Memorial Day Weekend

It was rainy and the parade was canceled.  The garden continued to create moments right through the rain and cold.

Only one Bleeding Heart bloom.

I should move it out from under the deck for more light...

The 'Miss Kim' Korean Lilac is exuberant this year.

It has struggled for years.

The Lady's Mantle always looks its best on a rainy day.

The old-fashioned yellow Iris

and the False Indigo

are blooming 

from the buds 

featured a week ago.

I put the fairy garden items out

but the girls can re-arrange them 

however they want.

It's their secret garden!

I planted up the third container with yellows

including Thunbergia 'Arizona Glow' 

(sometimes called Black-eyed Susan Vine),

Superbells 'Dreamsicle' and

Supertunia 'Limoncello'

and Coleus 'Alligator Tears'.

I hope this yellows container will bring as much pleasure on a hot August day

as these Spring bloomers did on a rainy Memorial Day.

And Now for the Reds Container

Hummingbirds are keenly attracted to red as evidenced by the color of the feeders made to attract them.  This container will take advantage of both the plants and the feeder.

The main idea (or thriller) in this container is the 'Dark Red' Mandevilla hybrid which will grow up the trellis.  I love its velvet-like petals and its shiny leaves.

Two Fuchsias ensure more hummingbirds (according to the Hummingbird Society).  I chose Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister' and Tassel "Dark Salmon".  I think the photo below is 'Dark Salmon'.  I took the labels out to do my research for this blog!

This red container planting also uses a 'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia as a filler.  I mentioned it in the previous posting as the purple planter also contains one.  Having the same filler links the two containers to make them harmonious even though they focus on different colors.

The other filler provides contrast to the deep green of the Mandevilla vine.  Coleus Flame Thrower 'Salsa Verda' is a deeply cut, intensely lime green coleus.  It is a heat lover and grows in a dense mound.  It also connects to the color of the 'Lemon' Licorice Plant in the purple planter.

And the spiller in this pot is white Cabaret Calibrachoa. These are sometimes called MillionBells or  SuperBells as planted in the purple container.  They self-clean and do not need deadheading like Petunias. 

This white one has a lovely yellow center.  Many of these plants are considered new with great improvements over plants available a decade ago. I hope with the new plants and planters, I can avoid lichen on the deck as mentioned in the previous post.  Keep you posted!

Time to Fill Those Containers

I bought new containers this year.  We've had trouble with lichen growing on the Trex deck surface from my over-planted containers in previous years. I know, I know:  lichen is not supposed to happen on Trex, but it is--and I cannot get rid of it either.

The containers are Viva Self-watering rolling planters from Gardener's Supply Company. These planters are their exclusive product, but are available through Amazon (but not Prime).  I really like them so far: size, mobility, water tank, color (white).  I'll rate them at the end of the season too.

I tried to buy plants that attract hummingbirds. One planter is filled with mostly reds and the other is mostly purples.

The purples include Salvia 'Sallyfun Blue Emotion' and Vermillionaire 'Large Firecracker Plant'. Both are magnets for hummingbirds!  They are resistant to hot weather, drought tolerant and do not need deadheading.  Great for my desert-like deck in August.  The blue spikes are the Salvia. The red lipsticks or cigars or firecrackers on the plant at left is the Firecracker Plant.

The other purples include AngelMist 'Spreading Dark Purple' and Archangel 'Pink'.  Both are Angelonias or Summer Snapdragons. They remind me more of mini-orchids or foxgloves.

The last purple flower is Superbells 'Evening Star' with its amethyst purple edges and yellow heart throat bordered with royal purple. It does not like wet roots so we'll see how it works in the self-watering container.  It also can be clipped back to promote more blooms.

I added Diamond Frost Euphorbia as a filler. I love its lacy mound.  It reminds me of the Baby's Breath in my grandfather's old-fashioned garden bed in the 1950s.

And for a splash of complementary color, I also planted 'Lemon Licorice' Licorice Plant that will hang over the side and provide a chartreuse color to contrast with the purple.

More photos later as the planters thrill, fill out and spill over.  Hummingbirds included, I hope!

More on the red planter tomorrow.

A Real May Day

No rain
Not 90 degrees
No Nor'Easter winds
Just sun and clear skies and seasonable temperatures.
Aahhh!

The grass is green.

The azaleas by the bird bath are in bloom.

The False Indigo is about to bloom.

The blue is incredibly vivid when they first burst out of bud.

I hope I can catch it this year!

I got out the fairy village but will

wait for the granddaughters to help me set it up.

The 'Miss Kim' Korean Lilac

is full of buds this year.

It blooms later than the French lilac bushes.

The Siberian Iris have a few buds hidden in the leaf blades.

The peonies are ready to pop also.

Lots of small buds (like last year)

which didn't do much.

But we're ready for June to "bust out all over."

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

to all gardeners

and garden lovers.

Garden Walk, May 7

The 'Big Smile' tulips are

almost past their prime.

I'm not sure why the petals are curling...

One of the last quince blooms...

Phase One of Spring seems to be passing.

Phase Two begins.

Lilies of the Valley buds

'Mother's Day' Azalea is blooming well this Sunday.

The other one will actually bloom on the real Mother's Day next Sunday.

Lamium blooms

Forget-me-not flowering

Irish Moss expanding

Ajuga blooming and expanding

Azalea budding

Phase Two full blast by Mother's Day!

Spring Solitude

The dogwood tree next door is looking good this Spring.

I tended it for many years when it was not doing well.

Now the former neighbors are gone and new ones arrived.

A robin was chattering in the evergreen.

She was very nervous.

She must have a nest.

And then I saw a squirrel scamper out of the tree.

All is quiet now.

Nantucket Daffodil Festival

Arriving on the ferry and taking a trip

up cobblestoned Main Street.

The garden club members are

decorating for the annual

Daffodil Festival.

Around the corner at the bookstore, 

it's obvious Spring is not as far along

here as it is in Connecticut.

Linda's driveway display in the fog.

Some more yellow out towards the pool.

The next day, the sun came out

and made the daffodils gleam against the gray.

Back downtown, 

yellow was everywhere.

We brought some blooms inside

to brighten the gray sky outside the windows.

No wonder Nantucket celebrates daffodils!

Blooms for May Day

Purple (or Violet!)

White Flowering Deutzia shrub

Blush Daffodil

Red Tulip

Classic Yellow Naturalizing Daffodils

and another color variation.

Somehow these May blooms ended up

on my Designs by Didi blog...

Budding Quince

Flowering Pulmonaria

Such abundance!

No wonder the pollen--and the allergies--are terrible.