Kaseys Korner

2011 Garden Additions

I thought about titling this post "I planted what?"  or "I planted all that?"   But the more methodical side of me took over and I decided I needed a good reference point in case there was ever a reason to look back.  Something I'm trying to do less and less of but still...

The list consists only of shrubs & trees added to the garden the past spring & summer.  It was compiled out of my own curiosity ~ it seemed I planted endlessly and I wanted an accounting for my efforts.  Now that it's in black & white before me, I can't recall how I managed?  In no particular order:

(16) Boxwoods

(25) Yews

(1) Weeping Pussy Willow

(1) Columnar Serviceberry (pictured below)

(1) Double Pink Flowering Almond

(1) Dwarf Alberta Spruce

(1) Dogwood (pictured below, unknown variety ~ found without a tag, baking in the sun, on the asphalt parking lot of a big box store)

(11) Arborvitaes

(3) Endless Summer Hydrangeas

(1) Japanese Maple

(2) Rhododendrons

(1) 'Blue Girl' Holly (sporting a lone berry)

Whew.  That's it ~ maybe it's not as much as I thought?  Oh no, it's every bit of what I thought ~ my back remembers each and every one!!

All of these additions were added to create structure (and privacy) in the back garden redesign ~ maybe you remember going thru the process with me?  Countless bulbs & perennials were also planted ~ I just didn't have the patience or fortitude to create that list.

In the early days of winter (at least here) all the hard work of the past season gives me infinite hope and excitement for the 2012 gardening year ~ it's good to have something to look forward to, isn't it??!!

 

 

Hibiscus 'Powder Puff'

and the first snow of the year.  Say what???  Yep, you read that right ~ we got the first snow of the season last night and into today.  It was heavy, wet stuff that left a TON of damage in its wake since most of our trees & shrubs were still fully leafed out.  I was out throughout the night and all day today trying to knock it off the branches I could reach.  Tomorrow I'll have to assess the damage but already I hear chain saws working on the many branches down across the neighborhood.  The ground was warm ~ it was 80 degrees on Monday ~ so the pavements and streets mostly melted.  Below you can see some of the accumulation on my patio table:

At one time I measured 10" using a ruler but I'm sure there was more since it was melting the whole time.  Here's another look out the back patio door:

Isn't that crazy??  Melted concrete but piles of snow. 

Thank goodness for 'Powder Puff' Hibiscus that opened in the middle of our wintry day:

Feeling grateful I brought it indoors to overwinter, I'd considered otherwise.  It's loaded with buds:

which it also had last year but then they all fell off after coming inside??  That's why I was torn about whether to keep it or not.  I don't know what I did differently this year, I'm just happy for a bloom when everything is cold and white outside.

Makes the whole snow thing a bit easier to swallow, doesn't it?? 

Late Season blooms

Now that it's October, much of the garden is looking decidedly "past tense" but luckily not everything.  Thank goodness for late bloomers, right?!  One perennial ~ Eupatorium rugosum 'chocolate' or Chocolate Snakeroot ~ is just now peaking:

Gotta love that, right?  It opened a little too late to attract butterflies, which is why I purchased it (I haven't seen any for a couple weeks now) but it's still a beautiful late season perennial.  Those dark stems are what got it into the cart!

They should stay in bloom until our first hard frost which, sadly, could happen any time now.  You know I always hope it's later rather than sooner!

Another perennial just starting to open is ~ Helianthus maximiliani or Maximilani Sunflower:

This native prairie perennial doesn't require a lot of water which is why it came to live in my front garden.  I wish it would spread more but the five stalks that came up this year are the most since being planted three years ago.  Their height is impressive ~ two are at least eight feet tall!  It's hard to tell scale in a photo but maybe you can get the idea from the pic below:

I don't remember them waiting so late to bloom before but it's been a strange year as many of you know.

An annual that has kept me waiting is Leonotis nepetifolia 'staircase.'  Started from seed & planted in the new oval bed, the plants grew and grew, eclipsing the birdhouse tuteur long ago.  It was the end of September before a speck of color could be seen on the buds tho.

See them towering over the birdhouse??  They are so tall, they're first to catch the morning sun!  Despite their height & unique bloom structure, I'm on the fence about whether they'll be included in any future garden.  They always bloom so late (some years frosting before the buds open) I'm thinking I'd prefer something that would be in flower for a longer period of time...

