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Tuesday 12 May 2009

Show me the plants !!

I know ... finally she is going to talk PLANTS !
To top it off I have to start out with "Jack Frost" my favorite brunnera of them all .. I don't care what new cultivars they breed .. Jack has my heart completely and talk about moving on quickly .. these pictures are from two days ago and the plants have jumped up even further since then. Jack will be filled with those perfect tiny blue flowers and I am loving him all the more for that treat : )
I'm going to do a quick switch to some annuals I use to do my two planters with on the front step .. some new coleus that drew my attention in a split second ..
Coleus "Henna" .. "Indian Summer" .. and "Rustic Orange" .. talk about dramatic appeal .. it made me drop my regular "Kong" and drove me to try these new ones out. I have a burgundy spike grass that goes in the middle .. Gold Creeping Jenny for a trailer affect and those will be my planters for eye candy if all goes well !
Switching back to the tried and true .. my old fashioned Bleeding Heart is a beauty each year .. it keeps company with my favorite Monkshood Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’ .. another old fashioned one but still my pick : )
Hard to imagine such delicate little flowers wait all winter to show themselves off in the Spring.
Freckles violet or Viola sororia 'Freckles' .. another little beauty that is down right hardy thankfully .. it puts up with a lot of nonsense where I have it .. something likes to lunch on it almost every year ..

I think the ostrich ferns are gossipping again .. all they need is a cup of coffee in the little green hands and it would be in full swing !
Finally a little peak at what I am still working on for my "shared space" ideas .. there are ostrich ferns, Halcyon Hosta ( in those root forms from my Costco craziness) .. Lily of the Valley .. and soon to join them all will be is clematis "Sweet Autumn" .. plus those stepping stones that might be another year in the making .. but it is all going to be wonderful eventually !

18 comments:

Cathy S. said...

I just planted a Jack Frost today!
It's such a nice plant I love the blue flowers on it and the foliage is really pretty too. Happy Gardening!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Hiii,
Oh lovely plants! I didnt' know you got the o.k. to do the shared space? I missed that post I guess. It is going to be beautiful!!! Wow you are so nice!!!!A clematis too? Geezzz can you come over and I am sure I have a place in my yard you can work on!!!(-:
Guess what? I found you a little gargoyle at the dollar store. Send me your addy and I will send it to you(-:

Unknown said...

Now how cute are those little ostrich ferns? And gossiping and drinking coffee no less! Your flowers are really looking good. Bleeding Hearts are so very delicate and I like that other one you have - dang I can't remember what it was called but it's there and you have it and I liked it! Whatever it was. And I agree I love Jack Frost! It even gave me a baby last year so now I have to find a special place to put it!!!

Barry said...

Joy:
It's wonderful to see Jack taking the spotlight in this post. He definitely is the showiest of the Brunnera.... even with so many new cultivars popping up. I came close to picking up 'Silver Wings', but next to Jack the foliage is..... lacking at best! I look forward to seeing more of your favourites in the coming weeks..... they are forecasting warmer weather for the rest of the week..... YAY!

Brenda Kula said...

In your neck of the woods, things are just warming up, I bet. Here, spring plants are drooping and most on their way out. I love that top plant.
Brenda

tina said...

Jack is just beautiful! I added it and 'Looking glass' to my garden just this spring. I hope it likes hot weather. Sometimes I think those big beautiful plants for the shade (like hostas) only grow well up north:)

Ellie Mae's Cottage said...

Jack Frost is one of my favorites too! I have one in my shade garden. The pics in this post are so lovely! -Jackie

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Cathy .. isn't it a beautiful plant ? .. even when the flowers have disappeared the foliage is wonderful .. I'm looking for another one myself : )

Hi Cindee .. Yup ! my neighbor Connie gave me full go ahead to do what ever I want .. so more to come .. I just wished I hadn't gone the bag o' root for the hosta .. it will take time for them to mature and I can't wait to see them ... NOW ??
Oh my gosh .. you are too sweet girl .. but sending across the border is expensive .. We'll chat about it OK ? .. Skeeter had sticker shock when she sent her package ! LOL

Helloooo there RG .. It may be the fern leaf one .. or Ivory Hearts or Aurora or King of Hearts .. I have quite a few of them (have a thing for them as well ? LOL)
I can't wait for my Jack to throw a baby for me now too : )

Hey Teza ! .. this morning there was a FROST .. more so on the roofs but heavier than yesterday morning .. a little scary .. hope it didn't affect your kids ? .. Yes ! I almost ordered Silver Wings too .. and the nursery I went to on Sunday had Hadspan Cream but it just doesn't ring my bell ? LOL Bring on the warm NOT hot hot weather for sure ! Victoria weekend coming up soon : )

Hi Brenda .. Yes ! we are finally catching up to you now : ) .. but I hope we have more of the Spring like weather than jumping full force into that hot humid summer stuff .. I have so much more work to do in the garden !!

