Friday, May 28, 2010

First Pea Blossom on Sky Watch Friday

I was so pleased this week to find the first blossom on the Norli Sweet Peas. I may get some peas yet this spring.
A bonus is the beautiful blue sky that I can share with you today. Happy Sky Watch Friday.

With our area having a couple of days of record breaking heat I will surprised if the peas hold out very long.  Here is hoping for a good crop.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Tricolor European Beech Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor'




Just look down through here. Do you see anything different? 
Lincoln said "Yes, look right behind me. See that pinkish looking thing peeking above my back?"
It is a beautiful 6'tall Tricolor European Beech.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am about our latest acquisition. This tree has been a long time coming to our garden.
Ever since we toured Missouri Botanical Garden several years ago and saw a mature Tricolor Beech I have wanted one. They get pretty darn big, 25 to 35 feet tall, 18 to 25feet wide.  I don't mind this. It is in the middle of our back garden.  It is a slow grower so I figure I won't have to worry about it too much. Ha...  In the mean time I am going to enjoy its striking foliage.  It is pink with some white rose borders.  It will have the protection of the other trees and it can just grow and spread to my and its delight.

We had noticed that several Tricolor Beeches had been planted in the park that we walk in frequently. That got us to thinking about it again.  I am so happy that my Dearly Beloved found this tree at a local garden center.

We lost a tree out front in our garden.  A big beautiful blue spruce blew down in a  wind storm in 07.
We thought we would try the beech out there. However at the time these trees weren't as available as they seem to be this year.  The only one I could find was marked $175, and it wasn't as pretty as this tree. I just couldn 't face paying that much for the tree since you never know if they will live.  So once again my resourseful DB looked for a cheaper one. Well, he found one through a mail order place$25 and $25 for shipping. A $50 tree sounded a lot better at the time. When they sent it I about rolled on the floor laughing. It was a stick in a one gallon pot.  Here is a photo after we planted it.  Obviously it didn't look very good. It did put up a valiant fight but the rabbits thought we were just setting out refreshments for them so it didn't survive.
I want to thank you my Dearly Beloved for pursuing this dream of mine even after I had put it on the not so probable list.  All I can say is that if you have room for one of these beauties I would highly recommend it. 

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Foliage Follow Up - May 2010




I was looking out my office window and it seemed that the ferns were waving trying to get my attention to remind me to make a foliage follow up post. Our host for this meme is Pam at Digging


Since my garden has so much shade I rely on lots of shade loving plants.  I don't want you to be shocked at all the hostas in my garden. I love their structure and they aren't the least bit demanding so they are sprinkled librally around my garden.
Walking some of the pathways you will see other plants of course.
If you keep seeing arbors and wonder if you have been that way before...
you can always take a seat under the apple tree and just wonder about all those hostas.
If you look closely you will see other plants. Daylilies are such charmers to me. They don't mind some shade. They do like to wait until it gets hot to show off their blooms though.
I also have quite a few ferns.
I am quite like Kim when she said that this spring she planted some things before other sprouted and they are too close together. However I can't claim it as a rookie mistake. I must say it is impatience that causes me to do something like this. I knew there was a hosta there but the Cigmafuga needed a home and I knew the colors of the leaves would look good together. Well, I am going to leave this dark cigmafuga and see how it fares with this hosta shading its roots.
You can click on any of these photos to enlarge them so you can see that I do have something other than hostas in the garden. Don't be surprised at what might pop up in the foliage though.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - May 2010


When I think of what is blooming in my garden at this time I think of Honeysuckle. Of course there are
many other things blooming in the garden now but what catches my attention now is the honeysuckle. I guess it is because the hummingbirds are back in the neighborhood setting up housekeeping and they are often see at the honeysuckle vines dining. Their favorite seems to be the native Lonicera sempervirens.
I could think this because it is the honeysuckle growing closest to the house and I tend to watch it more often. The next favored is the Late Dutch Honeysuckle 'Serotina'.
 
The honeysuckle that is planted out front where I don't wander near as much is the 'Mandarin'. This poor thing has nearly died to the ground a couple of times. It doesn't seem to thrive but it won't completely give up.  So I haven't given up on it either. I have decided to try to make it a topiary. So far so good. It will have sporatic blooms after this flush. I will keep the ball of foliage at the top of the vine trimmed  after it is finishe with this flush of bloom.
My one and only climbing rose is blooming. I can't find any paperwork on it to tell you what it is called. You will just have to enjoy these fleeting blooms as I do. It only blooms through the first of May then it just stands there like a sentinal in the garden.
The white and blue combine blooming. My favorite and the favorite of the bumble bees is native columbine which are blooming up a storm.
The beared Irises are winding down.

The White Siberian Iris 'Seagull' is beginning to light up the shade garden. I know it isn't supposed to do very well in the shade but this Iris is fantastic. I have it growing in the shade full sun, wet and dry areas. It just insists on being beautiful where ever it is planted.
The scentsations are beginning in the garden too.  I have two Mock Orange shrubs that smell devine. This one is planted by the patio where we can enjoy it most often. It has a single bloom.
The one with the double bloom is further away. It isn't as pretty as a bush but the blooms and fragrance is worth the space it takes in the garden.
I want to thank Carol at May Dreams Garden for starting this habit of mine of writing down what all is blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month. You can join everyone listing here.  I have listed here just a few things athat are blooming in my garden. The full list is in my hand written journal. I hope to be able to pop around the net and see what all is blooming in your garden now.
Also blooming in my garden now: 
Meadow Rue
Comfrey
Cranesbill
Spiderwort
Golden Alexander
Creeping sedum
Ramona Clematis
Jackmanii Clematis
Amsonia
Baptisia
Hellebores
Astilbe
Bleu-eyed Grass
Black Elderberry
Water plant
Cordyalis lutens yellow
Spirea
Pyracantha
Weigelia
Viburnum
Japanese Kerria
Blackberries
Raspberries
And all those things I have forgotten.
Please forgive the misspelling and the lack of scientific names.
Cheers.

New Blogger, Old Blogger

     All I can say it is difficult to deal with change. This new Blogger format is not as user friendly in my opinion. I guess I will get us...