Is it spring anywhere?

Not many names,the gardener rattled off some but its no use with my memory. I had to check with the other person I went with to get the name of the yellow dwarf."Baby Blessed"

Diann, I'm sorry about your lilies. I didn't realize that Orienpets were vulnerable - thought it was just certain trumpets, including Regale and Amethyst Temples. I find it's just so late in the season and some of them were so tall that protecting them was difficult. My Silk Roads are a foot and a half tall.

But we will still have your glorious peonies. And of course your asiatics.

Oh Diann, ouch. That's got to hurt. Sorry to see that.

Yes, it was just that bed. Which tells me that I need to plant more trees as a buffer over that bed. :) Also, I need to get more perennials popped in there so that there is more cover. It will work out, just fine. It's just going to take a bit of time. :)

Diann

Ge, I have Baby Blessed.It grows and multiplies well and it does rebloom for me! It's most likely one of Schreiner's Lilliputs.

Atta girl Diann! Just one bed is better news.

Past few days it has felt like we went from May back to March. Cold, cold, cold. I had to turn the heat back on in the house. I had had it off for 3 weeks.

The clematis has more red ones open by now so it looks different than it did before.

Thanks for the reminder Billy.Dana Borglum did say it rebloomed.
Another really cold night.
Weather should turn soon.

Rita, same here! I got up this morning, the temp raised overnight and it felt balmy at 5:00 am! I think the weather has turned! Now we have another day of rain, but seem to be in that rainless hole right now. I suppose it will start just as we leave to get groceries.

Oh, Ticker; what a shame! How cold did it get? The bulb is so much less fragile than the plant. And in May!

Besides bemoaning the cold, the only thing positive is that the lily beetles don't feed in cold weather.

We lost a few delicate perennial herbs, probably my own fault, and brought in anything that wasn't in the ground.

Ya know, I'm not really sure how cold it got. That bed was the only one effected, everything else sailed through without a blip. I think most of my gardens have a pretty decent micro-climates going on. This one is right smack dab in the middle with no shelter near it at all. We're going to have to think about what to do for that. :)

Rita, I agree about May to March! Tons of rain, and quite cold. Yesterday was our "last frost date" so I am putting out my annuals and hanging pots (while shivering), but I'm getting some cool combos.

Ornagothalum nutans and anemone Robustissima. The ornigothalum was sent by mistake (should have been camasia) and the anemone just turned up in my yard. They are both assertive plants, and maybe that's why they work so well together.

Wicker, when you started this thread, you said spring comes as it always does, but it did not arrive that way in the northeast this year. 80s in end of March and early April, 40s mid to end April. We froze at times, but the lilies loved it.

These planters are 35 gallon containers, and all the bulbs are in there from last year.

An they are starting to form buds, even the orientals.

Unfortunately, at 5'2" I can see the tops but cannot photograph without help.

We have excellent luck with container plantings for lilies. I truly do not know if they form as many blooms as those in the ground. It will take a few summers to find out.

Donna, because the containers are so large, they are planted pretty deep, and the soil level is about 10-12 inches from the top. While they are still small, they have some protection from the wind.

The first of my annuals have been out for ages. Even my tomatoes were all planted and then we had that really cold spell. But then I went and bought more annuals Saturday (cosmos) which I planted today.

Donna, do you order your annuals online? I've done that sometimes, thinking it would keep me from impulse buying at the garden center. But the selection's so much better online, and I'm so easily tempted... Not sure which way is worse.

Cathy, our spring has been similar. Can't wait to see your lilies in bloom.

All my annuals are in, and the garden furniture is out. So now I suppose we're ready for SUMMER!

I really like Bluestone Perennials, which is a top Garden Watchdog company. I've gotten plants I later grew from seed, like arabis caucasica, bergenia and heuchera Firefly. But I've gotten some extraordinary, striking, hardy plants from them that are very hard to find, like Campanula Bernice. They also introduced me to some lesser known varieties of nepeta, like Snowflake, Dawn to Dusk and Souvenir Andre Chaudron. The nepetas seeded well and I spread them all around my yard to unify it.

The other beauty of these guys is the free shipping if you send their plant packing material back to be recycled. I just spent $2.50 to send back a box and materials that will net me a shipping for ANY order, no matter how big. If I order 30 plants, it covers the order.

I don't go to garden centers near me because they all have the same plants. They are encouraged to carry Proven Winners and other such that I'm sure are fine, but you will see them in everyone's yard - until they die in 2 years.

My favorite place is Milaeger's, in Racine. I just went there yesteray to pick up heirloom tomatoes. I find th prices lower than Illinois nurseries, the taxes are lower and the quality is higher. The place is HUGE. I have bought trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, herbs, annuals, vegetables, you name it. Their annuals are cheap. Three lisianthus for $1.79. Love 'em.

I've wanted to go to Milaeger's for a long time, but rarely get up there. We have some pretty good options around here for perennials but I've done a lot of online shopping because, like you Donna I don't want what everyone else has got. Also I'm a sucker for all those alluring plant descriptions. And I love the specialty nurseries, especially for LILIES.

Now, I would definitely do as you do, and use specialty nurseries for lilies. B&D, the Lily Garden, and the fabulous hybridizers who sell through the Pacific Northwest Lily Society get my busness. For roses, I love Pickering and Antique Rose Emporium. I would not buy lilies or peonies or roses even at Milaegers, since their selections have to be limited, and catalogs give me the world.

But I was at Milaegers two years ago in August, when they were blowing out their roses. I like to look at questionable roses in August, because that's blackspot time, and I also like to see the form. I was shocked to find great specimens of Heritage and Glamis Castle marked down from $27.99 to $9.99. I had planted some floribundas that failed and was looking for replacements. I looked around in the northern suburbs but the roses looked unhappy. These are stll thriving -even the tempetuous GC.

