Saturday, July 3, 2010

Gardeners are lovely people!

This will be a long and rambling post, since I need to catch up with a weeks worth of pictures, I should really split them, but since they are all loaded and ready I will leave them together. So much for my rule of 10 pics (max) per post.


The Iris Caesar's Brother is planted not too far from the black Superstition. I think he was a little jealous of all the attention and sent up a flower stalk late in the week. I'm pretty sure I could hear the song 'Anything you can do, I can do better' in the backgroung. But he may be fighting a losing battle...


Gratuitous Superstition picture...

I am enjoying my Cosmos mix immensely. BUT, even though I randomly scattered the 12 plants, they are completely segregated by colour. How does that happen???


Further along, a mystery peony (can't believe I didn't keep the tag or remember the name!) is bowing down to say hello.

Jack Frost has forgiven me for buying him, bringing him home, letting him get snowed on, then baking him & burning his leaves by placing him in a 'protected' area on the other side of the sunroom glass. He has even grown a few blue flowers for me, the hearts are quite taken with him. He also has some silver artemesia for company nearby.

My hostas are growing remarkably well this year, usually they are eaten by slugs. I think my signs may be working.
Pink Beauty Potentilla is covered in blooms! I hope this one overwinters better than the last.
The perennial sage has started to bloom this week, it has grown like crazy since I planted it last year.

I added quite a few blue peachleaf bellflowers last year, and they are starting to bloom. Another wonderful addition from the Campanula family.
And another blue bellflower, the little Campanula 'Get Mee', I like the way it looks with this little sign.
I'm so pleased with my 'Blizzard' Mockorange. I bought it last year, and it bloomed well, but I have found that flowering shrubs can take a few years before they bloom again. The initial flush is from being hopped up on fertilizer at the garden centre. It has produced a beautiful display and the sweet scent is intoxicating.
My 50 cent painted daisy has started to bloom. The fern like foliage is a nice change and the colour is striking.

Daylily Canadian Border Patrol is sending up it's first blooms, they are beautiful with their dark centres, and frilly edges. I planted 3 around my Tango Weigela, you can see a lambs ear and fall aster in the background. Do you see the little leaves on the bottom left of the picture? It is one of 2 Meconopsis plants I ordered earlier in the year. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some blue poppies one day....
More first of the year, Thubergia is really starting to grow and has opened a few pumpkin flowers. Can't wait til the poles are covered!
Remember my full shade peony? It's handful of blooms has just started to open. This little plant truly amazes me!
I have not had a Viburnum before, and added this Blue Muffin Arrowwood. It has a bad reputation for being a poor producer of the blue berries that it is grown for. We'll see how it does after the blooms are done. So far, I think it is a lovely little shrub.
My odds container continues to grow well. The Tiger Eye Gold Rudbeckia has now joined the others in bloom.
Sunrise Sunset rose is growing on me, as the flowers mature they fade a little and sunglasses are no longer needed for viewing.
You're may be wondering where my 'Gardeners are Lovely People' title came from? It came to mind the other night when I was out for a walk and stopped to admire a gorgeous stand of peonies. The homeowner was outside and I commented on how impressive they are. She asked if I wanted some and immediately snipped some off and handed them to me. It's amazing how a relatively simple gesture from a stranger can really make your day.

Then this morning, I stepped outside and saw this large pot on my step. A friend had offered me some yellow irises recently and they magically appeared! I will have to expand beds to fill them in, but am very excited about them.
There are few other new plants in holding, I found the Shasta 'Becky' (of course I couldn't resist) and was given Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' and Veronica 'Royal Candles' by a friend (helps to have connections lol).

That's it for now! I'll try to post more often so things don't get so far out of hand. If you've made it this far CONGRATULATIONS! You deserve a prize - how about a yellow iris?

18 comments:

  1. Gardeners do rock! There always willing and wanting to share! Your Jack Frost seems to be recovering well, and the mock orange is to die for! Great post!

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  2. Rebecca, it looks like summer is in full swing in your garden. :)

    I'm glad to see the 'Blue Muffin' is doing well for you. It looks gorgeous at the garden centres but I don't know anyone who has tried it yet.

    Happy gardening!

