Each Little World

Good fences . . .

A number of years ago the young couple who lived behind us announced they were getting a dog — and thus needed to fence their yard. To our surprise they wanted our advice on what kind of fence they might get. They wanted something that would not detract from Mark's beautiful Asian-influenced fence (below) that separated our two properties. We talked about possibilities over a glass of wine and gave them a couple of books that had inspired Mark. 

We were so pleased with the fencing they added that we hired the same company and extended it into our garden on the side that had ancient wire fencing. Last year we added similar fencing in the front garden. Nothing fancy; it will fade and blend into the landscape and give me a nice backdrop for planting. 

Imagine our surprise when we looked out from our usual chairs into the garden late Wednesday afternoon. We could suddenly see a blinding bright light in a back yard a couple of houses east of us on the street behind us. At first we thought it was a huge "pod" structure. But when we looked closer this is what we saw. 

The properties behind us are all higher on the slope that runs down to our property. So this solid white plastic fence is extremely visible from a distance — visible right into our living room. I took this photo through our garden fence across two neighbor's properties. 

Mark is already trying to decide what we can plant to hide that view. I figure the fence should be less visible this winter when it snows and everything is white. At least we don't live directly next door to the fence. I'm afraid I would be hard pressed to be polite about such a visual monstrosity running along my garden. If only they had gone with a picket fence, I'd be a lot less frustrated. 

Signs of autumn

It always amazes me to walk around the garden and see mushrooms where there was nothing the day before. I can't identify any of them, so I just enjoy them visually while they last. 

IVOM: Fall gatherings

These arrangements are from the last couple of weeks when I've been pulling out vases that haven't seen the light of day for a long time. This is a contemporary Chinese ceramic container, but it is not glazed inside. I stuffed a plastic bottle into the opening to hold water without leaking. 

A number of years ago I fell in love with the seedheads of Hosta flowers when I saw them in a bouquet a friend had composed. Now I always let a number of the flowers get to this stage. In fact, these pods were the impetus for the display. 

I like these Sedum flowers best before they open and turn pink. 

I think I should have added a couple more stems of Sedum flowers at differing heights. This feels like a bouquet that is not quite finished. But I didn't want to denude the Sedum plant — which is in a very visible location — by cutting more flowers. 

I moved this large wood fired stoneware pot to use the pedestal as a staging area for photographing the vase. Afterwards the vase went to the dining table where we could enjoy it with every meal. The painting is an old one of Mark's.

This Japanese bronze container is one I often use for bouquets with toad lilies (Tricyrtis). I had a stunning display of Tricyrtis hirta this year, but it was in the wrong location and needed to be divided and moved. So I clipped all the flowering stems to bring indoors. 

I added clippings from an unknown Heuchera with pink flowers and some stems of Anemone hybrida 'Max Vogel.' The Anemone gave up the ghost in 24 hours, so I need to do some research to see if there is a way to make it last as a cut flower. 

I cut a big stem of hardy Begonia, along with some of the beautiful foliage of this plant. This is another case where I needed a couple more large flowering Begonia stems but didn't have any. I added what was available but I was still unhappy with the hole on the left side of the bouquet (first photo).

The toad lilies go on and on and are one of my favorite flowers to bring indoors. Luckily I still have a number of them in bud and bloom to continue to enjoy indoors and out. 

To see what others have put in a vase today, visit Rambling in the Garden who hosts this long-running meme. 

Buddha meditating

Mark in the garden

These days Mark usually takes his camera to other locations to shoot pictures for various books and projects he's working on. Currently he has two pictures on display in two different locations as part of the PhotoMidwest Festival 2022. But last week he wandered around our garden with his camera. 

GBBD: 09.15.2022

Rain, gray skies and cooler weather have energized some plants and knocked others sideways. Thalictrum 'Splendide' is the drama queen of Thalictrums. This year she wasn't nearly as dramatic as in the past. All my Thalictrums were 1-2 ft. shorter than last year. 

Anemone japonica 'Max Vogel' is a much more intense pink than I anticipated or this photo indicates. 

Astrantia major 'Roma' with Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta. The Calamintha is still going strong everywhere it's planted 

Sedum 'Matrona' with Hakonechloa

Tricyrtis hirta, a tall variety with straight stems. The rabbits are munching any Toad lily they can find. 

Tricyrtis hirta 'Empress' looks quite different from the variety above in person. 

Tricyrtis 'Tojen' is pushing between the two trunks of a small tree.

Begonia grandis with 'Chocolate Shogun' Astilbe in the rear. 

Kirengeshoma palmata Koreana group 

Anemone japonica 'Honorine Jobert' just starting to bloom. The nearby 'Whirlwind' is still tightly closed. 

I planted Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy' last spring after admiring it in a friend's garden. It looks like a shrub but is actually a die-back perennial. Though I love the foliage, I was particularly excited about the fact that it got blue flowers in the fall. 

