tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45477837201220661482024-03-17T22:03:19.160-05:00Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog<strong>Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog: Tracking the cycle of my gardening life</strong>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-5064368662704393652020-01-18T15:15:00.001-06:002020-01-18T15:15:17.912-06:00New Year, New Garden, New Challenges<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6Qtkv_PKKjDlNjGdQSSD8K3dZf-Uh-s8oloLpWkPF6U6tyrdu1CI7gm6i2XAVL5g3sj7JPpwyuaCiIT3vH4LZ2Wu1ylmUfnv_8Gm42VjIWbzcMxHCG8rFZp7PjpUN1rol_5pUEP2RVB/s1600/Succulents+on+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6Qtkv_PKKjDlNjGdQSSD8K3dZf-Uh-s8oloLpWkPF6U6tyrdu1CI7gm6i2XAVL5g3sj7JPpwyuaCiIT3vH4LZ2Wu1ylmUfnv_8Gm42VjIWbzcMxHCG8rFZp7PjpUN1rol_5pUEP2RVB/s640/Succulents+on+table.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of my succulent collection</td></tr>
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Well! It's a new year and I've clearly been absent from my blog. That's because (in case you haven't been keeping up with me on my Instagram account) we moved from Ruston, Louisiana to Houston, Texas in mid June. I left my Zone 8a garden that was 14 years in the making and moved into a rental home in Zone 9a with a yard that is pretty barren except for some trees and a St. Augustine lawn. And a renter (me) who is reluctant to start digging up the yard, adding more value for the landlord.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ckni4A1E3n_5RajRkud8Ij4fCtfb1s3mkCGdezMkrdr7PR0r7O7BTi3ttpTI-SyvOEGPe4VVmoEY6d_tvmY3N68LXnl9IoINt_rZ4gMknmBlGhnZvUJVljY0IS66gLeAplsWJCsqWhrA/s1600/Christmas+cactus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ckni4A1E3n_5RajRkud8Ij4fCtfb1s3mkCGdezMkrdr7PR0r7O7BTi3ttpTI-SyvOEGPe4VVmoEY6d_tvmY3N68LXnl9IoINt_rZ4gMknmBlGhnZvUJVljY0IS66gLeAplsWJCsqWhrA/s640/Christmas+cactus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Christmas cactus blooms</td></tr>
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So this post is not filled with pretty pics of my garden or pics of its transformation. It's instead musings about the challenges I'm facing as a gardener and what I'm trying to do to keep myself sane without a bonafide garden. As you can see in the photo of my Christmas cactus, one thing I'm doing is resorting to container gardening. I did lots of container gardening before our move but I had a big yard to also play in. So how do I take what I enjoyed about having a yard/garden and translate that to containers?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch on 'Indigo Spires' salvia</td></tr>
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I guess the answer is slowly. Unfortunately I had to leave behind a lot of the large containers I had when we moved (the movers wouldn't take them and we schlepped only as many as we could in two trips). In Ruston I planted mainly for the pollinators, butterflies, and birds. So one thing I did here is fill my biggest pot with a few pollinator-friendly plants such as <i>Salvia </i>'Indigo Spires', rose milkweed (<i>Asclepias incarnata</i>), and bronze fennel. The bronze fennel promptly died and the milkweed did nothing more than attract milkweed bugs. But the reliable old salvia attracted many bees and the occasional monarch that passed by. One of my biggest challenges is the fact that right behind the backyard is a school playground that doesn't have a lick of live plants in it, just playground equipment and rubber mulch. So attracting any critters is quite a challenge. Plus the fence is simply an 8-foot tall chainlink one with "privacy" slats. So I hear and see many kids during the week. Along the fence I've planted passion vine (<i>Passiflora incarnata</i> x <i>cincinnata</i> 'Incense'), yellow trumpet creeper (<i>Campsis radicans</i> ‘Flava’), butterfly vine (<i>Mascagnia macropetala</i>), and 'Early Multiflora Blend' sweet peas. This is my one concession to not putting plants in the ground. We'll see how the vines will turn out in 2020.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G4ADTAI_jUMJRxTaPw99ZBmRfPwIxGys4GlV5sdTgbnh7mDEWPS_EHzrrLir3Wz0cD8JwMetP9EMX57LgYeEI2YPDTbfuyhjRKBwJ38ZEymhOcCLXFb67E83xZ9FR1tRI1d1ZRJ5CbPx/s1600/Spider+lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G4ADTAI_jUMJRxTaPw99ZBmRfPwIxGys4GlV5sdTgbnh7mDEWPS_EHzrrLir3Wz0cD8JwMetP9EMX57LgYeEI2YPDTbfuyhjRKBwJ38ZEymhOcCLXFb67E83xZ9FR1tRI1d1ZRJ5CbPx/s640/Spider+lily.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red spider lily</td></tr>
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To my delight, a few red spider lilies (<i>Lycoris radiata</i>) popped up in the back lawn in September. I hope to encourage more of them this coming year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding in the Texas Hill Country with my friend, Dee</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Because there is no understory beneath the few pine trees, live oaks, and water oaks that dot the front and back yards, and because of that barren playground behind us, birds are almost nonexistent. I've got the feeders up and the bird seed just sits there. Occasionally I'll see a white-wing dove or a cardinal but otherwise it's pretty quiet. So that means I must venture afar to not only see a few birds but to get my fix of Mother Nature. I've been attending the bird walks at a </span><span style="font-family: Cambria;">local nature center, went on a Christmas Bird Count at Brazos Bend State Park, and have birded with friends in the Texas Hill Country (one of my favorite places).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A short video of a creek heading to the Sabinal River in Lost Maples State Natural Area.</span></div>
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I'm also still touring gardens, roaming nurseries, and attending talks when I can. Gotta keep my chops up! And I gotta keep my sanity. Yes, I'm finding it difficult to survive without my very own garden but I'm working on making an inviting patio, keeping my toe dipped in the geeky garden world, and communing with nature as often as I can.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I visited Fern Plantation Nursery in Magnolia, TX, with fellow bloggers Cindy, Laurin, Andrea, and Misti.<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2020. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-78762040453749482092019-05-29T21:21:00.000-05:002019-05-29T21:24:48.435-05:00Goodbye to My Garden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring in the backyard, 2019</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">It’s time to say goodbye to my garden. My husband and I are moving to Houston for a job and family. My husband moved to Ruston, Louisiana, for a university job almost 15 years ago and I followed about 4 months later after selling our house in Austin.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House and front yard, April 2005</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">We found this old 1930 house close to the university that had pretty much a blank slate for a yard. It was close to campus and several professors lived in the neighborhood, so it seemed like a good thing to take on.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard April 2005</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard April 2005</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard April 2005</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Less than a year later with the help and design skills of friend Alexis Wreden, we took on a major renovation of the backyard. Soil was moved, decking and brick walkways were ripped up and replaced with smaller decking and a wider bluestone path. An old wooden wall was replaced with a curved rock wall and steps were built up to the concrete patio. Four 8- by 8-foot boxes were filled with yummy soil. And that was that. Or so I thought.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work in progress March 2006</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">My garden took me into a world I never anticipated. I learned what it was like to have real soil instead of rocks. I experienced twice as much rainfall as I’d been used to. I learned about “southern” plants, many of which were actually Asian in origin. I found that the butterflies and bees I had been used to seeing were strangely absent.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">So I decided that my first priority was to build a garden that was beneficial to pollinators. I think I achieved that. It took a while but they came. I started layering in new habitats with native shrubs and smaller trees. I fell hard for daylilies and tried to limit myself to one or two new ones a year. I also fell for cottage gardening until I realized how much work it was to keep annual seedlings from taking over. As funds permitted we gradually added new features such as a nice fence, some large beds both inside and outside the fence, a pergola, and a gravel and timber walkway.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird and Mexican bush salvia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch on Mexican mint marigold (<i>Tagetes lucida</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG4cwjh7v0mALgwDs0M84JM9RnNLJj_E8rKrCJFgqF-0eQVL6tm-ZexDhJA4X8PCEFrm68NlaFF4lNRsa4wJkU1-2TAVibWy-xF3mPEVjHVbRzfYAEIsa50V7-ifIFNFP1btUBAqJtvTY/s1600/Through+the+garden+gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG4cwjh7v0mALgwDs0M84JM9RnNLJj_E8rKrCJFgqF-0eQVL6tm-ZexDhJA4X8PCEFrm68NlaFF4lNRsa4wJkU1-2TAVibWy-xF3mPEVjHVbRzfYAEIsa50V7-ifIFNFP1btUBAqJtvTY/s640/Through+the+garden+gate.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Through the garden gate, April 2018</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 2018</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">In the process of gardening I found serenity and a creative outlet. I also found my voice and started blogging about my garden, meeting new soon-to-be friends at Garden Blogger Flings where I got great design ideas. I started speaking at Master Gardener events around the state and to garden clubs. I coached people who wanted a little extra help figuring out what to do in their yard.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> I wrote articles for gardening magazines and even edited them for a while.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGJEmqRgNCYzaYD3oDEnf8FIZ5FNtnXzfC1iOlZjirFRV-YECm9npstJLxsUkaRYzFka-AU4nagd5jqYxkHvNcyyvikjmAYcfmvI6ILcV4ahqQramuU6GYsz_0hzLYEZJ6qje6Eygr_lK/s1600/IMG_0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGJEmqRgNCYzaYD3oDEnf8FIZ5FNtnXzfC1iOlZjirFRV-YECm9npstJLxsUkaRYzFka-AU4nagd5jqYxkHvNcyyvikjmAYcfmvI6ILcV4ahqQramuU6GYsz_0hzLYEZJ6qje6Eygr_lK/s400/IMG_0606.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flinger friends at the Toronto Fling, 2015</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">I foresaw none of this when we moved here. I could say more about what Ruston has given me but I’ll probably save that for Facebook posts. Suffice it to say that my garden has been my refuge, my outlet, my inspiration, my exercise, a source of frustration, and a source of peace. I will miss it. My plans are to garden in containers for a while. We’ll see if that will satisfy my gardening itch for long. If I get a real garden going I’ll return to this blog. Or maybe I’ll blog about my containers. Meanwhile you can follow me on Instagram @jean_mcweeney. Au revoir, sweet garden!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd4BjK3hqI5J9dCG70piRTC3GOKeXfGpjsmNT2XMQWFQY7Tx04ZkiJdyONwxvadhwYI3So1dohxKDiLWwjpFN_SME3NndudLpiXN-IcnpZhZBk5l2sGXOVkYV9EUIhrrGqNqPCJq2HGr0/s1600/Monsieur+Jules+Elie+peony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd4BjK3hqI5J9dCG70piRTC3GOKeXfGpjsmNT2XMQWFQY7Tx04ZkiJdyONwxvadhwYI3So1dohxKDiLWwjpFN_SME3NndudLpiXN-IcnpZhZBk5l2sGXOVkYV9EUIhrrGqNqPCJq2HGr0/s640/Monsieur+Jules+Elie+peony.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsieur Jules Elie peony</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2019. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-77421627303052498692019-02-18T12:13:00.002-06:002019-02-18T12:21:47.631-06:00Intro to My February Bulbs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW1yIKPc4tOJe66DBpSEmwvrJp0DLZUimbjAEBp5wpwrAGE5FItEJr2zOk_EWxTiyQqjpiWU2ELsyFLOh_XkagE0TuKLvpox7dcyQR3i7x3xwgNkKGR7bgEz4qVaSmYQpaREFT3bfnrRZ/s1600/IMG_0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW1yIKPc4tOJe66DBpSEmwvrJp0DLZUimbjAEBp5wpwrAGE5FItEJr2zOk_EWxTiyQqjpiWU2ELsyFLOh_XkagE0TuKLvpox7dcyQR3i7x3xwgNkKGR7bgEz4qVaSmYQpaREFT3bfnrRZ/s640/IMG_0219.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lent lily aka wild daffodil (<i>Narcissus pseudonarcissus</i>)</td></tr>
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It's been a long, rainy and dismal winter but then February happened. It's still rainy and sometimes dismal but Mother Nature decided it was time for spring. I'm all for it.<br />
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I thought I'd show you a few of the bulbs that started popping this month plus a video of my backyard. By the way, you can see these photos and more on my Instagram feed, where I'm spending more time these days.<br />
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First up in the first photo above is always my first daffodil (as opposed to the paperwhites that bloom earlier) - Lent lily. This is as reliable as it gets. After 14 years of living in north Louisiana I'm still in awe of these daffodils and others that grow wild around here. Most of the bulbs that I grow in my yard are considered heirloom bulbs. Some I've gotten from friends, some from old homesteads (with permission!!), some from <a href="https://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a>, and some from <a href="https://www.colorblends.com/" target="_blank">Colorblends</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MgmQWrBO4TtoAuz1N8meF5ci3ZykqaF9dvuH4gOLEhWUO_aiJ2gVTyC9uK8UBx9DD8lgAwGwTjRARNeS8Q1gjsqeKsRiqi8GznU-E6EoPrvMFmMh2ynmOoH-JrK62zZi_b4ww9Jcs6DI/s1600/IMG_3498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MgmQWrBO4TtoAuz1N8meF5ci3ZykqaF9dvuH4gOLEhWUO_aiJ2gVTyC9uK8UBx9DD8lgAwGwTjRARNeS8Q1gjsqeKsRiqi8GznU-E6EoPrvMFmMh2ynmOoH-JrK62zZi_b4ww9Jcs6DI/s640/IMG_3498.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'February Gold'</td></tr>
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Although Lent lily is usually the first daff bloom, 'February Gold' is becoming a contender for that title. I truly wish I had more of these. The blooms last forever and they're quite cheerful looking, aren't they?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0l8WdgSd3OqCtrUY-CWsTJ_y3lqYRJne9xEoXnNwgbKp5Od5MAPHbOePoi5eF4CYDzZrXd__b2fEzF0afz24_lL2QzMyJmYp-LpcO6x0haL9FY0XteLWDA2ikNCCVAWK_w68lGfY0Z-K/s1600/IMG_0223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0l8WdgSd3OqCtrUY-CWsTJ_y3lqYRJne9xEoXnNwgbKp5Od5MAPHbOePoi5eF4CYDzZrXd__b2fEzF0afz24_lL2QzMyJmYp-LpcO6x0haL9FY0XteLWDA2ikNCCVAWK_w68lGfY0Z-K/s640/IMG_0223.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>N. </i>x <i>incomparablis</i></td></tr>
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The next reliable and extremely floriferous daffodil in my yard is <i>N. </i>x <i>incomparablis</i>. I used to call this one 'Stella' but I'm fortunate to have a true daffodil expert as a friend (Celia Jones), and she has set me straight on this one. Many people confuse it as I did but the true 'Stella' has white petals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyNx_VCGN_ozwVI3_cu7qERSSY14Uy2Drx6M-u2oR04-mWa2HSBCfi0LiS67jSrd0upexo9edcVgBwiKqLwRr8yO-sh4-rGqMhmYfH_2fEeU1EUUZEbT9UA5-AJWshGT-5oHoPqpXEdAI/s1600/IMG_0221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyNx_VCGN_ozwVI3_cu7qERSSY14Uy2Drx6M-u2oR04-mWa2HSBCfi0LiS67jSrd0upexo9edcVgBwiKqLwRr8yO-sh4-rGqMhmYfH_2fEeU1EUUZEbT9UA5-AJWshGT-5oHoPqpXEdAI/s640/IMG_0221.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Ice Follies'</td></tr>
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'Ice Follies' does very well in the South. I have a patch of them in the front corner of my yard that I won from a raffle at the Gibsland "Jonquil Jubilee." Lucky me! But they're also the ones that survive best from mixed bags of daffs that I've planted in the past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4SOnOdUQNhKq1c3vGBVqxs2CJQt3DxrVc6LeQZPKo6QVSwY8L4o9Cgv2g91xd0rTd6Mr0YD_4k8oT0Rd7uT6UwVnzlB55pXdfwxfQe4XHyqcv4ScjgfojJrOQO7EahSxhq7OJFikZdq3/s1600/IMG_0220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4SOnOdUQNhKq1c3vGBVqxs2CJQt3DxrVc6LeQZPKo6QVSwY8L4o9Cgv2g91xd0rTd6Mr0YD_4k8oT0Rd7uT6UwVnzlB55pXdfwxfQe4XHyqcv4ScjgfojJrOQO7EahSxhq7OJFikZdq3/s640/IMG_0220.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown type of <i>Muscari armeniacum </i>aka grape hyacinth</td></tr>
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My friend Travis gave me one bulb of an unknown type of grape hyacinth that he got from a friend. It's much shorter and fatter than other grape hyacinths I've grown. Case in point is the next one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMj55KnjaTkRr5eDxBoOBF1yIujpQPM46Oi1hLafMXhE0Ho9C0a6y_ebSAmesnfpJVvvzBquSu6HHs0F2FwVB-2K3BxvPaZ6PbzxdS6IjMMjQ_5_YiTQb4maJhwsCtp98OX0aJZ_Mv8AiB/s1600/IMG_0222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMj55KnjaTkRr5eDxBoOBF1yIujpQPM46Oi1hLafMXhE0Ho9C0a6y_ebSAmesnfpJVvvzBquSu6HHs0F2FwVB-2K3BxvPaZ6PbzxdS6IjMMjQ_5_YiTQb4maJhwsCtp98OX0aJZ_Mv8AiB/s640/IMG_0222.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>M. armeniacum</i> 'Alida'</td></tr>
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My 'Alida' grape hyacinths are more like others I've seen. This is my second year for growing this variety in both pots and in the ground and I'm very impressed. You also can't beat the fragrance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdfZmDMs4AU1b1KtAmrrdgkvdfFLXjrHI_qzgZGUiDs49y4DyMFQ-vh_5avYIkas93OUQ8wDYZtFGebOckJ7a4OdCgaFsdTc8ltcsynaosuFNIgNjiIv7kDqO0oB96aPxFtepUYo9jmLa/s1600/Pink+hellebore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdfZmDMs4AU1b1KtAmrrdgkvdfFLXjrHI_qzgZGUiDs49y4DyMFQ-vh_5avYIkas93OUQ8wDYZtFGebOckJ7a4OdCgaFsdTc8ltcsynaosuFNIgNjiIv7kDqO0oB96aPxFtepUYo9jmLa/s640/Pink+hellebore.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown type of hellebore (aka Lenten rose)</td></tr>
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Where would we be without hellebores this time of year? Last year my hellebores didn't do so well. Come to think of it, last year was not that great a year for my daffodils either. But this year they're all doing better.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypNBlVz_FB_bGuG8DNQ_Rx5DSna9ESfc715yWh7jqZx4UxrN453cWFY41kSFZYS1AjziDAd96M7waFkeLMT5TRV0eOp1ICidOlXY4zjCGuusGCTfPLrHJVVaImFpr1zbwwjI8ZLlKZavv/s1600/IMG_0224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypNBlVz_FB_bGuG8DNQ_Rx5DSna9ESfc715yWh7jqZx4UxrN453cWFY41kSFZYS1AjziDAd96M7waFkeLMT5TRV0eOp1ICidOlXY4zjCGuusGCTfPLrHJVVaImFpr1zbwwjI8ZLlKZavv/s640/IMG_0224.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another unknown variety of hellebore</td></tr>
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I've been rather lazy lately when it comes to taking photos of the garden. In fact, most of my photos these days (including all of the ones in this post) are taken with my iPhone. I've also been trying to take more videos because I think that really tells a better story of the garden. So here's my first attempt at embedding one in a blog post. You'll see a panorama starting with the rock wall garden and the patio up top, then the woodland garden in the back corner, then the square beds and the pergola on the side, and then the bed under the giant shortleaf pine tree. The video is taken from our back porch after I did some garden cleanup. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw4RF1z_wRP30mRl_45ALNLzZh7o249vUpJ5ucXvt7FKU2G_9KcfrCoIQzvecy-Gi06vz3C1VzF-UNMrOGYVA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2019. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-8512393228378183452019-01-15T20:50:00.000-06:002019-01-15T20:50:20.760-06:00All These January Blooms<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz5QBFvVI8wskBrYSV4OYO_y0jBd35xCkTZ7kY2uuysgm5PJLR7KoTXqhElD1I6Z_RUgh-Cbs48PVpEt4kseb9wZmqqFRX3UEvRpRwKAPAMGGzQ5nEMYXbMtZrxMClRP_BnFMRSJssxZJ/s1600/Prunus+mume+Peggy+Clark+blooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz5QBFvVI8wskBrYSV4OYO_y0jBd35xCkTZ7kY2uuysgm5PJLR7KoTXqhElD1I6Z_RUgh-Cbs48PVpEt4kseb9wZmqqFRX3UEvRpRwKAPAMGGzQ5nEMYXbMtZrxMClRP_BnFMRSJssxZJ/s640/Prunus+mume+Peggy+Clark+blooms.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Prunus mume </i>'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot blooms</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2019/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2019.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> is the 15th of every month but January is usually a challenge for those of us in the northern hemisphere. How do we show off our blooming plants when it's snowing, raining, or everything is dormant? I certainly didn't expect to find many blooms when I scouted the yard. But that's because I forgot about my 'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTwf60oPRZNitw5xfS6tjSbZrA4SyuZCropTkeMa9XVMRX_lztMzsmBQgx81hgSyrdq-z_g9qFaANvkSlAjxy2UN6AheKkJ8PGt8D1leX0KUiZsNs4h8JwmEsWLYOayp1BxWIBgRRbAjP/s1600/Prunus+mume+Peggy+Clark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTwf60oPRZNitw5xfS6tjSbZrA4SyuZCropTkeMa9XVMRX_lztMzsmBQgx81hgSyrdq-z_g9qFaANvkSlAjxy2UN6AheKkJ8PGt8D1leX0KUiZsNs4h8JwmEsWLYOayp1BxWIBgRRbAjP/s640/Prunus+mume+Peggy+Clark.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long shot of the 'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot tree</td></tr>
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'Peggy Clark' blooms every January and sometimes starts as early as late December. Last year it started a bit late because of some hard freezes. It's called a "flowering apricot" because it doesn't really make edible apricots. I bought it for the blooms and because it doesn't get too big (15-20 feet). For many years (10?) it never made apricots but then last year... ugh, it dropped a TON of them! They're very sour but supposedly you can pickle them. No thanks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0raQ7OQzOkrg6_d-FSLlIkVJGLQTOo91Z_TSfvvxepwRLLqZfx3vxXe8ps6YPzwcwLa4u0rw7YH8HTDfRKKsC4t-YwYa3fkWipEsySMXQUdtrkExQiQs4vgtRssc3gNVPpvBrVrYb8SDI/s1600/Native+witch+hazel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0raQ7OQzOkrg6_d-FSLlIkVJGLQTOo91Z_TSfvvxepwRLLqZfx3vxXe8ps6YPzwcwLa4u0rw7YH8HTDfRKKsC4t-YwYa3fkWipEsySMXQUdtrkExQiQs4vgtRssc3gNVPpvBrVrYb8SDI/s640/Native+witch+hazel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Native witch hazel, <i>Hamamelis virginiana</i></td></tr>
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A few years ago I planted a native witch hazel for wildlife. I had no idea that the blooms would be SO tiny. I can't see the blooms from my house and in fact, I have to really stick my nose in the plant to find them. They are pretty though, especially this time of year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XSebhijbuEnYNR4PB-iNbrpwMI3cV0oldJa4QtdyF9gLqQQtv9GgAZGrCaMFXL0_y8MfzRlr74zAxCF5cSWh45SctRJMWkVc3IlefE9L988vFrTH6mHqQm-o272DqdM3_xoOAfEIuZrI/s1600/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XSebhijbuEnYNR4PB-iNbrpwMI3cV0oldJa4QtdyF9gLqQQtv9GgAZGrCaMFXL0_y8MfzRlr74zAxCF5cSWh45SctRJMWkVc3IlefE9L988vFrTH6mHqQm-o272DqdM3_xoOAfEIuZrI/s640/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Muscari armeniacum</i> 'Alida', aka grape hyacinth</td></tr>
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There are a few early bulbs starting to bloom. The grape hyacinth are butting on buds. Their leaves come up in the fall, long straggly leaves. These 'Alida' grape hyacinths are from a batch I bought last year, most of which I potted up, so I'm happy to see them again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQWwGtPaVcoRBd1P81JSe5_E1wMnuBnwHCyGE2bRptMY8NkyxBnixhLeTP0srcuvJulFaCGTWiBIbRvVVutgvxOytAX5-NMDKkOiXOmrzgABghG9z2dcuBAKzhDlEX0goQkD7c6xzevgL/s1600/Narcissus+x+italicus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQWwGtPaVcoRBd1P81JSe5_E1wMnuBnwHCyGE2bRptMY8NkyxBnixhLeTP0srcuvJulFaCGTWiBIbRvVVutgvxOytAX5-NMDKkOiXOmrzgABghG9z2dcuBAKzhDlEX0goQkD7c6xzevgL/s640/Narcissus+x+italicus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown paperwhite, probably <i>Narcissus </i>x <i>italicus.</i></td></tr>
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This narcissus popped up unexpectedly on the side of the carport. I don't remember planting it so I'm not sure what it is though I'm guessing it's an <i>italicus</i> type of narcissus.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuhwFcQwxQDwH_fl_4EJsIqbxKNTcKucmUEbFV25hRUUk1LOktu4lkx55V6cYaBpx1gL4lefZWUkUIKr0KBCLtYSsJ_8w74c2ryybDff-DirR2f9Ou158szSz9c9xY9VWCQvzdXfPEB9H/s1600/unknown+paperwhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuhwFcQwxQDwH_fl_4EJsIqbxKNTcKucmUEbFV25hRUUk1LOktu4lkx55V6cYaBpx1gL4lefZWUkUIKr0KBCLtYSsJ_8w74c2ryybDff-DirR2f9Ou158szSz9c9xY9VWCQvzdXfPEB9H/s640/unknown+paperwhite.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown but it might be 'Grand Soleil d'Or' paperwhite</td></tr>
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Another unknown narcissus is this lovely golden one. I believe this came from a blend of bulbs I planted last year. You never know for sure what bulbs are in blends!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RmMZLHN0L0mD7m91fRSE1RlprqZtbS8SyLpm7KMfvNGSZ8_BbjrDXdh2vKipKmTRtVTl57RzHSmXstH5gOeJbJOW8hNxx3Ks653jszs749HcN-QV_2bC9CZ1OP3kJPMx7bNpHlF1Ed2h/s1600/single+form+stock+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RmMZLHN0L0mD7m91fRSE1RlprqZtbS8SyLpm7KMfvNGSZ8_BbjrDXdh2vKipKmTRtVTl57RzHSmXstH5gOeJbJOW8hNxx3Ks653jszs749HcN-QV_2bC9CZ1OP3kJPMx7bNpHlF1Ed2h/s640/single+form+stock+plant.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Matthiola incana, </i>aka stock</td></tr>
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I purchased a six-pack of stock a few months ago. I thought they were all white but it turned out only one was. But all of them were double blooms until this single showed up. I really like the color on this one.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3qVIkjhq5XSwlpjMs5R2KJI7CqkFOgDYjqGi5SWTMypxf_NFK71NFNPfeuTD2mUt9nlpctC34TIvppPeZMS-WnqBlUug7Sjk4PD4VI1qrQxqn-vfX_dXwIhNNDSA43nZfFHcMBtZ2Phf/s1600/Little+Women+rose+bloom+in+winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1008" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3qVIkjhq5XSwlpjMs5R2KJI7CqkFOgDYjqGi5SWTMypxf_NFK71NFNPfeuTD2mUt9nlpctC34TIvppPeZMS-WnqBlUug7Sjk4PD4VI1qrQxqn-vfX_dXwIhNNDSA43nZfFHcMBtZ2Phf/s640/Little+Women+rose+bloom+in+winter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Little Women' rose</td></tr>
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I was surprised to see a number of little blooms on my 'Little Women' rose. I love this rose bush. It reblooms all summer long and the blooms are fragrant. In spring and summer the blooms are light pink but now they are this lovely, dark rosy pink.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvpIlDYq_eLnZEtK8B_Hx81Cfly2I5WinHdB7G_Yo9b7iQYbWLnNAbodVsXYoO9ZWmQ5uUg6p6JqqYj6eLS9Nf1xueU0RJleBfk4NFV9VO3zczaGiS75_HEHHXPC3_dEeTozLiBfShuv0/s1600/Sugar+Snap+Pea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1008" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvpIlDYq_eLnZEtK8B_Hx81Cfly2I5WinHdB7G_Yo9b7iQYbWLnNAbodVsXYoO9ZWmQ5uUg6p6JqqYj6eLS9Nf1xueU0RJleBfk4NFV9VO3zczaGiS75_HEHHXPC3_dEeTozLiBfShuv0/s640/Sugar+Snap+Pea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar snap pea</td></tr>
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Last but not least is this tail-end of a bloom from my sugar snap peas. I planted the peas in September but it was so hot then. Then came the deluge of rains from October through December. So they're just now putting on peas!<br />
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Be sure to check out Carol's blog <a href="https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2019/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2019.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Gardens</a> to see what other gardeners/bloggers have blooming around the world!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2019. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-68515517814287832262018-05-28T17:57:00.002-05:002018-05-29T07:11:41.711-05:00What Is It About Austin Gardens?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-npZZkR0CTWcoDuM57QiBrVJgv2aY-MZLyekFjWFsEPY_-blBTfQ5RxW-taT0403uwSSXeqF99I2u9s_KlHnrBtmd4NQ-zhAgDVGRDVOUy8Pr1jKYZ18uQRHmzRXcvWgLyzJCDg0IgZpg/s1600/JenniferStocker+portal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-npZZkR0CTWcoDuM57QiBrVJgv2aY-MZLyekFjWFsEPY_-blBTfQ5RxW-taT0403uwSSXeqF99I2u9s_KlHnrBtmd4NQ-zhAgDVGRDVOUy8Pr1jKYZ18uQRHmzRXcvWgLyzJCDg0IgZpg/s640/JenniferStocker+portal.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portal to one of Jenny Stocker's garden areas</td></tr>
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The Austin Garden Bloggers Fling 2018 has flung. And what a time it was. I had such mixed emotions on this Fling. Austin is my former home and where I left my heart. I loved trying to see it through a first-timer's eyes. And I wept silently for the loss of so many soulful and unique aspects to Austin.<br />
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For a while I pondered what to write about the experience and finally settled on what I think defines the gardens we saw - they evoke a very confident sense of place and individualism. I hope to show you examples of both in this blog post.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrE3NzbyA6KpJM2s6dl07-L7EEKXKR5BTPCHgPFeMxdP1n4bCrVq9Hy1afaSUC8o3kbMM7AfrchUprUR1JGfA3GK50UnK2DyGJ31WIWgvVFVE34HxEMW7nEVOIV15sSAtqfZEQZ4Jsn4F/s1600/DonnaFowler_bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrE3NzbyA6KpJM2s6dl07-L7EEKXKR5BTPCHgPFeMxdP1n4bCrVq9Hy1afaSUC8o3kbMM7AfrchUprUR1JGfA3GK50UnK2DyGJ31WIWgvVFVE34HxEMW7nEVOIV15sSAtqfZEQZ4Jsn4F/s640/DonnaFowler_bottles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A unique bottle tree in Donna Fowler's garden</td></tr>
