Monday, April 26, 2010

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.

26 comments:

  1. OMG ! Rebecca girl !!!
    He is perfect ! what are you going to call him ? I wish I could find one like that here .. it has been literally years since I found my little crew here .. congratulations girl ! You are now officially a gargoyle MOM ! haha
    So many of the plants you have chosen are what I have or I am going to have .. I'm so glad you have more of Jack ! You can't go wrong with him : ) .. and Morden Sunrise !! perfect I have two now but I want to see what Sunset is like now .. darn girl, you are adding to my list .. STOP THAT !!! haha
    Thanks for letting me know you had this special post : ) this was GREAT to read !
    Joy

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  2. Hey there again .. I went to look up Morden Sunset and I can't find any ;-) .. I think you just meant Sunrise maybe ? or if you did find "Sunset" let me know ?
    I didn't realize that I didn't have you on my blog roll girl !!!!
    NOW .. you are on it .. sorry about that .. I have to pay attention to that thing one day ? LOL ... ;-) Joy

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  3. This was a great shopping day for you! I just love that moment when new plants start to arrive to garden centres, it’s like Christmas again!

    I love Phlox - low maintenance, every summer comes back with more and more flowers!

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  5. Hi Anon, Go Green Indeed! ;)

    Hey Joy, I'm so glad you like him. I am thinking of calling him Alastair, but I'm not sure if it will stick. I found him at HomeDepot, so I'm sure he has many siblings out there. This is my first Jack, I have been admiring him on other peoples blogs, I hope he likes it here! As for the rose, it isn't a Morden rose, but an Easy Elegance one Rosa 'BAlset' Sunrise Sunset, 3ftx3ft Zone 4. And thanks for adding me to your blogroll! Much appreciated. :o)

    Hi vrtlarica, it was exactly like Christmas! Great to hear that phlox is low maintenance, a much needed trait for my garden.

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  6. I can only dream of plant buying trips right now. Not even the big box stores have anything yet and they are usually a month early at least. I've grown 'Bowl of Beauty' and 'Champagne Bubbles' but I'm the rest are new to me. My hubby has already had a few fits about garden art (in the too much vein) so I don't suppose any gargoyles are coming home with me this year.

    Christine in Alaska

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  7. Well now we both had good weekends LOL! You found some beauties and I am glad you found a Brunnera.That is a lovely shrub rose. Hey you did good LOL!

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  8. Way to go, Rebecca! Looks like you're ready for garden work~! :-) I'm not going to plant until after this week. First of all, the weather is cool and rainy right now. Secondly, our daughter and her fam are going to be here through the weekend. (Yea!)

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  9. Here it is April, and you have me wondering if all the good plants will be gone by the time I get there. :) You have some nice additions to your garden. Jack Frost can quickly become one of your favourites when you see it in the garden. I've often admired the colour of 'Emerald Cushion Blue', but haven't thought of just the right spot yet. Your Dicentra is racing ahead of mine.

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  10. A lovely shopping trip, I have also been to the nursery, but was a good girl and only bought 3 plants, Munstead Lavender and a small shrub Chamaecyparis pisifer 'Filifera Sungold'. This is my first visit to your blog, but not my last. Take care.

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  11. Rebecca, I love seeing what's happening in your garden because its so close to what's happening in mine (and we seem to have similar taste in plants). I saw the first buds on my Dicentra spectabilis yesterday -- and I also made my first trip to the nursery this past weekend. -Jean

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  12. Hi Christine, The plants totally caught me off guard! I always plan for May long weekend - June 1 for annuals, and no earlier than May 1 for shrubs & perennials. Otherwise, I would have had my list in tow. Do you have any pics of Bowl of Beauty? I can hardly wait to see it's glorious blooms, I hope I don't have to wait the full 3 years it sometimes takes.

    Hi Lona, Thanks for your message! You did good too ;).

    Hi Shady, Enjoy your visit! I'm not planting til after May 1, but at least they are here and I don't have to worry about trying to find them anymore. They have been plaguing me since I wrote my list on Dec 31, 2009.

    Hi Northern, Don't worry, there will be plenty of plants left, I am pleading temporary insanity and was forgetting that they WILL be getting/starting more throughout the season. I prefer the colour of your 'Clouds of Perfume', but I will settle for this one instead.

    Hi A Garden of Threads, Welcome! Thanks so much for your message, 3 would take quite a bit of restraint. I look forward to more visits in the future. :)

    Hi Jean, It really is a small world. I think it's so much fun to see one's plants growing elsewhere. Watching how they grow and what they are paired with is always a pleasure. I hope your nursery trip went well.

