garden was submitted to M.A. Newcomer over at Idaho Gardener for a contest.  Head on over HERE and give her your reasons to garden.  It was fun figuring out why I garden.

This is my second of these kind of blogger writing contests.  The first was at Garden Rant for their 99 word fiction contest.  I wrote
Nature’s Way, Simplified.  I didn’t win anything, but sure did enjoy writing it.


Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Comments (14)

A New Native Fall Blooming Dogwood?

November 20, 2009 at 7:09 am · Filed under Flowers ·Tagged ,

Native Dogwood flowering in the fall

Spotted in Raleigh this week.  Is it a new native fall blooming dogwood?  It is fall.  It is a native dogwood.  Nope.  Nothing new; it’s been around for a while.

I have been assured by the best at the JC Raulston Arboretum that what this is,  is only the dogwood’s last hurrah before it goes dormant.   Too bad.  I could get use to this.


Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Comments (14)

This Month in the Garden – November

November 19, 2009 at 11:53 pm · Filed under This Month in the Garden

Still plenty to do and the weather to do it in.  Enjoy! H.

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

November Maintenance Guide

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NC State Farmers Market, Raleigh, NC

INTRO

Once the killing frost hits, it’s time to tuck your garden in bed for the winter. Our first frost date is unpredictable in terms of regions and microclimates. Raleigh’s first frost date, as calculated at NC State University, is November 5th.

In my mind, November is the inspiration; in case you need more: November Inspiration at Fine Gardening

Here are some of things we are doing in our Zone 7b gardens:

BULBS

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Plant your spring blooming bulbs this month.

Healthy bulbs will be firm and show no sighs of mold or decay. Bulb companies such as Brent and Becky’s Bulbs will ship your order at the ideal planting time for your area. If you can’t plant immediately, store them in a cool, dry place until ready to be planted.

Plant bulbs pointy end up. If no point is prominent, then look for the remains of a root and plant that end towards the earth.

Plant your bulbs in a sunny location – sunny when blooming, that is. This is a cool thing about bulbs, Take advantage of a an area in the garden that is shady in the summer, but sunny in the winter such as areas shaded by deciduous trees.

Plant some bulbs in pots for forcing during the winter months.

Cut back elephant ears, gingers and cannas and other spent plants and add them to the compost pile.

Plant your warm-seasoned lawn with crocus. The Tommies, Crocus tommasinianus, are early blooming crocus that work well planted in the open lawn. The Tommies are nice because they are up in the winter landscape just when they are needed the most and down by the time mowing starts.

Grape hyacinths are a happy bulb. Plant enmasse or in drifts. Many smart gardeners plant a single bulb along with the daffodils to aid as a reminder of where the daffodils were planted.

The tiny bulbs of snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and snowflakes (Leucojum) planted now, will bring great joy in early winter and early spring, respectively. Any other time of the year, these tiny flowers would be lost in the garden, but in the winter, with little competition, they shine like beacons.

I like pairing daffodils with daylilies. While the foliage of the daff is dying back, the daylily starts to emerge, helping to hide the daffs untidiness until they are ready to be cut back.

HERBS

Rosemary will not care that a frost has arrived. This wonderful Mediterranean shrub adds value to the fall and winter landscape. When it gets too big for an area, feel free to cut back.

ANNUALS

If you didn’t plant annuals in October, there is still time to do so in November. Plant forget-me-nots, pansies, snapdragons, and violas.

Adding flowering kale, ornamental cabbage, and mustards add interest to the winter landscape and in container gardens.

Collect seed. Use for next year, give to friends, share with your garden club.

Seeds of larkspur, money plant, Iceland and California poppies can be sown directly.

PERENNIALS

This is the best time to plant perennials. As long as the ground is not frozen, perennials can be planted now. Great deals may be available at garden centers as they sell the remaining stock.

TREES AND SHRUB

Now is the best time to plant trees and shrubs, such as Azaleas and Camellias.

ROSES

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Rose catelogues will be arriving, if not all ready. Now is a good time to order or at least decide on my new bare root roses. I find to best to choose roses while they’re blooming. You will note when looking at a photograph of the same rose in three books or catalogues, it looks like 3 different roses. As such, I pay attention to the roses of my friend’s, my client’s, and other private and public gardens. I note what does well in our area and get an idea of their shape and color. Also, I learn about the rose’s maintenance needs. Personally, I don’t want to mess with anything fussy. I don’t spray my roses with pesticides; I don’t want anything that will put my butterflies at risk or for that matter, any beneficial insect. But I do love roses.

