Gladiolus ‘Pink Lady’
Well at this time of year for GBBD with a lot of hot humid weather the Glads are one of the flowers doing really well. They last a week in the house as the flowers open one by one.
Glads on the inside with one of the early Dahlias beside the glads
Gladious inside
Just a few days before it was time for the Surprise Lillies
Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera)
In the house we have the similar-flowered Rain lily relative which comes out of the greenhouse.
Habranthus robustus
The front garden bed has some very nice Butterfly Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
And in the back garden there is a small Crocosmia starting up.
Lucifer Crocosmia
In the back we also have a spreading installation of Mirabilis that needs to be seen at just the right time of day to appreciate the open flowers.
Four o’clock Flowers (Mirabilis jalapa)
Nearby is the Cestrum which flowers all summer long.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel)
In the vegetable garden we have an abundant supply of annuals
Annuals galore
And on the hillside we have on of several Crepe Myrtles in flower.
Crepe Myrtle
I should also point out that for us it’s not just the flowers.
Harvesting – Veggies and Peaches
Harvesting – Peaches and Raspberries
The Contender Peach has yielded some of the best tasting peaches we’ve ever had and a good many of them are completely free of brown rot.
Lastly let me close with one shot of the berries getting ready for Fall.
Viburnum wrightii
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2024
Well, I am spectacularly late for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day this month. My excuse is that we went to England in April and had a chance to visit some of the world’s most delightful gardens. We spent one day at Kew and and another day at Wisley and soaked up tons of inspiration for the future.
Kew Garden
Wisley Garden
Arriving back home we found many things in bloom and some past bloom (as expected). But I will share some aspects of the yard just to provide an insight as to what is going on here. The redbuds, dogwoods, and wisteria are fully out now and the apples are the last of the fruit trees to be flowering but they have a very strong bloom this year.
Pink Dogwood in the front yard
Fragrant Cloud Dogwood
Kwanzan Cherry is finished
Apple Orchard getting organic spray with radish flowers in abundance
The peonies have both finished blooming for some (P. caucasica) and just now blooming for others (P. mariei for example).
Paonia mairei
Early Tree Peony
We were delighted to see the Loropetalum get a full bloom this year. It’s marginal in our climate but the winter was very mild this year.
Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Zhuzhou Fuschia’
There are many flowers happening at the moment ranging from very tiny iris to greenhouse delights and onto spectacular wisteria and trillium springing forth.
Iris henryi
Watsonia from the Greenhouse
Viburnum carcephalum
Trillium grandiflorum
In the alpine bed we have pulsatillas, poppies and delosperma.
Pulsatilla albana v. flavescens
Morrocan Poppy (Papaver atlanticum)
Delosperma basuticum
And out in the woods we find numerous surprises.
Narcissus ‘Badgeworth’
Camassia in the woods
Shooting Stars (Dodacatheon meadia) in the woods
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit) in the woods
Viburnum prunifolium (Blackhaw)
Altogether there are wonderful things happening everyday. And now more to plant…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day March 2024
Picking basket
It seems sometimes that Springtime comes all at once and this is one of those occasions. We wait through much of the winter looking for a crocus or a snowdrop to peek through and then when temperatures come like they have this month we have an explosion of flowers for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many daffodils, hellebores, and camellias all asking for a place at our dinner table.
The camellias have been amazing this year where they have somehow avoided the usual cold spells that often brown the blossom edges.
Camellia japonica white
Camellia japonica double pink
Camellia japonica double pink
This particular double pink is absolutely huge for this local area, probably twelve feet in height now.
And the hellebores bloomed up a storm this year. For the first time I did not cut back the old leaves and I have to say I didn’t really notice a problem. The flowers poked right up through the leaves and they’ve been wonderful. I guess that’s what happens in nature when gardeners aren’t busy cutting off last year’s leaves.
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Peppermint Ice’
It also a banner year for our daffodils. I can remember reading years ago that I would have dig old clumps of daffodils and spread them if I wanted to keep them happy. I have to conclude that such is not the case. Everywhere I look the daffodils are both thickening their clumps and voluntarily spreading to surrounding spaces.
Narcissus ‘Edinburgh’ on Sunset Hill
Narcissus ‘Chromacolor’ in the woods
A new one for this year is from Quaffs
Narcissus ‘A Million Kisses’
This is one of the largest daffodils I’ve ever seen.
The trees are also coming into bloom. I’ve seen the first apricot and peach blossoms. And the Star Magnolia is doing its thing.
Magnolia stellata
One of the nice things about the star magnolia is that it almost never gets burnt off like some of the other magnolias. So once again I’m pretty confident that spring is actually here.
Last year I cut away an old lilac that had been overshadowing a thirty year-old bush cherry. And now the little bush cherry is a delight.
