Fall is Coming

Wayne fertilized the lawn this week.  It will be the last time.  The lawn was a little dried up with the warmer weather this week.

The burning bush are flaming red and so beautiful.  The ornamental grass is in seed and so pretty.  All the other plants have stopped flowering except the new white shrub althea.  It is still blooming away.

We still have zucchini growing in the garden and tomatoes are still ripening   We got a few peppers as well.

We are killing the trumpet vine.  Wayne has sprayed it numerous times and it is slowing dying.   We will need to pull it out before winter sets in.

New in the Garden

There was a surprise in the garden.  This is a Star Gazer Lily and really quite exotic.  However, I planted around 10, 5 came up but they all died but this one and it was a pathetic showing of one naked stem with one fabulous flower.  Maybe this is what they are supposed to be but after three years of trying, I am disappointed.  Perhaps they would grow better elsewhere, but I also tried in the front and had no success there.  I guess this is not meant to be, but for one short moment we had a surprise.

Garden News

Lots happening in the garden

Front:  Campanulas have had another burst of flowers.   Black-eyed susans are also blooming.

South:  shrub althea is in bloom

Back:   Black eyed susans are wonderful, garlic chives are starting to bloom, white roses are blooming, new stone crop and puff asters.   The new white shrub althea is blooming in back

Garden Report

Front:  The daisy, small day lilies, and lilies are through blooming.  Campanulas are in full bloom.  All but one of them has flowers.  There is a continual row of white flowers along the walkway.  The large day lilies are in bloom as well.   Of the two black eyed susan plants, one isn't going to make it.  Too much heat--however, the other will be fine.

South:   The Shrub Althea is in bloom.

Blooming in back:    hostas, balloon flowers, garden phlox, roses are ready to bloom.

Garden Report

Campanulas out front are blooming nicely.  More of the lilies that I purchase--one pink one orange

Out back we have one blossom on the hydrangea but it isn't very good.   The hostas, balloon flowers, polish spirit clematis, and garden phlox.

Stonecrop

Name: Stonecrop
Variety: Sedum telephium munstead dark red
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  14" high
Bloom time:  Summer
Flower color:  Dark Red
Fragrance: None
Plant location: Back Yard in perennial garden by vegetable garden


This has a long bloom season, which adds a really nice touch of color to the perennial garden that is quite drab this time of year.

New In Bloom

The daisies in the front yard have never looked better.  These generic lilies are also in bloom just behind them.

Garden Report

Front Yard:  The spirea are now in bloom but not as spectacular as in years past.  The hot summer and hard winter too a toll on these plants. The stella odoro day lilies are in bloom, there is one over achiever campanula that is in full bloom.  I think we should move that to the waterfall.

Back yard:  There are still a few blossoms on the dogwood tree, in bloom on the hillside:  JFK rose, lupine, red carnation, coreopsis, day lily.  Roses in bloom: wild blue yonder, QE2, Julia Child, Livin Easy.   Perennial garden: coreopsis.  Both purple clematis and the polish spirit clematis are in bloom although the purple are fading and the other has not been a spectacular bloom.

News in the Garden

The honeysuckle are in full bloom.  We sat on the deck and enjoyed the wonderful fragrance of the flowers.  They are spectacular this year.

Peonies in Bloom

The peonies on the north side of the arbor finally bloomed really spectacularly.  They have struggled for several years to get established and finally they are blooming well.   Last fall we got three more tubers from Bowling Green kids to add to the group on the south side, but they are just starting to grow this year.

However, Wednesday night a storm came through and pelted them hard.  It knocked over all the blossoms and the biggest blooms had broken stems so they all had to be cut off and brought into the house.  The red is an especially spectacular variety.   The white ones were brought from Saline, the pink from Duane Laws' garden and the red we purchased a couple of years ago.

Red Peony

Name: Peony
Variety: Paeonia Lactiflora"red charm"
Color: Ruby Red
Type: Perennial
Height: 3'
Light:  Full Sun
Fragrance:   Strong 
Bloom Time: Late May Early June
Location:   North east side of gated arbor

I purchased these a couple of years ago and they have not done well--really struggled.  However, this year they bloomed really well.   I don't know if this is the exact variety because I didn't write it down and there are hundreds of peony red varieties.  However, i think this is closest to color, shape and size.

Garden Report

Front:  the spirea are now in bloom
South:  the cat mint is in bloom
Back:   along the water fall there are  roses, carnations, dogwood, lupine, summer snow flake; by arbor there are honey suckle vines, wild blue yonder roses; under deck there are clematis in bloom.

Star Performers

The pinks this year are spectacular.  I have never seen them so gorgeous.  This is the plant by the vegetable garden.  The pinks on the water fall hill are not quite as gorgeous, but really nice.

The purple Marie Louise clematis are also incredible this year.  They are pictured at the top of the page.

Garden Report

I have been gone for a week and things have really started happening around the yard.

Front:   wiegela is still in bloom
South:  cat mint is in bloom
Back:   pinks by the garden and on the waterfall are in bloom;  chives are in bloom;  purple clematis are spectacular this year; new red carnation is still in bloom; lupine is in bloom although not as showy as last year;  summer snowflake viburnum is in bloom;  scabiosa is in bloom; the dogwood tree has lots of blossoms but they are very small.

