9 November 2024
I think this is a viburnum, a plant belonging either to our neighbors or planted by the previous owners on our land -- the property line is a little uncertain at the very southern edge of the garden. In spring it had clusters of white flowers that look just like viburnum, so I'm guessing that this it the correct plant ID. It has a spectacular red display in fall, far more intense than most of the maple trees in the neighborhood. Whoever selected it for this location has my admiration.
1 November 2024
It may be fall but this 'Burgundy Glow' ajuga doesn't care. In fact, as the sugar maples and walnut trees shed their leaves, it's decided to pop up a blossom here and there. The warmer than usual autumn weather is probably a contributing factor. Ajuga is a great groundcover along the north greenhouse path, and it has the extra advantage of being easy to propagate: just cut a section and transplant it elsewhere, wherever it suits your fancy. Its most floriferous period is spring but you may see a few gems emerge at other times of the year...like now.
10 October 2024
Ctenanthe, or Never-Never Plant, is a native of Central and South America and is related to the Prayer Plant. Both are houseplants, normally, but this one spent a month in the porch garden before being relocated to the morning room for the late fall and winter, where it'll get the early daylight. It'll go back into the porch garden when it warms up again in spring.
1 October 2024
There's not much blooming in the garden right now although the recent rain has made green growth very lush. But in the greenhouse, where a few pelargoniums and other plants are getting an early start on autumn warmth, this 'Apple Blossom Rosebud' pelargonium (previously called a geranium) is blooming happily. The blooms look like double apple blossoms, not so much rosebuds, but it's an enchanting display for the fall season with some delicate coloration.
14 September 2024
I lost track of what was planted in the upper left corner -- it looked like dianthus to me (carnation cousin), but the fact is that it's a miniature allium (onion cousin) called 'Blue Eddy.' It's not really blue but more lavender, still nice to have and it complements the 'Purple Chrysalis' buddleia. Fall is coming but you'd never know it looking at our temperatures in the high eighties all next week. The only way you can tell is the light accompaniment of fallen maple and walnut leaves.
27 August 2024
No matter how hot it gets in late August -- and it reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit today -- the south patio garden always seems like a cool place to contemplate the flowers. We have some white Begonia aconitifolia × Begonia coccinea, which are taller than most fibrous varieties with nodding flower heads, mixed with hypoestes (Polka Dot Plant) and some copper-colored coleus, plus blue torenia. The south patio is in shade for most of the spring and summer, a perfect exposure for these plants. Someone occasionally nibbles on the begonias but they leave most of the branching florets alone, and no one eats torenia, coleus, or hypoestes, a plus in any garden. None of these plants need feeding or deadheading, they're self-cleaning. All we need to do is give them regular water and they thrive in pots.
20 August 2024
The front conifer garden is becoming more of a purple butterfly garden. We've added purple-spiked agastache 'Blue Fountain' and buddleia (Butterfly Bush) 'Chrysalis Purple,' both of which are fragrant and much loved by bees and butterflies. Some 'Royal Purple' liriope are blooming too. All these colors complement the dwarf spruce, juniper, and mugo pine that are already in place. It's hard to believe that this was where the Bradford pear tree once reigned supreme until its brittleness made it impossible to keep. Actually the entire front garden is doing much better now, so that's a plus.
14 August 2024
The blue torenia (wishbone flower) is really surprising me this year. I bought a flat of them in May and they've been blooming shyly until this month, when they've decided to put on a show. Lobelia are long gone, mostly, so having something dependably blue is important. The torenia are planted in the south patio garden, sharing space in pots with begonias and coleus, and this is clearly its favorite time. Bees love it and have easy access to the trumpet-shaped blooms. The plants tumble out of their containers engagingly and apparently aren't interesting to any local predators. So I'll remember them for next year's display.
6 August 2024
Coleus seems to thrive in the shady south patio garden and it's something that I need to remember every year. No one eats it (it has toxic sap and I suppose smart animals know that). It expands lushly in moist shade. It works well with other shade-tolerant plants such as begonias, impatiens, hypoestes (pink-polka-dot-plant), and torenia or wishbone flower with its hint of blue. No feeding needed, just make sure that these potted plants have adequate moisture and that's it. Of course the frequent rain this summer has taken care of their needs. First frost will put an end to their glory but that's not till November or so. Lots of enjoyment till then.
