Fall Camellia white hybrid
We are still in an extended Fall season that has been remarkably temperate. The weatherman says we could have frost any day now, but meanwhile we (and the plants) have been enjoying the mild weather. The prettiest flowers for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day are the Fall Camellias. Not only do they have the wonderful evergreen leaves, but the flowers are lovely and pickable for further reflection in the house.
Fall Camellia red
This particular camellia is particularly rewarding because I cut it way back and was ready to remove it after a hard freeze when I noticed a little green shoot coming out. It’s now almost to the size it was originally and is covered with buds.
A bit more surprising is to see a flower on one of the Spring camellias.
Camellia japonica pink
This will get blasted when that frost comes along.
As you go about the yard it’s hard not to notice the wonderful color of the Japanese maples this year.
Japanese Maple in color
Dwarf Japanese Maple in fall color
And the green patterns on the cyclamen are also very striking.
Cyclamen hederifolium
In the front yard the yellow corydalis has continued its unabated flowering.
Corydalis lutea
Back in the vegetable garden the annuals are still flowering, though running out of steam.
Marigold
Most striking by far are the calendulas.
Calendulas
Calendula
And the greenhouse has offered up a South African native Nerine.
Nerine undulata
As a side note, I tried growing Leonotis this year after seeing it in flower just last year for the first time. I was looking forward to that mane of orange yellow flowers that you can see in the catalogs. Unfortunately it looks as though, even with our long season this year, we may not have enough time to see the flowers before frost.
Leonotis leonuris
So my plan is to see if this South African native will grow back from the roots next spring and maybe get an earlier start. Stay tuned.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2020
Colchicum autumnale ‘Pleniflorum’
I’ll lead off this GBBD posting with colchicum which has been spectacular this fall. They are hardy, reliable, and beautiful — the sort of qualities that beg for planting more. So I did…
It’s been all in all a marvelous fall here in Maryland. Mostly bright sunny fall days with just enough rain to keep everything going well. Altogether we are 8 inches ahead of the usual rainfall here. The annuals have continued to bloom and I noticed that the cosmos along the fence line have decided on a fall renewal of their blooms.
Cosmos fall rebirth
And the calendulas in the raised bed are bright and beautiful.
Calendula (Alpha from Johnny’s Seeds)
Under the cherry tree in the back yard a clump of cyclamen hederifolium is putting up flowers before the leaves are showing.
Cyclamen hederifolium
Japanese windflowers are spectacular as usual for this time of year.
Japanese anemone ‘Whirlwind’
And they are joined by various instances of toad lilies (such a strange name for exotically beautiful flowers).
Trycyrtis ‘Sinonome’
The canna lily that returned from last year is soldiering on in a very crowded garden bed.
Canna ‘Lemon Punch’
And month by month the cestrum continues a flowerful statement at the back gate.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
I noticed that the beautyberry bush is covered with its distinctive purple berries right now.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
In the alpine bed by the greenhouse there is a rather striking little saxifrage from Japan.
Saxifraga fortunei ‘Beni Zakura’
In the greenhouse itself the oxalis are dominating the show.
Oxalis hirta ‘Gothenburg’
But there is also a rather special scilla that I brought into the house.
Scilla madeirensis
These are not easy to find, but they seem to be quite reliable bloomers.
While I was out in the vegetable garden I found many more dahlias still in bloom
Decorative Dahlia
and lots of monarch butterflies visiting the many tithonia.
Monarchs in the garden
In addition I found a very distinctive moth that I had never seen before.
Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva aurea)
Of course, it’s important to note that at this time of year, one does not live on flowers alone.
Raspberries yielding fall crop
Raspberries in abundance
We have been bringing in bowl after bowl of raspberries for the last 6 weeks.
And finally to cap it off here is the apple pie that we made for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day…
An Apple Pie from the orchard
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2020
Very Decorative Dahlia
Dahlias seem to be taking center stage for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. I start each year with the intention of posting up the large dahlias in the garden but at first they seem to be supporting themselves just fine. However, by this point in the season I find that they are mostly lying on the ground with their enormous flowers and it’s hard to prop them up without snapping the stems. So perhaps next year I will get them propped up (but probably not…).
Dahlia in the garden
But my favorite dahlia is one stemming from a Welsh hybridizer in the 1920’s. The contrast of the bright red flower with the dark foliage is always noteworthy.
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’
Elsewhere we find the roses making a comeback as they always do for a second bloom.
