Spring....

....is here! This year the saucer magnolia takes my breath away! I can't think of a single year...so far...and I'm a bit worried about mentioning it right now...(knocking on wood)...where the bloom has been so....WOW....I mean, there are usually hard frosts which turn the blooms brown, shortening their life, etc., etc. Fortunately, this one continues to pump out intermittent blooms so all is not lost...but, this year....woohoo!


Stepping back....


It's simply covered in blooms...and the pruning has really helped it have that lovely vase shape... Another stunner which frequently suffers from the same frost prone end-of-show worries, but not this year, is the magnolia stellata...




The other day I had someone over to give an estimate on some work that needs to be done on ye olde house and as he came around from the back, he exclaimed, "That smell! It's so nice!" ...and turned around and stuck his face into...


...Pink Dawn viburnum...I often post about its early bloom as it starts showing off before most things....and I think I often mention its fragrance....but, just in case you forgot, I thought I'd share with you someone else's reaction... Just beginning are the camellias....here's one of the first...

It's not all pink or pink/white, though...




Reliable (and oh-so-common) Ice Follies are in bloom in a bunch of places in my yard...the group below has a couple of solid yellows joining in this year....


This is probably not February Gold (below)....still pretty, don't you think?


It seems most of my early daffodils are not-what-they're-supposed to be....one day I'll reorganize them...one day.... This is supposed to be Hollywood, but I'm not sure that it is...such a fun bloom, all upright and facing the sky...


Now for a few that are what they're supposed to be... Sideling Hill...


First picture of this one (excuse that horrible foliage...yikes...gotta get that out/off)... Minor Monarque...


Loch Hope...



Easter Bonnet...



Sweetness...very faithful....produced a ton of bulbs last fall....most of which just got planted recently (oops)....however, this picture is from the fall replanted group...and why they're blooming on time...

Cum Laude...blooming in two spots....the first where I apparently failed to dig them all up....ha...and the second where they were all moved to...



One of my favorites, Cum Laude, is worth two pictures!....There are some other things going on, like a little mix of iris reticulata....


Some of the very small bulbs...Glory of the Snow or Chionodoxa...one of two colors blooming right now...


....and, last but not least, just getting going (if you look very closely)...Brunnera variegata...

Spring....nondaffodil...

Bright spring foliage on Heucheras...








(Caramel, I must have cut the tag out/off)


(Obsidian, the very darkest one I have)


Midnight Rose, above, has wonderful speckled foliage.



The one above has wonderful red rimmed leaves in fall.

All of these heucheras have proved hardy here. I'm still up to add a few more, but, so far, the nurseries have been disappointing. Guess they must have gotten Dr. Armitage's message :(
Hopefully, I'll find a couple new ones in the next month or so...

Trilliums (the first to bloom):


Peonies are up...


Brunnera Hadspen's Cream has really increased this year...I'm so pleased with it


that I've added another, Brunnera Variegata...this one has whiter edges vs the cream of the one above...


In my view of doing what works (vs what I may want...), I am giving up on the bulbs and thymes under the saucer magnolia...and just letting the brunneras have the area.

The first epimedium to bloom....I'm pleased to report that all are returning this year. It's encouraging enough that I may add a few more of these as well...


A single bloom of Ipheion Rolf Fiedler...


Mohawk Viburnum.....Korean Spice is also blooming and the perfume this year is finally what I had hoped for (you can smell in walking by on the road...hehe)...


This camellia shows such promise....it was down to this one branch...and look now...


The lungworts are going....this is probably Mrs. Moon...



Bridal Wreath Spirea....


One of those tiny bulbs that reminds you to plant many more....Scilla


Finally, an update....the spirea did turn yellow just as was predicted by an informed commenter (thanks!)...


Now...I just have to decide if it should stay with those tulips! I didn't anticipate their blooming with the yellow leaves. Yikes!

More to come....more daffodils, oh yes!

Garden Reading: Garden People

I admit it. I'm an impulse shopper, one of those people with a bull's eye painted on her that the advertisers and marketers aim for. So, it was with delight when I picked up this book, Garden People...after all, who doesn't want to know more about garden people....or find out exactly who garden people are?? The subtitle, The Photographs of Valerie Finnis, was intriguing as well.


