Thursday, January 6, 2011

It Begins

IMG_6185

My first plant purchase of the year! Last year I saw a beautiful photo of a garden in Gardens Illustrated (which I like to refer to as "Garden Porn") with a stunning drift of Knautia 'Melton Pastels'.

I've always loved the Scabiosa family, especially for their interesting, spherical seed heads, but have difficulty using the straight species of Knautia, which is a rich red. I'm not the biggest fan of pure red, to be honest, it's so overwhelming, especially in a garden as small as mine. In addition, all the Knautias I've found locally are the newer, shorter varieties, topping out at around 15" tall, which is just a bit on the small side for my garden, where anything under 2' seems to get swallowed alive ;-)

'Melton Pastels' will hopefully be the answer to my Knautia woes, a mix of softer, cottagey colors to alleviate any feeling of oppressiveness, and topping out at around 4' tall, should fit right into any border I put them in (the backyard makeover this summer, perhaps).

I looked everywhere local to find them, then resorted to online sources. The only place I was able to find even seed available was Thompson & Morgan. I'm hoping my seed-starting mojo is in gear this spring!

19 comments:

  1. That looks like a Knautia even I could love. I haven't seen it in any other color than red but I have the 2011 Thompson & Morgan catalog so I'll check it out.
    I popped over from Catherine's blog (Gardener in Progress). Your photos are phenomenal! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck Scott! It's always neat when you can find something from a magazine and make it come to life. I saw the hardy Chrysanthemums in a recent issue of Gardens Illustrated and I've been trying to track those down. If you have any spare seed starting mojo, please send some my way. I may have gotten over ambitious with my seed orders this year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kathleen: Thanks for stopping by! I know...I'm so excited to see what they look like in reality :-)

    Ryan Miller: Hahaha...I'll do my best...I don't know what it is about Gardens Illustrated, there are so many amazing photos and I end up googling at least 1 plant from every issue, becoming obsessed with finding it :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I didn't know there were other colors of knautia, I have the maroonish ones in my garden and love how they bloom all summer. I'm sure theses will look really pretty in your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very nice! I like to look through Thompson Morgan because they have so many things that I don't see from other seed houses. Sometimes I'll go through a stack of 10 American catalogs and feel like I've just read the exact same thing with a different cover slapped on each one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Four feet tall? Wow. You're one of the few people that I recall mentioning knautia much. I like it because it can take a beating, even in my garden. Good to know it's available in a lighter color.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oooh la la! That's a fave of mine. In my crazy soil the ones I have bloom hot pink and pale pink but very rarely red. And, they get about 5 feet high. Which I never anticipated but I love 'em just the same.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Scott, I love Gardens Illustrated and pick one up whenever I am in England. Thanks for the link to their site ... I've signed up for their newsletter. Wishing you a happy and healthy gardening year! P

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am terrible at seeds- I need to have more patience to be successful at starting plants with them. I very much like your " A Year in the Life" series and was especially interested in the Agastache 'Golden Jubilee'. I had seen this perennial at the garden center last spring and asked someone at the nursery wether it was invasive or not.( I am gun shy after inviting a few invasive plants home!) I didn't get a real answer other than it tended to be a bad self-seeder. Your post has interested me again in the plant. Great blue flowers are harder to come by after all. I also like the golden leaves of this variety. Maybe I'll think about it for next year. Nice pictures by the way! Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How do you like ordering from T & M?

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is the first year in a long time I've already gotten the seed ordered and they are in my hot little hands. Feels great to know I won't see "Out of Stock" showing up in my mailbox! Best of luck in this year's seeding forays!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Interesting flower...one I will have to read more about.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Scott,
    I came across a 'Melon Pastels' plant a couple years ago. It didn't survive the winter. Maybe I hadn't watered it enough in the fall.

    I have a tall variety and 'Mars Midget' in the curb areas. Someone had given me a start of the tall kind, and I bought the other, not realizing they'd be different. I have to keep the one clipped back, which helps keep it from falling all over the place.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I used to grow these in my former garden. Planted them from seed and they returned every year. Beautiful plants, though I like the red too. I can't grow them now, not in my heavy, wet clay, but wish you luck.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Catherine: I hope so...I have the maroon/burgundy ones now and really like them...so I have high hopes for these.

    Eliza: I agree...they always seem to have a different assortment of things...I was so excited to see these offered...couldn't find them anywhere!

    Kelly: Totally...gotta love those tough plants!

    Kate: Hahaha...you just never know what plants are going to do...we'll see how tall they get for me...our soil is such heavy clay.

    Pam: Nice to see a fellow GI lover!

    Jennifer: Thanks for stopping by...glad you like that series...I'm planning on doing one for each plant in my garden. I've heard that those Agastache can be very, um, free in their re-seeding, but so far, I haven't seen any little seedlings popping up. The good news is that the would be easy to spot and pull out. If you like the Blue Agastache, 'Black Adder' is supposed to be a sterile selection...so no seeding...plus, it puts all its energy into producing flowers...not seeds!

    Darla: So far, so good...it was actually the first time I had ordered from them, and I didn't have any complaints!

    Compost: Totally...I ordered these the day after I got the catalog...I was so happy to finally see them offered!

    Janet: It's a great plant, hope your research leads to planting ;-)

    Sue: I may have the same problem with mine...we'll see. I've heard they are a bit lax in their growth habit...I'll try to plant near structural plants and grasses to help support them...good to know clipping can keep them tidy!

    James: I may have the same issue...our soil is SUCH heavy clay...but the 'Mars Midget' seemed to do really well this summer (with a bit of added compost to keep the soil from totally compacting).

    ReplyDelete
  17. The first seed packet purchase of the year is oh so exciting Scott ~ makes winter feel shorter ~ do post again when they are in flower. I grew knautia macedonica from seed a few years ago and love it :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Scott, I found this plant at my local nursery and quickly grabbed it up. The plant is tall all right but if that's what you're wanting you won't be disappointed. I found the flowers started out soft pink and aged to a soft lavender. Very pretty and great for cutting too. Good luck with yours.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anna: Glad to hear you like the Knautia...I'll definitely do a follow-up!

    Grace: That's so great to hear...I hadn't found anyone with personal experience with them...I can't wait!

    ReplyDelete