October 18, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

THIS ‘N’ THAT

Due to an injury I have been unable to garden. I finally got to take a walk and snap some photos so here goes.. a bit of this ‘n’ that.

This scene makes me smile every time..the faded flowers on the hydrangea and the Camellia sasanqua ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ perfect partners.

Stewartia showing some of its famous exfoliating bark. This was the year to remove all the lower branches, it will look somewhat awkward for a few years…

Camellia sasanqua ‘Daydream’ I rescued this plant from the trash at a nursery. Margaret Moseley told me it was the only fragrant sasanqua in her garden…If Margaret was growing it ..I needed to have one too; but it was an old variety and no one carried it. One Autumn day, plant shopping in Alabama, I caught a sweet fragrance and went to investigate…there it was, a broken scraggly mess, lying in the trash heap… the treasure I was seeking! They gave it to me.

Beautiful colours on the lacecap hydrangea…

eggplants and peppers still going in the potager…

and the clematis that bloomed all summer & going strong still… Clematis ‘Odoriba’

Life is good.

May 10, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

MEANWHILE…. BACK IN THE GARDEN….

While we rush about getting the baby vegetable plants into the potager, the garlic screams for attention…it is ready….

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!

September 5, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

SURPRISE CLEMATIS!

Just as I thought the garden was winding down, look what I found…

two surprise clematis!

This little darling above is Clematis odoriba … below, Clematis texensis ‘Catherine Clanwilliam’.

What joy!!

Clematis odoriba, is not covered in any of my books (and I have many). Enter my super knowledgeable friend Lyndy Broder… (the Clematis Queen). She informed me that this plant was bred by the late Mr Ozawa in the 1990’s in Japan. It was only introduced in the early 2000’s.

Mr. Ozawa crossed two native American clematis, Clematis viorna and Clematis crispa and created this beauty.

In Japan, these are grown extensively for the cut flower industry as they are favored in flower arrangements for the Tea Ceremony.

That got me thinking… I have a small collection of miniature, museum reproduction, Japanese porcelain vases. They are the perfect size for a small sprig of flowers… so..

Love the shadows, below…

She is wonderful close-up.

The other Clematis that is blooming now, is Clematis texensis ‘Countess Catherine Clanwilliam’.

I have posted about her several times (see categories), including an anecdote about being contacted by an employee of THE Countess Catherine Clanwilliam.

In my garden she is one of the all time winners,

blooming throughout the summer, and now she is blooming again. Not a big show but so appreciated this time of year.

Guess it comes as no surprise that both these super-acheivers are natives.

May 7, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

OVERWHELMED!

The garden is overwhelming!

Above, the rose New Dawn positively dripping…….

Below,Brother Stefan’s Clematis‘PolishSpirit’

Below,Clematis‘Madame Julia Correvon’

Tomatoes, eggplants & pepper plants waiting to be planted…they are constantly fed Fish emulsion & kept watered..those are small pots & growing roots take lots of moisture.

Seed for Zinnias and Foxgloves are sown ( late on the Zinnias) below

Then there are the onions to harvest….

So, on the way to do attend to all of the above, I pass …

Glorious Deutzia above, Clematis Ruutel and C. Piilu below

Below, another pairing, Clematis ‘Carnaby’ and Clematis ‘Odoriba’

I really like the two different forms of Clematis mingling, as they climb through Smoke bush ‘Royal Velvet’…. Below, Clematis ‘Catherine Clanwilliam’.

All in all, its very pleasant “GETTING THERE’ I designed it that way.