Garden pics " I spied with my camera's eye....." #3

Willow, I'm sure your are surprised daily with all the wonderful things that are finally realizing it is spring in your gardens. Loved the pic of the laceleaf maple and envy you the camissia. I planted some about three years ago after RJ had had some success, but since then neither of us have had any blooms. I see some leaves coming up now. Maybe this year! Perhaps this is another instance where part shade should really be interpreted as full sun.
Neo, your work is beautiful and I look forward to exploring the website when I have a break and want to sit for a while.
Irwells, glad to see you back and get a taste of things to come here in a month or so....
As RJ said, we did a trip to Watson'sw this week and here is a little gem that jumped into my cart.

This message was edited May 7, 2009 10:26 AM

Here is the newly changed bed that Mother Nature created for me in that last wet, heavy snow. The stump used to be a glorious corkscrew willow. It just couldn't take the weight and toppled over. I debated about trying to get it back upright but decided to take cuttings instead and enjoy the fact that this bed now gets a lot more sunlight---something that is at a premium here in the forests. ( If the cuttings are successful I will have some to share by Round Up time.)
When I have a chance, I will post a pic of the newly deceased as well.

Here is the willow just a year ago. It had its good and its bad points. The lack of lawn along the edge of the bed, being one of the baddies.

This message was edited May 7, 2009 10:29 AM

And here is how its ability to collect snow led to its downfall!

Sherrie.... i much like you the look of your bed now! I think that the plants there will be much happier. To bad about the tree through. hurray for the others. I love that osteospermum. ..... the only annual that has ever one me over!

Irwells, your yard is beautiful!! I love the hot cocoa too. mine died last year. :-( I need to replace it.

Thanks for all your comments. THe cammasia is planted in the courtyard up against the brick wall facing south. Plenty of sun and heat. Also the bed in raised over sand for setting the pavers. They have been there for at least eight years and are ready to divide this fall.

I was out in the rain yesterday and wasn't taking much time with the shots. Will take a close-up of Mindy's Love for you. It is different.

Neo, you have talent. I love fantasy art also. Have some on my screen saver.

I don't know what the pink tulips are any more. They increase every year.

Oh, what a glorious willow! That is so sad :(
But it looks like you have found a silver lining with more sun and perhaps babies.

PNW..sorry about your willow tree. The stump would make a nice place to put a bird bath or a big pot of wave petunia's. :)

The only place where I have a truly happy hellebore niger is in a stump. Don't know why it likes it, but my other nigers have really struggled.

Bea, thanks for the petunia and/ or bird bath suggestion. I have plenty of the petunias as they start so easily from cuttings. I have been looking at the stump, left there intentionally, and wondering what to do with it. A bowl like (sorrry I can't remember who, right now, and I guess is on another thread) someone found at a yard sale would be good, or I'm also thinking of a fairy or some such, but would probably have to anchor just about anything I put up there down.

OK, so it was neo that found the neat bowl. See new to DG thread.

These are outside my door at work. I don't know what they are but I've seen them in white down the street.

Ginger

And I have the white ones. Gee, I should remember what they are called. Bulbs, straight thin green foliage?

it think they may be scillia.

" Bulbs, straight thin green foliage?"


Yep.

G.

So I guess Camassia is out until I figure out how to heat it up. I thought that might be the problem. I can only dream of mine looking like yours, Patricia - at least until I create a nice bed in the sun.

Sharon - don't give up on the Willow. It may come back from the roots. We had Willow trees in Fairbanks, Alaska and if they could survive -60 winters, then I would think they could survive our hard frosts here.

One of my neighbors has a mature Cotinus coggygria. It has to be at least 15 feet high and just as wide. Sadly, I think this winter killed it. It fell over and they've propped it up. I really keep thinking I should stop and check the base of it to see if it's coming back. Mine did okay and were probably colder than that one. I'll really miss driving by and seeing it in all its glory.

Interesting point about your H. niger, Redchic. I'm thinking that they like dryer soils . . .

Ginger, I'm pretty certain they are English Bluebells, which are bulbs to be planted in the fall.. I love mine and some come up more pink than white or blue, depending on the ph of the soil, I believe. Mine are up but not blooming yet.

Yep English Bluebells.

Here is a close-up of 'Mindy's Love'.

One of the 'Horizon' yellows

Golden berberis

We need a new thread for this. It's getting hard to work with it.

