Ledge and Gardens

Garden shots!

High 49 F
Low  42 F

In reviewing today's pictures I realized that I took quite a few lousy flower shots.  I am left with overall garden shots which will have to do for tonight's post.  The above picture shows the pool border on the right and straight ahead, the barn garden is filling out. That white tree is the Carolina silverbell.  It is not quite  in full bloom yet. It does seem to be tilting to the left.  I could stake it and correct the lean but don't you think that gives it character?  This shot is taken of the left handed mitten garden and the Florida border down the middle of the lawn.  The lawn was mowed for the first time this weekend and while it is politically incorrect to sing the praises of the gas powered mower I have to comment that the sound of a mower is forever tied in my memory banks as one of the hallmarks of spring and approaching summer.  It's soothing drone is only second to the fragrance of freshly mowed lawn.  Green seems the predominant color right now but there are spots of color.  This is the Euphorbia polychroma in the background with the dwarf bearded iris next to it.  I like this color combination. The entry garden has the most color in it at the moment.   The tulips are blooming in their orange robes and the Iris cristata are in flower next to the purple leaved heuchera. The camassia are just coming out.  I am not so sure about camassia.  I haven't grown them before and I haven't decided if I like them or not.  I have two different species, Camassia cusickii and Camassia quamash which is deeper violet.  Have any of you grown these and what do you think?

Spring continues!

High 54 F
Low  45 F

The garden is getting another cold soaking today and tonight.  Golf is canceled this evening and it is quite chilly outside.   The flowering plants are caught in suspended animation and I would much prefer cool moisture than hot dryness.  The river of bulbs continues to delight and I am enjoying this bright tulip after the subdued but elegant color of the 'Accent' daffodils. This is hot, bright, and very visible from two hundred yards. The small crabapple is blooming by the fish pond which is still requiring a bit of work.  I did pick up a biological filter today so perhaps the EM will have time for hookup this weekend.  The pond still needs a good cleaning which may mean emptying it and refilling it before fish can arrive.    The crabapple is only a year old and my 'organic' lawn is looking pretty bad behind it so reseeding must be added to the list of chores for the spring.  The Carolina Silverbell, Halesia carolina, is starting to bloom but I did see a pink version today and it is truly lovely.  Carol over at May Dreams has a pink one she blogged about on April 28th.   I can see why she is happy with this tree.  Pictures just don't do it justice.   My white one has been in for about seven years and it is covered with blooms.    I am now lusting after the pink one though.  Another plant for the list.  The list never ends.   

Wordless Wednesday!

High 76 F
Low  50 F

Zen

High  77 F
Low  39 F

Early Monday morning I went out to the garden early with the idea of spreading a bit of mulch.  Since the wheelbarrow had some potting soil mixed with compost already in it ready to fill pots for the garden club plant sale in a few weeks it had to be emptied before mulch could be spread. I filled the pots rather than dump the mix and then have to clean that up at a later time. Since the pots were filled with soil it seemed only logical to divide some perennials and pot them up which took a bit of time.  Once the perennials were potted up I needed some compost to fill in the holes left in the garden so that little task was accomplished.  I noticed that the entry garden, which has a bit of ledge running through it which divides this garden into two sections, was looking a bit weedy.  The portion of this garden abuts the walkway and it is difficult to grow plants here as the water runs and settles here compacting the soil.  I have thought about this little area and what could be done to make it a bit more attractive.  I decided to dig out some of the soil and add some stone dust, rocks and moss for a tiny little 'zen' garden. Two wheelbarrows full of soil and two wheelbarrows full of stone dust took some more time and then there was the trip to the swamp for some moss.  I like moss.   I find its' cool, green softness easy on the eyes and soothing to the soul. The moss was added along with a few little rocks.     I think I need to add another small rock or two but otherwise, for now, it is pleasing to me.   What do you think?  Oh, now a couple hours had passed, I needed to get to work and the mulch did not get spread. Mama said there would be days like this. I'm happy she was right.

Hoe down!

