Gita, I believe that the photo you posted is of a Campanula, not VA Bluebells, which bloom much earlier in the spring.
Some photos from today, the current theme seems to be pink.
Campanula 'Elizabeth'
Clematis 'Marmori'
Purple Milkweed - Asclepias purpurascens
Astilbe 'Peach Blossom'
Calico Penstemon - Penstemon calycosus
David--Maybe so--I have to see if the tag is still there...
donner gave me a couple small plants of the "VA clustered Bellflowers."
These are about to pop open. So far--the two of them look identical.
Will take another photo when that one opens.
Here are the ones I lost in 2011 and am trying to find a replacement...
They do not have the blooms all up and down the stem. They are all clustered
at the top. SO pretty! Do you know a name for these?
Got these originally from "hart"--our very first Plant swap.
She lives in the hills of VA.
G.
Campanula glomerata 'Superba' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56332/
Thanks again. Do you have any? Do you know where I can get some of these?
"Hart" dug it out of a rocky area under some evergreens.
They barely had any roots--but I had them for 3 years.
Then I planted my N.E. Aster near it--and the Aster, literally, smothered these.
It did not help that they completely disappear over the winter.
G.
Don't currently have any, but they are routinely available at most nurseries of any size. Don't know what is near you home or work, but you should be able to locate them.
Gita, I bought one this year at the local nursery in a quart size. Mine isn't that big yet but it has been flowering and is pretty. It's a thirsty plant so far though but pretty much tells me when it needs water and then is fine afterward.
Beautiful blooms, Greenthumb. That campanula is huge! Gita, I hope you're able to find more of the plant you're looking for.
David, as you know, the campanula 'Elizabeth' is one of my all time favorites. I think several of us have this beauty in our gardens now - thanks!
SS don't know the ID on that hosta sorry
I like seeing all the VA and MD posts. You guys are just a bit earlier than us. Gives me a preview of what's to come. Our campanulas, milkweed, and astilbe aren't blooming yet
Greenthumb, your clematis looks quite happy
That one may be happy, but we had a Clematis 'Blue Angel' and C. 'Ramona' in large pots on our deck for years. Between the two they covered the deck balusters and railing with a wonderful display of foliage and flowers. Alas, this past winter was too much for them and neither came back. :-(
Some happy blooms providing color for me today:
1) Verbena 'Enduro White Blush' with Catmint 'Walker's Low' blooming behind it
2) Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) 'Lemon Gem'
3) Yarrow 'Apricot Delight'
4) Osteospermun 'Zion Copper Amethyst' with lavender and chamomile in the background
5) Geranium 'Elegance Burgundy Frost'
The Geranium is gorgeous and how are your marigolds that big already!?! Nice job.
thanks, Terp! That particular marigold I got in a 4" pot in the herbal section at a nursery earlier in the season, so I guess I cheated. ;-) I have another T. tenuifolia 'lemon/tangerine gem' that I grew from seed and it just got its first bloom this weekend!
Wow Cat, that Geranium is awesome, too bad it's not perennial.
I was thinking the same thing about that beautiful geranium and was just getting ready to ask if it was an annual or a perennial that I had never seen before. Even if annual, I'd like to add it to my list of annuals to plant in and around the garden to supplement the perennials for all summer color. Really pretty Cat!
thanks, Seq and Aspenhill! :-) I know--too bad it's a tender perennial! It's 'Elegance Burgundy Frost' Pelargonium x domesticum. It's been blooming well for me this spring. If it does well through the summer heat, I may try overwintering it. I'll also see if I can get some cuttings for the fall swap. I really need to learn how to root from cuttings!!
Finally I can share, or rather put it, I have something to share. The first one is Night Flyer I think, the second is the nightmare of a lily bed. I've been working for 4 years to get this bed together and its finally working. I ripped out the whole thing last fall, worked it over, filled it wth seaweed, manure, compost and milorganite then dug it all in down to two feet. I planted daffodils and crocuses in with the lilies when I replanted. This spring I packed it with heirloom nicotiana and lupines. The daffodils look kind of ratty right now and will be cut down in the next week or so The nicotinia are starting to really move and will fill it in hiding the lily stems and blooming til next fall. These really reseed so it should look and smell fabulous next year. The lilies are going wild. Some are taller than me right now. I can't tell you what's in there, between the deer and rabbits the last few years and digging and replanting I haven't the faintest idea what's in there anymore.
#3 These are Tiger babies. These are the ones that waited out the winter in the fridge in the garage and my son helped me plant them by the front walk. They are so gorgeous.
#4 More of the Tiger babies.
#5 The Tiger Corgies Zivah and Sparkles. They're learning to be out in the front with me and are doing a very good job of it. What can you expect. They're Cardigans so they're extra smart.
Thanks for sharing, Yehudith. The tiger lilies are beautiful! And what a lot of work you've done on that bed--it looks great!
The dogs are adorable! :-)
sad about your clematis Greenthumb... we had a huge big beauty die also, but it was years ago not related to winter... not sure why it died. It bloomed for so many years too.
that geranium is gorgeous and so it that dark chocolate lily ^_^
the doggies are adorable!!!! I miss our dog so much and can't talk Harry into getting another right now. We have a cat that I call our puppy-cat. Lucy greets me at the door and plays and tosses her toy mouse in the air like a dog plays with a ball lol
I picked up a pom pom blue hydrangea "flag" at the craft store yesterday and placed it next to our cut back hydrangea. Brightens up the spot while it regrows. Pretend blooms!
much needed rain here this morning
Posting from my phone so I can hardly see your pictures so I apologize for not commenting. Cannot wait to see them on the computer.
Gorgeous strep Ruby from donner
Looks like I have a Black and blue Salvia. It lived in my driveway bed this winter. What a surprise because I didnt even remember planting it.
Catmint, I've had only two types of hardy geranium. One type is the spreading low kin like Biokovo, with many low stems and it roots super easy. The other one was a tall blue one, every leaf and stem came from one base point. and nothing looked easy to divide, although it never grew really big. So if that one you have makes several stems, it should be easy, but if not and if it doesn't get especially big this year, don't rush to cut something.
yehudith, sounds like a great plan with the lilies and nicotiana. And what adorable Corgis!
wind, that cat sure has personality!
Beautiful Black and Blue!!! I have never been able to keep one overwinter.
Driveway bed= southfacing wall, three feet of bed, and black driveway to absorb the sun on sunny winter days. Pansies bloom well there for winter then fry by May.
Donner---
I thought I had lost all mine--but just now--there are a few short stems peeking out.
It will take some time before it gets tall.
My Streps are really blooming away right now...
weird--how last summer they looked half-dead.
Sally
I love the nicotiana and have them and cleome all over the front yard. That's why I don't have any mulch down. The plants won't reseed if mulch is down. That means things look kind of ratty til the babies come up and fill out. Its fun though to see the babies come up where they're least expected and since they come up sometimes weeks apart they bloom at different times so the bloom season is extended. The lilies are doing the same thing. In the reworked bed scales and bulblets that fell off are coming up. Some are even flowering this year. In one spot I just dumped a bunch of rootless bulblets and scales figuring they'd just die and enrich the soil. See the picture. Yes he does do wonders.
Speaking of cleome, would anyone like some seedlings. Dear L-rd they're all over the place! These are the heirloom heirlooms that grow almost 6' if you let them. They are big and bushy. My mother-in-law thought they were shrubs last summer. Some are pink and some are white I can't tell you which is which but I'm going to have to pull out a lot so if anyone wants some you're welcome.
If the nicotiana keep coming up I'll gladly offer some of those too.
Some color for you--
1&2--My Hibiscus blooming away--there will be lots more..
3--The new "Big Pot" in it's new location. The driveway bed--aka WS bed.
Last year the BIG Dr. Seuss lived here...
4--Mockorange blooms . This shrub is growing way too fast!
5--This is the old "Stump Bed". The one I worked so hard on
the other day. It is now all planted---not much to look at....yet.....
Maybe from now on I will have to call this bed---"Balls of Fire" bed. (name of my Azalea)
What do you all think?
G.
Sally, I just checked it and there are several stems, but they all seem to come from one central stem close to the ground. Does that mean rooted cuttings are the best way to go?
Beautiful strep and B&B salvia!
Beautiful, Gita! That pink hibiscus is lovely--what a great rescue on your part! Love your new 'big pot' selections, and I think 'balls of fire' bed is wonderful--definitely more catchy sounding than my boring bed names! :-)
Well--I could not continue calling it my "Stump Bed"--as the stump
is now all gone...still digging up bits and pieces of the roots. Such diehards!
This bed used to have a tall, old River Birch in it. It lived a long life--than had
to be cut down. We left the stump up for putting a pot on it...
Over the years--the stum started deteriorating and I had to shore it up with
bricks and stones....
This spring was the end of it--dug it up--tore it apart--and made it ready
for my new, deciduous Azalea---"Great Balls of Fire"---from Paul.
G.
G. your gardens inside and out are so pretty and neat. ours always look on the wild side! and "over grown" as my mother put it today... sigh...
what is strep?
Wind, streps are streptocarpus. Sadly I can't keep them alive, but Gita's streps are just gorgeous.
Yehudith, that's awesome that you're getting so much self-sowing! I don't think I could keep up with the weeding without mulching the beds. I have too many weed seeds blowing in from my lawn! :)
thanks SS, they're nice. sort of remind me of an African violet transforming into a salvia lol
Wind--the person in our bunch that grows a lot of Streptocarpus is donner.
She is the one that gave me mine a few years ago.
Of course--Roses-R-Red has the collection to die for. Many are from Europe.
Colors and shapes you have never seen....
G.
Catmint, I think you best not try and get any part off the Geranuium this summer.
a study in contrasts
phlox 'triple play'
hydrangea ' blue billows' and variegated red twig dogwood
perfect 'pictum' fern frond
Nice. Love how the fern picks up maroon from the maple, but in a different shape, then the fern edges have the points of maple leaf, but in silver.
Beautiful pictum fern, Coleup!
Love those, coleup!!!
I went out looking for a seasonal FB cover photo and found some good possibilities. :-)
1) The neighbor's roses which cascade over into my yard. She's told me to help myself to some cuttings! :-)
2) Marguerite Daisy 'Butterfly'
3) Rose Campion from Gita blooming nicely
4) Yarrow 'Apricot Delight'
5) Agastache 'Purple Haze', Yarrow 'Pink Island', and pentas
I can attest to that rose being just gorgeous! It might even make a good cut flower, sitting on your dining table. :)
That yellow daisy is so pretty! I'll keep that cultivar in mind for next year.
Coleup, I have a 'Blue Billow' (or was it a 'Blue Wave'?) that's about to bloom. It's so exciting waiting for the blooms to open up!
