New Sedum Garden . . . New Flowers . . .

We've had the most perfect weather the last 2 days. It could have been a bit
more sunny but it was overcast and comfortable - for me that is. The kind of
days I can work outside off and on all day long and not worry about getting sick
from the heat. A little later when the heat comes I'll have to go out very early
in the morning and then again in the evening. Through the rest of the day I just
sit inside and complain about how horribly hot it is.
I've been going to do a sedum garden for a couple of years now and haven't gotten around to it.
I've just planted them everywhere on the property. So yesterday I was weeding
the bed along the greenhouse and got to the end where I've wanted to put it.
Right now it's just a bunch of containers all next to each other that connects
the greenhouse garden to the next one over - you don't even want to know the
name Bob dubbed it! It's a small narrow bed between 2 big fir trees.
But yesterday I started digging in that hard soil around the tree and getting
some of the weeds out of the way. I did get them arranged a little nicer.

And brought over a few more in containers to join the group.

Got a couple sedums planted in my new green pot and sunk into the ground. I really
wanted it over in the next flower bed because it's by the road where it could be
seen but I didn't know how well these new sedums would handle the competition in
that soil from the trees. So it will be here for a while.
Here's a long shot of how the little sedum garden will connect the other 2.

Bob thinks I'm nuts but I've been saving things for when I start on that garden.
After raising it I thought pieces of this old chair would look great as dividers
for different levels. I got it at a garage sale years ago for fifty cents and
had a container sitting on it for a few years until it fell apart. Now I want to
recycle it again.

A cute little bowl with green patina will look good I think . . .

I got more new flowers the other day and put some of them up along the greenhouse
trying to get that garden as full as I can. I'm not very good at this but I'm
working at getting them stuffed so like all of you say I don't see any soil . .
. I have a long ways to go around here to get that effect!

I went to The Friends Of The Library sale the other day and there was a
Pussywillow just waiting for me to take it home. I've wanted one so I can use
them in bouquets.

Later while in town I found a present for Bob. He's snipped pieces of the
neighbors Passion Flower a couple of times now and just can't seem to make it
grow. When I saw this big one for sale I thought I'd surprise him with it.
Another one I've been wanting is this Monarda Petite Delight.
But this one just blew me away . . . ya'll know how much I love Campanulas.
They're easy, sun, shade, both, whatever . . . they have long blooming periods
and they're beautiful! But this one has a pink tint to the edges. OMG I think
I've died and gone to heaven . . . I've wanted a pink one and can't seem to find
any without ordering them. I do need to check out my new favorite nursery though
because she was going to try and get some pink ones.
And this is a bigger one too. I'm soooooooooo happy!

What A Show For Fertilizer Friday

Yesterday was pretty nice so I took a walk around the yard and was absolutely amazed at how much I saw poking up out of the ground. I'm a little concerned that the weather forecast is saying record lows for this time of year coming in a couple of days. What will this do to everything? Guess I'll find out.

The first place I went to check was over to the Helleborus Niger Lenten Rose because other bloggers are showing theirs and I didn't see any sign of mine. I thought I had lost it. I was a little disappointed because for years I haven't liked this flower. It wasn't pretty at all and I often wondered what made me buy it. Must have been a pretty picture on the ticket that is gone since I've had it so many years.

A pretty picture like this. I realized last year it must have gotten prettier with age.

Clementine Rose a pretty light pink Columbine.

Crocus

Brunnera Jack Frost

I had passed my new bleeding heart and didn't see any sign of life. Then I got to my older one Dicentra Bleeding Heart and saw life there so decided to go back and look at the other one a little closer.

I felt really bad when I didn't see anything because this Dicentra Bleeding Heart Burning Hearts blooms for a really long time and I had just bought it last summer. After getting closer and really looking I spotted some green coming up. Boy was I relieved. This little beauty is suppose to bloom from March to September!

My beautiful red and white Columbine Songbird Cardinal.

English Bluebells that my neighbor gave me.

White Bells from the same neighbor.

Narcissus also from . . . yup Marilyn gave me lots of bulbs.

Paper White Narcissus

The Clematis Jackmanii is showing lots of life.