After a freeze, it is OK to prune back your roses. It is not necessary to prune now; however the long canes are vulnerable to breaking in high winds or if coated with ice during an ice storm.

MULCH

Rake the lawn of leaves, especially if you re-seeded your cool season grass, such as tall fescue. Wet leaves will mat down, smothering newly sprouted grass and reducing needed sunlight.

Or don’t rake at all! I mow my leaves with a mulching mower. The bagged, chopped leaves are usually then put on the compost pile. Or they may go directly in a bed; it just depends on what I got going on. In either case, they stay with me and don’t go to the City yard waste center.

Removed the leaves from the beds; otherwise they will just drive you crazy when the move around. Rake or blow them into the grass before mowing, then you can put them back in the garden beds.

PESTS

Dwarf Loblolly larvae

The cold air and soon a killing frost will help lower garden pest population.

WEEDS

Once the garden is bare, the weeds are more visible. Pulling now is the best time to get a head start on next year’s weed season.

SOIL

Now is a great time to collect a soil sample for analysis.

WATER

Keep an eye on any new plantings. Continue to water new plantings often to keep moist. In the absence of rain, water new perennials once a week.

Don’t let your fountain water freeze. It is best to winter-ize your fountain by shutting off the pump, disconnecting the hose from the pump and protecting the pump. Many fountains have large reservoirs which help keep the water from freezing. Also, depending of the type of material the fountain is made of, you may need to protect it further. Metal fountains are fine if left alone. Concrete fountains do best if water is not able to set and freeze. So it is advisable to put a towel in the bottom of each tier to soak up water and have the towel do the freezing instead of the concrete. Even with these precautions, I still had a concrete fountain freeze and crack. Ceramic fountains may need to be put inside a shed or garage to protect from freezing.

Of course, a fountain is a wonderful feature to decorate for the holidays. I do various designs with my fountains. Just because it’s not running, doesn’t mean it can’t still be a showstopper. Fill it with evergreens, magnolias, pomegranates, and drape with ribbon. A metal fountain is a great opportunity to make a garden and design statement. After the holidays, it becomes a giant birdbath. When the water freezes in a tier, I send one of my kids out, usually Aster, with a hammer to break open.

WILDLIFE

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Virginia Creeper

Don’t forget your bird friends. They add so much to the garden and to the gardeners’ enjoyment. My favorite part of the garden is when I am walking down a garden path and see and hear the birds take flight as I come through. Be sure to provide a continual supply of seed, suet and water.

Leave any seed heads for the birds to feed over the winter and to add winter interest to the garden.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Face Book friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence’s Fan page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Helen’s Haven Fall Woodland Gardens One and Too

November 18, 2009 at 6:02 am · Filed under Helen's Haven ·Tagged ,

Woodland Bed Too Due to the shade, the box are taking their sweet ole time connecting

Back of the property, xeric, interesting.  Helen’s Haven has two Woodland Gardens.  Both are small gardens.  Woodland Garden One is  xeric and sunny.  Woodland Garden Too is xeric and shady.  One is on the North side of the Crinum Bed and Too is on the South side of the Crinum Bed.  .

Ok, enough for the location.  Now I will bore you with the history, well, at least Too has history.

Because of the shade, when I first developed this garden, I thought it would be a great location for Hostas.  That worked for a while until I stressed over watering them.  They were in the “water sucked up by the pines zone” so I was forever hauling water to them.  Of course this was before our infamous drought of 2007.  You would think the worse drought in 100 years would wise me up, but no.  It was voles.

The voles moved in to munch these tasty treats.  I evaluated  the site and accepted the fact that I had shade, voles, and dry soil.  It was also at the farthest reach from the garden hose.  Hello xeric.  I will accept you for who you are.  Out of respect, I redesigned the bed to work around all the conditions – a design that would not require any attention from me.

What’s important about these beds is that I have to do NOTHING to them.  The plantings in each don’t require water or if they do, I treat them with benign neglect.  The one exception is the Illicium.  I have it planted near a water source.

Voles were the best thing in the world to happen. Without the voles, I wouldn’t have evulated the watering needs as well and wouldn’t have decided to plant Hellebores.  I love, love, love Hellebores.  Always green, flowers in the winter, poisonous to voles.

I also like the look of woodland plants.  Or maybe it is the look they become in a woodland setting.