The orange whirls are pretty cool tho and they provide great winter interest so who knows?  I could change my mind again by next spring!

We had our first taste of cold weather this weekend.  Blustery winds and highs Saturday in the low 40's.  Brrr...  I was busy all afternoon hauling tender plants indoors & covering others because of a freeze warning.  It didn't happen but still, better safe than sorry, right?

Now I have the difficult choice of what to try & overwinter and what to let go....  I'm playing out the odds (in my head) of keeping everything!!! 

 

 

 

the early October garden

feels more like August.  I know, I know, we're only 3 days in but with temperatures in the mid 80's it's hard to believe the calendar.  Even tho I'd rather pretend it's going to be Indian summer until December, I'm realistic enough to proceed with the season.  Mums have been added to the tall urns at the end of the yew allee:

White rope lights were also added on either side of the yew pathway to illuminate it at night.  It looks like a runway out there after dark!

Pumpkins have been scattered hither & yon:

and phase II of the back garden redesign has commenced!  The first part of this phase is adding more raised bed area to the north side of the yard.

You can see a bit of exposed soil on the right side of the above photo.  Someone besides me is excited by the excavating ~ our Lhasa, Butterball!  I caught him jumping out of the newly dug bed:

After he landed he stopped and looked at me as if to say "Who me??  I would never get in there!!"

Ha!  We know better, don't we?!!!  :-)

As you also know, the garden is full of surprises ~ today it was a primula bloom I would never have dreamed possible:

'Pubescens' blooms in spring but it's never repeated in the fall before.  I have no idea why, but beauty of this caliber is not to be questioned!

More expected are aster blooms.  Below is Novi Belgii 'Winston Churchill:'

I planted this one in the container (veggie) bed and am lovin' the raspberry pink color.

David Austins 'Abraham Darby' is beginning a third flush of blooms!  Bloom on Abe ~ it's a rose that could bloom year 'round and I'd still never tire of it:

If you grow it, you know it smells every bit as delicious as it looks.

A new plant to the garden surprised me pleasantly by blooming non-stop since mid summer ~ Gaura lindheimeri 'Passionate Rainbow:'

I didn't think it could get better until Nicotiana alata 'lime green' took off ~ the combination is really lovely.  To think when I bought it, I really didn't care if it bloomed at all ~ I just liked the foliage so much!

The end of the week is supposed to usher in a cool front and some rain.  I knew the heat couldn't last but we're trying to enjoy it as much as possible before it ends.  The garden has been such a joy this year ~ totally worth all the hard work.  The only question I ask myself is "what took so long to do it??!!"

what's a gardener to do

when temperatures hover around 100 day after day after day?? 

There is work to be done but only if the "gardener" is not adverse to major perspiration. 

The seating areas are appealing but the most pleasant time to enjoy them are early in the morning:

and late in the evening:

The sun won't be scalding then but those are prime times for the bumper crop of mosquitoes inhabiting the garden this year.  It's almost impossible to win.

Sometimes the best bet is to observe the garden from indoors and run out like a mad woman when something flits by to photograph ~ like this butterfly:

I think it's a Fritillary but I couldn't positively identify which one?  The best side view I was able to capture is the one below:

Perhaps there will be other opportunities as it seemed to be really interested in Clematis texensis 'Duchess of Albany:'

It's one of two "texensis" varieties grown here.  The other, 'gravetye beauty,' you've seen many times:

I had butterflies on the brain this spring when I planted two new Asclepias Incarnata but I have yet to see any light upon them ~ there's 'Princess:'

and 'Ice Ballet:'

It's too early to give up tho ~ I usually see the most butterflies in August and we are (too) quickly approaching that month. 

Something else occupying (worrying) me during this heat wave is an injured Robin:

He's been hanging around the garden for over a week now trying to recover from what looks like a narrow predator escape.  His left leg has to be broken (I never see him put it down), he's missing feathers including most of the tail ones (which you can tell better in the photo below:)

I'm also uncertain about his left wing (whether it's broken or not.)  I know the odds are stacked against his survival but I'm pulling for him.  I've done an online search for a rehabilitation place in my area but can't locate one ~ what would you do??? 

