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You're invited regularly visit my site to see our changing garden. Every time I take a walk through our families' garden, even if it is the second or third time on the same day, I notice something different. It might be a happy accident of nature or a newly blooming flower, a beautiful combination, a great fragrance. Walking through the garden and stopping to look is always an adventure full of surprises.
Visitors find it hard to believe we don't use chemical fertilizers, or pesticides. I do add compost to most gardens yearly, as nature intended.
June 21, 2010
Summer Garden Tour
I can’t explain the growth of the garden this summer, unless it is the heavy rains early in the year that spurred them on. But then again, the heavy rains were followed by below average rainfall in May and June. All of my flowers are blooming weeks too soon and they seem to be on steroids, despite the fact that I only feed them with compost. No chemical fertilizers are used anywhere in my garden. The hollyhocks are now nine feet tall. An oriental lily at the pool towers over me by two feet. The mulleins too, are skyscrapers.
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The hollyhocks tower over the 5 foot fence. |
The mullien planted themselves in the vegetable garden. |
May 8 through June 5, 2010
The First Bloom of Our Roses
There are early, mid- and late-blooming roses. Each year the parade of roses’ bloom follows the same order. The first roses to bloom, Rosa ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ and ‘Mr. Lincoln’, usually start blooming the last week in May. This year they bloomed on May 8th. The others followed close behind. Before June rushed in, most of my roses were finishing up their first act. Normally our roses peak around June 12th. Here are pictures of some of our roses along with the dates the pictures were taken. This year was a record setter for earliest bloom.
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Rosa ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ blooming on May 8, 2010. |
By May 16, rosa ‘Mr. Lincoln’ was in full bloom. |
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Once blooming rose, ‘Cècile Brunner’ covers one end of the house with herpetite blooms on May 21. |
Rosa ‘Pat Austin’ was covered in blooms by May 24. |
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Climbers ‘Pat Austin’ and ‘Golden Showers’use the climbing hydrangea vine as a trellis. They all bloomed together on May 24th. |
‘Aloha’ climbs over the garden seat in the vegetable garden. It was in full bloom by May 24th.
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‘Fireworks’ was covered in flowers in the corner ofthe vegetable garden on May 24th. |
By May 30th the roses on the grape arbor where in full bloom. |
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The formal rose garden was full of blooms by May 30.
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Rosa ‘Dortmund’ climbs the ivy by the back door. By May 30th it created a sensation.
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Rosa ‘Mme. Gregoire Staechelin’ blooms only once a year but she dangles large decorative rose hips for months. She was in full bloom on May 30th.
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Even the basketball court was blooming on May 30th.
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Along one side of the pool, ‘Golden Showers’ and ‘Veilchenblau’ bloomed together on June 3rd.
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The fence along one side of the pool waswreathed in roses by June 3rd.
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The bank of shrub roses and clematis was in full bloom on June 5.
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The purple catmint bloomed early too, a perfect partnerfor the shrub roses on June 5.
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May 17, 2010
A Quick Walk Around
There was nothing normal about this spring's weather. There were days that jumped into the high 80's and even 90's. Spring rains too were on the high side. Consequently, the flowers were confused and most flowers appeared several weeks ahead of their usual entrance. Since it is still possible to have frost, I have only started planting the annuals and tender vegetables. Here are a few pictures of what is happening.
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The Fringe trees usually bloom in mid June but they have been blooming for almost two weeks.
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Our salad garden with its own salad bowl is now ready to pick. Even the pansies and johnny-jump-ups can be tossed in.
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The once blooming rose, 'Mme. Gregoire Staechelin', climbing the playhouse is in full bloom.
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The herb garden is newly planted. Once the forget-me-nots finish their bloom, I'll plant basil.
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In the vegetable and cutting garden the chocolate scented, orange poppies are blooming. The dahlias are planted and have been staked.
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The Boxwood is a fresh green surrounding the reflecting pond in the formal garden.
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The shady carriage house yard is a tapestry of blue's greens and gold.
