The Perennial Garden Lover

Moving...this time for real!

2008-09-09T22:55:00.002-04:00

I am moving my blog over to wordpress everyone. The problems with the constant feed issues have made me make this decision. I will keep this blog available if the mess ever gets straightened out. Please visit me at http://perennialgardener.wordpress.com/

The Pecan Tree

2008-09-08T00:01:00.002-04:00

The Carya illinoinensis or Pecan tree in my garden is setting fruit now. In the past 10 years we've only managed to harvest the nuts from this tree once. We've been fighting the squirrels for them every year. The nuts from this tree have wonderful paper shells that crack so easily that you almost don't need a nutcracker to enjoy their wonderful fruit. This tree needs a long hot summer for the wood to mature and for it to produce the clusters of elongated nuts. My tree is about 15-20 years old and has a nice open feel to the canopy. It must be about 25-30 feet tall now. During Hurricane Isabel four years ago we had substantial damage to the Pecan because it was laden with nuts which made it weak. I wasn't sure if the tree would survive losing two large branches but it has re-sprouted smaller branches in the damaged area and looks better.
Here are some general facts:

Produces one of the world's most edible & popular nuts

Native to the central United States

Occurs along river valleys

Grows to 100 feet tall with a gray scale like bark

Grows quickly in cultivation to about 30 feet in 10-15 years

Frost hardy but needs a long hot summer

Is propagated by grafting

Deciduous and wind pollinated

Can bear fruit for 300 years

The wood is used in furniture and hardwood flooring

Hardy in USDA zones 5-9

Another wonderful benefit of this tasty fruit is all the delicious food that is made with it. We wouldn't have wonderful desserts such as Pecan Pie or Pralines without this buttery flavored nut. What kinds of fruits or nuts do you grow in your garden?

A blustery wet day and new ideas...

2008-09-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

Tropical Storm Hanna visited us yesterday and brought with her tons of rain and wind. My garden soaked up all that rain like a sponge. But after hours of raining the water began to puddle on the ground. The winds were quite strong at times pulling dead branches down from the trees and eventually smaller live branches started falling too. When it is all said and done I am grateful that the storm damage was minimal and that my family was safe. Hopefully everyone else on her storm track is as lucky as we were today. Here are some pictures of the storm damage in my yard:

I lost one dead branch from my Pecan Tree. It has been hanging up there in the canopy for months now so it was just a matter of time until it fell. This was a close call, because it fell quickly and missed my dog Spaz by inches. She kind of freaked out.

The Sweetgum Tree (Liquidambar formosana) lost a few smaller branches. This tree is not a favorite of mine. It produces these spiky globular clusters of fruit that in the fall become dangerous to walk on because they are woody & prickly. They start falling from the tree in early spring and are a chore to rake up every year. It does provide some shade in my yard though.

The water runneth over from the rain barrels and is puddling on the patio. I have several puddles in the yard at the moment. Some areas are lower and the water gathers there during heavy rainfalls. But you can almost see the grass recovering & greening up right before your eyes. It was a good day to read a good book and curl up under the covers, but that was not in the cards today.

Because as I was watching the rain soaking into my raised bed this afternoon, I had a spurt of inspiration. There is a gully between the bed and the fence where water just sits and puddles every time we get a substantial amount of rain. This area is about 7-8' long and 3-4' wide and is a pain to mow because it is sunk in like a shallow ditch. I decided since I have to replace some of the landscape timbers this fall that have rotted, I might as well extend the bed to the fence. The benefits are obvious to me, but my hubby is probably thinking "oh-oh here we go again", lol. Just think of all that great planting space to add more plants. Some of this area will be great for plants I planned on dividing from elsewhere as well as adding the new ones I have ordered. Rainy days are great for coming up with ideas and really studying your garden. This is when I can really sit down & think about things since I can't work in the garden. Do rainy days inspire you to improve the garden too?

Which do you prefer?

2008-09-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

When I first purchased my home 10 years ago the front beds were a mass of Boxwoods and one scruffy looking Azalea that were shaped into perfectly sculptured round balls. I'm not a big fan of these shrubs for foundation plantings. The Azalea was given the same treatment as the Boxwoods for so long that it never bloomed. Boxwoods are boring and too formal for my garden style. I prefer a more natural type of look to my shrubs. So after many years I convinced my hubby to rip these overgrown plants out of the front gardens. This is not an easy task as some of you already know, it involved a lot of digging & pulling & digging. Then I replaced them with Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald & Gold' which has beautiful variegated leaves and a wild look that you can tame somewhat with shears just to keep them somewhat neat. What do you prefer as foundation shrubs in your garden?

Two awards in two days!

2008-09-05T18:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I received the I love your blog award from Sweetie and today I was honored with the You are my Sunshine award from Deb at Aunt Debbi’s Garden. Thank you very much Deb. I'm glad that I can brighten your day when I visit your blog. :) By the way this was a very appropriate award for a rainy & cloudy day here in Virginia. The rules state I must pick five bloggers to pass this award on to. No strings attached! There are so many wonderful bloggers out there who visit my blog daily and leave wonderful comments so the choice was hard. Here are the candidates I chose:

DP Nguyen at Square foot Gardening in Nashville a wonderful vegetable gardener who inspires me daily to try new things such as square foot vegetable gardening.

Rowena at L'Orto Orgoglioso not only takes gorgeous pictures of her garden but makes mouth watering dishes.

Karen at Greenwalks a gardener not afraid to take gardening to new areas like where the sidewalk ends as she states on her blog header.

Hunky Gardener at Guy meets Garden a wonderfully enthusiastic gardener with a great sense of humor & tons of gardening knowledge.

Balisha at Never Enough Time a passionate gardener who always stops by to say hello & leave me wonderful comments.

A trip to Lowe's = New Plants!

2008-09-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

I went to Lowe's yesterday with my hubby to look at water heaters and I couldn't resist stopping in the garden center. They had just got in a shipment of perennials for fall planting. Now I know I've ordered quite a few things already but the prices were great and they gave me a 10% military discount too! So I bought six new plants for my garden, and I even knew in my head an approximate location for each one at home. One of the purchases was on another wish list of mine at home so I saved myself the trouble of ordering it online. lol Doesn't that make sense? :) Well I'm sure by now you're all wondering what I got....

Really got excited when I saw Turtlehead or Chelone 'Hot Lips' on display. I've never grown it before but always wanted to give it a try in the garden. No blooms yet, but the foliage looks pretty healthy and it wasn't root bound in the pot which is a great sign. This has been planted in my oval bed that surrounds the Pecan Tree which gets filtered sunlight. According to the tag, it gets clusters of pink flowers, the foliage turns bronze in fall and it provides late summer color for the garden. It will get 24-30" tall and I planted it with my existing Heucera 'Plum Pudding' and Autumn Fern. Should be a nice combination in the shady pecan tree bed.

Another new to me addition to the garden is False Aster or Kalimeris incisa 'Shogun'. This plant has wonderful green foliage with golden margins. The blooms will be pale lavender aster-like flowers, but the foliage is an added bonus if you ask me. I have this planted near the Goldenrod in my front border. Purple & yellow are always a great combination. This will bloom from late summer into the fall and grows to 20" in height and 16" in width.

I've grown Russian Sage in my gardens in the past, but this variety 'Longin' had a bushier look to it then the fern-like foliage I've had in the past. I purchased two of these to put between the Purple Fountain Grass which is an annual & won't survive the winter. These should take over nicely and fill in this back area of the new garden bed. The lavender blooms & aromatic foliage make this a wonderful perennial to grow. It also attracts butterflies & hummingbirds.

I had to give the 'White Swan' Coneflower another chance in my garden. I've had no problems with the purple variety but for some reason the white one has disappeared from my garden on two occasions. This one was planted in the front border as a companion to the Blackeyed Susans & Purple Coneflowers that are already existing.

Last but not least is the Hyssop 'Black Adder' or Agastache. This plant was on my wish list for next season and I had planned on ordering it online this fall or next spring. The flowers are a smokey violet color and the foliage has a wonderful licorice scent. It blooms summer to fall and is quite attractive to butterflies & hummingbirds too. I planted this as a companion to my Lantana 'Miss Huff'. She will get 24-36' in height by 24' in width. Don't you just love adding new plants to the garden?

Thank you Sweetie!

2008-09-04T20:08:00.003-04:00

I feel quite honored to have received this award from Sweetie at Sweeties World. Thank you very much Sweetie, that was really nice of you to pick my blog. The rules state that I should pick seven blogs to pass this along to, but I'm only picking five. I know most people don't like to participate in blog awards or memes, so this is completely optional. :)

Cameron at Defining your home
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Laurie at From my garden to yours
Laurie & Chris at Miss Flower
Susie at Digging in the dirt

A trip down memory lane

2008-09-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

A garden can change so much in 4 years time. I was going through old pictures on my hard drive yesterday and I found past garden memories. In 2005 we had an addition added to our house and replaced the country blue trim with a deep green as well as the white with a creamy yellow-tan color. My garden looked so different, I couldn't get over it. It was nice to see how things have changed or evolved over the years.

For instance, this front bed is now more straight. I think that was a bad decision on my part. I miss the natural curve of this former front foundation bed. That can be easily remedied, I don't know what I was thinking. I don't miss the Boxwoods that are in this bed though. They've been replaced with a Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald & Gold' which has a more nature form.

This bed had a couple of Boxwoods as well and those have been replaced as well with Nandina. I do miss the casual look of this garden though. Look how wonderful my Purple Coneflowers did in this bed. I don't know what it is about this bed, but everything I plant here grows bigger and more lush than anywhere else in the yard.

This is my previous woodland garden. My original Crepe Myrtle was much taller before Hurricane Isabel destroyed it. You can also faintly see the old TV Antennae that was cemented into the ground. My husband removed it this past May & it has been relocated to my new garden bed as a trellis. My Nandinas have grown about 2-3 ft since this picture was taken and now there is a sidewalk that runs the length of this bed from the driveway to the gate (on the right).
Here is my bed before the Knockout Roses were planted here. I also had trellises that were mounted to the old aluminum siding with Peace Roses climbing roses growing on them.

Even the border bed that runs between my house looks different now. See that Miscanthus in the center, that was a mistake. And the Shasta Daisies only lasted for a couple of seasons. Most of the plants in this picture are still happily growing in this bed like the Asiatic Lillies, Peonies, Liatris, Crocosmia and Alliums.
I think the biggest change is probably in the Arbor bed. This bed has been modified alot since it was created 10 years ago. Plants have matured or long since expired. If you want to compare the changes that have happened in my garden beds over the past four years you can look here or here. I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane in the garden.

It's about time...

2008-09-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

After waiting 18 months, Clematis 'Dr. Ruppel' has its' very first bloom ever! And for a change the plant was labeled right at the nursery. :) I've had a few mix ups this summer with thinking I was buying one plant & getting something entirely different and unknown. It happens to us all I guess. Anyhow, I went out last night & saw the bud that has been lingering there for about a week now finally starting to unfurl. I purchased this Clematis about 18 months ago at my local garden center. Initially I had it planted in another area of the garden, but it never really did much growing let alone any blooming. This past May when I created my new garden bed, I moved this Clematis over to a new trellis mounted on the shed wall. Almost instantly he started producing new growth and shimmying up the trellis, and now I have my first bloom. Talk about an extended anticipation. I had just about given up on this particular plant, after all if something is moved a couple of times and still doesn't work why bother. But in this case 'Dr Ruppel' is quite happy in his new home in the new garden. The proof is in the bloom! Which by the way looks great against my white shed wall! Now here are some basic facts:

Large Flowering (6-8 ")

Sun-Partial Shade

Zones 4-11

Grows 6 to 8 feet

Named for Dr. Ruppel, Argentina, 1973. AGM.

compact growth and heavy flowering

perfect for containers

good cut flower and ornamental seed heads

Blooms in late spring and then repeats in late summer.

Type 2 pruning

Another Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-09-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

It's Bloomin' Tuesday and this week I decided to do a slideshow of all my current blooms in the garden. To see more Bloomin' Tuesday posts or to join in please visit Ms Green Thumb. What's blooming in your garden today?

Blue False Indigo

2008-09-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

Baptisia australis (Wild Indigo or Blue False Indigo) is a long living and tough native perennial for the Eastern United States and is hardy in zones 3-9. The spikes of blue lupine-like flowers are beautiful in early summer. I noticed it gets its' large flush earlier in the summer, but it is sporadically blooming now in my garden. Baptisia is an easy perennial that prefers a sunny spot in average garden soil. In addition, it will grow 3-4 feet in height, but may take sometime to fully mature to this size. Once established it is drought tolerant. The best part is it will tolerate most soil types except a wet site. This wonderful addition to my garden was purchased at our Native Plant Sale last fall. When planting you will initially have to water it well for a few weeks until it gets established. Make sure that you place it where you want it, because it has a hard time recovering when moved. This is because of the long tap root it develops which makes it ideal for drought tolerance, but not transplanting. If you must move it to a new location in your garden, then it is best done immediately after flowering and then water it well. This is the only native food source for the Wild Indigo Duskywing or Skipper butterfly. This is a small butterfly found in the Eastern United States. See all those little flat round green seed pods? They will mature into inflated black pods that are ornamentally interesting. These seed pods were used as children in the past as rattles. The seed pods are quite valued in dried flower arrangements. The early Americans used this plant to make a blue dye, hence the common name of Wild Blue Indigo. I am going to try to save seed from this Baptisia so I can have this beautiful native in other areas of my garden or share with friends.

Things can change so quickly...

2008-08-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

The blooms on Hydrangea 'Limelight' initially opens to a creamy white blossom. Then when the blooms fade they take on a green tint that eventually turns a deep mauve color. As you can see here the edges of these green sepals are turning pink. Before long the entire blossom will have a rosy glow. This color-changing effect gives this plant constant interest through out the season.

I just posted this past Tuesday about the blooms on my Clematis 'Sweet Autumn'. As some you might recall they were full near the lower edge of this vine. Here less than a week later and the entire mass of vines is blooming. It is so spectacular at this time of the year. There were a couple of butterflies hovering near the plant when I took this picture. I don't blame them, the fragrance is so wonderful that you can't help but want to linger in this part of the garden.

Fireworks in August

2008-08-30T00:01:00.014-04:00

These yellow blooms are always a sure sign of the end of summer in the garden for me. Goldenrod is to the fall garden what Daffodils are to the spring time. It's a sure sign of the changing of the seasons. Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (otherwise known as Goldenrod) grows 3-4 feet and has more flowers than some of the other species. It is a native North American wildflower. It blooms from late August - September. The long fingers of golden flowers look like fireworks exploding in air. These plants provide nectar/pollen for bees and the butterflies in early fall.
Benefits of growing Solidago:
Finches, juncos, sparrows and ruffed grouse enjoy feeding on the seed.
Solidago 'Fireworks' is a clump forming plant that rarely needs staking.
The nectar helps the migrating butterflies in the fall.
The pollen and nectar is used by bees to build up their winter stores.
It is deer resistant and a non-allergenic cut flower.
Growing and maintenance tips:
It will grow best in a sunny, moist and well-drained site.
It will tolerate moister soils than many of the other Goldenrods.
Removing spent flowers will encourage additional blooms.
You should divide every 2-3 years to keep plants healthy.
It is hardy in USDA zones 3-9.

Newcomers to the garden 2009

2008-08-29T00:01:00.003-04:00

Since this is suppose to be my electronic garden journal, I am documenting what has been ordered and still needs to be ordered thus far for next season's garden. Most online sources have been running great promotional sales so it is best to order ahead. Perennials & spring blooming bulbs will be planted this fall and the annual/vegetable seeds can be germinated in the early spring or direct sown into the garden after the last hard frost:

Vegetable (from seed): ordered
Lettuce Mild Mesclun
Baby Cucumber 'Cucino'
Squash 'Park's Straight'
Organic French Bean Purple-Podded Climbing
Annuals (from seed): ordered
Cypress Vine 'Mixed Colors'
Black-Eyed Susan Vine 'White'

Zinnia 'Profusion Fire'

Zinnia 'Profusion White'

Zinnia 'Profusion Orange'

Zinnia 'Profusion Apricot'

Zinnia 'Oklahoma Mix'

Perennials/Shrubs (plants): to be ordered

Echinacea 'Harvest Moon' & 'Sundown'

Belamcanda 'Hello Yellow'

Echinops 'Ritro'

Euphorbia 'Chameleon'

Lobelia 'Vedraiensis' (purple)

Hydrangea 'Pinky Winky'

Polemonium Brise D'Anjou (Jacob's Ladder)

Pink Friesland Salvia

Bulbs: ordered

Thalia Daffodil

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

Daffodil 'Minnow'

Foxtail Lily 'Bungei'

Bi-color Blue Grape Hyacinth

Autumn Colors

2008-08-28T00:01:00.002-04:00

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Counting my blessings....

2008-08-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

I was thinking yesterday about a comment someone made about how lucky I was to have a nice hubby to take my ideas and turn them into reality. Over the last year my husband (the non-gardener) has created or adapted several things for me to use in my gardening endeavors. So in spite of his lack of gardening interest he encourages me. Sometimes we need to count our blessings. Here are a few of the nice things I have to thank my DH for building, adapting and financing for me:

I have a couple of ready made rain barrels that I purchased from a mail order supplier several years ago. They were expensive to purchase and after receiving them my DH stated that he could probably make me something similar. About a year ago we found these plastic barrels at a army surplus store for about $15.00 a piece. So my husband created me four more rain barrels for the price of one of my ready made barrels. The link shows step by step directions and the resources we used to create these additions to my garden.

