In our garden high summer comes in a very literal way, with the first blooms of some very tall plants. My favorite among these are the Cup Plants (Silphium perfoliatum), which grows eight to ten feet tall. Their height gives Cup Plant a certain majesty combined with a gangly, awkward beauty. They are the Abraham …
Finally! Our wet, cooler weather has delayed some of the excitement of summer in the garden, but as of today things are moving along. Just yesterday the ‘Eye-yi-yi’ Daylilies (Hemorocallis) in the Driveway Border started bursting into bloom. Here they are with Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Too much orange? Have I mentioned I really like orange …
Based in southeast Minnesota, Prairie Moon Nursery is certainly one of the best known growers of native Midwestern plants and seeds, selling to both the retail and commercial markets. (Full disclosure: I am a frequent and unrestrained customer.) Bill Carter, the current President of Prairie Moon, was nice enough to respond to written interview questions. …
Back in early May I launched a contest to name the new border I have planted in the parkway where a maple recently died, creating a new sunny spot. Well, I am pleased to announce that we have a winner … the Lamppost Border, submitted by Sunil of Sunil’s Garden. Congratulations, Sunil! As promised, you …
Tomorrow is Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, when bloggers around the world share pictures of the flowers in their gardens. In our garden things are a bit on the quiet side. The excitement of the spring blooms has passed, and the hot yellows and oranges of summer are yet to be. But there are still flowers to …
Here is a view of the entrance to the back garden, taken last Saturday. This is the time when the Celandine Poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum) are finishing their bloom season but the Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) is hitting its stride. These two plants dominate the ground level in the beds inside the wooden gate. Wild Geranium …
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), native to eastern and central North America, is another of my favorite flowers of late spring. As someone once said, “Columbine are like candy, you can never have too much.” Wild Columbine flowers dangle like red and yellow chandeliers. The ferny blue-green foliage is attractive all year; even when the leaf …
Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! For those of you who don’t know, GBBD occurs on the 15th of every month, giving garden bloggers everywhere an opportunity to show off their best blooms of the moment. It is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. The timing of May’s GBBD is very fortuitous as it occurs …
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are a widely loved wildflower. One of its best companions, however, is not so widely loved. I speak of Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), which is peaking in my garden along with the Bluebells even as I write this. These plants perfect for each other. There are the simultaneously blooming flowers – …
All my beds and borders have names, though most are rather pedestrian. There’s the Sidewalk Border, the Driveway Border, the Patio Border, etc. The most evocative name I’ve come up with is the Left Bank Border, for the area north of the ‘Donald Wyman’ crabapple on the far side of the driveway. Now I have …
gardeninacity 