Saturday, April 29, 2017

Viburnum Standard

In the right background of this picture you can see this enormous Doublefile Viburnum that I bought 16 years ago as P.T. Pink Beauty Viburnum. There is nothing pink about this shrub. Don't let that tricolor Beech tree in the fore ground fool you. The viburnum has these elegant limbs spread in layers with beautiful white doublefile blooms on it every spring. A gorgeous plant no doubt. 
As it has aged it is putting out new plants all around the mother plant. As I walked by a couple of years ago I noticed that the stems of one of these plants was straight up peeking above one of the mother stems. 
I says to myself, 'this would make a really nice standard plant with that straight stem'. So I dug it up and put it into a nice big pot. I trimmed back the stems and waited.
The next year it had started filling in fairly well.  No blooms of course but it was filling in.
Through out last summer and this past winter it was blown over several times. Poor thing. I tried putting rocks on top of the soil to give it more heft. I finally took mercy on it and transferred it into a heavier pot. So far with all these spring days with ferocious big blows it has stayed upright.
I believe that in thanks for this upgrade it bloomed beautifully through Easter this year. 
I feel like it is quite the success. I hope it lives long in its new pot. I intend to treat it like a bonsai in that I will trim the roots to keep it in this pot. It is now beginning to set fruit on these little short stems. I hope to see the birds that come to eat those berries this fall.  
The Mother plant is tucked back almost into a corner of the garden where I can't view it closely so this will  give me the opportunity for close surveillance. 
When I look at this with a critical eye I realize that this shrub isn't the best for trying to make into a ball since it's natural form is to have tiered limbs. But the blooms and the naturally straight trunk sold me. 
I have another standard I made with a honeysuckle. I think I have shown you that one before. I can't help myself. I think it is such fun to have these beauties. Maybe I will end up with a lollipop walk. 
How about you? Do you have any standards in your garden?  Do you make your own or purchase them, such as those beautiful rose standards. I don't grow roses very well so I doubt I will try one of those but I will be looking at all the shrubs in the garden to see if there might be another candidate for a standard.



Saturday, April 15, 2017

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - April 2017

This April Gardeners Bloom Day is the most prolific April Bloom Day I can remember. I have looked back at several years of posting. many of which I didn't bother to post, and this does reinforce my thought. I can't find an April that has this many plants blooming, and here I was fretting that nothing would be in bloom when the folks come to visit on Easter.
I must say that most of the early blooming bulbs have worn out what with so little rain and all the hot weather. Yet there are a few hangers on, like these grape hyacinths that are light blue that fades to white and the yellow narcissus. The Camassia and Dicentra formosa are just coming on.
The Serviceberry tree has gone over but the Silverbell tree is blooming nicely.
It is so difficult to get a blooming tree photo. Yes, you are seeing pink on this silverbell. This variety is named 'Rosy Ridge' and it does have a touch of rose in the little bells as you can see up close. No matter how you look at it it looks pretty to me.
You can see here the big red dogwood is all abloom. Behind you can see some of the Redbuds.
The Leatherleaf Viburnum is abloom. I just love these little pink and white blooms with little rays of yellow around the edges.
Another Viburnum is blooming too. This is the standard that I made from the parent plant I am pleased how it has come along.
A few tulips and narcissus along with old fashioned purple irises are looking good. The Irises aren't quite all out yet. 
Virginia Blue Bells are abloom. 
The pink Lily of the Valley started blooming before the white ones this year.
Today I found my first Iris Crisata blooming. It seems like mine are always the last to come into bloom. I don't mind just as long as they do bloom.  
I could go on and on but I won't. I will just put a further listing at the bottom of this post for my reminder and your perusal.  For those of you that want to see more blooms pop over to Carols May Dreams Garden to see what is blooming where this month.

Lungwort
Blue Phlox
Golden Alexander
Mayapples
Spring Beauties
Violets
Columbines
Ice plant
Creeping phlox
Anemone Blanda
Orchids
Brunnera
Ajuga
Epimediums - yellow and red
Honeysuckle
Variegated Soloman' s Seal
Blue Hollies
Forest Pansy Redbud
White Lilac
Old fashioned Lilac
Variegated Kerria Shrub
Double Kerria Shrub
Azalea (Red)



Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Tuesday Cogitation

So much has been going on in the garden I have hardly had time to stop and think. Today is the day. I am worn out. You see I have been encouraged by this warm spring weather we have been having.
I have had my first plant shopping trip. It was fun not only because of all the plants I have purchased but I was with some of my favorite people, my daughter, sister, niece and cousin. I wish I had a picture of this motley crew.  We easily filled the back end of a full sized truck with all our purchases.
Something I have wanted for a long time is one of these rocks that someone carved-out a niche for water, or I guess you could plant some alpines in it. It doesn't hold water for long I can tell you. I didn't think I would ever pay for a rock like this because, as I kept telling myself, I could drill out a scoop like this if I really wanted to. You know how that is. I never did it so I decided to just buy one. This one even had moss already growing on it.
I don't have too many succulents but this one really was amazing. It looks like a neon plastic hens & chicks. It really is this color and the tag says it will be like this during winter and go to a lime green during summer. Now won't this be interesting to see if it does. It is called 'Gold Nugget'.  Newly available  this year. I am looking forward to see how it grows and colors itself. 
I have had to dig out some sod to plant some plants. I bought a Peony 'Itoh Bartzella' on faith. You don't see it sitting behind the Heucherellas 'Solar Eclipse' because it wasn't up yet. I am hoping the rain we had last night will awaken it. I can always take it back if it doesn't awaken but it is a long drive to do so. This purchase sort of spurred my yellow thinking. You see the Peony is to have yellow blooms and these Heucherellas have a yellow tinge with red veins. 
I bought some yellow paint a gave the old white bird cage a good going over. I like this splash of yellow  on the patio with all the blue and greens.
Yes, I am about ready for summer to begin. So much is happening I haven't been able to get anything posted.
Some of columbine are blooming. This means I had to get out the hummingbird feeder because they could be coming in at any moment. 
I could go on and on but I won't right now. How is spring shaping up in your garden?


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...