April 20, 2015 by Sandra Jonas

RAINY DAYS

Not complaining, but these downpours really put a damper on going out to see what’s blooming in the garden, so….

on these rainy days I brought some of the garden indoors.

sink above, is a new addition in utility room/downstairs potty/ mud/ laundry room. Mirror will be painted & antiqued with Annie Sloan paints and the room will be painted. Still contemplating colours.

MEANWHILE

Pictures taken between the raindrops, here is what’s in the garden …

Styrax obassia delightful, fragrant, small tree that shades the entrance to the Potager

Chinese Snowball Viburnum ( Viburnum macrocephalum)

Azaleas (Rhododendron indica ) and Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum opulus ) always good companions. LOVE the lime green phase of this shrub.

Viburnum ‘Kern’s Pink is what the label said. (Viburnum picatum ‘Kern’s Pink’) My plant has never seen even a blush. Beautiful none the less.

A few Clematis too.

April 13, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

SPRING IS HERE!!

I’m finally convinced that spring is here! Sufficient rain and warmer weather have created ideal conditions for an explosion of blooms.

Above, Viburnum plicatum & Azalea indica ‘Formosa’

Climbing the wall; Hydrangea anomala petiolaris & Clematis ‘Freckles’ using it for support.

The Phlox divericata encouraged to naturalized between the daffodils.

: Clematis “asao’

I have pruned all the Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, and almost all the Hydrangea paniculata. I still have to deadhead the Hydrangea macrophylla but I like to attend to those last lest I get too enthusiastic and remove this years flower buds.

Aesculus pavia

Pruned some of the clematis that require it and took an inventory of the garden.

Some of the news is not good. I have record losses this year. There is no sign of life on several Clematis, and my favorite Quince ‘Apple blossom’ has bit the dust.

Over the last few years I have let some shrubs go and now they require some drastic pruning. Good thing I bought a good excellent lopper. That is another post, promise.

June 12, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

HYDRANGEA SOCIETY GARDEN TOUR 1

This weekend I attended American Hydrangea Society’s Annual Garden Tour with Julieta of the outstanding food blog LINDARAXA. This was the very first time we met in person, what a warm, delightful, accomplished and charming lady she is. We connected immediately.

Check her blog for a recipe of the most delicious banana muffins she baked for our mid morning snack, I have to admit eating more than one on the drive home!

On with the tour, the first garden is that of Michele and Alan Browne….

From the moment I saw the yatsuhashi bridge spanning the dry creek bed, I knew this garden was going to be special, and it was, on so many levels.

Michele, did her homework, the garden perfectly compliments the architecture of her magnificent Arts & Crafts style house.

The Japanese influence was evident throughout.

The lantern (below) on the side of the path indicates that you are welcome to enter the garden, if it was placed ON the path, it would mean they are not receiving.

Along this path is a connoisseurs collection of hydrangeas, all young and recently planted, Michele had to wait till the trees she planted grew enough to create the dappled shade the hydrangeas require. (this garden is only 6 years old)

Designed as a stroll garden it has the requisite water features or representaions thereof …

As one comes round the back of the house one discovers an outdoor room adjacent to the house…..

a courtyard with pergola (notice the repetition of the elephant leg columns, that make it one with the house) From this vantage point one can enjoy a dry landscape or meditation garden creating the illusion of water, promontory and rocky shore.

While typically raked sand, crushed slate is used here for ease of maintenance.

All in all, the clever use of conifers, japanese maples , and the Three Friends of Winter ( Black Pine Pinus thunbergii, Flowering Apricot Prunus mume & Bamboo) …..

the gardener has successfully created a garden of great beauty, serenity and harmony. BRAVA Michele!!

Thank you for the wonderful stroll.

April 14, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

GARDEN TOUR part 1

“You should have seen it last week!” The familiar phrase heard from gardeners, when showing visitors around. Well to avoid that I’m posting a time-lapse kind of garden tour. Photos from the garden over the last two weeks.

