My other passion...my garden

[Wendy K.]

I know it's WAYYY early in the season, but spring has FINALLY sprung in my neck of the woods. :) Here are some photos of how the plants are waking up and finding their way out of their winter slumber :)

First off my Helleborus (Lenten Rose). It's only in its second year, and has been blooming for the past month.
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Next up, on the far right one of our Crepe Myrtels (NO leaves yet), next to it a burning bush, and in between Garden Phlox, and Daylilies.
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Angle view of partial garden
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Angle view of a different part of my garden
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Some sort of Honeysuckle, intertwined with one of my Clematis, and more lilies, a Mountain Laurel, a Rugosa Rose, herbaceous peony, and a small Tree Peony.
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And my "accidental gold fish". Last year a bullfrog found his way into my 300 gallon rain water basin. I went out and bought 2 dozen feeder fish. Well, Mr. Bullfrog ate over half of them, and then decided he was going to leave, leaving me with 10 remaining "feeder" fish. They've grown tremendously since last summer, and did just fine over the winter.
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[Honesty]

Lovely pics Wendy:) Gardening is also my other passion:)

I cant wait to see more pics when they are all in bloom.

Your Garden looks lovely:)

[roxynoodle]

I love gardening as well. Beautiful pics and your plants are farther along than mine are. So far I just have some hyacinths blooming and the tulips are coming up. I do see leaves beginning on the rose bushes though.

[aliray]

Your garden looks great love the helleborus,really pretty. I got a real kick out of your "accidental" goldfish. Nice looking little goldfish pond. I didn't realize that crepe myrtle would grow that far north. What gardening zone are you in? In Mass I was in garden zone6 and here it is garden zone 10

[Wendy K.]

Your garden looks great love the helleborus,really pretty. I got a real kick out of your "accidental" goldfish. Nice looking little goldfish pond. I didn't realize that crepe myrtle would grow that far north. What gardening zone are you in? In Mass I was in garden zone6 and here it is garden zone 10

Thank you, Alison. :) I'm in Zone 6B. We grow 3 Crepe Myrtles, and our "oldest" one was planted 6 years ago. I never thought they'd grow here either, but so far so good. Some of my Primadonna roses (Hybrid Teas) are considered hardy to zone 7, and I grow those in huge pots, near the house, and each and every one of them (3 in total) have survived our winters so far. Knock on wood. :D

[buddingtwigs]

and, i love gardeners, and lovely gardens but know so little. I am trying to at least learn how to properly maintain what i have in my yard and hopefully i will grow from there! One of my favorite places to go is Longwood Gardens. I wish i lived closer because I would want to be there all the time!!

[Animalman2046]

Wendy your garden and grounds are beautiful.........Mother Earth thanks you for taking such good care of her. hugs, Ron

[aliray]

With that back fence behind the garden you have a nice protected area and probably a slightly higher microclimate. I also have three crepe myrtles also one Queen crepe myrtle and two bush types . The Queen one is marginally hardy here but so far so good.

[Wendy K.]

Patti, what got me started were Peonies. The first time I saw one, my jaw hit the floor. Then I put my nose into it, and I was sold, lol. I ended up buying 2 herbaceous peonies and 1 tree peony that year...that was about 7-8 years ago. Then I started with roses, and suddenly didn't seem to know my limits. At one point I had almost 4 dozen roses. TOO many, really! I learned to "shuffle prune" those that were disease prone and non performers. Now I'm into the cottage garden style, where a normal person thinks it looks like clutter, I see reasoning behind my madness. :th_laughing6:

[buddingtwigs]

I have a rose bush in front of my house that is old, still produces a lot of roses, but it is a very sensitive variety. It comes up nicely in the spring, by summer looks terrible, and then around September it looks nice again. I have tried some of the rose sprays, but i still end up with ugly spots on all the leaves and it looks diseased. I have considered buying a more "reliable" rose bush for the spot.

