We got our first real snow of the year last night, and I thought it would be fitting to make a garden entry. There's not much going on outside right now, although everything looks great covered in white powder. There are still a few straggler mum blooms on a few plants. And my Blue Princess holly and barberry are full of berries, while the Blue Prince has little purple buds all over it. I'm hoping these will flower at some point - we'll see!
We now have a small grow lamp setup in the basement. My mother of thyme seedlings are down there and doing quite well, as well as a mint plant Terry gave me that's on its second major spurt of growth. We just got some seeds in from Park Seed including 3 different kinds of peppers, as well as penstemon and gallardia. The last 2 I'll plant in the new year so I can move them outside. The peppers will be planted shortly, and I also harvested some basil and cilantro seeds that I'm going to plant as well. This is definitely a fun project!
12/6/09
11/7/09
Hardy Mums Survive!
I thought I was done posting about new outdoor plantings here, but apparently I'm not. When we redid the front beds this year, I made a decision to get rid of a HUGE clump of hardy white/pinkish chrysanthemums. They were way too wide and didn't look good in the center of the enormous bed out there. Well, I got a new leafblower this week (which kicks butt!) and did the front yard on Friday. In blowing leaves into the woods, I discovered several clumps of the mums had survived being dug up and thrown into the edge of the woods - and had loosely rooted there and flowered!
I can't stand to see something so determined just languish, so I salvaged all the clumps and planted a nice group in the new garage bed, and one in the pool bed. I don't know if they'll make it at this late date (we've been having tons of frost already, although the soil is soft and not particlularly cold yet). I mulched with leaves - haha. I feel like I'm at least giving them a chance.
In other news, I planted mother of thyme seeds about a month ago and have them in our upstairs bathroom window. They are doing great and I think most of them sprouted. They will need to be divided in a few weeks and we are borrowing some grow lights and will move them to the basement. We're going to plant some hot peppers and probably some herbs and a few other things at that point, so I expect I'll be back here reporting on progress. I've never grown using "grow lights" before so this should be interesting. My goal is to have some decent sized mother of thyme plants to put in between the front walk stones next spring.
I can't stand to see something so determined just languish, so I salvaged all the clumps and planted a nice group in the new garage bed, and one in the pool bed. I don't know if they'll make it at this late date (we've been having tons of frost already, although the soil is soft and not particlularly cold yet). I mulched with leaves - haha. I feel like I'm at least giving them a chance.
In other news, I planted mother of thyme seeds about a month ago and have them in our upstairs bathroom window. They are doing great and I think most of them sprouted. They will need to be divided in a few weeks and we are borrowing some grow lights and will move them to the basement. We're going to plant some hot peppers and probably some herbs and a few other things at that point, so I expect I'll be back here reporting on progress. I've never grown using "grow lights" before so this should be interesting. My goal is to have some decent sized mother of thyme plants to put in between the front walk stones next spring.
10/7/09
The Front Walk
I finished laying the stones for the front walk today. It was a long process, but I'm pretty happy with the results. It needs a couple of minor adjustments that John will help with, but it's basically done. I also ordered Mother of Thyme seeds and am going to attempt to grow it over the winter and then plant in spring between the stones. I figure if the seeds don't take I can buy plants in the spring, but it's worth a shot to at least try to grow them.
I also got my first and larger order from van Bourgondeon yesterday. I was pleased with the quality of the bulbs and plants and got everything planted yesterday. My next order is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and that will wrap up this year's gardening season for the most part, with the exception of watering, leaf raking and major mulching. I planted 2 varieties of crocus, grape hyacinth (muscari), Blue Drumstick Allium, Starfighter Lilies and Casa Blanca Lilies. The bare root plants were two Phlox Laura (purple with white eyes), a Raspberry Queen poppy and a Scarlet poppy. The new order will contain two types of daffodils, two varieties of tulips and some hardy gladiolus.
Overall, it was a very productive week for front landscaping. Here is a before and after of the walk as well as some additional after shots.
I also got my first and larger order from van Bourgondeon yesterday. I was pleased with the quality of the bulbs and plants and got everything planted yesterday. My next order is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and that will wrap up this year's gardening season for the most part, with the exception of watering, leaf raking and major mulching. I planted 2 varieties of crocus, grape hyacinth (muscari), Blue Drumstick Allium, Starfighter Lilies and Casa Blanca Lilies. The bare root plants were two Phlox Laura (purple with white eyes), a Raspberry Queen poppy and a Scarlet poppy. The new order will contain two types of daffodils, two varieties of tulips and some hardy gladiolus.
