Spring blooms May 2014

Iris that needs to be moved, it's in my blue yellow and white garden but is not one of those

It's a gorgeous color though, Jen......

Find a good spot for it--starting a pink bed?

yes it is a gorgeous color!
I may have to start another bed, hubby will be so happy (not!)

Haha....my hubby would feel the same way.....took me weeks to get the shed moved.... :) He's a great sport about it tho....he always helps me dig out the new area and lugs all my wheelbarrow "trash" to the compost for me....
Love the peach/pink color.....
It's been soooo cold here again....we were down in the 40"s last night and again tonight and our high today was 52! Cold rainy and windy! I've got a whole bunch of iris waiting to come out....maybe some sun and warmth would help!

Blooms braving the cold and rain....
pic 1 - columbine
pic 2 - froggy - a chainsaw art bear that didn't come out right...my neighbor has been perfecting his craft....and he was going to toss this one into the burn pile....I saved him...painted him up....and now he watches over my gardens!
pic 3 - foamflower....I just LOVE this plant! Anyone have some for trade....would love more!

Ha ha, Love the froggie.

Great save on Mr. froggy!!!!

Don't have any foam flower, but, thinking I NEED some. Hehehehehe

My little hosta bed

Love Mr. Froggy!

I like that Columbine...I like saying the Latin name Aquilegia, just sounds neat
Hosta bed looking good!

I had Tiarella(HAD being the operative word there) didn't even make it a year, don't know if something dug it up and ate it or it just didn't like it here

I know, Jen. Some words just roll off the tongue easily. Baptisia is one I like to say.

Love'm both, the words and the plants.

My Tiarella is happy on the north side of the house, nestled in rocks and practically under a shrub. Probably needs cooler and more damp than in your zone. Pic is from last year.

My only Baptisia until last year is nestled in the rocks of the Falling Down Wall, a white old-timer whose blooms barely rise above the foliage and last less than a heartbeat. Pics are from 2011. It was just starting to open when we left on Tuesday, by the time we get back next weekend it will be over. I still love it, even though I now have 2 new blue ones down below

As usual our columbine is blooming in our gravel driveway. I try & throw the seed pods into the bed, but perhaps it is too 'dirty' in there.

funny must like the gravel, LOL

Baptisia is another 1 on my want list

I've never seen the white before....I had the blue, but it died out.....same for the tiarella in the front beds, but one is still living in the back shade bed.....

My columbine will grow anywhere and it loves growing in my rock walkway....so weird! Lupines love it there too!

I love your hosta bed Jan....it looks so cozy in there! My little Pup Ethan would love to hide in there!

If I get baby foamflowers I'll trade with you all....

I only have purple baptista - and last year I traded for red (annual) baptista - it was amazing...bloomed for months...let it go to seed but got no new babies! At least the purple comes back each year.....wish the red did! I've never seen white either....so pretty!

I have several new iris blooms as of yesterday....fun times! Hope the rains don't damage them!

I have some tall yellow iris from my Grandma's garden.....they fall if it gets too windy & rainy, but so far they're looking good.....sibs have started to bloom as well.......

I can spare a seedling of my indigo colored baptisia, and bring it to the RU. should I?

Here's what is happening here this week. Noid TP, noid iris, iris immortality, r. Yaku Princess, now as it has turned white, Verbena Sissinghurst

Some of my other pleasures: a sport of the conica Alberta Spruce, 'Daisy's White' has remained this way all spring; here's an oddball yellow iris that showed up in the wrong place; the mixed bed has added iris blooms, and this new variegated columbine tickles my fancy.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2014 8:23 AM

Thank you, alikat. It is a favorite bed. I'd be happy to share it with Ethan.

Nice, Rosemary! Just a beauty of a TP, & I love the v. columbine.....

Jan -- you just made Ethan a happy boy!
Rosemary - wow -- nice blooms and gardens!
OK - I finally got out to get some pictures between rain storms....here's what's blooming in NH....

All of my iris below are from an iris swap last year....I finally got some named one....
Pic 1: dwarf yellow iris
Pic 2: front red - pumping iron iris; back left red - chanted; back purple - serenity; front yellow - fresh spring
Pic 3: leopard's bane
Pic 4: olive accent iris
Pic 5: spring butterfly iris

Nice iris, Alikat.

Thank you for the kind words. When I started cultivating my back yard with serious intention four years ago, I had no idea that today I would still feel as though the garden is just beginning

Alikat- good deal on the Iris, you have some beauties. I also got a bunch last year, trade and otherwise, but were planted late, and only a few show buds so far. BTW, the Astrantia you sent me last year is up and happy- Thanks! :-)

Hahaha, Rosemary. I know the feeling! I'm up to year 8. I think the first 4 or 5 should be called, 'The Roundup Years!' And it seemed to last forever that there was one of this and one of that, and tiny pieces of so many others. It hasn't been long since specimens grew into patches, and a real sense of what should go where began to emerge. This year, as yet another myriad of new plants bloom for the first time, I hope to see a garden that begins to approach my imaginary one. I hope the reality comes up to expectations!

And I hope the same for you! You have really accomplished wonders in a very short time. All those bags of soil... Yikes! And the Peony Hill-- Wow! I'm looking forward to those pics.

Thanks for all encouraging words.

We are sore today from moving about 30 wheelbarrows of top soil up the hill, but it only measures 3 cubic yards (or 27 cubic feet). Since this order didn't include the compost, there has to be more to come, and meanwhile, thank goodness for kitchen scrap compost and bags of pine bark chips to start the clematis tower.

DH is trying to build a motor for our wheelbarrow using parts from an exercise bike and an old motor. Can't buy these for less than $1,000 commercially.

Sounds like a project! Really like the olive accent iris.......

However, 'Chanted' is not in the picture. It is pink. Glad that you could enjoy your spring garden.

Clem Omoshiro, and some noid iris......

Tanacetum and redbud Covey

Ghost fern and geranium

Rosemary -- moving dirt...what a chore! That's alot of work! Worth it - right? RIGHT?

PFG -- yahoo on the masterwort! I'm so happy it's coming up for ya! I love mine so much and it will just get bigger and fuller each year if it's in a happy spot! Mine seem to be happiest in part sun/part shade.

I don't really have a garden plan....I've been sticking stuff all over the place and hoping it all fills in over the years. This will be year 10 in our house....and every year it's a new project! I'm having a tough time with the red lily beetle attaching my tall garden lilies....they are soooo annoying so my project this year is "no bad bugs in the gardens!" it's war on the aphids and red lily beetles. I go out every day (often several times a day) just to hunt these pests and squish them! I think I'm winning!

IrisMa - thanks for the heads up on chanted....I've mislabeled it then....any idea on the ID? And I've been trying to be sooooo good about those id's!

Anyone know what's in pic 2? Cute little flower but I have no plant tag for it....

Jan, like the tanacetum! Ali, not a clue to what your flower is.....

Spinosad for the red lily beetles... Makes all the difference. I use Captain Jack's Dead Bug, but there are other brands. Organic, so use often, best late in the day to protect the bees. Some recommend spraying the soil around target plants to get the emerging larva early in the season.

Might flower #2 be some kind of phlox? i don't know either.

I am enjoying the flower show, especially the iris and the clematis.

Here are a few of mine currently. I think the deep red peony may be John Harvard, and the peach one is Misaka, an ITOH. I am happy to report that the Colossus Oyama magnolia was a big risk last year, and it seems to be doing well enough to have several fat blossoms. Another view of the hill with alliums in full swing, and finally some newer blooms on the bicolored iris.

Rosemary - what great blooms...I only have pink peony....love the RED!!!

PFG -- I'll check out the suggested Spinosad for the red lily beetles....I do worry about the other good insects....so I tend to be a hunter of bugs and handpick....but if you miss a few days...yikes. I do use insecticidal soap for aphids...and I just made a baking soda spray for black spot and powdery mildew for roses and garden phlox....not sure if it will be effective....but I'll know in a few weeks!

The mystery plant is rock soapwort.....I ran out and put a plant tag on it! Yeah!

How sweet! I thought it looked like Saponaria, but too small. Glad you have an ID.

Hurray for the ID. Labels get knocked out of the ground at my house regardless of how fancy I make them, so I keep the online journal. Scary though to google a plant and find my journal entry there, especially since I can't claim 100% accuracy and it's not an edited publication. Wish there was some intermediate setting to only share entries with DG people

Those peonies are stunning, Rosemary!

Our peonies brought from Wisconsin 50 yrs ago are still in bud. they have been ID as Sarah Bernhardt. Do Tell peony also has buds.

AliKat - not sure what your plans are this weekend - many of the folks here will be coming to a gathering (RU) at my home on Sunday. you are more than welcome - there are three threads here on the event.

Rosemary nice blooms - been so busy have not had a chance to take many other than the few RU teasers. Just received my last delivery of maples and the bluestone order yesterday. got some good looking trees.

I just deleted some pics from my camera just in case I go crazy with it at the RU :)

Many "red" peonies are more like a bright fuschia color so a few years ago I searched true blood red ones. More have buds on them. I like all colors, though, including this more pinkish "red peony" which is probably Blaze.

Wow...it's certainly blazing! I like the single peonies, although I have the many petaled ones as well.......