Category Archives: native plants

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 2020

I just returned from snapping some photos around the Lot for today’s Bloom Day. After a gray, chilly weekend and week, yesterday it began to warm again with some lovely spring rains. This morning has been overcast, giving this gardener great lighting to record in photos what is blooming in the garden.

There hasn’t been much change in blooms for the South and Southeast beds of The Lot. I did get a great shot of some raindrops on one of the classic, red tulips though!

raindrops on red tulip bloom

There has been a lot of development on the East side of the Lot. The rock cress is blooming, along with some labrador violets from last month. The bugleweed is setting buds right now. The epimedium is beginning to bloom. HOWEVER, I was quickly distracted from all flowers by last night’s raindrops on the Lady’s Mantle. LOOK AT THIS!

lady's mantle leaves with raindrops and masterwort

It happens to me every year when the perennials start to reemerge. I fall in love with this plant all over again. In the photo above, the Lady’s Mantle is snuggled up with a Masterwort. In the photo below, it’s hovering above that Bugleweed ‘Chocolate Chip’ I mentioned.

lady's mantle leaves with raindrops and bugleweed

Moving into the back garden, here is the bleeding heart in bloom. Everything about this plant is so visually delicate.

bleeding heart blooms, foliage, with raindrops

Here are some grape hyacinth poking up between some columbine foliage. Tricksy!

grape hyacinth bloom with columbine foliage

Here is another trying on some lamb’s ear foliage.

grape hyacinth bloom with lambs ear foliage

In a sunnier area of the backyard garden, the dwarf irises are just beginning to bloom. I have these little ones right up at the front of the border or they get quickly lost among the other plants. The blooms don’t last too long, but I enjoy the small, spiky foliage for the remainder of the season.

dwarf iris with fallen maple leaf

Here is a larger shot of the same bed. The geranium (cranesbill), more tulips, and yet even more grape hyacinth are blooming.

tulip, geranium, grape hyacinth in front of fence

In a shadier, raised nook of the back garden, the second Epimedium on the Lot is also blooming.

epimedium blooms and foliage

Here’s a closer look at the blooms.

hand holding epimedium blooms

A peek at the other side of that raised bed. The primrose is still going strong and looks nice with the geranium in the back.

primrose with geranium and creeping jenny

Here is Jack and his crew. Jack in the Pulpits are such cool plants. There are a ton of volunteers this season, pictured in the bottom right of the photo. While they are still small, I’m going to attempt transplanting them this season.

jack in the pulpit with volunteers

Jack in his snappy-looking pulpit.

detail of jack in the pulpit

The woodland poppies planted in the shady, damp area beneath the lilac are still blooming. The lilac just began opening.

woodland poppy beneath lilac

Detail of the lilac blooms. It should be sunny and warm this weekend, so I’m sure the back of the garden will be smelling of lilacs.

Detail of Lilac Bloom

Here is the Other Half’s favorite type of flower… the one that will bear him food. It’s the first strawberry bloom of the season.

strawberry blossom and foliage in dead leaves

This gardener is in such a better mood on this Bloom Day than the last one. Be sure to check out May Dreams Gardens to enjoy what’s blooming in other gardens around the world!

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2019

Even though it has been horribly hot and humid on the Lot, we have had some overcast days. This allowed me to take pretty okay photos for a Bloom Day post! “What is Bloom Day,” you ask? It’s a day gardeners from around the world post pretty pictures of what is currently blooming in their gardens. Then we all swap links over at May Dreams Gardens. So let’s do this!

Gaillardia - Arizona Sun

The city removed the failing norway maple in the verge, so this spring I created a new bed. During the winter we have a lot of salt thrown up from the road by the snowplows. So this bed is a bit of an experiment as I’m testing salt-tolerant plants. One of these is now blooming, the blanket flower (Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’).

Echinacea

Also up front, the native coneflowers are beginning to open up in the south bed. These blooms attract oodles of pollinators before offering seed to the finches in the autumn. Behind the stand of coneflowers, the little shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla) is producing its cheery, yellow blooms.

coreopsis

I often wonder if gardening is a gateway hobby to entomology because HOW COOL IS THIS LITTLE BEE? It is quite tiny, as the bloom belongs to the tickseed (Coreopsis) in the front bed. Tis the season for tickseed on the Lot as all cultivars are currently in bloom.

lilies

I have to admit, I wasn’t much of a daylily fan until I actually had some on the Lot. These lovely blooms, planted in the southeast corner of the house, are from a friend who was losing a battle with lily-loving deer.

masterwort in bloom

On the east side of the house a bed receiving morning sun and a slight blast of sun in the in early afternoon. Then the shadow of our home passes over the plants and gives them a break from the really hot mid to late afternoon sun. The white bloom is from the masterwort (Astrantia). The yellow blooms are the fading lady’s mantle (Alchemilla).

little hosta with hedgehog

In the back garden, there is a lot in bloom right now. Here’s Fini with a Hosta ‘Mouse Ears’ on the left and a dwarf bellflower (Campanula) on the right.

Blazing Star and Balloon Flower

I’m pretty excited about the white blazing star (Liatris) pictured above. I finally have arranged the planting in the bed correctly so the plant has enough sun to bloom. The purple blooms just now opening are balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus). I also learned balloon flower belong to the larger bellflower family.

Butterfly Kisses Coneflower

Also in the back garden, these little coneflowers (Echinacea purpea ‘Butterfly Kisses’) are blooming. They serve as a part of a ‘living mulch’ to help keep the roots of a clematis cool.