Glad I wasn't holding my breath as the flowers are quite underwhelming. I'm hoping that there will be more and larger blooms next year as the plant settles in. 

To see what's blooming in other gardens, visit May Dreams Gardens who hosts this long-running meme.

Front garden surprises

When Mark pulled into the driveway yesterday morning, after meeting friends for coffee, he spied this hawk calmly sitting on the big rock by the oak tree. 

Neither Mark's truck nor the traffic zooming past, seemed to bother him. Mark always has a camera with him so he snapped a couple of photos from inside the truck. 

When we went out later we could see that the hawk had been enjoying a meal. The soft, gray debris suggested a rabbit. I can only hope that's what he caught. 

The big pot by the rock was the other surprise. For the first time we're aware of, someone walked into the garden to steal one of the pots. It's a heavy piece, so they probably were rolling it towards the street. Either they decided it was too heavy to lift or they saw the big crack in it. We put it out front since it was damaged and we wouldn't feel bad if it disappeared. But I don't think either one of us actually expected someone to give it a go. 

Rainy days and Mondays

Rain was predicted for this past weekend, so I spent last week trying to get as much done in the garden as possible. I was digging, dividing, discarding, moving and planting as much as I could before it got too hot each day to keep working. I managed to get every plant that was a recent purchase or a swap from a friend in the ground by Friday.

Despite the weather forecast — even looking at the map — I was doubtful we'd ever get any rain. It looked like another one of those long narrow storms that was going to slide right by us. 

Not this time. It started raining around 9 p.m. Saturday night. It came down just heavy enough to make it to the ground through the foliage on our numerous trees. It was lovely to fall asleep with the windows open listening to the steady beat of rain.

I went out to check the rain gauge Sunday morning to discover we'd received 1.35" of rain in the last twelve hours. I was, of course, thrilled as I don't want to go directly into winter from a dry season like last year.

But that wasn't the last of the wet weather: It was still raining. Sunday afternoon the rain started to come down more heavily. Luckily our basement was still dry when we went to bed, having read about flooding in Chicago from the same storm system. We were trapped in a system that was swirling around us rather than moving away. It was now worrisome falling asleep to another night of rain.

When I got up this morning the temperature was 54°F. It's currently breezy with gray skies but no rain falling. We are in a big break in the storm system, but it looks like we will possibly get more rain at some point today. My gauge this morning showed another 2.10" between Sunday morning and this morning.

I am almost embarrassed to mention this amount of rain knowing how many of you are in the midst of long term drought. But I have to be happy, not just for me but for all my gardening friends and area farmers. It has been hot enough and dry enough that few of us are going to complain about three days of rain. 

Red altert

The seedpods on Paeonia obvata var. Alba are starting to open. Red seeds are infertile. The blue-black seeds are fertile. Yes, this is the real color and they are this shiny.

'Mr. Poppins' has done his work as both my Winterberries (Ilex verticillata 'Berry Poppins') are covered with berries. Their color will continue to deepen as autumn progresses.

Late summer plant splurges

I ordered a few plants online in the middle of July when the heat was dreadful. The first week of August I went out to K&A Nursery (both locations) to get a couple of Dramm hose nozzles and came home loaded with plants. In other words, during the hottest part of the summer, I found myself with a worktable loaded with work.

I'm happy with my purchases and am getting them in the ground at a reasonable rate. The prices were great since the season is winding down. With the recent rain and temps in the lower 80°F range, I'm good to keep going. Here's a look at a little of my hauls.

This Helleborus argutifolius variegated seedling is from Dancing Oaks nursery and is listed as a Zone 6 plant. However, I've had great luck with other Zone 6 Hellebores. I don't care if this ever flowers; I bought it for the foliage. It was so reasonably priced that I think it is definitely worth taking a chance on it surviving. 

This is Athyrium 'Crested Surf', a painted fern variation. I bought this to do a version of a plant combo I saw on a recent garden tour. 

I sent for Astrantia 'Vanilla Gorilla' from Avant Gardens in 2017. It has great foliage and flowers and no problems — if you don't count rabbits. I've never seen it to buy locally until now. So I got two. Once this is planted and settles in, the pale color becomes more creamy white than yellow.

Someone posted this photo (below) on the WHPS FB page. I made a note of the names of the Clematis but not the person who shared the picture. When I discovered both varieties at K&A I was a goner. 

Clematis 'Samaritan Jo'

I've had mixed success with Ajugas but I am ready to try again with some varieties that are new to me. Ajuga 'Parrot Paradise' should be a perfect ground cover under 'Amber Jubilee' Ninebark.

I put a pair of Geranium 'Perfect Storm'' with a pair of Geranium 'Crystal Lake' near my Calamintha and Allium 'Millenium' mix at the end of the driveway.  

I also got three each of Aconitum fischeri and Digitalis 'Dalmation Peach', a Eupatorium 'Chocolate', Geranium phaeum 'Margaret Wilson' and a few shrubs. But that's another story.