I’ve written about aspects of Too in the past,.  Actually, I’ve kinda ignored Too for a very long time with a hunkin’ Ligusrum in it.  You might find this post interesting. Removing a Giant Ligustrum from Woodland Garden Too

Here is what I have in Woodland Garden One:

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Woodland Garden One

Aesculus flava, Buckeye

Agastache, purple/pink

Amophophallus, Voodoo lily

Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’

Amsonia ‘Blue star’

Callitropsis × leylandii, Leyland Cypress

Camellia, Standard Grand Slam

Unknown variety Redbud

Cercis, Red bud

Colocasia, Black Magic – 2009 had enough water from above to make happy.

Cornus florida, Dogwood

Cornus sericea, Yellow twig dogwood

Diantius, Pink ‘Fire Witch’

Gaura lindheimeri, Colso

Hellebore, Hellebore hybridus

Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf hydrangea

Iberis sempervirens, Candy Tuft  ’Purity’

Lineria, Spice Bush

Magnolia Gandiflora, Southern Magnolia – Six Plants I can’t Live Without
 Mahonia, Mahonia

Nandinia domestica, Nandania

Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’

Rosa ‘White Lady Banks’

Here is what I have in Woodland garden Too:

Woodland Garden Too

Abelia ‘Rose Creek’

Alocacia ‘Portadora’

Aspidistra elatior ‘Asahi’

Callitropsis × leylandii, Leyland cypress

Castanea mollissima, Chinese Chestnut

Chrysogorum virginionum ‘Allen Bush’, Green and Gold

Dryopteris x australis, Dixie wood fern

Helleborus ‘Double Queen Strain’, Lenten Rose

Helleborus foetidus

Helleborus x hybridus, Pine Knot Select

Ilex ‘Southern Gentlemen’

Ilex ‘Winter Red’

Oastanea dentana, Chinese Chestmut

Rhodea japonica, Sacred Lily, Evergreen Hosta

Rhodea japonica, Asian Valley

Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot

Trachelospermum jasminoides, Confederate Jasamine

Trillium foetidissimum, Trillium

Rita’s fern

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Invincibelle Spirit’

Illicium Floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’

Too looks puny in the image, but it’s not in real life.  Although I will admit, it is still filling out…but looking good in my book.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Book of Six© Six PPE’s to Always Wear in The Garden

November 16, 2009 at 2:37 pm · Filed under The Book of Six© ·Tagged ,

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Wearing personal protective equipment is very important in all trades; gardening is no different.  Before I head out into the garden, I always top dress with these six essentials PPEs.

I didn’t always do so, but now I don’t considered myself ready to garden unless I have on the following:

  1. Sunscreen – Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB.  Even in the Winter.
  2. Hat – Mostly to keep the sun out of my eyes and my hair back
  3. Pants – I wear Levis, but what is key is to cover the legs. With this protection, there are less bug bites, branch scratches, and its more comfortable when needing to drop to my knees to weed or plant.
  4. Sturdy shoes or boots.  If ever a shovel is needed, a sturdy shoe is prudent and necessary.
  5. Socks – Keeps the dirt and mulch from getting into my shoes.
  6. Gloves – Once, I reached in to pull just one little weed and it was on top of a fire ant’s nest.  I will probably make that mistake again, but not without gloves.

Happy Gardening!

 

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Sunday, November 15, 2009 Puttering in Helen’s Haven

November 15, 2009 at 4:54 pm · Filed under Helen's Haven ·Tagged

Today is also Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day I hope you enjoy what is happening in Helen’s Haven, Raleigh, NC today.

I managed to fill 8 more cans of Castor Beans and Cannas.  After that, I ran out of cans, but not energy.  As such, I clipped more and hauled about 8 more can equivalents to the compost pile.

Planted some great plants given to me to test by the growers.

  • 3 Proven Winners  Hydrangea arbborescens Invincibelle™ Spirit.  One went into the xeric Woodland Too bed, another in the Mixed Border and the third in the Red Bed.
  • 1 Novalis Plants That Work™ Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’
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Hydrangea arbborescens Invincibelle™ Spirt

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I’m nursing this for my friend kk

Also planted:

  • Camellia transnokoensis form Camellia Forest in the Red Bed
  • Viburnum plicatum ‘Popcorn’ in the Mixed Border
  • Illicium floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’ in the Woodland Too bed.
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Camellia

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Viburunum

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Illicium

I’m taking a chance on the ‘Soft Caress’  It is zoned for 7b and as you know, I like to wrap a zone around my plants.  However, I had nice spot on the South side in the Secret garden.  How there is enough water there for it.

Also taking a chance on the Illicium floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’.  That went in a xeric garden and it is a thirsty plant.  However, I do have a water storage unit there to hand dip into if need be.

