What are you working on #3

i got a some from his coop and they ones i planted have taken - i waited a bit to plant and lost a few that were in pots.

Did you get the bare root ones, or were they in cell packs?

both i believe - celeste got some too from this coop - andy did offer to replace the ones that died which i passed on - need to find out if i like these before i order more - will be a year or two more waiting for blooms.

i am thinking about cutting a bird bath out of the top of the large stone in this bed - what do you think?

GO FOR IT BILL!!
I have a birdbath on the ground and squirrels love it too.

Sounds like a great idea to me also Bill. Lovely pic of your beds btw too.

thinking about it - this is a boulder so not really on the gound - it about 2 1/2 to 3 high - i've tried to place some on the smaller ones i am making on it and so far none of them sit right or look like they belong.

if i go for it i can't screw it up:) too much planted there to get it our without a lot of effort:)

Good places for the birds to hide, especially the spruce. they need that.

Have pretty much decided on a row of witch hazel to block the road view way down at end of the drive. Have decided on 'Arnolds Promise' as the variety I think. Anyone grow this one? What other ones would you recommend? Needs to be tough, decent fall color and seeable flowers.

Oddly, I have not had any volunteer hellebores even though I have had Sunshine Strain for well over ten years.

How many in a row will there be?

I just got an Arnold's promise and i have Aprhrodite, Diane, Jelena, Padilla, Sunburst, and Wisley Supreme. All have see-able flowers although they are young bushes. fall color is good. no pictures this year with the dry weather here.

Polly, I checked out Barry's website, and boy does he have some nice stuff. I would like to buy his sampler pack that includes 100 plants, 20 different kinds, 5 each for $2.50 each. the wholesale one is even cheaper at $1.95 each. Nice! I know who I will be buying from next spring.

Bill, that birdbath sounds like a good idea.

Karen

Pat, I only have a couple of witch hazels, Diane and a species type. Both are very nice. The species one has a very wide spread. Diane is more upright so far.

Karen

Not a fan of straight rows. You should consider staggering them in a type of zig-zag. That way, if you lose one once they are large, it does not look quite so bad if replaced by a small one. I used to have Jelena and liked it. My current ones are too young to opine on.

Don't know how many I would need until I measure. It would form sort of a u shaped curving row and I would plant them a bit staggered. How far apart would be good do you think?

Great Karen. It'll be fun to trade, too.

Victor, I sold most of my Sunshine Strain, and the few I have left I don't get seeding from that I've noticed. The Lady Strain is the one I get the tons of seeds from.

Pat - staggering them allows you to plant them closer than their ultimate width. This will give faster coverage.

i concur:)

mine are in a straight line though - 4 at the back of a bed by a wall - and the others are in between spirea, forsythia, and in front of lilacs

There is a witch hazel in a park near me that I used to think was a forsythia that bloomed much earlier than all the rest. This was before I knew anything about the witch hazels. Now I know the difference. They bloom so much earlier than the forsythias.

Karen

Linear plantings may look fantastic, even ethereal, but it "tempts the hand of fate" if one of the "soldiers" is stricken.

Irregular staggering is a safer bet.

http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/

I don't like the look, even if they survive okay. To me, visually boring.

Really? I like it. I wish I had a long drive like that so I could do that type of canopy.

I was referring to regular lines or hedges, not the link.

Oh, ok.

My son's driveway is lined with sugar maples....I like the look, & easy to tap if they ever want to do that.

I think straight lines are nice in a formal setting like in the link BA posted or like Bill has at the back of a garden as a backdrop for other plants. Other than that I think the staggered line is the way to go when using a lot of the same plants for a hedge or sight line barrier. I have a row of western arborvitae that are staggered. I do wish I had planted them a tad closer though in retrospect.

That's one reason I don't like formal. As a backdrop it's okay, but there are other options.

So another plan has been born since all the rain leaves little to do outside. Started on the siberian iris bed plan part one. It will be a semi circle on the far side of the new posts and fence trellis put in at the yellow/blue garden this spring. Which is still waiting for the fence to be permanently attached btw.
Anyway the justification for biffing more grass there is it always burns up and is weedy anyway. That is for DH's benefit. Really it is because I want a new bed. It will start out 12' wide along the posts and about 9' deep out towards the far side if the yard. A row of 1' square brick colored stepping stones along the the fence edge so the grapes can be picked. A new birdbath in the center just forward of the stepping stones and 15 sibs.of various colors planted around the bed. Already ordered the birdbath on sale and with free shipping. The sibs will be ordered soon and are my Christmas present. What do you think?

Sounds great, how tall is the birdbath?

(Grapes, yum!)

The birdbath is 25" tall. It will be about the same height as the shortest sibs and shorter than the taller ones. This will give the birds a bit of cover as will the fence and a lilac bush to the side of the fence. The bed is also on a slight slope down from back to front.

Yes, birdbath placement is not only about aesthetics, but also the birds' needs.

We had to move our birdbath twice, because the neighbor's cats manage to get around the fencing in order to "watch" the birds, if you know what I mean.

It sounds lovely! Have you picked out which siberians you will be getting yet? I'd love to hear which ones.

sounds nice pat

With regard to linear plantings:

I guess it depends on several circumstances; the growth habit is a big factor, as this photo of cherry trees in bloom demonstrates. The trees may have planted in a linear pattern, but the lowest limbs soften the trunk placement, and give it a relaxed, "Impressionist School painting" effect, very easy on the eye:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami

Click on 4th photo from top.


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Okay here is the preliminary list.
Charming Billy
Fond Kiss
Painted Woman
Roaring Jelly
Tall Dark and Handsome
Trip to Paris
Yankee Ingenuity
Barefoot Boy
Fiona
Pomegranate Punch
Bells and Whistles
Book of Secrets
Dance and Sing
Devils Dream
Cape Cod Boys
Are these good choices? It is very difficult to pick from all the pretties.

BA that is really pretty. The softness of the flowers does disguise the straight line effect. Victors point on what if one dies is relevant for a private garden, but maybe most public park sites could probably replace with a larger more expensive tree. Does make a pretty pic though doesn't it.

pat let me say that first choice is fantastic! i bought my first sibs last year and got many of the same.

who comes up with these names - i swear you could create a short story incorporating all the names.

Sounds like you did your shopping at Joe Pyes Weeds Garden, LOL. Everyone of them are gorgeous, great siberian irises. You will be very happy with them. If I could recommend one more from there? So Van Gogh. My all time favorite iris. Another one I highly recommend, that is vigorous, and a little shorter is Reel Cute. Joe Pye is an excellent place to buy from. The owners are the ones who hybridized all the ones you're getting.


Here's a pic of one of their intros, Careless Sally. An oldie but goodie.

Joe Pye Weed does come up with some unusual names. More so than the other sib hybridizers, I think. Out of all the sib hybridizers they are definitely my favorite.



Here's their website

http://www.jpwflowers.com/

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The color yellow is not my usual 1st choice, but iris 'Dance and Sing' is such a soft, beautiful, delicate shade blended with the white. Lovely choices of the ones I've seen.