It's Blooming!

I must be doing something right because my pitcher plant, (Sarracenia sp.) has three blooms this year! Aren't they pretty? 

Below is the plant last year, snuggled between rocks in the shallowest portion of my outer pond. Despite being somewhat crowded by other plants, it seemed to be happy.

 

 

 Don't you love it when our plants do what they're supposed to do?

My patio pond is doing well too. I found the floating, round-leaved Frogbit plant (Limnobium laeviatum) at the nursery. It was three little leaves in April. Now it's three hundred little leaves. Check it out. 

Inner (patio) pond

With such rapid growth, I'm not surprised that Frogbit is invasive in some places. What did surprise me is that it is hardy down to Zone 4. I thought it was a summer annual (tropical perennial) and would die at first frost. But apparently not. It's sure cute floating on the water's surface. 

Back on the soil, my sister and I were both smitten with this Helianthemum we saw at Joy Creek Nursery last weekend. I think I had it years ago but you know how it goes. What's old is new again.

Helianthemum nummularium 'Annabel'

Jasminum stephanense "Hardy Pink Jasmine"

 I am so smitten with Hart's Tongue Fern. My oldest one is really getting big.

Hart's Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)

Last fall, after many years of lusting the puffy pinky blossoms of this pretty thistle (Cirsium rivulare 'Altopurpurea'), I purchased a plant from Far Reaches Nursery. It sat in its pot on my patio all winter. 

Internet Photo

Below is my plant--just behind the red-flowering Phygelius--shooting up a flowering stock! I hope the butterflies enjoy it too.

Cirsium rivulare 'Altropurpurea'

There are very few Dianthus plants I don't like. This is one of several blooming its head off right now in my garden.

Dianthus

The Mock Orange, (Philadelphus) are SO fragrant!

Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile'

I'm finally okay with this border. It's taken a long time to get it looking good.

Ditto for this mini-woodland spot.

That's all for now.

Thank you for visiting!

The State of Things

Hi Guys! I've been so busy with work and projects (and yada, yada) that I've neglected visiting the awesome blogs of my gardening friends. If you're one of them, please except my sincerest apologies. I'm going to make a point of getting around this week. I'm also going to get my bulbs planted. Hold me to both, okay? 

So the state of things. I took some photos yesterday. I purchased this very cool Hart's Tongue Fern last spring. I already have one in the garden but this one looked so perfect and the price was like $4 so it (and a bunch of other plants) came home with me. 

Hart's Tongue Fern Aspenium scolopendrium

I can't get enough of this Nandina. The foliage is so beautiful and will remain this way until the new foliage emerges next spring.

Nandina domestica 'Wood's Dwarf'

The photo below should give you an indication of what the state of things have been in my garden. The 25 degree F reading is the low temperature for Sunday night. Fortunately it's back in the 40s now. While many plants did just fine, there are a few that are looking pretty sad. 

One of my projects has been to organize and file the bazillion photos I've taken this year. I set aside a few of them to do a little "before and after" segment I'm calling, 

"Before and After." 

Musa basjoo -- BEFORE the temperature dip.

Musa basjoo -- After the temperature dip. Sad. And a tiny bit scary.

Variegated Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum 'Axminster Gold') -- Before

After... Slugs enjoy Comfrey as evidenced by the tooth marks.

Elephant Ears (Colocasia sp.) -- Before

And now. The upside is that the neighboring Geranium palmatum foliage looks okay.
The plant didn't flower for me this past summer so I'm hoping it will winter-over and bloom next year.

Bear's Breeches (Acanthus mollis) -- Before

Acanthus -- After. But it will recover in a few days.

Tetrapanax -- Before

Tetrapanax -- Now. Eeegads! 

The wet blanket plant.
(Side note: If you look closely, you can see that the English Laurel
is about half of what it once was. More on that in a future post.)

But things aren't too terrible in the garden, all things considered. Here's a few more random garden photos. 

The burgundy stems of a variegated shrub dogwood.
Cornus alba 'Argenteovariegata'

Between the stems and other plant detritus, you can see a frozen pond.

Last weekend we had sunshine. My Melianthus was soaking up.

Rosa 'Cinco de Mayo' -- a valiant effort.

Ditto for Rosa 'Carefree Spirit'

A sea of Japanese Maple Leaves...

The 'Polish Spirit' Clematis (on the far left) still has green leaves.

