Garden Ballet: Opening and Closing Show on July 13, 2013

Hemerocallis hybridized by my Handsome Son.

I never do this-- plan out my garden additions to a prompt a crescendo for any given weekend-- as I am doing this year.

Garden Walk - July 13, 2013.

I tend to think of garden design as writing ballet in three acts in which all the principals must be on stage in all acts, even if they die before the end or have no lines until after the big chase scene.

My neighbor, Dr. Darrel Apps, is also on this garden walk. I asked him what plants he would add to my garden. Tongue in cheek, he answered, "Daylilies."

Cue guffaws and ruckus laughter. This comment from a world renown daylily hybridizer, who as I type this is probably putting more and more daylily seed into his fridge to prompt its germination.

I have been looking for cheap inspiration everywhere. In the course of my searching, I have noticed a lot of my pictures "pinned" on Pinterest. I'm not a "pinner". Maybe I will be someday, but not now.

Something I noticed when I typed particular garden related words was how many pictures I have taken have found their way to be pinned on Pinterest. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Obviously, it is a compliment. And, as I have hundreds of hits a day, even in winter for my blog, it is something to be expected. Also, it is not like I haven't found inspiration in the pictures of others. The internet and its pictorial nature have certainly gone a long way to make me feel less trapped in the boonies, for certainly central Wisconsin IS the boonies.

Typically, the pictures do have my blog's tagline on them, too. "Someday," I keep playing with the idea of a book on garden art and staging a garden which gardeners could do themselves. So, the sticky question, "If a picture is dissimilated far and wide beyond my blog, do I still have rights to it?"

These murky thoughts while pondering creating a better water feature for my side yard. My sole water feature is a cement bird bath I keep filled with water. More than used by birds, although they use it too, my neighbor's bees found it to be a sanctuary during the drought and heat of 2012.

This Christmas I have been gifted with money with the particular purpose of installing an outside outlet. A strange gift, for sure. Not one I was wishing for, either. It is a want. It opens up so many garden decorating possibilities.

So, Pinterest.

Cooling my yard would be nice so maybe this cooling mister? This doesn't need electricity. On a timer, it might be a cooling addition to my front yard hosta bed.

My side yard, with its bird bath which has been an nearly perfect water feature, is narrow, just 12 feet wide and 24 feet long. A large part of this is a pea gravel path.

I can actually tent my side yard.

Late last summer, I actually dug out a section of my long border and replanted with the crescendo in mind. I spent fall incorporating my key signature color into as many of the garden accessories as I could. I added as large of potted clematis as I could find to any climbing structure, particularly if it was inhabited by climbing roses. I staked and tied my climbers.

Then late last fall I brought in many of my annuals, thinking to have many cuttings so I could bed out plants to plump up my borders, shade and sun, and the baskets I hung under my deck windows.

(Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.) Hollyhock 'Appleblossom'

An unnamed lilium blooming in my garden, early last July.

I also had a flat of hollyhock seedlings I planted at the back of two of my borders just in case it was a "hollyhock year" and planted lilium to be the darlings of the show adding to the cast of pale, unspotted yellow ones already holding court in my garden mid-July.

(Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Bulbs) Lilium 'Landini'

(Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Bulbs) Lilium 'Algarve'

(Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Bulbs) Lilium 'Elodie'

I have also been struggling developing some labeling for my plants. That I am a collector is part of the reason my garden is on this walk. There were at least a couple dozen plants the Master Gardeners could not identify when they toured late last summer.

Thoughts and suggestions? I could use some brainstorming here from fellow gardeners and those of you who open your garden to the public on occasion.