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

Monday, July 26, 2010

The July pond - a little clean up.

Even with the heat we had this weekend I did manage to get some work done around the pond.  I had allowed the Larkspur (which I love) to kind of take over and grow over everything.  I kept going out to "thin" them a bit but when I saw the flowers covered in bees I felt guilty taking their flowers away.  The flowers though had gotten to the point that they were not looking as good and were definitely blocking sun and water from the smaller plants I had put in last fall.  It was time for them to get a chance to grow.

Compared to most years we have far fewer lily pads and flowers.  Other than that everything else in and around the pond is looking good with the dry warm weather we've had.

This is the side that I pulled up the Larkspur.  Many of these plants were new last fall or early this spring.  I've been trying to make this area more low maintenance because the front yard does take a lot of time with weeding, deadheading, staking, watering, etc.  I've been adding more shrubs and trying to add more evergreen plants as well.  Hopefully in a couple of years the Ninebark (Physocarpus) 'Coppertina', the new Hydrangea 'Limelight', Juniper 'Gold Cone', Azalea and Beautyberry (Callicarpa) will fill in more.  Not seen in this picture but behind where I was standing is a Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum), Azalea and a variegated Rhododendron.  In the sunnier spots are Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius), Echinacea, Penstemon and Daylilies.

One lone Water Lily 'Sioux'

 Looking across the pond everything is looking full and pretty good.

 One of the Echinacea 'Sundown'.  It has grown quite a bit since last year, even under the Larkspur.

 This Hollyhock planted itself here.  It's so pretty and looks nothing like the other Hollyhocks I have.

 Fuchsia magellanica blooming by the pond.  I didn't realize it would spread from the roots.  It's come up about a foot from where the original plant is.

Ligularia 'Othello'   Definitely not one of my favorite flower colors, it's hard to tell from this picture that it's a goldish orangey yellow, but it's a flower so I won't complain.  The leaves really took a beating from all the slugs earlier this year and are just full of holes.

Even though I normally love the crowded and overflowing look of gardens it felt good clearing out the Larkspur and Poppies that had finished.  It was nice to see that my original plan is still coming together and that the plants are starting to fill in more.
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35 comments:

  1. Hi Catherine

    That hollyhock is extraordinary!!!

    Does it suffer from rust much, mine don't seem overly rusty this year.

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  2. Your holly hock is just beautiful. Love the pattern on the petals. Pretty coneflower too.

    Wonder why there are fewer water lilies.
    Marnie

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  3. Dear Catherine, In its own way it is quite satisfying having something of a tidy up, particularly during the mid season when, all too often, certain parts of the garden can quickly appear somewhat tired. And, as you point out, it is necessary to give young plants the space, and light, in which to develop. It is, of course, always a balance in trying to achieve controlled profusion.

    Looking at your pictures, you are very much in control and the pond garden is certainly very pretty at this time of year.

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  4. I haven't ever seen such a lovely hollyhock!
    Even though my hollyhocks are plagued by buggies etc. I still try to grow them because they remind me of my Dad's garden.

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  5. Hello Catherine, I really Enjoyed the tour around the pond :) Pretty soon it will be time to clean around ours . Things seem to be finishing up. We were out cleaning one of the pumps to the small pond over the weekend and discovered we have about 4 babies :)
    Anyway, Love that Hollyhock ! That one is a Stunner, Really pretty. And Yes we had better enjoy the Summer because before you know it, it will be Fall. We are losing light already :(
    So make the best of it & have a Great week ~

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  6. What can I say, your photos make me happy! Such beautiful flowers. That Hollyhock is an amazing color, I'm trying to get more of them to grow in my yard.

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  7. That fuchsia shot is amazing! Love the hollyhock as well. I can't get those things to grow very long. The heat here gets them. The shot of your pond with the one water lily and the reflection of the tree overhead is pretty too.
    Brenda

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  8. That hollyhock is stunning. I haven't seen one like that - you are a lucky girl. Love that pond of yours. The view is nice looking from the pond to the house.

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  9. I too enjoy the crowdscaping for a bit, but oh the feeling of clearing the garden out some is wonderful. Your photos are gorgeous and the pond looks wonderful. Yes, I have my share of welcome and unwelcome visitors. My 12 year old killed a snake for me last week. Such a brave parent I am, lol.

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  10. I'm with the majority - that Hollyhock is sooooooo beautiful and different looking. Looks like little hairs coming out of it.
    Your pond is so full and gorgeous this year. I just love it. Well, if you're enjoying that cleaned out space you'd love my place with all of my soil showing and always room for more. I will say though I've really worked my fanny off to fill a couple completely this summer and I would have a hard time finding room for one more. Gee, I'm so proud of me! LOL

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  11. I always hate having to pull up flowers when they begin to fade. The bees/butterflies still seem to enjoy them but pulling them benefits other plants. That is such a pretty lily and I love the hollyhock. We have 4 different colors of butterfly bushes that I guess the birds planted!!! You have some great photos today with the reflections in the pond.

