What''s Growing in PSer''s Garden

[mochi]

Here is the frontal picture of the red daylilly. I go and check tomorrow to see if the tag is still there for ID. It''s absolutely a pretty one. I''ve been trying to cross pollinate the daylillies just to see what other interesting flowers that I''ll get. I have a few babies right now, just not old enought for flowers, maybe next year.

The red hydrangea that I have, I believe, is called Lady in Red. It''s not a typical hydrangea in that it does bloom into a ball. I bought it a couple of years ago because I was very facinated by the color. I didn''t get any blooms last year but this year the bush is just loaded with buds. I''ll take a picture tomorrow, unfortunately they are not blooming yet. Hopefully it''s going to remain red. I haven''t used epson salt, may give it a try on one of them to see what happens!

Gailey, I''m so glad that you''re back! I love your flowers. I''m envious though, because you get to grow the dormat daylillies. They just seem so much more colorful than the E or SE ones. I love the website that you posted. I use to belong to that site. Now I''m a member of Dave''s, but haven''t posted there in a while.

 

[mochi]

Last one for the night...

 

[lulu]

Gailey, thanks for the suggestions. I usually like vivid colors so this is new to me. I can get the nicotiana from my neighbor. I didn''t know petunias have a scent, I''ll have to check it out. I''m going to add a rose and probably alyssum for scent too.

 

[Linda W]

Mochi, your flowers are so darn beautiful and so is the front of your house. Gorgeous. And ewwwww for doggies giving kisses after eating poop. Ick.

Gailey, I have missed you too, so glad you are back. Your flowers are gorgeous also.

 

[lulu]

I forgot- also bought some bridal veil astilbe. But I don''t want all white. Added a columbine with a touch of pink. Any other suggestions? Maybe some russian sage?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 5/14/2009 10:19:45 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 5/3/2009 9:04:50 PM
Author: Loves Vintage
This is the stream out front, which has a native plant, affectionately called skunk cabbage, growing alongside and sometimes in the stream! This is our first spring in our home, and I am currently researching appropriate streamside plants for this area. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has them . . .

LV, where abouts do you live? Do you know what zone you are in? I'll come up with some suggestions for you. Have you got a large area around the stream?

Hi Gailey,

Thank you so much for trying to help me! I'm in CT, in Zone 6A. We have about 200 feet of the stream. It is a heavily tree'd area, so there is very little sun in the summer months, although some does peak through, I guess. The soil is very, very loose under foot. I wanted to research what native plants would be good to plant here. I have a book from the library on the benefits of planting with native plants. The last section of the book has recommendations for each region of the country, except for mine! How funny. So, I went to a local nursery, figuring they must have streamside or at least a lot of shade loving plants . . . nope! There is a nursery, about an hour from me, that specializes in native plants. I haven't looked into it too thoroughly yet, but maybe a trip up there would be helpful.

P.S. I wanted to tell you that I love your Crazy Daisies! Such a wonderful way for you to honor your friend too. That's one of the nicest things I've read in a long time. When I first saw the picture you posted of the Crazy Daisy, I hoped you would make it your avatar, and then you did!

ETA: Oh, and I think you may have my dream job. How long have you been at it for?

 

[Gailey]

Lulu, at zone 5 you can happily grow David Austin Roses. Many of these have fabulous scent. I don''t have a particular recommendation in that range because I don''t use them here, other than annuals. However, my favourite rose for scent happens to be white. It''s a shrub rose, so requires no pampering. It''s called Blanc Double de Coubert. After I went to bed last night I was thinking about columbines - good choice. I''ve got a lovely one that is white and double. I''ll see if I can find it''s name.

In a night time garden, the other thing you want is texture, and contrast. Not unlike any other type of garden really, it''s just those things need to have visibility at night. One of my gardening rules if you like, is that grey and lime green go with everything and also have the ability to make everything look fabulous. So when you consider that in the context of a night garden, here are a few suggestions:
Brunnera macrophylla "Looking Glass" or "Jack Frost". These will need a degree of shade, so might not work if you don''t have any.
Same aspect for Hakonechola macra Aureola and Heuchera "Lime Rickey". If you don''t have any shade in your night garden, perhaps there is a viewing angle that is can be seen from the night garden that will allow you to slot some shade tolerant plants in.

