What I am doing in my garden now!

Never a bore. Your garden is lovely. I like the idea of all Crocosmia in a bed. The are thugs over here and don't mix well with others. What is the large bush between the green house and the brick wall?

Hi Willow

Thank you very much............
Not all crocosmia are thugs............ its the Orange one that is the problem over there...... its called crocosmia x crocosmiiflora. most of them are very very well behaved.
If you mean the dark bush............ it is a Cotinus!!

Mark

Oh here is an old pic from 2006................. i just loved the colours on this one!

Yes that one. Thanks. You are right about it being the orange ones. I'm doing a plant sale now for the Master Gardener and people are bringing it in by the buckets. Maybe I'll start a row along the Food Bank Garden fence.
I just remembered I've been looking at a small plant in town and wondering what is was for a few years now and it is Cotinus. Must get one now!

I knew it would be the orange one............ it is such a weed over there and also here, but down south of the country here!! Once you have it you will always have it.
Food Bank............???????

The Cotinus i think is also called the smoke bush............. they are beautiful and with orange or yellow planted in front of them look very dramatic. GET ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay what is the deep rusty colored one? And it is a great picture.

The Master Gardener's have a vegetable garden and we raised veggies to give to the people in town who need food. Over on this side we call them Food Banks, people can go to get what they need and it's free.

LOL...................... its a Rudbeckia...... but cannot remember which one!!

Oh what a cool idea................. nice that people care enough to do things like that!!!

I do have a rusty Rudbeckia but it doesn't look that "heavy" might be the right word. They are one of my favorite for summer color. We had a big hail shower a few minutes ago. Covered everything with a coat of white. Crazy weather. At least it is spring showers and not all day rain.

well, its bedtime for me now................... so i will bid you all goodnight and see you later!!
Thank you for the lovely welcomes to this forum....

I will leave you with one more photo

Night Night

Mark - Great photos. Thanks for taking the time to share. I just love the lush and colorful look of your gardens. It's been a pleasure to look at home much impact you've packed into a small space.

I do have Sea Holly - it's done its time in a pot in the back and this year will get to take its place in the flower beds. Such a striking plant.

I absolutely love Rudbeckia - splurged on a Rudbeckia submentosa 'Henry Eilers' last year (actually, it was on sale) and I think I see it starting to come back this year. Yippee. It's very fragrant. The leaves on Rudbeckia triloba stay around all year at my place, but I'm having problem keeping the dogs from eating them. I don't get it. And it's three of the dogs - not just one. :-)

I got a big pot Montbretia last fall from a new gardening friend. Not sure now where to put it, but I think it'll go in front of the house in the "wild" area to maximize the sun it gets and because it will get so tall. I'm anxious to see what kind of impact it has on my "rainforest" look of rhododendrons, vine maple, fir trees and sword ferns. Buess I'll have to clear some blackberries first, LOL.

Kathy

Just home from workwork - wow, you have been quite busy here today.
Hello Mark - welcome to our little slice of plant addiction & insanity, where photos act as meds & all guests are invited to stay.
Nice pictures - which Helenium in #4688075?
Absolutely on the Sea Holly - my favourite is E. 'amethystinum'. Lovely well-mannered plant - have several types..
thank you for the wonderful Frit picture - these grow well here, but often hard to find some of the more obscure ones.

I will confess I am one of those "string-trimmer edger users" - no time to do all my property by hand. But it allows me time to sit out in the orchard under the shrubs & enjoy the critters that venture there. oh, and my dogzzzzz, too.

Yoohoo! Pixy! Can you please arrange a dry weekend with the powers that be?Needing this in the worst way...
Ok - rain stopped. Out to weed. By hand! =:0)

Mark!! I've been looking at your site. I had no idea that there were so many Crocosmia. Fabulous. Thanks for posting.

Kathy

Isn't he great. Beautiful pictures. Hope we can keep him. Then we will have two of those lovely British people.

Mark beautiful garden! So wonderful to see it.
Kayte Sea Holly well behaved! We put it in our garden in Montana and it becomes a sea holly garden. I have very few invasive plants and Sea Holly is at the top. I love the plant but look out where it is cold cause it seeds everywhere.

Sorry Pix's I was in a hurry, worked for me LOL
I got 3 each from Heidi, plan on planting them with it, just don't want to mess with the strain, as far as cross pollinating. Plus I have the babies from Laurie. This is funny from someone who never knew about them a year ago, now I have lots. LOL

Welcome, Mark
Love you gardens, Laurie will enjoy to have you aboard, she is are very good friend and carries the stamp of approval, and over on your side. She is a love.

Analog, are you looking for plants? or do you have them?

Mark...Mark...Mark...Wow. How GORGEOUS! I can only aspire to such beauty in my very young, very unplanted gardens! Thank you for sharing. Unbelievable color in the crocosmia bed. And the frit! I MUST HAVE IT! Help, mentors? Will it grow here? Can I find it here? Wow...beautiful.

Sheri, there are even some native ones..... Robson, pg 195-6 :)

Steve - do you remember how your mom would look at you & without saying a word she got her point across? I pull the "mom" look on the Sea Holly. But amethystinum does not seed crazily, unlike Eryngium giganteum ala Miss Willmott's ghost. that one is a biennial & knows no bounds. I've have several perennial types & fortunately, they understand the wisdom of good behaviour..
Crocosmia do exceptionally well here, Sheri. You will only need to pick a colour! And they are great paired with Heleniums and Hemerocallis. And that's just a start!

