What a weekend! A bit of gardening and relaxing, with some cult classic flicks yesterday. I had planned to work in the garden yesterday and did indeed have some time to plant the new salvia in between bouts of some downpours, but most of the time was spent today in the garden. Most definitely a cloudy, cooler and damp weekend. What with being away on a jaunt next weekend to NYC, I wanted to get my gardening in now. After work on Friday I made another trip to the Ashcombe greenhouses to get my Datura and Cassia, but they won't go in the ground for another week to make sure we pass the frost threats. But otherwise, spring is really in full swing now, with the flowering trees in bloom.... another week probably wrapping up. Our Dogwoods are in bloom currently. But now to worry, there are many stars of the show taking stage currently.
The wild violets are coming up everywhere!!! I don't have the heart to pull them. They are one of those little simple flowers that just make you feel happy.
The bleeding hearts and columbines.
A new addition from last year, these Geum survived the winter and are blooming beautifully.
The rose garden is looking very robust and lush.
A new dahlia for this season!
In addition to some new stars like bee balms is this Centaurea montana.
We will see how it does.
The lilacs are very intoxicating by my bedroom window. The house currently smells lovely with their scent.
The salvia and delphinium bed. More of each were added this year.
Some Sweet William. In the background are some sages and sea thrifts loaded with waiting blooms.
My peonies doubled this year!!! And if you see ants all over the buds...don't spray them! They are part of the plant's health. Peonies produce a sticky sweet nectar that ants can't resist. Once there, ants enjoy the nectar and provide natural pest control against thrips and apids.
While prepping the salvia bed, I came across this Japanese Maple seedling, that must have blew over and grounded from our neighbor's house. A few weeks ago it was only one little leaf...now look at it. I dug up the little seedling in a ball and planted it in this pot to see if it continues. If it does, it will find a new home on the grounds to continue to grow. I think they are beautiful trees.
Waiting in the wings...the Datura and the Cassia. They look small now, but just you wait till they are planted and take off. By September the Cassia is tall, over 6ft!!!! Ain't spring grand? And the catbirds arrived back this weekend!
What a lovely spring garden !
ReplyDeleteAnd what beautiful flowers, you definitely have a green thumb :)
My backyard is surrounded by Japanese maple trees and other types of trees. I have topiary trees in the front of my house, and have a green house filled with exotic blooms. My gardener trims the topiary trees as it requires great skill. I also have a fine collection of bonsai in the main hallway of the house that goes with its oriental decor. An elderly Japanese gardener taught me how to properly care for the bonsai.
Pan in Wynnewood
When I dug up the little seedling from the Japanese Maple, it reminded me of a bonsai. I would love to have a greenhouse one day!!!! Isn't spring a beauty? Every week brings about something new.
DeleteSuch a rewarding time of year to get gardening - all the hard work now pays dividends later in the year! Jx
ReplyDeleteI feel it already is! It was looking like I lost many plants over winter, but surpise.... everything came back!!!
DeleteTruly a delightful flower garden
ReplyDeleteIt's work, but the rewards are payment enough. And every season brings more color and flowers.
DeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDelete🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
DeleteI used to grow some of these myself. I remember most the bleeding hearts.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I couldn't live in the atmosphere your in...I'd miss many of these varieties.
Deleteit is a trouble when you live in zone 10 - probably 12 by now.
DeleteI'm curious. Are both sides of that fence your property?
ReplyDeleteNo. In the 13th picture down, my potting shed sits in the corner of the backyard. Everything on the other side of that fence on the right is the neighbors. The whole backyard in fenced in though for the dog. Being on a corner property, the other three sides of the house offer much space and more gardens!
DeleteOh, Mads, the gardens look glorious. So uplifting. So many reminders of our gardens in Connecticut. Our first place in New Haven had a large gravel area between the house and the back garden. It was overtaken by wild violets. I liked them so much, I cleared a curving path through them and laid stepping stones.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!!! I bet that must have looked glorious! I could see you doing some garden post on your blog one day to share your gardens. Which one was the gardener? I will presume you were? I somehow sense Jerry wouldn't have much patience for it. but then on the other hand he is very good at so many domestic things in and around the home. You two are a good match.
