In between

This has been a tough year so far. Winter seemed to never end. Even now, the second to last day of May, it's in the low 60s and feels chilly outside. A series of sad events have occurred in my life that have left me...blah. And being away four out of five weekends in May mean that I'm behind in the garden. I look at all of the weeds and keep walking. I write blog posts in my head while running and then don't type them out. I'm just not that into it this year. But I'm trying to be. Fake it 'til you make it, right? In any case, this isn't supposed to be a depressing post or blog, so on to happier things. 

Peony bud - May 14

Peony opening - May 29

I had pictures taken for my May 2014 Bloom Day but it was the day before J and I left for a 10 day vacation, so the post never happened. But above all else, this blog is a place for me to catalog my garden so I wanted to post an in between Bloom Days update. So I wanted to share some then and now pictures.

Baptisia australis - May 14

Baptisia australis - May 29

By the way, I'm 5'8 and this Baptisia australis is at eye level. I didn't realize it was "special" until Neighbor M kept exclaiming about its height. The usual websites list it as growing to 3-4'. I guess mine likes its spot very much.

Allium - May 14

Allium - May 29

Allium christophii - May 14

Allium christophii - May 29

I bought some Allium christophii bulbs from White Flower Farm (and then my big box store had some, too) last fall after seeing them all over garden blogs. I'm glad I was able to see their show when I returned from vacation.

Allium christophii with Amsonia 'Blue Ice'

Assorted pictures from May 14:

Creeping phlox

The azalea I thought I lost during the winter

Kerria japonica

Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' (Button Spurge)

Wide view of the back yard - from the back patio

Wide view of the back yard - from the back fence

Assorted pictures from May 29:

   

My newest Peony, 'Bowl of Beauty'

 

Peony 'Karl Rosenfeld' with Baptisia australis

'Twilite Prairieblues'

Astilbe in the shade of 'Twilite Prairieblues'

Lady's mantle from my mom

Baptisia australis 'Solar Flare Prairieblues'

Iris

Allium christophii, Baptisia australis, and spiderwort

Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow'

 

Wide view of the back yard - from the back fence

Wide view of the back yard - from the back patio

And there you have it. After a long winter, plants are growing again with vigor. There's a lot to see and be thankful for. What's new in your garden?

Surprises around every corner

Bulbs blooming, peonies growing, trees budding. There is so much going on that sometimes the small details are lost in all of spring's glory. But those small surprises are just as enjoyable - moreso, even, as you don't alway see them at first glance. They're like a secret between you and the garden. Here are a few of mine.

Tulip fringed with purple reveals a blue and white center.

Daffodil from my unlabeled bag of 50 I planted in the fall. This sweet one is about the size of two quarters.

Tulip 'White Emperor' has a touch of green on its petals.

Bi-colored daffodil. I've never seen anything like it.

I know it was a long winter, but I'm a little scared that I have no recollection of this pink
 creeping phlox (front of photo) on my front wall. Season-induced memory loss
 makes for great surprises.

Have you discovered any surprises in your garden?

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2014

I'm back, baby.

After a whole lot of nothing to say during the winter that destroyed my soul, spring is here. Let me say that one more time, because there's a part of me that still doesn't believe it. Spring. Is. Here. I won't comment on the fact that t was 82* on Sunday, and we're having a freeze warning tonight. Whatever, Mother Nature.

One of the reasons I started a blog was to see how my garden looked from year to year. In my April 2013 bloom day post, I mentioned that things were coming up later than usual. This year, everything is coming up even later than last year. There's not much to report going on here in this city garden except bulbs. Thank goodness I went on a bulb-buying binge in the fall.

Let's get to pretty things now, shall we?

In the front, my $20-for-50-daffodil-bulbs purchase last fall paid off. This is just one clump that I planted.

Creeping phlox just starting to flower. It was already in full bloom at this time last year.

On the side, I finally trimmed the forsythia. I mean, I hacked the crap out of it, not that you can tell.  I know, you're not supposed to do it until after it flowers but if I'd waited, the 25 little baby forsythias I removed would still be there and my neighbor's car would continue to be scratched.

The allée is looking a little tacky with the brightly colored pink and blue hyacinth that were an impulse buy last fall. But boy does it smell good when you walk through.

