all were meticulously appointed…

lushly planted pots…

with a Belgian Fence as background, below…

a private putting green that can double as a Bocce Court!

The best treatment for a driveway and large parking court… antique cobbles in asphalt…

Beautiful side door…                                                                                            

A Mediterranean style home deserves a Mediterranean style courtyard, below.

Then there was THE GARDENER….

I’m told he never stops working nor has he ever asked for a raise!  Below, the no maintenance garden…

Interesting treatment for steps….

and finally one of my favorite gardens, below…

There is a marvelous screened porch….

overlooking a stunning English Knot garden.

 Admittedly, I did not get to all the gardens. There were eleven gardens on the two-day tour and I saw only nine, in one day.

I strongly suggest this annual tour held on Mother’s Day weekend to benefit The Atlanta Botanical Garden.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The gardens, all private, ranged from highly manicured to woodland all in the heart of the city.

Here are some photos I took…..

I  liked the way formal elements were incorporated in to this woodland paradise….

as well as a formidable Bonsai collection.

Also,  the groundplane changed to mark the transition from one garden room to another…..

Then there is the patio area around the house….

And opposite the French Doors……

I could go on and on about this garden, it is 2.75 acres with two creeks and boasts 300 different cultivars of Japanese Maples. I did not want to leave.

In stark contrast, the next garden was about as formal as Versailles! Well actually, Vaux le Vicomte , the predecessor to the gardens at Versailles.

The above garden in search of Edward Sissorshands and an assistant!

The tour will continue. I took over 250 photos!

This is how I do it. First, I rake the enriched bed to as fine a tilth as I can. Then, I lay the handle of my rake onto the soil where I would like the first row and press down gently to leave a furrow.

In this case one keeps it  SHALLOW, as basil does not like to have to reach too much for light.

Next, I make sure the subsequent rows are wide enough for my weeding tool to fit comfortably between them.

When the rows are done I gently scatter the seed as evenly as I can in the furrows.

With my rake I tamp down gently to barely cover the seeds.

Water gently, this seed bed will be kept moist till  germination, then watered as required.

PLEASE NOTE:

All seeds have different requirements as to the depth they should be planted, check your seed packet. Some seeds like basil, require a bit of light to germinate, others need a depth of 1/2 inch, or as the case with some beans a full inch.

 I attended the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Connoisseurs Garden Tour this past week end and have lots of photos to share, which I will try to do within the next day or two, thought the seed starting was a more timely topic for today. Hope you agree.

it makes itself known by browning leaves, ( 5 to be exact) and a tendency to fall over.

Another item moves to the top of the ‘to do’ list… this is ‘ Emergency Management Gardening’. They will be cleaned when they cure.

MEANWHILE…. back in the garden… The first Hydrangea macrophylla  is open..’.Penny Mac’  I can hear my friend Penny, in heaven, laughing with delight!

 Next to her is ‘Madame Emile Mouillere’, a white mophead.

Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf Hydrangea, is glorious…

all three types together, H. quercifolia, H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ and H. macrophylla. ( below)

More Clematis blooming…..

 Above, Estonian hybrids  ’Ruutel’   and  ’Piilu’    both raised by Uno Kivistik, the names mean ‘Knight’ and ‘Little Duckling’  respectively.

 Clematis ‘Odoriba’, with its delightful little bells, ‘Carnaby’ in the corner,  and below, Clematis ’Confetti’ blooming for the first time.

Now I must rush to harvest the seeds of the mustard we grew this winter; indispensable in some Indian dishes, the recipes for which have been waiting while the seeds ripen.

I also let the lettuce go to seed.

It was a delicious mix of salad greens ( Winter Mesclun Mix) which survived the little frost we did have. The flavor improves I find, when sowing seeds that have been raised in the same soil. (Ask anyone who has tasted my Basil!)

All this to say.. I’m busy…..

as my bees!

We  ’hardened them off‘ which means exposing them to natural light gradually. (Till now they have been raised under lights.) The first day they were kept in a shady area, then we  exposed them to morning sun for two days, while protecting them from the hottest part of the day.  Finally they are left in full sun and watched carefully. Not a leaf wilted, so we knew these babies were ready to go.

Habitually,we would pot the plants up; that is, put the seed starting cells, as seen in photos, into a larger pot with rich compost. There was just no time this year.

We had prepared the soil beforehand with copious quantities of compost and rabbit manure.

My husband digs a  hole in this rich mix. He  removes the lower leaves of the plant with a pinch, and fills the soil around the  stem up to the top leaves.

