Yesterday we did more plant trading. I got Purple Homestead verbena, purple Siberian iris, yellow flag, white lunaria (money plant) and Polygonum cuspidatum "Freckles Mexican Bamboo" (which is not in the bamboo family). Also I added some fern leaf "Coronation Gold" yarrow. I am expecting to get a hardy tapioca from the same gardener. This will be a lovely tree like annual that I can put in a large pot, on the patio.
I am wondering if it is possible for me to have too many iris. I may have to dig another bed for the new ones.
I thinned out some crinum lilies and canna.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
More trading
We've been doing more plant trading. My latest acquisitions are cleome (spider flower), black eyed susans, purple coneflower (mine just didn't come back this year), more yarrow and coreopsis. I've also put in basil, squash, cucumbers and a grape tomato. I'm still negotiating for more things, and hoping to find a home for some canna that are behind a gardenia, which is going to shade them too much this year.
The south side of the house has been a problem for me. It is out of the way and has been a mess. This year we tilled the area, and I've planted much of it with liriope (monkey grass0, black eyed susans and four o'clocks. We also added several azaleas along the property line.
More pictures soon. Some of the perennials that did nothing last year are looking very nice now.
The south side of the house has been a problem for me. It is out of the way and has been a mess. This year we tilled the area, and I've planted much of it with liriope (monkey grass0, black eyed susans and four o'clocks. We also added several azaleas along the property line.
More pictures soon. Some of the perennials that did nothing last year are looking very nice now.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Fun with the herb garden
For the last couple of years I have had a few herbs, including thyme, various mints, oregano and rosemary. I also have some lavender, which looks very similar to rosemary. (Do you have an idea where this is going?) I had one rosemary bush just out the back door, and one in the front yard. The one in the back had gotten very woody and worn-out looking, so last week I pulled it up.
A couple of days ago my husband made us a pot roast. It was ready when I got home from work. Wonderful! The next day, we were in the yard, and he pointed to the lavender, and asked me what it was. I told him. He then said, 'how did you like that pot roast?" The long and short of it: he walked out the back door to cut some rosemary, and saw it gone. He remembered that I said I had some in the front, so he walked out front and saw a plant next to the sidewalk. He cut some, noticing that it smelled good. He then saw another plant that looked more like rosemary, so he cut some of that as well. Both went in the roast. We have laughed over this for days. And the roast really was great!
We have been doing some great plant trading and bartering. We acquired seven azalea bushes. They are old, and had to be dug up. So far they are doing well. Five are pink and two white. We also got two knock out rose bushes, one red and one pink, and some Russian sage. I traded some crocosmia for the rose bushes.
One important lesson learned. Last spring I carefully labeled many plants. I used plastic labels and Sharpie permanent marker. I thought that would last. Wrong! All of them have faded within the year. This certainly makes for surprises this time of year, since I can't remember what/where everything is! So, I am now putting out copper markers, in which I etch the plant name. We will see how this goes.
Beautiful spring so far. The redbud and dogwood will be in full bloom this week; tulips are up and the azalea will soon follow.
A couple of days ago my husband made us a pot roast. It was ready when I got home from work. Wonderful! The next day, we were in the yard, and he pointed to the lavender, and asked me what it was. I told him. He then said, 'how did you like that pot roast?" The long and short of it: he walked out the back door to cut some rosemary, and saw it gone. He remembered that I said I had some in the front, so he walked out front and saw a plant next to the sidewalk. He cut some, noticing that it smelled good. He then saw another plant that looked more like rosemary, so he cut some of that as well. Both went in the roast. We have laughed over this for days. And the roast really was great!
We have been doing some great plant trading and bartering. We acquired seven azalea bushes. They are old, and had to be dug up. So far they are doing well. Five are pink and two white. We also got two knock out rose bushes, one red and one pink, and some Russian sage. I traded some crocosmia for the rose bushes.
