Along Came a Spiderwort
Now comes mid-June, and the garden is still in something of a blue period, tranquil and calm – at least in the sunny front area.
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Notes from a wildlife-friendly cottage garden
Rose Report 2016
June is the month of roses at Garden in a City. Most notably, the shrub rose ‘Sally Holmes’ is having far and away her best year ever in the back garden.
I have never seen her with so many flowers. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because I used chicken wire to keep the rabbits from chewing her down to the ground over the winter. The only pampering I give ‘Sally’ is a generous annual helping of compost.
As with every year, the shiny dark green foliage is entirely clean, free from black spot and other rose scourges. And all this in only part sun.
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For the Weeds Will Always Be With You
Does anyone remember a series of Dr. Who episodes called “The Seeds of Doom”?
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Blue June
By the first week of June our garden has taken on a more tranquil character. The orange, red, and yellow exuberance of the tulips, narcissi, and poppies has spent itself. Now the garden is full of the bulky greens of summer-blooming plants not yet ready to put on their show.
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Poppies are Popular With Me
This May was the first time I had genuine Poppies (Papaver) blooming in our garden.
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The Unbearable Lateness of Planting
It’s so easy to plant too early. The warm sun shines for a couple of days in a row and it can take great restraint not to rush out and plant tomatoes, basil, Caladiums, and other tender garden delights. Big box stores and some garden centers encourage such rashness with tempting displays of plants with no word of warning that they have no business going out into the still chilled soil.
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Oh, My Darling Columbine
The Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) was looking mighty fine last weekend. I really have nothing new to say about this plant. Just: isn’t it marvelous?
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Spring Onions
There are three patches of spring-blooming ornamental onions, or Alliums, in our garden.
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May Foliage
Let’s face it, flowers are superior to foliage. This is especially true in May, when some gardeners (I’m not naming names) can be driven into ecstasies by masses of colorful tulips and other spring flowers. However, this does not mean that foliage should be ignored at this or any time of year.
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Late Return
For the gardener, spring is about plants returning to active growth from their winter dormancy. The earliest plants to do so inspire a special jolt of happiness.
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