Overall, it was a very productive week for front landscaping. Here is a before and after of the walk as well as some additional after shots.
10/4/09
More Shrubs
I picked up a Hydrangea Paniculata Limelight on sale at the overpriced nursery on Thursday. It was $25 for a nice looking shrub that is now flowering with great lime colored blooms. It's supposed to turn white and then pink (already showing some signs of pink) as the fall progresses. I got that planted today to the outside of the front walk.
Elyse also gave us a rhododendron that had been left near her mailbox for at least 1 YEAR. Someone apparently dumped it there with the rootball wrapped in plastic and it's managed to survive. It's huge but doesn't have very many leaves but lots of leggy limbs. I thought it could be a mountain laurel but now I'm leaning more toward rhodie. And it has blooms on it for next spring! Amazing. We planted it near the road and watered it well, so we'll see if we can give it a shot at life.
Also started the tedious front walkway project. Positioning and leveling each stone takes patience and time so it's going to be a slow moving process. John pulled out lots of good sized stones today and positioned them so I don't have to lift heavy field stones at least. I'm planning to work on this tomorrow and throughout the week.
My first (and larger) order of bulbs and a few perennials from van Bourgondeon is supposed to arrive Tuesday. I really think they pushed out the shipping too late but am crossing my fingers everything will be healthy and good quality. That will determine if I'll ever order from this company again, since they've been frustrating to work with so far.
Here's the new Hydrangea Paniculata Limelight:
Note how green it is next to our yellowing grass...
The Rhododendron or Mountain Laurel:
The center island cleared of a couple of overgrown evergreen shrubs, the creeping juniper and a few other transplants. There's a new Blue Prince Holly planted there as well as some perennial strawberries:
Elyse also gave us a rhododendron that had been left near her mailbox for at least 1 YEAR. Someone apparently dumped it there with the rootball wrapped in plastic and it's managed to survive. It's huge but doesn't have very many leaves but lots of leggy limbs. I thought it could be a mountain laurel but now I'm leaning more toward rhodie. And it has blooms on it for next spring! Amazing. We planted it near the road and watered it well, so we'll see if we can give it a shot at life.
Also started the tedious front walkway project. Positioning and leveling each stone takes patience and time so it's going to be a slow moving process. John pulled out lots of good sized stones today and positioned them so I don't have to lift heavy field stones at least. I'm planning to work on this tomorrow and throughout the week.
My first (and larger) order of bulbs and a few perennials from van Bourgondeon is supposed to arrive Tuesday. I really think they pushed out the shipping too late but am crossing my fingers everything will be healthy and good quality. That will determine if I'll ever order from this company again, since they've been frustrating to work with so far.
Here's the new Hydrangea Paniculata Limelight:
Note how green it is next to our yellowing grass...
The Rhododendron or Mountain Laurel:
The center island cleared of a couple of overgrown evergreen shrubs, the creeping juniper and a few other transplants. There's a new Blue Prince Holly planted there as well as some perennial strawberries:
9/29/09
Front Landscaping Before
I realized I never posted any "before" shots of what our front landscape looked like when we bought the house.
Here is what the bed next to the garage looked like. It was covered a couple of layers of plastic topped off with red rock mulch. Plantings were 2 dying mountain laurels, the Freak Tree, a huge evergreen that was a hybrid of 2 different kinds of trees, pink heuchera (coral bells), which I've reused in the new gardens, some hardy white mums and a spring white flowering ground cover. I got rid of everything but the coral bells.
The Freak Tree (unfortunately this is the best pic I could find of the whole tree):
The only things planted in front of the main part of the house were some hostas and pachysandra that weren't doing much in a part sunny location. And a euonymus that was threatening to overtake the front porch, and not in a good way. Also a clematis along the light post, and a ton more hostas. I kept the clematis. This picture also shows my calla lilies and pink glodiolous, which I dig up and bring in after blooming.
Here is the front walk before and after brick demolition and some topsoil. I think we're just about agreed on the stones with wooly thyme planted among them. It should be very nearly evergreen here if we're lucky.
Here is what the bed next to the garage looked like. It was covered a couple of layers of plastic topped off with red rock mulch. Plantings were 2 dying mountain laurels, the Freak Tree, a huge evergreen that was a hybrid of 2 different kinds of trees, pink heuchera (coral bells), which I've reused in the new gardens, some hardy white mums and a spring white flowering ground cover. I got rid of everything but the coral bells.