Earlier this summer I was looking for a way to get all the chunks & non decomposed bits out of my compost. I searched the Internet and found directions to make this compost sifter. My husband put this together with mostly scrap lumber we had on hand. I just had to purchase some galvanized screws/nails as well as the hard cloth. The long handles are attached to sit astride the wheel barrel and then you just shift it back & forth to sift the compost. It works great!

The latest addition to my garden is this trailer that we purchased when we got our stimulus check earlier this summer. My husband built the three-sided box and floor out of plywood. This handy thing is going to get me tons of mulch/compost from our city Recycling Center. The leaves and branches that are put on the curb by the city are collected & turned into a wonderful mulch & the best black gold you've ever seen. My trailer will now hold a truck load of it. I will be putting this baby to good use soon. So I guess I am a very lucky to have a wonderful husband who makes my gardening dreams & endeavors come true. I'm counting my blessings!

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-08-26T00:01:00.002-04:00

Well it's another Bloomin' Tuesday! To see other great Bloomin' Tuesday posts or to join in on the fun every week please visit Jean at Ms Green Thumb. I have alot to show you this week. My garden is just full of surprises.

Salvia 'Black & Blue' is a great addition to my garden. I couldn't resist picking this little beauty up when I went to the garden center the other day with hubby. They just got a shipment of these and other annuals that are fall bloomers here. I wish it was a perennial, the butterflies are really loving this plant right now. I've seen this in other gardens, but I've never grown it before.

Lantana 'Miss Huff' is brightening up this area of the new garden bed at the moment. She is covered in buds and hopefully will be quite happy in her new home in my garden. Talk about a spot of sunshine on a cloudy day.

My least favorite Hydrangea 'Forever & Ever Red' has several flower buds opening. The bloom is pretty. It's not red though, more of a deep pink. These have been my problem children this summer. I will be moving them come late September or early October to another area of my garden that gets afternoon shade. Hopefully that will help, but they are quite thirsty plants.

This area of my garden has done great this year despite the heat & drought. You can't beat Catharanthus (Madagascar Periwinkle) for all summer long blooms. Some of these are in a container and some are planted in the ground. The ones in the container need a little more water than the others.

This is the first year my Lirope variegata has bloomed. I really like the metallic purple berry like flowers. This has a much better flower than the common Lirope. And the contrast between the blooms & the foliage is nice too.

This pink rose has been in my garden since the beginning. In fact it was here when I bought the house except it was in another area of the garden. I don't know the name but it has fantastic full blossoms & a wonderful scent. The foliage has been clean this year too, no major problems with blackspot or mildew. The dry summer hasn't bothered this rose in the least.

I couldn't imagine my garden without Verbena bonariensis. This is a great wildlife attractor. The yellow finches, hummingbirds, bees & butterflies delight in these irridescent purple blooms.

Clematis 'Sweet Autumn' is really starting to showoff its' snowflake shaped flowers. This is really a stunning plant when you have a mass of blooms. This is my neighbor's view of it from her kitchen window. The fragrance when I took this picture was intoxicating.

Well I hope you enjoyed my blooms today. What's blooming in your garden?

Tomatoes, Squash & Lettuce

2008-08-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I did an update on my container veggie garden. I planted Black Seeded Simpson lettuce seeds earlier this week as some of you may know in my salad bowl container. And I have teeny tiny seedlings sprouting in masses. Once they get somewhat larger I will have to thin them out a bit. My tomato plant has seen better days earlier in the season, but seems to be producing yummy little cherry tomatoes in spite of the drought, blossom rot and some type of wilt on part of the plant. I had to remove some of the foliage & I gave it a good dose of calcium with a few eggshells mixed in the soil. The squash is struggling through some removal of leaves that were diseased and is getting blossom rot at times too. I gave it the same treatment as the tomato. The tomatoe cage was an okay idea but maybe some type of trellis system would work better. Hopefully they will hold out for the remainder of the growing season. This has been my first attempt with squash and I haven't grown veggies on a consistent basis ever. Next year I hope to have a designated veggie bed or two. It depends on how many I can talk hubby into building for me. ;) I am the idea person and he makes the actual project come to life. But all this container vegetable growing has inspired and challenged me to try new things next season. Plus watching all you bloggers show off your harvest has been encouraging too. It's nice that we can inspire and encourage each other in new endeavors in gardening.

My Creative Space

2008-08-24T00:01:00.003-04:00

Brenda came up with a brilliant idea of letting us bloggers display our creative spaces. To see other creative spaces where 'everyday women in everyday spaces' create their blogs or other artistic endeavors please visit The Brenda Blog.

When you live in a 40 year old tiny ranch house you have to be creative with every inch of valuable space. My workspace is in the master bedroom squeezed in between the entry door & the bathroom. To be even more practical, my TV doubles as my monitor. Ignore the cat food container to the right, like I said I have to be creative with storage. Plus the cat hangs out in our room most of the time when he's in the house. My chair is foldable which means it is easy to store elsewhere when the computer is not in use. This is where I work on my blog, surf the Internet, and read blogs on Blotanical. :)

This is my husbands one area of the house he was allowed to decorate. lol We have an Ohio State theme as you can see. The calendar is great for keeping track of appointments. When you have teenagers you are a busy, busy, mom. It's always something day to day. See there is my TV/Monitor. It's a 19" LCD and the perfect size for both television viewing and computer usage.

Behind me is where my garden helper 'Spaz' likes to lounge while I'm busy on the computer. Does she look comfy? lol This is my childhood bedroom set, its about 100 years old. My grandmother gave this to us when she moved in several years ago. Another family treasure that lives in my house. I hope you enjoyed your tour of my creative space.

Tropical Surprise

2008-08-23T00:01:00.005-04:00

My neighbor gave this Canna to me last fall in exchange for some of my burgundy Cannas. I liked the green foliage but wasn't sure what color the bloom would be until yesterday morning. It was a nice surprise seeing this yellow bloom with a splash of orange on the face. Pass-a-long plants are a great way to share the wealth of our garden with others. I have several plants in my yard that came from neighbors or friends. Sometimes they know the name of the plant or some information about it and sometimes they don't. When I first started gardening here ten years ago, we were living on a very restricted budget. Most of my original plants were already here, grown from seed or cuttings, given to me by neighbors, or purchased at clearance sales at the local home improvement centers. I even have a couple that I bought at a garage sale, believe it or not, for a bargain price of 50 cents. As the years went by I created more beds and acquired more plants. It's always a nice surprise to me though when something new to me blooms for the first time in the garden. What are your favorite pass-a-long plants?

Decorating on a budget

2008-08-22T00:01:00.002-04:00

When we purchased our 41 year old house ten years ago it was almost completely original to when it was built. The original cabinets in the kitchen had been replaced at some time with cheap plywood homemade models that were painted a creamy color. They were okay for the first couple of years, but I really wanted an updated kitchen. So earlier this year we had our kitchen redone from the floor up. I was thrilled to have new everything! I decided to try to save some money in the decorating by being creative and reusing some items I already owned as well as purchasing new to me items from yard sales & thrift stores. Here are some ways I decorated my new kitchen on a budget.

This corner cabinet I've owned for 19 years. My grandmother gave it to us shortly after we married. It was sitting in her garage and it was being used to store tools. Can you believe it? Originally it was a horrible lemon yellow color which I immediately changed to white. Then at some point it was "country blue". When we remodeled the kitchen we had the cabinet makers paint this to match the bases of our cabinets. I love the new color. We also replaced the antique brass hardware with brushed nickel to give it an updated look.
Can you believe I found this painting at a thrift store for a mere $2.00? I loved the muted tones of the flowers and the faux antiqued look of the frame. It looks great with my new cabinets and brings some other accent colors into the room.
This decorative plate rack and plates were purchased at thrift stores too. I found the rack first and it was a little chipped so I gave it a fresh coat of hammered metal black spray paint. ( I love spray paint by the way!) The plates were found after much searching. I wanted something that had some color to liven up the plain cream wall behind. The fruit motif looks great in the kitchen.

In this picture you can see a glimpse of my new cabinets. The cabinet maker thought I was crazy when I picked out these colors, but when he was painted them he changed his mind. In fact he said several employees commented on the nice contrast. I kept the doors the lighter color so the kitchen wouldn't feel so dark. It's at the back of house and gets very little natural light through one window over the sink. This little shelf was found at a yard sale for like 50 cents. I spray painted it with the hammered metal black spray paint and use it to hold my potholders. Notice the potholders have that fruit theme again. :) I hope you enjoyed my decorated on a budget kitchen.

Some things are worth the wait...

2008-08-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

They say patience is a virtue. To be honest it was never one of my greatest strengths. I've learned to be more patient via gardening. For example, I got a late start planting seeds for my Blackeyed Susan vine and just noticed buds had formed a day or so ago. Last night I was happy to see the first bud had opened. What a happy little bloom! I have never grown this annual vine in my garden so it was nice to try something new to me. Several of my blogging buddies out there suggested this as a good option to grow on my "TV Antenna" turned trellis in the new garden this season. I was sure I may have waited too long to plant the seeds, but obviously not because it's starting to bloom and has almost completely covered the entire structure. On another note, in yesterday's post I mentioned that I moved my Butterfly Weed into a new location because it wasn't doing well. Actually it didn't help that Spaz stepped on it several times in her attempts to catch squirrels. :) Anyhow, I moved it and it is adjusting fine to its' new home. In fact, on my inspection of the garden last evening not only did I notice the Blackeyed Susan bloom, but another surprise. Look at this little guy who was happily munching away on my Butterfly Weed. Is this a Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar? It looks like it to me, which means my Milkweed had eggs on it after all and they are hatching. After inspecting it again I saw a few caterpillars on it as well. There is so much activity on that plant, it is like a miniature universe. The Aphids seem to be in less abundance on the Milkweed and I noticed a few on the Butterfly weed too. Anyhow, it looks like I have a couple other plants that should be blooming soon so I have more new things to anticipate. This Canna was a pass-a-long plant from a neighbor. I traded her some of my burgundy Cannas in exchange for this green variety name unknown. This bud has been forming for several days now and there is a brief glimpse of the flower color showing right above the stem. Does that look like a hint of yellow peeking through to you? Maybe the flower on this one will be something worth keeping. The burgundy Cannas have these nothing special red blooms that I cut off. I prefer the foliage on them to the flowers. Some of the less hardy Cannas do have really pretty flowers though. Once it opens I promise to post a picture of it. Maybe it will be open for next Bloomin' Tuesday. Another plant that should be blooming really soon is my new addition Lantana 'Miss Huff ', she has several new flower buds. Sorry this picture wasn't more clear. They have a orange outer color with a deep pink in the center. This should be a great addition to my new garden bed. I have planted a lot of butterfly & hummingbird attracting plants in this area of the garden. 'Miss Huff ' is a favorite source of nectar for both of these species. Just when you think the end of summer is here there is all this new stuff to anticipate for the fall and next season in the garden.

I hit the jackpot!

2008-08-20T00:01:00.003-04:00

Okay not really, but that got your attention didn't it! lol Well after searching several stores over the past couple of days I finally found veggie seeds at my local garden center Anderson's Home & Garden Showplace. Unfortunately they don't have a website, but they are a great source for all types of plants, seeds, pots, decorative garden accents and other garden related items. I was very impressed with the perennial selection they had on hand for the fall. They had a huge assortment that would bloom through frost as well as some fall annuals. So in addition to the Lettuce 'Black Seeded Simpson' loose-leaf variety seeds, I also picked up some Basil 'Opal' for next spring. It's a purple-colored annual that will grow into a small bushy plant perfect for containers. According to the packet, it's great for basil vinegar, salads, as well as prepared dishes. I also couldn't resist picking up two Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' to add to my perennial border. 'Miss Huff' is the only true perennial Lantana for my area. The flowers are yellow, orange & pink and will bloom from early spring until the first hard frost in my zone 7 garden. They attract butterflies & hummingbirds to the border which is a big plus in my books. Also they get 3'x3' in height and width and are hardy in zones 7-9. A big benefit to me is that according to the tag on the pot is the "hotter the weather the better and drought tolerant". What gardener wouldn't love those kind of attributes in a summer perennial? I planted these where I had my Butterfly Weed in the new garden. The Butterfly Weed wasn't happy in that location so I moved it to another location where it might be better for next season. Of course, that means I will have to continue to baby it a little throughout the rest of this summer so that it doesn't go into shock & die on me. The Lettuce 'Black Seeded Simpson' should germinate in 7-10 days and is a fast producer as well as being easy to grow. I look forward to having fresh picked salad greens this fall. I picked this large round container that I am referring to as my "Salad Bowl" to grow my loose-leaf lettuce in. I am using my old fire pit base & bowl as a plant stand. What a great way to recycle something that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Maybe I will fill around the edges with some soil and other plants or just some river rock to dress it up & provide more drainage. Any suggestions?

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-08-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's Bloomin' Tuesday! To see other Bloomin' Tuesday posts or to join in on the fun every week please visit Jean at Ms Green Thumb.

Hosta 'Royal Standard' is in full bloom. They make a nice contrast to these burgundy Cannas. These have a very pleasant fragrance and are closely situated next to the patio for my enjoyment in the morning & evening. The blossoms are lavendar on the outside, but when they open the inside is a pure white. The flowers are quite large compared to most Hostas.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is another great late summer & fall perennial in my garden. I love the vibrant pink flower heads. Soapwort or Bouncing Bet is a flowering herb that just keeps on giving during the summer. I cut this back in early July and it is starting to put out a second large flush. The flowers smell spicy and the bees love them.

I'm very impressed with this native perennial Verbena 'Blue Vervain'. This is the first season in the garden and it has been blooming on & off since June when I purchased it. I hope you enjoyed my blooms today. What's blooming in your garden today?

Shame on me!

2008-08-18T00:01:00.005-04:00

I've neglected my garden for the last couple of days and it shows! my husband was out of town for the past three weeks and just got back Saturday night. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. These Hydrangea Forever & Ever "Red" have to be watered daily or they end up wilting and turning yellow around the edges of their leaves. As stated in a previous post, I'm not impressed with this particular variety. I prefer plants that will stand up to the heat of our summer & can withstand some drought. There are so many great plants that will endure the elements and keep on blooming. I'm not the type of gardener that will spend all my time babying one plant just to keep it alive. Not my style. Now, I've cut these some slack because it is there first season in the garden and I keep telling myself that they haven't had time to fully establish themselves. I even admit that I might of planted them in an area where they might be getting too much sunlight. Some of my other failures include forgetting to clean out the birdbaths and keeping the bird feeders filled. Normally I am right on top of these little details. I took care of these three tasks last evening. Tomorrow I am making a list of the other areas of my garden that need some TLC from me. Shame on me! I need to weed the front beds, do some deadheading of the butterfly bush & knockout roses, trim back some plants that are past their prime and make a list of things that need to be divided this fall to be dispersed elsewhere or given away. In addition, I really need to think about either putting down fresh mulch or a layer of compost in all the beds. Sunday morning I went to my local home improvement stores in search of seed for some fall veggie crops & possibly some plants that could liven up the garden for the next few months. I'm not impressed with what they have to offer at the moment. First off their were no seeds to be found anywhere in two different stores. So, it looks like I will be on the hunt again tomorrow at some other locations. I did purchase a round planter & some potting mix that I intend to plant loose leaf lettuce in if I can find seed. This week will be all about preparing for autumn that is sneaking up on us pretty quickly. Soon my son will be back to school, the leaves will be falling, and another growing season will be coming to an end. This summer is just flying on by.

A sweet reminder of autumn

2008-08-17T00:01:00.005-04:00

Clematis terniflora 'Sweet Autumn' is an evergreen vine in my zone 7 garden that can reach up to 30 feet in a season. I have to keep it in check with severe pruning from early spring into the

early part of July. It blooms off of new wood so this intensive pruning does not diminish the blooms come August. The blossoms are small & white and when blooming in mass are quite spectacular. I love the light sweet fragrance that permeates the garden in the morning & evening hours. In my research of this vigorous vine I found numerous sources that stated not to plant this in your garden due to it's invasive tendencies. Now I didn't plant this Clematis in my garden, it was growing wildly among the overgrown vegetation in what is now my Arbor Garden. This area was a dumping ground for the previous owner of leaves & grass clippings and had various plants struggling to survive in the abundant shade from several weedy trees that were growing in the corner of my yard. When I removed those trees shortly after moving in we found a variety of perennials, shrubs, as well as Iris growing there. Initially I didn't even know what this vine was for several years. I did suspect some type of native because of the rapid growth and strong survival skills. In fact, this year I was finally able to identify it for sure as Clematis terniflora. I had suspected that it was indeed this plant for the past couple of years. Every year I consider ripping it out, which at this point would be a task since the trucks are at least 3-4" in diameter, but then it blooms and the scent is so sweet that it gets a reprieve again. The corner of my yard it occupies is on two trellises mounted to the fence and the post gives it a great deal of support. Its' tendrils cascade over the fence and try to take over my neighbor's overgrown Nandinas. He told me not to worry about it because if it gets too wild he just chops it off the bushes, lol. In the early morning the sun just lights up that corner as it reflects off the lovely little star like flowers. And when it starts blooming each August in the garden, it's a gentle & sweet reminder that is fall is indeed upon us.