 

 

birdhouse tuteur

Today a little update on the re-designed back garden.  Remember the tuteur that was placed in the new oval bed?  (it originally had a pointed top)  I recently replaced the "point" with a birdhouse:

You'll have to tell me what you think ~ I like it better but perhaps everyone does not?  I think it's my weakness for garden ornamentation that makes it more appealing??  It's practical too ~ with the birdhouse on top it's like getting two for the price of one ~ a birdhouse & a tuteur!!  Here's a slightly longer look:

Mostly included because of the robin in the center of the photo (the gray/black blob) and the first year male Bullocks oriole on top of the arbor.  The summer garden is never without either so they absolutely deserve a place on this blog.

Both the grape jelly feeder (conspicuous by its copper top in the previous photo) and the sugar water feeder above are used almost continuously.  It keeps me busy ensuring they never run empty but I don't mind the extra effort.  It's worth it , most especially to have the orioles in such abundance.

Swiveling to the right, a shot of the red/yellow container:

The contents include one each of Lysimachia congestiflora 'Outback Sunset,' Fuchsia 'Autumnale,' Geranium 'Mrs. Pollock' and 4 tomato red petunias.   I'm really liking the combination because of how it brightens the partly shaded area where it's placed.  

Out front, Filipendula rubra 'venusta' is in full bloom. 

I was out at sunset the other evening trying to capture the tall, airy blooms when I accidentally captured this:

The gold circles were a result of the setting sun thru the oak leaf openings.  Isn't it dramatic?

I raised up slightly which switched the circles to a position above the Filipendula blooms:

Still pretty fantastic, wouldn't you agree?  and most completely a fortuitous stroke of luck. 

I've been staying busy pruning.  I feel like that's all I've done for several weeks now.  Over the weekend tho, I vowed to be done (at least for now.)  It's time to relax a little and enjoy all the efforts that have been put into the new design.  Think I can do it????

June in the garden

is easily the greenest, most luxuriant, brimming with potential-new life-blooms month of the year (at least in Colorado).  Every day contains the makings of a new adventure ~ no wonder it's my favorite month.  Warm enough to know it's summer but early enough in the season to think fall is far away along with school schedules and everything else structured. 

This June I'm the happiest I've been with my garden in a very long time.  Even tho it's a long way from finished, undertaking the back yard makeover has made all the difference.  When I look out the kitchen window at the new beds and yew pathway, I never fail to smile.  That's when you know you're on the right track, right? 

Last night we experienced a torrential thunderstorm with swirling clouds, lightening, thunder, the whole nine yards.  We were under a severe storm threat for most of the night which was pretty scary as many of you have experienced first hand.  This morning tho, all the rain plus lingering overcast skies made for great conditions to take some updated garden photos.  Among the changes you'll notice ~ the raised bed has been stained "Shipmate Blue:"

I'm still deciding whether I like it or not???  The other option is to go back for the "periwinkle" color??  It was stained a week ago and it's still not sitting totally well with me so I think I know my answer...  One minor detail adding to the confusion is the fact I applied the stain a bit heavy-handedly (oops) so maybe I'm to blame for the indecisiveness? 

Moving along & adjusting positions to stand on the patio & look thru the arbor, you can see a lot more growth since a month ago (when I first shared the makeover).  The honeysuckle vine on the left side of the arbor is covered with blooms now and the pink shrub roses are beginning to bloom on the right:

In the back of the photo, to the right of the green tuteur, I've started an oval shaped bed.  There are yews planted in the front but the taller shrub is a columnar Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia 'Obelisk').  Not very visible, in front of the Serviceberry, is a double pink flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena'.)  I'm very happy to have found both shrubs ~ I think they're going to be great additions to the garden especially when they're blooming next spring.

Before we view another area of the garden, another angle of the arbor, this time from inside the house ~ taken while standing at the kitchen window:

It looks so "thick" from this angle ~ exactly the look I want!  I have white & purple cup & saucer vine seeds (Cobaea scandens) started to climb the bare side of the arbor.  If all goes well, by the end of summer, the wood won't even be visible!  It's amazing how hidden the antique bird feeder is already (at the very bottom of the photo), so different from during the winter months.

Turning in the opposite direction of the arbor, the bed along the back of the house is undergoing a small makeover as well.  Why not tackle the whole yard at once, right?!!   I've been on such a roll and even tho my body complains incessantly, I can't seem to stop myself.  I think it's the awareness that next year I may not feel motivated at all ~ so my philosophy has been to "attack while the getting is good!" 

