Garden happenings

Despite earlier attack by what might have been a deer, the echinacea is now blooming beautifully.

And this is a balloon flower, which also got chomped on a while back but has likewise recovered. It is pretty but it looks way too much like the perennial geraniums that cover a lot of the bottom of the hill. Side note: this is one of the many species that did not appear on the list of things Birch Hill was going to plant, but here they are! 

Below some views of the front yard.

Verbena in front.

Again verbena. Portulaca on left. Lavendar and peony as you move back.

Artemesia, brachyscome, basil. The basil has been great. Lots of pesto!

Brachyscome and portulaca.

Portulaca.

Remember the late-blooming rhododendrons? Well hold onto your hat when you look at THIS: the magnolia tree is now blooming. IN JULY. It's the end of the world as we know it.

Forgive the photo taken through the window screen.

Wildlife

First, I must lament that I found an abominable squirrel munching this week on my portulaca. All non-chalant, he was. It was infuriating.

But this was nice - just before I took this picture, the dove was all huddled down and looked exactly like a rock in the wall. It was sort of amazing.

And then these two splendid deer were undeterred by heavy rain this morning and ate their way across our back wall.

Late bloomers and revolting beetles

I don't remember this happening last year, though quite possibly it did, but the rhododendron bush behind the bird-favored evergreen bush, just outside the solarium, started blooming in late June and peaked around July 1 - wayyy after the other, purple rhododendrons. It was quite lovely; the pictures below don't do it justice.

Then there are my small, belated alliums. Here they are on June 26 (the hand is Emma's).

And here they are today, below (hand is mine) Does this represent a full bloom? If so, pretty disappointing! I had to stake two of them, too, lest they should fall over.

Is it my imagination, or is the hydrangea doing better than last year? I don't seem to have any pictures from last June/July. Also note the little seedling hydrangea on the left - doing very well.

Below we have a repulsive oriental beetle, [Anomala (=Exomala) orientalis] that I killed. Apparently the grubs of this thing are what destroys a lot of Jersey lawns. Blech. http://njaes.rutgers.edu:8080/pubs/fs1009/

Garden happenings

Some time ago I pulled up a straggling piece with roots of one of the mystery shrubs in front with red blooms, and stuck it in this pot. For a long time, it looked to be dead. But now it seems fine. Maybe next year I'll stick some other red plants in there with it, though that pot is a magnet for the squirrels. Also: I did some research and think the mystery shrubs are crepe myrtles.

Crazy story: I was actually trying to identify some of the plants in front, and thinking dark thoughts about Birch Hill Landscaping since they hadn't replaced the missing anenome after I alerted them on May 9, when I heard a noise: they were out replacing the plant. And they helped me identify some of the ones I didn't know (purple coneflower, catmint).

The Carolina Wren was back yesterday and I got a characteristically excellent photo of it.

Here we have the state of play in the back plot: I have had a crazy misunderstanding that this Allium Ampeloprasum was going to bloom in the spring with the Allium Globemaster, but guess what? Mixed reports on the internet suggest it may (or may not be right on schedule). I am gobsmacked. And pleased!

The one foxglove is blooming nicely and the other plants look healthy but no sign of blooms.

Coming up to the front door. Basil is thriving. Portulaca doing well. I trimmed the vibernums the other day.

Catmint

Hydrangea has started to bloom 

Salvia and lavender

The darned parsely looks scarcely better than when I planted the little seedlings. Not a good spot for them, I guess.

Purple coneflower, one thinks. This is the one that had a bloom eaten off it a week or so ago. I have been spraying it with anti-deer spray.

Shasta daisy. Lovely.

Grounds for Sculpture

Pat and I got a free pass to Grounds for Sculpture from the library. There is some lovely landscaping. I especially liked this pine in mass effect as a backdrop - something that could perhaps be replicated on a smaller scale in a yard?

Discoveries of various sorts

We were gone for several days last week and when we returned, it was to find that something had been eating my parsley. I'm guessing a rabbit, since I don't think the deer would be over by the steps, and I don't think parsley would be their first choice anyway. But I guess it could be any number of accursed animals. Much of the sage and thyme is also gone, but that may be because they were dry for a couple days. Unlike the parsley, there are no telltale half-eaten stems.

Check out the smaller allium in the back (the big one is almost done blooming). Could these be belatedly about to bloom after all?! I am so confused.

I could not be more delighted that the foxglove planted just a few weeks ago has started to bloom! This is the only of the three plants with blooms, but the other two look healthy anyway.

I found this little oak seedling growing in the back plot, so I stuck it in a pot and will see what happens. [Update: ONE DAY LATER those *%#ing squirrels uprooted and destroyed it. GRRRRRRRR]

This past weekend we visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which is lovely and offered some ideas for things to plant in my own garden.

Roses have always scared me away (bugs! disease!) but isn't this dreamy, growing along a chain (visible on the right).

This is the same climing rose as the photo above.

This purple poppy wasn't blooming yet, which was part of what made it interesting - it could bloom a little later than your standard poppy.

More irises

After the purple irises faded, I was surprised to get these yellow ones.

 The peonies are in bloom.

And the perennial geraniums are also starting to bloom.