Tina I think you are right about them being a bit tricky in your neck of the woods .. we have hot humid summers here but they are shorter than yours so our beautiful shade plants hang in for us .. hope yours will be happy girl !

Hello Jackie : )
Thank you so much girl ! .. I take lots of pictures but only the few good ones hit the blog .. good thing it is digital ? LOL
Love the little furry one in the picture : )

Giddy said...

Joy, I always knew we were kindred spirits. I planted my bleeding heart and aconitum together, as well.

I must purchase a Jack Frost now that I have seen yours. Only problem is, where to put it. I can't believe I'm actually finally running out of room in the garden!

Rose said...

Joy, I just planted my first Jack Frost; I don't think he will be my last either:) I am like you on the new hostas--they are so beautiful, I don't think I'll even buy a Kong this year. Great idea for combining them with the burgundy spike grass and creeping Jenny--I may just steal that idea, if you don't mind:)

Hooray, the deck is finished! It looks beautiful and all ready for some greenery around it.

our friend Ben said...

Drool, what gorgeous plants! I'm going to have to keep an eye out for 'Jack' and those coleus! Love my bleeding hearts and 'Freckles' violet, too. It's so good to see your garden coming to life again!!!

Jim/ArtofGardening said...

Your coleus / brown spike container is what I do in my big cone-shaped planters each year. I'll have to keep an eye out for those bright reds though. Thay look great.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Giddy Girl ! how cool is that I ask you ? .. they just seem perfect together and I manage to keep the foliage of the Bleeding heart pretty darn good most of the year by watering well and cutting back any ratty leaves.
So there is such a thing as running out of room ? LOL .. it is beginning to be a bit of a squeeze here too girl .. but that is what the plant shoehorn is all about : )

Rose .. I can guarantee you will be addicted to "Jack" and find other spaces for him to smile at you from .. I am having a hard time finding one here but I'm determined !
Yes !! those new coleus are amazing and I like adding tone on tone with the spikes and gold Jenny so please dabble with them too girl !
We are waiting for the final, final inspection on the deck .. the top step was 1/2 inch too short .. can you believe that ???
Then hubby wants to pressure wash the siding where the vine was a bit messy ... THEN lots of plants on the deck for my personal jungle !! : )

Oh 'ben" .. I am so happy ( even with being tired and sore from the gardening) to be GARDENING !! ..
Yes ! .. those coleus are so striking .. you have to have some of them too and ... JACK !! he is a must have in your garden too girl : )

Well hello there Jim ! .. So great minds do think alike even at our distance ? LOL ... The coleus Henna is amazing .. and I love Rustic Orange because it is all about Autumn for me : )
We had frost on the roof this morning so I am being cautious waiting just a couple more days before I do my urn up for the front .. this is a late twist to the weather ! ; )

Anonymous said...

I planted both Jack Frost & the Coleus 'Henna' this spring. We are on the same wavelength Joy! ;) Looks like the shared space is going to be another wonderful addition to your garden. Can't wait to see the finished product. :)

VW said...

Hi Joy, I have a baby Jack Frost that was planted this spring after reading about it on blogs. I'm excited to see it grow! Good luck with your shared space project.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Racquel ! Girl .. you know I am going to say it once again "Great Minds Think Alike" !! haha ..
I am a bit annoyed I let myself "GO" with buying the root plants at Costco for this area .. it is going to take TIME to see what I want to see NOW ? LOL
Sometimes being practical with the budget dampens the expectations .. sigh ! LOL

Hi there VW .. Thank you girl !
I promise you will not be disappointed with Jack .. I was amazed the first year I had him (last year) ..the foliage in our hot humid summers (albeit shorter than some) well it stood up beautifully ! The blue jewels it throws for Spring are a bonus !!

Town Mouse said...

Oh yes! It is going to be wonderful! I love foilage that has color and varigation, the ferns are just stunning...Happy May!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there townmouse !
Thank you .. I love foliage VERY much .. long after blooms die out you always have foliage and it is a wonderful mix with ferns : )