Matthaei Plant Sale

The Matthaei Botanical Garden's plant sale runs today through Sunday. Click logo for details!

I volunteered to help set up for the sale on Tuesday and Friday mornings. The sale is a huge endeavor, requiring a lot of staff and volunteer time and planning. My little bit of help was only a small cog in a much, much bigger wheel! If you're in southeast Michigan, be sure to stop by for some plants. They have a huge selection, and a plant list is available by clicking the logo. The sale is a major fundraiser for the gardens.

We had wonderful weather on Tuesday, sunny and warm, but not hot. This morning was another story. Lots of rain. There were also very strong thunderstorms going through this afternoon and evening, once the actual sale opened.

On Tuesday morning, our group of volunteers put price tags in flats and flats and flats of plants...

...and recreated any missing plant tags.

Once that was done, we started moving plants from the holding areas to one of two tents. The garden tent booked pretty bare on Tuesday morning (this is only about half of the space!)...

But ended up full, lush, and ready to rumble by noon on Friday. Some plants include:

Oenothera missouriensis 'Lemon Sunset'...

Digitalis purpurea 'Camelot Rose.' I've always adored foxglove — they seem like a quintessential faerie garden plant. (Which is ironic as I don't have any!)

Poppies (Papaver nudicaule, 'Flamenco') just popped in the dark tent.

The parking lot tents were also ready by noon on Friday (note volunteer in rain parka and wet pavement!).

Plants were also set up in the auditorium.

Another volunteer, Chris, and I were responsible for getting the rhubarb plants (which you can't see) and the raspberries (which I'm sure you see standing tall in the back) from one of the greenhouses to the auditorium. We also pruned the raspberries as needed.


We used this kind of cart to wheel the plants through the conservatory to the auditorium. The hanging baskets and other accent plants are located on the patio. Note the wet pavement. It thundered and rained Friday morning, which didn't deter the brave volunteers assigned outdoor duty.

After finishing my volunteer shift, I took a closer look at some things in the conservatory. I love this display of a huge lobster claw (Heliconia vellerigera), orchids, and ferns.

The lobster claw was fascinating up close. It grows yellow flowers, which turn into berries, first yellow, then turning green, and finishing up blue. Doesn't that berry look like a marble? I found it stunning. And I love the fuzzy texture!

I was also fascinated with this sausage tree (Kigelia pinnata). Now if only there were a bacon tree!

The most amusing thing in the conservatory is this flower kaleidoscope. At first glance, it looks like cool garden art; a decorative and imaginative container planting. But the kaleidoscopes really work.

I put my camera lens right on the eyepiece so you could see what I mean.

You get different patterns by moving the lens...

This may actually be intended for kids, but I got a real kick out of it.

Special thanks to Deiatra, who let me use her camera on Tuesday and emailed me the photos!

And, finally, unrelated to my plant sale experience, I've been wanting to show this sculpture on the Matthaei grounds:

Shadow Pavilion by Karl Daubmann in collaboration with John Marshall. (The mulch is incidental.)

I like how it looks different, depending on where you're standing.

And that it's easy to interact with. You can touch it!

This is my favorite angle.

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Up on the Rooftop

Two years ago (on May 9, 2008) I helped install a green roof, along with other master gardener volunteers, at A3C Collaborative Architecture in downtown Ann Arbor.

The roof serves as a demonstration and research garden that highlights many possible green roof options. Different sections showcase various plant types (meadow, alpine, and park), planting techniques (tray, mat, and monolithic/plug), and watering systems (irrigation and rain water only). The roof also serves to collect storm water which is rerouted as gray water into the building interior.

The trays were provided by LiveRoof and our installation training also certified us in the technique!

The plastic trays hold the medium and plants, and sit, as a whole unit, on top of the roof membrane. The sides of the trays lock together, but we had to be careful to orient the trays correctly so the proper sides interlocked. And the trays were heavy--25 pounds! The plastic around the edges is removed after trays are put into place, so the plants can spread into one another.

The growth medium here isn't for the trays, which contain their own growth medium, but for plugs planted on either side of the tray systems. It's really important no tiny pebbles get between the roof membrane and the trays, so one volunteer had to sweep while the others put the trays in place. Note the plastic edging being pulled out.

The trays were planted down the center of the roof and contain alpine plants (mostly Sedum). Here is the completed section.


Beyond the tray section, plants were established using a mat/rug system from Xero Flor America (XeroFlora). Volunteers were not involved in this installation, but it's easy to see how the system got its name: The mats come rolled up, like sod, with growing medium and plants already in place and are simply rolled out on site. XeroFlora also did the green roof at Ford's Rouge plant.

On either side of the tray plants, volunteers planted plugs and larger plants directly into the growing medium. This is the corner of the park section, with a little patio out of sight to the right.

The soil medium in which the plugs were planted is 93 percent inorganic. This prevents soil erosion (or particle size shrinkage) and soil compaction.

Here is the completed park area.

On the other side of the trays is the meadow area.



Once the trays, plugs, and mat were all in place, they were watered in. Now, an irrigation system waters half of the garden while the other half gets by on rain water only.

Watching you watching me... I had to get this photo of an Ann Arbor News (it still existed then!) photographer, perched high to get all the action.

I went back later that year, on November 19, 2008, to see how things had progressed. Despite the slight snow cover, I could tell things had filled in over the summer and fall.

I love rain chains.

Look how the grasses have grown in the meadow side!