And Rudbeckia!!

Good morning Katie.....................

Thought you would have been asleep by now!!
Been busy on here since i left................. LOL

I love my Sea Holly - and it's never been a problem at all . . . it's in a narrow garden that is surrounded by concrete . . . and competes with Hollyhocks, Phlox, Dusty Miller, Yarrow, Russian Sage, Crocosmia (the red one - gorgeous), a Lysimachia (a nasty plant I wish I had never planted), and a few other things that I can't think of at the moment.

Mark, your gardens are inspirational, to say the least - they leave me speechless, but with a smile on my face!

Hi you!! So fascinating is this time difference. Just got done taking the dogs out and am on my way to bed.

I am surrounded on two sides by wooded area, some of which is classified as wetland. It sounds like night of the huge living frogs out there. Thousands of boy-ribbets designed to attract girls. This has been going on for a week and will continue for another and then will suddenly stop. That's usually when my Mason Bees come out and start looking for things to pollinate.

The native salmon berry, bitter cherry, Indian plum and trillium are in bloom. And quince, forsythia and pieris are all in bloom, as well. Bulbs and Hellebores have, of course, been up for awhile.

Happy First Day of Spring everybody!! Guess it's the second day of spring for you, Mark. :-)

Beatiful, Carole!

Hi murmur

I have sea holly all over the place, and it has never been a problem for me either...
ooooooooooooooo that sounds like a very pretty part of the garden!! The red crocosmia is Lucifer??

Thank you for your lovely comment about my garden.....

Oh, do you have these plants over there........?? the common name is Dog Tooth Violet.

I just got one at a local plant sale a couple of weeks ago. I may grow it in a pot in the shade this year until I see whether I can keep the slug population down. Love them. Nice photo.

Yes, the red Crocosmia is Lucifer - I was completely blank on the name . . . not an unusual condition for me!

Katie

Seems you are about 7 hours or so behind us!!!!! Its 6.20am here now.

Wow, sounds gorgeous where you are............. although the boy ribbets would drive me mad after a while!! LOL

I didn't know it was first day of spring even, nevermind the second day!!

Mark

Seems you have lots of the same kinda plants we have........... must be very similar growing conditions where you are..............

You have toad lilies too?????

murmur..................... LOL

This are is quite shaded and moist............... I just got around 20 varieties of Tricyrtis (toad lily) to plant all over this area, along with Hostas and Hellebores......... should look quite amazing when i have done it.

Mark, that is glorious - I love the way the pedestal/pot/plant draw my eye upwards, then lead me back to the other plants as well . . . absolutely lovely!! You are quite the artiste!

I'm off to bed - it's been a long day.

murmur............... thats the idea............. one part leads you to the next part etc etc. if you could see everything all in one go, it would spoil it. I love the idea of wondering what is round the next corner.....
If you know what i mean!!!!!

have a nice sleep, see you tomorrow i hope............

Mark

Since Kayte asked to see photos of my work, I have started a blog to post about my yard. Check it out. I have pictures of what's up all around right now. And I will be adding more as time goes on.

Mark - your photos are gorgeous (and you will be in great company over here - Murmur is a brillant photographer, and Pix turns out some rather fine snaps too - when she doesn't leave the camera out in the rain). You have a beautiful photo of, I think it was Mrs. W ghost - against a wooden fencing - all toned in that shady blue (you claimed an accident of timing) - can you find that and post it - I would love the others to see it - has really stuck in my mind.

Terribly nice to have you here - I am a great fan of your plantings and your information, (I have copied the note about the garlic spray for treating thrips!) and your incredibly gentle way of presenting things (I read the European thread, but I am more comfortable over here - possibly because they let me be Queen and stamp my approval on plans and ideas! How cool is that!).

Hi Laurie
Thank you very much............ Have yet to see their photos!! HINT HINT......... Not a good idea to leave your camera in the rain..... I would cry!!!!!!!!!
I have a photo of Mrs W Ghost against a wooden fence?????? If you mean me, I cannot remember that one......... see if you can find it on another thread and post it here!!

Thank you, its very nice to be here............ such friendly people!!
Its nearly time to make some garlic spray.........LOL
I know what you mean about being more comfortable........... I am normally on Mid-South gardening, they are very friendly too.
LOL.......... ohhhhhhhhhhh you have the stamp of approval..... that is very cool.

Mark

Oh, I have found this photo of our Standard Rose............

It is so nice to see color when you live in the snow zone. We are at the brown ugly, clean up, just warming soil phase of spring. So keep the pictures coming. Mark you are so lucky to have the moist air you do so you can have all of those potted plants to place and move. In Montana they would need to be watered every 4 hours during our 2% humidity days from July to October. Sea Holly must need our cold winters to grow from seed because they are every where until I eliminated them from the garden. I was going to bring them to seattle a couple of years ago to trade but I didn't want to ruin the gardens of all of my friends. Now I'll plant some more for me to take to the swaps later. I am inspired by your garden Mark.

Susy ~ Thanks for the info. I'll be in the book this morning looking it up. And I've got 5 crocosmia bulbs (forget which ones) in a pot on the back porch, just waiting.