"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Some new backyard blooms and buds.

The front yard seems to be bursting with new flowers right now, the backyard is a little slower with new blooms.  Quite a bit of the back is shaded with tall evergreen trees, so most of the flowering "action" in many parts of the yard seems to be early spring or a bit later in the summer.  I did manage to find some new blooms with hints of more to come.
Toadflax (linaria) is a really tall and airy plant.  It's just beginning to bloom and will bloom for another month or so if I deadhead after the first flush of flowers.  I just planted a small plant several years ago, and it has filled in this area on it's own.  I haven't found it to be an aggressive self seeder.  It's about 3 1/2 feet tall. 

Here it is with the one surprise Snapdragon that has come back for two years.  Even though it looks kind of odd, I don't have the heart to pull out an annual that survived one of the coldest winters that we've had in a long time.  It's got tenacity so it gets to stay!

Hardy fuchsia 'Queen Esther' is a newer plant and just loaded with buds that are just beginning to open.  The outer petals are actually a light pink.  These poor plants are really being chewed up by something, I've never had that problem with hardy fuchsias before.

Oakleaf hydrangea 'Pee Wee' will only get to be 3 feet by 3 feet which it is about now.  I think the buds are really pretty with their green coloring.  I've found the Oakleaf hydrangeas to be very tough plants that can withstand dry shade very well.

Spiderwort (tradescantia) just started to bloom a couple of days ago.  I just moved it last year and it already seems to be getting bigger where it is now.

Clematis 'Henryi' has it's first couple of blooms.  This seems to be a fairly fast growing clematis and is filling the trellis in nicely.

Looks like it should be a good day for some more cleanup, and hopefully some new flowers!
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27 comments:

  1. Let me just tell you about Torenia Catherine. I bought a nine pack of them about 4 years ago. They are very heavy reseeders. I now have them all over. They say to treat them like impatiens......so not true. I have them in full sun to all shade. They are very easy to transplant. I have given tons of them away. I like them though. In a couple of weeks I will be posting how they have spread.

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  2. Thats so funny about that Snapdragon! That guy must have some deep roots! The Oakleaf hydrangea is so unique...I agree the buds are pretty. Pretty Spiderwort too....its so fun to see everything finally starting to bloom!

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  3. So glad you like the toadflax. I was really worried about mine but now have no fears. I'm loving it too. That snapdragon is trying to fit in with it for sure. Our spiderwort is going by now. I've loved it so much. I don't mind it spreads itself around. Your Henryi is great!

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  4. Look at that gorgeous Oakleaf Hydrangea bloom! Wow. Mine is barely leafing out. We are a long way from blooms here. Yours will sustain me until that happens! I would let the pink snapdragon stay too. Wish mine would reseed. I keep planting them every year but we must be too cold?? 'Henryi' is lovely....

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  5. I don't care if it is a dandelion...I need to see something bloom in my yard! the weather is not making for a good season so far! either scorching hot...or bitterly cold!

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  6. Looks like you will be having hydrangea blooms soon. When we were in the mountains their oakleafs were blooming nicely.

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  7. Hi Catherine, what a stunning array, but that toadflax really caught my eye! The color and stature make it a real stand out. Glad to hear it spreads but not aggressively too, a huge plus.
    Frances

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  8. Wow, that toadflax is really pretty. I love purples in my gardens. Your spiderwort look a deeper color than mine. Look forward to seeing your hydrangea in bloom. You have lovely gardens Catherine and they are a treat to see every post.

    FlowerLady

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  9. Always a treat to see your posts. Such a lovely array of plants, I love the Oakleaf Hydrangea.

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  10. Beautiful! Just taking a break from working on a planting plan to see if I can find some inspiration from a blog or two. And yours is always a good one for looking at blooms!

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  11. I guess I will have to try the peewee hydrangea for my dry shade and see how it does. Nothing seems to grow there at the moment :(.

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  12. Darla - Thanks and thanks for letting me know about the torenia, I really like it.

    Marissa - It must have deep roots, it's the same plant I put there before I had planted the Toadflax.

    Tina - I think you will like having Toadflax, it's so easy to pull and it mostly just reseeds around the main plant. I've never had Spiderwort spread, but I won't mind if it does either.

    Kathleen - I think the heat got the hydrangeas moving quickly this year, I don't think they're usually this far along already. I've had luck with Snapdragons reseeding here, and I almost always weed them before I realize they came back. It's usually just the short ones that do though.

