May 2006

The Big Dipper Farm News-ette is an occasional gardening e-newsletter for discussing new plant introductions, gardening tips, quotes, poems, ‘things-to-do-in-the-garden-now’, seminar reminders and much more. It’s free, kept private, spam-less and fun! Share it with a friend. Happy Gardening!

-Deidre Finley, Big Dipper Farm

We both know, you and I, that if all men were gardeners, the world at last would be at peace.

-- Beverley Nichols, 1898-1983

Grand Re-Opening of the Garden Center!

Now’s the time to make the beautiful drive up Green Valley Road and pay us a visit!

The Garden Center has been completely packed with an array of fresh new garden art, glass & copper birdbaths, an astonishing selection of hummingbird and songbird feeders. Lots of unique gifts for Mom and thousands of plants to look at. Driving directions are on the ‘Contact Us’ link.

(Please be aware that most of the varieties on the site are not available in the customer areas of the nursery so place a pick-up order online, they can be pulled in advance for you. Give your arrival date/time in the comments box. Choose ‘Pay by Check’ and ‘No Shipping – Pick up at Nursery’)

Happy Mother’s Day! Take Mom for a country drive to the Farm on Sunday!

We are in the April / May crush of order shipping. Please note, orders placed now in peak shipping season, take 2-3 weeks to process. By the end of May processing times should be back down to the normal 7-10 days. Thank you for your patience! Catalog Page Here

I received an order from you last week, and want to tell you how happy I am with your plants!!! The plants came from you, to me, in south Texas, where we have been having temps in the upper 80s, so the plants when they arrived were hot, the box was hot and the sawdust was hot. So, I took them out immediately, and planted them the very next morning.

Well, those plants have just taken off with growing and they look wonderful!!! One of the Astilbes already is coming out with flower buds!!! I am so pleased with this order from you!!! Thanks for taking the time to package the plants so well. It paid off!!!

Sincerely, Eva F. - League City, Texas

Melittis m. 'Royal Velvet Distinction' - Bastard Balm

I can’t imagine how such a lovely plant could get such a common name. A very rare and charming plant with profuse orchid-like flowers of white and wine red that bloom over a long time. Butterflies love this plant. Foliage is honey scented. Great in containers and borders. New Introduction. Easy, unusual and hard to find

Zones 6-8 18” tall and wide. Prefers full sun. See Melittis

I had to remember that I was only the referee, the human being who weeded and pinched back and watched everything grow. If I was patient and paid close attention, perennials would let me know where they wanted to be.

-Laurie Lyle

Tiger Eyes Sumac - Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'

Wow! A big departure from the typical staghorn Sumac. This striking foliage plant offers a long season of interest with deeply cut, almost lacy leaves. The new growth starts out a vivid chartreuse, but soon changes to a bright yellow with fuzzy deep pink leaf stems. It remains that color throughout the growing season, without burning even in full sun. In autumn the plants turn a brilliant scarlet-orange layered over the yellow, for an impressive, luminous show. This new variety is a dwarf that is non-invasive and only gets 6 feet tall at maturity. A wonderful blast of bright color in a reasonable size.

Zones: 4-8 Height: 6 feet tall Full sun to Part shade. See Tiger Eyes

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
-Unknown

The Dragon / Empress / Royal Paulownia Tree

You’ve seen this tree in magazines over the decades carrying such fantastic claims that the poor Paulownia has become the ‘X-ray glasses’ of the plant world. So how much of the hype is true? Quite a bit!

Growth rate is phenomenal. Growing as much as 30 feet in 3 years! When President Jimmy Carter was growing Paulownia he said: "Don't put your face over it or you may get a mouthful of leaves." A 4-inch plant will often gain 10-15 feet in its first year.
It produces a large, beautiful, lightly scented lavender bloom the third spring that lasts 6-8 weeks.
A fast and excellent windbreak, screen or summer shade tree for a house. The huge leaves get 2 feet wide.
Leaves make a nice tea, and flowers are a beautiful addition to your salad. (You try it …)
Organic honey production. Most of the honey from China comes from the Paulownia tree.
Fast growing hardwood is light, does not warp, crack, or twist.
Paulownia can be commercially harvested in five to seven years.

So it seems that this could be the perfect ornamental tree when fast growth and shade are needed, so give it a look.

Zone: 5-9 Height: 30-50' Full Sun See the Empress

I received my order last Saturday and wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for the quality of plants and the care of packaging. This is the best plant shipment quality I’ve ever received. The plants are larger than I expected, with very healthy root systems already developed—a big bonus. I love that you wrapped them in wet newspaper...I just left the shredded paper intact when I planted them. I’m a customer for life. Alice P. – Harrisonville, Missouri

The Story of the Bleeding Heart

A story is told of a prince that loved a princess who took no notice of him. To try to get the princess's attention and prove his love, he brought her exquisite and amazing gifts from far and wide.