The plant  will grow roots all along the stem and  make it stronger (DO NOT DO THIS WITH OTHER PLANTS)

He inserts a toothpick on both side of the stem.  This prevents the dreaded cutworm from wrapping itself around the stem and cutting the plant down at soil level.

When the soil is firmed around the plant, I like to create a small well or indentation around the root-ball to direct the water.

Finally the plants are MUDDIED-IN,  the best description I know for deep and long watering, Then we place the cages around the plants….

We will mulch tomorrow; that is place a 2″ layer of shredded leaves on the exposed soil. These will retain the moisture in the soil and prevent annual weeds from germinating, I hope. We used to do it all in one day…. but we used to be younger.

Spent a glorious week in Boston with my grandchildren and much to my delight, the older boy is interested in gardening! We visited nurseries where, like a true dirt-bunny, he wanted everything he saw.

Together we planted a David Austin rose ‘Teasing Georgia’, and started seeds. He choose very colourful Zinnias & some basil for his mom.  I hope he does not over-water in his enthusiasm.

It is so satisfying to encourage a young person to discover the joys of the garden.

From my own experience, I remember the very first time I saw my grandmother pull a radish from the soil, I was shocked that it was not in a bunch!!

I have envisioned it climbing  20 feet up the Oak tree.

On the other side I have planted ‘Rambling Rector’, another rose that could, under good cultivation reach to 30 feet. So I have hopes for this area to have real impact …..in time.

The Oakleaf Hydrangeas have formed their flower buds and are just starting to open, beyond them are the fig trees.

What I have long called the Viburnum Court should be refered to as the clematis court, since there are far more Clematis than Viburnum now.

Shame on me… those majestic shrubs are reduced to being supports for my Clem addiction!

Whenever I pass the Schiaparelli bench I congratulate myself on choosing the paint colour.

Here is a good example of either buying a plant while it’s in bloom or ordering from a reliable source.

The Clematis was supposed to be white…. oops,  sorry, love it just the same , in fact this is a happy accident.

A quick peek at Clematis Josephine … So feminine!

And Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’ above.

I am just now getting around to pruning the dead flowers off the Hydrangea macrophylla.  If one waits long enough there can be no mistakes, the new buds are obvious.

Earlier on I would have pruned more for shape than flowers; but now that I have the choice, I left some of the awkward branches for cutting.

When the Clematis are done… we will move on to rapsodising  over the Hydrangeas!

The Dogwoods in the meadow, like most other spring-flowering plants, cooked in the 80 degree temperatures. the blossoms did not last long. Above, in their moment of  glory with the native Phlox (Phlox divericata).

 Above, the view from a second floor  window,  Dogwoods, Lady Banks Rose (white selection) & Viburnums. Those ‘Snowballs’ (Viburnum macrocephalum) are trained into trees.

Love the tree right by the house.

Early clematis, blooming now for several weeks.

Along the North Border….Viburnum ‘Kern’s Pink’  & Baptisia…. (below)

followed by Viburnum opulus, Purple smoke tree  (Cotinus coggygria  ‘Royal Purple’ ) & Styrax obassia ..heavenly fragrant bells.

Clematis  ‘Carnaby’ &  Cotinus ’coggygria ‘Royal Purple’

Look at those knockout roses below.. not pruned this year, they are lush & voluptuous reaching almost 6 ‘ tall.

The rose,’ Madame Alfred Carrier’, burst out of her restraints..

so….the trellis is moving again… to paraphrase Margery Fish, “In time she will learn to walk!”

All leading up to the Shocking Pink Schiaparelli bench.

To be continued….

Bringing bouquets from the garden onto the veranda is a nice way to connect the garden to the house.

None of the big pots of hydrangeas  are here yet. I wait till the 15th of April before taking them out of the Bothy. That is our last frost date.

As mentioned in earlier posts; If they make good companions in the garden they will combine well in the vase.

Going to post a Spring Garden Tour…stay tuned.

It is so disheartening to plant, feed and coddle a plant only to have it disappear, leaving so sign of life..not even a bit of dried stem!

Good to note here that I do NOT, as a general rule, coddle ornamental plants. I believe any plant worth its space should be able to survive on its own or with minimal attention; given a good start. BUT, with Clematis, it is another matter. For me, they are special. The jewelery in the garden; that one great  statement accessory that brings pizzaz to the basic little black dress (or am I dating myself here?)

 For some its roses or daylillies or Iris …for me its Clematis.

So, back to the Clematis Belle of Woking. Below, the bud…

opening,  a bit like a cabbage….

finally, fully open & stunning.

WELCOME HOME! You have been missed (and about to be replaced!)