A Treat

 It is funny as the years pass for a gardener , how your tastes change . I never was that thrilled with spider lilies . I thought why go through all that effort and have a "stringy" flower ? Well I was so wrong about what I have wanted to try lately. I loved "Desert Icicle the minute I saw it on the website.

It's size was impressive, the colours blended in with what I had around it. It came as a bare root so I was a little worried about whether it would carry through with blooms it's first year.

However it is a wow ! factor in this little section of the garden ... it sadly is not a rebloomer but it does carry through for quite some time .. the pollinators seem to enjoy it very much as well. So gardeners can be flexible over time .. I think it is our curiosity that finally wins the argument ?

I shot in on a cloudy day in a darker spot so the true degree of how Bright Diamond shines is not showing through .. plus the dreaded beetle lily is working the area as well . UGH !! I slowed down on the neem oil which is my fault because it does work when applied properly .. big PINCH to me !

Remember White Swan echinacea ? .... it's scent is heavenly .. it seems the old cultivars have been pushed back so far, new gardeners will miss how well these ones stand up and brighten a spot in the garden.

I had to add this double white lily because it is a favorite of mine, in fact white flowers (which seems to be the unintended theme for this post) are a huge favorite of mine.

Pee Gee hydrangea standard looks like it is floating in mid air here , like a huge hanging basket ? 

It has such a lovely scent as well, it is like honey.

Delft Lace astilbe is another favorite of mine (and it isn't white ? LOL) the remarkable red stems pop out of the almost lime coloured foliage. The unfurled ? flowers are also rather red but turn out to a soft peachy pink .. how much more can you ask of a plant in terms of colour and foliage !

Remember filipendulas ? I use to have Red Umbrellas but they expired and now I have just Kahome.

This is a dwarf version of meadowsweet with frothy pink flowers . I have a soft spot for it since it stuck out a lot of neglectful times ?

This flower structure seems to be a repetitive type from spirea flowers to the Bronze Peacock  flower stem. 

Now for a goofy picture of the "girls" a favorite past time is beating us to the bathroom and meowing for a chance to drink from running water .. hey, we bought them a water fountain and they ignore it ! Seems like it has to be from the tap ! They turned a year old July 31st and yet it seems they have always been with us .. Happy Birthday goofy girls !

Volunteers , Lilies , and Maintenance

 I have to say 90% of the time I am happy with volunteers because they really do a great job of softening hard edges and directing your eyes right from the ground up if you are paying attention. I love moss so I try to keep it free of too many other volunteers in my shade areas . I was surprised with how many Japanese Painted ferns were popping up in places far from mother plants .

Sedum is tough as nails so I did expect those to run when they got a chance but again that is fine with me because it can be cut back or pulled out very easily. I love Angelina especially in the Autumn when cool weather can force a change in colour. Stonecrop is very forgiving with lack of care, so it is a win win situation in my garden.

As for what is going on in my gardens right now ? Pee Gee hydrangea is the first to show off the beginning of it's beautiful flowers .. Little Lamb is right behind it, and so are the BOBO, Big and Little Quick Fire, along with Little Lime in the front garden. Yes ... I have a thing for panicle hydrangea .

They just get better looking every day and I do so appreciate the start of the next stage in the garden. I know others might groan when I say "roll on Autumn" but that is my thing .. AUTUMN !

Then there are the lilies ....

Dark Landini

Soft pink Elodie

Bright Diamond

Then there are the little treats such as Indian Pinks .. I like how the fern seems to be in love with them too ?

This next one is the case of "thank you plant gods" ... this poor hydrangea (very old and nameless to my chagrin) was cut down to almost just a foot because the maintenance company for our AC said it had to be done that way for a complete cleaning of the unit .. I was thinking "well that may be the end of THAT" However as you see it has come back and but we will see if it flowers.

First flower on a new climbing rose ... kind of a shocking orange right ? if I get it on top of the bench arbor it will be amazing !

This is just a fun photo ... I caught this little hover fly doing it's best to find goodness out of the oregano flower .. how sweet is that ?

Temperatures are in the 30's, severe thunder storms are headed our way this week, so I am very glad to have gotten all the work I did yesterday .. a little time off to work out the aches and pains ! 

Do you have "curves" ?

 I read some where (in a garden book of course) that having curves, was a must in your gardens. That straight lines were too harsh ? I must admit I have a couple of long, some what straight lines by way of the fencing, stone paths, and the amount of sun that hits each section of the garden.

The left and right side of the house is paved with flagstone in a very obvious straight line. However the irregular shape of the stones and the overlapping plants, soften the look. It will have to be as it is no matter the quip of "naughty" straight lines. The other criticism by pros used to be the "centrifugal"  garden .. that garden beds were whipped out from the center, to the edges of the property as if they were designed by such a force. Well I plead guilty, that is how I created my gardens. I needed the security of knowing where I was going ? I'm a garden gal that likes and can work with boundaries.

The choice again of either going right or left and ? it is rather curvy right ?

Curves on the ground or curves with a bed .. take your choice !

The choice to go either right or left at this point. To investigate what plants are calling to be seen ?

Along some of the pathways their are side vignettes , like my little horde of Blue Mouse Ears hiding by a Japanese maple, ferns, and ivy .. and ? a some what feeble attempt at a little dry stream bed. I am still working on that !

So ... do you follow the "rules" of design ? or break them to fit your taste and gardens ?  Of course this means that the girls have the last say in this post even while they are sleeping !  LOL