Ledge and Gardens

Through the garden gate!

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Low 67 F

It seems as though I have been posting about everything but my garden which is at its' best, in some spots, right now.   I do have to qualify that!  Some spots! The fourth of July weekend is the penultimate point of summer for me as the days are incredibly and inescapably starting to shorten.  The newness of spring is long past and the impending 'dog days' are coming due.  That said, the delphiniums by the pool are making their summer debut. They are standing sentinel poolside watching for wayward swimmers while keeping their shoulders high and their purple eyes wide open in spite of some hail last week.  I did tie these up but we all know that doesn't always work, don't we!  Just luck this time.  Gardening is subject to such variables that nothing is certain. I am grateful for these!  Looking back through the gate to the Florida bed, the Clematis v. 'Etoille violette' on the right side of the fence is twining its' way through the New Dawn roses which are now past their prime and on the other side, 'Julia Correvan' winds its' way skyward.  I like the changes in the garden.  Would I covet the rose and clematis blooms as much if they were there all the time?  Would you?

Reflections ...

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Low  52 F

Click on pictures to enlarge
This morning was a perfect morning with filtered light,  lush foliage, blue skies and cool but warming temperatures.  The fish pond now has a few very small fish and while it is running and the water is very clear due to a new cannister filter, it still needs a bit of primping before the long shots are shown.  In looking at this morning's pictures I thought the pond surface was interesting as the camera sees what the eye does not as it shows the  reflections of the sky and trees.  You can see one of the new aquatic inhabitants in this picture.  The water is so clear that you can sometimes even see frogs stretched out on the bottom of the pond.  They are not visible in this picture but I will try to get a shot of them in the future.  Here is another shot of the pond with the running water over the rocks at the top of the picture.  I need to hide the tubing with a plant or two and take out the cinder block which had the lily pot sitting on it.  Tucker is looking for frogs.  He likes the pond and sometimes sneaks in for a quick dip if he thinks no one is looking.   The other reflective surface which caught my eye this morning is the gazing globe in the corner garden near the swimming pool.  I loved these globes when I was a child and while some find them tacky, and I understand why, I find their curved reflections curious.  I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to rid this corner of these poppies but this morning, I wondered why. Even though they bloom just a brief time, their bright orange color and tissuey petals are beautiful.  The blooms have lasted quite a bit longer this year as the temperatures have been moderate.  The centers of the flowers are otherworldly when viewed in a closeup shot.  All my named poppy cultivars died a few seasons ago when we had an unusually warm January.  I think they sprouted up and then froze when the temperatures dropped suddenly.  These basic poppies survived and they  spread.   Once the blooms pass, the foliage dies back which can leave rather large gaps in a small garden.  What would you do?  Would you get rid of these or keep them? 

Bloom Day- May 15, 2008

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Low  41 F

Phlox stolonifera and Iris cristata
Bloom Day begins with a gray overcast and the gray continues throughout the day although it is relatively warm.  I actually have many plants in bloom right now. The red tulips are still blooming although I see a bit of fading going on around the edges which spells the end of bloom in the 'River of Bulbs' for this season. The camassia is growing on me as more blooms open and create a bigger patch of color.  The bleeding hearts are all in their full glory.    
    
  There are the spectabilis and s. 'Alba' and s. Gold Heart' plus the D. eximia which will bloom all summer.   The lilacs are blooming as are the Lily of the Valley.  These two are the fragrant friends of my childhood.  There are also violas and sweet woodruff blooming along with the mertensia which is quite blue  now.  In the long border the alliums are just showing some color. This is just one of five which were planted last fall.  I am enjoying the garden these cool spring May days.  It is truly May Dreams here and big thank you to Carol who brings us all together to share the beauty of the garden!

Spring continues!

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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.   

Zen

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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.

Garden cleanup in the East Border

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Low  49 F

My second attempt at a post!  Don't you hate it when you have it all down and then lose it!  I think that is my April Fool's joke for the day! The above picture is of a portion of the east border as it appeared last June.  It has been cold and rainy here with the temperature finally creeping into the 50's for today.  We have had almost a half inch of rain today.  Last week I did a bit of raking in the above border.  It is southerly facing and starts to perk up before the others so I try to clean it first.  I see no signs of foxgloves or foxglove seedlings now and will have to replant them.  When I did rake, the lawn came up with the leaves which means that another spring chore will be re-seeding parts of this area.  It needs some soil amendments anyway but where will the time come from?   Here is what it looked like before the raking.  It just shows how quickly the gardener's hand print disappears from the landscape.   The pine  boughs were covering the heuchera and they seem to have served their purpose of keeping the plants from heaving from the freeze/thaw cycle of spring.  I still have a way to go in this garden but this end of it does look a bit tidier and the hellebore is blooming.  That plant always looks good! This is a closer view of the raked area.   Everything is so bare and brown. Just a few bits of green color.  I did spot this Scilla coming up with a spot of bright blue emerging.  These scilla were originally planting in the garden around this crabapple, just visible in the foreground of the bench, and every year I rake this area after the scilla flowers are done blooming and the seed heads have formed.  You can spot a trail of scilla across the lawn where the rake carried the seeds.  I will see if I can't get a shot of that in a couple of weeks.  Great spreaders!  I had the tools out and used my new dirt knife for the first time. I think I love it.  It makes quick work of weeds and roots and it does have a serrated edge for cutting.  It looks pretty sturdy and a bit lethal doesn't it?   I did spread some Chickity Doo Doo, a new line I am selling to garden centers.  It is just what it claims to be but I always like to test a product.  We shall see how it works.  It does have an OMRI label and should be a good soil amendment as well as fertilizer.  The other tool, the pruners are a brand called Wolf Gaarten from Germany.  I actually like them better than Felcos.  Do you have any new tools for the garden this spring season?

