Nothing says Christmas more like the fragrance and color of fresh greenery at Christmastime.
Your garden is probably the best source for fresh greenery and berries. I look around my garden this time of year and start collecting fresh greenery to add to my existing containers. I always try to mix natural greenery with some faux to give a lasting holiday season in my southern garden.
Use fresh evergreens from your own garden, as I have, for an inexpensive way to decorate. Holly, cedar,cypress, nandina, pine, boxwood and magnolia are all amazingly abundant in my southern garden.
So use your garden as a way to inspire your holiday creativity or head to your local nursery and pick up some inexpensive “leftovers” to use in your Christmas garden.
As a gardener, I’ve always had a passion for designing and planting outdoor containers. Playing around with the different color combinations and textures of plants are fun and the choices are almost endless. To me, containers are an easy way to accessorize and customize my garden with pockets of color and my own creative expression. Over the years, I’ve had some container successes (I was a 2011 & 2012 Fine Gardening Container Design Finalist) and some not so great, like being a bit too ambitious and planting over 75 containers one year in which I had to succumb to watering daily for months during a drought (what was I thinking!).
This year, I decided to keep my container count to about 50…still quite a few but alot more manageable. By using a few container gardening basics and a little bit of TLC my containers provide be with big rewards throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Here are a few of my favorite containers which I designed and planted this spring/summer….
‘Tickled Pink’ Containers
Every year I plant the combination of Dragon-Wing Begonia’s, New Guinea Impatiens, ‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra and Creeping jenny in my large oval pedestal container. Simple elegance…
Ingredients: Dragon Wing Begonias, New Guinea Impatiens, ‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra, Creeping jenny. Light Requirement: Morning sun and afternoon shade.
Dragon wing Cane begonia’s, petunia’s, fushsia, double impatiens and Persian shield spill from this lovely grey container located in part shade receiving mainly morning sun.
Dripping with elegant pink blossoms the dragon wing ‘cane’ begonia blooms all summer and into the fall in my Zone 7B garden.
Ingredients: Pink Cane Angelwing Begonia, Double Impatiens, Fuchsia ‘Electric Lights’, Sweet Potato vine ‘Little Blackie’, Persian Shield, Ramblin Petunia ‘Burgundy Chrome’. Light Requirement: Part Sun
Sometimes simple is the way to go by using just one type of ‘showoff’ plant. I’ve chosen red trailing petunias to make a spectacular display in my large urn enhancing my entryway.
Petunia ‘Ramblin Red’ Full Sun
Large urns with red petunia blossoms flanking my entryway.
Mandevilla vine is a prolific vine that twines around any structure. I have mine planted around a hummingbird feeder since the large red blossoms attracts butterflies and hummingbirds all summer.
‘ Purple Vibes’ Containers
The fuss-free purple blooms of petunia and potato vine planted by my garage doors makes me happy every time I see them.. This showstopper just won’t quit…
Ingredients: Petunia (variety of purple tones), Calibrachoa MiniFamous ‘Double Amethyst’, Sweet Potato Vine ‘Little Blackie’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. Light Requirements: Full Sun
Having planted this rectangular iron plant-stand to the gills, you can hardly see the container anymore. The photo does this container no justice…love the cascading purple calibrachoa.
Ingredients: Angelonia ‘Serena Lavender’, Purple Calibrachoa, Setcreasea pallida “Purple Heart’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls, Iresine ‘Purple Lady’.’ Light Requirement: Full Sun/ Part Sun
Purple and chartreuse is a favorite color combination of mine. This planter is still in its ‘filling out ‘ phase and will look lovely in a few weeks.
