This Ivory Prince hellebore graced me with its blooms today! Unlike many hellebores, the flowers of this variety do not face downward making for a very visible spectacle. The flowers measure about 2 inches across. Hellebores are also known as lenten roses, and they are generally deer and vole resistant.
It is April 17, and I planted larkspur seeds today - one of my favorites! Sublime Dark Blue is the variety I like best, and I have had great luck with them. The color is usually quite a bit darker blue than what is pictured here. They germinate easily, but need cool nights in early spring or fall to sprout. I treat the bed with a organic fungicide since larks are very prone to fungal root diseases and a powdery white fungus that clings to the petals. Well drained soil is also helpful to prevent root problems. A raised bed is a good option for these flowers. It helps also to plant them where they will get good ventilation - where they will be standing in the breeze. The seeds I planted today will bloom in early July and continue for about 2-3 weeks. Then, alas, they are gone, but they do drop seeds that often germinate in the fall and overwinter for blooms the next summer. The plants are tall and thin with feathery foliage. I love to mix them in bouquets or in the garden with Black Prince snapdragons and dark yellow coreopsis. They are great with white hydrangeas too.
It was a superb day to be in the garden here with the temperature in the upper 70's, sunshine and a great spring breeze! I looked for flowers to photograph but there weren't any blooming yet in my garden since I don't plant spring bulbs (The deer eat the tulips and I concentrate on flowers I can sell at the farmer's markets.) So, I am posting this image of one of my garden-inspired cut paper art works. This one captures how it felt to be outside today!
What I did see that was exciting were these delphiniums poking up out of the straw mulch. I planted them last summer, and I was surprised that they made it through this very extreme winter. Although they are near the house which may have helped protect them, they are in a raised bed which usually makes plants more vulnerable to cold. I have had poor luck with delphiniums in the past , but my soil was very heavy. This raised bed was prepared with good topsoil that I purchased. This mini-bouquet features mint for great fragrance. It fits perfectly in a coffee mug. These bouquets are my best-selling item at the summer farmer's markets. I will be selling some Saturday mornings at the Kent Haymaker Market in Kent, Ohio beginning late May. I will post a schedule of the dates I will be there and at any other markets, too.
I found this fabulously fragrant cultivar in a client's garden. It's upright habit, flowers and leaves scream "I'm a monarda". It' s fragrance is amazing - minty but much more interesting and strong but subtle - hints of lemon and bergamot and eucalyptus and .... ? It keeps its fragrance after it is dried. You do not have to crush or rub the leaves to notice the fragrance - it is readily noticeable from a few feet away. The flowers are not showy - pale greenish white and small . The best guess I have is that it might be a type of horsemint - but this seems to be a very unlikely name for such a beautiful plant. Does anyone else have a definitive identification?? I found some descriptions for monarda citronella that list horsemint as a common name, but the descriptions differ from one to the next and some do not fit this species.
This is an altar piece, one of a pair, that I put together last September for a wedding. The bride wanted some bright blue since her dress had a bright blue sash. I used tall blue ageratum, and painted some sedum bright blue. Everything in this altar piece was grown in my garden except the boxwood greens which came from a friend's garden.
Often after perennials have bloomed their foliage begins to fade and turn unsightly. Yet, I don't want to completely scalp the foliage away if I am hoping for a second bloom later in the season. I have found these three annuals that keep terrific looking foliage all season, and if planted artfully between your perennials can keep your garden looking lush and green.
The blue flower is Ageratum Blue Horizon which will grow to almost 3 feet tall here in Northeast Ohio if I start them in the green house in April. They will germinate easily from seed in the field once it gets warm. The pale yellow flowers are Burpee's French Vanilla Marigold which is a terrific rebloomer. It is a little slow to get up to size, but once it does it has a really nice round, full habit and great marigold leaves and fragrance. You can find these in flats at some garden centers or start them in the greenhouse for planting after frost danger has passed. The dark yellow flower is an old standard - calnedulas! They just keep on blooming well past the first frosts. Two perennials that also keep attractive foliage are Baptisias and Creme Brulee Coreopsis. The coreopsis matures to a full 3 feet tall, baptisias only about 2 feet depending on the cultivar. Everything I needed to know about health I learned from my garden! Well, almost everything!4/4/2014 For decades I have been passionate about creating beautiful gardens. In this quest for beauty, I learned, cultivar by cultivar, what was important for each plant to thrive. As I witnessed the fruits of my labor of love, I realized that many of the rules that applied to my green friends were every bit as important for me and my human companions. My garden was a daily living example of how good health practices pay off. It was this living green proof that motivated me to change many of my bad health habits, and be as loving to myself as I was to my flowers. Here are the biggest rules my garden taught me:
First , we aren’t all alike: just as some plants need different conditions to thrive so do people. An abundance of natural light is a necessity. Hydration makes us healthy and makes us look good too. pH matters for people and plants. Sometimes a plant or a person needs a little space. Quality of life can be greatly enhanced by having compatible companions. Chemicals can sometimes be a quick fix or a quick disaster, and used long term always a problem- creator. After a storm beats us down, we will stand tall again: it’s just a matter of time. Don’t forget the trace minerals. I guess we aren’t very different from our plant kingdom companions. After all, we are protoplasm too. Wishing you happy gardening and good health, too. Hello everyone, I hope you enjoy your visit to my blog where we can share the joy of growing flowers here in Ohio.
I have been an avid flower grower for over 30 years but learn something new every week. I will be posting informative articles, asking questions and just plain sharing the beauty as it happens. Come back soon! |
AuthorBarbara Eaton, M.Ed. is a Master Gardener, a garden designer and an artist. She works as a professional gardener caring for the gardens of several regular clients. She is a published author, retired educator and a fool for flowers. Archives
January 2019
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