Garden Bloggers are The Best

Marian's Prunus mume 'Hokkai Bungo'
lovely cinnamon fragrance!

Hi!  Remember me?  Yes, I know it has been a while since posting my last missive.   Besides having had company for the last two weeks, I have been busy with driving (riding) to various military installations for a new ID card, organizing volunteers for our Home and Garden Show, and learning to play bridge.  One of the ladies in our neighborhood is teaching many of our neighborhood residents.  It has been fun so far.
Before life got all crazy busy I had the pleasure of visiting Marian, Hortiopia, who lives in Greenville, a short hour away.
Her front garden is on a slope and in the shade, quite lovely and full of many shade loving plants.  Marian, ever the generous garden, shared a big clump of Hellebores with me.  Wow!  Her back yard borders the Reedy River and has a lot of great wildlife.  Visit her blog to see more of her wonderful garden.

My visit was to talk about blogging as Marian is relatively new in the blogging world.  It was a nice visit, just like two friends getting together for lunch and a walk about the garden.   We talked gardens, birds (both love watching the birds), blogging, books, and the water we each live on.
Marian has the loveliest collection of gardening books.   Here she is next to the best collection of gardening books I have seen.   Again, this generous lady gave me a book by a friend of hers.   She was down to a precious few copies, and she shared one with me.

 Down to Earth a book  by Margot Rochester, written and published not too long before she passed away.  I have enjoyed reading through her book, wanting each plant she mentions.  I have added some Mexican Sunflowers to my garden -- ordered some seeds last month-- thanks to Marian and Margot.  

We hope to get together often --love having more garden bloggers close by!  

As you can see there are two books in the above photo.  Low Impact Low Carbon Gardening, a winning from Donna at Gardens Eye View.  Donna lives in Central New York, so her garden zone is quite different than mine, I thoroughly enjoy reading her blog.  Thanks Donna!  

Since my last post spring has come and then stalled here in South Carolina.    Many blooms have opened.  My Pieris japonica 'Valley Rose' has lovely pink buds and light pink blooms.  What a great shrub, while it is only about 8 inches tall, I have grand hopes for it in future years.

 Lots of daffodils are blooming, many of the white ones are blooming now.  Below is Narcissus 'White Marvel'  -- I was hoping I had it timed to bloom the same time the white fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus is blooming.   If the tree blooms soon I will have succeeded...though it doesn't look close to bloom time.

The banished to the garage Clivia miniata is in full bloom now.  Soon the warmer weather will allow me to repot it minus the nest of ants that caused it to be banished.

This is the time of year that the Loropetalum shrubs are blooming.   I wanted to share the difference of the two colors I have in the garden.  The one on the left is L. 'Ever Red' with its red blooms and burgundy foliage, love it!  The one on the right is L. Daruma, pink blooms and a green/red foliage, depending on how mature the leaf.

A spring post wouldn't be complete without the glorious Crocus blooming with the sun shining down, making them glow.   Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant'

Oh, remember the Home and Garden Show I mentioned earlier?  Well, I met another garden blogger at the show.  David from Pinewood Cottage Garden stopped by our Master Gardener booth and introduced himself.  What fun!!  We had talked of getting together, but I was surprised when he walked up and asked if I was the Queen of Seaford!  After a short conversation we agreed to visit each other's gardens once the weather allows spring to come into full swing.
I am sure spring is here...or very close.  I have found a number of ferns starting to emerge.  I believe this one is Woodwardia virginica, Virginia Chainfern.

Speaking of Virginia, below is one of the two Red Buckeye's  I brought with me from Seaford.  Both are doing well though this one looks as though it is going to bloom!  I await its bloom -- think it is going to be a hummingbird magnet!   Aesculus pavia

A new bulb in my garden is a miniature tulip.... Tulipa turkestanica, is blooming now.

Another garden blogger I have been planning to meet in Spartanburg is DJ from Meander Mountain.  DJ and Julie (Growing Days) and I have talked about a visit to Hatcher Gardens.  Garden blogging friends from the last fling getting together sounds like a good time doesn't it?

Our Red headed Woodpecker is a frequent visitor this winter.  Lately there are two.....doing a lot of fluttering around.  Could baby woodpeckers be coming?

On my way home from Marian's house I saw this ugly guy at the stop sign.  You will be happy that I cropped the photo to eliminate the road kill he and his buddy were working on.   These birds do a good job of cleaning up along the roadways.

As I said in an earlier post,  I will be working by way around to your blogs, catching up on my reading.   Time to get back into the routine of posting and reading.  I have missed you all.


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Spring is Just Around The Corner, 'Jane' Said So

We have had such a mild winter this year.  Some of my daffodils are blooming a month earlier than they have for the past couple years.  I know it is getting close to Spring because my Magnolia x 'Jane' is starting to open.  'Jane' is one of the Little Girl Series of Magnolias.  She is a hybrid cross between M. liliiflora' Nigra' and M. stellate 'Rosea'.  These 'girls' tend to bloom later in the spring, missing that late frost that causes damage to the delicate petals.

She isn't open fully, just a tease of color.  Love this tree. She will be a show stopper in a few weeks...and in years to come, wow!!

For those of us in the South who love lilacs but don't have a lot of luck with them, here is a nice color substitute.  Sadly it is not very fragrant.  Daphne genkwa is a sweet little shrub that blooms before its leaves come out.  Right now mine is full of light lavender tubular blooms.  This time of year I welcome all color!!