  • Pulled Zinnia
  • Cut back Lantana
  • Cut back Salvia
  • Mowed
  • Cut back swamp sunflowers
  • Cut back sweet autumn Clematis
  • Cut back Joe Pye Weed
  • Pruned roses
  • Pulled some Virginia Creeper from the White Pine tree
  • Admired the Hellebores planed in Woodland Too bed.  They are finally filling
  • Also planted a fern given to me by my friend Rita Mercer who is an expert in dry shade.  It is a fern that can go into dry shade.  Planted it in the Woodland Too bed, a xeric garden.

I’m tired.

The kids had off Friday through Tuesday so we took a long weekend to DC.

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Like mother, like daughter

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My dad’s grandkids. He died before any were born.

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November Garden Maintenance

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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November 2009 Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day at Helen’s Haven

November 15, 2009 at 7:44 am · Filed under Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ·Tagged

We have yet to experience a hard frost in time for this month’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. It’s late.  So, I have more blooms than I should have.  Helen’s Haven, in Raleigh, NC is holding her own, but definitely ready to be put to bed.  While most of the fall flowers are still in bloom, some are looking a little sad.

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Purple Basil

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Camelia sasanqua 'Sestugekka' from Camellia Forest

'Moonbeam'

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Rosa 'Rainbow Sorbet'

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Verbena 'Homestead Purple'

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Hardy Cycleman

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'Hot Lips' Salvia

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'Pretty Much Picasso™' trial in Helen's Haven. A true proven winner

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Osmanthus

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'Miss Huff' Lantana

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American Beauty Berry, Aster, Salvia

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Oakleaf Hydrangea so pretty in the fall.

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Burgmansia detail

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Brugmansia Angel Flower

Purple coneflower

Unknown reblooming Iris. Somehow doesn't look natural in the fall landscape.

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Ditto

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Sheffield Pink Mum from my friend kk

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Purple Salvia

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Edgeworthia still in leaf with flower heads forming

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Big leaf Magnolia with Knock out Rose

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Quince

'White Ball' Butterfly bush

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Proven Winners Snow Princess™

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Sedge

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Echinacea 'Double Pink Delight'

Brizillian Verbena

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Rain lily

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Red Bed in November

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Carolina Jassamine

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Rosa 'Pink Peace'

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Tropical Snail Vine

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Verbena 'Homestead Red'

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Nippon Daisy

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Unknown Dalhia

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Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku'

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Comments (13)

The Fictitious Naming of Pretty Much Picasso™

November 13, 2009 at 9:39 am · Filed under Flowers ·Tagged ,

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Pretty Much Picasso™ Trial garden in Helen's Haven, Raleigh, NC

I wish I were a fly on the wall when the naming of this  Proven Winners petunia occrred.  I can imagine how the  brainstorming session went:

Marketing Head: “Here she is.  Now what deserving name do we give her?”

Namer 1: “Wow, this is gonna be hard, how about green and pink?

Namer 2: “But it’s more than just green and pink; its more like a lime green and purplely pink with deep colored veins, darker throat; very abstract, actually.”

Namer 3: “Well, that doesn’t help us name it.  How would these colors combine in nature?

Namer 4: “Makes me think of the colors from a Sherwin Williams paint chip display.”

Marketer Head: “Ok, now were’re on to something.  How about, Sherwin?”

Namer 2: Naw, sounds too much like Sherman and southerners don’t take cotton to the name Sherman.”

Namer 4: “But, I like the paint thing.  Kinda looks like a Monet painting.”

Marketing Head:   “Yea, but that kinda sound like the other guy’s Weigela My Monet™ and they have the mark, so there is no chance there.”

Namer 3: “Well since the colors are somewhat abstract, how about Picasso?”

Namer 1: “Yeah, I like that, Picasso!”

Marketing Head: “Does everyone agree?”

Namer 3: “Pretty much.”

Marketing Head: Pretty much; not absolutely?

Namers 1, 2, 3, and 4 shaking their heads in agreement. “Yeah, we like it pretty much?”

Marketing Head: “Ok, we all agree, Picasso it is!”

In the meantime, the note taker was asked to send it over to the attorney to be Trademarked. The attorney asks, “that’s it, Picasso?”  Note taker, feeling a little unsure, refers to their notes and replies, pretty much; yeah, that’s it, pretty much Picasso.”

And so a name could be born.

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Pretty Much Picasso™ trialed in Helen's Haven

However it was named, Proven Winners’ Pretty Much Picasso™ is a winner in my book.

The trial in my garden, Helen’s Haven, is still going on.  We have yet to experience a hard frost; Pretty Much Picasso™ continues to do well.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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