Each Little World

Fall bulb order

In late July, a Wisconsin garden blogging friend reminded her readers that it was time to order spring-blooming bulbs for the best choice. Having missed out on some special bulbs I wanted for the last few years, I did not take any chances this year.

I put in my order to Van Engelen on April 30th, as soon as their re-designed website went live. I ordered more Martagon lilies from Solaris Farms on June 13th. I ordered more Lilium canadensis (below) as soon as they were available, since the ones I got last year were so lovely.

I feel like I ordered a lot of bulbs — around 225 — but I am guessing I am quite restrained based on the size of my garden. But I knew that come October, my energy for planting would be waning. So I tried to be realistic. I planted most of them on October 18th, 19th and 20th, a trio of warm, sunny days that could not have been more perfect for working outside. Here are a few of the flowers I'm most excited about. 

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Lilium martagon 'Slate's Morning' from Solaris Farms. I have had great luck with Martagons and decided it was time to spring for a few  more. When I say "a few more," that's exactly what I mean. At $16.00 each, I only ordered three. I planted them in a spot in the garden where there are no other Martagons; nor many flowers except for early bloomers like snowdrops and Hellebores.  

I have a love/hate relationship with Alliums but I keep being struck by mass plantings of them, so that's what I am going to attempt. I got 10 Allium 'Summer Drummer,' a very tall variety, to mix with the next Allium below. (A garden friend who lives nearby, said she has not had good luck with this 'Summer Drummer'. We'll see how I do.)

I ordered 25 of Allium purpureum which gets 2-3' tall. These were mixed in with lavender Thalictrums and Veronicastrum.

This beauty, Allium 'Silver Spring', was planted among Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Geranium 'Crystal Lake' and Penstemmon 'Dark Towers.'

Fritillaria raddensa is rock hardy and long-lived according to Van Engelen. But I had no luck with it when I tried it a number of years ago. But a tall, pale yellow flower in April would be so lovely in the garden that I'm trying again. I just have to replicate the conditions of NE Iran to Turkmenistan!

Muscari are one of those "no fail" bulbs and M. comosum looks like a fun one to add to my other ones. It gets 6-12" high so it should make a visible statement almost anywhere it's planted. 

Now I just have to wait six months to see what happens!

Needle park

Our neighbor has a pair of big white pine trees along the edge of his driveway. When they release their old needles in the autumn they pour down on the grass between his driveway border planting and mine.  They cover the trees and shrubs.

And the rocks.

And all my perennials. 

I go out and rake them up, bag them and save them to use on the garden paths next spring. 

The other day I realized he'd raked up all the needles from the tree on his front lawn and piled them at the end of his driveway. 

I checked with him and he said I was more than welcome to take them away. So I filled six contractor's bags and topped the two bags of needles that I'd already raked up. Eight beautiful bags of pine needles ready for spring. 

White pine needles are wonderful to walk on and perfect to kneel on when working along the edges of the path. It's only October and I'm rich with garden goodies for next season. 

GBBG: 6.15.2021

Our prolonged hot weather has meant that many flowers are blooming together which do not usually appear at the same time. I've been cutting them to enjoy indoors rather than let the heat do them in as soon as they open. Thus I am combining my vases with Bloom Day. 

Itoh intersectional Peony ' Border Charm' with Heuchera flowers

Peonies are satisfying at every stage from emerging foliage to seed pods.

I moved the vase away from the gold Japanes screen on the wall to get a photo of the true color. 

This is a Victorian brass vase on a stand, probably Chinese. I thought it was a good match for the flower which has a bit of an over-the-top Victorian flavor. 

Heuchera flowers don't make much of an impression in the garden, but I love them in a bouquet. 

Allium 'Forelock'

Lilium martagon 'Claude Shride' in the red room. Another impossible location to take a good photo. But I can never resist the red on red effect. 

This glass vase by Richard Jones of the late Studio Paran has different designs on the front and back.

Both sides, however, have a thin red line which makes this my go-to vase for red flowers. 

A Peony whose petals are gone and is quickly turning to seeds in the center. Love this moment with Peonies. 

Happy as wet clams

It began raining yesterday afternoon and it is still gently coming down. Only about half an inch total so far, but no complaints from me. We sat in the living room all afternoon yesterday reading and talking garden projects. Continuing to do the same this morning.

GBBD: 5.15.2021

Despite temps dropping down into the 30s on Thursday night, things are looking good in the garden. Now if it would only rain.

Trillium grandiflora

Malus sargentii 'Tina'

Rhododendron 'Yaku Angel'

Paeonia japonica

Peony "Molly the Witch"

Japanese painted fern with Epimedium 'Domino'

Primroses, late daffs and Tulips, Bleeding hearts, Ladyslipper orchids, Brunnera and Jacob's Ladder are adding color to the garden. But the group above are the main drama queens at the moment. 

