Showing posts with label cottage gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cottage gardening. Show all posts
Mid-August at the Cottage Garden
August 13, 2014
The grand entrances by my beloved perennials continue to be about two weeks behind schedule. Usually by this time of year the back border is a riot of colourful perennial phlox. This only means that we still have many things to look forward to here in Zone 4 of Ontario.
We've had two days of a really good rain here and so the photos in today's post are a bit drippy. I also can't guarantee that were are no water spots from the lens.
Lots of rudbeckia, which I love. Even though I've tried to read about them, I still don't know the difference between the ones with the smooth leaves and the ones with the hairy leaves. I know the ones with the smooth leaves are called 'Goldsturm' though. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful middle-of-August week!
The grand entrances by my beloved perennials continue to be about two weeks behind schedule. Usually by this time of year the back border is a riot of colourful perennial phlox. This only means that we still have many things to look forward to here in Zone 4 of Ontario.
We've had two days of a really good rain here and so the photos in today's post are a bit drippy. I also can't guarantee that were are no water spots from the lens.
Lots of rudbeckia, which I love. Even though I've tried to read about them, I still don't know the difference between the ones with the smooth leaves and the ones with the hairy leaves. I know the ones with the smooth leaves are called 'Goldsturm' though. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful middle-of-August week!
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| Echinacea Purple Coneflower 'Ruby Star' and Rudbeckia (with hairy leaves) |
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| Rudbeckia ''Goldsturm' in the foreground with some Hydrangea 'Annabelle' behind them |
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| a closer look at 'Goldsturm' |
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| a closer look at the 'hairy leaf' kind |
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| happy mish-mash of colour in the side border |
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| pretty two-toned perrenial phlox, also in the side border |
Glorious Colour Time in Zone 4
August 5, 2011
First of all, Happy Birthday to my Mom (Muriel) and my niece (Shannon)!
Early August is a lovely time in my garden. The daylilies are still going strong and in a few short days, all the perennial phlox will be blooming at once.
Thanks to my dear friend, Rita, I have many different colours of phlox, from white to dark purple, and all the pinks in between!
Check out Tootsie's blog for links to many other beautiful garden blogs at
Fertilizer Friday.
I'll post more pictures of the perennial phlox in a few days. They are just about to be at their peak.
Happy Gardening and Happy Fertilizer Friday, everyone!
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| back border with pink and red perennial phlox in the foreground |
First of all, Happy Birthday to my Mom (Muriel) and my niece (Shannon)!
Early August is a lovely time in my garden. The daylilies are still going strong and in a few short days, all the perennial phlox will be blooming at once.
Thanks to my dear friend, Rita, I have many different colours of phlox, from white to dark purple, and all the pinks in between!
Check out Tootsie's blog for links to many other beautiful garden blogs at
Fertilizer Friday.
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| double rudbekia, double shasta daisies, and 'Blue Paradise' perennial phlox |
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| white coneflower with rudbekia |
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| 'Bright Eyes' perennial phlox coming along |
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| echinacea white coneflowers |
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| hemerocallis red daylilies with 'Annabelle' hydrangea |
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| liatris purple gayfeather |
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| Hudson flirting from under the red perennial phlox |
I'll post more pictures of the perennial phlox in a few days. They are just about to be at their peak.
Happy Gardening and Happy Fertilizer Friday, everyone!
Can July be Almost Over?
July 31, 2011
I may have to demand a recount of the days! Seriously though, as time does seem to march on, July was a wonderful month of blooms. It was relavitely hot and dry, but things in my garden seem to be well established now, and the roots seem to go deep into the ground to find the moisture.
Since I last posted, the perennial phlox have started to open, as well as the 'Pandora's Box', 'Catherine Woodbury', dark burgandy, and red daylilies. The liatris is starting to open and the rudbekia is coming along.
Today, I'm posting some photos of the side and front beds of the house. I didn't get my camera around to the back yard until the sun came out a bit too strongly for photos, so I'll get to that tomorrow!
I may have to demand a recount of the days! Seriously though, as time does seem to march on, July was a wonderful month of blooms. It was relavitely hot and dry, but things in my garden seem to be well established now, and the roots seem to go deep into the ground to find the moisture.
