Showing posts with label Coral Bells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coral Bells. Show all posts

Monday, May 29, 2023

What's Bloomin' in Midwest Gardening 2023

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Good Morning, first hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We celebrated with family yesterday, and it was lovely in the low 70's and we even roasted marshmallows at dusk. 

But yesterday early, I ran around the yard and took some quick photos...of what is in bloom!


We are just budding out after a very late dreary Spring, and we are already in drought here, but everything is busting out with diligent watering. Portulaca or Moss Roses in a pot. A bit of this and that in the earn. The stars here are the Hosta bursting in this shade bed.


These I grew from rootings from Home depot 2 years ago...they are huge this year.


I had to support all my Iris, with the dry winds, so many tipped over and broke, they are in the house in vases. We will have a few more next week, I personally like the foliage as a great contrast against the brick.  Plant in lower left is a transplanted Phlox grown from a root start. Crossing my fingers. Newly purchased Shasta Daisy is just opening. I had a much lower budget this year, but we lost so many perennials with the freeze and thaw winter. So I moved a lot of things around, and did purchase a couple replacements.



This front bed has several types of Day Lilies, Boxwood and Iris in the back, and Sedums in the front row which are very drought tolerant.


Another gorgeous IRIS, this one soaked up the sun and no adjusting of the photo could bring out the details...so pretty and tall!


These are my favorite, classic Iris, I've long forgotten the varieties. 


Out on the mound near the street, nothing is blooming YET, except these little pom-pom perrennials I just planted. In two weeks there should be several plants flowering. I've given up planting annuals out here as it just bakes in the sun. Perennials have deeper root systems and seem to survive better. I did loose a Hydrangea, a Rose and something else, I have to look at notes here this year, sadly. 


Without our own greenhouse plants this year, I purchased only a few basics. I'm skipping the trailers this year. Hubby had to rebuild this box as another car backed into the structure and really did a number on it. 
No one ever stops, to say they are sorry or help with the damage. That's three times in two years!


I've planted here, but it will take awhile for any really photo worthy shots. I'm trying Dahlias I started in the house, but they were so spindly, I don't know what will come of them.


My big pot by the stairway holds a 4th year Hibiscus (branches) we wintered over in the garage which was kept at a 45 degrees and lights on. The first weekend we brought it out, it got frosted and all the leaves dropped off. I pruned it and watered it, and it's coming back with buds all along the branches...we will see what happens.

I had tried digging it out to pot and bring in the house, but the roots were so massive, we decided to try and keep it wintered in the garage. 


More Iris behind the pond. The rose had significant damage, and this creeping invasive vine...went bonkers this Spring. I have to get in there and hack this down and try some root poison.  (Not a green thing to do--but it clearly is way too happy now.)
It also climbed on our trellis and swallowed our already dying Clematis.


Here is the Rose damage here. It is coming back---I didn't trim it early so I could see what was really dead. Will get to this sometime this week. So much winter damage...the worst we've had--and a very mild winter, also. The yellow Barberry are very happy also...and will need to be thinned drastically--and they are very prickly! 


Happiest plant on our lot...this Viburnum, which we deeply  trimmed from the inside out last year...and it rewarded us with TONS of blooms. A new drain pipe is going into this boxed area and I think that accounts for everything looking better.


The porch is sparse for now---the planter on the table is for my D-inLaws Birthday.
We have two Manilla hanging in pots. I will have to remember to water them. If they don't grow much in a week,  I will move them into the sun.


My porch herbs are happy! All the usual suspects, Cilantro, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, and Parsley. 


Not a flower...but definitely Bloomin' are our two  Rhubarb plants---I'm thinking Rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie, rhubarb bars, bread, muffins, pudding....etc. NUM!


Not much is blooming---except of course weeds, this of course is Dames Rocket or Silver Dollar plants. I don't mind a few and the flowers are quite pretty and even cut well for bouquets. 


Another plant, Baby Tears...which the mild winter has encouraged. I've been digging  up hunks of this and using in my pots. SO FREE PLANTS! YAY! 
This area had our rain barrel and a bush which was lost last year with all the construction on the roof. I usually have a huge pot of Impatiens and Coleus here,
 but not yet.
I"M SO, so, So, far behind!


