I Am Inspired...

And I'm not the only one.

While driving around Stevens Point with my mother, we like to slow down and maybe even take a second pass on some yards. This year the hydrangea in central WI have been to die for, and those getting my attention in a big way are the paniculatas. This border had several.

This border running in a rectangle along about 100' of fence is about 10' deep. That's a little deep for most borders where you have perennials and want to reach the back of the border for maintenance without trampling in the bed itself. Here, I felt it was justified by the size of the plants in this shrubby border. Several small trees, shrubs, hydrangea, and big grasses all played a part in the composition. Center was an area with pavers and a bird bath, and the whole think was edged with cement edgers.

There were just a few of the more traditional perennials such as daylilies or rudbeckia which played only a minor role in the composition. My pictures do not do it justice.

 



Seen close up every day by neighbors though, it has been an inspiration to all who view it. And, very obviously to the neighbor on the other side of the fence who has worked up a space the exact same size, amended the soil, and purchased a pile of the very same edgers for their border, which I am assuming will mimic their neighbors in more than just shape, size, and edging material.  The neighbors intend to go them one better with a second bed dug up on the opposite lot line of their property.

I will be keeping an eye on the progress there. It felt like many, nearly all the homeowners were gardeners in this neighborhood, and as good as my neighborhood is, I was a tad jealous!

Wednesday in the Garden

Lily 'Algarve'

I have started and stopped a half dozen blog entries about my garden recently just so I could go be in it. So, today...just pictures.

Pollinator Watch

Hydrangea tardiva 'Unique' "B'bar is open!"  Multiple pollinators feeding on the nectar included ants, flies, beetles, bees, and wasps.

Chart of bee and bee-like creatures.

I've taken on a new fascination-- bee watching.  Right now the best locations in my garden for bee watching are the hydrangea tardiva 'Unique', plants of the sedum genus, caryopteris 'Dark Knight', and New York iron weed.

As I study these different pollinators I find it more difficult to correctly identify them than you would think.  Everyone thinks they know what is a bee, wasp, fly, grasshopper, or beetle (the categories I typically break these insects into); but you may be wrong if you thought this was a bee...
or this was a honey bee...

And then there is the issue of some possible hybrids, like Africanized honey bees... I swear I saw one of these, but I could not get a photo of it.  Point and shoot got me just very blurry images showing a color pattern similar to an Africanized bee.  Waiting for it in one spot, failed as well, no matter how still and furtive I was.  All told, that bee was frenetic, angry, unsatisfied with the floral offering; a bee in need of Ritalin.

Identification of bees versus other wannabees (get it?) comes down to looking at the wing pattern and the shape and look of their eye, antennae, and leg joint-ed-ness.  (decidedly NOT a word).  What tribe, species, or subspecies and or version like Italian, Russian, German is a matter of color pattern.  (Here you would think I was talking dressings or potato salad!)   Looking at pictures side by side it is easy to say, oh yeah Italian! But as you can guess, I'm having a hard time convincing them to stand still.

Not a bee or a wasp, this black insect was nearly 2" long.

A honey bee top left,a wild honey bee center, and a wasp to the right.

That Feeling of Fall

Hydrangea tardiva 'Unique'

I can't help but have my customary sense of foreboding this time of year.  The oppressive humidity lifts, the tardiva hydrangeas begin to bloom, and the skies are that clear shade of blue I forever thing of as "Parthenon blue".  I think of October, the color of my grandmother's eye, 911, Motorola, cookies, and winter.  And while I should rejoice and cherish such beautiful days,  always in the back of my mind is this ominous sense of foreboding.  My mother has this superstitious vein and warns not to speak too often or loudly of ones cherished moments, things, or people should The Fates be too jealous of your joy in these things and snatch them from you.

It leaves me with a feeling of dread I just can't shake this time of year, and I simply know not why. 

At present, Handsome Son is home with me, anticipating his second year at university upon successful completion of his first.  It was a year when he successfully jumped the breach of coming from very rural and small school to a medium size college where he met a lovely, well-mannered girl.    He has taken time to visit relatives, take a fishing trip with his dad (He caught a 17 pound bass.), work, and spend his few stray moments with his Mom. 

I had a great time teaching summer school.  My garden has never looked better, which gives me great pleasure.  I have had some time to complete and work on a few small projects around the house and harvested a great amount of berries from my small yard. 

My parents are in good health, as is my entire family.  We live clean, healthy lives, but good health should always be tabulated in the plus column on any given day.  I have been having great fun with the Gardening Twins, although this year as four-year-olds, they are much more interested in digging in the dirt and what they can harvest, rather than weeding or the other mechanics of gardening.  Boo, though at just under 17 months, has demonstrated a preference for hanging with me when he can and attempting to pull weeds, adding great sound effects to his and my joint efforts as he pulls, clapping loudly when he manages to get anything out of the ground.

Last night the temperatures fell to 42 degrees.  At midnight, after a short marathon of "the Walking Dead" episodes capping off an afternoon watching the movie "Elysium" at the theatre, I spent a half hour in the dark scurrying about clipping coleus.  I have quite an extensive collection at this point, not every one of which I see from year to year for sale.  I would hate to loose any given one.  They have become the reliable and colorful fillers for my very short-term frost free garden, pots and baskets. 

Our last frost date here was June 6 this year.  Our next full moon is August 22, I believe.  If our trending weather pattern does not change and a clear night comes to pass that day...

It could mean a growing season of a scant 77 frost-free days this year.  Check your vegetable seed packets and note how many list "75-80 days to harvest" and how many a great number more.  Perhaps this accounts for my sense of foreboding, maybe not. 

Regardless, enjoy the days as you can.  No truer words have ever been said than "Carpe diem."

Allen Centennial Garden: Summer Picture Montage

While I am busy working on those plant labels I thought I would share this selection of some of my favorite pictures from my visit of the Allen Centennial Garden.

Enjoy!

Creating One of a Kind Floral Arrangements Using Shrubs and Vines

I love to create one of a kind natural looking floral arrangements. Whether it is a garland to decorate an arch or railing for a special occasion or a simple wrist corsage for a spring prom or homecoming, shrubs and vines can add to the natural flavor of your floral arrangement.



This corsage was made to go with a flirty red dress with a balloon hem. It was worn for a Homecoming Dance. It features seasonal flowers, tiny pink carpet roses, along with the seed pod of clematis 'Sweet Autumn' and clusters of red berries from crab apple 'Red Jade'.

Red Jade is a wonderful small weeping crab apple for urban yards. It holds its beries throughout the winter. When they defrost in spring, they provide a natural food source for birds. The hydrangea used in this corsage is tardiva 'Unique'.

The greenery is from a Korean boxwood species, one of the hardier boxwood for zone 4. It does suffer a bit of tip browning in the spring. I recommend using an anti-desiccant or wrapping it in burlap to prevent wind burn.

This swag featured here is composed of conifers, pine cones, both hydrangea 'Annabelle' and tardiva 'Unique', clematis (again the 'Sweet Autumn' clematis, but a month earlier when it was in flower), grasses (This one is miscanthus sinesis purpurea or Purplr Flame Grass) and the seed pods of a rudbeckia. It is six feet wide and dried well, becoming a beautiful memory of a special day.