Ingredients: Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Petunia ‘Ramblin Nu Blue’, Sedum ‘Angelina’, Sweet Potato vine ‘Sweet Georgia’. Light Requirement: Full Sun
‘Blue Rhapsody’ Containers
Ingredients: Swan Planter- Petunia ‘Ramblin White, Euphorbia ‘Diamonds Frost’. Middle palnter: Blue Plumbago auriculata, Petunia ‘Ramblin White’ Sedum ‘Angelina’. Small planter: Angelonia Arcelia@ White, Blue lobelia, Fan Flower Bombay@White, Lobelia ‘Techno Heat Blue’. Light Requirements: Full Sun
My ‘Blue Rhapsody’ container garden has to be one of my favorites that I plant every year. These containers definitely capture your attention from across my garden all year round. I plant spring bulbs in them in the fall for a pretty flower display in the early spring. Also, when I entertain I like to dress up the area with blue and white porcelain vases.
Note: As of a few days ago my lovely Swan planter was a victim of a large tree limb and is no longer gracing my garden. I’m so glad I took this photo to share its splendor with you cause for now its just a memory...
My Blue & White grouping…
Ingredients: Blue Fan Flower scaevola, Torenia Summer Wave@ ‘Bouquet Gold’. Light Requirement: Full Sun
Ingredients: Creeping Jenny, Sedum ‘Angelina’. Light Requirements: Full Sun/Part Sun
‘Fancy Foliage’ Containers
Packed with fancy foliage my round container looks good all year round. I replace the trailing coleus and potato vine with pansies in the fall.
My 2012 Fine Gardening ‘Fantastic Foliage’ Finalist Entry.Ingredients: ‘Toffee Twist’ Sedge, Coral Bells ‘Caramel’, Sweet Potato vine ‘Black Heart’, Coleus Stained Glass “Burgundy Wedding Train’. Light requirements: Full Sun/Part Sun
A combination of various hues of purple foliage plants draws attention to this planter. Still in it’s ‘filling out’ phase, once it matures I’m sure it will be one of my favorites foliage-wise. I apologize for the sub-par photo…
Ingredients: Purple Fountain Grass, Persian Shield, Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. Light Requirement: Full Sun/Part Sun
This in an old picnic basket I’ve had for over 25 years ( a wedding present ) that I decided to use as a container this year. The foliage is a ‘feast’ for the eyes.
Ingredients: Red Star Dracaena, Coleus ‘Black Dragon’, Sweet Potato Vine ‘Sweet Georgia Heart Red’, Variegated Creeping Fig, Creeping Wire vine. Light Requirement: Part Sun/Shade
‘Addictive Succulents’
Kalanchoe with various sedums.
Harvest Delights
Patio kitchen harvests are so easy and convenient. I fill my huge round patio container with tomatoes and herbs in the summer, lettuce in the fall…
Ingredients: Tomato ‘Celebrity’, ‘Cherokee Purple’ and’ Sweet 100′, Variegated Basil, Marigolds. Light Requirement: Full Sun
Favorite herbs fill my old iron container….
Ingredients: Lemon Balm, Italian Oregano, Italian Parsley, Thyme, Chives. Light Requirements: Full Sun/Part Sun
Here are a Few Simple Container Gardening Basics…
(1) Buy (or make) a good quality potting soil. A planting mix with good drainage and water retention will reduce the amount of regular care required.
(2) Try to use plants with the same watering and lighting needs in the same container.
(3) Water your containers on a regular basis. I know this is the most time consuming part of container gardening. I try to water my containers in the morning to keep them from drying out from the midday heat. I also like using larger containers. The larger the container the more moisture it will hold thus the less often you will have to water.
(4) For your containers to reach their full flowering potential, they need to be fertilized. Fertilizing is just as important as watering for achieving beautiful healthy containers. There are several types of fertilizers to choose from, including powders, liquids, foliar sprays, manure teas, etc. My most foolproof method is using a slow release glandular fertilizer when planting and then about 6 weeks later a liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks to give my containers an additional boost during their growing season. I use liquid fertilizer for my heavy bloomers (like petunias), and for my vegetable, shade loving and foliage containers I use Haven Brand Manure Tea, an organic fertilizer that these plants love.
(5) Most flowers benefit from having their spent flowers removed. To keep my containers blooming and looking neat I deadhead my plants when needed.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the photo tour of my containers.
