How Does Your Garden Grow?

[LaurenThePartier]

And last, but not least - our little potted herb garden; oregano, sage, cilantro, lemon thyme, rosemary, parsley, and chives.

 

[lulu]

Lauren-that''s a beautiful shot of the May night-it''s one of my current favorites.

 

[gardengloves]

Oh Lauren, thanks for sharing your pictures. The salvia looks so fresh and herbs yummy. God, i love fresh cilantro and chives

The mystery black iris is opening... have no idea what she shall become, but I am keeping watch. Oh, there is a little bunny nest nestled within this iris patch. Mom thought she had them well hidden, but I spotted her, and soon the little ones will come out

 

[gardengloves]

Iris and allium, blooms are bursting here, I am least a month ahead of last year.

Soon I will need a machete

 

[Gailey]

Lauren and GG, your pictures are wonderful. I''m in the middle of a 3 day snow storm and feel so miserable. Thank goodness for other peoples lovely pictures.

 

[gardengloves]

so , the mystery black iris came up, its a deep dark violet color

 

[gardengloves]

and these purple spires came up... no idea what it is..., but it''s up and I like it.

 

[gardengloves]

finally, this big bush of wine and roses weigela opened up over the weekend.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/10/2010 6:19:11 PM
Author: gardengloves
so , the mystery black iris came up, its a deep dark violet color

They are gorgeous GG. What you need to go with them is some two-tone, pale blue and black.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/10/2010 6:20:42 PM
Author: gardengloves
and these purple spires came up... no idea what it is..., but it''s up and I like it.

Those are Lupins and again - gorgeous!

 

[lulu]

I love lupines. Looks like veronica behind them.

 

[gardengloves]

Thanks Gailey and Lulu,

yep, Gailey, more iris''s are needed, transitional blue and black to tie it all together, another trip to the Iris farm, running out of beds here...

Lupines, eh? whatever they are they just got bigger.. the funny thing about these is that for the two years we were here they were dormant, just leaves, but this year these giant flowers shot up. I''m loving lupines.

Come on ladies, please share your garden photos...

surely it stopped snowing Gailey, please tell me it is so...

 

[iheartscience]

I can finally play in here! My husband and I planted a garden in our back yard tonight next to our crepe myrtle tree. He and my MIL went to a nursery today and got all the plants. I had to work and couldn't go but I got to help through texted pictures! (Yay iPhone!

)

The hubs also trimmed the heck out of the crepe myrtle-it was huge and very unruly so he got rid of a lot of smaller branches and some dead limbs so now it looks more crepe myrtle-y around the tree trunk. This is just an iPhone pic so not great quality but you get the idea! The brick is our garage and there's ivy growing up it on the left. To the right is the crepe myrtle.

 

[gardengloves]

Looks great Thing2, I love what your husband did pruning the crepe myrtle. Great job.

I live in the northeast, we have a lot crepe myrtles growing here in bush form, they do well here, but the in the south they are in their glory, pruned into light, delicate tree shapes

When I go down south to visit our family in Texas, the crepes are trimmed into beautiful tree forms with slender legs and growth on the top. It seems like everyone is born knowing how to prune a crepe myrtle for its most beautiful form. In a few weeks our family is coming to visit, I hope they bring their pruners- I have a few young Hopi crepes that need to be trimmed into tree form like Thing''s husband did. Right now they are growing like bushes, but I know they can be pruned for the elegant leggy effect of the crepes of the south.

If anyone knows how to shape a crepe myrtle , please help. It may be too late in the season, but I want to trim these beauties into southern glories.

 

[gardengloves]

here is an example of a pruned crepe myrtle grown into a tree form. The lower branches are pruned, so beautiful stem formation shows and the tree flowers at the top. or else it would be giant bush.

This one was a photo from Maryland, from a visit.

