Its a slow start but we are getting there. There is going to be a spectàcular show from my fern leaf peony within a couple of days. There must be a rainstorm coming. LOL
spring 2019
Lol! It always storms when my roses peak. This year, it stormed on the irises.
Everything is so fresh and green!
I don't recognize the yellow blooming plant in front of the bluebells in the first picture. What is it?
I remember your fernleaf peony last year was fantastic. I grow lots of strange peonies but I've had no luck the the fernleaf. I'll be content to enjoying yours when it pops.
I barely got out into the yard today when it started raining. About the wettest spring on record. Lots of flooding around here but my place is on a hill so no worries here. Feel awful for a lot of other folks not so lucky.
I was able to get a few pictures while out this morning.
#1 is Bletilla japonica Yokohama - an exotic looking orchid which is easy to grow. This plant has about a dozen blooming stems each with 5-6 buds which open one or two at a a time.
#2 Forever Susan Asiatic lily
#3 Hydrangea serrata Beni gaku. Really pretty transition from pure white on opening (today), then the petals gradually turn to a deep red. The transition takes a couple months. Pretty all along the way.
#4 Stewartia pseudocamellia. Beautifully ruffled white petals. My favorite flowering tree.
#5 Spigelia marilandica. My original plant from 20yrs ago died out but there are always a couple seedling plants scattered around.
Looks like cushion spurge - Euphorbia polychroma. It looks perfect!
I am also looking forward to seeing your fernleaf. I never tried it though.
Yes Loretta that is the plant that Wee asked about. I love it. I planted 2 of them 2 years ago and of course I put them too close together so had to move one. It has survived the move well but is a lot smaller. Next year I should have 2 beauties properly spaced, The fern leaf peonies seem to prefer our cold climate. I gave one to a friend in southern Ontario and he only got about 2 winters out of it. My older one seems to be having issues. Maybe they like to be split up occasionally. We have had 2 90°F days and no rain and the one I have promised to show is stalling but right on the verge of opening. Hooe this heat doesn't bring a hail storm. We are forecasted to have a storm tonight and drop back go below normal temperature tomorrow so God knows. Keep your fingers crossed.
Wee those photos today are really exquisite. The only one I recognize is Forever Susan. Mine are up but no buds yet. I have a new lily that I planted last fall. I was not optimistic about them surviving but all 6 are up and thriving. The name escapes me right now but each flower is supposed to be unique in shades of orange, cream and lime green. Something to look forward to.
WR, I missed your post. Beautiful as usual, especially the shot of the stewartia. Indian Pinks are just about to open up here. The lilies that are surviving are not yet open.
I am not helping my lilies this year and I know I will miss them. The Scarlet Lily Beetle is relentless and I can spend all afternoon picking them off. I guess the groundhog and rabbits don't help at all. The lilies were always a good show after the roses were done. The Hydrangea macs are going to be stingy too.
1 Oriental poppy Victoria Louise
2. Kalmia Keepsake
3, 4, 5, Peonies are just finished and ready to deadhead but since we are discussing them: Raspberry Clown, Bartzella (really more yellow than the photo), Coral Charm. It was a good year for peonies here. Usually they blast in a day or so but since we had rain and cool nights, we got a better show this year.
Beautiful Loretta!!! Assuming the system must have shuffled the sequence of your photos. Would the third photo with the very shiny leaves and raspberry flower clusters be the Kalmia Keepsake? Gorgeous!
It did, didn't it? I uploaded Coral Charm last but after deleting the second photo. I noticed that happened once recently but I don't remember that happening before.
Anyway, I highly recommend Kalmia 'Keepsake' but it is a slow grower. I have that plant many years. It is the healthiest I've ever grown too. I hope I didn't just jinx it because everytime I recommend a plant like that, it dies the next year.
For example, all my foolproof european gingers are dying and my one specimen of Asarum minus 'Honeysong' is a goner after many years. I waiting to see if the Canadian gingers are going to be affected too. They are healthy one day and wilted the next.
It has been a very rough start to annual gardening here The weather is up and down like a toilet seat and Environment Canada is doing a lousy job of predicting it. I started planting out last Monday when the daily lows were predicted to be double digits for two weeks. They are frequently off by up to 9°C so I thought double digits would give me enough of a cushion that I should be safe. Friday and Saturday were sweltering hot and so windy that the plants I put out were being turned into rags so I had to stop. Then Saturday night and Sunday we had a lot of rsin and the temperature dropped so low that we have had light frost for the last 3 nights. Tuesday morning I was up from 3:45 to 4:15 AM carrying smaller pots back into the greenhouse and covering anything I possibly could. Then I had to get up again before the sun came up to give everything a cold shower so that the frost would not kill them when the sun hit. We have at least one more night of covering tonight, I have one more day of planting to empty the greenhouse if these cold nights ever end
This message was edited Jun 12, 2019 6:41 PM
We have had fluctuating temps too even throughout winter but frost is over here. Interesting about the water shower to prevent frost damage. I know I heard that mentioned once before but I forgot all about it. How does that work exactly?
