Monday, June 7, 2010

24 hours of new blooms.

I was away for a mere 24 hours recently, and when I came back there were so many surprises in the garden. I felt like I had been gone for much longer!

I'm very excited about these blooms, most of these are new plants, and have been in my garden for less than a year.

These are the last tulips to bloom, and are called Virichic, I find the colours very pleasing.



My first ever rose!! This little one is on a 'Sunrise Sunset' shrub, it is suppose to have an apricot centre, and be quite a bit bigger, but the plant is young and I'm tickled pink that it's happy enough to produce a bloom. Lots of buds are setting, so there may be a size/colour variation.



I am very happy with this plant, Gentian Speedwell 'Barbara Sherwood', the flower spikes are striking, and are blooming very well, even in the shade.



Here is a closer look at the blooms, each is very pretty, white/pale blue with slightly darker blue lines etched across the petals. An added bonus to this lovely plant is the evergreen foliage year round.




I planted a few little blue violas in the border of the bed last year, along with my standby Sweet Woodruff, they make a nice pair and both are very well behaved.


Another beauty in the front bed is the Snowdrop Anemone, also performing well in the shade. I just planted one in a sunny spot, it'll be interesting to compare growth & blooms.


I moved some lamium into the bed last year too, it seems to have taken root well. I don't ever recall blooms before, it looks like there will be some pink ones very soon. I like the way the leaves look in the shade.


I haven't planted these Cosmos yet, but they are blooming in their little trays. I plan to put them in the tulip bed & I am hoping they will self seed, just wondering what your experiences have been?


Here are my new icelandic poppies 'Champagne Bubbles' they are in the miniatures bed under the birch tree. There is a robin's nest in the tree, and the dad is VERY aggresive towards intruders. I've been screamed at, dive bombed and pooped on, so the next few pics were taken rather hastily.


This adorable groundcover is a type of baby's breath. I'm sure the planting tag said 'Mouse Ears', but I can't find any reference to it anywhere. The little leaves do look like mouse ears, and the flowers are adorable.


Sea Thrift has just started to bloom. It has a reputation of being extremely low maintenance and thriving on neglect. Great qualities in a plant, in my opinion.


My globeflower is an early bloomer. The little yellow balls are so bright and adorable, I'm very happy with this late 2009 addition.


Jacob's Ladder is blooming beautifully. I'd love to tuck them into more beds but won't crowd them since they are prone to mildew. You can see how much earlier they are compared to others in the beds (shastas, heliopsis, asters, bellflowers...).


Here are some more of the gift irises, they came in a variety of colours and are so charming. I may have to move them since they are at the back of a bed (they were at the front, til it expanded), and being dwarfs are hard to see. On the other hand, they are kind of a nice surprise when having a close look around...



My white bleeding heart has not produced very many blooms this year, but they are so very pretty. I suspect more time for growth/maturation is needed (and I have promised not to relocate again).



Many of my shrubs seem a little sparse, and with quite a few dead branches. I suspect it has to do with the terrible fall (heavy snow in Oct), and then the recent cold snap. I had to replace my pink potentilla, and some heavy pruning will be needed elsewhere. 2 of my weigelas are only growing from the bottom, same goes for the hydrangeas. I'll wait before pruning back.

The perennials seem to have fared better. All 3 (free!) Ostrich Ferns are back, as are all of the hostas although they are quite slow. The clematis is growing well and my little dwarf balloon flower at the base has just emerged. I hope to find some more this year to add, in order to keep the clematis roots nice & cool.

Oh, and a question for all of you. Remember my 'Blue Star' petunias? They were quite stressed/leggy after being in the trays in my house for a month, which reminds me I really need to fertilize them. Anyhow, they are starting to bloom, but the blooms are all solid blue/purple. This happens occasionally to a flower here or there, but it seems wisepread. I don't know if this is a stress response? I really hope to have the star pattern this summer.

