Trees Are Terrific!

Happy Arbor Day!!



This is our Flowering Dogwood Tree (Cornus Florida) that came with our house when we purchased it. 



Last year it was barely alive and didn't flower.  This year is a different story!! 



Wow!  My gardening talents have not stretched into trees thus yet, but it seems like the mulch we put around the tree (which was really the only thing we did, and we were careful to leave room around the trunk) worked! 



We're crossing our fingers that our tree will continue to grow and prosper.  It's by far not planted in it's ideal location being in full sun and clay soil so it's somewhat of a miracle that it's survived this long.  At least we get to enjoy it's incredible beauty this year!

CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY HERE! 

New Perennial Garden: Part 1

A couple of weekends ago I planted some perennials in the front flower beds.  I ordered them from 2 different mail order companies, and I have to say that I do wish I ordered them all from the one company, White Flower Farm.  As I explained to Ralph, White's is to mail order plant companies what "Kitchen Aid" is to stand mixers.  Or I guess if you're not garden or kitchen inclined, what "Target" is to all-in-one retail chains.  Not that the plants from the other company were terrible, but compared to the quality, health, and packaging of the plants from White's, you really do get what you pay for. 

I choose perennials that would attract birds and butterflies, were smaller in size so they wouldn't overwhelm the shrubs or window boxes, and would also hopefully be deer resistant (those deer love to munch my plants when they're hungry).  I thought I would post the photos here periodically throughout the summer to show their growth (crossing fingers).  So here are all my newly planted babies...


Here's the right side bed with baby perennials and spring bulbs still in bloom.



Baby "Echinacea - Pow Wow Wild Berry (coneflower)"



Here is what the Echinacea will look like when it grows up!  Echinacea, a North American genus in the Daisy family, has big, bright flowers that appear from late June until frost. This, the queen of the Daisies, is called Coneflower for its dome-shaped center.  Coneflowers thrive in average soils or hot, dry conditions and shrug off cold. Blooms last well, cut or dried, and the seeds in the large cone at the heart of the flower head provide nourishment for birds.



Baby "Rudbeckia fulgida sullivanti - Little Goldstar" (coneflower or mini black eyed susan)



Here is a grown Rudbeckia Little Goldstar!  Rudbeckia is a genus of highly decorative native American perennials that bloom from late summer until frost. They need plenty of sun and good drainage, and offer long-lasting cut flowers.  This knee-high newcomer moves Black-eyed Susans up front and center in perennial borders. Closely packed on well-branched stems, the yellow, daisy-like flowers cover this little 'Goldstrum' relative all season long.



I planted "Liatris spicata - Kobold (gayfeather or blazing star)" but they are bare root corms planted underground (kind of like a bulb) so I don't have baby photos of them.  Here is a photo of what
they will look like when they hopefully grow (I've never planted bare root plants before!). 
A North American genus consisting of about 20 species, Liatris is excellent for cutting, superb
for drying, and beautiful in the border, where it looks best planted in groups. It is also a strong favorite
with many butterflies. Plants offered thrive in full sun or partial shade and well-drained, even dry, soil. 
This compact selection of the prairie native is a welcome addition to the mid-summer garden. At only
24-30in high, 'Kobold' almost qualifies as a dwarf, and definitely belongs near the front of the border.



2 "Nepeta x faassenii" (catmint) from White Flower Farm.  Don't they look healthy and ready to grow!



Here's what Nepeta will look like when it grows.  Most Nepetas are thrifty plants that prosper in average, well-drained soils, and the majority offer deliciously fragrant, gray-green foliage and numerous spikes of small flowers, generally in the blue to purple range. They are durable, hardy, and pest free. Like Catnip, the best-known member of the genus, Nepetas may send felines into a frenzy.  Nepeta x faassanii is a good ground cover or border plant with gray-green foliage. Also superb for edging a walkway. It's a compact grower that forms a mound 12in high by about 15-18in wide. The profuse, small, lavender-blue flowers appear in June and July and repeat all summer.

 

Baby "Leucanthemum x superbum - Banana Cream" (shasta daisy).  Isn't the latin name fun to say!

All grown up! Shasta Daisies are some of the showiest and most reliable perennials for the
summer garden. At peak bloom, they produce a mass of daisies so clean and white, they
compete in brilliance with the sun.  A prolific Shasta Daisy, 'Banana Cream' features bright, 4in,
lemon-yellow blooms that turn butter yellow. They have an extra row of ray petals, so they
look even fuller. The compact plants produce flower buds on side shoots, which means these
cheerful blooms keep coming all summer long. Dark green foliage has increased disease resistant. PPAF

Baby "Coreopsis - Heaven's Gate" (tickseed)

A genus of Daisy-like plants, Coreopsis is excellent for the border. Most species are native to the southeastern United States and Mexico. They are not the least fussy about soil but require full sun. Cut stems back after the first flush of flowers fade to promote a repeat bloom.  Unlike some of the newer Coreopsis selections, Heaven's Gate is super tough, surviving harsh winters where others have succumbed.  Beautiful blooms are ruby pink with a deep red center topping full plants that grow quickly to 18" tall and wide.   

