| Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 03:46 am: |   |
May 2, 2004
The azalea in the front of the house actually has blooms this year. It's a Stewartstonian Azalea, Gable hybrid. It was planted in Fall 2001, had flowers in 2002 and then nothing in 2003. I assume 2003 was because of bud blast, since our 2002/2003 winter was horribly cold and dry.
Winter 2003/2004 was actually a reasonably mild one and we had a good amount of snow cover. That still didn't stop the same exactly azaleas (planted May 2003) in the back yard from getting completely dessicated. They were just too young to handle the winter. I have been watering them like crazy because the stems are still alive on both shrubs, but so far only one of them is showing any real leaf growth. However, until the other one is totally dried out and dead, I can't do anything but water and pray ;)
I am on a quest for a specimen shrub for next to the patio. So far, I have come up with either a Seven Son Flower or a Fothergilla major. I like the idea of the Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides), but I had never heard of before today (I posted to Gardenweb about needing shrub suggestions), and I have a feeling that the only way I will be able to get one is to order it from a non-local nursery. Which kind of defeats the purpose as I really would like a decent sized specimen to start out with. I really don't want to start out with a 10" shrub and have to wait five years (or however long) until it's large enough to do what I want it to do, which is basically hide our patio door from the neighbors directly behind us. I don't want a whole hedge there and I would like a pretty shrub, with winter interest, so that's why this Seven Sons Flower is looking good to me.
I will have to call around in the morning and see what is out there at the local nurseries.
Cj spent a lot of time working on the yard again today. He put the brick in around the new bed I did last week (even though he still hasn't finished the front...he still needs to do the edging on some of the front beds). We plan on heading over this week to the nursery and picking out our new redbud. Maybe Tuesday. Hopefully they can come and get it planted this week, too.
Ok, I think I'm going to bed now. |
| Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 04:34 pm: | |
May 3, 2004
The 'Venosa Violacea' clematis that I won on ebay arrived today...it is a tiny liner that has an okay set of roots. It came in a little itty bitty 2 in pot, so I upped it into a 4 in pot and will let it stay in there for a while so it cam grow some more roots. In about a month I'll move into into a larger pot. |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 - 11:17 pm: | |
May 4, 2004
When the spring comes and I can be outside with my plants, the inside of my house suffers for it. I'm worse than usual at getting laundry done, etc.. But the outside looks great ;)
Noticed today that all the new leaves on my Russian Sage are blackened. I *think* it was because of the frost the other night. Very annoying, but what can ya do? It should come back. |
| Posted on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 03:43 am: | |
May 5, 2004
Almost picked up a 'Polish Spirit' clematis today at Meijer. I probably should have as they were having a 20% off sale, so it would have been around $10 for a gallon sized plant, but I didn't. PS is a pretty common cultivar and I am sure I will see it again soon.
I did, however, pick up a variegated red twig dogwood bush. It's a small one, in a 3 gallon container, but it settled once and for all the question of what I wanted to get for by the patio. I really did want something fast growing but still pretty year round but also with winter interest. The leaves are variegated, so that gives me my year round interest, it should grow like a weed as long as it's happy in it's location, and the stems will be bright red in the winter. Add to it that all 3 gallon shrubs were on sale for 30% off and we have a winnah! ;) Now all I need to do it cut out the rest of the bed...
Here's some prettiness for the day. 'Nelly Moser' had a bunch of buds on her when I put her in the ground and they finally have opened up. Here's a pic.
Isn't that a lovely flower? |
| Posted on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 11:38 pm: | |
May 6, 2004
Wow, what a day!