Reve d’Or– Noisette climbing rose,buff yellow with shades of apricot/peach. Size: 10-18’h x 5-8’w. Zone: 7-9.
This graceful climbing Noisette rose, Reve d’Or, was brought to my attention via #Rosechat, a twitter exchange for rose lovers. Paul Zimmerman, (a.k.a. rose expert), had tweeted on #Rosechat how he loved this climbing rose and grew Reved’Or in his own garden. So naturally, this past fall, I had to plant one. Mine is growing up a triple arched pergola and already has taken off in growth and given me some lovely blossoms.
Reve d’Or– (French for ‘Dream of Gold’)- has softly shaped, delicate double blossoms that are more ‘peachy’ in color. The flowers appear in clusters abundantly in the spring, lightly during summer’s heat, and again in the fall. One of the best climbing roses for warmer climates. A designated Earthkind Rose. AARS rating 9.2.
Beautiful modern climber ‘Compassion’
‘Compassion’– modern climber in hues of salmon pink and peachy/apricot. Size: 8-10’h x 5’w. Zone: 5-10.
An extraordinarily beautiful climbing rose with Hybrid tea-like buds that open into pretty ruffled petals that are exquisitely shaped. It’s fragrance is intoxicating. I have Compassion growing up my triple arch pergola alongside Reved’Or . Wonderful repeat flowering. One of my favorites.
David Austin rose- ‘Evelyn’
‘Evelyn’- David Austin short climbing rose, silky soft apricot, tinged with pink. Size: 6’h x 3’w. Zone:
Breathtaking rose in bloom, with huge old-fashioned rosette formed flowers. One of the most fragrant roses in my garden. A very good repeat bloomer. A small climber, perfect for a pillar.
‘Evelyn’ was named on behalf of Crabtree & Evelyn, who used it in their range of rose perfumes, soaps and lotions.
A Hybrid Musk rose new to my garden this year. To my delight, Buff Beauty has already produced flowers and graceful long arching canes.This fragrant Hybrid Musk rose has beautiful clusters of double apricot flowers that fade to soft yellow. In warmer climates it is often trained as a climber. I’ve heard that Buff Beauty’s blooms are lovely in the fall….I can’t wait!
This my all time favorite Flower Carpet rose. High in disease resistance and a prolific bloomer. I have several planted around my stonebridge in front of my weeping Blue Atlas cedar.
My new 2013 ‘Peachy’ rose additions are:
‘Lady Ashe’– Apricot blend climbing Hybrid Tea
‘Peach Drift’
Yes, that’s me…. amongst my ‘Amber’ Flower Carpet roses.
I’ve enjoyed sharing my roses with everyone with these multiple blog posts. Roses offer us an endless combination of colors to paint our landscapes with in any way we choose. So go ahead- paint your garden with beautiful roses!
Va-Va-VaVoom! This Floribunda rose blooms continually in my garden giving me amazing color . It’s fully double flowers are an intense bright tangerine orange with rich mahogany colored new foliage.
‘VaVoom’ stands up well to the heat and humidity in my Zone 7b garden. One of my favorite roses colorwise, especially mixed with deep blues and purples. Fragrant. Does seem to get occasional blackspot.
‘VaVoom’- Eye catching with deep blues. Please note: The foliage has deer repellant residue on it due to a heavy application I had to apply to this part of my garden.
Floribunda rose ‘Easy Does It’
‘Easy Does It’– Floribunda rose in hues of mango orange, pink and apricot. Size: 3-4’h. Zone: 5-10.
This rose lives true to its name..it has to be one of the easiest Floribunda’s to grow in my garden. Extremely disease resistant and a non-stop bloomer from spring to frost! The flower petals are beautifully scalloped with ruffled edges, starting out mango orange and then turning coral and pink. 2010 AARS Award. In the spring, I love mixing Easy Does It with orange tri-color snapdragons.
‘Easy Does It’ inter-planted with snapdragons in my spring garden.
