Garden Guru's Visit

My MIL was here, as I said, and we did lots of fun things. I'm sure you don't want the whole art and garden tour of Southeastern Pennsylvania,  but I will say that on Thursday, when I had finally finished the second baby sampler (without taking a photo) the dude and his mum brought it to the Strawberry Sampler on their way to Longwood Gardens. While there, she bought a project to work on. She was really enamored of the shop. (She knits, but cross stitches occasionally.)

Mothers' Garden before

About halfway through her visit I got sick with a horrible summer cold. But I rallied on Saturday to clean up the Mothers' Garden--that's what I call the side garden because our mothers helped us dig and plant it. The grass and weeds had taken over, and it's always the last garden I get to, so we three focused our efforts on taking it back.

We had to move four plants--a lacecap hydrangea planted too close to another hydrangea, lirope that had gotten buried under that same hydrangea, a tiny hosta that had been overshadowed by the one you can see here, and a maidenhair fern that was being overshadowed by that pretty rhododendron. I pounded in some edging and we mulched. It looks so much better!

I've always talked about connecting this garden and the front garden. I'm sure I'm confusing some of my British readers, so when I talk about a garden think "border" and when I talk about the yard, think "garden." Okay, onwards. The two planting areas needed connecting, but the bit that was unplanted was like a desert, a desert we had thrown all the rocks we had dug up from our yard, which was like a million. So we decided a rock garden.

We planted with fire spinner delosperma, sempervivum (two varieties), leucanthemum (dwarf), scabiosa knautia macedonica "Thunder and Lightning." I'm probably confusing some of you with the Latin names, but since my MIL is Scottish and gardens in England, we have to speak Latin to understand each other.

That geranium sanguineum was already there. I had bought it from the library plant sale. I planted it late and forgot about it for two years. Three years ago, my MIL was helping me weed, and she found it. It's spread a little since then.

All this work just about did me in, though. Sunday was horrible with racking coughs and more snot than you knew was in a human being. The dude kept asking me when I thought I should go to the doctor. In the end, it was Memorial Day and seeing someone was going to be more trouble, by Tuesday I was much better, although I still cough impressively if you make me laugh.

In the Garden: In Rememberance of Blooms Past

Now that you have the big picture, let's focus on some of the early (spring) flowers that I have.

This is the geranium everyone wanted to remove last year. Seriously, I had to tell two different people—and one of them twice—that it was a plant and not a weed.

I cut back the other geranium (Johnson's Blue). I love how this spills out onto the path. And I look forward to the re-bloom in the fall.

I've also recently deadheaded the salvia. This is "Caradonna." Two weeks ago or so, I put two more in on the other side of the agastache. It's the right height. But I do hate how it flops when it's done.

Nothing like the baptisia, however, that m-effer finishes blooming and it cannot hold itself up at all. Probably needs more sun, definitely needs for me to put the giant cage on it at the right time. The cage is just so giant, it looks stupid and I can't bring myself to believe this plant gets so huge year after year. Here it is flopping around and hiding the clematis. 

Here's something that you may find unusual, it's zizia auria or golden Alexander. This native plant is pretty widespread but sadly lacking in representation in the garden. I found it when my MIL and I went to Bowman's Wildflower Preserve a few years ago. I bought it because the blooms end up looking like this (right). I see fireworks. Now if only it were still blooming...

I know some people don't like to put the self-seeders in their gardens, but I'm casual about that. Like when these volunteers showed up*, I just let them be. Hey, if they want to propagate all over this garden, that's a-okay with me. Less weeding. Allegedly…

*Yup, they're growing between the air conditioning unit and the house. I've left them because they are spreading! For free!

I Was in the Garden: Weeks Ago

I haven't made many posts this summer, and it's mostly because I've been doing so very many other (non-stitching) things. I've decided to talk to you a little bit about where I have been, and that's the garden.

I still haven't weeded and mulched the whole garden. (And the parts that I have done are already in need of further attention. Sigh.) And forget about all the changes I wanted to make on the side garden. I still have time. Right? RIGHT??

This is my purple island garden. I tend to give it the most attention (well, you know what I mean) because it is right there out in front of our house. This photo was taken a few weeks ago, and now it looks like a jungle more lush and crowded. (A jungle that desperately needs weeding!)


You can see here that I've got some spindly looking day lilies. I recently divided them from five to ten. Next year, they'll be fabulous. Right now, well, at least they're blooming. If I were any kind of a gardener, I'd get out there and take care of the yellow leaves. (I have watered, since mother nature hasn't been cooperative.)

The clematis went wild this year. My mother is blaming/crediting the harsh winter. I'm crediting the fact that I weeded and not the "helpers" I had last year who ripped out a couple of vines (and the geranium, they did not want to leave that alone). And, though I moan about their "help" at least the whole garden was mulched in a day. And it looked good for, like, 15 minutes or something.

Can you tell I have weeding on my mind and in my future?