I missed the columbine and the lily of the valley.  

Snow Mound Spirea

Name:   Snow Mound Spirea
Variety: Spirea japonica "snow mound"
Type: Shrub
Height: 5' x 5'
Light: Full sun
Flower Color: white
Location:  north side back yard by fence
Bloom Time:June

We bought two plants at Plymouth nursery in 2010.  They have not done well and it seems that there parts that are dead each year.  They have been there for two years and have not grown well.  This year they have finally bloomed better.

Annual Flower and Vegetable Purchases

2 spikes
12 burgundy petunias
8 yellow marigolds
8 white vinca
12 dusty miller
6 dalhias
6 ??
4 red verbena
4 blue verbena
4 white verbena
1 new guinea impatient
1 martha washington
8 white begonias
4 purple petunias
4 white petunias
4 gazania

8 peppers
12 beans
10 tomatoes
4 cucs
4 zuchini
2 cherry tomatoes
red onions

Garden Report

Blooming in front:  the weigela is starting to bloom;  the moss phlox and the lilacs are still blooming.

Blooming in back: the chives are in bloom;  the light lavender iris is now in bloom.  The moss phlox, bleeding heart and candy tuft are still in bloom

Pictures Around the Garden

Not only are the lilacs doing really well, so are the candy tuft.  We also purchased another variety of moss phlox that is fuchsia colored but it is slightly different.  I didn't keep the information because I thought it was the same variety.  Oh well.

Light Lavender Moss Phlox

Name:  Moss Phlox
Variety: Phlox subulata "Emerald Blue"  
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  Ground cover
Bloom time:  Spring
Flower color: Lavender
Fragrance: none
Location: Back Yard west of waterfall.
Care:  Fertilize weekly with Bloom Booster in summer

New Purchase

Last night we went to pick up more top soil and mulch.  I found another dianthus to replace the one that had died.  The raspberry surprise is growing again and I look forward to it blooming this year.   Hopefully this new one will do much better than the other because we are planting it much sooner in the year. 

Name:  Carnation
Variety: Dianthus "Garden Spice Red"  
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  15"
Bloom time:  Spring into summer
Flower color: Red
Fragrance: lightly fragrant
Plant location: Back Yard west of waterfall.

Garden Report

In the front:  The lilacs are in full bloom and look so wonderful.  The white and lavender moss phlox are also in bloom.  The white moss phlox are doing great under three of the lights.  The two lights closest to the sidewalk, though are not doing well.  We will eventually need to transplant those.

In the back north side:   The red bud tree is in bloom.  It had one dead branch but the rest of the tree is doing well.  The candy tuft are spectacular.  The bleeding heart is in bloom.

In the back south side:  There are three varieties of moss phlox in bloom--fushia, lavender and a lighter pink.   The lamium is in bloom under both sets of arborvitae.   I expect it to be in bloom for the rest of the summer. 

More In Bloom

There is lots going on in the yard at this time.  The confusion in weather has delayed the early bloomers so that they are blooming at the same time as the regular may bloomers.  However, it does make for a yard filled with flowers.

In the front:  the pear trees are still in bloom, the white and violet moss phlox

In the south:  the orange tulips and the white, yellow and pink tulips.

Garden Report

In the back in bloom:  the red bud tree, the moss phlox, the bleeding heart and the candy tuft.

Garden Report

In the front in bloom:  Daffodils, pear trees, grape hyacinths

On the south in bloom:  red/orange tulips

In back in bloom:  hyacinths, forsythia

Forsythia

Forsythia is in full bloom!! Finally, it's May 1.

Spring Has Arived

Today the temperatures are a lovely 60.  We were outside without jackets. 

Front:  All except one of the campanulas made it.  The white moss phlox around the lights are doing well.  The ones toward the east are bigger.   The day lilies are up as are the mums and daisies.  Wayne trimmed the dead off the mums.  Some of the lilies are up.

South:  The cat mint is up as are some of the lilies.  Lilies have been a disappointment.   The tulips are almost ready to bloom.

Back:  4 garden phlox made it.   All of the moss phlox are growing.  There are flowers on the periwinkle.   The lupine are growing too.  The bleeding heart is up as is the columbine and the candy tuft.  All of Rebecca's peonies are up.  The on the other side they are coming but slower,  I have to dig down to find the buds. 

There is new growth on the spirea, but I don't know if they are gong to survive this year. 

In the sun garden, the lavender is growing, the iris are up--including one of the new variety, but of the three kinds it is the only one that made it.   The oriental poppy is growing nicely as are the cheddar pinks.  There is one scabbioso that made it.  I don't know if any of the other plants will grow

News

Lots of things are coming up and looking like they are going to live again.  The daffodils are blooming although only one bunch really bloomed well.

In back the new hyacinths are blooming although they are a little disappointing and don't look like the picture on the package.  I love hyacinths but have never had success growing them.

The one bunch of crocuses in back are still in bloom also.  They were eaten by cut worms but are doing really well now.  Cut worms love crocuses unfortunately.