This area has been covered with low growing evergreens since I moved in ten years ago.  As you can see, last winter they suffered significant dieback ~ I'm blaming the dry winter with some extreme cold temperatures.  My dreams for the garden include french doors (where the window is) leading into a glass conservatory.  I don't know when that dream can be realized so in the meantime, in order to improve its appearance, I've been slowly removing the evergreens.  I'll replant with small shrubs that can be moved along the sides of the conservatory if/when funds allow for that to happen.

In another part of the garden entirely (one I don't think I've shared recently) a couple of the original "Endless Summer" hydrangeas have been planted:

We'll see how they fare there.  I'm a little skeptical but optimistic at the same time (if that's possible).

Finally, just because it's pretty ~ a little section of the front bed:

Who knew such a compilation of colors, forms & plants could be so attractive?   My style is to plant and hope for the best.  I can't claim any gardening design skills so it's always a bonus when it looks good! 

back garden makeover begins

It's been a long time coming.  I've procrastinated.  I've debated.  I've mulled over various possibilities.  Then this winter, while staring out the kitchen window ~ wishing I could see anything but brown, it hit me.  The makeover had to include more evergreens.  There HAD to be winter color.  And more "hardscape."  Something to provide interest to keep the gardener motivated throughout the long winter months.

Finally, with that vision in mind, this spring phase one began.  Here's a peek of the progress from several weeks ago:

The work is being done in phases because I'm doing it alone and my back needs resting. 

To date, grass has been dug out, more flagstone pavers were brought in (to outline the half moon bed), a yew "allee" was dug and planted.  So far, the renovations have garnered instant approval from Butterball, the gardens resident overseer:

For now the half moon bed contains only boxwoods, the weeping pussy willow (purchased earlier this spring), a rose pillar and four solar lights (thank you again Dana).  I am trying to be very thoughtful about future additions.

The raised container in the background will be stained ~ I'm thinking blue????

I'm tired.  but happy.  and I'm excited for part two to begin.  My back not so much.  We'll see how long it takes to recuperate.  One other project is underway in the back garden as well.  That one should be completed very soon and I'll absolutely share the results with you.  Today has been a great day to rest ~ rainy and cool (39 degrees). 

Now you know one reason I've been absent from the blog so much this spring....

basking in the Dec sun

I've been away from the blog for a while now.  I hate to tell everyone, who might be freezing in the cold temperatures elsewhere, that it's been hard to stay inside because of our unusually warm December days (in the 60's!!!)  I'm sure it will all come crashing down on us soon but for now, I'm enjoying every second we get.  This time last year we had been buried in snow for two months!  Anyway, I've been outside, in my capri's, watering the garden, raking, planting some last minute bulbs, etc.  The pond was put to bed (covered with the solar panels) a month ago:

But it still looks very much like this photo today (no snow cover!)  Yay.  I'm the happiest girl on the planet right now.  Yesterday I checked the water temperature and it was nearly 50 degrees!  Those panels may not be attractive but they sure work. 

While I was bent down retrieving the thermometer, I saw some bulbs poking up:

I think this one might be a spanish bluebell?  Whatever, I don't know what they are doing up now???  Maybe the warm weather has tricked them?

The other thing that has kept me away (and busy) is preparing for my annual cookie exchange.  This tower of "Buck-eyes" was duplicated again last night:

and totally gone today!  Now that the party is over, I need to get serious about some shopping and cards (if I indeed send any). 

At least the house is decorated and temperatures are supposed to return to seasonal by Thursday ~ maybe that will get me back indoors!

frost garden

that's what I woke up to this morning.  A magical frosted fairyland.  It beckoned even me (who abhors the cold ~ as you well know) to come outside and capture the sugar coated scenes.  Since I can never hoard them for myself, I share with you the images from that most unusual foray.

The antique bird feeder shimmering in the early morning light:

Glistening rose hips touched by the first rays of sun:

One of two obelisks that begged to be photographed:

followed by the second:

With a very chilled dragonfly sundial on their heels:

An irresistible combo ~ crystallized fern & hellebore leaves:

and finally the Fleur-de-lis gate:

There was more, of course, but for hardier souls than I. No second chances with frost either.  The window of opportunity is fleeting and once I warmed again, the moment had already passed.

The clouds lifted, the skies cleared and the frost began to melt.   

The magic recedes and the garden returns to its familiar cloak of browns & greens.