Lift In Fall

I have always avoided `lift in fall` plants because of what I thought would be work. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that `lift in fall` didn`t mean more work, it just meant different work. That realization came with my first purchase of Dahlia that I decided to try and overwinter along with many varieties of Geranium. That was two winters ago. Both were successful for those two years and inspired me to go bigger this year, which is my usual reaction to success. I have been very happy with most of the new `lift in fall`plants performance in the garden. Calla Lily, for example, are beautiful and bloom for the whole season. All but the purple seem to change colour slowly with many of the yellow and orange becoming red by now. This makes them fit in with both the Summer palette of flowers and the Fall palette of foliage in my garden. I already know where all of the Calla are being planted next year. The welcome container above is being repeated to greet all visitors to the house. The `Crystal Blush` will be going in a single patch on the lower level of the bird sanctuary where I am plannning a pink and white colour scheme.

The Begonia `Golden Wave` have filled up the love bus quite nicely and the tubers produced three different flower forms and colours which all look great together. As well, I have only good things to say about all of the Dahlia. For all the success, there was also disappointment. Ranunculus had a poor showing in terms of flower numbers, Freesia has produced a lot of green but only one flower bud stalk and there are three or four others that didn`t show up at all beyond green. Anything that can be brought in, will be. I will hope for a better display of many next year before I decide to give up. Everyone deserves a second chance. The Begonia, Dahlia and Calla though... I hope they multiply quickly because I have lots of spots where I can see them growing. The bonus is that `lift in fall` turned out to be less work that some of the garden chores I do to maintain perennials. It is much easier than dividing Daylily, for example! Of course, dividing Daylily is not as critical. If I don`t get it done, the Daylily will come back next year for me to find the time then. The `lift in fall` plants would not survive the winter if I had a lazy Fall moment. Still, for this year, it seems worth the time.

Sweet Pea

Another first for me this year is Sweet Pea. I have never grown them before. I liked that they could be direct sown in my zone and that they can be seeded early because they germinate in cool soil. I also like the flowers themselves and the scent. It is a strong, sweet scent that wafts in the wind. We have a lot of wind here. What I don't like about them is that they do not climb anything thick. They need something like chicken wire instead of a fence. Here, they are climbing the Virginia Creeper and I quite like it but the Nasturtium of last year did this with a better show. I also have them growing at the slide but again, the Black-eyed Susan vine of last year was far more showy in that spot. The biggest problem with Sweet Pea though, is that the green part is really ugly and with such dainty flowers, there is a lot of green! I have a package of Sweet Pea seed left so I am going to give it another try next year. I plan to plant the whole package in one spot in full sun and give it something thin to climb. I am thinking if there are a lot of them together, it might be more appealing.

Viola in My Garden

This is why I love Viola in the garden so much. It pops up everywhere and grows short and squat or tall and slim, whatever room it finds available seems to do. It is very reliable and when it has been self-seeding in a garden for a few years, it forms multi-variety patches, some of which, I don't even remember planting!



It is prolific enough that I need not feel guilty when pulling it up like weeds when it shows up where I don't want it. Truth be told, there are not many places I don't want it though.

I went around the garden today and did inventory of the Viola blooming now. Aside from the common tri-colour, I found 'Erlyn Lemon with Bluewing', the orange half of 'Halloween Mix', 'Antique Shades', 'Black Duet', 'Valentine' and an unknown purple. Not all will self-seed for next year as some are better at that than others, making it always fun to watch them popping up in the Spring and waiting to see what they bloom to be.

Settling In

I arrived home from Calgary a couple of days ago and all the dogs were happy to see me, particularly Penny and Summer. My garden is full of blooms and I have been wandering around in it several times a day.  I had a great visit with family, met the hawks that have nested in the yard there and the smallest frog I have ever seen. I brought home divisions from my cousin's garden, some of which are already in the ground. The rest will be in by dark today. I am waiting for the heat to die down a bit before going back out. I have planted Chinese Lantern which were given a huge space they can go nuts in. Also, Clematis which broke into two pieces on the trip home and will now, hopefully, be in two places in my garden. There is white lamium that is pink blooming, sedum 'Autumn Joy', dark purple Iris and something that looks similar to Brunnera with a pointy leaf which my cousin tells me blooms yellow. I have no idea what it is or if it is even my zone but she had a huge patch and it never hurts to try.

