Wordless Wednesday: Works in Progress

Fall Bulb Order

My John Scheepers' Dutch Bulbs order has just been placed, and I'm gearing up for their arrival and have been dreaming of the impact they will make in the garden come Spring 2012. There are so many wonderful colors and shapes when it comes to tulips, and it was quite difficult to pick and choose, but I'm happy with my final selections.

TULIP BALLADE (50)
Placement: Front Entry Garden under Japanese Maple



TULIP CLUSIANA LADY JANE (50)
Placement: Deckside Garden Bed



TULIP FANCY FRILLS (20)
Placement: Containers



TULIP MAUREEN (20)
Placement: Shade Perennial Border under Flowering Dogwood



NARCISSUS PROFESSOR EINSTEIN (10)
Placement: Woodland Garden



NARCISSUS GOLDEN ECHO (10)
Placement: Mailbox Butterfly Garden



LILY SPECIOSUM RUBRUM /SPECIES (5)
Placement: Woodland Garden near bench



LILY ANASTASIA /ORIENPET (5)
Placement: To be determined...

Mosaic Stepping Stones

My crafty side has reared its head, and I'm on a mission to create a collection of mosaic stepping stones for my garden. I started about a week ago, and with my sweet little boy helping out, we crafted our very first creation.


The project was supremely easy, and for someone like me who generally lacks patience, super quick as well. I designed the pattern in my head as the cement was being poured into the mold.


After 2 days of drying, I was so very pleased with the finished product. It's totally perfect, and I can't wait to do it again.

$3.33 Hostas

Today I stumbled across an incredible deal that made me do a double-take; Lowe's had 1 gal Hostas priced at $3.33 each! Altogether I purchased 15 of them: 1 Hosta 'Minuteman', 1 Hosta 'Dream Queen', 2 Hosta 'Yellow River', and 11 Hosta 'Francee'. The Hosta 'Francee' will be mass planted to form a groundcover under the new Crape Myrtle, and I'll likely divide some of them to cover even more ground. I really lucked out today, and I will bask in the glow of my great fortune while I'm outside digging 20+ holes tomorrow morning.



Update: The Hosta Groundcover is now installed!

The Best Flower in the World

Of all the impressive and amazing heart-stopping flowers that exist in the world, if I could only pick one it would have to be that of the Tree Peony. I discovered one of these gorgeous specimens already in existence on my property in Spring 2009, and I've dreamed of adding more to the garden ever since. Finally, today I just placed an order with Klehm's Song Sparrow for a Fall delivery of the below twosome (pictures courtesy of the website). I am going to plant them out in the dappled shade of my Woodland Garden, right next to the stone bench which I will soon be shopping for, and I just know that this will be the most magical spot in the whole of my garden.

Peony Tree 'Hephestos'


Peony Tree 'Kamada Fuji'

Wordless Wednesday: Blushing Beauty

-- Rose "Summer Fashion"

Crape Myrtle 'Natchez'

Today I brought home the newest member of my family, a gorgeous ornamental tree that is sure to provide many days of viewing pleasure for years to come. Crape Myrtle 'Natchez' will eventually reach an impressive height of 20-30 ft, blooming in late-summer with long-lived white flowers, and having flaming orange-red foliage in Autumn. The exfoliating bark will reveal an attractive cinnamon colored trunk as the tree ages, and this Super Star specimen tree is disease resistant and very low-maintenance. I have struggled in the past to find the perfect plant for this part of the garden, but now that I've settled on the Crape Myrtle, the rest of the planning will be easy.

Wordless Wednesday: Wood Chimes

Remaking a Dead Spot

There is one area of my garden that frustrates and disappoints me like no other, and I just don't know what to make of it. Last year I tried to re-brand this area as a Lily Garden after I planted a whole collection of lily bulbs, but somehow that scheme simply did not work. Today I went out and took pictures, and now I know why...


The area is actually quite massive. A few dozen bulbs can't possibly make an impact in a space this large. Now, I am trying to figure out a new strategy as I attempt a re-design for the second time.


I love trees, and it recently occurred to me that it would be quite wonderful to have a Crape Myrtle 'Natchez' on the property, so now I am lending towards installing one here.


The sun situation is rather suitable for a Crape Myrtle, and with a large specimen tree filling up most of the space, I would then be saved the expense of buying dozens of additional plants (shrubs, perennials, more bulbs). Definitely this is the direction I am leaning towards, after giving it more thought, and I hope to have a solution in the near future.

What's In Bloom?

It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2011 edition, and here in the Mid-Atlantic Zone 7a our gardens are at last getting a reprieve after many many weeks of hot dry weather during the month of July. Currently the following perennials are in bloom in my garden:

Anemone 'September Charm'


Daylily (unknown cultivar)


Fountain Grass 'Hameln'


Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'


Butterfly Garden
The real standout of the moment are the Acidenthera, a fragrant flowering bulb native to Ethiopia. I'm not sure if they're a keeper, but for now I appreciate having them since the rest of this bed is winding down.





Hosta 'Royal Standard'


Hosta 'Fragrant Dream'

Wordless Wednesday: Aquamarine Glow

-- Hosta 'Masquerade'

Eastern Box Turtle

After a heavy rainshower this weekend, my husband spotted a delightful little turtle in the Hosta Border area. This is the first time that we have seen a turtle in our garden, and it's nice to know that they are around to serve as natural slug-control. My son was so excited to see the turtle, and so we brought it inside for a brief time before releasing the bright-eyed little critter back into the wild of my backyard.