Peonies Rule

Itoh Peony 'Bartzella'

Peonies rule in my garden at this time of the year, but only for a short time--aside from their beauty one great thing about peonies is that deer won't touch them! This year my Itoh peony 'Bartzella' is gorgeous, particularly with that touch of blue of the catmint flowers behind.

Peony 'Bartzella'

 

'Duchesse de Nemours' looks very sloppy this year--I couldn't find the grow-through wire hoop to support the flowers at the proper time, and the plant grew so fast it was too late to use it by the time I found it-- the large flowers are bending over on the ground. 

 

Peony 'Duchesse de Nemours'

'Duchesse de Nemours'

The no-name pink peony which I planted the first year here is also gorgeous, though this year's drought has made the flowers look somewhat blighted even before the buds opened.

 

Pink peony.

Pink peony in front yard.

On the other side of the house my 'dawn and dusk' combo is in bloom, but not as showy as in other years. I'd hoped to get the huge climbing rose 'New Dawn' back up on the porch pillar, but its thorns are so formidable, that for now I'll wait until late fall after the foliage has withered to try that.

 

Clematis 'Etoile Violette' with rose 'New Dawn'.

Clematis 'Etoile Violette'

As usual, the clematis seems to precede the flush of rose bloom by about a week. My 'Petal Pushers' and other roses are lagging behind, except for the red 'Double Knock Out' which I pruned back a lot in early spring, and fertilized generously.

 

Flowers in the back bed.

 

A few surprises in the back bed--which I've been watering regularly--were these native irises, known as blue flag (Iris versicolor). I'd almost forgotten they were there since they hadn't bloomed in several years, but this year they produced some lovely blossoms.

 

Blue flag (Iris versicolor)

Pink foxglove

 

I forget where these foxgloves came from--maybe they were a gift--and they're doing well under the Kousa dogwood back here. The native foxglove Pentstemon (Pentstemon digitalis) are also blooming along with the electric blue Pentstemon and a pink Gaura I planted this year. Only one of the blazing meadow stars (Liatris ligulistylis) seemed to have survived the winter, so I bought another variety, Liatris 'Kobold' to keep it company and fill the bed.

 

Electric blue Pentstemon and pink Gaura with Liatris.

Same shot, longer view with foxglove pentstemon.

I planted my anise hyssop seedlings grown from seed a few days ago, so now the remodeled west bed is complete. I added some zinnia seedlings also grown from seed to cover the browning foliage of the daffodils, but it will take some rain to get these going so they can be seen. The Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' and the ninebark 'Amber Jubilee" look so lovely in the evening sunlight!

 

Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' and ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee' in the west bed.

 

Of course, the bed will change over the course of summer when the daffodil foliage dies down and hopefully the 'Benary's Giant' zinnias take over. 

 

My left over irises blooming.

I'd abandoned these irises under the deck stairs last fall, intending to replant them somewhere or give them away, but never got around to it--it was a surprise to see them blooming even with bare roots! I guess this calls for a new iris bed to be dug sometime in the fall. I need room for more plants, as usual; the question is where?

Peonies, Roses and More

Itoh Peony 'Bartzella'

Bartzella

 

Late May is such a wonderful time of the year for flowers! Peonies, roses, clematis, azaleas, wildflowers, just about everything seems to bloom at this time of the year. After the recent rainy spell, my garden looks fabulous! That is, as long as you don't look too closely at the weedy lawn.

My peonies put on  a gorgeous show this spring: the yellow Itoh 'Bartzella'  produced seven huge, dinner-plate size blossoms. 'Duchesse de Nemours' is so heavy with blooms that even with grow-through wire supports, the recent rains broke off a few stems. The perfect excuse to cut and bring them into my house to fill a vase for sketching.

 

Peony 'Duchesse de Nemours'

'Duchesse de Nemours'

The pink peony in the front bed by the driveway was the first peony I planted in my garden, and it has been putting on a show since then. Peonies are long-lived plants, and usually bloom in greater profusion every year if they're happy in their location.

 

Pink peony in front bed.

 

Pink peony, alliums and shrub roses in bed by driveway.

Shrub rose 'Petal Pusher' with blue Fescue and yellow alliums.

 

The sunny bed by the driveway with the pink peony is fuller this year with yellow alliums, and the roses are now starting to bloom. I don't recall the tufts of blue fescue grass blooming so profusely before, they are stunning this year!

 

Red 'Double Knockout' rose by the front walk.

Ground covers by the front walk.

The red 'Double Knockout' rose by the front walk is lovely with its first flush of bloom, and will keep on blooming until the first frost, if not as profusely--I only wish it had some perfume! The rest of the ground covers and shrubs along the walk are lush too; the Persian carpet effect I wanted here is coming together nicely. The blue-green foliage of woolly thyme and Juniper contrasts nicely with the yellow-greens of the sedum 'Angelina' and a miniature golden Hinoki false cypress, and the fresh green of Greek oregano, accented with the clump of magenta pink dianthus flowers.