It's raining, it's pouring...

2008-08-16T00:01:00.034-04:00

And my garden is rejoicing! I'm not crazy about the lightening & thunder because it scares the dogs, but I'm getting rain, glorious rain! It's a good thing too, because everything was starting to look a little worn out from all this heat with no relief in sight. My rain barrels are beyond full again, yay! The rain is coming down so hard, the rain is literally running over the tops of the barrels and the yard has puddles. Once it has a chance to soak in I think my garden will look a zillion times better. What a great way to start the weekend! I hope everyone who hasn't gotten any rain lately is equally blessed before the weekend is over. Have a nice weekend everyone! :)

August Blooms (GBBD)

2008-08-15T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! The garden is starting to fade during this time of the year, but there are still a few things that are starting to bloom or have been blooming. My pass-a-long roses from Grandma are doing well in spite of the heat and the lack of rain. I don't know the names of these beauties, because their names aren't as important to my Grandmother as the color of the bloom. This true red is my favorite of the bunch because it blooms most of the summer and is mostly disease resistant. I can't resist a yellow rose in the garden. This one has interesting shaped petals that curl into points at the tips. This bush isn't as robust or disease resistant as the red one, but it has a lovely fragrance. The Peace Rose is my grandmother's favorite and I'm sure this one (to the left) is a Peace. I love how the petals gradually fade from a deep yellow to a dark pink on their edges. While some plants have gradually faded off into the sunset until next season there a few plants in my garden that have been going strong like the Hydrangea "Limelight" which I never get tired of talking about in my blog. It has been a real strong bloomer this year regardless of the heat, drought, or whatever else nature has thrown at it this summer. I love how the sunlight picks up the glints of green on the backsides of the numerous pedals. What southern garden would be complete without the brilliant blooms of the Crepe Myrtle. Mine has more than earned its' place in the garden. In 2004 the original tree which was about 15 ft tall was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel. My husband had to remove it and I was heartbroken. I didn't realize at the time he never removed the root ball and the tree re- sprouted the following season from those roots. I have been carefully training the shrub like appearance into a small tree. This tree has the benefit of exfoliating bark as it ages that leaves an interesting mottled look to the branches. No summer garden would be complete without the ever faithful Black eyed Susans. Their sunny flowers not only attract birds such as Yellow Finches to their blackish-brown seed heads but butterflies seem to delight in their bright blossoms as well. They are the backbone of the garden throughout the late summer through early fall. Another plant in my garden that is starting to bloom and will be a great asset through the remainder of the season is Solidago or goldenrod 'Fireworks'. Once this bloom is in full glory it does look like a series of firecrackers exploding in your garden. I will need to divide a couple of my plants this fall because they have really gotten huge this year. A really reliable and long blooming plant is Phlox paniculata 'Robert Poore'. These lovely purple blooms have been blooming on & off all summer long. I have deadheaded it twice and it just keeps going & going like the energizer bunny of perennials. 'Robert Poore' is a really hardy garden phlox and has no problems with mildew or spider mites. Some other plants that are blooming right now are Obedient Plant (to the left), Soapwort, Purple Coneflowers, Forever & Ever Hydrangea "Red", Yarrow, Stella d' ora daylillies, Coreopsis, Salvia, Sedum "Autumn Joy", Angelonia, Periwinkle, Four o' Clocks, Butterfly Bush, Knock out Roses, Verbena 'Blue Vervain', Hosta 'Royal Standard' and Verbena Bonariensis. What's blooming in your garden today? For more Garden Blogger's Bloom Day posts or to join in on the fun, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Thank you Carol for hosting GBBD. :)

The Night Sky

2008-08-14T00:01:00.006-04:00

There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery. ~Joseph Conrad

Farmer's Market Squash Saute

2008-08-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

I found this recipe in my Kraft Food & Family magazine that I get for free every couple of months. They have some easy & delicious recipes. This summer’s issue was about using just picked vegetables either straight from your own garden or from a farmer’s market in your area. I have some yellow squash to use and wanted to try something different. The recipe actually called for zucchini too, but I only had yellow so I adapted it to what I had on hand. It was pretty good, but next time I would like to try it with the zucchini too. The picture is from the Kraft Food & Family recipe online. My picture turned out so-so and didn't do it justice. Here's what it would like if I had added the zucchini. Plus they made it look so pretty with their shiny pan & the green striped dishtowel. :)

Ingredients:
2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook zucchini & squash in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in mozzarella and basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Makes 4-servings ¾ cup each.

My family gave it a thumbs up so, I would definitely make it again! Bon Appetite!

Bloomin' Tuesday 8/12/08

2008-08-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

To see more Bloomin' Tuesday Posts or to join in please visit Ms Green Thumb.

The Hydrangea 'Limelight' is still going strong and putting out new blooms. You can see the green tint to the undersides of the blossoms in the sunlight. Somehow I ended up with an abundance of Lirope Muscari in my garden this year. But the purple blooms are nice at this time of the year when some things are starting to fade or look worn out from the heat.

Verbena "Blue Vervain" a native plant to my area has been blooming on and off for the past couple of month. The Butterfly Bush is attracting butterflies and bees with it's honey scent and gorgeous white blossoms. I have to deadhead it weekly to keep the blooms coming.

My Crepe Myrtle is still in full glory at this time of the year and the Clematis "Sweet Autumn" is setting buds and here is the first little flower of the season. I have to really keep this one in check or it will ramble all over the garden but since it blooms on new wood it isn't an issue.

Here's another shot of my Four o' Clocks. I liked how this flower was half pink & yellow. Some are solid pink, solid yellow and my favorite is the yellow splashed with splotches of pink. The Hosta "Royal Standard" is in full bloom now. The buds are lavendar and when they open the inner flower is a snow white and so fragrant. I love how the sunlight is making these blossoms glow in this picture. This is the one Hosta that isn't stressed out from the heat right now.

The garden is alive...

2008-08-11T00:01:00.004-04:00

With the sounds of nature all around me. The wildlife is abundant in my yard this time of year with the birds, bees, butterflies and other various insects that visit my garden daily. Here is what I discovered in my garden in just a few minutes of strolling through the beds.

This Bumblebee is happily searching for pollen in the tubular shaped blossoms of this Physostegia virginiana 'Obedient Plant'. There were several of them actually dipping and diving into the blooms this afternoon. I love those little speckles inside the flowers. I've heard other gardeners call them fairy footprints. What a lovely thought.

I know this is some type of Swallowtail Butterfly but that is all I know. He was sunbathing himself on this large Squash leaf. Pay no attention to the leaf please, after I took this photo I removed this slightly discolored & possibly diseased foliage. But I'm happy with the picture! :)

Now I got really excited to see this little creature in my garden today. I've seen a few hummingbirds flitting around, but this is the first hummingbird moth that I have seen in my garden ever! He was really interested in the Verbena canadensis 'Rose Verbena' or 'Creeping Verbain'. I will definitely plant this annual next year because the butterflies and this guy love it! I was hoping for a better photo, but about that time Spaz (my terrier) came along and started sniffing him and he flew off. :)

This little guy is a moth, right? I got a really good closeup of him. You can even see his little face and legs. He was taking a breather on the Nandina in my front garden bed. It didn't even faze him when I got really close to take this picture. I guess he wasn't scared of me. :)

Last but not least is this scary guy. I don't know what kind of spider this is, but he or she is pretty colorful. Now I did slightly zoom in this shot so you could see the details on the body. The web is even visible which makes me happy. It was a big web and there was even a small cocooned insect waiting to be devoured later. Hopefully it wasn't a beneficial insect. What kinds of insects do you have buzzing around your garden this time of year?

Orange bug infestation?

2008-08-10T06:00:00.007-04:00

I zoomed this photo in larger so that you can see that my so called orange flower buds on the 'Whorled Milkweed' are actually bugs! Bright orange bugs! They are so teeny-tiny that you need a magnifying glass to make out that these dots have legs...Don’t I feel stupid! When I got up really close and really studied the stems I realize those orange dots were moving, so they are not flowers. At one point I even thought they might be Monarch Butterfly Eggs until they started crawling around that is. I did some research on the internet yesterday and thought at first they might be the Milkweed Bug which is a beetle that sucks the juice from the plant. They have no predator per se because their diet makes them taste terrible to birds and other insects. Then I did some further research and found pictures that let me know this is the "Yellow Milkweed Aphid" which also sucks the juices from the plant, but their enemy is the Lady Beetle. Which is great news! I love attracting Lady Beetles to the garden, they are a wonderful beneficial insect. In addition, the information I read stated they don't do any permanent damage to the plant which was my main concern. Hopefully they will co-exist with the Monarch Butterfly eggs. Anyhow I am still keeping an eye out for any butterfly activity in that area of the garden. I did notice something that look sort of like a cocoon. The pictures I kept trying to get of it were blurry. It was very tiny, grayish lump on the underside of one of the tiny leaves of the Milkweed. Hmmm…..

'Whorled Milkweed' - Host for Monarchs

2008-08-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

Asclepias verticillata ‘Whorled Milkweed’ is native to the United States. I purchased this at our local Native Plant Sale back in June. It blooms from June-September. My plant is just getting buds on the stems that are a orangish shade. Once it blooms it has clusters of white flowers on stems of slender fern like foliage. It grows 1-3 ft tall, prefers sun-part shade conditions and likes average-poor well drained dry soil. In addition, it is drought tolerant and deer resistant as well as a host plant for Monarch butterflies. The nectar of the flowers attract bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. Bees or wasps are the more effective pollinators. Predatory insects that will visit are Ambush Bug and Mantids. The Yellow Milkweed Aphid extracts juices from the stems and leaves of the plant. In turn the Aphids will attract Ladybird Beetles and Green Lacewings which are beneficial insects that feed on the Aphids. The caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly feed on the foliage and flowers. In fact, Milkweeds in general are the only type of plant where the eggs are laid and the larvae will feed & mature into a chrysalis. According to Wikipedia it has been used as a medicinal plant by Native Americans in the past. But I didn't find any specific medicinal uses noted anywhere. The sap was boiled into a gum like substance that becomes hard and is added to salmon fat or deer grease to create a chewing gum. That doesn't sound too appealing to me. Yet this plant is poisonous and should not be ingested. An interesting fact I found is this toxin makes the Monarch Butterfly taste bad to most animals. This is nature's way of stepping in and ensuring survival of the species I guess.

Poor Stella, she gets no respect...

2008-08-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

The Hemerocallis Stella D Ora is under appreciated in today's home garden. This is due to the over planting in parking lots and commercial areas. Okay I will admit she has gotten too much exposure since she initially came out. But all the assets we loved about her are still present. She is a great re-bloomer, easily multiplies, drought tolerant, has a slight fragrance, and her yellow color is a great accent in the garden. Today I spent the afternoon pulling out all the old foliage and stems that had turned brown. Which I then added to my compost bin and that would be another positive. Stella has put out new foliage over the last month and is starting to bloom again. How could you turn your nose up to a plant that gives and gives all summer long. I have her planted in my raised bed that is located in the front yard. This area gets full sun all day and can be quite dry. Does she care, nope! I have to admit that bed does get neglected in the summer because I prefer the back garden where the shade of my patio beckons to me to sit, relax and enjoy a glass of ice tea on a hot afternoon. Today I decided that I had neglected my front garden beds enough and did some work on the daylilies as well as pruned the old blossoms off the Butterfly Bush. So if you want a great plant that will look good during the summer even if you forget to water it, forget to deadhead it, then the Hemerocallis Stella D Ora is your perfect summer perennial. After all she’s been blooming in my garden for going on five years now. She’s never let me down and she won't let you down either.

Composting Update

2008-08-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

I ordered two new compost bins back in May and since the beginning of June I have accumulated two nice piles of organic material in both bins. I did an experiment of sorts between the two. I am pleased with the nice compost I am accumulating in both bins. I can’t wait to use this in my new designated square foot vegetable bed I’m creating sometime this month. Maybe I will get it ready in time to plant some fall crops. The worst case scenario I will have a nice new bed for next season. Either way I come out a winner, don’t you think?
The first bin I used the stuff you can buy to help decompose your yard debris faster. It’s a granular substance that you sprinkle over your material and then add water. In addition I stopped adding new material around mid July to the first bin so I could really see the decomposition process. Please ignore the green plastic tape bit that fell in there. I promise to pull that out later. :)
The second bin I am just putting water and aerating it a few times a week with a pitchfork. I just got done giving this a good turning with the fork and you can see some of the decomposed material in the center of the pile.

Farewell to some...

2008-08-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

I'm saying goodbye to some of my garden plants such as the Hemerocallis "Colorful Summer" until next year when she reawakens for another blooming season. She is aptly named with her vibrant orange petals that actually fade in direct sunlight. But it's been a good two months of nonstop blooms so she's earned her winter nap. When I went to the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk I saw this daylily blooming there. I was really excited, because this plant was given to me 10 years ago as a pass-a-long and I had forgotten the name. This time I made sure to document the name in my journal. They described it as a pink flower, but it depends on the light you plant it in. It looks pinkish or peachy in direct full sun. Others in my garden are just starting to come into their own such as the Thunbergia alata (Blackeyed Susan Vine) that has managed to wind it's way up my recycled TV antennae to trellis. I haven't spotted any buds yet, but the season is far from over. The orange flowers with their black throats will be a welcome surprise when most things have long since faded from the summer garden. They are an annual in my zone 7b area, being that they are only hardy in zones 9-12. Next year I will get the seeds in the ground earlier, I didn't plant these until June so they are doing well considering. Another late bloomer this year is the Hosta plantain lily "Royal Standard". I have a mass of these in the water fountain bed and they will be in full bloom soon. This is a bloom worth waiting for, because they are supported on sturdy stems and the buds are huge. The flower is a lavender shade that is fragrant. These are large plants at about 18-24" wide and the leaves are corrugated and a bright green color. Even if I didn't enjoy the flower on this hosta I would plant it for the texture of the leaves. In addition they are planted in part sun and the foliage doesn't burn. So while I am saying farewell until next year to the daylillies, I am still anticipating the start of the season for others in the garden.

Bloomin' Tuesday - August 5th

2008-08-05T08:32:00.002-04:00

To see more Bloomin’ Tuesday posts or to join in on the fun please visit Jean at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com. What’s blooming in your garden today?

They’re not just ornamental

2008-08-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

We all know that a garden needs more than just perennials and annuals to make it look great all year round. A garden isn't complete without the ornamental shrubs. These are the workhorses of my garden along with the trees. Ornamental shrubs provide something interesting to look at when the flowers aren't blooming yet. They look great in the winter with a layer of snow resting on top like icing on a cake. Some shrubbery provides a place for birds to build nests or berries for them to eat. These backbones of the garden provide a permanent structure when the herbaceous perennials die back in the fall. What would we do without these vital parts of our yard. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

I think this is Aucuba japonica "Variegata" which is the female plant. "Crotonifolia" is the male. The difference is that the female has leaves densely spotted with yellow, while the male has leaves heavily splashed with yellow. This plant gets 4-6 ft and produces clusters of red berries in the early fall and sprays of red flowers in the spring. It's hardy in zones 7-10. I have it planted under the Pecan tree in my yard in filtered shade. Full sun will burn the leaves and turn them black. It looks great in the shade with the mottled foliage.
Berberis thunbergi "Dwarf Crimson Pygmy" is a tough little foundation plant. It will grow in Sun-Part Sun. I have mine planted in part-sun. It needs some sun to get the best color leaves which are bright red mingled with burgundy and green. Dwarf Crimson Pygmy gets 18"-2 ' tall and 2'-3' wide with a nice compact shape. In the fall, the foliage turns an orangish-red. The hardiness is Zone 4-7. It looks great next to my large Hostas in the fountain bed.
Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo or Sacred Bamboo) is a evergreen plant that grows 5-6' tall and has great winter color. It produces sprays of white flowers in the summer and red berries in the fall & winter. The hardiness is zones 5-10. This plant is overly planted in my area but the evergreen foliage and the fact that it will grow in Full Sun-Full Shade make it very easy.
Spiraea japonica "Goldmound" is one of my favorites. The foliage begins the year a reddish tone that fades to yellow and then to this lime green. It produces clusters of tiny pink flowers that are a wonderful contrast to the green leaves. It can grow up to 3' tall and spread 2-4'. I have three of these wonderful little shrubs and they are only 2' tall and about 2' in width. The hardiness is zones 4-8 and it is deciduous.

Bouncing Bet Bounces Back

2008-08-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

I bet you can't say that real fast 3 times. :) Anyhow, in June I posted about getting a really hard rain and my Saponaria officinalis (Soapwort or Bouncing Bet) had flopped over. If you look at the picture to the left you will see how leggy this pretty pink perennial can get with a wet spring. Well, in July I ended up giving it a severe haircut after the blooms had faded to rejuvenate it. I’m hoping to get some nice blooms sometime this month into the early fall. Hopefully this drastic trimming will make for a nice bushier plant for the remainder of the season. In the next couple of pictures you should be able to make out the grid support I have on top of the Soapwort. It does help tremendously with giving the center of the plant more support and somewhat keeps the plant (as long as I remember to adjust the legs as it grows) from flopping over in the mulch. The final photo shows not only has the plant recovered but looks healthier and fuller. Some interesting facts about this plant are the common name comes from the old time custom of using the roots of this plant for washing clothes. These roots contain a molecule called saponin, which will work just like detergent to dissolve grease or dirt. Saponin is edible and used as an additive in beer which helps it develop the head when poured. Saponaria officinalis is a great plant for rock gardens, banks and trailing over walls. They are hardy in zones 5-10 and need full sun as well as well drained soil. I have mine planted in a raised bed where they seem quite happy. They seem quite drought-tolerant too. They will spread rapidly if not kept in check. They also have a nice spicy scent and are attractive to bees. This was a pass-a-long plant from a neighbor years ago and it has been a reliable perennial in my garden.