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  12. That waterlily is so pretty. Your pond is amazing, one to aspire to!

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  13. WOW! Your pond and your flowers are just gorgeous! The hollyhock is one of the prettiest I've seen! I know it takes lots of hard work.

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  14. It is such a beautiful lone waterlily. Your pond is so wonderful. I like all the plantings around it and you seem to have access to it to keep it up. I need to pull out half of my field lilies this fall and start over. Your photos are great. I can tell you are having hot sun by the brightness of the photos. We cooled down today for the first time in a long while.

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  15. I haven't grown Hollyhocks in many years. My neighbor is growing them in her alley garden but no blooms. I thought I read some where they were biennials. She just planted them last year.

    That pond gets prettier each time I see it. My sister-in-law said the same thing about her lilies this year!

    Eileen

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  16. The blue of your wall really sets of the pond area beautifully. I love the shape of fuschias. There is something very appealing about them.

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  17. off*

    Sorry, my spelling is all over the place tonight. Think I must be tired :(

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  18. That hollyhock is amazing! I've never seen one that color before. I direct sowed some into the garden this spring, they are still just foliage.

    How big is your fuschia magellanica? I bought two this year, I didn't realize they would spread....

    I winter sowed larkspur too, but it has not flowered yet, I think because of the weird spring. Was yours self sown from a previous year's planting?

    I have lots of slug-eaten foliage on my Ligularia Britt Marie Crawford too.

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  19. The pond looks most a tranquil spot Catherine ~ I can understand your reluctance to remove flowers when they are still in bloom but you must have felt a sense of satisfaction after your tidy up :)

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  20. It looks lovely from all your efforts. I'm always struggling with when to pull the larkspur so that I leave a few to self-sow. I usually leave quite a few until someone is visiting or I need to take a good photo! LOL

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  21. Your waterlily bloom is beautiful. Ours never had a chance to bloom. Our duck taught us that apparently water lilies are very tasty, and mowed down the entire plant before it had a chance to bloom. I understand not wanting to remove your larkspur when the bees love it so, but it does feel good to tidy up the garden, and wonder how it will look as it fills back in over the next few weeks.

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  22. Your pond and your hollyhock are extraordinary. Thanks for the photos.

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  23. Hi Catherine,

    I love the photo of your pond looking towards your house. You may have only a single water lily, but it is just beautiful!

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  24. I love visiting your pond, it is sooo beautiful.

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  25. I'm glad you showed that hollyhock up close. I was trying to figure out if that was a hollyhock in the first pic. It really is a beauty!

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  26. Things are looking great your way. I just love your pond area! I wish that kind of hollyhock would plant itself in my yard. My volunteers are different shades of yellow, even though there had been red and pink ones at one time.

    Larkspurs are one of my favorite flowers. Mine don't make it through the whole summer, either. I may have a couple left, but I've been pulling the ones that aren't doing well out.

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  27. It's hard to pick a favorite picture - but the 'view across the pond' (looking back towards your home)is so welcoming! The picture of the Fuchsia is breath-taking ... wow! -Shyrlene

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  28. Ooh, the 'Sioux' water lily photo is just breath taking. Great job Catherine!
    I agree the hollyhock is lovely. I have mostly doubles in my garden now because I fell in love with them several years ago but now I'm rethinking that love affair!! I saw a double one last weekend I think I may have to go back and get...
    It is good to clean up and pull out. Hard for me to do too (take away a food source). I always enjoy seeing your pond from any angle. Also you're so lucky to get the fuchsia to spread! I struggle to get them to do well here at all. btw, that is also a beautiful photo with the pond in the background.

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  29. Your garden looks wonderful!!! Very beautiful!
    xo Catherine

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  30. Everything is looking great around your pond. I know how you feel about pulling up a favourite plant, and larkspur have such pretty flowers, but your other plants need a little leaf room too. The new shrubs in that corner should require less maintenance. The water lily has a beautiful bloom.

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  31. I love the picture of the hollyhocks and the fuchsia over hanging the view to the pond. The garden is filling in nicely.

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  32. I like the shot of the red fuchsia hanging over the pond as well"

    The pond and every thing growing around it is so pretty"....

    P.S.. forgive me if you posted this already.... How are the little gardener's frog/s doing in their new home?

    I remember the cute little story about the frog escaping around your daughters bedroom..and I think about it when ever you mention your pond..

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  33. Alison - This fuchsia gets to be about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It just started spreading this year after being in this spot for several years.

    Vetsy - We've been looking for the frogs, but I think they are probably hiding in the plants by the pond. There are lots of hiding places under the Hostas. I keep hoping one will come out to visit or hopefully next year lay some eggs in the pond.

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  34. The Echinacea is a gorgeous color! I can understand the love of Larkspur..it's hard to chop down the blooms when the few bee's around still seem to be enjoying them. Wishing you a great week!

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