New Purchase

Name: Phlox
Variety: Laura
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-3'
Sun: Full Sun to Part shade
Flower color:  Purple
Bloom Time: July-August
Fragrance:  No
 Location: front yard in front of the arborviate north side

bought from meijer--two plants.   They were $6.50.  They are zone 4 so we will see if the will survive the winter.

Annual Flower Report

So far the diplodenia are preforming as expected in the window box.  I hope I can over winter them this year.

The yellow and orange million bells on the sheperd's hook are doing well.

I like the coleus purchase with the pink million bells in the white pot on the gray stool.   These were purchased a Plymouth nursery.

Martha at Sells is nice. 

I love the Sweet William purchased at Home depot in the purple pot.  So far it has bloomed to expectation.

Still not satisfied with the two hanging pots or the new guinea this year.  They might turn out really well

In front the dalhia has filled up the two pots, but very few flowers.
The vinca is growing nicely but has not met expectations.
The large pots are still just mediocre.

I am sad about the cala lily and hope next year I can find another white one like the old one.  I had it for 14 years.

Hydrangea Annabelle

Name: Hydrangea Annabelle
Variety: Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle
Type: Perennial
Height: 4'
Sun: Full Sun to Part shade
Flower color: white
Bloom Time: June-July
Fragrance:  No
 Location:  South and north side of steps to lower deck

Purchased at Plymouth nursery three years ago.  Well established.

New Purchase Cala Lily

Name: Millennium Queen Calla Lily
Variety:  Calla lily mellennium queen
Type:  bulb
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  20"
Bloom time:  Spring into summer
Flower color: yellow
Fragrance: none

bulb purchased at Holland Bulb Farms in July.   Received three sickly bulbs.  PLanted in a small pot on the deck.   Has yellow flowers and spotted leaves.

Diantus Artic Fire

Name:  Dianthus Arctic Fire
Variety:  Dianthus Arctic Fire
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  6"
Bloom time:  Spring into summer
Flower color: white with red inside
Fragrance: none
Plant location: sw side of waterfall by Dianthus firewitch

We purchase this from Bluestone.  Generally purchase do not bloom the first year.  Hopefully it makes it through the winter and does well next year.

Weekly Report

Front:  The spirea are about spent.  The daisies are in bloom as are the day lilies and the campanulas.

South:  The lilies are in bloom and look wonderful. 

Back:  The Arizona sun are still blooming.   The gold dust shrub is in bloom.  Around the water fall, the coreopsis and the coral bells as well as the day lily in bloom.

The bee balm cherry fiz and bubble gum are in bloom.   Rossanne geranium and the red, yellow and pink roses.  

The lamium are still in bloom as well.   Along the deck the annabelle hydrangea and the polish spirit clematis are all bloom.

It's been a good June.   Many flowers are now blooming and hope that they will keep up throughout the summer.

Biokova Hardy Geranium

Name:  Hardy Geranium
Variety:  Geranium Biokova
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  10" Bloom time:  Spring into summer
Flower color: white
Fragrance: none
Plant location: Perennial garden sw corner


Care:   bloom boost in summer, dead head, cut to ground in winter

Dianthus Pinks

Name:  Pinks
Variety: Dianthus gratianopolitanus Firewitch
Type:  Perennial
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  6"
Bloom time:  Spring into summer
Flower color: pink
Fragrance: lightly fragrant
Plant location: Back Yard west of waterfall

Weekly Report

We got all the shrubs with fert stakes and bayer on the roses and hydrangeas.

Front:  The weigela is in bloom.

South:  The catmint is in bloom.  Also the wisteria are blooming

Back yard:  in bloom:  cheddar pinks, chives, iris, nine bark, bridal spirea, lamium.

Some of the annuals are doing well.  

Weekly Report

Front yard:  Fushia moss phlox are still blooming

Back yard in bloom:  lamium, bleeding heart, candy tuft, lily of valley, iris, summer snow ground cover, dianthus, summer snow flake viburnum.

We have all the annuals planted and things look lovely.   We had to replace the coreopsis but didn't find one that will survive the winter.  It's irritating they sell ones that won't.

Annual Purchase

Despite planning, I ended up with a few different plants than I wanted.  It was due to the fact that they were so picked over by Monday when we got back down there to purchase.

Front yard:
Pots by the bench--6 pink dailias
Pots on the steps--6 vincas
Pots on the porch per each pot--2 Sun patiens deep rose; 1 ornamental millet, 3 calibrachoa (million bells white

Back yard;
Shepherds hook hanging pots per each--1 million bells yellow, 1 million bells orange
Gray pot on the gray step stool--heliotrope aborescens
Large hanging pot on large arbor--1 million bells in red, 2 bacopa in white and 2 bacopa in blue (I would have prefered lobelia)
White hanging pot on deck--1 million bells in red, 1 bacopa in white and 1 bacopa in blue
New Guinea impatiens paradise
Royal Geranium in dark pink
Under chimney--20 impatiens in white, pink, dark pink
Down steps--white and pink begonias
Purple pot on table--2 begonias left over and Barbarini Salmon Dianthus (this is acutally a perennial zone 4.  we may be able to save this in the perennial garden)

We also picked up tomatoes, cucs, zucchini, peppers, beans (we ended up with not enough and one wrong kind), green onions, basil and parsley.

Weekly Report

After a week being gone things have changed.