Roses are going on here now.
WOW! Those are beautiful. Not able to do much with roses here. I have one struggling red climbing rose that I keep because Wendy likes it and one shrub rose that I only keep because my sister thought I should have it and gave to me. LOL.
I can't explain the physics of the cold shower on lightly frost bitten plants. I just grew up in an area that it's a must to know that it works. It only works to maybe about -2°C. Without the shower they go black as soon as the sun hits. I call it plant CPR. It like gently thaws and reduces the shock I guess. Maybe like quickly putting butter on a burn when you burn yourself on the stove. Closest analogy I can think of.
Your plant photos are really clear. I am curious what you are taking them with. Mine are all with my cell phone and are pretty descent but yours have an extra clarity. When I got my first cell in 2015 I told the sales clerk I was more concerned about its photo taking ability than anything else . He suggested a Samsung and I currently have a version 7. My contract is up so I have an opportunity to go for better.
Keith
Hmmm, I wonder if I have it in me to get up before dawn and water the plants next fall. If I remember, I might try it, especially on those short day plants that are always breaking bud when the first frost hits. For example, salvias like Pineapple and Mexican sages.
The roses were having a good start but they are looking washed out after today's downpour. Do you get cane dieback due to winter cold? Everything else seems to grow beautifully for you so I am surprised you have trouble with roses.
The camera I use now is a Pixel 2, also a cell phone. I picked that for the camera. It can get a decent picture and it beats carrying around my old Nikon which no one fixes around here anymore. I do miss having some manual controls. Plus phone calls sound great. I never owned an Apple phone but of course that phone is also known for its camera. The Pixel 2 was half price though so that is what I got. Now they are up to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3A and Pixel 4 is coming in October.
What do you use WR? You get some nice close ups with your camera.
Heavy cane die back on roses here. The climber that I humour Wendy with has to be cut right back. The shrub rose my sister gave me will retain a few stems.
Well look on the bright side. They are literally a pain to have in the garden! Usually by August I'm ready to pull them all out.
1 & 2 is verbascum
3 is one of the last blooms on the columbine. I like these little white ones and they seem to be coming true from seed. They were originally blue and white double pleats.
4 Rose companion - very weedy but I haven't kicked it out yet.
5 Something similar to African Violet which is something I swore off of.
Very nice as usual
This is the only rock garden the deer didn't clean out. Snow stays on longer there and I probably had more chicken wire and cages strewn over it. I had to rob this one heavy to culture replacements for everywhere else. You likely saw them in my greenhouse shots earlier.
Fern leaf peony is somewhat disappointing. Coming out very slowly with this odd spring we are having. A lot of buds are not developing. I am photographing it daily to get the best shot I can. Turns out the tree peony beside it will likely be the shining star in the end.
Well I think this is about as good as it is going to get. Some are starting to fade already and there are some that I don't think will ever mature. Have something else to photograph this evening when the shade hits that part of the bed so check back if you are on before I get it there
This is Trollius, I believe lemon queen.. I have had this plant for 3-4 years and this is the first time it has bloomed. I saw one in a friends garden and really liked it so that fall I ordered 2. When I received them it said they liked a damp spot and should never be allowed to dry out. That kind of threw me for a loop because where I wanted to put them was certainly not damp. So I ended up putting one in the drier spot and one in my bog garden. The one in the bog died and this one has just existed up to now, only getting a few inches tall and looking very feeble. All of a sudden this year it took off. It's a good thing something likes this crazy year
Wow, I turned my back for a second and what a bunch of beautiful blooms.
I can't imagine being disappointed by the fern-leaf peony, it's fabulous!
And Loretta, your roses & peonies are stunning.
I gave up on roses a gazillion years ago. I guess mainly due to lack of sun.
But I love roses especially those with that perfect rose scent.
My consolation is being able to visit MoBot's rose collection.
My blooming season is winding down.
My yard is so shady, there aren't many shade plants which bloom mid-late summer!
Thanks Wee
Its lupin season in Oxdrift
Fantastic!
I would love to be able to grow lupines.
I would also love to be able to grow fernleaf peonies.
Do you grow delphiniums and meconopsis?
If not, you should try them.
They are also on my list of ungrowable plants which I lust for.
And I think your climate would be suitable for both.
I had delphiniums at one point but no longer. Meconopsis I am not familiar with. Is that the blue poppy looking plant?