The Freak Tree (unfortunately this is the best pic I could find of the whole tree):
The only things planted in front of the main part of the house were some hostas and pachysandra that weren't doing much in a part sunny location. And a euonymus that was threatening to overtake the front porch, and not in a good way. Also a clematis along the light post, and a ton more hostas. I kept the clematis. This picture also shows my calla lilies and pink glodiolous, which I dig up and bring in after blooming.
Here is the front walk before and after brick demolition and some topsoil. I think we're just about agreed on the stones with wooly thyme planted among them. It should be very nearly evergreen here if we're lucky.
9/27/09
Major Score at the Nursery
I had another busy and productive week in the gardens. Most of the work is done now, and all my main shrubs and perennials are planted. I'm still waiting for my bulbs (and a few plants) from van Bourgondien. I'm getting a bit concerned because I've read a lot of negative comments about them online. I called Wednesday and was told my orders should be shipped within the next couple of days. I'll be calling again tomorrow if I don't see a status update on their website.
I just about finished the stone edging around the main foundation bed and was able to do it without hurting my back this time around. Figuring out how to lift and place the stones has a bit of a learning curve, and I've definitely gotten better at it. We have about a full pallet of stone leftover, so we've decided to pull up the brick front walk and the wooden railroad ties lining it and create a stone path! This will be kind of a major endeavor, but it was John's idea and I certainly wasn't going to say no. We're trying to decide what to put between the stones to create a natural but durable look. I'm leaning toward a hardy creeping thyme, but I'm wondering how that will hold up in winter with snowblowing, etc. Needs more research.
I dug up my mother-in-law's azalea earlier in the week and did what I think is a successful transplant. It's large, but the roots weren't that deep and it seems happy in its new location. I also took a pink Phlox, a pink dianthus, what I think are purple geraniums and a yellow coreopsis. Everything looks decent and happy in its new home.
Friday was my big day. Our babysitter came and I set off early to go to the nursery in Collinsville where I planned to do some damage. The sign said 50% off and I had decided not to wait any longer for a deeper discount since I wanted to get stuff planted. So I went there and got a wagon and put a monster Nova Zembla rhododendron on it. A worker came out to offer help and I asked if everything was 50% or just the trees and shrubs. Good thing I asked. She told me only their clay pottery and accessories were on sale. None of the plants were on sale! So I had just loaded up a $178 shrub onto my wagon. I had planned to spend around $200 total in hopes of getting 2 good sized shrubs and a couple of perennials. No way was I paying almost $200 for one plant! The woman told me if I wanted to pay $30 for a membership fee I could get 10% off my entire purchase. I politely thanked her and got the heck out of there, cursing in my head. My plans had been seriously disrupted! I knew another nursery closer to home had a not as nice selection of Nova Zemblas, but that one was also overpriced.
Luckily, I'd been driving out that way every week with the boys to get Jake to nap, and I had driven past 2 other nurseries in Burlington. I stopped at the smaller one but they had nothing much there. Then I went to the large one, which had a huge "Sale" sign up. I started walking around and saw another sign that the nursery was closed, but I should feel free to walk around. The place was huge and as I walked around I quickly realized they had everything I wanted there, and at ridiculously lower prices than the other places. AND it was all on sale. But they were closed! I had seen a man going into one of the buildings on the grounds so I went and knocked on the door. Turns out he was the father of the guy who owns the nursery (who was out at a landscaping job). He told me as long as things had prices he could ring me up.
I chose a healthy Nova Zembla almost as big as the $178 one I'd seen earlier, a clump of Rudbeckia Goldsturm, and a clump of Shasta daisies (these were marked as both Snowcap and Goldrauch, so they will be a surprise next year). Then I saw what looked like a huge green/gold boxwood, unmarked and with no price on it. I found the guy I'd talked to (who couldn't confirm what kind of plant it was), and he told me I could have it for $25. He didn't know how to figure out the sales tax, so he told me I didn't have to pay tax, and to just write him a check. I got all 4 plants for $98 - I think I scored big time!
Happy ending to my story. Everything is planted now and we're getting a nice light rain today, which is much needed. Some pictures of the new edging walls and plants are below.
Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Boxwood Shrub (I got confirmation from an online garden forum that this is Buxus and not a privet or something else, so keeping my fingers crossed)
I just about finished the stone edging around the main foundation bed and was able to do it without hurting my back this time around. Figuring out how to lift and place the stones has a bit of a learning curve, and I've definitely gotten better at it. We have about a full pallet of stone leftover, so we've decided to pull up the brick front walk and the wooden railroad ties lining it and create a stone path! This will be kind of a major endeavor, but it was John's idea and I certainly wasn't going to say no. We're trying to decide what to put between the stones to create a natural but durable look. I'm leaning toward a hardy creeping thyme, but I'm wondering how that will hold up in winter with snowblowing, etc. Needs more research.
I dug up my mother-in-law's azalea earlier in the week and did what I think is a successful transplant. It's large, but the roots weren't that deep and it seems happy in its new location. I also took a pink Phlox, a pink dianthus, what I think are purple geraniums and a yellow coreopsis. Everything looks decent and happy in its new home.
Friday was my big day. Our babysitter came and I set off early to go to the nursery in Collinsville where I planned to do some damage. The sign said 50% off and I had decided not to wait any longer for a deeper discount since I wanted to get stuff planted. So I went there and got a wagon and put a monster Nova Zembla rhododendron on it. A worker came out to offer help and I asked if everything was 50% or just the trees and shrubs. Good thing I asked. She told me only their clay pottery and accessories were on sale. None of the plants were on sale! So I had just loaded up a $178 shrub onto my wagon. I had planned to spend around $200 total in hopes of getting 2 good sized shrubs and a couple of perennials. No way was I paying almost $200 for one plant! The woman told me if I wanted to pay $30 for a membership fee I could get 10% off my entire purchase. I politely thanked her and got the heck out of there, cursing in my head. My plans had been seriously disrupted! I knew another nursery closer to home had a not as nice selection of Nova Zemblas, but that one was also overpriced.
Luckily, I'd been driving out that way every week with the boys to get Jake to nap, and I had driven past 2 other nurseries in Burlington. I stopped at the smaller one but they had nothing much there. Then I went to the large one, which had a huge "Sale" sign up. I started walking around and saw another sign that the nursery was closed, but I should feel free to walk around. The place was huge and as I walked around I quickly realized they had everything I wanted there, and at ridiculously lower prices than the other places. AND it was all on sale. But they were closed! I had seen a man going into one of the buildings on the grounds so I went and knocked on the door. Turns out he was the father of the guy who owns the nursery (who was out at a landscaping job). He told me as long as things had prices he could ring me up.
I chose a healthy Nova Zembla almost as big as the $178 one I'd seen earlier, a clump of Rudbeckia Goldsturm, and a clump of Shasta daisies (these were marked as both Snowcap and Goldrauch, so they will be a surprise next year). Then I saw what looked like a huge green/gold boxwood, unmarked and with no price on it. I found the guy I'd talked to (who couldn't confirm what kind of plant it was), and he told me I could have it for $25. He didn't know how to figure out the sales tax, so he told me I didn't have to pay tax, and to just write him a check. I got all 4 plants for $98 - I think I scored big time!
Happy ending to my story. Everything is planted now and we're getting a nice light rain today, which is much needed. Some pictures of the new edging walls and plants are below.
Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Boxwood Shrub (I got confirmation from an online garden forum that this is Buxus and not a privet or something else, so keeping my fingers crossed)
9/21/09
Major Garden Renovations
The past couple of weeks have been busy in the gardens. Our backyard is done for the moment, we planted the grass and are just letting that take root. Next year we will hopefully build the patio and make additional renovations, but for now we are done back there.
Most of our time and energy has been focused on the front gardens over the past few weeks. We had 2 huge pallets of fieldstone delivered and I built and edging wall around the bed between the garage and front door. I still need to build the edging around the bed on the other side of the walkway (in front of the majority of the house), but I pulled my back building the other bed so I've been taking a break from moving stones.
We prepped both beds over the weekend though, and I have planted a ton of stuff already. My orders from Van Bourgondeon should ship tomorrow, so I'll have the rest of the items planted by the weekend hopefully. On Friday I'm planning to go to the local nursery and get my Nova Zembla rhododendron, and either an Oregon Grapeholly or a Boxwood to go next to the front steps. I'll also pick up some rudbeckia probably, and maybe a Hydrangea Paniculata, although that will probably wait until next year. I've been waiting for this nursery to slash their prices to 75% off (currently at 50%) but I feel like I need to get this stuff in the ground and established before the frost sets in, so I'm going for it this week.
