tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19032713860702230452024-02-19T11:11:38.979-05:00My City GardenA suburban-sized flower garden in a city-sized yard.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-67410183289575259902017-05-31T15:38:00.001-04:002017-05-31T15:38:20.667-04:00What's your type?I seem to have a type of spring-blooming flower. I wasn't intentional about this when I've planted over the years, but seeing them all together makes me so happy. See if you can guess by the photos below:<br />
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The bees seem to like them, too.<br />
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Do you have a type of spring-blooming flower?<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-66858969063418353182017-04-23T15:56:00.004-04:002017-04-23T15:56:58.809-04:00This is AprilI'm starting to sound like a broken record - strange weather this winter meant strange bloom times for the garden. I'm afraid that this is the new normal.<br />
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My creeping phlox started blooming the last week of March. It usually blooms in May.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April 10</td></tr>
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February was warm this year and then March was cold. Some of my tulips and daffodils that had buds on them when the cold weather hit came out a little wonky.<br />
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But these late-blooming daffodils made it and look lovely.<br />
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My eastern redbud, also known as the slowest developing tree in Philadelphia, had more blooms on it this year. Last year it had four. This year half of the tree was covered. I'm hopeful that next year we'll see the whole tree in bloom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April 12</td></tr>
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One of my peonies is already ready to bloom.<br />
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My zizia aurea is blooming for the first time.<br />
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I was certain my lilac bush was not blooming this year because of the warm-cold-warm cycle. It budded in late February/early March and has not done anything since then. Today, I noticed one of the buds opened so I think all systems are go.<br />
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I love spring, but I'm not pleased with the drama that keeps coming with it. I'm looking forward to the more stable days of May.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-261899124092794652017-03-08T10:20:00.002-05:002017-03-08T10:21:21.048-05:00The anxiety of early bloomsFebruary 2017 was warm. We had about ten days where the temperatures were in the high 60s to 70s (our average historical temperature in Philadelphia is 44 degrees). Cherry trees erupted in blooms and I saw a dogwood already flowering by my bus stop. Bulbs got the go-ahead to erupt out of the ground and some started to bloom. Up and down my block, daffodils burst into flower last weekend.<br />
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I had a few early bloomers. I watched them carefully, and was then dismayed when they all (including the hundreds in other neighbors' yards) flopped over after one cold night. I kept expecting them to right themselves but they haven't yet. So, I cut mine and brought them indoors. <br />
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There are many more that are thisclose to blooming. With freezing temperatures and snow/rain forecast for the weekend, I want to run out and protect them. If the internet is right, though, they should be okay on their own. I hope. <br />
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Do you have anything blooming now that is really early for your garden?Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-24818967042817290262017-02-23T12:22:00.006-05:002017-02-23T12:22:48.273-05:00The first crocus of 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In what is becoming an annual tradition, I'm recording the first crocus bloom of the year. I noticed this on Monday. It's roughly the same time the first one appeared last year, and a month earlier than the first crocus of 2015. </div>
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It would be nice if this weather stuck around, but I'm sure we'll have freezing rain, hail, and diving temps again during a fickle spring. I'm also worried about the pest population this year, as it hasn't really been cold enough to kill the bad guys. </div>
<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-553585067039204162017-01-21T12:10:00.003-05:002017-01-21T12:10:50.190-05:00Trying to get my groove back2016, I wasn't sorry to see you go. It was a tough year for many, myself included, and for a variety of reasons. I started a hundred blog posts in my head and never put any of them to <strike>paper </strike>the keyboard. I still puttered in the garden but not as much. I made a thousand excuses for why I'd rather sit inside and play on my virtual farm game (seriously).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RJqcL5AOpOXjB_1UylupAg8VoKpq3n3LU1CeM41NiuhMKrs474BPvpbXiHhZfA5wWXSi9RiW14uWK2w1NHW6EkmFxQV-0D20BXLd1IO617U_mhWyuT0YkuoxmB1Qdlqq6OHXnDwm3Usb/s1600/29624958861_e588615541_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RJqcL5AOpOXjB_1UylupAg8VoKpq3n3LU1CeM41NiuhMKrs474BPvpbXiHhZfA5wWXSi9RiW14uWK2w1NHW6EkmFxQV-0D20BXLd1IO617U_mhWyuT0YkuoxmB1Qdlqq6OHXnDwm3Usb/s640/29624958861_e588615541_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I lost "it". I lost a lot of the joy I get from gardening.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcxvsni_gNq2z4r2mpDTV4CyRQy62sxAI1jVJW35-NF5kEvii8RwQbJc53wXLbtUr5YZ3E15KVdg3kYppj6Bjh7BvgntrNq1Ndpb6OJNdYHTjtPcjgTuUbkja6kIqlCpexB3MlVYMWv1Z/s1600/29954026792_b6fdfabc17_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcxvsni_gNq2z4r2mpDTV4CyRQy62sxAI1jVJW35-NF5kEvii8RwQbJc53wXLbtUr5YZ3E15KVdg3kYppj6Bjh7BvgntrNq1Ndpb6OJNdYHTjtPcjgTuUbkja6kIqlCpexB3MlVYMWv1Z/s640/29954026792_b6fdfabc17_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I saw weeds and felt humidity and was annoyed that the garden is not the way I want it to look in my head, and yet I didn't want to put the work in to make it that way.<br />
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And yet, the garden does what it does. Flowers keep blooming, plants keep growing. It's amazing, really. You don't feel like doing much and yet you're rewarded by so much beauty.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3YEhqc_uaZi9UybL4VqyvWsbGDdPZLADh16hmwR-xTm-vhUXVybFg_5WZgUAvrUaDyU_cbQiNxZBL1r5YWU5rt5qgNc38gcYG_crDN64kcuva1ZS1r9T_i0ou6Jy0aLv7Yux2Kv0qG3E/s1600/32063820450_e16cf50b1c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3YEhqc_uaZi9UybL4VqyvWsbGDdPZLADh16hmwR-xTm-vhUXVybFg_5WZgUAvrUaDyU_cbQiNxZBL1r5YWU5rt5qgNc38gcYG_crDN64kcuva1ZS1r9T_i0ou6Jy0aLv7Yux2Kv0qG3E/s640/32063820450_e16cf50b1c_o.jpg" width="624" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one spot I was really happy with all year, and I didn't even really plan this. </td></tr>
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There are always lessons to be learned for a control freak like me. Gardening is an exercise in patience and letting go, as so often things don't go as planned. But it's often the unplanned that is the most rewarding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeX5uCntWMuRnQ3oHDJzn2xp85oDug6c2X6hY5vPGMSQ5FQE8jzFZ1e56DaBgr854Fk4G2srRilhp0idRpFsfUHSjBdU9hQj6iF6P-R-HgtE1WT6W2At1SgeycS6YsVb0h-FooaMQSah_/s1600/30050236655_b11fd5e50c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeX5uCntWMuRnQ3oHDJzn2xp85oDug6c2X6hY5vPGMSQ5FQE8jzFZ1e56DaBgr854Fk4G2srRilhp0idRpFsfUHSjBdU9hQj6iF6P-R-HgtE1WT6W2At1SgeycS6YsVb0h-FooaMQSah_/s640/30050236655_b11fd5e50c_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also unplanned, but I love this color combination!</td></tr>
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<br />I'll sit here in the winter and plan for spring. I'll order my seeds, get inspiration from magazines and blogs, and try to make a plan, though I know that so much in 2017 will not go as planned, even outside my garden. Most of all, I want to get my groove back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju03ftNeGMfascYYSDMxYBRVO0cuUcocjgxdF9R3u-bs7ObUVP_euZ8TJ3VeyMdaR1AdFW8Cu6kpuCHHO3ryAwvKvP68m8DRxVxd16C23D9K_mBx8L_oAFkpoo941pr-9u7UJCWU5yKpEh/s1600/30183309694_080df5f1e7_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju03ftNeGMfascYYSDMxYBRVO0cuUcocjgxdF9R3u-bs7ObUVP_euZ8TJ3VeyMdaR1AdFW8Cu6kpuCHHO3ryAwvKvP68m8DRxVxd16C23D9K_mBx8L_oAFkpoo941pr-9u7UJCWU5yKpEh/s640/30183309694_080df5f1e7_o.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers still blooming in November</td></tr>
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-85358011720714584152016-07-04T15:50:00.005-04:002016-07-04T15:50:59.270-04:00Early summer on the PharmTwo years ago, I ripped up some of the grass in my front yard to create a front yard vegetable garden (aka, "The Pharm"). I had some good successes with the plants (see <a href="http://phillygarden.blogspot.com/2014/07/welcome-to-pharm.html" target="_blank">this post</a>) but couldn't really conceptualize a design.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51QMT3GrnKwe0hjhGyu6z6hSF4i9qshOZKOVMjqectDGU4inZeZjqvE99S87kM4UTPsuEX3s6gKElyMALHwhpoY3Oc0kEIkhs5cb2D06UjO0mYyupQqHxzyw8kc9iMbIVHVIuUjAKNX84/s1600/blogger-image-74896531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51QMT3GrnKwe0hjhGyu6z6hSF4i9qshOZKOVMjqectDGU4inZeZjqvE99S87kM4UTPsuEX3s6gKElyMALHwhpoY3Oc0kEIkhs5cb2D06UjO0mYyupQqHxzyw8kc9iMbIVHVIuUjAKNX84/s400/blogger-image-74896531.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden in early spring 2014</td></tr>
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This winter, after my dead tree and very-much-alive forsythia were chopped down, I had a blank slate. After years of debating, thinking, and not making a decision, I just drew a line in the dirt with a stick and voila! I had my layout.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpie-hJjGHf-v4DKb8FrmM37Wh82CdQkpOb3ylHC5tvlZShmvfqKOUpJHwcLLGI4EfABpUGgidJae2rhGMzLaVKa0FdVOKc8B34UDeT39nGHjyxsbqSnn81GcOCdELYBjrIzSELxRdYjzS/s1600/IMG_5414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpie-hJjGHf-v4DKb8FrmM37Wh82CdQkpOb3ylHC5tvlZShmvfqKOUpJHwcLLGI4EfABpUGgidJae2rhGMzLaVKa0FdVOKc8B34UDeT39nGHjyxsbqSnn81GcOCdELYBjrIzSELxRdYjzS/s640/IMG_5414.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden in early summer 2015</td></tr>
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(For reference: The sidewalk and street are at the top of the photo above. Dr. Neighbor's driveway is to the right.)<br />
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When I was starting my seeds in early spring, I had visions of abundance. I'd donate to the local food pantry! I'd eat super local! I'd have fresh tomatoes all day, every day! My tomato seedlings were SO big (the cherry tomatoes in particular) that I planted them outside the last week of April. My grow lights simply couldn't accommodate them any more. While I was at it, I also planted my zucchini and butternut squash seedlings outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcniHNXu00oY1uZcLwu-UJR2ZHPmtVqugWgukTkOmUpYto6PGpoVVW-f2dcnG3oSNQsMWHKdPZqZ3z4FSt0nEKZQxHkjZpLddSn4h1nrKuCu4r-Zj1lIXFmpzg5LadR-vGUCn7DQ8qoQi/s1600/IMG_3823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcniHNXu00oY1uZcLwu-UJR2ZHPmtVqugWgukTkOmUpYto6PGpoVVW-f2dcnG3oSNQsMWHKdPZqZ3z4FSt0nEKZQxHkjZpLddSn4h1nrKuCu4r-Zj1lIXFmpzg5LadR-vGUCn7DQ8qoQi/s400/IMG_3823.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato seedlings</td></tr>
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<br />And then it rained for a week and a half. My cherry tomatoes survived but everything else disintegrated. I planted an emergency second set of tomatoes (Amish Paste and Bonnie Best) indoors.<br />