Huge clusters of deliciously fragrant old fashioned blooms in a gorgeous buttery yellow. Extremely disease resistant (one of the best in my garden), constant bloomer.
2006 AARS Winner. Adored by many and definitely one of my favorites!
Kordes Climbing rose ‘ Golden Gate’
‘Golden Gate’ – Golden yellow Kordes Large flowered Climbing rose. Size: 8’h x 5’w. Zone: 5-10.
Newly planted in my garden this spring is the Kordes climbing rose ‘Golden Gate’. It has already grown to 7 feet tall and given me lots of blooms. ‘Golden Gate‘ has lovely double blooms that are golden yellow slowly fading to cream. Beautiful healthy green foliage. Wonderful repeat bloomer and fragrant. It’s a keeper in my garden.
‘White Licorice’ Floribunda rose
‘White Licorice’ – light yellow Floribunda rose. Size: 3-4’h x 3-4′ w. Zone: 5-10.
Another newcomer to my garden this spring ‘White Licorice’ Floribunda rose. Two of them grace the entrance to my backyard stone arbor. The sweet licorice/lemon fragrance is a wonderful greeting, along with the lovely lemon yellow blossoms which turn to ivory white. . Only downside…seems to be susceptible to blackspot. Already thinking about replacing this rose with a few Julia Child Floribunda’s.
This prostrate- growing shrub rose is a real eye catcher in my landscape. The coral color is bright and cheery even in our brutal summer heat. Extremely disease resistant and requires little care as most Flower Carpet shrub roses. Prolific bloomer.
( White, Near White, White edged with pink, Blush)
Climbing ‘Iceburg’ Floribunda Rose- Size: 8-10′ h. Zone: 5-10.
Climbing Iceburg
Climbing Iceburg produces beautiful semi-double white flowers all summer long in my garden. I’ve read that it’s considered to be the best white climber, however, Sombreuil also has my vote. Iceburg’s flowers are fragrant with beautiful dark green foliage. The only fault is that the flowers are not very long lasting when cut.
A reliable climber in my garden and even performs well in a bit of shade.
Climbing Iceburg growing on my trellis in my garden
‘Sombreuil’ is an outstanding climber in my garden reaching about eight to ten feet . One of my all time favorite white roses due to its fragrance and elegant creamy white flowers. It’s flowers remind me of the ‘Alba Plena’ camellia with their formal flat double petals ever so slightly blushed with pink. It flowers profusely and sheds its soft faded petals beautifully. Sombreuil adds an Old World charm to my garden. It’s believed by some, that it was named after the daughter of Comte de Sombreuil, who was governor of Les Invalides at the time of the French Revolution, and she saved her father from prison and possible death.
These next few roses are different shades of white–they either start out white or eventually turn white as they mature….
Hybrid Tea ‘ Moonstone’
‘Moonstone’ – Soft cream finely edged in delicate pink Hybrid Tea rose. Size: 3-4’h x 3’w. Zone: 5-10.
Moonstone is an absolutely stunning hybrid tea rose blooming in my garden. It’s flowers open from large buds to lovely white petals finely edged with pink. The blooms are huge and exquisite. The flowers change colors as they age, becoming more creamy white. Moonstone is a noted prize winning exhibition rose and also an excellent cut flower.
Hybrid Tea ‘Moonstone’
I have two planted in my garden; one in full sun, which is doing excellent (above photo), and the other is planted in part sun and has been prone to some black spot. This rose definitely prefers some sun and heat.
Climbing Noisette ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’
Madame Alfred Carrie – near white Noisette Tea Climber. Size: 10-20’+ . Zone: 7-9.
This is one blooming machine in my garden… and that’s an understatement. Climbing Madame Alfred Carrie blooms almost all year round for me in my Zone 7b climate. At times I’ve had blossoms in January!
This climbing Noisette rose is very vigorous so make sure you have a tall and strong structure (or a house) for this rose to climb upon. I made the mistake of planting mine against a wrought iron railing about 9′ high and 20′ wide and it’s already outgrown that space, requiring the task of pruning on a regular basis to keep this climbing rose within it’s bounds .