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Each garden, both public and private, was unique in its own way but one garden that strongly showcased the individual was Lucinda Hutson's garden. Lucinda's home and garden reflect her abiding love for Mexico.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9-jSIOkt3fjXSUlGiapqe6fnupbMGKy627TRcVZsy4vAuTSOv5w2xBvzpDyhYzhDxWBUgyhaetVLiJ5FDtlF-FNJLpTfmNMjs1kn76Uc1APxgJKHbtmYSPqAHiSKabB3YlVaYjGvEqn8/s1600/LucindaHutson+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9-jSIOkt3fjXSUlGiapqe6fnupbMGKy627TRcVZsy4vAuTSOv5w2xBvzpDyhYzhDxWBUgyhaetVLiJ5FDtlF-FNJLpTfmNMjs1kn76Uc1APxgJKHbtmYSPqAHiSKabB3YlVaYjGvEqn8/s640/LucindaHutson+house.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucinda Hutson's home in the Rosedale neighborhood</td></tr>
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She LOVES color and although her flowers are colorful, it's her use of color on objects that keeps her homestead lively through all seasons.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5JP0KlOxyJYJLh6z5I1-0zhiyNtarmyD5hTl6y91Mv2ZsCQe0qC5niEs2rWvVhsRiy-tWE8qvVmuxnIpiCkJH4VC5TDwuIyz7FsI8O4SEQQGp-AYpR-gOKWMNS-QsiDnA6R__oHO-7Fg/s1600/LucindaHutson+veg+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5JP0KlOxyJYJLh6z5I1-0zhiyNtarmyD5hTl6y91Mv2ZsCQe0qC5niEs2rWvVhsRiy-tWE8qvVmuxnIpiCkJH4VC5TDwuIyz7FsI8O4SEQQGp-AYpR-gOKWMNS-QsiDnA6R__oHO-7Fg/s640/LucindaHutson+veg+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the vegetable garden in Lucinda's yard</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl1wTG5_jZ6AJhaunwRqJfosMc-HNFlpMdDoBrrV2gXEr1kiliZXqCCnyU6Z_gP4gKe-BVPOQ4LwewSq14Qi59bJkRG0yQioYGH43EF1QDABVJaTZgzWojI2XlxdEEyHp96qEQ6JPMQbb/s1600/LucindaHutson+cantina+bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl1wTG5_jZ6AJhaunwRqJfosMc-HNFlpMdDoBrrV2gXEr1kiliZXqCCnyU6Z_gP4gKe-BVPOQ4LwewSq14Qi59bJkRG0yQioYGH43EF1QDABVJaTZgzWojI2XlxdEEyHp96qEQ6JPMQbb/s640/LucindaHutson+cantina+bar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the entrance to Lucinda's tequila cantina</td></tr>
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Lucinda's garden makes me want to sit down, put my feet up, sip a tequila drink (a traditional margarita would be my favorite), and while away the time asking Lucinda about her travels to Mexico.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n2csmXRBKmvrq-IIKQEPhUVtjO0OdEIs5924P3_CIVnrmX4dd8RfoZny9LpFzWhKltNVMd6onnRREIJe9KJrrY_pIKm2dbquEDnIwf2rNM-dft5I4MXOYTIgYGLRO7qaNLhgiKBLw69F/s1600/PamPenick+table+vignette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="886" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n2csmXRBKmvrq-IIKQEPhUVtjO0OdEIs5924P3_CIVnrmX4dd8RfoZny9LpFzWhKltNVMd6onnRREIJe9KJrrY_pIKm2dbquEDnIwf2rNM-dft5I4MXOYTIgYGLRO7qaNLhgiKBLw69F/s640/PamPenick+table+vignette.jpg" width="562" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vignette in Pam Penick's garden</td></tr>
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Pam Penick's blog <a href="http://www.penick.net/digging/" target="_blank">Digging</a> was one of the first blogs I ever read and probably what inspired me to start blogging (that and having the time after getting laid off in 2008!). I've visited her garden multiple times and each time I find it so reflective of Pam. Her design sense is strong and she smartly contains her plantings to what will do well in her growing conditions. And she loves a little whimsy as well.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvI6vkaFvhkygp-kTSeT2RTqRVEDIbQV4WhNHYBLfyHyoT75cdCuDalXnDCoS9CibTMzBcv5G2yjkU9sYPmd_7tD5jarRl5ZEHG7HCjVYgHaNr6wQOnUncWN0BSY7K1x-KkdtwIlPJ8ia/s1600/B+Jane+Gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1008" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvI6vkaFvhkygp-kTSeT2RTqRVEDIbQV4WhNHYBLfyHyoT75cdCuDalXnDCoS9CibTMzBcv5G2yjkU9sYPmd_7tD5jarRl5ZEHG7HCjVYgHaNr6wQOnUncWN0BSY7K1x-KkdtwIlPJ8ia/s640/B+Jane+Gardens.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bjanegardens.com/" target="_blank">B. Jane</a>'s front yard with prickly pear (<i>Opuntia</i> sp.), whale's tongue agave (<i>A. ovatifolia</i>), and silver ponyfoot (<i>Dichondra argentea</i>)</td></tr>
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Austin gardeners embraced the xeriscape garden movement many years ago and it's wonderful to see the great variety of plants that are now available in the nurseries there (envious!). Though some of the nursery plants are ones that have adapted readily to the heat and occasional (frequent?) droughts in the area, others are natives that can be found by simply driving into the Hill Country or farther west.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLn49g9ZQLlCYFt-PAlejWssmKJXHtauvdfy0jvjOqy510GgAlGzSb_EbVq24VzCe2KuI08xsTg_R1B4AqWaq4ZGNpZqOD0sGYb53Q8yxOOHfYXcCqGqXLQhsM7hcWxg51pcMsR0qEh-d/s1600/TaitMooring+shade+and+grasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLn49g9ZQLlCYFt-PAlejWssmKJXHtauvdfy0jvjOqy510GgAlGzSb_EbVq24VzCe2KuI08xsTg_R1B4AqWaq4ZGNpZqOD0sGYb53Q8yxOOHfYXcCqGqXLQhsM7hcWxg51pcMsR0qEh-d/s640/TaitMooring+shade+and+grasses.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican feather grass (<i>Nasella tenuissima</i>) and wildflowers in Tait Mooring's garden</td></tr>
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The native and adapted plants evoke that sense of place I mentioned in the beginning. There were few fussy plants here. I know from experience that most of them are hard-working, sink-or-swim ones.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgGklFCfRIaEs58TEw_DtLGdindwM6dxd8TNdQ90Ckxu1_rSpzKfA9yVfruOsVk0Sgys5IKxWkYSJcWTuU8h9ACgQyhqsy5I0ttmBf5IVlv3n6FczyWj2xISmiC9_O0CqZ4XMiUaYHmcu/s1600/JenniferStocker+Texas+English+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgGklFCfRIaEs58TEw_DtLGdindwM6dxd8TNdQ90Ckxu1_rSpzKfA9yVfruOsVk0Sgys5IKxWkYSJcWTuU8h9ACgQyhqsy5I0ttmBf5IVlv3n6FczyWj2xISmiC9_O0CqZ4XMiUaYHmcu/s640/JenniferStocker+Texas+English+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny Stocker's English-style garden</td></tr>
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Case in point is Jenny Stocker's exuberant garden (only a little bedraggled from a Texas-sized gullywasher!). Her plants, such as Indian blanket, cacti, and ornamental grasses, evoke the cottage garden exuberance of her native England but with sensible plants for Austin.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0DQufAJzfRJueXmaKKSsou1SdFiSpQ0b3Wo9fDGVN4BEWZ8cFhYOluYfTTo47NHFjVOaFevhA7MrG_eUsKhPFuHnm5neji2u4Whhyphenhyphenw7BtN1qYHtAXi-6qsMDWmRHe7_OidFT12kK9l34/s1600/JenniferStocker+exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0DQufAJzfRJueXmaKKSsou1SdFiSpQ0b3Wo9fDGVN4BEWZ8cFhYOluYfTTo47NHFjVOaFevhA7MrG_eUsKhPFuHnm5neji2u4Whhyphenhyphenw7BtN1qYHtAXi-6qsMDWmRHe7_OidFT12kK9l34/s640/JenniferStocker+exterior.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The deer-prone exterior of Jenny's garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-Iu3uB8kRses6KmKM7u3OybE0-MERpqCUyNzFGq2K8WpE0M8vxE2MJwCQzlrF5v3EXfKUvR1yvtgKOYUsldM26c7gy3yChSBT2HMcLUkI4Wrf2Hc5lV4-xp6dsVK_HR4-qAc5fJSYB3M/s1600/ZilkerPark+maidenhair+ferns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-Iu3uB8kRses6KmKM7u3OybE0-MERpqCUyNzFGq2K8WpE0M8vxE2MJwCQzlrF5v3EXfKUvR1yvtgKOYUsldM26c7gy3yChSBT2HMcLUkI4Wrf2Hc5lV4-xp6dsVK_HR4-qAc5fJSYB3M/s640/ZilkerPark+maidenhair+ferns.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern maidenhair fern (<i>Adiantum capillus-veneris</i>) in Zilker Park. This fern is common on the limestone cliffs of the Texas Hill Country. I try to grow some each year in homage to the area.</td></tr>
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For me, the plant that spoke Austin was the escarpment live oak, <i>Quercus fusiformis</i>. This is one of those plants that I took for granted when I lived there. Yet this time I was seeing it with fresh eyes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uj6X1VDmtfPF8ikrnOraWsiR91DJD1IQ1mfnB6gwnI0-3K8v84Z4_fc3T-SgR0mIPmrDAQ57ytRtz7H_e4lV2bjdWn-Mcqiv5csCJZwLE4uh8Le8VsabuBY0kIOjOb79IrOxdtwZDE0r/s1600/RuthieBurris+view+from+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1008" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uj6X1VDmtfPF8ikrnOraWsiR91DJD1IQ1mfnB6gwnI0-3K8v84Z4_fc3T-SgR0mIPmrDAQ57ytRtz7H_e4lV2bjdWn-Mcqiv5csCJZwLE4uh8Le8VsabuBY0kIOjOb79IrOxdtwZDE0r/s640/RuthieBurris+view+from+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Austin skyline from Ruthie Burris' garden, framed by the ubiquitous live oaks</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfuKxcTi52vVrARAUzaVqiRqdkWmK8SYcpIGOrpWKBXMS9EavhFlOWKVVusjHBPdA0TfNk59-P7pDd5hGhcHG8ztChafIzwtiYwYJ-Y6SS6Ah-Nfv1iPYQqSXTqjkFNiqwRGl5Jv1AWvO/s1600/Johnson+City+live+oak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfuKxcTi52vVrARAUzaVqiRqdkWmK8SYcpIGOrpWKBXMS9EavhFlOWKVVusjHBPdA0TfNk59-P7pDd5hGhcHG8ztChafIzwtiYwYJ-Y6SS6Ah-Nfv1iPYQqSXTqjkFNiqwRGl5Jv1AWvO/s640/Johnson+City+live+oak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live oak in a field outside Johnson City</td></tr>
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You've got to be one tough plant to make it and thrive in Austin. The aloes, agaves, and other drought-tolerant plants that dot the Austin landscape are great but relative newcomers. The escarpment live oak is the one that's been there for a while. There's nothing like driving country roads and seeing a majestic live oak in a field. What kind of stories could it tell?<br />
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I had a wonderful time at the Austin Fling and feel so lucky to have attended nine (nine!) Flings so far. I've made some great friends whom I wish I could see more frequently. I hope to see you next year when the Fling goes to Denver!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2018. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-13889490898991611712018-01-15T11:56:00.000-06:002018-01-15T11:56:26.938-06:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for January<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BW2VevQCE24uuiexzI00QSiyXIgczxof4Yme5vVNNrWQRwwG8ziI1-bQGlC9moOLKX3bV5AMgQEY24OMWaSKub7GaNPcm3FGRLgUgeTLLWr0qQDK79heCMbO5DyvJrlpKvIFLcpL9i6p/s1600/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida+in+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BW2VevQCE24uuiexzI00QSiyXIgczxof4Yme5vVNNrWQRwwG8ziI1-bQGlC9moOLKX3bV5AMgQEY24OMWaSKub7GaNPcm3FGRLgUgeTLLWr0qQDK79heCMbO5DyvJrlpKvIFLcpL9i6p/s640/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida+in+bowl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Muscari armeniacum </i>'Alida' </td></tr>
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On this <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2018/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2018.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> there is zip, nada, not a thing blooming outdoors in my garden. That's fairly unusual for this southern garden but we've had some pretty severe freezes in the first part of January. And we're on the precipice of some more temps in the teens preceded by SNOW!! That is a major event down here, lol! But back to the topic of blooms... I managed to squeeze out a bloom plus an almost bloom today indoors.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrkW5zQU9ofvV-DTUq52eahL2JMlgt6hfG2ENn6ljfBbXPVohaibL4iJ4XA6OYfx5QNMUI5DKu0ObSNFp4j0IqfJRvq1dcZuorjgBqAOLPUh2L6JX1XhFOHvXvF_a1Ty5A4fmQ_0qQ68f/s1600/Lizard+lips+aloe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1008" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrkW5zQU9ofvV-DTUq52eahL2JMlgt6hfG2ENn6ljfBbXPVohaibL4iJ4XA6OYfx5QNMUI5DKu0ObSNFp4j0IqfJRvq1dcZuorjgBqAOLPUh2L6JX1XhFOHvXvF_a1Ty5A4fmQ_0qQ68f/s640/Lizard+lips+aloe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Lizard Lips' aloe</td></tr>
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From the succulents that are indoors, the 'Lizard Lips' aloe is still blooming. In fact, it's almost always in bloom. It's quite a hit with the hummingbirds when it's outdoors. The blooms are pretty small as is the plant.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16sRT2f3svM-aEbMr2hkN9dpE6x9lxEm62FJc7M3BQ-re8D87InbW8J6sUjgQx1bo3hkdkg2GUrfUXMYlmn__a8VmZIxiXGdvKlGhpZLvCgbl0OyjP_aydYADvMUdfM1OcCF8YsCDmOHg/s1600/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16sRT2f3svM-aEbMr2hkN9dpE6x9lxEm62FJc7M3BQ-re8D87InbW8J6sUjgQx1bo3hkdkg2GUrfUXMYlmn__a8VmZIxiXGdvKlGhpZLvCgbl0OyjP_aydYADvMUdfM1OcCF8YsCDmOHg/s640/Muscari+armeniacum+Alida.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Muscari armeniacum </i>'Alida'</td></tr>
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This past fall I sprang for some pre-chilled muscari bulbs from <a href="https://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/Muscari/armeniacum--Alida-/Grape-Hyacinth-" target="_blank">Brent and Becky's Bulbs</a>. They arrived in mid December and are just putting on buds. I have two pots of them and can't wait to see them all in bloom. They should get darker than this photo. Even though I planted both pots at the same time, one pot is just about to burst into bloom and the other is taking it's time. That's okay. The show will last longer that way.<br />
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Be sure to visit Carol's blog, <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2018/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2018.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Gardens,</a> where she compiles all the GBBD posts from around the world. I'm sure something is blooming in the southern hemisphere at least!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2018. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-22558160548585285122017-12-30T16:27:00.000-06:002017-12-30T16:29:29.323-06:00A Big Experiment in My Garden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKsY7oBxx6jgVTojC3mB9HbujwadUpMnltIUCPKiJ5Y7F2jp6rx972DKUzPSeu-o1IIo6Cmwu31N1r2tfyYQ6Mt4xVHy10xIbMppbJF_nSw8jT8A1ep8Bf33wJ8kgDtZNCbhg7q2nIauh/s1600/willow+oak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKsY7oBxx6jgVTojC3mB9HbujwadUpMnltIUCPKiJ5Y7F2jp6rx972DKUzPSeu-o1IIo6Cmwu31N1r2tfyYQ6Mt4xVHy10xIbMppbJF_nSw8jT8A1ep8Bf33wJ8kgDtZNCbhg7q2nIauh/s640/willow+oak.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willow oak (<i>Quercus phellos</i>) in early December</td></tr>
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This year I've tried to lighten up my gardening load. The years just keep on coming but the body can't do what it used to, know what I mean? So, among other things, I have been rethinking my goals around the relatively new "woodland" garden. I installed this area in 2015. It had been a shady area with plants along its back edges and a motley look of St. Augustine grass and weeds. Here's what it looks like today:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJo0aWvFcpgpFsPQLGukiwKP3xwPoEYJNmqe6vWtteuCnCOwKlmTBnkVTOy52m2v_y99iCYGiPP5fD63vxNtb7vDL3qgrJkOJyhL6DGAnu9gwZw7hVoXwMW1y2MaxQ9XaEsMtec6dcwfw/s1600/Long+view+of+woodland+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJo0aWvFcpgpFsPQLGukiwKP3xwPoEYJNmqe6vWtteuCnCOwKlmTBnkVTOy52m2v_y99iCYGiPP5fD63vxNtb7vDL3qgrJkOJyhL6DGAnu9gwZw7hVoXwMW1y2MaxQ9XaEsMtec6dcwfw/s640/Long+view+of+woodland+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the woodland garden from the pathway near the deck</td></tr>
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From this view you can get an idea of the size. It's bounded on two sides by the fence, on the left by a concrete patio, and an S-shaped edging barrier in front. My idea originally was to plant shade-loving perennials and spring ephemerals. Sounds like a nice idea, right? But then I got to thinking about how much work it would take to find the right plants and keep them alive, and all the money I would spend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVrKEVIyNbNnodlN2-Yr62idwiyuIduadq5__nCtpQGDusoNO2JmclRbTGsedKNMTVahQ1MI7Gx0AavSswisLt8lZGa4usAS7HbPwGPL_NOG4mornpNzJhfL5i8JJD5_Qh_ypnEomMO05/s1600/Long+view+of+woodland+garden+from+back+corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVrKEVIyNbNnodlN2-Yr62idwiyuIduadq5__nCtpQGDusoNO2JmclRbTGsedKNMTVahQ1MI7Gx0AavSswisLt8lZGa4usAS7HbPwGPL_NOG4mornpNzJhfL5i8JJD5_Qh_ypnEomMO05/s640/Long+view+of+woodland+garden+from+back+corner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long view of the woodland area from the back corner. The small yellow plant to the right is a native witch hazel.</td></tr>
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For a while I was happy with just letting the fall leaves build up. But alas, some very undesirable weeds also showed up. And since there is a bird bath and lots of trees, the birds dropping invasive Chinese privet seeds didn't help. Who wants to spend time weeding and not planting fun things?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFgmAxoGesh8An4Q56sqcHnHjK7o8PlulHpphywHthlDhvveYmmA3yk6caPR2fadCjrtPmMiSWco1oSugwSxP3U9q9e-FUCZNAVjyxU_BJQ6zSiySxIQFJhCbVy0XL8Z3AK1i-EztlIBX/s1600/Close+up+of+woodland+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFgmAxoGesh8An4Q56sqcHnHjK7o8PlulHpphywHthlDhvveYmmA3yk6caPR2fadCjrtPmMiSWco1oSugwSxP3U9q9e-FUCZNAVjyxU_BJQ6zSiySxIQFJhCbVy0XL8Z3AK1i-EztlIBX/s640/Close+up+of+woodland+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up view of woodland area</td></tr>
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I continued to plant the edges as I expanded the old alleyway garden. The alleyway garden really was an alley at one time many years ago. That means it's full of gravel, broken asphalt, and assorted weird things that escaped the old garbage cans that used to live there. We tackled the area in the back corner when we first moved here. After being an alley it had become a dog pen. So we had to remove mounds of torn up dog cushions and other gross things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfZ1o0nBFIjE6Fl_opwNtmGfRHDSQHPby7DB99z0Bcl0WGxkfGCQ-uYQfOxEWFNFVjsvNCT669npxFjioc3BQNJCddbCoRtJTKmLiNy_qBFzas2RshT3gY3Qn0OLXzDpM_xchxKyl1H05/s1600/Detail+of+back+alley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfZ1o0nBFIjE6Fl_opwNtmGfRHDSQHPby7DB99z0Bcl0WGxkfGCQ-uYQfOxEWFNFVjsvNCT669npxFjioc3BQNJCddbCoRtJTKmLiNy_qBFzas2RshT3gY3Qn0OLXzDpM_xchxKyl1H05/s640/Detail+of+back+alley.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latest alleyway plantings and self-sowings - 'Goldsturm' rudbeckia on the left, <i>Nasella tenuissima </i>(Mexican feather grass) on top center left, a couple of varieties of columbine at top, and various <i>Carex </i>species that planted themselves as well as "weeds"</td></tr>
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The alleyway is both a challenge and a delight to plant. The challenge is finding small enough specimens that can be planted in a couple inches of soil amongst rocks. The delight is watching what does well. Mostly it's been ferns, columbines, small phlox varieties, and daffodils. But while I've been very slowly expanding this area, I noticed what started to happen in the other half of the alleyway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyFYwhgMhiI6ESl3mnhU5BijAgmvoWr1u0d1jsg4KsCip1Hoeqd63CfzL8MLC9cEgnOWFIRtyOv99fJrIKYV2yOIOQAK10M2_I7EbtFLiZF3x8aY1y_V5n1a-pt4dIeLSOJKCU3S-ERhY/s1600/Back+alley+facing+west.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyFYwhgMhiI6ESl3mnhU5BijAgmvoWr1u0d1jsg4KsCip1Hoeqd63CfzL8MLC9cEgnOWFIRtyOv99fJrIKYV2yOIOQAK10M2_I7EbtFLiZF3x8aY1y_V5n1a-pt4dIeLSOJKCU3S-ERhY/s640/Back+alley+facing+west.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west from the compost pile down the unplanted alleyway</td></tr>
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The western, unplanted half of the alleyway started to do its own thing with respect to plants. First, up popped loads of spiderwort, <i>Tradescantia </i>sp. Yes, it can be a pest here! Then some of my white iris migrated up the hill to the alleyway. Then various <i>Carex</i> species appeared. And of course, an assortment of more "traditional" weeds including sweet autumn clematis. And my ever-present, ever-cursed <i>Liriope spicata. </i>Some escapees from the compost pile also took up residence - rose campion (<i>Lychnis coronaria</i>) and black-eyed Susan (<i>Rudbeckia</i> 'Goldsturm'). So I figured I oughta help out and this fall I scattered more black-eyed Susan seeds as well as purple coneflower (<i>Echinacea purpurea</i>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT8uwFu3OAl0HlJSKC7GHbn577-zV8RoIq6WuGZ4L7MXphxy9lkbzw_vWOWNhm70CIUPPTc4XmpM82LQExu35CnxFP1OQ1YlcRE5buZ_weLrOwxJIKCLjt4coqeOXdIC9KLcO4Oaifwgr/s1600/Back+alley+facing+east.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT8uwFu3OAl0HlJSKC7GHbn577-zV8RoIq6WuGZ4L7MXphxy9lkbzw_vWOWNhm70CIUPPTc4XmpM82LQExu35CnxFP1OQ1YlcRE5buZ_weLrOwxJIKCLjt4coqeOXdIC9KLcO4Oaifwgr/s640/Back+alley+facing+east.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking east down the alleyway of the more planted side (and my compost pile)</td></tr>
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This led me to decide to start letting the larger part of the woodland garden do its own thing, too. I've planted a few native shrubs like witch hazel (<i>Hamamelis virginiana</i>) and smooth withe-rod viburnum (<i>V. nudum</i>). There are some daffodils that I didn't have any other place to plant. I moved lots of Southern wood fern under the oak tree since I didn't care if it went wild. There have been some interesting and different species of carex showing up. I haven't identified them all with any level of confidence yet so will hold off on naming them. But there are ones that are bluish with wide leaves and others that have skinny, green leaves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfhwVufYaibti8EiLiC3YaG8_V9PT0hg43OQWr2oOZBJmWjrLxGu6FZpBPf97cgknt_7wgJlRoc8BPg8brkNgq_ldRy5HAW18ocolVCcbOspnRz8Jt56qOBrQkTQTKBjfUisQpN5I7z-S/s1600/Carex+in+woodland+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfhwVufYaibti8EiLiC3YaG8_V9PT0hg43OQWr2oOZBJmWjrLxGu6FZpBPf97cgknt_7wgJlRoc8BPg8brkNgq_ldRy5HAW18ocolVCcbOspnRz8Jt56qOBrQkTQTKBjfUisQpN5I7z-S/s640/Carex+in+woodland+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unidentified <i>Carex</i> species with skinny leaves</td></tr>
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I'm really liking the clumping varieties but have found one kind (that I think is a carex) that is a runner and looks pretty invasive. So I'm removing that. I've also found some small grasses. You might ask why I would leave a random collection of grasses and carex about. I will grant you that it doesn't look that tidy. But I've been very influenced by Doug Tallamy's book 'Bringing Nature Home', and Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher's book 'Garden Revolution, How Our Landscapes Can be a Source of Environmental Change'. The 'Garden Revolution' book especially argues for leaving in place (or planting) small grasses and other plants that will feed the early spring pollinators and foraging birds. I hope I'm doing our planet at least a little bit of good. I do know that it can use all the help it can get these days.<br />
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Now if I can just identify all these new plants that are growing without my help, that'll make my year!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2017. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-11158886228153657492017-11-03T11:52:00.001-05:002017-11-03T11:52:23.263-05:00What's Happened to My Garden?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDDFzYlf3cWoUVGDzw12enbOVpyuuSD5xZj_hmlv9eMe3pK50C5XBYiW_x9kv6dzB72TT6Q1d8O346YS5839-_Byn99-2in-GIar-28LXx-hXEbgJt-Jmg56gXc5MuU0Z_gEPlFheSgLY/s1600/Chinese+hibiscus.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDDFzYlf3cWoUVGDzw12enbOVpyuuSD5xZj_hmlv9eMe3pK50C5XBYiW_x9kv6dzB72TT6Q1d8O346YS5839-_Byn99-2in-GIar-28LXx-hXEbgJt-Jmg56gXc5MuU0Z_gEPlFheSgLY/s640/Chinese+hibiscus.jpg" /></a> <br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hibiscus paramutablis </i></span></div>
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If it's small consolation, I hope I'm not the only one who has had a lackluster year in their garden. I'm starting to realize that the unpredictability of climate change is making it darn hard to figure out what to plant where. Our weather year so far has been one strange trip indeed - only one hard freeze in early January followed by incredibly mild temperatures the rest of "winter," rains throughout spring AND summer, followed by almost drought-like conditions in September and October. We had our first freeze last weekend but now I'm wearing shorts and flip-flops. Is it any wonder the garden is suffering?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBJtWnGPZSTRUwHbc_wCsXsOKCWSjZ5F3DkqcxagvC5Csb9-4z9J77GvW9tEwEOau02xo_Y5XKsbhc-_XFl1hlRuJoCsUTwxnI3zKSDAAajnYg097dRPqKCv3rMD7nlI7x-8EjwDPmM2l/s1600/spent+oak+tree.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBJtWnGPZSTRUwHbc_wCsXsOKCWSjZ5F3DkqcxagvC5Csb9-4z9J77GvW9tEwEOau02xo_Y5XKsbhc-_XFl1hlRuJoCsUTwxnI3zKSDAAajnYg097dRPqKCv3rMD7nlI7x-8EjwDPmM2l/s640/spent+oak+tree.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Former willow oak tree and numerous smaller trees that were in the way of the saw</span></div>
<br />I'll show you a few of the misfortunes in the garden. First up was the once large, old willow oak tree on the side of the carport. About two years ago I noticed some sawdust at the base and suspected borers. When I was finally able to get someone out to inspect, they determined the tree was on its last legs but they weren't sure it was the borers' fault (he said many old willow oaks were succumbing around town to something unknown). Unfortunately they had to cut several smaller trees that had created privacy in order to take this one down. It's hard losing such a tree!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-V0vGeYuHlSI7zxh-s7FX5KFMDO5WZttb6YffwyZBQ5ccplT7s4GpnEYd7CWfM5AP4mQ49PTsFKcEhrjhUcHPOqd0eT-058qAJsukhP8wFv5pP0v4MiPDQdwZ4RvfRngbLtBkmc3AnMK/s1600/jalapeno+plant+and+virus.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-V0vGeYuHlSI7zxh-s7FX5KFMDO5WZttb6YffwyZBQ5ccplT7s4GpnEYd7CWfM5AP4mQ49PTsFKcEhrjhUcHPOqd0eT-058qAJsukhP8wFv5pP0v4MiPDQdwZ4RvfRngbLtBkmc3AnMK/s640/jalapeno+plant+and+virus.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jalapeño plant with some kind of virus or fungal blight?</span></div>
<br />Every pepper plant I purchased in spring had some kind of virus or blight. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a fungal blight given the rainy summer we had. So although my pepper plants produced, they were not prolific.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNPOdW38zRBhLwXFVYnx6Sd0yDwqN65Yd38rjp6eDMQkDFE1ZAwoMKuXJN_NK4a88EsP9qTc3OgmqhpwrJYzN8smJTdk1nyXBvYV919ysPPQGOGrbe30ZBV-kNFJAJ7ehjtFe8THJOcCj/s1600/front+fence+garden.jpg"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNPOdW38zRBhLwXFVYnx6Sd0yDwqN65Yd38rjp6eDMQkDFE1ZAwoMKuXJN_NK4a88EsP9qTc3OgmqhpwrJYzN8smJTdk1nyXBvYV919ysPPQGOGrbe30ZBV-kNFJAJ7ehjtFe8THJOcCj/s640/front+fence+garden.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The disaster that my front side garden became this fall</span></div>
<br /><br />Because of several things happening in September and October, I somehow didn't realize how badly the drought was affecting this bed. Since I can't see this bed from my backyard, it was very neglected. Almost every single black-eyed Susan died (if you have experience with <i>Rudbeckia fulgida</i> 'Goldsturm', you know how hard it is to kill them!). And my 'Martha Gonzalez' rose was looking terribly puny so I ripped it out. The ornamental grasses hung in there though. Good thing since they had been divided early in the year so they weren't up to full capacity yet.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPy8r3-pSn5qecYG5xdGTnwC-VpCXmXgyxeZUqjQoPGcefO-7aLsQGkrH2RHMshOkUmJrwh1o_lm0AhOweKQk6yN1eWUYgVkpxe680vkgka4dlW2I48iLFMMxYrLM5I9bTfK6sRJ1mOgwM/s1600/fence+garden+in+October.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPy8r3-pSn5qecYG5xdGTnwC-VpCXmXgyxeZUqjQoPGcefO-7aLsQGkrH2RHMshOkUmJrwh1o_lm0AhOweKQk6yN1eWUYgVkpxe680vkgka4dlW2I48iLFMMxYrLM5I9bTfK6sRJ1mOgwM/s640/fence+garden+in+October.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fall fence garden looking kind of shabby</span></div>
<br /><br />The garden along the side fence is always a challenging area. It sits under a giant shortleaf pine tree that likes to grab available moisture. But because this garden is also downhill from the rest of the backyard, it's the last to drain if we've had a lot of rain. So I have both moisture-loving plants like Joe-Pye weed that you can see bending over in the back, and plants that tolerate drought like Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master). I guess that means at least something will survive! In spring it looks okay with the purple coneflower blooming and then the daylilies. But sadly, I lost two roses here just this year. That makes three roses in one year, a new record for me.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8ASeSx4JiYpiwAzOe6I1y17VLuwx1r-k7J0XAcFp4JqaOF9wYXgK9Io0J80VvqeBAGMJfSjL0kmPLcYJkik5Z3G1MbuEbdLDlBJSHmqddFgeB_iPL-M2pazV7EFsOp7MKT3SWjKt4QFM/s1600/rock+wall+garden+in+October.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8ASeSx4JiYpiwAzOe6I1y17VLuwx1r-k7J0XAcFp4JqaOF9wYXgK9Io0J80VvqeBAGMJfSjL0kmPLcYJkik5Z3G1MbuEbdLDlBJSHmqddFgeB_iPL-M2pazV7EFsOp7MKT3SWjKt4QFM/s640/rock+wall+garden+in+October.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rock wall garden with sweet potato vine taking over</span></div>
