Patty’s Porch
This is the porch built for my wife Patty so she could see her plants bloom and watch and listen to her birds. It continues to educate all of us about birds and beautiful plant life that surrounds us wherever we live. The glass windowed porch allowed Patty, who suffered and died from Ovarian cancer, to continue to witness the beauty she created. I invite your thoughts and contributions to this column so we can celebrate Patty’s life and love of nature. Please send your thoughts to me at jbehrens@roadrunner.com.
Two of Patty’s Favorite flowers
Two flowers that Patty wrote notes about and took special care to highlight in her reference book about flowers were The Daisy Cape Town Blue and the more difficult to grow and cultivate Nemesia Sunsatia Lemon.
A number of online flowers growers expressed their frustration with the Sunsatia Lemon in recent months. Patty, in her comments in 2006, said she experienced problems. What she loved about the plant, she wrote, was that it didn’t stop exuding beauty and growth. She couldn’t get over shearing it back one fall and within a month . . . it was growing again.
The Proven Winner web site says the Nemesia Sunsatia is a “great in early spring” flower to grow and enjoy. Yet, some growers point out that in recent years they’ve had less than favorable results with the flower. In 2005, Cornell University’s Department of Horticulture offer a very dismal commentary on Nemesia Sunsatia Lemon plants planted in conventional spring weather.
Said the university site: “30-Jun---Most plants are dead many dead plants more than 50% dead, only 1 plant left, needs help. 15-July---2 plants barely alive , almost fully dead, basically dead, mostly dead, flowers look like close up petunias. 30-July---all dead. Petunias took over space. 15-August---all dead. 15-September, all dead.”
Not exactly the report a grower wants to here.
Yet, Jen in GardenWeb, says she has grown Nemesia Sunsatia for three to four years and it never stops blooming. It just doesn’t stop in late winter.
Patty agreed.
The Daisy Cape Town Blue, by contrast, gave Patty’s garden the yellow blue combination she loved and while the plant requires a sunny spot with fertile soil (both not exactly in large supply in Central New York) she found the plant survived for several years. Patty loved the fact that it was a free flowering appearance in her garden. She didn’t mind the fact that she had to keep well watered and she noted that within a day or two after watering. . . it would need further water.
It had another attraction to Patty; it attracted bees, butterflies and birds but it was resistant to deer. A year or two before she had seen deer in the back of our property and she didn’t want a plant that would attract them.
The Daisy Cape Town Blue grew 8 to 12 inches and was a good perennial.
If you have particular birds or plantings you’d like to see featured, write me at jbehrens@roadrunner.com.