One of the wonderful things about living in a small town is that you can take a walk any time and see what the neighbors are up to in their gardens. December may seem like an odd time to be looking at landscapes, but it is a good time to observe the structure of a landscape without being overly dazzled by the flowers' siren song. It was a bright sunny afternoon, and I made this slide show to show you some of my favorite sites and some of the missed opportunities in people's yards. Just click on the title below.
Around Town
Note: The slide show sets at 3 seconds, but you will probably need to adjust for a longer viewing time to read the captions.
Tulips
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Plants You Can't Do Without (continued)
White Coral Bells
Upon a slender stalk,
Lilies of the Valley
Deck my garden walk.
Oh, don't you wish
That you could hear them ring?
That will happen only
When the fairies sing.
I remember this song from childhood, but not until many years later did I re-discover this most useful garden plant. Heuchera is its Latin name. Native to North America, it is a semi-evergreen perennial that grows happily in between sun and shade. It is low in habit and makes a beautiful ground cover.
Not all of the bells are white, or coral for that matter. I have Heuchera with flame red bells others pale pink. But really the biggest color punch comes from the foliage and not the delicate flowers at all. They have been hybridized in recent years to have foliage as varied as lime green, dark maroon, caramel, peach, yellow, soft green with white striations, and bright raspberry. The great thing about having such beautiful foliage is that the plant always looks good, not just when it is in bloom. Add the fact that the leaves stay good looking well into the fall and....well, a near perfect plant.
Heuchera leaves and flowers make quite beautiful small floral arrangements. They last and last as cut flowers and leaves. mix them with bright colored flowers for pizazz or use soft pinks and creams for delightful delicacy.
Heuchera stay in a nice clump and don't go gallivanting about the garden. The only drawback is that I haven't been able to divide a single plant so far. I just go buy more wonderful Heuchera when I need them. I think that it would be lovely to have them planted in a mass of all one variety, but I just don't have the discipline. Instead I am a "collector", with a jumble of colors together.
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| Heuchera planted with hosta under the birch tree, You get an idea of the variety of color and texture. |
White Coral Bells
Upon a slender stalk,
Lilies of the Valley
Deck my garden walk.
Oh, don't you wish
That you could hear them ring?
That will happen only
When the fairies sing.
I remember this song from childhood, but not until many years later did I re-discover this most useful garden plant. Heuchera is its Latin name. Native to North America, it is a semi-evergreen perennial that grows happily in between sun and shade. It is low in habit and makes a beautiful ground cover.
Not all of the bells are white, or coral for that matter. I have Heuchera with flame red bells others pale pink. But really the biggest color punch comes from the foliage and not the delicate flowers at all. They have been hybridized in recent years to have foliage as varied as lime green, dark maroon, caramel, peach, yellow, soft green with white striations, and bright raspberry. The great thing about having such beautiful foliage is that the plant always looks good, not just when it is in bloom. Add the fact that the leaves stay good looking well into the fall and....well, a near perfect plant.
Heuchera leaves and flowers make quite beautiful small floral arrangements. They last and last as cut flowers and leaves. mix them with bright colored flowers for pizazz or use soft pinks and creams for delightful delicacy.
Heuchera stay in a nice clump and don't go gallivanting about the garden. The only drawback is that I haven't been able to divide a single plant so far. I just go buy more wonderful Heuchera when I need them. I think that it would be lovely to have them planted in a mass of all one variety, but I just don't have the discipline. Instead I am a "collector", with a jumble of colors together.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Plants You Can't Do Without
Last week Joel came with a Bobcat and we moved one of my three giant arborvitae (Thuja "Atrovirens") in order to save it from my neighbor's snowplow. (That subject is a post for another day.) They are such beautiful trees, they deserve the attempt. "Atrovirens" is described as fast growing to 30' high and 12' wide. Hardy to Zone 4, it is a beautiful evergreen with pyramidal shape and uniform growth, just great for a tall screen where you don't have a lot of room.
In the past I have been quite dismissive in my attitude toward the lowly and overused arborvitae. As is the nature of snobs, I failed to overlook all of the many fine qualities of the plant. Seeing them shoved up against a house flanking either side of the entrance, the arborvotae is hardly ever shown to its advantage. For those of us in Zone 5 (or 4) the arborvitae is a plant you just can't do without.
Even the lowly Thuja "Smaragd", also know as Emerald Green arborvitae has been planted in mass quantity behind my magnolias in order to give a green backdrop to the lovely white, early spring blooming flowers. I found these little trees at Lowes for a very reasonable price last spring. So remember, It is not always the flashiest plant that makes a good design and a beautiful yard. Don't overlook the usefulness of the arborvitae. (Next blog we will continue to look at another plant you can't do without.)
