Laurel Ridge Garden Walk

Last night, despite temperatures over 90 degrees during the day, we walked the gardens of Laurel Ridge.  Here are some photos of the woodland gardens, stone paths, terraces and views we enjoyed.  Our community has many gardeners who continue to express their green thumbs in limited space on a rocky ridge with poor soil.  Their efforts exhibit years of experience digging in the dirt!

Oh, Those Hollyhocks!

Beautiful June day with cool breezes and sunny skies in the afternoon. I divided a houseplant and took a look around the garden to see what was new.  The hollyhocks had bloomed.

What wasn't new was the rust that has invaded them due to the rainy weather in the past two weeks. 

This busy bee didn't mind the spots on the leaves--but I do!  The rust spreads and saps energy from the plants.  The hollyhocks had rust last year also, but not this early, or this extreme.

So I got busy as a bee on the Internet trying to find an organic solution.  I had been using a fungicidal spray from Paul & Sandy's but didn't want to use any more chemicals on the plants--or me.  I may have to pull the hollyhocks up and throw them out...

I found this recipe in various places on the web and hope it works.  It's worth a try for a couple of weeks before I give up and destroy the plants.

1 gallon of water
1 teaspooon of liquid soap (Ivory)
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of white vinegar

Mix it up and spray it on the upper and under sides of leaves weekly. Shake well and often while spraying. Do not spray in the hot sun.

I also found that you can sprinkle corn meal on the ground and moisten it to absorb the fungus spores.

Otherwise, the garden was in good condition.

The pansies under the garden faucet in the shade are still perky.

The roses are in full bloom.

The Cleome or spider plant I just planted with Cosmos are doing well.

The astilbe is blooming. The reader looks like she's reading a hosta leaf.

The hosta is going to bloom soon.

And also the butterfly bush is ready to reveal its color for the hummingbirds and butterflies and bees.

And, of course, Mr. Sparrow, King of the Garden

since he has threatened all other birds away from the flower bed,

is happily mating and rebuilding the nest for his next family.

I'd like him to go but it's just too cruel.

Pulling hollyhocks is hard enough,

but throwing out nests in even harder.

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.