Since I last posted, the perennial phlox have started to open, as well as the 'Pandora's Box', 'Catherine Woodbury', dark burgandy, and red daylilies. The liatris is starting to open and the rudbekia is coming along.
Today, I'm posting some photos of the side and front beds of the house. I didn't get my camera around to the back yard until the sun came out a bit too strongly for photos, so I'll get to that tomorrow!
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| front bed with orange daylilies, dogwood, and 'Invincibelle' hydrangea the main items that show here |
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| 'Invincibelle Spirit' hydrangea (Proven Winner plant - Breast Cancer Research Foundation) |
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| 'Annabelle' hydrangea |
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| side border |
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| dark purple perennial phlox behind the 'Shirley poppies' |
Hollyhocks, Rudbekia and More Poppies!
July 21, 2011
Greetings from hot, humid Ontario. I'm going to be taking a week off from blogging - time for family to visit us and not much time for the computer. I'll be back to the computer in time for Fertilizer Friday next week though, and expect by that time the phlox will be out and the back border will be full of colour!
Here is the backyard border this week. Spirea, hydrangea, daisies, monkshood and some daylilies are on the go:
Meanwhile, in the side border, my love affair with 'Shirley' poppies continues. I now have a white one, and pink and white one, and a darker (almost red) and white one blooming. My learned-brother tells me to be prepared to 'weed them ruthlessly' next spring:
A lovely addition to the garden this year, is this beautiful double rudbekia that I given by my friend, Paula. She brought down three different divisions of her rudbekia about a month ago, and I planted them in three different areas. This is the first one to bloom. It's just a gorgeous two-toned double:
And last, but not least, for today's post, is my first real showing of hollyhocks. I really want to have the old-fashioned single ones (next year's project) but I love these double ones:
Until next week, everyone, happy gardending! I look forward to catching up with reading and commenting on your blogs then.
Greetings from hot, humid Ontario. I'm going to be taking a week off from blogging - time for family to visit us and not much time for the computer. I'll be back to the computer in time for Fertilizer Friday next week though, and expect by that time the phlox will be out and the back border will be full of colour!
Here is the backyard border this week. Spirea, hydrangea, daisies, monkshood and some daylilies are on the go:
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| backyard border July 19 |
Meanwhile, in the side border, my love affair with 'Shirley' poppies continues. I now have a white one, and pink and white one, and a darker (almost red) and white one blooming. My learned-brother tells me to be prepared to 'weed them ruthlessly' next spring:
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| 'Shirley' Poppies |
A lovely addition to the garden this year, is this beautiful double rudbekia that I given by my friend, Paula. She brought down three different divisions of her rudbekia about a month ago, and I planted them in three different areas. This is the first one to bloom. It's just a gorgeous two-toned double:
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| double rudbekia |
And last, but not least, for today's post, is my first real showing of hollyhocks. I really want to have the old-fashioned single ones (next year's project) but I love these double ones:
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| Alcea rosea Hollyhock 'Chater's Double Pink' |
Until next week, everyone, happy gardending! I look forward to catching up with reading and commenting on your blogs then.
Shirley Poppy
July 17, 2011
I've discovered Shirley poppies! My brother has grown them for years, in his zone 1 garden, and I have always admired them. For some unknown reason I never tried them until this year.
They were so worth the wait!
I sowed the seeds, directly into the garden, in early May. The seeds are so tiny, that I ended up with really dense patches of little seedlings, so I took my brother's advice and 'thinned like crazy'.
I will deadhead to prevent them from self-seeding overly randomly. I have very thick shredded cedar mulch in the bed, but I have a feeling they might just grow up from that, if left to their own devices.
I hope to collect some seeds and plant them where I want them to grow. I'll check with my brother on that though.
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| Poppy 'Shirley Double' |
I've discovered Shirley poppies! My brother has grown them for years, in his zone 1 garden, and I have always admired them. For some unknown reason I never tried them until this year.
They were so worth the wait!
I sowed the seeds, directly into the garden, in early May. The seeds are so tiny, that I ended up with really dense patches of little seedlings, so I took my brother's advice and 'thinned like crazy'.
I will deadhead to prevent them from self-seeding overly randomly. I have very thick shredded cedar mulch in the bed, but I have a feeling they might just grow up from that, if left to their own devices.
