Failure bluebells

I planted a lot of Spanish bluebells last fall, and most of them performed nicely, but why not these ones, in front of the rock? Did they not like the hill? Was something eating them underground? It's a mystery.

Garden happenings

I am sort of aching for my garden to kick into high gear, but progress is good.

May 6. Daffodils and Spanish bluebells in front of the shrubs directly in front of the house. The other daffodils are done, but these littler ones bloomed later.

These are actually in front of Emma's school, not my house. I took a photo because I liked that they looked good on May 7.

The rest of these were taken today.

Garden happenings

Allium in the back plot, on the verge of bloom! 

Foreground: Larkspur. Behind that are virtually invisible allium (like blades of grass), and then foxglove. UPDATE: The foxglove disappeared within the next couple weeks. Eaten? Died? No idea. Sad.

The fall parsley seeds! UPDATE: these died within the next couple weeks. I think something pulled them up.

Peppers

Spanish bluebells. Should really plant some more of these bulbs in fall; they do well and are pretty.

I must confess it took a while to dawn on me that the sweet peas would not climb a huge lamp post; they want something small they can attach too. So I put strings along the lamp post in two different configurations to see which works best.

Funny story about the dianthus, above and below: I was so confused why the one below only bloomed on one side and then I realized (lots of realizations lately) that the brighter green leaves are actually a huge mound of some type of vigorous grass. Must pull it up.

Foreground to background: Zinnias, cornflower, baby's breath (not really visible, so short) and more zinnias.

More zinnias! Up to our eyeballs in zinnias.

Annuals as far as the eye can see

I bought more annuals, having felt that I was in need of portulaca and basil. I got them at the Maplewood Garden Club's annual sale, which was fine - nice people, of course, and decent selection, and for a good cause, but I do prefer a big nursery like Williams.

I should probably be buying more perennials for the front but I will always need herbs, and I have a love of portulaca and brachyscome and (even though I did not actually purchase it) lantana, so it's hard to resist.

So everything is in the ground now save that I ordered three digitalis grandiflora (yellow foxglove) for the back plot that haven't arrived yet.

This is one of the plots in the back and I am realizing as I look at the photo of it that it looks bad. Left to right: struggling azalea in a shade I don't like, tiny new hydrangea that you can't really see, big hydrangea that has had a weak show of flowers the past two years, and bleeding heart, which is probably the only winner here. Still, at some point we'll redo the patio so there's no point in fixing this spot now.

I don't ever take pics of the azaleas in the back but they are very nice when viewed from the solarium. (These pics, of course, are from outside)

Here's the stuff I added in front. The brachyscome (foreground) I planted last week; the spiky thing is actually crocuses. Then I added basil and portulaca and you can't really see that I put the begonias left over from the back in that spot too, around the phlox. Side note: the Spanish bluebells in the back have been great long-lasting performers this year.

More portulaca, to the right of the steps as you're facing the front door. I'm hoping they'll grow to peek out from under the bushes.

Portulaca behind the verbena that I wish was lantana.

Catbird and Spanish bluebells

Everything is looking lovely out there these days.

Spanish bluebells in the foreground, and azalea in the background, to the left of the steps as you're facing our front door.

Catbird

Catbirds have a rusty patch under their tail feathers

Upon returning from vacation

We got back from 10 or so days in London and Italy on Wednesday, and it really is spring in those places, whereas here yesterday we had a high of 48. On the other hand, it's going to be absurdly warm  here in another couple days, and while I'll enjoy that, you can't help but note is as blatant evidence of the planet going to hell in a handbasket.

Anyway, this was the state of play in the garden when we returned.

Before the false spring and return to winter, a couple of the daffodils on the left bloomed (Rijnveld's) - those were last year's daffodils. Now the ones on the right (Dutch Master and Tete-a-Tete) are going gangbusters (if a little droopy, perhaps because of the battering by the weather).

