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Monday 5 July 2010

Odd plants and their gardeners ......

This picture can't convey how absolutely amazing this "skeleton" flower from Golden Smokebush is .. it has me totally in its grasp with the impossibility of this actually being a "flower" ? .. how can this be and yet it is ! go figure ? especially fantastic for a Halloween nut : )
Cone flowers cone flowers cone flowers .. they are a poppin' and I don't mean maybe !
Plus they have their own plant fan club that support them .. how good can it get ?
I have to insist that every garden should have this little gem .. common or not, she is a winner !
Combine her with a lavender say Munstead or Hidcote and you have colour contrast galore .. did James Bond say that .. he uses galore a lot doesn't he ?
The threesome frogs of GardenJoy .. they have actually advised me on what to do with naughty plants .. but we won't go there in concern for those weak hearted gardeners that might be offended ? .. and I don't even have a compost heap ! Ha !
OK .. one serious garden note .. I am dismayed with gardeners that don't employ ornamental grasses .. get over the fact that "grass" is used in its name .. tune in to the hundreds of gorgeous plants that happen to have grass in their names .. group hug and lets move on to getting to know our ornamental grasses ?
For example "Panicum Virgatum Shenandoah" beside this Center Glow Ninebark .. go to the link and learn tolerance and maybe even appreciation for what these beauties can do for your garden in Autumn ! .. love them and they will love you back .. the first step ?
Yes .......... I can't post without a picture of my Helenium .. they are smiling at me 24/7
Could you say no to them ?
Yes .. I am sneaking in another grass from a different angle .. these airy flower heads against my variegated Solomon's Seal .. the grass is Northern Lights and it is going to be AWESOME come AUTUMN !! Are you getting the HINT ??
Alrighty then .. some regular but interesting plants .. heuchera .. Autumn Leaves is of course the reddish one .. across from that .. is the dark side of the force Luke .. Frosted Violet .. beauty eh ?
Especially in contrast to pulmonaria Moonshine .. talk about opposites ?
The coffee club meeting here .. Jack Frost .. Silver Lining (totally new one to me this year) as well as King's Ransom being new to me as well .. almost didn't make it with one little leaf hanging on .. but now much better thank you ! add some gold to the bunch and a smiley face and they all feel much ado about nothing ? wink wink
I just loved the way the sun hit this little patch .. it almost shimmered .. I guess it was one of those "you had to be here" moments but it really was impressive !
So impressive this tart of a rudbeckia branch of the family, talked me into taking her picture knowing full well she would drive me nuts thinking of chocolate .. shame on her !!
You can see that they have chocolate centers right ? I am not the only one right ?
Well .. intense humid heat has hit Kingston once more .. there are air quality advisories etc .. not that it stops gardeners because we all have "baked brains" from working in the sun on our gardens .. right ? .. I'm not the only one .. right ?
Winthrop refuses to budge during these times (not that I blame him) but you can actually see the cobwebs on him from NOT stirring even a tiny bit .. I guess he has the right idea ?

... or should I actually clean him ??

22 comments:

Gatsbys Gardens said...

I love grasses, especially Panicum Northwind. Heucheras are another affair and I have several.

Eileen

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Ha ha...yes, gardeners have baked brains. Despite the heat, I still managed to sneak a little time outside. I had a little work to do, plus I wanted to make sure none of my babies were dying of thirst.

Oh my Joy, your garden looks amazing! Love all those pretty flowers smiling at you. My rudbeckias and coneflowers are exploding too! Oh, how I love them. Nothing like big, bold flowers to make your day.

I am one of those 'reluctant' grass-growing gardeners. [Hangs head in shame...] LOL... But I am getting better. In fact, I've been checking a few out at the garden centers, so there may be some grass-growing in my future.

Unknown said...

What brilliant, happy photos, Joy. I'm amazed that you have helenium in flower already! And I'm totally, totally with you on the ornamental grasses. They're just so fabulous. I put in three new panicums this year, to follow on the half-dozen or so new grasses I put in last year...I'm up to about two dozen now, I think, some of them suffering from lost-label syndrome, though....
Love the purple and orange colour combination. Right up my alley!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your garden looks so lush. I wouldn't be cleaning Winthrop. Guys don't mind a few cobwebs.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Baked brains? How about frozen brains? We are waiting for the summer heat here... and waiting... and waiting... Has it all gone to Canada? Anyway, you have very interesting plants, Joy. The first one is... different. But it's yours. Love it!

