Virtual Garden Tour 2000-2021

This one has been appearing every spring for the last 4 years but I don't think it's too common as I've only seen one other...and that one hibernates for 11 months of the year, only appearing for the month of October to scare and delight "Trick or Treaters" (although it has now been hibernating since November 2019 and at this point I'm not sure when it will next appear...)

 

An assorted tour today at the mainland coast - sunshine tho cool breeze off ocean
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A few pale pink Rhodo - Mission Bells blossoms remain tho I don’t know if I would race out and buy it again — tho the big bees love it! And it’s slightly scented. Photo w bee.

The last of Cowichan primrose against common pink bleeding heart flowers

The red bleeding heart with sun background is “Valentine”

The tiny dark burgundy geranium flower is “Mourning Widow” (sweet woodruff background) and is very well behaved (ie does not take over) - a nice blend-in type plant and doesn’t mind large containers too. I have had it for 10 yrs in various spots . It blooms and does not really come back. Bees love it and hummers’ look.
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Vine maple (Acer circinatum)
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Rhodo “Percy Wiseman” - compact and reliable for over 10 yr now (clematis in maple)

An alpina clematis (blue) fell off in to hen chicks planter

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Rhodo - thé final days of good old reliable early PJM with some tall allium blending in to the green leafy effect

Acer circinatum evening shadows on house siding

Ladies Mantle (alchemilla mollis - spell?)
With the requisite dew drop today - it seeds freely but is easy to manage and I like it in my green forest scheme


More Geraniums!
Espresso with bronze leaves and pink flower

Last tho not least - chief rodent control officer admiring old time lilacs today


I will post some pix - and might edit to clarify -

I planted most of the things I bought recently (ok some from 2 yrs ago!)

Remember days like this on Nov and Feb and March

 

@Margot - I have been wondering same question regarding naming images

Your crabapple is gorgeous

And lucky you with a natural rock outcropping with moss!

 

Good morning Georgia, I use a general purpose granular feed called Growmore. But more importantly I do let the leaves brown in the sun to gain all the strength for the bulbs ready for next season.
If you highlight Growmore and do a web search for an equivalent where you live, it might be better than me trying to explain it.

 

A little more color appearing in the gardens...

Dutch iris
Variegated canna lily
Portuguese squill
Strawberry vine (female)

And our Anna's hummingbird chicks are growing quickly. In case you're wondering about the wire in front of the nest we almost had a tragedy yesterday. Not being centered on the wire, the nest had slipped to a 90 degree angle and I found the smaller of the two chicks hanging upside down with a death grip on the nest itself. I gently pushed the chick back into the nest and rigged up some wire that loops around under the nest to hold it in place (being made of spider webs the nest is very soft and with the weight of the chicks will no longer stay in place without this help). And as a thank you I got pooped on....
The interesting thing about a nest made of spider web is that it is very flexible and is actually stretching to fit the chicks as they grow, it just wasn't secure enough to stay put on the wire.

 

Pmurphy, I was curious about the "Strawberry vine" photos shown here and previously; so, I Googled Schisandra grandiflora and found that IMG_3768 closely resembles Schisandra glabra, while the previous IMG_3292 looks like Schisandra rubriflora. I don't know how accurate the sources are, but the two flowers certainly look different from each other and from Schisandra grandiflora.

 

I find this very confusing as well but when I purchased the plants back in 2014 they were very difficult to find and were being called "strawberry vines" (which I still call them) but they are in fact Chinese magnolia vines - with no relation to actual magnolias.

Schisandra grandiflora 'Valentine' is also known as Schisandra grandiflora 'Rubra', Schisandra grandiflora 'Rubriflora' and Schisandra grandiflora var. rubriflora. This plant's natural range is listed from India to western China.
Schisandra grandiflora 'Apricot Blush' (and as unlikely as it seems) is the fruit bearing "female" counterpart to 'Valentine'. This plant's natural range is listed from China to Russia.
Schisandra glabra, aka bay star-vine, is the only American species of this primarily Asian genus. It's natural range is in the southeastern United States and northern Mexico.
And to make it confusing there is another, Schisandra chinensis, which is native to Russia, China, Korea and Japan and is self fertile.

