Garden Sweet Garden: May 2011

First Rose Bloom of Mardi Gras

>> Monday, May 30, 2011

My first rose bloom of the season, 'Mardis Gras'.

A Visit to Hornbaker's Nursery

This week I had the chance to go to Hornbaker's Nursery in Princeton, Illinois with my Mom and Aunt. I hadn't been in several years, and just couldn't pass up the chance to go. They are famous for their hundreds of hostas. What I love even more is garden area, through a deep ravine, where they have hundreds of varieties planted and labeled so you can see what each looks like when it is mature. How about a walk through?

Yes, as far as you can see.....hostas!

What I love about the displays here is that they are all in alphabetical order! So easy to find if you are looking for something specific. They even have a printed copy that tells about each hosta, the size and the price. They are so well organized!

Here were a few of my favorites:

I came home with the El Nino. I love the blue/grey color and white edges. It will fit in nicely with my catmint.

But did you think that hostas were all they carried? Oh no! They have water garden plants, perennials, garden decor, and fields of lilies and iris. Check this out!!

The field is full of hundreds of varieties of iris, all in bloom-yes a gardener's dream. You can walk through the field with an order sheet and when you find something you can't live without, like say 'Twist of Fate' below, then you can pre-order them. Hornbakers will then dig the iris when they are done blooming and ship them to you! How cool is that?

Did I mention the gorgeous ponds?

I just love walking through their gardens, down the steps into a beautiful ravine with a creek through it, where they have everything planted.

You will not be disappointed if you decide to make a road trip to Hornbaker's Nursery in Princeton, Illinois. they are easy to find, just off of I80. But bring your checkbook, because you are sure to fall in love with something you can't leave without!

I was not compensated in any way for this post, this is just a place I love!

Too Much Rain!

>> Thursday, May 26, 2011

Rain, rain, go away,

come again another day!

A line of storms came through our area last night. I cringed as I lay in bed, knowing that the strong rain and wind would be wreaking havoc in the garden. I almost hated to walk out to the back yard, afraid of what I would see.

As expected, I found many plants laying over on the ground, heavy with rain, and wind whipped. Oh my heart sank. I wait in eager anticipation each spring for the yellow loosestrife to bloom. It is one of my favorites. I sure hope it can revive itself and stand tall again.

More rain forecasted for all day Thursday. I may need to pitch a tent over my garden!

Creating a Rock Garden

>> Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I have an area just off the patio on the back of my house that I have been working on for a couple of years now. When we adopted our dog, a fence had to go up along that area, and it created a lovely place to tuck in a new garden. {smile} I've been able to add quite a few perennials to this area by moving things from other areas of the garden.

The tough part of this area is a large piece of concrete right in the middle of this space. We have no idea what it was there for. It has made planting nearly impossible, until I realized that many ground covers and rock garden perennials have shallow roots that creep along the ground instead of burying deep. So last week I added several bags of top soil (I chose the cheapest I could find because it is mixed with sand, just what the rock garden plants like!)over the top of the concrete slab and started arranging rocks to create a new rock garden. I have many large rocks that had been a border in the back garden that I am moving around because I am going to try a different border. So they were perfect to move to this location.

Thanks to Niepagan's, I came home with some new rock garden plants and ground covers to try and to share with you!

The Stepables brand is pretty clever. These are all ground covers that can be stepped on! Each is coded to the amount of foot traffic it can handle. This cute little thing is a 'Pink Chintz' Thymus praecox. Not that I am placing it in a path, but this one is coded for moderate traffic which can be stepped on 1-2 times per day. It is also marked as having moderate growth.

This little beauty is a John Creech Sedum. My youngest daughter picked this one out because she thought the plant formation looks like tiny roses. Aren't they cute? Although you may worry about how quickly sedums or other ground covers will spread, be sure to read the tags and many times it will tell you what to expect. This is labeled as growing 10" in three years.

I was enamored with this sedum 'tricolor' for it's varigated foliage. It will have tiny pink flowers this summer. Butterflies like this plant as well, so that is a bonus for me!

I already have some smaller hen and chicks in this area, but added this 'Red Rubin variety.

I was thrilled to find this cute little plant that loves the shade and is so bright and cheery. 'Outback Sunset' Moneywort works perfectly hidden among the hostas.

I am really pleased with how it is looking. I moved the birdbath up next to the patio because the tree above kept it full of leaves. In the center of the rock ring is a bog area I created several years ago where I have planted some 'Joe Pye Weed', ferns and soon some new Astilbe, which all love wetter conditions. As you can see, the concrete slab is no longer visible. I will need to mulch very well here, keeping in mind that the roots are shallow and will need some winter protection. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress in this little corner!

Thanks again to Niepagan's for providing the awesome new perennials! Be sure to go check out their greenhouse, where the blooming is in awesome splendor!

This Hydrangea Needs a Plant Doctor

>> Sunday, May 22, 2011

A friend gave me this Hydrangea and asked me to rescue it. I have no idea how long she had possession of it. It looks like it may have been frost bitten, hence the curled leaves. Do you have a diagnosis and recommended treatment plan?

I just planted my first hydrangea last year, so I don't know much about them. Any help you can offer would be appreciated!!

Gardening is Back Breaking Work!

>> Friday, May 20, 2011

Look what I worked on yesterday! After all the tilling, I let the ground just sit for a few weeks. I went out frequently to pull out clumps of grass, but for the most part, much of it dried and died on the top of the soil and I just mixed it back in. So finally a sunny day came around and I was ready to put some plants in the ground! I chose some perennial verbena in the hopes that it will bloom all summer. I bought a few daisy starts from a garden sale, I transplanted some milkweed and cosmo starts from our seeds, and transplanted some lambs ear from the backyard garden. I still need to transplant two roses that will go in this from garden as well. By back just couldn't take any more!

I was also working on creating this cute little path off the front steps to my bench. This is on the north side of our house, so sometimes that dirt stays pretty wet and muddy. The bricks were saved when our street was torn up about 10 years ago. They are about 100 years old! They had been edging this garden area, but not doing a very good job of keeping the grass at bay. (neither was the gardener), so we're going to try something different, but I just had to reuse the bricks.

I'm getting very excited about my mulch delivery. I haven't been able to afford mulch for a few years now, and everything is down to dirt, which as you know, means weeds! I can't wait to get a fresh delivery!!

Doesn't this look like a cozy spot to wait for the kids after school? Yep, that's where I'll be!!

Building a Trellis out of Found Objects

>> Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Since our new vegetable garden has limited space, we decided that we need a trellis for the cucumbers so they can grow up instead of across the ground. Plus it helps keep the fruit from rotting on the ground when it is ripe. So I headed out to the garage to see what I could find to make one out of what we have on hand. Let me just say, my Husband always has a lot "on hand"!

So I found these pieces of wood that had been pulled off of an old futon frame. Perfect!

As always, I predrilled the holes before placing screws.

After placing the screws on each board, I laid down the tape measure to find center for each board. Then I predrilled and put another screw in, but only half way in. This is where I am going to place some string for extra climbing areas for the vines.

Tie a knot at the bottom around the screw, then hold tight and tighten the screw down.

I went up the trellis and did this on each screw, wrapped the rope around and then tightened the screw.

I then had this string all the way up the center. I am going to do the same thing on each outside piece as well.

Looks good!

I took the trellis out to the garden. I dug holes up against the drive way so I could bury the poles and also lean them against the concrete for extra support.