Spring/Early Summer Colors

Here are Mother Nature's color palette - seen in my perennial garden this Spring and early Summer.

This is the only color of iris that exists in my garden this Spring. It's of an unknown cultivar since the plants came with the house when we moved here. En masse they looked fabulous! With the cooler weather, they lasted longer than usual as well. Since then, I have inherited a cultivar that is of light mauve. It will be interesting to see the difference next year!

This was labeled as "White Bleeding Heart" which, I think, is a misnomer because it is not a bleeding heart at all. It is Corydalis lutea or Yellow Corydalis. I thought that I have the wrong plant at first because the tubular floral base bloomed first but the greenish "mouths" were closed. It was about a week before they opened up to reveal the yellow with a hint of green "tongues". The leaves are lacy and light which will provide some texture when it is finished flowering.
This is a`native plant, Cranesbill or Geranium macrorrhizum - one of the easiest plant to grow. Back in Kitchener, I had these growing under a huge Norway Maple & they thrived. Because it multiplies by stolons or "runners" (like a strawberry plant), one only needs a plant and it will keep on multiplying throughout one season! They are great ground covers especially when establishing a perennial bed. No bugs will come near it either.

This is a columbine (Aquilegia), believe it or not. It doesn't have any spurs, only a single color, and it has double petals! The cultivar is called "Clematis flowered columbine". I am hoping that this cultivar will self seed as easily as the native species. With that deep purple and yellow stamens, it will make a stunning display en masse.

The lupines (Lupinus) is another native plant. I have a large plant with this color bloom. The smaller one is a red bloomer but the flower spikes are not as large as these pink ones. This is one of the plants that came with the house. It self- seeds and I have actually succeeded in transplanting about 5 seedlings this Spring. Of course, I can't tell what color the blooms will be.) The leaves are beautiful on their own. I love watching the rain drops on the leaves- they are like diamonds!...They are growing just below our deck, an East-facing location.

May Night Sage (Salvia nemerosa) blooms from mid May and it is just winding down. The spikes grow at the same time but each spike has at least 2 opposite branches. The highest flower spike in a stem open first with the flowers opening from the bottom as this picture suggests. It is a beauty of a specimen. Unfortunately, I had planted it in front of a Juniper bush (with a bluish foliage); so, from a distance, the flowers don't show up as well. I will have to move it in front of the Golden Euonymus, I think.
The leaves are dark wrinkly (like a sage!) forming a rosette base so it will be a ground cover after it flowers.

Lamb's Ears (Stachys) flowers are not very showy but the inflorescence or flower spikes are tall & exotic looking. Notice the little lamb's ears sticking out. The name actually refers to the leaves which have the same texture. This is a soft textured specimen that begs to be "petted". They are the second easiest plant to grow. My next door neighbor gave me a spadeful from her garden last Fall and they had pretty much taken over the flower bed!

Moonshine Yarrow (Achillea taygatea) is a drought-resistant plant. This delicious color just stands out from quite a distance, with its lacy, frilly grayish wooly leaves. This is another one of those plants that can be divided year after year (that's what I'm hoping!). The bees & butterflies are attracted to the flowers. Some cultivars have cream colored or pink flowers. I am seriously considering a "collection" of this genus.

Meet my Beard Tongue 'Husker Red' (Penstemon digitalis) (Where do they get these names?) . Not a digitalis at all but the reference is to its flower form. This is planted just beside the Yarrow in order to showcase each others' attributes. This one has dark green leaves with dark red underneath. With its buttery yellow buds and the small bunches of white flowers, the combination is an eye-catcher.

If you're thinking that this is a blue flowered Geranium, you are correct. This is the 'Johnson's Blue' cultivar. Unlike the wild geranium, this one stays in "clumps". It will take a few years before I can divide it or I can start collecting seeds so I can start may own seedlings. Apparently, the problem with collecting seeds from a cultivar is that there is no guarantee that one will get the same plant!

When I took this picture & the ones above last May 31, this is the only flower of 'Stella d'Oro' (Hemerocallis). Today, it has multiple blooms. This cultivar is one of the hardiest & longer blooming cultivar among the day lillies. I had planted this beside the May Night Sage as contrasting colors. Unfortunately, I failed to note the bloom times!