Good contrast plants for the front of the bed are:
Sedum rupestre "Angelina"
Acorus gramineus "Ogon"

Taller full sum contrast plants:
Calamagrostis "Avalanche"
Artemisia "Powys Castle" This has a wonderful lavender smell when you brush up against it.

If you want an instant showy plant in your garden and don''t have to worry about children (as it''s poisonous), consider: Datura (Angel''s Trumpet)

The other thing I like to consider is adding in another darker colour, which although won''t be seen much at night, it will visually break up the space during the day. Given that you''ve got white, you''ve already got a good deal of green with the foliage, I would consider purple:
Verbena bonariensis
Floribunda rose: "Intrigue" (amazing scent)
Trachelium
Lot''s of Heucheras come in purple which will work for full sun. One thing I love about Heucheras is that they will still look as good in November! Worth their weight in gold!

There, that should keep you going for a while. Gotta go and make my lovely husband of 16 years + 1 day some breakfast.

Please take some photos and show us how your bed (and rest of garden) progresses throughout the season.

Good luck!

 

[Gailey]

Lulu

A couple that I forgot:

Campanula percisifolia "Chettle Charm"
Campanula percisifolia "La Belle"

Both are biennials, so plant new ones for at least a couple of years to make sure you have flowers each season.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/15/2009 11:24:33 AM
Author: Loves Vintage

Date: 5/14/2009 10:19:45 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 5/3/2009 9:04:50 PM
Author: Loves Vintage
This is the stream out front, which has a native plant, affectionately called skunk cabbage, growing alongside and sometimes in the stream! This is our first spring in our home, and I am currently researching appropriate streamside plants for this area. I''m open to suggestions if anyone has them . . .

LV, where abouts do you live? Do you know what zone you are in? I''ll come up with some suggestions for you. Have you got a large area around the stream?

Hi Gailey,

Thank you so much for trying to help me! I''m in CT, in Zone 6A. We have about 200 feet of the stream. It is a heavily tree''d area, so there is very little sun in the summer months, although some does peak through, I guess. The soil is very, very loose under foot. I wanted to research what native plants would be good to plant here. I have a book from the library on the benefits of planting with native plants. The last section of the book has recommendations for each region of the country, except for mine! How funny. So, I went to a local nursery, figuring they must have streamside or at least a lot of shade loving plants . . . nope! There is a nursery, about an hour from me, that specializes in native plants. I haven''t looked into it too thoroughly yet, but maybe a trip up there would be helpful.

P.S. I wanted to tell you that I love your Crazy Daisies! Such a wonderful way for you to honor your friend too. That''s one of the nicest things I''ve read in a long time. When I first saw the picture you posted of the Crazy Daisy, I hoped you would make it your avatar, and then you did!

ETA: Oh, and I think you may have my dream job. How long have you been at it for?

LV, thanks for your kind comments - do you want a job, I could do with some more help!

I will get back to you later on today with some suggestions. Mr Gailey is off today so we are just heading out.

No garden should be without Leucantheumu superbum "Crazy Daisy"

 

[purrfectpear]

Speaking of wild bunny wabbits, the condo I bought has somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 wild bunnies in the complex.

You''d think that would pose a big problem for landscaping but apparently not much, since the whole place is landscaped to the max.

They''re really cute. You can''t walk 10 feet without seeing a bunny

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Awww! I would love that PP! We have wild bunnies in our neighborhood. FI and I love seeing them.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

OMG, this thread rocks! I wish we could upload some of these pics in High res - I would love some of them for a background!

 

[Linda W]

I would love to print some out and frame them.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/15/2009 1:05:05 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Awww! I would love that PP! We have wild bunnies in our neighborhood. FI and I love seeing them.