The reds are emerging!

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Low  25 F

The walk in the garden the other day revealed some emerging and lasting burgundies and reds.  The first is our friend Kim's, over at A Study in Contrast, favorite.  Bergenia.   I love the sound of the word Ber-jean-ia and I like the plant but it is not as vigorous as those patches I see in the magazines of English gardens.  Mine is Bergenia cordifolia which is hardy to zone 3. Since it originates in Siberia my lack of total success with this plant must be a cultural issue.  I need to move some of these around to see if I can get a more vigorous plant. The foliage is green in summer but turns this burgundy red with the advent of cold and they stay this color until the soil and air warms. Next in the lineup of reds is the Heuchera  'Peach Melba'  which is one of those new ones with the orangey pink foliage.  This plant usually heaves out of the soil in February when the sun thaws the top layer of soil and then it re-freezes at night.  This year I mulched these with the Christmas tree boughs and they look pretty good.  These are here temporarily until the creeping junipers take over to provide a permanent ground cover.  They are pretty all the time.  I did save the best, (just one opinion), for last and that is the rhubarb.  Rhubarb is a garden staple for me.  The first sight of these ruby red knobs indicate that there is no stopping spring even if it snows again and temperatures drop.  This patch needed a bit of compost and fertilizer so after photographing I covered them up with this blanket of black gold.   

Burning of the grasses!

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Low 25 F

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  Here's a bit of the green in tribute!

This past weekend was set aside for the annual 'burning of the grasses' by the fish pond.  It is an easy way to dispose of the tops of the grass while sweetening the soil with their ashes but care must be taken if there are any trees or shrubs in the near vicinity.  One year I burned the grasses in the Florida bed and the heaths and heathers went up also!  Oh well, room for something else.  Live and learn.  Sunday night some friends came over for dinner and since the time change of last week the burning of the grasses took place about 8:30 p.m. after dinner but before dessert.   One needs a break from eating anyway.  These are all shots in the dark, not my forte, but not so bad.   Here is the first shot with a flicker of flame in the left hand corner of the picture.  Most people would light grasses with a match but the EM had a torch on hand, I will explain later, so, a torch it was.  Click to enlarge the pictures as the expressions on my guests are priceless!  Everyone crowds around since it is usually cold but within a few seconds... there is quite a bit of heat!  I forgot about my little statue sitting in the front of the grasses but she does provide a nice silhouette doesn't she and she needed a bit of warmth as it was chilly!  It isn't long before everyone has to back up a few paces as these grasses burn fast!  I would say that from start to finish is about two minutes tops!

(click to enlarge)
Expressions of appreciation!

The fountain grass will not escape the torch!

The crowd mills around as we try to decide if the crabapple is too close to the grass behind the bench. Rocky, of Dynamic Duo fame, volunteers to provide a physical block from the heat of the burning grasses. Any hotter and he would have sacrificed the tree but he hung in there until the heat receded and the tree will live to bloom again!   I think his glass of wine got a little warm though!   The fire recedes and even Tucker has enjoyed this spectacle! Time to go in for dessert where the torch, once again, comes in quite handily for the topping on the creme brulee!

Here is the scene this morning after the burning!  A clean slate, ready for re-growth and another season!
 

In like a lion....

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Low  19 F

Saturday morning, March 1st, more snow!  The  above picture is of the scene outside!  I took the pictures from inside the house with a cup of coffee in hand.  I am tired of snow and endless monochromatic garden scenes!  Thankfully, snow turned to rain, rain turned to gray skies and gray skies lasted and lasted and finally, this afternoon, the sun came out, the skies became visibly blue and the snow line is receding as I type!    Tucker doesn't really care as he likes to roll in the snow and is happy just being outside!  The afternoon walk yielded a few encouraging surprises.  In fact, the surprise at this shot was so great that an excited, unsteady hand produced this image of an emerging daylily!  It is happening in spite of a cold, wintry start to this month.  It has to be better than February!  Buds are swelling, Cornus kousa

at least these that are out of reach of the deer Magnolia stellata

who continue to use the garden as their feed lot!  They seem to enjoy the Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' which is curious since the stem does look somewhat antler like.  Here is the just ripped off the branch!  How rude! Here is the undamaged branch with the swelling buds.

One flower in the garden is emerging and it does have wonderful foliage with the added bonus of deer resistance!  Helleborus foetidus or stinking hellebore grows well for me and reseeds freely!  The deer must find it particularly repellent for which I am thankful! In addition, the stone walls look quite nice.  I never tire of looking at them. 

Wordless Wednesday

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Low  31 F
Very Foggy!

Siberian Iris