I also bought most of my dozens of grasses at Milaegers during their September "buy 12 get 6 free" promotion one year. And I picked up some phenomenal perennials last October a half price, and that's tough to do with catalogs. It is a bit of a trip fpr you. They are 45 miles from my home, most of it on the fairly empty 94 through Wisconsin, which has got to put it 90 miles from yours.



This message was edited May 21, 2010 7:42 PM

Yeah, but Donna, you are the Rose Queen. :) One has to have patience to grow roses and I don't. :)

Laura, where do you get your annuals on line at?

I want to see pictures of both your gardens, ladies. :)

Patience - HA!

Antique Rose Emporium send two gallon roses in containers. Install in April, bloom in June.

Pickering sends huge bareroots. Install in April, bloom in June. I got my first flower on Quadra 3 days ago.

And I guess we can send a pic or two!

Diann, I've ordered annuals online only from Annies Annuals. Now that's a fun box of goodies.

I think Milaegers could be worth a road trip. It's not really that far. We do sometimes go to Racine to fish, but that's in the fall.

I ordered the most glorious plants from Flower Scent Gardens. It was sadly year last year he was hipping, since the death of one parent and the serious illness of the other forced him to close his business. He said he feared that shipments would be delayed but they were very prompt. Such a gentleman. I ordered some white heliotrope but I also was fortunate to order 4 of what I now find to be a very uncommon plant - saponaria bouncing bett in white. It has to be controlled, but for color scent and shape - unmatched.

It's here with verbena appleblossum (Bluestone), verbena canadensis (Bluestone) and nicotiana alata (seed from Select Seeds).

Speaking of Select Seeds, their plants are really wonderful too. I primarily order seed, but their geraniums rock!

Nice whites.

Donna, it's a beautiful combo! And a freebie at that! You make a good argument for recycling at Bluestone. I like their stuff too, but everyone got so pricy all of a sudden and shipping had to go up with the gas prices. I have just not ordered from anyone the last couple of years.

Cathy, your container lilies look great! What kind are they? Are you zone 5 or 4, AND do you bury the containers or leave them out?

Wickerparker, same here. I want something different. Funny tho. There aren't too many flower beds in Nichols. Most of mine IS different :o)

Ticker, you said it! I couldn't even begin to get all those bargins, LOL!

Wow Donna, white bouncing bet? I have the light pink in a double and had it in the single. It does need controlled, but to me it smells like candy. Maybe like the candy dots you ate off the paper as a kid? Something! It drives me crazy not to be able to place that smell!

One bed weeded in two days or so, with DH's help, and PREENED! It has most of the iris in it. Plus sweet rocket, white coral bells and johnson blue geraniums.

Oh, BP, what lovely cool colors.

You are right about everyone getting pricey. I love Antique Rose Emporium, but the container roses going from $15 to $18 - ouch! And Bluestone is definitely more expensive. But everyone is going up in price, my orders are smaller, and I've been growing more from seed. I do think it's the gas prices. And I think that we get the old prices stuck in our heads.

But the sales are definitely earlier and more generous!

Very nice, Billy. :) I'm still working on weeding beds, but my ever present garden buddy Bandit is there to help me all the way. :)

Don't you work him too hard now! LOL

Heh heh, he's in charge of cuddling. He makes sure I don't work too hard. LOL

Beautiful garden..and Bandit - what a cutie!
Which Peonies are these that are getting ready to burst open?
Pleease send photos of them in bloom ....and include Bandit too.
He looks so calm in the garden.
Ours would be digging for the voles!

Gorgeous bed, Sally. But what I really want to know is how on earth many kids do you have there? I count at least six bikes.

Thanks. :) Um, those are my dollar a pot Wally-world peonies I rescued some ten years ago. They came marked as pink, red and white. :) LOL There are named peonies in that bed, just not in that picture with El Bandito. Bandit is a good kitty, he and his litter-mate Champ are 17 this year. We lost their other litter-mate Piglet this past January. The kids are slowing down a bit.

El Bandit photographs very well. Ever try a small bandana on him?
To liven up the picture along with all of your beauties! haha

You know he's just middle aged. My Mom had several cats that lived to be 22 - over 20 was common. It's the cuddling.

Um, no, Bandit might be slowing down a bit, but he can still take trophy chunks of flesh out of me if he feels I'm infringing on his good will. ;) LOL

I'd like to think that Donna, but Bandit and Champ are in the early stages of kidney decline. We're now on special cat food to take the stress off their little cat kidneys.

Well, between cats and humans, surely you know who's BOSS? Are you the one with the great quote - dogs have owners, cats have staff?

We crossposted. I just love cats. I hope your little babies live for many, many years....

Yes, I'm the staff. :)

Ticker, very nice yourself! I love the geranium with the peony. I never thought of that combo. I just stuck mine around the mailbox and a tree since I didn't have a spot for it at the time. I see a whole new use for it. Duh!

Bandit says he'll take care if the catnip. Don't you worry about it! What a handsome boy!

Polly, ROTFL! I knew I should have said those aren't my bikes! My neighbor has 3 kids. But they are very family oriented, and nieces and nephews come home with them all the time, so there are bikes to go around!

Ticker, they're 17? You would never know it! Good health to both. It's hard to think about them getting old. I love to rescue flowers! My peonies aren't named, but must be close to 40 years old. The woman lived here when I was a kid.

The first peony out is losing petals already, wah! But on a happy note, two haven't opened quite yet. Maybe today.

Today is going to be nice and I'm going to weed the next biggest bed in the sun. I'm afraid the mosquitos are going to hatch over the next few days. Another Wah, but with more feeling!

Here's the same bed west to east. I have to stand on the ladder to get it all in :o)

great beds