Madame Alfred Carrie
The blooms are a pale white tinted with a hint of blush and very fragrant. This climbing rose has a soft romantic appearance when in bloom. It’s undemanding, provided you plant it with plenty of room to grow, and it is quite disease resistant. ‘Madame Alfred Carrie’ has a long blooming season and is almost thornless (which helps in pruning) . I truly love this climbing rose and would never have a garden without it.
‘Marie Pavie’
‘Marie Pavie’ – white blend Polyantha Rose. Size: 15″-4’h x 2’w. Zone: 4-10.
‘Marie Pavie’ is one of the oldest Polyantha’s. This jewel-of-rose is new to my garden and I’m already in love with it. It’s semi-double flowers open from small flesh pink buds before fading to white. The plant is vigorous, compact, thornless and good for the front of the border or container planting. Intensely fragrant, especially on humid evenings in my garden.
‘Don Juan’-modern large flowered dark red climbing rose. Size: 8-10’h x 6’w. Zone: 5-10
This is definitely one classy climbing rose. My favorite red climber of all times. Enough so, that I have three climbing up the stone exterior walls of my home. The beauty and fragrance is amazing. The color is a true, deep, velvety red. I have two ‘Don Juan’s’ growing in a sunny location that have grown tremendously in the last 2 years and the third in a part sun location that, to my surprise, is doing very well.
‘Don Juan’ climbing up my stone exterior wall.
Eventually, this climber will be trained to grow over the arch entry of my home, but for now, it’s still in it’s ‘growing phase’. Requires little attention other than deadheading (or in my case training the canes) an excellent repeat bloomer. Occasionally can get spells of black spot, but that doesn’t seem to slow this rose down since new growth compensates the loss of leaves. I would not have a rose garden without a ‘Don Juan’!
In a few years, ‘Don Juan’ will be trained over the arch.
David Austin- ‘William Shakespeare 2000’
‘William Shakespeare 2000‘–crimson red David Austin shrub rose. Size: 4′ x 3′. Zone: 5-10.
Another newcomer to my garden this spring, this David Austin rose has exquisite, large double crimson red blossoms that are full petaled, cupped and quartered. The rich luscious color is outstanding ( hard to capture with a camera), especially when planted with pinks and violets. I was impressed and pleased with the number of blossoms WS2000 provided me this month considering I just planted it 3 months ago. Mine is planted next to several pink ‘HuntingtonRoses‘, another David Austin shrub rose.
Red Flower Carpet Rose surrounded by colorful conifers
Red Flower Carpet Rose ‘ Noare‘- Carmine red shrub rose. Size: 2-4’h x 3’w. Zone: 4-10.
Most of my roses, especially my shrub roses, are integrated as part of my landscape design. My Red Flower Carpet roses ‘Noare’ are no exception. I have several groupings of this shrub rose flanked around my Blue Atlas Cedars ( conifers are another passion of mine) and the color pairing is just stunning!
A prolific bloomer with beautiful carmine red flowers with yellow centers. Highly disease resistant and easy to grow. Love it for its punch of vivid color from spring until frost.
Flower Carpet Rose – ‘Noare’
Stunning ‘Double Delight’ Hybrid Tea rose
‘Double Delight’– cream blushing red Hybrid Tea rose. Size: 4’h x 4’w. Zone: 5-10.
Even though ‘Double Delight’ is not totally red in color, I still placed it in the ‘Sultry Red’ category due to it’s spectacular bi-color with red being it’s eye-catching attribute.
‘Double Delight‘ is a gorgeous Hybrid tea whose fragrance and perfectly formed flowers are creamy white with a tinge of red that looks like it was hand-painted on its outer petals, and then as it matures it’s flowers turn more red in color. To me, it’s an artist’s dream to paint this rose for it’s alluring two-toned beauty.