Funny you mention peonies. I have wanted to have some in my yard. A lot of my yard has a white vinyl fence around it, so i have to be a little careful what i plant around it, because i think it really reflects the sun and heats up. But in my back yard, along the fence, there are some arbor vitae that i wanted to dig up and give to a neighbor and make a nice bed for something "pretty".

[aliray]

Wendy I agree with you about cottage gardens they are also my favorite style. What clutter? I also see plants that just blend and grow together. Neatness was never my strong point with gardens. Plus I like flowers, the more the merrier. It was really tough, ,, leaving my flowers up north. I had tons of different hostas, daylillies, Lots of different hydrangers, lots of ornamental grasses, ferns of different types, lillies of different types, all in a jumble and my fernleafed red and green maples, trees I had planted over the 25 years we lived there, My blueberry bushes, fruit trees, clematis vines trumpet vines, Different types of honeysickle vines, ect ect.ect. Oh well I am too old for that now, also tons of the herbacious peonies, I also love the smell. daffodils of different types planted everywhere.

[aliray]

Patti. Longwood gardens are a place I always wanted to go to but I never did get there. and gardening is easy, just find out what you particular plant needs and try to provide it and the majority of plants will thrive . If it doesn't then throw it out and plant something else and nobody will know the difference but you. They will think you are a great gardener. And by the way do you feed your rose bush or are you having trouble with black spot. Some roses are very prone to that

[Wendy K.]

Wendy your garden and grounds are beautiful.........Mother Earth thanks you for taking such good care of her. hugs, Ron

Thank you SO much Ron!! :D

[buddingtwigs]

i "think" it is black spot. I'm not totally sure. I bought a spray that is supposed to make it more resistant to bugs and infection, but i start out with beautiful leaves and flowers, then in summer, around july, they get these dark spots on the leaves and they look terrible!!! i try to get them all picked off and cleared out, but it looks bad until late August/early Sept, when it gets nice shiny green leaves and nice flowers again.

My house would also be a great candidate for the "cottage garden" style. It is a 1920's house and I heard it used to be a big apple orchard behind the house "back in the day", and my house was the orchard keeper's house. It doesn't look like it is meant to be overly "controlled" but more flowy and natural and wild.

[Wendy K.]

I have a rose bush in front of my house that is old, still produces a lot of roses, but it is a very sensitive variety. It comes up nicely in the spring, by summer looks terrible, and then around September it looks nice again. I have tried some of the rose sprays, but i still end up with ugly spots on all the leaves and it looks diseased. I have considered buying a more "reliable" rose bush for the spot.

Funny you mention peonies. I have wanted to have some in my yard. A lot of my yard has a white vinyl fence around it, so i have to be a little careful what i plant around it, because i think it really reflects the sun and heats up. But in my back yard, along the fence, there are some arbor vitae that i wanted to dig up and give to a neighbor and make a nice bed for something "pretty".

(Most) roses are heavy feeders. After I prune mine (I ONLY heavy prune them in the spring, when the forsythias are blooming), I feed them either Espoma for Roses, it's all organic, a handful of bonemeal, a handful of bloodmeal and some Epsom salt. OR, every other year, I order 2 yards of composted horse manure and mix that under my soil. I've just fed them all, and will feed again in 2 month intervals, as my roses usually bloom reliably every 6-8 weeks, some even seem to bloom continuously. :)

Some roses don't like the heat in the middle of the summer. If you are fighting with black spot, I truly recommend Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Disease control. Apply it every other week throughout the growing season and see if that makes a difference. Also, if it's black spot, remove all fallen leaves and get rid of them, do NOT compost them.

I think planting peonies near/by your white fence would work just fine as long as you don't put them against the fence. :) Like Alison said, give it a shot, if it doesn't work, shovel prune it. LOL.

[Wendy K.]

Wendy I agree with you about cottage gardens they are also my favorite style. What clutter? .

:th_laughing6: I whole heartedly agree, but I swear, my husband calls it JUST that.... a clutter. BUT, come blooming season, nobody complains about it. :)

I've got one bed JUST for Hydrangeas, it's in the corner, where it's constantly moist and never gets full sun. One particular Lacecap LOVES its spot. It has tried taking over the entire area, so this year some heavy pruning was needed.

