I found some new color in the garden yesterday. Most is newly bought, but some is returning from last year. It seems a lot of pink and maroon is making its way to my garden. I notice I go in waves of what color I'm attracted to, and lately it's those two colors.
The first thing I saw were these pretty pink tulips blooming in front of a Corsican hellebore. It seems like hardly any of the tulips from last spring returned and I can't blame it on squirrels. I think I'll be doing a lot of bulb planting this fall.
I found that my new Magnolia 'Vulcan' has a few blooms on it. Two of the buds are very frost damaged and this one looks like something bored it's way into the flower. It looks like another bloom or two will open and then I'll have to wait until next spring to see how it really does.
These are a couple of purchases from my plant shopping a couple of days ago. Rumex sanguineus which is grown for its foliage and Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red', which not only has these pretty maroon leaves but spikes of white flowers as well. It was the 1996 perennial plant of the year. I planted 2 last summer and liked them so much I thought I'd add another.
Here is Sempervivum 'Helgham Red'. We have a terra cotta planter in the hot part of the yard that we have a mixture of succulents in and thought this would be a nice addition.
Last but not least is the new fuchsia 'Swingtime'. I'm hoping no birds make a nest in it this year. The last time that happened involved me watering the plant thinking the birds were gone. I hadn't watered the hanging plant for weeks and that day as I put the hose up 4 or 5 little baby birds jumped out and went hopping all over the yard. The parent birds were not happy as I tried my best to corral them to a safe area. I still feel bad about it, even though I did see the parents taking them to a shrubby area.
Today calls for sun, perfect weather for... indoor soccer and fence building. Oh well, at least some of the day will be outside. I hope all of you attending the SAGBUTT meeting will share the details, I wish I could go!
I have a 'Husker Red' that has done very well in my garden; I'm thinking about dividing it after work today. The weather forecast for the next few days is perfect (rainy and cool) if I can get some dividing/transplanting done today.
ReplyDeleteHow cute! What kind of birds were they? I just love the little nest thing you have next to the fuchsia. Happy gardening to you- the weather is gonna be great!
ReplyDeleteThose colors seem to be very popular in my choices too! They seem so warm and inviting. I see waves of purple in my garden from my purple phase a few years ago. Maybe next year will be my red era.
ReplyDeleteI think succulents are so fun! I have a few growing in a front bed that I never touch. They are so easy!
ReplyDeleteI love your pinks and purples. My mom's favorite color was purple and in springtime I am reminded so of her love for purple/lavender flowers. I'm glad you have another good day for gardening. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteWe have some really large rocks across the front of our property that I have some succulents planted on that do real well in the hot GA sun.
Lovely photos. Swingtime is very advanced so many flowers already.
ReplyDeleteLove the tale of the baby birds.
You have some pretty blooms there! I like those colors, too.
ReplyDeleteLaura - That's good to know it can be divided. I hope you got a little garden time!
ReplyDeleteTessa - Today was great! I can't remember the type, it might've been juncos. That little nesting basket is cute, the birds check it out, but no takers so far.
Heather - Funny how we grow through color phases and can really see it when the flowers bloom.
Susie - Succulents are great, so easy and so many different varieties.
Mildred - I bet they do love your hot sun. It would be fun to see what you've planted. I think they look really neat growing from between rocks.
Joanne - It can full of flowers, I just hope it keeps blooming. Sometimes I worry when you buy something so in bloom they'll be done early.
Sue - Thanks, the good thing about these colors is they go with pretty much any color too.
Pink and maroon are very nice colors in the garden. I love them all-except that darned ole magenta-think redbuds. The tulips look good. I have done a little post on species tulips vs hybrid tulips as I too hate it that the hybrid tulips do not faithfully return. They most likely will in a year or two once they regain their strength. Love that fuschia!
