It's Blog Time

We got about three and half inches of rain over the weekend and the cold and dark hasn't left yet. I took a walk around the yard tonight and it was still soggy. The plants are loving all of this moisture. Here's what's blooming this week. Everything looks so fresh that it's almost addicting to take the photos. I'm not sure where to stop sometimes. I really have to edit them down for the blog this time of year.

Rose Campion finally blooming. I've had trouble getting this started in my garden. Seems to be nearly invasive for others.

Kousa dogwood

In the forefront, a sedum variety that is unknown. In the back, October Daphne, another type of sedum.  Sense a trend?  How can anyone resist them?  They're drought tolerant and so interesting!

Viburnum Summer Snowflake -- blooms throughout the summer and fairly drought tolerant once established.

I'm doing my part to support the Monarch butterflies... are you???

More of the yellow sedum shown a few photos above. This is a pretty large patch and the whole thing starts to literally glow right before it reaches peak bloom.

This is the septic tank garden... it hasn't gotten any love since we moved in.  It is the home to "extra" plants that I can't figure out where else to put.  Finally mulched and weeded, looks so much better.

My fig tree is very happy.  It is full of figs.

These roses looked better before the rain.  This variety is called "Roseberry Blanket".

This is a different carpet rose than shown above.  I'm not sure what it's called but I love the flowers.

Blueberries!

Blackberries!

And finally... I'll leave you with a poolside retreat :-)

What's Blooming: May 14th

Everything is so green and lush, it's hard to keep myself indoors.  I need to, though, because I'm about to cough out a lung.  My allergies are in full swing and have been highly bothersome for the past two weeks. When will it end?

I couldn't wait any longer to get my tomato plants and basil, so those went in tonight.  I'm really getting into this idea of mixing edibles and ornamentals. I can't see a reason why they shouldn't share the same space. A space that provides food and flowers. It's a beautiful concept, and it looks great too.

Here is my newest delve into this idea. I got two black wrought iron obelisks, which have the perfect shape to act as tomato cages.  I already had the wrought iron stand in the center, so these two flanking either side make for a really attractive space.

 

 

There are some really interesting things happening in the garden this week.  This is my patch of Asclepias Tuberosa or Butterfly Weed.  They are all up and covered with bloom pods.  This is extremely early for them.

 

 

 

Also, here's a first... I have three of these very pretty dogwood shrubs. This is the first time I've seen them bloom.  The blooms are pretty sparse, and on only one of the shrubs.  It is quite exciting to learn that they have the potential to look like this all over.  I'm actually not sure if they are shrubs. They have a shrubby-tree appearance.  They were here when we moved in, I'm just grateful to have them.

 

 

Here is one of my most successful pairing experiments.  I once saw Lamb's Ear next to pale pink roses, and I loved the dusty silver of the foliage of the Lamb's Ear paired with the pale pink.  So I told myself that one day I would recreate this combination.  The roses were here when we moved in, but in total disarray.  Two of them near death, one cut back so severely that it was just a stump.  I nursed them back to life, and this spring, all I had to do was cut out dead wood from winter kill.  I got starts of Lamb's Ears from two different friends, and planted them down the sidewalk in front of the roses.  I love how the Lamb's Ear has grown up through the rose, using it as a support.  I know most people don't like the blooms of Lamb's Ear, but the blooms aren't on yet, and I like the way these poke through.

And, lastly, how could I end a post in May without showcasing Iris.  Actually, this is the first year I've had blooms, so technically it is the first post where I can showcase them.  Feast your eyes.

Big Changes at Rugged Acres

Spring has been good to us so far.  Everything is blooming correctly and plentifully, and the weather has been wonderful.  We've made BIG changes in the landscape since my last post.  We're going to take a tour of the gardens... and the BIG changes.

This is my newest purchase... a hybridized baptisia.  It will get three feet tall and covered with these bluish-purple spikes of flowers.  Very striking.

 

Eric built me this nice raised bed for my blackberries, and will be building me a few more for the blueberries and raspberries.  We've also got one waiting in the wings for asparagus.  Getting a little late to get those out, but other things have taken precedent this season.

 

Chives!  Gives whole new meaning to "blooming onion".

 

Creeping cotoneaster.  Two people have pronounced this for me and I still can't get over how it sounds.  I will learn how to say this word.

 

The first rose to bloom.

 

Look at this beautiful New Guinea impatien!  50 cents in the distressed plant section at Lowe's.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I got THREE hanging baskets for 50 cents each, and used them in pots.  Hanging baskets are a great way to get fast color in your pots.  All they needed was a good soaking in water for a few hours.

 

The first of my tall bearded iris to bloom.  Love this color.  I pretty much love any iris, but I'm particularly drawn to white, orange, and yellow.

 

This is a freebie.  It grows wild, and happens to be sitting at the trunk of each of my Hornbeams.  It's also growing wild in our field and there is a very large patch out there this year.

 
These alliums have doubled in numbers in just two seasons.  I wish the flowers were a little bigger but that means I need to pay a little more for the big guys.  That little whirly-gig in the background was something I snagged for Eric at Sam's Club.  The blades spin in opposite directions and the entire head spins.  As Eric puts it, "it's something neat to look at".

 

This is the third year for this Broom plant, which remains semi-evergreen throughout the winter.  It bloomed really well this season.