<br />This year I didn't have to plant this sweet potato vine because the roots survived the mild winter. Small favors! More exciting to me though is the fact that the mild winter means I'll get lemons off my tree this year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2GhqXDeRg-SLlhvRBrv_wtMWNurdeb1OqKABqs9A2iP9XPAsiqRr-CuIzxo8S_wgGXdEp7aqWVgQHFfPchHUQdVVTgcVGz1mSEiymLUzje_ySXbp03MbFrInqHfnVF8D1EICScRJuF6u/s1600/backyard+in+October.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2GhqXDeRg-SLlhvRBrv_wtMWNurdeb1OqKABqs9A2iP9XPAsiqRr-CuIzxo8S_wgGXdEp7aqWVgQHFfPchHUQdVVTgcVGz1mSEiymLUzje_ySXbp03MbFrInqHfnVF8D1EICScRJuF6u/s640/backyard+in+October.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Back boxes in October</span></div>
<br /><br />Not much happening in the boxes now except for the Mexican mint marigold (<i>Tagetes lucida</i>) blooming away. One of my asters, <i>Symphyotrichum oblongifolium</i>, commonly called fall aster, did its usual good job. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLG7L2h3W4VIw6nMs4JpyiW5ML4iu6sd8l8MgvTaNgFD-cRMVm2Hya-krqWiREdBB0W0j9Dj3JCXCS1dAcXk45cNJ3RmId3Cd4iuxKNa5vGJtlNulMwJ40Sy6C6UUL1EdncryaNHrldC7/s1600/fall+aster.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLG7L2h3W4VIw6nMs4JpyiW5ML4iu6sd8l8MgvTaNgFD-cRMVm2Hya-krqWiREdBB0W0j9Dj3JCXCS1dAcXk45cNJ3RmId3Cd4iuxKNa5vGJtlNulMwJ40Sy6C6UUL1EdncryaNHrldC7/s640/fall+aster.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Symphyotrichum oblongifolium</i> aka fall aster</span></div>
<br /><br />Yay for fall asters! There have been some successful things in the garden. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8dRha9-TC_0-qbIaYnEvrjdLVYxDQS1oTEG2YrtvHCjkZ3oSST79nWzyJpybjdDawwqSobrpyautBxVzxcydbYt-e-NM5Ptek8SFBeerhgH3r-iXOXxhSpO2XzUBxya3SvuIv0BkC4Ja/s1600/Deuil+du+Roi+Albert+dahlia+and+green+lynx.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8dRha9-TC_0-qbIaYnEvrjdLVYxDQS1oTEG2YrtvHCjkZ3oSST79nWzyJpybjdDawwqSobrpyautBxVzxcydbYt-e-NM5Ptek8SFBeerhgH3r-iXOXxhSpO2XzUBxya3SvuIv0BkC4Ja/s640/Deuil+du+Roi+Albert+dahlia+and+green+lynx.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Green Lynx spider with a successful catch. This is on a ‘Deuil du Roi Albert’ dahlia.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Like this kind of large spider on my dahlia. It's a Green Lynx spider. It will eat pollinators but such is the cycle of life. When I cut this bloom after it was spent, I discovered the spider had an egg sac on the old bloom that it was tending. So I carefully placed the cut bloom in the middle of its web hoping it would stay there. It did and here's the result!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp_q8vp04fs_dYaYC4Ixmt_T_VavVHIAbeB8RbJkq5nYvGH_PyDIUlx-DmsZXSle7ti0Vo9txpOCXGLRuy4ex2SPfXj64sZxRJ5eDK_XPuB3-2prWaW4_gkwabip8PVcWi8iOSjqTPXM3/s1600/green+lynx+spider+and+babies.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp_q8vp04fs_dYaYC4Ixmt_T_VavVHIAbeB8RbJkq5nYvGH_PyDIUlx-DmsZXSle7ti0Vo9txpOCXGLRuy4ex2SPfXj64sZxRJ5eDK_XPuB3-2prWaW4_gkwabip8PVcWi8iOSjqTPXM3/s640/green+lynx+spider+and+babies.jpg" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mama Green Lynx (can you see her?) with her babies</span></div>
<br /><br />It's been fascinating to watch the lifecycle of this spider. But kind of hard to watch the slow death of several beloved plants. I'm worried that gardening is just going to be a matter of luck for me from now on. And I fear climate change is going to be our constant. Sigh... <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2017. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span><style>
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Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-90667570657564312182017-07-27T17:14:00.000-05:002017-07-27T17:14:30.140-05:00Flinging in D.C.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1adPFAF3SPSOimXsjUNZgHMmJ4Mng69c1rsYM0FBN55vARc9vD1j4oll2XEJD9UWTSOQGLo1pKswQZ6CzA5ILrBqGdKikusyKCp01_RiS0PiNtCvG3IX18HMQZCM3h2BA_HimslAqjD_/s1600/Smithsonian+coneflowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="975" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1adPFAF3SPSOimXsjUNZgHMmJ4Mng69c1rsYM0FBN55vARc9vD1j4oll2XEJD9UWTSOQGLo1pKswQZ6CzA5ILrBqGdKikusyKCp01_RiS0PiNtCvG3IX18HMQZCM3h2BA_HimslAqjD_/s640/Smithsonian+coneflowers.jpg" width="618" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Enid A. Haupt garden at the Smithsonian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In late June I once again had the pleasure of attending another Garden Bloggers Fling, this time in the Washington DC area. Wow, we saw a lot of extraordinary gardens, both public and private. This time around I decided not to spend so much time behind the camera and just enjoy the gardens. So my trove of pics from this trip is a little skimpy! I finally went through my photos intending to pick out one garden I liked the most and do a blog post on that. But... just when I thought I had settled on one garden I'd find pics of another garden I really liked. Eventually I settled on the Public's garden - the gardens around the Smithsonian.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham86d9_BPw_69Dc5hDfxXRCzuqxM_GK7XfxRB5rMGp4h2qDiv3xODDsx_hoTn_1Os6AKO0y6RHPhp10yCeEmydhi9hgXTrsk6QViHrCQp12NWbZ8cH-nngV-ng4fkWwZwpcfiUMr4vJEo/s1600/Smithsonian+tall+ray+disk+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1008" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham86d9_BPw_69Dc5hDfxXRCzuqxM_GK7XfxRB5rMGp4h2qDiv3xODDsx_hoTn_1Os6AKO0y6RHPhp10yCeEmydhi9hgXTrsk6QViHrCQp12NWbZ8cH-nngV-ng4fkWwZwpcfiUMr4vJEo/s640/Smithsonian+tall+ray+disk+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, I'm not sure what these are but most likely they're one of the newer <i>Echinacea </i>varieties.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yes, I know that anyone who's in Washington can see these gardens anytime and so you may be disappointed I chose them but really, they were quite extraordinary. Take this giant gardenia, for example.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMIv3QaEEiEUSqWFCpqea_G8xqRJ0VLVfU03IqmK2i_2ZodsUZJc95EN6SugB7UzIs_FkpNwcejaBwWrqVmpSbStVHzln1jl0OUStBMF4IfRheUHDcQSznTztV_iVR_Evy8VKJMghanri/s1600/Capitol+Area+Fling+Gail+Andrea+and+gardenia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMIv3QaEEiEUSqWFCpqea_G8xqRJ0VLVfU03IqmK2i_2ZodsUZJc95EN6SugB7UzIs_FkpNwcejaBwWrqVmpSbStVHzln1jl0OUStBMF4IfRheUHDcQSznTztV_iVR_Evy8VKJMghanri/s640/Capitol+Area+Fling+Gail+Andrea+and+gardenia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One gigantic gardenia in a pot! Here Gail and Andrea take a whiff. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Seriously, this potted gardenia was huge! It was in the Enid A. Haupt garden right next to a little sitting area. Perfect place to sit and inhale that sweet Southern perfume. I imagine it's quite a task to bring that plant in for the winter.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJJRqb2ZamuEITHS6KGyaKNIOeTw8_lg0YbApuKvvAZ5NzvBrZxuc01ABmikA-I5zP6Qy5NTRyG7GJxGrrY5gdKR6lduhNAaukOv15s9L6jZB_1nf-a8TKCBnfGE6cLQ5_DyKTPR1-Hc/s1600/Smithsonian+Purple+Coneflowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1008" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJJRqb2ZamuEITHS6KGyaKNIOeTw8_lg0YbApuKvvAZ5NzvBrZxuc01ABmikA-I5zP6Qy5NTRyG7GJxGrrY5gdKR6lduhNAaukOv15s9L6jZB_1nf-a8TKCBnfGE6cLQ5_DyKTPR1-Hc/s640/Smithsonian+Purple+Coneflowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assorted purple coneflowers (<i>Echinacea purpurea </i>spp.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Haupt garden had a huge number of coneflowers. All the newest varieties and also the tried and true species. It was a pollinator haven.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkHipPXYf0JYypt-bQ3CdDbmf4Hs4ysdiuQZ21DAjFUe_TRgd4H5QC-uHHjLBbMGRqgWIPxeC1fhDUE01zFmiybhLtvkt_M-XASZtK2Zp5vGE1h6oY2yHKSY18gWsQNDfJwbDk-qCzoTt/s1600/Smithsonian+pale+purple+coneflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1008" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkHipPXYf0JYypt-bQ3CdDbmf4Hs4ysdiuQZ21DAjFUe_TRgd4H5QC-uHHjLBbMGRqgWIPxeC1fhDUE01zFmiybhLtvkt_M-XASZtK2Zp5vGE1h6oY2yHKSY18gWsQNDfJwbDk-qCzoTt/s640/Smithsonian+pale+purple+coneflower.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Might be <i>Echinacea pallida.</i> Anyone know for certain?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next to the Haupt garden is the Mary Livingston Ripley garden. It was amazing, due in no small part to horticulturist Janet Draper and her team's efforts. We ran into Janet in the garden the day before the Fling started. She said she was cleaning up in prep for us. As if gardeners don't have messy gardens sometimes!! :-)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HQj1UuKpWXu6sV3xVsGQjd_uEqjqxdVmGKapUo1ni2jI2Ea3BWlatg_HOOJWDHe0qG2NghiXEiyhnmAKbQQpJYi2XsBe-MPhP3IoqOGLQEFPghg-iRAae1wb3wIpGtiEZ1lLrcgQ8o1u/s1600/Smithsonian+succulent+planter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1008" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HQj1UuKpWXu6sV3xVsGQjd_uEqjqxdVmGKapUo1ni2jI2Ea3BWlatg_HOOJWDHe0qG2NghiXEiyhnmAKbQQpJYi2XsBe-MPhP3IoqOGLQEFPghg-iRAae1wb3wIpGtiEZ1lLrcgQ8o1u/s640/Smithsonian+succulent+planter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WANT!! Looks like blue chalk sticks (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i>Senecio
mandraliscae</i>) </span>in the background, some kind of echeveria in the middle, and silver ponyfoot (<i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dichondra argentea</i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">) as the spiller.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Most of these gardens are in raised beds that give you a great up-close view of the plants. As you round the corner into the garden it becomes intimate and scaled to people. That doesn't mean it's wimpy - far from it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yDdf0Wwr2JRB9OlfLpFH7ar9d3d22JsjVFLl3FdsxHh3vFl0DWTQWefnWiwev5wpSaqWq0ZgyazRMCBqJgz-pNuXhCLQalR32jfCoYmglCR6KaE8Pri97WCrJ1u64sfl40dij70Ors5_/s1600/Smithsonian+succulent+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yDdf0Wwr2JRB9OlfLpFH7ar9d3d22JsjVFLl3FdsxHh3vFl0DWTQWefnWiwev5wpSaqWq0ZgyazRMCBqJgz-pNuXhCLQalR32jfCoYmglCR6KaE8Pri97WCrJ1u64sfl40dij70Ors5_/s640/Smithsonian+succulent+wall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wall of succulents. This looks so good I could eat it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There were a lot of really interesting plants in beautiful combinations. And lots of really interesting made objects, like this succulent wall.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEelNS_d3AU0yi5bOsxplnoZTWw3PrF0qqkuylLXD06K-zCjO5bB01oyg1u7Fp9_uEudNCCoB9Ox710sPz9IXpVuUvfXzjqZuS7JBsiwLeqA0jkVkX8b-SHDcQ8C30eE4l18fKiv-nn3X/s1600/Smithsonian+insect+hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEelNS_d3AU0yi5bOsxplnoZTWw3PrF0qqkuylLXD06K-zCjO5bB01oyg1u7Fp9_uEudNCCoB9Ox710sPz9IXpVuUvfXzjqZuS7JBsiwLeqA0jkVkX8b-SHDcQ8C30eE4l18fKiv-nn3X/s640/Smithsonian+insect+hotel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pollinator hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And like this pollinator hotel that was made mostly with found objects. It's almost like a sculpture, isn't it?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shade garden</td></tr>
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This shade garden caught my eye because of the sculptural little tree along the wall. The Ripley garden is relatively small but big on impact so I urge you to visit it if you're ever in the capitol.<br />
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The best part of Flings is reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Here are just a few of the Flingers I was happy to see this year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea, on the left, was our guide around the Mall. She's temporarily in DC but moving back to Texas soon. Gail, of <a href="http://www.clayandlimestone.com/" target="_blank">Clay and Limestone</a>, and I got the grand tour from Andrea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vhJTUozuBWM7jppMBxxcK5ffr8ABjKT0775SbmW8e9Dphd69WIt-dVOUyox4sNMth8ZB-ByiWDDWOKx_lgREIk6yLFg5cwDqKB4-gZjh6-OehKLSOQ-pzGXTIllhRN4ibwI-SUrNxihQ/s1600/Capitol+Area+Fling+Barbara+Wise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vhJTUozuBWM7jppMBxxcK5ffr8ABjKT0775SbmW8e9Dphd69WIt-dVOUyox4sNMth8ZB-ByiWDDWOKx_lgREIk6yLFg5cwDqKB4-gZjh6-OehKLSOQ-pzGXTIllhRN4ibwI-SUrNxihQ/s640/Capitol+Area+Fling+Barbara+Wise.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bwisegardening.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Barbara Wise</a> and I have a tradition of taking each other's pic at the Flings. Hi Barb! :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fxpipUjJj6PxW1EOzADQWdUNECF25gnPKk_ftrDu61tE6q8NmZ-M-YWjXkyyHwpHu0xp6wtvzKW5H62hu3Qz6ruomlMUsnjcYFqUPVZkURnktQrJ8yiqm0bnqUJByjm5IGm3gePQVZJV/s1600/Capitol+Area+Fling+Gail+Janet+Karen+Jean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fxpipUjJj6PxW1EOzADQWdUNECF25gnPKk_ftrDu61tE6q8NmZ-M-YWjXkyyHwpHu0xp6wtvzKW5H62hu3Qz6ruomlMUsnjcYFqUPVZkURnktQrJ8yiqm0bnqUJByjm5IGm3gePQVZJV/s640/Capitol+Area+Fling+Gail+Janet+Karen+Jean.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.clayandlimestone.com/" target="_blank">Gail</a>, <a href="http://thequeenofseaford.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Janet</a>, <a href="http://gardeningsoul.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Karen</a>, and I sweating it out in the U.S. Botanic Garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you're a garden blogger, you need to come next year - it's in Austin to celebrate its 10th anniversary, woot!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2017. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-11235335629319540162017-03-16T15:48:00.001-05:002017-03-16T15:48:15.889-05:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day March 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jiP6JQOKWQyn9UAT5nLC0V2l5pofsxpG2owhkzJmYxX7H9DKNPu4ReLrtgU3bDMxRpK2GuqjOc12VMiXmYO4Sq5Y8CLUIqgcemMmaO4CmnkeR6-CznVmjs2qEv5B9R_-7JshXgDi0jhA/s1600/Climbing+Pinkie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jiP6JQOKWQyn9UAT5nLC0V2l5pofsxpG2owhkzJmYxX7H9DKNPu4ReLrtgU3bDMxRpK2GuqjOc12VMiXmYO4Sq5Y8CLUIqgcemMmaO4CmnkeR6-CznVmjs2qEv5B9R_-7JshXgDi0jhA/s640/Climbing+Pinkie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Climbing Pinkie' rose</td></tr>
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It's time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and spring is nigh! (Actually, I'm a day late for it but so it goes.) Fortunately down here in north Louisiana we're not dealing with the incredible snowpocalypse that the Midwest and Northeast are experiencing. But we did get some unwelcome (to me) cold temperatures. The poor plants are so confused!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95RUbh4CEh8GIGBgkSN6En-8OZeKnN_VZjbnLxMTy43hbyaE77uvHJLJrJMQKxuI1HiY1ihyphenhyphenTs8PrShGF1RQJp9Tz7deJ7uXazMyyQ_xSb029Y7Yn_kK-7dLYWl1HDUU0EJiyiqo8Xl-C/s1600/Sombreuil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95RUbh4CEh8GIGBgkSN6En-8OZeKnN_VZjbnLxMTy43hbyaE77uvHJLJrJMQKxuI1HiY1ihyphenhyphenTs8PrShGF1RQJp9Tz7deJ7uXazMyyQ_xSb029Y7Yn_kK-7dLYWl1HDUU0EJiyiqo8Xl-C/s640/Sombreuil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Sombreuil' climbing rose</td></tr>
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As you can see, there are a few roses blooming in my yard. Not many yet but two out of the three climbers are starting to look pretty. Wish I could show you how the 'Sombreuil' and 'Climbing Pinkie' are starting to intertwine on the top of the pergola but I'd have to climb up there for a decent shot!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ug1RenBDljQEQ47ozK7tS-CLkqhkNXIqKZq8knp8Kr4mY78uhSpPQOVSbPrBUBEhXd-D8WyimWC2JFCvqQRw1tdnJ3O1h1iBk81xVvn7XNFIHw3aGp5U0jD6ae1MzaOoU-O1-ATWFiul/s1600/Thalia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ug1RenBDljQEQ47ozK7tS-CLkqhkNXIqKZq8knp8Kr4mY78uhSpPQOVSbPrBUBEhXd-D8WyimWC2JFCvqQRw1tdnJ3O1h1iBk81xVvn7XNFIHw3aGp5U0jD6ae1MzaOoU-O1-ATWFiul/s640/Thalia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Thalia' daffodil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The daffodil show is still going though many of the early ones finished blooming some time ago. Still blooming for me are 'Thalia', 'Pipit', 'Mount Hood' and 'Pink Charm', with a few more varieties to come.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrpgYdSw7IvtkNA0Pen6zvAiPY7YKaC2pbYkckDv6dfdXzrLsKF-hWoPDa7ZSS-CcCPpHTSB2oOwpPDAyqg-xNETwjYxs8EOXFYLg1xWWRBSYdl2j-S99qkyA_3c1yZIwjWNrolAtFjJE/s1600/Gravetye+Giant+Leucojum+aestivum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrpgYdSw7IvtkNA0Pen6zvAiPY7YKaC2pbYkckDv6dfdXzrLsKF-hWoPDa7ZSS-CcCPpHTSB2oOwpPDAyqg-xNETwjYxs8EOXFYLg1xWWRBSYdl2j-S99qkyA_3c1yZIwjWNrolAtFjJE/s640/Gravetye+Giant+Leucojum+aestivum.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leucojum aestivum</i> 'Gravetye Giant' (aka summer snowflakes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Hyacinthoides hispanica</i> 'Excelsior' (aka Spanish bluebells)</span></span><!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
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<br />
Other bulbs are still blooming, such as the summer snowflakes, or just starting to bloom, such as the Spanish bluebells.<br />
<br />
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Phlox divaricata </i>‘Louisiana Blue’</span></span><!--EndFragment-->
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<br />
I ordered these 'Louisiana Blue' phlox last year and am shocked at how pinkish-purple they are. But I love the color! These are growing in my former alleyway now optimistically called 'the woodland garden'.<br />
<br />
And here are a few other bloomers.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Improved Meyer lemon tree blooms</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Texas Gold' columbine (seems a bit early to me)</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Butterfly Blue' scabiosa (aka pincushion flower)</td></tr>
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I've talked before about how I'm lukewarm about pansies in the landscape. But I love potting them up. And once I learned that fertilizing them every 3-4 weeks really helps, I'm starting to really love them. These Matrix Beaconsfield pansies are quite lovely. I also have Matrix Morpheus blooming in vibrant purple and yellow.<br />
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Okay, this <i>Graptopetalum</i> isn't really a bloom but it kinda looks like one, right? I have this growing in my rock wall and I always love how it develops a rosy tinge in the winter. Maybe I should use this for <a href="http://www.penick.net/digging/?p=42861" target="_blank">Pam's Foliage Follow-up</a> Day?! Be sure to also visit <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2017/03/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-march-2017.html" target="_blank">Carol's GBBD page</a> to see what's in bloom around the world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2017. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-87961449616168939092016-12-31T16:19:00.000-06:002016-12-31T16:19:13.748-06:002016 Monthly Garden Wrap-up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFAlm75mWli8bWDO9BwsQNR-Ob7K__hUVhCM3aZNQjumCsLq2BdU93kLmo3inAQ7KNS-0sOOpTBROmGVhMCtVxJxwMPSyxaDYpRyAbm8D8e6B-c-bP3CGYemlpANEbguYjt1TyknExwHV/s1600/chickadee+and+bird+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFAlm75mWli8bWDO9BwsQNR-Ob7K__hUVhCM3aZNQjumCsLq2BdU93kLmo3inAQ7KNS-0sOOpTBROmGVhMCtVxJxwMPSyxaDYpRyAbm8D8e6B-c-bP3CGYemlpANEbguYjt1TyknExwHV/s640/chickadee+and+bird+box.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-capped Chickadee checking out the bird box</td></tr>
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Whew, what a year it's been! I know it's been tough at times for a lot of people, myself included, but as I look back on this year in my garden, it's saying to me, "Spend more time here." So I plan to do just that in 2017. Meanwhile, I decided to scroll through my pics of the garden and post one from each month. One that will fairly represent what was happening out there. And I have two non-garden photos at the end of one of the things that kept me so busy this year!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR7_IoWCCkD9tRyWRZFViqDAlkJ8ksPXRxOlhgcjRWo2gx68t2Quz6NM0CBJh4LHHKNPcTIpDHc_-e8KmdXEoqE3jCXKzXqtnIkyaQLzm6dVKIi5ea9phvJfhUB_40abNuePMusl1Jm5u/s1600/American+goldfinches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR7_IoWCCkD9tRyWRZFViqDAlkJ8ksPXRxOlhgcjRWo2gx68t2Quz6NM0CBJh4LHHKNPcTIpDHc_-e8KmdXEoqE3jCXKzXqtnIkyaQLzm6dVKIi5ea9phvJfhUB_40abNuePMusl1Jm5u/s640/American+goldfinches.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Goldfinches</td></tr>
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January was all about the birds apparently. There were a few bulbs popping but most of my garden pictures were of birds - checking out potential nest sites and eating, eating, eating, especially the goldfinches that descend en masse, eat more and more, and then leave on a nice spring day just like that!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLJDyRzCFtGvbruTPQbxmpr1RSLAjURhQedU-gXDjZF_UGVYY973m1R-UTk7cu0YIdC4WekjjdGcg0PzErdb1XyCkIEGm0EI7ByYmdc1FuitU1gKy943U2N717cPmcmahTBZWllSoiU63/s1600/unknown+hellebore+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLJDyRzCFtGvbruTPQbxmpr1RSLAjURhQedU-gXDjZF_UGVYY973m1R-UTk7cu0YIdC4WekjjdGcg0PzErdb1XyCkIEGm0EI7ByYmdc1FuitU1gKy943U2N717cPmcmahTBZWllSoiU63/s640/unknown+hellebore+closeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore, variety unknown</td></tr>
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While the bulbs really started to pop in February, the hellebores were giving me much delight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkv2uDlAsEQS-IAz4RAcdF3Xg-7JLH6L31BXdkqL_IXcne08DrlKiKIIrxA3vPUnH7usIOmaFmzAzSwMxvORetgBaNm2bQ2pW2L97Qnwu7DSjPtQVLlql6yHdJkzp1-UsCRzoqzupkxvl/s1600/Pink+Charm+daffodil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkv2uDlAsEQS-IAz4RAcdF3Xg-7JLH6L31BXdkqL_IXcne08DrlKiKIIrxA3vPUnH7usIOmaFmzAzSwMxvORetgBaNm2bQ2pW2L97Qnwu7DSjPtQVLlql6yHdJkzp1-UsCRzoqzupkxvl/s640/Pink+Charm+daffodil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Pink Charm' daffodil</td></tr>
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Ugh, it's hard to pick just one March photo when so much was starting to happen in the garden - lots of daffodils, clusiana tulips, freesia, still more birds, spring ephemerals like 'Louisiana Blue' phlox and blue-eyed grass. But I chose this photo of a new-to-me daff, 'Pink Charm'. I also like the little crab spider hiding along the corolla.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-0nvPT55ZGAGq27STPwwVuyyXIvw0SVBHSEGgIRRGfrOp5V1yin_lfdQ2xKpDlEdigaBMQ5uwuvQ6vEBrJRGI2xVYqurE9lmJmROyrqr1JKd4ttMpz5vPwdDo7Ln9Yp3nwCmpdwcSQU7/s1600/Little+Women+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-0nvPT55ZGAGq27STPwwVuyyXIvw0SVBHSEGgIRRGfrOp5V1yin_lfdQ2xKpDlEdigaBMQ5uwuvQ6vEBrJRGI2xVYqurE9lmJmROyrqr1JKd4ttMpz5vPwdDo7Ln9Yp3nwCmpdwcSQU7/s640/Little+Women+rose.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gulf Coast penstemon in foreground, 'Little Women' rose in background</td></tr>
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By April the garden was in full swing. Roses were the highlight but also doing great - clematis, penstemon, gaura, verbena, sacred lotus, and succulents. And Indigo Buntings passing through.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm2-VmgStjHmBw7LnygrdNGuPQx2XBUFBXz2hkWELtNZya_NeAo_3WFYPlrdT_fFaAcl1yvZE40m7BkulFFXpqvUKr-ZPSqU-no3hWmgV6E7jU-W8SnWo_Yyyxx5zh73nh8FhIWii4jcE/s1600/Cherry+Brandy+gaura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm2-VmgStjHmBw7LnygrdNGuPQx2XBUFBXz2hkWELtNZya_NeAo_3WFYPlrdT_fFaAcl1yvZE40m7BkulFFXpqvUKr-ZPSqU-no3hWmgV6E7jU-W8SnWo_Yyyxx5zh73nh8FhIWii4jcE/s640/Cherry+Brandy+gaura.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Cherry Brandy' gaura</td></tr>
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May usually starts to signal the transition to summer and 2016 was no exception. The gaura tried to outdo itself, daylilies started to bloom, as well as cosmos, giant coneflower, and veronica. And the last of the migrating birds were seen - Baltimore orioles and Rose-breasted grosbeaks with the goldfinches leaving the month before. I even saw a family of five racoons, one mom and four babies, in the yard!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhZnk865e_ZFNfWwCGAvxzPPHIXxpaNIWkAIMexUSK7Iv7itzUsxjY8RQS0TWBTu2zPWs-ifSO0qsOkS9fyMYUU2GYeloj9t4CTWxO1xs0K_EDc-10DPlO7MofMFL8rMYRL563nuvPFDD/s1600/Daylilies+and+purple+coneflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhZnk865e_ZFNfWwCGAvxzPPHIXxpaNIWkAIMexUSK7Iv7itzUsxjY8RQS0TWBTu2zPWs-ifSO0qsOkS9fyMYUU2GYeloj9t4CTWxO1xs0K_EDc-10DPlO7MofMFL8rMYRL563nuvPFDD/s640/Daylilies+and+purple+coneflower.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daylilies (<i>Hemerocallis</i> sp.) and purple coneflower (<i>Echinacea purpurea</i>)</td></tr>
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June brings the most daylilies into flower and the purple coneflower runneth over (does anyone else keep trying to call them pink coneflowers because they're well, pink?). So I chose this pic with both. I'm sorry I don't know the names of the daylilies but I couldn't find them in my journal. I'm hoping they still have tags out there! Though this pic really represents most of the garden in June, I wish I could have shown you two new flowers for me this year - 'Red Velvet' lily (gorgeous) and 'Deuil du Roy Albert' dahlia (yummy)!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaPZNJMm67QqH5mt-qmcSrjasrtXkYgDVHEosm6iLU66_3e49NDaHDe0NkbQ1YVfeUFadOulXRoEghszqARrPLwuJH8W_42dmlSCKoVlQsSffR7_65M6efKDdqCX8fPbP0VYS85gcjPjv/s1600/Surprise+lily+cropped+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaPZNJMm67QqH5mt-qmcSrjasrtXkYgDVHEosm6iLU66_3e49NDaHDe0NkbQ1YVfeUFadOulXRoEghszqARrPLwuJH8W_42dmlSCKoVlQsSffR7_65M6efKDdqCX8fPbP0VYS85gcjPjv/s640/Surprise+lily+cropped+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprise lily (<i>Lycoris squamigera</i>)</td></tr>
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Come July I don't spend much time in the garden cause it's just too darn hot. This July the taps also turned off - no rain at all. But I was surprised by a surprise lily! I had planted three a few years ago but this is the only one I got this year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_f6zkF3LjsONKlaSrI93PtBNt1PW038GUVGAMGq2hHTgbc4Xx0FJtdsnFnRmmJDPA9QoFBSED3LjzEPI5QNEYZSYPrk9G4g1mjH6EBfSKExll_vWkASH_bD5gIIo-LskBMxet3sB4cnY/s1600/Joe+Pye+weed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_f6zkF3LjsONKlaSrI93PtBNt1PW038GUVGAMGq2hHTgbc4Xx0FJtdsnFnRmmJDPA9QoFBSED3LjzEPI5QNEYZSYPrk9G4g1mjH6EBfSKExll_vWkASH_bD5gIIo-LskBMxet3sB4cnY/s640/Joe+Pye+weed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Baby Joe' Joe Pye weed (<i>Eupatorium</i> (or is it <i>Eutrochium</i>?) 'Baby Joe')</td></tr>
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The drought continued into mid August when we finally got a surprising several days of rain. August means the ornamental grasses start to put on some blooms but it's when the various Joe Pye weeds that I have are at their peak. The peak doesn't last that long but I know it's much appreciated by the various pollinators. One of the few hydrangeas I have, Mystical Flame (<i>H. paniculata </i>'Bokratorch'), was also at its peak but the blooms of it and the oakleaf hydrangea quickly turned brown because of lack of rain. Rattlesnake master and black-eyed Susans continued to bloom through August.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg597iN06p53NDyhpcFEUGe7oEc0ENLGfGlJm54hI9JyjMEt5FEfHMbSAXw4Fv50Q7fM3MmQvx5EUbyVvmb03BPOLCWs_N281jPJjfXVBoyZIghMHaFrqyRZeB1V8UFtorJuIX66dkOWm5a/s1600/Deuil+du+Roy+Albert+dahlia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg597iN06p53NDyhpcFEUGe7oEc0ENLGfGlJm54hI9JyjMEt5FEfHMbSAXw4Fv50Q7fM3MmQvx5EUbyVvmb03BPOLCWs_N281jPJjfXVBoyZIghMHaFrqyRZeB1V8UFtorJuIX66dkOWm5a/s640/Deuil+du+Roy+Albert+dahlia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Deuil du Roy Albert' dahlia</td></tr>
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I'll let this dahlia pic represent all the dahlias that were blooming in September (they continued through October as well). Excessive heat meant that this 'Deuil du Roy Albert' dahlia wasn't showing off the white tips it normally has. Here's the weird thing about this September through the entire fall - a lot of my plants either kept blooming, such as the 'Autumn Minaret' daylily, or re-bloomed for the first time ever, such as my sacred lotus. I attribute it to the surprise August rains but who knows.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxCz61jxW6LV4ZxwnzHkwC1v59FHhbghCZKpjU6CEOm5fXqwWXWnYoeFxAX8lZOJVivuCdfyWMrk_jb2c3dphmn17xNJsqoHQ3tEbdKgegH2Gmq-aeOkWetyX9vHQqwSTKZeoAKG7cTOY/s1600/Monarch+and+Deuil+du+Roi+Albert+dahlia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxCz61jxW6LV4ZxwnzHkwC1v59FHhbghCZKpjU6CEOm5fXqwWXWnYoeFxAX8lZOJVivuCdfyWMrk_jb2c3dphmn17xNJsqoHQ3tEbdKgegH2Gmq-aeOkWetyX9vHQqwSTKZeoAKG7cTOY/s640/Monarch+and+Deuil+du+Roi+Albert+dahlia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch on dahlia</td></tr>
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October brought a plethora of butterflies so they were the true highlights of the garden! Especially monarchs. I only saw a few because we're not exactly in the middle of their migration path (we're kind of on the edge). I grow several different kinds of milkweed for them but oh well, I'll keep on trying.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLsqzb9XbP7CC5PLyrPmjvmuW5Q4FdAy3CHrHQBK0u0eX1ZVKnLd7Y811P29AWgdb7kQm1pJq38iE7UCCA3uRkb2BeX0RXz5iMaw9nXl3_eBhISDiG01ouWreko5aLGP9eRa0dqzQ6d8e/s1600/IMG_1531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLsqzb9XbP7CC5PLyrPmjvmuW5Q4FdAy3CHrHQBK0u0eX1ZVKnLd7Y811P29AWgdb7kQm1pJq38iE7UCCA3uRkb2BeX0RXz5iMaw9nXl3_eBhISDiG01ouWreko5aLGP9eRa0dqzQ6d8e/s640/IMG_1531.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of daffodils to plant!</td></tr>
