Fertilizer Friday 'Flox'

August 12, 2011

Happy Friday, everyone: 

I'm a little busy today, but I wanted to  post and link up toTootsie's Blog for Fertilizer Friday . 

Today I'll just post some quick shots of the perennial phlox that's blooming right now.  The phlox is really the 'mainstay' of my August border.  I look forward to them all summer long.

Of the below photos, I only know the official name for the first two, 'Blue Paradise' and 'Bright Eyes'. 

Have a great weekend of very happy gardening!

Glorious Colour Time in Zone 4

August 5, 2011

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.

double rudbekia, double shasta daisies, and 'Blue Paradise'
perennial phlox

white coneflower with rudbekia

'Bright Eyes' perennial phlox coming along

echinacea white coneflowers

hemerocallis red daylilies with 'Annabelle' hydrangea

liatris purple gayfeather

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!

front bed with orange daylilies, dogwood, and 'Invincibelle' hydrangea
 the main items that show here

'Invincibelle Spirit' hydrangea
(Proven Winner plant - Breast Cancer Research Foundation)

'Annabelle' hydrangea

side border

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:

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:

'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:

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:

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.

Favourite Hostas

July 19, 2011

I love hostas! I have a fair bit of shade here, so I have about twenty different varieties. One was here when we bought the property (the 'Gold Standard') but most of the rest of them were purchased, either at garden centres or from a school fundraiser. Sadly, I don't know the names of the fund-raiser ones.

These are my favourite four. I think they are my favourites, because they all are always very healthy looking and not bothered by slugs.

'Blue Mouse Ears'

'First Frost'

'Gold Standard'

'June'