Oh yes, Lilies! That was another obsession of mine. Daylilies, Asiatic Lilies, Oriental Lilies...I grow them all, and love each and every one of them. :)

[Copper]

Your garden is beautiful, all the wild flowers around here have been blooming the last couple months and are finally starting to dry out as the hills turn brown. We are juuust starting to plant our veggies, we never do that great with veggies though since our backyard doesn't get as much sun as we would like.

My dad and step mom are moving up to my grandmothers old house in the Santa Cruz mountains. He's a huge fan of gardening and is very excited to have all the space, even though they aren't officially up there yet he's already starting on the garden

here is a pic of him working on the garden, he's off to the right. He's planting a TON of different plants.

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[Wendy K.]

Oh my gosh! All your stuff is already fully leafed out! NICE!!!!! I see a weeping widow in the back...and a pool....And are those leeks in your front left veggy bed? Or onions??? And yes, I see your dad, too! AWESOME!!! :D

[keepsmiling]

I love your garden and pond...awesome!:adoration:

[Copper]

Oh my gosh! All your stuff is already fully leafed out! NICE!!!!! I see a weeping widow in the back...and a pool....And are those leeks in your front left veggy bed? Or onions??? And yes, I see your dad, too! AWESOME!!! :D
Our winter is pretty pathetic haha. In general a winter day is in the 50's to 60's +/- so spring comes fast. We've already seen the wild flowers pretty much come and go XD

I'm not sure what those are, I don't live with my dad but I can ask next time we hang out. I live with my mom and step dad, and then there is my step mom and dad. My dad has a green thumb, it's amazing!

[aliray]

Wendy Good advice on the care and feeding of roses and the blackspot prevention. If she does decide to replace or the rose or plant some other she should look for resistant varieties. The town we lived in is called Rehoboth, Mass. They have a huge daylilly nursery called Tranquil Lake. Hundreds of varieties as well as many other types of plants. Huge growing fields to drool over and all kinds of unusual plants.

[Wendy K.]

Wendy Good advice on the care and feeding of roses and the blackspot prevention. If she does decide to replace or the rose or plant some other she should look for resistant varieties. The town we lived in is called Rehoboth, Mass. They have a huge daylilly nursery called Tranquil Lake. Hundreds of varieties as well as many other types of plants. Huge growing fields to drool over and all kinds of unusual plants.

I completely agree, Alison! There are SO many disease resistant varieties these days, which makes it SO much easier for the rosarian. :D I have a HUGE soft spot/love affair with David Austin roses, which unfortunately are quite prone to black spot. But, I've found if I give them lots of TLC, the reward is SO worth the extra effort.

I wish we had a nearby nursery as the one you just described. Or wait...maybe I should be glad I don't have one nearby, as I would be digging up more grass and make MORE flower beds. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks])

[aliray]

Wendy good point, but on the other hand who needs grass anyway? I wonder if we were related in a past life? The David Austin roses were also my favorites, The old fashioned, Heavy blooming, very fragrant, huge blooms,And they really look well in any kind of cottage garden.

[Wendy K.]

Wendy good point, but on the other hand who needs grass anyway? I wonder if we were related in a past life? The David Austin roses were also my favorites, The old fashioned, Heavy blooming, very fragrant, huge blooms,And they really look well in any kind of cottage garden.

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I just spat coffee all over my monitor, Alison!

Of all the Austins, there is one that I am SO fond of, I have 2 of them. It's Abraham Darby. Let me see if I can dig up a picture or two of some of my Austins.

Abraham Darby
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Pat Austin
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Teasing Georgia
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I forgot the name of this one, if you can believe it. :(
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[aliray]

Graham Thomas was another beauty. While your wiping up the coffee I had to wipe up the drool running down my face and all over the computer key board. Those Pictures are gorgeous. DROOL DROOL, WIPE WIPE

[Wendy K.]