Yeah, they are cute until they start nibbling my plants. That''s when I go into "Fatal Attraction" mode. Completely given up on trying to grow tulips, bunnies love em!

 

[Gailey]

LV,

Here''s a link to the Connecticut Botanical Society''s Native Plant List, which should help you a lot.

In addition to that, there is a book, that will be really useful to you: "Making the most of shade"
And another: "American Woodland Garden"
And another: Gardening with Woodland Plants

You say that you have heavy shade in the summer. Don''t forget that this also means that you have quite a lot of sunlight in the early Spring before the trees leaf out. This means you can have a wonderful cornucopia of early colour:

Hepatica nobilis
Anenome nemerosa
Pulmonaria
Trillium
Helleborus
Primula denticulata
And without doubt, if I had 200+ feet of woodland with a stream, I would have a carpet of Hyacinthoides no-scripta (English Bluebells)

As we progress into summer, I would have ferns:
Athyrium niponicum (Japanese Painted Fern)
Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

As well as:
Polygonatum commutatum (Solomon''s Seal)
Sissyrinchium striatum
Iris foetidissima
Astilbe

Please take lots of pictures LV as you progress through summer.

Thought you all might like to see my screensaver that reminds me of home!

 

[lulu]

Gailey, thanks so much for all the suggestions. I love purple, so that will be a good contrast color. Some nepeta might look good. I''m already planning on enlarging the bed! lol

 

[mochi]

This is the hydrangea that blooms red. Notice that the stems are red, I think it''s very pretty. I believe its called Lady in Red.

 

[mochi]

Close up of the buds...

 

[mochi]

Whole plant.

 

[Linda W]

Beautiful Mochi, that horse poop, sure does the trick to your beautiful garden.

 

[mochi]

Date: 5/15/2009 10:41:57 PM
Author: Linda W
Beautiful Mochi, that horse poop, sure does the trick to your beautiful garden.

LOL!!! I really need to get another load, but my husband has a new truck and he''s not too thrilled about it...

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/15/2009 10:36:10 PM
Author: mochi
This is the hydrangea that blooms red. Notice that the stems are red, I think it''s very pretty. I believe its called Lady in Red.

Here you go Mochi, everything you ever wanted to know about your "Lady in Red"

Please can you take shots of it throughout the season and post them, so we can see how it changes. I think it''s going to look amazing by the Fall.

And BTW, I would have written in "Fetch horse doo-doo" into the "Honey can I have a new truck" contract. An absolute staple in any garden as far as I''m concerned.

My Aunt used to live in a very picturesque village called Beaulieu. I kid you not, donkeys roam the streets in Beaulieu and have complete freedom. I think my aunt thought I was certifiable when I insisted on us walking around the streets with a bucket and hand shovel collecting the donkey doo-doo for the compost bin! She didn''t laugh at me quite so much when she saw the results of liberally applying the well composted manure to the garden. It''s late, but I''ll see if I can find some photos of her cottage in the next few days!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 5/15/2009 6:41:17 PM
Author: Gailey
LV,

Here's a link to the Connecticut Botanical Society's Native Plant List, which should help you a lot.

In addition to that, there is a book, that will be really useful to you: 'Making the most of shade'
And another: 'American Woodland Garden'
And another: Gardening with Woodland Plants

You say that you have heavy shade in the summer. Don't forget that this also means that you have quite a lot of sunlight in the early Spring before the trees leaf out. This means you can have a wonderful cornucopia of early colour:

Hepatica nobilis
Anenome nemerosa
Pulmonaria
Trillium
Helleborus
Primula denticulata
And without doubt, if I had 200+ feet of woodland with a stream, I would have a carpet of Hyacinthoides no-scripta (English Bluebells)

As we progress into summer, I would have ferns:
Athyrium niponicum (Japanese Painted Fern)
Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

As well as:
Polygonatum commutatum (Solomon's Seal)
Sissyrinchium striatum
Iris foetidissima
Astilbe

Please take lots of pictures LV as you progress through summer.

Thought you all might like to see my screensaver that reminds me of home!