Scarlet Gem Bush Cherry
Along the fence in the front yard the Edgeworthia is fully in flower.
Edgeworthia by front fence
And the little Anemone blanda are popping everywhere in the yard and the woods
Anemone blanda
The alpine bed has a little nest of Ornithogalum amidst other things.
Ornithogalum fimbriatum in alpine bed
Right next to the Ornithogalum is a lovely little Armeria doing what sea thrifts do well.
Armeria juniperifolia
If we go back into the woods (which is a pleasure right now) the path has many pleasures.
Corydalis solida ‘Beth Evans’ on woodland path
The bluebells are budding up and there are many daffodils but the Corydalis are enjoying their moment.
Corydalis solida ‘Beth Evans’
Nearby is one of the nicer Podyphyllums that we have (courtesy of Far Reaches)
Podophyllum aff. hemsleyi x versipelle
Finally if we go into the greenhouse we find an unusual Gladiolus that came to us ten years ago via the Pacific Bulb Society.
Gladiolus tristis
And lastly here is a yellow Clivia which is so carefree and always a delight to see.
Yellow Clivia
Happy Spring to All!
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day November 2023
Camellia ‘Survivor’
Just a few things to share for this bloom day. As always the Camellias are the most startling representatives of our late Fall gardens. I’ve never figured out why more people in Maryland don’t grow the Camellia Sasanqua but for us it multiple weeks of pleasure. The white one shown above is the first to bloom and probably the hardiest on our property. It comes from Camellia Forest in North Carolina. But right behind it is our red Fall Camellia which I brought back from California many, many years ago on my lap in a cross-country flight.
Red Camellia sasanqua
The rest of the yard has pretty much succumbed to touches of frost. Still no really hard frost so a couple of roses are still in bloom.
Crocus Rose
And a few spots of Daphne can be seen too.
Daphne
The last flowers in the vegetable garden are some lovely little calendulas.
Calendula
And it’s hard not to notice the berries when you walk about the yard.
American Holly
Otherwise it’s diving into the greenhouse where I’ve made space for other plants by taking out the 10 foot high pomegranate and some other potted plants that had rooted themselves in greenhouse floor (not allowing that anymore). This leaves space for big pots like this Plectranthus.
Plectrantrus
I think we will also harvest some mandarins this year off of the potted citrus.
Mandarin Orange
Some of my favorite greenhouse plants are the various Nerine species. They bloom over a long period with various flowers that resemble more reasonably sized amaryllis. The one in flower at the moment is Nerine undulata.
Nerine undulata
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2023
Amarine tubergenii ‘Zwanenberg’
Well, it’s been a lovely Fall week for catching up with GBBD and many tasks in the garden. Finally the outside ground is somewhat moist and there is a lot of green around garden, woods, and pasture. Nonetheless as my eye explored the garden yesterday it was the Nerines that stood out to me. I think it was two years ago that I first acquired the Amarine tubergenii from Quackin’ Grass Nursery. They have a brilliant pink that stands out from other plants. They stem from a cross between Nerine bowdenii and Amaryllis belladonna and while they are in principle hardy in zone 7 the only time I tried the plant didn’t return so I keep them in the greenhouse for now.
A 2nd Amarine
At the same time a much smaller Nerine is blooming in the greenhouse.
Nerine zinkowski hyb.
This was a hybrid seedling distributed by the Pacific Bulb Society. A lot of flower for a small pot.
Of course I could share the many annuals still in bloom around here. The zinnias are blooming like crazy and the Dahlias are maybe the best they’ve ever been.
Dahlia ‘Mai Tai’
Some of the perennial returnees from last year are notable like this Monkshood
Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’
And there are many that just continue in flower week after week.
Last of the Colchicums
Cyclamen hederifolium
Tibouchina urvilleana
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
Four o’Clock
I did add another plant to the garden today, a little Mahonia that came via Issima Nursery in Rhode Island. This is a seedling from Mahonia eurybracteata and we shall see how hardy it is.
Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ seedling
It’s worth noting that it’s not only flowers that are showy at this time of year. The berries can be quite splendid.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
And as I closed the gate tonight I couldn’t help but notice the Red Jade Crabapple
Red Jade Crabapple
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day August 2023
Crepe Myrtle
Well it’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day again and I would like to begin by celebrating the crepe myrtles that provide a summer flower show. As you can see from the above image the red one has been with us for a very long time. It’s well over the garage roof. The bark is wonderful and the individual flowers are lovely one and all.
Individual Crepe Myrtle flowers
We also have a white one down in the pasture and it seems to be growing nicely.
Crepe Myrtle white
Flowers that we see every day are the Princess Flowers on the back porch.
Princess flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)
Both we and the hummingbirds look forward to our daily dose.
The Hydrangeas are also prolific and and an everyday summer flower show.
Hydrangea ‘Limelight’
Looking around the yard you have appreciate just how dry it has been here.
Dry ground
We are currently at 75% of the normal rainfall and that has left us with many dead plants from my spring planting. Yes we run hoses but there are many places on 7 acres that are not accessible the hoses. I have a set of watering cans but that only covers the time when I’m actually here.
Watering Cans
Despite all that, and with help of hoses, we do have some more flowers to share. As always the Allium millenium are reliable summer color.
Allium millenium
And I noticed (after one of the few thunderstorms that we’ve had) the Cyclamen hederifolium are starting to bloom.
Cyclamen hederifolium
As we wander out to the garden it is clear that the annuals provide a spot of color.
Annuals in the veg garden
And nearby the sunflowers are on display
Sunflower
More Sunflowers
The vegetable garden is also where we find a steady supply of gladiolias
Gladiolus ‘Princess Margaret Rose’
And despite the drought we have a good supply of vegetable and fruit. I notice that the raspberries are starting their fall crop.
Fall Raspberry crop
And we been bringing in peaches and pears.
Harvesting Pears (Crispie)
That’s it for now, I’ll go back to doing my rain dance…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2022
Dahlia in the house
Well it’s Bloom Day for September and the weather has been spectacular the past week. There are a great many annual flowers in the garden such as zinnias, cosmos, nasturtium, calendula, and daisies. I’ll just represent them all with the this big Dahlia that Beth brought into the house. And then maybe Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) since it has grown to spectacular heights (at least 12 feet) this year.
Tithonia
Another annual that has grown on our porch this year is Plectranthus. It was overwintered in the greenhouse and then took a while to catch hold in the spring. But it now looks spectacular (and it makes a good cut flower in the house as well).
Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’
Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ in detail
Another back porch item is the Princess Flower which continues its daily vivid flowers
Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)
At the front porch is the very green welcoming garden that Beth built with deep black rectangles.
Entrance Garden
And a particularly striking addition this year is a Carex with pink flowers that we brought back from Plant Delights this spring.
Carex scaposa
From the greenhouse comes a very striking hyacinth relative from Madeira.
Scilla madeirensis
A few other items struck me as I walked about the yard. There are marvelous peony seeds at this time of year.
Peony Seeds
The Pyracantha and Hyacinth have intertwined to create a lovely combination.
Intertwining of pyracantha (mojave) and hydrangea (limelight)
And a newly planted Arisaema consanguinum looks for all the world like a mother hen for the neighboring Cyclamen.
Arisaema consanguinum and cyclamen hederifolium
Then there are the still good-looking repeats from last month.
Cestrum x ‘Orange Peel’
Crepe myrtle white
And I discovered that the Clematis which I tried to remove at least two other times has sprung up again among the roses.
Clematis paniculata
This is a particularly beautiful and vigorous plant that is happy to take over your garden.
And if you go for a walk on the hillside you will see the Colchicum doing their fall explosion of color.
Colchicum ‘Giant’
The other thing that happens now are berries and other fruit.
Viburnum wrightii
Fig fruit ready for picking
Potomac Pears at harvest time.
And then I’ll close with one of the workers in the greenhouse that keeps the pests at bay.
Jumping Spider in greenhouse
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2021
Dahlia ‘Bodacious’
We have a steady supply of flowers from the both the perennials and the picking garden for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. The dahlia above has been flowering for most of the summer.
The Tithonia in the garden give some idea of the good growing weather that we have had.
Tithonia in the garden
I always enjoy seeing the black and blue sage coming back because it was never supposed to be hardy in our area. The bees enjoy it in particular.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Bee on Salvia
Nearby the David Austin ‘Crocus Rose’ is making a comeback.
Crocus Rose
And right beside it the continually blooming Cestrum
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
I also enjoy that the Cyclamen comes up at this time of year both in the ground and in the greenhouse
Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen graecum
Other flowers can be seen in the wildflower patches
Wildflower patch
Asters in wildflower patch
In the Alpine bed I discovered a Pulsatilla that is definitely blooming well out of season
Pulsatilla pratensis ‘bohemica’
Pulsatilla pratensis ‘bohemica’
In the greenhouse itself there is not only this striking Sinninglia species
Sinninglia sp.
But also a rather puzzling Buddleia which is coming up in nominally Gentianella pot.
Buddleia davidii
Elsewhere the berries in the yard are striking.
Blue Holly in berry
Viburnum wrightii
Viburnum wrightii
Finally to note once again that since we can’t survive on flowers alone, we have been bringing in lots of fruit.
Kieffer Pears (and a few liberty apples)
And for the first time Figs
Figs
I highly recommend homemade sourdough bread with brie, pear, and fig — yum…