Taming the wild garden

Have to share my frist lily. never had them before

Oh Drat! just lost my message-in-progress! Tillys, I'm here, just having to set some time aside for workwork - up to my ears, and it is that straight equation thing: mortgage=workwork!

But time to put in some pleasure work too.

Gorgeous lily - which is it? wonderful rich satiny finish, nice choice. I must admit to a real hankering after Lilium superbum - never manage to get seed though, they always sell out. Beginning to think they only have one pack each year! One of these years - or not. Right now I'm trying to work out spring bulb order - how many tulips, and which one - took it with me to the bath last night - my goodness was I stiff! I'd been cutting bracken for a couple hours with a hand scythe, got through a lot of it but sheesh! But boy of boy, is there going to be leaf mulch envy on this website! I've decided to harvest the bracken growing along the hedgerow, partly as an attempt to try and kill it off - but it rots down into great leaf mulch - slightly acidic - but, I got so caught up in the bulb catalogue (hotted up the bath a number of times!) husband came up to see if I had fallen asleep and gone under. Ahh, they are useful little tigers, aren't they.

Reading the temps. you're having, makes me think we are on another planet (or at least another hemisphere). Haven't had a single day yet this year over 16C (high 70's/low 80). Summer is here - but we are wet, wild, and cool. Other than loosing the tomatoes and the cucumbers, it has been a good growing season (digitalis to over 2.5m/7-8') we are a tad on the Amazonian side, but when the sun shines it is magnificent.

gotta dash, yet again - got some planting out to do.

I must get the photo software reloaded this week. On my list.

Happy gardening -

Good Luck, Laurie missed ya
Don't what the lillys names are, got a buy one get one free in the misigan blub cat.
I have got to watch that not getting they names.

no no no - don't become a slave to learning names - make up your own!! This is the satiny pink ssp. purple place. Very rare, and very well grown! Reminds me of an exchange I had with a doggie walker

She: asked what breed my dog was Me: replied Fox Terrier She: a bit sadly, we don't know what she (dog) is Me: told her I recognized it immediately - she's a wellbeloved. She: looking at me amused, but wondering if I am a bit crackers, went off chuckling.

the only time we NEED to know is if we are trying to replicate - most of the time it doesn't matter - although it is always good to know your husband's name and not call him by the dog's name, which I do regularly.

One more appointment tonight, and then I think we will go to the park for a late evening stroll.

TTFN

You are right they are mine I will name them as I please, And yes I get names mixed up, dog gets cats name, cats gets dogs name, Husband gets whatever comes up dog or cat or maybe his name or something not appropriate. LOL
And I like Satiny Pink works for me. I hate trying to remember the names for some plants some I just remember some.
Tilly
Another happy face this is Tyler. (I think) my Corgi 7 months old.

Ahhh, the Queen would be proud.

Hello all. Just having some time on the computer this morning, back from vacation (so to speak) and having had one day in the garden before the rain and cooler weather hit. I know, Laurie. I should not complain considering your weather report for this summer. The roses do love the sunshine so much, though, and resent being rained on. It is a gloomy day and looks to be so all week. Sigh. We were to get a new roof for the house today. Not happening. No way.

RE the Queen's corgis: she would surely change her mind about that breed if she met the little nasties who live behind us. I've met many fine Corgis. These are not among them. When they bark, the enitre neighborhood cringes. They are not nearly so cute as Tyler.

While the sun was shining I was able to get some photos of the garden. Here are a few of my favorites:

I am loving the effect of this trumpet lily 'African Queen' with the smoke trees. I wish the trees were even deeper purple. I have one such up front and have placed some orangish daylilies underneath it this year. Maybe next year I will get the display in that area. Not an intuitive color combo, purplish with orangish, but I am liking it.

RE knowing the proper names for plants, it is my measure of my brain functioning and estrogen production. LOL! I consider knowing the names of my plants to be one way to keep the little grey cells functioning. When I begin having too many of those 'estrogen moments' where I simply cannot call up a name from memory, I know I am in trouble. The 'lost tag' brigade gets whatever names I come up with at the moment. Hydrangeas I've grown from cuttings have many varied names.