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The formal garden is dominated by purple and while allium. The roses are beginning to bloom and the Miss Kim lilac standard at the entrance is in full bloom.
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The gazebo overlooking the
water sports hanging baskets
and a climbing honeysuckle.
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May 1 to May 5, 2010
The Tree Peonies, Early come, Early go!
One of the pleasures of spring is cutting and bringing inside a tree peony,
each flower the size of a salad plate. They are their own bouquets! Usually they open their fifteen or more flowers over the course of two or three weeks. This year they opened to 85 degree days, hung their heads and left in a hurry. There was nothing I could do to convince them to stay. They only good news is the roses started their bloom two weeks early, before the peonies. It is a strange year indeed.
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On May first the treep peonies staqrted their bloom.
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By May 5, they were hanging their heads and dropping their petals.
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'Zephirine Drouhin' was among the first roses to start blooming.
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Close-ups of the lush flowers of tree peonies.
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Close-ups of the lush flowers
of tree peonies.
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April 4, 2010
Easter in the Garden
The first three days of April temperatures rose into the mid to high seventies. Consequently, it was possible to watch the spring bloomers burst open. Every hour in the garden presented noticeable changes.
After such a long winter, to be outside in the garden surrounded by so many flowers made me giddy. Here is what I saw:
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Daffodils bloomed under the bare lilacs and forsythia opened in the distance.
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A close-up of hellebores and scilla on the hillside.
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Daffodils, hellebores, primroses and scilla bloomed on the hillside.
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A star magnolia and a young flowering almond bloom along the driveway.
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A star magnolia enters its third week of bloom next to the house.
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An ornamental cherry opened over the course of the day.
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Hyacinths and scilla frolic under the bare canes of shrub roses.
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The first species tulips have been blooming for almost a week.
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March 21, 2010
The Spring Flowers are Marching In
I took these photos on Sunday, March 20th, twelve hours before spring officially started. The change from the Sunday before, when a storm raged for three days, was amazing. I spent three sunny and warm days working on the clean-up, planting seeds and moving perennials. It was such a pleasure being back in the garden, I couldn’t complain about my scrapes, bruises, and backache. I couldn’t stop smiling as the temperature warmed to 70 degrees and each day new flowers opened.
This coming week the weather is returning to normal and rain is predicted. Last week was a tease.
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The first primroses are opening.
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The witch hazels continue their bloom, untouched by last weeks storm.
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The crocus were blooming in the liriope.
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The cornus mas bloomed.
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The magnolias are opening.
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I found several of these nests. Could they be praying mantis?
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The hyacinth are in bud.
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The red noses of the peonies are poking up.
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The winter hazel is opening.
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The 'February Gold' Daffodils are in full bloom in the woods.
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Lungwort are still small but they will continue to bloom and grow for three months.
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The pushkinia are blooming.
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'Peeping Tom' is an early and distinct daffodil. He looks like he has a long nose.
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The pond needs cleaning but the goldfish were happily swimming along the top.
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The hillside is alive with the
hellibores and early bulbs
blooming together.
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March 14, 2010
Gusty Winds and Downpours
Several weeks after the worst snowfall of the century we were hit with three days of gale force winds and heavy downpours. 51.4 inches of rain has fallen on my clay soil since October. The normal rainfall for the year is less, 49.69 inches. Our soil can’t absorb it and streams are forming along the flower borders and ponds glisten on the front lawn.
Luckily we only lost electricity for a few hours. Several communities near us lost it for days. Sadly, we had two large trees fall down smashing our vegetable garden fence and two rose arbors. Furniture and garden ornaments were blown about and damaged. One of a pair of heavy metal garden benches blew over and its back broke. The benches had sat in the same place for twenty-eight years.