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I'd also direct sowed Swiss chard, spinach, kale, lettuce, and sugar snap peas according to the seed package timetable. The Swiss chard below is the only plant to emerge after three separate seed sowings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm9HUyYDXsG4sDPn17QhOuU-JcEJOHpLr0113HwXlbjtvsAQoDgQTfyvoSKAI0fWykQXTU33_WSdQH7UqmGYim3-LRNiXhAZ0wO3cd6V068B0O9TvQ6jxW_jj03EpHMM4wZOm4JQ2AuSF/s1600/IMG_5397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm9HUyYDXsG4sDPn17QhOuU-JcEJOHpLr0113HwXlbjtvsAQoDgQTfyvoSKAI0fWykQXTU33_WSdQH7UqmGYim3-LRNiXhAZ0wO3cd6V068B0O9TvQ6jxW_jj03EpHMM4wZOm4JQ2AuSF/s400/IMG_5397.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I had a fairly decent showing of sugar snap peas. The spinach bolted too quickly. The arugula always does really well. The kale did not grow at all, though I found two random tiny plants this week that must have formed when some seeds flew out of my hand.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPGUNWZu2atvRgGp8lO3z7b2qvM1rpefVJAbLOae4E0BrXoZQx_hJb7UBLRX_DPV2LQgRp8blKVtjHtasWs3eknz17aTZOgmrg0Fc1qHI1SnM7ZShyphenhyphenR-EoIaKYUsywbCK0D0ORGVLTxwj/s1600/IMG_5396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPGUNWZu2atvRgGp8lO3z7b2qvM1rpefVJAbLOae4E0BrXoZQx_hJb7UBLRX_DPV2LQgRp8blKVtjHtasWs3eknz17aTZOgmrg0Fc1qHI1SnM7ZShyphenhyphenR-EoIaKYUsywbCK0D0ORGVLTxwj/s400/IMG_5396.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R) Arugula, zucchini, and eggplant</td></tr>
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One zucchini plant survived the deluge of rain and cold temperatures. I direct sowed some more and the first round produced nothing. The second round produced a number of plants so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnvmhNkoMvCG6z0_WIT8FWdn5YZUBMTNEFdGdMTKIxTtGXSB9o_IpTAIEwQAMp0ci9U_j9Kx7DaI5cl-5HcKhEF3JCJDta4cUCdr-KQBwr0_j-miZakR7w7AtC_v6G7Gc-23QX-dBzMje/s1600/IMG_5399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnvmhNkoMvCG6z0_WIT8FWdn5YZUBMTNEFdGdMTKIxTtGXSB9o_IpTAIEwQAMp0ci9U_j9Kx7DaI5cl-5HcKhEF3JCJDta4cUCdr-KQBwr0_j-miZakR7w7AtC_v6G7Gc-23QX-dBzMje/s400/IMG_5399.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Itty bitty zucchni</td></tr>
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The butternut squash seemed stunted for two months, but they just flowered and the vines are starting to grow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOcgzLfIhiP3QJTkV-JS8GZEhZTSiXrdVBcVExeGT13PQ9U-ThxNlDnJ8aJCqfmOOFqlMtKG6i4EVkh-z8C7pce8M02dMmGCtyFO0OmlhyiakyJdxJJCQgxE1QwD3HqiyK7oU6jC_t2fX/s1600/IMG_5403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOcgzLfIhiP3QJTkV-JS8GZEhZTSiXrdVBcVExeGT13PQ9U-ThxNlDnJ8aJCqfmOOFqlMtKG6i4EVkh-z8C7pce8M02dMmGCtyFO0OmlhyiakyJdxJJCQgxE1QwD3HqiyK7oU6jC_t2fX/s400/IMG_5403.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butternut squash hiding behind asters and coreopsis.</td></tr>
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The bush beans I direct sowed are doing fantastically. I just harvested about a pound of beans and more are growing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nx1w3WKBJkE9aMcZObU3JPi6Gdhkm1zop_xEbxQqqCIWFFWzCAt4VpNduTJpNTt64W-vVBCLFwxCjz7P7a4WGr3Jw78-Ch_5IPrA9e_Nl2_5kCe-FGbeffTDRX4jXpRY5cZRnrkjNpR2/s1600/IMG_5398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nx1w3WKBJkE9aMcZObU3JPi6Gdhkm1zop_xEbxQqqCIWFFWzCAt4VpNduTJpNTt64W-vVBCLFwxCjz7P7a4WGr3Jw78-Ch_5IPrA9e_Nl2_5kCe-FGbeffTDRX4jXpRY5cZRnrkjNpR2/s400/IMG_5398.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beans on the left of the path; basil and tomatoes straight ahead</td></tr>
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And the emergency planting of tomatoes? Everything is growing and growing well. Some are just starting to flower, so I'm hopeful that I'll have the fresh tomatoes I dream about all winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE-s1WoK9mwfEHJueL6kgV939hOH_adu6On7FQv2gK_bVPKb9BXffcGrANmhOj2o6PgPIcVlRic1UsQONEOVbFFGiZI5nTOfQhwqrGK6fL_iDKD4wVXQOO1ZAihyQd87dWE0lIZ0ykJk1/s1600/IMG_5401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE-s1WoK9mwfEHJueL6kgV939hOH_adu6On7FQv2gK_bVPKb9BXffcGrANmhOj2o6PgPIcVlRic1UsQONEOVbFFGiZI5nTOfQhwqrGK6fL_iDKD4wVXQOO1ZAihyQd87dWE0lIZ0ykJk1/s400/IMG_5401.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry tomatoes. </td></tr>
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Next year, I'll start my seedlings inside a few weeks later than usual so that I can plant them outside around May 15 when I'm supposed to. I'm still not sure why my direct-sowed greens didn't grow. Is it my (clay) soil? Did I plant them at the wrong depth? Did I skimp on the water? I'll try again in the fall and see if I have any better results.<br />
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While I don't have quite the abundance I was hoping for, it's a good start with the new layout. I really enjoy my daily walking tour through the Pharm, especially when it means I get to pluck and eat a fresh bean or leaf of arugula!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-39271163912192921762016-05-15T16:31:00.003-04:002016-05-15T16:31:50.522-04:00Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2016The strange weather continues. We had almost a week and a half of rain to start off the month of May. This weekend was the first sunny and warm weekend we've had (though today is cold, gray, and windy), so I was out in the garden in full force doing the usual spring chores but also preparing for things to look presentable for Neighbor M's yearly "Great Divide" plant swap party. Said party starts in 45 minutes so without further ado, I bring you what is blooming in my city garden!<br />
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<b>The Front Yard</b><br />
The flowers here seem to about two weeks ahead of where they were at this time last year. I'm not sure why it's just the front yard that's doing this (everything else is pretty much on the same schedule).<br />
<b> </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc04e5jvM29o2nnj_viBu_ak1O6EPrV1Ue1vxzAoIKDfLuPeKyr2aj3xWzXXYFCGyaLsBL7DvhGMbMpn6fdD2YsP9k593_qlIO9AzVtTCKnR7aivSiQiQ2GNGcDyqHcWWMgRO6d1DrqjLW/s1600/IMG_4487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc04e5jvM29o2nnj_viBu_ak1O6EPrV1Ue1vxzAoIKDfLuPeKyr2aj3xWzXXYFCGyaLsBL7DvhGMbMpn6fdD2YsP9k593_qlIO9AzVtTCKnR7aivSiQiQ2GNGcDyqHcWWMgRO6d1DrqjLW/s640/IMG_4487.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Azalea, iris, and Nepeta 'Walker's Low"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b> </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmU-us_w0amKZYsfMWF2b4tEgvXiHTXU86hvIRU9eoBckPD2jug_oXowWxk4xPbD5b8EFqpSwL1Jmw3NiU5R5lEPjncDXxAxnvpBMGD3wk1KzmlTWVhkGXHIh5yB2Muufgiq8RZjVRxih/s1600/IMG_4488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmU-us_w0amKZYsfMWF2b4tEgvXiHTXU86hvIRU9eoBckPD2jug_oXowWxk4xPbD5b8EFqpSwL1Jmw3NiU5R5lEPjncDXxAxnvpBMGD3wk1KzmlTWVhkGXHIh5yB2Muufgiq8RZjVRxih/s640/IMG_4488.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The phlox is just about done. The salvia is just beginning. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b> </b><br />
<b>The allée</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwRJoiuApNuoAG38B8BVF3FBGuX4xhbqEm64GVcwW_-GG4aVGYQAZcLHqv9Eq3q6HOn2guJKrp9VXi8JIshukPJW7L_IEdq1yZgVU1IteKg-KTNT1wd9BSR6oW83ldvfq1hoUf6YyX9Hp/s1600/IMG_4534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwRJoiuApNuoAG38B8BVF3FBGuX4xhbqEm64GVcwW_-GG4aVGYQAZcLHqv9Eq3q6HOn2guJKrp9VXi8JIshukPJW7L_IEdq1yZgVU1IteKg-KTNT1wd9BSR6oW83ldvfq1hoUf6YyX9Hp/s640/IMG_4534.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peony 'Bowl of Beauty'. It really is that bright!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI7fJzZ06fkAykvY8yteAdhG5y20ja5zIi_BybYS1ASOZm_0GogHoh7rbfWzmayF9jHsYb2pPw6kDU16eUzx-y5219y4xjG9Xytnq4UReTZ-tPhmVFgjPXqc8ac2SBC-VuFQapT8Quf8a/s1600/IMG_4539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI7fJzZ06fkAykvY8yteAdhG5y20ja5zIi_BybYS1ASOZm_0GogHoh7rbfWzmayF9jHsYb2pPw6kDU16eUzx-y5219y4xjG9Xytnq4UReTZ-tPhmVFgjPXqc8ac2SBC-VuFQapT8Quf8a/s640/IMG_4539.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian iris 'Frommymotherii'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRB336ZDp8gAjFiFwnTezBYugK9LOq0D3DVvSLW-JrmGrOiG-l1CCINjXMKwTEkZrhDDk390OXNI597LTToXInix88qMiymvgBEhIJc9IQt8c3Dz0H-22AZPbiPRC3skJ7DcPlVboyPmr/s1600/IMG_4562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRB336ZDp8gAjFiFwnTezBYugK9LOq0D3DVvSLW-JrmGrOiG-l1CCINjXMKwTEkZrhDDk390OXNI597LTToXInix88qMiymvgBEhIJc9IQt8c3Dz0H-22AZPbiPRC3skJ7DcPlVboyPmr/s640/IMG_4562.jpg" width="601" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zizia aurea. Just planted in the fall so it's still small.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcF9Er4rA1Vy0lvFunQuNI2p167_p8btPg_nSeG2djnOnVpnZslc5u4vQ8RaPh2MVmhK7shXGEIowMJtYELWYkhbSn9j5IHYIZZAk0-By_peTJVFlsQ7qmrEJ9P2hgRkfr8sQm3dYeueo/s1600/IMG_4555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcF9Er4rA1Vy0lvFunQuNI2p167_p8btPg_nSeG2djnOnVpnZslc5u4vQ8RaPh2MVmhK7shXGEIowMJtYELWYkhbSn9j5IHYIZZAk0-By_peTJVFlsQ7qmrEJ9P2hgRkfr8sQm3dYeueo/s640/IMG_4555.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris 'Harvest of Memories'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn4YyRVRGNu37ouBVGX_n6YwPMyeDD1tTQb74_1lD6qhL3mDXRalGm-tsjOPzAWYOU4ncZUtskOs_2yeOzoqw2lZHbgBo3bqvR2eVCeLhcPzCB4ycfDpCMSbrUL9KcbAczTTGALpUbZH4/s1600/IMG_4535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn4YyRVRGNu37ouBVGX_n6YwPMyeDD1tTQb74_1lD6qhL3mDXRalGm-tsjOPzAWYOU4ncZUtskOs_2yeOzoqw2lZHbgBo3bqvR2eVCeLhcPzCB4ycfDpCMSbrUL9KcbAczTTGALpUbZH4/s640/IMG_4535.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another iris. I thought I divided it from 'Harvest of Memories' but it's clearly a different flower.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfnVcTZrfg-ja37AqDUvJwaEEjczt-RSDbM9bYWGaES4BcioFdfkbWjvgIZHEt-wBmROzCyJKKXLYkxS7ijORKZ_TEPfhH9FACFgSSBWrxNXu07cYt4mt1NXhdVgcm9UrRhyphenhyphenml-uk-6W5/s1600/IMG_4491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfnVcTZrfg-ja37AqDUvJwaEEjczt-RSDbM9bYWGaES4BcioFdfkbWjvgIZHEt-wBmROzCyJKKXLYkxS7ijORKZ_TEPfhH9FACFgSSBWrxNXu07cYt4mt1NXhdVgcm9UrRhyphenhyphenml-uk-6W5/s640/IMG_4491.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilac bush and Nepeta 'Walker's Low'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The back yard</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkBZea9Yby6cfGBSz64KpdKNee3V3Siik6WrMsG0w58dEgDMQQRBGLBfIGkkZAou9Sof_kJx1C2LJdifxRbbvFnCo8vKNNhp27IbAviDgQRSL84-KE-AiNg6V7t1XtzktejDuhGkUgGeD/s1600/IMG_4496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkBZea9Yby6cfGBSz64KpdKNee3V3Siik6WrMsG0w58dEgDMQQRBGLBfIGkkZAou9Sof_kJx1C2LJdifxRbbvFnCo8vKNNhp27IbAviDgQRSL84-KE-AiNg6V7t1XtzktejDuhGkUgGeD/s640/IMG_4496.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatuP2t0u5NMZCrgTAVWjVcxnUxO5cw03nWtrJtazildG2sgI74uJ9cHZhgSOGbWC19m2bzYTfmrZ_VNjroz90I_q_-9YM9EcHzJ7MwIortF4DqAyc0kiK84bd8TlaIvjGOctgGKBdAPPD/s1600/IMG_4492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatuP2t0u5NMZCrgTAVWjVcxnUxO5cw03nWtrJtazildG2sgI74uJ9cHZhgSOGbWC19m2bzYTfmrZ_VNjroz90I_q_-9YM9EcHzJ7MwIortF4DqAyc0kiK84bd8TlaIvjGOctgGKBdAPPD/s640/IMG_4492.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerria japonica</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQBzqAMLB8Kxse8LV1xUrTWyL8Ocmzu5l9hf0Fg1EWtAf-Z0-Fi0nLbmCAlhBR8Z4C1qigcHik6P4OD9joO-jWddUs59sZrbZoN9Y3IFzCG0mPgGRk566iXSg4HI0EhAtvNl8FEG-9q2I/s1600/IMG_4495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQBzqAMLB8Kxse8LV1xUrTWyL8Ocmzu5l9hf0Fg1EWtAf-Z0-Fi0nLbmCAlhBR8Z4C1qigcHik6P4OD9joO-jWddUs59sZrbZoN9Y3IFzCG0mPgGRk566iXSg4HI0EhAtvNl8FEG-9q2I/s640/IMG_4495.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVnZwSKKWQdGYfGWXWojLwPQIax9fz2Y6Vf_mD1Nm3oqWqtdfGS3OiJzmmR5XgWuqknfftNDCNc8r8JTWje4IANO1aWKRT8lMHzOQEE8Lart3N842bkT3x2WptvPn2D_nG0UfQxPA2Lg4/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVnZwSKKWQdGYfGWXWojLwPQIax9fz2Y6Vf_mD1Nm3oqWqtdfGS3OiJzmmR5XgWuqknfftNDCNc8r8JTWje4IANO1aWKRT8lMHzOQEE8Lart3N842bkT3x2WptvPn2D_nG0UfQxPA2Lg4/s640/IMG_4498.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baptisia australis just starting to bloom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEHo25_ua5hGv3F0p5jAAB9ZF4tDLXfUO3uQlERCBD6bV8_FNmcf53nA4eGjGfwEAQlMdyJlwEeFvwjFnsGIxl_v0R_w3YJEKVVp_CbYvQG2YQ47cK6Oq16_CC1f1ZL43hEgV7DBql27D/s1600/IMG_4561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEHo25_ua5hGv3F0p5jAAB9ZF4tDLXfUO3uQlERCBD6bV8_FNmcf53nA4eGjGfwEAQlMdyJlwEeFvwjFnsGIxl_v0R_w3YJEKVVp_CbYvQG2YQ47cK6Oq16_CC1f1ZL43hEgV7DBql27D/s640/IMG_4561.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium christophii just opened</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a3UBuTyN80v7eqRi6N03CGGwJgt7LTRCWdNKpFN4kgXWnxp7neKjfCia2iTWs7bbHljnCvfxvCf2uDoZS-DpsRmxo5s4FTSO9Zy4ZD3KVtO84Y1Z0UDe-hTHOItxe_ZW3Ikp777_gwBy/s1600/IMG_4493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a3UBuTyN80v7eqRi6N03CGGwJgt7LTRCWdNKpFN4kgXWnxp7neKjfCia2iTWs7bbHljnCvfxvCf2uDoZS-DpsRmxo5s4FTSO9Zy4ZD3KVtO84Y1Z0UDe-hTHOItxe_ZW3Ikp777_gwBy/s640/IMG_4493.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geranium sanguineum - new to the garden (planted last fall)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/" target="_blank">May Dreams</a> for hosting!<br />