How sweet is this?

2008-08-02T15:23:00.002-04:00

It seems I’ve been awarded a Brilliant Blog Award by Susie at digginginthedirt. Thank you Susie, I feel quite honored to be nominated by you for this award. How sweet of you to consider me!

So here's what else I'm suppose to do.

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs.

5. Leave a message on your nominees’ blog.

So, even though I would love to nominate all the blogs I read, here is who I'm nominating:

Linda at Meadowview Thymes
Jean at Ms Green Thumb
My Mom at Cooking In Cleveland
Cindy at Brambleberries in the Rain
Chris at North Dakota Garden
Nature Girl at Nature Trail
Marnie at Lilacs and Roses

Raindrops...

2008-08-02T00:01:00.005-04:00

We've been getting these freak afternoon showers everyday this week. Of course it's not enough to really make a difference in the garden overall, but it does seem to cool things off a bit. I really liked the way these raindrops just beaded up on this canna leaf. My rain barrels are getting low so I'm hoping for a real downpour soon. But it's August now, our hottest month in the summer and I'm not holding my breath. This summer has been unusual for us, because we usually are in a drought by July 1st and this year we actually got more than our average for the month overall. Here's hoping that everyone's summer is not too unbearable and that we get some occasional showers to cool us off as well as the plants. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Four o' Clocks: Friend or Foe?

2008-08-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Mirabilis jalapa (four o' clock or marvel of peru) is the most common grown annual and comes in a variety of colors. Every year I swear that I will completely eradicate these from my garden, but they seed so prolifically that it is impossible. In the end, it's my fault they are still here after all these years, because I'm too weak to rip them all out before they go to seed. Afterall, you have to admit they have some fine qualities such as blooming at night, fragrant, drought resistant and their simple beauty. I really like the combination of pink and yellow on this one plant and if you look close you will a splattering of pink speckles on the yellow flowers. According to Wikipedia, this is called the "color-changing phenomenon". As the plant ages the yellow flowers will gradually change to pink. Because they bloom at night they are pollinated by sphynx moths. Another great quality is they seem to bloom no matter where I plant them. Full sun, part sun, great soil, poor soil etc... The seedlings are easy to remove from areas you don't want them to be. Once that seedling matures they are somewhat tougher to remove because of their tuberous roots which will die back in the winter only to regrow in the spring. So I guess the best advice I give you is make sure you want them before you plant them, because you will have them forever.

A happy childhood memory; fried squash

2008-07-31T00:01:00.003-04:00

I just harvested two more summer squash from my container garden yesterday and there are two more coming right behind them. So I decided I would make some fried squash patties for lunch yesterday. (yum-yum) One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother making fried squash and my brother & I would eat it as fast as she could pull it out of the pan. She would always say “You’re going to burn your fingers.” We didn’t care. :) By the way, my mom has a cooking blog and is a fantastic cook so if you are interested in some great recipes you can check her out at Cooking in Cleveland. And you should see the pictures of her urban garden too. This is the recipe my grandmother gave me that her mother passed down to her. Sorry mom, I should of asked you for your recipe first, but was really hungry and in a hurry to fry these squash up! :)

Fried Summer Squash

Ingredients:
· 2 eggs, beaten
· 1/4 cup milk
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 2 med summer squash, sliced thinly
· 1 1/2 cups flour or cornmeal (I had flour)
· oil

Preparation:
Combine eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl. Place flour or cornmeal in a separate bowl. Dip squash in the egg mixture, then roll in flour or cornmeal coating it well. Then fry in skillet with about 1 inch of hot oil on med-high heat until golden brown.

Don't these look yummy? I would of saved you a few but my family gobbled them up before they even had a chance to cool off! :)

Garden Collections

2008-07-30T00:01:00.005-04:00

Just recently I realized that I have something of a water fountain/birdbath collection. The funny part is that I didn’t set out to collect these items, because most of them were given to me as gifts. By providing sources of water I attract a variety of birds and insects to the garden. I enjoy watching the birds splash around on hot days. They are almost comical in their bathing rituals.
This birdbath was actually my first and I’ve had it for 8 or 9 years now. I acquired it while visiting my local Pottery factory . Our Pottery is fantastic for finding handmade pottery and annuals, perennials and tropical plants that are grown on site. I love the embossed birds and flowers that decorate the pedestal and the gray-blue color.

Can you believe my friend was going to put this on the curb? She told me I could have it I came and picked it up. It is made of concrete and very, very, very heavy. This is the one my cat likes to drink out of when the birds aren’t using it of course. :)

Everyone probably remembers this one from my Whimsical Garden Art post a few days ago. Here is a better picture of it. Don’t you just love the base of it? It is made of a cast metal. I think the little decorative bird drinking out of the flower-shaped dish is so cute.

My absolute favorite one at the moment is this bronze ceramic one my husband gave me for Mother’s Day this year. He picked this one out at our local Wild Wings Nature Store. This store has fantastic birding accessories. Their items range from contemporary to whimsical.

I purchased this fountain at our local home improvement center. It was a floor model and they gave me a huge discount which means I had to get it. This is located in the bed with the huge Hosta I posted yesterday and the burgundy Cannas. The dogs enjoy drinking out of the lower basin and I’ve seen birds splashing in the smaller top dish.

This fountain is located out front next to my front door. I love the splashing sound of the waterfall and my cat enjoys drinking out of this one too. There is a light that makes it really pretty at night. It is located in the same flowerbed with Mr. & Ms. Turtle.

I hope you enjoyed my collection of birdbaths and fountains. What do you collect?

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-07-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's Bloomin' Tuesday and to start out I'm going to show a couple of new things that are blooming in my garden today. Then I will show you some stuff that is still blooming and just to make it interesting a couple of things that have interesting buds and will be blooming really soon.

This is my much anticipated "Snow Queen" clematis or so I thought. But this is not a white bloom is it? I also planted "Dr Ruppel" on the same trellis, but this isn't it either. Another case of mislabeling for me this year. Three strikes I'm out for the season. I did a little research yesterday, but I still don't know the name of this cultivar. However, it is pretty with that lavendar blue background and faint purple striping on the petals. I also am fond of the deep purple center. Does anyone know what the name of this Clematis might be?

I wish I could of gotten a better picture of my new Yarrow Achillea Hybrid "Summer Pastels". I bought three small plants a couple of weeks ago at a bargain price. I specifically tried to pick ones that at least one bloom so I would know the color. One is a deep golden yellow, one is a pastel yellow and the last one is a peachy salmon color. Yarrow has a long bloom cycle from May-June and if you deadhead it will rebloom again later in the summer. I know it can be slightly invasive in the garden but I haven't had too much trouble with in in mine. In addition, the fern like folliage is attractive even when it's not blooming.

I love the pale pinkish yellow tone of this hybrid rose. Unfortunately I don't know the name of it because it was a pass-a-long plant from my grandmother's garden before she moved in with us. The blooms are full and it has a pleasant fragrance. As it ages it fades to a creamy white color.

The Lirope muscari is blooming prolifically in my woodland garden at the moment. This plant can be very aggressive at putting out runners and will take over if you let it. I prefer the "Variegata" variety because it is better behaved in the garden. But I have to admit Lirope is a great plant for areas of your garden that have harsh conditions like along the driveway and it's low maintenance other than a haircut every spring to make room for the new foliage.

My garden Phlox paniculata "Robert Poore" is on it's second bloom cycle for the season. It has a lovely spicy fragrance that really is noticeable in the morning. The bright lavendar blooms are a nice contrast to the light green foliage. This plant gets about 3-4' tall and has a nice clumping habit. It will flop slightly after a heavy rain but straightens itself up once the blooms are dry.

The Forever & Ever Hydrangea "Red" has a single bloom so far for the season. This bloom has been open for over a week now. I purchased three of these shrubs thinking they would be a nice mass planting along the fence in my new garden. The second one has 3 or 4 buds on it waiting to open and the third bush which gets more shade is smaller and has no buds at all. The color on this bloom has gotten darker as it has aged. So far I am not too impressed with this variety. But we'll see what it does next year. I have to water these daily or they will wilt in the afternoon.

This is one of my favorite Hostas in my garden. I think this might be "Royal Standard". It has large leaves and is my largest at about 30'' in diameter. I also like the blooms on this variety because they are substancial. Look at the size of this bud. The stems are sturdy and the blooms are lavender and slightly fragrant. This is the only Hosta that I allow to flower in my garden, because the blooms are worthy of the plant. I prefer the folliage of Hosta to the bloom. This variety can take more sun than my others will tolerate. It gets morning sun in this bed, but it use to get some afternoon sun and it tolerated that as well.

My final almost bloom is the Physostegia virginiana or Obedient Plant. This variety is a pale pink color and gets about 24" tall. Don't you think the unopened flower buds have an interesting shape? I grow this plant in a large washbasin so that it doesn't overtake my garden. It is very invasive, so you will have to contain it. The flowers are tubular in shape and are available in pale pink, magenta or white. Next year I would like to try the white variety, it isn't as invasive.

For more Bloomin' Tuesday Posts or to join in please visit Ms Green Thumb. What's blooming in your garden today?

They enjoy the garden too!

2008-07-28T10:52:00.005-04:00

Yesterday's video of Spaz chasing the birds got me to thinking how much my pets enjoy the gardens I've created around our home. Gardening with pets can be a challenge at best, but the joy they bring to our lives has it's rewards. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy when the dogs dig holes in my yard or the cat lays on one of my favorite plants, but for the most part they really do very little damage that is irreparable to my garden. Holes can be filled in, plants will bounce back if not this year than the next and life will go on. Just as I enjoy sitting on my patio enjoying the sights, sounds and fragrances of the gardens, so do my dogs and cat. Spaz the terrier spends the entire day from sunrise to sunset exploring the gardens and she is very careful to weave in and out around my plantings. She also enjoys the excitement of chasing the birds, squirrels, mice or whatever else happens to wander into her domain. My beagle "Misty" enjoys lounging in the grass under the trees as well as sitting on the bench in my Arbor Garden. Which is funny, because I think my dogs and cat get more pleasure out of the garden then I do at times. While their exploring and using their five senses to absorb everything around them, I'm too busy thinking about what needs to be done next instead of just sitting back and relaxing. The cat "Mooch" spends the majority of his time in the front yard garden beds because Spaz and him haven't come to a understanding yet. He loves to lay in the mulch under my Butterfly Bush, drink out of the birdbath, and sleep behind the daylillies in the Border Bed. The benefits are he keeps the squirrels and rabbits from visiting my garden and devouring my plants. In addition he also chases other cats away from his territory which means my beds aren't being used as large litter boxes by the neighborhood cats and the funny part is he doesn't do it either. All of my pets were rescue animals. We adopted Misty from the SPCA ten years ago this month, the cat was a stray that I fed and he stayed, and we got Spaz from the SPCA February of this year. We adopted her shortly after we lost our terrier mix Pepper last fall. Pepper was a rescue dog as well, my dad saved him from abuse in Ohio about 8 years ago and gave him to us. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without these little members of our family. They give us unconditional love and affection on a daily basis. Our lives are richer because of them.

No wonder the birds are hungry...

2008-07-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Spaz keeps chasing them away from the feeder. Maybe she thinks she's helping me by conserving the birdseed? Nope, she has her own agenda as usual. Don't worry no birds were harmed in the making of this video and she does give up after about 15 minutes so the birds do get their dinner afterall. She's just having some fun, afterall she is a terrier. :)

Whimsical Garden Art

2008-07-26T08:40:00.004-04:00

I was asked by Deb over at Aunt Debbis Garden to post and display some pictures of some silly or whimsical garden art in my garden. I don’t have anything as cute as her Senor Werm. For more whimsy in other gardens please go visit Deb's plot.

Meet Mr. Turtle. He used to live in my grandmother-in-law's water garden in Ohio. I inherited Mr. Turtle when she sold her house a several years ago and moved into an apartment. He has been lurking around my garden ever since. I know his shell looks a little ragged but it gives him his own unique charm. He actually can be used as a water sprayer, see the opening in his mouth.

What about this for whimsy? A bird drinking from a miniature flower-shaped birdbath on my birdbath. Is this whimsical? I think so. This has been a part of my garden for a few years too. It was given as a Mother's Day gift to me from my boys and my hubby.

And just so Mr. Turtle didn't get too lonely in my garden, my hubby's grandmother gave me his friend. Her shell is in better condition and she's smaller, but she has the same open mouth expression just waiting to spray water on you. Hope you enjoyed my whimsical garden art. Have a nice weekend!

Bits of sunshine on a cloudy day...

2008-07-25T13:55:00.002-04:00

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but
to add color to my sunset sky. ~Rabindranath Tagore

As the season progresses...

2008-07-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

and things reach their peak and come into their own, so does my new garden bed continue to become more interesting. I created this bed over two months ago. Normally, you would create a new garden bed in the spring or fall, but I have to say this bed is coming along nicely. It's been over a month since I posted pictures of it so here is an update of the new additions thus far:

The Angelonia, Salvia and Coreopsis are still blooming non-stop. The Blackeyed Susans that I planted last month have just started to bloom in the past week. Near the fence you can see the Purple Fountain Grass has gotten fuller and is making beautiful purple plumes. I bought some perennial Candytuff and planted them in front of the Angelonia as a permanent groundcover. This variety is called "Snowflake" which is an appropriate description of the little white flowers. I also have placed a few native plants here that I purchased at the Native Plant Sale last month. On the shed wall you can see the Clematis are climbing the trellis pretty quickly. There are two varieties planted, "Snow Queen" which is a white and "Dr Ruppel" which is a deep pink w/magenta stripes on the petals. "Dr Ruppel" was planted in another garden and I dug it up and moved it over here because it was over a year old and not growing. Since I moved it, it has new growth and seems healthier. "Snow Queen" has several buds as you will see in the next photo.

Here is the largest of the buds on "Snow Queen". This one should open soon. It will be nice to have some Clematis that bloom later in the season in the garden. My "Nelly Moser" and "Niobe" bloom in May. I think I will paint the shed walls a different color so that the blooms stand out more. White on white won't be much of a contrast. At least this vertical interest will disguise the plant paneling of the shed which acts as a backdrop to the new garden.

Another angle of the new bed is where my found object turned trellis is placed. I sowed Blackeyed Susan vine seeds near each leg. You can see on the left of the trellis the small vines starting to twine up the structure. (Spaz, my little terrier mix, decided she needed to be in the shot too, lol) To the right you can see the Hydrangea Forever & Ever "Red" with a single bloom.

A closeup of "Blackeyed Susan" vine on my new trellis (old tv antennae). They have made progress in their growth, but I was hoping they would of been covering the structure by now and possibly blooming. The season isn't over yet, so we'll see. We had rain all yesterday afternoon and night so maybe that will help. I might give them a dose of fertilizer today too.

Technically this isn't a new addition to the garden, but when the phone company decided to add dsl lines to the neighborhood last fall they dug through my flower bed to do it. (I wasn't happy about that) In the process, they killed 3 large hostas and a couple of lirope (which I don't miss), so I had to replant this bed this past spring. I planted three Hostas (name unknown) and two Heucera "Purple Palace" near the front edge. The"Nikko Blue" Hydrangea to the far right was planted last fall. Oh, the hummingbird feeder is a new addition this year too. I've seen one or two buzzing around it so far, but unfortunately I haven't gotten any pictures yet.

What happened to my cucumber plant?

2008-07-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

As some of you may recall, I got a late start in planting my veggies this year. I planted a cherry tomato and a cucumber plant in large pots since I don't have a dedicated vegetable garden yet. The photo to the left is a picture of my "so called" cucumber plant about a week or so ago. You can somewhat see a couple of blossoms hiding behind the large leaves. Well not too long after I took this photo I noticed two babies about an inch long on the plant. They grew pretty quickly and I harvested the first two this past weekend except they weren't cucumbers after all. Boy do I feel stupid! I sent a picture of my first harvest to my mother and she confirmed what I suspected and my grandmother kept saying. They are a yellow summer squash. Not that I have a problem with squash. I just wanted cucumbers that's all. So here is a picture of one right before I picked it. Another case of the plant was mislabeled, I got duped for the second time this season. Well I made the best of it and used it in my Chicken Minestrone recipe in place of zucchini, since I couldn't find any decent ones at the grocery store. Next year I think I will grow zucchini in my dedicated vegetable plot that I plan on making this fall. Here is a copy of the recipe:

Chicken Minestrone

6 servings
Prep time: 35 minutes
From Eating for Life by Bill Phillips

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 slices of Canadian bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 bay leaf
1 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained/rinsed
1 15oz. can of red kidney bean, drained/rinsed
6 cups of chicken broth (I used reduced sodium fat-free)
2 cups of water
1 ½ lbs. of chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
¾ cup Ditalini pasta
1 box (10 oz) frozen green beans
1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach
3 Tbsp fresh basil, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh parmesan, grated

Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat for 1 minute. Add Canadian bacon and sauté for 4 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay leaf, sauté for another 5 minutes. Add cannellini beans, red kidney beans, chicken broth and water to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium high; add pasta and green beans. Cook until pasta is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove bay leaf from soup with tongs or a spoon. Stir in spinach and cook until slightly wilted about 1 minute. Ladle a portion into each bowl and top with fresh basil and parmesan.