High 46 F
Low  41 F

Stone wall
It is not a very pretty day here for 'Hoe Down' with Carol at May Dreams.  Sounds like we need a checkered tablecloth, some barbecued chicken and a bit of watermelon.  It is a bit too cold here for that but the hoes did come out to play at least for a little bit.  The big hoes posed earlier in April and of these hoes there is the traditional hoe, the stirrup/scuffle hoe which is my favorite and then this other no-name hoe which is on an interchangeable handle. I guess it is a 'hoe with no name'.  Sad!   I do have a collection of hand hoes and they wanted the company of my favorite trowel which I have had for years and which seems to have a loose handle this year!  I included the weeder on the left because that band acts as a hoe and a pivot point to remove weeds.  The second from the left is a handy little tool although I would prefer a square head to the round one.  Still, it works pretty well.  The next one is really a fork...artistic license.  The favorite trowel and then the grub hoe.  One escaped and had to be captured and held down for this picture.  It is a triangular headed hoe.  This one has a sharp tongue.  I generally prefer red handled instruments and you can see that I have painted the trowel handle and the sharp tongued triangle so they are more visible while lying in the dirt.  Sometimes they are quite lazy and try to get out of work by hiding.  We cannot have that now can we?  I seem to like to match my tulips to my hoe handles as this is the first color showing on the spinel red tulips in the river of bulbs.  Now that I know what spinel red looks like, I can call some of my hoe handles spinel red.  Thanks to Carol for her hoely unique inspiration for the Hoe Down!

Ice follies!

High 49 F
Low  43 F

The temperature dipped dramatically a couple of nights ago.  I have been hearing people ask for basil, tomatoes and peppers at the garden centers and have cringed at the thought of putting them in the ground while spring is still so unsettled.  The above picture tells the tale.  I made it out to the back field just after the sun and it is interesting to note the frost pattern on the grass following the shade, clinging to it and not wanting to give up the crystals.  The violets in the field had a sugar coating as did the bee balm in the garden.  The bleeding hearts have such succulent stems it is hard to believe that they can recover from the cold but this one is pretty much back to normal.  On another note, I am excited about the last pair of garden gloves I will ever have to buy.  These are from Smith & Hawken and the sign said 'Guaranteed For Life'.  Well, they were not cheap but were on sale and that was a challenge that I just could not pass up.  Even my favorite gloves rarely last more than a season.  I did ask the sales person about the guarantee and they said that they would replace or refund these gloves.  Let's just see how long they last.  Any bets?

The river is running!

High 52 F
Low  35 F

Epimedium x rubrum
We are back to seasonal temperatures which is great for working in the garden or it would be if it were the weekend.  I also recorded more than three inches of rain over a two day period which was much needed after over two weeks without a drop.  In early spring, rain is expected and when it doesn't show up plants start to look a bit stressed.  The river of daffodils has filled in with the little species tulip 'Lady Jane' bridging that middle gap. When she closes up her pale peppermint stripes are more visible. The daffodil 'Accent' is still blooming although it is a bit bedraggled after the rain and the interplanting of tulips is starting to become visible.  I have been out with the deer spray  as the new, tender, plump buds look tempting even to me.  These tulips are 'Avignone' which is listed as 'spinel red'.  I think I need to look up spinel.  They should be very hot.

Epimedium  x versicolor 'Sulphureum'
The epimediums are in full bloom and they are curious little shade plants which are quite drought tolerant.  The flowers are so small as to be almost insignificant unless you are slithering on your belly through the garden.  I currently only slither with the camera but someday it may come to that but not just yet. The foliage is always lovely with a bit of color variation in the leaves which float on wiry stems above the garden.   I should have more of these little beauties which are hardy from zone 4 through 8.  Do any of you have epimediums and, if so, which is your favorite?

Weekend projects

High 57 F
Low  40 F
Rain 1.35"

