Stick Your Face in a Peony

The peonies in my yard are in full bloom and they are stunning, despite the toll the rain has taken on them.  I'm not sure how they manage to look so beautiful after being ravished by storms.  It's difficult to see them with their heads slumped over as they carry the extra weight of rain water.  I need to run out and cut a few while I'm thinking about it...

Okay, I'm back.  I have a short clear crystal vase filled to the brim with double pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies, my favorite kind.  I have six clusters of plants in this variety.  Five of them are grouped together in a back garden and clearly aren't getting enough sunshine, as exhibited by the lack of blooms and the arching stems that reach toward the direction of the sun.  Moving them to a sunnier location is on my list of to-dos for the late summer or fall.  They're so tall that traditional peony grates are not able to hold them upright.  I think I'll invest in some tomato barrel cages for them to grow through next year.

I can't enjoy them much because they're always in peak bloom during our rainy season.  Anytime we get a break in the weather, I make it a point to go out and stick my face right into the center of several.  The fragrance is sweet and light.  The petals of the double peonies are thick, soft and silky, and feel so wonderful against my face.  I do this despite my terrible allergies.  It's worth the risk of a flare-up.  I know it sounds crazy, but don't knock it until you've tried it.  Give it a whirl and report back.  I think I'll have converts.

Pretty Herbs

Herbs are great.  The foliage is savory to smell, they're neat and tidy pretty much all summer long, and most people don't realize this, but they bloom!

Chives are the showiest, with their purple spiky flower heads atop long green stems.  The blossoms are edible too.

Narrow leaved Sage puts on a show too.  It has gray-green, almost fuzzy leaves, with beautiful purple flowers on a long stem that resemble a penstemon or a snapdragon.  Hummingbirds love this flower.

Rosemary is considered an annual here.  I had one plant survive four winters, and become very large.  The last year it lived, it actually bloomed.  I think it's pretty rare for Rosemary bloom, at least in Missouri.  It had lots of pale pink flowers and I was very proud for having kept it going for so long.

Thyme makes a wonderful ground cover.  I use it in the front of my flowerbeds and anywhere it can creep between stepping stones.  Some varieties look like a low carpet of pink when they're in full bloom.  My favorite thyme right now is a variegated one, it's white and green leaves are very showy.  I have 5 of them right now, let's see how hardy they really are.  It's my experience that the more ornamental the herbs are, the less likely they are to survive our harsh winters.

Most herbs are fairly drought resistant, so if you forget to water them, they don't immediately shrivel up on you.  Put some in a potted container along with some of annuals.  Mix them in with your regular flower gardens.  Make sure to plant some along a path that you walk along often so their scent will fill the air when you brush by them.  And don't forget to pick plenty to season those summer meals.  Herbs flourish when they're used often.  All this talk about herbs makes me want to buy more!

A Family Affair

Gardening isn't just a hobby, it's a family tradition.

Grandma Lee always had a huge garden of vegetables, fruit, and flowers.  I used to love spending summers on her farm. Sometimes I'd wake up early so I could stroll barefoot in the dew covered grass and visit the raspberry and strawberry patches for breakfast. It was also fun gathering up a basket of fresh produce for dinner.

Grandpa Finocchio had a small herb garden and a clump of some of the most gorgeous double-petaled pink peonies.  Every time I see my peonies bloom in the Spring, I think of the ones they had.

My parents are into gardening -- big time. I joke with my dad that at the rate they're going, soon all he'll be able to mow are paths.  My mom has always had lots of gardens, even when we had a small yard.  She tried to get me interested in her work throughout my school years, but at some point I never had "time" for such things. Now I fully appreciate their beautiful yard, and I get to hear how great their yard is every time Eric and I visit.

Mom did a wonderful thing when my sister and I were young.  She gave each of us small plots to work.  She took us to a garden center and let us pick out seeds that we wanted to grow, and sometimes some small potted annuals. We always had something to show for the summer.

I've gotten Eric psyched about growing our own vegetables and herbs.  We've got 10 tomato plants and 1 eggplant in this year, along with several types of herbs.  He's a home brewer, so it only made sense that we try out growing Hops.  We have two types, one was a gift from the owners of my favorite nursery, and it's doing really well.  You might say, too well. This photo was taken about 2 weeks ago.  All of the hop vines are up to the top of the porch railing now, and one has just topped the rail.  Looks like we're going to have a bumper crop this year!

Tyler is showing a lot of interest in digging and watering.  I anxiously await the day when he's old enough to tend his own little plot of land and be part of our family tradition.

What's Blooming - May 17th



An early daylily; similar to Stella D'Oro, but with pointed petals.