All I know for sure is that 'Valentine' has never produced any fruit but 'Apricot Blush' does. I also know that most images found online showing the berries of any of these plants (with the exception of S. glabra as I do not have this plant) do not seem to accurately portray the clusters.

First two images are flowers and fruit of 'Apricot Blush' - long clusters.
Second two images are flowers and fruit of 'Eastern Prince' - small groups (this plant is seed-grown and I've had it since 2013)

....and for the record, I find the fruits bitter and/or tart.

 

14 May 2021 Fern-Leaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia)

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Durgan
14 May 2021 Fern-Leaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia) 14 May 2021 Fern-Leaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia)

A perennial. Lasts a week or so and has the most beautiful red color.

 

It's a shame they are so fleeting....
Fern-Leaf peony 'Rubra Flora Plena' has a double flower (flowered for the first time this year).

 

Today was a beautiful day so I spent it watering (3 hours worth) and taking some photos...

Five Spot - got a package of seeds earlier this year and now I have patches of these delightful little plants throughout the "Garden".
Autumn fern - I love the new growth on ferns and it seems each type opens differently.
Dwarf arctic iris
Portuguese squill (still opening)
Cretan or ribbon fern with the unlikely name of 'Jurassic Velociraptor' - hardy to zone 9 (or so they say) so I have it planted in the "Garden".
Dragon's claw arum - I find the leaves just as interesting as the flowers...which should be coming along soon.
Pink dogwood - flowers are just starting to open.
Italian arum - I didn't even realize they were flowering yet...they were just blending into the shadows.
Pawpaw
Bunchberry
Kiwi 'Artic Beauty'
Hardy iceplant - all my cacti and succulents are exploding with new growth right now
Medlar 'Breda Giant'

 

I see that three years ago you had not had fruits on the pawpaw yet (Paw Paw Tree anyone??). Any news on that front? You could reply in that thread.

 

Virtual garden tour of my mother’s old garden in the countryside in Southern Europe. It is no longer maintained, and she visits there once every two-three weeks just to make sure there are no major issues that need to be addressed.

 

Good morning N, that is such a natural and wonderful look your mum has created. I can see it rubbed off on you. Hope you are enjoying your visit.

 

Well it's raining here at last, and so very much needed. After the driest April on record, the plants need it.
So after a very cold start to Spring, everything in my garden is so late to come out, but here are a few that are now getting going this morning.
They are:- Cornus kousa 'China girl', Ginkgo biloba maidenhair tree, Hosta 'Orange Marmalade', Sorbus aria 'Lutescens' Whitebeam, Fagus sylvatica 'Black Swan', Hosta 'Snowflake' and Hosta 'Midas touch '.

 

Thank you D! I’m already back. It was a very nice but very short trip.
I smuggled about 30 Sternbergia lutea bulbs from her garden into our yard. Just planted them this morning between the rocks next to our back deck. I hope some bloom this fall even with the transplanting. They look amazing in larger groups. Time will tell if they like our very acidic soil.

 

I hope they do for your N, it is also something to remind you of home and mum when they do flower each year.

 

Good morning Sunday Pacific Daylight Time - breezy and bright sunshine near the ocean

Today’s tour THEME is « view from above »

Featuring all the intricate nature leafy patterns in especially the spring green at this fleeting time of year (and bird song background chirping)

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I will likely edit this to get the descriptions to match photos
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Sappho - my new rhodo fav in mid-size and mid season

First two pix are rhodo at neighbor and we share this well-behaved mid-large (6x6 foot) shrub’s blossom over the neighborly fence - it is called Sappho and reminds me of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting — if i had space — I would wish for a Sappho rhodo https://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionH_new.asp?ID=902


Next two photos - a bee’s eye view of rhodo Pink Pearl - a pretty pale pink approx same size as Sappho ... it is next to the old Vancouver/Lower Mainland BC area ubiquitous standby in hot pink - Anna Rose Whitney https://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionH_new.asp?ID=757

https://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionH_new.asp?ID=938

NEXT - HOSTAS view from above

This is Paul’s Glory as best I can remember - likes being in a large container

Empress Wu - I have this in a container which the plant likes but from a design view, it is too tall (it is empty around the stems because it’s so tall) — it would be good as a background container not front row —- the leaves got a bit burned because they had emerged then we went below freezing at night for at least a week sometime around Easter 2021 I think.
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Next is a lovely well behaved hosta called Christmas Tree I think next to a mystery hosta companion and some mystery fern (that dislikes summer - looks best now!) and a mixed container of rockery plant in jade and lime to go w hostas - i always forget that rockery plant name! (Stonecrop?)