One day the prince found a pair of pretty pink rabbits at the market. He sent them to the princess thinking that surely these would melt her heart.

Carefully break off the two outside petals of the flower. They look like a pair of pink rabbits.
But the princess went right on ignoring him.

Then the prince sent her a pair of beautiful Oriental slippers.

From the front and back of the flower, take off the two long petals. You can easily imagine the dainty heels, the slender insteps, and the widened toes like a pair of Oriental slippers.

Still the princess would have nothing to do with him. The young prince was so heart broken that he took his dagger and drove it into his heart.

The remains of the flower make the outline of a heart with a line down the center. Break out the stamen, which had made the line. It looks like a dagger and put it through the center of the heart.

As soon as the prince was dead, the princess realized that she had really loved him. 'As long as I live, my heart shall bleed for my prince,' and she wept.

Well, in spite of this sad little tale, the Bleeding Heart itself is a cheerful early spring bloomer for the shade garden that is a wonderful, early rising filler with its airy, delicate foliage that ranges from blue-green to bright gold. Better known, however, for its beautiful, unique flowers. There are charming native varieties commonly known as Squirrel Corn and Fringed Bleeding Heart. Most are summer dormant but some newer varieties resist the urge to go dormant in the summer and even rebloom in the fall.

Find a place in your garden for this ageless beauty and pass on the tale of the Bleeding Heart.

Dicentra formosa 'Aurora'

Beautiful, airy, blue-green foliage topped with thin spikes of charming white flowers. A much improved form of our US native, this is a low growing, ground-cover bleeding heart. This variety flowers much longer than the typical white selections, heavily in spring, sporadically through the summer, and heavily again in fall.

Dicentra canadensis

The foliage of this plant is almost identical to that of Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), however, the flower of the Squirrel Corn appears much more heart-shaped than that of the Dutchman's Breeches. The two species are often seen blooming right next to each other in deep woodland areas. The common name comes from the root corms that resemble kernels of corn.

Dicentra 'Candy Hearts'

A wonderful compact habit on this new Bleeding Heart. Masses of cute pendulous flowers that are fragrant and bright rose pink. The show will continue on till a hard frost. The lacey and blue gray foliage is very attractive.

Dicentra 'Ivory Hearts'

New! An amazingly compact plant and on top of that this plant does not stop flowering till frost. The non-stop flowers are fragrant, large, pendant, heart-shaped and pure white over gorgeous blue green ferny foliage.

Dicentra cucullaria

Features deeply cut, delicate, grayish-green foliage and racemes of waxy, white, yellow-tipped flowers shaped like pantaloons with the ankles upward. Flowers are borne in a row drooping from leafless stems arching above the foliage in early spring. Summer dormant so plant with neighbors that will fill in.

Dicentra formosa 'Bacchanal'

Lower growing, dense and very hardy. Large wine red lockets persist for several months over finely cut foliage. Adds a delicate, airy appearance to the shade garden.

Dicentra f. 'Luxuriant'

Finely-cut, delicate, grayish-green foliage and beautiful red flowers. The lovely flowers are borne in a row drooping from leafless stems arching above the foliage in early spring. Summer dormant so plant with neighbors that will fill in. This was one of the first plant varieties ever patented.

Dicentra 'King of Hearts'

Some say this is the best Dicentra yet, due to its robust and compact habit. The delicate, lacy foliage persists even through the summer and is very reliable. The pretty bluish foliage becomes bluer in summer and the delicate stems of beautiful deep pink, heart-shaped flowers bloom from May to November!

Dicentra spectabilis

Pink & white heart-shaped flowers hang from long stems. Excellent shade perennial. You can't beat this one for its low maintenance and reliability!

Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'

White heart-shaped flowers hang from long stems. Pale green foliage. Excellent shade perennial.

Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart'

Exquisite, brilliant, metallic gold leaves. Rich, rose-pink flowers. Stunning in the early spring garden. A weaker growing dicentra but very different.

See all the Bleeding Hearts

Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers - and never succeeding. -Marc Chagall

The Year of the Container Garden

There are a number of issues changing the nature of the evolving American garden. Although water bills are higher, yards are smaller, and the time available to plant and maintain our gardens has decreased as well. Container gardening solves a number of these problems. They are easier to start and maintain, especially when they are set up with drip irrigation. When grouped together and boldly planted, the impact is tremendous. And containers can be placed closer to our outdoor living and entertaining areas and windows so we can enjoy our efforts and investment better. A large pot full of fragrant bloomers placed close to an open window can be enjoyed indoors and out. Container gardening isn’t just for annuals anymore. Designs are a visual explosion of variegated shrubs, arching spikes and oodles of colorful tapestry perennials. Called ‘Boom without Bloom’ some of the best have no flowers at all but are just dripping with texture, bright foliage, long trailers and tall focal points.

So contain your plants, but not your imagination this season.