Clematis 'Etoile Violette'

 

My clematis 'Etoile Violette' took a beating last year when the climbing rose 'New Dawn' was blown down off the porch pillar during a storm. The rose had to be pruned back severely, which I don't think hurt it any. This year it looks as if 'New Dawn' will bloom a bit later, so the two will not coincide. I like the color combination of these three plants: the deep purple clematis with a golden Hinoki cypress and a dwarf Colorado blue spruce. 

 

East garden in the evening.

Moving along the east of the house, three Japanese maples provide shelter for shade-loving plants like the Rhododendron and two azaleas. The photo above was taken last week, the one below a few days later. The Japanese maples are a red-leaved 'Bloodgood', a full-moon maple 'Shirasawanum', and between these two, a small-leaved one I grew from a seedling found in the grounds of the office building next to the one I used to work in.

Same bed in morning light, pagoda dogwood on the left, fringe tree on the right.

'Blue Barlow' columbines with Fringe tree and Japanese maples.

 

The Virginia Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginianus) and Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) blooming at the same time with the columbines really made this area of the garden sing this year. The great blue Lobelias are spreading all over this bed, competing with the 'Blue Barlow' columbines. Later in the year the Lobelias will cover the bed with their blue spikes of flowers.

 

Dutch iris, 'Major Wheeler' honeysuckle and double flowering Quince

In the back yard, the deep blue Dutch iris sets off the honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler' while the double flowering quince continues to bloom in the long island bed. In the same bed, the elderberry 'Black Lace' and other plants bloom, waiting for the Asian lilies to make their entrance.

Clematis 'John Warren'

Elderberry (Sambucus 'Black Lace')

Pentstemon 'Electric Blue'

Foxglove Pentstemon

Last fall I transplanted one of the foxglove Pentstemons to the Herb bed and another to the back bed, where they are flourishing. Meanwhile, the Badlands shine with the same foxglove Pentstemons and the blooms of 'Coppertina,' a ninebark tree (Physocarpus opulifolium 'Coppertina).  The deer eat this shrub back every year so it doesn't seem to get any bigger, but they seem to have stopped devouring my other ninebark tree, 'Amber Jubilee' in another bed, allowing it to produce its first blooms this year.

Ninebark tree 'Coppertina'

Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee'

I'd forgotten to show you my 'Kousa' dogwood, which has more blooms this year, despite the ravages of the 17-year locusts last year.

 

'Kousa' dogwood in back bed.

I can't wait to see what marvelous new blooms the season will bring forth soon!

Frosty Morning

Full-moon Japanese maple 'Shirasawanum'.

Japanese maple

Last night the thermometer dipped into the twenties. When I got up in the morning and looked out the window, I saw that Jack Frost had painted a scene of fantastic beauty outside! Looking out over the east side of the house, the tops of the three Japanese maples shimmered in the early morning sun, making such a lovely sight, I couldn't resist going out to record it with my camera before it all vanished!

The hoarfrost had outlined every leaf and blade of grass, turning each tree and shrub into a work of art: the Japanese maples, the hollies, the grasses, even the mulch!

 

Berry Poppins hollies.

Japanese maple 'Bloodgood'

Going into the back yard, in the Little Indians bed, the 'Bartzella' peony and the purple Chrysanthemums, with the catmint behind, created a beautiful array of subdued colors and shapes.

Peony 'Bartzella' with mums.

Dried flowerheads of Swamp sunflowers.

Even the seedheads of the Swamp sunflowers were artistic, outlined with ice crystals. The Bottlebrush Buckeye tree with its yellowing leaves was a wondrous sight, as was the Beautyberry 'Early Amethyst' with its small purple berry clusters.

Bottlebrush Buckeye

Beautyberry shrub

 

The just-planted lamb's ear's furry leaves were heavily coated with ice. The Fothergilla's leaves, just starting to turn, next to the frozen aromatic asters, were another study in subtle shades.

 

Lamb's ears leaves.

Fothergilla with aromatic asters in front.

Walking around toward the west side of the house, the berries of Viburnum 'Cardinal Candy' looked like they might be special seasonal decorations. The Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' and even the fallen leaves on the grass were gorgeous!

 

Viburnum 'Cardinal Candy'

Fallen leaves

Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost'

In the front yard, the dainty leaves of the 'Princess' holly looked like another classic winter decoration. The sprigs of red barberry 'Admiral,' next to the gray-blue foliage of lavender, another work of art! I could go on, but I'm repeating myself, so I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

'Princess' holly

Barberry 'Admiral'

Diervilla 'Kodiak Black' and oat grass.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Itea 'Little Henry'