Sunday, May 8, 2011
What's in bloom on Mother's Day
The yellow irises have been spectacular this year. I can't remember when I've had as many blooms. Although they're in the sunniest part of the old garden, they clearly yearn for more, since they lean over and flop too much. Perhaps some of them will get to be transplanted to the new border later this summer.
This is also prime time for columbines, which have self-sown all over the garden. The blue ones are most prevalent, but some occasional white ones and even a raspberry one pop up here and there.
The mazus from Martha is shyly blooming by the edge of the shrub border.
Tradescantia, which also appears in odd spots, is blooming its head off in this cool spring. I can't even remember where the original plant came from - Mom, undoubtedly - but all of them are colored an intense blue that the camera has trouble picking up.
The bleeding hearts are almost gone, ditto the English bluebells, trout lilies and other spring beauties. The mertensia is now at the yellowing and flopping stage, easy to weed out after shaking the plants to scatter the seed.
The allium triquetrum is slowly spreading among the front gardens and continues to be a favorite for its cool, elegant flowers.
Most exciting of all is the Zepherine Drouhin rose, which is blooming like mad close to the ground. There are two long stems that are probably reversions to the root stock, and which I should prune, but otherwise it is full of fragrant blooms.
The coral bells are in full flower, clashing prettily with the insane azalea under the living room windows. The little unnamed geranium nearby is twining its blooms around the stalks.
Last summer’s bronze fennel, which I started from seed, did nothing much until coming back this year. It seems to be in fine fettle, and I can only think that these caterpillars are a sign that it’s a native butterfly propagator.
The Jack-in-the-pulpit from Becky was a wonderful surprise among the greenery under the oak tree. Nearby are some May apples from Judy and the kirengeshoma that always looks terrific at this time of year but sometimes gets a bit parched come August.
Otherwise, the oakleaf hydrangeas are budding and the peonies are just about to burst into bloom. Actually, one of the Susan Heplers has already bloomed and reminded me how badly that side of the garden needs to be divided and renewed.
And the new garden? Not much going on, but everyone is thriving so far.
This is also prime time for columbines, which have self-sown all over the garden. The blue ones are most prevalent, but some occasional white ones and even a raspberry one pop up here and there.
The mazus from Martha is shyly blooming by the edge of the shrub border.
Tradescantia, which also appears in odd spots, is blooming its head off in this cool spring. I can't even remember where the original plant came from - Mom, undoubtedly - but all of them are colored an intense blue that the camera has trouble picking up.
The bleeding hearts are almost gone, ditto the English bluebells, trout lilies and other spring beauties. The mertensia is now at the yellowing and flopping stage, easy to weed out after shaking the plants to scatter the seed.
The allium triquetrum is slowly spreading among the front gardens and continues to be a favorite for its cool, elegant flowers.
Most exciting of all is the Zepherine Drouhin rose, which is blooming like mad close to the ground. There are two long stems that are probably reversions to the root stock, and which I should prune, but otherwise it is full of fragrant blooms.
The coral bells are in full flower, clashing prettily with the insane azalea under the living room windows. The little unnamed geranium nearby is twining its blooms around the stalks.
Last summer’s bronze fennel, which I started from seed, did nothing much until coming back this year. It seems to be in fine fettle, and I can only think that these caterpillars are a sign that it’s a native butterfly propagator.
The Jack-in-the-pulpit from Becky was a wonderful surprise among the greenery under the oak tree. Nearby are some May apples from Judy and the kirengeshoma that always looks terrific at this time of year but sometimes gets a bit parched come August.
Otherwise, the oakleaf hydrangeas are budding and the peonies are just about to burst into bloom. Actually, one of the Susan Heplers has already bloomed and reminded me how badly that side of the garden needs to be divided and renewed.
And the new garden? Not much going on, but everyone is thriving so far.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A Good Start
Despite trouble posting pictures, which as extinguished my interest in blogging temporarily, I've gotten a lot done in the garden.
Finally took out the Japanese honeysuckle, ready for a rose and a clematis
Refreshed the front of the side front garden, pulling out lots of day lilies and Goldsturm rudbeckia, adding soil conditioner and transplanting the Tomato Soup echinacea
Finally rooted out the last of the barberry
Moved the trellis from the side of the house to the mailbox, and planted morning glories and scarlet runner beans along one side; waiting to see if the cardinal climber vine from last summer starts to pop up in its former location
Best of all, and hardest of all, laid out the new sunny garden in front down from where the dogwood used to be and the butterfly bush is now
Here's a look before the plants went in:
It was incredibly hard to do this the hard way, which is what I chose. I edged the whole thing (8' x 8' plus the existing bed for the butterfly bush), then sliced it into sections and lifted up the sod with a straight-edged spade. When Adrian Higgins refers to "skimming off the sod," he is deluding you. It was backbreaking. Nevertheless...