Anonymous said...

Everything in your garden is beautiful, Joy! Love the Heucheras!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there GG !
Ever since I planted Karl F> the feather reed beauty it has been a one way trip down "grass" lane for me .. I love them to bits : ) .. and heuchera, and Brunnera, and .. well you know what it can be like right ? LOL

Hi there Martha girl .. is this steam bath weather intense or what ?
I know you are one of the reluctant grass gardeners .. but I also know I can "turn" you ! haha
The grasses they have now are looking rather scary .. but even so you might just find yourself a nifty bargain so hang in there girl !

Hello there Jodi girl ! and thank you : ) .. well you know how my mislabeled adventure went with that Color Flash astilbe .. turning out to be a Chinensis Visions in Pink .. so grasses that have lost their labels .. yup !
I have an earlier purple and orange with geum and salvia that happens in the Spring .. you just can't beat that impact eh ? LOL

gittan said...

Hi Joy, your garden looks swell as always. We sure have a lot of plants in commun! And that makes it so fun to see how you put the plants together in the beds. It brings me a lot of inspiration. The heat have reached me as well. These last days we've had over 85 degrees and there's more to come =)
Now I'm heading out / gittan (I'm having a bad spelling problem today, I hope I got the most right anyway)

Dave said...

Very neat! I'm definitely with you on the ornamental grasses. I have two Shenandoahs planted in the back and one Northwind. Great plants!

Gail said...

Hey you! Back in Nashville and had to stop by to see your beautiful garden! It is so very lovely to see how delicious it all looks~ All kinds of havoc has ensued down here~Flea beetles have eaten my Palace Purple heuchera~it looks terrible! From one year to the next the garden is never the same! gail

Anonymous said...

I am a huge fan of growing ornamental grass in the garden! No need to sell me on the idea.
I have however had mixed success with grasses- sometimes loosing them over winter, but I am determined to add more to my garden.
Love your shadow post pic as well.
It is super hot here! Hope it is cooler in Kingston!
Jennifer

Kimberly said...

Joy, my dear, you are a woman after my own heart!! BRAVO for setting everyone straight on the ornamental grass issue!!! Grass is not a dirty word. I love them all...the purple fountain grass is my absolute favorite, and I tend to include it in posts often.

I also agree with you on the rudbeckia chocolate issue. It looks like it might even be a little raspberry-ish. No, this bloom is not for the weak!!!

Your entire garden is gorgeous, but poor little motionless Winthrop!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Lisa I don't know if it is just my blog or Blogger in general .. comments are flying in and out and showing up or not showing up .. lord ! I think I need to go lay down after trying to figure out what the heck is going on ? ;-)
Hey .. thanks girl !!

Tatyana girl thank you and you are more than welcome to have this weather .. I almost dropped out in the garden this afternoon .. it is INTENSE .. we like a little warm weather but this stuff ? BIG YUCK ! and the garden is going to suffer from this stress heat .. some what like me ? hehehe

Nancy girl I couldn't help but buy another heuchera .. I left the tag on my potting table and can't remember the name now but it is a WOW ! one for sure .. i think I have a problem .. I can't stop buying heuchera ?? !!!

gittan girl I can't believe you are getting such heat as well ? !!
That really must affect you there and your garden too ..mine is beginning to look stressed for sure .. I hope to water it well tomorrow but you know what can happen to plans right ? I love that we share so many of the same plants and we are so far apart ! LOL .. now that is a plant connection for sure .. and hey .. don't worry about the spelling .. mine is out the door too ! LOL

Dear Dave .. I can't stop saying that .. you know the drill !
You are the second gardener to mention "Northwind" I have to have a look at that one too now .. I have moved Shenandoah 3 times now and it is taking it in good stride and the colouring has been happen too .. I love this grass , it is holding its own with the others for sure !