23 comments:

  1. You have lots in bloom in our garden. I like the lavender coloured viola with the sweet woodruff. The little baby's breath would look good in front of so many plants. It would make a nice edging. I found that cosmos reseeded for me when I had them in the past.

    Like your dwarf irises, I have a few shorter plants tucked in here and there, and even though I can't see them from the windows, I do like to see them as I walk around the beds.

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  2. I love coming home to new blooms! I really like the globe flowers. So cheery & bright! Your garden is looking lovely!

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  3. Rebecca girl (I have been head first and knee deep ? in my own garden and it is hard to "surface" and read other blogs ? .. I am so tired by the time I get in the house I just drop !) We are sharing a lot of plants .. I am waiting for my Globe flower to open up some buds .. the poppies are almost finished and the goats beard is so tall and and fluffy .. well with the heat wave we had things are in jungle mode ? haha ..
    I haven't seen that problem with the petunia yet .. but I know it can happen .. some what like my Sparkler echinacea .. I see rouge plain green foliage and I should pick it out actually.
    I'm sitting here just now REMEMBERING .. I forgot to plant my Cosmos seeds !!!! jeez !!!
    Will they keep for another year I wonder ?
    Joy in DUH mode !

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  4. Isn't it amazing how fast everything changes this time of year. You can't stay away to long or you miss something that you have waited all year for, not speaking from personal experience or anything, lol.

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  5. Hi Rebecca...yay ..everything looks fantastic! Beautiful rose..my faves!! Wonderful new blooms..enjoy the magic they brinng!
    Kiki~

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  6. Hi Northern, I do really like the little baby's breath, and if I recall correctly it blooms all summer long. I bought it at Canadian Tire, and haven't seen it anywhere else. Thanks for the cosmos inforation, it is a pretty flower and will look good after the tulips fade. I do like the little hidden garden surprises. :)

    Hi Laura, Thanks for your message and kind words!! I am also very fond of the globeflower, and might find a spot for another one or 2.

    Hey Joy, thanks for stopping by! I really hope this petunia problem is only temporary, otherwise my plant search will have been futile. It's probably not too late to seed some cosmos now, I direct sowed some a few weeks ago, but bought these as back up plants, just in case ;). Hope you're feeling better.

    Hi Deborah, I did think of you during my (long lol) absence, and felt silly for thinking I had missed something. I would be tempted to set up cameras, you know, for security/surveillance purposes ;).

    Hi Kiki, thanks so much for your message! I didn't know you were such a rose lover, hope to have more pics over the summer. :)

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  7. I always admire people who can remember names of all plants (flowers, shrubs) in the garden. I am not capable of this. I remember it for the first few weeks, and then if I don’t write it down, it’s gone. Then I call it "the yellow flower plant".
    You have beautiful flowers, they looks like enjoy being in your garden.

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  8. Hi geos, thanks for stopping by, and for your message!

    Hi vrtlarica, I have a photographic memory, which helps a lot, as well as a scientific background so I'm somewhat obsessed with details & facts. Sometimes, the names people come up with are better than the real ones. Thanks for your comment, I only show the happy plants, the unhappy ones don't make it into the blog. ;)

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  9. Gardens seem to grow so fast this time of the year. They seem to leap over night. I love your Gentian Speedwell 'Barbara Sherwood'. It is good to know it will take some shade too. The Globe Flowers are so lovely. You just reminded me to move my Jacobs Ladder. It didn't bloom like your lovely this spring so I need to get it closer to some sun maybe. Don't you love the fragrance of them.