IVOM: Before the next freeze

We got down to 31°F on Friday and tonight's low is forecast to be 33°F, so I cut flowers for indoors all weekend. 

White daffodils are my personal favorites rather than the bright yellow ones. This is Narcissus 'Dreamlight' with the peach ruffle and N. 'Stainless' below it.

I trimmed our 'Tina' crabapple and decided to add my prunings to the arrangement. 

I bring many of these daffs indoors for bouquets since they are in the bed by the street where I barely see them. Thus I never feel bad cutting them. 

This is a mix of early Iris, Muscari and Epimedium 'Lilac Fairy' with Heuchera foliage. 

Early May meander in the garden

Monday's rain has the garden in fine fettle. Things are popping up, opening up and standing up tall. I keep going out almost hourly to check on the progress of my plants. Here's a sampling.

Paeonia obvata var. alba

Dicentra spectabilis 'Valentine' has taken more years than I expected for her to finally attain some stature. (I know the plant has a new name, but I am not making the effort to learn it . . .)

Epimedium 'Lilac Fairy' is a very floriferous variety that bulks up fast, so you can get a nice patch of it fairly easily.

I've been growing Iris pumila 'Cherry Garden' since about 1990; a great plant with an equally great color.

Every time I notice one of these downy yellow violets in the garden — Viola pubescens — I dig it up and move it to a spot where they are slowly filling in. Just added a yellow-flowered Trillium luteum to the mix.

I have two different Ladyslipper Orchids about to bloom. It took me years before I found the right locations for them; places where they were happy, settled in to grow and finally produce flowers. 

I find ferns unfurling endlessly fascinating. (Say that quickly three times!) This is the Cinnamon fern, Osumunda cinnamomeum.

This Cinnamon fern is only inches away from the one above and yet is at a different stage of opening. 

I have a bad habit of always taking photos that are "plant portraits" and never taking wider shots. I am making an effort this season to take wide views every week; mainly to remind me of what is there that is an ephemeral or very late to arrive.

Rain at last

It has been so dry I finally started watering Sunday afternoon. Day after day, rain has been forecast but the storms kept passing us by. Finally we got an inch on Monday afternoon and evening. Maybe Thursday's potential rain will materialize as well. 

Mail order plants

Saturday (5/01/2021) the temperature got up to 90°F with high winds and fire warnings. Sunday was better, only 85°F and breezy. Barely any rain this spring so the garden is VERY dry. I started watering yesterday which may be a first. Usually in the spring I am indoors because it's too cool and wet.

The temps had my species peonies opening in one day and their petal being blown off by the wind. Many things are blooming almost two, sometimes three, weeks ahead of last year.

As a result of the odd weather, my potting bench is full of plants, purchases from local nurseries and three groups from mail order nurseries. I decided it is too dry to plant them; in part because then I have to wander all over the garden watering them. Leaving them on the bench means I can water them at once. I'm also planning on re-potting some of the smaller things into larger containers to grow on a while before I put them in the ground; some tiny primroses in particular.

I ordered a number of shrubs online and I had to laugh at the different sizes they've come in; even within one nursery. I pay attention when it gives the pot size when I order, but it is always fascinating to see what they look like once I unpack them.

You can see exactly what I mean lwhen you ook at these four shrubs (from left): Viburnum dilatatum 'Tandoori Orange' (Tandori Orange Viburnum), Salix helvetica (Helvetica Willow), Cornus sericea 'Pucker Up' (Pucker Up Red Twig Dogwood) and Weigela middendorffiana (Middendorf Weigela).

I am pleased I was able to find these shrubs and they all look happy and healthy so the size is not really a concern. The Viburnum is the first one with orange berries; the willow has soft silver foliage; the Cornus is more compressed than C. compressa and grows as a fat shrub rather than columnar. The Weigela, a plant I usually don't like, has the most lovely delicate little creamy yellow flowers with an orange throat. Looking forward to watching this one grow!

Now, if we would just get some rain . . .

IVOM: Before the frosty weather

Last week we had four nights where the overnight low was below freezing, which meant I spent an hour covering plants to protect them. It seems to have worked.

Before I started that process, I cut bouquets for the house and two for friends who I visited. All were variations on the one I kept for my self. Interestingly enough, the star of this display, Fritallaria thunbergii, sailed right through temps down to 23°F with no damage to the flowers. 

The Chinese gentleman got to enjoy the display closeup. I cut a stem from one of my Helleborus foetidus to get something that would hold everything in place. It's the greenery in the center and its flowers are not particularly obvious here. 

Unknown daffodils and yellow Epimedium flowers add a note of color contrast.  

I really put this vase together, however, to showcase the Frits. They are a pleasure from any direction.