 

Okay, on to the Before & After segment...

 

This is the front garden in late April.

 

 

And here it is today.  I added a ton of annuals, and the hostas and other perennials are filling in nicely.

 

This is #1 of our two Gingko trees.  I have a sad story to tell about Gingko #2, but that can be a post by itself.  As you can see, Gingko #1 is not doing very well.  Also notice in the background the little row of skinny upright evergreen trees, which happen to be sitting on our septic fields.  This is where the BIG changes come in.

We purchased 8 trees in March, and brought one home to plant ourselves (you can read about it in a previous blog).  The other 7 were slated for delivery and installation because they are humongous. While the tree guy was here (a BIG thank you to John at Ferguson Valley), we said, "Hey, do you think you could move some trees for us while you're here?" 

Remember, this house formerly belonged to a nurseryman.  He had rows of trees out in the field, and then we had two rows of trees on the septic fields.  We wanted to get those trees off the septic and break up the unnatural looking rows of tree stock that got left behind.  So... 43 trees were moved into new homes.  We now have a totally different and amazing looking field landscape.

Before you go to the next photo, observe the background...

 

 

This is one of the purchased trees, a River Birch that Eric just couldn't leave without.  You'll see it better in the next photo, but the septic field has been cleared, and we lined our road with the trees. 

 

 

This is now the entrance to our home.  Pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself.  The plan for where each tree should go was drawn up by yours truly.

 

Welcome, Spring!

It's amazing how quickly things are greening up!  Just a few weeks ago I was walking the grounds, looking for signs of life.  I've already spent countless hours outside weeding, digging, dividing, and cleaning up debris.  This is just the beginning.  In July, my garden club will be coming over for a tour, and I have to ensure my gardens will be off the chain.

Let's start by covering the new additions that arrived mail order...

• Cote d'azurs - a groundcover that's supposed to mimic the effect of creeping phlox, with bright pink flowers in June-July.  I'll keep you posted if it lives up to it's reputation.
• Northern Agapanthus - a new introduction, supposedly hardy to our zone.  I have them planted in various locations throughout the yard, including a pot.  I feel in love with this flower when I visited San Diego several years ago.
• Narcissus Erlicheer - a summer blooming daffodil.  Can't wait to see that!
• Raspberries - Red and one year old plants.  Look nice.
• Asparagus - 25 roots, a good start... I won't get to try them out for 3 years though. Gardeners are patient folks.

And, of course, wild horses couldn't keep me out of Lowe's garden center. They already have plenty of clearance.

Let's take a virtual tour, shall we?

Meet Tahiti.  One of my favorite daffodils.  They flank my entry.  I look forward to the day when there are plenty to bring inside for bouquets.  I cut some today, because I couldn't take it any longer, but I selected sparingly.

 

I know it's hard to see this, but trust me, the Sweet Williams are in outstanding show this year.  This is what my entire wooded area looks like, dotted with these beautiful and fragrant blossoms, ranging from pale purple to rosy pink.

 

The driveway garden has a nice pop of color, with the creeping phlox, and assorted sedums tucked into the wall.  The redbuds lining the other side of the driveway play off the purple color.

 

I love how this living wall is turning out.  Every once in a while, I snag a start of a sedum from my collection elsewhere in the garden and stuff it in the crack of the rocks.

 

Bleeding heart

 

Phlox!  It looks soft and fluffy and I just want to brush it with my hands. You couldn't put your finger in between these packed flowers.

 

A beautiful vignette of red bud tree, with golden cypress in background.  I love the composition of this area.

 

Lowe's... hanging planters 2 for $10... they make great fillers for pots.  And they're way easier to maintain this way because they don't dry out as fast.

 

More Lowe's finds... $3 each.  The yellow one is Tiny Bee Asiatic lily, which I also purchased last year.  The orange is a new double Asiatic lily that I haven't seen before.  Stunning color combo.  I love hot colors mixed in the garden.

 

I had to get Tyler in the shot to give you size perspective on these Chives.  They are seriously large, and covered with blossom stems that are going to put on a good show.

 

This little tree is the first of a large order of trees that we have purchased.  It is a dwarf crabapple called Sargentina.  It only gets 5' tall and wide, and blooms white.  At the garden center, the top of the root ball was visible, and we were convinced we could take it home and plant it same day.  They went to get the fork truck to lift it out and we were a little puzzled as to why they'd need such heavy equipment.  The root ball came out of the gravel at about 3' across and deep.  Note to self... a dwarf tree that is half it's mature size will have a root system equivalent to half the mature size.  It was on the trailer to haul home before we could object.  That root ball must have been 500 pounds.  We gave it everything we had to get it into place.  The hole we dug was so deep I was able to stand in it up to my knees.  Several hours later and many sore muscles later, let's hope the tree doesn't disappoint.

 

 

This forsythia wreath from Kohl's just had to come home with me.

 

Tahiti daffodils surrounded by the Sweet Williams that grow wild in our woods.  A tip to the wise -- daffodils excrete sap that is poisonous to other flowers, so protect your bouquets.  I banded the daffodils with a rubber band, then immersed them in a sealed plastic sandwich bag into the center of the vase, then filled the rest of the vase with water and slipped the Sweet Williams in around.  A delicious color combination.