Rose ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’
Nearby is a perennial bloomer that was said to be marginal in our area but we find this striking salvia comes back every year and is actually increasing it’s stand.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Next to the salvia is a remarkable perennial that dies down to the ground for the winter in Maryland and then comes back vigorously in the springtime. It’s been flowering all summer long and shows no sign of stopping.
Cestrum x ‘Orange Peel’
Also in this garden bed are several instances of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. Talk about a low maintenance plant — I hardly notice that its there until it starts flowering.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Behind this garden is a very large crepe myrtle which is blooming quite happily at the moment
Crepe Myrtle
Out in the pasture is a butterfly bush that is having a lot winged visitors right now.
Buddleia
One of the really nice sights in the yard at the moment is the Limelight hydrangea framed by a pyracantha.
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ with Pyracatha ‘Mojave’
I noticed while walking about the yard that the arisaema fruit is almost as showy as a flower.
Arisaema ringens
And as we turn to fall, the greenhouse is already putting out some showy flowers.
Sinninglia sp.
Habranthus magnoi
Nerine masoniorum
and finally the first of the many oxalis that will run through December.
Oxalis bowiei
We feel blessed to have wonderful fall weather in Maryland compared to the horrific fires in the west and torrential rains in the south. Stay safe.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day August 2020
Crinum x powellii
A good start for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day is the crinum which has been blooming since early july. Although as a plant the crinum is not the most exquisite hortticultural speciment — large strapping leaves and continually expanding its space in the garden — but the individual flowers are lovely.
Another member of the amaryllis family that is popping up right on schedule is what many people call naked ladies.
Lycoris squamigera
We have had a very wet August with many afternoon thunderstorms rolling through.
A wet August leaves everything very lush and green.
In the monument bed we have the last of our lilies. This formosa lily came originally from seed obtained from the Pacific Bulb Society seed exchange.
Lilium fomosanum
Lilium fomosanum
Nearby is a clump of the very pink Allium millenium
Allium ‘Millenium’
A lot of our focus is on the vegetable/flower garden for this season. Every time we visit nowadays the goldfinches erupt from the sunflowers, the hawks make a lot of noise from the surrounding trees, and the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are all over the tithonia.
Picking garden is rife with Tithonia
Swallowtail on Tithonia
Sunflowers for the birds
Sunflower (from Autumn Beauty collection)
Sunflowers for the house
Glads brighten up the house
Yet more Glads brighten up the house
The greenhouse still has contributions to the flowerfest. Zephyranthes and Habranthus make a lot of seeds and one needs to pay attention or they will pop up in surrounding pots.
Habranthus tubispathus
The other note for mid-August is finishing the harvest of the garlic.
Northern White Garlic
It was a grand year for the garlic. Of the three varieties we grew, I really like the firm lovely Northern White variety. It’s a hardneck which means that it also contributes scapes in June for the dinner table.
Stay safe and well-distanced.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day July 2020
Lilium orienpet hybrid ‘Anastasia’
There are many things blooming at this time of year, but none more assertively demands the attention of your senses than the large oriental lilies. There are other flowers for Garden Blogger’s Bloom day, but i’m going to focus on the lilies.
First and foremost is Anastasia which is so tall and has so many flowers that it is a major task to keep it upright each year. This year we were late so the flowers are bound together in a way that makes them hard to pick. Nonetheless Beth managed to put some on the fireplace.
Lilium orienpet hybrid ‘Anastasia’
Anastasia on fireplace
The last carryover from some of the species lilies was this very special hybrid from lilium henryi.
Lilium henryi hybrid ‘Madame Butterfly’
But most of the focus is on the orientals right now.
Oriental lily ‘Time Out’
Lilium oriental ‘Casablanca’
Lily oriental white/yellow
This last one sits next to Lilium ‘Casablanca’ but is clearly not the same. It’s twins are in other parts of the same bed, but in the center not way over to the edge where this one’s 6 foot tall flower is way out of size. Is this ‘Time Out’? If so my other ‘Time Out’ is quite different with the yellow suffused, not in a stripe. I’ll have to buy more lilies to sort out the difference…
Another instance of a lily not being where I put it is this Scheherezade.
Lilium orienpet hybrid ‘Scheherazade’
It sits across the garden pathway from where the main clump of scheherazade was located. I say was, because this spring the gardener, in a fit of unusual weeding activity broke the stem off the main clump of the Lilium ‘Scheherazade’.
Back in the house again the Stargazer lilies got removed before I could photograph them outside.
Stargazer lilies on mantel
Now there are other flowers in the garden. In particular I would point out the Hydrangea ‘Blue Billow’ not merely because it has never bloomed blue for us, but because it really contributes to the monument bed at this time of the year.
Hydrangea serrata ‘Blue Billow’
There are several spots where the crocosmia are blooming. What a marvelously reliable flower. Kind of like a compact glad that you never have to care for.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
The greenhouse has two zephyranthes cultivars that I particularly like.
Zephyranthes miradorensis
Zephyranthes katherinae rubra
And there are sunflowers that get collected along with annuals from the vegetable garden.
Sunflower collection
Finally I should note that we’ve had a bumper crop of garlic, this first 1/3 of which is now drying out in the garage.
First third of the garlic harvest drying in garage
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day June 2020
Asiatic Lily ‘Netty’s Pride’
Well there are many flowers blooming for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, but the lilies have captured my attention. These are just the first of the lilies coming down the pike but they capture the eye when you walk about the yard. Besides ‘Netty’s Pride’, another contender for attention is this additional Asiatic hybrid.
Asiatic Lily ‘Forever Susan’
In Beth’s herb bed we have a brilliant yellow whose name has long since passed.
Yellow Asiatic Lily in the Herb bed
Then there also the Martagon lilies with their clustered flowers.
Martagon Lily ‘Arabian Knight’
Martagon Lily ‘Claude Shride’
This last one is a striking red. So much so even in the catalog that I have already ordered more for planting this fall even before I saw this one in bloom. We are beginning to attribute such actions to covid-brain around here…
A lily-wannabe that is pretty in its own right is the Alstromeria ‘Sweet Laura’.
Alstromeria ‘Sweet Laura’
Among the other highlights are two gentians with lovely blue flowers
Gentiana dahurica
Gentiana septemfida (Summer Gentian)
And then there is this Asclepias cultivar with stunning clusters of bright yellow flowers.
Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’
Nearby is Hypericum having one of its most floriferous years ever.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum calycinum)
In many places we have triteleia showing up from plantings that go back many years.
Triteleia laxa ‘Queen fabiola’
And for a spot of orange we added a little calceolaria this year from Sequim Rare Plants out in Washington State. I’m sure it’s not hardy here, but worth the experiment.
Calceolaria integrifolia ‘Kentish Hero’
A delightful surprise was to see the pointy little head of the arisaema candidissimum finally show up.
Arisaema candidissimum emerging
Every year I am at the point of giving up on this plant given that many other arisaemas have long since put up there leaves. And then lo and behold, up it comes. And it’s relative in lateness arisaema fargesii arose the next day. Both are stunning arisaemas and well worth the wait.
Of course it’s important to add that around here fruit and vegetables are dominating the gardening scene. We’ve been picking strawberries for three weeks and now the raspberries and blueberries are bursting forth.
Raspberries coming ripe
We also have cherries from the wild trees in the forest.
Wild Cherries in our woods
We figure these are seedling planted by the birds from our original orchard trees (and they are now 30-40 ft tall). I picked some from the best tree today.
Best Wild Cherry Tree
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day May 2020
First Bearded Iris of the season
Well here we are in mid-May for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day in what will be a memorable year for everyone. Gardening supplies are selling out everywhere as people to turn to something they can do at home. At the same time the season has numerous variable weather days ranging from a very early springtime to an actual freeze on May 9th, something I’ve never seen here before.
Ice off of tarp
We covered the raised bed with tarps and when it rained overnight we found sheets of ice on the tarps in the morning. Oddly enough not a single plant was harmed in the process.
There are so many flowers everywhere it is hard to know where to start. The front circle bed abounds with allium that have been spreading all around the garden in between penstemon and centaurea.
Front bed with alliums
Centaurea montana
Also in the front yard we have a self-expanding garden of wood poppies.
Wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
And near by are their white-colored friends.
Snow Poppy (Eomecom chionantha)
Both are willing to spread everywhere but I try to limit them to the front yard where the deer will occasionally browse.
In the back yard the tree peonies have been magnificent.
White Tree Peony
White Tree Peony
Even one of the species peonies is still blooming.
Paonia obovata
We are beginning to see the first of the Itoh and herbaceous peonies.
Peony ‘Scarlet O’Hara’
In addition to the bearded Iris at the beginning of this post there is the regular blooming of the Japanese Roof Iris and a delightful new small yellow Pacific Coast Hybrid that I got this year from Sequim Rare Plants.