And so does Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'

Oops! Somebody forgot to protect the Digiplexis!

But I did get all of these guys moved under the patio.

And finally...

Winter's Simple Pleasures...

Take care and keep warm!

Fun in the Sun

When you see the term "fun in the sun" you probably think of white-sand beaches and pool parties. But gardeners know that playing in the garden can be equally or in some cases (me!) much more enjoyable than lounging on the beach. 

It looks like summer has arrived early here in the Pacific Northwest. We've had sunny weather with highs in the 70s and even 80s. Typically we don't see more than a scattering of nice days until the middle of July when the rain turns off and the temperatures turn up. But nobody is complaining! After several dreary, wet springs, this year is a welcome change.  

Here is a fragrant blossom on my poor, neglected Rosa rugosa bush.

My little pink-flowered 'Jeanne LaJoie' is just starting to bloom. 

Wow, my camera really brought out the ruby highlights of Rosa glauca.
I've got it planted with Aster lateriflorus ‘Lady in Black’and Bronze Fennel. 

I just love these Verbascums. 

Not the best picture, this is Jasminium beesianum just starting to bloom. 

I just love Dianthus! These guys have been in my garden forever
and they never fail to dazzle me when they bloom. 

Calamintha grandiflora is also starting to bloom.
I have two healthy plants but I think I need more
so I'm going to see if I can root some cuttings.

Cistus 'Gold Prize' ... I think. The label on this plant said simply, 'Golden Cistus'
and I can't remember where I purchased it last year.
After searching the Internet, I'm going to conclude that it's 'Gold Prize' although some of the online images
depict a green leaf with yellow margins. 

I love the rosy buds and I should have a flower tomorrow!
And yes, that is a Bishop's weed photo bomb. :) 

Anemonella thalictroides is still just a bitty thing so I'm keeping it in a container
which I can now see needs a freshening up of  the moss topdressing.
Funny the things you see with the camera's lens. 

The last of my Dutch Iris...planted years ago. 

My Hydrangea serrata 'Omacha Nishiki' is such a beauty.
And look at all those flower buds. 

This was a small plant last year when I purchased it so I kept it in a pot.
I think it's about ready to go into the garden.
But where? 

I know many gardeners despise Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Fens Ruby’ due to it's traveling prowess. But I really like the tiny, fragrant blossoms.

My Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is just beginning to bloom.
I love these because they look pretty in bouquets for my desk at work. 

I planted seed a year ago and the plants sailed right through our wicked winter. 

In a shady spot, my Hart's Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) juts skyward
as if to say, move aside, peeps, I'm coming up for air. 

I love this plant. 

The goodies in my vintage wheel barrow are coming to life. 

Here is the entire rusty, vintage vignette. The aforementioned wheel barrow is
to the left, behind the sewing machine. You can only see the yellow Sedum 'Angelina.' 

This Hypericum (Hypericum androsaemum) is ruby-leaved progeny from
the more lightly variegated H. a. 'Glacier.' Go figure.
It's kind of weird how these plants get to frolicking. 

This is a newbie this year. Geranium 'Victor Reiter.' The leaves, which are the
best part of the plant, are actually a bit darker than they appear here. 

Yesterday, at the Corvallis Habitat for Humanity ReStore, I found this plant.
Can you guess what it is?
Eryngium yuccafolium. $2.00. STEAL!
I asked my peeps on Facebook if I should go back for the two remaining pots
and got a resounding YES!
Commonly called Rattlesnake Master, it is a host for Swallowtail
butterfly larvae. More info can be found here.

My in-ground planting of Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigra’) looked terrible.
So I dug it up and planted it in two containers with
Sedum 'Angelina' for contrast. We'll see how it fares here. 

And finally: A Confession

I really try hard to not fall prey to current trends. I like to think of myself
as a free-thinking rogue, not easily swayed by the titillation of mass media.
When it became apparent that Digiplexis would be the IT plant of the year,
I found it easy to eschew, given its high price and marginal hardiness. 

But then I saw this at Home Depot. With multiple side-shoots
and deep green foliage, it was the picture of health and vigor. 

Um, yeah. $7.00? .... I think I can do that.
After all it's a PINK flower ! I'll plant it in a spot where I can protect it easily
should we get a repeat of last winter's arctic unpleasantness. 

So there you go. I'm officially part of the IT crowd now.  Yay me.
Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' 

Thanks for visiting!