I LOOOOOVE all the PSers' gardens and flowers and a wee bit jealous too!

I love flowers but just cannot grow them for some reason. I grow edible herbs but just cannot grow flowers!

The one in the picture is my fave.

 

[Little Monster]

Everyone''s flowers are absolutely gorgeous!! I am very jealous!

I wanted to ask for help ID''ing a kind of flower that just came up at our new house (it''s our 1st spring here & I have no idea what these flowers are as I didn''t plant them... I''m sure they''re something common, but I know next to nothing about plants!

Also: does anyone know of a variety of lilac that doesn''t grow quite so big? We used to have these at our old house but they got really huge... any shorter/smaller versions?

Thanks for your help & again... your gardens are amazing!

 

[mochi]

Date: 5/16/2009 5:21:02 PM
Author: Little Monster
Everyone''s flowers are absolutely gorgeous!! I am very jealous!

I wanted to ask for help ID''ing a kind of flower that just came up at our new house (it''s our 1st spring here & I have no idea what these flowers are as I didn''t plant them... I''m sure they''re something common, but I know next to nothing about plants!

Also: does anyone know of a variety of lilac that doesn''t grow quite so big? We used to have these at our old house but they got really huge... any shorter/smaller versions?

Thanks for your help & again... your gardens are amazing!

I think those are iris. Lovely purple. I wish they grew here.

I can''t really help you with the lilac, can''t really grow those here in Florida, so sad for me!

 

[mochi]

Aw, thank you Gailey for the link. I''ll make sure to take pictures of it t/o the growing season.

Gailey and Linda, I have a huge area that I put my horse poop for it to ''mature''. It has to be really covered or my boxers will just have the time of their life rolling in it (amongst other things). Buy they are wonderful for my plants.

 

[Little Monster]

Mochi: do the Boxers really ignore the manure once it has ''matured'' & on the flowerbeds? Somehow I imagine our dogs eating it, rolling in it, etc. no matter HOW long it has sat :p

Thanks so much for the ID... Iris... how simple! My only question is -- I haven''t found any pictures of Irises with 5-6 flowers per stalk... All the pictures I seem to have found have 1 flower each. Is it a specific variety?

Thanks again!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Gailey,

Thank you so much for your advice! I checked my local library and they have two of the books you posted, so I will pick them up this week.

I love the idea of English Bluebells! I am still exploring the idea of planting natives though. I found Campanula rotundifolia http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CARO2, but it does not look like it would be nearly as striking.

Thanks so much for the link to Connecticut Botanical Society''s list of Native Plants. I want to research growing: Showy Lady''s Slipper. There''s a site in Vermont that sells them, but they are already sold out, so I need to see if I can find it elsewhere.

There has been a lot more green popping up near the stream. I''m hoping these plants will produce some wildflowers, but will have to wait and see. (Did I mention this is our first year in this home, so I have no idea what to expect?)

You are absolutely right about the spring light too. I didn''t realize that we would have so much growing so early because the trees didn''t have their leaves yet.

Thank you again for your help!!

 

[packrat]

Little Monster, my parents have a row of lilacs they prune, so while they''re still large, they aren''t the gigantor lilac "trees". I''m not sure if they''re a special kind, or if the pruning is all that keeps them under control. Dad also has a row of specimen lilacs, and they don''t get huge. I''m not sure what zone you''re in, but your local Greenhouse should be able to help you. Love the iris-one of my favorite flowers!

 

[mochi]

Date: 5/17/2009 6:37:50 AM
Author: Little Monster
Mochi: do the Boxers really ignore the manure once it has ''matured'' & on the flowerbeds? Somehow I imagine our dogs eating it, rolling in it, etc. no matter HOW long it has sat :p

Thanks so much for the ID... Iris... how simple! My only question is -- I haven''t found any pictures of Irises with 5-6 flowers per stalk... All the pictures I seem to have found have 1 flower each. Is it a specific variety?

Thanks again!!

Nope, they like to eat it... fresh or freeze dried, it doesn''t seem to matter to them. It''s way too gross!