My first year for gloriosa lilies. I do like them very much the way they sweep their petals back as though growing in a stiff breeze.

This was an accidental success, my favorite kind. I simply love the combination of color, light and dark, as well as form. This is a grass developed by Joy Creek nursery in Oregon. I like it because it does not get out of control at all. Just stays exactly where it is placed and grows slow clumps. The chocolate cosmos I grow each year for its rich color.

I think I'll start a thread with some photos of combinations I am loving this year and ask for others to post theirs. I am smitten by color combinations in the garden (including form, texture, too)

Heres another one that is working for me.

Here's a photo of my MIL's home in Tennessee. It's an incredible home and the price she paid for it kills me inside. INcluding a complete remodel/restoration it cost about 1/2 of what my house cost me before all the extensive remodeling we've had to do. On the other hand, I would not want to live where she does.

Here is a photo of her dining room. The enitre house is like this. Before her husband died they enjoyed collecting fine antiques. The thing about her home is that while it looks a bit like a museum, it is entirely comfortable and livable. I don't know how she does it (except that she had no kids at home and no dogs in the house - i guess that's a start).

Here's her living room. Generally, I just stand in these rooms and stare open-mouthed. I do try to wipe the drool off my chin before she notices, though. She is the epitome of southen charm and gracious living, which, I'm afraid, is way too much maintence for me. Maybe that's why I live in the Northwest.

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=3001781

Here's a link to some photos taken at a 'high tea' that my MIL held at her house while we were there. This was a dressy affair, as you can see in the photos. They really do it up in the south. I had to borrow clothing from my MIL's closet for the occasion. I was shocked to find anything that fit, much less anything that was attractive. A good time was had by all and the food was beautifully done. I learned that I love peached iced tea. My neice catered the affair.

If you look at the group photo you'll see me on the grass holding a baby. No, she is not mine. I just got a baby-fix while I was there. The two little baby girls at the tea were very decorative and sweet.

Oh, in the group photo, my MIL is in the back row, middle, in the black hat. She is also in photo # 30. The pregant woman used to be Miss Tennessee in the not-so-distant past. She is very friendly and sweet as well as beautiful. The baby in my lap is hers. You can see that she is expecting another one very soon.

This message was edited Jul 17, 2007 9:10 AM

Pixy,
Your MIL has a beautiful home. I love the red on the walls!

Your african queen with the smoke bush is yummy! I love how the lily brings out the undertones in the bush. What is the name of the grass from Joy Creek? Let me know if you start a new thread, I have a few color combo's I would like to share. Rach

Pixy, Your MIL has like you said a museum and a beautiful home, I would feel like a bull in a china closet to even walk into it not my cup of tea but gorgeous.
I love the contrast with the combs. Its so appealing to the eye. I like textures and back ground color.

Pixy: LOVE the link awesome pics. LOL the food, and the clothes that would be so fun. the one I love the most is the two babies on the divan or bench hard to tell what they were on. I just love those kind of pics. LOVE babies as long as they are someone else is, spoil have fun them send them home.
My niece is having her 2nd baby in Sept. The first one was Clowy and auntie forever. She is 5

Yes her home is absolutely lovely. Tilly, you and me both in terms of being the bull in the china closet. But, again, it is really a very comfortable home. I just do plenty of looking without touching. My mother's early training holds me in good stead.Here is the space I truely envy and if I had the money I would build one. It's her summer house. This is where the tea was held. She and her husband had it built just the year before he died. I love the cement floor with the drain in the middle. If I ever build a house, I'm putting in a cement floor with a drain in the corner so I can just hose it down. Makes so much sense to me! And this little space stays comfortably cool during the hottest days of summer with the two ceiling fans. It's outfitted as a place where people can spend the night, with a nice bathroom and small kitchenette. We spent a lot of time out there.

those were the sweetest babies I have met in a long time. They were just so satisfied with everything! The party was over two hours and they were passed from hand to hand the entire time, but they just kept smiling and cooing at everyone. I thought they were very, very nice little babies who were obviously well loved and well attached. It was a pleasure being able to get a baby fix there.

