Current Combinations

To (almost) quote the great Forrest Gump, in the garden 'stuff' happens.

I really like the orange with the yellow and if the pink had orange anthers it would have been ideal. We started off with a mix of Asiatics and then I kept adding more so now it's a huge mix or mess depending on how you view it.

Pirl, but the large number makes your melange of conflicting colors work. But one offending color is like a sucker punch. I am ruthless when I don't like a color combination. It is either a quick dig and more or an off with their heads and into the house to enjoy them away from where they made me cringe. Patti

You're starting to scare me Patti! I hope I'm color coordinated when I meet you.

Thanks, Patti, but I also don't publicize the oops photos.

Victor - your purple cap and green tunic are just fine.

Hmm, purple and green. Patti??

victorgardener, I wear two hats, one is tasteful and a tad too rigid and the other is that of comfortable old hippie. I am happy to let people do "their thing", but I want my plants to do
what I imagine they should do. I use to paint and now that I don't , I think that my garden has become my whipping post for the canvas that I should be painting on. So you are safe as long as you don't have roots, You could wear a clown suit or one brown sock and one blue and I wouldn't even notice, but if you were growing in my garden as the wrong shade of red and you might get snipped or banished, but still be loved. Patti

Patti, You calling Victor rootless??

CTDave, I guess I might have suggested that VG was not rooted or possible not have any roots, but I didn't really know. I was not about to get that personally about VG's private bits so if you have personal knowledge, do tell. Or are you just a pneumatophore and trying to cause trouble Patti

I think I'm more of a what you said trying to cause trouble. I was going more for ruthless or without roots but when referring to a guy's privates, I would stay away from the word "bits"

Dave47, Gas bag? VG, ruthless in a purple hat and green vest? Sounds like a Mardi Gras outfit. Perhaps I was thinking tap root. How far are you from Pepe's Pizzeria in New Haven? I would be the lady in the booth with the image of a perfectly color coordinated garden in her head but with pizza sauce all over her face and a slice of a white clam still to eat! Never been to Sally's, need to try theirs too. Patti

I'm 12-15 miles from Pepe's. You know your New Haven Pizza! There is someone on this forum who thinks the best pizza is from Buffalo. How do you know New Haven?

I'm back. I was on vacation last week. Went to a Lily show at the Tower Hill Botan Gardens in Boylston Ma. Saturday. It was ok, nothing special.
I was wondering. I have been looking at all the garden pictures, VERY PRETTY. Everyone that has posted photos, how long (old) are those garden beds? I am trying to get an idea of the length of time they take to fill in like the ones I see. My slope garden is doing very nicely but because it is the first year it is a little sparce.
Chuck

That's a good question Chuck..I'm looking forward to their answers

Chuck - sparse is good when starting a garden. The more you study it and check out mature plants the more you can plan before you plant. Two of our gardens were planted in the sparse style and just allowed to fill out. One took about 3 - 4 years, the other just 3 years. Did Botan gardens have any Japanese irises in bloom?

A photo of the area would help, Chuck.

Patti - Victor was being compared to one of the Seven Dwarfs on another thread and he came out to resemble Dopey more than anyone else - youngest, smiling, etc. with no inference about his brain power. Anyhow, Google reported Dopey wore a green tunic and purple cap. Victor said if my DH, Jack, wore the umbrella hat that he'd dress up as the reverse eggplant. Jack agreed while Victor reneged .... so far.

How true, about the color coordinated gardens in our minds! Too often a plant blooms in a color we didn't expect and throws color schemes out the window. Then it either gets moved or I remove the flower. We had two salvia, of all the salvia seeds Jack planted, survive. I thought they were 'Blue Moon' but they're screaming red and will get moved today.

Some gardeners believe all flowers go together and then there are others with a bit more rigid plans (sounds like Patti and I) and if it's wrong, it's wrong! It doesn't mean we're cruel witches, regardless of the spelling of that word, but we have this image in our minds that we'd like to see blooming in our gardens.

dogwalker, many of my beds were started in 1983, but new plants to replace failures or mixtures that I didn't like are always being added. I also have added some new bed in during the last 3 years. So if I look at the pictures I have posted here this is the low down
"something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" , but sorry no sixpence in my garden clogs

Post #3646444 daylilies always being added but many from the 80's, the hollyhock spring 04 and Worcester Gold Caryopteris spring 06

Post #3646458 new bed in 2005 nectaroscordum siculum fall 06, Ligularia division from another location in spring 06 as were the ferns, and the Pink Spike Cimicifuga ramosa was planted in the fall of 06

Post #3646472 'fanfare' gaillardia in spring 04 and the yarrow were divisions from another part of the garden in fall of 05

Post #3646496 rosa rugosa, Stachys byzantina, lavender hidicote and yellow flag iris 1983 while the digitalis camalot was from seed 2006

Post #3648717 the delta pure red pansy was planted in spring 07 and the painted fern Athyrium niponicum var. pictum and hosta Albomarginata Hosta undulata are about 10 years old.