In the past I have been quite dismissive in my attitude toward the lowly and overused arborvitae. As is the nature of snobs, I failed to overlook all of the many fine qualities of the plant. Seeing them shoved up against a house flanking either side of the entrance, the arborvotae is hardly ever shown to its advantage. For those of us in Zone 5 (or 4) the arborvitae is a plant you just can't do without.
In my travels I have loved the cypresses of Italy and have enjoyed seeing their pointy green profiles in the landscapes of Arizona and Washington State. But alas, cypresses don't grow here. What to substitute for those wonderful green excalmation points? Enter the arborvitae. Another especially beautiful one that doesn't grow quite so large is the Thuja occidentalis "DeGroot's Spire". It is a narrow green pyramid with twisted green fan-like foliage. It grows to be about 15-20' high and 3-4' wide. All of those wonderful Italian allees that you have been dreaming about are there for the making. I have planted four along my stone wall at the back of my house.
Even the lowly Thuja "Smaragd", also know as Emerald Green arborvitae has been planted in mass quantity behind my magnolias in order to give a green backdrop to the lovely white, early spring blooming flowers. I found these little trees at Lowes for a very reasonable price last spring. So remember, It is not always the flashiest plant that makes a good design and a beautiful yard. Don't overlook the usefulness of the arborvitae. (Next blog we will continue to look at another plant you can't do without.)Saturday, October 29, 2011
October Snow
Oh no! In all of my years here in New Hampshire we have never had a snow like this in October! I was counting on global warming to give me the few extra weeks of fall that I have recently come to expect. now I understand why it it better explained as "climate change". You just never know what is going to happen.
I worked hard and fast this afternoon getting the garden ornaments in, the hammock put away, and the still unplanted viburnum protectetd in the basement. I had to make a last minute trip to the local Agway for three more burlap sacks to cover the pointy yews mostly to protect them from foraging deer in the winter. The snow came on fast and I had to make the mile travel home with the wipers running, worrying about the people who forget how to drive on slush.
Now I am comfy cozy inside drinking a nice hot tea, wondering if I will get the 300 tulips and 100 crocuses planted this year. It is really a two person job; usually Joel helps me. We dig out 6 inches of earth from the first part of the border by my patio and put it in the wheelbarrow. Then we set a portion of the bulbs 4-6 inches apart, with the tops up. We cover those bulbs with the next portion of earth from the border and repeat until we are at the end and cover the last bulbs with the earth from the wheelbarrow. It takes a few hours, but it is worth it in the spring when those glorious tulips bloom.
This year I chose the "Beautiful Mother Daughter Special" from Van Engelen Wholesalers, http://www.vanengelen.com/ 100 "Blushing Beauty" and 100 "Temple of Beauty". They are described respectively as "A ravishing Temple of Beauty sport, it is aureolin-yellow, blushing rosy-red toward its edges woth an interior pink rimmed canary yellow base" and "...this award-winner has lily-shaped, salmon-rose flowers above slightly mottled foliage." Sounds wonderful. I also ventured another patch of tulips this year in the border next to my new stone wall. For this I chose "Yellow Mountain". It is peony flowering tulip and describe thus' "This opulent puffy Mount Tacoma sport is pale lemon with faint green flames licking the lower exterior petals."
Fortunately the fall clean-up crew at All Saints' Church planted the 400 bulbs in the circle garden last weekend. I usually schedule for the last week in October or the first week in November, but this year I must have had a premonition. Click her to see a picture of last year's tulips: http://www.allsaints-nh.org/
So long for now. So far the power is still on, and no trees are bending over. Happy winter dreams to all of you and may your tulip reveries be lovely.
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I worked hard and fast this afternoon getting the garden ornaments in, the hammock put away, and the still unplanted viburnum protectetd in the basement. I had to make a last minute trip to the local Agway for three more burlap sacks to cover the pointy yews mostly to protect them from foraging deer in the winter. The snow came on fast and I had to make the mile travel home with the wipers running, worrying about the people who forget how to drive on slush.
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| Beauty Bush in the snow |
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| I don't know how to rotate this image. Can anyone help? |
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| May 2011 "Camargue" and "Dordogne" |
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| May 2010 "Queen of the Night" and "Renown" |
Fortunately the fall clean-up crew at All Saints' Church planted the 400 bulbs in the circle garden last weekend. I usually schedule for the last week in October or the first week in November, but this year I must have had a premonition. Click her to see a picture of last year's tulips: http://www.allsaints-nh.org/
So long for now. So far the power is still on, and no trees are bending over. Happy winter dreams to all of you and may your tulip reveries be lovely.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Autumn Sales
My local Agway store has marvelous end of season sales. I can hardly contain myself. Of course it always pays to have a plan before shopping for sales or you may end up with a lot of half price stuff you don't need. I have discovered that if things I want are left over in October, I had better scoop them up, or be prepared not to find them next year.