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  3. Rebecca, Your peonies are looking lovely. I guess we can both classify ourselves as officially over our peony intimidation! -Jean

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  4. Oh so gorgeous Rebecca...you always have beautiful stuff to share! yay!
    Kiki~

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  5. Yes, that is one of the great joys of gardening - sharing plants with friends and neighbors.
    I’m still very impressed with the color of Superstition iris.

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  6. Hi Laura, thanks so much for your message! The Blizzard Mockorage is a favorite of mine, I'm so glad I bought one last year.

    Hi MsS, I hope blue muffin produces some fruit, it needs a cross pollinator though, and I don't think there is one nearby. :(

    Hi Jean, So glad you stopped by! Both of me peonies from last year have produced one bloom each. Not 'impressive' but I'm thrilled since it means I got the planting depth right.

    Hi Kiki, Thanks so much for your great message! Always a pleasure to show you around. :)

    Hi vrtlarica, I am very impressed (smitten, mezmerized..) by the iris too.

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  7. The saturated colour of your Caesar's Brother is great, and can stand up to the strong light of summer. I like your little NOID peony, and the shade peony is being a very good sport. The extra petals of the doubles are my favourite. Your Jack Frost goes well with the bleeding heart. I deadheaded all of my Brunnera, and was missing the pretty blue flowers, but the foliage shows up even better now. Isn't Blizzard a super shrub? I've been impressed with its blooming.

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  8. Hi Northern, thanks for your message! Blizzard really is super, your great pics helped my choose between it and little lamb hydrangea. Speaking of hydrangeas, how are yours? Mine are about a foot tall, only regrew from the base and have absolutely no signs of flowers. Not sure if this is normal for them, I would really like them to bloom this year.

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  9. Rebecca girl that was a lovely post ! Don't put pressure on yourself with confinements or rules to yourself about posting .. just let it flow girl !
    You have me in love with that gorgeous Superstition .. I love dark colour plants popping out among lighter ones .. I totally forgot about my seeds this year .. boy do I feel like an idiot gardener ? LOL
    That peony is beautiful and what a wonderful gesture by that gardener to cut hers for your bouquet ! .. I have to find out about that campanula "Get Mee" ? what a funny name and so suitable to us plant smitten gardeners ? LOL
    I was rearranging my shared space garden when I had the opportunity to "give" ostrich ferns to a neighbour down the street .. glad they had a home to go too and "giving a plant" felt great : )

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  10. Hey Joy, thanks for your message!! Don't worry, I forgot about some seeds too lol. Get Mee is a Dalmatian Bellflower (Campanula portenschalgiana) and I bought mine at a grocery store, where they are sold as over priced houseplants in fancy pots. But they do well outside, I planted mine last fall.

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  11. You have so many beauties blooming. I think I must find Superstition, it really is such a pretty color and flower.
    I agree gardeners are generous people. What a beautiful bouquet and so many new flowers to plant. Have fun!

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  12. Rebecca, thanks for showing us your great flower and plant gallery! Some plants and names are new for me, and some made me smile, for example 'Canadian Border Patrol'! Congratulations on your new plants from a friend!

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  13. The mock orange and Canadian border patrol lily are just fabulous! Everything is looking really good in your garden, Rebecca.
    Beth

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  14. Everything is doing so well Rebecca, obviously Daisy is behaving.
    I have looked all over for a Jack Frost brunnera, obviously everyone elso did too, as I have not been able to find one, so I will have to admire yours.

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  15. Hi Tatyana, thanks for stopping by! I always enjoy when a plant has an interesting name, it's an added bonus. New plants (especially gifts) are always exciting!

    Hi Beth, Thanks so much for your kind words, the garden is still relatively young, but it's getting there. I'm so glad I added the mockorange and lily last year. :)

    Hi Deborah, Daisy is pretty good, most of the time. She's more interested in finding a big piece of mulch and zooming around the yard than wrecking the plants. Jack Frost is only availble here early on in the season, not sure why. Thanks for your message!

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  16. Hello Rebecca,

    Well, all I can say is that the more beautiful photos, the better :-) If I have to pick a favorite, I would select Lobelia. We grow it here in the winter and I just love the bright blue color.

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  17. Hi Rebecca! I clicked on several blogs to read. Someone has music. As I read your post, "Smile" by Uncle Kracker was playing. It was a fun accompanyment to your post. :-) (Lynn's Best in Bloom Today)

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  18. Oh! I meant to add that your post was a beautiful accompanyment to the song! ;-)

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