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….

February 6, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

CAN IT BE ….SPRING?

I can’t believe I went from this..

to this in one day!!

How wonderful to be back in Georgia, where it appears we are in full-blown spring….

The gardening to do list grows daily as the overwhelming season is upon us. Trying to separate the list into A) what will make an impact in the garden visually, and B) plant requirements. e.g. weeding and feeding.

All the camellias, both in the Circle of Friends, and the Camellia Walk are in bloom along with the Hellebores.

Permeating the air is the fragrance of Daphne odora…. The garden is truly magnificent. A celebration of all the senses.

The daffodils… well, they deserve their own post.

December 26, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

WINTER GARDEN WALK

Although it has been a bit dreary and raining I couldn’t resist taking a walk in the garden today. I could see the Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume) from the kitchen window but to experience the fragrance I needed to venture outdoors.

Plenty of eye candy wherever one looks.

Here at Hamilton House, the scale is so vast that a plant had virtually no impact unless it was large and from a landscape point of view, there needed to be several of the same plant to form a balanced composition.

There was, initially the temptation to plant several plants close together so it would in a very little time have more impact; but I opted not to do that. I had seen that done in several gardens in Atlanta and always wondered which plants would have to be sacrificed when they outgrew their space. Instead I went with the tried and true technique, where, no matter the size plant I started with, it was planted with plenty of space to allow it to mature to its ultimate size.

Needless to say the first several years everything looked silly as the plants were small and one could see clear across the entire garden.

Today, 15 years later, I know it was the right choice.With a little pruning here and there, everything (well, almost) can be kept within bounds.

Still to come (above) Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’

The bees are happy too!

April 7, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

THE MEADOW…YET AGAIN

The meadow is once more looksing like an impressionist painting. Swaths of blue native phlox (Phlox divericata) make their way between the daffodil foliage and the ‘Wake Robin’ ( Trillium cuneatum) .

The trees are now playing an important role, so the focus changes.

This is The Meadow viewed from the driveway on west side of the house looking east. (Above)

Soon the weeds & wild grasses will cover this all and it will look wild & wonderful. Then the hum of beneficial insects, bees and butterflies will fill the air. After the plants set their seed it will get the annual cut. This meadow gives me 12 months of joy!!

Note: WordPress noted that I published a draft & not the updated version of this post AFTER it was posted…why not BEFORE???

April 6, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

WORDLESS WEDNSDAY

Stachyurus praecox… blooming now.

Well, almost wordless. No photography allowed in the gardens in Charleston. Only shots allowed are from the public sidewalk. There was an exception where we obtained permission from the owner who was present in her garden for questions. No matter, walking down Charleston streets is a lesson in gardening effectively on a postage stamp! More to follow.

February 12, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

MEANWHILE, IN THE GARDEN..

On a tour of the garden today, signs of spring …

The Meadow is coming alive..

Soon I’ll post the results of 13 years of rescuing daffs and trying to achieve the ‘English Thing’.

Meanwhile the Winter garden is doing what it is supposed to and is at its peak….The “peak” lasts a few months… Above, Prunus mume & Helleborus, below, a camellia…

Below, evergreen shrubs make this is a very satisfactory garden area.

Notice, below, the variegated Boxwood, the berries on the Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica ‘Alba’) and the groundcover Sweet Flag (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’ )…

This is usually the time of year projects get started &/ or continued to be worked on, some, for many seasons. There are so many projects…..

When we started this garden, we did not consider, EVER, declining physical stamina.

May 30, 2010 by Sandra Jonas

HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE #2

And yet another southern beauty…

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

The fragrance is indescribable! It does, however, conjure images of iced sweet tea , enjoyed on the veranda.

May 1, 2010 by Sandra Jonas

PLANT CRUSH OF THE MONTH

My latest plant crush is with Clematis. I have planted many at the feet of shrubs & trees and to my delight they make wonderful companions in the vase with Peonies.