I found a nursery located in southern Illinois (near St. Louis) called Cottage Gardens.
http://www.cottgardens.com/
They had the clems I wanted and the prices were good. $11.95 for a 2 qt size, which is decent. Plus, shipping was very reasonable, which thrills me. I ordered three that I have been eyeing for a while:
triternata x Rubromarginata
I saw this one a few week ago and fell in love with the blooms. They are so pretty and from what I understand they are also fragrant. Bonus! I am not sure what I am going to do with this one yet as it gets very big. I would think that climbing along the fence would be nice, but I might just make another obelisk (a large one) and let it climb on there. Here is some info on the plant. Check the pics, it gets quite massive. I may have to relegate this one to the other corner of the yard.
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/clematis/page86.htm
Blue Boy
This is a non-climbing or twiner but grows huge anyway. I am going to put it in the corner behind the swingset. Here's a pic: 
Venosa Violacea
Yes, I just got a very very tiny one of these, but I haven't had much luck yet with the little ones, so I am hedging my bets and getting a larger one :)
I also picked up 'The President' and 'Elsa Spath'. I got these at HD in the little 4" pots. They are from Roseville Farms and had good roots and good top growth. The Prez is planted beneath the forsythias around the a/c unit so he can climb through them. I haven't figured out where to put Elsa yet, so she is in a larger pot and sitting on the front porch for the moment. I am trying to think of a spot to put her where she won't get blasted in the winter. Being a Group 2, if she gets blasted, I won't get any early blooms. I guess I could have her climb through the red twig dogwoods on the side of the front porch. I'll need to think on that. I think she'd show up nicely against the foliage.
I also picked up a very small (3 gallon sized...about a foot tall) variegated red twig dogwood (cornus alba) for the extended bed last night. I found it at Meijer and since it was 30% off, I figured why not? I had really been trying to figure out what to put back there. I had toyed with a red twig dogwood but the unvariegated ones are so blah in the summer and I wanted something with some interest. I had never seen a variegated red twig before, so when I saw it, I figured it would work. For $13, you can't beat the price.
So this is the extended bed. I have several pictures of it. I didn't extend the bed too much, just enough to basically soften the edge of the patio. This new area is where I planted the little dogwood bush, as you will see in the pics.
Let's see. Oh, Huldine arrived today with Pink Fantasy (that was supposed to be Piilu) so I planted her with Etoile Violette to grow along the fence by the flagpole. Pink Fantasy went into the large container on the front porch, which is where I had planned on it anyway before I wanted Piilu.
I also got the clump of Siloam David Kirchoff that I had won on ebay last week and it was a very nice size. I divided it into three and planted it in the new bed.
It was very nice here today, too. In the 80's. They were calling for rain, but we didn't get any, so I will have to get out there tomorrow and water.
I did a lot today, and I still have stuff to do tomorrow. I can't wait till all this stuff starts blooming... |
| Posted on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 12:13 am: | |
A list of the clems I have or that are on order:
Jackmanii superba (2002)
Hagley Hybrid (2003)
Multi-Blue (2003)
Sunset (2003)
Ramona (2003)
Bees' Jubilee (2003)
Ville de Lyon (2003)
Will Goodwin (2003) *not sure but most likely*
Sweet Autumn (2003)
Madame Julia Correvon (2004)
Etoile Violette (2004)
Miss Bateman (2004)
Ernest Markham (2004)
Huldine (2004)
Pink Fantasy (2004)
The President (2004)
Elsa Spath (2004)
Venosa Violacea (2004) *liner size*
Forthcoming within the next few weeks:
Duchess of Albany
Betty Corning
triternata x Rubromarginata
Blue Boy
Venosa Violacea
Piilu
|
| Posted on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 03:17 am: | |
A list of the daylilies I have:
Stella d'oro (2003)
Sammy Russell (2003)
Unknown large yellow (2003)
Chorus Line (2003)
Prairie Blue Eyes (2003)
Dragon Dreams (2003)
Eye to Eye (2003)
Alpine Mist (2003)
Strawberry Candy (2003)
Wineberry Candy (2004)
Dragon's Eye (2004)
Scarlet Orbit (2004)
Strawberry Fields Forever (2004)
Siloam David Kirchoff (2004)
Getting soon:
Addie Branch Smith |
| Posted on Sunday, May 09, 2004 - 10:28 pm: | |
May 9, 2004
It's been storming off and on the past couple of days, and that's good. We need the rain.
