Wordless Wednesday: Ruffled Princess

--Tree Peony 'Kamada Fuji'

The Scent of a Lily

The fragrance of Oriental and Orientpet Lilies is simply outstanding, and it literally takes only one cut flower to perfume an entire room. I'm looking forward to adding more (many more) of these bulbs to my garden come Autumn, especially the surprisingly super-fragrant Orienpets. Rabbits can be a problem for me, they gnaw off the flower buds of my lilies each Spring if I'm not careful to spray repellent in time, but with the Orienpets this is not a problem as their impressive height keeps them safe from the rabbits. Now, I just need to think of companion plants to go with the lilies. Gardening never ends for me, I am always always tinkering in the garden.

Lily 'Muscadet'




Orienpet Lily 'Satisfaction'

Early Spring Renewal

My rock garden was quite an eyesore one year ago, but last Fall I installed a Serviceberry, and then today I dug out all the weeds and honeysuckle seedlings and put in some Creeping Phlox. I re-arranged several rocks and mulched the area to give it a nice unified appearance, and as a finishing touch, I spread some Sweet Alyssum seeds beneath the tree.


(Phlox subulata 'Purple Beauty')

(Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue')

(Phlox subulata 'Mcdaniel's Cushion')

Upon wrapping up work in the rock garden, I planted my first container of the season for the front door stoop: 1 Snapdragon, 2 Annual Dianthus, 1 Vinca Vine


While adding new plants to my garden is always a pleasure, nothing beats seeing the old ones come back again. The Viburnum Burkwoodii has just begun to bloom, and the wonderfully strong fragrance knocks my socks off.


My Bradford Pear, which has a (distastefully) unique scent of its own, is covered in blooms. I find this stately beauty to be among the most graceful of all trees.


What a great day in the garden!

Seeing Pink

Definitely "pink" is the dominant color in my garden at the moment, although less so now that the Azaleas have pretty much wrapped up their bloom period for the year. The biggest show-stopper of this pink explosion are...The Pinks, i.e. Dianthus 'Baths Pink" which I have grouped together as edging for the front border. The flowers of this carnation-relation are quite fragrant, and this perennial has really surpassed my expectations.

Peony 'Monsieur Jules Elie'



Peony 'Karl Rosenfield'



Fuchsia Azalea Hedge (next to garage)




Azalea 'Rosebud'



Geranium Biokovo



Dianthus 'Baths Pink'

Impromptu Bouquets

My last Tulip faded earlier this week and the many pink Azalea shrubs are now finishing up, but with so many Perennials taking off in my garden, I am still being graced with an abundance of flowers. The fragrant Tree Peony gave me 2 blooms this go-around, paltry but acceptable considering its very shady location, and the Dianthus have put out an impressive display of fragrant dainty flowers. It feels great being able to throw together an impromptu mini-bouquet to bring the beauty of the garden indoors, and I'm really looking forward to getting plenty of practice on floral arrangements throughout our long Mid-Atlantic growing season.

-- Tulips, Azalea, Honeysuckle

-- Tree Peony 'High Noon'

-- Salvia May Night, Dianthus Bath's Pink, Geranium Biokovo

A Garden in a Bottle

I have a deep fondness for perfumes; I love the way they can vault me through time, seamlessly transporting me to a special moment and allowing me to relive a sweet memory. When I wear Dior Dune, there I am back in the deserts of Morocco. A whiff of Kate Spade, with its delicate symphony of honeysuckle, jasmine and gardenia? It's like pure Spring come alive. And so it was with great interest that I read some "Top Picks" for natural-smelling fragrances, that smell like real flowers and fruits, in this month's issue of Allure Magazine. With a Birthday and Anniversary coming up this spring, I'm passing on this list to my husband!

Dior Diorissimo -- "A wonderful portrayal of lily of the valley."

Estee Lauder Pleasures -- "An excellent representation of peony."

Edition De Parfums Frederic Malle Carnal Flower -- "A very large amount of natural tuberose absolute, a vegetal freshness and soft, milky character."

Guerlain Eau De Fleurs De Cedrat -- "A fragrance that truly captures the essence of citron zest - it's as fresh as a real lemon."

L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Eau D'Ambre -- "This is a very good depiction of the intense, warm smell of real amber."

Pretty Peonies

I am oh so ready to start humming "Here Comes The Sun", because it has been raining seemingly forever (5 days straight at least) and I am missing out on enjoying my Spring Garden. The downside of living in a major metropolitan area like Washington D.C., is that only the lucky get a commute in the sub-hour-each-way range. By the time I get home at 6pm, the best of the day has passed. A week ago, I discovered that I had a beautiful Peony Tree blooming next to the garage where our trash bins are stored. The large creamy flowers throw off an exquisite scent, and I immediately hit the web to read about all-things-Peony because I never had much awareness of this plant before. Peonies are as beautiful and perfumed as roses, seemingly as easy to grow and maintain, and without the thorns. Sounds *perfect* to me! The endless heavy rains are beginning to take their toll, so I captured a picture this morning before I headed off to work. I am so so excited to have stumbled upon the glorious Peony, and I can't wait to expand my collection when planting time comes in the Fall. A Garden contains so many surprises, and I hope this will only be the first of many.