Summer Day

It was a quiet and relaxing Summer day in the garden for all of us. Our more typical weather showed up and it was warm but breezy. No planting today because my sister and I are off to visit our Aunt for a few days and if the sun shows up like it did today, transplants would struggle in the heat. Decided it was best to leave everything where it is already happy and rooted. Divisions begin in earnest when I get back though because signs of Fall are everywhere here. I managed to get all the gardens well watered and found at least three dahlia that should open any day for me. Hopefully by the time I am back. 

Line Down

This morning on walkabout, I made the mistake of looking up when I turned to my right on Sleepy Hollow Road. I noticed the power line pole on the little house was slanted. I kept walking along the road and following the line through the bush until I came to this. That is one huge tree that brought down another, both landing right on the power line. Consequently, my Lamb's Ears and Jacob's Ladder from Judy are still in pots. We spent our day with a saw and an electrician.

Virginia Creeper

We have Virginia Creeper growing all around the front deck and some underneath. It was here before we got here and I haven't made any changes to its' location other than ripping it out when it comes up between the deck boards or when it gets too close to other plants in the garden. This particular one is growing to the lawn side of the Pine off the front deck. I cut it back completely every year and every year it grows again, out of control. I like it here because nothing else will grow to the house side of that tree except for the Dropmore Honeysuckle that is now established. I have some tulips here in Spring but they never do really well. I leave them because it is nice to have colour off that deck which is in my view when I am sitting at the dining table. Every year at this time, I wish I had taken the time the year before to dig this out and put one of the other Virginia Creeper I have in this spot. Although this is lovely, it is green all year. The other variety turns red in the Fall and is just starting that now out by the 'William Baffin' rose. This is another of those things that will probably remain a passing thought in Spring turning into a fleeting regret in Fall and be forgotten in between. Lost between the space I am gardening and the time I am willing to spend. That is OK, though. It is hard to complain about something this reliable and one Spring, I may have that thought with a shovel in my hand. You never know.

Ranunculus and more

I lifted the Ranunculus today. It needs lifting as soon as it dies back or the claws will rot. Not sure I like that. Seemed like asking Fall to show up when I was lifting them. Although the flowers were pretty, there were only two of them. I will store them now and hope to get them in earlier next year. If that happens and the sun shows up next Summer in a way it didn't this Summer, maybe I will get a few more flowers from them. I also planted a seedling of the silver-leaf white blooming lamium and a division of the variegated sedum at the 'Fire & Ice' concrete block. Still have not got the Kabitan planted in the other block but I did find some Bouncing Bet which I had thought was lost. It showed up at the bushline along the back of the Orange Lily Garden. I am going to move it out into the Sun Gardens. Was a cool day in the garden and a little wet. Perfect day to weed though and I did plenty of that!

The Gravel Strip

The Boardwalk Garden was given its' name because it runs along the wood walkway from the drive to the house. It is a two level garden to the house side of the walk that leads up into Benedict's Garden if you follow the weeding path. To the drive side of the walk there is a gravel strip that runs along the top of a retaining wall leading down to the deck drive. Although the wall was not designed to be a stairway, all of the animals use it like it was so there is no fighting their constant movement through the strip. An added problem for plants is that nutrient stealing mature trees run all the way down the strip providing only very dappled shade. In my desire to add colour, texture or both to this space, I have tried many strategies. The strategy that has worked the best to date is planting climbing plants on the deck drive below that will grow up the wall and over the gravel. At the front of the Boardwalk Garden, I have 'William Baffin' rose and Red Virginia Creeper that are doing this nicely. Further back, it becomes harder for this to be successful because the same trees begin to shade the deck drive edge heavily. Only Goutweed will grow there. When cleaning out the garden tool shed, we found three of these hollow centre concrete blocks and they have become my latest strategy for the gravel strip. I have planted 'Fire and Ice' at the base of one tree and am going to plant 'Kabitan' under another in the second block. The soil in the blocks keeps the Hosta roots out of the same ground as the tree roots and makes it as easy as a container to look after while still protecting the Hosta root from the winter cold. The concrete block is more than thick enough to do that and keep the dogs from stepping on the Hosta. Dogs always take the easiest route. Next, I am going to root various low but spreading groundcovers along the bottom edge to soften all the grey. Probably sedums of different varieties since they grow well in gravel and shade. Things that will spread slowly and stay low enough for the dogs to step on without doing too much damage. Not pink Lamium. 

Shrub Catalogue Addition

I was going through 2005 garden photographs and came across this one, which made me go looking for the Honeysuckle. Sure enough, it is in the Secret Garden, which we named the first year we were here but have not yet developed into a garden. When Tuk moved in, he dug this up and although I did replant it, it was in sorry shape by the time I found it uprooted and in a spot where it is completely ignored. It seems happy though and is definitely growing here. It is about twice the size it was on its' last picture day. I have added it to the previously closed Shrub Catalogue.