Below is a list of what I've planted over the past few days:
Blue princess hollies (male & female), perennial strawberries, azalea (unknown), yellow coreopsis, pink Phlox, purple geranium, pink geranium, 2 potentilla plants (white and yellow), orange double-flowering lilies, white Siberian irises, purple Siberian irises, pink poppy, pink Coral Bells, 2 asters, a hot pink mum, hot pink echinancea or rudbeckia (unsure), apricot hollyhocks, 2 large Autumn Joy sedums, pink dianthus....I think that's it for the front beds.
In the back I added some of the orange double-flowering lilies, a few Lenten roses, and some wild yellow poppies. My grape hyacinths have sprouted again back there with the cooler weather. They did this last year and came back in the spring and flowered just fine, so I'm not concerned.
I can't believe how much I've planted - and I've still got a lot more to go!
Most of our time and energy has been focused on the front gardens over the past few weeks. We had 2 huge pallets of fieldstone delivered and I built and edging wall around the bed between the garage and front door. I still need to build the edging around the bed on the other side of the walkway (in front of the majority of the house), but I pulled my back building the other bed so I've been taking a break from moving stones.
We prepped both beds over the weekend though, and I have planted a ton of stuff already. My orders from Van Bourgondeon should ship tomorrow, so I'll have the rest of the items planted by the weekend hopefully. On Friday I'm planning to go to the local nursery and get my Nova Zembla rhododendron, and either an Oregon Grapeholly or a Boxwood to go next to the front steps. I'll also pick up some rudbeckia probably, and maybe a Hydrangea Paniculata, although that will probably wait until next year. I've been waiting for this nursery to slash their prices to 75% off (currently at 50%) but I feel like I need to get this stuff in the ground and established before the frost sets in, so I'm going for it this week.
Below is a list of what I've planted over the past few days:
Blue princess hollies (male & female), perennial strawberries, azalea (unknown), yellow coreopsis, pink Phlox, purple geranium, pink geranium, 2 potentilla plants (white and yellow), orange double-flowering lilies, white Siberian irises, purple Siberian irises, pink poppy, pink Coral Bells, 2 asters, a hot pink mum, hot pink echinancea or rudbeckia (unsure), apricot hollyhocks, 2 large Autumn Joy sedums, pink dianthus....I think that's it for the front beds.
In the back I added some of the orange double-flowering lilies, a few Lenten roses, and some wild yellow poppies. My grape hyacinths have sprouted again back there with the cooler weather. They did this last year and came back in the spring and flowered just fine, so I'm not concerned.
I can't believe how much I've planted - and I've still got a lot more to go!
9/11/09
Big Things Afoot
We have been in major landscaping mode the past few weeks and have gotten a lot accomplished. We had 10 yards of top soil delivered a couple of weeks ago and have moved about half of it to the backyard. We will finish moving and distributing this weekend and get grass planted all around the pool area. This is going to be a huge improvement for the backyard, which was previously peastone gravel. We will also make a patio area, but that will have to wait until spring most likely.
In addition to the dirt, I also created a new rock border around the garden bed in the pool area, which I'm very happy about. It's bigger and better than the last border, and should do a good job of dividing the grass and garden areas.
Yesterday we ordered 2 large pallets of cut moss fieldstone, which will be delivered next week. We will use this to build borders around the new beds in front of the house. We tilled up most of the soil in these beds last weekend, and I got one of the beds built up with topsoil, cow manure and peat moss week. After we build the borders it will probably need to be built up more, but at least we're getting there.
My bulbs and plants from van Bourgendien will be delivered in the next couple of weeks, and I'll also be purchasing the Nova Zembla. I need to get everything planted by October 15, that's my cutoff. But I hope to have it planted by end of this month so it has a few weeks to harden and establish before the first frost. Fingers crossed that all my transplants and new stuff make it.
Here are a few pics of what's happening in the gardens.
Aster novi-belgii Sloopy:
Sedum spectabile Autumn Joy:
New stone wall around pool bed:
10 yards of topsoil:
In addition to the dirt, I also created a new rock border around the garden bed in the pool area, which I'm very happy about. It's bigger and better than the last border, and should do a good job of dividing the grass and garden areas.
Yesterday we ordered 2 large pallets of cut moss fieldstone, which will be delivered next week. We will use this to build borders around the new beds in front of the house. We tilled up most of the soil in these beds last weekend, and I got one of the beds built up with topsoil, cow manure and peat moss week. After we build the borders it will probably need to be built up more, but at least we're getting there.