Front yard:  moss phlox are still in bloom.  The lilacs are blooming

South side:  tulips are still in bloom

Back yard:   Candy tuft is in bloom, lamium is in bloom.  Moss phlox are in bloom--all three colors.  Everything we planted before we left is growing nicely.   Still don't know if the yarrow or the coreopsis  will make it.    There is a lot of work out there to do.  Wayne has a long list.

Next week we need to find time to do fertilize stakes and fertilizer.  Plus I need to do copper spray.

Weekly Report

Front yard:  pear trees still in bloom; white and fushia moss phlox are gorgeous.  The grape hyacinths are blooming again. 

The garden phlox didn't make it through the winter.  We're trying something else--again.

South side:  Tulips are in bloom.  The shurb althea is still dormant.  Hope it starts soon.

Back yard:   fushai moss phlox are wonderful, lavendar ones are blooming and the new while ones are doing well.   Bleeding heat is blooming and is the laminum.   Red bud tree and the crab apple tree look great.

My one concern is one of the wisteria--the one on the west side.  I see no signs of buds.   We also planted lots of new things in back.  Hope they do well.

Flowers In Bloom

Crab Apple Tree in the back yard.  It's really full of blooms.

Red Bud Tree in the back yard.  This is really the best time of year for the trees.

Moss phlox in the front.  This is also the pretties season in the front yard.  The white moss phlox are gorgeous.

The pear trees in the front.  A little past prime but still wonderful.

New Rose Purchase

These were nice 5 gal containers healthy plants from Zywicki Greenhouse


Name:  Rosa
Variety Falling In Love
Type: Shrug
Height: 4'
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  like pink
Bloom Time: june
Fragrance:  yes
Location:  plant in the rose garden
Care: dead head as needed; Bayer once a month; prune to canes in fall

Name:   Rosa
Variety   Henry Fonda
Type: shrub
Height: 4'
Sun: Full sun
Flower color:  dark yellow
Bloom Time: June
Fragrance:  yes
Location:  plant in the rose garden
Care: dead head as needed; Bayer once a month; prune to canes in fall

Annuals Purchase and Ideas at Zywicki

We went to Zywicki Greenhouse (734-461-6197) and picked up two beautiful roses.  Wayne helped me pick them out so I hope they are nice.  We also got some great ideas for annuals.

Purchased:
4 cleome for under a dollar for front in front of the arborvitae.  They are supposed to grow 24x48.  We got mixed colors.

Ideas:

For the gray pot on top of the gray stool:  2-3 heliotrope
 For the light brown hanging pots on the shepherd's hook:  calibrachoa or million bells in orange and yellow (1 each for each pot)
 For the two large white hanging pots:   1 calibrachoa in red, 1-2 small white hanging flowers, 1-2 dark purple lobelia

For the large front pots for each :   found a picture that I wanted--white hanging flowers, purple and red maybe calibrachoas and helioptrope. 

New Perennial Purchase

Purchased from Sell's Greenhouse in May

Name:   Peony
Variety Felix Supreme
Type: perennial
Height: 30"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  red
Bloom Time: late May
Fragrance:  yes
Location:  planted on the back side of seated arbor on south side
Care: prune off dead flowers after bloomed; trim to ground after fall freeze


Name:   New England Aster
Variety:  Purple Dome
Type: perennial
Height: 24"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color: purple
Bloom Time: fall
Fragrance:  none
Location:  planted on the south side of gated arbor
Care: trim down in fall?

Name:   Bee Balm
Variety Monarda Cherry Pops
Type: perennial
Height: 20"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  cherry
Bloom Time:  mid to late summer
Fragrance:  none
Location:  planted on s side of gated arbor
care:  fertilize weekly in summer with bloom booster

Name:   Bee Balm
Variety Monarda Bubblegum Blast
Type: perennial
Height: 24"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  bubblegum
Bloom Time:  mid to late summer
Fragrance:  none
Location:  planted on s side of gated arbor  next to cherry pops
care:  fertilize weekly in summer with bloom booster

Also picked up another Gaillardia Arizona Sun.  They will not overwinter.  I just have to treat this as an annual, but we get great flowers from them

Also Wayne purchased dipladenia at Home Depot for 4 bucks each.  Got 4 new plants.

Weekly Update

It was a very long winter and finally we got some flowers and some plants up.

In Bloom:

Front yard:  Pear trees, grape hyacinths
Everything is doing well except the new orange phlox aren't up

South Yard:   Tulips

Back yard:  fuschia moss phlox and bleeding heart

We had to transplant some white moss phlox that failed over the winter.   The garden phlox are gone.  The transplant for the roseanne geranium also failed.  Two rose bushes look dead.  Hope of humanity is doing well and there is one bud on the Sugar Moon.  We'll give the others until the end of the week.  The dianthus died so I replaced it with a new one--they don't make it through the winter.   And the Gaillardia died too.   They are also just annuals but great flowers. The Yarrow is looking sparse but could be growing.

The dipolodenia didn't make it through the winter in the basement so next year we'll leave them upstairs.

NEW Perrennials

Purchase at Meijer.



Name:   Hens and Chicks Ruby Hearts
Variety Sempervivum Ruby Hearts
Type: perennial ground cover
Height: 6"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  none
Bloom Time:
Fragrance:  none
Location:  Planted on the south side of the potentilla
Care:  None


Name:   Dianthus
Variety Tickled PInk
Type: perennial but probably annual
Height: 12"
Sun: Full Sun
Flower color:  bright pink
Bloom Time: spring through summer
Fragrance:  carnation
Location:  planted in perennial garden in center
Care: fertilize weekly in summer