Gardening Wallingford Way

Over the river and through the traffic to Sara's house we go--to garden!  We had some giant hosta from my neighbor's sidewalk bed to replant at my daughter's house.

We put in two large hostas. One we were able to divide but it was really tough even with two shovels and three people--and a tree branch to sit in. This is a new technique for dividing hostas.  Sara called this one that we didn't divide "Big Mama."  I think it may be Hosta 'Takudama Flavocircinalis' but we'll need to wait until it blooms to be certain. It does have large buds right now.

Here's a view of the plants we put in last year: Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Lady's Mantle, Heuchera, Astilbe and Ligularia.  Sara already had some variegated hosta and some pachysandra in place under the dogwood and Japanese maple trees.  We just weeded, added some composted manure and cultivated it into the mulch and soil.  A very nice shade garden is developing!

On Facebook Sara reports pruning her climbing rose.  I guess her husband is mad at her, but she did prune it to grow horizontally and cover the upper fence as it should be for better coverage.

Maybe she did it to avoid getting scratched by rose thorns when they use the new patio set?  The Nepeta or cat mint below will grow again and cover some of the lower parts.

Her beds are shaping up with old-fashioned daylilies, Rose of Sharon, ajuga groundcover and a Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' newly transplanted today at the corner.

At her other corner where a wisteria is trying to grow but only wants to "hang high" on the rails, we transplanted another Coreopsis and some Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan which were not getting enough sun. These colors should coordinate with the yellow Adirondack chair she just placed there (and that came from my garden when I bought the wrought iron bench).

Garden wisdom for today: All in good time. Everything will grow back, John, just like that grass keeps growing.  It's nature at work--and some relatives! At least we go back over the river...

Gardens in Your Mind--Now a Reality

My neighbor on the south side has wanted to replant her front sidewalk bed. It's long and narrow--and that's the problem! 

She had a "garden in her mind" that included some color, texture, and slow-growing plants that would not spill over onto the walkway like the giant hostas originally planted there.

Last year we talked about possibilities and I sent her photos of likely candidates.  This year we went plant shopping at Paul and Sandy's Too and Pine Ledge Gardens --and dug the holes!  She already had some Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter' or dead nettle which we divided and spread among the new plants. 

We left the Artemesia 'Silver Mound' in place and undivided. 

We took out two huge hostas with smooth, blue-green leaves trimmed with light green edges, but left a smaller one to anchor the walkway at the driveway and garage.

Then we started planting the Japanese painted ferns with silver and burgundy markings,

and the Astilbe 'Montgomery' with the delicate spikes of blooms that change from cherry red to burgundy as they mature in the border.

At the step to the front porch, she planted a pink Veronica 'Erica' or Speedwell.  Full shade-- so we shall see how it blooms.  If it doesn't bloom well, we'll go shopping again next year...

to make sure that "garden in her mind" matches what is really planted along the sidewalk.

Butterflies and the Birdbath

With some new plantings around the birdbath, I hope to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Gaura has the common name "Butterfly Flower" because it has four petals like the four wings of a butterfly and the stamens resemble antennae. This one is 'Stratosphere' White, a Proven Winner Award Winner.  It's planted between the birdbath and my studio window, hoping to attract some butterflies and hummers for viewing up close from the window.

Penstemon is commonly called Beard Tongue and is similar to Foxglove or Digitalis but shorter in height.  The bloom has a lavender hood with a white throat.  It is next to the Gaura for the same reason stated above.

The other two new plants were Geranium  'Rozanne' and 'Laurence Flatman' or more commonly called Cranesbill.  The 'Laurence Flatman' is a dwarf variety. I planted it in front of the birdbath along the edge of the border where there are remains of primroses and spring bulbs to cover.  The 'Rozanne' found a home under the rose tree by the new bench.  It should bloom all summer and its leaves turn reddish brown for fall.

It's always exciting to add some new interest to the garden bed.  You always wonder if you chose a good location for growth and harmony of color and texture. The butterflies and hummingbirds are an added attraction!