The Unappreciated

Meet my 'Stella D'Oro'. She is certainly pretty enough and now that she has some sun, she is blooming quite reliably. So I simply can't explain why I don't find her particularly compelling. In fact, this is the sixth or seventh bloom and I have been telling myself every day to go get a photo of her for my plant catalogue, yet, this is the first time I actually remembered and was able to capture her. She came with me from my city garden where she did not bloom because I was told she would grow well in shade and if she does, it isn't in this zone. She never did bloom in the city shade so perhaps that is where my distain started. She is currently in the Orange Lily Garden which, if you are not a tall lily, means you don't really get seen often because you live behind a screen of Raspberry bushes in most viewpoints through the yard. An added problem for her is that right now, she is the only plant blooming in that garden. Today she had me feeling sorry for her isolated and unappreciated self so I have resolved to move her into the Sun Garden where next year, she will get regular visits and have a better chance of growing on me finally.

Ta Da !

I am finished planting all 110 divisions from Linda and Kelly's Garden! I will be keeping my eye on all of them for the rest of this season but it is already clear that the Meadowsweet, 'Looking Glass', Japanese Painted Fern, Artemesia, both Liatris and all of the Hosta are going to be fine. I am looking forward to this Spring and the surprise of which made it through the winter. I am expecting that all three Spirea as well as the 'Annabelle' Hydrangea will not make it. They look terrible and I think shrubs may require a little more tender care than any of these divisions got. Chicks are mostly lost but I did find two pulled up that I have replanted since that post so there are 3 surviving. Not sure if any of them are the same or if they are all different. The rest should come along. The purple Liatris opened white today. No change from the bud colour. That is the only really strange thing that happened with the big Nova Scotia plant exodus.

'Golden Wave'

I am really taken with these Begonia. So far, each of them is a different colour. The Coral and Lemon Yellow is amazing. This one looks pink and white but when I peek inside, it is solid lemon yellow. I can hardly wait to see what it is going to open into. They are tall and heavy so the wind has taken its' toll on them the last few days. I may have to stake them yet but have been resisting that so far. The problem is that if they drape down much more where they are, they will be encroaching on a dog path and that will have them broken pretty quickly. I am keeping my eye on them. Today was a perfect day for enjoying the garden without actually gardening. It was cool but not cold. Although there was a good amount of wind, there was no rain. The ground was wet from the last two days of rain though so no digging again today. I took advantage of that to run into the city so I don't have to do that tomorrow. It should be dry enough then if we don't get any rain tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

Lily Catalogue Complete

The Lily Catalogue is complete and posted to flickr. It includes Asiatic and Oriental. Daylily are not included. There were 21 Lily varieties blooming here this year. The catalogue is missing Asiatic 'Suncrest' and Oriental 'Opus One', both of which I think came up as stalks but did not bloom. I will add them next year as well as all of the Lily I brought from Linda's garden.

Chick Flicks

Although hard to see, there is a little chick in the centre of that photograph. Me and chicks have a long and tumultuous history. In my city garden, the crows used to pull them up and then leave them laying in my rock garden, root upwards, to bake in the sun and typically be not-quite-dead when I found them. Chicks never did turn into hens in my city garden. Out here, I have faithfully added chicks every year because they are my favorite groundcover, coming in so many varieties that I can grow in this zone. I even managed a few hens here. But, alas, it was not to be. Chicks and I are in for a stormy relationship again. Baby Hammy (who is the not-so-bright child of Hammy the Garden Squirrel) arrived this Spring and seems to have been abandoned by Hammy. I think Baby is so annoying that Hammy ran away to keep her sanity. Baby is, aside from really loud, a little slow. He is trying to nest in a bird feeder but that is another story, for another day. Back to me and my chicks. Baby loves chicks too. Not sure why but he uproots them and leaves them. I had replanted three of them more than once after finding he had uprooted them. I even tried moving some but he has recently been joined in his chick adventures by a trio of Magpie. They are pulling them up and carrying them away. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. This year, I got several new additions to my chick list when I went to visit Linda and Kelly. Kelly graciously offered me divisions from some of his most prized plants which included his Painted Fern I am happy to say is doing well, and several varieties of chicks. The little beauty featured above is Kelly's red and when they are hens, they are groundcover to be envied. Chicks rock! She is, however, my last chick. Between Baby pulling them up and Magpies carrying them away, I am counting myself lucky Kelly's red is still alive. Barely. Now, I know there are things I can do to discourage the wildlife in the garden. For one, I could stop doing all the things I am now doing to encourage them. The crows in the city were the only ones that ever made me consider that as an option. Truth is, I will just stop planting chicks and start planting patches of hens. Hens in patches seem to be able to hold their own against the garden terrorists and I would miss the visitors if the wildlife left my garden. Even annoying little Baby Hammy who has really managed to grow on me despite all the screaming. He doesn't really like anyone else in his garden and does like to communicate that to all visible dogs, cats, birds and people but there is a real fuss if another squirrel should try and drop by! It is all very entertaining so I guess the ticket price is a few chicks.