My new 2013 red rose additions are:
2- ‘Dublin Bay’– red large flowered climbing rose
‘Traviata’– dark red hybrid tea
‘Munstead Wood’ – dark red David Austin rose
‘Tess of the D’ Ubervilles’– crimson red David Austin rose
Peonies…they’re every gardener’s dream.Well, at least this gardener. They are more voluptuous than some of my roses and provide an old-fashioned charm to my garden. Bearing spectacular bowl-sized blooms, peonies can last 50 years or more in your garden. Having planted more than 50 peonies in my garden over the years, I think of planting one as a lifetime commitment.
Paeonia ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Herbaceous vs. Tree vs. Intersectional
I. There are several different types of peonies. Herbaceous Peonies are the most well known type and I have several in my garden; Sarah Bernhardt, Bowl of Beauty, Festiva Maxima and Karl Rosenfield, just to name a few.Herbaceous peonies can be planted in both spring and fall. They need at least 5 hours of full sun with rich well-draining soil. Like most long-lived perennials it can take three years for them to bloom prolifically but they are well worth the wait. Herbaceous peonies require very little care and live for generations.
Paeonia ‘Paul M. Wild’- double ruby red blooms
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’ -double pure white blooms
Paeonia ‘Bowl of Beauty’- fuchsia pink petals create a bowl around a pale yellow center.
Paeonia ‘Karl Rosenfield’
Paeonia ‘Jan Van Leeuwen’- single satinly-white blossoms with contrasting large yellow center
Paeonia ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ -huge, double pink blossoms. One of my favorites.
II. Tree Peonies are woody perennial shrubs. Tree peonies grow slowly, producing 1 to 6 inches of new growth each year. Given well-drained soil and dappled sunlight, they will live for centuries. I haven’t acquired any in my garden yet but I plan to in the future.
III. Intersectional Peonies, also know as Itoh Hybrids, are a hybrid produced by crossing a tree peony with an herbaceous peony. I came across this variety when a gardening friend of mine found them for half price (Itoh peonies can cost around $75-$100 @) and he picked me up several at a local nursery that was going out of business. Itoh peonies produce tree peony flowers and leaves on plants that behave like herbaceous peonies, dying down to the ground in winter and reemerging each spring. A mature plant can produce 50 or more dinner-plate sized flowers on strong short stems that do not require staking, which is a plus if you having as many peonies as I do. Each plant can remain in bloom for 3-4 weeks with new buds continually opening over this period. My seven Itoh Peonies were spectacular this year considering I just planted them last fall. So far I am very impressed!
Keiko Itoh Peony
Paeonia (Itoh hybrid) ‘Pink Double Dandy’
Itoh peony which was unmarked when I bought it. It is a beauty though…go figure.
Since I garden in Zone 7b, Southerners can find it a bit tricky to grow peonies. But certain selections will tolerate our mild winters. The key to growing peonies successfully in the South is in the planting. The secret is to not plant the “eyes” of the peonies very deep. Peonies should be planted only 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep. Also, fall is the optimal planting time.
Forarrangements, cut when the buds are just opening. Don’t cut full-bloom peonies, they won’t last long.
If there is one rose that I will swoon over its the ‘Grande Dame’. This Hybrid Tea has big bountiful blossoms that remind me of some of the old romantic garden roses. Her huge blossoms just teases your nose to bury it in her fragrant double rose-pink blossoms.
My 'Grande Dame' bouquet
You can’t help but be drawn to this rose and it’s arresting fragrance. ‘Grande Dame’ is definitely a stately rose that demands attention.
And if that wasn’t enough to sway you, this rose is very vigorous in growth, has remarkable disease resistance, and is a good repeat bloomer. Oh, did I mention her blossoms look absolutely stunning in a vase….what else could you ask for!
I’m participating in Chris VanCleaves’ – Fill The Frame Friday’ at Celebrating Life & Roses with this photo of the charming David Austin rose ‘Evelyn’.
'Easy Does It' Floribunda Rose. 2010 AARS award winner.