This is one lupine plant. Must be happy in its location. I have never seen one so big and with so many buds. Looking forward to the blooms. Hard to say if it will be lavender or pink..but I will take it either way! Wish it was in the back yard and not out by the driveway.

Plantus unknownus or weedus unknownus? To cute to pull. Any ID would be appreciated.

This China Blue Corydalis is a trooper! Holds up nicely in the rain and I think the color keeps getting better with age.

These pansies are so beautiful. I love the blue edging.

These BI's are so pretty. Only wish they grew taller.

Oh my, the china blue is wonderful! I got a little one this year, but it won't bloom until next year. I guess I can't just sit and waiting, huh? ;)

Your photograph is outstanding!

A B

Aguane - great photo. You need to enter that one in the photo contest. Lots of depth and texture in that one.

Thanks katie59. I think I will enter it. I have a couple more insects I think may compete, too. Bees, of course. I have a thing for bees lately !

We love bees on this forum, so feel free to post them. My bees definitely keep me company in the garden (even though my dog, Magic, likes to eat them).

I adore this guy.

Bea, what a wonderful lupine. I plant mine as companion plants to the bearded iris I have as they tend to bloom together and complement one another well. The slugs love them, here, though, so it is a battle to keep them going. I have new seedlings that I should have put out today, but dallied instead having lunch with Lynn and RJ and walking Lynn's wonderful yard.

Willow, Mindy's Love is a real Love!

Aguane, are you new to this forum or I am just as far behind as I think I must be?
Love your b's....................

Willow, Thanks for the close up of Mindy's Love. I really like it's different bloom form! Very much like your berberis...just glows with the golf course as a backdrop!

Bea, That lupine is incredible! You are right, it has to be totally content where it is! Am still drooling over your corydallis...wish I could grow them...will have to grow them vicariously through the pics of everyone on DG!


Aguane, great photos! The color in the second is incredible! What a challenge you have gardening in AZ! Not only do you have to deal with the heat and the water, but everything down there is poky! My inlaws moved to Sun City a couple of years ago, and we go to visit every January. They are not much into yard maintenance, so I have done their "spring cleaning" for the last few years. Cactus were expected to be prickly, the Bird of Paradise...probably the same, but I was stunned when I pruned their citrus trees and found that they had thorns as well! Who would think of a lemon tree as cactus like? And they are sharper and more unforgiving than roses! I do have to admit though, that that is the only place in the world that I have seen fruit on the trees when the new blossoms were coming out! And the smell of even just the leaves.....I was bleeding profusely from both arms and legs by the time I was done, but I was still in sensory heaven!

Willow, loved your pciture of the barberis. Noticed that the iris in the foreground do NOT have a single slug hole in them. How DO you Do that?

Yes, I'm sorta new to the forum. I 'watch' Nw Gardening because I adore the plants that grow in the NW. Don't much care for the SW plants but I've come to really appreciate anything that can thrive and or survive life in the Sonoran desert. I'm a native of San Francisco so that may explain my affinity for NW.

Rarejem- everything, EVERYTHING, you say is true. Everything in AZ has thorns and is poisonous... plants and animals. This zone is a zone of huge contrast. Everything is a drama. Only thing is the drama is short lived. HOT for 6 months. Glorious for 4 months and 2 months of horrid freeze or monsoon/humidity. Not bad though! My Key Lime is down right dangerous with the thorns! I have an Arizona Sweet orange tree that produces a good 500-700 fruit a year and I cannot tell you how delicious this orange is. Bouganvilla is thorny, cactus seem tame compared to some citrus.

Coming from San Francisco I miss the earthquakes. I think we have incidences of earthquakes around us but nothing "at home" yet. I can see from the landscape, however, we have had seismic activity... Moon Mtn near me surely was once an active volcano.

Beadmom..... that's a great picture of the scilla!

Willow... I love 'mindy's love' and the barberry. Another rhody, fairly new that has colors similar to that one, but fairly uniquely shaped flowers is called 'starbright champagne'. You might check it out sometime.

Bea... great pictures. That corydalis is stunning! I love true blue plants.

Aguane.... Welcome! I so hope that you stay and show us lots of your most interesting area. I love the 'b' picture. I'm very impressed that stuff grows in phoenix! I used to visit an Aunt there every now and then. It's harsh. She loved it. I was amazed by it and wondered how anything could live. But, I always grew homesick for greenery in a very short time frame. But, RJ is definitely right, the smell of the citrus trees is intoxicating!!