FIRST FLOWERS SPRING!!! Next time it might be summer!

Gita, you have salvia and fern growing together? They seem like unlikely bedmates. Also, I would have thought your baptisia would have shown some blooms after such a long time. Does it get a lot of sun?

Such beautiful flowers getting posted. I especially like the Sienna Sunset Coreopsis, and appreciate knowing that it is on sale. Keep on enabling, Catbird!

Gita, we can fix you up with a couple more of the yellow foxglove. They're well watered after all this rain.

Seq, why was the coreopsis Sienna Sunset not hardy for you? So you like tall plants? How is Raspberry Wine doing for you? My monarda fistulosa has grown to be very tall! No sign of any buds yet though...

I noticed the article about speedwells! :-) My little Georgia Blue was very nice this spring.

Gita, beautiful blooms! That cardinal doesn't know what she's missing, right?--the pink rose is beautiful! Can't believe your heliopsis is already blooming. And the mandeville is gorgeous! I really like the clustered bluebells, too--I like the puffball look! :-)

aww, thanks, Aspenhill! I was lucky that the previous owner spent 50+ years puttering away and left me such nice, rich soil--plus there's so much sun in the yard. I also spent way too much money last season and so far this year on plants--bulbs, seeds, plugs, nursery specials, and so on--LOL. It has been just over one year now since I started and I need to slow down with the plant acquisitions and just work on maintaining and enjoying what I have--and of course increasing through swaps! :-)

Jeff--

This Salvia is a border Salvia. called--"Lady in Red". It grows nicely
and the small, red blooms catch your eye. Make lot of seed, which can be
collected and easily propagated from the seed.

The Fern has been there forever---there was another one just in front of it,
but I dug that one out and transplanted it to a front of the house bed--on the corner--
behind my Carpet Rose (see above). It will reside just behind the white,
wire fencing in happy shade. The other thing I planted there, along with the fern,
is a Brunnera "Jack Frost"..

OK! Just for YOU--wading through puddles--here is the pictures.
The first one is so you get the idea of where what is. From last June.

Went out and took some pics--avoiding the puddles in the back of my yard.
Didn't work--as you will see, right now it is like a floodplain.

Water always collects all along the bottom of the raised bed and also
to the right. There is no drainage in this area to speak of.

In the 1st picture I will post (from a few months ago) look just behind my shed,
and you will see a County storm drain. My neighbor keeps his fire pit on it.
All collective water,from the yards on the left, flows down and (supposedly)
in the Drain--but when the rain is so heavy--it just sits above ground all along
my raised bed and a bit to the right.

1--The sun comes from the left and sets to the right--but my 2 trees interfere with decent
afternoon sun.
looks like it rained that day too---see the water all along the back?

5--Look at the left hand corner of the raised bed-- and the small plant, just to
the left of the white trellis is the Baptista.
I would have to say--"NO"--it does not get good light. The fence blocks it off.
To the right of the raised bed is a "walk-through". To the right of that--the very edge
of the beginning of my YUK bed--is where the fern is and where I planted the Salvia.
Somewhere, at the base of the BB, is also a Japanese Painted fern.

2--Here is a closer view of this "Bird bath Corner"..... and the "walk-through".
At the moment--one big puddle. That is what I stepped into--in my Crocks..

This bed-corner was cleaned out, amended to raise it a bit, one fern removed, and then
I planted some annual and perennial stuff there.
I am trying to improve my YUK bed a bit--by digging out plants that I do not want
(the Nepeta....the Persian Cornflower...and parts of the NE Aster--all shared at the Swap).
In place of these, I have planted some new plants. a VA Bluebells--a small Goldenrod--
and the Mockorange shrub which is growing too fast--sprawling stems everywhere...

I need to put an stone or brick edging on the end of this bed and then I can add more soil.
Left-Front-and Right of the Bird Bath are 3 Hellebores. To the right--the rest of this bed
is a Peony, a "lost" Tropicana" Rose--and then....it is full of Day Lilies.

3--Here is a view of the whole YUK bed as it turns at the corner.
AND--right in front is the reason this IS a YUK bed--as well as my whole "YUK
back yard"--the BIG Silver maple. I already posted this picture--recently...

4--And--here is an overview of my patio and the east side...Think I posted this one too
recently. Tjhis area is "My World" when i am outside...Love to sit on my Swing
and contemplate life...

Sorry the numbers of the pictures are mixed up--and,
SORRY to be so long-winded--AGAIN!!!--but I hope this gives you an idea
of my "World" and my limitations.

Gita

Now that I think about it, I have some annual salvia too that always seems to get overgrown by everything else and thus shaded. It's always nice to know that it's still around though when it peaks out from the taller foliage of surrounding plants. I'd suggest moving that baptisia if that fence is blocking the sun. They need a minimum of part sun but full sun is best.

My apologies Cat, I thought Sienna Sunset was a zone 6 coreopsis. I've never had one but thought it was a Terra Nova brethren to my Pink Sapphire, which I lost this past winter. Some of the coreopsis are goofy, I lost most of a Mercury Rising too and another red one over the winter. I'm loving my tall perennials. My Raspberry Wine is about 3-3.5' tall. There is a 2' phlox right next to it. Behind that is a single stalk of Anise Hyssop 'black adder', then a tall salvia and Helipsis. Can't wait til it all lights up! It kind of puts me in a tough spot though because they all are on the outside of a ring with not many plants. I have a bunch of plants to install there but they all need sun and these are going to shade the new plants out. I'm thinking of putting lobelia next to them on the south side because they can take the shade now worries. I'll be working on it this weekend so we'll see how it goes. Biggest issue is after planting will my skunk friend come and dig them all up.

We look forward to seeing photos of the sunny 'tall' bed once they all bloom, Seq! :-) That sounds like a huge Raspberry Wine!! Yes, Sienna Sunset is listed as hardy to zone 5. Are you zone 6?

Gita, I know from first hand what a lovely garden world you've created for yourself, and must be so pleasant to sit on the swing and contemplate it all! :-) I need a good spot to sit in my yard--right now I just sit on the back porch steps. I got a small metal table and 2 folding metal chairs on sale from Target for the back patio area, but they are more to hold things--not actually comfortable for sitting.

Yeah I'm 6b but the pink sapphire still bit the dust. I try not to plant too many things that are only hardy to zone 6.

I'm 7a and I had the same experience with zone 7 plants this past winter. :-(

Any ideas what this guy is?

Gita\


I'm glad someone else has one of those things in their backyard too. We have one and its works OK but the problem is when we get heavy rains just like you. One of our neighbors is a geologist who says this area was a paeleolithic river bed. If you look out my kitchen window when its raining you have no problem believing him. Its taking forever for me to get in my shade garden with all this rain cause everything is soaking wet.

Gardener

You were right, those hellebores are gorgeous. Now if it will just dry out enough for me to plant them along with a bunch of other stuff. I couldn't believe that cottage garden around the corner from you, then I saw another one that made that one look totally bare. That's what I'm looking for when I get my yard done. They look like botanical gardens. You're so lucky to have them just a couple blocks from your house.

Terp, that looks like an oenothera.

Terp - it is a yellow flower ha ha ha back at ya - I think it was you that id'd like that once :)

Yehudith, glad you got the hellebores and thanks SSG for being the plant fairy!

Terp, it looks like Evening primrose, “sundrops”, oenothera. Ours just started blooming yesterday

O. fruticosa for you Latin types

Thanks everybody.

Very funny Terri. It probably was me. "What is that?" -A perennial.

Yehudith, I bet they're going to look great in your shade garden! Yes, I do have a couple of neighbors a couple of streets over who are serious gardeners. No one on my street even composts their leaves, though. They're throwing away gold! Granted the county recycles them, but I'd rather keep mine. :)

I love sedum and semp flowers.

1 Sedum Fuldaglot. Probably spelling it wrong.

2. Noid semp

3. Another noid semp.

Nice SSG, I didn't know Semps bloomed.

Paul--
decades ago--I had a yellow Evening primrose.
An elderly neighbor gave me a couple cuttings. I had them for years!

That was my 1st guess too--but the dark shiny leaves confused me...

If you want more of the pink ones--and are coming this way--I can get you some more...

G.

PS--Many Azaleas at the HD are now 25% off. Too huge a supply--no takers...

Interesting. Well I have no idea where it came from but I'l probably transplant it to a spot with more sun. Pink? Maybe. We'll see how this one thrives.

Must have been a good salesman! They are probably done blooming too.

Seq, semps die after blooming, but there are enough babies or "chicks" that I don't mind. And the flowers are worth it!

Terp the Oenothera Sundrops was part of the NC group buy and my guess is that where it came from.

WOOHOO, My Vodo Lily is back. Some of you might remember a few months ago when it was blooming inside and it fell when I was moving it and broke. Well it got set upstairs out of the way and pretty much forgotten. I was up there yesterday bringing down some dormant plants and there it was putting up a new stem. So excited.
One of my Mini planters is blooming so tiny and cute and the living wreath I put together yesterday done with air plants and Spanish moss. Blue water lily, pink peony.

That is a beautiful peony, Holly, and I love the mini planter contents--very pretty! Such a nice living wreath--looks so light and airy and spring-like! :-) So glad your lily is back!!