The cardinal that had a nest in the forsythia in front of the house has abandoned her next :( I'm sad, but I think it was because it was too close to the house. Whenever you stood by the front window you were basically on top of her and she didn't like it. :( I noticed she hadn't been in there since sometime yesterday and today I saw an egg on the ground under the nest, and it was broken. There are only two left in the nest (there were 4 at one point) and she hadn't been in it all day. I noticed the eggs were wet and I reached in to touch them and they were ice cold. I'm kind of bummed, but it really wasn't a great place for her to nest.
So, since she wasn't in it anymore, I figured today was a good time to prune the forsythias. They were getting huge and while I like them to grow, I don't want 12 foot forsythias, especially around the windows. We have 5 forsythia bushes and they are all near and around windows. I don't like them to be too tall or bushy (eben tho our house is lit up like a xmas tree with spotlights).
I also pruned back the weigela as there is always a ton of dead branches on after the winter, and there is one dogwood in the island bed in the front that seems to just be dying off for some reason. I really don't think they get enough water there. The bed is very sloped and thr water just seems to run away from them. They are much smaller than the dogwoods next to the house for example.
I also installed some more of that trellis netting. I put it up in the back corner where I am planning on putting Blue Boy. I wonder what else I could put back there that would look nice. I'd like something to contrast nicely, but I am afraid Blue Boy will overwhelm anything I put there. I'll have to make a post to the clem forum and ask.
It was very hot and humid here today. In the middle 80s and quite humid. Bleh. I hope we have more spring weather and don't just segue into summer.
|
| Posted on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 12:29 am: | |
Just went out and tied Hagley Hybrid to the mailbox support. It's put on about a foot of growth in the past week and we are expecting storms the next couple of days so I didn't want to see it get destroyed.
In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best clem to put on the mailbox, since the mailbox is in full sun all day but the mailbox is black, so even if the blooms fade, they should still look nice. |
| Posted on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 04:13 pm: | |
May 10, 2004
Spent some time outside and did some tying and pinching of the clems. I only pinched the late bloomers, I didn't pinch the ones who are supposed to be blooming now. Didn't want to mess with the blooms (if there are any on these new plants). The vines are getting long enough to start training them where I want them now so that needs to begin.
Everything is growing well. I did lose those couple of catmints and I also lost my lavendar this year, which kind of bummed me, but on the other hand I can find something else to put there. What, I am not sure yet. I need to think about it though. I am seriously considering catmint because it is a color I really enjoy and blooms forever.
More later. |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 04:44 am: | |
The clematis bug struck again. I got a Rouge Cardinal from HD. It was in a 4" pot so I potted it up into a gallon size and will let it grow a bit until I can figure out what to do with it. :P I also have an Elsa Spath that is waiting for an epiphany. I have some forsythias in the front of the house that are pretty protected but I don't know how much sunlight they will get...I could also put her on the obelisk with my Nelly. Hmm. Maybe I will train RC to grow along with Huldine and Etoile Violette. I mean, they *are* planted by the flagpole and what a great color combo: red, white and blue (purple) :) That actually could be an idea... |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 05:05 am: | |
May 11, 2004
Oh, and I totally forgot to note that the Venosa Violacea that I got from ebay has thrown up a new shoot, so it's not dead. :) While I ordered another one, it is good to know that the one I already have is still alive. Now I just need to manage to *keep* it alive. I am keeping it inside the house on the kitchen windowsill for the time being. It gets sun, warmth and I can keep an eye on it.