It's a really good soup for the summer, because you prepare it on the stovetop so you don't have to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven. That's always a good thing during this time of the year. Now my cherry tomatoes are producing their first fruits too. They are still green but they are getting bigger as we speak. It's nice to have fresh picked vegetables in our meals. Next year I will have even more options with my dedicated veggie bed. I am considering trying the square foot garden approach. It looks like I should be able to grow everything I want in a minimal about of space. Wish me luck!

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-07-22T01:28:00.008-04:00

I know I've been going on and on about my Hydrangea "Limelight". But doesn't it look fantastic in full bloom surrounded by those burgundy Cannas? The flowers are all fully open now and it is really a showstopper in the garden at the moment. This is the view from my kitchen window.
I bought a few new plants the other day and a couple of them are blooming at the moment. This is Elfin Thyme. It is a low growing groundcover that prefers sun-part shade. I have this planted in my Woodland Garden. (Which gets morning sun) I love the dainty blue flowers.
I know this looks pitiful, but since my Clematis "Niobe" usually blooms in May I was kind of excited to see this one lonely little bloom yesterday. This is a prolific bloomer for me from about late April-May. I wish I could of gotten this in focus, because this picture doesn't do it justice. The petals are a deep garnet red with a magenta stripe down the center. The flowers are large. This Daylilly has been blooming for over a month now, and there are still a few buds left to open. When I went to the Botanical Gardens last week they had this blooming so now I know the name again. It's name is "Colorful Summer". The name is fitting, don't you think?

I have lots more blooming that has been blooming on and off for the past couple of weeks. What's blooming in your garden at the moment? For more Bloomin' Tuesday posts be sure to visit Ms Green Thumb.

Contain that plant!

2008-07-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that some of the most prolific bloomers are also great at taking over a garden? I have several plants in my own garden that I know are anywhere from slightly invasive to highly invasive, but yes I continue to grow them year after year. To keep them from completely taking over my garden beds and choking out everything in their path, I grow them in containers. That way I can enjoy the good qualities they have but keep their bad habit of spreading themselves freely throughout my garden in check. One of my favorites is the poorly named Obedient Plant or Physostegia virginiana. It also is referred to as False Dragon Head. Mine isn't blooming yet, but it will soon, so I got the picture to the left from http://bluethumb.org/plants/198/. They range in color from pale pink to magenta to even a white variety. I've heard the white variety isn't quite as aggressive, but I don't know if that is true or not. About 8 years ago I ordered Obedient Plant through a mail order catalog (name long forgotten) and received this dormant (looked dead to me) root. I planted it that spring and it didn't take me long to figure out that this beautiful flower was a thug! It spreads by underground runners and boy does it spread! Because I love plants, I couldn't just dig it up and throw it away, so I contained it in a metal wash tub where it blooms its heart out every summer. This way I keep the plant but it doesn't kill out everything else in my garden in the process. Another plant that I have growing in containers in my yard is Periwinkle or Vinca major "Variegata". It is actually a creeping ground cover that spreads by rooting from the stems whereever it lays. Some of you might of noticed the wall mounted planters I have on the wall of my shed. This is where I have this aggressive evergreen creeper growing. Don't you think it looks nice flowing over the sides of this container? The foliage is green with creamy white margins and it has lavender-blue flowers in the spring. I cut it back every winter and every spring it sprouts new growth from the roots. My grandmother likes to mix it with other flowering plants in her containers, but I think it looks pretty good all by itself, even without the blooms. Every other year I have to replace the soil and separate the rootbound plant. But don't put the pieces you don't want in your compost bin or you will have a jungle on your hands. I throw the excess in the garbage. It's a foolproof plant for containers, so you don't have to worry about killing it. Last but not least is the Blackeyed Susan or Rudbeckia fulgida "Goldsturm" which is a productive reseeder in my garden and hopefully not to their dismay the neighbor's yard as well. The plant to the left reseeded from my raised bed that is about 10 feet from their house. So far they haven't complained, maybe because it's blooming so prettily next to the foundation of their house. I don't mind digging it up and moving it into my own garden if they don't want it. This plant will reseed easily but it is easy to remove the excess plants you don't want. I don't contain it so much as keep an eye on it. I guess if I cut off the spent blooms every fall instead of leaving them for the birds it might be easier to control. But the finches love the tiny black seeds and I love watching them balance on top of the flower heads every fall. I'm sure if I looked around there are more invasive plants growing in my garden but these are my top three. What kind do you have growing in your garden?

Fantastic Foliage

2008-07-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

While I was visiting the Botanical Garden last week I saw some fantastic greenery. I’m a big fan of foliage in the garden. As some of you may know, Linda over at Meadowview Thymes did a great post yesterday titled “It’s not easy being green”. So here is my tribute to the wonderful world of texture, pattern and the color green in all its various shades. I could make an entire garden with plants like this and never miss the blooms at all.

Elephant’s Ears Alocasia “Hilo Beauty”

Fox Tongue Melastoma

Eulalia Grass Miscanthus sinensis “Gold Bar”

Knotweed “Painters Palette” (native plant to Virginia)

Yellow Root (native plant to Virginia)

What's a garden without water?

2008-07-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

I love the sound of running water in the garden. Don't you? I have a couple of water features in my own garden. One of my favorite things is to sit on the patio with a cup of coffee in the morning and absorb all of nature around me. An added bonus is hearing the sound of my fountain as the water runs down the sides of it. A garden truly gives us an opportunity to use our five senses. They had several beautiful water features at the Botanical Gardens.

This fountain was positioned in the center of the perennial border. Now I don't have room for something this large in my own yard. It is pretty spectacular though, don't you think? Remember as a kid throwing pennies into fountains such as this and making a wish?

There is also a canal that runs the entire perimeter of the Botanical Garden. So instead of walking or taking the tram you can also cruise along the canal in a boat and see the garden from a different perspective. The tour guide also points out interesting features along the way.

This fountain was part of the bog garden. I love the simple beauty of the waterlillies with the woods in the background. Another bonus was the creatures this pond attracted such as frogs, dragonflies, birds and other various wildlife.

Now this is the children's garden. My boys would of loved being able to play in these fountains. I thought this was a fun addition for the kids especially on a hot summer day. Don't you wish you were a child again so you could play in the water?

Interesting and Unusual

2008-07-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

The Wollemi Pine ( Wollemia nobilis) is one of the oldest and rarest plants in the world. Samples have been found in fossils dating back 90 million years (the days of Tyrannosaurus Rex). Today only 100 mature trees exist in the wild. They were discovered in 1994, growing in a remote location in Australia. This specimen was given to the garden by the United States Botanic Garden. (information posted by Norfolk Botanical Garden on sign)

I've never seen Crepe Myrtles trained and pruned like this before. There was a long border of these used as a decorative fence of sorts. Isn't this an interesting living divider? The branches seem to be braided or weaved together. I can't imagine how long this must of took.

This Century Plant Agave americana is native to Mexico and Texas. This was growing in the desert garden at the Botanical Garden. I should of had my husband stand next to it when I took this picture so you could get a real idea of the size of this plant. Look at the trees behind it for a better perspective of the size of this thing. These plants can live up to 25 years and dies after flowering leaving little suckers to continue the cycle. The leaves grow to about 6 ft in length and the plants flower stalk can grow up to 25 feet in height.

This Pineapple (Ananas comosus) was growing in the children's garden area. I had never seen a pineapple plant up close before, and I thought that the children probably found this fasinating.

Hydrangea Obsession

2008-07-17T08:00:00.008-04:00

When I first started gardening I didn't care for hydrangeas, but the only varieties I was aware of were the old fashioned mopheads that grew in our grandmothers' gardens. I just didn't think they were that interesting as a garden plant. However in the past few years I've added several hydrangeas to my gardens such as Hydrangea Paniculata "Limelight" (photo on the left) which I posted about earlier this month and my new addition this year is Forever & Ever Hydrangea "Red" which has it's first bloom. I was so excited when I saw it was starting to open yesterday. It doesn't quite look red to me yet, but at least it isn't blue. My other two hydrangeas one which is a lacecap (name unknown) and the other is "Nikko Blue" which is a mophead are blue. The lacecap as I recall was pink when I purchased it from the garden center several years ago, but the second year it bloomed blue. So anyhow, I was curious to see if this would be a pinkish shade. And as you can in the picture to the right it is a deep pink on the outer sepals. Then I made my venture to the Botanical Gardens on Monday and entered Hydrangea Heaven. They had an entire area devoted to dozens of different species and colors of hydrangeas. I fell in love at first sight with several varieties that I would love to have in my own garden in the future. So here are two hydrangeas that I just have to add to my wishlist for next year:

The first is Hydrangea quercifolia 'Sikes Dwarf' which I pictured in my GGBD bloom pictures. This is a dwarf oakleaf hydrangea that has green foliage that turns red in the fall. The flower will change from white to pink as it ages. It gets 3-4' tall and wide and it has a mounding shape. The size of this panicle was stunning. And the delicate pink blooms were pretty.

Another oakleaf variety I was fond of was "Snowflake". This variety is unique because it has multiple florets or double blooms. This will bloom much longer than the single bloom varieties of oakleaf hydrangea. Now you have to admit this bloom is spectacular. A big plus to the oakleafs are they can withstand more sun and prefer a drier soil than the mopheads and lacecaps. They are also native to the United States which means they will adapt well in my zone 7 garden hopefully. It grows 5-8' tall and wide and blooms June-July on old wood.

Visiting our local Botanical Gardens...

2008-07-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

Our local Botanical Garden is located in Norfolk. They have different types of gardens displayed as well as a variety of plants. What a treat to see plants in person that I don't have growing in my own yard. There was so much to see that I took more pictures that I could possibly put in one post. So I will have various things to share with you over the next couple of days.

The first garden we visited was the Perennial Garden. Some of the plants they had growing there were in my own garden at home such as Purple Coneflowers, Blackeyed Susans etc. The beds were well groomed and maintained. Here is a small area of the Perennial Garden.

Another garden that I enjoyed was the Butterfly Garden. They had a chart at the entrance showing all the different types of butterflies that you would probably see in the garden as well as some of the plants that attracted butterflies. The bees seemed pretty happy buzzing around too.The Rose Garden was spectacular! It was so large I couldn't even get a picture of the entire area in one shot. They must of had at least a thousand different roses. It smelled heavenly.
They did a green roof on this building made of sedums. This type of roof uses a waterproof membrane that covers a copper sheetl. They place planting boxes filled with lightweight soil on top of the membrane. This type of roof reduces energy use and improves air quality as well as being attractive. They are using these on some commercial buildings now. Isn't this cool?

Of course they also had a dessert garden for display. There were a variety of cactus and other plants that would grow in an arid region. It felt like we had stepped into a dessert in Arizona.

The oriental garden was very formal and minimal in its design. This is where I took the picture of the Lotus that I posted for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day yesterday. That was the only flower in the entire garden. Everything was green and sculptured and simple.
They even had a Colonial Garden. The path is made of shells and the beds are filled with plants that would of grown in the early colonial days. I love the white picket fence that surrounds it.

For families with small children they added a children's garden this year. Some of the features were this tree house with a thatch roof, water fountains the kids could play in, areas set up where you could dig in the dirt, a bug wall and a playhouse. We walked through it and I wish my boys were young again. They would of loved something like that.
Right next to the Children's Garden was a native plants and vegetable garden. Isn't the scarecrow fun? They had corn, tomatoes, and even grapevines growing in this area.
Last but not least was the meadow garden. It was filled with all kinds of wildflowers. I bet this garden is a sight to see in the spring when everything is coming into bloom. There are quite a few blooms like the Stokes Aster I posted about yesterday and you can see alot of the Queen Anne's Lace spattered about in the meadow. I hope you enjoyed a brief tour of my local Botanical Garden. If you have one in your area you should visit. It is an educational experience.

Botanical Blooms (for GBBD July)

2008-07-15T07:49:00.003-04:00

There was nothing new blooming in my yard as of today so I figured I would share all the nice blooms I saw at the Botanical Gardens yesterday. These are plants I don't have growing in my garden so that makes them interesting to me as well. I hope you enjoy my Garden Blogger's Bloom Day this July 15th 2008. To see more GBBD posts please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to view her wonderful blooms as well as see everyone else who posted for GBBD July 15th 2008.

Happy Anniversary

2008-07-14T18:06:00.003-04:00

Today is my 20th anniversary with my wonderful husband. We celebrated the day by doing our annual visit to the local Botanical Garden in our area followed by a nice dinner for two at our favorite restaurant. I will have tons of pictures to post about the gardens. So until tomorrow, hope everyone has a nice evening.

It's a green day...

2008-07-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy. ~Astrid Alauda

The Rose Garden at Huntington Park

2008-07-12T11:44:00.000-04:00

The Rose Garden at Huntington Park is our city's gift to the community. The garden is located in historic Huntington Park which was donated to the City of Newport News in 1924 by Henry E. Huntington, an official of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. He was the nephew of Collis P. Huntington (1821-1900) who brought the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to Newport News Point in the 1880's and founded the modern city of Newport News. During the 1960's our city decided that we needed a public rose garden. The garden opened in 1970 as a joint effort between the city and the Virginia Peninsula Rose Society. The garden has been added to and renovated many times over the last 38 years. In the spring of 2008, 25 beds had total soil replacement to a depth of 18 inches and new roses were planted which included 54 new varieties and a trellis was installed (photo to the left) to the main entrance of the garden with "New Dawn" climbing roses (not in bloom at the moment unfortunately). All of the projects are supported through donations. This garden can be reserved for weddings and tours as well as educational programs to learn more about growing roses. There are 74 varieties in the 1000 bush garden which include Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas, Climbers, Shrub and Miniature Roses. Most of the roses planted were chosen for their adaptability and hardiness. In the 1980's trellises were added in four beds to grow climbing roses and brick edging borders were installed in the beds. On the trellis to the left they planted "Don Juan" climbing roses. They are a beautiful deep red fragrant climber. You can see the brick edging and the formal layout of the beds. There are miniature white "Cinderella" roses planted around the border of this bed. The opposite side of the garden has trellises with "Iceberg" climbing roses. The beds were arranged by color and grouped by variety with plaques attached to the brick edging to identify each variety. The city has hired a rosarian team to maintain the gardens. I found several varieties that I would like to grow in my own garden. For example, this beautiful red rose (picture to the right) is the Hybrid Tea "Opening Night". While a lot of the roses were getting ready for their second big flush and trying to recover from a week of rain, this diva was in full glory. Another rose that caught my eye was this charming yellow rose called "Mellow Yellow" (picture to the left). The blooms were buttery yellow with a white striping almost on their outer petals. I love yellow roses, but it has been my experience that they don't seem to be as robust and hardy in my garden as say the red and pink rose varieties. This one seems to be an exception to that though. In fact, I think I would be willing to give this variety a try in my rose bed. I also noticed that it didn't seem to be as susceptible to the dreaded "black spot" as some of the other hybrid teas they had growing there. Of course, we have had quite a lot of rain so far this summer and that has probably caused some problems with fungus and other diseases in The Rose Garden, especially with the amount of hybrid teas they have planted there. They also have an area devoted to the "Knockout" collection of roses on the market now. I have those growing in my own garden and have found them quite hardy and almost completely void of disease. But I have to say my favorite part was the gazebo that was located in the center of the garden. Isn't this a charming place to sit and enjoy not only the beauty of these roses but the simple elegance of this formal setting in the middle of a city park? Wouldn't you just love to just spend the afternoon here with a book absorbing all of nature around you? I know I would, and I hope you enjoyed the visit to The Rose Garden at Huntington Park in Newport News, Virginia. Another treasure my city should be proud to exhibit to the public and visitors to our area.

Our flying friends...

2008-07-11T07:24:00.003-04:00

Butterflies are not insects. . . . They are self-propelled flowers.

- Robert A. Heinlein

They grow up so fast

2008-07-10T22:15:00.000-04:00

It's been raining on and off since last Friday so I figured between showers I would get some pictures of my cucumber and cherry tomato plants. As some of you might recall I kind of got a late start this season with my veggies. I planted them on June 24th and boy have they grown since then. Of course this rain isn't hurting their progress in that department. The two upper pictures in each set are the photos I took on June 24th when I planted them.

Is this some progress or what? In the second picture you can even see a few blossoms peaking through the folliage. They appear to be just male blossoms at the moment. Hopefully soon I will

be getting some female blossoms followed by cucumbers.

Now my cherry tomato has been producing new growth as well. I even have some tiny yellow blossoms forming in several areas of the plant which is exciting. I'm sure I will have to hold out a while longer but at least everything is doing well at the moment.

Doesn't look purple to me...