Post #3712487 hydrangea about 10 years but the ever-bearing strawberries planted in July of 06

Post #3712523 ensata iris, lilium, daylilies 2006 but Threadleaf Coreopsis in the 80's, viola always showing up, Lavender munstead (I think) from division 2005

Post #3712552 The DL noid and Oak leaf hydrangea quercifolia planted in the early 90's, Potentilla Primrose Beauty bout 10 years but cut back hard in 2006, hollyhock 04 and yarrow 05

Post #3712566 the yarrow , spirea and Caryopteris planted in the early 90's and the geranium self seeded at some point.

Post #3712618 DL's are from the 80's the lilies (yikes) are from fall 06 and the Heliopsis 'Loraine Sunshine' planted in June 07

Pirl, I was not ignoring your post, but thought I should not confuse my list for dogwalker with a response forJack's Chapeau. Ti's a thing of real beauty! I will have to think of where I would place him in my garden if I could borrow him so he would mix seamlessly with my Precious Posies in perfect harmony! Too funny, and Victor obviously needs to get on his hat too and sit for a portrait. Patti

This message was edited Jul 9, 2007 9:56 AM

Jack's outside while I'm taking a break. The Japanese maple is finally in place and watered in but while I was moving most of what surrounded the area I was thinking about how long it takes to make a garden (fast or slow) and how it's never really done ... just finished for that day or that season or until we hit the next nursery.

A sweet neighbor recently saw me outside (she's seldom out) and asked, "Aren't you done yet? You're always planting". Right! I'm never done and always moving, adding, deleting, tweaking and hope I will be right until Jack and I are part of Cape Cod Bay.

Sounds like a song Pirl.

There's no place I'd rather be, Victor, except our own garden: Old Cape Cod.

Pril,
"Aren't you done yet? You're always planting
This sounds like my next door neighbor. I am also out weeding, checking how the buds are coming, looking for new lilies that have come up and just enjoying the changes that take place over several hours.
He uses well worn qoutes such as, "a watched pot never boils." I told him, "you got to talk to them Steve. They have to know you care about them."
He is sure that I am totally bonkers now.
Chuck

I agree with your way, Chuck.

This woman's now late husband never failed to tell Jack and I that we didn't know how to have fun. Wanna bet? The rewards of our own garden is enough fun and beauty for us.

Pirl, I have borrowed jack to plant in my new bed, I hope you don't mind. I am exhausted from all the moving this morning, but it looks pretty fine. Does jack like water, because I am giving him a good soaking right now? Patti

Jack makes a good combo!

That man just fits in with any crowd! I can't wait to show him your collage!

He loves showers but not pools/ocean/lakes, etc. - not for swimming, just for looking. I'm so glad he's still wearing his umbrella hat! That should keep him dry.

I can't believe you planted in this heat and humidity. Probably Nantucket is breezier than here today. Relax, have a cool drink and sit a spell.

No I am done for the day, I moved the offending red day lily to a much better spot and found another pink in the "hot bed" so it got moved too. While I was at it I moved some astilbe, one of the rigid pinks that I am not so fond of to place where it would play off the Japanese painted ferns. Much better. DH and I planted the last hundred of the unplanted glads. I wanted to get them in last week, but my Lyme was not letting me do too much. Better now. We have a warm fall so they should be fine. Otherwise they will be just compost. I also found some Japanese roof iris that needed a thinning so I moved a patch to bed I "edged" yesterday. My DH was not believing that the new edge was 3 feet wide and about 40 feet long when he came to see what I was taking so long to do. I am nuts. Patti

Oh you have Lyme Patti? Sorry to hear that. Did you see a rash or was it diagnosed after symptoms? How long were you on antibiotics, if you don't mind my asking? My son had it last year. Luckily we saw the rash and treated immediately with 10 days of meds and he was fine. Another reason to hate deer, as if I needed one!