One important lesson learned. Last spring I carefully labeled many plants. I used plastic labels and Sharpie permanent marker. I thought that would last. Wrong! All of them have faded within the year. This certainly makes for surprises this time of year, since I can't remember what/where everything is! So, I am now putting out copper markers, in which I etch the plant name. We will see how this goes.
Beautiful spring so far. The redbud and dogwood will be in full bloom this week; tulips are up and the azalea will soon follow.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Spring at last!
What a long, cold winter we have had. Last Friday I picked my first daffodils, a full month later than last year. My daphne bush is just now in full bloom, along with the star magnolia, crocuses, and forsythia. An odd combination.
But now that gardening season has begun, I will be trying to make regular posts here again, and will be adding photos of new blooms. It is always exciting to see what will come up each year.
A new kitten joined our family this winter. So, here is Grendel, in her first snow.
But now that gardening season has begun, I will be trying to make regular posts here again, and will be adding photos of new blooms. It is always exciting to see what will come up each year.
A new kitten joined our family this winter. So, here is Grendel, in her first snow.
Friday, October 23, 2009
New plants
I bought several new plants today.
The purple flower is a Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage. It will be nice in the front area where I already have several varieties of salvia. I also bought a Salviagreggi Furmans Red salvia, which has a nice fragrance.
The other two plants I have photographed are both shade lovers, and will go behind the pond. The one with the yellow spots is Farfugium japonieum "Aureamaculata". It has yellow flowers at the end of long stems. The larger, bushy tropical looking plant is a Fatsia japonica Jampanese fatsia. It should make a dramatic look to that back corner of the yard.
I also bought 3 mums, on sale, since they are a bit past their peak. But, they should be nice perennials for the front yard.
Hopefully I can get them all planted in the next few days.
The purple flower is a Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage. It will be nice in the front area where I already have several varieties of salvia. I also bought a Salviagreggi Furmans Red salvia, which has a nice fragrance.
The other two plants I have photographed are both shade lovers, and will go behind the pond. The one with the yellow spots is Farfugium japonieum "Aureamaculata". It has yellow flowers at the end of long stems. The larger, bushy tropical looking plant is a Fatsia japonica Jampanese fatsia. It should make a dramatic look to that back corner of the yard.
I also bought 3 mums, on sale, since they are a bit past their peak. But, they should be nice perennials for the front yard.
Hopefully I can get them all planted in the next few days.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A WOW garden
I spent this past weekend in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Despite a steady, cold rain, we saw several gardens. Most of Saturday was spent at Longwood Gardens. http://www.longwoodgardens.org/ Longwood is more than 1000 acres of gardens, AND has a 4.5 acre conservatory with more than 5,000 plants in it. It was simply unbelievable. I got so many ideas for my little garden space. The mums were spectacular. There is beautiful orchid room that was stunning. The leaves are beginning to turn in southern PA, but there were still many flowers blooming. Unfortunately it was just too cold and wet to be outside for long.
We also got to see the great pumpkin weigh-in. The winner was over 1400 lbs.
We visited Winterthur, but it was just too cold and wet to see much in the gardens. The museum, of course, is fabulous. And, we visited a small garden at an (unfortunately) now nearly abandoned house in Wilmington. The gardens are the Marian Coffin gardens, and are quite nice. The house, Gibralter, was once lovely, but is now boarded up and covered in vines.
All three of these are worth the trip.
We also got to see the great pumpkin weigh-in. The winner was over 1400 lbs.
We visited Winterthur, but it was just too cold and wet to see much in the gardens. The museum, of course, is fabulous. And, we visited a small garden at an (unfortunately) now nearly abandoned house in Wilmington. The gardens are the Marian Coffin gardens, and are quite nice. The house, Gibralter, was once lovely, but is now boarded up and covered in vines.
All three of these are worth the trip.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hot October
It is still hot for October. Yesterday and today in the 80s. It is keeping some of the late bloomers pretty. Below are some of what I have now. The blue/purple bush is an aromatic aster, along with a daisy. The red flowers are pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) and the other white flower is a ginger lily.
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