We are carrying a large collection of some very cool, unusual pots and urns this year.

A little bit of sunshine,
a little bit of rain,
and then our thoughts go blossoming,
its gardening time again!

FUN FACT: The word "Echinacea" comes from the Greek word "echinos" meaning "hedgehog", referring to the spiky central cone of the flower.

Echinacea – the not-so-common Coneflower

What interesting things have happened in this genus in the last few years! A color workhorse in the perennial bed that has always been known for its non-stop flower power, drought tolerance and easygoing nature. An excellent cut flower, easy to grow and is also well known for the medicinal qualities of the species. Reportedly boosting the immune system to fight off illness. I don’t know if that’s proven or not but I do know they chase away the garden blahs. The broad-pedaled flowers can reach up to 5 inches across and the new menu of colors are increasing every year. Some are even wonderfully fragrant, some have variegated foliage.

The new ‘Big Sky Series’ have received an enormous amount of attention lately and it’s well deserved. They have fuller, toothed leaves and wider flower petals. They are well-branched, vigorous growers.

We have a large offering of Echinacea this year: See all the Coneflowers

Echinacea angustifolia

Echinacea 'Orange Meadowbrite'

Echinacea purpurea 'Green Eyes'

Echinacea purpurea 'Little Giant'

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'

Echinacea purpurea 'Doubledecker'

Echinacea purpurea 'Fancy Frills'

Echinacea purpurea 'Fragrant Angel'

Echinacea purpurea 'Hope'

Echinacea purpurea 'Mars'

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Echinacea 'Big Sky Harvest Moon'

Echinacea 'Big Sky Sundown'

Echinacea 'Big Sky Sunrise'

Echinacea 'Big Sky Sunset'

Echinacea 'Big Sky Twilight'

Echinacea 'Paradox'

Echinacea tennesseensis 'Rocky Top'

Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Giant'

Echinacea 'Sparkler'

Dear Big Dipper, I just wanted to say thanks once again for the wonderful plants! Not too long ago, I ordered a couple of milkweed (that I couldn't find anywhere near me). They came with huge root systems,

better than any plants I've received from anyone else, and now they are huge.

I went out last night, and discovered about 5 Monarch caterpillars munching away! Plant it, and they will come. : )

I feel really good about helping to save the Monarch, and plan to order a few more colors from you.

Thanks, Margaret W. - Fredericksburg, VA 22405

New – Monthly Web Specials Orders placed before the end of May will get the special pricing on the following plants.

Primula 'Elizabeth Killelay' Go to

A beautiful, fragrant, double-flowered primula with deep maroon petals edged in yellow with a yellow eye. It is result of a cross between a gold-laced P. polyantha and a ruby-red double primrose. This vigorous selection was discovered in the garden of Hazel Bolton in the UK where it was growing despite the ravages of hungry rabbits and other wildlife. It is named after her young granddaughter. Try it in rock gardens and containers. Full or part shade.

Zones 7-9 - Height 6-9” Reg $12.99 Now $8.99

Dianthus 'Firewitch' Go to

The 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year! A cheddar pink hybrid, plants produce clove-scented, bright, magenta-pink flowers and silver-blue foliage. The bluest evergreen foliage, the best heat & humidity tolerance and certainly the longest flowering of the pinks. Mature spread is 18-24”. An outstanding groundcover, particularly on dry slopes. Dianthus can be propagated by division in early spring, just as the new growth begins to appear. This is recommended every few years because it tends to be a short-lived perennial otherwise.

Zones 4-9 - Height 6” Reg $5.99 Now $3.99!

I just wanted to say what a wonderful job you did sending me my plants.

I have ordered from other internet garden sites and your plants, by far, were packed and arrived beautifully.

I will certainly order from you again. Thank you for showing me how it should be done.

Marianna B. - San Jose, California

Naturally Native – Americans of the Month

American Royal Fern - Osmunda regalis var spectabilis

This royal fern is a tall, easy to grow, deciduous fern native to North America. Broad fronds have gorgeous, large, well-separated leaflets, which give this fern an almost pea-family appearance. Excellent selection for wet areas along ponds, streams, water gardens or in bogs. Deciduous. A wide range of hardiness and can be grown almost anywhere in the country. Zones: 3-10 Height: 3-6 feet Part to Full Shade See the Royal American

East Coast Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum

A single, nodding, waxy, 3'' white flower appears on a short, thin stem in early spring. Flowers are quite showy, but usually hidden by the umbrella-like leaves. Each flower gives way to a fleshy, greenish fruit (the mayapple), which turn golden when ripe. Excellent for naturalizing in woodland settings and wild or native plant gardens. A happy spreader, (some say too happy) that makes an elegant, unusual groundcover.

Zones: 4-9 Height: 12-18” Part to Full Shade See the Mayapples

With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.

-Lope de Vega

Big Dipper Farm
360-886-8133
www.BigDipperFarm.com