DeleteJerry is a phenomenal gardener. And he worked like crazy in all our gardens. He’s also got a great design sense. Together, we would always have a ball designing and executing. The only thing he lacks is patience with plants that aren’t doing well (although he would hand-pluck infestations from plants on our terrace).
DeleteI'm with Jerry! I don't do as well with indoor plants....and I don't have the patience with orchids once they bloom and are done. I have yet had an orchid re-bloom yet. I will keep ill plants for so long then give up.
DeleteOh my gosh what Joy. So many favourites and Peonies to come.
ReplyDeleteI do have Peonies envy.
Can't wait till the next troll around your garden when they will be in flower
This is the most peonies I have ever had. I would swear they have doubled in number! It should look glorious! And they smell wonderful.
DeleteThe dahlias are gorgeous. I need to talk to Carlos about planting some here.
ReplyDeleteAs long so you keep them dead headed, they will keep blooming till autumn.
DeleteI can't wait for my peonies to bloom!!
ReplyDeleteI was going to add more peonies this year, but once they started coming in, I saw they must have doubled! They are the length of the brick wall planter along my car port now.
DeleteIt's turned into sweatshirt weather again. This is frickin' nuts!!
ReplyDeleteIt thrills me to see your garden blooming again.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me I have a few pictures to send you!
DeleteMy tree peony (white with a dark maroon centre) has gone overboard this year; it's nearly10 foot long and covered in large blooms. It came as a free stick from Thompson & Morgan. The roses are starting to come out and my neighbours' wisteria and lilacs are in full bloom. What will happen when the Gulf Stream fails is something that will affect us on both sides of the pond.
ReplyDeleteNOTHING like lilacs in spring! Every morning I wake up, it's all I smell in my boudoir.
DeleteWonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear! 🌼🐝🌳🐝🌷
DeleteWonderfully lovely! You sure have a green thumb.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to my brown one!!
DeleteLes splendeurs du jardin, le printemps est là :)
ReplyDeleteTu as du talent pour le jardinage et la photographie :-)
Deauville est la centre de la Côte Fleurie en Normandie. La région fleurit de fleurs sauvages - anémones et jacinthes des bois, marguerites, lupins, pissenlits, ajoncs et cornouillers. La Normandie est célèbre pour les festivals floraux.
Dans le jardin de ma maison, je cultive des roses, des glaïeuls, des lis, des œillets, des pivoines et du jasmin. J’ai une magnifique glycine qui entièrement recouvert mon arche de jardin ainsi que mon abri de jardin. :)
-Beau Mec à Deauville
Les anémones et les lupins font partie de mes fleurs préférées, hélas, dont je ne possède plus. J'ai des delphiniums que j'adore. J'aime aussi la glycines, mais je n'ai pas l'endroit approprié pour la cultiver. Toi aussi, tu sembles être un jardinier talentueux... J'adorerais voir ton jardin, je parie qu'il est magnifique. Et le jasmin ?! Que mon cœur s'arrête !
DeleteWhat a lovely Garden! You are the Plant Whisperer my Friend.
ReplyDeleteYour too kind! It's still a plant it and see what happens thing. I've been very pleased so far.
DeleteMistress...I can't believe how much the garden has grown since your last installment!!! The Geum is always a favorite as are the pansy, bleeding heart and the sweet William. Your going to have a great yield of peonies. Look at them all. Did you do a herb garden this year? And your potting station looks nice and ready to go for potting. We may need a peek in there some day.
ReplyDeleteI did do a herb garden...Most of the things surprisingly came back and my mint varieties are already going insane.
DeleteYou make plants and non plants grow well me thinks!
ReplyDeleteAll so beautiful! Must be nice to sit back and admire your work!
ReplyDeleteI love the wild violets - they're such a pretty little plant and will grow pretty much anywhere and cover any bare patches. They're left to their own devices here but I do sometimes have to get ruthless and pull them up when they start growing in other plants' pots and smothering them.
ReplyDeleteYour garden comes along very quickly after winter, Maddie. It's looking lovely already!