But does it come in pink?

Yes, my girly-girl side must be asserting itself. Maybe it comes from being the only female in the house?(My husband's idea of a bright colour is navy blue and my son loves orange! What's a girl to do??) Whatever the cause, I'm going soft on pink.

I bought a pink rose once on impulse and every year I said I was going to dig it up because it simply did NOT go with my white floral palette, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just looked so darned happy. Then I got this Quick Fire hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Bulk') standard. Whoa. When that white lace begins its blush to pink, I am a goner. Unfortunately, it also blooms a month earlier than many of my other woody hydrangeas so there is no escaping its candy sweetness. Really, does it have to be quite so pretty? Hussy.

This is the second year I have put these adorable little annual petunias in a feature spot by the seating area. They are so cute!!! I fully expect they sing and dance the can-can at night.

Two summers ago I put this nodding beauty in the west-facing bed. She is Clematis texensis 'Etoile Rose' and this year she has gone all out in a dazzling display of bells, bells, bells! My poor trellis collasped under the weight of all the flowers and now I have it propped up until I can provide more permanent supports in autumn. Am I complaining? Absolutley not. Like so many other shots of pink I've recently added to my garden, she goes beautifully with all the white.

I've added a few Hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit' to fill in around their sisters, the glorious white Hydrangea 'Incrediball.' Hello-does anybody else see cotton candy here? OK, so it's just me then is it.

And finally, there is this bold patch of Veronica spicata ‘Foxy Lady’ at the front of the south bed. (I really must name my beds...they deserve better than being called by their orientation!!) I don't know if ever there has been a plant more aptly named. She sasses up that bed big time. I swear I want to break into song when I walk by her. I bet if you click on the link, you will wanna join me. I dare you.

Who knew my inner glamour girl was going to rear her head and bat her eyelashes? Next thing you know, I will be wearing fuchsia suits and sporting matching heels. Except I'm no good in heels. A new handbag will have to do. And not in navy blue.

A Jewel Among the Jewels

To beat the heat we were having dinner on our patio when our flamboyant guest arrived.

He landed on our outdoor chandelier and commenced washing his face--a very tidy guest at that. I managed to get this photo of him with my camera phone.

Happy Canada Day!

My new (and first) red rose, Cuthbert Grant, opened this morning before it started to pour outside.

This photo (taken, edited & posted with my phone) doesn't really capture the gorgeous cherry red velvet of the rose, however, it does give you some idea of the shape.

Now that the rain has briefly stopped it's back to gardening for this girl! xo

cu

Rosa 'Cuthbert Grant'

A giant spaceship hovered over my back garden and a door opened...

...a ramp was lowered and four little green men started wheeling plants down. They saw me in the window, one touched the side of his nose and winked at me before they silently rose up and zipped away.

Okay, it didn't quite go like that, but the plants did arrive! Trees, shrubs and perennials - the bones of the garden. Honestly, it did seem a little surreal.

I've been working on my dream list of plants for soooo long that to actually see them here kinda choked me up. Good thing it was pouring rain or I might have had to do a dance around them. As it was, the only dancing I did was when the mosquitoes swarmed every time I went out to look at them.

As you can glimpse, my focus for the bones of the garden are green foliage with some chocolate and burgundy foliage, mostly white flowers with a bit of pink to pull the various foliage together. I built on my existing plants and got more of the ones that were thriving.

We planted mostly in groups of three or five with some mass plantings of ferns and ground covers.

I went for a few drop dead gorgeous plants to add drama and contrast.

I also got a bit of blue for a special feature area I am working on.

Because those little "green" (Ha! Get it? Gardener's humour lol) men obviously zapped me with something when they winked at me, I am now madly contemplating more plants. And a water feature. Has this happened to anyone else? The more plants thing, I mean, not the spaceship plant delivery... ;)

Hope your gardens are full of pleasant surprises!

Edit: Here is link to where we left the landscaping last year. It has links to the previous stages of landscaping this back garden. Alternatively, you can click on the landscaping label and see highlights of the progress in this garden space - from bare gravel to lush retreat.

The flowering stars...

Here I go again, swooning for a silvery lavender rose. A couple years ago it was the gorgeous hybrid tea 'Sterling Silver'. These silvery phantoms have haunted me ever since I saw a pale rose shimmering in someone's front garden in Victoria, BC. I was smitten and have remained so since. I tried to overwinter the Sterling Silver to no avail. I shook it off and swore my obsession was satisfied and needed the silver rose no more.