Graham Thomas was another beauty. While your wiping up the coffee I had to wipe up the drool running down my face and all over the computer key board. Those Pictures are gorgeous. DROOL DROOL, WIPE WIPE

Funny you mention Graham Thomas. When we lost our Bernese Mountain Dog "Max", I was torn whether to get Graham Thomas or Golden Celebration. I picked Golden Celebration in honor of Max. Yellow = friendship, and Max was THE best friend one could ever ask for. :)

And Teasing Georgia was a gift from my mother in law. She picked it off a dead bed in Lowe's, handed it to me and said: "Plant it, water it, and watch it recover." That was 5 years ago. Teasing Georgia is by far THE biggest Austin I have EVER seen. She easily reaches 14' during the season, no matter how many times I cut her back. And she truly is a non stop performer, blooming well into October :) BUT, she is also the thorniest lady I have ever encountered. She rips deep into the flesh, NO remorse, lol.

Here are some more pics of roses and other flowers from years passed :)

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[aliray]

Oh sooo pretty. I am pretty sure that Pat Austin was the one he named after his wife. your clematis is beautiful . I am drawing a blank on the mint with the blue flowers I know I used to have it but I can't remember. There was a rose nursery in Middleboro, Mass that used to sell a lot of different types of roses including a big collection of the Austin roses. It was about an hours drive and I spent many happy hours there.I detest shopping unless it is a nursery, petstore,bookstore,or kitchen gadget store in which case just leave me for a few hours!

[Wendy K.]

It's Nepeta "Walker's Low", Alison. :) It makes a fantastic companion to roses, IMO. I've tried Delphiniums one year, and spend WAY too much on them. Only a few came back the following year, and by the third year they were all goners. :( I "might" just give them another shot this year, but will limit it to 3 plants MAX, IF I can find the room.

I hear you on shopping. Pet shops and nurseries are my BIGGEST downfall. :D

And yes, Pat Austin was David's wife. :)

[aliray]

I see Delphniums in some of the home depot and loews garden dept which surprises me because they don't stand a chance in this climate. Some of the most beautiful displays of them I used to see in peoples gardens were in Vermont and New Hampshire. They love that climate. Another plant I used to love was hollyhocks which really give that cottage garden feel.

[Wendy K.]

I see Delphniums in some of the home depot and loews garden dept which surprises me because they don't stand a chance in this climate. Some of the most beautiful displays of them I used to see in peoples gardens were in Vermont and New Hampshire. They love that climate. Another plant I used to love was hollyhocks which really give that cottage garden feel.

Oh....HOLLYHOCKS!!!!! I've tried them as well, and the leaves were eaten up something fierce, but I don't remember by what. They still sent out those HUGE beautiful flower stalks, but never came back for me. :(

I now have different Campanulas (blue bells) which do well, BUT they tend to multiply rather rapidly.

[keepsmiling]

I am so jealous..all those gorgeous flowers!:th_wow:

[Wendy K.]

I am so jealous..all those gorgeous flowers!:th_wow:


Thanks Carole! Don't be jealous! You probably only have to walk outside to see BEAUTIFUL flowers all year long. LOL.

[Honesty]

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I just spat coffee all over my monitor, Alison!

Of all the Austins, there is one that I am SO fond of, I have 2 of them. It's Abraham Darby. Let me see if I can dig up a picture or two of some of my Austins.

Abraham Darby
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Pat Austin
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Teasing Georgia
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I forgot the name of this one, if you can believe it. :(
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Wow!! Wendy, these are the most beautiful roses I have ever seen:)

[Birdboy]

i once had venus fly traps....... I forgot to water them :(

[Wendy K.]

i once had venus fly traps....... I forgot to water them :(

Oh no!!! Hey, at least you didnt' forget to "feed" them. LOL. Believe me, I've had plants die on me, too. :(

[Antoinette]

:th_hug8:
Your garden is too beautiful Wendy, you sure have green fingers
Unfortunately something I lack completely
Thanks for sharing
Looking forward when they are all in full "swing"

[Antoinette]

Beautiful beautiful
Much awesome colours
The roses are absolutely breath taking
I AM JEALOUS !!!!!
:th_tease: