Metamorphosis

Our Japanese Maple is quite the impressive specimen. In a 30-day period, it completely transformed itself. What a perfect little tree!

-- 9/21/09

--10/25/09

Peony Resilience

I have always heard good things about how hardy and tough Peonies are, and how they are near impossible to kill. Well I hope the rumors are true, because I ordered "Breck's Lifetime Peony Collection" for $29.99 but they were mostly dried out tiny little bareroot things. I believe it may be 2-3 years before they bloom if at all. I planted 3 of them under the Kousa Dogwood at the front of my house, 1 went out back near the Redbuds joining 2 other peonies that I'd bought in the Spring at Home Depot, and then 1 was in very poor shape and it got planted near the garage between some daylilies.

Breck's Lifetime Peony Collection

Sarah Bernhardt Peony - Bright pink

Felix Supreme Peony - Bright red

Festiva Maxima Peony - Bright white

Sorbet Peony - Bright pink and creamy white

Pillow Talk Peony - Light pink

2010 Plant Wishlist

Over the weekend I did Fall Garden Clean-up, cutting back all the Hosta/Salvia/Daylily foliage and mulching the front garden beds. I've planted at least 350-400 Tulip/Daffodil/Hyacinth/Muscari bulbs over the past couple of weekends, and so there's gonna be a crazy-explosion of bulbs-a-blooming come Spring and I simply can't wait to see that view. At this point, my garden creation is near complete, I've put so many trees/shrubs/perennials in the ground that there is nary a spot left available for future planting. Yet, I keep on discovering new plants that I want to give a try. Here are a few of my dream plants for 2010/2011:

* Tiarella Foamflower "Sugar & Spice"
* Butterfly Bush "Nanho Blue"
* Rose Bush "Gertrude Jekyll"
* Shasta Daisy
* Rudbeckia "Goldstrum"
* Phlox David
* Japanese Snowbell Tree
* Oakleaf Hydrangea
* Lamium Purple Dragon
* Creeping Phlox Sherwood Purple
* Itea Little Henry
* Solomon's Seal

The Change Has Come