This message was edited Jun 13, 2014 6:23 PM

A few new blooms today:

1) My first black eyed susan (R. fulgida)--yay!
2) Sally's Yarrow--yes you were right, it is white! :-)
3) Pennisetum 'Karley Rose' is getting some feathery plumes at last (it really didn't get any last year)
4) Stachys officinalis 'Pink Cotton Candy'
5) Geranium 'Fantasia Dark Red' blooming at last

nice blooms cat

like the Stachys

it is beautiful here this morning!! clear blue, sunny skies
finally starting to see more hummingbird activity
fig trees coming along ^_^

no pics at the moment ...
our coral nymph salvia started from seeds started to bloom a few days ago
stella day lilies are blooming now too
Heavenly Blue MG
feverfew

Lovely Catmint, and I adore that Pennisetum!!

Now new pics today, just got home from work and I'm slightly POOPED. I'll get some new shots of stuff after lawning the mow tomorrow. :)

thanks, Wind and Speedie! Such a gorgeous day--perfect for the garden-- and I ended up spending it all driving across the Bay Bridge and back! Boo! And I heard there's a huge heat wave just around the corner?? sigh...

Other than doing a little deadheading this morning I spent the day inside at the Annapolis Quilt Guild quilt show, will be back there tomorrow. Might get a bit of weeding done before I head to the show.

Lawning the mow Speedie??? Lol

A few things blooming around the house:

Heliopsis
Yankee Doodle Mountain Laurel
Annual Dianthus....made it through the winter and just started blooming
Oenothera
NOID Potentilla

Our Gaura just started blooming and the Prunella as well. The Prunella is a new addition this year and I love it so far. When it gets more blooms I'll post a pic of the whole plant.

Heeheee, yes, lawning the mow. I figure if I make it sound funner then I won't mind doing it so much. :)

Oh my those babies are beautiful Jeff!!! And look at those ADORABLE little faces on the Prunella, I LOVE 'em!!!!!!! Look at the little guy on the bottom left - he's got a white frilly beard! < =D Your Dianthus come back much more happily (and fully) than mine - I usually only get 1 little straggler here and there along my driveway side bed (got a couple now, as a matter of fact), but they are always so sparse! :(
Oh hey, show off that pic of that day lily you showed the pic of in the "plant collector" thread.. the cream/wine one. WOW what a beauty!!! Everyone should see that one! =)

Beautiful blooms, Seq! The color on that mountain laurel is so striking and pretty--and your oenothera is huge! Love that orange color on the Prunella.

My dianthus have all wilted--need to deadhead and see if I can get their second flush of blooms going!

Thank you ladies :) I'll show off that daylily when it finally blooms Speedie. That pic I showed you was from last year. I feel like it would be cheating if I posted a pick from last year :)

Aaaah, okey dokey. I really look forward to seeing how she looks this year! =)

A couple more shots from my playing outside yesterday...

1: One of 2 little forests of ground-cover sedum. I started with this one first, and for some reason she "split up" and now I have 2.. but there's a gap of about 5" between this one and the "daughter" patch.

2: The Poblano Family. :) Can't wait to eat some!! You can see Dave (yeah, that's the gnome's name!) in the background, keeping watch over everything.

3 and 4: Hostas budding. I love it when they bloom! In #4, in the background, you can see the damaged Columbine leaves from miners... so pesky when they do that, but I can't seem to prevent it - ever! Oh well, they've all been cut back now.

5: My first little tomato babies! =) They're gonna be yummy with the Poblanos after they grow up! =)

That is a gorgeous sedum ground cover, Speedie! And those veggies look like they're going to be great!

Nice sedum, what is it?

Yay, summer's definitely here! Things are really starting to bloom.

1) St. John's Wort (Hypericum calycinum)--1st bloom of the season!
2) My clematis in full bloom
3) Coleus from Holly & Ric sprouting up and looking great
4) Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum) is blooming
5) German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) in bloom, with lavender in background

More blooms making me happy today:

1) Echinacea 'Raspberry Truffle' back from the dead after my inexperience last year almost killed it
2) Perilla 'Magilla Purple'--my first introduction to this plant--I'm enjoying it
3) Snapshot view: Penstemon, snapdragon, cream marigold from Holly & Ric, coneflower, gladiolus stalks from the group buy growing like crazy, even some angelonia in the background--so glad to have my new sun bed to play with now that the foliage from the tulips has finally retreated!
4) My first cosmos blooms! Sown this spring

cat, I love how the clematis is growing on the lattice. How do you have the lattice supported? I have a clematis that needs support and I have a slab of lattice just sitting along the side of our garage waiting to be used for something. And, I love your echinacea

our giant hollyhock started blooming today! it's white with a hint of burgundy and pink
here is a pic of how tall it has grown. it's as tall as the roof!