I Love the Orange Sorbet color of my snapdragons in my garden this spring. This orange flower with pink hues compliments well with my Floribunda roses ‘Easy Does It ‘(blend of mango,peach & apricot) and ‘Vavoom’ (orange- juice orange).
Once the weather heats up these snapdragons will begin to fizzle and it will be time to replace them with summer flowering annuals. I definitely got alot of ‘flower power’ out of them though and they are deer-proof !
One of the finest spring blooming trees in my landscape is the Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), a small tree that’s considered as one of the most beautiful native trees in the southeastern U.S. During its peak ‘awakening’ the Fringe tree produces a beautiful and delicate visual impact in my garden for several weeks.
My fringe tree begins blooming roughly the same time as most of the dogwoods and azaleas in my garden. Large, 4 to 8-inch-long loose clusters of lightly fragrant white flowers cover the fringe tree in spring for several weeks. The flowers have very narrow petals that give the appearance of pom-poms from a distance. It has a sweet fragrance that is potent but not overpowering.
Fringe tree has the nickname "Old-Mans Beard and "Grancy Greybeard".
It grows as a multi-stemmed tree in my garden eventually reaching around 20 feet. Although, Fringe trees are adaptable and will grow in most soil types, they do prefer moist, deep, well-drained acidic soils. The ideal planting site would be morning/early afternoon sun (its location in my garden), but shade during the hot afternoon hours.
The fringe tree makes an excellent specimen tree.
This tree will also draw birds to your garden, as they will eat the bluish-black fruit that develops during late summer.
Having been busy in the garden these last few days planting more roses, I was able to enjoy some of my first rose blooms this spring. The excitement of seeing those buds open to beauty and grace never gets old. I took a break from planting and was able to capture these first spring rose blooms in my garden…
‘Easy Does It’ Floribunda Rose. 2010 AARS award winner.
'Madame Alfred Carrie' Climbing Noisette. Fragrant. Full of buds and about to give a spectacular display.
"White Licorice' Floribunda rose. Fragrant
'Distant Drums' Shrub Rose
'Julia Child' Floribunda Rose
Reve d' Or' Climbing Noisette (1869). Earthkind Rose. Fragrant
Beautiful 'Don Juan' Climbing rose. Fragrant
Awaiting the debut of so many other rose blooms in my garden, I’m grateful for the ‘early birds’ that have given me the enthusiasm to continue planting more in the weeks to come….
In the garden or in a lovely vase, nothing represents spring’s finery more than tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. Even though the contribution of spring bulbs is short lived, it is indeed spectacular when they are in full bloom in my garden. Having planted over 3,000 bulbs by myself I might add, check out my post ‘Oh, My Bulb Mania in my garden’, today I am enjoying the splendor and color of all my hard work!
Here are some photo highlights of my favorite spring bulb groupings in my garden…..
Blend of maroon and lavender tulips with rose pink snapdragons.
One of my favorite color combinations ...
Every year I plant hundreds of 'Best Red' tulips in my front planting beds. I use an Auger for faster and easier planting.
Lovely when mixed with white snapdragons.
Timeless mix of blue hyacinth and red tulips.
Lovely with conifers.
'Best Red' is a keeper in my spring garden.
The most beautiful tulip of all- 'Angelique'.
'Angelique' does very well in containers in my garden.
Tulip 'Angelique' with blue Starflower'Angelique'
Tulip 'Mt. Tacoma' and creeping jenny fill out this blue container.'French Rose Blend'
Spring bulbs planted amongst my conifers.
Stonebridge view
Daffodils surrounding conifer 'Pendula Bruns'
Daffodils and Camellia 'Professor Sargent'
My son, Nicholas, among hundreds of daffodils in the woodland area of my garden.
I know my days are numbered to enjoy the beauty of my bulbs, especially since due to very warm temperatures my Spring came earlier than usual this year! I’ve more to look forward to though, I already see my roses swelling with buds …..
Bulbs planted: Tulips- Best Red, Mt Tacoma, Angelique, Strike Me Pink,French Rose Blend and Maureen.Daffodils- Ice Follies, Carlton and February Gold.