This peach-leaved Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia) was one of the plants I inherited from the Brantford Garden Club Plant Sale back in May. It is the same variety I had in Kitchener so I was quite pleased to see it bloom. There is only one flower stem this year since it was just a seedling when I got it. The leaves form a rosette at the base so once it flowers, it is easily forgotten. As this picture shows, the Stachys is doing a good job replacing its spot in the garden already!

Last year (our first summer) the flower beds at the back were covered with yellow flowers from 2 different kinds of stonecrop (Sedum). They are the best plant to have in a stony flower bed with poor soil: drought tolerant with an aggressive growth. This worked for the previous owner but not for me! I retained a patch of it under the Purple Sand Cherry bush but they grow anywhere plant parts just happen to drop! Very invasive indeed.

Pansies are the first annual plants I purchased last year (before I had the perennial bed). Of all the colors, this is the only one that managed to reseed itself: Pale mauve with darker veins, it is enough to make a dark corner brighten up in the early Spring!

Just to give you an idea how invasive that Sedum was, this Spirea was completely smothered! I didn't even realize that this small bush existed until I was weeding last year. This particular weed just happen to have a rather old woody stump which I recognized as a Spirea because I had one in Kitchener. I didn't clear out the flower bed until last Fall. So, this year, I amended the soil around it, gave it a couple shots of fish emulsion, and voila!

Lysimachia punctuta or Yellow Loosestrife is another Garden Club purchase. The flowers circle the plant stem as the link will show you. There are only 2 stems that came up this year but someone from the club assured me that it is an aggressive grower (if planted in moist condition). It is a dry spot where it is planted so I guess that will control its growth. The Purple Loosestrife and the European cousin Lysimachia vulgaris which also has yellow flowers (but they don't circle the stem) are considered noxious weeds.

The following flowers are annual plants.

Annual Rudbeckia (I failed to note the cultivar) is a surplus from the RBG. They were being given away one day because "they had too much". I now wish that I had gotten more because they are just spectacular! Tall & showy, one cannot miss them. The plant is multi stemmed and each stem has multi blooms. That corner of my front yard just perked up when this first bloom showed up one morning. I will definitely learn how to collect the seeds to grow more next year!

The first Cosmos bloom. I bought a "mix" so it will be a surprise to see what the other 5 will be. I tucked them in behind some low growing perennials so they make a perfect backdrop with their delicate airy leaves. Other than starting them from seed years ago, this is the first time I bought the seedlings. I was surprised how fast they grew. Perhaps I will collect the seed heads as well!


Pisum sativum: Interesting white flowers with green veins...notice how this picture captured 3 views! OK. I confess this is not an ornamental plant but the leaves are lovely green and has the same water repelling characteristics as the lupines...Yes, it the common legume, the pea.

There you have it: the colors in my garden this Spring. It is certainly an enchanted moment when I discover a new bloom when I visit my garden.

What's growing in my vegetable garden

The abundant amount of moisture we've had so far this month is certainly conducive to a substantial growth in a short time. Of course, I'm not talking about a weight gain due to water retention here.

As you can see in my cubic meter raised bed, the peas are growing past the chicken wire structure. (Yes, that is Bob getting chummy with the peas.) The Roma tomatoes, on the right, are almost half as tall and the branches are beyond the supporting cage. The basil & parsley planted in between are just swallowed up by the foliage!


The "upper deck" of this plot includes:(L>R) cherry tomatoes, onions, beets. The basil is hiding between the tomatoes. Not shown is the lower deck which is another row of peas.

One variety of these peas is supposed to be the 'Sugar Snap' but it's difficult to tell the difference at this stage.

An herbal bed had to be quickly dug up after I had herbs inherited from the Bell Homestead Herb Garden. It was a volunteer job for the Master Gardener Group. We were thinning out the perennial herbs so the volunteers took home anything that was not destined for the compost heap. My acquisition: Tenacetum vulgare (tansies), Helianthus tuberosus (Jerusalem artichoke) and Artemesia dracunculus sativa (French tarragon). I added some annual herbs: curly & Italian parsley, oregano, marjoram, mint.

From the Garden Club plant sale I already have Symphytum officianale (comfrey), Borago officianalis (borage), Allium sativum (garlic) and Allium schoenoprasum (chives).

At a snail's point of view, you're looking at the scallop squash, less than 2 inches in diameter. That is supposed to be the normal size for harvesting. And harvest, I did. This type of summer squash tastes like a zucchini. Yummy in stirfries. I only planted 2 of this variety, not realizing the plant is compact (I envisioned long vines).