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For some reason I took no photos of the garden in November. I did some traveling then yet that's no excuse. But I did snap a phone pic of all the daffodils I was trying to plant - 100 mixed daffs from ColorBlends. It kept raining though, so I kept having to wait until it was dry enough to plant. I still have about 30 left to go in the ground, oy! 😝<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X1aTmcEADKzn9dRSxEn2fHAZR7fK4VKKy3ba3z_c_33pSPfsSTF0jFiQ6ryBHRc7h-NkM5Xx4dXznVTuer0_whQAtgRF9Z-b7oJTW0Ef93mUpoKTOri_br6A0tMgBWs9PW6kNag3JKUj/s1600/Bloodgood+maple+and+other+fall+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X1aTmcEADKzn9dRSxEn2fHAZR7fK4VKKy3ba3z_c_33pSPfsSTF0jFiQ6ryBHRc7h-NkM5Xx4dXznVTuer0_whQAtgRF9Z-b7oJTW0Ef93mUpoKTOri_br6A0tMgBWs9PW6kNag3JKUj/s640/Bloodgood+maple+and+other+fall+colors.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bloodgood' maple in foreground, yellowing elm and oakleaf hydrangea in background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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December is when we get the best fall color so that's the real start of the December garden. A couple days after I took this pic of the 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple, whoosh, the leaves were all dropped in a storm.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fQfeKlGqco6X149lvmuM-6pgOFXDT38PsKOErbe6fKtyDjPt71oe1tE-DOQ_oUJMc7Cm_qnPvLbWR5incb-Ym1dWjegukpqXwWaIwsKPcbS-oEkfIjLWDgEo5PiiQUqlo5RFEOkjCroQ/s1600/Ruston+Farmers+Market+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fQfeKlGqco6X149lvmuM-6pgOFXDT38PsKOErbe6fKtyDjPt71oe1tE-DOQ_oUJMc7Cm_qnPvLbWR5incb-Ym1dWjegukpqXwWaIwsKPcbS-oEkfIjLWDgEo5PiiQUqlo5RFEOkjCroQ/s640/Ruston+Farmers+Market+building.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruston Farmers Market new building with mural by Louisiana Tech art students</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD-05cOed-eUGk2rsCzMYjIaQAnfRguw-7y-GGbdN1lQJiXxX8v__eZm5L5HskDvGdZj-RZPGnxv3cziCM5VqMAPIKOPb2C1jU6jdeZNwfe2F6GdZTANfP4awwMNkfwU_bbR7E8vV4VVr/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD-05cOed-eUGk2rsCzMYjIaQAnfRguw-7y-GGbdN1lQJiXxX8v__eZm5L5HskDvGdZj-RZPGnxv3cziCM5VqMAPIKOPb2C1jU6jdeZNwfe2F6GdZTANfP4awwMNkfwU_bbR7E8vV4VVr/s640/IMG_3067.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribbon cutting of the new building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here's what <i>really</i> kept me busy this year and consequently out of the garden - our farmers market moved from a parking lot into a new space - an old, unused city-owned building! Lots of work and money on the part of the community made it happen. So there's at least one great thing for 2016!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2016. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-89390634086176537822016-02-15T16:05:00.002-06:002016-02-15T16:05:25.705-06:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for February<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvXz2oXKu1RfjnKjTuCXnj5pVB2dH-AvgQz_6qFgqSY-wZ_UZGJ5TMwi5dZUUka3tPLb5C0AZwYU3O8PBGenhjamcRHehreEyf_A4330RsGLNNlmqnS9-uVDWgkIwsbHGJfZVUZ599xf6/s1600/Crown+Azure+pansy+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvXz2oXKu1RfjnKjTuCXnj5pVB2dH-AvgQz_6qFgqSY-wZ_UZGJ5TMwi5dZUUka3tPLb5C0AZwYU3O8PBGenhjamcRHehreEyf_A4330RsGLNNlmqnS9-uVDWgkIwsbHGJfZVUZ599xf6/s640/Crown+Azure+pansy+closeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Azure pansy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It's usually a tough <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/02/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-february-2016.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> month for most garden bloggers in the northern hemisphere. But that doesn't stop us from showing off what few blooms we have!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXpd1azeS_gjQkDeNwSWYAhvWLTgx9y4NQfEhweXxmhK9bqaFeafmawbCJqzFssTKHPj0F1NZKuahslVhPkOrshkbprUh4498UatFEtp8wGGaUyTLxafmOLZuXs3X3UfhE_qZdAmlB4JD/s1600/Bulbs+in+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXpd1azeS_gjQkDeNwSWYAhvWLTgx9y4NQfEhweXxmhK9bqaFeafmawbCJqzFssTKHPj0F1NZKuahslVhPkOrshkbprUh4498UatFEtp8wGGaUyTLxafmOLZuXs3X3UfhE_qZdAmlB4JD/s640/Bulbs+in+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lent lilies with summer snowflakes and narcissus in the background</td></tr>
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Luckily I live in the South where spring bulbs just barely start to pop this time of year. Even though we had a colder winter overall last year, I had more varieties of bulbs in bloom then than now. I guess the new norm is to expect the unexpected.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgThL_FZRxpH4761i4HsOfzSwTEwRD3bDd1pDYE5bt_i30luGDeEh9KgCa5tkvdVWzIFTaC4cr_L-MldUqQ5IfC2AepxvThjGZUTnoyiD8VWzP2i0RHMFFwGH30NdrfcmaLqJIyxOzjzX7/s1600/Summer+snowflakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgThL_FZRxpH4761i4HsOfzSwTEwRD3bDd1pDYE5bt_i30luGDeEh9KgCa5tkvdVWzIFTaC4cr_L-MldUqQ5IfC2AepxvThjGZUTnoyiD8VWzP2i0RHMFFwGH30NdrfcmaLqJIyxOzjzX7/s640/Summer+snowflakes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leucojum aestivum</i>, aka summer snowflakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Can anyone tell me why <i>Leucojum aestivum</i> is commonly called summer snowflakes? I'm guessing it blooms in summer somewhere but certainly not in my neck of the woods!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWhltMior1x32_upRoPp6bZB65iYQAVZBJIsx3cqo-LqrXMmKhUPxdjr5zpR0Kki0fPjtxwBrjaxyLlA_1Q-0p9cqF8Cnbc8uSGwwxN3ZCYQNVgU2QrQ9hhu2xQHGweW3ns1DLm9itmTW/s1600/Grand+Primo+narcissus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWhltMior1x32_upRoPp6bZB65iYQAVZBJIsx3cqo-LqrXMmKhUPxdjr5zpR0Kki0fPjtxwBrjaxyLlA_1Q-0p9cqF8Cnbc8uSGwwxN3ZCYQNVgU2QrQ9hhu2xQHGweW3ns1DLm9itmTW/s640/Grand+Primo+narcissus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown narcissus but might be 'Grand Primo'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The narcissus pictured above is almost always the first to bloom in my yard. These bulbs were rescued a few years ago from an old homesite. Though the bloom stalks are always shorter than the leaves (as you can see here), it's a great dependable bulb. My guess is that it's 'Grand Primo' though that's only a guess.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmdyK4dGVIDgzO59HC6eZ_5UIqGqcdMqjl7C_H6cQAEoRO6Zr32dCqSkJXrpwk0Wcb8ikXs0UU6JEhZKnc_dcN-Ts6lT6DxSaRsWRILkOMbDNBMxyaMiHQ8b26eazTmnI_xwwF29W4FzE/s1600/Northern+cardinal+male.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmdyK4dGVIDgzO59HC6eZ_5UIqGqcdMqjl7C_H6cQAEoRO6Zr32dCqSkJXrpwk0Wcb8ikXs0UU6JEhZKnc_dcN-Ts6lT6DxSaRsWRILkOMbDNBMxyaMiHQ8b26eazTmnI_xwwF29W4FzE/s640/Northern+cardinal+male.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern cardinal at a birdbath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This time of year I seem to take more pics of birds than blooms. They provide some colorful relief from a drab winter.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sp2JHluzZMQwSDK_UFaLnPfFz-ujsHPUfk72oUzkeNM7dm6MRPDq56bOkjMTPqf1y-pHogbALASkUpFyWJigLidBJvrf74pYKPTYWd1osTs6Djy_sTqvwZg1id8UVBT6DSe26Dad1wCw/s1600/Goldfinch+at+pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sp2JHluzZMQwSDK_UFaLnPfFz-ujsHPUfk72oUzkeNM7dm6MRPDq56bOkjMTPqf1y-pHogbALASkUpFyWJigLidBJvrf74pYKPTYWd1osTs6Djy_sTqvwZg1id8UVBT6DSe26Dad1wCw/s640/Goldfinch+at+pond.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American goldfinch at the pond</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anyone else spending too much money feeding the goldfinches this time of year? I'm inundated with them!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKDs9jToRoU2UY4_UdlSUJNmiKFzhMi0_hyBWc_2wKbcNU9EonSj3d-GM1WVvNItKedto6cyMiDD6RjAtgI6Xpd5DVD0qXXj3owVmPe9gzlgnL9wC7LPjwqgIk0_ouzaUjN9-4-5oMqzW/s1600/Meyer+lemon+blooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKDs9jToRoU2UY4_UdlSUJNmiKFzhMi0_hyBWc_2wKbcNU9EonSj3d-GM1WVvNItKedto6cyMiDD6RjAtgI6Xpd5DVD0qXXj3owVmPe9gzlgnL9wC7LPjwqgIk0_ouzaUjN9-4-5oMqzW/s640/Meyer+lemon+blooms.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Improved Meyer lemon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I do wish I didn't have to baby my Meyer lemon tree so much. We're just a teensy too cold in north Louisiana (Zone 8a) to reliably grow citrus, especially mine since it's planted in a stock tank. These days when the freezing weather hits I put a shop light near the tree and cover both with sheets.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv28ZwQfdk69IxZKzkCX0Yk9zPU4IPGM_5iJchVzdlnqp9BS6Muu7bwfVxxQ3-tu1ted-3ITO4RmlLQz50Q23bTW-l-wZqlf4H4V-v1mLzC1l_zgRydFNtdqX_9XtMGAAraRfh9_3TrcWT/s1600/Butterfly+Blue+scabiosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv28ZwQfdk69IxZKzkCX0Yk9zPU4IPGM_5iJchVzdlnqp9BS6Muu7bwfVxxQ3-tu1ted-3ITO4RmlLQz50Q23bTW-l-wZqlf4H4V-v1mLzC1l_zgRydFNtdqX_9XtMGAAraRfh9_3TrcWT/s640/Butterfly+Blue+scabiosa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Butterfly Blue' scabiosa, aka pincushion flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Meyer lemon and rosemary plants are always reliable attractants for pollinators in winter. But I have a few other plants around my yard that also do that. I'm very impressed with the pincushion flower. It seems to always have a few blooms on it and the bees love it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujkKczFzvOmUm2Ps3hOefgiNG06p_HqFQ9mYdEqVsyGwIRRKoVWaRkWOUKwQ64euvDqsy3slBDEFu6Tw8et2TcUEEKI6204HkscKCJkt7cRikDjgHRcaZSnLgvcLlEeuEYbkIp3Vi4dLE/s1600/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+pollinator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujkKczFzvOmUm2Ps3hOefgiNG06p_HqFQ9mYdEqVsyGwIRRKoVWaRkWOUKwQ64euvDqsy3slBDEFu6Tw8et2TcUEEKI6204HkscKCJkt7cRikDjgHRcaZSnLgvcLlEeuEYbkIp3Vi4dLE/s640/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+pollinator.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot and pollinator</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As does the 'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot. This tree is outstanding for long bloom period. It started blooming at the end of December and my guess is that it won't be finished blooming until the end of February! The blooms start opening at the bottom and then slowly work their way up to the top. Highly recommended.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrLKrizB03QqYjMvCBBZOhZpQvg1yyh0bqvV12uRkpUUggLIc7t5e5SBLWqzX0wv_WwTQRe0FUwBgc6jBPeudcTKVdXGDJY5CjcTcnHkMDtQ4_ir952ZXmYLfIVPHwlxRl5dVsy5NsDe0/s1600/unknown+hellebore+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrLKrizB03QqYjMvCBBZOhZpQvg1yyh0bqvV12uRkpUUggLIc7t5e5SBLWqzX0wv_WwTQRe0FUwBgc6jBPeudcTKVdXGDJY5CjcTcnHkMDtQ4_ir952ZXmYLfIVPHwlxRl5dVsy5NsDe0/s640/unknown+hellebore+closeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown type of hellebore (aka Lenten rose)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And let's not forget the hellebores. Again, mine are just starting to bloom, which is a little later than usual. As you can see from the photo, I'm having a little fun with my new camera's macro capability. :-)<br />
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Don't forget to check out what's blooming in other parts of the world by checking out <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/02/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-february-2016.html" target="_blank">Carol's GBBD post</a>!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2016. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-77066213495206761652016-01-26T17:39:00.000-06:002016-01-26T17:39:30.367-06:00Hanging on till Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YVrUTL2vF16wBZXEiotkvLx7l1B06aAcGjSMHd4ASr8w3eiXTlNzZcRQgNQt-1RTy89HleYuAcwGQIE7A0K3aeX8D7tEyj4J4T2xK8nJGKA0c4C_3oiQEOfh8Q2bB5OkW2WAOWozPqYG/s1600/Crown+Azure+pansies+and+Snow+Crystals+alyssum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YVrUTL2vF16wBZXEiotkvLx7l1B06aAcGjSMHd4ASr8w3eiXTlNzZcRQgNQt-1RTy89HleYuAcwGQIE7A0K3aeX8D7tEyj4J4T2xK8nJGKA0c4C_3oiQEOfh8Q2bB5OkW2WAOWozPqYG/s640/Crown+Azure+pansies+and+Snow+Crystals+alyssum.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Crown Azure' pansies and 'Clear Crystal White' alyssum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It's that REALLY slow time of the year. That time when you know there's more winter ahead yet you're itching to get your hands in the soil. That time when the plants are just sitting there biding their time. What's a gardener to do?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROzB-_PHat-9isQxFTMVh0h8-wDVTgBGhe2noLJG_FmufreDfmGsylqgnJpH0ETYOifkvbLeowg2iEVE00QbTnkJkyu5f0oVz9IAnpGynbGmEeWV2K1YHNeKzfOSp7aHOE3YXYp0e6wrk/s1600/White-throated+sparrow+on+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROzB-_PHat-9isQxFTMVh0h8-wDVTgBGhe2noLJG_FmufreDfmGsylqgnJpH0ETYOifkvbLeowg2iEVE00QbTnkJkyu5f0oVz9IAnpGynbGmEeWV2K1YHNeKzfOSp7aHOE3YXYp0e6wrk/s400/White-throated+sparrow+on+fence.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Sparrow; never mind the invasive Chinese privet behind it in my neighbor's yard!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Bird watch! <a href="http://feederwatch.org/" target="_blank">Project FeederWatch</a> to get more specific. Just because it's too cold for us humans to enjoy the outdoors it doesn't mean our bird friends aren't out there. I joined Project FeederWatch, a citizen-science project, just last year. I've birded for several decades now and yet I've found that reporting the birds I see in my yard makes me a better birder. I want to be accurate!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRqhIUdyIhkrC4f5nAv2aI0LjCPYsiP8IBR8T8h-V5gcjVMHl3LHLc5x37zZXhYHLS8LKlcgW-HHU7kI2ui57DqXEPPP2pfnuJ58_FFGRmLWDF__Ls2n8lqzzQGkcgw0jEAEmVsa5HIHa/s1600/American+goldfinches+under+feeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRqhIUdyIhkrC4f5nAv2aI0LjCPYsiP8IBR8T8h-V5gcjVMHl3LHLc5x37zZXhYHLS8LKlcgW-HHU7kI2ui57DqXEPPP2pfnuJ58_FFGRmLWDF__Ls2n8lqzzQGkcgw0jEAEmVsa5HIHa/s640/American+goldfinches+under+feeder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Goldfinches cleaning up under the feeders</td></tr>
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Here's an explanation of the project from the Project FeederWatch website: "Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance." Simple.<br />
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I've also become more aware of how our bird population trends right here at home. For example, the first American Goldfinch showed up at my feeders in mid November but they were only onesy-twosy. Then about three weeks ago - pow, an explosion of A.G.'s happened! It's a challenge to count them but the fun part is finding the odd bird out, such as the White-throated Sparrow, Pine Siskin, or Dark-eyed Junco.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_uzNQ21FEJ_Iz81LT6LF1xkdx8giV5KED66vEwIgYlinEDvcknHiBxRm911VTi_Ock8KAVABhNnCc3_M7Yd9US60_wV3AmnjkNXwQ7WUfwgLJSGt9uqH95qXY-TUFld0WCyh1GTUgE4v/s1600/close+up+of+wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_uzNQ21FEJ_Iz81LT6LF1xkdx8giV5KED66vEwIgYlinEDvcknHiBxRm911VTi_Ock8KAVABhNnCc3_M7Yd9US60_wV3AmnjkNXwQ7WUfwgLJSGt9uqH95qXY-TUFld0WCyh1GTUgE4v/s640/close+up+of+wreath.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunflower seed and peanut butter wreath for the birds, recycled from the holidays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One thing that disappoints me is that more people don't participate in my area. You can see the participant locations on their website. There are only four in all of north Louisiana, myself included!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrQ3d5hbONe0kpHqliN5ZLwaW2wkmPvS6k3D9mTMjFyWCzpg1BkVkiwjy6CmPXdSsQBVSB1Na0D7C_ePlxcg2WUEiOvIv6gm-C5oxHxqW9I-Ix8ayCgtRVpcTXIky5_hm-LrNSkOYxfW_/s1600/chickadee+and+bird+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrQ3d5hbONe0kpHqliN5ZLwaW2wkmPvS6k3D9mTMjFyWCzpg1BkVkiwjy6CmPXdSsQBVSB1Na0D7C_ePlxcg2WUEiOvIv6gm-C5oxHxqW9I-Ix8ayCgtRVpcTXIky5_hm-LrNSkOYxfW_/s640/chickadee+and+bird+box.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolina Chickadee inspecting potential home</td></tr>
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Yesterday we had a break in the weather with temps into the low 60's. That's when I caught this little chickadee checking out two of the different bird houses in my backyard. Oh boy, maybe spring won't be long now.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FgHIAmir19vDdUA6gyMnejLzbfEdLQvf12HXfXOPzNU8AAykqlhWDr_Xo1PwA9uuFmGXE-cFGzQhBr5bCWrBGNT3XmqfzpJctdN-48CRe7ymAt6LH_oGYNF4aFXlFCvC_-aH5PHc1Z24/s1600/Improved+Meyer+lemon+blooms+and+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FgHIAmir19vDdUA6gyMnejLzbfEdLQvf12HXfXOPzNU8AAykqlhWDr_Xo1PwA9uuFmGXE-cFGzQhBr5bCWrBGNT3XmqfzpJctdN-48CRe7ymAt6LH_oGYNF4aFXlFCvC_-aH5PHc1Z24/s640/Improved+Meyer+lemon+blooms+and+bee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Improved Meyer lemon with bee</td></tr>
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It's not totally drab and bloom-less outside. The Meyer lemon is doing its usual winter bloom thing. The last couple of winters have been really hard on this old tree. I live in Zone 8a, just a tad cold for citrus. But I have this on the south side of the house in a galvanized trough and since it's fairly short, I cover it during hard freezes. So far this year hasn't been bad but yikes, I thought I lost it a year ago. This year I'm trying an incandescent bulb under the sheets that I cover it with.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcAsJIFeFlUnZj_hW8imJk2RhYQbPV1huXTyAWQXn-1GMLzMRqsWU4o0D5MewXYj6XGC2ExU0fCnX_1YExK3gbrzFAUaik_vhUKAMdYvlUKK9NSPzHTVnQkc2qPRjIxh2O_8y9__y3iDS/s1600/Belindas+Dream+rose+growth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcAsJIFeFlUnZj_hW8imJk2RhYQbPV1huXTyAWQXn-1GMLzMRqsWU4o0D5MewXYj6XGC2ExU0fCnX_1YExK3gbrzFAUaik_vhUKAMdYvlUKK9NSPzHTVnQkc2qPRjIxh2O_8y9__y3iDS/s640/Belindas+Dream+rose+growth.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Belinda's Dream' rose growth</td></tr>
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The 'Belinda's Dream' rose nearby wants to start growing as well. Sorry, but that new growth will be cut back in just a couple weeks. It needs some good shaping up, which I'm always happy to do before it really gets going.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstr1BZBbWuraPdBISFKiAoGF8bSOup2mXtrSr9btwOzLrxQKAUssOYBfd4johguhrfLd15QlZ9S2V5bDjOLCg4EjVe-7UcEpZNhyphenhyphenvce2NPhgShKGGirqSCbw-YEZpyfSyn_ZdQp1b1ohZ/s1600/Joker+hellebores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstr1BZBbWuraPdBISFKiAoGF8bSOup2mXtrSr9btwOzLrxQKAUssOYBfd4johguhrfLd15QlZ9S2V5bDjOLCg4EjVe-7UcEpZNhyphenhyphenvce2NPhgShKGGirqSCbw-YEZpyfSyn_ZdQp1b1ohZ/s640/Joker+hellebores.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joker hellebore</td></tr>
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The hellebores (aka Lenten roses) are slow to bloom this winter. So far only Joker is starting to put out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ynWetR_-EY2rOp3ja85ysU93_Q-fkoFDvSBCelqX5Ci-2-bvWSa0YcuSjgNygfLAOZhVObbhxBwJSOzKoZrYUqWbqSxsStk7XeEX3XtiWXjQsBSQ_FL0Ve6H3LNCanaYqzUX_8_WCU5z/s1600/Grand+Primo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ynWetR_-EY2rOp3ja85ysU93_Q-fkoFDvSBCelqX5Ci-2-bvWSa0YcuSjgNygfLAOZhVObbhxBwJSOzKoZrYUqWbqSxsStk7XeEX3XtiWXjQsBSQ_FL0Ve6H3LNCanaYqzUX_8_WCU5z/s640/Grand+Primo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown narcissus, maybe 'Grand Primo'??</td></tr>
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Even the daffodils have been slow. They're coming up but the only one blooming now is one I rescued from an old house a few years ago. I do wish I knew what variety it is. I'm guessing 'Grand Primo' but I could be totally off base. Last year I had at least four different narcissus in bloom at this time. So far this year this is the only one and it's only just started.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNvDhz9-BQW_OOyK-0wGQuneuDKqstEMsyTMAYkf9jT9R5um7CB6QIKlOl7h1M77yXPs7xpPgCxMwVoy1y4JNGK7Uefkm5xxbIze36lugsiTfhOK-AToIZO9bjrtY-7Q2mltimOZ3_nYt/s1600/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNvDhz9-BQW_OOyK-0wGQuneuDKqstEMsyTMAYkf9jT9R5um7CB6QIKlOl7h1M77yXPs7xpPgCxMwVoy1y4JNGK7Uefkm5xxbIze36lugsiTfhOK-AToIZO9bjrtY-7Q2mltimOZ3_nYt/s640/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+bee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot</td></tr>
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On the other hand, the flowering apricot tree is right on time. It barely loses its leaves before it starts blooming, no joke. This year it started budding out at the end of December and now it's in its full glory (though this is a pic from last year). One thing I don't often show is...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8cfOQVtlLkHMj5-7BNbbazyVhGKgnP9EzdII7AmP7lQ2AJpFl_EWGhzE5474wks8rTz8cEUYiW7rhLTOkAT-76vkT9LZFGE8SMGQ3ZNdSVEVnpZAN1bUIEhetM8Gakl1KQr05v95Fk7r/s1600/Peggy+Clarke+bark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8cfOQVtlLkHMj5-7BNbbazyVhGKgnP9EzdII7AmP7lQ2AJpFl_EWGhzE5474wks8rTz8cEUYiW7rhLTOkAT-76vkT9LZFGE8SMGQ3ZNdSVEVnpZAN1bUIEhetM8Gakl1KQr05v95Fk7r/s640/Peggy+Clarke+bark.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bark of 'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot tree</td></tr>
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...its bark. It's really pretty to me. This tree has grown very quickly but it should remain the size of an understory tree, 15-20 feet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m9wrQ3O5qen1hJvE-9-6RIICde1UFPURUzssuJvSwtBrCC-9fyWzpqIaCa79JEEziPLkDbccWj4EDQA63xd_RzqQ7AI-VKzVzLIAzCTcDQaxl_mNIxaEh2_3tlPeQIIteseOGpKJt07I/s1600/old+pecan+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m9wrQ3O5qen1hJvE-9-6RIICde1UFPURUzssuJvSwtBrCC-9fyWzpqIaCa79JEEziPLkDbccWj4EDQA63xd_RzqQ7AI-VKzVzLIAzCTcDQaxl_mNIxaEh2_3tlPeQIIteseOGpKJt07I/s640/old+pecan+tree.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old pecan tree</td></tr>
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Now to leave off on kind of a sad note. The old pecan tree has got to go. When we moved to this house 11 years ago, this old tree was being strangled by the invasive Chinese wisteria. It also had this hollow area you can see at its base. At that time we decided the hollow wasn't too bad yet, and we relieved it of the wisteria and trimmed up a bunch of branches so it had less weight on it. But sadly, the hollow has grown enough that it's best to remove it before it comes down and does some real damage. You can't tell from this photo but the tree has a fork down by that hollow. So one side or the other is going to go fairly soon. But I thank the tree for its service to the yellow-bellied sapsuckers, flickers, woodpeckers, and my shade garden.<br />
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Now, if I could just get through this next month. Oh I forgot! I have a good weekend to look forward to - it'll be in the low 70's and all the plants I ordered should be delivered by then! It'll be time to clean up for spring and plant some new things! I hope your spring comes soon, too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2016. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-45964534511181438152016-01-01T18:52:00.000-06:002016-01-01T19:07:58.713-06:002015 - A Year of Changes in My Garden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhPiiPSly4m5jJkEVF4wJZUOxWb78bDvJVSgUGNmUQZUPP_5tF9EgLt9kB0aD6k06cG-lorBUIOFP7OftIhY-MdkGUYXvpfVv3O5Pa8YpXnOHnwGFGzq5VM4JyqXqMkjV06PM8DscTnrv/s1600/Top+of+steps+towards+deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhPiiPSly4m5jJkEVF4wJZUOxWb78bDvJVSgUGNmUQZUPP_5tF9EgLt9kB0aD6k06cG-lorBUIOFP7OftIhY-MdkGUYXvpfVv3O5Pa8YpXnOHnwGFGzq5VM4JyqXqMkjV06PM8DscTnrv/s640/Top+of+steps+towards+deck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the changes - a gravel and flagstone walkway from the square beds to the pergola and a flagstone walk from the walkway to the side gate</td></tr>
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Well, it's been an interesting 2015 on all fronts. But I'll try to limit this post to observations about my garden and blogging! Both the garden and blogging took hits this year. The weather and changes to beds and the landscape has left my garden in kind of an unknown state. It remains to be seen how it will all turn out in 2016 but what follows are some of the changes through 2015.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM469RkwYxqrrubIwearhdISfvkmKmhdV9mVMceI4nDwhFJOwoytFiU1aN2nZ1bEdJkfd20ZxftMFZVAgRLSvEj93uV46JAjijJBEczCQH4f-QqWtKK8DnVIP2Ac7YKzy4kx_FNSAVmSg/s1600/curve+of+woodland+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM469RkwYxqrrubIwearhdISfvkmKmhdV9mVMceI4nDwhFJOwoytFiU1aN2nZ1bEdJkfd20ZxftMFZVAgRLSvEj93uV46JAjijJBEczCQH4f-QqWtKK8DnVIP2Ac7YKzy4kx_FNSAVmSg/s640/curve+of+woodland+area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the curves of the new "woodland" area. </td></tr>
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<b>The Hardscape and Other Projects</b><br />
In 2014 I agreed to be on the Ruston Garden Club's 2015 garden tour. The main reason for agreeing to something that causes the mostly do-it-yourself gardener like me grief, stress, and expense is to finally finish up some of the many projects I've been thinking of. I had three main projects in mind: 1) Install walkways from the raised beds to the pergola and from the pergola to the side gate. 2) Remove some more lawn and start to create a "woodland" area (a pretty small one). 3) Remove all the plants from the raised beds, top the beds up with fresh soil, and rearrange/renovate the design of plants in those beds. I managed #s 1 and 2 before the garden tour.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCsj0Gybw0tlEL145FcP0EUvtLhmssCp9CF3TBV8mKTa9-ql1fLUmsbboT3Clw2RlbuJexMKDCjOa-4VrkLJo2xQsBlTaiqFJhCpYfTCTzmAUT8E9TnD4IJL54abuFH0GN0bWUvfxfEq-/s1600/new+woodland+old+alley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCsj0Gybw0tlEL145FcP0EUvtLhmssCp9CF3TBV8mKTa9-ql1fLUmsbboT3Clw2RlbuJexMKDCjOa-4VrkLJo2xQsBlTaiqFJhCpYfTCTzmAUT8E9TnD4IJL54abuFH0GN0bWUvfxfEq-/s640/new+woodland+old+alley.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New section of the former alleyway that I rescued from the creeping (crappy) liriope, invasive wisteria roots, and broken asphalt. This is obviously still in its infancy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTokTWZY2IchE5kLMb1yNNBBJ0T7M0wfFptEZUVrc_kz5PfH4MbRgafA52_T8_m2Aa4cJSJKVrQUjnwKimn-GxjQNs9hZ4A2JbXM09F85LYiwyM8_7WPR4MbrRTrJde1UeFrgnOwTV5mP/s1600/through+the+garden+gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTokTWZY2IchE5kLMb1yNNBBJ0T7M0wfFptEZUVrc_kz5PfH4MbRgafA52_T8_m2Aa4cJSJKVrQUjnwKimn-GxjQNs9hZ4A2JbXM09F85LYiwyM8_7WPR4MbrRTrJde1UeFrgnOwTV5mP/s640/through+the+garden+gate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the side gate with the new walkway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeez5UGa05D9Jn4E-ZeHjtsRqb33Cxe_JlwbUwlR4mu1J3jet8wCK1fqNDYR8DoV93w6WXf4VD8rSj35BDguY_61geiFup_5YFoaS7aRjRYPiOV3Koh_J0WJj8vBD4OMMAeeUvCxPEeTW/s1600/New+woodland+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeez5UGa05D9Jn4E-ZeHjtsRqb33Cxe_JlwbUwlR4mu1J3jet8wCK1fqNDYR8DoV93w6WXf4VD8rSj35BDguY_61geiFup_5YFoaS7aRjRYPiOV3Koh_J0WJj8vBD4OMMAeeUvCxPEeTW/s640/New+woodland+area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top patio showing some of the new woodland area.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Ruston Garden Club Tour</b><br />
I had a delightful time being on the garden tour. It was so well organized and I had many helpers the day of the tour. (Kudos to the organizers of the Ruston Garden Club and the volunteer helpers from the North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners!) Here are a few photos from the day of.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Cd_jv_5kx5KnhaZoKswiG2fYiQQPvYOUR9OqwitSkKp6dHE2zNpmqKFhjLBIGPqhrgM3u5nTvxRTuTDzEKpgjLI42CQr4eoEkU5V-LHRnVa-ZSOEkzJt2-Ph4OgrvsP0QzOqmA6Q4lq/s1600/Ruston+Garden+Tour+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Cd_jv_5kx5KnhaZoKswiG2fYiQQPvYOUR9OqwitSkKp6dHE2zNpmqKFhjLBIGPqhrgM3u5nTvxRTuTDzEKpgjLI42CQr4eoEkU5V-LHRnVa-ZSOEkzJt2-Ph4OgrvsP0QzOqmA6Q4lq/s640/Ruston+Garden+Tour+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day started out a bit wet.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNfJTU-Q1vaxeH0vaontyMXWsM_IjKiy3T_OjFQOzHxGMNQAGbwiE98wRjAXNRf8KSF_Wxhj8Q_06tG2HTAIlCza9nJWdWOuBn2BxBBN_Kl3uk1S55ePUt-M3lg7SrcMncbw4nYsSOUBB/s1600/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+pergola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNfJTU-Q1vaxeH0vaontyMXWsM_IjKiy3T_OjFQOzHxGMNQAGbwiE98wRjAXNRf8KSF_Wxhj8Q_06tG2HTAIlCza9nJWdWOuBn2BxBBN_Kl3uk1S55ePUt-M3lg7SrcMncbw4nYsSOUBB/s640/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+pergola.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me holding forth on something but who knows what!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrjqdFaamfYEEA0aMaV7OCKIpU8V9ETjawX8Q2HVNNpoUHTopeJEHM1Q6CyhfIMDuj44UBrQihnEBCsVyf5pRZdfZglGnDbYJW_d6H_2oo-pFZFNoXSs-T6YIjzSIOtolaRFLbMUc622/s1600/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+back+patio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrjqdFaamfYEEA0aMaV7OCKIpU8V9ETjawX8Q2HVNNpoUHTopeJEHM1Q6CyhfIMDuj44UBrQihnEBCsVyf5pRZdfZglGnDbYJW_d6H_2oo-pFZFNoXSs-T6YIjzSIOtolaRFLbMUc622/s640/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+back+patio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of questions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WP1D2ZmMQlr3j2QUwqtCPtqg7Jw0DjCR0n2vquP2TmUwXiyna2cy7FhPtUoJL5PmsjBU67SOE3L9HW1-gL42ZzKtUdf9fsyhMEw5c_O8_SbtP936C_IV6PcQjF6RoUxS9xHnqMZ5DkTw/s1600/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+succulents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WP1D2ZmMQlr3j2QUwqtCPtqg7Jw0DjCR0n2vquP2TmUwXiyna2cy7FhPtUoJL5PmsjBU67SOE3L9HW1-gL42ZzKtUdf9fsyhMEw5c_O8_SbtP936C_IV6PcQjF6RoUxS9xHnqMZ5DkTw/s640/Ruston+Garden+Club+tour+succulents.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One area that got a lot of attention was my succulent collection. Most of them are on shelves in this area (though you can't see the majority of them). I guess succulents are not that common in a part of the country that's supposed to get its fair share of rain.</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Weather</b><br />
