Visions of Spring '08!

Capecodgardener, Thanks for the link. I think pine bark it is. That is what I have used in the past. I have roses, not great ones, except the big mass beds of the Rugosa ones, that I adore that get mulched after we brave the job of cutting them back in March. The birds need them in the winter. That is a big prickly battle that my DH has taken on for the last couple of years, so I hope he continues.

Pixie, it will be interesting to hear if your DD has your same taste in the ones that she loves the most from your great list. Do tell after she picks. Lovely gift to her especially the planting help.

Polly, can I be a daughter too? I could use some named lilacs. Do you have many? Patti

Patti, do they need to be named???(lilacs) I have a white one that is about 40-50 yrs. old I'd guess. DH is 43 and it's been there as long as he can remember. Anyways, it has spread new babies right in front of my Moc-orange and it will choke it out if I don't dig them up. Last year I dug 2 and gave them to a neighbor and DBIL. I also have a purple that is rather large, but no names. I can ask Auntie when she gets home from Florida if she knows what the names are.
Heck, anyone who came in the driveway last year was offered lilacs, rugosa'a and DL's! LOL

bbrookrd the deer haven't eaten my snapdragons since I have been here... the photo I attached... the bed is full of them... I know foxglove is another they will stay away from and easy to maintain

Pixie, No, I am not a name snob. I love the big old fashioned white and purple, which I grow in Vt and Nantucket, but not as well. However when you go see the named ones at the Arnold arboretum, your nose will go wild with all the different fragrance not to mention the eye candy in the different blooms, plus the bloom dates do fluctuate with the different ones a great deal.

I am always dreaming of another new favorite shrub, plant or bulb each winter. This could be the year of the Lilac. Last year I added some nice Viburnums to my collection for me and the birds. I did buy one Lilac,'Monge' which only happened because it was in a sale section at the local nursery and I smelled it a mile away. I hope it is happy this spring and if it is, I will get it some new "name" friends as there is room for a few more to gather in that area.

onewish1, I love that dark red one which I have grown, but only in the deer fenced part for a few years. They came back one year. I think I will try a few, but DH says the rabbits eat them but not the deer. I think I am going to do a mess of New guinea impatience as I can dig them and winter them over in the GH and they are suppose to be rabbit and deer proof which may be a big laugh. I am going to try to grow some new snapdragons this year called 'candy corn' from seed. The pictures look great of it.

I can almost guarantee that neither deer nor rabbits eat foxglove, here is the proof. Patti

Forgot the picture. I started a bunch of seeds and they all sprouted and the deer and rabbits didn't touch them. I guess they had no heart trouble. Patti

Patti,

Lilacs are one of my addictions, as well as iris. I grew up spending a lot of time with an aunt that lived in Rochester, and we hung out at Highland Park. They have a huge collection of lilacs. I have over 100 cultivars, with a few of some, mostly one of each.

Wow you are the lilac queen. Love to here your favorites. Patti

pixie - i was kidding - your post made it sound (to my bent mind) like you were referring to some of your lillies as though they were your daughters (not as belonging to your daughter) - it sounded sweet...

My favorites. Whatever happens to be in bloom

I would recommend you get some of the early ones--the hyacinthiflora, and some of the late ones--the vulgaris. Of the hyacinthiflora, I like Blanche Sweet, a whitish blue, and Royal Purple, a double dark purple, and of the vulgaris, I like Albert F Holden, appears a two tone purple, Fiala Remeberance, a double white, Nadezhda, a double blue, Znamya Lenina, a odd shade for lilacs of a Magenta Purple, and Bridal Memories, a single white. Then you should also have some of the ones that don't fall into the above two catagories, Lilac Sunday, Josee (blooms 4X for me-- need to shear it), and some of the ones like Tinkerbelle, Sugar Plum Fairy, or Prince Charming with the spicy fragrance.

Now aren't you glad you asked?

If you get some in each catagory you can have blooms for about 6-8 wks.

By the way, my most favorite lilac nursery is in your state, north of Boston, though, Syringa Plus in Boxford. The owner is Roger Cogswell, and he was the head plant propagator at the Arnold Arboretum.

Select Plus Nursery has quite a few pictures.

By the way the Arnold Arboretum has about 400 varieties of lilacs, and Highland Park, near me has about 500, if you ever wish to see them in either of those places. Have you been to the Arnold Arboretum when the lilacs were in bloom, Patti?

I got Lilac Sunday this past year. Loved it. It re-bloomed nicely for me.

Mine hasn't rebloomed. Have you ever seen longer flowers on a lilac? I love it.

It's great. I have mine in a container so I'm hoping it survives the winter okay.

Which small (under 5 or 6 ft) varieties would you recommend?

It should be fine, Victor, I winter over quite a few that way.

De Miribel also has the long panicles about 18".

Josee gets 4-5 ft. Tinkerbelle, Prince Charming and Sugar Plum Fairy about the same. There are very few of the hyacinthiflora, and vulgaris that don't get large. Frederick Law Olmstead and Rochester are two vulgaris that stay pretty small, maybe 6 ft.

The smaller ones look different like Palabin, if you're familiar with that, it's an older one.

Here's Tinkerbelle.

http://spi.8m.com//tinkerbel.htm

As opposed to the vulgaris like Atheline Wilbur, which have the larger flowers.

http://www.spi.8m.com/athelinewilbur.html

I don't care for the smaller ones as much, but they extend the season. And their fragrance is spicy, not the normal lilac fragrance.