<br />
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Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-36085429885442427172016-04-16T20:39:00.001-04:002016-04-16T20:47:33.151-04:00Strange springAfter a pretty mild winter, one in which we didn't have a lot of snow and it was most certainly NOT the third coldest winter on record (like last year), the week of March 7 brought us 70-degree temperatures here in Philly. I know it was that week because I was on Spring Break from work and I was puttering outside in the garden for much of the week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQLONwCD_ehdjVUc1GmpX37Msuow_uQSPe_l5Jhde5-zWJDhyphenhyphenDxakjSg9MoZgh_Rp4R_r59J7ZkoX4RodKPhRP9R2oJOCvUCaWZ719x_A1NPIVOx7u3wteYmShQxY1ufXm_fn3I-aTkQl/s1600/IMG_4055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQLONwCD_ehdjVUc1GmpX37Msuow_uQSPe_l5Jhde5-zWJDhyphenhyphenDxakjSg9MoZgh_Rp4R_r59J7ZkoX4RodKPhRP9R2oJOCvUCaWZ719x_A1NPIVOx7u3wteYmShQxY1ufXm_fn3I-aTkQl/s640/IMG_4055.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then the first day of spring came, and we have since had three freeze warnings during which I first covered my fledgling sugar snap pea seedlings, and then I gave up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQdof05LCiui7c4YukGJz_-sFh9Uv5VqabPqQQUF4C451LCJ1H12OkgkPd8DHOdLpiaMIwiKV06qH36bly_Yzelwq8bO-r3oBaSQvle2rfe1arcKExctSHRqUC3heJ9oTUWFnxB2wzv_I/s1600/IMG_3963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQdof05LCiui7c4YukGJz_-sFh9Uv5VqabPqQQUF4C451LCJ1H12OkgkPd8DHOdLpiaMIwiKV06qH36bly_Yzelwq8bO-r3oBaSQvle2rfe1arcKExctSHRqUC3heJ9oTUWFnxB2wzv_I/s640/IMG_3963.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We also had snow last weekend. I happened to be in Lancaster County, PA (Pennsylvania Dutch Country), where they call a springtime snow an "onion snow". The snow was really wet, and then we had another freeze that night so some emerging plants like my bleeding heart (below) were damaged. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPsyCd157S6-nZ47P-r12FvqlEOUJh9CFeNcil0GmgpWUNFdeF8rkfXHz6zmSQjWfEuZ4HnTdlzLitNWVavi_gZ9YBpxV00h4j-DxvblRp9OmRaTdgUyoo0hwZ40B0G7_XsXi_9p2KZXg/s1600/IMG_4052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPsyCd157S6-nZ47P-r12FvqlEOUJh9CFeNcil0GmgpWUNFdeF8rkfXHz6zmSQjWfEuZ4HnTdlzLitNWVavi_gZ9YBpxV00h4j-DxvblRp9OmRaTdgUyoo0hwZ40B0G7_XsXi_9p2KZXg/s640/IMG_4052.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see some of the bleeding heart flowers directly "above" the tulip are damaged.</td></tr>
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For the second year in a row, my Eastern Redbud has bloomed. Last year, I had precisely two flowers on the entire tree. This year, I'm pleased with an entire branch of flowers. The tree heard me threatening to chop it down two years ago and is finally performing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXZ4aCr6G06mRPpTHqmznaDGSdJI40CX0k5xklSRExBR1_3_byALAxIYej7myxjM9cmfYY7aXOAL3Vp-qi0MCJiV5GflfoiRkVJMSNehLJbvHZgAL0xxmqjuuQxncQUzr0AhVVjNwW5OI/s1600/IMG_4051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXZ4aCr6G06mRPpTHqmznaDGSdJI40CX0k5xklSRExBR1_3_byALAxIYej7myxjM9cmfYY7aXOAL3Vp-qi0MCJiV5GflfoiRkVJMSNehLJbvHZgAL0xxmqjuuQxncQUzr0AhVVjNwW5OI/s640/IMG_4051.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Completely unfazed by the strange weather, my creeping phlox is in full bloom and has been for a week or two. It's an entire month early, by the way, as it's usually in full bloom in early- to mid-May. <br />
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My Kerria japonica is also about a month early. It's right outside of my back door so it's nice to see. <br />
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I was able to move my pot of strawberries to the covered porch during the freeze warnings, so it's doing just fine now. The chives behind it in the photo below looked pretty dead during the "onion snow" (no pun intended) but have since rebounded.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Yv1c4AwyKWQF6oItu79vs9utfGdO95uHhKRHkhRqKl6MxrnB_sUOpSsF7YVdZgZEtQhmIHN0ILgH4WkSRYsjvEp1DAfc-fTjdOyE9RQuxbHK3RZtJW8mqjVHBRbuiZ6PstyfTwcUvFUi/s1600/IMG_4044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Yv1c4AwyKWQF6oItu79vs9utfGdO95uHhKRHkhRqKl6MxrnB_sUOpSsF7YVdZgZEtQhmIHN0ILgH4WkSRYsjvEp1DAfc-fTjdOyE9RQuxbHK3RZtJW8mqjVHBRbuiZ6PstyfTwcUvFUi/s640/IMG_4044.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We're less than a third of the way through 2016 and it's already been a very strange year as far as the weather and garden are concerned. How about where you live? Is it business as usual or are you also experiencing a strange spring?<br />
<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-70051124790282196602016-02-27T10:15:00.001-05:002016-02-27T10:38:00.282-05:00A month earlyI spotted these crocuses in my yard this week, on February 24th to be exact. They're about a month early. My cousin tells me the tulips at the White House are blooming already.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_wUyQFZJY5K_3vL74B7ENrhIwOiix1ONFU8PKdGxS-VFOZC8euzy9m30q0uJFz7JcukEmJ0MIpt2fL3x9yM883FQrFLWTaJUqSJ5sBCY8RFhgyXS-X5NA8a6Rcq4QPPV15euiW_8kCD6/s1600/crocus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_wUyQFZJY5K_3vL74B7ENrhIwOiix1ONFU8PKdGxS-VFOZC8euzy9m30q0uJFz7JcukEmJ0MIpt2fL3x9yM883FQrFLWTaJUqSJ5sBCY8RFhgyXS-X5NA8a6Rcq4QPPV15euiW_8kCD6/s640/crocus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This makes me think I could plant tomato seedlings in March if I wanted to! <br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-43393538092796229582016-01-10T09:24:00.001-05:002016-01-10T09:24:13.991-05:00The baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do you get when El Nino and global warming come together? </div>
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You get irises blooming in January. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hy88ZWuvOXuwZD-AB54D1oPAoKD5AOuXxJ8zGH0GelEuRTCG4L9XN4-2PVkrRUZKHKt4L8g8EZxxiVlh4_suM_fiu0_aWmG2z1DhnKH-L4v04mqgkfn8_cBBerS-W4MvZCwWoN7cS6Y6/s1600/IMG_2348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hy88ZWuvOXuwZD-AB54D1oPAoKD5AOuXxJ8zGH0GelEuRTCG4L9XN4-2PVkrRUZKHKt4L8g8EZxxiVlh4_suM_fiu0_aWmG2z1DhnKH-L4v04mqgkfn8_cBBerS-W4MvZCwWoN7cS6Y6/s640/IMG_2348.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This was taken January 2 amid a backdrop of Christmas lights and it's probably the closest I'll ever come to having a January bloom day post.<br />
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Winter weather has finally arrived here in Philly so the flowers are now gone, but boy was this an amazing treat for the last seven weeks! Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-22808417856929673292015-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:002015-12-14T08:00:01.587-05:00Tabula rasaAlternate titles to this post:<br />
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"When life hands you lemons, make sure you have vodka."<br />
"What the f*ck happened?!"<br />
" 'It'll be okay', she says, as she sits sobbing in the fetal position."<br />
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I've been talking for years (seriously, years) about taking down the dogwood in the front of the house. I've also been talking for years (yes, years again) about removing the forsythia on the side of the house. I struggle with decisions about my garden. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn4gKEHG-bSjWxyjPlXbHCNjKtOj0PVZcMaf_BcI59eN27pVr_lOF1lVHOlTlhP8DV8Pb8ykco_b1YNvjnFJfTFnkamoDCurGmijQP0tANtVN9knMSZ24u9zdaVMpo5hyraMk-U9CurvC/s1600/dogwood1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn4gKEHG-bSjWxyjPlXbHCNjKtOj0PVZcMaf_BcI59eN27pVr_lOF1lVHOlTlhP8DV8Pb8ykco_b1YNvjnFJfTFnkamoDCurGmijQP0tANtVN9knMSZ24u9zdaVMpo5hyraMk-U9CurvC/s640/dogwood1b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The dogwood was planted a long time ago, before we ever moved in. It was brilliantly planted RightNextToTheRetainingWall so that its roots would eventually crack the wall and require us to replace it. Awesome! Expensive future project! But even more worrisome is that in the last couple of years, the tree started to lean to the point that I was afraid that a strong wind would topple it over and on to a pedestrian on the sidewalk or my neighbor's car. Also, during the past two winters, I noticed that there were little piles of wood dust here and there on the tree, as is if it had termites.<br />
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The forsythia was also planted prior to us moving in and was too big for its space. It was planted between my neighbor's driveway and my side walkway. To pass through either, I had to prune it in an odd shape - flat on my side and constant pruning on my neighbor's side so it didn't scratch her car.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VXbTUwbkJpkdnGmzKdrdunWO7D1iixHD_vj6CmYMkDAhVNAryEpKDH4b_Bc0iPH3MEvIfU6ULkmPrHuBAYf1qzi8ClxuX888JqlTEi2hznOfXtr41VFaZXJQ-JcpnCEPbmdj0Crgwm-R/s1600/forsythia1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VXbTUwbkJpkdnGmzKdrdunWO7D1iixHD_vj6CmYMkDAhVNAryEpKDH4b_Bc0iPH3MEvIfU6ULkmPrHuBAYf1qzi8ClxuX888JqlTEi2hznOfXtr41VFaZXJQ-JcpnCEPbmdj0Crgwm-R/s640/forsythia1b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Still, both provided privacy (which you know I love since my city neighbors and I are all on top of each other).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_p95sfG6rNdjLSSnEQoUUG8-fyvPSc6UQSqTgEBzjLsUn0HDw-84Fz9Tjo5EDbKmdGa4fQNM44MOdRl1i_EmMFnviC13H11ENgOGQDcvlzQyKPfL_nq3GfHn-Nc4sPncXN3cfKiEgU7A/s1600/forsythia2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_p95sfG6rNdjLSSnEQoUUG8-fyvPSc6UQSqTgEBzjLsUn0HDw-84Fz9Tjo5EDbKmdGa4fQNM44MOdRl1i_EmMFnviC13H11ENgOGQDcvlzQyKPfL_nq3GfHn-Nc4sPncXN3cfKiEgU7A/s640/forsythia2b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The forsythia at the end of the allee, shielding us from the front yard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKmROeG07hVuXaCrxBwfN-aMrMFLJLDb3lOHJ_1fRA3SDfaJOoXxG5OR2wzV_vFxjP115VVxev38vTqsXfdPUfRumqEGaU7NBVYSlO9_BDDSXzMfnOe5zdr25HCiK60o9v1lYDbCOnH_Z/s1600/dogwood3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKmROeG07hVuXaCrxBwfN-aMrMFLJLDb3lOHJ_1fRA3SDfaJOoXxG5OR2wzV_vFxjP115VVxev38vTqsXfdPUfRumqEGaU7NBVYSlO9_BDDSXzMfnOe5zdr25HCiK60o9v1lYDbCOnH_Z/s640/dogwood3b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dogwood and the lilac in the corner creating some privacy in the front yard.</td></tr>
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And both had lovely spring and summer blooms.<br />
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I finally decided that the dogwood had to come down. It was leaning too much and it's affectionate moniker, "the half-dead dogwood", wasn't quite funny anymore. I could deal with it. I'd manage. I'd made a decision! J called his tree guy who came and gave an estimate, which included "reducing the forsythia" to get the stump grinder through the yard and to the dogwood stump. <br />
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"Oh, I can do that," I said. "How much does he need me to prune?<br />
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"Let me email him and ask," J said.<br />
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Right.<br />
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A few days later, I came home from work to this.<br />
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The tree guy showed up without telling us. Huh. But, I guess my suspicion about termites wasn't far off! <br />