The purple Tree peony had a couple blooms today. Will be sending a shot your way in a few days. Temperatures have warmed a bit so hopefully this won't take as long as the last promise
We have pouring rain - for the thousandth time this spring (now summer). Flooding rivers, etc. Looks like the weekend will be another rain out. Crazy
Wouldn't mind sharing a bit of that. Pretty dry here. Days are warm now but nights are cold. Close to freezing most mornings
The first few blooms are out on the tree peony, all around the bottom. It has over 20 buds. They will not be all out at one time
Also a rather unique colored Hosta
I am relatively sure the Hosta is Dancing Queen
Love that tree peony - I have P rockii with pure white blooms which looks identical to yours, other than the flower color.
That hosta is lovely but wouldn't last a minute in my yard because of the deer...
The only hostas I can grow are miniatures right next to the house.
I go through bottles of Bobbex to repell the deer.
Number 2 is Giant Fleeceflower (Persicaria). Second season for this plant, pretty insignificant last year but now 6 feet tall
Very nice bleeding heart & iris. It's funny that in my area, bleeding heart blooms easily a month before any irises. Its strange to seem them blooming at the same time. As for that persicaria, I shudder at the word. For my area, it is way too aggressive with underground runners. My neighbor has some 'giant Japanese knotweed' (not sure the same as yours) which is constantly invading my yard with runners. Just suggest keeping an eye on it...
Thanks Wee. I will be on the lookout. Saw this in a friends yard first and had been in the middle of the yard for a few years already so I think it is safe but will be cautious just in case
Sòlomons seal ix a favorite foliage plant in the Japanese garden. The edges of the leaves appear very daintily painted
First a shot of the irises at their peak. Secondly , probably not enough sempervirens in here to qualify for perennial forum however it is being wasted on the succulent forum because nobody goes there. Sorry Wee, I couldn't help it. The box frame was one of my off season woodworking projects along with a whole collection of bird houses and a feeder
Love those succulents. I have tried a few but I don't seem to have the knack for them.
That is odd. They are super easy for me. May be the soil. I make my own mix of 2parts Promix and 1 part Cherry Stone poultry grit and the recommended dose of 14-14-14 or closest available slow release fertilizer. Where the fussing becomes involved is keeping them all in the house for months because they are not hardy. It takes up a big piece of our basement and lots of lights running but I am an addict . LOL
Mine do fine during our summer which is pretty brutal. But I haven't figured out how to overwinter them. I've picked supposedly hardy ones for my area but they never make it in the ground. I've planted them in containers and overwintered in the garage, but again no luck. I've tried giving them sharp drainage both in the ground and in a gravel/grit mix for the container. Frankly, I suspect the overwintered guys would have done OK, but when I pulled them out this spring, some varmints promptly ransacked all 3 containers and I basically threw up my arms and gave up. Maybe when I get over my exasperation, I'll try again.
Wow, Keith! You've posted some beauties since I've been on here.I love the succulent frame and the fernleaf peony! Gorgeous! I saw a fernleaf for sale here last week at a special nursery. One size was a single leaf that looked like it was on the way out and they wanted $40 for it. The next size was a good size for $84.
Your trollius is incredible. What a bloom! I have a hard time with that plant. I have one survivor for the last three years -Orange Queen. I got two blooms on it this year in the middle of June. It is in a dry area but we had a lot of rain in the last two years.
The Lupines are great, the dicentra - everything you grow looks so healthy, full and balanced. Even your Silver Mound artemisia - that plant looks good for one or two years and then it's gone. I stopped buying it. Powis Castle will last longer but that one disappears eventually too and it is hard to find now.
2. One of my few lilies that survived the lily beetles, groundhogs and rabbits.I give up. I still have some but I'm not standing around all afternoon picking off Scarlet Lily Beetles anymore..
3. Japanese Iris - last iris for the season I guess.
4. Oakleaf hydrangea - Snowflake.
5. Oakleaf hydrangea - Snow Queen. Flowers don't last as long as Snowflake but I finally figured out what has been perfuming my yard every summer and they are a nectar source while Snowflake is neither. Still Snowflake's flowers last most of the season and while Snow Queen's flowers turn brown, Snowflake's flowers are shades of cream, green and pink.
This message was edited Jul 1, 2019 10:41 PM
Wee, your exasperation with succulents sounds like me with watermelons. Some things we are just better off staying away from.
Hi Loretta, I was afraid we had lost you. Thanks for all the comments. I love the colour of your Trollius and your Japanese Iris is way more of an eye catcher than any of mine. I love hydrangeas but have no luck getting them to last more than one or 2 winters. Today one of the perennials that I just started last year and thought i had lost surprised me with a few new shoots. It is a yellow Asclepias. The new orange one was really late too, only about 4 inches high. I had them well marked so I patiently kept watering and it finally paid off. Of all the new red and yellow lupins I started from seed last year I only got one red one back
My single yellow tree peony bloom opened today. The red one has no blooms this year but at least is still alive
This message was edited Jul 1, 2019 10:22 PM