I am slowly tying up all the daffodil greens to make room for other plants. Eventually they get cut. The greens need to help and store food to the corms. Of course Daffodils really don't need any help to thrive. Buy them once and you have a gazillion for life!


The Hollyhock bed is coming along. I planted new ones last year and some this year also that are supposed to bloom immediately. YES--that is still the tent full of contents of the basement disaster. 
We are still working on that!



Last place with anything flowering is this small shaded bed next to our storage shed.

I grow root perennials in here, usually. I moved everything out , but these two columbine which are so happy here, and put in lettuce seeds and lettuce plants. This area gets filtered light with some sun...perfect for tender plants and lettuce, oh I did plant some Wasabi Radishes in here, too. We will see, lol.
Oh and it is totally fenced...seems we have bunnies that like to eat everything!



I've totally forgotten what this blue is, but it's happy right here, lol. where nothing is. At one time I had copper leaf and lime Heuchera or Coral Bells here, only one of four have survived over the years.
Crappy soil and tree roots seem to be the blame. 


This Clematis got a new trellis last year, and seems to have survived, despite the new well pump put in a week ago and getting bent and pushed aside.  Honestly another almost 3K...I wish we had moved a couple of years ago, instead of having to replace everything AGAIN!


Yep---stay in your home---and eventually rebuild it. We've put more $$$$ into this house in the last year then we paid for it by almost 50K. Something comes to mind about pouring money into a never-ending hole...
a joke...
NOT REALLY!

Still plugging away here in the Midwest...

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW!?


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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi





 

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Midwest Gardening: What's Blooming-End of May 2020

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Pond is cleaned and the fishing is good...! 
We dumped four bags of sand and a bag of rocks into it, since I am no longer able to kneel and clean out the bottom of the pond. So we raised the bottom, which is now reachable for me, well mostly. 

Pond maintenance is an issue, I'm hoping the frogs will move back in even though it is shallow.

To the right the Viburnum is bursting! Best kind of snowballs for Chicagoland. I have Nasturtiums from seed in the planter in front

This tree is about 25 years old. Last year I cleaned out all the dead wood and opened up the center area---and more blooms than ever.


Around the pond, are Iris, two Lime Barberry. 



they are gorgeous this year...


I can't stop taking photos of them...



Sunshine in ruffles....


Planted pots...I forget the name of the purple plant, something new for us with Zinnias and a red geranium.


I still have two Peppermint to plant---a bee deterrent for our 'people spots, designated for the front  porch.



Our focal pot at the base of the stairs, lots of plants in here, Wave Petunia, Hibiscus, 2 kinds of Sweet Potato Vine and some seeded flowers.


Lots of green right now under our Maple tree, the copper colored plant lower left is a Carmel Coral Bells. The green in front is a Creeping Sedum transplanted the last two years from other areas in the yard. Hostas were grown from starts 10 for $5.99 last year, except for the super large one.


I'm amazed at how large these variegated Hosta got in one year.



My mosaic bowling ball---from post here:Garden Mosaics Class


Here the Iris are more purple than blue.


and yellow! 



The super large Hosta on the right we purchased several years ago, and it gets humungous. 


A planter with Liatris from bulbs, a Wave Petunia, Burgundy Cordyline and a Rust Coleus. all these plants will be very large and will be moved into the center of this bed, when we get the old bush branches out!



Backyard
Not much is blooming yet in the backyard. I do choose a lot of variegated plants for interest in shady spots with a few Impatiens and more Lime Coral Bells.



Along the fence the Hollyhocks are going crazy and our Giant Hostas. I have some squash and Sunflowers in here also, and other seeded flowers.



The front walk is just getting started, with yellow, red, purple flowers and  lime green  and purple Sweet Potato Vines. I haven't found any reasonable viney plants for the trellises yet.




The new shelf on the front of the garage which replaced an old bench, is still not finished. I need some other interesting things. This spot gets lots of sun and heat.



And the mail box is planted: Wave Petunias, Vinca transplants, Salvia, and yellow Marigolds. 

What's Blooming in your Neck of the Woods?
Please Share in comments.

Thank you for any and all comments.
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Thursday, July 21, 2016

July Garden in the Upper Midwest

Well it has been hotter than Hades these last two weeks. Chicagoland has humidity and higher temperatures out to the west. We are about 45 miles from the Loop, just far enough from the lake to not have the benefit of Lake Michigan cooling.