The fish pond has had no fish in it for several years but it is home to many frogs and currently all sizes of tadpoles.  Some are plump and bigger than your thumb and others are just tiny in size.  I mentioned to the EM (Equipment Manager) that it would be nice to have the water running and the fish swimming and my daughter remarked that it was the one 'blight' in the garden.  She is wrong, there are many but this is a major one.   The problem is the ledge which surrounds us and attracts lightning which burns the line out.  The wire has to be run from the garage to the pond and that is about one   hundred and fifty feet and goes across the driveway and through the 'Pink Chimes' (yes, I am liking that name) border.  Not an easy task to dig it every few years and replace it.  I had some work obligations this weekend and came home to find a 'moat' across the drive and men hard at work running new wire.   Since the pond hasn't been in service, the Iris pseudacorus has run rampant and needed to be pulled out and thrown in the compost.  The two clumps visible in the first picture must have weighed in at several hundreds pounds including the water they were holding.  Not easy to pull out!  I also didn't get pictures of that since the men were ready and the camera was in the house.  It took three of us plus the tractor to haul them out and then away! I can see why it is on the invasive species list although it is a pretty iris.  The new wire was inserted in a pipe for protection from the elements and the shovels.  The job is not yet complete but I hope there will be some fish swimming in the pond in the next couple of weeks. I hope to be able to sit on this bench, coffee cup in hand, under this crabapple and watch the fish swim while the water trickles down these rocks.  Do you have a water feature in your garden?  Is it a place you sit to relax?

Mary and Hally

High 65 F
Low  40 F

The 'Pink chimes' border, formerly the left front walk border
Progress continues on garden cleanup and the above border is being cleaned and compost spread.  There is a Styrax 'Pink Chimes', which is a lovely little tree, in this border.  The trunk is a bit curvy and is visible on the right side of this picture.   I think that the heat wave is over which is a blessed relief for all flowering plants.  A spring rain is predicted for the next few days.  It hasn't rained in well over a week and with soaring temperatures, high of 84 F, the spring flowering trees, perennials,  and bulbs  just don't last very long.  One of the small leaved rhododendrons which is now blooming in my garden is Rhododendron 'Mary Fleming'.  I could go into Mary's parentage but lest your eyes glaze over I will just say that she is a pastel princess dressed in pale yellow blooms which have just the slightest tinge of pink on the edges.  The leaves have a bronze cast to them throughout the summer and they gain a little more color through the winter. Isn't she pretty?  I can't remember her blooming so thoroughly and giving so much satisfaction to this gardener.  Perhaps she has attained that age where she is now a bit more well rounded and filled out, more seasoned.   Another blooming  lady is Prunus 'Hally Jolivette'. This is a small tree or shrub which blooms for a two to three weeks.  It  has the typical Prunus flower but this shrub continues to bloom because all of the flowers do not open at once.  It likes to be a shrubby tree but here I have pruned it to three stems and will give it a bit of a haircut once blooming is finished.  This is listed as a fast growing shrub and this one has been in the garden about three years.  I like it better each year.  As Prunus go, this one is disease and insect resistant so if you have a small space you might consider this shrub.  It can get to fifteen feet but it responds well to pruning.  It is hardy to zone 5.  I spotted this Prunus 'Hally Jolivette' at Blithewold.  It is clearly high grafted to a standard rootstock but it was a lovely little lollipop on the edge of the drive.  Which do you prefer?

Here is the 'Pink Chimes' border all ready for a gentle spring rain.

Blithewold beckons!

High 74 F
Low  55 F

Well, I am here to tell you that Kris, over at Blithewold, was not kidding concerning Daffodil Days but I was in a daze when I saw them all and then spotted the masses of Erythronium aka Dog tooth violets/trout lily,
Click to enlarge for full effect!
  which have naturalized in the bosquet.   They really do look like a lily don't they?  There are also drifts of white. The white are lovely but have a different impact than the yellow.  They look like stars hugging the ground and the flowers of both yellow and white are fairly small and face the earth perhaps looking down on the lowly inhabitants of the bosquet.  I have been trying to get just a couple to grow in my garden and if this happens then I am in big trouble.  I did get a chance to speak with Gail and she said they are everywhere to the point of  'hitting the compost pile' .  Oh my!  Can you imagine?  I told her to let me know when culling out was going to occur.  In addition to these charming little lovelies, Dan directed me to the water garden where the Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono' is in full bloom.  Kris was not kidding when she said that this tree  could 'stop you in your tracks'!  So delicate and lovely with the petals falling softly to the ground. I can't imagine seeing hundreds at one time. There were lots of daffodil devotees on the grounds today and I cannot imagine that they were disappointed.  There were also a few tulips planted out and soaking up the sun.   The entry way to the mansion was looking quite patriotic today. This was a bit of a side track during the work day.  We should all be so lucky to have such side tracks.   I am just sorry that Kris was not there today but her hard work, along with that of the rest of the horticulture staff, was clearly, and beautifully, visible.