The weather leading up to the garden tour was so crazy. Hard freezes, rain, snow in February and March, lack of rain in February, and constant cloud cover resulted in a very slow start to the spring bloom season. I know I wasn't the only gardener affected. For a brief week or so after the tour we had sun and then the garden really bloomed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ajTYFtVDS683dLCJVsLDVQrjLPsukaLQkHlXSasQioIjW6ejRqBGLLY20w0dL6PtMAXV0zj6i6AwYvoi8yT_rz9VGQ4hBmoLmpj2nWMBAKXYEjYJgXJPpSC8IjUz_FJRPwkkK7Hy_6N/s1600/Mid+May+boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ajTYFtVDS683dLCJVsLDVQrjLPsukaLQkHlXSasQioIjW6ejRqBGLLY20w0dL6PtMAXV0zj6i6AwYvoi8yT_rz9VGQ4hBmoLmpj2nWMBAKXYEjYJgXJPpSC8IjUz_FJRPwkkK7Hy_6N/s640/Mid+May+boxes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some blooms</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bmQ7tDuR8yEwTWBosDYqiULKM3mjOBsEoyRp-x0I34kaxh5a9P5blpCcreSItBGXBhyphenhyphen68ICm0n-av-WFsH8BSQkAc2AcMdYn6LibMNAGWRGwpuNQt0XceMFB2X6ERbnIPbLH4dJn_EJT/s1600/Side+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bmQ7tDuR8yEwTWBosDYqiULKM3mjOBsEoyRp-x0I34kaxh5a9P5blpCcreSItBGXBhyphenhyphen68ICm0n-av-WFsH8BSQkAc2AcMdYn6LibMNAGWRGwpuNQt0XceMFB2X6ERbnIPbLH4dJn_EJT/s640/Side+garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the pergola of the side garden.</td></tr>
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<b>Renovation of the Raised Beds</b><br />
After our one week of sunshine in May it started raining. And raining. We received almost 10.5 inches of rain in May with another 4.5 inches in June. I was beginning to think it would never stop. But then it did, and big time. Our area quickly progressed to the extreme drought stage (as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor) by September. And it was hot. I don't think I took any photos of the garden after mid July! Regardless, I knew I still had to tackle those raised beds. Years of self-seeding cottage garden plants and hard rains compacting the soil had taken its toll on those beds. So I bucked up and bought 3 cubic yards of soil and started removing plants and shoveling soil!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHSmUQaTpmp6GVf-juBwjn9ZNABPw5m_PrlztfMQS0EEyTkOxCvMT-y7E3eyoqUh1IdN75DWojeODhA7ONOJxvvO6-VEJCKpZ0v2XUnPuLDeK7rFMHCMZkOi-lICpL7n86tPuLEMaRSO7/s1600/soil+for+reno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHSmUQaTpmp6GVf-juBwjn9ZNABPw5m_PrlztfMQS0EEyTkOxCvMT-y7E3eyoqUh1IdN75DWojeODhA7ONOJxvvO6-VEJCKpZ0v2XUnPuLDeK7rFMHCMZkOi-lICpL7n86tPuLEMaRSO7/s640/soil+for+reno.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soil I shoveled!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdl7bw8X0apy6biq9PfAA124yTmWdtW7WKHfTWqojDgUjnOPkP6jU6SorBF6Kplk2ShAWQreD1SQ0qmZIKAXzt-XMsOyQZwx0H1yAME_LyG-cg56JmBevaDzpcFSFPgq-hPO58w3T0KU2/s1600/Starting+on+the+bed+reno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdl7bw8X0apy6biq9PfAA124yTmWdtW7WKHfTWqojDgUjnOPkP6jU6SorBF6Kplk2ShAWQreD1SQ0qmZIKAXzt-XMsOyQZwx0H1yAME_LyG-cg56JmBevaDzpcFSFPgq-hPO58w3T0KU2/s640/Starting+on+the+bed+reno.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to remove plants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu-3boUXXpDV4xHL3RmZqyLpOfYpZLJmqPyG47PZ_OsyJr7JaGxEvXO0LJeHgBneqL0C421k_LICZXKC8jtcLmjqsLPI5a7fYc3GqRS4jrB0lzgxGsovj3xzKv4ykwepYG8n0EUYtSZFz/s1600/trellis+for+sweet+peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu-3boUXXpDV4xHL3RmZqyLpOfYpZLJmqPyG47PZ_OsyJr7JaGxEvXO0LJeHgBneqL0C421k_LICZXKC8jtcLmjqsLPI5a7fYc3GqRS4jrB0lzgxGsovj3xzKv4ykwepYG8n0EUYtSZFz/s640/trellis+for+sweet+peas.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One bed finished. This is a trellis for sweet peas made of tower supports and bird netting. I hung the CDs on the netting because I was worried the birds might accidentally fly into the netting.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GcfLdMbK-ia7HuYo8enp6yyWo1rfQc0hSFGBtdMYns_7mhsYKF7_MvUGE6pf9zs66-YRSCYLwl8jIqxGPlSKfRMGB7k7p_JRpWfyDz2sG27uF6eRuH5AiXJ1vbkMBc_Lf10G4eAqlgrN/s1600/finished+beds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GcfLdMbK-ia7HuYo8enp6yyWo1rfQc0hSFGBtdMYns_7mhsYKF7_MvUGE6pf9zs66-YRSCYLwl8jIqxGPlSKfRMGB7k7p_JRpWfyDz2sG27uF6eRuH5AiXJ1vbkMBc_Lf10G4eAqlgrN/s640/finished+beds.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished beds. They look like babies!</td></tr>
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The idea behind the 'Baby Gem' boxwoods in the front is to eventually create a screen so that if it gets messy I won't freak out. :-) Also, you may have noticed green wired things on top of the soil. That's my attempt at keeping the beasts out of the beds. So far it's worked against the neighborhood cats but the squirrels will sometimes still get in there. The other thing I did differently this time is to put mulch on top. This means it may not be such a cottage-y garden next year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpUIDPqQX0-GnPsQdAR991piIAp9d3AzvUZ3EMz_eBl2ahoA9PAfn1tUxVVmo7le1hYm5FZv0VLtF19MrlU16I1GBOvHeJ_ff_BxNQO11d92QxkeXNLpNK-_LK0DbtVPrZUvWCtjnjbR9/s1600/succulent+trough+from+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpUIDPqQX0-GnPsQdAR991piIAp9d3AzvUZ3EMz_eBl2ahoA9PAfn1tUxVVmo7le1hYm5FZv0VLtF19MrlU16I1GBOvHeJ_ff_BxNQO11d92QxkeXNLpNK-_LK0DbtVPrZUvWCtjnjbR9/s640/succulent+trough+from+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This rusted steel trough for some of my succulents was made by Robert Moran.</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Other Little Additions</b><br />
I also added a little nicety to the rail along the deck late this summer. I had intended to use part of an old gutter but couldn't figure out how to make it work. After I asked our friend Robert Moran if he wanted the gutters (he creates fantastic artwork out of metals), he made me one out of some steel he had. And he just gave it to me because he said I do so much for our community - isn't that the nicest gesture?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhav-tiWzh6tSxZpyr8clhYQ_ZNzc09cDfc-y0S8Bl7SQ3OQI7ESuWyDPHrKB_-cZstnnjLJk0UoINYjzwo69PUh2CSoQfsw_UcdWzK4U9kwCOzpeAc5FGnETSljz4b3khQikJkuxUlkV-8/s1600/patio+screening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhav-tiWzh6tSxZpyr8clhYQ_ZNzc09cDfc-y0S8Bl7SQ3OQI7ESuWyDPHrKB_-cZstnnjLJk0UoINYjzwo69PUh2CSoQfsw_UcdWzK4U9kwCOzpeAc5FGnETSljz4b3khQikJkuxUlkV-8/s640/patio+screening.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screening for the patio</td></tr>
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For years I've been wanting to screen off the top patio (so-called "top" because there are steps up to it) from the street. My ideas around a partial fence near the front of the carport are too expensive. So this year I bought a stock tank and filled it and another pot with Chinese mahonia (<i>Mahonia fortunei</i>). And I added another bamboo muhly (<i>Muhlenbergia dumosa</i>) on the other side. These plants are evergreen, as you can tell by the current naked winter trees. You can see that at eye-level the lounger is hidden. I'm happy with it so far.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYe_RKg5ZNDevBWFnwjiPFbqMfs28DPP6-bBJ9q5E8FuZGL60huJaawIkbxwpNDLKHGW-0oPkL83Bc15ZVZcB-rP5dib6megAJREPr94-qg5tEWuopcvfCriv_2APl0rbHktYJbVaJ7xGu/s1600/woodland+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYe_RKg5ZNDevBWFnwjiPFbqMfs28DPP6-bBJ9q5E8FuZGL60huJaawIkbxwpNDLKHGW-0oPkL83Bc15ZVZcB-rP5dib6megAJREPr94-qg5tEWuopcvfCriv_2APl0rbHktYJbVaJ7xGu/s640/woodland+area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late winter scene from the back corner of the woodland area</td></tr>
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The woodland area was topped with some soil and pine straw after the lawn was removed. Now, as you can see, there's a heavy layer of fallen leaves on top. In the early spring I'll put more pine straw on top of that. Hopefully I'll start getting a nice humus-y layer there and can eventually plant some woodland ephemerals and shrubs.<br />
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<b>Where Did My Blogging Go?</b><br />
Now about blogging... I haven't blogged since last July. Yes, the weather hasn't been very inspiring for strolling about outside with the camera. And yes, I've been busy with other things. But really, I haven't been inspired or motivated to blog either. Sometimes I feel like I just have nothing interesting to say. And I've gotten used to and like the immediate feedback and interactions on social media (Facebook mostly). So am I abandoning blogging? It sure seems like it but I've realized a few things that I'm missing by not blogging as often. One, although I do get delayed feedback and interactions via blogging, I also get exposed to new people and ideas that I don't get through FB. Secondly, I've made some awesome friends through blogging and attending Garden Blogger Flings. Thirdly, by not creating regular blog posts, I'm missing out on documenting my evolving garden and the interesting things I find there. These are three very good reasons that I'm not going to give up on blogging. So please hang in there with me and help me reinvigorate my enthusiasm for garden blogging!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2016. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-78600948291809182982015-07-15T16:41:00.004-05:002015-07-15T16:41:35.528-05:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILekZWd1xgtvd_yCudRfqH_Tx0XHGh7BqksKBgtEXKWov9Vdna6AtguWERRPB5HmNtPI5sMN1L3Ys9Y3kWqJ-KvEimc6RdfGp9Xi1vIIFiKWonkUh_jC97Ggx-txVICNGlcV3OEbhjpAW/s1600/Black+Beauty+lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILekZWd1xgtvd_yCudRfqH_Tx0XHGh7BqksKBgtEXKWov9Vdna6AtguWERRPB5HmNtPI5sMN1L3Ys9Y3kWqJ-KvEimc6RdfGp9Xi1vIIFiKWonkUh_jC97Ggx-txVICNGlcV3OEbhjpAW/s640/Black+Beauty+lily.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Black Beauty', a lily introduced in the 1950's according to <a href="http://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a></td></tr>
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It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, a meme started several years ago by Carol at <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2015/07/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-july-2015.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Garden</a>. The 15th of every month is the day we gardeners share what's blooming in our gardens. I have a few plants blooming though the heat and drought of summer has kicked in big time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix15A4r_UofAxrEsuaM91FyE3XIqoi1qk7TCPVmK1T_3_SE1APAyVI6kY8whoezrWhFrGockRVxDznFV7i1T1jhB8voqOiY6y1PzNe06cwhyphenhypheniZ1ti6Fww5iWNIVyUi9YnES6mlBMjbWT-E/s1600/Goldsturm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix15A4r_UofAxrEsuaM91FyE3XIqoi1qk7TCPVmK1T_3_SE1APAyVI6kY8whoezrWhFrGockRVxDznFV7i1T1jhB8voqOiY6y1PzNe06cwhyphenhypheniZ1ti6Fww5iWNIVyUi9YnES6mlBMjbWT-E/s640/Goldsturm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rudbeckia</i> 'Goldsturm' </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Every July my rather aggressive 'Goldsturm' black-eyed Susans start blooming like crazy. They may get banished from my raised beds in the Great Raised Bed Renovation I plan to do this fall. But I know these babies can be found in other parts of my yard and in many other yards around Ruston (courtesy of my pawning-off (weeding) efforts).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3v4-OuqkaUm3UsH7BzCP5IMDkBBI4EIiWrVCXmdznRidqL6Xro-KxyoOgJGUy62MyylTXwj6lBvIm67q2CdsX3F96iBKg0pwIteEVjWLEil_6KvDz9u2dDaONqMdlty0K5SaylKIdEsa/s1600/Amistad+salvia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3v4-OuqkaUm3UsH7BzCP5IMDkBBI4EIiWrVCXmdznRidqL6Xro-KxyoOgJGUy62MyylTXwj6lBvIm67q2CdsX3F96iBKg0pwIteEVjWLEil_6KvDz9u2dDaONqMdlty0K5SaylKIdEsa/s640/Amistad+salvia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Amistad' salvia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The 'Amistad' salvia in the raised bed is not as robust as last year. And the other 'Amistad' in the border bed may indeed be dead. This spring was very tough on plants - too much rain, too little sun.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4v2r7G6JCNhTVWLtNrMjmUmWsszV79y7qz7QIsKaEiosO5TvCtPOhsi0HQo_lELzdJSwM_2l_bGiPe0H_S4wFK0Bo3YE7glP_gUN9BK3X-B-WAnduQR0pBys9uIAjmKA7spPVCgpSyV0/s1600/Pink+gaura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4v2r7G6JCNhTVWLtNrMjmUmWsszV79y7qz7QIsKaEiosO5TvCtPOhsi0HQo_lELzdJSwM_2l_bGiPe0H_S4wFK0Bo3YE7glP_gUN9BK3X-B-WAnduQR0pBys9uIAjmKA7spPVCgpSyV0/s640/Pink+gaura.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Pink' gaura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This guara I picked up this spring, simply called 'Pink', has been an outstanding bloomer for three straight months. In spring this gaura was uniformly pink but I wouldn't really call it pink now. Still, kinda cute.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sPQy6xcrgBlJdh9v9Vb0O9q8MDSloSofTyeIHcySkIWavBODCv6omhbz441hOk1nF748EgJIlHIoQ4YoIdDrMjCUrqXMqK5TM-d0dw9D-sk2NFWyUDX_XbTAWY5hV86ehhw4YZO0ozRp/s1600/Summer+phlox+Robert+Poore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sPQy6xcrgBlJdh9v9Vb0O9q8MDSloSofTyeIHcySkIWavBODCv6omhbz441hOk1nF748EgJIlHIoQ4YoIdDrMjCUrqXMqK5TM-d0dw9D-sk2NFWyUDX_XbTAWY5hV86ehhw4YZO0ozRp/s640/Summer+phlox+Robert+Poore.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Robert Poore' summer phlox</td></tr>
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Moving to the border bed and speaking of non-stop bloomers, once 'Robert Poore' phlox gets going, it'll bloom till fall with only occasional rest periods. I never do a thing to it. It never gets mildew as many summer phlox varieties do.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UYLGGS7ur_XScNU7R2aAtELd68A3ue2eFF3RdLIIR8h86I7euw2EvzJdA2Y1TSCI14zjYXa31uX_fxnn2sTONuu7SiPfbX7R0b5Lmq_wMuU2aWhBNf6Puav297Ut9cnahk3xZz7UjBoq/s1600/Hemerocallis+Autumn+Minaret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UYLGGS7ur_XScNU7R2aAtELd68A3ue2eFF3RdLIIR8h86I7euw2EvzJdA2Y1TSCI14zjYXa31uX_fxnn2sTONuu7SiPfbX7R0b5Lmq_wMuU2aWhBNf6Puav297Ut9cnahk3xZz7UjBoq/s640/Hemerocallis+Autumn+Minaret.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Autumn Minaret' daylily</td></tr>
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Here's a fun daylily - 'Autumn Minaret'. The blooms are not very graceful or stunning but I love the fact that it blooms later than my other daylilies and that it's a good 7-feet tall! I have three of them popping up above other blooms.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQcm9fKtYv8PPJDAHgbiaDFt8M95HCCyrdlNvfbcSYyyy7GV1LdYyRXF0-rKuBnzuXHvCIHENTU1HGlhIRBLbVjOussMlu-yRZx4rSNcLvqYaVeMfuR8KYnOtv7Dphyphenhyphen-u7Da_TZUYqG9d/s1600/Hydrangea+paniculata+Mystical+Flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQcm9fKtYv8PPJDAHgbiaDFt8M95HCCyrdlNvfbcSYyyy7GV1LdYyRXF0-rKuBnzuXHvCIHENTU1HGlhIRBLbVjOussMlu-yRZx4rSNcLvqYaVeMfuR8KYnOtv7Dphyphenhyphen-u7Da_TZUYqG9d/s640/Hydrangea+paniculata+Mystical+Flame.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hydrangea paniculata</i> Mystical Flame ('Bokratorch')</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Mystical Flame hydrangea starts out chalk white in my garden. By fall it'll be a lovely speckled rose. I grew this from a little 4-inch pot I planted some five years ago. Though it's supposed to be 4-feet tall, this one is at least 6.5 feet!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SEnbUwB5ZfjDKiBWcnO9jYc5323UH54IdsVIgi_QiBlBzXj4nS0XJqyLMdL2YiludlRyDEKMy6_LaUIF6POibCYo6uhppo88mIZoI1BmPKbL6iZ1yNOU6ZwogNcgIrZ_z2R_DaTy8Ve0/s1600/Figs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SEnbUwB5ZfjDKiBWcnO9jYc5323UH54IdsVIgi_QiBlBzXj4nS0XJqyLMdL2YiludlRyDEKMy6_LaUIF6POibCYo6uhppo88mIZoI1BmPKbL6iZ1yNOU6ZwogNcgIrZ_z2R_DaTy8Ve0/s640/Figs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig "blooms"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We'll see if the birds and squirrels leave me any figs to eat. I doubt it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEJuf6zTfr4kQlJsWJ3HCMgu5o4ZDytMfz7rPF8qr16Ne712vMvZ9d-FGxXakOHJXadUmmyQoGIR8009Q6p_RwdOfqu-JLMhIYEEjeyDyjEkCnFBVOK3OHQ_xgPRbPj9tv4NXVsf85gy7/s1600/Phlox+David.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEJuf6zTfr4kQlJsWJ3HCMgu5o4ZDytMfz7rPF8qr16Ne712vMvZ9d-FGxXakOHJXadUmmyQoGIR8009Q6p_RwdOfqu-JLMhIYEEjeyDyjEkCnFBVOK3OHQ_xgPRbPj9tv4NXVsf85gy7/s640/Phlox+David.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long shot of 'David' summer phlox</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rq6ClYhJfSamnxqJ1XDl1vaMcPhjIyWzPIZt5VdSBpSzqF2_tTEaCK_xDaUMmlkVBBxyTR0svJGvgfYYOhjy0ortLZoPpsA95hQjf1eFMHNFttGzRGLOL1FsQWvOnvaKEOozAd-qklyO/s1600/crape+myrtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rq6ClYhJfSamnxqJ1XDl1vaMcPhjIyWzPIZt5VdSBpSzqF2_tTEaCK_xDaUMmlkVBBxyTR0svJGvgfYYOhjy0ortLZoPpsA95hQjf1eFMHNFttGzRGLOL1FsQWvOnvaKEOozAd-qklyO/s640/crape+myrtle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crapemyrtle, unknown variety</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'm going to end my GBBD post with some blooms that I take for granted this time of year - crapemyrtle blooms. I never take pics of these, I guess because they are just all over the place - our town, the highways, let's say the South. I probably wouldn't even consider planting one because of that. But I do love them. I have these light pink ones plus a few darker pink ones. Have you seen the dark red ones? Ooh, those are tempting.<br />
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Be sure to visit <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2015/07/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-july-2015.html" target="_blank">Carol's blog</a>. She corrals all the GBBD posts so you can see what's blooming all over the world today!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-80048943034577652422015-05-15T17:26:00.000-05:002015-05-15T17:26:54.901-05:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - Lovely May?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6eBCfPurZJ6zHqP0ryL9WByY4QedIafRWqMEjoJ2AOum5T4VCXCwsXA0gdETtkz0yzt4X44SdyxrD0IyipY0lA8u8i32fiTxEeHGW73XU20FDjVk6-OH-gxRzsjUZ_gA9lvGK1c9ZZLc/s1600/Scarlet+Lavender+Star+petunia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6eBCfPurZJ6zHqP0ryL9WByY4QedIafRWqMEjoJ2AOum5T4VCXCwsXA0gdETtkz0yzt4X44SdyxrD0IyipY0lA8u8i32fiTxEeHGW73XU20FDjVk6-OH-gxRzsjUZ_gA9lvGK1c9ZZLc/s640/Scarlet+Lavender+Star+petunia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starlet Lavender Star petunias (mostly)</td></tr>
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Goodness, the spring has been busy. And wet and cloudy. Now sticky, wet, and cloudy. As I write this, thunder is booming outside. Because of the above average rain and lack of sunshine, the plants have been a bit slow or shy to bloom. Heck, my sweet peas haven't even bloomed (and may not). Regardless, it's <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2015/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2015.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> - time to report on what IS blooming this month.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl1y7GrMFELbSc4E_O0fxkJ04Q2vMlUh7BIwfMlEbQ-ABfYoJzlejoIvigDbh9efkRniQ3bkflu5BzoYGsrqzws0cenKT1NmvK2CPXu92eFbqBsatFyYomh7zzo9TxKE7UgqeeBkUnqP6/s1600/Poppies+and+larkspur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl1y7GrMFELbSc4E_O0fxkJ04Q2vMlUh7BIwfMlEbQ-ABfYoJzlejoIvigDbh9efkRniQ3bkflu5BzoYGsrqzws0cenKT1NmvK2CPXu92eFbqBsatFyYomh7zzo9TxKE7UgqeeBkUnqP6/s640/Poppies+and+larkspur.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larkspur and Chelsea Physic Garden poppy</td></tr>
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I simply have to show a poppy or two since I thought they'd never bloom. In fact, today's the first day for ANY of them to bloom! The pink poppy above was collected from last year. I planted the original seeds several years ago, and they were purchased from the Chelsea Physic Garden in London.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS33cPRDhsLivNoRRnmndFOinzTFnDXaqkWS2YOz_vggI27FSctwdffyfPqW3MTmBemnq-YffgfWz3GcHyCscePY1ixmM-iemMdMOHO7Bw3lIINrZtVX1_jba93Vivo19yYuwUIbXr1niu/s1600/Laurens+Grape+poppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS33cPRDhsLivNoRRnmndFOinzTFnDXaqkWS2YOz_vggI27FSctwdffyfPqW3MTmBemnq-YffgfWz3GcHyCscePY1ixmM-iemMdMOHO7Bw3lIINrZtVX1_jba93Vivo19yYuwUIbXr1niu/s640/Laurens+Grape+poppy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Lauren's Grape' poppy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This 'Lauren's Grape' started closing up before I could get out there today for a photo. The blooms are not very big. But then again, we haven't had much sun so I'm not discounting them yet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzL56WcQgtqrtYmwYOjl3ScOywF470Rz13EVvCAGz8ZyRbAMeAcAchNkza2Rs53o_Moza2ueafl-YvTSk97m7a37kC_cOH2rl_c-IvI9p1xmBJURtK5pWj1qw9yFX1mpPX4nIIsi2thwI/s1600/yellow+daylilies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzL56WcQgtqrtYmwYOjl3ScOywF470Rz13EVvCAGz8ZyRbAMeAcAchNkza2Rs53o_Moza2ueafl-YvTSk97m7a37kC_cOH2rl_c-IvI9p1xmBJURtK5pWj1qw9yFX1mpPX4nIIsi2thwI/s640/yellow+daylilies.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are always the first daylilies to bloom</td></tr>
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I'm happy to say the daylilies are starting to bloom. Here's a few other beauties blooming.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wuvqjj7Mist76oJW4dGZODZkyTf9QwNSaxeMlyPpi5G1hjSLYb3n2Hq3zRtngEJFJK9tbEim4C8etQCGlme0mD25LjiST2k5kBNd7mTUnJoBN1ZVCNMxxcwL8TKdywRzzWZNMqTXV_1D/s1600/Nicotiana+flowering+tobacco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wuvqjj7Mist76oJW4dGZODZkyTf9QwNSaxeMlyPpi5G1hjSLYb3n2Hq3zRtngEJFJK9tbEim4C8etQCGlme0mD25LjiST2k5kBNd7mTUnJoBN1ZVCNMxxcwL8TKdywRzzWZNMqTXV_1D/s640/Nicotiana+flowering+tobacco.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowering tobacco (nicotiana) with chives in the background</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdweahzoCd4snzwg8LYUeDKCh9tRnD3183r6Rykv8JBXZ20UfNuasqacHF25jFEwyGnKeq4XczPNWFul8PNUJHS4eftb0WgUPvO-inx5pQiIcd5tFmEAMd2PrTz3MLUjZuyTnJ7rAtOgwA/s1600/Gaura+lindheimeri+Pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdweahzoCd4snzwg8LYUeDKCh9tRnD3183r6Rykv8JBXZ20UfNuasqacHF25jFEwyGnKeq4XczPNWFul8PNUJHS4eftb0WgUPvO-inx5pQiIcd5tFmEAMd2PrTz3MLUjZuyTnJ7rAtOgwA/s640/Gaura+lindheimeri+Pink.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gaura lindheimeri</i> 'Pink' (I'm not sure if that's the variety name or color!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RJyNTeoFNkz9Ao6ZrxC9BB0iKcGDlfSEpttj3vpCOPr0y2BXV2E7cIXlnzbYWGrWDo0Eit_jP-T1mWavsxreD6hLPaqDCdr1QvY_ZUNvWVj7fu2ZevsBJezW9INBQ1BEzsJ8F6iEqlT3/s1600/chives+and+wasp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RJyNTeoFNkz9Ao6ZrxC9BB0iKcGDlfSEpttj3vpCOPr0y2BXV2E7cIXlnzbYWGrWDo0Eit_jP-T1mWavsxreD6hLPaqDCdr1QvY_ZUNvWVj7fu2ZevsBJezW9INBQ1BEzsJ8F6iEqlT3/s640/chives+and+wasp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chives and pollinator</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP2T8BYDTVPy6pjWfVjQHYv_tAREmPVi9qJ-xs3e-Z1h_swpSBBNph9ZTsF2H8aGEHf8NplxZ_ubeAoj8-UySaLpd3H2frtCUTcawQMD9HIleni7rYESfjDvQRBa-UCmdyRG5eJUfz-7G/s1600/English+lavender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP2T8BYDTVPy6pjWfVjQHYv_tAREmPVi9qJ-xs3e-Z1h_swpSBBNph9ZTsF2H8aGEHf8NplxZ_ubeAoj8-UySaLpd3H2frtCUTcawQMD9HIleni7rYESfjDvQRBa-UCmdyRG5eJUfz-7G/s640/English+lavender.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English lavender (<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i>) - first time I've EVER had any kind of lavender save Spanish bloom for me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEJgNrtjKsMxhhx4KB7ZmxZB5_fFZtWpTfnxBS_SnToemEKp-4ODQT_LTMU0CjHHG15Q8qJHl8S-k-5edQAJvu-_PRlky8GFNIPDv1GIIhe9OSleM5Vt0VupDPE1IQovFNSLjuCGPxSFF/s1600/petunias+et+al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEJgNrtjKsMxhhx4KB7ZmxZB5_fFZtWpTfnxBS_SnToemEKp-4ODQT_LTMU0CjHHG15Q8qJHl8S-k-5edQAJvu-_PRlky8GFNIPDv1GIIhe9OSleM5Vt0VupDPE1IQovFNSLjuCGPxSFF/s640/petunias+et+al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowl of blooms (mostly petunias)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6junVwPKpy6ikoaMZFujww_DbYT44Tn14tDuwtHQ9xK5e3-GIcxSy_BaysCy81UYMj2xACOG8riWQnAY6g0W0yrorQLyDHFTD0yEqqDZxbjSMwP5qC8eA_I39iced8W1-utIz8FC-udMM/s1600/Mid+May+boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6junVwPKpy6ikoaMZFujww_DbYT44Tn14tDuwtHQ9xK5e3-GIcxSy_BaysCy81UYMj2xACOG8riWQnAY6g0W0yrorQLyDHFTD0yEqqDZxbjSMwP5qC8eA_I39iced8W1-utIz8FC-udMM/s640/Mid+May+boxes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The raised beds. Your seeing mostly <i>Verbena bonariensis</i> and flowering tobacco blooming</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3AUXSGOhNnWIfN3O85cJvEcNMwT1aSqbPYnwroBgszTljHvYraiVhP_Z_Imqy0W_Ohna8NklHb8ABIsIfKN3mei9WKnxDpyRyh9b7EhpO6e0XCSymXRRBL3uoH9hV02nuoLyDApAYaKR/s1600/unknown+iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3AUXSGOhNnWIfN3O85cJvEcNMwT1aSqbPYnwroBgszTljHvYraiVhP_Z_Imqy0W_Ohna8NklHb8ABIsIfKN3mei9WKnxDpyRyh9b7EhpO6e0XCSymXRRBL3uoH9hV02nuoLyDApAYaKR/s640/unknown+iris.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mystery iris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If anyone can venture some guesses on this variety of bearded iris, I'd appreciate it. It was supposed to be 'Cantina', a re-blooming iris. But it turned out not to be. In fact, it's on the opposite side of the color wheel!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIs_xMT04lHRDGAFMfOPE8eS7zUCswhxBcNVLs00W9pIKNcebdV60hs9o9L-UfLTJNsZVdLZeMalaRV3B2S0m3FUqaPBLj0k4jn7RPwj8pZMnt4T6tlOrWyTmzN1Nmh2zv9FnvQQL3j1ZI/s1600/Penstemon+laevigatus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIs_xMT04lHRDGAFMfOPE8eS7zUCswhxBcNVLs00W9pIKNcebdV60hs9o9L-UfLTJNsZVdLZeMalaRV3B2S0m3FUqaPBLj0k4jn7RPwj8pZMnt4T6tlOrWyTmzN1Nmh2zv9FnvQQL3j1ZI/s640/Penstemon+laevigatus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern smooth beardtongue, <i>Penstemon laevigatus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This penstemon is a passalong from my friend Travis, who helped me whip the invasive liriope area into shape. He wasn't sure what it was (I think he found it in the wild). After some investigation, I'm pretty sure it's eastern smooth penstemon. I like it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hu1GDwxJd6G6fv3LH4CZ85LREXiaFBZZ-PNejplNLah07TJjYlpw7XdFPx-6N76ZqFweK2a9XGqv4Cxp2poCE9jt8wr522kNZxOd22QXc0qGfbnE_IwZ_NoEmmKrEwl_4tGmDzU1AelE/s1600/oakleaf+hydrangea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hu1GDwxJd6G6fv3LH4CZ85LREXiaFBZZ-PNejplNLah07TJjYlpw7XdFPx-6N76ZqFweK2a9XGqv4Cxp2poCE9jt8wr522kNZxOd22QXc0qGfbnE_IwZ_NoEmmKrEwl_4tGmDzU1AelE/s640/oakleaf+hydrangea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A luscious oakleaf hydrangea bloom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DejtnpSLlOnIkVzgq5Hqdd4OgjGKHnXuLVwQbJ8rcJzxFUrhDmP_q-nCEgYC7JsxfIgtaKPDNPFBqYd9JEgRabPqF2h1Az4Ob8JM7YoujTu1l-EGY2-BQXGUiIxA__gmuE4sHLQ-8Ihh/s1600/Pee+Wee+hydrangea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DejtnpSLlOnIkVzgq5Hqdd4OgjGKHnXuLVwQbJ8rcJzxFUrhDmP_q-nCEgYC7JsxfIgtaKPDNPFBqYd9JEgRabPqF2h1Az4Ob8JM7YoujTu1l-EGY2-BQXGUiIxA__gmuE4sHLQ-8Ihh/s640/Pee+Wee+hydrangea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Pee Wee' hydrangea, a dwarf form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We'll see if this 'Pee Wee' hydrangea stays small. I planted it last fall and the blooms are supposed to turn pink when they mature. I may have to move it as it looks like it wants more sun. But then again, we all do.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIS6WVY-AmbzqElrdG7ZmCj2OTqDPtSdV6sxYESU5johH06q4SlI0rLv3DSUrn9U2F7QkOtk-Teb6CnBbEiUs94QCmUT6Wka_uXa1QjFDZ7EOIty5nLztfywNG3gMfNshoNBL25Q_KnJm/s1600/Baptisia+australis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIS6WVY-AmbzqElrdG7ZmCj2OTqDPtSdV6sxYESU5johH06q4SlI0rLv3DSUrn9U2F7QkOtk-Teb6CnBbEiUs94QCmUT6Wka_uXa1QjFDZ7EOIty5nLztfywNG3gMfNshoNBL25Q_KnJm/s640/Baptisia+australis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Baptisia australis</i>, false indigo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm happy to say the false indigo I planted three years ago is starting to mature and bloom like a righteous plant.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4FxJv7O84oCeME98tp5JMvOtocTCV7CTifeD9jFWLsyh4skZidqdA43tiE9gfG94ROG0WJRfEqq8c02Cnj6_JcliphjK9Et7qBvlpdSctkj_ynlyYVRORaLlEW5Gnij5M3Qweo6FfL5l/s1600/Verbena+bonariensis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4FxJv7O84oCeME98tp5JMvOtocTCV7CTifeD9jFWLsyh4skZidqdA43tiE9gfG94ROG0WJRfEqq8c02Cnj6_JcliphjK9Et7qBvlpdSctkj_ynlyYVRORaLlEW5Gnij5M3Qweo6FfL5l/s640/Verbena+bonariensis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbena bonariensis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And that's the bulk of what's blooming today, if you don't count the cilantro, parsley, cleome, roses... Okay, a few others. Too see what's blooming in other parts of the world today, visit Carol's blog, <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2015/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2015.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Gardens</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-56237489537539635092015-03-09T22:07:00.000-05:002015-03-09T22:07:21.107-05:00Garden Travel - Why You Should Attend the Toronto Fling<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJo6lZNPCyozLsyFnNuERziTcD90K7r_Ul3FeGeZUIIZNNvwkVSpYmsRsIDxvwfuM5c-qv5mSjaww8IpCuTc5iOL2aRNcKoohPIN6wEKOjUuYGRgN2XjBH13uIMpBjKqJHxN2JbPjYj5YJ/s1600/chicago+botanic+gardens+poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJo6lZNPCyozLsyFnNuERziTcD90K7r_Ul3FeGeZUIIZNNvwkVSpYmsRsIDxvwfuM5c-qv5mSjaww8IpCuTc5iOL2aRNcKoohPIN6wEKOjUuYGRgN2XjBH13uIMpBjKqJHxN2JbPjYj5YJ/s1600/chicago+botanic+gardens+poppies.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poppies at the Chicago Botanical Garden, Chicago Fling May 2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You've heard of the annual <a href="http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Fling</a>, yes? No? Well you will now! The Garden Bloggers Flings began a millennia ago. Oh wait, make that the spring of 2008 when 30 garden bloggers got together in Austin, Texas, to check out gardens and discuss blogging. Back then I didn't even know that blogs about gardens existed! By that summer I knew and I totally fell for blogging about my garden and others'. And lucky for me I also heard about that first Fling and the fact that there would be a second one in 2009 in Chicago. Yes, I'll go! And I went, not knowing a soul or what to expect really.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnosheswP0ejiM_vFlAavk0tS7S9rkpMKElkYj1Otqm79Onhc1OGt5riYfqT8ELZY-vMl3Plnq-iBoYXi399G4vu2VILIlI3Lk2jULEAYzvZFDvqD3PJvXcMzdXILnECZw596D-YxOwahq/s1600/rick+bayless+veg+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnosheswP0ejiM_vFlAavk0tS7S9rkpMKElkYj1Otqm79Onhc1OGt5riYfqT8ELZY-vMl3Plnq-iBoYXi399G4vu2VILIlI3Lk2jULEAYzvZFDvqD3PJvXcMzdXILnECZw596D-YxOwahq/s1600/rick+bayless+veg+garden.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning about Rick Bayless's veggie garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We saw lots of beautiful gardens but what hooked me was being with kindred spirits. Everyone was into gardening of all kinds, and of course, gardeners are the nicest people. So then Elizabeth Licata and Jim Charlier from Garden Rant and Garden Walk Buffalo fame said they'd hold one the next year in Buffalo. And my addiction to Garden Blogger Flings was in full swing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDHq5DTOnytuK-0gIJFusNDtzlclUQVlAopv-T4lmKKHcl43MQqMfjo_yuXRYYC_luNg9dS7f4eyfRRzfuUEdQskHvOfckSjmLWWR6_p53QNeM-hDi-bUtYZ3TPMujqjYpV_vfa6PuA3g/s1600/Buffalo+yellow+lilies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDHq5DTOnytuK-0gIJFusNDtzlclUQVlAopv-T4lmKKHcl43MQqMfjo_yuXRYYC_luNg9dS7f4eyfRRzfuUEdQskHvOfckSjmLWWR6_p53QNeM-hDi-bUtYZ3TPMujqjYpV_vfa6PuA3g/s1600/Buffalo+yellow+lilies.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilies at the Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling, 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I fell hard for lilies at the Buffalo Fling. (I always fall for some plant or style at each Fling.) Yes, I now own a couple of lilies and can proudly say they've even bloomed for me. ;-) I was astounded by the small yards that were overflowing with blooms.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauA2xBZU6bYjPxd4PAHAMJSNXS1QQM2jO3vgAx9nZ9wX6FjEVC1OS-3WBmYU7RoU2KGU5mw2BIbQvhaiZUb4MOqkkdeBobzajEITcIFu-kDuI7eoxWLwFYfLKZ6jIS1me75fxzDuYRuQU/s1600/Buffalo+Jims+backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauA2xBZU6bYjPxd4PAHAMJSNXS1QQM2jO3vgAx9nZ9wX6FjEVC1OS-3WBmYU7RoU2KGU5mw2BIbQvhaiZUb4MOqkkdeBobzajEITcIFu-kDuI7eoxWLwFYfLKZ6jIS1me75fxzDuYRuQU/s1600/Buffalo+Jims+backyard.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan, sisters Helen and Sara (two of the hosts of the Toronto Fling), and Ani</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But the best part about the Buffalo Fling was that I was starting to get to know the individual bloggers. They are some awesome people, believe me. At Flings you get to know each other while sitting on the bus on the way to and from gardens, at dinners, at the bar, at breakfast, while shopping at some really cool nurseries... So where to the next year?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKLh71vA5B5WbBCNLJQ2QuFdW9QcA2Xu9DsgsACwZpTdeos9kwWuiIz7HkuAmrESUvFljn6FQnITLlBY8aQ4051YwTtp27mSkRs7dUTXAO3Si3H4A2hppMrJcO9P50utailaNApU8KGuW/s1600/Birrell+veggie+garden+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKLh71vA5B5WbBCNLJQ2QuFdW9QcA2Xu9DsgsACwZpTdeos9kwWuiIz7HkuAmrESUvFljn6FQnITLlBY8aQ4051YwTtp27mSkRs7dUTXAO3Si3H4A2hppMrJcO9P50utailaNApU8KGuW/s1600/Birrell+veggie+garden+entrance.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to veggie garden, Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling 2011</td></tr>