So, I have yet to learn a lot about my own micro climate in my backyard: the soil, the bugs, what plants do well, etc. I'm learning from my mistakes in some cases but I sure am having fun!

Stranded!

One hot & humid Sunday, June 8th, we met our fellow Roaming Riders in Ruthven, On (just outside of Leamington) and rode part of the Chrysler Canada Greenway (approx 27 kms). The heat & humidity was relentless. Fortunately, we planned on staying overnight in Leamington where our hotel offered a salt water pool; it was soothing & refreshing.


After supper at the local restaurant by the harbour, all 15 of us went for a stroll & enjoyed the gardens and harbour views.




The gardens were in raised flower beds, mostly labeled, so, needless to say, I had to check them all out. But I was not the only gardener in the group so I had some company.

Bob identified the irises (background) correctly so he got his picture taken.
The water feature utilized the natural slope of the harbour; there were concrete benches nearby to enjoy its tranquil & zen features.

The heat, exercise & then the full meal lulled us to an early evening back to our rooms. We had to be at the ferry dock by 7:30 AM all packed & breakfasted to catch the ferry to Pelee Island the following morning.


Our "cruise" lasted an hour and a half; it was pleasant & we had time to socialize. The views from the ferry is limited to the Leamington harbour, Point Pelee, and Pelee Island. Other than the change in perspective I didn't think there was any purpose in taking those pictures.

That Monday turned out to be more of the same: hot & humid. On the plus side, there was more breeze, few traffic, no hills.

There was no itinerary for the day: we just stopped at different locations when there was enough people interested to do so.
Here's a botanical interest: a shoe tree!
On the northeast section of the island, there sits an old lighthouse (built in 1833). The only way to get there was through this narrow foot path. Feeling adventurous we rode our bikes instead. We thought that we could outrun and outsmart those mosquitoes. It worked as long as we were moving but as soon as we reached the beach, we had to abandon the bicycles to walk towards the lighthouse. The pests were as clingy as the humid air so I turned around and headed back towards the trail head!
Our last stop was the Pelee Island Winery. No tours were scheduled as the season hadn't officially started yet. However, there was a free wine tasting corner where one can sample the local wine up to a maximum of 3 varieties.

We headed to the pub/restaurant across from the ferry dock. We had a leisurely lunch; the return ferry was scheduled to depart at 4:00 PM.

When we tried to purchase the return ticket, we were informed that the ferry was not departing until 8:00 AM the following day primarily due to the high wind speed.Gone was our hope of going home for a shower and spending a quiet evening at home!

After the initial shock & denial wore off, we accepted that we were truly stranded in an island. No contingency plans by the ferry nor the municipality for those strandees so, we had to scramble & find accommodations for the 15 people in our group.

Fortunately, the pub where we had our lunch also operates a motel at the back of the property. And there was enough room for everybody. Yes, we can shower but no change of clean clothes.
A laundry facility was available but what does one wear when one's only set of clothes are in the laundry? Nobody wanted to wear any toga.
The morning of departure outside our motel room: Bob is 2nd from the left. The two couples are the trip coordinators for the Roaming Riders.

This is Leamington Harbour as viewed from the returning ferry. Remember I said earlier that there were only limited views from the ferry but not worth picture-taking? Well, after that unscheduled adventure, there was nothing more welcoming than to see the "mainland".

Too hot, too humid, too soon

With an outdoor temperature of 28 deg C , humidity of 70% and a very high UV index, nobody has to convince me to stay indoors!




Even the lupine is droopy


When these African Daisies were transplanted 2 days ago, the weather forecast this weekend was cloudy with a 40-60% chance of rain. Now, they are getting cooked so I had to quickly do some creative thinking to protect them!

Under a burlap canopy





Bidens 'Radiant Yellow' is one of those exotic annuals I also transplanted a few days ago. It has a soft,fern-y foliage with the bright yellow flowers. I guess I'll have to wait and see how it does this summer.






This annual plant has a fleshy, velvety, yellow and green variegated leaves called 'Golden Globes', Lysimachia procumbens. Another low lying plant which, I hope, will grow aggressively to create a living mulch in my perennial bed.






The tomatoes and peas are flourishing! The warm weather and some rain we've had early this week is just what the garden doctor prescribed for these Roma tomatoes. There are basil, onions and marigolds in this square meter of raised bed as well although they aren't too visible in this picture.