"Coreopsis - Sienna Sunset" (tickseed). 
I really like the feathery foliage and daisy like flowers of Coreopsis so I planted 2 different kinds. 

The blossoms of the Coreopsis Sienna Sunset are orange overlaid with burnt sienna and fade as they age to a rich salmon.  They blend agreeably with Coneflowers and complement the dark-leaved Heucheras. Coreopsis 'Sienna Sunset' is deer resistant, too.

Last, but not least is baby "Scabiosa - Butterfly Blue" (pincushion flower or scabious).

This is the most distinguished genus in the Teasel family, and it includes a number of useful perennials for the garden. Scabious are of easy culture in full sun (or partial shade in the South) and well-drained soil. 
Butterfly Blue™ is a heavy-blooming dwarf with blue flowers, smaller than those of S. caucasica, that are produced in amazing abundance. They provide rich blue bloom all summer long and may be cut when half open. The form is neat and compact, the shade excellent, but the masses of flowers are beyond belief.
They are great for attracting butterflies!

The left side with baby perennials and spring bulbs. 

I am crossing my fingers that they are all going to grow and that I will have photos to show in a few months!  Ah, the miracle of nature! 

New Hosta Bed: Part 1

Ralph and I spent this past Sunday playing in the dirt.  Remember when you were a kid making mud pies and coming home covered in dirt from head to toe?  Ahh, those were the good old days.  Gardening, for me, brings back those old feelings of being a kid, which is partly why I enjoy it so much.  It is just the best feeling to have your hands in the dirt and be accomplishing something with your own hard work.  Everything smells so fresh and it's very instantaneously gratifying.  It's the miracle of life in your hands.  I can't imagine anything more amazing or wonderful than a tiny little seed growing into a beautiful flower with nothing more than sunlight, water, and some healthy dirt. 

But the best part is that it is something that my husband and I enjoy doing together and that alone makes it worth doing.  So on Sunday, we created a new garden bed on the empty side of our house.  I needed a place to transplant my "Hosta" plants since they were getting too much sun in their present spot in my front flower beds.  This is the shady side of the house so I am hoping they'll do better here.  We dug out a section of ground for the bed, pulled out many many annoying rocks, and added some bags of topsoil and soil amendments (cow manure & peat) and then transplanted the hostas.  Trust me, it was a lot more fun than it sounds!

So here are photos of the newly completed Hosta Garden!  I will post more photos as they grow to show how the bed will (hopefully) fill in throughout the summer.

 

Spring Has Sprung!

Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, we've been blessed with the most beautiful March I can ever remember.  It's been nonstop 60-70 (and up!) degree days since the beginning of the month.  Lots of sun and a couple of nice relaxing rain showers.  My birthday was this past week on the 21st, and considering that last year at this time we were in the midst of a major snowstorm, I was really given the best gift of amazing weather!

With this beautiful, if unseasonable, weather...my spring bulbs have been growing like weeds and are now blooming as if it is May!  This past fall was my first time ever planting bulbs, and with the help of my faithful hubby, we planted just about 100 bulbs!  A mix of Crocus (they've already bloomed and are gone), Grape Hyacinths, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips, and Aliums (not up yet but sure to be spectacular).  I did a lot of research (nerd alert!) and ordered some great mixes from mail-order nursery catalogs (thank you Burpee & White Flower Farm) so I'm not even sure precisely which specific species I have, just that they are absolutely amazing and I am now even more obsessed with spring flowering bulbs (look out fall 2012)!

These photos don't even do the garden justice...



Purple Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) 



I believe this is a "Narcissus 'Sound'"

A group of "Narcissus 'Janis Babson'" Daffodils (i think) and a Pink "Tulipa 'Darwin Hybrid'"



 "Narcissus 'Camelot' Daffodils



"Narcissus 'Bright Sun'" Daffodil

"Narcissus 'Flyer'" Fancy Daffodil - INCREDIBLE!

"Narcissus 'Sir Winston Churchill'" Double Daffodil - FRAGRANT!

Close Up Purple Hyacinth - SMELLS AMAZING!

Group of "Hyacinthus" in Purple & Lavender

More Hyacinths - My all-time favorite Spring bulbs because of their incredible scent and gorgeous color!

Daffodil, Hyacinths, and a group of "Muscari" Grape Hyacinths in the back.

Tulip, 2 species of Daffodils, & Grape Hyacinths next to a Boxwood.

Fancy Daffodils, Hyacinths, & Grape Hyacinths.

The Right Side Garden - this photo doesn't do it justice.  Ralph built the raised bed!

If only this blog had Scent-O-Vision!!  Smells like Easter and Spring!

The Left Side Flower Bed - note who's watching from his favorite spot in the window!

I love this color combination!

A lone petite red tulip!