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And then I saw that this also happened.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHUmunJdMgnWP2_a_TNDoge8xBgm4xmnv3-f7bLPbx3TzS7ktSX9MTvrthANKHLaWc56m5dUnMVL3CAV3jInVlNT_8EybpQAKsnUn1FnCyxecVjfNfRzZJBMKlc43tbxuIthtaHsmN4AY/s1600/IMG_1666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHUmunJdMgnWP2_a_TNDoge8xBgm4xmnv3-f7bLPbx3TzS7ktSX9MTvrthANKHLaWc56m5dUnMVL3CAV3jInVlNT_8EybpQAKsnUn1FnCyxecVjfNfRzZJBMKlc43tbxuIthtaHsmN4AY/s640/IMG_1666.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is what "reducing" the forsythia means, apparently.<br />
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Needless to say, I walked inside and flipped the F out on J. Not that it was his fault, but he received the brunt of my rant about the lack of communication and professionalism from the tree guy, who assured us the forsythia would grow back in a year during a call I forced J to make to him right then and there. My Google search disagreed about the growth rate, and I ranted away.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSaPFv9-hGULrwSvQmx__HJ40ldlpVK-j6bfRGsSJ7iAi1Jm56yJb38MGRJK-VT3e7-cLTct4lcCY5X1MCkJX9rKG2jaN2loUek7Uskns-S6CIUo_xupqyuF88K-E1qxaY6lMQlUKrwiP/s1600/IMG_1669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSaPFv9-hGULrwSvQmx__HJ40ldlpVK-j6bfRGsSJ7iAi1Jm56yJb38MGRJK-VT3e7-cLTct4lcCY5X1MCkJX9rKG2jaN2loUek7Uskns-S6CIUo_xupqyuF88K-E1qxaY6lMQlUKrwiP/s640/IMG_1669.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We can see the whole street from here, kids!</td></tr>
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And yet.... I hated to admit it, because I knew that I SHOULD be mad since this wasn't what I asked for, but I almost felt relieved. The choice was made for me. I couldn't pull the trigger myself to get rid of a bush that so obviously didn't belong in that small space, but now it was gone. Yes, if I left it, it might grow back in a year or two, but did I really want it to?<br />
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They came back to stump grind the dogwood a few days later and took the forsythia out with it, per my request. The lilac had to go, too, since they couldn't get the stump grinder to the rotted dogwood stump with it in its way. I think I am most sad about that, though it too was planted in a bad spot (that one's my fault). <br />
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I now have this space where the dogwood and lilac were: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4c8W3ZxNpqKfYFsJsIzfdehMM2E8DIixjYzI341b_jqRnSfYPNPvX_3XgNtdGZ3GAd-aJRBNtx7khxoTNUhXFE5Wa7olRlOWI2iydu6MrESTPxwjvyl0rRopT7H4fapRZYFK_I3qcF4Z/s1600/IMG_1736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4c8W3ZxNpqKfYFsJsIzfdehMM2E8DIixjYzI341b_jqRnSfYPNPvX_3XgNtdGZ3GAd-aJRBNtx7khxoTNUhXFE5Wa7olRlOWI2iydu6MrESTPxwjvyl0rRopT7H4fapRZYFK_I3qcF4Z/s640/IMG_1736.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And this space where the forsythia once was (the mulched part in the foreground housed my tomato plants this year):<br />
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It is so, so bare. I feel naked and exposed. I need to buy something (appropriate-sized bushes? a small fence? an arbor?) to plant/install to define the end of the front yard and the start of the allee. Feel free to send any suggestions my way. <br />
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At the same time, I now have 31 feet of sunny planting space (where I used to have 12 feet) to go full throttle with my front-yard veggie garden. I've already been dog-earing my new 2016 Baker Creek seed catalog with wild abandon. For the first time, I can envision multiple layouts of designs for the front yard whereas before I needed Neighbor M to draw me a plan because I just couldn't "see" it. Also, I'll get to feed us for six months from the front yard! I'll get to can veggies for the winter! I'll get to donate any excess to the local food pantry!<br />
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I still feel like I forgot to put my clothes on every time I walk out the front door, but I'm pretty excited about the possibilities in store. <br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-31958133562542158632015-12-11T21:07:00.004-05:002015-12-12T21:38:10.288-05:00Winter irisThis iris looks exactly the same today as it did when I took this picture back on November 7.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1Kwe63cPEwCyXnFohdh9_k8e_6OT4CnB0zbpb3saACniqJQGu9wKS2q69Q45jgiCOE9PazjhgcCHbIkNkfAIkZpWZMuJ1SPGhFnX2ztFPiQyXArCtIDcWC5VJjXwF4dQQ-hQWmBNpBAr/s1600/IMG_1483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1Kwe63cPEwCyXnFohdh9_k8e_6OT4CnB0zbpb3saACniqJQGu9wKS2q69Q45jgiCOE9PazjhgcCHbIkNkfAIkZpWZMuJ1SPGhFnX2ztFPiQyXArCtIDcWC5VJjXwF4dQQ-hQWmBNpBAr/s640/IMG_1483.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We've already had a frost or two and it's still blooming. I planted it in 2013 and it never bloomed - until now.<br />
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I thought it was just an anomaly until Neighbor M said there were fall-blooming irises. <strike>I can't find the tag to save my life (despite going out there daily to look around in the dirt) so I'm not sure if that's the case with this one or not. </strike><b>UPDATE: </b>Thank goodness for paper journals! It's Iris 'Harvest of Memories', described as a spring bloomer with "dependable rebloom in summer and fall". <br />
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Either way, it's a gift. I might even be able to cut some of the flowers for a Christmas bouquet. Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-90643926388001134972015-10-12T16:11:00.004-04:002015-10-12T16:11:37.283-04:00Coming soon!I finally pulled the trigger and placed my plant order for the fall. My "paralysis by analysis", as Neighbor M has diagnosed me, was really bad and for months (seriously) I labored over decisions. Would it clash with other plants near by? Would it even do well here? What if it dies?<br />
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I know, I need therapy.<br />
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Anyway, some are new takes on existing plants I have that have done well. Others will be brand new but captivated me with their descriptions and pictures online. All of them are from Lazy S's farm. They do not use neonicotinoids and the plants I purchased from the last year are doing well. They should be arriving this week, so let's roll out the red carpet for:<br />
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<i>Achillea x 'Schwellenberg'</i><br />
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I somehow have completely forgotten about yarrow until this year. I used to have many plants but when I had to move things around when I lost half my yard, I apparently lost most of them. I realized that the one I do still have is vigorous, a late summer/early autumn bloomer, and enjoys neglect. In other words, perfect!<br />
<i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robsplants.com/images/portrait/AchilleaSchwellenberg100527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.robsplants.com/images/portrait/AchilleaSchwellenberg100527.jpg" height="400" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from robsplants.com</td></tr>
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<i> </i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> Anemone x hybrida 'Queen Charlotte'</i><br />
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I have one of these in the back yard and it's so, so lovely to stare at out the back window when I'm washing dishes. I'm hoping to double my pleasure with an additional plant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.katesgardenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Queen-Charlotte-Jap.-anemone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.katesgardenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Queen-Charlotte-Jap.-anemone.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from katesgardenjournal.com</td></tr>
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<i>Geranium sanguineum</i><br />
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I pass by these babies at the park by my office and they're incredible. I ordered four plants - they'll replace the increasingly invasive spiderwort in the back yard. And their flowers are nice and bright, which is always needed after a terrible winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joycreek.com/images/172-060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.joycreek.com/images/172-060.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from joycreek.com</td></tr>
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<i>Heuchera x 'Delta Dawn'</i><br />
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I'm excited to put these (I ordered 3) in the allee, where it will provide color from spring through fall. It starts out like the picture below and then changes colors with the seasons, ending up as bright reds, oranges, and yellows. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/H_files/H_Images/Heuchera%20%27Delta%20Dawn%27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/H_files/H_Images/Heuchera%20'Delta%20Dawn'.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from lazyssfarm.com</td></tr>
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<i> Salvia microphylla 'Wild Watermelon'</i><br />
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Shocking, I know - another brightly colored flower! I'm hoping to put this salvia in the front to replace the Aster 'Alma Potschke' that I mentioned isn't doing so well in my last post. <i> </i><br />
<i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chanticleergarden.org/images/bloom2010/10_22i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.chanticleergarden.org/images/bloom2010/10_22i.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from chanticleer.org</td></tr>
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<i> Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'</i><br />
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I purchased one of these a couple of years ago to replace Rosa 'Pinkie' that got rose rosettes disease. It's making its happy home on the back fence, so this second one will be started further down. Hopefully in a few years, they'll both be big, lush, and spilling over the entire fence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA4-458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA4-458.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from northcreeknurseries.com</td></tr>
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<i>Monarda didyma x fistulosa 'Gardenview Scarlet'</i><br />
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I am going to rip out the invasive daylilies on my side of Neighbor M's fence and put this plant and the yarrow there. It'll be interesting to see if there are any subtle differences between this and 'Jacob Cline'. <br />
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<i>Zizia aurea</i><br />
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I had one of these years ago and loved it, but it didn't survive the new garden move. It's a subtle spring plant that I'll plant outside one of the kitchen windows to stare at longingly when it's still chilly outside. <i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.abnativeplants.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.abnativeplants.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-131.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from abnativeplants.com</td></tr>
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<i>Crysanthemum x 'Cambodian Queen'</i><br />
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I've always envied Neighbor M's perennial mums (though not the peachy color), so I'm finally buying one of my own. This will go in the front yard where fall color will be welcomed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://plantswise.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://plantswise.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0313.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from plantswise.com</td></tr>