My tulips are pre-chilled (in the refrigerator) in October for 8-10 weeks and then planted in December.
I recently had the honor in having members of the American Conifer Society- Southeastern Region and other conifer enthusiasts, visit my garden this weekend. Harry and Rona Bethea, of Bannister Creek Nursery, hosted this ‘Rendezvous’ of visitors throughout my garden and another local garden, that of Wes and Charlene Rowe. Meeting and mingling with all the fellow conifer enthusiasts (a.k.a. coneheads), was an incredible experience and made me realize that I too am a conifer lover and proud of it! Being able to converse with so many knowledgeable and wonderful people made me want to become a part of their ‘conifer family’ in sharing this enthusiasm .
January 7, 2012- ACS Southeast Region Rendezvous
Though I also adore my Japanese Maples and other flowering shrubs and trees, I must admit I have acquired an addiction for conifers over the last 6 years. I’ve come to realize, conifers are incredibly versatile and reliableadding wonderful texture, form, and color to my garden. They come in a palette of different blues, greens, golds and bronzes and also add ‘personality and art form’ to my landscape all year long when most of my deciduous trees and shrubs have shed their leaves. Most of my conifers are easy to care for in my Zone 7b garden. Of course, through trail and error and having a great conifer mentor like Harry Bethea, I’ve learned certain conifers will do really well in our climate as long as you have implemented the following steps: choosing the right planting site, planting properly, plant high or in raised beds, give adequate water especially in the 1st year and during drought, and do some occasional pruning and spring fertilizing with a mild organic fertilizer such as Hollytone.
My garden-Summer 2011
Summer 2011
Here’s a sampling of some of the many conifers I have collected over the years for my southern garden- I have well over 100 in my landscape but these are some of my favorites…
Over the holiday break I finally found the time to plant my spring bulbs. I ordered over 3,500 this year, mainly tulips and daffodils. Since I live in the south (Zone 7b) I usually treat most of my tulips as annuals in order to have an abundance of huge blooms in the spring. Having planted over 2,000 bulbs last year, hand-troweled I might add, I decided to use an auger this year. Wow! What a difference it made. I saved alot of time, having finished most of my bulb planting in 2 days, but most importantly, my back and hamstrings definitely benefited from using the auger.
I bought this bulb auger at my local nursery. It attaches easily to a cordless drill and is long enough so you can stand while using it.
It saved my back while planting over 3,000 bulbs.
Here are some of my 2012 Bulb picks for my Garden ……
‘Best Red’– a poppy red tulip that I plant every year in my front yard planting beds by the hundreds. Beautiful!
‘French Blend Rose’– Beautiful combo of pink, rose, and apricot that goes well with my apricot/orange roses in the spring.
‘Mt. Tacoma’- lovely double white late tulip. I love using these in containers and in my blue and white garden.
‘Angelique’- considered as one of the most beautiful tulips. Double soft pink petals with silver edges. Absolutely stunning!
‘Strike Me Pink’- a blend of maroon and lavender. I love to plant this with yellow snapdragons around my ‘Lemon Twist’ Hinoki Cypress.
‘Linifolia’- a species tulip. Flowers open to scarlet with black centers. Great for rock gardens. Mine are planted around my Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and other conifers.
‘El Nino’- Flowers red and rose, amber and rose, or all three at once. Beautiful in containers.
‘Ice Follies’- Large, silvery white flowers with a lemon-yellow cup. Great daffodil for naturalizing. I have hundreds of daffodils; I like mixing these with the traditional yellow ones.
‘Starflower’- Blue flowers on low mats of foliage. Great for rock gardens and edge of border. I plant mine everywhere..containers ,around other bulbs, my conifer gardens, and my woodland area. Great bulb for the south.
‘Maureen’-Classic tall white tulip, great for cutting. Looks lovely in my all white garden.
Now, if spring would just get here….I’m counting the days.
For the last several years I have ordered my bulbs from Colorblends. Love the selection and quality.
