But way too fast! They are coming and going too quickly, now that the warmer weather has arrived. I can't keep up... in a few hours one day last week, it went from spring into summer right before our eyes. The leaves on the trees exploded, and all of a sudden, we were taking out our sandals and short sleeved shirts, and dying to buy a few plants for our containers. We could allow ourselves to dream again, to plan for tomorrow and beyond...for a short while, at least.
A brief and partial listing of what's happening in our garden these days...
The Norwegian embassy magnolia has finally gone over (well, it's not exactly in our garden, but I include it nonetheless, as it is a perfect example of a borrowed landscape). What a show we had this year! That soft pink against the beautiful grey stone of the residence. Sublime. And then last night and this morning it was raining large, pink petals....now we wait for next May.
Little hard to see, but use your imagination! When standing by the road looking up the border, there appears to be a river of blue with thousands of tiny Forget Me Not flowers rolling down the sloped front yard.
The river of forget me nots which runs through my long border from top to bottom will dry up in the next week or so. It has been a delight this year.....and it's time soon to pull up the plants once they have set little black seeds, and give them a good shake through the border so that the river flows once again in 2021. Make sure those seeds are ready before you pull the plant out of the ground. They should just fall freely from the pods. Remember that forget me nots are biennials - growing a strong root system, sturdy stems and a rosette of leaves the first year and then producing flower and seed the second - so, once their seed is ripe, the plant is to be removed and new little seedlings allowed to grow big and strong for their work next year. Digitalis, or foxglove, is also a biennial, as is parsley, Hollyhock, Sweet William, and many more. Once you understand this cycle, you will know why that beautiful, expensive foxglove you bought disappears over the winter. It has made seed and you have probably weeded them out before realizing they are not weeds!
The interesting leaves of Uvularia, or Merrybells, in the shade garden. The leaves last until fall, but the gorgeous loose yellow flowers fade by the time the heat arrives.
The spring ephemerals - bloodroot (both single and double, the latter from Les Jardins de Métis via The Montreal Botanic Garden - there is a nice story to go along with that...but that's for another time), Erythroniums (dog toothed violets), flowers of Uvularia grandiflora, etc. - are all reaching the end of the line, and the peony buds are showing colour. A couple of mlokosewitschii peony hybrids are in bloom as of May 24! A bit late this year. These are just seedlings which came from the fertilized seeds of Molly and Paeonia lagodeschiana which both bloom at the same time here. Pretty spectacular thumbprint on the one!
A Paeonia mlokosewitschii hybrid. Beautiful markings.
...Pulmonaria brings a welcome carpet of pink and blue buds, white and green leaves to the lilac bed where the Galanthus bulbs have started building their stores of energy for next year as their leaves droop and then yellow.
Fresh-looking Pulmonaria under the lilacs. The leaves look as if they have droplets of water on them!
..Primula vulgaris, a very beautiful and delicate yellow(either butter coloured or a darker yellow) loves some shade and good amounts of moisture. They are very typical of gardens in the UK. I have mine in the long border - big mistake! It is way too hot and dry, so they are drooping like crazy in the heat. I!m going to move some tomorrow and make sure they are well-watered in.
These beauties need much more moisture and shade than I am giving them. They look pretty planted next to Lily of the Valley, although the latter will crowd out the Primula if allowed to run wild.
....alliums are beginning to open. 'Purple Sensation' is my first one, with several more appearing before autumn arrives.
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.
Again, too dry in the border this year, so tips of Alliums, or Ornamental Onions, have gone yellow.
...Dwarf bearded Iris are now blooming...the first of the bearded Iris to show, the ones with a little 'beard' on the fall (the petal which falls towards the ground. The standards are the petals which stand up straight) Miniature dwarf, standard dwarf, intermediate, border, miniature tall and tall varieties take us through mid-summer, from short to tall, front to mid-way through the border.
Dwarf Bearded Iris. You can see the beard on the throat of the falls. This lovely little Iris is the first one to bloom here. Iris is only about 6 inches tall. Great for a rockery. (Ants not only like peonies, as you can see!)
Iberis sempervirens, candytuft, forms a lovely evergreen mound of leaves which is covered in white flowers at this time of year. Easy to grow, it loves dry soils and is killed if too wet. The only care it requires is a haircut after blooming. A shearing, really, of the leaves and flowers. Do not cut back to the woody stems...just the leaves and flowers! A bit like lavender...who amongst us has not cut too far down the stem? And then it looks awful!
A compact mound which needs dry conditions and a slightly sweet soil to be at its best.
Fritilaria persica is a pretty pretty bulb with grey/white leaves and beautiful dusty maroon bells which compliment other spring-flowering plants such as iberis and Iris. Take a look up inside the bells...it's very beautiful in there! Worth looking for in the nursery in the fall.
A stunning plant which takes a bit of time to get established, but if they are happy, they are happy! Greyish leaves are echoed in the flowers — they almost seem to have a dusting of flour on them.
Peonies
A quick word about some early peonies....My Paeonia mlokosewitschii, the pale yellow peony, is in bloom this am. With the heat, I fear it will only last a couple of days.....sigh....and then it is not until 2021 that it will show its beauty again.....well, until it makes those blue and red seeds in late summer...
Peonia mlokosewitschii in all its glory.
A beautiful and rare peony showing its single form and unusual colour early in the morning the first day of bloom.
Several hours later with temperatures hitting 34 degrees. Will go out to water it tonight. I should have done what the Chinese do…open up a decorative parasol above the plant,
Some peonies bloom all at once on a plant...not necessarily a good trait. This morning, the early peony, 'Avant Garde' has bloomed, but almost all of the buds on this plant are open! While this looks beautiful, that will be it for the year. I much prefer having buds open several days in a row so you can enjoy them a little longer. When I order them, then, I look for traits like strong stems, long bloom time, fragrance, etc., so that the peony works hard out in the garden. And that is also why I purchase from a reputable grower. I want to know what I’m getting! Most herbaceous peonies have buds opening in sequence , and the Itohs are great when it comes to giving you extended bloom. One yellow Itoh, named 'Bartzella' blooms for two+ weeks. I'll attach photos soon of its bloom...
So.....go out into your garden today (maybe once the heat dies down a bit), and see what you have! And don't forget to send your photos to Kelly so she can make up another one of her wonderful slide shows....