    Tootsie - I hope your weather evens out so your flowers can start blooming for you. It's aggravating when the weather doesn't cooperate.

    Susie - I'd love to see the Oakleafs in their natural area, I bet they look beautiful there.

    Frances - Yes Toadflax does deserve high marks, I think I may move a few seedlings to the front yard.


    Flower Lady - I never realized that Spiderwort was anything other than purple until I started seeing all the varieties on blogs. They are great plants/

    Susie - Thanks! These Oakleafs are great shrubs, they look interesting almost all year.

    Susan - Thanks! I've got more coming :) How lucky you are to get to do that for a living! Maybe one day I'll at least become a Master Gardener.

    Ben - I hope you can grow them where you are. Dry shade is definitely a hard one. Hardy geraniums are pretty good there too for lots of blooms.

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  13. Your Toadflax is great - nice and tall. Does it stand up well? I always worry about things falling over and I hate staking.
    Your Spiderwort looks more frilly than the 2 I have. Is that black in the center or just looks that way in the photo.
    I had 3 Snapdragons come back after this winter. I'm amazed because one even stayed green all winter. The other 2 didn't reseed but are growing on the old wood. Must be beginners luck - I think this was the first time I've had the taller ones - had dwarfs once.

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  14. Your garden looks lovely ... as always! Oakleaf Hydrangea is on my list of must haves! My columbine are starting to get seeds. Want to swap? Oh, and thanks for passing along info about Little Sprouts!

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  15. Oh my. Spiderwort is a dickens to get rid of. I made the mistake of leaving it grow and it took over one whole area. Then when I tried to get rid of it, we had a hard time and are still pulling out roots. The roots look like a spider.

    Your flowers are lovely.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  16. I like the tall, graceful Toadflax. And Pee Wee, just for the name!

    And Gracie, don't eat any of the lovely flowers!

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  17. Always a treat to look in and see your new blooms. I love the pinks and purples!

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  18. That is one of my very favorite Fuchsias! Your yard is looking beautiful, Catherine!

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  19. Catherine, as your white peony is flourishing, mine are kaput. Sure was nice while they lasted! I haven't heard of Toadflax but I have a tall pink veronica that looks very similar to that. Fun to see all your new blooms :)
    Lynn

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  20. Your blossoms are lovely, Catherine. You're still ahead of me by several weeks (with those things I can grow), and I really enjoyed seeing what's in bloom.

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  21. I'm back, finally! Wow, it feels so great to be back and what a wonderful post, Catherine! I saw the toadflax over at Gail's too and I think it's lovely! What with the summer coming, your garden must get alive! Look at the hydrangea! She's literally boasting!

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  22. Linda - The Toadflax doesn't need any staking, I don't like staking either, but it seems like I still have lots to do. This Spiderwort is only purple, just a very dark one. This is the only tall Snapdragon I've had stick around too, I'm afraid to move it, but maybe I will to a place it fits in better.

    Abe Lincoln - I don't think Spiderwort is hard to control here, but I've heard other gardeners in other states say the same thing as you.

    Prospero - Gracie has just been lounging on the deck today, or looking for dropped fish food.

    Mildred - Thanks, it seems like there more new flowers everyday.

    Tessa - I looked this one up and because I couldn't believe it was a hardy one, it looks too fancy. I'm glad to see it really is a perennial.

    Lynn - We have to enjoy theses peonies while they last. I've been out smelling them whenever I have a chance. My Veronica is just beginning to bloom.

    Jodi - Thanks, I enjoy seeing what's blooming where you live too. It amazes me at the difference in bloom times for some of these plants.

    Chandramouli - I'm glad you're back! Did you see my water lily pictures? And the Bachelor Buttons are getting close to blooming too. Hope your sister's wedding was nice!

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  23. I had toadflax years ago, and had forgotten about it! But mine was pink, and I think I prefer your purple.

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  24. I love the toadflax. I had no idea it could get so tall -- it's lovely! The hardy fuchsia is gorgeous.

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  25. Spiderwort! That's the name I couldn't think of when trying to label a bloom yesterday! I really enjoyed the rest of this post, too!

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  26. Msrobin - I didn't know it came in pink! I bet it looks pretty too.

    sweet bay - My 2 year old is a good measuring stick :) It's quite a bit taller than her and she's tall for her age.

    Rebecca - Glad I could help. I have that happen a lot where the name of something disappears from my brain for awhile :)

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