I became obsessed with them and kept planting more every year .. I wasn't patient enough to let them multiple by themselves ..but I think I better not plant more this Autumn and let them do their thing .
My spirea do get ahead of themselves until they finish flowering. Then I have to be rather brutal and shear them back quite a bit to keep them in hand so they don't take over the landscape. Nothing like a huge ball of foliage to distract from the rest of the plants.
Lady's Mantle can go rather round too, but it doesn't seem to interfere with the rest of the plants. Their flowers are so pretty , they compliment not only the parent plant but surrounding ones as well.
The Royal Purple Smoke Bush "tree" finally has some great flower wands this year.
I have two Winecraft Black Smokebush that I am keeping as shrubs , since they are dwarf versions, that will be easy. The colour is still spectacular to off set plants with gold tones.
I have a bit of a conundrum .. I loved the shape of this Dwarf Korean lilac when I first got it and the flowers are divine .. lilacs are once of the most comforting scents to me. However I now see a giant lollipop happening and I am not sure how to shape it. I was thinking more of an umbrella form to keep it short enough to reach the flowers. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know ?
I started this Fringe Tree, Chionanthus virginicus , from a "stick" almost, so as it stretches out each year I keep crossing my fingers it will not "try" to be too large, plus the pruners are close by to make sure I keep it under control. When it is back lit by the morning sun it is amazing.
In this photo you can see the Amur Maple in the background along with the Serviceberry to the right. I loaded the back gardens with as many trees as I could. I can't seem to have enough of them.
There is something about the smell of the wood from cotinus that reminds me of my childhood, a comforting smell like the forest. I guess I am trying to make my back garden into a mini forest ?
The long view of the side & back garden at the end of May. It always astounds me that so much life can spring up after a long cold winter. I think that most gardeners still see plants that die down each season .. little miracle packages from nature ?
9 comments:
I noticed how lovely Jason's were, and now I see yours. Mine were terrible this year. I commented to Jason that maybe I should try them in partial shade, like he has done, and it seems you have too. So pretty.
Your garden is so full of color even when you don't have much in bloom I just love seeing it. Ladyxs mantle is one plant I can't seem to grow. I had one live a couple of years an I loved how it bloomed. I think our extended dry spells makes it impossible for them to survive here. I also love allium. Mine are finished blooming now. I need to add some of the later blooming varieties.
Your shrubs and plantings are beautiful! I think I would take a break from pruning the lilac for a season, and get a sense of its natural shape. I have two dwarf Korean lilacs, and they definitely need regular prunings. But taking a break for a year will give you a better sense for its natural shape and the shape you'd like going forward. Lovely, lovely garden.
Hello Lisa , I planted the allium exactly where I wanted to see it but I didn't really think of the light values other than they had to have some kind of minimum of sunshine .. it was just happenstance ? that they do get some shade as well .. but yes ! try that to see what happens .. I thought allium was fairly easy (for my sake at least ? LOL) but maybe they are a bit more finicky than we know?
Hello there Lisa girl and thank heavens for allium or things might just be a sea of green at this time. Lady's mantle does require some moisture I find , to have it look good and bloom well .. although it can survive dry shade .. maybe it didn't have enough shade to get it through the dry spells ? I think I actually have to cut back planting so many allium .. just a few this Autumn. They might take over the world at the rate I have been going at each Fall!
Hi Beth and thank you so much ! I haven't had a shaped standard like this before or this type of lilac so I could over think this .. so thank you for the advice .. you have me curious as to what shape yours have taken .. I have to search for images on Google to get an idea as well .. research never ends ! LOL
Oh, how absolutely gorgeous your garden is looking. The purple sensation are just magnificent, so regal! I too have a giant Korean lilac lollipop! Your Lady's mantle is lovely, it has me wondering where mine has gone.xxx
That combination of brunnera, hosta and smokebush is amazing! I love touring mature gardens such as yours, both virtually and in person - such an inspiration for those of us that are in the early stages.
Hello there you ;-) thank you so much ! What are you going to do with your lollipop girl ? LOL
I have several LM and love them all .. they do need some moisture most times to look good but they are also stubborn and hang on for me when times get tough. I think they are under rated as a pretty work horse in the garden a lot of the time .. they can cover some sins (absent plantings or just plain bad plantings) that need to be addressed ! LOL
Margaret hello there .. thank you very much ! .. now that I have a mature garden I am just the maintenance putterer ? LOL .. I can fumble with trying to change some things and make of mess of it. That keeps you learning whether you have a mature garden or not .. you never stop learning !
I see we share an appreciation for 'Purple Sensation'! Interesting that your fringe tree has a rounded shape, mine are more columnar. Your garden is looking great!
Hi Jason .. Thank you ! Yes, PS is my favorite allium but I think I better stop planting for a bit and give them a chance to do their own thing. I prune my fringe tree to a shape that I like, that would explain our differences ! LOL
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