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WILD THINGS

Time for the WILD THINGS! 

                                                                                                 

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) popping up in the meadow. The name is derived from the red sap which bleeds as the stem is cut or the root disturbed. The Indians used this sap for paint and as a dye.

                                                                                  

 Trillium cuneatum naturalized in the meadow. I cannot take credit for this…they were here before me and keep multiplying.

                                                                                            

Woodland phlox (Phlox divericata) naturalized with the Trillium….delicate & fragrant.

I encourage all these to increase by allowing their seed to ripen and disperse before the meadow is cut. Slowly & surely this is happening. Every year at this time I wonder if I will live long enough to see my vision come to fruition. But then again its about the journey, and I am enjoying this one immensely.

© All photos & text 2011

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GARDENING TRUMPS BLOG!

Goodness , I have no idea where the time goes. It is already Friday Saturday! This week there was so much to do in the garden. The pruning of ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas & Hydrangea paniculata, along with some Clematis… Still not done with all the ‘Annabelles.’ Every year I have the same lament. When I am pruning I have too many….when they bloom there are not enough!!

                                                                                           

Much weeding in the potager where I am growing salad ….delicious! A few stragglers from last years tulips popping up between the lettuce… and much weeding ….

                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                          

 Spring is going forward at breakneck speed, it seems. Viburnum burkwoodii in bloom. If I could share the fragrance, you would know why it is so cherished among gardeners.

                                                                                           

It does get  large, with a beautiful vase shape. There are several Clematis planted at its feet. Reminders of a lovely day, shared with dear friends, in a beautiful garden.

                                                                                          

The new kitty is at the vets with serious upper respiratory infection…….

© All photos 2011

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ALMOST ROADKILL!

Look who I rescued today.

                                                                                             

There she was…. sauntering across the highway.

                                                                                          

Unaware of the danger, she was almost roadkill!!

 She will live in the ( just being built ) Bothy.

We are converting the old chicken coop………

                                                                                                       

still under construction, but I love it already!

                                                                                               

Shelves need to be added along with a comfortable armchair… tattered of course, and tea making facilities.  To be continued.

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A QUICK TOUR

Spring is unfolding ………..

                                                                                        

Suddenly, everything is so far along !

                                                                                 

The trilliums are coming up.

                                                                                             

 Flowering Quince  In the Viburnum Court…

                                                                                                

                                                                                           

Helleborus foetidus top & Helleborus orientalis above.

All Nature’s Masterpieces.

© All photos & text 2011

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NATURE’S MASTERPIECES

These are some of nature’s masterpieces. Every bit as beautiful as roses… don’t you think?

                                                                                                

                                              REV. JOHN DRAYTON                                                                                         

                                                   MAGNOLIAEFLORA

                                                                                           

                                                TAYLOR’S PERFECTION                                                                                            

                                                    WHITE EMPRESS

                                                                                       

                                                      ROSE DAWN

                                                                                    

                                                       BETTY SHEFFIELD

The above Camellias all reside in the ‘Circle of Friends.’

                                                                                                    

Just a thought… there needs to be a larger more interesting focal point there.

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CAMELLIA MADNESS

The Camellia Walk  is in full flower.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

 The Helleborus are also at their peak, I love them together, makes for a lush planting…the only kind.

                                                                                   

Just about here, I turn around to see………

                                                                                                                                                                                            The daffodils in The Meadow.                                           

Up close & personal………                                                                                       

                                                                                              

                                                                                                      

                                                                                            

© All photos & text 2011

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THE CUTTING GARDEN

 

                                                                                        

The cutting garden is located adjacent to the potager. It was in fact where my husband attempted to grow melons for several seasons. I usurped the space when  the ‘bones’ of the shade garden (Circle of Friends, Camellia Walk ) and the Viburnum Court, were planted. 

                                                                                          

 A  cutting garden devoted to supplying flowers for the house was one of my  prerequisites  dreams, when we were looking for a house with acreage. This space was in full sun, already cleared, tilled, in a word…perfect.

Divided into three distinct areas, the first, primarily for daffodils (Narcissus).

                                                                                         

 It is here I indulge myself in all the named varieties that ‘do’ in the south…even a few that don’t but are guaranteed to bloom the first year.

