Straight-Out-of-the-Camera Sunday June 30, 2013

For Straight Out of the Camera Sunday, join other bloggers on Gemma's site.

Straight out of the garden for the Fourth of July-

-Hannah

Wildflower Wednesday June, 2013

Welcome to my Wildflower Wednesday post, to view more wildflowers join hostess Gail at Clay and Limestone where she is featuring Bottlebrush grass.   This month I am featuring Tellima grandflora, Bigflower Tellima or Fringecup.   It grows wild in my yard and seeds itself around nonchalantly.   It is in the Saxifrage family, related to Heucheras, Tolmiea (Piggyback Plant), and Mitella (Mitrewort).  It is found from Alaska to California, and in Washington is found mostly on the west side of the Cascades.

A close look at the flowers reveals why it is called Fringecup, the flowers have a top-shaped calyx with white to pink finely divided petals making a folded-back fringe around the edge.

The leaves are roughly heart-shaped and form an evergreen basal clump in milder climates.

The plant is tolerant of wet soil and seasonal flooding, and likes to grow on streambanks and in ditches, so is useful in shady areas with poor drainage.  It is somewhat drought tolerant, but likes soil with humus.

It can be used in a border, where the 2' tall flower spikes can attract hummingbirds.  It likes some shade and doesn't like full sun.  It starts blooming in mid April, and the flowers eventually turn brown, at which time the stalks can be removed.  Seed should be sown immediately when ripe.

It is supposed to be fragrant, but I haven't noticed a scent.  This is a cute and useful native plant, adaptable to gardens.  In the right conditions it can form large colonies.

-Hannah

Macro Monday June 25, 2013

Hi, welcome to my Macro Monday 2 post, hosted by Gemma, to see more macro posts click on the link.  

Hardy Geranium x 'Philippe Vapelle'

Macros make the world go round.    -Hannah

Monday Mellow Yellows June 24, 2013

Hi welcome to my Monday Mellow Yellows post.  http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/in-cockatoo-days.html

This is a ruffly yellow daylily, which opens nice and flat-

The yellow buttercup flowers are the scourge of my garden, they spread like wildfire and the runners root at the nodes.   But the petals have a slick shiny look.   With some Lady's Mantle-

Happy Monday!    -Hannah

Propagation Technique- Root Cuttings

I tried a new propagation technique this year, root cuttings.  I had some Anemone japonica and tomentosa that had been given to me, and appreciated their exuberant bloom every fall, part of my GBBD post last September, when a lot of perennials had given up, so I thought I could use more in other areas of the garden.   They also spread to make nice clumps.

I've spread Anemone nemorosa around many beds from just a few of the tubers/rhizomes, and found them very easy to dig and spread in late summer, since they are ephemeral and go dormant below ground when the dry season begins in July, until late winter when they wake up and spread like wildfire.   But Anemone japonica/tomentosa require a different technique.   I found a good website about taking root cuttings, and dug a few clumps in March, then transplanted the main stems with roots to various places around the garden, and cut 2-3" pieces of root and put them horizontally in the top of some 4" pots in potting soil, peat moss, and perlite, my standard transplanting mix, and covered 1/2" deep, which I then kept on my east-facing concrete porch, which moderates the temperature in winter, acting like a heat sink.  For a long time I didn't see any results, but tiny plants began to emerge, and here they are now-

Also in front are a couple of rose cuttings I made last fall that rooted from Madame Plantier, a most exuberant OGR that I obtained from a rooted cutting myself.  It was the only one of 6 roses that survived the rooting process, which included using dry powdered rooting hormone and a plastic tent with occasional misting.

But, back to the Anemones, I will try to get them planted out, like most of my other plant starts, in the next couple of weeks before we start getting hotter and drier weather, and hope they will grow.

Here is a list from the above website of other perennials also amenable to root cutting propagation-

"Here's a list of perennials that are suitable for propagation by root cuttings:
Acanthus, Anchusa, Anemone japonica and A. tomentosa, Catananche, Crambe, Eryngium, lardia, some Geraniums, Papaver orientale, Phlox paniculata, Pulmonaria, Pulsatilla, Stokesia, Symphytum, and Verbascum."

Some of these like Symphytum I just divide in spring, Pulmonarias and some hardy Geraniums self-sow well, others I haven't grown or tried out yet.  

They do need a moderately cold place to root, like a cold greenhouse, cold frame, or my front porch.