ReplyDeleteI'm always drawn to pink in the garden Catherine! It's my fave color. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour new purchases are great, I was excited to hear what you bought! I was just looking at that Rumex today but didn't get it. The red & green color combination is fantastic. I also have the husker reds and think they are hard to beat in the garden. Beautiful succulent ~ I just "kinda" got into them ~ two years ago I planted a succulent container but last year I just mixed them in my regular containers. I like the colors on this one. Oh dear about "watering" the baby birds. I would still be feeling guilty about it too. They have good taste picking the fuchsia to nest in tho!!
Cat, Oh my, I love your tulips and stuff, but oh how I can relate to your hanging basket story. Were they finches that were nesting. It happens to us all the time with our mini trailing geranium baskets. We really have to keep our eye on them, and discourage the birds,if possible, before they nest. Does not always happen though. I have had them dry out pathetically when I have been afraid to water them, knowing the nest was there. Anyhow, now I will water very gingerly in a spot away from the nest. But it is quite daunting when there are babes in the nest!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I have a question for you. I would like to order a rose from a supplier in the Pacific North West US to be delivered to a home in Port Angeles. Do you happen to have a recommendation of a supplier! Would really appreciate it. I am asking you, because as Canadian, we cannot order from the US to be delivered to Canada, but as I want a delivery to a place in the US, I obviously need to go with a supplier there. Many thanks in advance.
Pauline
Some friends had the very same thing happen with the birds in their fucshia, but they had to let their fucshia die. That would have nearly killed me but those momma birds are crazy and there was no way for her to get up close enough to trickle water in so it wouldn't wet the birds.
ReplyDeleteYour tulips are such a pretty color my reds are just now showing color and my Princess Irenes have barley shown their buds above the leaves.
I am determined to not have to buy tulips after a couple more years. We'll see.
Tina- I didn't know that about tulips needing a year to return. I'll have to look for your post and reread it. I like the species a lot anyway. Maybe I'll plant those instead.
ReplyDeleteKathleen - I saw that the common name for Rumes is Bloody Dock, kind of a gory name I think! The succulents are fun to try, so easy and interesting looking.
Pauline - For some reason I can't remember for sure, but I'm thinking they were juncos. When they were first building I would carefully water around the nest. For now on I will look before I water when I've seen nesting activity.
I'm not sure about a rose supplier around here, I will ask around and see what I can find out and I'll leave you a comment at your blog if I learn of one.
Lanny - Yes, those mother birds are almost scary when they think you are going to hurt their babies. I hate to let a plant die, buy I feel worse hurting the birds. I'd love to not have to buy tulips, I'm going to look into the species varieties that Tina (above comment) suggested. They are very pretty.
Mornin' Catherine, I'm very late but had fun running around yesterday. I just love the Husker Red Penstemon. The first time I ever heard of Penstemon we took friends up to see Mt. St. Helens and all of the growth was coming back to the mountain. It was covered with Penstemon at the time we were there growing wild everywhere. So I had to go right out and buy some.
ReplyDeleteI also love the Rumex sanguineus you bought. Is that one just for summer or will it last through winter? It's beautiful.
We had a birds nest too and I told Bob to let them be (wasn't in a flower) and I could watch the babies right out my window. But when they were gone and he went to get the nest it was sooooooo infested with fleas he had to come in and get a long sleeve shirt and gloves. Because of the fleas we've opted not to get another dog after 'our baby' left us last year. Both of the dogs had fleas constantly and we treated them every way we could. I read that they are worse in the fir trees - didn't know that. I sure miss having a dog!
Love your swingtime fuchsia too!
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteLinda - I've heard penstemon grows in fields, I bet the look pretty in huge groupings like that. The Rumex should be a perennial, but it sounds like they're pretty tender here. I might put it in a container. I didn't know the nests could get fleas! I know they aren't clean, but fleas yuck!
ReplyDeleteSparkle Mirror - Thanks! :)
Those tulips are a nice shade of pinkish purple. I too have a lot of both colors in my garden. I tend to be drawn to them.
ReplyDeleteWell, I wouldn't mind fence building with hummingbirds "bothering" me!
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