Pink Evermind

Endangered Astilbes

Last year I added some Astilbes and ferns to my very small shade garden.  The shade garden is  a 3' x 9' strip in a corner of our yard that we don't often go into - other than when  taking out the garbage totes, which we store next to the strip.  Before I made it into a shade garden, it was an empty space, filled with river rocks and requiring constant weeding - which of course didn't always happen.  Its backdrop is the back of our neighbor's garage, which is not in good shape.  The purpose of planting the shade garden was to draw attention away from the garage, to give some life to a very boring area of the yard, and to reduce weeding time.  Despite its small area, it actually took me a few years to complete, mostly because I just didn't give it the attention it needed.  

Recently, the very existence of the shade garden has been threatened, because that area may become part of our patio design plans.  This is the first year where it has really been complete, and it has become one of my favorite garden areas.  All of the plants look great (including the lilac bush, which almost died two years ago after being transplanted there).  The various leaves complement each other well, and the plants have grown large enough to fill in their spaces - meaning there is very little room for weeds.  

I especially love the Astilbes with their tall, beautiful plumes.  There are three red Astilbes, and one white (not exactly sure any more why I did that, but it works for now).  Hopefully we can figure out a way to incorporate the shade garden into our patio plans!

Gardening Modestly

I have neglected my blog terribly over the winter, but now that Spring is at least here on the calendar, I am ready to get back out into the garden, and to get back to blogging about my garden.  

This year, because I am pregnant, gardening will be a bigger challenge for me than it has been in the past.  My due date is August 16, and I am really wondering how well I am going to be able to weed and tend to my plants over the summer as I usually do.  So I think I will set a few modest gardening goals for this season, but not worry too much if I can't meet them...

1.  Keep the Japanese garden as weed free as possible.  Why the landscaper couldn't agree with me to put landscape fabric down I will never understand and will probably always regret not pushing for harder.  The concept is a minimal zen garden - weeds do not aid contemplation.

2.  Explore more container gardening.  This year we are renovating our deck and adding a concrete patio.  My hope is that the new deck and patio will become a central part of our living space, and I can't think of a better way to make it special than with some beautiful container gardens.  Well, maybe a hot tub, too, but that's for another year.

3.  Understand the back garden.  I really can't hope for more than that.  We planted the back garden our first spring in our house, and I have been struggling to make it work since then.  This year, I will try only to understand where it is now, and where I want it to go.

Dreaming of Spring

This year I decided my garden in the back of the yard needs some early spring life.  So far the back garden has been more focused on summer, with just a white star magnolia and a pernicious weed (lesser celandine) blooming in April and May.  I planted several clusters of purple and orange tulips together along the front of the garden, and then a large single cluster of red tulips and pink hyacinth towards the back underneath a Japanese Maple.  I can't wait to see those little green nubs popping up in the spring!

 

 

Amazing Garden Photo

I took this photo last weekend of a stamen whorl left on a clematis, and then my husband inverted the colors, producing this amazing photo.  To me it looks like something that would be found on Pandora.  Enjoy!

 

Open Your Eyes!

I am often completely oblivious to the world outside my mind. 

For a variety of reasons, my husband and I are considering becoming a one car family.  We each have a car, but we are currently conducting an experiment, and living as though we only have one car.  I have taken the subway to and from work, which involves a 15 minute walk, and we have carefully coordinated our schedules otherwise.

Because of the additional walking I have been doing, I have been more in tune with the October weather than I have been the last few years.  When we began our experiment, I assumed that late October would be cold; that we would be on the verge of snow (which has happened here).  Yet, this year, rather than getting out my winter gear, I have noticed how many gardens are still blooming. 

There are the expected mums everywhere, but I have seen Centaurea, Dahlias, and Lamium in full flower.  In my own yard, my clematis has about 20 buds ready to open.  The alyssum is still covered in tiny pink mounds.  And a random annual I got at Home Depot for a few dollars continues to flower as though it were made for frosty mornings. 

Whatever decision we make on the car, I’m glad that this experiment helped shake me out of the usual winter lockdown I begin as soon as the calendar tells me to.  I’m glad that my expectations were proved unfounded, and that I had the wherewithal to recognize the beauty right in front of me. 

And, I’m now inspired to include plants in my garden that will flower throughout September, October, and maybe even into November.  I would love some suggestions – what plants have worked well in your garden for fall flowers?