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Over to the west coast now to Seattle in 2011. My goodness, we saw and did so many cool things. The private gardens, both large and small, were inspiring. No matter that I can't grow many of the plants in my hot and humid garden in the South. I got ideas aplenty to apply.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69UTi7DnADRMwHtk_ZYKfdxYWrW5F_XVP8j_-D6Cy2mlCVmtk7BS4eVD0gmdc-dmCXxVMt5-NcAkbZOHoZVvha8np7CCif1XnGqIyIz3maCj02jgigHnAweYZAJ_dtVlAswd6iw5pRb3Q/s1600/Bloedel+cover+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69UTi7DnADRMwHtk_ZYKfdxYWrW5F_XVP8j_-D6Cy2mlCVmtk7BS4eVD0gmdc-dmCXxVMt5-NcAkbZOHoZVvha8np7CCif1XnGqIyIz3maCj02jgigHnAweYZAJ_dtVlAswd6iw5pRb3Q/s1600/Bloedel+cover+shot.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloedel Reserve and the imaginary cover shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One day we were treated to a talk by the great garden photographer, David Perry, while at Bloedel Reserve. He challenged us to an assignment - a cover shot for an imaginary magazine. My fellow Flingers had some great cover shots!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjuju5g9vfwyC_TY985VOHtwp7la40BwECNxaW1detFdV1q-16JsgS_BBTL2VtXy-DYa26KXRewwWYYlqOS2xItIaOhoiDZzUkyVIg9W3oHRIq2DoU9voQbAz1ddqdWB0h8zBtLmlVsmh/s1600/Seattle+Lisa+Gail+Cindy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjuju5g9vfwyC_TY985VOHtwp7la40BwECNxaW1detFdV1q-16JsgS_BBTL2VtXy-DYa26KXRewwWYYlqOS2xItIaOhoiDZzUkyVIg9W3oHRIq2DoU9voQbAz1ddqdWB0h8zBtLmlVsmh/s1600/Seattle+Lisa+Gail+Cindy.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa, Gail, and Cindy</td></tr>
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<br />
Speaking of fellow Flingers, above are some friends I've come to know and love over the Fling years - Lisa from South Carolina, Gail from Tennessee, and Cindy from Texas. Would I see them at the next Fling? Yes!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiGAKmIl7UasWt5-E8E7b23D3m5jf57ROhrHH_dV99IH4YZqgFLnJJ_QX6-r04R6k40kn6Ki9OCOHp90OwOPEGx0_B_hbtmYxYEweJm9uXYqCsu2RNO6clBByNQKhTT6YQPSwimlQE5ra/s1600/Asheville+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiGAKmIl7UasWt5-E8E7b23D3m5jf57ROhrHH_dV99IH4YZqgFLnJJ_QX6-r04R6k40kn6Ki9OCOHp90OwOPEGx0_B_hbtmYxYEweJm9uXYqCsu2RNO6clBByNQKhTT6YQPSwimlQE5ra/s1600/Asheville+dinner.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea, Helen, Julian, Sara, Elizabeth, Cindy, Gail, and Susan</td></tr>
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Here are some of them and more in Asheville in 2012. The Asheville Garden Bloggers Fling was a great mix of garden types. Think Upstairs Downstairs or Downton Abbey. We saw the gardens at the Biltmore Estate and funky personal gardens with handmade items and toy dump trucks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKvMZUiGEGm2jtaCIw6Dd7iMGp8XW_giZFQh9kkisz3hfOWrAWGyogf-xizvkJOXEncaa_siFAlCA-tQeLadqrj-fCIDjHyRJCC4RNSaXSgA8W_Igp4Lk7b3q_7XgkhmFurNCuSWB54BO/s1600/Asheville+Fling+-+Christopher+and+Wamboldtopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKvMZUiGEGm2jtaCIw6Dd7iMGp8XW_giZFQh9kkisz3hfOWrAWGyogf-xizvkJOXEncaa_siFAlCA-tQeLadqrj-fCIDjHyRJCC4RNSaXSgA8W_Igp4Lk7b3q_7XgkhmFurNCuSWB54BO/s1600/Asheville+Fling+-+Christopher+and+Wamboldtopia.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Asheville host, Christopher, at Wamboltopia</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHj_ZaOkusr0NcUwJAsJdBjg0E6afSJAae1AnRbVdaFwfNQ-EfHDLJO9J65BdlV_qp8iYUsuyY0kQ53Z0emOEILgmImy_yvQAIz3SWgnT87l8yynvugl7UbLOlDHtCoebxo9gArHtxPqq/s1600/Asheville+Fling+-+Biltmore+Estate+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHj_ZaOkusr0NcUwJAsJdBjg0E6afSJAae1AnRbVdaFwfNQ-EfHDLJO9J65BdlV_qp8iYUsuyY0kQ53Z0emOEILgmImy_yvQAIz3SWgnT87l8yynvugl7UbLOlDHtCoebxo9gArHtxPqq/s1600/Asheville+Fling+-+Biltmore+Estate+view.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Biltmore Estate</td></tr>
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The next year we hopped over to the San Francisco area for the 2013 Fling.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpwOi6cwEvU6RnnoCddk4W-DFjV3JG6a76oRHJTnG3z7SSvl2mwmRxMS4Nd0MLCLVV8q23_5hwBgybfi0tZfSwIgL0W7k4bcKTLZk1TweIl7CErJD2D9JPOo1GeQHGLXj9jWs5t2A7EmV/s1600/Rebecca+Sweet+backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpwOi6cwEvU6RnnoCddk4W-DFjV3JG6a76oRHJTnG3z7SSvl2mwmRxMS4Nd0MLCLVV8q23_5hwBgybfi0tZfSwIgL0W7k4bcKTLZk1TweIl7CErJD2D9JPOo1GeQHGLXj9jWs5t2A7EmV/s1600/Rebecca+Sweet+backyard.jpg" height="484" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rebecca Sweet's back yard and bird cage on the right, San Francisco Fling, 2013</td></tr>
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You can probably imagine the diversity of gardens we visited in the Bay Area. From the gardens of the Filoli estate to a vibrant little Berkeley garden to a visit to Annie's Annuals (wow!). Rebecca Sweet's garden was adorable. I coveted every thing about it!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixysvuKtjP-mfjRNE53kJXqaIoIG6fSYKcvt0j9RGHOA8idP4Kpdx-WJ4lM2IvUZQ6RfmWTKuVu2Na3VMxxS3f5a96LygWnOQ_u0AEOrPDEv5lEa8Kfa6XULrHPIO90rVc3ao92OsnsFMh/s1600/Lunch+at+Fling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixysvuKtjP-mfjRNE53kJXqaIoIG6fSYKcvt0j9RGHOA8idP4Kpdx-WJ4lM2IvUZQ6RfmWTKuVu2Na3VMxxS3f5a96LygWnOQ_u0AEOrPDEv5lEa8Kfa6XULrHPIO90rVc3ao92OsnsFMh/s1600/Lunch+at+Fling.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lunch break overlooking the town of Walnut Creek</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWR1rsAjSofPNxUapBPpQFPlsv29IbziRQBc8jWohLkd_sGw73XhrZ0R627-oQx0OdCCv3t2Y5euYUFXc0pfvwBT4UaF4aKP35A3HEaBlpZBdIMGIJE4oCLn_zSI5zKqJbYogkHbPICgz/s1600/Flingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWR1rsAjSofPNxUapBPpQFPlsv29IbziRQBc8jWohLkd_sGw73XhrZ0R627-oQx0OdCCv3t2Y5euYUFXc0pfvwBT4UaF4aKP35A3HEaBlpZBdIMGIJE4oCLn_zSI5zKqJbYogkHbPICgz/s1600/Flingers.jpg" height="378" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kylee, me, Susan, Barbara, and Andrea</td></tr>
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And naturally, a good time was had with all my Fling friends. So last year we experienced Fling in...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_pCsuPuSShSLbimSqCguLBT9ysge8xxK8sSyWIfDpubAIfiB0AU-ePSVAIM2v_1Tj-GfwNFABtdgz4LHBB5_wjRz4lc4el6p5L2ZbyBBJzq93OVDii3BH2iq13Ck7H9VZKM0_x98ZIZF/s1600/Portland+Fling+Floramagoria+back+yard+space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_pCsuPuSShSLbimSqCguLBT9ysge8xxK8sSyWIfDpubAIfiB0AU-ePSVAIM2v_1Tj-GfwNFABtdgz4LHBB5_wjRz4lc4el6p5L2ZbyBBJzq93OVDii3BH2iq13Ck7H9VZKM0_x98ZIZF/s1600/Portland+Fling+Floramagoria+back+yard+space.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floramagoria, Portland Fling, 2014</td></tr>
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... Portland, Oregon! Boy, do they know how to have fun with color. We saw lots of little gardens that were big on color punch, a playful garden full of dinosaurs (yes), large strolling gardens (one being redesigned by John Greenlee), awesome plant nurseries, and more.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ueA9BGC9paDYnqIXpO5L9H1V7-xAX3FvP0vxm7MjawnP3XNzUD-5MuDzWjzdSVWU4MiSK3Y748Y8tITFDfd3E0xLZSWlPfO_iGZm21r9-k1FSgC9NMBb03q6CFSRdfsFeIW_PenhRqPg/s1600/Portland+Fling+back+yard+nook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ueA9BGC9paDYnqIXpO5L9H1V7-xAX3FvP0vxm7MjawnP3XNzUD-5MuDzWjzdSVWU4MiSK3Y748Y8tITFDfd3E0xLZSWlPfO_iGZm21r9-k1FSgC9NMBb03q6CFSRdfsFeIW_PenhRqPg/s1600/Portland+Fling+back+yard+nook.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A restful back yard nook</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE-8MoVlYaI5pNlkwC9XyhDN9_AiMOph5ZXXGud0nDuJ6BtWeYFEhV91r9WD6Q0Mrfa4yDaY-zir1F1mRyMzMDep_1QZb-WFs9uFfvNoyRPK6exgjusTtzoiIs666JelBJhHzoofl6QLa/s1600/Portland+Fling+Danger+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE-8MoVlYaI5pNlkwC9XyhDN9_AiMOph5ZXXGud0nDuJ6BtWeYFEhV91r9WD6Q0Mrfa4yDaY-zir1F1mRyMzMDep_1QZb-WFs9uFfvNoyRPK6exgjusTtzoiIs666JelBJhHzoofl6QLa/s1600/Portland+Fling+Danger+Garden.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin from Ohio and Laura from Oregon in Danger Garden. Danger Garden is Loree's, one of the Portland hosts. I was in succulent heaven.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS6EUyO_vOEZNVDX5YajyE0Sr4phwqw0GW5xDlFnq3LN4hdUTJjxCkloMrShyphenhyphen3CSo64NSDbLZc8Homs4u8KJcvtASX1viv8JqjCsgqDoyDrsagUiCahL-qp8bRCLl7k2CrP6_7KIDiG22/s1600/Portland+Fling+Pam+and+Laura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS6EUyO_vOEZNVDX5YajyE0Sr4phwqw0GW5xDlFnq3LN4hdUTJjxCkloMrShyphenhyphen3CSo64NSDbLZc8Homs4u8KJcvtASX1viv8JqjCsgqDoyDrsagUiCahL-qp8bRCLl7k2CrP6_7KIDiG22/s1600/Portland+Fling+Pam+and+Laura.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pam, one of the original Austin Fling hosts, with Laura, also from Austin</td></tr>
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And there you have it - a mini trip through the Garden Blogger Flings that I've attended. (Believe me, you don't want to see the thousands of pictures I've taken over the years.) What keeps me coming back is the camaraderie, the chance to talk in person with my friends, the generous hosts and sponsors and garden owners, and all the wonderful gardens.<br />
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If you're a garden blogger and want the same kind of experience, what are you waiting for? Get on over to the <a href="http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Fling website</a> and sign up for the Toronto Fling to be held in early June! Oh, and did I mention the great swag from our sponsors? See you in Toronto!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-75643846119133320842015-02-22T15:41:00.001-06:002015-02-22T16:35:23.535-06:00Of Daffodils and Hellebores<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZZkM6ox4Ts7ClyfXKSoAWRs_wJS96OdJD6RFAoKtua1eERpWCZFRz3qZyR3XJcFJw6JR3d1VvGc3bG-Vuf6WV0hgj3FMZJI6KXQ4n-CZY-N8jg-Zn5DBPVZ7wwPWtW3phKfGAKbA3Ow8/s1600/Minor+Monarque+in+full+bloom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZZkM6ox4Ts7ClyfXKSoAWRs_wJS96OdJD6RFAoKtua1eERpWCZFRz3qZyR3XJcFJw6JR3d1VvGc3bG-Vuf6WV0hgj3FMZJI6KXQ4n-CZY-N8jg-Zn5DBPVZ7wwPWtW3phKfGAKbA3Ow8/s1600/Minor+Monarque+in+full+bloom.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Minor Monarque', <i>Narcissus </i>x <i>italicus</i></td></tr>
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Goodness, I've gotten hooked on heirloom plants, and daffodils and hellebores can be some of the more confusing ones when it comes to correct nomenclature for these old beauties. But hey, it gives me something to work on when the skies are gray and the wind is cold. And fortunately for me, the daffs and hellebores (aka Lenten roses) are just starting to put on a show. I know for a fact that the daffodil above, 'Minor Monarque', is its true name but that's only because I bought it from <a href="http://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a>! This one can bloom very early, but so far it is not reliable for me on the bloom front. Its leaves are always the first to come up, usually in December, but that means they often get nipped by freezes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CZ0rppDuiKeVvTqfYu-dz3pRbE5T0erxE583YQQUEd1pKAMrp0MBXa__h6xzBCZhEye3PTR_56Zaoh9iD3vhGTjbPB-s9UabaUXGnRDYbwteXYzHVkaD7IAVyFTafJ0WgOUofAgWg9FE/s1600/Possibly+Grand+Primo+daffodil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CZ0rppDuiKeVvTqfYu-dz3pRbE5T0erxE583YQQUEd1pKAMrp0MBXa__h6xzBCZhEye3PTR_56Zaoh9iD3vhGTjbPB-s9UabaUXGnRDYbwteXYzHVkaD7IAVyFTafJ0WgOUofAgWg9FE/s1600/Possibly+Grand+Primo+daffodil.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some kind of tazetta narcisuss, possibly 'Grand Primo'</td></tr>
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The name of this tazetta type of daffodil is unknown to me, though I'm thinking it might be 'Grand Primo'. I rescued the bulbs from an old farmhouse a few years ago. You wouldn't believe how many daffodils were growing at this place - it was awesome! I have a few pics from the rescue <a href="http://www.diggrowcompostblog.com/2011/03/march-gbbd-plus-daffodil-rescue.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoC0rbU_gRktpwnpAqFWcYyf3okf6b_tIgjGXKZMobQAzF8pK7e96PDRd_qh7oqwXLWASqITwy_ISaXJUM3JEZi5jxuLe_8Zmbwtp74izMy_FPvUJN4HIa6qtoyMIFyT-MrgStoAzzH87/s1600/Trevithian+bloom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoC0rbU_gRktpwnpAqFWcYyf3okf6b_tIgjGXKZMobQAzF8pK7e96PDRd_qh7oqwXLWASqITwy_ISaXJUM3JEZi5jxuLe_8Zmbwtp74izMy_FPvUJN4HIa6qtoyMIFyT-MrgStoAzzH87/s1600/Trevithian+bloom.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Trevithian', I think</td></tr>
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Although my garden journal, which is simply a Word doc that gets recreated each year, is over 30 pages long, I don't have a record of planting these 'Trevithian' daffodils in that spot. (Arg, I'm just terrible at documenting where I finally find a place for bulbs - I need to quit buying/rescuing them!) I hope you can at least see that these daffs get at least 2-3 blooms per stem. And they're a very deep yellow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzygBP6cTCx7x3W6elG2dUaAhA_jvIUw2f9Gs1jia9sByQQOVE0BJLVD7zy6m9K5SS5Q5jm2iGqRAlnED1rIU_1oqr0nhBChgfmuHN2iytp6Q0seaD1RVuw11MpLWOV_YB-xJuG4biDTXk/s1600/Narcissus+x+intermedius+jonquil+Texas+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzygBP6cTCx7x3W6elG2dUaAhA_jvIUw2f9Gs1jia9sByQQOVE0BJLVD7zy6m9K5SS5Q5jm2iGqRAlnED1rIU_1oqr0nhBChgfmuHN2iytp6Q0seaD1RVuw11MpLWOV_YB-xJuG4biDTXk/s1600/Narcissus+x+intermedius+jonquil+Texas+star.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Narcissus </i>x <i>intermedius</i>, aka sweeties or Texas star jonquils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I got these little jonquils from Celia Jones, an expert in all things narcissus and its nomenclature. Author Greg Grant says they are a natural cross between <i>N. jonquilla</i> and <i>N. tazetta</i>. These grow wild along Interstate 20, and they're just about the only wildflowers the state will let grow there for some strange reason!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6R9SydF_RqkCgPQwJYzRDcTSMAFcyMVex2higKnrLguX3BzbNfWOjnrVOTnvRvL86h5_HScQKUXm999zm67pgVDh8FFH5B8UwIAL1tsEUGUDXnMTNzoWPUNLnF8f9iuaWfqqbxNwgBEn/s1600/Single+Ice+Follies+daffodil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6R9SydF_RqkCgPQwJYzRDcTSMAFcyMVex2higKnrLguX3BzbNfWOjnrVOTnvRvL86h5_HScQKUXm999zm67pgVDh8FFH5B8UwIAL1tsEUGUDXnMTNzoWPUNLnF8f9iuaWfqqbxNwgBEn/s1600/Single+Ice+Follies+daffodil.jpg" height="470" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first 'Ice Follies' daffodil of the season in my yard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The front corner of my yard is planted heavily with 'Ice Follies' daffodils (the story of how I got them is in the aforementioned blog post <a href="http://www.diggrowcompostblog.com/2011/03/march-gbbd-plus-daffodil-rescue.html" target="_blank">here</a>). They're usually blooming in March but this guy couldn't wait. What I'm really liking about this patch of daffodils is the fact that other daffs are starting to bloom there now, not just 'Ice Follies'.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehkTA9mtlfg16xgL-KAPkPKVlf0NCSiViWAmOm93_oEskDOzugcHk8o6dxl_-yBvSryRJJWp9mufkQjgzPuarWWP5480OrFSqtoRHwhLNQZjpdd5wQvuA4T1olBBHqH-uJTWgSRFrnm2X/s1600/butter+and+eggs+daffodil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehkTA9mtlfg16xgL-KAPkPKVlf0NCSiViWAmOm93_oEskDOzugcHk8o6dxl_-yBvSryRJJWp9mufkQjgzPuarWWP5480OrFSqtoRHwhLNQZjpdd5wQvuA4T1olBBHqH-uJTWgSRFrnm2X/s1600/butter+and+eggs+daffodil.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter and eggs daffodil, <i>N. incomporablis aurantius plenus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One last daffodil - the old classic called butter and eggs. I know this is the correct ID since I bought this from <a href="http://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a>. They say "buyer beware" when it comes to this one since many double daffodils are called by this name.<br />
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More daffodils and other bulbs will be blooming shortly, yay!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_otlo1dIbiBox5h9M7Kzue3CRxK_rAmbVwHJIUrWeQYYBFAbIYYLv86qf4k6ocyjFAE3crKtLIJdpOjvu1lsQBRr0rEaP-fJ5OsQOk1_MEm4f18UNym2_y4KOukd2W6BmrUL9e4Ainf6/s1600/Joker+hellebore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_otlo1dIbiBox5h9M7Kzue3CRxK_rAmbVwHJIUrWeQYYBFAbIYYLv86qf4k6ocyjFAE3crKtLIJdpOjvu1lsQBRr0rEaP-fJ5OsQOk1_MEm4f18UNym2_y4KOukd2W6BmrUL9e4Ainf6/s1600/Joker+hellebore.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joker hellebore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've blogged about Joker hellebore before. I can't get over how many blooms, upright ones at that, are on this plant. It's not an heirloom (far from it) but it's a keeper.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEtttJ3rEwq8JtDSwN7mzm2s77K2L8sD0gr00TL72-3_mzw5MBfTnv_WqCK6aT6o7OY84dhTMEtk8Avl250U14dJdoVmDUymHRCv_bmu_WwftGhYO5aK4vMkm0l433W7tGJAkcvyhZJcn/s1600/Hellebore+from+MG+sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEtttJ3rEwq8JtDSwN7mzm2s77K2L8sD0gr00TL72-3_mzw5MBfTnv_WqCK6aT6o7OY84dhTMEtk8Avl250U14dJdoVmDUymHRCv_bmu_WwftGhYO5aK4vMkm0l433W7tGJAkcvyhZJcn/s1600/Hellebore+from+MG+sale.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore, unknown variety</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I bought this cute little pink spotted hellebore at a passalong sale that my Master Gardeners group had last fall. It obviously didn't need much time to settle in before blooming. The sometimes confusing thing about hellebore varieties is that they frequently hybridize without any help from us. Even though I have this urge to classify any plant I see, I'm okay with unknown hellebores because they are so darn easy to grow and bloom for several months.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkhXuQ-UIqegthwjMdufDw5pTOJmiLm-EfgoxawOiqMa5ep4D8kEKKVD9HiQxqrcJyj2Q9CvD69nX2kY6tLWJUYv0inUnfd67c32OWQil4SEvnFUZwih7m_TNV2Xmd0lIPHcFSvhQtQQY/s1600/spotted+white+hellebore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkhXuQ-UIqegthwjMdufDw5pTOJmiLm-EfgoxawOiqMa5ep4D8kEKKVD9HiQxqrcJyj2Q9CvD69nX2kY6tLWJUYv0inUnfd67c32OWQil4SEvnFUZwih7m_TNV2Xmd0lIPHcFSvhQtQQY/s1600/spotted+white+hellebore.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another unknown hellebore variety</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Many of the hellebore varieties for sale are hybrids of <i>Helleborus orientalis</i> and other related species. Have you seen or grown the frilly picotee ones? I swoon. If only they were more widely available at nurseries. Maybe then they wouldn't cost so much and I would have a few of those picotee ones, too. :-)<br />
<br />
So there's my dip into the sometimes confusing world of daffodils and hellebores. Chin up folks! Spring will come. It always does!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-5623494902094711832015-01-31T12:12:00.001-06:002015-01-31T12:12:51.690-06:00A Quick Look at My Winter Garden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oPp7Yqk4TjcEsbBFOhci1tjvCipKk_lrgQAFxcFVPlFhutUOR5eQfS8-sufjLaFyj7UEqZetBcjVz4hkg5V3Mm5Ea2M_rtUAaDYn8UXMVQVJbar_V-pXye9PEfMBv3Qp-UdRP32ajdt1/s1600/Narcissus+pseudonarcissus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oPp7Yqk4TjcEsbBFOhci1tjvCipKk_lrgQAFxcFVPlFhutUOR5eQfS8-sufjLaFyj7UEqZetBcjVz4hkg5V3Mm5Ea2M_rtUAaDYn8UXMVQVJbar_V-pXye9PEfMBv3Qp-UdRP32ajdt1/s1600/Narcissus+pseudonarcissus.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lent lily, <i>Narcissus pseudonarcissus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While most gardens in North America are sleeping, including most of my garden, there are a few harbingers of spring around here. These daffodils, identified by Scott Kunst of <a href="https://www.oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a> as Lent lilies, are almost always the first daffs to bloom for me. They're only about 6 inches tall so the blooms are not huge, but they are a cheerful way to perk up winter.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2JEntJq9Au6WmVsWUGJoUKVcpSbGMRIOuyKt_7VJP0Ke5gaqepH6qNjN1p-LtWz88i9DVhnTcirE9PIM0T5CcGc881x7v_-EkAYlWuU6sqdmuHnbQSYp3O5fG0mX_A-2EnEJ1YLoQ08R/s1600/Joker+hellebore+and+Lent+lilies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2JEntJq9Au6WmVsWUGJoUKVcpSbGMRIOuyKt_7VJP0Ke5gaqepH6qNjN1p-LtWz88i9DVhnTcirE9PIM0T5CcGc881x7v_-EkAYlWuU6sqdmuHnbQSYp3O5fG0mX_A-2EnEJ1YLoQ08R/s1600/Joker+hellebore+and+Lent+lilies.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joker hellebore and Lent lilies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
More Lent lilies accompany the blooms of this fantastic hellebore - Joker (<i>Helleborus </i>'HGC Joker'). Joker is the first hellebore to bloom for me and it blooms reliably for months. I could probably cut back a few leaves to show off the blooms more.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVo3o8SoTKhHGuah_QuDCY3N56znNCue6O-DhuFPgG0yBJNZ9w6G258v5lyR3Q1CukQtAFgVtgPG5DMYhi3vtQZue0j3VT5bqFCYFqt1aenI52ZJBkntKDXmra8v23kCcvkfZTpmSiXfz/s1600/spider+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVo3o8SoTKhHGuah_QuDCY3N56znNCue6O-DhuFPgG0yBJNZ9w6G258v5lyR3Q1CukQtAFgVtgPG5DMYhi3vtQZue0j3VT5bqFCYFqt1aenI52ZJBkntKDXmra8v23kCcvkfZTpmSiXfz/s1600/spider+web.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what insect made this. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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About a week and a half ago we had a lovely foggy morning. I found this dew-covered web on one of my salvias but it was gone the next day. Hmm...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WF1yYKdTgAdX7KzR8nUPRxkuU1_vd1-xcr6iC3tSU6jp8R02qWXewIb_NcMq6uuOazAU6DZP0vLE_k4jRT5NptIPqb7W47qrJX5JdDg1awOBgRCimZmmO_eaJF3rR0s0bnQoBhG1zKbs/s1600/Backyard+in+fog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WF1yYKdTgAdX7KzR8nUPRxkuU1_vd1-xcr6iC3tSU6jp8R02qWXewIb_NcMq6uuOazAU6DZP0vLE_k4jRT5NptIPqb7W47qrJX5JdDg1awOBgRCimZmmO_eaJF3rR0s0bnQoBhG1zKbs/s1600/Backyard+in+fog.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like fog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianz5m6d45H_M4CoUSp3o554C_dc6b6DP3OVxK_0EFrBFNWC7UcEAYRIu8bRNq5I1H15KL9KvMdv-9N3DJQwFkJst3E0NA7M_bUuDH5XE97-1ZAWVuzBrljVcsiGPUPGmwcD89PBKDRvQb/s1600/backyard+in+winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianz5m6d45H_M4CoUSp3o554C_dc6b6DP3OVxK_0EFrBFNWC7UcEAYRIu8bRNq5I1H15KL9KvMdv-9N3DJQwFkJst3E0NA7M_bUuDH5XE97-1ZAWVuzBrljVcsiGPUPGmwcD89PBKDRvQb/s1600/backyard+in+winter.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden is sleeping, for the most part.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While strolling around with camera in hand looking for signs of spring life, I remembered to look up, not something I do very often! Here you can see another view of the backyard. The flags are marking where an edge will be placed and the grass (and weeds) from there towards the camera will be removed. It'll be the start of my tiny woodland garden. We'll see if what's in my head comes anywhere near reality!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggseqmcPz8zX1ATB-oHtE1ppfbkEFEZeMBjujlUrUWk9krSfM5AC_dIOxGiNUeCIrYg5kcCKeaR0H30fo8FMGdMhAYmNCnKVt5nXJNzduz2WJZcv5hus3_37DESuARkoSaZwcTFcCSEk-w/s1600/Pearl+Maxwell+Camellia+japonica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggseqmcPz8zX1ATB-oHtE1ppfbkEFEZeMBjujlUrUWk9krSfM5AC_dIOxGiNUeCIrYg5kcCKeaR0H30fo8FMGdMhAYmNCnKVt5nXJNzduz2WJZcv5hus3_37DESuARkoSaZwcTFcCSEk-w/s1600/Pearl+Maxwell+Camellia+japonica.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Camellia japonica</i> 'Pearl Maxwell'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This is the first bloom to open on my one and only japonica. Here's hoping there are no more hard freezes!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVK8uf27NCS1phWvmh0S9h8xW2l4aE2ojvItOUUAmXyrYCuMxdJ6HCOMWEXSQdQrpGwMdFzueO5tzPbm5jqoZE6ReibH-s60_upfSwfxryJh27IqCOIgbv7VL2sXn2tbg3r_s6zSwdUxD/s1600/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVK8uf27NCS1phWvmh0S9h8xW2l4aE2ojvItOUUAmXyrYCuMxdJ6HCOMWEXSQdQrpGwMdFzueO5tzPbm5jqoZE6ReibH-s60_upfSwfxryJh27IqCOIgbv7VL2sXn2tbg3r_s6zSwdUxD/s1600/Peggy+Clark+flowering+apricot+and+bee.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Peggy Clark' flowering apricot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
'Peggy Clark' is still in full bloom (she started to bloom around January 1). The tree is humming with bees! I'm glad I have a little something for them.<br />
<br />
That's a quick tour of my winter backyard. I can't wait for the garden to fully wake up though!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-64405390448571340502015-01-23T11:08:00.000-06:002015-01-23T11:08:17.361-06:00A Japanese Garden in Winter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvgozHQEmzGd01zSSotD525eeLyd57p2NpLbPo-Z2ZJBNTO5IH1z4p_MRM7Mt4meOr6emAnnaCOsn-_0IJtpErPbnqWvtzYJY3YY-FXX355NQRhYknXrAbi097AgorzFs8No9pdtyeL9C/s1600/Descano+Gardens+maple+and+teahouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvgozHQEmzGd01zSSotD525eeLyd57p2NpLbPo-Z2ZJBNTO5IH1z4p_MRM7Mt4meOr6emAnnaCOsn-_0IJtpErPbnqWvtzYJY3YY-FXX355NQRhYknXrAbi097AgorzFs8No9pdtyeL9C/s1600/Descano+Gardens+maple+and+teahouse.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Descano Gardens' blue-tiled Japanese teahouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