This new bed is meant to be sunny, high, and wild, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, and mostly made up of native plants. The color scheme is blue, pink and yellow with just a touch of white. Planted to date are:
Boltonia asteroides 'Snowbank'
Salvia gregii 'ultra violet'
Lavandula media 'grosso'
Helianthis 'Lemon Queen'
Aster laevis 'Blue Bird'
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Schizachyrium scoparium 'The blues'
Pennisetum alopecuroides (fountain grass)
Eupatorium purpureum subsp. Maculatum 'Gateway'
tulipa 'General de Wet'
Muscari
(The latter two, by the way, did indeed make a pretty pair, the orange softened by the blue and they bloomed at the same time by some miracle.)
Becky kindly picked up a lot of these at Colesville for me. I was worried about the Joe Pye weed, which was nothing but a dead stick, so I sank the pot into the ground in case I had to return it. But patience is rewarded - it's now got about an inch of new growth. Hard to believe it will grow to six feet, but stranger things have happened.
Finally took out the Japanese honeysuckle, ready for a rose and a clematis
Refreshed the front of the side front garden, pulling out lots of day lilies and Goldsturm rudbeckia, adding soil conditioner and transplanting the Tomato Soup echinacea
Finally rooted out the last of the barberry
Moved the trellis from the side of the house to the mailbox, and planted morning glories and scarlet runner beans along one side; waiting to see if the cardinal climber vine from last summer starts to pop up in its former location
Best of all, and hardest of all, laid out the new sunny garden in front down from where the dogwood used to be and the butterfly bush is now
Here's a look before the plants went in:
It was incredibly hard to do this the hard way, which is what I chose. I edged the whole thing (8' x 8' plus the existing bed for the butterfly bush), then sliced it into sections and lifted up the sod with a straight-edged spade. When Adrian Higgins refers to "skimming off the sod," he is deluding you. It was backbreaking. Nevertheless...
This new bed is meant to be sunny, high, and wild, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, and mostly made up of native plants. The color scheme is blue, pink and yellow with just a touch of white. Planted to date are:
Boltonia asteroides 'Snowbank'
Salvia gregii 'ultra violet'
Lavandula media 'grosso'
Helianthis 'Lemon Queen'
Aster laevis 'Blue Bird'
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Schizachyrium scoparium 'The blues'
Pennisetum alopecuroides (fountain grass)
Eupatorium purpureum subsp. Maculatum 'Gateway'
tulipa 'General de Wet'
Muscari
(The latter two, by the way, did indeed make a pretty pair, the orange softened by the blue and they bloomed at the same time by some miracle.)
Becky kindly picked up a lot of these at Colesville for me. I was worried about the Joe Pye weed, which was nothing but a dead stick, so I sank the pot into the ground in case I had to return it. But patience is rewarded - it's now got about an inch of new growth. Hard to believe it will grow to six feet, but stranger things have happened.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Why don't the pictures display any more?
Because Blogger just isn't very good.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Picasa/thread?tid=0d8af5cd37e68714&hl=en&fid=0d8af5cd37e6871400049fdf057d1432&hltp=2
I'm thinking of moving to something else. Any suggestions?
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Picasa/thread?tid=0d8af5cd37e68714&hl=en&fid=0d8af5cd37e6871400049fdf057d1432&hltp=2
I'm thinking of moving to something else. Any suggestions?
What's in bloom 4/10
tulips, species and otherwise
the last of the forsythia
kerria
mertensia
dogtooth violets
bleeding heart
hellebore
leucojum (snowflake)
daffodils
epimedium
pansies
ipheion
Here are a few:
the last of the forsythia
kerria
mertensia
dogtooth violets
bleeding heart
hellebore
leucojum (snowflake)
daffodils
epimedium
pansies
ipheion
Here are a few:
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Onion Snow of 2011
A few years ago it was Mom who told me a late spring snow was known as an onion snow. This one arrived on March 28th. It was gorgeous in the morning and gone by noon. Here it is on the bleeding heart, forsythia, chionodoxa, species tulips, evergreens...
First shoots
The winter aconite peaked while I was away. Early March brought the first of the miniature daffodils in the front garden,
the hellebores in all their glory,
and the first year of the chionodoxa under the oakleaf hydrangeas in the corner. I feared that the flooding that plagues that corner might have made the bulbs rot, but as usual I was simply too impatient. Not quite a sea of gentian blue, but over the years I hope it will have the same effect as Mom's sea of blue under the crabapple.
More emerging shoots:
oakleaf hydrangea
bluebells (mertensia) blue
and white
anemone blanda under the oak tree
sweet woodruff whorls
and the foliage of bleeding hears.
the hellebores in all their glory,
and the first year of the chionodoxa under the oakleaf hydrangeas in the corner. I feared that the flooding that plagues that corner might have made the bulbs rot, but as usual I was simply too impatient. Not quite a sea of gentian blue, but over the years I hope it will have the same effect as Mom's sea of blue under the crabapple.
More emerging shoots:
oakleaf hydrangea
bluebells (mertensia) blue
and white
anemone blanda under the oak tree
sweet woodruff whorls
and the foliage of bleeding hears.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)