Everything looks lush in the park corner...

And in the park area overall.

Some Dianthus deltoides 'Firewitch.'

It's high time I visit again. I bet the plants have grown by leaps and bounds in two years! I've marked my calender for August.

More Info

• A3C green roof plant list
• A3C video explaining roof and materials (Select Green Roof to the right; Bonus points: how many times do I show up? ;-)
• Related article about the green roof at the Malletts Creek library branch

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2010

Hot is the word that comes to mind on this July Bloom Day: hot weather and hot colors in the garden.

Although not so much here in the Lily Garden, where several daylilies are blooming exuberantly. 

We've had a taste of Texas weather this summer, or at least that's what the oppressive heat, humidity and dry conditions of recent weeks put me in mind of. As garden bloggers congregated in Buffalo, NY for the Buffa10 Meet Up last Thursday, upstate NY was experiencing one of the hottest days I can remember. I'm sure those southern gardeners weren't expecting to be sizzling in an upstate NY summer!  I was disappointed that I couldn't be there to meet all the wonderful bloggers and see the beautiful gardens of Buffalo. Judging by the posts I've read so far, they had a fantastic time.

Today is cooler and much more comfortable, for which I'm very thankful...

perfect weather for a little tour of the gardens to see what's blooming.

Persian Market is one of the earliest daylilies to bloom, and wow, does she put on a delightful show!

The lovely yellow Atlanta Moonlight and pink Mariska are not to be outdone.

Looking over toward the Driveway Garden we see a riot of color.

Beautiful Cleo is one of my favorite daylilies. She never disappoints with her tall stature and abundant blooms.
Yarrow, Monarda, Phlox and Gloriosa Daisies are providing plenty of color in the mid-July garden. 

The Lilac Garden in the background is mostly red and white,

but let's look the other way for a moment.

Reds and yellows are the stars in the fence garden at this time.

Ellen's Lily (named for my friend who generously shared it with me) is gorgeous next to the self-sown Gloriosas.

Now we're up behind the Lilac Garden trying to beat the heat in the shade of the big sugar maple.

Red Monarda and white Shasta Daisies compliment each other nicely.

Chicago Star provides some hot contrast.

I found this black swallowtail feasting on the Monarda. It's a big favorite of the hummingbirds too.

Centerfold, an Asiatic lily, is stunning with the other colors.

Hannah prefers to wait in the shade while I do my photo tour.

This shot of lilies at the top of the Driveway Garden was taken after a welcome early morning shower on July 10th. The reddish-pink Asiatic was just finishing its bloom.

The bright orange-red lily is gorgeous at the moment. I don't know how it found its way into this garden but I'm becoming reconciled to the gaudy contrast...mainly because I haven't had time to move it. Might as well just enjoy the beauty :)

Let's walk over toward the south lawn.....

Coneflowers and Phlox are offering some lovely pinks here.

I spotted this friendly little skipper feasting on the coneflowers.

Charles Johnston and an unnamed purple daylily are adding their beauty to the other bloomers.

Over here by the side porch Summerwine daylily is a stunner alongside Shasta Daisies and Gloriosas. Please try to ignore the brown daffodil foliage that still needs to be cleaned up. A gardener's work is never done!

Clematis Jackmanii is always a star, and Clematis Carnaby continues on throughout the summer with a few blooms after the big show in June. The perennial Sweet peas are particularly pretty in pink this year.

Lamium has gone wild in this garden and needs to be ruthlessly thinned out to make room for some colorful annuals.

Queen Elizabeth is one of only 2 of my roses showing much growth this summer. They were off to a very slow start and the hot, dry weather has not helped them.

Pink Morn Petunia and a purple calibrachoa (Million Bells) are good companions in the window box.

If we look behind these enthusiastic Gloriosas and Shastas....

.....we find Joan Senior blooming her heart out.

This daylily is a wonderful performer. 

Several Dahlias are still in pots, waiting for a space to be cleared for them. This pretty pink one is Park Princess....a real beauty.

The afternoon light is delightful in the Top Lilac Garden, where Phlox, Daylilies and Monarda are blooming. 

This was a blessed sight yesterday afternoon.....rain in the garden! The welcome showers continued into the evening and gave us relief from the heat and humidity of the day. I imagined the plants sighing happily as they soaked up the moisture.

Here is Jasmine sitting on the front porch watching the birds after that early morning shower on July 10th.

She is fascinated by their antics as they feed safely out of harm's reach.

A female hairy woodpecker enjoys a breakfast of suet, and do you see that beautiful plant?

It's Lophospermum/Creeping Gloxinia and new to me this year. I've admired it from afar for a couple of summers and decided to give it a try.

Aren't those wine red blossoms gorgeous?

The Pink Morn Wave Petunias were so beautiful in this basket last summer that I repeated them, but this time I added a white trailing Lobelia instead of the lavender one. Do you see the downy woody on the chain and the purple finch on the tray? Jasmine isn't the only one who enjoys the feathered entertainment.

Much more is blooming in the summer gardens and I hope to find time to share more with you in the following weeks. Isn't it ironic that when we have the most to share our gardens keep us too busy to blog? I'm hoping to find time to visit you all and catch up with your summer activities and gardens soon!

Many thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for bringing us together for the Bloom Day show on the 15th of each month. Visit her for a list of beautiful blooms being shared for our enjoyment by gardeners all over the globe.

Busy bee on Cranesbill Geranium

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

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