27 July 2024
Lavender grows well here if it's hardy, but not everything is hardy to our 6b USDA zone. Lavandula 'Phenomenal' is supposed to be hardy but some plants make it and some don't. So I decided to experiment with an annual form of lavender, a variety of Spanish Lavender, Lavandula stoechas, called 'Primavera.' If it performs nicely on the front porch as an annual, that'll be good enough. If I decide to lift it and overwinter it in the greenhouse, that'll be fine too. For the moment it looks great with Lysimachia 'Creeping Jenny' and some purple verbena.
19 July 2024
Of all the David Austin roses I've ordered recently I think that this is my favorite: a shrub rose, modest in size, called 'Scarborough Fair.' It's leafy, compact, has a nice semi-double blossom and blooms without stopping. I have six of these bushes that will shortly make the transition from cedar pots to ground, where I suspect they'll overwinter nicely (they're hardy to USDA Zone 5). Oh, and fragrant -- that's always a plus.
12 July 2024
'Bathsheba' is a David Austin rose that's normally a climber. It's been a little leggy this season but isn't really climbing, although the blooms are particularly nice this year now that the sawflies have gone and have stopped laying their eggs on the roses. Regular feeding has helped all the roses so I intend to keep it up as long as it's pratical. What a wonderful color!
4 July 2024
Some hostas send up a single slender flower stalk and call it a day. This one, planted near the west patio, is multi-stemmed and multi-flowered. Excellent performance, this one deserves watching so I can divide it and bring it to other sections of the garden.
20 June 2024
It's hard for me to pass up any flower in blue or purple tones so when I saw this Veronica (common name Speedwell) called 'Royal Rembrandt' it seemed like a good addition to the greenhouse path garden, where there's a mix of roses, lavender, 'Burgundy Glow' ajuga and other groundcovers. I hope it gets enough sun where it is. So far it's looking good.
17 June 2024
David Austin's 'Scarborough Fair' is a compact shrub rose with semi-double blossoms and a wonderful old-rose scent. I'm growing these temporarily in cedar pots on the front porch but they'll go into the front garden as soon as we have a renovation project in place. They're hardy and floriferous and handle our midwest heat and humidity well. Looking forward to interplanting with things like species geranium or Veronica.
13 June 2024
Back in the olden days when I was starting out in gardening, heuchera plants (coral bells) were just another group of autumn-flowering plants with pewter-colored leaves, and all the flowers were the same color. Now the species has exploded into a variety of leaf colors and diverse bell-shaped spikes. This one is called 'Champagne' and has orangey-lime-yellow leaves with ivory-colored flowers. They also bloom in late spring,which may or may not be the case for your planting area. But they light up the garden in a wonderful way, especially in shade, and they require almost no care. And they're hardy...and generally the deer won't touch them. Not a bad addition to the border or landscape.
7 June 2024
The west patio garden and sunken flower bed filled with hostas, hydrangea, Japanese sedge, liriope, ajuga, and nemesia. It's a lovely place to sit in the afternoon. Still blooming are pansies (planted in early March and handling the warmth just fine). I moved a couple of container roses to this patio for more sun, 'Dainty Bess,' and they definitely prefer it.
6 June 2024
We get a little bit of sun in the south patio garden in the morning and again in the afternoon. It makes the begonias happy and lights up the coleus, fuchsias, torenia, and lobelia. Just beyond this vantage is the south patio bed, which currently includes hostas, astilbe, ferns, pulmonaria and a few shrubs like hardy camellias and pieris japonica. We're fortunate that the deer and bunnies don't eem to notice this part of the garden, and if there are any snails or slugs I haven't seen them here yet. The maples, sassafras, and walnut trees provide dappled shade for most of the day, which suits this part of the garden just fine.
29 May 2024
Not all plants live outdoors! These are a variety of African violets called 'Ness Antique Red' which are growing in the east morning-room window along with other African violets and streptocarpus, a cousin of African violets. They get just enough light sun in the morning to encourage almost continual blooms, and they need no special care other than watering and occasional feeding. A bonus: our cats don't like house plants so no one has tried to eat them.