Wow, what a beautiful place! I love he cement floor idea :0)

What a charming place!

Rachel, I remembered the name of the grass: it's Miscanthus 'gold bar'. I think Joy Creek is the only place that sells it.

Pixy,

Thanks so much for sharing those pictures, they are just lovely!

Don't you enjoy visiting the south, but for the life of me I do not understand how the women stay slim with the 3 full meals every day! My family cooks 3 times a day and expects everyone to eat, it is a slap in the face if you don't.

How fun to have a dress up tea, takes you back to childhood.

Thanks again, Carla

Pixy,
Thanks for the info on the grass from Joy Creek :0)

Love the idea of the drain, I would just love to take a hose and clean.
Awesome room So cosy.

You said it, Carla! And then there are the sweets! My MIL starts baking as soon as she knows we are coming. First its the chocolate rum cake, then Key Lime Pie, and then whatever else she can think up. she's a size 10. I hate her. (not really, you know, but it does tick me off just a bit). Plus, whenever we are out and about together, she simply has to stop for lunch somewhere. I would skip it altogether but if she doesn't eat she gets a bit weak in the knees. Must be a horrible problem to have! LOL!!

Have we lost Laurie again?

This message was edited Jul 18, 2007 10:21 PM

No, No, just wandered off the path abit.

Like the others, Pix, the pictures are great - but my favourite had to be vampy group picture - that is just marvellous - not only elegance, but a sense of humour!! perfect. And I am thinking seriously if we could put in a drain in the middle of the house - I honestly think it is the only way we are ever going to take up cleaning with any sort of gusto - the idea of hosing down the entire house just thrills me - you could just strip off and......well, perhaps that is an idea best kept private.

I like the idea of starting a new thread of foliage/blossom combinations (I am really struggling with areas, multiple, and could use some inspiration) - I've just had a wander round the garden in the evening light, and coming round one corner I saw the crocosmia has come out in full (isn't it amazing how in the morning buds, in the afternoon full glory)! And happy happy accident, it is sitting right behind this massive persicaria opulifolia Red Dragon - dark maroony purple leaves with pure Montbretia Orange Crocosmia - wow. When the sun is right tomorrow, I will try to get a photo.

Thinking of all of you, where is murmur? Isn't her plant sale coming up? she hasn't been telling us much news about it. Tomorrow the post office, and then a nice settled weed - if the forecast torrents don't come. We have been wet this year.

P.s. has Mauryhillfarm been around lately? I wonder how the raised bed for her school is getting on.





This message was edited Jul 20, 2007 6:17 AM

Life got a little complicated for awhile, but is somewhat evened out at the moment. (No divorce yet anyway.)

Laurie, my plant sale was the end of May and was a huge success. Next year I plan to do one at my own house as carting everything to my friend's place was just too darn tiring. She doesn't want to do one here as she says her location is better, but it's not! Anyway, I made $600.00 (sorry, I don't know what that is in your money). My friend made $1400 - you can do a lot more when it's at your own place and I think I could do nearly as well here. I think she's starting to understand where I'm coming from.

it's raining today - too hard for even me to go outside, darn it anyway. Always happens when I don't have to work. Oh, well. There's always another day!

Laurie the crocosmia sounds like a delight! Do take a photo if you get the chance.
This weather has really brought me to a low place in the summer. I just hate this. My lilies are almost destroyed by the pelting rain. The ones that didn't need staking before are laying on the ground. My blue phlox, which I waited until this year to see bloom, is bent over and drenched. I had to do a garden consult in the pouring rain today because I had already scheduled it weeks in advance, and to reschedule would have cost me another 4 weeks in precious time. Yuck. I'm not fond of prowling around people's yards in the mush.
Murmur, you and I should both head over to Laurie's house with the hose for a good scrub down. It would be way more fun and more productive, too.