My bulbs and plants from van Bourgendien will be delivered in the next couple of weeks, and I'll also be purchasing the Nova Zembla. I need to get everything planted by October 15, that's my cutoff. But I hope to have it planted by end of this month so it has a few weeks to harden and establish before the first frost. Fingers crossed that all my transplants and new stuff make it.
Here are a few pics of what's happening in the gardens.
Aster novi-belgii Sloopy:
Sedum spectabile Autumn Joy:
New stone wall around pool bed:
10 yards of topsoil:
8/26/09
Late August in the Garden
I wanted to at least post some photos of what's in bloom right now so I'll have them on record. My main focus has been getting the front beds ready for tilling and building up so I can plant them. I've go Blue Princess and Blue Prince Hollies waiting for planting, and started some hollyhock seedlings as well. I'm waiting for my big purchase, a Nova Zembla rhododendron, to go on deep discount at a local nursery.
I cleared most of the stone out of one of the front beds today, so it's just about ready for tilling. We'll wait a few more weeks for the weather to cool and then move out the coral bells (heuchera), which I hope to divide and replant. There are also a ton of hardy mums in there which I may keep some of, I'm still undecided.
I have a nice purple aster that has just started flowering, so that should pop within the next week. Sedums are also doing well so I'm waiting on those. That will finish off the fall blooms and then I'll be able to move those plants and really dig up the beds.
Here is what is in bloom in late August, in addition to impatiens and coleus, which are still going strong.
Buddleia Nanho Butterfly Bush:
Rose of Sharon bloom. I can't wait until I free up this shrub so it can grow and flower properly, and be seen!
Rudbeckia Black-Eyed Susans have been putting on a wonderful show and are still going strong:
Clematis in bloom, better late than never. I made some pruning errors last spring, I will know not to repeat them.
I cleared most of the stone out of one of the front beds today, so it's just about ready for tilling. We'll wait a few more weeks for the weather to cool and then move out the coral bells (heuchera), which I hope to divide and replant. There are also a ton of hardy mums in there which I may keep some of, I'm still undecided.
I have a nice purple aster that has just started flowering, so that should pop within the next week. Sedums are also doing well so I'm waiting on those. That will finish off the fall blooms and then I'll be able to move those plants and really dig up the beds.
Here is what is in bloom in late August, in addition to impatiens and coleus, which are still going strong.
Buddleia Nanho Butterfly Bush:
Rose of Sharon bloom. I can't wait until I free up this shrub so it can grow and flower properly, and be seen!
Rudbeckia Black-Eyed Susans have been putting on a wonderful show and are still going strong:
Clematis in bloom, better late than never. I made some pruning errors last spring, I will know not to repeat them.
8/7/09
This Week's Garden Happenings
I made a couple of important discoveries about my landscape situation this week. The first is the pesky row of hydrangeas growing on the north side of my house, against the foundation. There are 10 of them, all planted on top of each other, leafed out with diseased looking yellowish foliage, and reaching about 5-feet tall. I hacked back six of them this morning and found an old tag identifying them as Nikko Blues. They produced no blooms this year (but I didn't prune them at all since we bought the house in November 2007, only fed them). Last year they produced 2 sorry looking blooms. Apparently, Nikko Blue isn't hardy in our zone, so that explains it. I don't have the time or energy to cover them in the winter, so whatever I can't give away is getting dug up and tossed. For now, the north side of the house will be barren except for the wild poppies that have taken up residence there.
The other discovery I made is that 2 hearty but barely flowering perennials in my overgrown island garden appear to be Cinquefoil. I bought a very nice gardening book this week and figured it out right away. I have a yellow and a white flowering variety which will get transplanted in the fall.
I did a bit of damage in preparing for fall planting of the new front beds. Ordered a bunch of bulbs and plants from van Bourgondien including poppies, phlox, lilies, muscari and crocuses. Also ordered some peaches n' cream hollyhock seeds which I'm going to plant in the fall and see if they'll come back.
A few pics of this week's garden happenings are below.
I believe this is Yellow Cinquefoil, in complete shade right now beneath a huge viburnum. It will get moved.
White Cinquefoil, again, I'm guessing.
Black-eyed susans doing well:
One of my 2 pink gladiolas:
The long-awaited first flower on my clematis. I think it's a common Jackmanii clematis. I count 16 buds now, can't wait until it fills up!
I'm really pleased with the echinacea this year:
The other discovery I made is that 2 hearty but barely flowering perennials in my overgrown island garden appear to be Cinquefoil. I bought a very nice gardening book this week and figured it out right away. I have a yellow and a white flowering variety which will get transplanted in the fall.
