After seeking input last year on getting my Pink Simplicity roses to bloom better, I decided to do two things this year: Give them a lot more water. I’ve been putting a soaker hose on them for an hour or two once a week, sometimes skipping a week, but trying for once a week. I’ve…
These pink flowers are Lavatera tauricensis (see an earlier post with info about the name being in doubt). I transplanted them to this backyard flowerbed in spring 2007, I think. Now that they’re established, they’ve grown well and are flowering like crazy. I love this plant, because it keeps flowering all summer long, even when…
Siberian Iris and Dianthus grationapolitanus, both from June. This Dianthus is a very small and slow to grow. I’ve lost a bunch of them and only have a few left. Salvia nemorosa ‘East Friesland’ and Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue.’ The salvia is awesome and will rebloom repeatedly when cut back. The geranium probably needs to be…
One of the things I love about my Ruby Meidiland roses is that they bloom profusely right around the Fourth of July. They make a nice foreground to the flag that hangs on my house behind them. You can’t see the flag in this photo, because it was taken on June 29th, but the blooms…
Just look at this Larkspur — doesn’t it seem to have an iridescent shine to you? And it’s so BLUE! It’s tough to find real blues in flowers. I admit this looks just a little more purple in real life, but this photo was not “photoshopped” or adjusted in any way (besides resizing). It does…
My ‘Ville de Lyon’ Clematis has now been in the ground for four years, and it’s true that they are slow to establish. The one on the other side of the arbor finally died all the way this year. Previously, it was only “mostly dead” (wasn’t that a line from The Princess Bride?). But this…
This is Rosa ‘Nearly Wild’ – a very cool small rose that I planted up among my aspen trees. This one is only about 18″ tall, and it’s been in the ground for two years now. These photos were taken on June 22nd, when it was in full bloom. Its blooms have faded now, but…
When I pruned my Blue Arctic Willow this spring, I took some of the branches and stuck them in a bucket of water. They root very easily. I have asked a few neighbors if they want some of these starts, but no takers so far. I think they’re a cool shrub. I’ll plant several of…