5/31/08

Canna 'Red King Humbert'

Earlier in the month, in my Canna border, I replaced all my green leaved Cannas with darker varieties that were already growing in my garden in other beds. This one is one of the tallest standing almost five feet with flowering stalks that reach about eight. Although the flowers are striking the thing that excites me about this plant is the color of the foliage. It grows at the very back of my front yard border so that everything in front of it stands out. This view is how I see it every time I walk out my front door.

Hemerocallis 'Joan Senior'

This is one of my favorite Daylilies. She is bright white with lemony yellow highlights. She glows in the dark once the sun sets.

Veronica spicata 'Tickled Pink'

When I saw this pink version of Veronica I had to have it! Each year it does better than the next! I will probably need to divide it this coming fall and I look forward to having divisions of it. The bed it is growing in is running out of space, so I may have to remove some plants to make room for more or find another bed for the divisions. Either way it will be fun to have more of this beauty!

05/28/08

Papaver somniferum

This is the first year I have grown Peony Poppy (Papaver somniferum). I planted the seeds pretty late. The weather is heating up fast, so I was glad to have a bloom. Now I'm assured to have more next year, when the seeds develop on this one. The bloom is a beauty to behold!

05/21/08

Achillea millefolium

I have two types of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). One is a hand me down and the other is named 'Paprika.' I've let them grow together. It is interesting to me how the colors seem to clash if they are separate, but once they are grown together, complement each other. There is nothing black and white about color! btw- I came up with that phrase myself! :)

Kniphofia uvaria

My Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia uvaria), really put on a show this year. I have them planted in front of my Cannas bed. I like how the dark leaves set them off. If you haven't seen 'The Queen' with Helen Mirren, check it out. There is a scene with a row of Kniphofia that is breathtaking!

Cynoglossum amabile

Last year I ordered seeds of a Thompson and Morgan variety of Chinese Forget-me-nots called 'Chill out.' It is a mix of white and blue. It happily reseeded in my garden this year. I love the blue and white combination!

5/13/08

Nigella damascena

I grow Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist) every spring. I guess I should say 'I let it grow every spring.' I planted seeds a few years back and they have re-seeded every year since. The flowers seem, as its name implies, to float in a mist. Once the flower has faded the seed pod looks Dr. Suess-ish! They can be dried and used in dried flower arrangements. I tell everyone they should grow 'Love-in-a-Mist.' Just toss seeds in the fall and that's the only work you'll ever have to do!

05/4/08

BACKYARD PATH

My next door neighbor makes mosaic stepping stones. I bought some from her to place on the main backyard path. I love the colors she has used and how they work with my garden. The roses in the photo are 'Schulenburg Apricot' and 'Dame de Coeur' btw- click the photo to make it larger, if you can't see the stepping stone!

ROSE 'DAME DE COUER'

Red is my favorite color. Roses are my favorite flower. Sometimes I think red is my favorite color because of red roses! When I see a red red rose in a garden I'm drawn to it immediately. 'Dame de Couer' is that kind of rose! She has a delicious fragrance too!

05/3/08 PHOTOS OF APRIL 2008

EARL'S BED

This is 'Earl's Bed.' I have selected areas of the garden to honor those people in my life who have passed on. Earl was my sister's father-in-law. The rose growing in the bed is a hand-me-down. You can see this rose growing all over the neighborhood. The cherry red blooms are breathtaking and stay on the plant for weeks. The petunias and marigolds were a gift from me to a friend. She decided she would rather see them growing in my garden than in a pot at her door. I planted them with the 'Intensia' phlox that seems to never be out of bloom.

ROSE 'MARIE DALY' etc.

The Rose in this photo is named 'Marie Daly.' She is a grandiflora that blooms from spring to fall, almost non-stop. Her musk scent is very strong and fills the garden. She has received 'Earth Kind' status here in Texas. 'Earth Kind' roses are disease resistant and need very little maintenance and thrive through our Texas heat. She is one of my favorites! The blue flowers are Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue.' It was the Perennial Plant Association's perennial of the year in 2000. To see other winners go to: http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/ppyindexs.htm

ROSE 'SUNBRIGHT' etc.

Sometimes happy combinations happen that delight! This time a crop of Dill (Anethum graveolens) seeded itself near my Rose 'Sunbright.' The yellow blooms of the dill are a nice echo to the roses on 'Sunbright!'

DILL (Anethum graveolens)

This another photo of Dill that has reseeded with larkspur, roses, and salvia.

MOTHER'S BED

My mother passed away in 2002. I had been gardening about a year prior to her death. I dedicated this part of my garden to her. It is a mix of 9 roses, lots of perennials and a few annuals. It is the prominent part of my backyard garden.

FRONT YARD GARDEN

The garden in the backyard started the beginning of my gardening obsession. When I ran out of room, I decided to carry it to the front yard. The best part about having a front yard garden is that everyone gets to see it. I've also enjoyed chatting with people in my neighborhood as they pass. I've noticed, on my street, the front yard garden trend is catching!

FRONT DOOR PATH

This is the path to my front door. The groundcovers I've used are Thyme and Frog-Fruit (Phyla incisa). Frog-Fruit is native to Texas, and stays bright green, in full sun, all through the summer. The rose in the distance is 'Knock-Out.' I wanted another 'Earth Kind' rose with bright color. You can't go wrong with 'Knock-Out!' Since this photo was taken, I've removed the green leaf Cannas in the left of the photo and replaced them with darker foliaged cannas - 'Dark Knight,' Red King Humbert, Tropicanna, Wyoming and Australia. I already had each of these growing, so I didn't have to purchase new plants. The nice thing about Cannas is they multiply quickly!!

ROSE 'SCHULENBURG APRICOT'

I bought this rose a few years ago. It is a found rose that was discovered by the 'Rose Rustlers' in the small Texas town of Schulenburg. It never grows above two feet but spreads out about three and half feet. If anyone sees this and would like to ID it, I would love to know its origin. For now, the name Schulenburg Apricot will suffice.

ROSE 'QUIETNESS'

'Quietness' is a beautiful rose that I got about two years ago. The pink coloring is heaven! She has a wonderful sweet aroma as well. This is one of Dr. Griffith Buck's hybrid roses. His roses were bred to be hardy, disease resistant, nearly thornless, and fragrant. The word elegant seems to come to mind when describing her! The bottom picture shows her growing with Rose 'Marie Daly,' Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue,' and Daylily 'Bitsy.'

ROSE 'SWEET CHARIOT'

'Sweet Chariot' is a miniature rose that is truly purple. Unlike many miniature roses she also has a very strong old rose scent. The Yarrow in the photo is an unnamed hand-me-down.

OPIUM POPPY

Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) reseeds itself every year in my spring garden. This one is pale purple. The rose in the distance is 'Perle d' Or.'

CORN POPPY

Papaver rhoeas is another re-seeding poppy. They show up in many different shades of red. This one is one of my favorites this year.