The flower and seed catalogs are strewn across my coffee table in the living room and stacked on top my desk in the office. I've already ordered three perennials from American Meadows. Gaillardia comes in bright, cheerful yellows and red, happily blooms all summer and is hardy here. Its only … [Read more...]
Garden Updates this Fall: Hope for a Glorious Garden in 2017!
My Sweet Williams were beautiful this summer. This early June photo shows rose, pink, purple, red, white and bicolor flowers all spilling over on tall plants perfect for picking. I love Sweet Williams and planted two big beds, one in the main perennial garden and one in the back strip along … [Read more...]
Changes in the Garden – What Didn’t Work in 2016
This spring I changed one garden bed, moving peonies (aka attempting to move peony roots almost two feet square) and planting more summer-blooming gold/red perennials together in the now-open space. We purchased several plants both locally and mail order and I had high hopes they would thrive … [Read more...]
The Blue Flowers of Fall
Have you noticed how few flowers are blue? Purple yes, but true blue is hard to find. In spring we have small bulbs like muscari and hyacinth; summer brings delphiniums and bluebells. And in the fall we have beautiful asters and one of my favorites, eupatorium Wayside. I used to bike all … [Read more...]
Garden 2016 Winner – Butterfly Weed
For some reason I've avoided butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa and never planted it until we moved here and have a garden that's sunny all day. Butterfly weed is in the milkweed family and butterflies and bees love it. I have two plants growing between peonies, dark purple salvia and … [Read more...]
Glads from the Farmers’ Market – Beautiful Colors!
Dave got me a bouquet of glads at the Farmers' Market that is beautiful, full of colors and pretty shapes. Aren't these magnificent? I grow peonies, iris, zinnias and cosmos for picking but not glads. They aren't all that difficult, but it seems silly to use limited space for flowers that we … [Read more...]
Volunteers In The Garden: The Good, The So-So And The Bad
Some of our annuals from last year volunteered seedlings this spring. Last summer's annual candytuft bloomed in blah colors, but the volunteers are blooming in pretty shades of purple and pink. I didn't need to plant the cosmos seeds we bought because my garden is full of seedlings. Our … [Read more...]
The Great June Pause: After Peonies and Before Daylilies
The garden book I found most helpful when I planted our first perennial garden recommended building around 5 main plants: peonies, daylilies, phlox, mums and I think iris. I got the book from the library - and it has been over 40 years! - so I don't remember for sure. It was either iris or … [Read more...]
One Week Later… Peonies, Sweet Williams, Salvia and More
We left camping May 31 with the peonies first burst of bloom and came home a week later to a garden in full glory. Early June is incredible with 40+ peonies all flowing with flowers. I saw this walking out the back screen porch. The deep purple on the left is salvia, beautiful surrounded … [Read more...]
What A Difference A Day Makes! Peonies Galore
Memorial Day evening (May 30, 2016) our first peonies opened. This is right after my last post about the pre-peony garden with everything holding its breath waiting for the bloom explosion. I got a few photos the next morning before we left camping. Wow! Here's a view of the left end … [Read more...]