Early tulips are blooming. In the fall, I finally made sure to get a variety of early and middle blooming bulbs.

There's not much to report in the back except a) there's no snow, and b) there are green leaves popping up here and there, so it's a win-win in my book.

My helleborus x hybridus 'Snow Bunting' bloomed! Sure, the flowers are all facing the fence so I have to do a weird yoga pose to see them, but it bloomed! Note to self: Plant more hellebores here for next year.

That wraps up my bloom day for this month. Spring has finally, finally arrived and I can't wait to see what continues to pop up in my garden. Thanks to May Dreams for hosting.

Practical ideas from the Philadelphia Flower Show

I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show yesterday with Neighbor M. I haven't been in a couple of years but I had nothing else to do (spring break!) and thought it might be nice to see some flowers during this never-ending winter.

It's the only flower show I've ever been to so I'm not sure if my issues are with it or with flower shows in general. I've avoided it in past years because I always found it ostentatious with few practical ideas, super crowded, and really, there are only so many rhododendrons one can see. This year's theme was ARTiculture and many of the displays were interpretations of a particular painting or of the works of a particular artist. So, a lot of it was really out there. (And then, of course, there are those displays that don't even pretend to stick to the theme and do whatever they want.) Hellebores were apparently this year's rhodies, which was a sort of pleasant surprise.

As photos and show reviews are ubiquitous across the interwebs,  I'm not going to add yet another review of the show or of its grand displays. Instead, I made a conscious effort to seek out practical ideas that would inspire me in my own garden and will share those here.

Seating areas

I'm not a fan of my seating area or outdoor dining table in the back yard. Neither are comfortable and they stick out too much, and both are too big for my small space. I saw some ideas at the Flower Show that inspired me, though I'd certainly need to bring them down to scale.

In these first two photos, I liked the plantings behind the chairs (try to ignore the furniture itself. I'm not going for bright red!). I can dig out a foot or a foot and a half from the fence where the current outdoor table rests and then get a smaller table. Alternatively, I can group some pots behind the dining table and chairs.

There were also some nice bench ideas. One was on top of a wall (that I keep building in my dreams). The other was between two flower boxes.

And finally, there was a really great vignette of a dining table under a pergola. I've thought of putting up a pergola over my back patio and then growing vines up and over it. There's a lot going on in the picture as far as table settings, orchids, and hanging lights, but you get the idea.

Veggies and herbs

The next few pictures show some creative ways to grow veggies and herbs. I don't know that I'm going to run out and get a giant barrel in which to plant herbs (actually, I know I'm not going to) but it was nice to see the lushness of them all. I particularly like the basket of herbs.

Assorted design ideas

This final set of pictures has some random things I liked, from hardscaping to vertical planting.

Flower petal-inspired hardscaping:

Small flower beds in between a patio and some Belgian block:

A lush screen of evergreens (I'll pass on the Monet-inspired bridge):

A well-designed wall of vertical plantings:

I'd say this year's Philadelphia Flower Show was a success as far as practical inspiration goes. I can look back on these pictures and try to incorporate some of the ideas in my own tiny city garden. What about you? 'Tis the season for flower shows - do you attend any? Do you come away with any inspiration?

They're under there somewhere

Have you heard the one about the six-pack abs? A guy will say, "I have a six-pack. It's just under my my beer belly." 

That's how I feel about my plants. I know they're out there somewhere, but they're hiding underneath feet of snow. 

I have no words suitable for print for this winter. Like many areas of the country, we've been hammered with record-breaking snow. During each major snowstorm, I've put on my snow clothes and headed outside with a broom to beat the snow off of my bushes, trying to make sure they aren't dying under the weight of snow and ice. Sadly, I'm not sure how my poor azalea will fare when the snow is gone.

But there is hope!

We've recently had some rain and a couple of warmer days, so though I still can't access my front or back yard without snow boots, the allée is newly freed from the white stuff. And just like I thought, even though I couldn't see them, my plants have been getting ready for their springtime show. 

Hyacinth

Peony

Tulips or daffodils. I can't remember what I planted here.

It will still be some time before there are actual blooms, but knowing they're under there somewhere will help me through the next round of snow.