Pixy, when do we leave???!!! I'm with you - staking things up, picking mushed blossoms off the ground, etc. . . . no fun at all. My Phlox Blue Paradise (is that the blue one you have?) are all a mess. I have them in every single garden to sort of tie them all together. I picked some for a vase, but many I just had to toss. My roses are a disaster, the daylilies so sad, the Russian Sage and Mallows lying down on the job, etc. My Hollyhocks are okay because they are all staked, but so many things are not a bit happy. The Monaradas all seem to be okay, as are the Pink Phlox and a few other varieties.

Yep, your garden sounds just like mine. I'm completely disgusted, to be sure. And sorry for the poor plants who have worked so hard to bloom so delightfully! After the sparse showing of last year's garden, I was looking forward to a lush one this year.
Yes, "Blue Paradise" is what I have. I love the color. But they are really a mess. Just so heavy with water that they cannot stand up at all. And we're supposed to get some sort of 'pineapple express' tonight. We have 1/2 a roof, so it figures.

I have nothing but sympathy.

Why is it we can't live without rain, and b##ger we can't live with it. But I have to tell you - my phlox, the admiral, purest white - has stood up to it all, wind (and it can blow miscanthus flat up here!) torrential rain and walloping hailstones haven't touched it. I just don't get it - and the dieramas have stood through it all too. Bless them both - but for the phlox, I have to admit to having built it a plant support before it started growing this year - remind me next spring to take some pictures (surely by then I will have gotten the camera out of the drawer again) of the supports we make from hazel cuttings - they look good before growth and disappear once the leaves come through - we do them for all of the vulnerable plants: peonies, phlox, some of the lysimachia, they really work. Going to try them on a couple of lax roses next year.

I would enjoy the visit - when you are readly let me know - you can even weed if you want to.

Murmur - 1) congrats on your sale - $600, in any currency is very good going! and 2) hope life settles down abit - I read in one of the threads that your mom took a serious fall. Hope she is getting settled again. Scarey.

Thanks, Laurie - my mom is actually doing quite well. Her stitches were removed Friday and although she still has a huge lump on her head, it is healing nicely. And she is no more confused than normal. My brother talked to the doctor and he said we were doing what was best for both the folks by helping them stay in their home until one of them inevitably dies or my dad can't take care of my mom anymore and we have to put her in a nursing facility of some kind. My dad even let me take some of their laundry (bedding) home with me - he has refused up until now and I know this would be a huge burden off of him. He's a stubborn old coot - I understand him not wanting to be a burden, but it makes life a lot better for me when I know I can help them a bit. My brother keeps their house in running order and mows the lawn (in addition to often taking my mom to the doctor or rescuing her when she has an emergency - like splitting her head open). I try to take my mom out once a week, tidy the kitchen, sometimes do the grocery shopping, etc. My DH and my sil cook all their dinners and my bro and I deliver them.

Back to "taming the wild garden" - mine just gets worse and worse. I am so tired of this nasty weather! I went to an outdoor wedding this afternoon, though, and it didn't rain even though it was supposed to!!!

Hey, stop hogging all that rain! I need some down here! All we've had is occasional days of fairly light showers. Last week is the most rain we've had in ages and it was still stopping and starting just often enough and raining for just long enough that you can't be out in it, but just light enough that the soil never really gets thoroughly saturated. Was gone all day yesterday until this evening and expected to come home to a nice, thoroughly damp yard but instead got rained on in the car and my yard didn't! arrgh! Back to watering!

I was in Seattle last overnight and it rained really hard, but I guess here on the island it wasn't so bad (according to DH who sometimes really hasn't a clue). My plants look like it rained hard.

Susy, you are welcome to as much of this rain as you want! Bring it on down there!! And to think that the Farmer's Almanac predicted that this summer would be DRIER than usual!! PLEEAASEE!

Tomorrow night I go to Las Vegas with my mom for a few days. I'm not a Vegas fan, in fact haven't been there since I lived there as an intern for a summer just before my college graduation. But we're meeting up with some of her family there and she didn't want to go alone. I believe I will be getting my sunshine fix while there. The temps will be hovering just above 100 degrees for this week with possible thunderstorms. I haven't seen a good thunderstorm in years so bring it on.