Walking around to assess the damage on Sunday morning after the winds slowed and the rain turned to drizzle, I was more amazed by what survived, then what was damaged. A terra-cotta pot of grass still sat on top of a pedestal in the herb garden, a few yard from a felled tree. It was untouched by the wind. The snowdrops, crocus, dwarf iris and winter aconite were closed up tight but didn’t show any damage from the beating they took. Daffodils in several protected corners had opened, despite the storm. I realized it is the shining example of the plants that keeps me gardening. They won’t be defeated.
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A tree fell on several of the rose arbors behind the formal garden.
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The tree that fell on the vegetable garden fence will allow more sunlight into the garden.
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Why wasn't this pot damaged by the high winds?
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Strangely the strong winds blew over a tree but left a pot standing on a pedistal.
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The furniture and gaqrden ornaments on the terrace were blown over.
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An antique metal bench from England was broken by the force of the wind.
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The winter aconite closed up to protect itself from the storm.
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The dwarf iris showed no damage.
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The first daffodils were blooming.
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March 5, 2010
The Early Bloomers
Less than a week after the worst snowstorm of 2010, flowers are blooming. The snow has not completely melted, yet snowdrops, winter aconite, dwarf iris, and snow crocus are popping up. Hopefully now with days in the fifties expected more will quickly follow.
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Winter aconite and snowdrops begin to weave a floral rug along the woodland walk.
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Snow crocus have a sweet scent unlike the larger later crocus that are scentless.
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A lonely dwarf iris will soon
be joined by others.
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February 27, 2010
The Snowiest February on Record
A winter garden is always breathtakingly beautiful under snow. Of course, the three days leading up to sunny Saturday were not pleasant—blistering winds blew, icy rains fell and two feet of snow collected on the ground. Fortunately for me, I was traveling and returned on Friday night to awake to the beauty of the freshly washed garden. Over the course of the day, the snow melted from the branches of the witch hazel and it was glorious in full bloom. Its fragrance wafted on the breeze despite the cold.
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The witch hazel is in full bloom under clouds of snow. |
By afternoon the snow had melted off the branches revealing the bright yellow flowers. |
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The witch hazel flowers don't show any damage. |
We won't be eating outside tonight. |
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Leaving frost proof furntiture and garden ornaments outside adds interest when many plants are dorment. |
The path to the garden house this winter was dangerous. |
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The bare limbs of vines add interesting
patterens to the landscape. |
February 6, 2010
Winter’s Colorful Characters
A winter garden can boost a rainbow of colors if colorful broadleaf evergreens, conifers and trees with colorful barks are planted. Across the front lawn at my house, red and orange twig dog wood have been blazing all winter long. Nandina ‘Wood’s Dwarf’ screams bloody murder overshadowed by a halo of chamaecyparis along the driveway and in the woods, Leucothoe blushes burgundy.
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Red and orange twig dogwood light up the winter garden.
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Nandina's red foliage looks brighter contrasted with the yellow glow of chamaecyparis.
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The burgundy blush of the leucothoe
is
tame compared to the other colorful
characters in our garden.
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January 30, 2010
Subtle Movements
The snowdrops started blooming in late December with a few impromptu flowers scattered around the garden. Each week more join the chorus. Now there are clumps. Helleborus x hybridus too has pushed its flower heads up through the frozen ground. They lay on the ground and wait for warmer weather before their stems stretch up and the flowers open.
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A clump of snowdrops brightens the garden in mid winter.
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It could be weeks before the hellebores open their blooms.
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January 6, 2010
Notable Winter Bloomers
Pieris Japonica is not a very sensible shrub. It sets its buds in the fall and lets them hang like Victorian beaded brooches, pinned on each and every branch, so that the shrub is covered in jewels. Even in tight bud they are colorful and I frequently clip stems to embellish bouquets.
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The stems and buds are both red on this
Pieris adding to the display.
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Helleborus foetidus, the bear's foot or stinking hellebore, only smells if you stick your nose right into the bloom. I'm too smart to do that. I love that its flower buds dangle all winter even though they often don't open and wear their red lipstick until March.
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The lime green of the stinking hellebore
glows in the winter light.
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