This happened last year with tree lilacs, numerous and beautiful with their sale tags last fall, and nowhere to be seen this whole season. This year I managed to score six Viburnum "Cayuga". They have fragrant white flowers in the spring, beautiful red leaves in the fall, and a lovely compact shape the rest of the time. Add the facts that they are deer resistant and that I had just the place for them, and it was a match made in heaven!
I am trying out some new groundcover for light shade called Geum. "Flames of Passion" - it has bright red flowers in the summer. There were also a number of small pots of Heuchera (Coral Bells) left over. it is one of my favorite plants - beautiful foliage in a variety of colors, good manners in the border, lasts into the late fall, and displays delicate little white or pink bell flowers. I bought a flat of "Lime Ricky" with chartreuse foliage as the name implies. I still have room for large areas of shady groundcover, so I will be purchasing Heuchera for years to come.
My other long desired plant is something called "bugbane" or "snakeweed". The genus name has recently changed, and I will have to go get the label to remember what it is. Nevertheless its common name belies the beauty of this perrennial. It has black fringed foliage and tall spires of tiny white flowers with a lovely fragrance. These plants are always pricey, but I found them for less that $10 each on sale.
I had to pass up the almost perfect dwarf Korean lilacs, (Syringa meyerii "Palibin) because I just didn't have a place for them. I hope some lucky person snatches up these lovely shrubs as an informal hedge. They have small but fragrant lilac flowers in the spring, a beautiful shape all summer with small perfect leaves and no powdery mildew. Then in the fall they turn a gorgeous bronze and finally lose all of their leaves at once. Such a sad day.
Lastly, I succumbed to the $10 Viburnum p.t. "Shoshoni" even though I am going to have to work to find a place for it. We all have to buy a few on impulse.
This happened last year with tree lilacs, numerous and beautiful with their sale tags last fall, and nowhere to be seen this whole season. This year I managed to score six Viburnum "Cayuga". They have fragrant white flowers in the spring, beautiful red leaves in the fall, and a lovely compact shape the rest of the time. Add the facts that they are deer resistant and that I had just the place for them, and it was a match made in heaven!
I am trying out some new groundcover for light shade called Geum. "Flames of Passion" - it has bright red flowers in the summer. There were also a number of small pots of Heuchera (Coral Bells) left over. it is one of my favorite plants - beautiful foliage in a variety of colors, good manners in the border, lasts into the late fall, and displays delicate little white or pink bell flowers. I bought a flat of "Lime Ricky" with chartreuse foliage as the name implies. I still have room for large areas of shady groundcover, so I will be purchasing Heuchera for years to come.
My other long desired plant is something called "bugbane" or "snakeweed". The genus name has recently changed, and I will have to go get the label to remember what it is. Nevertheless its common name belies the beauty of this perrennial. It has black fringed foliage and tall spires of tiny white flowers with a lovely fragrance. These plants are always pricey, but I found them for less that $10 each on sale.
I had to pass up the almost perfect dwarf Korean lilacs, (Syringa meyerii "Palibin) because I just didn't have a place for them. I hope some lucky person snatches up these lovely shrubs as an informal hedge. They have small but fragrant lilac flowers in the spring, a beautiful shape all summer with small perfect leaves and no powdery mildew. Then in the fall they turn a gorgeous bronze and finally lose all of their leaves at once. Such a sad day.
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| Dwarf Korean lilac |
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| Heuchera "Lime Rickey |
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| Viburnum "Cayuga" in front of swamp azaleas |
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| Viburnum "Shoshoni" |
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Welcome
Hi, This is the first time I have ever tried blogging. I am sure I will make a lot of mistakes, but I hope to correct them and create something that will interest you. I have lived in this small New England town for the past 25 years. When I first came here, I didn't know anything about plants or trees or hardiness zones, but I had a burning desire to learn and make something beautiful. My house is a 100 year-old "box" but my yard is lovely. It is .6 acres and surprisingly flat for this town which lies in a narrow valley between two mountains. It had been the yard of Leopoldo Pioli back in the 1950's. He was the gardener for all the rich ladies in town, and I could feel his influence even in the beginning when everything was overrun and falling apart. In future posts I want to share my joy and frustrations with gardening, my pet peeves as I walk around town, and any design tips worth mentioning. keep checking back.
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