Oriental Lily Confusion

The bud I thought was 'Opus One' is definitely 'Acapulco'. If I look closer, I think the three stalks bunched up at the bud are 'Acapulco'. The taller stalk in the back and little short one right at the slide leg, I think, are 'Opus One'. There is a big difference in the leaf with 'Opus One' having a pointier and lighter leaf. This means the 'Opus One' is not going to bloom this year but since the 'Acapulco' did not bloom last year, I am not going to assume it is lost yet. Another surprise to save for next year. I think the two of them blooming together will look wonderful. I guess I might find out next year if they bloom together in my zone. 

Shrub Catalogue Complete

The Shrub Catalogue is complete on flickr for this year.

It is missing Weigela, French Hybrid Lilac and two peony; the burgundy single and pink single both together at the Shade Bridge Garden. I do not have photographs of any of them blooming this year. Not sure why. Since none of them are worth taking photographs of when they are not blooming, I will add them next year.

Last of the Calla Updates

The last of the Calla 'Flame' opened and it is pink. They were supposed to be a red, orange and yellow mix. Not sure how I got pink but Calla do seem to change colour as they age so I may see red, orange or yellow on it yet and if not, pink is a bonus. The lemon yellow in front is turning red and a new lemon opened in one of the deck pots. Unless I have forgotten one somewhere, this should be the last surprise for Calla this season. Since they were all new this year, this will be their first winter in storage here. I have not tried to overwinter Calla before so wish me luck. I would be overjoyed if they all made it. I have a big plan for next year involving a patch of Crystal Blush that is going to look spectacular.

Hot, lazy days

The Calla 'Flame' red and yellow at the boardwalk continues to change. It is getting more red in it and where the colours blend, it is turning orange. Another hot day today. I couldn't even do the entire garden tour with the camera in one go. Had to break up the enjoyment. The coreopsis decided to open. It is as tall as the pinks now. Hopefully next year, it will gain some height.

Maggie and the Frog

All three little girls jump at doors when they are outside and want to be let in. Two days ago in the early evening, Maggie and Moxie were inside and Didi was outside when there came a knock, or rather a jump, at the front door. As is Maggie's habit, she faithfully followed Miles for her traditional meet and greet when Didi came in. When Miles opened the door, the knock was not Didi but rather, a little frog that had lost his way. Linda suggested he was perhaps Prince Charming but if he was, Maggie killed her Prince. There was no stopping her once she saw where the knock originated. She went tearing out into the yard in a flash. I think it is OK though because if the way Maggie treats Wile E. is any indication, she has no time for boys, princely or not!

Love in a Mist

I am so excited ! My Nigella 'University Mix' is in full bud. The buds are all over the plants. These are seeds I dropped this year in the Sun Garden. Even with all of the very cool things going on in my garden today, like dahlia looking like cat's eye marbles and multicoloured funky roses, this bud is the most exciting. I have been waiting not very patiently for him. In fact, it has been rather like standing at the stove waiting for the kettle to sing. I have never seen Nigella before other than in a photograph and it wasn't a great photograph. Yet he captivated me. He looked like a little 3-D flower sitting inside a bubble of green netting. The flower should open blue inside the green netting. Even in bud, I can tell you that he does not disappoint. If there is anything negative about this plant, I don't want to hear it. I am so taken with him that I will have to learn the hard way if there is an issue but I am hopeful there isn't. Love in a Mist. My garden will never be a summer without him again.

Taking Control of the Boardwalk

It has been two years since I have been able to see this weeding path and that whole time, I have been saying I need to take control of the Boardwalk Garden. This year, with all of the plant divisions from Linda's Garden, I have been inspired to do just that. The top of the path is cleared for use and Hosta have been added. The frog has been watching me make the changes and is enjoying his new view. His old view didn't stretch beyond the summer phlox in his eyes. The summer phlox and iris still need to be moved from here. I have managed to get further on the lower level and even finally completed the path with two stepping stone prototypes that Bill dropped off last week. The Coral Bell garden added to that level is going to be fantastic but I can already see a change I want to make on the other side which is how my best laid garden plans usually work. My schedule for this project would have it finished this year. Any bets on how far I get?