Victor, Thanks for asking. I am glad your son is doing well, so many people think that it is chronic. Mine isn't But I wouldn't question what someone else thinks about their case. I just know it isn't fun. I had a terrible case years ago ( sick for a year ) but saw no rash, thus it wasn't caught until I was very ill. I needed to be hospitalized and then went though several experimental IV Therapy for 30 days at a time. My case was written up in the New Med Journal. This was early on in the study of the disease and my local Dr sent me to Boston to see the doctor who, with a Colorado doctor, figured out what it was. He was at Yale at the time. He still sees me every few years as one of his early research cases. I had another bout a few years later and that time I did have the classic bull's eye, so I just had oral antibiotics. I have had it a couple more times. Last year, I did the double dose of 200mg doxycycline , as I caught the tick still attached and partially engorged. This time I am on 30 days Amoxicillin 500mg three times daily. I didn't get the rash, but took a tick off on June 1 and started to feel very ill about 2 weeks later. I should have just taken the meds even if the tick wasn't a carrier. Same old symptoms. Bone tired and very sore, no sleep, massive headaches, severe burning in my legs and arms, confusion and some other unpleasant side effects. But this soon will pass. I took another deer tick off me on Thurs but it wasn't attached. Can't win, but I won't stop my gardening life over it. Now I am going to take a nap. DH had babisiosis last summer. He was very sick (malaria-like) , but quickly over it after being medicated. Patti

Wow - you're a Lyme magnet, Patti!! Did you get the blood test after any of these tick finds or did you just start treatment based on symptoms and previous experience? Not sure I'd still be gardening if I went through all of that!

Patti, I started reading this thread because I'm interested in combination plants. Beautiful shots everyone by the way!

Now, I just read about your bout with Lyme Disease. Ugh! Hugs and strength to you.

Harper

I have had so much blood work done that I am surprised I have any left to test. My titer count for the first big bout was a record at the time My local Dr called me his " titer queen ". I once had a spinal, so they could accurately check the count as back then the test were "crude at best" not my quotes, but one of the Doctors. The test are better now.

I had a fascinating series of test run by the head of the neurology dept at the New England Med Center to see how it had attacked my neural system. I fluked big time my ability to be trusted do things like drive or go out alone. My mental capacities was clearly comprised. I lost a huge amount my verbal skills and memory. It was like having Alzheimer's, but I was aware of the problem when I used the wrong word or could not finish a thought or would not remember a big chunk of the day. But I came out of that fog pretty well.

I have been retested several times to compare with the test that were done at the height of my illness. It would be intersesting to know how I would have tested pre Lyme. I had brain scans done. I wished I had those pictures. I loved the color patterns. But compared to most, this disease is not anything more than an annoyance as long as I can afford and get good medical care.

Now, back to the garden ! I just had a three hour nap. I will be ready to see in the morning what combo's that I have growing that I love. Thanks all for caring. Patti

Wow, Patti, you've been through so much. Amazing that you came through it all in one piece. Good luck with continued success with it. Maybe it influenced your color appreciation!! Didn't mean to sidetrack your thread.

Victor

Patti - you're an amazing success story and I salute the fact that you didn't let it get you down as it does to so many people. Stay well.

The worst combination of the day is one we can agree on: heat and humidity. Ugh!

I second that!

Mona Lisa with unexpected lupine.

Maybe Lupinus leonardo??

Victor! I may be blonde but I'm not dumb.

Cute!

Dang you Pirl, I can't grow a good lupine to save me and now after seeing your spectacular bed of them earlier, you are still producing them. That is a nice surprise to have such a great pairing with an out of sequence bloom. Great pinks together. Jack would look good in the picture with his special hat.

The rabbits got my Mona Lisa along with a bunch of others when we were away a few weeks ago. They were planted in a new bed closest to the deer fence that the rabbits chewed though to dine on some lilies. But this morning DH found a dead rabbit that the dogs got last night on the garden side of the fence plus the new hole that it had made to get in. Bad mistake. He carefully left it out on the rabbit's side as a warning and for the pair of Marsh hawks that live across the road. Patti

Ooh - silly wabbit.

Tonight, while having dinner and viewing the last few Japanese irises in the garden, we saw a tiny baby rabbit. So cute, but after your story I better go around with the Blood Meal tomorrow.

Mother rabbit tried to make a nest under my Becky Lynn daylily but I shooed her off and today I found rabbit fur (telltale clue) and she went under another huge stand of astilbe. I have no idea if this baby belongs to that mother.