Inside, right away, are some beautiful pictures that will have you ohhhing and awwwing, but keep turning because the most interesting life of Valerie Finnis is about to unfold. The name probably rings a bell to you (for instance, Muscari 'Valerie Finnis') but now you're about to learn about a gardening life and a gardening era.

It was a time when young women could attend a horticulture school just for them and totally immerse themselves in plants. Valerie chose a specialty in alpine plants, something she became known for her entire life. Her pictures tell not just her story (most details I'll leave you to read...you'll enjoy reading about her life well lived) but give us glimpses into the lives and gardens of last century's who's who in English gardening. And, they're not just any pictures....they're wonderful treasures of notable people in their gardens, the clothes they wore and the dogs they kept by their sides. Okay, I'll name drop just a bit...how about Roald Dahl? Margery Fish? (Some of your favorite plants...you'll find out who is behind those names...)

How Valerie met her husband is a sweet story and for those of us who are into health and healthy life styles (Blue Zones, anyone?), you might note the ages of these gardeners. Gotta be a connection! Anyway, the author Ursula Buchan (who knew Valerie Finnis) has done us all a great favor by sharing Valerie's story and her remarkable photographs.

In the very back, you will find short bios of all the gardening people you meet in the book. What a fascinating time, fascinating people and certainly a fascinating life Valerie Finnish led! Thanks for sharing this with us, Ms. Buchan.

******

My most humble picture of Muscari 'Valerie Finnis' (I'll have to get a better one this year):


Maybe ordering some more of these wouldn't be a bad idea...especially now that I know something about Valerie Finnis!

Garden Reading: The Garden Primer

If you knew someone to guide you, keep you from making mistakes and just generally mentor you in gardening, I suspect that someone would resemble Barbara Damrosch. At least, I hope she would!



Image courtesy of Workman Publishing.

Newly updated and greener than ever, Barbara Damrosch's The Garden Primer is available and ready to lead you down the garden path. While the beloved original still rests on many a gardener's bookshelf (saw it myself recently at my sister's), this new version brings it right up to date. Armed with the latest information, any one of us could venture out and make magic in the dirt. You know you can...and if you didn't, this is the perfect manual for you.

Ms. Damrosch jumps right in with What Plants Need. Of special interest to me was the section on Bulbs (you know how I love my daffodils) where I was reminded that it just might be time to divide some of mine. On page 513, I read, "If a clump is dense and the leaves have started to flop, it's a sign that division is needed." Well, that describes my clump of Mt. Hood exactly. Guess what I'll be doing after the foliage has withered (it will be fun to see exactly how many are in the clump).

I also dug right into the section on Vegetables. You might remember those peas I planted on a whim? Just waiting for me was a load of information on peas (pages 340-345). There I learned that I was right (whew) to have a trellis waiting for them and that I needed to not let them over ripen on the vine, lest they lose their sweetness. I'll have to remember that as they are just now breaking the ground. Also, to pick them right before dinner (unless I'm eating right where they grow) as they start to lose their sweetness upon picking. I also learned they freeze well (hope I have enough to freeze!). You can see I focused on the reward, i.e., the eating (hehe) vs. the actual growing; however, The Garden Primer contains plenty of information on the actual growing.

After each section, there is an extensive glossary with pictures and detailed information on, for example, numerous vegetables. Just liked I looked up peas, you could look up anything you wanted, like tomatoes (pages 373-379), for instance. Of course, trees, perennials, shrubs, herbs, wildflowers, you-name-it are all covered including a section on houseplants. If you can grow it, there's information for you to absorb and learn.

Because I have vegetables on my mind, it was with special delight that I discovered a lovely and very colorful feature on Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman's Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine, in the Spring 2008 edition of Country Gardens magazine. On display were the vegetable gardens (advice put into practice), luscious vegetables themselves and a flower garden in full bloom. A feast for the eyes and so very inspiring! Pictured also was the herb garden, complete with a plan featuring the actual plants used. I immediately turned back to the section on Herbs in the book, eager to learn more. (It's hard to put down; you'll see!)

If you didn't guess or or were unaware, let me be sure you realize we are talking about organic gardening. And, at Four Season Farm, they clearly know what they're doing! If you don't know something or, like me, are always eager to advance your gardening skills and knowledge, then make sure you have a copy of the new and improved The Garden Primer at hand. Our gardens will thank us!