During the holidays I accompanied my husband on a short research trip to the Los Angeles area. For me, it was a garden-seeking trip. I spent an entire day at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, which was pretty amazing and deserves its own post. The next day I drove into the foothills of La Cañada Flintridge to see <a href="https://www.descansogardens.org/" target="_blank">Descano Gardens</a>. Descano Gardens is an interesting mix of garden types, mostly highlighting southern Californian plants, but also showcasing other odd bits such as a rose garden, a Japanese garden, and an extensive collection of camellias (disturbingly procured from two nurseries during the Japanese-American internment of World War II).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVsdepZgzHcLbk3A_V5VayQwnCFbxQJnO0FYa29i35CheiVary9R_d1pEcJcNUbUFqFycPup_7Y1CAwA4gReDYT9sJ3i1Cf8kqTxRvBU6w04U19TO45rd0w7j0PfUhyW9cXfiQswC1INg/s1600/Descano+Gardens+fountain+and+lantern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVsdepZgzHcLbk3A_V5VayQwnCFbxQJnO0FYa29i35CheiVary9R_d1pEcJcNUbUFqFycPup_7Y1CAwA4gReDYT9sJ3i1Cf8kqTxRvBU6w04U19TO45rd0w7j0PfUhyW9cXfiQswC1INg/s1600/Descano+Gardens+fountain+and+lantern.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sozu water fountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since I arrived early to the gardens, and since I'd had to endure zillions of people touring the Japanese garden at the Huntington, I decided to head first to the Japanese garden here. It was small but incredibly peaceful and serene. And yes, I was the only one in it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KonHt4nfM9TnpjgCyWPP6gdJIW_QH6dlGdFmOe3U0x0ikCvS1ntqAJMf1W0In7YYpg7ZpJku0gJBvbmAbz6fc0gAbwViE4MePKYvVbHe7Xn-TU4MGx8HCt0qkLajuvFGu7HVtFY4VQyY/s1600/Descano+Gardens+teahouse+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KonHt4nfM9TnpjgCyWPP6gdJIW_QH6dlGdFmOe3U0x0ikCvS1ntqAJMf1W0In7YYpg7ZpJku0gJBvbmAbz6fc0gAbwViE4MePKYvVbHe7Xn-TU4MGx8HCt0qkLajuvFGu7HVtFY4VQyY/s1600/Descano+Gardens+teahouse+lights.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want some of these!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Full Moon Teahouse, seen here and in the first photo, was built in 1966 yet looked brand new. I really loved these lights. The teahouse is open in summer for tea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peak at the arched bridge and the farmhouse in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Though nothing was in bloom at this time, and of course, very few Japanese gardens depend on blooms, the diversity in textures and interesting pathways still held a lot of interest for me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arched bridge and stream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There was a koi pond and a stream that meandered throughout the small space. And as you can see from a few of the photos, one Japanese maple was mostly still full of leaves. I don't know whether the leaves of that tree are always red, or if they had turned for fall/winter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koi pond</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The last photo I leave you with is mostly a study in reflections. I appreciated the simple beauty of this Japanese garden.<br />
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I've seen quite a few Japanese gardens over the years. Though they all share common traits, I've found myself truly favoring only a few of them. But this one I've added to my favorites list.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2015. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-31093315542263614452014-12-15T17:23:00.003-06:002014-12-16T12:41:40.153-06:00December Bloom Day, Help Needed, and Teaser<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1U5Dih3fnE-WmqRHR5k6cQdYV7v_KY3yAG_n84sC5ATW7p-c170IPskZzxsrqq3ZO364KBxAksH2KeBNj8TBUr8-epGa7sAoWqjmxPkMV7YHd3UXS_ctkxiNNfg7WdHZ_ogCtrxosvRH/s1600/Eupatorium+viburnoides+Viburnum+mistflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1U5Dih3fnE-WmqRHR5k6cQdYV7v_KY3yAG_n84sC5ATW7p-c170IPskZzxsrqq3ZO364KBxAksH2KeBNj8TBUr8-epGa7sAoWqjmxPkMV7YHd3UXS_ctkxiNNfg7WdHZ_ogCtrxosvRH/s1600/Eupatorium+viburnoides+Viburnum+mistflower.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viburnum mistflower, <i>Eupatorium viburnoides</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was surprised this morning to see that it was already <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2014/12/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-december-2014.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> for December. Where does the time go?? So late this afternoon I went into the garden expecting only to find the plant above, viburnum mistflower, in bloom. But I also found a few more! Back to this plant - I love it because of its late blooms (normally in November but I think the early hard freezes delayed it a bit). It's about the only plant that I see the native pollinators on this time of year. It was swarming with them! It's lightly fragrant, woody and about 6 feet tall now, and, I think, hard to find. If you do find one, snap it up!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKlA1r1JGUbU0lQWNFArYefnMNqVjzP9sDFICyul0-f088SdgcistiarbERPvHDBqRaPbukRrjy9g4RfLHzh3P49o0DYxjL1FBUL3eCuErA0xrLEELshK61RG4WsQ5ZwK3b1VrmZAVC0K/s1600/Midnight+Glow+pansy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKlA1r1JGUbU0lQWNFArYefnMNqVjzP9sDFICyul0-f088SdgcistiarbERPvHDBqRaPbukRrjy9g4RfLHzh3P49o0DYxjL1FBUL3eCuErA0xrLEELshK61RG4WsQ5ZwK3b1VrmZAVC0K/s1600/Midnight+Glow+pansy.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midnight Glow pansy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'm not usually much of a pansy person. I think they're pretty and all, and I think they look great in containers, but they've never really done much for me when I see them in gardens. They get kind of lost sometimes. Or they're lined up like regimented soldiers. But much to my surprise I got over my aversion to petunias by planting the Wave variety, so I thought maybe there was hope for my pansy aversion. This is a very pretty pansy with big blooms, but I'm still reserving judgement on all pansies in the garden (mine at least) until spring. :-)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxyElsQIJCD0q8AZvoLXPfQNP1Qw_Am5CpTO9BSTtzQLa5obPHpuIft7blHNcBpjDKGqlti02QczpgdkbBtMqpUaN92z_TpyYeu8FUmxITtJdrD6vpzB7lpRpc7NTjI8mJx8Bj1NDXdN7/s1600/Rosemary+blooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxyElsQIJCD0q8AZvoLXPfQNP1Qw_Am5CpTO9BSTtzQLa5obPHpuIft7blHNcBpjDKGqlti02QczpgdkbBtMqpUaN92z_TpyYeu8FUmxITtJdrD6vpzB7lpRpc7NTjI8mJx8Bj1NDXdN7/s1600/Rosemary+blooms.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blooming rosemary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's beginning to be that time of year again - time for the rosemary to bloom. Oh, I should have snapped a photo of the sweet olive, too! Such a heavenly scent, but only during the cooler months.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNNPjyK5v2voSTaSyFgj_83vUoG2E0FuiS2lTbB3jVM5T8pNNJO0JdLN_HRTHCz_vu1pILiDqXt7YCmKLDg27GlHGgoFLK9rLr1O7rbkgLbZfwtkwsEUZDuKEklgXmPM42tOdlVcn6TCs/s1600/Burkwood+viburnum+fall+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNNPjyK5v2voSTaSyFgj_83vUoG2E0FuiS2lTbB3jVM5T8pNNJO0JdLN_HRTHCz_vu1pILiDqXt7YCmKLDg27GlHGgoFLK9rLr1O7rbkgLbZfwtkwsEUZDuKEklgXmPM42tOdlVcn6TCs/s1600/Burkwood+viburnum+fall+colors.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burkwood viburnum, <i>Viburnum</i> x <i>burkwoodii</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Okay, these are not blooms but they're colorful nonetheless. A few weeks ago the fall colors were brilliant around here (and elsewhere). This viburnum is about the only one left with much color. It's semi-deciduous and doesn't always put on such a pretty show in the fall/winter. Earlier in the year it was mangled by a large oak tree limb that fell on it. But it's seems to have survived just fine.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj170NhTzcKydpQbT-bOr0TIHc5TZyf_PIgWhmi3jXCtuzQ1BmLGJNOqkpz31xr9prsYeXlnfCR0cxZfeS2qXT1eD1ThXKL_JZH29seGcxCszKSAUKaJsBI-hHyhUn81GYruWKD8TAQGaH1/s1600/light+purple+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj170NhTzcKydpQbT-bOr0TIHc5TZyf_PIgWhmi3jXCtuzQ1BmLGJNOqkpz31xr9prsYeXlnfCR0cxZfeS2qXT1eD1ThXKL_JZH29seGcxCszKSAUKaJsBI-hHyhUn81GYruWKD8TAQGaH1/s1600/light+purple+flower.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need some help with this one - the name escapes me! I know some of you know what it's called so please let me know. HELP FOUND! It's pincushion flower, <i>Scabiosa </i>sp. Thanks everyone!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGUXuS880TWshVnN5Bxgfvo7NF44ouWXDhZShn-KLJfQIr5UV3nJSW_FObERZssIWeKiNVqZ32jLV7vZda7bmJ-qiD50jfVtxdrb4vOgNv89WxrxHRzXecng38jwT5FdE0MwdIpC_WfFT/s1600/Lizard+Lips+blooms+indoors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGUXuS880TWshVnN5Bxgfvo7NF44ouWXDhZShn-KLJfQIr5UV3nJSW_FObERZssIWeKiNVqZ32jLV7vZda7bmJ-qiD50jfVtxdrb4vOgNv89WxrxHRzXecng38jwT5FdE0MwdIpC_WfFT/s1600/Lizard+Lips+blooms+indoors.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizard Lips aloe blooms, indoors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And now here is my teaser below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3O9MjKFXeKzabgG_dKouIrsXUXtYAAn2O78AWV5lI1DyuBh2Xka9JSWyFiplEvU-ni1qJLC8-otw2hG9u-8OmbRAtJQXIutLpTyHnd-ezzx68X_eYq5wWTOwHHBMFUKbsBHOyT-VAe2e/s1600/Beginning+Steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3O9MjKFXeKzabgG_dKouIrsXUXtYAAn2O78AWV5lI1DyuBh2Xka9JSWyFiplEvU-ni1qJLC8-otw2hG9u-8OmbRAtJQXIutLpTyHnd-ezzx68X_eYq5wWTOwHHBMFUKbsBHOyT-VAe2e/s1600/Beginning+Steps.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Not a bloom either but it's exciting for me! This is the beginning of a timber and gravel set of steps from the raised beds down to the mini-deck and pergola. Stay tuned for more.<br />
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I know there are bound to be some more blooms around the world right now. To see them go to Carol's blog at <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2014/12/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-december-2014.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Garden</a>!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2014. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-77289871366134463482014-10-21T20:25:00.000-05:002014-10-21T20:25:59.564-05:00Fall Surprises<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRHaP5MQkRyGytMAo1UjbhkOdybzCXfDyxOzR6VeLesecmAUkS3UP_PLcrH-yk7HFzZVfDuSPFsHXYI0T-Oe2rZJiLgHfqUZYesKwaKeCcAYMPVEotuAm7BH7uF3603b7ER3Y3WVSUzv-/s1600/blue+pickerel+and+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRHaP5MQkRyGytMAo1UjbhkOdybzCXfDyxOzR6VeLesecmAUkS3UP_PLcrH-yk7HFzZVfDuSPFsHXYI0T-Oe2rZJiLgHfqUZYesKwaKeCcAYMPVEotuAm7BH7uF3603b7ER3Y3WVSUzv-/s1600/blue+pickerel+and+bee.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue pickerel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Fall is here, hallelujah! And with it come a few surprises in the garden and life in general. Probably one of the biggest surprises is that I'm finally doing a blog post, haha! First one since late June. And I've seen a boatload of beautiful gardens since then and lots of things have been happening in my own garden. What can I say except that I've been super busy? But that's always been one of my excuses. Onward... I thought I'd show a few of the happenings here that have been both little and big surprises for me in the last two months. First up is the blue pickerel. I bought it for my stock tank pond just for its height. Little did I know how much the bees and hummingbirds would like it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYpMVpiZ8NInLG_U6sPcsr6LG1fxa57MIJ8bSQt0HgWkPcdpTJAomfgv-aGh0irX2NFwt0tttetaqJZaO4WmqCXNZzJLBC79WW3fpBe9_lajsj3NaECu9fPc657PuV6nD2ZNW7KI2pMPL/s1600/Isaii+beautyberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYpMVpiZ8NInLG_U6sPcsr6LG1fxa57MIJ8bSQt0HgWkPcdpTJAomfgv-aGh0irX2NFwt0tttetaqJZaO4WmqCXNZzJLBC79WW3fpBe9_lajsj3NaECu9fPc657PuV6nD2ZNW7KI2pMPL/s1600/Isaii+beautyberry.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i>Callicarpa dichotoma</i> ‘Issai’ - beautyberry</span><!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
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<br />
Though beautyberry is not that surprising, this cultivar called 'Issai' produces tons of light purple berries that are immediately eaten by all the birds in my backyard. They're eating these berries while the plant is still making them! By now all the berries are gone. Another surprise is that this plant is supposed to be about 3-4 feet by 3-4 feet. Mine is 4 feet tall by 9 feet wide!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBso6vINrdJxrxmgqWjZRQXvoETvJVBZQFtjXIFNfRxMtGU-H2p6VxNP5GkTb6t1QnOHI0LIp3jedWFE6paxgQFlLYSmNZn0CRB9wkW7qH2lW62ILjSSMPwC4W_W7xIcpGUJ4rQZYiQ8B/s1600/Lycoris+radiata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBso6vINrdJxrxmgqWjZRQXvoETvJVBZQFtjXIFNfRxMtGU-H2p6VxNP5GkTb6t1QnOHI0LIp3jedWFE6paxgQFlLYSmNZn0CRB9wkW7qH2lW62ILjSSMPwC4W_W7xIcpGUJ4rQZYiQ8B/s1600/Lycoris+radiata.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lycoris radiata</i>, aka spider lily, amongst 'Compact Margie' sweet potato vine</td></tr>
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<br />
We had a great showing of spider lilies all around town this year. I love how you can never predict where they'll show up. I know the general vicinity of most of them but I always get surprises like this one.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCvar42OCWqaY8n76pbb0mYNFacdM-djd-l9x0NvXKTLsqUk_RsD0zURgaE1v1lwwtwe7T4nnSEBRu_2TkJH7nra0LfrFFRQMPHdfbNxwBnL8yoCk9cYhDWWKik7xN6KYEEFMp2o7P7i6/s1600/Amistad+salvia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCvar42OCWqaY8n76pbb0mYNFacdM-djd-l9x0NvXKTLsqUk_RsD0zURgaE1v1lwwtwe7T4nnSEBRu_2TkJH7nra0LfrFFRQMPHdfbNxwBnL8yoCk9cYhDWWKik7xN6KYEEFMp2o7P7i6/s1600/Amistad+salvia.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Amistad' salvia</td></tr>
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<br />
Okay, it's no surprise that I like salvias. What did surprise me was my failed attempt to grow a salvia that didn't make it through a relatively mild 2012-2013 winter. It was a freebie 'Amistad' salvia from Southern Living Plants, so I let them know of that issue. Then I totally forgot about it until two of them showed up on my doorstep this June. I have been LOVING them ever since. They're not too tall, maybe 3 feet by 3 feet, and they bloom nonstop, no joke.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj8pYPdZSofdIxi6sTHNT2XtCH4VDMdZ2FbGhyphenhyphenjW0oq0weKhWTava_6Psw7ADFAQ8eqS07cHW7s4wzdq7xugNcFZbVqQNDAVvNmAw4-zMvxGo1nWg7Vx35CaZjIZ8ZZ0Kem02DQ-XP7L8/s1600/milkweed+assassin+bug+and+garlic+chives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj8pYPdZSofdIxi6sTHNT2XtCH4VDMdZ2FbGhyphenhyphenjW0oq0weKhWTava_6Psw7ADFAQ8eqS07cHW7s4wzdq7xugNcFZbVqQNDAVvNmAw4-zMvxGo1nWg7Vx35CaZjIZ8ZZ0Kem02DQ-XP7L8/s1600/milkweed+assassin+bug+and+garlic+chives.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milkweed assassin bug and bee on garlic chives</td></tr>
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<br />
I had a fun time watching this milkweed assassin bug waiting for potential victims. Every time a bee landed, he turned to face it. I never did see a capture, though.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPF-cPcB-NzETgg0zb6huhfrzgmD8lpskUrkqhU2cCZYtO7qcu-GVcltDyMClEoFYSuHafn58IDxUsaCLzWgsUcd7kbjFiZxjgZYGZGdkg8ub-zZS2RaW4QEmPLbauyez74SUr1msBktI/s1600/milkweed+bugs+on+milkweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPF-cPcB-NzETgg0zb6huhfrzgmD8lpskUrkqhU2cCZYtO7qcu-GVcltDyMClEoFYSuHafn58IDxUsaCLzWgsUcd7kbjFiZxjgZYGZGdkg8ub-zZS2RaW4QEmPLbauyez74SUr1msBktI/s1600/milkweed+bugs+on+milkweed.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milkweed bugs and nymphs on milkweed</td></tr>
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<br />
Speaking of milkweed, here are some different insects - the milkweed bug and its nymphs. They are certainly startling when first viewed! They suck the sap from the milkweed pods. I didn't see them on any other plants, and plenty of seed escaped unharmed (as you can see below). But I did end up squishing some when they got too plentiful.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-Ild7fU-PRPIAadQeHaRWSgPpP0J0YKEsFcmqNT6dTKN6OuKLgHEhDsnqZd9tcbTTHk_id1bG7ZMKm4E4O2CE4V5JPOCSS3nDWe0eJ0uPGGbVI3F51clLNtNBzXfN0ugHSgEl8i3j5tp/s1600/milkweed+bugs+and+milkweed+seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-Ild7fU-PRPIAadQeHaRWSgPpP0J0YKEsFcmqNT6dTKN6OuKLgHEhDsnqZd9tcbTTHk_id1bG7ZMKm4E4O2CE4V5JPOCSS3nDWe0eJ0uPGGbVI3F51clLNtNBzXfN0ugHSgEl8i3j5tp/s1600/milkweed+bugs+and+milkweed+seeds.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milkweed bugs and nymphs with milkweed seed</td></tr>
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<br />
The surprise with these milkweed seeds was the feel of the "coma," the silk-like threads that the actual seeds hang on. I swear they're as soft as kitten fur!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkXioFuUcRTvcI1IiKOHX7LZP9CsCYQe_qXnFDASzJKkoLjyJJDTVPoK_54ivDSs0gifZxwnrz-XvFRPiRaLreTWbmkQ3YaLQmg4l4sS55Ucnh0Mc9D46ywk9qweiKjNCxvwcXINPhLt2/s1600/oxblood+lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkXioFuUcRTvcI1IiKOHX7LZP9CsCYQe_qXnFDASzJKkoLjyJJDTVPoK_54ivDSs0gifZxwnrz-XvFRPiRaLreTWbmkQ3YaLQmg4l4sS55Ucnh0Mc9D46ywk9qweiKjNCxvwcXINPhLt2/s1600/oxblood+lily.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oxblood lily, <i>Rhodophiala bifida</i>, aka hurricane or schoolhouse lily</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've planted quite a few 'Hill Country Red' heirloom oxblood lilies here and there but gotten very few blooms. But this year I had great success! I think it may be because I've finally started to get the graveyard grasshoppers under control, and maybe they just needed to settle in a bit. Sometimes bulbs are like that. BTW, I love the size of the ones I get from <a href="http://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a>. I actually ordered more of them after this year's wonderful show.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui08KwItOcW59YQ-suEUfY6StEGS5gNhB3tdgF5GdSJa__3sgbsTOVmWYTiGqcNc87povLVp9ignaqgP804ZCMiiznaLwvgXdDZc3wmH3b7s9CL6Yd73TN4bBPSjqRGuMv7RrDvUpmdGW/s1600/caterpillar+on+Chinese+hibiscus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui08KwItOcW59YQ-suEUfY6StEGS5gNhB3tdgF5GdSJa__3sgbsTOVmWYTiGqcNc87povLVp9ignaqgP804ZCMiiznaLwvgXdDZc3wmH3b7s9CL6Yd73TN4bBPSjqRGuMv7RrDvUpmdGW/s1600/caterpillar+on+Chinese+hibiscus.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anyone know what these caterpillars are called? They've had fun munching on my Chinese hibiscus,
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqYnaaDyOTF63p-F3xVBv2iUqCtCRIFK4GOfqC84AHVSvlpKYBImvRm5Mqwx8PRXDvUJHMhnuj3LEeT7HS_h_fDgyW-ZkGI_Z4dtnVp9uSrPQ_VMYOZ4-yszq_aZin3gQuXpb2BWp1mEZ/s1600/Firecracker+cuphea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqYnaaDyOTF63p-F3xVBv2iUqCtCRIFK4GOfqC84AHVSvlpKYBImvRm5Mqwx8PRXDvUJHMhnuj3LEeT7HS_h_fDgyW-ZkGI_Z4dtnVp9uSrPQ_VMYOZ4-yszq_aZin3gQuXpb2BWp1mEZ/s1600/Firecracker+cuphea.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Firecracker' cuphea</td></tr>
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<br />
The first surprise with this 'Firecracker' cuphea is that I planted the original one two years ago. It's supposed to be an annual but I just cut back the plants and they made it through our mild 2012-2013 winter and rebloomed. Of course, they didn't make it another year because of the fierce winter we had in 2013-2014. But lo and behold it had seeded around and then in October I found these blooms.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVVc_03B3mPO2f-nGA8qtLlze8DP4fPJ2ZpZGPJipmcTmuo8Vqlbg663ntYYcsuu4fb1kRmBJ3ZG0TajcSkQcGYS7Jp2T9JW0T5l2VfNTEJIcrj2OWzCqe2qkgrd4B9hnu0wN0vHjPaKg/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+remainder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVVc_03B3mPO2f-nGA8qtLlze8DP4fPJ2ZpZGPJipmcTmuo8Vqlbg663ntYYcsuu4fb1kRmBJ3ZG0TajcSkQcGYS7Jp2T9JW0T5l2VfNTEJIcrj2OWzCqe2qkgrd4B9hnu0wN0vHjPaKg/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+remainder.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Indian Spring' hollyhock</td></tr>
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<br />
The 'Indian Spring' hollyhocks I grew this spring did great except for the usual rust problem. When I went to remove them after their bloom period it looked like some of them wanted to keep going. So I cut them back, continued to remove rust covered leaves, and they're still here. It'll be cool if they make it to next spring and start blooming again.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcICKieLAvLxaqEt8z9FxbyeK_gFG2sDB95BElW2occQoqvO6ybc1GxeTVvJTLRQBtg23EOqtKM_OT6zug3ZqbKcaHmsky7jZeXztCXAyd9REszG2FikU9IIZOhxBWdKCb4XyG9sN0-Rm/s1600/Fireworks+gomphrena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcICKieLAvLxaqEt8z9FxbyeK_gFG2sDB95BElW2occQoqvO6ybc1GxeTVvJTLRQBtg23EOqtKM_OT6zug3ZqbKcaHmsky7jZeXztCXAyd9REszG2FikU9IIZOhxBWdKCb4XyG9sN0-Rm/s1600/Fireworks+gomphrena.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nonstop bloomer - 'Fireworks' gomphrena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My 'Fireworks' gomphrena has continued to bloom since late May when I first planted it. I even had a stray one pop up and bloom in the gravel path.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjRNNU22xZkZuBDwhgPry7PsYWPxUkWPz0NK1dgwAaSw8x7o1Yh2CmbCfp019Kj3791ink9kuYQmwRJrMA8BaJ8VKrE9-S3d1JhW-Hd1gXH0tLjt4dXYRGrAZGwIL50N4fz44wxmES9lN/s1600/new+Climbing+Pinkie+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjRNNU22xZkZuBDwhgPry7PsYWPxUkWPz0NK1dgwAaSw8x7o1Yh2CmbCfp019Kj3791ink9kuYQmwRJrMA8BaJ8VKrE9-S3d1JhW-Hd1gXH0tLjt4dXYRGrAZGwIL50N4fz44wxmES9lN/s1600/new+Climbing+Pinkie+rose.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Climbing Pinkie' rose only three weeks after planting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I decided to add another climbing rose to my little pergola since the 'Sombreuil' is doing just so-so (too much blackspot and too few blooms). I had a 'Climbing Pinkie' rose in the front but she died suddenly from a mysterious ailment, as did the climbing rose that was there before it. (Roses are no longer allowed in that area!) But I loved Pinkie since she was a showstopper in spring. So I'm giving a new one a go in the back. I can't say enough good things about the <a href="https://antiqueroseemporium.com/" target="_blank">Antique Rose Emporium</a> when it comes to their nice, healthy roses.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszmd6X_r0G0W1TVD-mhXE00TQjST3yAQhWR0MuAvlAFnXL8r0-jUHmxHQpcgdtFFIMIdWnjBa1qBuNWtToz7eCEHyTG4qD6y2MV_QtNXgcqCicNJHDGZ2YmxzYPnnFCbvTWLJmpJTv58W/s1600/Peppermint+Stick+swiss+chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszmd6X_r0G0W1TVD-mhXE00TQjST3yAQhWR0MuAvlAFnXL8r0-jUHmxHQpcgdtFFIMIdWnjBa1qBuNWtToz7eCEHyTG4qD6y2MV_QtNXgcqCicNJHDGZ2YmxzYPnnFCbvTWLJmpJTv58W/s1600/Peppermint+Stick+swiss+chard.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Peppermint Stick' Swiss chard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My chard has picked up considerably since the cool weather arrived. It's no longer flopping about, as you can see.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5Bga07u5bNoO7e357vD_QNKlHWrGpbmA-KUf24eGuTTbA-0PEdmEkdM7l1hfscJX5jHbiX_HhMmH10fuyQCAAZ4OFi6Ger7oZ-o4El5a89x4FFYw2YAwXMJiLjGoLOfhmh2Konb2IvBc/s1600/fall+aster+and+gulf+muhly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5Bga07u5bNoO7e357vD_QNKlHWrGpbmA-KUf24eGuTTbA-0PEdmEkdM7l1hfscJX5jHbiX_HhMmH10fuyQCAAZ4OFi6Ger7oZ-o4El5a89x4FFYw2YAwXMJiLjGoLOfhmh2Konb2IvBc/s1600/fall+aster+and+gulf+muhly.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Fall aster, <i>Symphyotrichum oblongifolium,</i> with gulf muhly</span><!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
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I thought all the fall asters I had purchased from the Wildflower Center last fall had died. But then this one popped up. It was most surprising since I don't remember planting it there but I guess I did. I'm liking it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXTC3mn-RHz-NQeAmWvNYNxBC2a3GzFSLI7lStmiX_wtDWsJ9qos4PbkQBu6y9beJQXPwk63tVzBkyjbsN7XR2VcbxLholSA6yf9mxEl-zGxqY5I_nvV6ixg64NKsmOJxutZW8d-eYZC7/s1600/Lindheimers+muhly+seed+heads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXTC3mn-RHz-NQeAmWvNYNxBC2a3GzFSLI7lStmiX_wtDWsJ9qos4PbkQBu6y9beJQXPwk63tVzBkyjbsN7XR2VcbxLholSA6yf9mxEl-zGxqY5I_nvV6ixg64NKsmOJxutZW8d-eYZC7/s1600/Lindheimers+muhly+seed+heads.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Lindheimer's Muhly' grass</td></tr>
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Since we're really into fall now, I'll show some not so surprising things in my fall garden. The 'Lindheimer's Muhly' is like Old Faithful. Every year I say I'm going to move it but that hasn't happened yet. I guess that's no surprise since it's so big!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRJwEz-6TsQlVBrIqb6JDBwTLZHastkhi8WUSZ5rAT2J7b-gVpjQ5OWZNx8tSxj5T3lwD3TaV-pWD25k4VsSFOlDJMt5lTwdQzLK2Zs4lSiTBBAiiA8D3O6AWFYFEIyCus02aOfP0_K3q/s1600/moonvine+on+cool+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRJwEz-6TsQlVBrIqb6JDBwTLZHastkhi8WUSZ5rAT2J7b-gVpjQ5OWZNx8tSxj5T3lwD3TaV-pWD25k4VsSFOlDJMt5lTwdQzLK2Zs4lSiTBBAiiA8D3O6AWFYFEIyCus02aOfP0_K3q/s1600/moonvine+on+cool+morning.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon vine, <i>Ipomea alba</i></td></tr>
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Every year I grow moon vine on my tuteur, so I guess that's no surprise either. But I do love it when they stay open long enough for me to catch them in the morning.<br />
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That's it for around the garden right now. Soon I'm off to a more tropical destination where I hope to visit some gardens and blog about them. Stay tuned!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2014. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-28121212805425450112014-06-28T17:05:00.000-05:002014-06-28T17:05:13.115-05:00Beautiful Bibury and Awkward Hill<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCS94v-9wVqk2GIldUhff2jRAehubiPhOm8kjQo1tAsZeTRiU7gWIWiJIB8pP-NqkDeEXD0EncFKarEDkr_iSouL77x8ZWJDaFgPAuCeqL9appfXbg3C5MoN75jUUncLNGGryP9gd5pRC/s1600/Victoria+back+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCS94v-9wVqk2GIldUhff2jRAehubiPhOm8kjQo1tAsZeTRiU7gWIWiJIB8pP-NqkDeEXD0EncFKarEDkr_iSouL77x8ZWJDaFgPAuCeqL9appfXbg3C5MoN75jUUncLNGGryP9gd5pRC/s1600/Victoria+back+house.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria's Awkward Hill cottage in Bibury</td></tr>
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Ah, the wonderful things that happen when one blogs and travels. Through garden blogging and a few <a href="http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Flings</a>, I met Victoria Summerly, author of <a href="http://awkwardhill.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tales of Awkward Hill blog</a> and a forthcoming book about the gardens of Gloucestershire. I had the good fortune to travel to England this month, so I contacted Victoria and suggested a meet up and perhaps a garden viewing or two. Luckily for me we decided to first go to her relatively new home in the beautiful little village of Bibury.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlNHe5ngQnhoTjF3BJZdeVlru437LXpZuCIh4FNM02-SaMvHQq0jFtfHoSXxxKYRR5MDGAc3iS-eKgyOmV3gFQqEWILiVzL38XUlPbPm9gANRc_C6xqh_5j6CAfeYj5N9PGTlvvjQn6oX/s1600/Victoria+terrace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlNHe5ngQnhoTjF3BJZdeVlru437LXpZuCIh4FNM02-SaMvHQq0jFtfHoSXxxKYRR5MDGAc3iS-eKgyOmV3gFQqEWILiVzL38XUlPbPm9gANRc_C6xqh_5j6CAfeYj5N9PGTlvvjQn6oX/s1600/Victoria+terrace.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back terrace</td></tr>
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Victoria moved from London to what was described by the nineteenth-century designer William Morris as the "most beautiful village in England" - Bibury. Bibury is an old village, and the mostly seventeenth-century homes, churches, school, and businesses are built of lovely Cotswold stone. The amount of work Victoria has already accomplished in her garden is astounding. Take a look at a few of these photos to confirm!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOhE5p2tms_iTSh8BY-tCup4rpR0zXc93nMtMo0Jz2AKIHl3ch7aN7nRvKOeUiojNX2m8t8RLyKKJZIXJoh3NZDdmJgSdd7cj1CFSB5qoyVtZhpV86QEwedkCrMeQIkuuD_4BXltw-Ynu/s1600/Victoria+back+side+yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOhE5p2tms_iTSh8BY-tCup4rpR0zXc93nMtMo0Jz2AKIHl3ch7aN7nRvKOeUiojNX2m8t8RLyKKJZIXJoh3NZDdmJgSdd7cj1CFSB5qoyVtZhpV86QEwedkCrMeQIkuuD_4BXltw-Ynu/s1600/Victoria+back+side+yard.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the back and the side garden</td></tr>
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I can't wait to see the garden in a more mature state. The side garden will remain wilder than the back garden and Victoria has plans to put in a really interesting pond there.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxdOgVy0Z8zwtz7B49tcFDKofIweNULWidzSQFRcMwNniPXX3hg8fs-wKKNzt7xIho0MQR78n16cuZHp-VL6YWG6WDBxilhyphenhyphenL-A5saUK-rh6jDsi0_XGbGjdgeIbOGcNo5NNGsbWRVXRU/s1600/Victoria+view+from+patio+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxdOgVy0Z8zwtz7B49tcFDKofIweNULWidzSQFRcMwNniPXX3hg8fs-wKKNzt7xIho0MQR78n16cuZHp-VL6YWG6WDBxilhyphenhyphenL-A5saUK-rh6jDsi0_XGbGjdgeIbOGcNo5NNGsbWRVXRU/s1600/Victoria+view+from+patio+table.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the back terrace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoRf29D49CSaFMhJnMTX_CkE-G7_o-Sv12ygMQ-tMmQkB1IXczYwJoSFl83Bcd8LCD2_izQ7Jb7ichtq5ypLeMw0cMcv7lt2A9Vd_u2spK4Rto64S_3OZ_Y0_9tp4BTFJB14fjKbD6DxL/s1600/Victoria+side+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoRf29D49CSaFMhJnMTX_CkE-G7_o-Sv12ygMQ-tMmQkB1IXczYwJoSFl83Bcd8LCD2_izQ7Jb7ichtq5ypLeMw0cMcv7lt2A9Vd_u2spK4Rto64S_3OZ_Y0_9tp4BTFJB14fjKbD6DxL/s1600/Victoria+side+garden.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the side garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZwZHaJA21oJQ5FO3Eaqhb57LVMJ0QZAy6c_GAse3lRpFiDOrE-06ZR0kcvTYD1YRX7U25odaUXUm90AnTuRecnR4MOphPQwWIHXAmXevCH03K66-cNn9nuC2jl1o2DqWHdnScGiSb8vW/s1600/Victoria+trough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZwZHaJA21oJQ5FO3Eaqhb57LVMJ0QZAy6c_GAse3lRpFiDOrE-06ZR0kcvTYD1YRX7U25odaUXUm90AnTuRecnR4MOphPQwWIHXAmXevCH03K66-cNn9nuC2jl1o2DqWHdnScGiSb8vW/s1600/Victoria+trough.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shady nook. I just love the hostas in pots, the trough, and the tin birds that she picked up at the San Francisco Fling. (I have some similar ones I bought there as well.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYtrIb5Wu5EblQrV9F1oIkA9oInnXqZb-5VNO0S3rMErUTcUNsMpDJyHxv_rO5RiFI5uQgbpwsQnOQn2JDbU2Nyovl6cAOZrV7LsEUXjLSgkfOs6owbg18HEZqcRlxh8D-zLaw1vKYSGV/s1600/Victoria+lane+near+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYtrIb5Wu5EblQrV9F1oIkA9oInnXqZb-5VNO0S3rMErUTcUNsMpDJyHxv_rO5RiFI5uQgbpwsQnOQn2JDbU2Nyovl6cAOZrV7LsEUXjLSgkfOs6owbg18HEZqcRlxh8D-zLaw1vKYSGV/s1600/Victoria+lane+near+house.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginnings of our walk</td></tr>