Sedum 'Matrona'

I want some of this.

Running back outside now but wanted to get a record of this. No time to type but click the link and read the post from Margaret Roach on her blog. She says it better than I could and is well worth the read. Lots of information there and I find she often pops up in google search when I type in general gardening searches.

Deck Views

Two views from the deck. Well, actually two angles of the same view. The one above is the view from my chair on the deck. There is a tree that blocks my view of the 'Hope For Humanity' rose in the second shot. The dahlia all got in very late this year due to the rainy season. They are short but starting to open now. Another week or ten days and everything to the left of the roses will be covered in blooms of almost every colour. I was feeling impatient today so I thought I'd take a 'before the dahlia' shot.

Sweet Smell of Summer

The last two days have been perfect for gardening. The weather has been dry but cool. Afternoons have not been too hot. The dahlia and seeds have started to bloom, giving me a taste of what it will be like next year if I can get it all in a little earlier. Funny how the gardener in me is always thinking of next year, or the year after. At least I don't do that at the risk of missing this year. I take my cues from the cats and enjoy my garden every day, usually more than once. Today, the hummingbirds came several times to the Nursery delphinium and we watched them for quite awhile. One even ventured as close to us as the Dropmore off the deck. We have stopped putting hummingbird food out because we finally have enough flowers to bring them and get them their fill. Then, when I came around the corner on The Road Less Traveled, the smell of sweet clover and vetch was undeniable. We are right in the middle of summer, the time the yard smells the best. Not because of the roses, the lily or even the summer phlox. But because the ditches are full of blooming weeds. It won't be many days before someone from down the road comes along with a big, billowing piece of equipment and mows them all down. Sadly, it has to be done. Many of the local fields are hayed and weeds do not make good winter feed. What they do make is sweet smelling air that I am on a countdown to enjoy and planning on making the most of it... this year.

Seeds for Linda

Linda, you got me going on seeds and since I can't sow them, I thought I would look through them... again and again! It is raining here and I don't have to go to town for another hour so I decided to create some more rainy day fun for us. Here is a list of the seeds I would be happy to share with you. No worries, there are way more per package than I will use in one season and once things are seeding here, I end up with more seed than anyone could ever need.

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy', 'Cappuccino',

Laceflower 'Queen of Africa'

Monarda 'Bergamo'

Zinnia 'Oklahoma Pink', 'Oklahoma Scarlet', 'Zig Zag', 'Profusion Fire', 'Profusion Cherry', 'Polar Bear' and 'Zahara Rose Starlight',

Scarlet Flax

Calendula 'Victoria Sunset',

Sunflower 'Claret'

Nasturtium 'Tall Climbing Mix'

Acroclinium 'Sensation Giants'

Ammi Green Mist

California Poppy 'Jelly Beans'

Sweet Pea 'Streamers Mix', 'Spencer Giant Mix'

Strawflower/Helichrysum 'Monstrosum Mixed'

Larkspur 'Giant Imperial Mix'

Snapdragon 'Giant Tetra', 'Chantilly Deep Orange', 'Blushing Bride Mix',

Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise'

Gaillardia 'Goblin'

Salpiglosis

Some of these, I have to start inside to see flowers in my short season but you should be able to direct sow a lot more than I can.You can see them all on Vesey's or McFaydens. Let me know what you want and I can look up the seed to bloom time.

'Golden Stargazer' Lily Location

The tall one in the centre is the 'Golden Stargazer'. Planted between the 'Fangio' and 'Olina', both red. The little nub in front of the 'Golden Stargazer' is my last, best hope for 'Graffity' to show up next year. It is in about the right spot and at that size, didn't bloom this year. My Sweet Pea have started blooming but they have not put on nearly the show that the 'Black Eyed Susan' vine did last year. They will redeem themselves if the smell travels in the garden once they get going. The 'Black Eyed Susan' vine had no scent. I found Calendula 'Bronze Beauty' starting to bloom today in the front yard along the sidewalk. I had forgotten they were there until I noticed the single bloom among the weeds. I cleared out around them to get them more sun and they should take off there now. Several more seedlings are up at the Combine Garden but this is my first time trying many of the seeds I put there and I find identifying seedlings can be a tricky business at best so I won't guess as to which seeds are getting ready to bloom. Once the blooms arrive, I will know what came up or what didn't and that will be soon enough.