Monday, June 16, 2014

June 2014 Blooms

Just two photos for June Bloom Day, to try to get myself back into the habit of posting something here for the record.

These are two of my favorite plant combinations in my yard, and they are both blooming now.  One was planned, the other a happy accident.  Enjoy!


Asclepias tuberosa (orange butterfly weed) and Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)


Rudbeckia and Larkspur

I adore the long, fluffy petals on this annual rudbeckia.  Each year since this combo first "happened" along my front walk, I've shaken the seed heads of the rudbeckia and the larkspur over the bed, trying to get more plants the next year.  I end up with exactly one rudbeckia and about two larkspur.  At least they are near each other again this year.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Daff Count




Just a quick post to record this year's daffodil count:  a record-setting 616.

Annual totals:
2009: 347
2010: 282
2011: 175
2012: 460
2013: 513
2014: 616

No, I didn't plant any new bulbs last fall, even though I intended to do so.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Plant-buying spree

Today I went to the annual FONA Garden Fair (it continues tomorrow), looking for garden inspiration.  I came home with a very light wallet and a full cart.


Here's what's in that jumble of plants.

From the FONA sale:

Brunnera 'Jack Frost' - I bought one of these last year, too, but killed it.

Red Banana - another container plant for my "Tropical Paradise Patio".  One of these days (years) I'll finally get around to having the patio rebricked so I can actually use it.  Meanwhile, I'm collecting plants for it.

Meadow Rue - I might have bought one of these last fall, but I couldn't remember for sure, so here's (another) one.

Echinacea 'Sundown' - Unlike my Daffodil Desires, I actually followed through on a musing (from two years ago) to add more colorful echinacea to my garden.

Abelia - I'm missing a shrub in my front border.  This one is tiny, so I hope it doesn't get lost among the grasses while it grows to actual shrub size.

Dahlia - For a front-stoop container

Phlox paniculata 'Tequila Sunrise' - I lost my most floriferous tall phlox over the winter.  This replacement is supposed to be short-statured, so I'll have to move some things around in the garage garden to place it appropriately.  I'm looking forward to the bright color, but it will most likely clash terribly with the mostly-purple theme I have (accidentally) going on over there.

Outside the FONA sale is a space for other plant vendors.

The Melwood Garden booth had some lovely perennials, and good prices.  I bought:

Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder) 'Heavenly Habit' *- I've bought a polemonium just about every year I've been gardening here, and I always kill them.  This is the most vigorous one I've started with, so maybe this time will be different? 

Coreopsis verticillata 'Main Street' (red flowers!) - My Coreopsis rosea has been slowly disappearing from the upper garden, so here's a showier replacement

Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie'- because I can't resist a new-to-me heuchera, and I have one that's only barely alive after the winter.

From the Herb Society, I didn't actually buy herbs, but I did get:

Bloodroot - for the shady side, with the brunnera. I've wanted one of these for a long time.  No idea if I have the proper conditions for it, but I'll find out next year.


Now, my biggest barrier to success when I go all-out with plant purchases is actually getting this stuff in the ground.  I had planned several hours this afternoon to do just that.  Thanks to a poor choice of driving route (excessive traffic), I arrived home just as the skies were opening up for a nice spring thunderstorm.  I did get the Dahlia potted up during the rain.  The other plants, well, maybe I'll get to them in a few days ....



* I've just re-read the tag. This is a selection of Polemonium boreale, not Polemonium reptans, which means I can't put it in my "native-ish" garden.  Into the side yard it goes!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

A Floral Start to Spring

Happy Spring!


Here's the first daffodil bloom* in the yard.  I think it opened earlier this week, but I didn't get out to see it until today.

Next, some plum branches that I pruned about 10 days ago and brought inside.  All these flowers were just little white balls yesterday.  How did they know they were supposed to open today?


 Finally, my lodgers brought me these tulips before they departed today:


I'm so happy to have flowers to share on this first day of Spring!

* the current record:  Yellow 3, White 1, tie 1
2013: tie (6 Mar)
2012: yellow (25 Feb)
2011: white (9 Mar)
2010: yellow (17 Mar)

I thought the daffs were super late this year, but it looks like they are on a very similar schedule to 2010.  It's great to have a blog archive for things like this.  (Maybe I should keep up with this thing a little more, so it is not just a daffodil recording device!)