Garden potpourri!
June 25, 2007
High 83.7 F
Low 45.5 F
Who doesn't love astilbe? These are Astilbe x arendsii cultivars and they are the first of the Astilbe genus to bloom. They should be moved around just a bit with the red ones grouped together but they were unnamed when I put them in so they went in as a group arrangement. They are actually pretty fragrant! I have many astilbes growing of different species and while they have beautiful flowers, they have equally beautiful foliage. I have never seen an astilbe with lousy foliage and since most perennials only bloom two weeks or so the foliage has to stand alone. Astilbe do prefer a moist soil and partial shade to shade. These are growing in a fairly dry spot and have been here for two years and are tolerating this location. I will give them a bit of water if it gets very dry. The different species will bloom at different times so you can actually have astilbe in flower from June through September. This garden needs a bit of maintenance so please don't look at the weeds!
One of the other gardens which I am currently enjoying is the front garden which is just a narrow strip in front of the greenhouse which serves as an office. Here it is pictured on May 31st
and here it is today!
I love the silver and gold/red/orange effect. Click on picture to enlarge!
The first of the lilies are opening. This one is the Asiatic lily 'Lollipop'.
I have had the dreaded lily leaf beetle on them but have held them at bay with Neem which is an organically registered pesticide and fungicide. The lily leaf beetle is hard to miss as it is bright red. I hope none of you have seen it! I have several clematis blooming. Here is Etoile violette
and this one is Julia Correvon.
They are planted with the 'New Dawn' Roses and the different colors are interesting with the pale pink of the roses.
The garden critters are alive and well. Here is the pond dweller
and yesterday's post had my new 'bird' in it. This little nest was lying on the ground after some
substantial winds. I'm going to believe that it was vacated prior to this lawn landing. It looks a bit forlorn even though it's architect dressed it in this ribbon which was trailing from the nest like a kite streamer. Perhaps that helped with the soft landing. And finally, since Tucker loves to chase squirrels this little one
is here to keep Tucker happy. He has donned his Larix cape for the season and keeps a quiet watch over the garden.