Polly, thanks so much. We get to Arnold arboretum almost every spring to get a good whiff. I am very excited to learn about Roger Cogswell in Boxford. I will go to one of his May open houses I have a list (somewhere) of one's that we have loved over the years, but I have lots of time to put together a modest list and your suggestions are a great help. Thanks. Patti

You're welcome, Patti.

Forget 'modest list'. Go for it.

I live near and love Highland Park and go every year. Not only do they have tons of lilacs, but also rhodedendrons and azealas, chestnut trees, magnolia trees, and many other unknown (to me) flowering trees. A tulip garden and a pansy garden. And a huge tree ( I don't know what kind off had) but you could live under it. Looking forward to May now!

Okay, I have no idea where this wonderful garden is (not a Native to New England) In what direction do I drive from Springfield MA - and how many hours?

Thanks Polly! Have you ever tried keeping the (normally) bigger ones a bit smaller with pruning?

Yes, and it doesn't work well, seems to cause them to produce more suckers. And fewer blooms. And I did try pruning them at the proper time, right after flowering.

Deb, I live about 55 miles away from Highland Park. Another great thing there is the Louisiana Iris Friendship Park there, lovely flowers. Oh, and how about those tree peonies? I go every year for the lilacs, and then back a couple of times for other things. The rhododendrons and those azaleas down the big steps are just the best for picture taking.

Funny - I was just asking if anyone grew the tree peonies. I've never seen any yet. Have to check if the NYBG grows them.

Polly, I haven't heard of the Louisiana Iris Friendship Park, will have to look into it.

I hope no one from Maine answers your question, Michaela, 'cuz they'd just say, "can't get they-a from he-a"!
(I can tease about that because my dh's family are all from Maine, Bangor area! In fact my bil, who's lived in MA for most his life, has such a thick Maine accent you can hardly understand what he says!)

I see plenty of tree peonies in this zone.

Have you tried them, Al?

No, a bit pricey. My neighbor has a real nice white one.

Here's a picture of the steps, not a good one.

From what I remember, they have to be planted pretty deep in my zone, so they must go much deeper in your area.

Thanks Polly, love those steps, a good workout to start at the bottom then walk through the park.

And around the corner.

Beautiful photos, Polly. Would that be the end of May?

What are the trees with the peeling bark, Polly? Doesn't look like Paperbark Maple leaves.

It is a good workout for sure!

The Iris Friendship Gardens are at the bottom of the hill right down from the peonies and the magnolias, Deb. Best time to see them early June.

I think it's a parrotia, Victor, but I'm not sure, they have quite a few trees with peeling bark. And as Deb says a tree you could build a house in.

Another picture of the Iris Friendship Gardens, a co-operative effort with Australia.

The park is 155 acreas, and as Deb said, it's a walk, uphill and downhill.

Sorry, Pirl, yes, the end of May, but often the lilacs are past prime by that time.

Thanks Polly, I don't think I've seen them there before, but it always amazes me how much more I see everytime I go back. When I first moved here, I used to go just when the lilacs were in bloom. Then after a few times I discovered other areas at later times in the season.
Last year my niece made a photo book for me for Mother's Day. It was of the flowers of Highland Park, and had many photos, but ironically, no lilacs in it. She forgot!

That's funny. But how sweet of her to make the book.

bbrookrd foxglove is very pretty...

polly... love all the photos

I'm late responding...again...Last year I bought 3 Earthboxes and tried 3 separate themed gardens in each one. One I grew zucchini, the other tomatoes, and the other peppers. I will not be growing zucchini in the Earthbox again, it's not that they did awful, they did exceedingly well, to well, the tube in which you water the Earthbox was always covered, and I could hardly ever find it without moving everything, breaking the occasionally limb, so, no more zucchs in the Earthbox...I harvested tomatoes all season long, TOO MANY...lol. Peppers did better than anytime I've had them planted in my garden. What I may do this year, is plant 2 of the Earthboxes with peppers (do the purple/brown/red/yellow/orange blend) and the other Earthbox with herbs that tend to be garden bullies: dill, chives, mint...etc. They are the most simple things to use, literally, it's dirt, cover, cut, plant, water, done....you just water them, that's it.
Whomever was asking about spikey plants, yuccas are hardy here. The garden center that I worked for is zone 5a, almost a 4b, they have yuccas, 4 different cultivars...'Color Guard' is one I can think of off the top of my head, the others I'm not sure of.
Pirl-Where do you purchase your Iris from? After seeing the pics of the JI's, I'm feeling a little...credit card complusion coming on...any info would be greatly appreciated.

Polly, I found part of an old list of lilacs that we made at AA while looking and smelling our favorites lilacs and it has a couple that you mentions. I am going to put together my choices this week and would love to have you help me get it down to a couple of early, and a couple of late and a small. No more than 6. We are heading up to VT for a week, so I will have time to do some serious pondering.

Hemhostaholic. I love my yucca, 'golden sword' which is suppose to be hardy to zone 4. It looks grand with the afternoon sun shinning through the leaves. It radiates, hopefully it won't take over the garden like the common one does, but I wouldn't be without it either. Here is the old standard in mid July. But once it is there, it is there forever, I fear. Dare I look up 'Color Guard'? Patti

Here is a bad picture of 'golden sword' in bloom in mid July (same as the other here)which is much smaller, but the real value is the foliage color especially in the fall, winter and spring when it stands alone like a beacon of color. I do live on an island with 3 lighthouses, so I like my beacons. Patti