 

Of course, I was delusional. I am so not over this rose. I was at a garden centre last week for a brief escape from the rain. It was there I spotted the miniature rose, 'Lavender Crystal'. I had no choice. It had to come home with me. I circled the table, elbows at the ready should someone move in on my rose before I could secure it. I told myself that at $8 it was the deal I was after, not the rose. Yeah.

 

I potted it up in a black ceramic pot with a pearl finish on it. The perfect foil for the rose. I had to put it by the front door so it is the first thing I see when I come home. I am telling myself that my time with this rose is fleeting. It will never make it through the winter. Besides, there are other silver roses out there.

 

But then I look at her, gleaming in the soft evening light, impossibly mysterious and regal. If I believed in elves or other magical creatures (which as a grown woman I certainly do not - harumph!) this miniature beauty would be of their garden.

What is it about roses that inspires such flights of fancy? I really have no idea. They don't affect me at all. Really.

For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

~J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit


BTW: Planting finally commencing in garden! Will post updates soon. :)

 

A Little White (and red) for Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!

In honour of our red and white Canada flag, here is a one of my favourite Canadian whites, the Morden Snowbeauty rose. This sweet rose was bred here in Canada as part of the Parkland series at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba.

This is year three for this shrub rose for me and it just keeps getting better. It is tough with practically no winter dieback, the leaves are glossy and mildew resistant, and this year it has more blooms than it ever has. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Love it!

It is hardy to zone 2b and is said to grow to about 5 ft high and wide. Mine is at about 3 1/2 ft high this year and about 4 ft wide with a nice low rounded form.

My shrub is absolutely covered in buds this year - too many to even count. After this first flush I expect it to bloom intermittently throughout the summer. I don't give it any special treatment other than the usual deadheading, which results in a later second flush at the end of the summer. The buds have the palest pink veining in them that absolutely enchants me.

So here's a salute to my favourite plant blooming in my garden on Canada Day.

Oh, and as for the red of the Canada Day red and white? Just look at those gorgeous red thorns on the snowbeauty. Big and well-spaced enough to be easy to avoid, they add a lovely contrast to the creamy white blooms.

Have fun where ever you are this Canada Day and think of us northern gardeners keeping it beautiful in the GWN! xo

Bridal Veils and Zombies: The Making of a Blog Post

You know how in the movie Shaun of the Dead they have to run really fast from hiding spot to hiding spot on their way to the pub to escape the zombies? And how along the way they have to keep whacking zombies with shovels and stuff to slow them down? Well, that was me trying to get some pics of my Astilbe.

The mosquitos are crazy for blood here tonight so I could only take a few quick snaps without really aiming. (One zombie mosquito was in my ear going for my braaaainnns). ;-)

This is Astible x arendsii ‘Bridal Veil’. I planted it last summer to test it out before committing to any more. Well, I needn't have worried. It loves it here! It is turning into a giant and I don't mind.

It's probably about 30 inches tall altogether with the white plumes waving hello over the top. The foliage is finely textured and has a bit of a shine.


It is a welcome plume of colour (yes, white is a colour!) this time of the season. I have it in pretty deep shade and it is getting a ton of water this summer as it is positioned near the run-off point of a downspout.


I know that having more than one wedding dress is probably gauche, but how about more than one Bridal Veil? I think that might be okay, don't you? Besides, I can always give any extras to those zombie brides lurking out there.

*Please forgive me as I am not visiting your blogs as quickly as I would like, I just don't seem to have much computer time these lovely days! Couldn't you all just come over for a garden party, hmm? I would make lemon cookies!

It's not you, it's me

You were a soft, gentle blue with a hint a lavender.



I was instantly smitten and decided to build you a home



that showcased your beauty



and complemented your complexion



And then I had to go away for week. While I was gone, you...changed



I hardly recognized you upon my return. You didn't seem like the same flower, you were...Pink!



Now, my dear, one of us is blue, and it's not you.

Good Cheer in the Garden

Well, we are off this coming weekend on holidays for a bit so I wanted to leave you with best wishes for your gardens and a glimpse of my cheeriest plant.

This Dicentra 'Candy Hearts' (Fern-leaf Bleedingheart) is a just a shot of good cheer in my garden. It is another one of my plants that has made it through the upheavals of our landscaping endeavours and yet it is thriving.


