trees & pumpkins

How is it I can be so busy, but if you ask what I've done, I haven't a ready answer? I feel like my time is broken up into bits & pieces & parts, always running around doing one thing or another... yet somehow, I haven't finished cutting back some ratty-looking perennials in the gardens, I haven't posted here in over a month (so much for that "at least once a month" plan), & I haven't even begun to think of holiday shopping. I've usually established a good start on that by now.

I know what I did yesterday, & I'm excited: I talked to a native plant landscape designer about trees, lots & lots of trees, & where to put them on our property. I now have little orange flags waving from wire stakes in a huge patch of our yard -- an area that was brush & has now been cleared bare (but for the weeds). But I hardly see the flags, because I can so easily see the trees. Sugar maples. Sweet birch. Black gum. Alive in the spring. Cool & shady in summer. Firey in fall. Tall & strong in winter. Of course when we get them planted, they will be small & scrawny & struggling to take hold. But still they will be trees.

Last week's excitement was, of course, of a different nature (pun intended):

New (well, sort of) for 2008

These are flowers that I haven't posted previously -- not because the plants are new this year, but because I didn't get a shot of them last year. These range through spring & summer of 2008.

Tradescantia

The hardy spiderworts are native to the Americas, & are prized for their masses of flowers & long bloom season. They are easy-care plants (as many natives are) & aren't fussy about soil.

Most of today's hybrids are crosses of three native species. I grow one species plant & have 5 hybrids so far. I'd like to add a "red" (these are really a reddish purple or deep reddish pink) like 'Red Cloud' to my collection....

Tradescantia virginiana

Tradescantia 'Navajo Princess'


Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate' has golden leaves.


Tradescantia 'Bilberry Ice'

Tradescantia 'Concord Grape'

Tradescantia 'Snowcap'

Iris

Iris cristata (crested iris) - This diminutive native blooms earlier, & in more shade, than any other.

Tall bearded irises:

1) 'Amain' - This spring is the first time 'Amain' has bloomed for me (I planted a small start of it 2 1/2 years ago). I was surprised at the huge size & luscious scent of the flowers. It is a "reblooming iris" so it is supposed to give an encore performance in fall. We'll see....

2) 'Copper Lustre' - Suzanne shared these with me, & for a while we didn't know the name. Last year I stumbled onto it while looking at a website dedicated to historic irises. This heirloom dates back to 1934.

Iris sibirica (Siberian iris):

1) 'Ceasar's brother' - When I see this ubiquitous variety for sale, I want to put a sign up for potential purchasers: ask 3 people you know, & at least one of them will surely have it in their yard & will gladly share with you. Still, they're beautiful.
2) 'Butter and sugar' - another "oldie but goodie"
3) unknown light blue - I've yet to ID this Siberian iris, & the photo is blurry, so maybe I'll revisit this one in the future....
Iris pallida 'variegata' (sweet iris) - Another one with a yummy scent, it has a creamy golden variegation to the leaves that looks good all season.

Water irises - These hydrophylic plants are naturally found at water's edge or even standing in shallow water. They can be grown in "normal" garden soil as well, but will suffer during dry spells. I grow them in my rain garden.

1) 'Gerald Darby' - My favorite part of the Darby iris is the spring foliage where rich purple is mixed in with the green. I've not seen anything else like it. As the season progresses, the leaves turn mostly green, but the stems of each flower are a deep purple.
2) Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag iris) - Native to Europe & introduced to North America in the early 1900s, this iris is invasive. It grows in vast thickets, crowding out all surrounding (usually native) vegetation. It spreads by seeds & rhizomes being carried downstream. It is contained in my rain garden, as we aren't linked to any waterways, & still I try to remove the spent flowers before they go to seed.

3) Iris fulva (copper iris) - Unlike the thug above, this uniquely colored iris is a well-behaved native. It is aptly named, not as bright as coral, not as deep as rust....
4) Iris ensata 'variegata' (variegated Japanese water iris) - The last iris to bloom for me (blooming now in late June) but a show-off all through the season because of its fresh green & white variegated foliage.

Helleborus

The hellebores in my garden are evergreen to semi-evergreen perennials that bloom in very early spring & hold their flowers into summer. This is different than to say they continue blooming -- the flowers, once all opened, just remain on the plant for an unusually long time, & continue to look attractive.They started blooming as early as March, were in full bloom in April, & the flowers are still on the plants now in June.

There are numerous species & varieties of these elegant plants. Below are the small few that I am currently growing.

Helleborus orientalis is called Lenten rose hellebore, because it is in bloom during Lent. I have several of these. Some bloom a rosey purple, others ivory with maroon flecks. Some are not big enough to bloom yet. It takes a few years from seed for them to reach blooming size. Helleborus X nigercors is a cross (that's what the X stands for) between two hellebore species. It has outward-facing flowers on tall stems, so it gets noticed! Helleborus foetidus is called bear's foot hellebore because of the shape of it's finely cut leaves. This hellebore is considered by many to have the most beautiful foliage. The individual flowers aren't as showy as on the other hellebores, but in their large clusters they are impressive, & they are the earliest hellebores to bloom in my garden. I need to get a better picture of just the leaves....

Uh oh, garden needs attention!

The recent paint color post hi-lighted what I already knew: gardens are somehow entwined with so much of my life, even when much of them are dormant, even when it doesn't directly relate. Here's another example.

I've waited 3 years for this. The fact that it finally came on a frigid winter day & it was 30 degrees in my house, well, that was a small price to pay after all the waiting.

Before (I'm all for the retro 70s look, but...):

During (I could hardly take this one, since my hands were BLUE by this point, but somehow I managed, chattering teeth & all):
After (Now I need to get that bannister to match the door):
First thought after it was complete: Now people will come to my front door. Hmmm. I really have to get working on the landscaping out there!

Wintry garden

All through December I put this post off until I had some good photos to go with it. I never got any photos -- even not-so-good ones.
In December, my Mediterranean white heath was in full bloom. I have some white heather too -- similar, & closely related. It's blooming now, but nearly finished. These are evergreen plants, & the only things in my garden that bloom this time of year. They're subtle, blooming in masses of tiny white bells...but being surrounded by dead brown stuff makes them standouts nonetheless.
I had 2 other kinds, whether heaths or heathers I don't recall, that were supposed to bloom other times of year. One had a golden foliage & rose flowers, the other was green with bronzey blooms. I planted these in July. Then I went out of town. Genius, huh? One I'm sure is entirely dead, but the other might have a breath left in it. We'll see in spring.
Because the ones I planted in spring (& actually cared for) have done well for 2 years (& spread), & because they stay beautifully green & bloom even if it's freezing, I think it's worth investing in more colors/varieties of these winter gems....