Kalmias, Tree Peonies, African Violets & more for zone 4a!

Hi everyone!

I got to hear Harvey Buchite, co-owner of Rice Creek Gardens in zone 4a,  speak at the Rock Garden banquet Saturday night.  He showed 138 slides of wonderful plants in his presentation "The Glory of Spring and Rock Gardens".  He started with the woodland in springtime, one of my favorite places to be and to garden.  I'll just mention a couple of the beauties  and what he said about them.....

Kalmia 'Eloise Buttler'
(his list of slides spelled Butler with two "t"s, a typo??)
anyway, he said it will be available this year.  He said it's the most northernly grown of the Kalmias.

Cypripedium calceoulus (Yellow Lady's Slipper)
to double the growth of this plant in one year, fertilize it with 1/4 strength liquid fertilizer, twice.....once when it's 2"-4" high and then 4 weeks later.  He also said the showy lady slipper will get 36"tall  in cultivation!

Arisaema sikkokianum (Asian Jack-in-the-pulpit)
listed as zone 5, but if we plant them 3"-4" deep, they'll survive here.  Mark the spot though, because they'll come up later because of the deep planting.

Paenia suffruticosa (Tree peony)
He thought these were not long lived here in MN until a fellow rock gardenener showed him her tree peony that was over 30 yrs old.  He said they often come grafted on the tough garden peony root.  We need to get them to root above the bud by planting it deeper than what we do with other peonies.  Plant the nurse root 3-4" deep, which means burying 2 or 3 of the flower buds.  You won't get much bloom the 1st year, but after that you'll get alot of blooms each year.  He said the  tree peony root looks different than other peony roots  in that it's long, woody, and doesn't have much branching.  These are woodland plants, so give them some shade and humusy (sp?) soil.

Haberlea shodpensis (relative of African violet)
plant on northeast exposure and where the water will shed off the crown.  Impress your friends with growing an African Violet outdoors!

Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Harvey showed 15 different varieties of these, including large-leaf rhodos and late blooming Azaleas.  Here are just a few:
Rhod. 'Henry's Red' - large leaf, always blooms
Rhod. 'White Peter' - lg leaf, very dependable
Rhod. 'Haagi' - Finnish hybrid, bud hardy to -35 deg
Azalea 'Apricot Surprise'
Azalea 'Jane Abbott'

Helleborus purpureus & H. orientallis hybrid
since their leaves are evergreen, they store food in them, so protect their leaves over winter with pine boughs or leaves so they have the energy to put out new leaves in the spring.

Dianthus alpinus and hybrids
these will survive our winters a lot better if grown in sandy, lean soils because they'll harden off sooner.

Soldanella montana
this one is hard to grow.  I planted one last spring in area with sharp drainage in afternoon shade.  I heard the slugs love it, but I just had to have it anyway...a tiny clump of round, waxy leaves....reminding me of a tiny hosta with thick substance.  I sure hope it comes back this spring! 
Is anyone else growing it?

and many others...Primula hybrids, Haquetia epipactus, Trilliums, mossy saxifragas, phlox, Aetrionema, Androsace mucronata and A. sar. chumbyi, Arabis albida, Silene maritima rosea, Adonis vernalis, Geraniums, Gentiana hexafarii and G. acaulis, Rosulara sp, Pulsatilla apifolia and P. vulgaris, Genista pillosa, Anemonella thalictroides, Hepatica nobilus, and more!

Cindy Johnson
White Bear Lake, MN
zone 4a
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