A Day of Rain Ending at 4 and a Rain Storm at 4 the Next Day

Yesterday was a day of pouring rain that made up for our precipitation shortfall for the year. We are still under, but the rains yesterday were great for new plantings like our neighbor's bed and the grass that was reseeded after paving our cul-de-sac.  In the rain yesterday, I set up at art center in the basement alcove that has a view of the wide garden bed and the bird bath.  Today, I spent some time in my new arts & crafts area while the sun was shining, the skies blue and the birds visited the bird bath. Suddenly, it darkened and I looked out to see raindrops in the surface of the water.  I could smell the rain coming and right away, it began to rain again.  But we had some lovely weather before the sudden rain at four today.

We drove over the river to Wallingford to take the two extra bags of composted manure to Sara. We also took the yellow Adirondack chair that sat in the garden bed for a couple of years.  I also wanted to spray some fungicide on the hollyhock transplants she took from my garden. After all the rain, the fungus is "among us" again--and it's been 10 days since I last sprayed them.

Sara's climbing rose on her deck and the clematis at the front door were blooming.  Very pretty.

Animal Encounters of Another Kind

I thought I would take a video of the garden borders and bed above the rocky ledge (now a meadow after backfilling and reseeding by the developer).  The poppies mark the south corner of the deck above and the patio below and make a good landmark for getting your bearings about the layout of the garden in relation to the ledge and hillside to the east behind us. I'm not sure what the sounds are beyond the birdsong...

At the corner where the borders meet the larger bed, the poppies are growing under the bird house.

When looking closely at the photo, I noticed a feather sticking out of the the birdhouse (lower right).

I had seen some sparrows, female and male, with three youngsters learning to fly on the ledge in the morning when I was photographing the wildflowers.  I thought they might be the family from our birdhouse.  All was quiet during the afternoon.  No sighting of the parents with insects in their mouths at the birdhouse opening. And that feather seemed ominous. It was definitely not a sparrow feather.

But Larry claimed he heard babies in the birdhouse after dinner--and got it on his phone to prove that all was well.  Well, the video is sideways-- but the babies are hungry and still in the birdhouse.

So, the bird feather was not an omen that the sparrows were gone --but the long grey feather is now mysteriously gone...

The other animal encounter was ominous.  We saw another snapping turtle this morning burrowing into a mulched landscape bed.  She was muddy and half buried when we saw her. By the time we left, she was completely submerged under the mulch. Can you imagine planting some annuals around the bushes in the landscape bed and, suddenly, a snapping turtle's head emerges to attack you?  Not even the landscaped beds are safe now!  And those snappers are positively prehistoric!

Wildflowers on the Rock Ledge

Today's garden moment happened on the rocky ledge behind --and below--my garden.  A neighbor told me the lupines and foxgloves were blooming. It was an overcast day, so I grabbed my camera and took a walk down below.  Here is what I saw:

Rosa rugosa blooms partially opened

and fully opened.

Coreopsis in bud and bloom.

Lupines (Lupinus) on the rock ledge

and on the more gentle slopes in a meadow-like setting.

And a lupine landing site!

There were foxgloves (Digitalis) in protected nooks on the ledges.

The blooms are unique and easily identifiable.

Some wildflowers I could not identify as easily.

There were Sweet Williams (Dianthus) everywhere

In many colors.

But best of all were the native mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

just blooming today.



Animal Encounters of a Third Kind

A snapping turtle laid her eggs on the sand bank across the street from the garden.  It took all afternoon and into the evening. She attracted quite a crowd of onlookers while she did her primal thing. Fascinating!

I found some good information on snappers at the CT DEP and the Peabody Museum web sites.

Two weeks ago a ruby-throated hummingbird was swept into the garage as the garage door came up and we drove in with the car.  Sara and John saw something right away but didn't know what it was.  They were sure it was up and to the left above the garage door rails. Then I found a hummingbird on the steps going up to the house.  After some speculation we finally figured out that the tiny hummer was covered in cobwebs.  And there were many cobwebs above the garage door rails we discovered later!  John used tweezers and small sewing scissors to remove the cobwebs (which were wound tightly around its body) while Sara gently held its small body.  She had held and resuced a hummingbird once before in Ohio when she was seven. Two hummingbird encounters in her lifetime!

All cleaned up

and ready for release

Maybe there's still some cobweb here

The hummingbird was gone in a flash once the last bit was removed.

Then, today I saw a groundhog near the bird feeder.  No photos of this creature--

and I hope I don't get any. I don't want it in my garden!