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  13. Hi Rebecca, I really like your choices at the garden centre. So nice when wishes come true!

    Your new pal is absolutely adorable. He doesn't look mean or grouchy like some do :)

    I was at the hort society meeting tonight and Jim Hole (of Hole's Greenhouse) was speaking. He showed an informal hedge of korean lilac and it was sweet. My neighbour has created a long bed between his front lawn and the one beside it. The bed has a few shrubs and mostly perennials. It's very loose and casual looking. I quite like it. (Warning: it does keep getting bigger each year!) I'm sure your Heliopsis helianthoides would be a cheery strip of colour. Go for it! :-)

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  14. Hi Ms S, thanks for the 'hedge' info. Funny you should mention Jim Hole, I *just* ordered some Meconopsis from them, and a condition of placing an online order is signing up for his newsletter via email. I read his entries online, and they are always interesting and informative. I'll get these guys planted first, and then see about the hedge...

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  15. People seem to be busy buying plants in your region... welcome back to real gardening! ~bangchik

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  16. Well, your post proves that you always need to be prepared, because you never know when you will find the perfect plant(s) that you have been waiting for. How exciting to get so many plants checked off of your wishlist. I look forward to seeing where you put them in the garden.

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  17. I'm envious Rebecca, I was up at KG this weekend, drove from one garden centre to another (when I wasn't taking the grass out of another bed, lol), and nothing amusing.
    I want a Jack, I thought that I had one last year, but it turned out to be Mr. Morse, identical, but white flowers instead of blue. I love brunneras, now have three different varities, but can always fit in Jack.

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  18. Isn't it fun finding things from the wish list?! You'll love 'Festiva Maxima', it smells so good and after a few years produces lots of flowers. I also just planted 'Gentle Shephard', it seems we're both getting into daylilies this year :) Have fun with your planting.

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  19. Hi Bangchik, Thanks for your message. Your absolutely right, those of us who can only garden for ~1/2 the year really get excited about buying plants and gardening this time of year. I think we would be more mellow about it if we could do it year round.

    Thanks Noelle, I thought you'd like that I bought my first roses lol. I will gladly show you where they are, just as soon as I figure out where to put them!

    Hi Deborah, too bad you weren't able to find anything great this weekend, but it's great that you got more grass removed. Do you have any special hints? Or just shovel & rip away? Mr Morse is also lovely, but Jack is very special. I haven't found one before, I'm glad to add him. :)

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  20. Hi Catherine, I must have missed your post! I'm pretty sure it was a picture of Festiva Maxima on your blog that inspired me to buy it, I love large white blooms and the little fleck of red is so interesting. The fragrance will be an added bonus. Nice coincidence that we are both adding Gentle Shepherd this year! :)

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  21. Glad you got to get out and do some browsing/buying at the garden centers! :)

    I don't really have any advice about the hedge, I'm sorry. I'm not good with things like that.

    We have a hedge between our yard and the neighbour's (that the neighbour planted). We're having so much trouble with it...the wind always seems to blow all the hedge leaves in our yard, and the roots are growing so vigorously that they've invaded our septic tank. As long as you pick a non-invasive hedge, that's what I'd suggest! LOL

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  22. Hi Rebecca...wonderful post! oh i love your sweet littel gargoyle friend..he is bound to add even more magic to your already magcial space! Enjoy your new treasures..and hope you find a hedge you like!..good luck!! Happy Gardening!

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  23. Hi Kyna, thanks for your message!! I certainly don't want an unruly, invasive hedge, which is why I thought using tall perennials might be better than shrubs. If you're interested in having a look, these are the plants I'm thinking of using...http://prefertobeinthegarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-heliopsis.

    Hi Kiki, Thanks for stopping by, I'm so glad you like my new little guy, I'm thinking of calling him Alastair. :)

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  24. Your new friend is very cute! You are so good, Rebecca, sticking to your wishlist! I have such list, but usually come home with absolutely different plants. Sorry, I can't say anything of Heliopsis helianthoides, I don't have it. On the back of my yard, I have a hodge-podge hedge with several types of shrubs. Now, I wish I planted a hedge of ilex or boxwood as I did in front of the house. You are doing good trying to explore different options and not to rush with planting. Good luck!

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  25. Hi Tatyana, Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you like my new friend. I also come home with different plant, as well as those on my list. I started a cotoneaster hedge a few years ago around the edge of our sunroom, I like it, but find them a bit boring. I was thinking a row of bright perennials might work just as well. I suppose hedge is the wrong term, a border would more accurately describe it. :)

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