25 May 2024
Just across from the south patio is a new stepping-stone path to the birdbath and a new seating area at the top. The path is lined with Japanese sedge, liriope, white anemone, shade-tolerant species geraniums, and sedum, plus a half-barrel of ferns, grasses, golden heuchera. and 'Black Scallop' ajuga. This new cast-aluminum whte bench lights up in the afternoon sun. Begonias and fuchsias can also be planted here, so there's much to be done in the future. Shade provides so many possibilities.
21 May 2024
I ordered two bare root 'Munstead Wood' varieties, a David Austin rose, because I read that it's been discontinued in England and may suffer the same fate here. Not sure why, it's a spectacular red/maroon with an excellent scent. Austin roses are hybridized to look like old-fashioned heritage roses but supposedly with modern disease resistance, which is nice. The pink rose is Kordes & Sons' 'Earth Angel,' which is hardy down to USDA Zone 5 and is currently planted in an area of only partial afternoon sun. But the peony-shaped blossoms are enchanting ahd have a great fragrance. Photo: Bruce Dumes.
18 May 2024
This Campanula portenschlagiana ‘Catharina’ seemed to be sleeping for an inordinate amount of time last season with only a few blooms, but this year it's really proven its capability. Small, ground-cover-height (about four inches) it sits at the edge of the step garden and spills over the stone at the edge. Campanulas come in a number of varieties but this one should create a nice show for years to come, and ought to spread horizontally as well. It shares the bed with Japanese sedge, hostas, and Ajuga 'Parrot Paradise,' a vigorous spreading groundcover.
14 May 2024
My husband Bruce Dumes composed a soundtrack to his photos of the garden on a rainy day. The rain is much appreciated. I just planted a passel of new varieties: coleus, heliotrope, angelonia, lobelia, Ceratostigmata plumbaginoides (perennial plumbago, a great groundcover), and moved some daffodils and grape hyacinths into the Redbud Garden post-blossom for ripening and rejuvenation for next year's show. A lot of the violas and pansies are still enjoying the cooler, moist weather.
12 May 2024
The step harden used to be part of the lawn, and a very boring part. After the steps were put in place and the lawn replaced with a stone border, it was a perfect area for a small bed. Included are several hosta varieties, liriope, Japanese sedge (carex), campanula, daylilies, two varieties of ajuga ('Parrot Paradise' and 'Black Scallop'), heuchera, and some pink bacopa and purple nemesia for annual color. This area gets about four hours of sun per day, which seems just enough for everything that grows there. No maintenance is required. The bed takes care of itself during the growing season.
10 May 2024
Hostas no matter what their variety are dormant for much of April but start to poke their way up through the soil later that month. In early May they unfurl their leaves and populate the various hosta beds with great enthusiasm. Over the course of a week they grow at a rate of several inches a day. By the first third pf the month they look like fully-matured plants. If you have rabbits or deer they may show an interest in hostas but in my garden variegated varieties seem to be impervious to pests (your mileage may vary). For smaller pests you can also use deterrents like copper strips, beer traps, or sand or grit (which snails and slugs hate to crawl over). Don't give up. The plants and their blossoms are worth it.
5 May 2024
The spring rains have been gentle this year and it's been very helpful for bedding plants like pansies and violas. These violas look like miniature pansies and sport droplets from the latest gentle storm. Planted in early March, these varieties can handle light frosts (handy for an early garden debut) and require almost no care except for a bit of deadheading when the flowers start developing seed heads. Sometimes they self-seed, providing color for the next season. Photo: Bruce Dumes.
29 April 2024
We have a new camera for stellar photography but while we're wait for the skies to clear it can be used with great effectiveness for terrestrial photography. This is Dianthus 'Telstar Pink,' a relative of the carnation used for bedding. I'm planting this in the butterfly garden and the redbud/magnolia garden. It's supposed to be uninteresting to bunnies and deer but alluring to bees and butterflies We shall see. Photo: Bruce Dumes.
20 April 2024
The step garden inhabits a space between the west patio garden and the stone steps leading down to the greenhouse and points beyond. This spring everything is emerging at once, augmented by some purple nemesia and pink bacopa (Sutera cordata): hostas, liriope, Japanese sedge, ajuga ('Parrot Paradise' and 'Black Scallop'), hydrangea, and daylilies. It's amazing how quickly this part of the garden wakes up. Two weeks ago it was still in hibernation.