Gail girl thank you ! and welcome home and thanks for dropping by : ) hey, I have a war against lily beetles happening here so I understand .. chaos in the garden for all of us with this intense heat too .. I can't wait for Autumn already ?? LOL

Jennifer you have me curious about the grasses you have lost ? Throw out some names and I would love to know if we are sharing some of them .. I did lose a gorgeous Karly Rose fountain grass last year when the deck & shed were torn down and rebuilt .. I think not getting to Karly made it mad at me and she thumbed her nose at me ? LOL .. BUT .. I bought another one and placed it in the same spot .. she is doing well but it will take time to get to that gorgeous size again .. keep trying girl ! You will hit successful ones yet ! .. and it is BOILING here too ! gasp !!

Kimberly girl thank you so much ! and I always get a purple fountain grass even if it is an annual here .. I love having it for Autumn colour .. I got the new one that is variegated and WOW ! what a colour it is .. must take a picture of it again ! I think we will all be moving VERY slowly with this heat .. BIG sigh ! ;-)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Lisa I don't know if it is just my blog or Blogger in general .. comments are flying in and out and showing up or not showing up .. lord ! I think I need to go lay down after trying to figure out what the heck is going on ? ;-)
Hey .. thanks girl !!

Tatyana girl thank you and you are more than welcome to have this weather .. I almost dropped out in the garden this afternoon .. it is INTENSE .. we like a little warm weather but this stuff ? BIG YUCK ! and the garden is going to suffer from this stress heat .. some what like me ? hehehe

Nancy girl I couldn't help but buy another heuchera .. I left the tag on my potting table and can't remember the name now but it is a WOW ! one for sure .. i think I have a problem .. I can't stop buying heuchera ?? !!!

gittan girl I can't believe you are getting such heat as well ? !!
That really must affect you there and your garden too ..mine is beginning to look stressed for sure .. I hope to water it well tomorrow but you know what can happen to plans right ? I love that we share so many of the same plants and we are so far apart ! LOL .. now that is a plant connection for sure .. and hey .. don't worry about the spelling .. mine is out the door too ! LOL

Dear Dave .. I can't stop saying that .. you know the drill !
You are the second gardener to mention "Northwind" I have to have a look at that one too now .. I have moved Shenandoah 3 times now and it is taking it in good stride and the colouring has been happen too .. I love this grass , it is holding its own with the others for sure !

Gail girl thank you ! and welcome home and thanks for dropping by : ) hey, I have a war against lily beetles happening here so I understand .. chaos in the garden for all of us with this intense heat too .. I can't wait for Autumn already ?? LOL

Jennifer you have me curious about the grasses you have lost ? Throw out some names and I would love to know if we are sharing some of them .. I did lose a gorgeous Karly Rose fountain grass last year when the deck & shed were torn down and rebuilt .. I think not getting to Karly made it mad at me and she thumbed her nose at me ? LOL .. BUT .. I bought another one and placed it in the same spot .. she is doing well but it will take time to get to that gorgeous size again .. keep trying girl ! You will hit successful ones yet ! .. and it is BOILING here too ! gasp !!

Kimberly girl thank you so much ! and I always get a purple fountain grass even if it is an annual here .. I love having it for Autumn colour .. I got the new one that is variegated and WOW ! what a colour it is .. must take a picture of it again ! I think we will all be moving VERY slowly with this heat .. BIG sigh ! ;-)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Lisa I don't know if it is just my blog or Blogger in general .. comments are flying in and out and showing up or not showing up .. lord ! I think I need to go lay down after trying to figure out what the heck is going on ? ;-)
Hey .. thanks girl !!

Tatyana girl thank you and you are more than welcome to have this weather .. I almost dropped out in the garden this afternoon .. it is INTENSE .. we like a little warm weather but this stuff ? BIG YUCK ! and the garden is going to suffer from this stress heat .. some what like me ? hehehe

Nancy girl I couldn't help but buy another heuchera .. I left the tag on my potting table and can't remember the name now but it is a WOW ! one for sure .. i think I have a problem .. I can't stop buying heuchera ?? !!!

gittan girl I can't believe you are getting such heat as well ? !!
That really must affect you there and your garden too ..mine is beginning to look stressed for sure .. I hope to water it well tomorrow but you know what can happen to plans right ? I love that we share so many of the same plants and we are so far apart ! LOL .. now that is a plant connection for sure .. and hey .. don't worry about the spelling .. mine is out the door too ! LOL

Dear Dave .. I can't stop saying that .. you know the drill !
You are the second gardener to mention "Northwind" I have to have a look at that one too now .. I have moved Shenandoah 3 times now and it is taking it in good stride and the colouring has been happen too .. I love this grass , it is holding its own with the others for sure !