The main sun bed in the backyard garden has a whole lotta stuff happening. Both the yarrows (Achillea millefolium) are finishing their blooming. The butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is in bloom and hoppin’ with pollinators.

Himalayan Cinquefoil

This is another plant I’ve had for awhile and it just didn’t receive enough sun to bloom. It’s now tucked behind the yellow yarrow in the main, backyard bed. Love the blood red bloom on the Himalayan cinquefoil (Potentilla atrosanguinea).

Rooguchi Clematis in Bloom

If plants were sorted into Hogwarts houses, this pretty purple clematis would be in Hufflepuff. The clematis ‘Rooguchi’ is a rambling clematis that doesn’t suffocate other plants and provides blooms from about May to late autumn on the Lot.

Threadleaf Coreopsis Blooming

As mentioned earlier, all tickseed is in boom right now. This is a threadleaf variety planted back by the water barrels and receiving a hot blast of afternoon sun.

hydrangea in bloom

Hydrangeas are another flower I wasn’t very keen on when first beginning to garden. However, they are beginning to grow on me. This one is a more compact variety, only growing to 4’x4′.

Bee Balm Blooming

Also blooming are all 3 varieties of bee balm (Mondarda). This one is from the pollinator bed I created last autumn. It is conveniently located on the south side of our 2 veggie beds. In addition to insects, I’m hoping to see a few hummingbirds this season.

Blooms of Rattlesnake Master

These final blooms are opposite the alley bed. They belong to the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium). The plant belongs to the parsley family and is native to tallgrass prairies of eastern and central North America.

I planted the rattlesnake master with the idea of creating a larger bed catered to ground-nesting bees. The area is at the northwest corner of the Lot by the alley, where not many neighbors walk. It would have the sun it needs and also be more safe for the bees. However, the plant selection is dwindling as the maple on this corner matures and the bed gets more and more afternoon shade. I think we can still #makeithappen, it just won’t be as large as initially imagined.

Slowing Down to Smell the Flowers

Something I am trying to consciously do this year is to slow down during these warmer months. Heat makes me cranky, and then it is not so fun to be in the garden. I’m aiming to spend any time deadheading and weeding in the very early morning and the early evening. Otherwise, I am attempting to sit and be still to enjoy the Lot and all the creatures visiting it. I’m seeing insects I’ve never noticed before. With a cool drink in hand, it’s been pretty fabulous so far.

So that is all for July’s bloom day on the Lot! I’d love to hear what is blooming in your garden.

Five Seasons

This afternoon I was able to attend a screening of Five Seasons : The Gardens of Piet Oudolf by Thomas Piper. The filmmaker attempts to give us a peek into the mind and creative process of the Dutch garden designer, Piet Oudolf. We are able to watch beautiful footage of Oudolf’s designs transition over a span of seasons. Being in Zone 6a during February, this was a welcome distraction and opportunity to be inspired by a fellow gardener.

Looking for Something Different

When discussing his approach to designing a garden, Piet discusses how as a young man he was looking for something different than the traditional garden design. He was searching for a more spontaneous appearance, one that would look interesting in all seasons. For example, he describes a beautiful winter palette of browns, gray, and blonde. Having been gardening for a bit now, winter and beautiful palette aren’t usually riding on the same train of thought for me. But wow, when the light hits those stands of grasses and fading asters in the film, it’s pretty breathtaking.

I put plants on stage. And I let them perform.

– PETE OUDOLF

Overlooked Plant Elements

When selecting plants for designs, Piet Oudolf looks beyond flowers. At one point in the film he even warns against too many blooms. I feel most gardeners would have a designer’s head on a stick for those words, but I do understand. If everyone is yelling, no one is heard; right? Here are a few things I’ve been trying to pay more attention to when observing plants.

  • plant structure / form
  • seed heads
  • changing foliage color
  • movement

All of these things can add to the atmosphere created by a garden. Piet mentions throughout the film how he’s not really a botanist or a landscape designer. He wants to create environments with plants that invoke different emotions in the viewer. I feel this is why many people throughout the film refer to him as an artist using plants as a medium.

Recharging the Batteries

One of the more delightful scenes of the film caught Piet driving through the Texas to view wildflowers. I laughed when he began to exclaim and point to the highway median, covered with orange swaths because of the native blanket flower (Gaillardia). I had just had the same experience this past spring when I traveled to Austin for the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling!

Oudolf is seen throughout the film constantly snapping photos, collecting inspiration. Thank you digital cameras! He speaks about “recharging” his creativity. Scenes from the film show him wandering through the woods and wading through prairies. I agree. Nature is one heck of a muse, isn’t she?

The Gardener’s Partner

At multiple points of the film, Piet Oudolf praises his wife Anja for her continued support. He credits her with supporting their young family while he began his career. This stood out to me because I live as one half of a pair. Partners of gardeners (who don’t also garden) could start their own support group. But when they’re supportive, it makes all the difference.

The Other Half has been a rockstar in supporting my gardening obsessions. He doesn’t care when I pull the car off the side of the road to get a photo of that plant. His teasing is playful when I take a photo 1. of the plant, and 2. of the plant with my hand in it for scale. He’s even made a game of taking pictures of me while I take pictures of plants. (For reals. We have some in every vacation photo album he’s shot.)

Public Gardens by Pete Oudolf

Pete Oudolf has a huge portfolio of gardens he’s designed over the years. The layouts I find most interesting are those set in an urban environment. Here are a few:

Coming in 2019

So, I was SUPER-geeked to find out Pete Oudolf has been asked to design a garden for Belle Isle in Detroit. That’s a day trip for me!!! Who signed up to volunteer for install? This lady. Can’t wait!