Japanese Roof Iris (Iris tectorum)
PCH Iris ‘Mandalay Bay’
The Rhododendrons are making their annual appearance.
Exbury hybrid Azalea ‘Gibraltar’
Rhododendron ‘Viscosepala’
This last one is a particular favorite. The glorious scent wafts onto the deck all day long. It has a wonderful history going back to the mid-1800’s (see this detailed write-up from the American Rhododendron Society.
Rhododendron ‘Viscosepala’
This is also the time of year when the various podophyllums are putting out their flowers.
Podophyllum pleianthum
Podophyllum pleianthum flower
Podophyllum delavayi
Podophyllum delavayi flower
Then there are various treasures to be found around the yard. These are things I would be sure to point out if we touring together.
Glaucidium palmatum
Calochortus splendens ‘Cupido’
Iris gracilipes
Scilla peruviana
Normally this Scilla is very iffy for us outside but we had such a mild winter it has come out flowering as if were at home in the mediterranean.
Allium nevskianum
Disporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’
Looking back through the monument bed we see a fully flowering Delaware Valley White
Path in monument garden
and a special aquilegia
Aquilegia buergeriana
Ending back at the Alpine bed we see a very robust flowering of one of the clumps of dianthus
Alpine bed, south side
Dianthus petraeus subsp. petraeus
Dianthus petraeus subsp. petraeus
Finally I will close with a new Edraianthus in a trough at the end of the greenhouse.
Edraianthus graminifolius
Stay healthy and garden well…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2020
Paonia macrophylla (?)
It is a very flower-filled time for the GBBD post. Like everyone, we have flowers blooming everywhere and part of my dilemma is always where to focus my time and attention. The species peony shown above led me down an internet road trying to untangle the details of peonies with glabrous styles, purple anthers, and smooth undersides of leaves. On top of that it was just a lovely little peony that I cannot recall acquiring.
There are many other peonies, either flowering or about to flower. I have to admit that I am partial to the species peonies.
Paonia daurica
Paeonia ostii
Nearby the Iris japonica are taking over their region of the garden.
Iris japonica ‘Eco Easter’
Iris japonica ‘Wuhan Angel’
These are definitely spreaders so you want to choose their location with care.
Similarly I’ve noticed how some of the anemones and primroses are happy to spread each year.
Primula sieboldii ‘Chubby One’
Thinking of spreaders, I have tried to move the Cascadian Wallflower from parts of the garden each year and it always finds a new place to make an appearance. But it’s so lovely it’s hard to not just appreciate it.
Erysimum arenicola (?)
In addition an orange flowered wallflower reappeared from a wildflower mix that went in last year.
Wallflower as perennial
Common but beautiful orange wallflower (Erysimum)
The yard as a whole is blessed by the things which happen in the mid-Atlantic April, like azaleas, viburnums, dogwood, and flowering fruit trees.
Back bed springtime
Coral Bells Azalea under Viburnum carcephalum (Fragrant Snowball)
While out in the orchard, things are in extravagant bloom this year.
Granny Smith Apples in bloom
Flowers galore on Spitzenburg apple
The Spitzenburg is one of the finest apples you will ever taste, but when you look at the trunk of this little guy you have to be grateful that it is producing any apples at all.
Trunk of Spitzenburg
Hidden around the yard are still some smaller gems that i look forward to each year.
Hylomecon japonicum
Anomonella thalictrum single pink
Trillium pusillum ‘Roadrunner’
Arisaema ringens
And when we go back to the troughs, the first Gentiana is showing up.
Gentiana acaulis
The alpine beds themselves are both chock full of interesting things like daphnes, stonecress, iris, poppies and the like.
Alpine bed north side
Alpine bed south side
Particularly noteworthy is a little Lewisia returning to claim its space.
Lewisia longipetala ‘Little Raspberry’
and an Androsace which is always welcome.
Androsace sarmentosa ‘Rock Jasmine’
As well as the always striking Bird’s Foot Violet.
Viola pedata
In the greenhouse itself are still things which worth sharing or bringing into the house. The Ferrarias have been blooming since February.
Ferraria ferrariola
Other South Africans include two Ixias, tritonias, and Ornithogalums.
Ixia dubia (?)
Ixia hybrid on a 30″ stem
Tritonia crocata ‘Princess Beatrix’
Ornithogalum dubium
And, of course, we continue to harvest daffodils from our years of planting.
Arguros and other daffodils
Hoping this post finds the reader healthy and able to enjoy the spring.