A little more color this time of year is the Pulmonaria, this one is P. 'Raspberry Splash' with its foliage sporting white polka dots.

and here is P. 'Diana Clare' whose leaves are silver with a green edge.  Will have to share the foliage later in the season.  Right now it is pretty ratty, but the blooms are great.  Pulmonarias bloom pink and age to a lovely dark purple blue.

A new plant in the lower part of the garden is a variegated Pieris.  This one is P. japonica 'Passion Frost'.  I bought three, one looks a little stressed.  Hoping these colorful beauties will do well and grow to their 4-5 feet tall mature size.  Pink blooms and variegated foliage....perfect!!  Another month or so and these pink buds will be open.

Like a new parent or a new puppy owner who is camera happy, I can't stop taking pictures of the Edgeworthia chrysantha.  She is in full bloom now and ever so fragrant.  If you live in zones 7b- 10 and don't have one of these babies, time is wasting!  Get one now!!!

Wanted to give you a wrap-up of the Great Backyard Bird Count-- had a lot of bird activity!!  My count was almost 180 birds in 45 minutes.   I got some feedback on the high count of the Brown-headed Nuthatch.  The seed mix in this feeder was popular with all sorts of birds.  At some points during my count I had 5 Nuthatches at one time on this feeder.

See the Nuthatch below?  Busy little guys.  They take a seed and fly off to eat it and return to get another.

Will be making the rounds to all the blogs I like to read, only have 113 posting in my Google reader right now.

©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Busy Week

Don't you love it when new plants start blooming?   This is Allium sphaerocephalon.  Newly planted last fall, super summer addition!!  Will add more Allium this fall.

Last week was a special day at Park Seed for Master Gardeners and  I took advantage of it!

Plants waiting in my 'holding area'

This pile is all daylilies!! At $2 each, after seeing all the beauties you out there in blogging land have shared....I wanted some more varieties.  I bought six different varieties, Hemerocallis  'Always Afternoon', 'Sunday Gloves', 'Raspberry Suede', 'Stephanie Returns', and 'Scottish Fantasy'.  Have Googled them and can't wait to see them blooming!

I bought a couple Viburnum 'Eskimo' and two different Pieris japonica 'Valley Rose' and 'Passion Frost' which is variegated.  Added another Calamagrostis 'Overdam' and Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'.

Another plant, new to my garden, is Corydalis 'Blue Heron'.  This has blue foliage and blue blooms in the early spring.

I enjoyed some blooms while planting the newbies.  

Mixed bag of Oriental lilies, so varieties are unknown

Love this color!

Calling this one 'Miss Freckles'
Have no idea of its real name

This fragrance laden spot was wonderful to garden near!

Lots of interesting insects keep me company

Love the color of this damsel fly

Life has not been all gardening this past week--it was concert week!

Robert Earl Keen, Wednesday
Todd Snider, Thursday




Then, the final event of Festival of Flowers was a Bluegrass concert in Uptown.  Great concert- three bands and lots of talent.

Good crowd, great evening!

Grasstown, singing "Greenwood Mill"

Boxcars 

Had to bring in some of the Lilies and Phlox to enjoy, I really love having a bouquet of fresh flowers on my coffee table.

©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Homage to Monty Python

Spring is the time where we check on the life of all our emerging plant material.  Some make it, some don't do quite so well.  I was SURE this Amsonia hubrechtii was dead.  Have another one about ten feet away that is in bloom.   This was a plant for which  I ordered a replacement in my winnings from John's contest.  (more to follow on the goodies from that order)

---

The Dead Collector: Bring out yer dead! [a man puts a body on the cart, unaware of the fact that the man is actually alive]
Large Man with Dead Body: Here's one.
The Dead Collector: That'll be ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.
The Dead Collector: What?
Large Man with Dead Body: Nothing. [hands the collector his money] There's your ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead!
The Dead Collector: 'Ere, he says he's not dead.
Large Man with Dead Body: Yes he is.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not.
The Dead Collector: He isn't.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm getting better.

True to the Monty Python scene, he wasn't dead! Or she wasn't dead...or IT wasn't dead.  I was planting some newly arrived plants on Thursday and on my hands and knees right next to this 'dead' Amsonia.   Look what I saw--- new growth, tiny but it was there!!

Luckily I have plenty of room for my new Amsonias.....so this one will stay put and it will fill in -- eventually.

I have been known to have a laissez faire  (and here) attitude with many of my plants.  Wait and see, not eager to pull, or cut, something out that isn't going gangbusters.   When you wait, sometimes you are rewarded with new growth.  The Gaillardia below was almost given up on.  I yanked on it a few times...but it did not yield.   I am pleased to say it is full of new growth.

Here, you can see it better --

The one next to it has been blooming.  Funny how one is doing well and the next one is slow to emerge from dormancy.

Some plants have had a rough time because of underground critters (voles?) and some have had to struggle with their foliage being eaten by all sorts of caterpillars.   Poor Osmanthus fragrans, much of its new growth is gone, eaten to a nub.

See this interesting leaf munchers/suckers I found in the garden this week......

Love the colors and design on this one...it was on my Fothergilla.  Almost looks like  little penguins.

Here is a full view.  I do not claim to know the names of all these crawling critters, just find them interesting.

Another one, what a "hair-do"!

Some are colorful, some have all sorts of bristles and antenna, and some are really tiny.

Some of the usual suspects were also finding good eating in my garden.  Aphids and slugs.

Finally, while looking at the new growth on the Pieris japonica 'Cavatine', a Daddy longlegs....tried to get him to go eat the aphids.

Moral of the story...Monty Python.....it's not quite dead.


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.