I just love its neverending offerings of cheerful, candy-coloured blooms. We tucked it into a woodsy spot by a cedar and, although the spot can be a bit dry, it has rich soil and dappled light, so with a little additional water it may continue to bloom into autumn.


Happy gardening, and here's hoping August brings you the sunshine, rain, heat or cooling breeze that your garden needs to make everything just right!

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” ~ Buddha

Sweet Reminder

It’s nice to find a plant that brings back childhood memories. My mom used to keep one of these over the winter in our livingroom bay window. In the summer she would put it out on the front step. She called it a “Parlour Maple” and hers was a pinkish-coral colour. I always thought it was so pretty.


So I was delighted to see this Abutilon ‘Chinese Lantern’ White and recognize it as the same plant. This one is grown on a graft, standard style, as a patio plant and so I have it in a pot by my back door.


The bees love it and it gets a lovely hint of blush around the edges. It makes me wish my mom was around to see some of the choices in plants out there today. She would be amazed.


I think she would more amazed to find out how much I have fallen in love with gardening.


Thanks, Mom, for passing that gift on.

It's just a trial friendship, really

It all started eight years ago when I was walking with Hubby in the gorgeous Victoria BC when we were still newlyweds. I spied a silvery lavender rose in someone’s fenced front yard and felt my breathe intake sharply. I was dazzled. Hubby finally pried me away from their gate, but the rose haunted me ever since.


A few weeks ago at the nursery I saw the hybrid tea, the Rosa 'Sterling Silver'. My heart raced, “This might be it!” it cried out. So in a blur I found myself carrying it out to the car.

Of course, we have had the strangest summer, with storms threatening us on a regular basis, but little actual rain (excepting the odd wild storm). That all means that a week after I got this rose, my first ever hybrid tea, and planted it in an urn with some moss and trailing plants - determined I wouldn’t get attached to it and would treat it as an annual!- it got powdery mildew – which I am still battling. But still, it was elegant with long arching canes and clusters of beautifully formed promising buds.

So I babied it, moving it around to find the very sunniest spot in the garden and plucking off any leaves that looked even a little limp.

And now it has gone and bloomed on me. When I was so trying not to like it very much. Darn you Miss Sterling Silver, I already have a two-year-old son and two cats to pamper – nevermind a Hubby who needs care and feeding as well. You will have to earn your keep you know. And I don’t expect to see you next year. That is, unless of course, you want to come back…then, um, maybe we could work something out…

The Two Flowers that said Thank You

A project I have been working on at work came to fruition on Friday. It involved five months of negotiations with six partners with varying agendas.


It took all the professionalism I had to steer this one through. Sometimes, I couldn’t sleep at night, worrying that it would fall apart.

After a few scary bumps late in the road it came together. All the important people were pleased.

I was exhausted in my office yesterday afternoon. Almost in a daze.

My boss slipped out and came back with this floral arrangement to say “thank you”.

It was so thoughtful. And I think the flowers are sweet, too.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

"And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!"

That thrilling line from Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” is the most festive declaration ever and it is my credo for my long-awaited reward for revamping a neglected garden – the chance to plant anew.

Remember my darling Heuchera ‘Plum Royale’ that I bought before I had a garden, then froze it, then saved it? Well, it is safely tucked in the ground and has some new neighbours.


Yes, we laboured over selecting trees and shrubs for this bed – and there are more decisions yet to be made there. However, I have started planting one skinny, tapering end of the bed that I know will not be having any more major structural plant material additions.

So I put my little darling, the plant I promised a garden to, in a spot I can see out my kitchen window beside a selection that Hubby picked out. His plant choice was the Athyrium Otophorum (Eared Lady Fern). The tag says it is a “smaller, more compact fern with dramatic foliage…wine red fiddleheads…fronds unfurl to silvery blue-green, accented with maroon-purple stems.”

Sounds dramatic, hey? Well, it wasn’t really. When Hubby showed it to me at the nursery in the midday sun; quite frankly, it looked rather washed out and a tad sickly in colour.

What a difference the shade makes. Particularly the dappled evening light. It pops!

So we have a gorgeous plummy plant with shiny pewter highlights on the leaves and a glowing frond dancer.

Watching over them in the background is the lovely Astible x arendsii ‘Bridal Veil’.

I think my new little garden is starting to grow!

If, like me, you enjoy seeing a gorgeous example of just how beautiful an addition to your garden the Heuchera can be, check out the very talented Northern Shade's post here.