4 Jul 2015

04 July In The Garden


A Happy 4th of July to our American neighbours! Blessed with atypical summer weather, so decided to spend some time with the children after work today! Nice to see some bloom in the garden today! Have always been a fan of Campanula latifolia var. macrantha, with his upright sturdy stems of opalescent mauve flowers. Even better is that he is tolerant of quite a bit of shade!



Speaking of shady characters, none come close to the beauty of my beloved 'Carnival!' I was speaking with one of my gardening friends, and we were both commenting on his adorable gorgeousness - we're speaking of the shrub at present people - I have been enamoured of Acer campestre 'Carnival' from my fist introduction in the display garden of Lost Horizons



Euphorbia, much to the chagrin of my boss and co worker, remains a stalwart favourite of mine, and when I discovered this smashingly handsome selection, E. 'Glacier Blue', I knew he would be an instant favourite. Of course he isn't even marginally hardy here in my Z5 garden, so he overwinters quite happily in a pot and is then transplanted out when the threat of frost has passed. 



Another genus I am growing enamoured of is Agave, yet another tender hearted group of rather spiky plants. I now have two in my collection, both of which join GB in the winter on my windowsill plant stand. The demure specimen below is Queen of Threads, and with each new floret of foliage, I am given even more silk like threads that make up its name! 



A quick 'through the railing shot reveals yet another of my favourite genera is in full bloom!



Agapanthus 'Summer Skies' is days away from unfurling the first of five umbels that I have been blessed with this year! I was thrilled to discover that the three that I have in one of the display gardens at work have proven to be fully hardy - surviving our -40C temperatures!



Where there is shade, there must also be Aralia cordata 'Sun King!' I have no less than four on my shaded property, and as can be seen here, they can grow to be rather stupendous sized in no time, provided that they have adequate irrigation - and thanks to a very wet, cool June, the ones here are thriving! I adore the fabulous chartreuse burst of colour in an otherwise shaded garden!



While most gardeners wax poetic about the seed heads of their Clematis, I find the seed head of Nectaroscordum siculum v. bulgaricum to be absolutely adorable! They remind me of something straight out of Seuss! 



 Red and yellow remain my least favourite colours in the garden, and as such I have ONE plant that conveniently combines both: Spigelia marilandica is one of my most prized possessions. Another discovery at Lost Horizons, his scarlet red, trumpet shaped flowers appear by the dozens every July 1st [our Canada Day] and open to reveal brilliant yellow stars! The fact that he is a North American native make him most attractive to those who want to plant indigenous plants in their woodland. His trumpet shaped, scarlet flowers are also magnets for hummingbirds, and who doesn't want to see more of them in the garden!



His appearance never fails to bring me to my knees, and as such, I have been patiently awaiting the opening of his swollen buds. I was worried that my Deinanthe caerulea was not going to be as robust as in previous years, and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realized that he was just confused with our early Spring weather. It looked like he wanted to leaf out, and then we got hit with the -4C frost of late May which seemed to stall his progress. And look at him today!



Lost Horizons owner/plantsman Larry Davidson has this to say about what is without a doubt one of my Top Five woodland plants:

'... an exceptional Chinese woodlander sought by connoisseurs. Rich green leathery leaves, on stems that end in exquisite clusters of nodding, lilac suffused flowers, with lavender grey stamens that one must kneel to appreciate!' Pretty much certain that this is perhaps one of the best descriptions I have come across!




I hope that everyone is enjoying a similar thrill from their own garden! For me, the cooler, damper temps have been a bonus, as most of my children have decidedly Heathcliff like tendencies, like their Father!

1 comment:

Hoehoegrow said...

Lots of interesting and cracking plants to ponder on ! I share your love of Euphorbias and find them useful, Interesting how hardy your Agapanthus have proved to be !