Tag: Wild Columbine
Bloom Day for May
Tomorrow is Bloom Day, a chance for us to give a monthly overview of everything in flower in their gardens. Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by May Dreams Gardens, where you can find a link to Bloom Day posts from around the world.
Signs of Life in the Garden
March has been such a tease. February was so mild I began to suspect that Chicago had been magically transported to a more southern latitude, but then March brought us back to reality with a snowstorm. Then the snow melted. However, every time I was tempted to feel a little comfort and joy in the …
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?
Let Me Tell You ’bout the Buds and the Leaves …
In early spring I spend a lot of time staring at the ground. Of course, I’m looking for the first flowers. But I’m also looking for the new foliage that proves a plant has broken out of winter dormancy.
The More Things Change (in The Garden), The More Fun I’m Having
Many of us have entered the season during which we gardening mostly in our heads. We are thinking about what plants to add, move, or replace. We are poring over old garden books and catalogs (the 2016 catalogs have yet to arrive, but the 2015 issues sit in a convenient pile by my side of …
Sic Transit Aquilegia
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 …
The Flowers of Mid-June
It’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day again, so let’s see which flowers are strutting their stuff at the Garden in a City. This is a great year for Salvia in our garden. Salvia nemerosa ‘May Night’ and ‘East Friesland’, along with S. x sylvestris ‘Blue Hill’ are making a long patch of mixed deep and light …
Blue Blooms Smiling At Me
We are now in that transitional stage between the spring and summer flowers. Lots and lots of foliage and buds, and lots of green. Beyond green, it seems that the dominant color right now is blue. This is not due to any planning on my part, it just worked out that way. The King of …
Weekend Notes from the Front Garden
Does a late spring mean shorter plants? For example, consider my golden Alexander (Zizia aurea). Normally I have to cut this perennial back in mid-May and even then it requires some staking. Supposedly it grows to only 3′ but in my garden borders it easily surpasses 4′. This year, however, Alex seems to be topping …
GBFD: September Foliage and Fruit
The colors of autumn are only starting to settle in here in Chicago. Grasses often have more of a fall look than does the foliage or flowering perennials. The ‘Northwind’ Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) are displaying their airy panicles, though the leaves are still blue-green. The ‘Northwind’ Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) are displaying their airy panicles. …
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