I hope to collect some seeds and plant them where I want them to grow. I'll check with my brother on that though.
What's Blooming!
May 4, 2010 - The first of the tulips to come out! These are called 'Apricot Beauties' and were a house-warming gift from our former neighbour, Michelle. This is the third spring for them. I understand that some people pull the tulips out after they bloom and start with fresh ones in the fall. I just leave mine in the ground and let them rebloom each year.
The muscari is in full bloom this week. I cut some and made a little mini-bouquet for the house. I just love this flower!
I was quite pleased to see the little fringes along the edges of these petals. These tulips are appropriately named 'Fringed Elegance.'
These 'Yellow Emperor' tulips are a little brighter shade of yellow and a bit taller.
Except for the 'Apricot Beauties', I ordered all the tulips from Breck's. I've forgotten what they all look like, so it's fun to watch them open.
Pasque Flower
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April 30, 2010 - The pasque flowers are in lovely shape today. I hadn't seen one of these plants before, but the former owners of our home left two of them on the property. They are also known as 'pulsatilla vulgaris' which seems a kind of ugly name for such a lovely flower!
My brother, who lives in Manitoba, told me they are called 'Prairie Crocuses' there and are actually the provincial flower of Manitoba.
I really look forward to these every spring. I love their fuzzy little parts, just beneath the flowers.
Bluebells, Daffodils and Other Spring Delights (April 2010)
April 4, 2010 - These little scillas (also called bluebells or squills - I never know which is the common name) came up in the clumps of larger perennials given to me by my friend, Rita. They are sweet and delightful little things. I see more of them coming up everyday.
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I only have one of these, and I identified it from my perennial book as a puschkinia (or striped squill). According to my book it's a 'close relative of the bluebell and it's strange that it's so rarely seen'. It sprung up in a clump of fall asters, given to me by my friend. I'm curious to see if it will multiply for next spring. It's about four inches tall, about the same as the scillas.
At first I thought this was a scilla, until I noticed that there was only one flower on each stalk, as opposed to several, as the scillas have.
April 14, 2010 - My daffodils came up today. I don't know what variety they are - I bought them through mail order in a bulk pack. They are gorgeous and seem invisible to the squirrels and rabbits. They bloom for a very long time.
On April 20 I noticed that there is a white scilla hiding among the blue ones! These two came up (again as a surprize) in a little clump of daylilies that was a gift from Rita last fall.
Crocuses (March/April 2010)
March 25, 2010 - The first blooms of 2010. They are my 'Delft Blue' crocuses. We had a very early spring (three weeks earlier than last year).
The slightly paler, 'Remembrance' crocus, came into bloom just a fews days later.
April 15, 2010 - These pint-sized beauties, 'Prince Klaus', were quite a surprize to me, as I didn't realize they would be miniature crocuses when I ordered the bulbs. They look great in little clumps with their white centres and a touch of purple on their outer leaves.
2009 - Garden Pictures
My pride and joy - the back border in July of 2009. It's meant to be as much of a 'cottage garden' garden as I can make it, and for me, that means large clumps of colour and kind of messy but organized at the same time. It still needs to fill in the empty spaces, but it's getting there. In here I have shasta daisies, phlox, daylilies, irises, peonies, coneflowers, evening primrose, sweet Williams and many others. I'll post all the things as they come out in the 2010 part of my blog.
The pool border at the end of July. Sweet Williams, evening primrose, lavander, purple coneflower and fall asters live here.
The little backstep garden, near the end of the summer. 'Catherine Woodbury' and 'Pandora's Box' daylilies, scabiosa, and 'rose campion' lychnis.
The front bed, planted up with hostas, delphinium, bleeding heart and monkshood. This garden is mostly in the shade.
2008 - First Summer: Getting Started
Removing the river stone and a couple of the cedars.
Planted up with some hostas.
Wonderful gift of perennials given to me by my wonderful friend, Rita.
Expanding the garden, with Rita's gifts and a trunkload of perennials from good friends, the Bells (no photo of them before planting).
Back perennial border finished for 2008.
Border built around the outside of the pool.
Little back-step garden, after the deck was rebuilt. Many of the perennials left by the former owners were returned to this bed. Others moved to better places elsewhere on the property.
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