These are new this year - Tete-a-Tete. They're small and cute. I planted grape hyacinths with all the daffodils this year and see no evidence of any coming up. Perhaps the bulbs were eaten?

Again I think we're seeing this year's planting (Dutch Master) blooming on the right, whereas Rijnveld's on the left bloomed before the re-winter, and not so vigorously, I must say.

Pink wonder daffodils (front) and Spanish bluebells (back) still to bloom. I believe we didn't get blooms last year out of the bluebells; I wonder if time benefited them?

Looking down the front path. Obviously I should have done the daffodils in clumps rather than onesies. I know better. They're better than nothing, though.

On the right we have glorious crocuses, still blooming after about a month and a half! Bless them! With them were planted tulips last year, of which there is evidence of only one this year, a pathetic leaf poking up. So, something else can go there next year.

In the middle, new Dutch Master daffodils; on the left, new Pink Impression tulips, which look healthy (though leaves embattled after re-winter). On the far left, Fritillaria Checkered Lily Meleagris from last year.

Lesser Celandine, an invasive weed that I think is pretty

Allium - the big one

Last year's lungwort plants have come back so nicely this spring

Viburnum in the front preparing to bloom

Garden happenings

Back on May 12, I took pictures of what I think are all Spanish bluebells (though they could have been the "mystery" lily I got for free when I ordered bulbs).

Around the same time, there were lots of baby chipmunks around. They weren't much smaller than the adult chipmunks, but they seemed a little less savvy than their elders, somehow, and they would sometimes poke their heads from a hole in bunches of two or three!

On May 16, I used Pat's camera to get elusive photos of a magnolia warbler.

And today, I got a terrible picture (more my style) of a Baltimore oriole.

Here we showcase both a lovely butterfly and the rhododendrons in full swing.

Blooms in waiting, plus garden design class

Some of my lovely crocuses are juuuuust about to bloom! Mostly yellow in this batch:

Some of the daffodils have blooms readying themselves, too - I think the Rijnveld's Early Sensation is living up to its name.

And the first of the Spanish bluebells is peeking up leaves:

This shows the bluebell plant (up against the wall) in context, with the Pink Wonder daffodils poking up in the foreground. And a dandelion, which must die.

Last week having been so uncharacteristically warm, the magnolia tree is on the verge of massive bloom. It has cooled back down this week, though.

And in my mini-greenhouses, the alyssum has started to germinate.

I am two weeks into a garden design course at the South Orange Maplewood Adult School. It turns out to be taught by the sister of my friend Matthijs, whose daughter goes to preschool with Emma. I would say "small world," but it's not as if we didn't know that about SOMA.

Anyway I have learned all sorts of interesting things, though it has not translated yet into a design for the sad patch on our back patio that I have plans to redo.

Some of the things I've learned:

• Plants with variegated leaves are nice for reflecting moonlight if you'll be enjoying a garden after dark
• Plant grape hyacinths with daffodils because they have shoots in fall that let you know where you've already planted daffodils - plus they're cheap
• We can plant plants hardy to Zone 7A or any lower number
• This area has quite acidic soil. And trees increase the acidity in soil - which is why grass doesn't grow well under them, and moss takes over. You can decrease the acidity with lime.
• Lavender likes well-drained, rocky, limey (not acidic) soil - not clay! (explains why the plants in front did badly)
• Boxwoods don't like mulch
• Epsom salts contain phosporus, which promotes blooms, eg. for hydrangea
• If you want to get moss to grow on something (e.g. stones), mix some moss with yogurt and water in a blender to form a thin paste, then paint it on!
• Lawns should receive about 1" of water per week - if you're watering, give it to them one long (eg. 1.5 hour) dose
• Master Gardeners hotline: 973-228-2210
• Soil tests are especially important for places where you're growing edible plants, to test for contaminants.
• There are a couple nearby gardens that I'd like to visit: Durand-Hedden garden in Maplewood, and Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills

Helen (the teacher) recommended a book listing all plants - National Gardens (there is also a Northeast version), by Sunset publishers.