And this I am really excited about - the beautiful hot pink Naked Ladies I showed a while back blooming in Marilyns yard, well she gave me some of those too. I only see one coming up with a big ole deer print right in front of it. Hope they didn't destroy the rest of them. I'll just hope the others are a little behind showing their pretty faces.

Pink Hardy Geranium

Sedum Autumn Joy

Tradescantia Spiderwort

Sedum Linda Windsor

Siberian Iris

Tall Phlox, are they called Garden Phlox?

Meadow Sage May Night

Pink Hydrangea I put in a pot to keep it that color.

I have another Hydrangea, called Buttons and Bows, and it has new leaves all over it but I just couldn't get a clear picture of them to save my soul. Hope it blooms this summer as it didn't last year. Every pink petal is trimmed in white.

Maybe this year I will get to see this bloom. I've had it for years. It was up back in a raised bed but critters kept chewing it down. I'm surprised it lived . . . but it did but never got to bloom. So fall before last I moved it closer to the house thinking the guilty party might leave it alone. They did and it grew and looked good but still no blooms. Maybe this will be the year. It is a Thalictrum Aquilegifolium and it says it is Columbine like. The leaves look like Columbines but the picture shows the bloom is totally different.

Here's the giant 4 ft. purple Columbine


I thought I lost this one last year in that horrible heat we had. It just disappeared. But it looks like it's coming back. I am REALLY excited about this one. Glomerata Superba Campanula, a tall purple one.

Here's a Yellow Flag that's going to Catherine's house, or maybe her pond? Glad it made it back.

I'm pleased that the blue Lacecap Hydrangeas I started a couple of years ago are looking good.

Daylilies

Sedum Purple Emperor

I found this Abelia Edward Goucher in the greenhouse that I started last year and it looks dead . . . but what is that little purple pinkish ball on it?

The BBQ Recycled Twice

Years ago I recycled our old BBQ and filled it with annuals and a Sedum on each side to hang down. I loved the way it looked stuffed as full as could be but decided to change it year before last because of an upcoming back surgery not knowing how much I would be able to get outside and do. I put some Sedums in it and in a lot of my planters for easier maintenance. Now I wouldn't have to plant as many annuals on the deck. Here is a picture of the BBQ when it had annuals and then one after the change. The gray green one top picture to the left and to the right are Cape Blanco. And the one blooming in front I think is Dragon's Blood but I'm not sure. Behind that I added a bucket for some height and dimension and filled it with Sedum Tri-Color. Oh and the fern? That's a 'happy accident' that just popped out of the bottom in front.

Sedum Tri Color

Sedum Tri Color is sprouting out in spite of the snow and freezing weather we have been having this year. Below is how it will look in the coming months.

Sedum Vera Jamison

Sedum Vera Jamison with her dark wine colored leaves and pink blooms. I went out and looked in the planter the other day and there are lots of little veras sprouting out. Once in a while we get a day without rain around here and the sun actually shows up and I'm outside looking for signs that spring is really on the way.

Fun with Sedums

This is Sedum Cauticolum on each side of what I think is a Sweet Potato Vine 'Blackie' and some Ice Plant in front that hadn't filled in at the time of the photo. Cauticolum looks so much like October Plant I can hardly tell them apart when doing starts because of the beautiful blue green foliage trimmed in pink that they both have. In the background you can see my 'bloomin' stairs' that I planted in Thyme. I have one on each side of the bank for easier access farther up in the back of the yard.

My only 2 tall Sedums so far. Autumn Joy on top and Linda Windsor, my newest. I thought the dark wine colored foliage would be a great contrast with all of the greens around here. The bloom is almost the same color as the foliage.

The 3 planters above have similar plantings in them of Hens and Chicks, Cape Blanco, Tri Color, Vera Jamison, I think some Purple Form, Cauticolum, October Plant Sedums, an Armeria, Viola and Johnny Jump Ups. Another nice green one you can see on the top right I'm not sure about the name. I haven't decided if I will stick them here and there in the flower beds or sell them if I decide to do some markets this summer.

3 old canisters my husband riveted together to put Sedums in. The large one has Purple Form, on the left is Babys Tears and I don't know what the third one is. The picture below shows them in bloom. The yellow bloom sure matched the flower on the canister