See the cherry laurel shrub on the left in the photo above? There used to be one more to the right of it, the last in a hedge, until I chopped it down today because it was hiding this gorgeous Cryptomeria. For years my neighbors have had a better view of it – until I got the chopping-down urge. Earlier this week I similarly dispatched with a hybrid dogwood that was in front of the cherry laurel – waaaay too many plants in a tight spot.
But what’s so impressive is how full and perfect the Cryptomeria looks, despite having been in total shade from the big, full cherry laurel. How many conifers could do that? Notice I now have a clear view to some of my neighbor’s Bottlebrush Buckeyes, too. Love ‘em.
Here are two more views of this awesome tree – on the left at just three years old along the north side of a neighbor’s house, where it gets good light but no direct sun. And on the right is a close-up of one (spotted on a garden tour in D.C.) that shows how pretty and SOFT its needles are. Nothing like the prickliness of this Deodar cedar on the other side of my back garden. I love it, too, but I go out of my way to avoid being stabbed by it.
Notice a pattern here – adding conifers to my garden. In addition to these two cedars, I’ve planted six ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae, five Canadian Hemlocks (and checking for that horrible wooly adelgid that’s wiping them out), a Hinoki Cypress, a Dwarf White Pine and and several small Junipers.
Though I will admit to having some failures in this plant group – a Hollywood Juniper that the deer destroyed, and a Dwarf Albert Spruce that apparently really hates our climate. At least they were both cheap.
Trouble in Youtubeland
This short video of my on-deck container garden seemed to load itself from my Flip camera onto my computer and then onto Youtube. Trouble is, since Google bought Youtube I’ve been locked out of my Youtube account, so I can’t do anything TO the video. Can’t rename it or write a description. Can’t even answer the comments people are nice enough to write there! My account – GardenerSusan - is still there, but after struggling for two hours to fix the access problem, which stems from the new requirement that Youtube accounts to be sync’ed with Google accounts, I’ve given up. Despite finding other people in the same boat, and trying Youtube’s suggested fixes. Sigh.
The deckful of color
On a happier note, I’m loving my colorful summer vegetables, hot petunias, sweet potato vines and other assorted annuals. Last year my veg attempts were total failures but this year I’m avoiding crops destroyed by cabbage loopers and sticking with my best performers so far – cherry tomatoes, squash, eggplant and a few herbs. (Zucchini did well for me, too. Not that that’s any accomplishment.)
The “self-watering containers” are from Gardeners Supply. Much better looking than Earthboxes, and with rollers, they’re easy to move around as needed.
These annuals came from Hort Couture: ‘Black Jack’ and ‘Smallwood Driveway’ Coleus; three ‘Panache’ Petunias; ‘Deep Navy’ Lobelia; ‘Paper Doll’ Scaevola, Ipomoea ‘Blackie’ and ‘Margarita’, and Euphorbia ‘Hip Hop’. And from C. Raker & Sons: ‘Wave Purple Improved Spreading’ and ‘Shock Coral Crush’ Petunias.
The vine you see on the privacy screen is Hardy Kiwi, which grows like Kudzu but in its 15 years here, hasn’t yet produced any fruit.
Spotted in Washington, near the National Cathedral. The perfect cottagey look of this humongous but tasteful home caused me to stop the car and snap this shot – actually two shots, stitched (badly) together. I bet the back garden is just as nice.
I recently I stopped by my absolute favorite public garden - Chanticleer – on my way to a Meet the Author event at the Rodale Institute (after repeatedly cursing the signage around Philly and needing the garden’s receptionist to talk me in over the phone). Here are a few of my favorite scenes there, starting with the Tennis Court Garden because of its history as just that.
Below is an example of how just a little bit of mowing can make a short meadow look cared for, and inviting to walk through.
Below, Primula popping up through a bed of Horsetail, which one of the gardeners warned me about. You know how it goes – once you have it, you’ll never get rid of it.
Finally, the kitchen garden, which gardener Doug Croft surrounds with red clover because the rabbits will eat it instead of the vegetables. Looks pretty, too.
Click here for more of my favorite scenes at Chanticleer and here to meet some of Chanticleer’s expert staff. All photos taken May 13, 2011.
The other day I came home to find two boxes on my front porch, which thankfully I opened right away because they contained precious cargo – free plants! The perks of garden-writing are modest, but always appreciated. So thanks to C. Raker & Sons in Michigan for this unexpected treat.
What’s (very well) packed in these yellow shipping cells? 6 Petunias ‘Wave Purple Improved Spreading’; 6 Petunias ‘Shock Coral Crush’; 6 Marigold ‘Bonanza Deep Orange’; 6 Angelonia ‘Serena Blue’; 6 Begonia ‘Gryphon’; and 6 ‘Angelwing’ Begonia.
More cool packing was revealed – each plant is growing in one of these SoilWrap Plantable Pots, which go right in the soil. Hope they work because I hate bringing home black plastic containers that I then have to figure out how to dispose of responsibly. Ugh.
They’re almost all planted now, most of them in containers, and I’ll post photos when they’re a little larger. But they’re also in borders, where I’m hoping they’ll fill in newly enlarged perennial borders that aren’t full yet. You know how it is with perennials – first year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap? So until they leap, supplementing the borders with annuals is worth a try, especially when most of them were free.
Happy Garden Blogger Bloom Day! Things are happening so fast in the garden right now, it’s nice to have an excuse to stop and look – then shoot and share.
Above you’re looking across a bed of sedum-as-lawn-replacement, with cute little muscari popping up through the sedum (S. sarmentosum). In the background are three Spirea ‘Ogons’ in fading bloom – they’re extremely early.
I grow lots of Pulmonarias, a/k/a lungwort.
And here’s another plant that’s performing extremely well in my garden – in varying amounts of shade/morning sun, and making very useful babies.
Today I paid a return visit to the White House garden and grounds and the tour was really too early this year, with very little in bloom and plenty of trees not even leafed out yet. And if I were the complaining type I’d mention that it was chilly with cloudy skies – but hey, it didn’t rain! (My spring 2010 visit is recorded here.)
So I don’t have much to show blog readers this time – except the brand-new look of Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden. According to the gardener (that would be Jim Adams) the raised beds were installed for just one reason – to level the growing area in order to stop water from running downhill. So Adams and the White House landscape architect came up with this design, which is an attempt to be organic despite the straight lines of the wood. I stopped short of asking Jim where they bought them – ha! – because naturally they have carpenters right there on the grounds. Must be nice.
Chatting with top White House Gardener Jim Adams
The White House Beehive is always photogenic, no matter the weather.
Finally, something to photograph, like these scenes from D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. I looooove the combination of gorgeous plants and gorgeous buildings.
The plants appear to be a weeping cherry top, tulips with pansies, then three star magnolias.
Wanna see why this book is winning fans AND pissing people off? The go to Kirkus’s new Blogger Network where I weigh in on a book that touches all the hot buttons in gardening today. And please support a company that supports bloggers by leaving a comment if you’re so inclined.
My article about lawns and water for Fine Homebuilding magazine is now available for free in this handy pdf: “Taking Issue” I love the way they illustrated the text and laid it out, and I even love how editor Brian Pontolilo worked his editing magic on it. He was a pleasure to work with, and that’s not something you say about everyone who takes a hatchet to your words, ya know.
e-up of one (spotted on a garden tour in D.C.) that shows how pretty and SOFT its needles are. Nothing like the prickliness of this Deodar cedar on the other side of my back garden. I love it, too, but I go out of my way to avoid being stabbed by it.