2008-07-09T07:41:00.003-04:00

Last month as some of you might recall I bought what was labeled a Agastache scrophularifolia "Purple Giant Hyssop" at the Native Plant Sale given each year three times a year by our Virginia Living Museum. All the plant species are grown on site for display purposes of local fauna. As you can see in the picture to the left this is what the plant should look like in full bloom. I found this picture online at the Connecticut Botanical Society website. Here are the specifications they listed for this plant:
• Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
• Habitat: moist woods, thickets
• Height: 2-5 feet
• Flower size: 1/4 inch, in spikes 2-3 inches high
• Flower color: purple
• Flowering time: July to September
• Origin: native (endangered in Connecticut)
The specifications I was given for the plant when I bought it were similar except they added that the flowers were fragrant and the foliage licorice scented. And that if you deadheaded you would get a second flush of blooms. Anyhow the plant is blooming now and I posted the picture yesterday for Bloomin' Tuesday. Except as you can see in the next photo it isn't purple at all. This bloom is white, not purple or even lavender. Don't you just hate when that happens? Now, I specifically bought the plant because it was suppose to be purple flowering. I've grown this before in my garden. It is a big bee magnet as well as butterflies and birds. I wasn't able to find any information about the white that was helpful. In fact the pictures they had online didn't look anything like my plant. Another thing I noticed is that the folliage is different. In the first picture the folliage is a deeper green while the leaves on mine are a bright lime color. It will be interesting to see what this plant looks like as it continues to bloom over the summer. Maybe their mistake is my blessing.

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-07-08T00:02:00.003-04:00

I know some of these flowers were posted last week, but they are still blooming their hearts out so I gave them the spotlight once more. The only flower that isn't actually in my garden is the Rose of Sharon, but it peeks over my fence from the neighbors yard so it is a borrowed view. To see more Bloomin' Tuesday posts go to http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/

In the limelight...

2008-07-07T08:44:00.007-04:00

Hydrangea "Limelight" is a hardy shrub from Holland. It has bright green flower heads which bloom right up until the autumn when they fade to a pinkish color. This hydrangea looks great with other color plants in the garden. I have it next to my burgundy Cannas and it is a great combination. The flower heads can be brought into the house as either fresh or dried bouquets. Now the best part is the pH of the soil makes no difference for this hydrangea, it stays true to form. In addition, Limelight will take more sunlight than my mop heads and lace caps without getting the afternoon droops. Here are the specifications on a wonderful addition to my garden:
Hardiness: USDA Zone 3 -8
Bloom Time: July - early August (blooms remain thru fall)
Bloom color: lime green, not affected by pH
Foliage color: Dark Green
Fall color: Green with a tinge of yellow. (sometimes purplish)
Size: 6 to 8 feet high and wide. Is easy to keep as a small shrub or train into a tree.
Exposure: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Prefers good, loamy soil. Adaptable to different soil types. Urban tolerant and very difficult to kill.
Pruning: late fall or early spring. Blooms on new wood. Prune off spent flowers. Cutting the plant back from 1/2 to 1/3 will result in larger flowers.
Watering: Medium moisture. Will tolerant drought once established.
Type: Deciduous
Fertilizing: Early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees & shrubs.
Uses: perennial or shrub borders, specimen, screens or hedges.

Too much of good thing?

2008-07-06T13:57:00.007-04:00

There is old saying "Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it." I've been hoping and praying for rain and this weekend the heavens opened up. It started Friday night and then continued into this morning. This kind of weather makes gardening not an option. But I know my plants are grateful for the nice soaking and hopefully my lawn regains some of its former greenness from this spring. The heat has been a havoc on my lawn. It is at times like this I wish I had a built in irrigation system for my lawn and garden.
In this case, it might of been too much of a good thing. My poor Crepe Myrtle is flopped over from all that rain. Hopefully now that the sun is coming out the water logged blossoms will dry out and it will regain its posture. I've had crepe myrtle branches snap in the past from the weight of all that water on their flower heads. I'm hoping this isn't the case this time.
Just so I don't seem ungrateful completely, here is a positive thing. My rain barrels are so full they are bulging at the seams. This is how I water my plants throughout the summer for the most part unless I run out of course. They were getting somewhat low so I'm glad my supply of fresh rainwater has been replenished. Look how it is gushing out of the down spot. I have six 50 gallon capacity rain barrels in my yard, but with all the rain we got this weekend I wish I had twice that many.

Great Expectations

2008-07-05T08:00:00.006-04:00

I get excited when I see one of my plants is getting ready to bloom or has grown dramatically in a short period of time. Well I noticed today in my garden several plants that fell into that category. Remember I just planted my cherry tomato plant not even a month ago and not only has it doubled in size but today I noticed that it several little blooms that will open soon and after that I will be getting some tomatoes. I guess I didn't wait too long after all. Can you see the little yellow blossoms just waiting to burst open and produce some red juicy little tomatoes that I can't wait to put in my salads? I've grown cherry tomatoes in the past and had great success. They don't seem to mind our hot & dry summer climate. I've tried heirlooms and hybrids with less success. Plus I'm growing these in a large pot with a cage over it. It has really taken off since that rainstorm we got last week. The plant literally grew 3-4 inches overnight. Now this is not the only plant that has started to come into bud in my garden. My Forever & Always "Red" Hydrangeas have several buds on them. I have to admit I am curious to see if the blooms are actually red or even a pinkish shade in color, because all my hydrangeas are blue due to my acidic soil. These are suppose to be true to color, we'll see I guess. There is one more hydrangea that is setting bud in my garden too right now. The Hydrangea "Limelight" which originally I had thought was "Annabelle" for some reason. I planted this particular plant about 5 years ago in my back garden in the corner of the Arbor Bed. It is a great selection for any garden. For one thing it can tolerate alittle more sun than the other hydrangeas I have in my yard. The buds are a chartreuse shade before they open to a pale green and almost creamy color. As they age over the season they take on almost a pinkish appearance when they dry. I tried to get a better picture of this but the sun was not being cooperative this morning. But yes the buds are a yellowish-green in appearance. Like most hydrangeas it blooms off of new wood. In past years, I would cut this back in the fall or early spring. This year I forgot to give it a haircut so it is about 6 foot tall, but it still looks fantastic planted near my burgundy cannas, nandinas and fountain grass. The leaves on this hydrangea are somewhat different than my mopheads and lacecap hydrangeas. They are narrower and don't wilt in the noon day sun. In fact this plant will bloom right up to the first hard frost and you can leave the dry flower heads on it for interest. I cut them off and bring them inside myself when I give the plant its annual haircut. Now another plant that is starting to take off in my garden is the Blackeyed Susan Vine that I planted from seed near my tv antennae turned trellis. As you will see in the picture to the left the seedling has grown at least another inch since I posted about it last a few days ago. I've had several of my blogging friends tell me how much they love this plant and how easy it is to grow. The picture on the seed packet sold me. It looks like the plant should start winding it's way up the legs of the trellis soon. I planted several seeds by each leg and weeded out the extras once everything started sprouting. This garden has purple and yellow blooms so I am excited to have some yellow growing vertically in this bed. In addition I have Clematis planted on a trellis on the shed wall which this bed butts up to. So it looks like I should have a variety of vertical interest in this area. So on this holiday weekend I have great expectations of what's to come in my garden beds. Hope everyone has a safe & happy holiday.

Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. ~Mrs. C.W. Earle

Blotanical the place to meet great people

2008-07-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

I’m fairly new to the blogging community. On the other hand I've been gardening in some format for over 20 years and watching my Grandmother garden for many years before that. With some encouragement from my mom, I just started my blog in May of this year. When I started searching for other garden bloggers I noticed that most of them had a Blotanical Banner on their sidebar. Because I was so new to blogging and curious on how to meet more enthusiastic gardeners like myself I clicked on it. Immediately I knew that this was something I wanted to get involved in. My membership began on June 16, 2008 and everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I enjoy the picks section of Blotanical the most. Not only will you find popular posts in this section but posts from brand new gardening blog members as well. These picks are updated daily 24 hours a day. It is interesting to read the posts of other gardeners all over the country and world are growing in their own gardens. If you like the post you can pick it. You will also earn points for picking posts that you enjoy. There are many knowledgeable and creative gardeners in the blogging community. Most of them belong to Blotanical. They really are the site “Where garden blogs bloom”. During this time I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of very nice and interesting people. There are many benefits to joining a garden blogging community like Blotanical. First you get to meet other people who have similar interests to yourself. Then you get the opportunity to further your knowledge about gardening as well as learn new and creative ways to grow plants or to improve your garden. Last but not least the amount of traffic on your own personal blog will increase. More people will know you are out there and will visit your blog. So if you are new to the blogging community and a garden blogger at that, please come join Blotanical by clicking on this link and feel free to send me a message. I would love to hear from you!

Reliable Annuals in my Summer Garden

2008-07-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

The majority of my zone 7 garden is perennials, bulbs, trees, and ornamental shrubs. But I must admit I do plant some annuals in my garden each year. Annuals are great for pots, hanging baskets and areas where you just want to add some instant color. In fact I planted some annuals in my new garden bed to add some seasonal color. I always plant annuals in my containers.

I plant Catharanthus (Madagascar Periwinkle) in large pots in my garden. Periwinkle is a herbaceous perennial but is actually treated as an annual in my area. It will readily reseed from year to year but I haven't had any luck with the plant overwintering. Now here is an interesting fact, the sap from this plant is used to treat Leukemia. In some areas I guess this plant could be considered invasive, but I've never experienced that problem in my garden.
Angelonia is my new favorite annual for the summer garden. This little gem has been blooming it's heart out for the past month. It seems to be low maintenance as far as deadheading and watering. The area where it is planted is quite dry and hot and it is thriving. This is actually a perennial plant for zones 9-11 It seems to be a reliable drought tolerant annual for the garden or even as a potted plant. This plant also comes in white or a two toned of white and blue.
I'm not crasy about ornamental grasses in the garden. Most of them tend to be quite invasive. But this Pennisetum "Purple Fountain Grass" is a good selection. In my zone 7 garden it is an annual so it will not overwinter. I don't mind having to purchase it every year because it easy to find and inexpensive. It grows quickly and has beautiful purple fuzzy blooms. The seed heads fade to a pinkish color in the fall. It will keep on blooming until the first hard frost here and then it dies back and you just pull out the rootball. It looks great in pots or in the garden.
Petunia integrifolia "Purple Wave" series is a great annual for hanging baskets. It blooms almost non-stop through the season. The best part is you don't have to deadhead it as meticulously as you do most petunias. I do give it a haircut in the middle of summer because it can get quite leggy come mid July. But it bounces back quick and blooms until frost.

Support Your Plants!

2008-07-02T03:01:00.000-04:00

What I mean is provide structural support for your plants. Anyone that has ever grown plants of any sort whether they be ornamental or edible knows that some plants need some type of structure to grow on or through. This could be something as simple as a tomato cage for your vegetables such as the cage that I doubled up to the left for my cucumber plant. (which by the way has doubled in size since that rainstorm we got 2 nights ago) I have used this to support other tall plants too that like to flop over in the rain or wind like a dahlia. There is nothing worse in my book than a floppy plant. I've been known to run out during a rainstorm to stake plants that are laying with their faces in the mud. Which brings me to the most common and easiest plant support in the garden; the plant stake. A stick basically that is either made out of metal coated with plastic, bamboo, a spiral stake, or a simple wooden stake. I have several of these in my garden shed because you never know when you have to hold up a heavy stalk or a huge droopy peony bloom. Most of the time I just stick it into the ground next to the flopping stem so it can lean against the stake. It is a temporary solution but for a blossom that is short lived such as an Iris it works. Plus I usually forget to bring the twine or that plastic tape with me when I need to stake something. Now what I really hate is when people gather the whole plant together and tie it to the stake, it just looks so unnatural. But if you have plants that are by nature not structurally strong you could invest in a plant grow-thru ring. I find these extremely effective with Peonies, Yarrow and Soapwort. As you can see to the left I gave my Soapwort a drastic haircut the other day but it should bounce back good as new. It has a tendency to get kind of leggy as the summer progresses. Plus it is also slightly invasive so I doubt I killed it that easily. Anyhow, the grow-thru ring can be purchased at your local home improvement store or through a mail order source. You can also get a open ring or an open double ring (no grid). The open double ring works well for dahlias or peonies. When the plant is dormant or still small you put this on top of it by pushing the three rubber coated metal legs into the ground at a low level. As the plant grows you can adjust the height of the support. Most plants will eventually get so full that you won't even see the support. And this one is green so it blends in pretty well in the garden. There are also the plants that need a support to climb on such as vines or roses. This could be a trellis, arbor, pergola or even a TV antennae turned garden art. I took this old metal TV antennae tower painted it with bronze spray paint, put rebar stakes into the ground and placed it on top of the rebar to make it stationary. (the legs are hollow) Then I planted Black-eyed Susan vine seeds near the base of each leg to grow on it. I don't know if you can make out in the bottom right corner the small green seedling. Two seeds have sprouted and one has doubled in size in the past 2 days. I can't wait to see this scurry up the trellis and bloom. There are also decorative trellises that you can purchase to grow your vines or roses on. I happen to have three heart shaped trellises in my Rose Garden that my boys gave me for Mother's Day one year. I have Clematis "Niobe" growing on all three. In the picture to the left you can kind of make out the curved shape. A simple wooden trellis or piece of lattice attached to a building or fence will serve the same function. Or you could even get a nice arbor to make an entrance to a garden and grow roses or some type of perennial or annual vine on it. I have an arbor in one of gardens that I have a "Bonica" Rose and a "Nelly Moser" Clematis growing on. They are both pink and complement each other nicely. You can also attach fishing line to a wall with eye hooks to support your climbing plants. That is even simpler and cost effective. I've used bamboo poles lashed together in tee pee shape as a structure for climbing vines too. This works really well with an annual vine that doesn't get too tall such as Scarlett Runner Bean. So as you can see there are numerous ways you can support your plants as well as provide some structure to your garden in the process. It is also a good way to provide some vertical interest.

Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-07-01T04:00:00.000-04:00

I was invited by Jean at Ms Green "Thumb" Jean to join in Bloomin Tuesday this week. So here is my contribution to celebrate our blooms for the week. I'm starting out with some of my new plants because it's exciting that the majority of them are blooming at the moment.

Verbena hastata "Blue Vervain". The flowers are almost irridescent in the sunlight.

My Butterfly Weed has it's first little orange blossom. So far the plant seems to be doing well. You can see here that the mulch is nice and moist from the rainfall we received. According to the tag this plant likes dry soil and this area is a dry area in my garden minus the rain.

The Balloon Flowers burst open this morning after the downpour last night. I guess the rain woke them up. They were covered in balloon shaped buds for a couple of days and they needed some inspiration to bloom.

The Crepe Myrtle that wouldn't die is covered in blossoms right now. The branches were somewhat floppy this morning but the blooms were still intact. This is one of my favorite trees in this area. They are planted all over my city and they are stunning when they are massed together.

The Liatris & Butterfly Bush are coexisting in this space. They both attract butterflies and bees.

I've been tagged!

2008-06-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged by my mom of Cooking In Cleveland and this comes with rules.

The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here are my six random things:
1. I'm a mother of 2 teenage boys
2. I've been married for 20 years
3. I love watching DIY Shows and gardening shows (of course)
4. I was in the Navy for 7 years
5. My favorite color is blue (in the garden too)
6. My first car was a mustang (it was blue!)

Here are the people I'm tagging:
Susie of Digging in the Dirt
Beckie of Dragonfly Corner
Chris of North Dakota Garden
Laurie of Miss-Flower
Linda of Meadowview Thymes
Karen of karen's place-gardening in indiana

Big Green Leaf Day

2008-06-30T03:31:00.000-04:00

Here is my contribution to "Big Green Leaf Day" for Emma @ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/06/the-big-green-l.html

Grandma's Garden Revisited

2008-06-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month I blogged about my grandma's garden. Just to refresh your memory or for the new visitors to my blog, my grandparents have lived with us for three years now. After they moved in we created a large flower bed for my grandmother who is an avid gardener just like me. The bed is 30 feet long and 41/2 feet deep. She has plenty of room to tinker the day away. My grandparents raised me so I grew up watching grandma plant her flower borders and her vegetable garden. In fact, she inspired my own passion for digging in the dirt at a early age. This is my tribute to my gardening mentor...

The Echinacea "Purple Coneflower" are blooming their hearts out. You can also see some marigolds, petunias and gerber daisies in the foreground. Her birdhouse looks at home hiding amongst the blooms. There is also some Rubeckia "Blackeyed Susans" to the left in bud.
These daisies were much taller last year, but their stunted growth hasn't deterred the flowers. When they first open the petals are a pale yellow. I don't know the name of this particular plant. My grandma loves to plant the annuals Pelargonium "Hybrid Geraniums" each year. Sometimes she pots them up to put on her deck, but this year she planted them in her garden. They look sweet in this curved area of the border. She also has some annual Verbena creeping between the stepping stones (to the right of the picture).
These Rubeckia "Blackeyed Susans" are just starting to open. She has the first blooms of the year. I can't imagine a summer garden without Blackeyed Susans. They are a cheerful flower.
Her mass of Shasta Daisies is enormous this year. In fact, she has another mass like this in the garden. I think we will be dividing the daisies this fall. This is her favorite flower next to roses.

