MMM...mmm... Good!

It was a good day of Raspberry picking today!

Before

After

 I don't have a special secret recipe, just the insert from the box of Sure-Jell to guide me.  It's SO GOOD!

Lilies

Lollipop

I've long since lost the tags for these lilies, so while I don't know their varieties, I do know that I LOVE them!

More Hostas

I just updated my blog to include a page devoted to my hosta collection.  It is my intent to grow this collection, and this is a way for me to simply keep track of things!  I also placed an order today with Bluestone Perennials for more.  Here's what I chose:

Great Expectations - Because I love to read and it is one of my favorite books

First Frost - Recommended by Diane at My Cottage Garden

Frosted Mouse Ears - I just added Blue Mouse Ears, may as well have a set

Lakeside Baby Face - Living on the lake, need I say more?

Patriot - Great name, beautiful hosta!

Stained Glass - Fell in love with this one after visiting a co-worker's beautiful backyard shade garden

There you have it!  What are your favorite hosta varieties?  Is there a must have that I'm missing?

Perennial Border Update

Well, I've been a bad garden blogger and have been gardening more than I've been blogging.  But here are updated photos of my sun border, both a pre-season photo and one I took a couple of days ago. 

Early Spring  Perennial Border

Mid-July Perennial Border

 

 

Perennial Border

Perennial Border - Shadier End

The lilies are alive right now, which is so exciting!  I'll post some closeups of the lilies next week.  Happy gardening!

Garden Bullies

A garden is like a playground; it's a beautiful sight when everyone is getting along.  But every once in awhile, someone gets a little out of hand, and then the adult needs to step in.  You know what I'm talking about:  plants that don't stay where they're planted, that push their way into others' space, that knock others down, hog all of the resources (SUN), and overpower their playmates. 


Today's biggest offender:  Filipendula, a.k.a. Queen of the Prairie.

Alone, it's a beautiful plant.  This picture, and the plants in my garden, are from Glorified Weeds.  I had some planted in the back of the sunny driveway border.  Had I looked more closely at the details of this plant before I set it in the soil, I would have discovered that it spreads by stolon and should be given either a large space, or should somehow be contained.  So I guess I got what I deserved, a beautiful plant that overshadowed everything around it and almost took over my border. 

What are stolons?  They are horizontal shoots from plants that grow just beneath the surface and produce clones of the same plant at the buds on the tip.  Strawberries and spider plants are other plants that spread from stolons.

But back to the filipendula.  I did decide to rip this out of my driveway border.  I tried to salvage some of them and planted a few in Emma's new bed behind the large boulder.  On one side of the plant is the boulder so it won't plop over on other plants, and behind it are trees, so these two "enforcers" on both sides should keep this unruly plant in line. 

Weekend Warrior - Blue & White Garden Installed

Whew!  I'm exhausted.  This weekend, I put in a new "blue and white" bed in front of the addition. 

Here's the before shot:

The bench was actually not a part of the "before."  My husband's need to move it from its prior location so he could take down some dead trees prompted the whole project.  Behind the bench is some goatsbeard, to the left is a Quickfire hydrangea, and to the right is a variegated dogwood of some sort. 

Needless to say, the sod removal was the most labor intensive part of the project.

 The stepping stones are heavy slate rocks that someone had dumped off at my husband's shops because they didn't want or need them anymore.  Again... notice how I'm blaming this project on my husband. :)

And here's the finished project.  At the sides of the bench are two Sum and Substance hostas (one which looked much better before I moved it).  I planted some Walkers Low nepeta along the sidewalk, some Glory Bee Geraniums and some balloon flowers along the front of the curve, with little white clips campanulas for edging.  Closer to the stairs (back left corner) I planted several herbs to have right outside of the kitchen window.  But I'm most excited for the irises that I planted in this garden.  I've had irises here for several years in a variety of locations and they just don't enough sun to produce blooms, so I'm hoping now that they're here, they'll bloom next year.

I'd like to say that this is my last new garden of the year, but I still have several wheelbarrows full of black dirt in a pile behind the garage just begging to be part of a new little garden soon!

Rabbits... Stinkin' Rabbits!

One of my favorite plants for shade is tiarella, also known as foam flower.  Above is a picture of what it should look like.  This picture is from Kathy Wieditz of Glorified Weeds Perennials.  

Here's what MY tiarella looks like in my shade garden

Again, the picture is taken with my iPhone so I apologize for the blurriness - but you'll notice something missing.  Each of the foamy flowers have been chewed off!  I've had these in another part of my yard for four years and I've never had any rabbit damage to them, but apparently these must be pretty tasty. 

So... do I move them?  Leave them and appreciate the foliage?  Or put out rabbit traps?