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Woo! I'm excited! Are you excited about any new plants you've purchased or will be purchasing?<br />
<i></i><br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-74847424262468164772015-09-13T10:00:00.000-04:002015-09-13T10:00:05.695-04:00Saying goodbyeIt's time to pull the trigger.<br />
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Some of my plants are not performing or are getting to be invasive. I've been in denial about some of them for years but it's time.<br />
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On the Pharm (front yard), I have two different problems:<br />
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The Aster 'Alma Potschke' has something wrong with it. I've been in denial about this plant for about five years or so. I used to think that the brown leaves and stems were indicating that it needed more water, but even in years when I watered it a lot, it still looked like this.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqijm7N0Sa5FjoeiydYB7GHfEPQU7fx04KotkRJarBBzY-ePByFUcJuVI674QwDUT5Ojq0EYdqX8xZFxGIsWmMqggl99FvmGgwPVwx0wUrtMyRIxoRteL4jq3KiZZX5_XDdGQtGS-iZTEq/s1600/IMG_0683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqijm7N0Sa5FjoeiydYB7GHfEPQU7fx04KotkRJarBBzY-ePByFUcJuVI674QwDUT5Ojq0EYdqX8xZFxGIsWmMqggl99FvmGgwPVwx0wUrtMyRIxoRteL4jq3KiZZX5_XDdGQtGS-iZTEq/s640/IMG_0683.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire bottom of the plant looks dead.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLnwq3JZUFtTSW5ka9ybtQu5F05wgQsLZWwoOxShuqdgkpEeXGxg0pA7x3eEECTVU56a7zibHxm3WjSsykQPwOcbkHvR4qhVHXx6SCpNcUaOOdrvp_MyqalsbDxpQqEsaVRkeEy0hRf9p/s1600/IMG_0682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLnwq3JZUFtTSW5ka9ybtQu5F05wgQsLZWwoOxShuqdgkpEeXGxg0pA7x3eEECTVU56a7zibHxm3WjSsykQPwOcbkHvR4qhVHXx6SCpNcUaOOdrvp_MyqalsbDxpQqEsaVRkeEy0hRf9p/s640/IMG_0682.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves turning yellow</td></tr>
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As a primary part of the front garden, and a plant you see as you walk up to my house, I just can't keep this ugliness around anymore. I don't know if it's a fungus or what, but it's got to go, which is too bad because when it's in bloom, it's a bright, eye-catching plant. So now I'm on the hunt for a medium-size, fall (or repeat) blooming perennial. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_EO7J5vf-afGiVrUdnQbCHQ_ZE9VTeTbmbQEGqpeNw9oCQk-iRdrP9JG_stIfhQ7zSHkuscD-AELCwgq-8ATZey8o2UtZAciIT52zGAD-Yzxt2VC59QxzCJBtb1_B63tWgv5pbreB3jz/s1600/IMG_6375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_EO7J5vf-afGiVrUdnQbCHQ_ZE9VTeTbmbQEGqpeNw9oCQk-iRdrP9JG_stIfhQ7zSHkuscD-AELCwgq-8ATZey8o2UtZAciIT52zGAD-Yzxt2VC59QxzCJBtb1_B63tWgv5pbreB3jz/s640/IMG_6375.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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On the side of my front porch, I've had two very vigorous silver lace vines. They climbed up a trellis, kept the front door cool in the summer, and were only a pain when I had to cut them down at the end of the year because they were SO big.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iQiDLg_JCwed8Du15pOxwb9BOGAoTDR4xlsNHUVkN64GsrZ8N3Ske9e9brDXSlp6zV7hTAEA034XpLg8LTwGN2leizENGuLxsjIratSTHfErZ5Qew8akiv1sseWco6SKgJKvCUM4iMnQ/s1600/IMG_3961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iQiDLg_JCwed8Du15pOxwb9BOGAoTDR4xlsNHUVkN64GsrZ8N3Ske9e9brDXSlp6zV7hTAEA034XpLg8LTwGN2leizENGuLxsjIratSTHfErZ5Qew8akiv1sseWco6SKgJKvCUM4iMnQ/s640/IMG_3961.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In better times.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This is how the vines did this year:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiGKr6khfKT7-beDAwo-uxGXpS4C6DBmuR48R99uDuDP3Ovn9P32MDin7Z8ypFsBt24-LNwrHqp44F6d9NyKce_DOe83Rh5WxtyvB0Fx9p_rwrySsirhnY3iJHE4L5NYJUmP6e03a9oSh/s1600/IMG_0681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiGKr6khfKT7-beDAwo-uxGXpS4C6DBmuR48R99uDuDP3Ovn9P32MDin7Z8ypFsBt24-LNwrHqp44F6d9NyKce_DOe83Rh5WxtyvB0Fx9p_rwrySsirhnY3iJHE4L5NYJUmP6e03a9oSh/s640/IMG_0681.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remaining vine on the left.</td></tr>
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I accidentally pulled one out while weeding, which shows how dead it was. The other, as you can see, is still in the ground but doing absolutely nothing. Maybe this past winter, one of the coldest on record, was too much for them. In any case, now I'm on the hunt for a (vigorous but not overly so) vine for this area for next year.<br />
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In the back yard, I have a potential disease problem and an invasive problem.<br />
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I'm scared to even write this, lest it really be true: I think all of my echinacea have aster yellows. I first noticed it a few years ago in the front yard and pulled out the offending plants. But then this year, it seemed like every single one - front yard, side, back yard - had the tell-tale puff of green on the seed head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQH18lXne0Opl02iG22P0VSLePPlIL67r9QCGEvMdv86jjleqJe8ekIprESqtRVNs5NBr9m0oTd6LvZcV0e9uqniDtLqm6thk1sGmDQjjvEdiCUQphFXPlH7JvZ1xg6WWfTu0Yj9YoBO2h/s1600/IMG_9835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQH18lXne0Opl02iG22P0VSLePPlIL67r9QCGEvMdv86jjleqJe8ekIprESqtRVNs5NBr9m0oTd6LvZcV0e9uqniDtLqm6thk1sGmDQjjvEdiCUQphFXPlH7JvZ1xg6WWfTu0Yj9YoBO2h/s640/IMG_9835.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year. In better times. </td></tr>
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This is how they look right now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXP7vYW_YbomaOgGII3U8dXjdLWpBFlk6oAJ6MQzprJnqnnZEeP5ZjB2ywQa5XnkttKRi1izm8-J-mahyphenhyphenFqgOrlH5XLeZf7hM0MSc5nsM9IuQqDlhCRuA6pAapAqFiwAOzrNO8XhoeWnq/s1600/IMG_0684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXP7vYW_YbomaOgGII3U8dXjdLWpBFlk6oAJ6MQzprJnqnnZEeP5ZjB2ywQa5XnkttKRi1izm8-J-mahyphenhyphenFqgOrlH5XLeZf7hM0MSc5nsM9IuQqDlhCRuA6pAapAqFiwAOzrNO8XhoeWnq/s640/IMG_0684.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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They all fizzled out a couple of weeks earlier than last year. It's possible that that's due to the dry conditions this summer. I really like echinacea. They're a staple of my garden and I don't want to have to rip them all out. I'll continue to monitor them and hope for the best next year, though I suspect I'll be talking about being in denial next fall as I rip them out.<br />
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The spiderwort in the back yard are now getting invasive. I'm finding them in the hell strip by the road, for crying out loud. I have 5-6 of them evenly spaced in the back yard and, in late spring, they're often the only thing in bloom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdinh1V3Mm-L8yWFgbRtqz9qdb1BYnqQQ_HzDc4vFzeWobZqT7jkdXMsaKojBhjh7m6m5N8PHJFRZK0grY9oCedxaGwsoW91IWADalFAn8rjzWY9GBEe8BSeWs9_UhpaWCLTG_E0PIiuSf/s1600/IMG_9376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdinh1V3Mm-L8yWFgbRtqz9qdb1BYnqQQ_HzDc4vFzeWobZqT7jkdXMsaKojBhjh7m6m5N8PHJFRZK0grY9oCedxaGwsoW91IWADalFAn8rjzWY9GBEe8BSeWs9_UhpaWCLTG_E0PIiuSf/s640/IMG_9376.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two different colors, on the left and right, still in bloom in summer.</td></tr>
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When they die, though, they leave big gaping spaces that I've been working on trying to hide (somewhat unsuccessfully). I don't think I'll be too sad to see these go, especially since it will probably take me a few years to completely rid my gardens of them. In their place, I need to find any sort of late spring/early summer perennial that doesn't look like death after it's done blooming for the year.<br />
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They've provided me with more joy than inconvenience, but it's time to cut the cord (and it's a great excuse for fall plant shopping). Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-29671462076744867622015-09-07T14:38:00.003-04:002015-09-07T14:38:41.546-04:00So much to say, so much to say...I've been making blog posts in my head for months but never actually got them down on <strike>paper</strike> the screen. For example, I was going to talk about how most of my summer, I spent my days off volunteering and was so busy with that, then segue into the volunteer flowers that popped up in my garden. Get it? Or that I didn't have time to post a bloom-day post in July because on impulse, I rescued my little friend from the city's animal shelter the day she was to be euthanized for space, and fostered her for a few weeks until we found her a forever family. Three dogs is a lot. A lot a lot. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqHCvhrC8XvLMdAjrDOjHW8HXna18HMChv6U_fPwnf8wU5pumiEq1VAqdB3YxYpVo3ePXonCnyzA3mZ9by4ldWOZgb_ur2mPeDZOIP4BuBxMZ0pdr__QkjFKutMe-3s8pL23CJERY2PVG/s1600/IMG_9718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqHCvhrC8XvLMdAjrDOjHW8HXna18HMChv6U_fPwnf8wU5pumiEq1VAqdB3YxYpVo3ePXonCnyzA3mZ9by4ldWOZgb_ur2mPeDZOIP4BuBxMZ0pdr__QkjFKutMe-3s8pL23CJERY2PVG/s640/IMG_9718.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foster puppy on the left, learning how to sit with my two goofballs. </td></tr>
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Maybe it's best that those posts stayed in my head! <br />
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It's so hot and dry. Late spring and early summer started off with higher than average rainfall, but August brought less than an inch of rain during the entire month. I try to water my perennials as infrequently as I can most years but have had to turn the sprinkler on them several times in the past weeks to keep them from keeling over.<br />
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I planted milkweed last fall and when it came up this year - surprise! A monarch found it! YES!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiR9bqitjmzD_45A_3627rcS8RSVESpVswJsmwZ5Qya2cuTZLbOz4o3GAhCAzmMABtgGTpAXJwsoSAOaOqolloKSek94OFtGtZ_k7-enLEOHnD2aA-sC36K8mPuLVObX21gfQ1tCtRXkO/s1600/IMG_0186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiR9bqitjmzD_45A_3627rcS8RSVESpVswJsmwZ5Qya2cuTZLbOz4o3GAhCAzmMABtgGTpAXJwsoSAOaOqolloKSek94OFtGtZ_k7-enLEOHnD2aA-sC36K8mPuLVObX21gfQ1tCtRXkO/s640/IMG_0186.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not milkweed, but the monarch liked the hibiscus as well. </td></tr>
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And then the orange aphids found it too, and I couldn't get them off with natural controls so I cut the plant down. I hope it grows back next year.<br />
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My neighbor got a new fence. She went from a DIY metal one (first pic) that I was sure her tiny dog was going to get through to a wooden one. I like it a lot. I'm slightly worried that it means a little less sun in that area because of the fence shadow, but I'll make it work.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdN0YpK91atp0SITnBsKWR8R7dBnifLlQuQcoZRKIwoCoYGxGOCX3feayxeJvajaG_HUo9U28SSHY_OCU3_LonJaUsDK8vougzR9D4_lIhgRZDF78JXLswFxsoNV9Pj5YTwob0bFfiPoM/s1600/IMG_8976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdN0YpK91atp0SITnBsKWR8R7dBnifLlQuQcoZRKIwoCoYGxGOCX3feayxeJvajaG_HUo9U28SSHY_OCU3_LonJaUsDK8vougzR9D4_lIhgRZDF78JXLswFxsoNV9Pj5YTwob0bFfiPoM/s400/IMG_8976.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old fence</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmv2ycpr_TcTYFgsOzfvBMyH42cqUztQmjPZEl49OND8uP4eG_j63SoGBvbEMe_wgVtWQzj5reGfmouCkohQ1VG-NbcvoIa_HA_jINF5Dp4cb03JyF4VjkiecyFT8B5tVNtpizSR1rHp2/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmv2ycpr_TcTYFgsOzfvBMyH42cqUztQmjPZEl49OND8uP4eG_j63SoGBvbEMe_wgVtWQzj5reGfmouCkohQ1VG-NbcvoIa_HA_jINF5Dp4cb03JyF4VjkiecyFT8B5tVNtpizSR1rHp2/s400/IMG_0647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New fence</td></tr>