Gail girl thank you ! and welcome home and thanks for dropping by : ) hey, I have a war against lily beetles happening here so I understand .. chaos in the garden for all of us with this intense heat too .. I can't wait for Autumn already ?? LOL

Jennifer you have me curious about the grasses you have lost ? Throw out some names and I would love to know if we are sharing some of them .. I did lose a gorgeous Karly Rose fountain grass last year when the deck & shed were torn down and rebuilt .. I think not getting to Karly made it mad at me and she thumbed her nose at me ? LOL .. BUT .. I bought another one and placed it in the same spot .. she is doing well but it will take time to get to that gorgeous size again .. keep trying girl ! You will hit successful ones yet ! .. and it is BOILING here too ! gasp !!

Kimberly girl thank you so much ! and I always get a purple fountain grass even if it is an annual here .. I love having it for Autumn colour .. I got the new one that is variegated and WOW ! what a colour it is .. must take a picture of it again ! I think we will all be moving VERY slowly with this heat .. BIG sigh ! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Well, I was just out in our 94 degree weather, tidying up the garden.


Just give Winthrop a blast with the hose, but not when it is hot. I did that once to the car windshield, and it broke.

What a lot of beauties you have blooming now.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

OMG Sandy ! I just pictured that explosion with your wind shield and the blast of cold water .. thank heavens I haven't done that ..yet ? LOL
It is so hot and humid you don't even have to move and you break into a sweat .. I really REALLY HATE this type of weather and I have to get on the ball and water my babies or the beautiful ones will start to look sad : (
Stay out of the heat girl ! haha

gittan said...

Hi again, sunny Sweden calling for Joy "lol"
You asked about the blue rose I was showing, it's 'Rhapsody in Blue' Bought home from Denmark a few years ago. I don't know if you understood google's version of my post (it was a bit scary) I don't really like roses in the garden, depending on their thorns. But this blue one won my heart immideately (spelling problems today to) and I had to carry the rose in a huge sack thrue the whole city of Helsingör. That rose was about five feet tall with the pot included =)
Over and out in the garden again /gittan

Meadowview Thymes said...

Love all your flowers Joy! I like ornamental grasses too--and just don't have enough. My plan is to add some every year. I bought one this year that is so pretty, and doing great, but I lost the plant tag and have no idea what it is.
Grrrr...I hate that I do that from time to time! :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

gittan girl you are too funny ! : )
My god you carried that big rose all over the place like that ?!!
You must have strong arms and are very determined ? LOL
I thought it looked lovely and I wonder if I can find it here for next year perhaps .. it is so pretty ! .. I had a good giggle over the translation I knew words would be mixed up and it was too cute ! Hey .. we are still in the heat wave with no relief until maybe Friday .. I hate this weather almost as much as blizzards .. well more than blizzards because you can warm up with a hot chocolate and Bailey's ? LOL wink wink

Linda you have to post a picture of the grass so i can see ? Hey .. I have done the same thing too many times for me to admit to .. I have a load of gorgeous cone flowers that I am not sure who is who now .. that makes me even more crazier than I already am .. you are NOT alone girl !! We should form a support group ?!! LOL

Anonymous said...

I love grasses, but unfortunately alot of them can be quite invasive here. Now I adore the Purple Pennisetum (purple fountain grass) which is an annual here. Forgot to get some this year, shame too since it can take our heat and dry summers.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Racquel what you have to do is look for "clump" forming grasses and there are many beautiful ones that won't be invasive .. try one out again ? like Karl Foerster feather reed grass .. he was my first beauty and I love him to bits : ) I also love purple fountain grass which is an annual here too and it is an Autumn center piece for me most years .. it is gorgeous isn't it ? : )
link to this grass http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/01ppy.html