Native Plants

2008-06-27T22:27:00.000-04:00

Every spring, summer & fall our local Virginia Living Museum holds a Native Plant Sale. This summer it was scheduled today and tomorrow from 9-3 in their parking lot. These plants are grown from seeds and cuttings at the museum. They have trained gardeners at the museum to help you with selections and to answer questions about the plants. Admission is free. This year they had over 70 selections of native plant species to choose from. I brought home five plants myself. The museum offers only nursery or garden propagated natives, many of which are unavailable through local retail outlets. Most of the plants are drought tolerant or will do well in wet areas such as a water garden. They even listed on the information sheets that were handed out what type of wildlife each plant attracted. Here are pictures of the plants I chose: Agastache scrophularifolia "Purple Giant Hyssop" blooms from Jul-Sep, gets 2-4 feet tall, prefers rich-average well drained soil, has fragrant flowers and foliage that attracts butterflies, bees & birds. If you deadhead it will re bloom. This plant prefers Full Sun - Part Shade. Ruellia humilis "Wild Petunia" blooms May-Sep, has lavender-blue flowers that look like tissue paper, grows 1-2 feet tall, prefers average-well drained-dry soil, drought tolerant, is a host plant for butterflies and prefers full sun-part shade conditions. Penistemon digitalis "Smooth Beardtongue" blooms from May-Jun, grows 2-6ft, prefers average-well drained dry soil, spreads through seeds will need to deadhead to keep from reseeding, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and likes Sun-part shade conditions. The flowers are white snapdragon-like with pink stripes in their throats. Did you notice the little black head to the right? Spaz refused to get out of the shot. Aclepias verticilata "Whorled Milkweed" blooms Jun-Sep, has clusters of white flowers atop stems of slender grassy foliage, grows 1-3 ft tall, prefers sun-part shade conditions, likes average-poor well drained dry soil, drought tolerant and deer resistant and is host for butterflies. The blossoms are attractive to bees as well.
Verbena hastata "Blue Vervain" blooms from Jun-Oct, has small-tubular blue flowers on spiky foliage, grows 2-6 ft, prefers average-poor well drained moist soil, likes sun-part shade, great in meadow gardens, and attracts birds, bumblebees and butterflies.

I couldn't resist

2008-06-27T14:21:00.000-04:00

I went to our local home improvement store yesterday and I couldn't resist looking at the perennials in the garden center. They had some healthy looking specimens and the prices were great! So then I couldn't resist buying a few. Well, I do need some more plants for my new garden bed. I know June isn't the best time of the year to get new perennials established in the garden. But these are old standbys that will do great I think. Here's what I bought: "Sentimental Blue" Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus, Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa, and "Goldsturm" Black Eyed Susan Rubeckia fulgida. These plants handle our hot summers well and once they are established will deal with the lack of rain as well.

Here is a picture after I planted them last evening. See I waited until the sun was somewhat low in the sky and gave them all a healthy drink of water from the rain barrels (of course). I think they will be happy in my new yellow & purple garden. Notice there are still some bare spots in this garden. Some of this will be taken up by the plants once they have time to really fill out. Some of this space will be reserved for other plants that I need to divide this fall such as Liatris, Phlox, daylillies etc... The grasses near the fence are annuals so they will be replaced in the fall with perennials. You can also see where I placed my cucumber and tomato plants that are in pots. All in all, I am pleased with how this garden is looking so far.

In this picture you can see the top of my converted TV Antenna to trellis. You can also see the other plantings. The first two green plants are the Forever & Always Hydrangeas. The next two green plants are the Butterfly Weed. I think the Butterfly Weed should be happy here. It gets sun from morning till about 1 or 2 pm. Also it states on the tag that it likes a dry border area. This area is very dry. I have to give my Hydrangeas extra drinks during the day to keep them from drying out too much. Once my Blackeye Susan Vine covers the trellis it should be really pretty. There is a swing that sits in front of this bed so it is a nice place to sit in the evening with a cool drink.

Oh I couldn't resist sneaking in a picture of my Roses & Phlox in the rose bed. There is some Liatris blooming to the far right corner too.

I'm seeing orange...

2008-06-26T17:43:00.000-04:00

I do like the color orange, but I just realized that I have alot of orange flowers blooming right now. In fact, I have more orange flowers blooming than any other color at the moment. Here is a glimpse of the blooms. Look my Tiger Lillies are finally open! I went out this morning and I had 3 blooms! I love their brown speckled faces. I wish they didn't face towards the ground. This is actually in my Grandma's Garden. She loves Gerber Daisies. It's bright and cheery!

My neighbor gave me these, he said their Double Daylillies. Grandma called them Ditch Lillies. I personally think they are prettier than the common old Ditch Lillies. They look like a sunset.
Now this the brightest orange Daylilly. It actually looks salmon colored in the evening light. I don't know the names for any of these blooms. They were all pass-a-long plants other than the Gerber Daisy in Grandma's Garden.

Who needs blooms?

2008-06-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

Now don't get me wrong I love flowers as much as the next gardener. But let's face it some perennials have such a short bloom cycle or the flower is just an afterthought. For example this Heucera "Plum Pudding" has burgundy foliage with a silver marbled finish. The flower themselves are delicate and nothing special. I'm just more interested in the foliage itself.

How about this Lirope Muscari "Variegata". I prefer this to the common Lirope, because it isn't invasive. The leaf edges are lined with cream. Now the flowers on this plant are a lovely lilac shade, but the rest of the season you still have something interesting in your garden.

I've had this burgundy Canna in my yard for years. This was a pass-a-long plant from my Grandmother's neighbor. Unfortunately I don't know the name, but I find the foliage striking. When they first open the inner part of the leaves are green with burgundy veining. It is a nice contrast to many plants. The flowers are spikes of red. This plant is very prolific in my garden and I don't dig it up in the fall. It comes back every year.

Solomon's Seal "Variegatum" is another favorite of mine for the shady parts of my garden. The stems are a bright red and the leaves have a cream margin. It bears tiny white bell-shaped flowers in the spring. The foliage lasts throughout the summer and looks great in floral arrangements. I bought this particular plant 5 yrs ago and it multiplies each year.

Last but not least is the Calla Lily (name unknown) that my neighbor gave me a piece of a few years ago. This plant has white and yellow speckles on the leaves. The flowers are white and bloom for quite a long time. I've planted this in part sun and full sun and it does well.

Caring for Roses

2008-06-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has roses know they are susceptible to many diseases including powdery mildew, rust and black spot. The main problem I have in my garden is with black spot. Black spot is caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae. This disease will cause the plant to lose all of its leaves if left untreated. The spots can range in size from 1/16 of an inch to 1/2 inch. Surrounding the black spot will be a yellow circle and these leaves will eventually fall off the plant. You have to be very meticulous about cleaning up all these infected leaves from your garden. Otherwise the disease will keep on spreading. Black spot is caused by water remaining on the leaves of the rosebush for several hours before drying. Therefore, roses are more vulnerable when it's raining. In addition, if you overhead water this can cause the same problem. I always water near the base of the plant so that the water is going to the roots. This disease can affect the rose canes as well as the flowers. To prevent this disease you need to do a thorough cleanup of your rose beds in the fall and cut back any parts of the cane that are affected as well. A fungicide schedule should be put in place preferably before the spots appear or at the first signs of infection during the summer months. This schedule will have to be followed through until the first frost in your area. Usually this will involve some spraying every 7-10 days. I try to stick to things that are friendly to the environment and I don't want to spray anything that will harm my pets or family. Plus I also don't want to harm the beneficial insects that frequent my garden daily. Fortunately, there are roses that are being introduced that are disease resistant such as the Knockout roses. I find these to be very easy to maintain. As you can see in the picture their foliage is very healthy and vigorous. They bloom for me prolifically from late April up until the first hard frost in the fall. The flowers are a single petal type like some of the old fashioned roses that probably grew in my great grandmother's garden 80 years ago. Personally, I think the flowers are sweet and simple. The color changes as they age as well. They start off this true red and fade to a violet-pink shade. The blooms are usually in large clusters so they really make a statement when the entire plant is at it's peak. In addition, you don't have to deadhead these roses as meticulously, they will keep blooming whether you cut the old flowers off or not. I tend to deadhead the faded blooms because I like a tidy garden. These also make great foundation plants because they are almost maintenance free. Every spring I cut them back to about 12"-15" from the ground and that is about all the maintenance they need. I don't even give them any extra water like I do my hybrids. They seem to tolerate the heat, drought, full sun, part sun or whatever you can throw at them. Wonderful additions to any garden setting.

True friendship is like a rose: we don't realize its beauty until it fades. - Evelyn Loeb

Did I wait too long?

2008-06-24T11:45:00.000-04:00

I normally plant some veggies in containers every year since I don't have a designated vegetable plot in my garden. This year I kind of procrastinated and waited too long. I could of planted some tomatoes and other various veggies as early as April 15th. The last frost date in my area if I remember right is April 10th. I've even planted tomatoes as early as March 30th in the past and had no problems. While visiting my local garden centers I did gaze at the vegetable plants for sale but for some reason I just never bought any. Well yesterday I was shopping for some plants and I came upon this tomato (Husky Cherry Red to the left) and the cucumber plant below (no tag-name unknown) and they were marked down 75%. For that price I said what the heck. I have nothing to lose. Since I already had the pots and cages at home, my investment was just these plants and some good potting soil. So for under $10.00 I took a chance and brought them home. Yesterday evening I potted them up, caged them, watered and placed them in the garden. I figure I can move the pots around since they are pretty light weight until I find a place they are happy. I doubled up the cage on the cucumber plant and ziptied them together to give it more room to vine. I think I do the same for the tomato. I also staked the cage as extra reinforcement for the cherry tomato. What the heck I might not get any of these tasty veggies until late August or September but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our season of growing can extend into October. Our temperatures in the fall can be either extremely mild or "Indian Summer" like, it varies from year to year. In 2004 we had Hurricane Isabel destroy our gardens, trees, homes etc.. in September. You just can never tell with Virginia.

Anticipation...

2008-06-23T22:57:00.000-04:00

Anticipation, Is makin' me late, Is keepin' me waitin (as the Carly Simon song goes)

I've been waiting for a couple weeks now for these Tiger Lillies to bloom.

Is this egg ever going to hatch? Is mama bird coming back?

Spaz waiting for the squirrel to come down from the tree.

A Room With a View

2008-06-22T22:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first garden bed that I created 11 years ago. This is my attempt at a garden room. You enter through the arch and follow the path around the circular center bed until you come to the bench tucked in one corner. You can sit and enjoy the view while you sip your coffee. I can't take credit for the shape of the bed, it was already more or less this size when we bought the house 11 years ago. There was a common old pine tree, some lirope, nandinas and a large mass of irises growing here. It wasn't a garden per se, but more of a dumping ground. The previous owner used this area to pile his debris from the yard. Leaves, grass clippings etc. Not too long after we moved in I had my husband remove the pine tree that looked like an enormous Christmas tree with branches growing to the base of the trunk. Once that was gone I had a better idea of what I was dealing with. The soil back here was loamy, it was basically 6-8 inches of pure compost. I immediately wanted to do something special with this area. The first year I planted a wild flower garden here but it was more unruly than I initially intended. The second year I came up with the plan to make the circular bed with the path and the arbor. The original arbor was a cheap aluminum one from a discount store, it lasted a couple of years. This one was given to me as a Mother's Day Present as well as the birdbath in the center. The bench (the red object to the far right corner) was a curb find 5 or 6 years ago that I give a coat of red paint every year. The plants have evolved or changed through the years. The bed changes through the seasons as you will see in the next photo that was taken just a month ago. In this picture you will also be able to see the true size of this garden bed. There is always something in bloom most of the year. From the daffodils and candytuff in the early spring to the red berries of the Nandinas in the fall & winter months. This is the view from my kitchen window year round. I love doing dishes and looking out at this beautiful view every evening. It is also a perfect view from the patio in the morning while I drink my coffee. In the picture to the right you can see the faint yellow of the daylillies and the red planter (to the left) is an old washtub that I spray painted red like the bench. I have miniature Irises and Obedient Plant growing in this container. That washtub has evolved over the years as well. It was the only garden I had in our last residence which was an apartment. I had this on my front porch painted bright blue and filled with annuals every year. I've had that washtub for going on 20 years now and it is still one of my favorite things in the garden. In the picture below you will see how the garden looked 2 months ago at the beginning of our gardening season. You will see see the Nelly Moser Clematis and a pink climbing rose that I called "Old Blush" in a earlier post but actually the name is "Bonica" growing on the arbor. The blooms grow in clusters and they are extremely fragrant. The "Nelly Moser" has the
the largest blooms I've ever seen on a clematis. They almost don't look real. They are a light pink with a darker pink stripe down the center of the petal. Everything in this bed comes back up every year. I have ornamental shrubs, tiger lillies, cannas, roses, daylillies, nandinas, blackeye susans, verbenas, liatris, candytuff, and various spring blooming bulbs growing in this garden. There is also a vine that is growing in the back corner that is evergreen. It is a native vine that grows prolifically in this area. I don't know the name but it has delicate little white flowers in the late summer. It has a tendancy to take over that area in the summer. I have to keep it in check on a weekly basis by giving it a haircut. I'm thinking of replacing it with a clematis this fall. This bed gets morning sun and afternoon part shade. I find that is the best situation for plants in this area during the summer months. The heat can be pretty tough on most plants. I find that the Nandinas will grow in any type of conditions from full sun - full shade. They are pretty adaptable and the best part is they are evergreen. I hope you enjoyed the room with a view.

The Benefits of Mulch

2008-06-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

I have been a big supporter of mulch for the past 20 years. It has many benefits to the garden. Mulch acts as a weed control for the garden, it helps retain moisture in the soil, adds another source of organic material that will decompose in the garden and last but not least it completes the picture. Let's face it, a garden that is mulched looks pretty and finished. When I was growing up I noticed my grandmother didn't use mulch in her flower beds or vegetable gardens. I asked her about this years later and she said it kept things from reseeding in the garden. She grows mostly annuals every year and relies on the reseeding to help keep her flower beds thriving with volunteer plants. Now I have to admit she is right about it eliminating the reseeding. But there are a numerous amount of plants and weeds if you let them reseed freely in the garden they would take over the garden completely. So cutting down on the reseeding isn't a con to mulching in my book. Normally I get my mulch from the city recycling facility. They collect leaves and other garden debris every year from the curb and turn this into mulch and compost which they turn around and sell back to the public for a fair price. I have found over the years that they have the best mulch and compost that money can buy. And believe me I have tried other sources such as companies that deliver as well as the stuff you can buy in bags at your local garden centers. Unfortunately if that stuff hasn't had time to really age and decompose properly you end up with tons of weed seeds and large chunks of bark that I don't find appealing in the landscape. The only drawback to getting the stuff I want from the city is that you have to pick it up yourself and unload it yourself which isn't always an option. This year to save ourselves some work we ordered 2 cubic yards of mulch from a local company that also delivers. It was decent looking but two weeks later I noticed numerous weeds had sprouted in my garden beds. We decided this year that we will invest in a trailer that we can take to the city to pickup the mulch/or compost. This way I can park the trailer in the backyard and unload into a wheelbarrow what I intend to put down at the moment. Therefore I can take my time mulching or putting compost in all the beds instead of racing to get it done. Because if you put the pile in the grass, the grass dies and if you put it in the driveway it leaves a brown stain on the concrete. So the trailer will eliminate both of these problems. But today I will be mulching my new bed with bags of mulch I purchased from our local garden center. So in the 1st picture you will see the bed partially done and in the second picture the mulching is completed. What a difference! Also I replaced the trellis I had mounted on the shed (it was plastic and falling apart) with a new wooden one that compliments the hanging planters. I also mounted my TV antennae turned trellis on to rebar stakes driven into the ground and planted some Blackeye Susan vine seeds around the base. Hopefully they should germinate in 7-10 days and grow quickly. All in all it was a productive day in the garden.

Even the richest soil, if left uncultivated will produce the rankest weeds. ~Leonardo da Vinci

Summer Rainstorms

2008-06-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

Last night I took this photo of the sky. At first it looked liked we were going to get a real storm with tons of rain. There was flashing and booming and then the sky opened up.

And here you can see it raining. I was thinking I was going to get a good amount for my garden.

But no, here is what the sky looked like not even 10 minutes later. What a teaser!

Birds, Blooms, & Bright Ideas

2008-06-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

I've had a feeding frenzy at my bird feeders lately. The birds are even sitting on the fence waiting for their turn. Some of them are patiently waiting, others are being rather vocal. The variety of birds I've seen in the yard lately has increased as well. I've seen Cardinals, Blackbirds, Wrens, Yellow Finches, Robins, Blue jays, Morning Doves and other small birds as well. There has also been some obvious Woodpecker sounds coming from the Pecan Tree.

Things are coming into bloom too. On the top my Croscosmia "Lucifer" is starting to open. The striking red color brightens my perennial border. On the bottom my Phlox Paniculata (variety unknown) is blooming. The fragrance of garden phlox is so pleasant. This particular specimen is a division from some babies I found growing along the main plant last fall. It has really filled out nicely this summer. I plan on dividing the main plant again this fall so I can have more of this pretty flower elsewhere in the garden. I've found this plant to be fairly maintenance free.

