SUMMER IS UPON US

And there is still much to do in the garden. However, the hot temps keep planning down to thoughts and diagrams. I've got some big plans for this fall though.


I am so happy with the big urn I planted this spring. It has just filled out so nicely. I love, love, love the Euphorbia, Diamond Frost. It's just wonderful, and I love it with the Asparagus Fern and the white impatience. I've decided to make this whole little shade garden green and white. It's been fun thinking about what to plant. I've got to get rid of the awful pink azalea. I may replace it with a nice white one, but I'm thinking of something that blooms later because the azaleas bloom before the hostas get any good growth on them.

I loved this astilbe. I thought I was getting a late blooming one when I purchased it late last year. It had a bloom on it, so I just figured it would be blooming with the black eyed susans. Oh well, a nice surprise. Maybe it will bloom twice!

I think it really makes a nice spot in the May garden.

I have mixed feelings about the lily in this photo below. I've just never been very happy with it and I hope to find something to replace it with. In the mean time, it does an adequate job.

Now, the lily below I LOVE. It is just the cutest thing and the blooms lasted a nice long time. I'm not good with keeping up with the names of things. I can't remember if it was Lollipop, or something like that. Anyway, I hope it multiplies rapidly.



This garden is in the works. It still needs a lot of work.




That's all for now, I'll have some June pictures next.

Warm Spring Days...

Have brought much change to the gardens. First the tulips brightened the day, and they were very beautiful this year. The temps were a little cooler than usual, which kept the flowers fresh for such a long time. The tulips lasted at least 3 weeks. Here is a picture of the garden in its tulip finery:














The lavender haze in the back is Money Penny. It's a great plant that grows easily from seed . I sprinkle it around every year. It's a biennial, but once you get it started you'll always have some. The large shrub with the big white blooms is a Viburnum. I love it, love it, love it! Now a bit later in April:

I love the look of this little path, but I really need to do some serious planning ehre. The little garden on the right is being reworked this year, and the little water feature on the left also needs to be reworked. As you can see, much to do!!


Iris are in bloom the later part of April. This pink one has been gorgeous. It is Beverly Sills and this is the first year it has bloomed like this. Usually it has just had one or two blooms.

Below is the new pot I bought with my DS Christmas gift certificate to Home Depot. I have it planted with Asparagus Fern; Euphorbia, Diamond Frost; white impatience and a tall fern from my little shade garden, but I don't know the name. This is the garden I am currently working on. I need to get some height added, or maybe some wall decoration. I'm thinking of a mirror. I have an old mirror that I could paint white and crackle it - try to age it some.

I have three weeks left of school, and then I can get some serious work done! So much to do, but I've recruited some of my kids friends, who have all said they would help. How lucky am I?! Next post will be for May. I'm waiting on the astilbe to bloom. Hopefully it will be very pretty. Until then, happy gardening!

Spring musings

A strange week, weather wise. After really nice weather last Saturday, Sunday broke cold and a bit windy. Then it progressively got worse until finally, it culminated in a 27 degree temperature that killed two impatience plants and three begonias, but didn't hurt a leaf on the petunias. I was delighted that a new petunia survived, as I had paid a bit for it. I think it's name is something like Lemon Zest. Petunias are amazing - last summer mine looked great even in the 100 degree- plus weather we had for a loooooong spell. Now here they are surviving the freezing temps. I also found a beautiful lavendar-ish purple one that I hope to plant soon.

Here are a few pictures, one of the Lemon petunia. I don't have it planted yet in this picture. Please excuse the horrible grass/dirt. We have a new puppy and this is his running area.


I love this pot of yellow tulips. It just says "Spring". I think it looks really nice with the muscari.
I like this color arrangement, too. Pink, purple, yellow and a little white...perfect!



Spring is just jumping all over the place. Won't be long until I can get some of the more tender annuals in the ground. I can't wait! Isn't it weird that there are no tulips blooming in the end of the garden on the right. There are plenty planted, but they haven't bloomed yet. I guess it just has a different micro-climate. I keep trying to get three groups blooming at the same time - middle and both ends. Oh well, maybe I'll plant some in pots next year and use it to fill in until they bloom.



Hope you are having a lovely gardening weekend.

Cleanup Day

Today dh took the day off and worked in the yard. There is so much to do and I know it may not look like much to anyone else, but to me it looks like he must have worked hard all day. Just the leaf pile-up was enough - and he removed all of the leaves from an area that was knee-deep in them. There also was an old potting table with way too many plastic pots laying about. He tidied that up too. Then he raked...and raked...and raked...well, you get the idea. The area on the right of the house is where he removed all the leaves and tidied up. You can see we are in great need of some grass. Never have been good at grass growing, but by September, it will be pretty, though weedy.

Next up is a picture of a pretty pot I planted with muscari. I forgot to plant them last fall and eneded up dumping them in this pot - old potting soil and all - and just look at them! They are so pretty. I love the little pots on this table. I found the vinyl tablecloth at Big Lots for about $2.00 and thought it would nicely hide the ugle plastic table. I can't wait for that big pot of tulips to begin blooming!

Hopefully I'll get some good time in the garden tomorrow.

A NEW GARDENING YEAR

And so it begins....and I am so excited. The garden is jumping to life. Today was really warm and nice, but we had devastating storms in the area. Thankfully, nothing serious here. The daffodils are done. The bi-colored ones are so pretty. 3 years ago I noticed hyacinths that I had planted in other parts of the garden were blooming at the same time as the bi-colored daffs. I actually made a plan and bought the pretty yellow and pink hyacinths to plant next to the daffs for the next years spring. Oh well, "best laid plan..." and all that.

February bleakness (my garden never completely goes away):

Beautiful snow fell on the garden in early March. It was so pretty. Just a very light dusting. Looked like fairies had spinkled the garden with sugar!

Today I planted the big urn, but my camera's battery gave out so I will have to save a posting of if it for another day.

Chores:

This week I finished putting out composted manure on the garden. I didn't have enough to spread all over, so I just heaped it around each individual plant - except for the bearded iris; I remembered reading somewhere that they don't like manure (or was it mushroom compost? - now I can't remember).

I made several notes to myself last year for this spring and I've been trying to get the list done.

I moved the phlox around. I am in the process of grouping some of the coneflowers that have come up from seeds - they are sprinkled all over the garden and I want to get them together. I moved one of my sedums over. I removed the alliums (time to replant with fresher bulbs I think).

I planted the big urn. They had the purple fountain grass out early this year. Usually it doesn't show up in the garden centers until April, so I was able to get it planted in the urn. I'm going for the same arrangement as last years - only for spring I'll plant alyssum to drape until I can get varigated sweet potato vine and coleus.

Lots still to do. I'll be having a week off work the second week of April. I can't wait!