This is what it looked like earlier today:
Those hardy viticellas. Ya gotta love 'em. |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 09:11 pm: | |
May 11, 2004
Picked up and planted 'Polish Spirit' today. I got a gallon size with an awesome rootball and 6 vines for just under $15 (it was on sale). Nature's Promise is the grower. The plant is in great shape and I hope ittakes off. I planted it in that spot behind the swingset where I was going to [ut Blue Boy. I am going to plant Better Corning there as well once she arrives because I think the color combo will be nice.
I also planted Rouge Cardinal over by the flagpole, in the yard side. I think a red, white ans blue combo over there will look neat. I ended up breaking the vine on that one when I planted it, but hopefully it will be ok.
Right after I planted it we got a huge tstorm, so I didn't have to water it in...Nature did it for me :)
I am going to plant Elsa Spath with Nelly Moser on the obelisk. I was going to do it today, but the storm interrupted my plans. Tomorrow, I guess.
I noticed today that the Stargazers I planted in the container are starting to peek through the soil :) I counted 4 of the 8 bulbs I planted so far.
The pussy willow stems that I planted in the corner of the new bed...some are starting to leaf out. Yay :)
And, Bluestone sent me an email telling me my order shipped. It should be here by Thursday. Woo! |
| Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 05:02 am: | |
May 12, 2004 (around 2am)
I was just outside breathing in the gorgeous night. It's breezy, around 68F and very humid. No bugs. The plants are looking lush from all the rain and I swear I could see my Jackmanii growing before my eyes.
I love nights like this.
Time for bed. I am going to leave my bedroom windows open tonight. |
| Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 01:46 am: | |
May 12, 2004
TREE! My redbud was delivered and planted today.
We're going to have to stake it. The first storm that blew in an hour after we planted it knocked the tree sideways. I will have to make sure Cj does that tomorrow as I want to get that tree established as much as possible before the summer heat and lack of rain hit.
Speaking of rain, it is pouring again. Most of my plants are liking it, especially the established trees and shrubs, but I've noticed that some of my plants are actually stressing from too much water. The yarrow come to mind for example. We have had so much rain lately, the ground isn't getting any time to dry out. In my clay soil, it's starting to cause some problems 
I hope Polish Spirit likes to get water. A lot of water. The area it is in is usually somewhat boggy, but the past few days has actually seen a puddle over there. I hope the rain lets up a bit. It's either feast or famine around here.
Other than my tree, I didn't really do anything in the garden today. I was going to plant Elsa Spath with Nelly but never got around to it, hopefully I can get to it tomorrow. My Bluestone order should also arrive tomorrow, so I will have a bunch of stuff to plant. I think Duchess of Albany and Betty Corning are going to be really small plants based on what people have told me about Bluestone. Small but healthy. I will probably pot them up into gallon containers and let them grow in there all season and bring them into the garage for the winter. By next year they should be in great shape to plant outside. I still want to plant Betty with Polish Spirit. I need to figure out a spot for Duchess, but will obviously not do that this year. I just need to leave fence space ;)
My Rouge Cardinal is looking a little worse for wear today. When I planted it yesterday, I accidently broke one of it's stems and I have a feeling that stem is going to die on me. There is always growth under the broken spot but that will set the plant back a few weeks. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.
I noticed that Etoile Violette is doing a good job of reaching for the trellis netting now. I had been guiding it over there for a while and it seems a petiole has finally latched on, woo! I can't wait to see my red, white and blue (purple) combo once it starts to flower. I think it will look very nice together.
Hopefully tomorrow I will get my rubromarginata and other clems I ordered from Cottage Gardens. She was supposed to ship them Monday, and since I am located just upstate from her, I should have them tomorrow. I hope she shipped as promised. I am really looking forward to getting those in the ground so they can start establishing. The sooner the better.
I had a gorgeous visitor today who had a hankering for mushroom compost:
A male eastern tiger swallowtail. Talk about gorgeous. He sat on the mushroom mulch and allowed me to get within 6 inches of him to take those pictures.
Beautiful things come in small packages. |