13 April 2024
We have magnolias called 'Ann' and 'Susan' as well as roses called 'Dainty Bess' so it seems almost normal to have an azalea called 'Karen.' These are winter-hardy varieties that grow happily in cedar planters on the south patio, functioning like two sentries on either side of the wicker chairs. They need no special treatment or feeding, they just bloom like crazy.
12 April 2024
The pelargonium 'Empress of Russia' has been one of my favorites for years (and a rare one at that). Categorized as either a Regal or Martha Washington variety, it's not currently in commerce, for reasons I can't fathom. To me it's intoxicating. I had a sudden fear earlier this year that I had forgotten to bring in my four plants from the outside garden to the greenhouse for the winter and that they'd all died. As it turned out, this fear was unfounded. All four plants were happily thriving in the greenhouse and this one was in bloom. Warm weather is coming and soon they can go outside for the season.
20 March 2024
There are only a few yellow-colored clivia, one of which is a light lemon color called 'San Mateo Yellow.' This one may be that variety. I brought it from California, where it grew in a pot outdoors, and put it in the greenhouse for year-round cultivation. This year it's been particularly floriferous. Last year I repotted the clivia with new potting soil and this appears to have contributed to the cheerful display this season. For those with sharp eyes, you'll note that a pink oxalis has volunteered itself to share the landscape.
13 March 2024
It's still a little early to be planting bedding plants outside. We had a night down to 24 degrees earlier this week and almost as cold temperatures due next week. But pansies, violas, grape hyacinths, and primrose seem to be able to handle a little nip of frost, and their blooms cheer up the landscape.
Some rain, some hail, some tornado warnings, but on the whole it definitely feels like spring is on the way. Not a moment too soon, in my opinion. More plants are on the way via mail order.
16 February 2024
February looked as though we might be ready for an early spring and early planting...but no such luck. Today's snowstorm is still ongoing, about 3 to 4 inches. The butterfly garden is buried and the maple trees are going to wait a few weeks before budding out. I had such a nice dream about planting lobelia, too. Must wait now!
18 December 2023
It's December! The garden is supposed to be sleeping and the weather is cooperating by helping it slumber. A light dusting of snow hasn't bothered the liriope, ajuga, and lavender, all of which are persevering in spite of the cooler weather. We're still planning for spring.
2 November 2023
The hybridizer of this shrub rose named this variety after her granddaughter and also after the song in "The Music Man." 'Lyda Rose' is a great performer, works well in containers as well as well prepared beds, and brings forth sprays of light pink to white single blossoms, even in late fall. There are lots of antique roses that look like this one, but none as disease-free and floriferous throughout the season.
3 October 2023
The last few years have resulted in a plethora of of heuchera varieties, highlighting leaf colors and textures, even more so than the delicate white to pink to red sprays of bello-shaped flowers. This silver-hued variety gives extra focus to the garden during the autumn months when bigger flower displays are shutting down for the season.
10 September 2023
This butterfly garden was planted with flowers that delight all kinds of pollinating insects. Echinacea, asclepias, roses, veronica, species geranium 'Rozanne,' and catmint (Nepeta 'Walker's Low'). It works! We've had monarchs as well as colorful moths, carpenter and honeybees, even hummingbirds. The flowers need no special care and come back every year after winter has made them sleep. It's a nice addition to the landscape.
21 August 2023
Most azaleas and rhododendrons bloom only in springtime but the 'Perfecto Mundo' strain is bred to bloom twice a year, a true evolution. This orange variety is hardy down to USDA Zone 6B and will put forth a second set of blossoms in August and September, making it a welcome addition to any garden. There are white, red, and pink versions of this variety as well.
1 August 2023
The west patio has sun from about 1pm through 3pm during the summer months due to the light patterns through the sugar maples. It's enough to make these two varieties of coleus very happy. They're growing in a container at the base of a Japanese maple (also in a pot) and do well with minimal care. They brighten up the landscape.
