Month: April 2013

 

 

 

 

Planting season has arrived in my zone 7b garden.  I’ve been working hard these last few weeks designing and planting the many flower beds and containers in my garden.

Of course, there is still so much to do (there always is) but this spring I’ve been drawn to the amazing colors that my Japanese maples and conifers are showcasing.  In order to capture their alluring brilliance, I decided to take a breather from gardening today so I could share a few photos with you.

I do believe their colors are simply amazing this spring….what do you think?

 

  Above and below photos: Acer palm. ‘Baldsmith‘, Acer palm.”Ornatum‘, Acer palm. ‘Twombley Red‘, Acer palm. ‘Mikawa yatsubusa‘, Acer palm. ‘Beni otake’, Acer palm. ‘Oku Kuji Nishiki’, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Saligna Aurea‘, Cupressus leylandi ‘Golconda‘, Picea abies ‘Frohburg‘, Picea omorika ‘Pendula Bruns’, Juniperus chinensis ‘Daubs Frosted‘, Weeping Blue Atlas cedar, Pinus strobus ‘Niagara Falls‘, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

 

     Trees in the foreground are: Acer palm. ‘Shishigashira‘, FringeTree, Acer palm. ‘Watnong‘.

 

    Acer palm. ‘Bloodgood‘, Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin Blue‘, Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’.

 

     Large dissectum ‘Crimson Queen‘.

 

     Acer palm. ‘Waterfall’, Acer palm. ‘Baldsmith‘ Acer palm. ‘Beni Otake’, Formosa azaleas.

 

    Cedrus deodara ‘Sanders Blue‘, Chinese Snowball viburnum.

 

    Acer palm. ‘Koto no ito‘, Acer palm. ‘Bloodgood’, Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin Blue’.

Acer palm. ‘Koto no ito’ leafing out in my garden. ‘Koto no ito’ means ‘Harp Strings‘ given that name due to the very fine linearlobum leaves. This Japanese maple is a new addition to my garden. An upright graceful tree that I’m sure will become a favorite.

 

Acer palm. ‘Twombley Red‘ keeps its red color even during the summer.

 Acer palm. ‘Oku Kuji Nishiki‘, Formosa azalea.

    Acer  palm. ‘Oku Kuji Nishiki’ is a lovely variegated JapMaple.

 Above and below photos: Acer palm. ‘Red Feathers’.  The photo above is back-lit by the late afternoon sun giving ‘Red Feathers’ a glow. A collector’s specimen in my garden. Lovely.

 

 

 

Acer palm. ‘Shishigashira‘ translates into lions head. It’s branches are covered in curly leaves. Another new addition to my garden. A fine specimen.

 

 Acer palm. ‘Orange Dream’

 

 

  Acer palm. ‘Beni otake‘, Acer palm.”Ornatum‘, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Saligna Aurea‘, Weeping Blue Atlas cedar, Pinus strobus ‘Niagara Falls‘, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis , cedrus deodara ‘Snow Sprite, Tsuga Canadensis, Picea abies ‘Pusch‘.

 

Well, I’ve given you a peak of just a few of the Japanese Maples and conifers that I grow in my garden. I have over 50 Japanese maples and well over a hundred conifers in my landscape. Yes, I am a Conehead’ and ‘Maplehead’. Perhaps sometime during the hot and humid dog days of summer, when I limit my time working in the garden, I’ll find the time to go through my photo catalog so I can designate a blog post just for identifying many of the other specimen conifers and maples I have in my landscape.

Till next time- Happy gardening!

 

 

 

 

 

In bloom right now in my garden is the lovely ‘Don Juan’ climber. I have several growing against the brick exterior of my home. Two are gracing the archways of my front entrance and the third is climbing up an exterior wall on the side of my home. All are just starting to show the beginnings of their spring flush. It’s taken three years of cane growth to get them to the point were I can espalier them against the house. Definitely worth the wait. I think this year ‘Don Juan’ will give me a dazzling show!

 

 

 

Climbing rose    ~Don Juan~

{1958}

Large flowered Climber

 

Growing Zones: USDA growing Zones 6b thru 9b

Mature Plant Height:  12 ft. to 14 ft.

Petal Count: 30-35 petals

Fragrance:  intense perfume

Bloom Time: Repeats, blooms in flushes throughout the season

Highlights: Sensational velvety crimson blossoms and dark green foliage. The flowers have a hybrid-tea form appearing both singly and in clusters. One of my absolute favorite red climbers for my Zone 7b garden.

 

 

My dazzling tulips are having their annual ‘Spring Fling’ in my garden.  I must admit, I wasn’t sure how many of the tulips I planted (see post here https://www.thegracefulgardener.com/?p=3336) would be participating in my ‘Spring Fling.’  Not to my surprise, the deer decided to have a party of their own this year by eating many of my tulip buds as their gourmet main course! (Note to self: Next year put out deer repellant in February not March.)

However, lucky for me I planted around 1200 tulips, 650 were gobbled up by the deer, but that still left me with several hundred to share with you. Even though my tulip blossoms are fleeting- many blooms just lasting a few weeks- it’s still something I look forward to every year in my garden.

Here’s a peek…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to Carol at May Dream Gardens for

hosting Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day

http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/search/label/garden%20bloggers%20bloom%20day