Notes to self

Wandering around the garden, the following notes:

These allium triquetrum continue to be my favorites, and I love them popping up among the perennials in the front garden. They add a little delicate color that is welcome once the narcissus have gone by. More, more, more!

 

These little alliums (?) are darling but in the wrong place - they will do better transplanted in front of the trellis.

 

These Sungold narcissus bloom with the English bluebells, which was why I got them in the first place, but they are charming all over the garden. Get more next year and scatter them about.

 

The oak tree garden benefits from just a few tulips at this time of year, adding spires to the prevailing mounds. This area in particular could use a few Ivory Floradale.

 

The week of the daffodils

This is the week the daffodils suddenly burst into bloom. The first was one of the miniatures I planted in the front garden, planning for more color and interest there in early spring.

 

Next up was a clump of these under the oak tree...

 

And now the King Alfreds (or Carltons?) in the cutting garden are starting to take off, too. Here they are plopped in a vase with some hellebores.

 

Easter

Today is a Sunapee day, bright blue sky and a brisk breeze. Here is the Easter table, set with blue and white mertensia and bleeding heart,

 

and here is the birthday cake for LMP, which sneaks in here because of the violets on top.

 

Everything looks beautiful on a day like this: the newly painted walkway garden bright with narcissus from Van Bourgondien,

 

the daffodils from Brodie Castle smuggled in the luggage and safely planted last fall,

 

and the always satisfying oak tree garden. Today in bloom are mertensia blue and white, bleeding heart red and pink, dogtooth violets almost gone by, hellebore, Sun Disc narcissus ditto, yellow epimedium and grape hyacinths. Still to bloom are tulips and English bluebells.

 

Fall planting

So behind in my posts, but in pretty good shape for fall planting. Several weekends ago, I planted the hundred daffodils from Van Bourgondien, and replanted the day lilies. Planted the ipheion to extend the existing patch (forgot that I had meant to plant them in the front garden, but next year is another chance). Tommy crocuses under the maple tree and in the front garden. Dogtooth violets in the front garden. The four very expensive daffodils from Brodie Castle (smuggled in the luggage) next to the trellis by the terrace. Narcissus 'Dreamlight and English bluebells amongst the hostas in front of the trellis...

Ran over to Alison's with the bulbs that had been sitting in my back seat for weeks, somewhat the worse for wear, but managed to plant at least a few Jack Snipe, Sun Disc and Sweetness narcissus under her Chinese holly, plus the anemones I bought from Sydney as a fundraiser.

Tomorrow promises to be rainy all day with up at a quarter inch expected, so I have just left everything in the ground and trust to the weather gods.

It's all in the timing

Inspired by a pairing in the White Flower Farm catalog, I planted Sun Disc narcissus in the oak tree garden. They were supposed to bloom at the same time as the English bluebells, and it sure looked adorable on paper. However, the bluebells had gone by when these little yellow blooms poked up their heads. I love the way they float over the dark green foliage of hosta and mertensia, but they're off by about ten days or so in their timing. Oh, well. Better gardeners than I have the same problem, as I saw in Takoma Gardener's tulip story.