12 July 2023
One of the most flavorful cherry tomatoes is 'Sungold,' a sweet orange-colored cluster variety that blooms and fruits in containers and produces all season long. These plants were sown as seeds in January and set out in May. During the season we could pick a couple dozen every few days. They're great fresh, even better sautéed in oil and served over pasta.
30 June 2023
The front garden is doing well this year. Pink veronica, purple astilbe, blue sage, hostas, and a few 'Fireball' marigolds to light up the dark corners. The potted rose is a single shrub variety called 'Miracle on the Hudson.' It performs well and has no evident diseases. A great rose for garden color!
15 June 2023
White hostas, liriope (lilyturf), and golden ajuga make a lovely collection in the west garden bed. This bed is lined with local limestone and native soil (augmented by compost) and also includes hydrangea, daylilies, and Japanese sedge. Depending on the time of year I'll also include spring bedding plants such as pansies or begonias.
22 May 2023
Last season we planted a rose hedge along the stone path leading to the greenhouse, alternating with two David Austin varieties, 'Vanessa Bell,' and ivory shrub rose, and 'Princess Anne,' a deep pink tea-style rose. 'Vanessa' was the first to open this spring, with multiple blossoms and nearly disease-free foliage.
Planting was late in the season last year so they didn't bloom then, but this year they've settled in nicely and have numerous buds. They even managed to withstand an unusually cold winter, where one day the thermometer registered minus nine degrees Fahrenheit. That's well into Zone 5 weather, while Bloomington is designated Zone 6.
Companion plants include lavender in between each rose ('Phenomenal' and 'Munstead' varieties), Geranium phaeum 'Samobor,' ajuga 'Burgundy Glow,' and sedum 'Blue Elf.''
10 May 2023
It's hard to find 'Grace Seward' these days, an enchanting miniature rose, but Burlington Roses in Visalia still grows it for commerce.
Burlington's website is a little wonky so it might be best to phone or email them if you're interested in their roses. I have a hunch that they took over the late Ralph Moore's nursery because some of the stock looks a lot like his varieties.
'Grace Seward' grows about two to three feet tall and has lovely single white blossoms with pink anthers and golden stamens. It's hardy down to USDA Zone 5B, although I'd feel more comfortable storing it in a heated greenhouse in colder winters.
29 April 2023
After this area of the south patio was finished we were able to put in an azalea and fern garden.
There are three varieties of azaleas, all hardy enough (so it's claimed) to handle our midwest winters. Also included is a Pieris japonica 'Cavatine,' and three types of hardy ferns ('Ostrich,' a tall one, and smaller 'Japanese red' and 'Crested surf,' the latter with a silvery-green leaf.)
I'm also using this space for liriope, hostas (Hosta mukayama 'Purple Flamingo' from Edelweiss Nurseries in Oregon), ajuga, and some species violets, mainly 'Queen Charlotte.' There are some volunteer daylilies too that I don't have the heart to tear out. They seem so happy there.
The garden is surrounded by Missouri limestone walls and borders the south patio which is now filled with pansies and rhododendrons ('Florence Parks') in pots. It's shaded by sugar maples, walnuts, and sassafras trees as well as a mature white pine. It's a beautiful place to sit and read with a cup of tea and should be wonderful to watch the azalea garden mature throughout the year.
20 April 2023
No lie, this patio wouldn't have existed without the insight of the company we hired to build it, Thrasher Landscaping. Their vision is well worth the investment. We knew approximately what we wanted, just not how to do it ourselves. Thrasher came up with the plan: turning an otherwise unusable hill covered with lawn into a brick-paved seating area with limestone accents. Bonus: a new stone-bordered bed!
It also gave a special home to our primary fountain (doesn't everyone have a fountain or two?) which we brought out tenderly and carefully from California. It creates an immediate focal point around which we placed caladiums and bedding plants.
The lower bed includes hostas, liriope, ajuga, hydrangea, daylilies, and heuchera, with a scattering of annuals such as pansies and marigolds. Except for the annuals, which must be replaced every year, the perennials handle the winter just fine and are emerging into spring.
We added a Japanese maple tree in a square cedar pot to create some height and contrast. It's surrounded by pots of petunias, marigolds, alyssum, and lobelia. We may be pushing the season a bit prematurely with overnight temperatures in the low forties and even high thirties on occasion, but waiting for full-on springtime is hard. On with the show!