Notice the bronze metal object between the coreopsis in the new garden. This use to be in my woodland garden and it was painted white. It was cemented into the ground so I had my husband cut it down below the surface of the soil this year. The original structure was a TV antennae that was taller than my house. When we bought this house over 11 years ago my husband reduced the height to this size. My house is over 40 years old so it was probably here since the house was built in 1967 or shortly after that. I had the bright idea of reusing it for a trellis that I could grow an annual vine on. Anyone have any ideas? It would have to be something that doesn't grow too tall. The legs are hollow on the structure so I plan on driving some rebar into the ground to anchor it. That way I don't lose anymore height.

Here we go again...

2008-06-18T14:49:00.001-04:00

Spaz my little terrier mix is at it again. While I was sitting enjoying my ice tea in the garden last evening, she started running through my Hostas like a crazy woman. I went to see what the commotion was all about. I saw a mouse scurrying through my Hostas with Spaz in hot pursuit. She was determined to catch the poor little creature. Nothing would distract her from the situation at hand, not even a dog bisquit. And believe me, I tried.

Initially I was convinced she was going to destroy the poor Hostas in her determination to catch that mouse. Then I realized she was weaving in and out between the plants, crawling under the huge leaves very carefully. I was impressed that she didn't totally demolish my plants during the chase. She checked between each plant over and over again. The mouse got away.

Of course, Spaz didn't give up that easily. She checked behind the Nandinas and in between the Cannas as well. She even peaked under the fountain. The mouse was a goner. Spaz is the black thing behind the fountain in the picture. Just in case you didn't see her.

She even looked under the dwarf barberry just in case. That dog has alot of determination. I didn't think she would ever give up that hunt. I don't know what she thought she was going to do if she caught the poor little creature. Hopefully I wasn't going to be getting any presents. I get enough of those from the cat. Just kidding.

After the rain...

2008-06-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

We finally got some rain in Virginia. It's been a dry and hot couple of weeks. The rain barrels are all full now. Have you ever noticed after a good rainstorm that everything seems to bloom faster and get bigger almost overnight? For example, my daylillies were all buds for the past 2 days and this morning I had 2 large blooms. I love this particular plant. I don't know the name, it was a pass-a-long plant 10 years ago. I started with 1 small piece and now I have 3 large specimens. I could probably divide this particular one in the fall and get 3 more plants out of it easily. I like large full plants so I only divide when I know that a plant will really benefit from the division. Some plants such as daisies and irises will literally kill themselves out in the center of the plant unless you divide them every 2 years. Anyways, as I was saying, some plants really seem to jump after a rainstorm. While some plants seem to just flop after the rain.I can't stand a floppy plant. I have found that those grid supports work really well to keep certain plants from falling over when they reach a certain height. I just put it over them while they are dormant and they will grow right up through the support. It can be adjusted higher as the plant grows taller. This Soapwort is a prime example of being floppy, especially after a good rain. I have a grid support in the center of this plant. Doesn't it look so sloppy just flopping over the landscape timber? So this morning I went out and I adjusted the grid support which required the strength of "Hercules on the one leg. My husband actually had to come give me a hand with it. It didn't want to budge one centimeter. I should of adjusted the height about a month ago. But like most gardeners I don't always get around to doing things when I'm suppose to. I find these supports look much better than trying to stake things after the fact. So in the photo to the left you can see what an improvement it made just adjusting the height of the support did for the appearance of this plant. Now doesn't that look better? I think so. I also had some other chores to tend to while the ground is nice and soft from all that rain. I find weeding is much easier to accomplish while the soil is wet. Which is another thing. Doesn't it seem like the weeds grow as fast (maybe even faster) as the plants in our gardens after a good rain? The important thing is that it rained which means I don't have to run around randomly watering things with the watering can from my rain barrels and I don't have to drag any hoses out either. That is the only chore in the garden that is not fun. I would rather weed the garden than water it. Isn't that a shame?

Flying Flowers...

2008-06-16T13:20:00.000-04:00

I caught this beauty taking a breather in the dirt.

The same butterfly sunbathing on my hosta leaf.

This orange & brown beauty is tasting the nectar on my butterfly bush.

Here you can see his tiny legs resting on the blossoms

I caught this white one drinking from my salvia.

Blooming the day away.... (GBBD June 2008)

2008-06-15T14:38:00.000-04:00

The Phlox is just starting to bloom. The Asiatic Lillies and Soapwort have been blooming for the past few days. Orange and Pink is an unusual combination in the garden. Nature is like that.

Alliums planted with Orange-Red Croscosmia that will be blooming tomorrow or the next day. The Salvia and Coreopsis is still blooming their hearts out in the new bed.

Orange-yellow double daylillies intermingle with Purple leaf Cannas. The butterfly bush is starting to come into bloom. It smells heavenly.

Give me shelter...

2008-06-14T10:34:00.000-04:00

I created a new garden bed this summer and planted several of the Forever & Always Hydrangeas. At the time of planting I figured this would be a good location because a large tree is in this area. According to the planting instructions if you live in zone 7 & 8 they need part sun. I am zone 7b. I guess they are getting more sunlight (afternoon sun to be exact) than they desire. Plus we had three or four scorching days earlier this week. The poor little things got a touch of sun damage. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with a temporary solution to the problem. With the help of my clever and handy husband I created these shade structures for them to hide under during the hottest part of the day and so far so good. As you can see from the second photo they are just slapped together using wood trellis pieces, 4 2x2's cut down for legs and a leftover window screen I had hanging around in the shed collecting dust.

Now I realize it might not be the prettiest structure I ever put in my garden, but it seems to do the trick. And it was a simple project that my husband could knock out in 10 minutes flat. I've had some ideas on how I could make them look better. Like instead of the 2x2's for legs I could use the trellis on all 3 sides and staple some of that sunblock plastic screening to the trellis. That might look nicer. Anyone else have any ideas? I know there is a strong probability that I will have to move the hydrangeas this fall into a location that makes them happier. But for the moment this seems to keep the plants from scorching in our hot afternoon sunlight. I'm happier, the plants are happier and my husband is oblivious to my future modifications to his "completed" project. But I'll save that for another day...

Now I was out inspecting the garden this morning and stumbled upon my Grandmother's pink rosebush that was in full bloom. It was looking kind of scrawny earlier this week until I moved a Black-eye Susan that was too close for comfort. Hybrid roses are picky about their personal space. The rosebush seems to be happy and showing off by blooming it's heart out. She's happier too. (Grandma) I'm not a big fan of hybrid roses because they are needy plants. I don't do needy. They get black spot and constantly need to be deadheaded etc... But I have to admit this is one pretty pink rose. Here is a closeup of a single bloom.

As I was saying I prefer plants that are not so needy. However, my grandma has always loved Roses and annuals in her garden beds. I like perennials especially native perennials that can adapt to our changing climate. The rainy winters and springs, the dry summers and falls etc...

Pollinators and Predators

2008-06-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

I was out in my garden yesterday and saw this butterfly on my Verbena Bonariensis. Part of his lower wing was missing. I guess maybe a bird or some other predator got a nibble. This was the first butterfly I had seen in my yard for the season. Soon my butterfly bush will be in full bloom and it will be covered in Butterflies and Bees. My Verbena seems to be a big hit this year with the Yellow Finches, Bees and Butterflies. The butterfly is one of the main pollinators. They belong to the family Lepidoptera because of their unique life cycle.

The bumblebees seem to love this Coreopsis I planted in the new flower bed. But then again they seem to love all the flowers in my garden. Bees are the major source of pollination in flowering plants. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are related to wasps and ants and belong to the Apoidea family of insects.

I caught this dragonfly napping on the landscape timber in my border bed. I've never seen one this plain in color. When I was a child I remember the blueish-green ones that lingered near the water. Did you know that the dragonfly is a natural predator and that eats not only mosquitoes and flies but also bees and butterflies?

Garden Helper or Not?

2008-06-11T17:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I sifted all that beautiful black gold with my new garden sifter (made especially for me by my wonderful hubby). I had the lid off and my dog Spaz (who is part Jack Russell and part ???) jumped into the container and started digging like crazy.

It made me laugh, so I had to get a picture of her inside the bin. I told my son to run in and get the camera. He couldn't believe she jumped into the bin. So, I pulled her back out and she jumped in again. What I didn't realize at the time was that a mouse had made a nest behind my bin and that the babies were running around inside. But Spaz did! She was going crazy. And here I thought she was trying to be helpful by loosening up some of the compacted compost for me. Silly me! I should of known she had her own agenda.

Then today I'm out watering the new hydrangeas and I guess Spaz thought she could be of service again. So she starts digging a huge hole right in the middle of my new flower bed. If I could just train her to dig holes on command I could plant my perennials much quicker. Unfortunately, Spaz only digs holes where you don't want her to dig. She has been known to dig up an entire rose bush. Grandma wasn't happy about that. Oops! She's lucky she is so cute.

Does anyone else have a special Garden Helper like Spaz? A better question would be "Does anyone want a special Garden Helper like Spaz?" Just kidding Spaz. You know we love you!

Building a compost sifter

2008-06-10T14:42:00.000-04:00

Composting has many benefits to home gardeners as we all know. Unfortunately, not all material that goes into the compost bin breaks down at the same rate of time. Therefore, we must separate the decomposed material from the larger material that isn't through cooking. It could be quite time consuming to separate each material by hand. The process can be simplified with the use of a compost sifter. Making a compost sifter is a beginner level project. You just need some scrap wood, hardware cloth, and everyday tools. I found instructions from Lowe's for building a homemade compost sifter with handles so that it sits astride the wheelbarrow. This also makes sifting even easier on the back, arms and shoulders. In fact we used some scrap wood we had left over from doing a fence. I think it cost us about $40.00 to make this project. We slightly adapted the project to our needs. But the instructions will point you in the right direction. The more scraps/hardware you have already on hand the cheaper the cost. If you need detailed instructions you can go the following website:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=LawnGarden/CompSift

First we built a basic frame from 22 1/2" 2x2 lumber. We glued/screwed it together.

Then we stapled 1/2" hardware cloth to the frame wrapping the excess around the sides.

Then we screwed fence pickets we had left over, after cutting them down to the sides. We also glued and initially shot some nails in to the top to make it sturdy while we drilled the screwed in. Then we screwed the handles to the bottom of the frame which are 2-2x2's 48" in length.

And the fun part is shoveling the compost onto the hardware cloth. You hold onto 2 of the handles on one side of the wheelbarrow and slide the sifter back and forth. Very simple and not backbreaking in the least.

And just so you can see, here is the finished product. All the large stuff sifted out. I guess you could make your hardware cloth a smaller size. I felt 1/2 inch cloth was a good side. I'm not looking for perfection. Black gold!

Weeding and Watering...

2008-06-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's been so hot here in Virginia for the past few days. This is not my favorite type of weather for gardening. Usually I don't have to deal with days like this until July and August. I meant to get up early this morning so I could give my plants a cool drink. Unfortunately I didn't wake up until 9 am. That is sleeping in for me! So I waited till this evening to go out and do some weeding and watering. I had some major weeds creeping up in my front flower beds. They snuck up on me while I was enjoying the a/c. While I was out there weeding and watering all the garden beds, I did stop and notice some plants that seemed to be thriving in spite of the heat wave. My yarrow is just coming into bloom and it is a beautiful shade of pink. It won't be long and the entire plant will be covered in these hot pink rosettes.

I also tended to my compost pile in my new bin. I had some green stuff from the grass I pulled out of my front flower bed as well as a stock pile of leaves that were hiding behind the rhododendron. I tossed it some with my pitchfork and added a little water from the rain barrel. It seems to be heating up nicely. The container is black and I put it in a nice sunny spot. I will have three containers now so I should be rolling in the black gold by next spring. I have one bin right now that is actually finished compost that I just need to sift. (as soon as I can get my hubby to make me a sifter that fits over the wheelbarrel) The second bin is about 3/4 of the way full and the 3rd bin should be here tomorrow. It got delayed in the shipping. Here's a shot of my 2nd bin that is in the works.

So hopefully we get a break from this heat soon. I could use some rainy days or at least some cooler days even if they are brief. There will be plenty of work ahead in the garden over the next five months. I just don't want to melt in the process. I also got some pictures of some plants that will soon be coming into their blooming time.

For the birds....

2008-06-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

I get up early each morning so I can enjoy my garden before it gets too hot and I have to escape inside to the air condiditioning. Over the past week as I was sitting enjoying the view and my coffee I was able to get a few good shots of the birds. Like most gardeners I do enjoy attracting birds to my garden. In order to attract a variety of birds to my yard each year, I provide the three basics; food, shelter and water. I have several feeders that I fill with different types of seeds. Unfortunately the seed attracts squirrels too, but my dogs keep them at a minimum. I've had to move a couple of my feeders to areas where there is just grass because the seed that falls does sprout some weeds. And I don't want weeds in my flowerbeds. I've found the wildbird seed blends seems to be the worse for germinating. Yesterday morning I got this amazing shot of a yellow finch balancing gracefully on my Verbena Bonariensis. I was in awe that it didn't even seem to bend the hollow stems of my plant. I've seen the finches sitting on the Black-eye Susan flowers many times but this was a first! Last year I had 3 of these plants. But this was the only one that survived this year. Three years ago this plant was a volunteer in my garden which I assumed germinated from a seed dropped by a bird. I have planted Verbena Bonariensis in the past, but with little luck. I guess Mother Nature is a better gardener.

I also provide plenty of nesting possibilities in my garden for the birds. I have wren houses, bluejay houses as other assorted decorative birdhouses which they seem to prefer over the real deal. But it never fails that instead of using the shelters provided, I get a nest in one of my wall planters. A robin has built a nest in my wall planter for the past two years. I found the nest the other day while I was watering my potted plants. And there it was all nestled amongst the vinca vine. Oops! Well I was alittle surprised when I not only spotted the nest but a little blue egg in it.
In addition, I also provide several options throughout my garden for water for the birds, insects, butterflies, dogs etc... In the photos below you can see the blackbird on my bronze birdbath in the new flowerbed. Their is also a ceramic birdbath next to the lacecap hydrangea bush. I had to put a plastic saucer in this one to hold water. The ceramic has a crack that I have mended over the years but needless to say it still leaks water. This was an easy solution to the water seeping out the crack. Plus less costly than replacing the dish portion of the birdbath. It works amazingly well and makes cleanup a breeze. I have spotted many yellow finches sipping from the upper portion of my new water fountain. The dogs enjoy drinking from the bottom basin so I guess it is a multi-functional addition to the garden. I caught a pigeon drinking from my metal birdbath in the arbor garden. I find the ceramic birdbaths are much easier to keep clean.

Grandma's Garden...

2008-06-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

Growing up my Grandma always had a garden. She had her flowerbeds and she always had a vegetable garden as well. Except for the four years when we lived in Arizona, it was too hot and dry to grow anything she was accustomed to planting. So gardening was something I grew up with. I guess I assumed everyone had a garden, because when I moved into my first house I started planning the flowerbeds. Three years ago my husband and I added this addition to our home for my grandparents. We added the flower bed that wraps around the deck and house. I guess Grandma planted the garden bug in me at an early age. It is the one interest that we have always had in common.

There she is watering the garden. (This was taken in early spring). You'll notice in the next few pictures how much her garden has grown since then.

Her Purple Wave Petunias that I potted up for her yesterday.

I gave her this Knockout Rose 2 years ago for Mother's day. She's always had hybrids so she was really amazed by a rose that didn't get blackspot or other problems.

She loves the old fashioned annuals that she grew up with and plants them every year. Such as petunias, snap dragons and marigolds. I gave her a few perennials such as Black-eye Susans, Purple Coneflower, Daylillies, and Shasta Daisies. As well as some bulbs such as Liatris and Calla Lily.

Here is some of her potted plants that she keeps on the deck. I painted her patio furniture and replaced her cushions and umbrella for Mother's Day this year.

It's getting hot out here...

2008-06-03T16:54:00.000-04:00

Every year I start out with such enthusiam for the new season of gardening ahead. But then summer hits and it gets so hot and humid I am not able to enjoy my garden like I do in the spring when the temperatures are mild. Fortunately in the early part of June we are still having cool mornings and evenings so I can work in and enjoy my garden on a daily basis.
This morning I was looking at some empty pots that I had stacked up next to the compost bin and I decided it would be nice to plant something that I could use to fill an empty spot in one of my flower beds. I used the second one as a sort of plant stand so I could get some height. Would you believe these pots are just a styrofoam type of material that I faux painted to look like a bronze with a patina.

In addition I have been adding more plantings to the new bed I created in May. I bought some annuals called "Angelina" for their purple blooms. I thought they would look good together in a mass. I've decided to plant this bed in yellows, purples, dark pinks and white. So far I am liking the effect. I still haven't decided if I want to keep the azaleas that are planted around the birdbath. Maybe I could get some of those "Encore" Azaleas as a replacement.

Below is a closeup of the "Angelina" plants I planted this evening. They get about 12-14" wide and 12-18" tall. They add some much needed color at the moment.

Here is a good picture of the Coreopsis I planted in the new bed. I love their tubular shaped petals and their bright yellow blooms are cheerful. They complement the purple flowers nicely.

I was really excited this morning when I went out to my existing Arbor bed and noticed my new plant (Baptisma?) that I purchased last year at the Native Plant Sale at one of our local museums. I love the lavender blooms. I forgot all about this plant until it bloomed.