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.

Less progress than hoped for in back plot

I was feeling reasonably good about the back plot after planting three digitalis grandiflora (large yellow foxglove) yesterday and transplanting some of the wandering forget-me-nots to the other side of the topiary, and some of the sprouting lungwort offspring to the far side of the plot. But then I looked at the vision sketch, and where I started last winter, and where I was around this time last year, and I must say it's disappointing. On the whole I just want it to be bursting with life, and it's clearly not, even if the forget-me-nots and lungwort are gangbusters and the begonias are doing fine. There just needs to be more stuff, and taller. If the foxgloves make it, they'll help with that.

Early March, 2016. The starting point.

May 19, 2016

May 28, 2017

On the plus side: luscious lungwort.

And this person isn't disappointed. She drew chalk pictures of flowers, sun, and rain.

In the front, you see the self-seeded lungwort that I transplanted. Behind them left is a foxglove. Behind that, aster (I just don't even know what to make of that), and the stringy things behind are the alliums that DIDN'T flower. In the picture below, you see the two transplanted forget-me-nots.

Just one of the poppies in front bloomed, and it's awfully short, but still beautiful!

This little dude(tte) was just hanging out in the middle of our basement, blind and just-born groggy. 

Did I nestle him/her into a soft bed, give him/her a name, and lovingly feed him/her milk from an eyedropper? Hells no. I put it outside and fervently hoped a fox or bird of prey would eat it. Speaking of which....

This was circling the neighborhood on May 24. I think it is a turkey vulture.

Garden happenings

Cute chipmunks. I don't see them as a problem at all - they do make a few holes in the lawn but they don't dig up the garden (or yard) the way those wretched squirrels do.

This a photo of a chipmunk (bottom left) but note the allium on the right, not yet opened on May 17, in contrast to the photo below from today.

The begonias are filling out nicely and have not been attacked by deer. Yet.

Now to the front - the basil has caught its breath after swooning when first planted, and now it's looking robust. Portulaca behind it starting to bloom.

Brachyscome

Barry from Birch Hill Landscaping informed me that the one plant that didn't return last year was an anenome and he'd replace it. That was 15 days ago. Still waiting. Thanks a bunch Barry.

Fine-looking property, isn't it!

Hens and chicks seem to be doing great, and expanding.

I think this is a Siberian iris. It looks great.

Left to right: lavender, artemesia, brachyscome

Peony on the verge of blooming

Only one of the poppies (foreground) has a bud on it. I'm hoping the others might bloom next year. They do have some yellow leaves toward their base so I guess I should look into it. The baptisia, in the background, looks great.

The rhododendrons are in full bloom and gorgeous.

Rosemary and oregano, leftish, are doing fine. Begonia to right.

The sage (left) and parsley (right) seedlings are still wee, but making progress.

Verbena