 

Sage



One of my favorite bearded irises

 

Yellow Flag - a water loving iris



Old fashioned purple bearded iris

 

Sweet Rocket/Dame's Rocket

 

perennial version of Bachelor's Button






Peony



hybrid columbine growing in my retaining wall

Coral Bell



Oakleaf hydrangea "PeeGee" starting to bloom



Oakleaf hydrangea "PeeGee" -- another angle





The Three Signs of Rain

Have you ever noticed that nature warns us that rain is coming?  There are three signs you can watch for.  Each one indicates that the conditions are right for rain, and each sign appears as rain clouds move closer.

1. Turtles crossing the road - This is the earliest forecast you can get from nature.  In the spring, there are always a lot of turtles crossing the street.  This sighting may be harder to come by in urban areas, but in the country, there is no shortage of turtles moving to higher ground.  They move slow, so they get a head start.  This usually means you've got a day or so before the rain arrives.
2. Tree branches cracking and breaking - You'll have to be in or near the woods to observe this one.  When conditions are just right, you can sit outside and listen for tree branches cracking and falling.  It doesn't always happen, but there is something about the humidity or atmospheric pressure or something that causes this.  It's something my grandma pointed out to me when I was very young.  This means rain is in the area, and you've got a good chance to experience some later that day.
3. Leaves turning inside out - Maple trees are the showiest when it comes to this sign.  Have you ever noticed that right before a storm hits, and the wind is picking up, that tree leaves look lighter in color?  They've actually flipped upside down.  I have never researched why this happens, but it means a storm is approaching within the hour.

Rain is essential to the success of a garden.  Watering it yourself will never yield the same results.  So try to be patient and let it do its thing -- there are plenty of hot days ahead.

Lose 5 Pounds Instantly!

Like all instant gratitude claims, here's my disclaimer -- results may vary, but I am telling you -- give it a try!

I don't understand people who diet in the summer, or go to the gym.  Get yourself a garden and work it!

Did you know you can burn 272 calories per hour while gardening?  That's equivalent to about 1 Snicker's bar or a Grande Starbucks Caffe Latte.  It takes about 4 hours to do most garden jobs worth doing, so that's 1,088 calories.

And think of all the other benefits you get -- using muscles you rarely get to use other times, in conjunction with one another.  Sure, you end up sore the next day, but that fades quickly.  Take two tylenol when you're wrapping things up.  It also works your joints.  A physical therapist once told me -- use them or lose them.  So true.

There's a lot of stretching and bending involved.  And there's a lot of intricate work for your hands as you carefully strangle a weed and pull it out.

If you live on a slope like I do, then you would probably be doing some tightrope style walking across your back hill.  It builds ankle muscles, increases your balance, and gives you a healthy fear of slipping and rolling to the bottom of the hill, so you quickly develop the first two mentioned attributes.

If you don't have garden space of your own, borrow someone else's.  I know I could personally use some assistance (mulching, anyone?).  Most everyone loves help in the garden.  And I'm not just talking about private gardens.  There are lots of community gardens that could use volunteers.  In addition to losing weight, you can feel good about your contributions.  Sounds like a great deal to me.

Try, Try, Again.

How can your neighbor grow fantastic roses and you can't?  Chances are, there is a micro-climate at play.  Everything contributes to the climate of your yard, the position of your house, the trees, the way the sun moves overhead.  There are so many variables.  I don't believe there are any gardeners with a black thumb, just gardens with bad conditions.

Take my yard for example.  I have one garden spot that I can't grow anything in.  It has a weird light situation, but the soil is good.  I know because I've amended it myself.  It's been through countless plants.  The latest victims are 3 variegated dogwood shrubs and a groundcover sedum.  The seasoned gardeners are gasping right now since sedum goes by the common name "live forever", and it's known to be indestructible.  Leave it to me to find a place where it will not grow. The only thing that is still up there are some daffodil bulbs and two little sprigs of mint.  Gasp again, gardeners, because you know that mint is often invasive.  I have a container of mint that I planted 3 years ago and it's still coming back each Spring without skipping a beat (by the way, this is a great way to control mint).

In the back of my house and one side, I have so many ferns growing, it looks like a miniature rainforest.  They are so thick you can't see through them.  They look fantastic.  I decided to try and spread the love to other parts of my shade garden and I can't get them started.  What is it about being near my foundation that they love?  Some of them are in the ground and some are in raised beds.  Two different light and soil conditions and both groups are thriving.  But the minute I move them away from the foundation, they struggle.

I did some transplanting over the weekend to try and find suitable homes for some things that aren't doing well where they've been living.  Some of my favorite plantings are the result of several transplants.  As long as you move the plant in suitable weather, and keep it watered, theoretically you should be able to move it as often as you like.  There are some exceptions, of course, like peonies and iris don't bloom for a few years after they're moved, and some other plants like baptisia and butterfly weed don't transplant well because of their deep root system.

So the moral of the story is that you should keep trying different types of plants in your yard in different locations, until you find something that works.  It's expensive and time-consuming, but nothing worthwhile is ever cheap and easy.