WELCOME to our GREEN Garden!

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At 8 A.M.this morning it was already 80 something under a blistering sun. The only tweaking I had to do to these photos was darken some. Yes, I said darken--never had to do that before, lol.

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On the front of our garage an OLD fishing creel basket battles a lone sunflower for attention.

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At the front of the walk, my greenhouse marigolds with nursery petunias and 
something red, I don't know the name of. This container came with the house in 1984..so it's OLD and vintage at this point. Most of the vining(potato vine) and spiking plants were frozen in three frosts in late May here, and were very hard to find. 

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We have three large pots along the garage walkway with mixed flowers. 
These vines were grown from seeds and have yet to get their red/orange flowers.

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Our front yard has morning sun and afternoon shade.



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Temporary fence to corral the Grand from running into the street. Phlox and Day Lilies survive the heat and shade.

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Unaltered picture of seed zinnias. Colors are so vibrant this year.


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The Dahlias are just beginning to bloom.

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We have 6 varieties of Day Lilies, but they disappeared quickly with the heat.

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Peppermint Zinnias started from seed, can't wait until these all bloom.

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Under the maple tree, the NEW shade bed built into the stairway.

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Coral Bells, we have so many varieties of these, and I love the crimson leaves.

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New plant, hubby transplanted and threw away the labels? Shade and sun, is all I remember.

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This geranium I wintered over in the house. It exploded about the 10th of July 
and has continued to bloom and hold, despite the sun.

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Another Dahlia, these tubers came from a mixed bag from the lumberyard.

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The pond fisher girl and boy busy trying to catch something. Not much is blooming here right now but a few Black-Eyed-Susans behind.


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except under the shade of my very tall (4foot+) Phlox 
which are blooming early this year. The Clematis on the trellis is still blooming.

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No fish in the pond, but we have a new resident frog who patiently let me take his picture from about 8 inches away. He loves the lava rock for some reason.



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Dragonfly invasion.

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"Aren't you done yet with all the photos, already???"
Poor little guy, but he doesn't dive into the pond everytime we pass by now.


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To the east is our fence with flowers, lettuce (which has bolted), tomatoes, zucchini and more flowers.

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Impatiens and Pansies in an orange pot hung on the bed frame. 
The largest Marigolds haven't bloomed yet.

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My Hollyhocks are sparse right now---but the blooms are huge. One thing about hot, wet weather is the bugs. Almost everything has been nibbled on.

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Another artisan Dragonfly with white Achillea, blooming through its wire body

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The Hollyhocks are almost transparent in their delicacy.

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Colors are un-altered...amazing! These Pansies do't look real, except for the nibbles.


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My Sunflowers are starting to bloom. This is rich and dark red.

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Around the patio we have natural bug deterrents, Lemon Grass for mosquitos and 
Peppermint to repel bees. I'm going to make a huge batch of peppermint tea, maybe even some jelly.


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An old watering can filled with mini Snapdragons, Impatiens and more Pansies.

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The Fairy pond bright with morning sun on the Coleus. Mostly this area is in shade.


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Pansies have held despite the heat and also has the burgundy Coleus.

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Lemon grass swallowing the patio. I put up all the umbrellas to shade the 
plants today. We have three more days of this forecasted.

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Ivy, Caladiums and mixed Marigolds, Impatiens, and Coleus.

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The vegetable garden birdbath and a sprinkling can with geraniums. 
We've had beans, cucumbers, broccoli. We've already made a gallon of refrigerator dills.

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I got some mixed Geraniums and they turned out to be pink.



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The backstairs is almost always in shade. The metal 'thing' is waiting for some 
doodads to get hung from it.


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Back by the shed, Coral Bells, Hostas===ENORMOUS HOSTAS.
 This is the largest they have ever grown.

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Under the big tree, more Coral bells, Impatiens and ground cover.


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The heat continues to climb rapidly, it's time to go in...and on the stairs, M'Lady dozes in the comfortable shade among my houseplants that are growing-crazy outside.

How is your garden doing in the hot summer?

Thank you for sharing your time, comments, or questions. I will try and get back to you all.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog post are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog. 
Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

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Sandi