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The caryopteris x clandonensis 'White Surprise' that I ordered and planted last fall, partially for its variegated foliage, is growing in....not variegated. I feel like this like the time when we got a puppy when I was a kid. I asked my mom when she'd learn to pee lifting her leg like other dogs. I was missing some common sense then, and feel like I'm missing something obvious now. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPCh3LMicOcIUGVFGeNGaB5a1eTbXnEGwKE9yQStv5s9FYsFTqsuM4BkrYf3KPKpR8uzm7BWzgIpz2zRwUjZIL7Uo2h6uMvKvZibR3JMhCceKfRgraB_uS7LpRW1JXVhsU6S9QBAp8vLw/s1600/IMG_0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPCh3LMicOcIUGVFGeNGaB5a1eTbXnEGwKE9yQStv5s9FYsFTqsuM4BkrYf3KPKpR8uzm7BWzgIpz2zRwUjZIL7Uo2h6uMvKvZibR3JMhCceKfRgraB_uS7LpRW1JXVhsU6S9QBAp8vLw/s640/IMG_0650.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a whole lotta variegation going on now. </td></tr>
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I'm starting to compile my fall plant order. Spreadsheets abound! Are you ordering anything fun for next year?<br />
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Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-23870337728998544992015-06-15T15:40:00.002-04:002015-06-15T15:40:20.641-04:00Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a strange year so far. Almost no spring weather - just hot and dry. And then it cooled down a bit, but still no rain. The last week or so it's been raining more, for which I'm grateful, and it's really hot again. Some of the flowers seem off - blooming too early. And it's that time of year where the late spring flowers are done and the early summer ones aren't at their peak yet so there's not a whole lot going on. But green is a color, too, right?<br />
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<b>Back yard:</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-vASuFpbWj9MSdCbQ79aMcloKaLd3eh-Zv9-soaODQKO-8xNyqTMj6-4RlkNzrfd7Np2m_EJRX8HlAshk0w9wktjP5cAM-G02vfeNet1so7hTXQ4jA2OGtZsrkzwoJw3lHmbcDivsOUj/s1600/IMG_9349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-vASuFpbWj9MSdCbQ79aMcloKaLd3eh-Zv9-soaODQKO-8xNyqTMj6-4RlkNzrfd7Np2m_EJRX8HlAshk0w9wktjP5cAM-G02vfeNet1so7hTXQ4jA2OGtZsrkzwoJw3lHmbcDivsOUj/s640/IMG_9349.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' finding a home on my fence</td></tr>
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<b>The allée</b>:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1Hqilv7s8QjOSbfg5pmnFCbzIPEdvtgm3lvQCynU2sSfc0HEmUtW4fbpeLeE08tioPDbd1T2myWueeVG_UBryBuAaLgZo06w6tecIl9NMcmqRuVnUtFvyWRMbgpK60n0Y4LwqFrReKzb/s1600/IMG_9362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1Hqilv7s8QjOSbfg5pmnFCbzIPEdvtgm3lvQCynU2sSfc0HEmUtW4fbpeLeE08tioPDbd1T2myWueeVG_UBryBuAaLgZo06w6tecIl9NMcmqRuVnUtFvyWRMbgpK60n0Y4LwqFrReKzb/s640/IMG_9362.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWyY4BadRqbiBdgorQWanpklzmAIOqofX0EsM4W7GqlwbH8c7cqubu4bRju8TC4Gl_j9gLGug4h-LB_tidHfqAE0VxgVsTlIq1bYofXjQ-g1rqGqsfISyQqmJEZUY128ZlIarQxekL8bM/s1600/IMG_9358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWyY4BadRqbiBdgorQWanpklzmAIOqofX0EsM4W7GqlwbH8c7cqubu4bRju8TC4Gl_j9gLGug4h-LB_tidHfqAE0VxgVsTlIq1bYofXjQ-g1rqGqsfISyQqmJEZUY128ZlIarQxekL8bM/s640/IMG_9358.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last of the blooms on Penstemon 'Dark Towers' </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLc6GXuRF9j2bMh0FScMFe3_heqzLOh7DEXa_ANIDegnNfzBRkdK1CyAOMr58qZMCxnWdnr-u1NaGYzTW6Jeshupmoq9ewYTvumPIhqPfqfC0-6aeStaxFs17tEE5UEoeGiJWQBsNFfJB/s1600/IMG_9351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLc6GXuRF9j2bMh0FScMFe3_heqzLOh7DEXa_ANIDegnNfzBRkdK1CyAOMr58qZMCxnWdnr-u1NaGYzTW6Jeshupmoq9ewYTvumPIhqPfqfC0-6aeStaxFs17tEE5UEoeGiJWQBsNFfJB/s640/IMG_9351.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nepeta 'Walker's Low' . Can't wait to divide these things!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oNKW7LPswFWlBPwli-Ziocuo0ubZTpxbWBeECnaagEOjOU0Kt4kzNJl3R-ZKQXnaVsH5FVYkgvRn9-MUeM2L8DxMmOBpxi6SmWLcSV9hE9L7kXg6L_js6YgMUkltQwFx7Je115s7b-ph/s1600/IMG_9370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oNKW7LPswFWlBPwli-Ziocuo0ubZTpxbWBeECnaagEOjOU0Kt4kzNJl3R-ZKQXnaVsH5FVYkgvRn9-MUeM2L8DxMmOBpxi6SmWLcSV9hE9L7kXg6L_js6YgMUkltQwFx7Je115s7b-ph/s640/IMG_9370.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phlox 'Blue Paradise' is just starting. And it's really purple, not blue. </td></tr>
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<b>The pharm:</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZxvnksB1LG1n7yryk2qWxlJ9zfPva39HskLEk5EtGqDo5ZJgzIU3ANgxED5qUG8UICoy5efGy25LwXcCWXTGuV51oP8qYWrxUKbZA04pFFfh25cWoMQuZaO8U2JVluaZzzidzQwIfREa/s1600/IMG_9368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZxvnksB1LG1n7yryk2qWxlJ9zfPva39HskLEk5EtGqDo5ZJgzIU3ANgxED5qUG8UICoy5efGy25LwXcCWXTGuV51oP8qYWrxUKbZA04pFFfh25cWoMQuZaO8U2JVluaZzzidzQwIfREa/s640/IMG_9368.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echinacea in front of the hydrangea. I feel like it's early for echinacea. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPib97gwB3oRG8GHTvLCKtt3OC3J4icApnZ5mPSOErUSGzYgeCGs6rcqmpaks5gL4ObHGI7l0Tu0EKCO3q-Vcs253lBA6vwmMFSLCtT3WOLJES614KZQGEtp9xJg2Pibj6W2RVwbrTycpO/s1600/IMG_9366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPib97gwB3oRG8GHTvLCKtt3OC3J4icApnZ5mPSOErUSGzYgeCGs6rcqmpaks5gL4ObHGI7l0Tu0EKCO3q-Vcs253lBA6vwmMFSLCtT3WOLJES614KZQGEtp9xJg2Pibj6W2RVwbrTycpO/s640/IMG_9366.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callirhoe involucrata spreading on the sidewalk. This is the only place it's doing well. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_s7pea8gwiRHzELmremT2mhue3SZeeRCY1ttDmV4lFb1_dUfmOqnrYXmFke_WaJoGI1lny9pyq_HqtajQqYMiA_GToLczUwLcfqL7vCFOXz_0rDhB7WXNFHLvKOUTnoSB51r6bu79Oah/s1600/IMG_9364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_s7pea8gwiRHzELmremT2mhue3SZeeRCY1ttDmV4lFb1_dUfmOqnrYXmFke_WaJoGI1lny9pyq_HqtajQqYMiA_GToLczUwLcfqL7vCFOXz_0rDhB7WXNFHLvKOUTnoSB51r6bu79Oah/s640/IMG_9364.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaillardia. I feel like it's early for it to be almost done!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4I447c-C4nEnZQucfAD3LtwAz8X95pzPBM8Ls-cb21BbuTAjaob1Fe54703w_nuYztuVJg_q60pZPKK9aasO1sjvNjVJi_Ccooq7g86uP4OVZBija8ENwdNhXvrz9fqoFGUTW9j8n3TR5/s1600/IMG_9365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4I447c-C4nEnZQucfAD3LtwAz8X95pzPBM8Ls-cb21BbuTAjaob1Fe54703w_nuYztuVJg_q60pZPKK9aasO1sjvNjVJi_Ccooq7g86uP4OVZBija8ENwdNhXvrz9fqoFGUTW9j8n3TR5/s640/IMG_9365.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More echinacea. When they flop, it's a sign that it's super super dry!</td></tr>
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I wonder if the weirdness will continue this year. It really makes me regret all of the aerosol hair spray I used in the '80s!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/" target="_blank">May Dreams</a> for hosting this monthly event! Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-75922841057538262342015-05-30T16:22:00.000-04:002015-05-30T16:22:10.045-04:00Holes in the alléeThe allée is still a newer garden. It was started a tiny bit in 2012 but I dug out the rest in 2013. I've added plugs, divided plants, and last fall I bought about $200 worth of perennials and planted many of them there.<br />
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But still, when I walked through it this week I noticed that there are a lot of holes. No, not those kinds of holes. We're fortunate that in this part of the
city (and probably in many parts of the city), we don't have to deal
with moles or voles or other critters. The holes I have are embarrassing because there is nothing growing in them. I'm sure when I plant new flowers in late summer/early fall that I have a plan in my head but I didn't realize that the plan included leaving great spaces of nothingness.<br />
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I seem to have three categories of holes: Places where there's nothing because the plants around it get bigger; bare spaces left when bulb foliage dies; and then just pure poor planning on my part. <br />
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To wit: I know that I didn't plant a lot here because the ninebark will eventually be 8
feet across, though since that probably won't happen for several more
years, I need to plant and then move when the ninebark takes over. <br />
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And this is a tough spot because when the hibiscus gets going in July, it crowds out everything around it. So instead of giving it space, apparently I planted right next to it and then left blank spaces closer to the pathway. Awesome. <br />
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These next two pictures show problems that arise when the bulb foliage
finally dies. Then, there will be absolutely nothing in their places. I need to work on
some choreography in these spots.<br />
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Then there are the spaces of nothingness or just really bad planting on
my part. Like here - apparently I like to plant on diagonals. <br />
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Here next to the back door - I know it wasn't this empty last year. There were some Geranium 'Rozanne' and more than one Coreopsis but I guess it didn't come back. I planted some annuals there but I have to do something about this. It's a tough area, though, since it gets stepped on all winter when the bench isn't there to block that route. <br />
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Under my Eastern redbud (which had TWO flowers this year, by the way, an improvement over zero so it gets to stay), I planted two Amsonia hubrichtii last fall. I know they'll get larger but right now they're just sprigs and it looks so bare.<br />
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Or this - let me just bunch plants together <i>around</i> a hole of nothingness, and then plant some annuals in there to try to mitigate the damage.<br />
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As you can see, I have a lot of work to do. This mainly involves online shopping for new plants but may also include moving some things around and dividing some plants. For now, I'll just sit here in the a/c and window shop online. Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-91838185964584337292015-05-24T11:29:00.000-04:002015-05-26T14:05:49.011-04:00Early bouquetI'm very book smart but have no common sense, so when Neighbor M and I were admiring my Baptisia bushes yesterday and she told me that she cut some of her own for bouquets, it was as if she had showed me a unicorn farting rainbows and giving out gold for free. My brain is stuck on the cutting peonies, zinnia, and rudbeckia for anchors for bouquets but baptisia? Never would have thought of it on my own and very happy she thought of it for me. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYJiA5wdFmsNUIN4yg6ienJ8V7a07YlBDbPP3kHa6u1x-sCBGcONzLoZFz2elA5qOK3xkLD-igkpR03ToGC_ucAKRi5oZmQhishcb-PKxgadQts5qeYSXMnH59zFClN_AyAPGVTgrNdjO/s1600/bouquet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYJiA5wdFmsNUIN4yg6ienJ8V7a07YlBDbPP3kHa6u1x-sCBGcONzLoZFz2elA5qOK3xkLD-igkpR03ToGC_ucAKRi5oZmQhishcb-PKxgadQts5qeYSXMnH59zFClN_AyAPGVTgrNdjO/s640/bouquet.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B. australis species, 'Twilite Prairieblues', 'Solar Flare Prairieblues', and Nepeta 'Walker's Low'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Which late spring/early summer plants do you use in bouquets? Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-19010044842519627632015-05-15T20:22:00.001-04:002015-05-15T20:28:15.500-04:00Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week I looked around and had my annual, "And just like that, everything is green again!" moments. You're so desperate for any signs of life after one of the coldest winters on record and then boom - everything is suddenly SO alive. It's been one of those busy years already (though it's my own fault for over-volunteering). I can't believe it's already mid-May and I feel like I'm terribly behind in both the garden and the blog. I even had a mental April 2015 bloom day post written but never got the chance to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. So without further ado, les fleurs!<br />
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<u><b>The Pharm (Front Yard)</b></u><br />