I did a bit of damage in preparing for fall planting of the new front beds. Ordered a bunch of bulbs and plants from van Bourgondien including poppies, phlox, lilies, muscari and crocuses. Also ordered some peaches n' cream hollyhock seeds which I'm going to plant in the fall and see if they'll come back.
A few pics of this week's garden happenings are below.
I believe this is Yellow Cinquefoil, in complete shade right now beneath a huge viburnum. It will get moved.
White Cinquefoil, again, I'm guessing.
Black-eyed susans doing well:
One of my 2 pink gladiolas:
The long-awaited first flower on my clematis. I think it's a common Jackmanii clematis. I count 16 buds now, can't wait until it fills up!
I'm really pleased with the echinacea this year:
8/2/09
The Clematis is Budding
I thought I wasn't going to see any action with the clematis this year, but sure enough it started budding this week. Is it just a late bloomer? Or perhaps the flower food I gave it a couple of months ago did the trick. I can't wait to see what color the flowers are and perhaps try to identify it.
Things are looking up in the gardens. The pool bed is in full late summer bloom with coneflowers, bee balm and black-eyed susans. I have some nice red and yellow lilies blooming out front, and my hot pink gladiolas are just coming into bloom. I pulled up a bunch of juniper ground cover as part of the front landscaping project, and freed up Butterfly bush and a sedum. There's also something else in the island bed with lots of light green foliage that doesn't look like it will bloom this year.
I think I've decided on a nova zembla rhododendron for the front garden near the garage. And I'm considering an azalea for the foundation planting, in addition to the boxwood I plan to transplant. I was thinking about a climbing rose as well, but I think that will be too fussy and high maintenance. Also some hollyhocks and other flowering perennials, as well as some existing things I'll be rearranging.
Here are a few pictures, I'll take more of the pool bed once the rudbeckia is at its peak. Still waiting for my Russian sage to do something, but so far no blooms. It looks healthy though. And I think I'm getting slightly better at photographing these flowers, although I still have a long way to go.
Things are looking up in the gardens. The pool bed is in full late summer bloom with coneflowers, bee balm and black-eyed susans. I have some nice red and yellow lilies blooming out front, and my hot pink gladiolas are just coming into bloom. I pulled up a bunch of juniper ground cover as part of the front landscaping project, and freed up Butterfly bush and a sedum. There's also something else in the island bed with lots of light green foliage that doesn't look like it will bloom this year.
I think I've decided on a nova zembla rhododendron for the front garden near the garage. And I'm considering an azalea for the foundation planting, in addition to the boxwood I plan to transplant. I was thinking about a climbing rose as well, but I think that will be too fussy and high maintenance. Also some hollyhocks and other flowering perennials, as well as some existing things I'll be rearranging.
Here are a few pictures, I'll take more of the pool bed once the rudbeckia is at its peak. Still waiting for my Russian sage to do something, but so far no blooms. It looks healthy though. And I think I'm getting slightly better at photographing these flowers, although I still have a long way to go.
7/19/09
Starting this Blog
This really was a crappy year to start a gardening blog, huh? My flowers have mostly gotten pummeled by the rain and we've had some unseasonably cold nights. There's just not much going on out there and I'm definitely disappointed. At least this will give me a record of how things once looked some I'm planning some drastic changes.
My pool bed is finally starting to bloom with late summer color. I'll take pictures this week when everything is in full swing (assuming it doesn't get rained out). Here are the only perennials doing anything out front right now.
A few daylilies. These need to be moved to get better sun:
And a final picture of the foxglove before it got swatted to the ground. In the upper left corner you can see Buddleia Nanho, which hasn't budded yet.
My pool bed is finally starting to bloom with late summer color. I'll take pictures this week when everything is in full swing (assuming it doesn't get rained out). Here are the only perennials doing anything out front right now.
A few daylilies. These need to be moved to get better sun:
And a final picture of the foxglove before it got swatted to the ground. In the upper left corner you can see Buddleia Nanho, which hasn't budded yet.
7/6/09
Weeding Nightmare
Well, we've had a few good days of sunshine here. Unfortunately the weeds are out of control, and I haven't had a chance to spend time out there since we were busy over the holiday weekend. Still, I've got a few things flowering now and the next crop is budding and looks healthy. The bee balm, black eyed susans and coneflowers I planted in the back bed should all be flowering soon! I'm not sure what the Russian sage is doing, it seems to be behind the other ones I've seen around here, which are already flowering. I hope it does something.