Spring is almost over, so Happy Summer!   -Hannah

Foliage Follow-Up June 2013

Hi, welcome to my Foliage Follow-Up post, click on the link to see more posts on Digging, hosted by Pam.    Here are a few variegated shrubs-


Morus alba 'Paper Dolls' which is very small still after several years and has shown no indication of trying to fruit, but has had some reverted green branches that had to be removed-

Lonicera nitida 'Lemon Beauty', which is more diminutive that the other nitida's.

And the large-leaved large shrub Elaeagnus ebbingei 'Gilt Edge',

Variegated plants have a special appeal to me, I hope you like them too.  -Hannah

Macro Monday 2, June 17,2013

Hi, welcome to my first Macro Monday 2 post.   Click the link to see more macro photography.

A hardy Geranium into fancy line patterns, and a great reseeder-

A Hypericum calycinoides explodes-

A pansy intent on guiding in the bees, but managing to look scary, though smelling sweet-

It's a macro world after all.  -Hannah

Monday Mellow Yellow June 17, 2013

Hi, this post is for Monday Mellow Yellow, click on the link to see other posts.  An explosive photo of Hypericum calycinum-

So many buds this year-

And the Citron Daylily, Hemerocallis citrina, which blooms earlier than other Daylilies, and has a delightful citrus scent as well-

May your Monday be Mellow- Hannah

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day June 2013

Welcome to another GBBD!  Join Hostess Carol of May Dreams Gardens and gardeners from around the world for What's Blooming Now.  Lots of flowers are blooming now, but the eye candy of my June garden would have to be the roses.  First to bloom for me nearly every year is the thornless climber, Zephirine Drouhin Bourbon rose-

We had a very dry April, which is not typical, then lots of rain in May, and ZD was unaffected, but another climber reacted by the unopened outer petals becoming glued onto the inner ones so they couldn't open.  So sorry, Reve d'Or Noisette or Tea rose-

Crepuscule, meaning sunset or twilight in French, didn't have that problem either and is gloriously in bloom.

Fading to pink, like lots of roses-

The deep red of Dublin Bay is even more impressive when I see how long the individual roses last on the plant.  The blackened edges result from rain damage.

Champney's Pink Cluster is very exuberant on a trellis, but does get blowzy rather fast.  My red honeysuckle has grown up through her to the top, I hope the hummingbirds are happy but I haven't seen any yet.

Ghislaine de Feligonde is a Hybrid Musk or Rambler, a very tough rose that is surviving on my bank, and slowly getting bigger.

The sensational large apricot blooms of Apricot Nectar never fail to impress, here a little washed out-

Better color photo-

Hybrid Musks can keep blooming most of the summer.  Felicia took a long time to get bigger, but now is blooming well-

Cornelia has fuller rich pink flowers, on the left, Felicia has faded on the right-

Many people will grow other once-blooming flowers but shy away from the once-blooming Old Garden Roses (OGRs) but they are truly spectacular when they are in bloom.   My one with the most presence is Madame Hardy, unfortunately people keep running our trailer into her supports and she fell down and can't get up, but is magnificent anyways-

Some OGR's have incredibly full flowers that open flat, such as the Gallicas.  Something I enjoy about them that could be a nuisance is that they don't just sit there, they sucker, so if you want a rose that can really fill in, these will.  The suckers are easy to dig and move around to other areas, too.

Here is a vase containing from bottom Right going clockwise, white blush Leda Damask rose; Belle de Crecy Gallica; Tuscany Superb Gallica; Baronne Prevost Hybrid Perpetual- perhaps the most highly fragrant rose I grow; Excellenz von Schubert early blooming Polyantha- small flowers in abundant clusters, they started much earlier so have peaked-

Rosa Mundi is a variegated sport of the Apothecary Rose, used medicinally in Medieval times.  I have made salve with the roses, comfrey, and Rosemary, which has a delightful rose scent and is quite healing.

To see more photos of my variegated roses, including some mini's, click here.

Finally, a few ground cover roses.  One that spreads well and blooms profusely is Sea Foam-

A full flat pink, The Faun-

A blazing red, Red Ribbons-

And Lavender Dream-

Clematis Candy Cane-

Clematis 'Venosa Violacea'-

And Clematis 'Niobe', earliest to bloom-

Spring is nearly over, I will be sad when the days start getting shorter again, but the fruits and vegetables will be getting ripe, at least.  Love those long days....

-Hannah

Monday Mellow Yellows June 10, 2013

Hi, welcome to my first Monday Mellow Yellows post, click link to see other posts.  Tulipa batalini 'Bright Gem' and Limnanthes douglasii.  

-Hannah