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Creeping phlox on the front wall:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not Photoshopped. You really do need sunglasses to look at this azalea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Azalea, allium, iris, and Nepeta "Walker's Low"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire'</td></tr>
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<b>Abeille Allée (Side yard)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W1LQcxieI4sIOnoj_uAFQnLVKD4-jghNhgUuH9BBh3ZvNbeLOauTho-160iCwMtWGBvBtJmyEGwYiLCLKqsEjgFtJruse8lV3knX_fCgNfhvDNEjCKNGauAQ7dTJZ7MoxzMbru-nDWd4/s1600/IMG_8816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W1LQcxieI4sIOnoj_uAFQnLVKD4-jghNhgUuH9BBh3ZvNbeLOauTho-160iCwMtWGBvBtJmyEGwYiLCLKqsEjgFtJruse8lV3knX_fCgNfhvDNEjCKNGauAQ7dTJZ7MoxzMbru-nDWd4/s640/IMG_8816.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peony 'Bowl of Beauty'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUdO7RrDSoKu6wp0pQl3vvw4ZQzh-mW_0N1zvOdjW8zguTyjbYj6wn-5nwij8ZRrO7OQty0IaxiuClzxMFMpZ0xmqNmrXUXB1k-OqMKMBiIrJYopVPKmbnGK-eog7ukUrIva8xBHolLYD/s1600/IMG_8791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUdO7RrDSoKu6wp0pQl3vvw4ZQzh-mW_0N1zvOdjW8zguTyjbYj6wn-5nwij8ZRrO7OQty0IaxiuClzxMFMpZ0xmqNmrXUXB1k-OqMKMBiIrJYopVPKmbnGK-eog7ukUrIva8xBHolLYD/s640/IMG_8791.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allium. I really need more of these for next year. </td></tr>
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As I'm the one who plans the vacations for J and I, I made sure to time it so that I'd be home to see these iris. I missed them last year (my first year having them). It was well worth it to change up our week!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O4OO52ZcOrzNGhGcgFDHsAmSniaXnIoKQWWPs8RXuYiARfZpXBucA_URTPfnaPqTSruJJyUU4ZVbPZ0VLLy7hOi9vQc8NbnAbCGnr6BDgf-GbP6TaQ_Y97J7l_1nJ2FyKlAmWEZRBnpL/s1600/IMG_8827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O4OO52ZcOrzNGhGcgFDHsAmSniaXnIoKQWWPs8RXuYiARfZpXBucA_URTPfnaPqTSruJJyUU4ZVbPZ0VLLy7hOi9vQc8NbnAbCGnr6BDgf-GbP6TaQ_Y97J7l_1nJ2FyKlAmWEZRBnpL/s640/IMG_8827.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sibirian Iris 'Frommymotherii'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lilac bush. Last year I thought it was mostly dead. This year it really filled out!</td></tr>
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<b>The back yard</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'. This 2-year-old vine is blooming for the first time.<br />
I bought it to replace my climbing roses that had RRD. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hellebore was three-quarters dead in the winter but is blooming strong in the spring. Go<br />
figure.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baptisia australis 'Prairiebluesomethingus'</td></tr>
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Lots of things growing, not a tremendous amount of color yet, but that's okay because there is life growing all around and it's not 10 degrees outside! Thanks to <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/" target="_blank">May Dreams</a> for hosting, as always!<br />
<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-34503662548126334332015-03-29T13:59:00.001-04:002015-03-29T13:59:46.723-04:00The state of early springThis was the first day of spring this year in Philadelphia:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplf5SIkBEITbT2_AXklNuu3RSoYituQdZzRdgM2wRSQEsV-TA-13Z2KWmonOS3Qd2TRZ4s5pmh88WD2wbM-G_bz5Jr10BmpUi7Ectbb3JL42LO4P3kaHxVzrY1rKYUiBALdpLoUpbq1Ai/s1600/IMG_8298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplf5SIkBEITbT2_AXklNuu3RSoYituQdZzRdgM2wRSQEsV-TA-13Z2KWmonOS3Qd2TRZ4s5pmh88WD2wbM-G_bz5Jr10BmpUi7Ectbb3JL42LO4P3kaHxVzrY1rKYUiBALdpLoUpbq1Ai/s1600/IMG_8298.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neighbor M's yard, but you get the point</td></tr>
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The ground was bare on the last day of winter but Mother Nature can be a bitch so she was like, "Spring? I'll show you spring, suckers!" Oy. <br />
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Just so I didn't think I was making it up that it was REALLY COLD this year, I checked and February 2015 was the coldest February in Philly since at least 1990 (as far back as I looked). March 2015 has been the coldest March since 1996. March came in like a lion and is going out like a lion in need of a parka. <br />
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So, even though I still need a hat and gloves to walk outside, the sun is bright and walk I do, looking for any little sign of life. There are a few.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank god for crocus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little red wormy heads of peony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phlox 'Blue Paradise' starting early</td></tr>
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And I have some blooms inside. My Thanksgiving cactus, for example, felt bad for me and rebloomed. A late-planted amaryllis in the kitchen makes cooking more bearable. <br />
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Onward to better days ahead. How are things for you in early spring? Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-18971064104006716812015-01-31T14:39:00.001-05:002015-01-31T14:39:16.854-05:00The winter gardenIn case you hadn't heard, the Northeast had a blizzard last week. Here in Philly we got a whopping one inch of snow. I was let out work early on Monday and then had off on Tuesday in anticipation of an historic storm and then...nothing. Fine by me! I didn't have to shovel, had a snow day, and the light coating still made the garden look pretty.<br />
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Four seasons of interest is something I'm verrrry slowly working on for my garden. I have a long, long way to go but there are still some things that look nice right now.<br />
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It's hard to believe that a few years ago, I hated the way Echinacea looked in the winter and cut it down for being too brown. Now, I leave the seed heads for the birds to eat and enjoy the way snow looks on them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sedum 'Autumn Joy' that I didn't cut down in the fall as I usually do</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary (and parsley) in the front yard veggie garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first ornamental grass, Panicum 'Ruby Ribbons'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nandina 'Firepower'</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWTce_MMGIfeYlrUXyms7akWYNdgXwGJgXgqMqzAAiVxDeenESw0rJKIxMLcfC1WRK2HF6ko9x4m_lZ-LERQ5p47mY_xMSNkacMnXf67Md9SBi-_kT-52WbBEhemHud-jjQ2AHk2bYI4J/s1600/IMG_7804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWTce_MMGIfeYlrUXyms7akWYNdgXwGJgXgqMqzAAiVxDeenESw0rJKIxMLcfC1WRK2HF6ko9x4m_lZ-LERQ5p47mY_xMSNkacMnXf67Md9SBi-_kT-52WbBEhemHud-jjQ2AHk2bYI4J/s1600/IMG_7804.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Spe1DA3RmASXl6zSlKCDtlazJOdW0vILn8NVAEA5PPQvw49YoHR8N7mVCnbXB1Hy1Oe5_-rD9pVcmGhdRNPprMXIVTOPqR5Am9YEecmy0FttT_j4mtD56XUyFN2DfaaSGCyp4T6zjIAb/s1600/IMG_7805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Spe1DA3RmASXl6zSlKCDtlazJOdW0vILn8NVAEA5PPQvw49YoHR8N7mVCnbXB1Hy1Oe5_-rD9pVcmGhdRNPprMXIVTOPqR5Am9YEecmy0FttT_j4mtD56XUyFN2DfaaSGCyp4T6zjIAb/s1600/IMG_7805.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cornus 'Arctic Fire'. Neighbor M and I use it for Christmas decorating so it's been<br />pruned a lot in this picture. It's still quite large.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLkhG9cHhSA3IEuPW22OBhE_YJ1tEVyX5slaziMkMN3E9rweCRUyyReyq7fK8GkoMX0C0s-Y8rBW0mBr1Ergp4UDTGRWfO-issnFpMj2d1lyjKda7Kn1MJdumzmfcJEXMaBNxJrp4C-7a/s1600/IMG_7808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLkhG9cHhSA3IEuPW22OBhE_YJ1tEVyX5slaziMkMN3E9rweCRUyyReyq7fK8GkoMX0C0s-Y8rBW0mBr1Ergp4UDTGRWfO-issnFpMj2d1lyjKda7Kn1MJdumzmfcJEXMaBNxJrp4C-7a/s1600/IMG_7808.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helleborus x hybridus 'IForgetus'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4UP6vUTlNu5rkUwoq-0xrUOjFfE4tEaFmW9H5Y_fOkW13cUrw8xTMV6hXBk9a3wm0MCYTGUZnYGskLJDBSqPqkBH8CiKrjcmdPPKW1LhCeRoa8Yy9DVOLFgrX9cU_VpJEUAa_AoIcLUp/s1600/IMG_7812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4UP6vUTlNu5rkUwoq-0xrUOjFfE4tEaFmW9H5Y_fOkW13cUrw8xTMV6hXBk9a3wm0MCYTGUZnYGskLJDBSqPqkBH8CiKrjcmdPPKW1LhCeRoa8Yy9DVOLFgrX9cU_VpJEUAa_AoIcLUp/s1600/IMG_7812.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Cross' Compact'</td></tr>
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As I sit here by a fire and peruse the latest issue of <i>Fine Gardening</i> magazine, my mind knows that we still have a couple more months of winter temperatures left, but my heart is dreaming of spring. Still, I'm tolerating it better this year when I can see bits of winter interest here and there.<br />
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What's going on in your winter garden? Any must have plants for winter interest?Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-13438281470112285142015-01-02T14:47:00.002-05:002015-01-02T14:47:54.252-05:00Things I'd Like to Do in 2015I stopped making New Years' resolutions a long time ago and I've been recently moving away from making goals. Instead, if I write a list of things I'd like to do, I'm not as hard on myself if it doesn't get done or doesn't turn out the way I want. Something about "things I'd like to do" means less pressure in my perfectionist-oriented brain. So with that being said, here are some initial thoughts about things I'd like to accomplish in my garden this year. They're all interrelated.<br />
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<b>Plant a greater variety of annuals</b><br />
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I've been buying the same 4 packets of annuals from the grocery store every February for years. Orange/red marigolds and three types of zinnias.<br />
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I'm really bored of them and by the time late summer rolls around, I always regret not having a better variety of annuals to compliment the perennials. But they can be expensive if I buy them from my local nursery (and probably treated with some sort of chemical). So I'm going to grow my own and branch out from the old standbys. If it works out, I'll be able to fill in the gaps in my perennial beds and have enough to fill up pots for my front porch and back patio. Now, the only thing I need to do is to figure out which flowers I want.<br />
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<b>Don't be so damn cheap</b><br />
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I have a hard time not being super frugal. This is partially why I don't buy a lot of annuals (see above) when spending some damn money would make my garden look nicer. I have no problem spending on perennials but seem to have a block when it comes to annuals, furniture, accessories, etc. So in the interest of stimulating the economy and making the garden look nicer, I'm going to try to get rid of the internal struggle that tells me not to buy and just do it.<br />
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<b>Make inspiration a reality</b><br />
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I have hundreds of photos of gardens I've visited that have inspired me, whether it was the stone of a pathway or a striking flower combination. I'd like to revisit those pictures and figure out how I can make some of those inspirations work for me in my own garden. It'll take some money (see above) and planning, but I do love a good Excel spreadsheet. I think I have to remember that I can get overwhelmed so I only need to pick out one or two ideas for now. I'm already mentally arranging my embarrassing back patio, and have decided to enlist some professional design help for the front yard.<br />
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Do you make resolutions, goals, or lists of things to do in the new year? What's on that list for the upcoming gardening season?<br />