                                                                                                        

 Here also, are a few daffodils I have rescued from old abandoned homesteads, whose origins remain unknown.

                                                                                    

I never cut flowers from The Meadow. It is planted exclusively with heirloom bulbs I have rescued & divided over the last 13 years. (More on why in another post.) Meanwhile, enjoy the early show in the cutting garden.

                                                                                         

                                                                                             

It is so rewarding to share this abundance, I have taken to sending bunches home with friends who visit. Daffodils spread joy & the promise of spring.

© All photos & Text 2011

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A HOST OF GOLDEN DAFFODILS

“…A host, of golden daffodils…”                                                                        

“…beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

                                                                                                                                                                               

“They stretched in never-ending line………..”

                                                                                                                                                                            

“And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.”

                                                                        

My meadow… a landscape inspired by a poem.

To hear Jeremy Irons recite Wordsworth’s poem…  http://www.facebook.com/#!/BluestoneGarden

© All photos 2011

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FABULOUS FRAGRANCE!

The moment I walked out the door I knew it was blooming.

                                                                                 

Winter Daphne (Daphne odora aureomareginata)  the  most powerful fragrance imaginable. To quote a delivery person “That is LOUD!”

                                                                                         

She is not hard to look at either. Fragrance reminiscent of Lilac…but more… and  hauntingly beautiful.

© All photos & text 2011

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DESIGN “HOW TO”

Donna, at Garden Walk Garden Talk has just completed a series which outlines in detail the design process.  This series is so well done I wish I would have written it. 

Click  below for a summary of the posts with a link to each.

  http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2011/01/21/process-of-design-the-base-plan/

/http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2011/01/22/process-of-design-site-analysis/

http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2011/01/23/program-needs-process-of-design/

http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2011/01/25/schematic-design-process-of-design/

http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2011/01/27/plan-development-process-of-design/

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FRECKLE FACE!

                                                                            

All of the Helleborus in my garden are seedlings.  Each one has different colouration …. all stunning, all with freckles.

                                                                                         

Only one named variety from the Heronswood ‘Party Dress’ Strain. It is a double, and  not open yet.

                                                                                          

Perhaps because there are so few blooms at this time of year they are all the more appreciated.

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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.

© All photos & text 2011

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THE SEED PROJECT

It’s that time of year again…

                                                                                     

 Last minute check of catalogues to make final decisions…. it’s the same routine every year…In January  the descriptions, read by the fire, seduce us with their prose. We lust after so many varieties and make endless lists, finally the seeds on hand are checked and then we decide what  will be ordered.

                                                                                           

Dahlia, gets into the act…

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                 

My husband  trims the list to a “reasonable” size …….15  types of tomatoes, three of each. Those are the beefsteak type. Then there are the Plum tomatoes the best known is probably Roma. I like the ‘San Marzano’  and ‘Amish Paste’. We should have a dozen or so plants of these….

                                                                                      

 and probably way more …. I have to remind  him… we garden, not farm….

© All photos & text 2011

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SIGNS OF SPRING

Last day in January and there are signs of spring everywhere.

                                                                               

The  daffodils  (Narcissus) are coming up in the meadow…

                                                                                       

and the Prunus mume  (Japanese Apricot ) is blooming!

                                                                                                 

                                                                                            

I didn’t have my glasses, but you get the idea. Too bad one  can’t photograph the fragrance.

I know there will be more ‘cold snaps’ before winter releases us from her grip… but these signs that she is waning, gladden the gardener’s heart.

 © All photos & text 2011

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ANOTHER ESSENTIAL PERENNIAL

Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ is, in my mind, essential in any garden where it is hardy.  This perennial sends out its foliage in the late fall and remains green all winter.

                                                                                       

The handsome leaves resemble arrowheads with strong creamy veining. They make a sensational groundcover. Since one NEVER cuts the leaves off daffodils (Narcissus),  the Arum makes a  good companion for them in a vase.

                                                                                              

In spring  a creamy spathe appears. The flower & foliage disappear in the summer, followed by a column of orange/red berries.

If one gardens in zones 6-9 they are indispensable in the winter shade garden.

© All photos  & text 2011