What Does Your Garden Look Like from Inside?

I've read articles about the concept of extending your home into your garden, and making sure the view from your home out into the yard is pleasant as well.  I thought I'd see what there was to this and take a few photos.

Luckily, my house has strong architecture that I can lean on, and we live in a rural setting with a lovely backdrop of trees, so most of the work is done.  In a subdivision setting, there are more things out of your control, such as your neighbor's refusal to maintain their yard.  Yes, I speak from experience.

What I found most interesting about this study is that what I can capture with the camera lens was only a fraction of what you actually see, but it made me study the views more and think about them differently.


I'm standing in my mudroom door looking out at the porch.  I love how ferns look on a wrap-around porch; they are icing on the cake.  I also love the diminishing railing line with the decorative cutouts fading away.  The rocking chair beckons you to sit and enjoy the view.

I don't know about you, but the chair was specifically talking to me... so I sat down and took another picture, looking out the other side of the porch.  I like the cozy feeling of a space with a ceiling.  One thing I would like to do someday is plant a hedge of hydrangeas, or some other blooming bush, along the edge of that tree line on the right, and curve around just to the corner of the street, to hide my neighbor's workshop.

Sometime last year, I realized that if you are standing directly in front of our front door, and it's open, you can see straight through the house.  I think you can see part of this view from the street, which might explain the sometimes slow traffic drive-bys in summer.

 

This is the back window, the one you saw through the front door of the previous photo.  It's a great view.  It got even better last year when Eric and his dad chopped down a bunch of trees.

This has already given me ideas for a handful of changes and projects I'd like to start to enhance my view from the inside.  I encourage you to try this too.

What's Blooming

I found some plants for the big blue ceramic pot at the corner of my porch.  I loved how well my urn turned out that I decided to repeat it here.  When you pull into our driveway, you'll be greeted by an urn spilling with yellow calibrachoa, and in the distance, you'll see the same splash of color repeated.  I especially love how the yellow contrasts with the blue.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved old-fashioned cabbage type roses.  Imagine my excitement when I discovered this one at my favorite local nursery.  This is a Knock Out variety (Rosa 'Radtkopink'), which means it's hardy and continues to bloom until frost, unlike it's ancestors, which only bloom for a few weeks in spring.

Here are some other things blooming this week.

Wild columbines are native to Missouri.  Every gardener should have at least one plant.  When they bloom, it signals that the hummingbirds are here.  This is one of their earliest sources of food.

I wish my alliums were doing better.  There is a lot of foliage, but only three blooms.  I think they need more sun.

I got these dwarf iris from my mom.  They start blooming around Easter.  I've been going under the assumption for years that these are Easter Bonnet iris, but when I google this name, I see a different image.  Maybe it's a generic name for lots of dwarf varieties.

I couldn't resist; a close-up shot of those fantastic Knock Out roses.








This clematis has just started to bloom.  It's covered with buds.  This was a gift from my friend Rebekah.

Beautiful & Functional - The Story of a Dry Creek

When we moved into our house, I noticed that there was a lot of erosion on the side yard.  It's pretty steep, like most of our yard, but that's the tradeoff we make for the spectacular view out back.

One day, my dog Hudson dug a huge hole at the bottom of the side yard while on the hunt for a mole.  I had always wanted to create a bog garden, so I took advantage of the freshly dug hole and expanded it slightly.  I decided to carve a creek into the hillside so that it would naturally fill the bog.  I can't say the bog was a success, but the creek was a stroke of genius.

I went with the existing contour of the side yard as my guide for the shape of the creek.  The creek isn't very wide or deep, just enough to hold water and direct it.  It's about 18 inches across in most places.  It was fun getting the shape and depth just right.  In a rain storm, I'd grab and umbrella and a trowel and go dig out the edges of the creek to improve the water flow.

The creek is in almost full shade, so I had to be creative about my plantings.  The photo doesn't do it justice, but it is has lots of textures and contrasting foliage colors.  The bright chartreuse spots are Creeping Jenny, a ground cover that can take foot traffic.  It keeps that color all season long.  A fantastic little plant.  The way it has sprawled down the creek gives the space motion.

I'm also using Purple Palace Coral Bells, which have a burgundy leaf.  This color against the Creeping Jenny is fabulous.  I'm just now getting a colony of ferns started.  For some reason, I've struggled to get them started.  Literally five feet away, there are so many ferns that you can't see the ground below them and they're coming up in the grass.  That's probably due to micro-climates, which is a topic for another day.

What started as a problem spot turned into such a great focal point in the side yard.  You can see it from many angles, including the street.  It actually redirects a good portion of the yard runoff water into the woods and keeps it away from the foundation of the house.  Erosion is still a problem, but I can't imagine what it would be like without this little creek.