Wishlist 2010 Update, Many Found!

This past weekend I went to the Garden Centre in search of fertilizer for some young shrubs. It has been very quiet there all winter, but this time parking lot was FULL and as I approached I realized there were PLANTS in the outdoor section. Loads of them!! Rows of trees & shrubs, and tables covered in perennials! I thought 'it's too early, I'm going to wait to buy anything. But I'll just check if my wishlist plants are here.' Many of them were, and I was afraid of missing out on them, so I grabbed a cart and started loading up. I did remember to buy fertilizer, it is sitting on the bottom level.





From my Wishlist, I found the Peonies 'Bowl of Beauty' and 'Festiva Maxima', Little Boy Blue Lilac, the shrub Roses 'Morden Sunrise' and 'Sunrise Sunset'. I also bought some Moss Phlox in 'Emerald Cushion Blue', a white Daylily 'Gentle Shepherd' (I knew they would become addictive)an Icelandic Poppy 'Champagne Bubbles' and another Fairy Thimble Bellflower, they are one of my favorite plants.



Here is a closeup of Sunrise Sunset...





..and a few of the others.

I realized I spent more time in the shrub section than the perennials, and forgot to look for a Jack Frost Brunnera, so I went back, and luckily there were 3 of them. Then I went to do some returns at a hardware store, and of course, browsed the garden section. I have been on the lookout for the perfect gnome/gargoyle for 2 years, but they are either to scary, to silly, too big or too small (sounds like a Dr Seuss book!). As I was exiting past the fountains, I stopped, backed up and looked in behind a large birdbath, and there he was. There were 2 but the other was darker in colour and more sinister looking, and I decided he would frighten me on a regular basis. So off we went to the self checkout and I put him in the back of the car with Jack Frost. Now I need to find a sheltered spot for him, tucked away in the garden somewhere.

I have very few openings left for new plants, which means more grass will have to go. As much as I'd like to start planting right away, I think I will wait for a few weeks, so I can keep the plants sheltered if needed. This way too, grass can be removed slowly, and will hopefully be less backbreaking.

I have a new plant finding mission now. My cherished 'Blue Star Petunias' are not going to be available this year ( :( ), so I will call garden centres near & far to try and find some. I have tried other annuals in boxes, but am never happy with the way they look.

Here's a question for all of you avid gardeners. I would like to have a low hedge (3ft?) between our front yard and the neighbours, but rather than a formal shrub hedge, I am thinking of planting a row of Heliopsis helianthoides. I think it would be bright and interesting, and not a terrible amount of work. Is such a thing ever done or am I breaking yet another gardening rule?

One last picture, here is the Dicentra from my last post, with an additional 7 days of growth. If you scroll down they can easily be compared.