Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June 2010

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As I walked around the garden clicking, collecting photos, I remembered a little of my garden’s history. I’m in the garden every day but I guess I usually don’t take the time to have a really good look. Bloom day changes that. Every plant has a story.

The Heavenly Angels Poppies are now in full bloom. Yesterday I called the friend who gave them to me to thank her for her spectacular gift of seeds. She didn’t answer. I'll try again. Maybe she’ll read this blog.

Roadside Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) came with the house. It spreads. I dug most of it out and left two clumps near fence posts.

This unnamed deep orange lily adds a pop of color to a sea of green. It was purchased as tuberose. It’s obviously not that.

Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’ daylily – common, everblooming, reliable. It was planted to hide the spent foliage of the daffodils. One plant is now three.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis), another gift from a friend, has been reseeding in this spot for many years. My grandmother grew them. I think of both of them when I see the yellow flowers.

Coreopsis, sold as ‘Moonbeam’, may or may not be ‘Moonbeam’ depending on who you ask. Every year it gets wider and wider. Since 1998, I’ve divided it with an axe, given it away, planted it around the garden and composted it.

Crane’s Bill Hardy Geranium ‘Splish Splash’. I’ll dead head with a hedge shears when it’s finished blooming to minimize reseeding. I have several clumps from the original plant. It doesn’t help to tell it “stay”.

Nicotiana ‘Fragrant Cloud’ has been making an appearance every year since originally planted in 2004. I’ve never gone out in the garden at night to check its scent.

Coral Bells Heuchera villosa 'Tiramisu' PPAF - the first Heuchera to bloom in my garden. It’s a new plant in its third year that I bought on a trip to a garden center with good friends.

Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' - Garden Mum blooms all summer. I’ve shared many pieces of this early blooming mum.

Anthony Waterer spirea - an original shrub. I’ll trim it back when it’s finished blooming and it will re-bloom later in the summer – another reliable old friend and one of my husband’s favorites.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my garden as much as I did.

Many thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day every month. It makes me stop and actually look at what is blooming in my garden. Check out other garden blogger’s blooms at Carol’s blog. It should be an exciting month.

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Ornamental Grass

Cutting tall ornamental grasses is a spring chore we don’t look forward to. The long blades are tough and sharp. We have tried everything from a sawzall to a chain saw. We’ve gone back to using a hand hedge trimmer or lopping shears.

We tie the grass with baling twine in two places. I pull back on the bundle as my husband chops away at the bottom of the grass. I move the cut stems out of the way so he can see where to cut. When the grass bundle is free we pile it for delivery to the city’s compost center.

The tall grasses tend to get wider over time. I would really like to divide them this year. Since that takes a lot of digging and a strong back wielding an ax, I don’t think it will happen.

I don’t cut back the Liriope (lilyturf) every year - mostly because I forget or I am too lazy. This tough little plant doesn’t seem to mind being ignored. I needed to trim this year because I want to divide the several clumps I have around the garden. I used a grass shears for the job. It’s a tough bladed plant and takes a while to whittle it down.

Stella de Oro Daylily also needs to be divided this year. I have unashamedly put this off for the last 2 years. I have never divided the clump. It was planted in 2001 and it seems to flower less than before. I plan to use a garden fork to lift and then separate the roots by hand. I’ll spread them out in the same spot and perhaps have a few left over to give away.

A few coral bells (Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple') try to grow in the same area. (picture right: coral bells on both sides of impatiens in another area where they have room to grow, July ’07) The coral bells are overwhelmed by the daylily, hosta and pink azalea. I’ll move these to the front shade garden. I’ve read that they are rabbit and deer resistant. Since the critters have mowed down a row of crocus, I need more plants rabbits or deer won’t eat. I can’t spread the cayenne pepper fast enough.

Some of these plants will be given to friends who have requested them. Others will go to plant sales for local groups. Hopefully, I will have a less crowded look this summer.

Spring Planning

I’ve been busy removing wallpaper and painting the inside of a closet the last few days – something I like about as much as having my boot sucked off in a muddy paddock.

I haven’t done a lot of garden related thinking. I did manage to start a list of things I’d like to do this spring.

Plants to divide:

Coral Bells (Micrantha ‘Palace Purple’), Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata Moonbeam)


Daylilly (Stella D’Oro)

Liriope

Lilly of the Valley

and - mums (Chrysanthemum Koreanum ‘Single Apricot’), Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus), Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) and zebra grass.

I hope to get at least half of these plants divided and share some with friends. I also started a “to prune” and “to plant” and (best of all) “to buy” list. But before any of that, I have one more closet to paint.