I also put up a window box with some trailing vinca and purple flowers (whose names I can't remember) on the pool shed. We are in the process of picking a color for it and will be painting it red over the next few weeks. Once it's painted and the flowers have taken off some more I'll take pictures.
Here is what's going on now:
Sugar snap peas are producing well and my tomatoes are flowering, which is a shocker. The strawberries and herbs also look healthy and my lettuce mixes are still producing.
Coleus is one of the few annuals that looks OK. All my flowering ones (except for impatiens and petunias) are in pretty bad shape :(
This sand cherry barely flowered this spring. I pruned out a lot of dead wood and it already looks much better. Now I have to figure out where to transplant a smaller one that is not thriving in its too shady location at the moment.
I thought these were weeds and almost ripped them out! I'm glad I didn't since they look an awful lot like foxglove. I've read that most foxglove (digitalis) is biennial, so that would explain why I didn't notice them last year. When I clear out the front island this fall I may move them to a better location. All the perennials located within that evergreen groundcover (I think it's some kind of creeping juniper) are obscured and look lousy in my opinion.
I also put up a window box with some trailing vinca and purple flowers (whose names I can't remember) on the pool shed. We are in the process of picking a color for it and will be painting it red over the next few weeks. Once it's painted and the flowers have taken off some more I'll take pictures.
Here is what's going on now:
Sugar snap peas are producing well and my tomatoes are flowering, which is a shocker. The strawberries and herbs also look healthy and my lettuce mixes are still producing.
Coleus is one of the few annuals that looks OK. All my flowering ones (except for impatiens and petunias) are in pretty bad shape :(
This sand cherry barely flowered this spring. I pruned out a lot of dead wood and it already looks much better. Now I have to figure out where to transplant a smaller one that is not thriving in its too shady location at the moment.
I thought these were weeds and almost ripped them out! I'm glad I didn't since they look an awful lot like foxglove. I've read that most foxglove (digitalis) is biennial, so that would explain why I didn't notice them last year. When I clear out the front island this fall I may move them to a better location. All the perennials located within that evergreen groundcover (I think it's some kind of creeping juniper) are obscured and look lousy in my opinion.
6/25/09
The Sun Was Out - I Saw It!
In honor of our first glimpse of sun in many many moons today, I've decided to post a few pictures of what is flowering in my yard (or has flowered over the last couple of weeks). I'm actually amazed there are still flowers out there with all the rain we've had. And some things seem to love the rainy weather - i.e. the Heuchera (I've got pink coral bells that have been flowering for weeks, the purple/chocolate variety didn't flower nearly as long).
Here is a quick synopsis:
A new addition planted in Spring, Jacob's Ladder. I put it by our mailbox and it doesn't get much sun there, so I am surprised and pleased that it's flowering as much as it is.
Dianthus:
I planted some anemone bulbs this spring in my back bed and didn't expect to see any flowers until early next spring. Yet here is a rogue anemone amidst the lamium....maybe there are more to come?
And of course, some annuals. The crowning glory is a hanging petunia with licorice interspersed. I got an amazing deal on it at the wonderful Meadow View Farm in MA. Thanks Terry for bringing me up there, I'll be going back!
Some of the flat of impatiens I got from some local ladies who do all organic farming. This is the first time I've successfully started my own hanging container of anything - and impatiens is a favorite!
And finally, my calla lilies have begun flowering. Apparently only the white ones. I have pink and purple as well so hopefully I get a full show this year despite all the rain.
Here is a quick synopsis:
A new addition planted in Spring, Jacob's Ladder. I put it by our mailbox and it doesn't get much sun there, so I am surprised and pleased that it's flowering as much as it is.
Dianthus:
I planted some anemone bulbs this spring in my back bed and didn't expect to see any flowers until early next spring. Yet here is a rogue anemone amidst the lamium....maybe there are more to come?
And of course, some annuals. The crowning glory is a hanging petunia with licorice interspersed. I got an amazing deal on it at the wonderful Meadow View Farm in MA. Thanks Terry for bringing me up there, I'll be going back!
Some of the flat of impatiens I got from some local ladies who do all organic farming. This is the first time I've successfully started my own hanging container of anything - and impatiens is a favorite!
And finally, my calla lilies have begun flowering. Apparently only the white ones. I have pink and purple as well so hopefully I get a full show this year despite all the rain.
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