Christmas hosta is heavily corrugated (ie not smooth) which adds appealing texture to a minimal color composition

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Next slide - This hosta is a worm’s eye view - I think it’s Sum & Substance - nature’s stained glass leafy windows

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Now here is photo of a mixture of texture and lots of green with an accent fr across the color wheel — I think it works because of scale

My disappointment is - of course - none of this except heuchera and sword fern are winterized so it looks barren — tho isn’t that part of the wonder & joy of nature’s springtime emergence

I think these hostas are « mystery? » plus Stained Glass and Midwest Magic and maybe Guacamole — with mystery tender fern and our fav sword fern native to coastal NAmerica
(Palace purple heuchera and Rozanne geranium yet to flower)
Geranium 'Rozanne' | Walters Gardens, Inc.

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Allium - I have poor success w allium - lots of leaves/ no flowers ... but these two came out - and they were part of a mix package something named « moon » ... thé bees are looking so that is good — thé background leaves are PJM RHODO - which is long over now but similar color purple - i like PJM

And that’s our little tour today in all of 100x100 feet square

I hope you’re enjoying viewing your own garden too - and admiring neighbor gardens at a distance

 

A few of my rhododendrons began blooming in March and a few are still in bud but this is definitely the height of rhodo season. Here are most of what bring joy to my heart these days . . .

1. Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke'
2. R. 'Carmen'
3. R. 'Cary Ann'
4. R. 'Dreamland'
5. R. 'Golden Gate'
6. R. 'Hachman's Charmant'
7. R. 'Hong Kong'
8. R. 'Jakarta'
9. R. 'Jingle Bells'
10. R. 'Purple Passion'
11. R. 'Tara Too' (underplanted with Vancouveria planipeta)
12. R. occidentale

 

Wonderful Margot, it's like looking at Exbury gardens. Brought some joy here also. Thankyou.

 

They are gorgeous! I have only one and it is nowhere near blooming yet.

 

My Spiraea cantoniensis started blooming. It is in a rather shaded spot and never performs up to its potential. Plus some random shots of ferns, maple and a yellow-blooming weed.

 

I wonder if other gardeners, like me, are enjoying May more this year because there are fewer garden events to distract us - garden tours and plant sales especially can involve so much time and work, it's a treat not be involved for one more year.

These are a few plants other than rhodos I have in bloom . . .
1. Maianthemum dilatatum - native plant aka False Lily-of-the-Valley
2. Maianthemum racemosum - native plant aka False Solomon's Seal
3. Cornus canadensis - native groundcover
4. Aquilegia saximontana - Alpine Dwarf Columbine
5. Luzula nivalis - Snowy Woodrush (Arctic native grass)
6. Penstemon davidsonii - BC native plant
7. Penstemon hirsutus??
7. Gentian acaulis - taken years to get this size!

 

Good morning, well we have had quite a battering from the wind here in Southern England this last couple of days. But this morning some calm. So I thought some of our Hostas that have sprouted almost overnight for the thread.

Fire and Ice, Lemon lime, Hands up, Stained Glass, Mouse Ears and June.

 

A few hours later and I wanted to show just how late everything is in the UK this year is. Here are my Azalea Geisha white and Azalea Diamond white, that are both usually fully in bloom by the beginning of May, but are only just opening now. My Fern 'Ursula Red' is also a month late this year.

 

Good morning, continuing with my Hostas, here are a few from earlier today. My White Feather was almost translucent due to being hit by the month long frosts of April and early May. I'm also getting early signs of slug damage this year, which is very annoying.

These are Snowflake, White Feather, Guacamole, Revolution, The British Are Coming and Patriot.