We saw the latest Harry Potter movie today at the Imax theater in Seattle. They did a good job with this one, but as usual, I wish they had included more from the book. Still, a good movie and the last scene was in 3D so we got to wear those cool glasses. It was a stunner! I've got to convince the family to put off reading the rest of the latest book until I get home. What are the chances? We're on chapter 7 together. Ever since the first book came out, we always buy them the first day they are available and then we spend evenings with me reading to the entire family. My kids are 15 and 22 and we're still doing it. I wonder if I could convince J.K. Rowling that she should write another book, just to keep my kids away from the tv?

I have completely given up hope for the garden right now. Maybe it will dry out while I'm gone and I can cut some stuff back.

Murmur, your parents are so fortunate to have you and your brother to help them stay in their home. None of us look forward to those years, I guess. But I do hope my kids will take care of us the way you are doing for your parents.

Now if you would like to talk rain, this is what the west country has been getting (geographically this is, Hardy Country - home of Far from the Madding Crowd and all the rest of his books, Shakespeare's home in Stratford, home of Trollope's Barchester Chronicles, and the setting of much of Jane Austin's work - all very very literate) . http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6911962.stm The link is for the BBC news. On the righthand side of the page click on flooding in the UK and stroll through some of the pictures - it is the one of Tweksbury abbey - built in 1011 - that pretty much sums up how much rain we have been having this summer.

We've been incredibly lucky. East Sussex is on the Eastern side of the country, and although Sussex got one months rain in two hours on Saturday - we are high up in the Weald, and on a steep slope, so that our run off is very good. some of the country, those living in the lower, flatter plains area are just devastated - whole villages are flooded, with people being evacuated or living on the second floor of their houses with no electricity or clean water.

Now having said that, has anyone heard from Tillys - its not like her to disappear. When she describes her place, I always feel that she is right out there with the pioneers, and if you're having all this rain is she vulnerable?

And, Mur, I second Pixy's comments. Your parents raised a couple of nice kids, who have very nice spouses. Well done them.

I love Barchester Chronicles!! (not to mention Shakespeare and Austin, but I do love Trollope!) Sorry to see that kind of flooding in the U.K. That does look very bad. They were predicting flooding here, but so far we've been lucky. I'm glad to hear that your area has been missed.
My Dh said that the U.K. is pretty much giving up on some of its coastal towns? Have you heard anything about this?

Hey Laurie I'm still here, had to take a set back just to many things going on all at once and have been a little depressed about all this wet stuff. But we are find no flooding or mud slides as of yet, the last mud slide was 6 years ago when they clear cut the top of the hill in front of us half the hill headed for my neighbors yard and mine he had as some bulldozers and was out detouring the mud till help arrived and no loses. Just this morning I was listening to CNN and they showed the flooding in England and I thought of you and if you where OK
The funny part of all this rain is I still have to water Happy Trails it is so dry under those trees, and everything else is drowning and looks so sad.

One thing that I have found out that my little off-springs that have hatch are "Woolly Bear Cats"

Well, in all this rain here is some good news (other than the fact that we have had a dry day! With sun! Hoorah). I have sent on the Bluebell seeds - I was all set to send them and delayed them when I realized there was a very good postage stamp issue coming out (Pix - in particular you are going to like them!) so I just put off sending them until they were released. Hope you enjoy them. the envelopes look like they have been opened - don't panic - that was me. the seeds rattled so much, I repackaged them to shush them up a bit.

fingers crossed.

Can't wait
I'm setting here looking at my new catalog and at a loss of what I want to do now.
The weather as not been to nice to get the second stage going. It was to hot to burn the branches awhile back now its to wet to work it. OOOOMY.
What do you think about "Lavender Mountain Lilies" under neath "smoke" he is doing very well after the transplant. I thought the blue blooms and the purple leaves would look real nice together. open for ideas ????
Tilly
2 other choices are "Indian Lilies" (blue ) or The "Checkered Lily"

"Smoke" will get rather large

This message was edited Jul 24, 2007 9:18 AM