 

[lulu]

We have a crepe myrtle in front of the Fla house. It''s a big controversy whether to cut them back in the fall. I decided to leave it alone and it seems to be doing fine, but a lot of people really cut them back.

 

[iheartscience]

Thanks, gg! I found a great article on pruning crepe myrtles last week. The whole site is pretty interesting (and funny!), actually. It''s called the Grumpy Gardener. Here''s the link to the crepe myrtle article: link

I have more pics of the garden at home-I''ll post more soon!

 

[lulu]

Gg- I just realized that it''s perennial salvia (meadow sage) behind the lupines-not veronica.

 

[gardengloves]

Date: 5/20/2010 6:05:57 PM
Author: lulu
Gg- I just realized that it''s perennial salvia (meadow sage) behind the lupines-not veronica.

Actually Lulu , your right the first time, lupine, salvia and veronica... inspiration is English style gardening

 

[gardengloves]

I just have to share this because I so love English gardens, and they inspire everything I do in the garden..... Sudeley Castle

For Tudor fans--- this photo from Sudeley Castle gardens, where the young Elizabeth lived with the Regeant Queen, Katherine Parr

 

[gardengloves]

Opps, the photo, classic English garden, russian sage.. photo from Sudeley Castle, England,

OMG--- the English, they have a way with gardens.

 

[gardengloves]

Date: 5/20/2010 4:36:16 PM
Author: thing2of2
Thanks, gg! I found a great article on pruning crepe myrtles last week. The whole site is pretty interesting (and funny!), actually. It''s called the Grumpy Gardener. Here''s the link to the crepe myrtle article: link


I have more pics of the garden at home-I''ll post more soon!

thanks thing2, yes, please post, your new plants look great.

I''m going to get these Hopi crepes tamed.... planted them in 3 inch pots, they are now 5 feet, ready to be pruned into the elegant long legged crepe beauties, just have to overcome fear of the pruning shears..

 

[gardengloves]

WaveHill Gardens in Riverdale, NY overlooking the Palisades.

Another great garden -Russian sage in a gorgeous setting overlooking the Hudson River

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/20/2010 6:29:35 PM
Author: gardengloves
Opps, the photo, classic English garden, russian sage.. photo from Sudeley Castle, England,

OMG--- the English, they have a way with gardens.

Thank you Ma''am.

This particular English Gardener feels like her back has been cut in half this week. Snow has gone and stuff is growing with a vengeance. I am about to start silly season (Annuals).

Here''s a few English gardening links for you:

Wisley
The Royal Landscape
Great Dixter
Sissinghurst
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Trebah

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/20/2010 6:40:42 PM
Author: gardengloves

Date: 5/20/2010 4:36:16 PM
Author: thing2of2
Thanks, gg! I found a great article on pruning crepe myrtles last week. The whole site is pretty interesting (and funny!), actually. It''s called the Grumpy Gardener. Here''s the link to the crepe myrtle article: link


I have more pics of the garden at home-I''ll post more soon!

thanks thing2, yes, please post, your new plants look great.

I''m going to get these Hopi crepes tamed.... planted them in 3 inch pots, they are now 5 feet, ready to be pruned into the elegant long legged crepe beauties, just have to overcome fear of the pruning shears..

GG, here is a great link about the principles of pruning. Pruning Guide

The best pruning tools I have ever come across are these:
Felco
Corona Forged Loppers

 

[iheartscience]

gardengloves, I LOVE the photos you posted of the English gardens! Gorgeous!

I''ve got some better pictures of the garden now. They''re doing well, going on a week and so far so good. It rained a lot this past week and I was worried it would drown them but they all seemed to like it.

 

[iheartscience]

Another:

 

[iheartscience]

More:

 

[iheartscience]

 

[lulu]

I''m kind of a freak for purple in the garden and russian sage is one of my favorites. The winters here are tough so I usually end up replacing at least one. But they all came back this spring. I really have to get the dahlias in the ground this weekend.