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<b><br /></b>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-6685598619095734502014-11-10T09:58:00.000-05:002014-11-10T09:58:04.710-05:00I'm trying to put the garden to bed...and it's not working<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't remember the last time I was this busy with work and <i>things</i> and other responsibilities. I'm struggling to get all of my garden work done, especially since it's dark by the time I get home now. It's tough to plant bulbs by the light of a lamp post.</div>
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There was also a big project (more later when I can bear to show the results) that took up many of my weekends in October. On the bright side, at least I'm not addicted to caffeine pills like <a href="http://savedbythebell.wikia.com/wiki/Jessie_Spano" target="_blank">Jessie</a>.</div>
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-79299808860103562722014-10-15T20:33:00.001-04:002014-10-15T20:33:49.224-04:00Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2014I'm trying to hold off the dread that comes with writing the last Bloom Day post of the year. Pretty soon I'll be seeing nothing but gray skies and dirty snow but for now, the fading blooms in the garden are keeping my spirits alive. And hopefully at this time next year, I'll have a lot more to show for the end of autumn after making some recent strategic perennial purchases.<br />
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Onward!<br />
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<b>The back yard</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2wKMBZ7qzTDel3kn3T4hmG9JuvF9xfbrYeZiVSEyzTDv6r7Sn0ctfCf7_Ql1WMGymwKf8JAW2Nk7IuaWkLfP6uExdeTMQfRBgpVe9NQT_mP5GehrgN2ffEVsTXk_ff3bHgRMpaSTDdSU/s1600/IMG_6539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2wKMBZ7qzTDel3kn3T4hmG9JuvF9xfbrYeZiVSEyzTDv6r7Sn0ctfCf7_Ql1WMGymwKf8JAW2Nk7IuaWkLfP6uExdeTMQfRBgpVe9NQT_mP5GehrgN2ffEVsTXk_ff3bHgRMpaSTDdSU/s1600/IMG_6539.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ipomoea lobata, an annual vine, grows along my fence</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7ozXHI2DAmVi4BPumOPGFVR3adcG820wOQoJVN6ri3BRbGovg1C7TWKjgzwikXPpkHViuEPTAmKK6OsGOBdyudthtk1heED3PxMZp93JcGjq4SsYgiSPHN5P5AMw96GEpAOeZqI_YLgq/s1600/IMG_6712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7ozXHI2DAmVi4BPumOPGFVR3adcG820wOQoJVN6ri3BRbGovg1C7TWKjgzwikXPpkHViuEPTAmKK6OsGOBdyudthtk1heED3PxMZp93JcGjq4SsYgiSPHN5P5AMw96GEpAOeZqI_YLgq/s1600/IMG_6712.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old reliable Sedum 'Autumn Joy'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDDS6lRSNje4lMzXxC2ZLwccnbh505ufZUilxkag9pLGZcMhfSnXVnSzPS2iG4_V1xKX0DKMAxsfd1a_XvssodOeou60xsq3ax-p9LGRqcHXdTHs6wdes3ps0bJnm-52U6cfuLeBmIccn/s1600/IMG_6713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDDS6lRSNje4lMzXxC2ZLwccnbh505ufZUilxkag9pLGZcMhfSnXVnSzPS2iG4_V1xKX0DKMAxsfd1a_XvssodOeou60xsq3ax-p9LGRqcHXdTHs6wdes3ps0bJnm-52U6cfuLeBmIccn/s1600/IMG_6713.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Iforgettheexactname'</td></tr>
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<b>The allée</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1U5Y7k1J0Bu0iMSGWPNyd_vZ3yJf4Y-A1b70111PzXggy9C2TVtFILg8HtVUG4okQ0Ik2eTxmy4E7SBdwLotAOKy6CPaDwpaH_ILyK2ukTE4wjrYJsKLnKK6jpt1ESPKJT4uQA8Btzrq/s1600/IMG_6719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1U5Y7k1J0Bu0iMSGWPNyd_vZ3yJf4Y-A1b70111PzXggy9C2TVtFILg8HtVUG4okQ0Ik2eTxmy4E7SBdwLotAOKy6CPaDwpaH_ILyK2ukTE4wjrYJsKLnKK6jpt1ESPKJT4uQA8Btzrq/s1600/IMG_6719.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geranium 'Rozanne' and my Energizer bunny, Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaIyp8s2F3__YjfO6YIws7vAcnXQULAy6seCdQ_lMOZSu6P5-hLy9u2sf7SzQaWsOCv108h-0s2fqQZ7yz6AkrKZ3mThilnj8RSeW1lMJbAs1YelDBr9npR4FrrIXGDChwEiWiLT2Zrob/s1600/IMG_6720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaIyp8s2F3__YjfO6YIws7vAcnXQULAy6seCdQ_lMOZSu6P5-hLy9u2sf7SzQaWsOCv108h-0s2fqQZ7yz6AkrKZ3mThilnj8RSeW1lMJbAs1YelDBr9npR4FrrIXGDChwEiWiLT2Zrob/s1600/IMG_6720.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not flowering but lovely foliage from a hibiscus</td></tr>
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<b>The Pharm</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvajFDzB3X5raZ4pgtYdZ8akwfesK_eG3tdy9-YrkyMnAvuc0v_H8eC_MER5VkHu36bnmarvt8sg4RNXAtjeINxodKb_lc5sSkuK30Iw8TJ7rIT0rkk55ln9JcEbRAcqlC0KSQFxV-_VF/s1600/IMG_6723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvajFDzB3X5raZ4pgtYdZ8akwfesK_eG3tdy9-YrkyMnAvuc0v_H8eC_MER5VkHu36bnmarvt8sg4RNXAtjeINxodKb_lc5sSkuK30Iw8TJ7rIT0rkk55ln9JcEbRAcqlC0KSQFxV-_VF/s1600/IMG_6723.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annual I overwintered for Neighbor M (and then took some). Can'trememberus 'Thenameii'</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT0iapu8Ixn3snnstyArBwUVgOGs82S91WzvyOoLBNoSPyiHvZ1wbAnYxMUF5Ktt5F2rtIYP2hb68A-bwCuqshCaJMLJIlOV60Hnv321w6t2vrka6fF60nk8phZTID8x61I16LoogC67e/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT0iapu8Ixn3snnstyArBwUVgOGs82S91WzvyOoLBNoSPyiHvZ1wbAnYxMUF5Ktt5F2rtIYP2hb68A-bwCuqshCaJMLJIlOV60Hnv321w6t2vrka6fF60nk8phZTID8x61I16LoogC67e/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butternut squash is still blooming</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm53YQdq-HaPSeFCXnyaM5qTutrlUXg1vMJQQxk3OoPKlD8mnp-RPevG5xZ6DjocHr4eXQMr4D7YXVAmnbYUk7qYyM-CuhenZAurXiXDvLL44-31PfYGBdEwXUOn5ZVRVLeOdNW02_uwPM/s1600/IMG_6727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm53YQdq-HaPSeFCXnyaM5qTutrlUXg1vMJQQxk3OoPKlD8mnp-RPevG5xZ6DjocHr4eXQMr4D7YXVAmnbYUk7qYyM-CuhenZAurXiXDvLL44-31PfYGBdEwXUOn5ZVRVLeOdNW02_uwPM/s1600/IMG_6727.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The end of the Russian sage</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mKRQdMSwsv_wpIaNz-a17qinv4C0T9d1su_GbO0-LT9uifYrCPq5cW-AnMAEVLZ3ojNCYByynnPhuIqrTm8RT814-7-egcB30qfXvwKVaHfs2-blN8zNDg7M0eF5DDZebAflIhgtyvjh/s1600/IMG_6728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mKRQdMSwsv_wpIaNz-a17qinv4C0T9d1su_GbO0-LT9uifYrCPq5cW-AnMAEVLZ3ojNCYByynnPhuIqrTm8RT814-7-egcB30qfXvwKVaHfs2-blN8zNDg7M0eF5DDZebAflIhgtyvjh/s1600/IMG_6728.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bee on the Gaillardia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mpEhu9XtHYMDpGwS6mBx_5tAqKEhE3BCKhpMgnsOjjnG0RadwszBzptzunnK9YQp5gZczOPmT1wZ6HAvP21FCwdbZ_ew-OVdmvEWH7LJJeoCfeTk99esfEHuiLRXhScNo_LD_bd7ILcT/s1600/IMG_6729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mpEhu9XtHYMDpGwS6mBx_5tAqKEhE3BCKhpMgnsOjjnG0RadwszBzptzunnK9YQp5gZczOPmT1wZ6HAvP21FCwdbZ_ew-OVdmvEWH7LJJeoCfeTk99esfEHuiLRXhScNo_LD_bd7ILcT/s1600/IMG_6729.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aster 'October Skies' along the front wall. The dead looking stuff to its<br />right is creeping phlox.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4GuVExwJjjT5TEPd2VTHM-z2SFVQJMz2-nk4ltwJMBLrWKVp8HmBldz0uQwsiR_tRD_qch0VrseCLnSDrfVciS4V1b86d1fZXGOCJoE2HL8hOrEM-bGdSncWzP6cy1R1SAO8rgxkPxdm/s1600/IMG_6733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4GuVExwJjjT5TEPd2VTHM-z2SFVQJMz2-nk4ltwJMBLrWKVp8HmBldz0uQwsiR_tRD_qch0VrseCLnSDrfVciS4V1b86d1fZXGOCJoE2HL8hOrEM-bGdSncWzP6cy1R1SAO8rgxkPxdm/s1600/IMG_6733.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aster 'Alma Potschke' surrounding an echinacea seed head</td></tr>
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And that's all she wrote for 2014 Bloom Days! Thanks to <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/" target="_blank">May Dreams</a> for hosting.<br />
<b><br /></b>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1903271386070223045.post-34814735231060137302014-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:002014-10-03T08:00:09.540-04:00Chanticleer - Part 3I'm wrapping up my tour of Chanticleer today. My first two posts on it can be found <a href="http://phillygarden.blogspot.com/2014/09/chanticleer-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://phillygarden.blogspot.com/2014/09/chanticleer-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Following the path from the Ruin Garden we came to a potting shed and this rather large cold frame. Can you imagine having such a space to keep your plants in the winter? Put this on "Things I Really Want in My Next House"!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p_-IeE3gITVPHholKSD275VG72LGeG1y3lhoTjGjjFdYZwcPb6ykMKdGADm66uNkTCfoPf-zlgKMppZmqrYxxEZO7SYCP_d7CuZrEM5ZAK9Wqz9kzvzdLfvE2JmsC_6d5iBf8WNGP5cL/s1600/IMG_6296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p_-IeE3gITVPHholKSD275VG72LGeG1y3lhoTjGjjFdYZwcPb6ykMKdGADm66uNkTCfoPf-zlgKMppZmqrYxxEZO7SYCP_d7CuZrEM5ZAK9Wqz9kzvzdLfvE2JmsC_6d5iBf8WNGP5cL/s1600/IMG_6296.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the step stool in the middle of the picture?</td></tr>
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The potting shed and the cold frame signaled we had arrived at the Cut-Flower Garden. Laid out in a series of rectangles, it just kept going on and on. Can you envision having the luxury of all of these flowers to cut and bring inside to enjoy? <br />
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There are <b>fifteen</b> pages of plants listed on the <a href="http://chanticleergarden.org/pdffiles/cfg.pdf" target="_blank">Cut-Garden Plant Guide</a>.<br />
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Next to the Cut-Flower Garden is the Vegetable Garden. J and I talk about what we'd like in a home if we ever move out of the city. He wants a driveway. I want a space large enough for a veggie garden like this. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bench in front of fence-growing veggies</td></tr>
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From the nonstop color of the Cut-Garden we walked just steps away to Bell's Woodland. Opening in the spring of 2012, this is the newest addition to Chanticleer Gardens. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBiI37zQDdixZgBPl_airy-vm8lhO_Rpet0GeNF5WAD4hgNdexR1nSZD1Isvonz2NHltGCnytuZZ5Hpw1tJ1_sFKdB9JtjIf5AF-my8ydBiBjkTqo53NDb1ZNWlFaCJIRGa3Y2_xyjwSc/s1600/IMG_6313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBiI37zQDdixZgBPl_airy-vm8lhO_Rpet0GeNF5WAD4hgNdexR1nSZD1Isvonz2NHltGCnytuZZ5Hpw1tJ1_sFKdB9JtjIf5AF-my8ydBiBjkTqo53NDb1ZNWlFaCJIRGa3Y2_xyjwSc/s1600/IMG_6313.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant list box shaped like a hornet's nest. </td></tr>
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To traverse the stream, you cross a bridge created to look like a downed beech tree. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZIIez38YYn_tb4X7ohnfGsgv_9dgwFy8GflR35VN6xdT1w3e4o3xZDU-_HoSbJnMwSLFIi4honwFMvArjbuJN3BNBTGNx9TwzCUKy2EgRBeLk3CTxUyIKT9yhRO02XClGfvdk5vHdMNm/s1600/IMG_6311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZIIez38YYn_tb4X7ohnfGsgv_9dgwFy8GflR35VN6xdT1w3e4o3xZDU-_HoSbJnMwSLFIi4honwFMvArjbuJN3BNBTGNx9TwzCUKy2EgRBeLk3CTxUyIKT9yhRO02XClGfvdk5vHdMNm/s1600/IMG_6311.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beech tree bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://katob427.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/chanticleer-8-13-059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://katob427.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/chanticleer-8-13-059.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://katob427.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sorta Like Suburbia</a></td></tr>
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The plants are still maturing in the woods, but even so it was a tranquil place with pops of color here and there. <br />
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Following the path through the woods, we were led past the Tennis Court Gardens once again and back to the beginning where we started. <br />
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I'm really glad that J and I explored this garden. It's different than what I'm used to from my trips to Longwood - it seems more experimental - more wild - but really creative in its own way. It also has an air of relaxation with myriad places to sit and take it all in. I look forward to returning in the spring when everything will look very different but likely just as beautiful. Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101274476936267801noreply@blogger.com2