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  10. Hi Lona, thanks for your message! I can't comment on the Jacob's Ladder fragrance, since my nose has been blocked with allergies for over a month. I can just barely smell the lilacs lol. 'Barbara Sherwood' in in quite deep shade, and has a great rosette of foliage too, we'll see how long the bloom time is, but so far, they've exceeded my expectation. :)

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  11. Isn't it fun to come back after being away to see the new blooms? I love Cosmos, they are really easy and bloom all summer. Mine don't reseed too much, but they are pretty easy to start from seed. Hope the Robins let you visit your garden again soon :)

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  12. Oh, I love the green and white of your Virichic tulips. They were well worth waiting for. I had blue violas growing for me through the winter and I just loved them. I plan to plant more this fall :-)

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  13. Hi Rebecca, Your garden put on its best dress for your return. :)

    I love your Gentian Speedwell 'Barbara Sherwood'. I haven't seen it before and it looks sweet. I also love the viola with the woodruff (one of my favs as well).

    Welcome home!

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  14. Rebecca, What a wonderful collection of beautiful flowers! I have that same experience at this time of year, of going a way for a day or two and coming back to a transformed garden. It makes me worry about what I'll miss when I'm out of town for a day or two. -Jean

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  15. Hi Rebecca! What a fun post!! :-) Does your Sweet Woodruff run all over?? Mine does. I don't mind, for the most part, but it does want to dominate some of my creeping sedum plants. Barbara Sherwood is very pretty. Does it need full sun?

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  16. Hi Catherine, Thanks for your message, the robin seems to have mellowed a little, I wonder if they have chicks now and are in a different mode?? I did sow some Cosmos seed into the bed too, but bought plants as backup! The seedlings are small, but look pretty good so far.

    Hi Noelle, the tulips are very special. I'm very happy with them! I love little violas, I don't know how they are in your zone, but here they pretty much perennialize by self seeding. :)

    Hi Ms S, Thanks for your message, it's amazing what can happen in a short period of time! I think Woodruff is great, I have it all over the place.

    Hi Jean, Thanks for your message! I also worry about what I'll miss, or if everyoe will be ok if I leave. But they usually are! :)

    Hi Shady, Sweet Woodruff does run all over, but I find it VERY easy to move around as needed. It's funny that you mention creeping sedum, mine were TERRIBLY invasive and I had to rip them out last year (which was quite difficult). You'll like this...Barbara Sherwood is in FULL shade, I'd be surprised if she gets 2 hours of sun a day, some very dappled, intermittent sun til about 10, and that's it for the day. I'm sure she would be very happy in your garden. :)

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  17. Gorgeous blooms! I look forward to following your garden's progress.

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  18. Hi socal, Welcome & thanks so much for your post! :)

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  19. Hi Rebecca,
    What beautiful blooms gracing your garden. You are so right, it seems that from here on out through the end of the season the garden changes on a daily basis. I love taking early morning walks to see what has happened overnight. Your sweet woodruff will be a wonderful host for the hummingbird hawk moth, I have been wanting to plant some just for that purpose. :)

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  20. Hi Rebecca, Your blooms would make me happy to! Very lovely and I especially like your tulip and Speedwell. There are so many changes going on in the gardens... we lament the loss of one kind of bloom, but there are others unfurling at the same moment... about to come into their time to show. Your joy comes across and is contagious. ;>)

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  21. What a great welcoming party on your return! I love the speedwell and sweet woodruff. My corgi loves the woodruff too as a soft bed for his afternoon nap in the sun. Don't you love the fresh "country" smell of the woodruff in bloom?

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  22. Hi Liisa, thanks for your message. I really enjoy the morning garden tour this time of year, always very exciting and rewarding (unless a favorite bloom has snapped off somehow). I'm not sure if the hummingbird hawk moth is in my zone, I'll have to check it out!

    Hi Carol, Thanks for your great message! I was pretty excited when I wrote my post. I am very pleased with the Speedwell, I hadn't seen it before anywhere so everything about it is new to me.

    Hi Linda, Thanks for stopping by! I bet the woodruff makes a great bed for a corgi. I have a bigger dog and try to keep her out of the beds as much as possible! I have allergies and don't notice the more subtle smells, but I did investigate the woodruff and you're right, it does have a lovely scent. Thanks for the tip!

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