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After enjoying the weather and her gardens for a little while, Victoria suggested we take a walk around Bibury, and of course I said yes. We headed up what I thought was a path but what was actually a street. Wouldn't you like to live on a street where every front yard had blooming roses and other interesting plants?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh0eDZ1h5pTRGbOYjG3_SBqb-RVK7e_FgnYb70yE6G9hUvQGCXnHDjE4LU6xNRVXTz-HBE3a8j4GyX6aNHVBxS00BGfwY9pD2CGIN4usu91p47lI0gbv_qpoqh2VaHrJcE7K8efVqdZcP/s1600/Victoria+view+towards+Bibury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh0eDZ1h5pTRGbOYjG3_SBqb-RVK7e_FgnYb70yE6G9hUvQGCXnHDjE4LU6xNRVXTz-HBE3a8j4GyX6aNHVBxS00BGfwY9pD2CGIN4usu91p47lI0gbv_qpoqh2VaHrJcE7K8efVqdZcP/s1600/Victoria+view+towards+Bibury.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view towards the village</td></tr>
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Soon we were heading into countryside where wildflowers were blooming...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWJ5MsZddhfJ1jNLuoyjGdLoWjleSHfo7K4B_Z76DwHs0Tj5-zD5i6cZikhRKZkJvT2IYq0sxip8bAAl1v_U6bGsCHOEE_QIHsW4QTHGAeb8jFceZfvDoVmy-Jl5lejIzOacqqkl3tilW/s1600/Victoria+sheep+near+lane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWJ5MsZddhfJ1jNLuoyjGdLoWjleSHfo7K4B_Z76DwHs0Tj5-zD5i6cZikhRKZkJvT2IYq0sxip8bAAl1v_U6bGsCHOEE_QIHsW4QTHGAeb8jFceZfvDoVmy-Jl5lejIzOacqqkl3tilW/s1600/Victoria+sheep+near+lane.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep!</td></tr>
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...and sheep and lambs were bleating.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldXDauUlwFX6w3kxO9VrnadtZwGJraraZd2KLDO1cOQQDa2v7NPVmpurQTZS6xO48cj7vRZFxIoliPw8UtlsJqDyaIEiFCyo6Ja7MZZfPa99z19uhMUKxguxlHomAgNHEaTOu7CyIOW3h/s1600/Victoria+bridge+near+Bibury+mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldXDauUlwFX6w3kxO9VrnadtZwGJraraZd2KLDO1cOQQDa2v7NPVmpurQTZS6xO48cj7vRZFxIoliPw8UtlsJqDyaIEiFCyo6Ja7MZZfPa99z19uhMUKxguxlHomAgNHEaTOu7CyIOW3h/s1600/Victoria+bridge+near+Bibury+mill.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flower bedecked bridge!</td></tr>
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The river Coln runs through Bibury and at one time there were two mills operating here - the Bibury Mill and the Arlington Mill. This little bridge is near the old Bibury mill and Bibury Court Hotel.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsm8jM9GsR-PAHaIiwydtbAFB4xKPDpL4tcwGFmTXh_xt5sCH875Z9dlB2VQZkoaAxzpuOliNjUvQSh69AhA2E4Dfc5lHIwSklkBaIg91cAgj5oqPirdjwG64OXMPPa7g-ie67KxFWjV5/s1600/Victoria+weavers+cottages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsm8jM9GsR-PAHaIiwydtbAFB4xKPDpL4tcwGFmTXh_xt5sCH875Z9dlB2VQZkoaAxzpuOliNjUvQSh69AhA2E4Dfc5lHIwSklkBaIg91cAgj5oqPirdjwG64OXMPPa7g-ie67KxFWjV5/s1600/Victoria+weavers+cottages.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arlington Row cottages</td></tr>
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The Arlington Row cottages are quite famous (especially with the tourists!). They were originally built in 1380 to store wool, and then transformed into cottages for the weavers in the seventeenth century. Victoria's home is way up at the top of this hill (thus, where the "awkward hill" name comes in).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut_OOVvgLi1ordhBCSymP7sOyw7urSG4JRM6bicN4Zz4gFDimN-tccfgPYUi0ep3ZJQmR8KR03MhkhGnEv_R9XywQtSB0Oubl_6iE67DXbnDobfnjr75apRw085m0JEldhODjBp6rXcoB/s1600/Victoria+trout+stream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut_OOVvgLi1ordhBCSymP7sOyw7urSG4JRM6bicN4Zz4gFDimN-tccfgPYUi0ep3ZJQmR8KR03MhkhGnEv_R9XywQtSB0Oubl_6iE67DXbnDobfnjr75apRw085m0JEldhODjBp6rXcoB/s1600/Victoria+trout+stream.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gardens near the trout farm</td></tr>
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We decided to go the long way back instead of climbing the steep hill. On the way we came to the most beautiful trout farm I've ever seen! Actually, I've never seen a trout farm before but I doubt I'll ever see one that had been landscaped like this again! The trout farm is near the old Arlington mill, which is now a private residence. (Many years ago, my husband and I stayed one night in Bibury and saw the mill when it was a museum. It was very interesting.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgMNQ9b8LngFt7yN9t2bzBB0qPzXSFIrqPT-BFLCBD6IwWtTrXzb9M7Z8yDAxiVfDvb5sKenz8TUJHLW7HCFSGL_AL1O4rumtW1HIxNNH7dWlglGtVaeWd2L9oFqmByCppLrzXIQUbXE8/s1600/Victoria+coming+home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgMNQ9b8LngFt7yN9t2bzBB0qPzXSFIrqPT-BFLCBD6IwWtTrXzb9M7Z8yDAxiVfDvb5sKenz8TUJHLW7HCFSGL_AL1O4rumtW1HIxNNH7dWlglGtVaeWd2L9oFqmByCppLrzXIQUbXE8/s1600/Victoria+coming+home.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria and Rufus and Awkward Hill cottage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Eventually we made our way back to Victoria's home and then decided to head out for more adventures. We went to one of the largest and coolest nurseries I've ever seen (in Burford) and then checked out Misarden Park Gardens - lovely! But that will have to wait for another blog post.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2014. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-43461315952509349972014-06-05T08:57:00.000-05:002014-06-05T08:57:14.212-05:00¡Viva Muchos Colores!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8gKaH3IK1GdgzBCzzOVkzB3LyqBq5MArsRH-DBvG5Lcp5k4LXh_UMLDQdm6ARrtn25FRRxJ6CItTPNxdIH9F1RZMph6jzuzNZv2LYHV4DpJ89TwB-66oR5-R1pa87XOSIKtOs73xAsM4/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8gKaH3IK1GdgzBCzzOVkzB3LyqBq5MArsRH-DBvG5Lcp5k4LXh_UMLDQdm6ARrtn25FRRxJ6CItTPNxdIH9F1RZMph6jzuzNZv2LYHV4DpJ89TwB-66oR5-R1pa87XOSIKtOs73xAsM4/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+door.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The home of Lucinda Hutson</td></tr>
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Let's celebrate the start of June, which I consider the start of summer, with a look at one of the most interesting small gardens I've seen in a long time. And the house as well! I had the privilege of touring the home and gardens of the very generous Lucinda Hutson, author of the new book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Tequila-Cocktails-Cooking-Adventures/dp/029272294X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401916924&sr=1-1&keywords=viva+tequila" target="_blank">¡Viva Tequila! Cocktails, Cooking, and Other Agave Adventures</a></i>. Lucinda is also the author of that great cookbook, <i>The Herb Garden Cookbook</i>, sadly now out of print. I have to say, I'm really enjoying reading the <i>Tequila</i> book - it's part travelogue, part history, part cookbook, and all very interesting! Don't you love the color of her house? Well, there's more color in store here!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZrwZAu5IaU16mT8NT2Bi68JLi2vnK-ZKEW1zZClaZ9pQT-AEN58MwqmKOPwb07mqupwRXKTnrboRVKJadqFNy-rmHnV7DuYMVoa3zfqazOM5kgxOWjhRHPq_2wX_275RE6Kt1u_Qy8ZG/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+bird+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZrwZAu5IaU16mT8NT2Bi68JLi2vnK-ZKEW1zZClaZ9pQT-AEN58MwqmKOPwb07mqupwRXKTnrboRVKJadqFNy-rmHnV7DuYMVoa3zfqazOM5kgxOWjhRHPq_2wX_275RE6Kt1u_Qy8ZG/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+bird+area.jpg" height="466" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird friendly seating area in front yard</td></tr>
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From the street, you can't really tell that Lucinda has a couple of cozy seating areas right in the front.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbAM2B1zsQhc_xhmxtvNVNCliAUgv_-D9CPpRmfoFHBJxJxKL450rXXNHw1cxZaYB2GdzqUBJ2bV5EJOXougc9S-nx7-87oli3kJckHG4kqYuYIf7XdaKE0KPjfahsIyWkwjv2Cqhyphenhyphenr4d/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+sitting+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbAM2B1zsQhc_xhmxtvNVNCliAUgv_-D9CPpRmfoFHBJxJxKL450rXXNHw1cxZaYB2GdzqUBJ2bV5EJOXougc9S-nx7-87oli3kJckHG4kqYuYIf7XdaKE0KPjfahsIyWkwjv2Cqhyphenhyphenr4d/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+front+sitting+area.jpg" height="372" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second seating area in front. The tree in the background is a gingko, unusual for Austin.</td></tr>
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The front garden has an interesting combination of plants: daylilies, 'Peter's Purple' monarda, datura, kumquat, zinnias, chard, tomatoes and eggplant in containers, last of the winter pansies, coleus, ajuga, violets, bronze fennel, and even a heart-shaped wax myrtle shrub. The plants provide privacy from the street and though there are lots of them, it's very calm in these hidden oases. But wait till you go through the side gate...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaeVP-OzWsGzlNO0M3z-SlILQoKjtH7hluVFmJeiAtG3DjJmRZhCT7njJdXHEcIiVKLxUci4zF5bXyS2pBCond5CqNeo589bOv6BRhkrLafnReqF29j4dN-XC8R0KdcT8V1h8VcxlD327/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+entrance+to+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaeVP-OzWsGzlNO0M3z-SlILQoKjtH7hluVFmJeiAtG3DjJmRZhCT7njJdXHEcIiVKLxUci4zF5bXyS2pBCond5CqNeo589bOv6BRhkrLafnReqF29j4dN-XC8R0KdcT8V1h8VcxlD327/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+entrance+to+back.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side entrance to the back gardens</td></tr>
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A giant concrete fish and mermaids on the gate signal you're about to enter a magical world. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take a decent photo of the pond and waterfall that are behind the beautiful limestone wall. But I think you can tell it's there by the fish and mermaid motifs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUAJvV_YU6N2TRGSuujQH7UYKLFcgWRh3nm4HvsOj5hEPXix2lgRzB4uQoZctHjzGeVxedB0bQt6gdvLyrCNxWoTwRVJBEiCtWy3l0N4-axIoiaTnqa-PLfiyx_QEZVFbM3_4kPxnOr1L/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+mermaid+tableau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUAJvV_YU6N2TRGSuujQH7UYKLFcgWRh3nm4HvsOj5hEPXix2lgRzB4uQoZctHjzGeVxedB0bQt6gdvLyrCNxWoTwRVJBEiCtWy3l0N4-axIoiaTnqa-PLfiyx_QEZVFbM3_4kPxnOr1L/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+mermaid+tableau.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mermaid hangout</td></tr>
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Lucinda utilizes ordinary objects in uncommon ways. Note the sanseveria mimicking seaweed. The copper trough was an insert to a window box. And take a look at this table made out of a beautiful blue container.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj5MydpUeYsKxgbBCWoeOPQ6MaYjIBYDpFaP-9kolgmi1mycnVDKYADJ58_9wrnHLMXIm-x4_Gv1E3HKqrvlQvnDkS2Co2d_ExYtjWbd2WSbO-6PJ_jEyush1VD2MYIyB2cWqnmvziJPO/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+mermaid+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj5MydpUeYsKxgbBCWoeOPQ6MaYjIBYDpFaP-9kolgmi1mycnVDKYADJ58_9wrnHLMXIm-x4_Gv1E3HKqrvlQvnDkS2Co2d_ExYtjWbd2WSbO-6PJ_jEyush1VD2MYIyB2cWqnmvziJPO/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+mermaid+table.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass-covered pot as a coffee table. Is that mermaid also a bottle opener?</td></tr>
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Lucinda told me a funny story about this table. Recently she found the glass neatly placed alongside the container and the starfish that was under the glass was missing all its arms. Your neighborhood raccoons at work.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOF4vWlttI4mGMW86tgvVCO8Iep6JCEkW4MR9fAaPTMy_y6rOoLs5nXzxvCvZAzLBgGGzWIS6rochA4kD-YCXGhXy7enhiw5oDgR_9fYXmBdqFCvLePpKK6Q-BM3ONIuOON8YFNOtOdvP/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+steel+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOF4vWlttI4mGMW86tgvVCO8Iep6JCEkW4MR9fAaPTMy_y6rOoLs5nXzxvCvZAzLBgGGzWIS6rochA4kD-YCXGhXy7enhiw5oDgR_9fYXmBdqFCvLePpKK6Q-BM3ONIuOON8YFNOtOdvP/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+steel+art.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haitian tin art work </td></tr>
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Just to the right of the side entrance, the house is graced with some cool art work. As you move past the pond and mermaid seating area, you come to the greenhouse. But first, check out this window you walk past...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yidndsrD65ikfZwIZ_HuJxh4LGO0jMrFA5vRIxyPBjgqy_jNX6p56bchcaLp932FaIijh4ax5R9GJ_2YrC-Ufm9aCVvfHsdbX7G0PHl9CzZQPcQmqwsv4sdD3RzNBQ982dYs1Ir5kPib/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+corn+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yidndsrD65ikfZwIZ_HuJxh4LGO0jMrFA5vRIxyPBjgqy_jNX6p56bchcaLp932FaIijh4ax5R9GJ_2YrC-Ufm9aCVvfHsdbX7G0PHl9CzZQPcQmqwsv4sdD3RzNBQ982dYs1Ir5kPib/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+corn+window.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn tiled window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I never thought of tiling a window frame but it now makes complete sense to me.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3DIj2FDGFjN7v_dQkIQuIOjLp_RNGTzu9MB_Gaw7yqmsg_j3sP_qsfRzbOehmMqMUfx4bGs7kaVi1t1ZlIcXGZ0ETymHPc9VB0eXGhnWoHjU5udujTUZk4ev1Lt-mfyZ-S5_HPBB8qa6/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3DIj2FDGFjN7v_dQkIQuIOjLp_RNGTzu9MB_Gaw7yqmsg_j3sP_qsfRzbOehmMqMUfx4bGs7kaVi1t1ZlIcXGZ0ETymHPc9VB0eXGhnWoHjU5udujTUZk4ev1Lt-mfyZ-S5_HPBB8qa6/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+greenhouse.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenhouse to the left</td></tr>
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What I really like about Lucinda's greenhouse is how it doesn't look like a greenhouse! She has covered the outside in rough cedar (juniper) branches so it blends right in. This is the start of her herb collection. Just to the right is a raised bed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiii8WECSo4SDnwzwSita0SABhd64HWFgrk4avwefi_2q1Y-ti4cYqkvZaCxttYip2Bk_hiUVqOpyqBNjjbxwxlhvdj4X8W78pEJ_Nllp4N1z_SDbDovez62tAvfXhLDkDmsuXiKZ2QUhz-/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+raised+herb+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiii8WECSo4SDnwzwSita0SABhd64HWFgrk4avwefi_2q1Y-ti4cYqkvZaCxttYip2Bk_hiUVqOpyqBNjjbxwxlhvdj4X8W78pEJ_Nllp4N1z_SDbDovez62tAvfXhLDkDmsuXiKZ2QUhz-/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+raised+herb+garden.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limestone-edged raised herb garden</td></tr>
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The raised bed is large and commands the most sunlight. It's filled to the brim with an array of herbs from Mexico, Asia, the Mediterranean, and one other part of the world that I can't remember. I'm assuming the purple structure used to be a garage but is now used for storage. Can you see the small chairs to the right hanging on the wall? Lucinda says you can't find those anymore in Mexico. Between the orange part of the house and the purple structure is a gate to yet another world...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zlopU6QxWmvpcLrSYxZISWofjqMAXDoGIrWANuD3FFAawc0lMvHRTcwFBAsap54xtyEO-dI0OfauLZOeCV1LEWktX4qQv37DKYNax-r_7oIyQJkSHxukU_g_sXnzCrdSH0RBWLPcCIVv/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+deck+and+studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zlopU6QxWmvpcLrSYxZISWofjqMAXDoGIrWANuD3FFAawc0lMvHRTcwFBAsap54xtyEO-dI0OfauLZOeCV1LEWktX4qQv37DKYNax-r_7oIyQJkSHxukU_g_sXnzCrdSH0RBWLPcCIVv/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+deck+and+studio.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deck and studio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Now we're in the back-back, where Lucinda's to-die-for writing studio is located. I wish I'd taken a photo of the inside of it. Lovely smooth cedar walls... And the deck has a nice large table for al fresco meals. But there's still more. Walk to the left of the studio into ...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP97oQwoMAx-aSGnYZDXcXUVanlofFdHUCDXrfZAY8yyK_0WodRkKIwfmQjrtBoSlZmWqc4rhuu7jW2W4FJdT7vDXb6D7Rr1YzCumoMp5RuaBYXmgmunBkseV2_yf5KSWn0fk65_CLAmw1/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+entrance+to+cantina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP97oQwoMAx-aSGnYZDXcXUVanlofFdHUCDXrfZAY8yyK_0WodRkKIwfmQjrtBoSlZmWqc4rhuu7jW2W4FJdT7vDXb6D7Rr1YzCumoMp5RuaBYXmgmunBkseV2_yf5KSWn0fk65_CLAmw1/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+entrance+to+cantina.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're almost to the cantina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
... the cantina area. This area is more informal with a picnic table and flagstone patio and more tropical-looking plants.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeC9Ngyd7WGItfLHHnQcjVX39Jnyrq8tAM3Jn6uY4q2xySJdU9tyiiLVYMDg5kZK6bUjyrHIk1PyLaYr4Hr16NDaQbCtbWZmWpP-yVncTC5e6qaU3uUqZGwDn3YAOvXoLQiJ9LzgopvMK/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+tequila+cantina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeC9Ngyd7WGItfLHHnQcjVX39Jnyrq8tAM3Jn6uY4q2xySJdU9tyiiLVYMDg5kZK6bUjyrHIk1PyLaYr4Hr16NDaQbCtbWZmWpP-yVncTC5e6qaU3uUqZGwDn3YAOvXoLQiJ9LzgopvMK/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+tequila+cantina.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Lucinda Cantina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And what's this?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEq1NgHkIXxbMswCjB_lMdUEsJ156GpNveQ8VP5ZOKoDF8T01AbbHbUmhkaiUWdNt6VY90M9obMm4gMeSaW0onk9YF7aVAnxXA3CqMOEX0aiMKFSV1XPnLG0brTVGVtgwE2JXD-ovtzSO/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+outdoor+shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEq1NgHkIXxbMswCjB_lMdUEsJ156GpNveQ8VP5ZOKoDF8T01AbbHbUmhkaiUWdNt6VY90M9obMm4gMeSaW0onk9YF7aVAnxXA3CqMOEX0aiMKFSV1XPnLG0brTVGVtgwE2JXD-ovtzSO/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+outdoor+shower.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this an outhouse??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It may look like an outhouse but it's not. This is an outdoor shower! Just what I could use after some serious gardening.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP8B_JHb-uA_5rM8U_nTTI2vaS3PRkDSbXGYirjieICfm9Asn2Ank4B2J0r7OHDpRxri5cYkb6G8XEZeHyNmXaV9IE5su4PohX08gT_79OQmmhtM5OVV9lAAq1A5LdGdMAqxANjYYiMqy/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+deck+from+cantina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP8B_JHb-uA_5rM8U_nTTI2vaS3PRkDSbXGYirjieICfm9Asn2Ank4B2J0r7OHDpRxri5cYkb6G8XEZeHyNmXaV9IE5su4PohX08gT_79OQmmhtM5OVV9lAAq1A5LdGdMAqxANjYYiMqy/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+deck+from+cantina.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the cantina area towards the house</td></tr>
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Walk back towards the house as there's more to see.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoq_Osn-OTfGN0dbIbNJ0riICB8gO_EEj1bKeqaXrhmnQBH8uB0v1fJ032Srw5sLNTW1B5coXUmB7BaTTNrj85930JZwuL9Iut8QSt8xiQSVWDVPbdCjjLmGX8ygN-rmRA0YTcBSh-BcDA/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoq_Osn-OTfGN0dbIbNJ0riICB8gO_EEj1bKeqaXrhmnQBH8uB0v1fJ032Srw5sLNTW1B5coXUmB7BaTTNrj85930JZwuL9Iut8QSt8xiQSVWDVPbdCjjLmGX8ygN-rmRA0YTcBSh-BcDA/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+back+door.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opened door to the house with Mexican tin ornaments</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGhvjA4Hjjglv-7RId5JjgOBeEpXGk5fvlYWT7sJ8fk2XnyEiEAnmNRSvcSSm2R6LKdoBJ7wkkJygvWbmepGxopPRGZLoY2oKFlpluSidCr6wgOq3doBGiHFq8dAIE6IgIHfp6NObCc8U/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+tiled+stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGhvjA4Hjjglv-7RId5JjgOBeEpXGk5fvlYWT7sJ8fk2XnyEiEAnmNRSvcSSm2R6LKdoBJ7wkkJygvWbmepGxopPRGZLoY2oKFlpluSidCr6wgOq3doBGiHFq8dAIE6IgIHfp6NObCc8U/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+tiled+stairs.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiled stairs to the house</td></tr>
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As you go through the back door, you see these beautiful tiled stairs to the house proper.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPEIzSc7AFuHMa5WzYhbD0Cru94gUSGUuLD1ORq2PJ3V7Y-g0j-IywJhyphenhyphenSjw2lkPb5iUsfZ4pZPc6btH5UUz36Bk0vMY6gVnD_PwCOHhAS8t0u93vZ0rXbRf8eG06kEOPOQle7I4OmNmL/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+folk+art+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPEIzSc7AFuHMa5WzYhbD0Cru94gUSGUuLD1ORq2PJ3V7Y-g0j-IywJhyphenhyphenSjw2lkPb5iUsfZ4pZPc6btH5UUz36Bk0vMY6gVnD_PwCOHhAS8t0u93vZ0rXbRf8eG06kEOPOQle7I4OmNmL/s1600/Lucinda+Hutson+folk+art+room.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Folk art room</td></tr>
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And to the left of the stairs is Lucinda's former studio, now being converted into a room filled with Mexican folk art. Can you see the tin ceiling?<br />
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Muchas gracias to Lucinda for welcoming me into her home at a rather early hour on a Sunday morning! And for welcoming me to the extension of her home - her garden. I hope you're inspired to look for ways to bring more color to your landscape, as I am. Hmm, wonder what the neighbors would think if I painted the house turquoise??<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2014. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4547783720122066148.post-26245751602995390482014-05-15T08:16:00.001-05:002014-05-15T08:16:47.267-05:00Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for May 2014<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRX38VZhC9C-5e7KQHTUr8-RQ0TdrwT58xruGE7lnAmSYWHhqvjXgJZxosnPSIp0EttHSN3k_JQbn7nbhub3GSoMOHBLyRlCITOivP14Ytsg669LTT56sgNh-ItqJrVEa5qSwe59FpooT/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRX38VZhC9C-5e7KQHTUr8-RQ0TdrwT58xruGE7lnAmSYWHhqvjXgJZxosnPSIp0EttHSN3k_JQbn7nbhub3GSoMOHBLyRlCITOivP14Ytsg669LTT56sgNh-ItqJrVEa5qSwe59FpooT/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+white.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Indian Spring' hollyhock</td></tr>
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Can it be <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2014/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2014.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers Bloom Day</a> already? And am I really writing a post for it (I usually forget or don't have time)? Yes, here's a short GBBD post for May. It's short because earlier this month I wrote a <a href="http://www.diggrowcompostblog.com/2014/05/spring-has-sprung-and-is-almost-done.html" target="_blank">post catching up on what's blooming</a> around my yard, and most of those plants are still blooming. But here are a few other plants that have recently put in a star turn. These 'Indian Spring' hollyhocks for one.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNC-SIi6Eqm9RownIfk0HawushvbKZQ8_P4eknppv0w1gy7huuTDGDLTVBKvdhxGTqBtWMI2ZmpX66QmkHvmJnnCbb1D87TVtk0ojfQV0RW5ORzZ8Kn6LUz66vFZTEur0YkPpgjj3K-sS/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+dark+pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNC-SIi6Eqm9RownIfk0HawushvbKZQ8_P4eknppv0w1gy7huuTDGDLTVBKvdhxGTqBtWMI2ZmpX66QmkHvmJnnCbb1D87TVtk0ojfQV0RW5ORzZ8Kn6LUz66vFZTEur0YkPpgjj3K-sS/s1600/Indian+Spring+hollyhock+dark+pink.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Indian Spring' hollyhock in a deep pink</td></tr>
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I like the hollyhocks that have single rather than double blooms. I think they have a more old-fashioned, cottage garden look. This variety, a freebie from <a href="http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/packpg/flowers/hollyhock.htm" target="_blank">Renee's Garden</a>, is an antique strain. As you can see in the first photo, antique sometimes means the plants are not resistant to pests such as the leaf miner. I'll try to take care of that soon so I can hopefully get another set of blooms. (I'll pick off affected leaves and spray some neem oil as a preventative.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ5z8ia2vwBEBFWTYibSsohuULuIeAp0S_nonADFIIlfLt0BjIAu22FJQkJ6AxEXEHOHLZdYN5GfA6ujl4EN655UPpz7NtYTv1O1TAJjc4rvC-CgAFGdHkGm3WeCPLeHLjV8Vlzi1enI1/s1600/French+Gold+bean+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ5z8ia2vwBEBFWTYibSsohuULuIeAp0S_nonADFIIlfLt0BjIAu22FJQkJ6AxEXEHOHLZdYN5GfA6ujl4EN655UPpz7NtYTv1O1TAJjc4rvC-CgAFGdHkGm3WeCPLeHLjV8Vlzi1enI1/s1600/French+Gold+bean+flowers.jpg" height="566" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'French Gold' bean blooms</td></tr>
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A few of the veggies are <i>trying</i> to bloom. I say trying because most of my warm-weather veggies are struggling with this crazy spring weather (it's 41F as I write this!). But the green beans, or should I say yellow beans, are starting to bloom. I can't wait to try this haricot vert variety, also from Renee's Garden. Provided I can get to them first before the birds do!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNkEr8nYnaCbhmbB50gUIfNIYSRv9CsZG_xVDeOMgiUsggqqse_d7Xm-WAiUbNsOmSHxgmXdPOwEKfKuE9nxLMuDxurkuOWldQHCeiZxMkNl1BDl87zG_NyzbnTxLA3A1BiUCrWXZzj7n/s1600/Red+Cascade+miniature+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNkEr8nYnaCbhmbB50gUIfNIYSRv9CsZG_xVDeOMgiUsggqqse_d7Xm-WAiUbNsOmSHxgmXdPOwEKfKuE9nxLMuDxurkuOWldQHCeiZxMkNl1BDl87zG_NyzbnTxLA3A1BiUCrWXZzj7n/s1600/Red+Cascade+miniature+rose.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Red Cascade' miniature climbing rose</td></tr>
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This crazy climbing rose - 'Red Cascade' - is due for a trimming back this year. First I have to let it bloom its heart out. As you can see, it has no trouble doing that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZSJEfhkxENaNDuxv1nsawiYUxmREFQtMy425nJ1UArb1kX3DCkVUchpCv5hLtFD_3ECO2i_Bop0IeRGV4o8-goFWqPbNuuECeqbD8ouWL5vWmku4bGAzDddpc9TYaM7sc96RgW_v8v04/s1600/Back+yard+boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZSJEfhkxENaNDuxv1nsawiYUxmREFQtMy425nJ1UArb1kX3DCkVUchpCv5hLtFD_3ECO2i_Bop0IeRGV4o8-goFWqPbNuuECeqbD8ouWL5vWmku4bGAzDddpc9TYaM7sc96RgW_v8v04/s1600/Back+yard+boxes.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from back patio</td></tr>
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A few other things I didn't show in <a href="http://www.diggrowcompostblog.com/2014/05/spring-has-sprung-and-is-almost-done.html" target="_blank">my previous pos</a>t include the stick verbena, flowering tobacco, and rose campion. The rose campion, those bright pops of magenta in the photo, was an experiment, so it was planted rather willy-nilly. Next year I will try to ensure they're planted in good spots.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbIaacTOJmQXa4b_hQeCSD5V0uUVeuw7jGojId1mIfbf4dbNpmZ3-uqkYV2cIQ1eZs1ZFFif0WTVlAin68s0b2rgnAgOZnDWHyel9T58jJGuVGHdTKjd7BjHtXP6oOS-PsS_RFg6FgLbC/s1600/rose+campion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbIaacTOJmQXa4b_hQeCSD5V0uUVeuw7jGojId1mIfbf4dbNpmZ3-uqkYV2cIQ1eZs1ZFFif0WTVlAin68s0b2rgnAgOZnDWHyel9T58jJGuVGHdTKjd7BjHtXP6oOS-PsS_RFg6FgLbC/s1600/rose+campion.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose campion</td></tr>
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Rose campion is really hard to photograph. In the shade it has a deep magenta color but wait for the sun and then it's neon magenta. I think the nicest thing about it, besides the fact that they need very little care, is its soft gray leaves.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4qNFYNG0ZoN6ikQXHZTAz9ucG48uzT9lFFOodmGzeU2JOAlTTBeqn3_uQ-KF8aJWTUbw2Ktw9LEUPqlzwj0rgUCN0_AJoTtivKTDspsxpRe_rEwZZH-lNU6f-8jvFNkEAC1JFfBq1w0d/s1600/Monsieur+Jules+Elie+peony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4qNFYNG0ZoN6ikQXHZTAz9ucG48uzT9lFFOodmGzeU2JOAlTTBeqn3_uQ-KF8aJWTUbw2Ktw9LEUPqlzwj0rgUCN0_AJoTtivKTDspsxpRe_rEwZZH-lNU6f-8jvFNkEAC1JFfBq1w0d/s1600/Monsieur+Jules+Elie+peony.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Monsieur Jules Elie' peony</td></tr>
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Okay, I wrote about this peony, 'Monsieur Jules Elie', in my <a href="http://www.diggrowcompostblog.com/2014/05/spring-has-sprung-and-is-almost-done.html" target="_blank">last post</a>. But what a charmer it is this year. I still can't believe I've had almost a dozen blooms from it this year, its third year. I'm a proud momma.<br />
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You can see what else is blooming around the world today by visiting Carol's blog, <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2014/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2014.html" target="_blank">May Dreams Gardens</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2014. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.</span>Dig, Grow, Compost, Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10111150807638669133noreply@blogger.com18