Gardening and Gardens

Astilbe is one of those plants I have really become fond of over the years. The fern-like foliage looks so handsome in the garden and suddenly, spires of feathery plumes arise above in an array of colors.  Below, Astilbe 'Bressingham Beauty' enjoys the dappled sunlight in my backyard. These shade loving plants can certainly brighten up a darkened section of the garden or even along a garden path to do the same. In colder climates, they can tolerate full sun, but they really thrive in the shade/dappled shade of my zone 7b garden on Long Island, NY. This red variety doesn't get much "fuzzier" than this and also does well in some sun (most it gets is 2 hrs direct sun a day). But it's tall spires look like soldiers above the lush foliage below. Here is a row of white astilbe I saw while on a local garden tour. I love how whimsical they look along the border. Such a great plant!

The early spring pastels are starting to be replaced by richer yellows, deep purples and warm pinks. Summer is nearly here on Long Island, NY (zone 7b).  Here's a look at some of the things blooming in my garden this month: The pink Astilbe is the show stopper in this garden bed, but the yellow Evening Primrose seem quite content to be sandwiched amongst the pink plumes. Endless Summer Hydrangea are nearly in full bloom. These are the mop-head style hydrangeas and will alter their color based on the pH of the soil - pink blooms in alkaline and blue blooms in acidic.  A few of the hostas are starting to bloom. I love how this variety has the flowering stems floating just above the stems. It took a few years to establish, but now the Foxglove (Digitalis) is ready to bloom! It's a welcome addition to this shady spot in my garden. The flowers in my new, full sun, cutting garden are starting to bloom - Erygnium (Sea Holly, above), Snapdragon and Digiplexis...

Things here have been, well, hectic, to say the least. I took these photos of the garden in mid June and today I see it is July 1! Nevertheless, I want to put these up anyway, because June is my favorite month in the garden. All the pinks, blues, purples and yellows making their way into view. The air smells delicious, the birds are chirping continuously throughout the day and the trees are still a lovely shade of bright green. Here's what my garden in June looks like this year: The pink astilbe look fabulous against the wall and their sweet, subtle fragrance is a treat if you catch a whiff of it. Along the edges, I'm so happy to see the "Pretty Polly" Heuchera (coral bells) starting to fill in and produce their delicate wispy blooms. Many varieties of hydrangea won't bloom this summer because of the brutal winter we had, which killed off all the over-wintering buds. But these Endless Summer varieties are just beginning to bloom and I'm so happy to s...

May is bursting with spring flowers, trees are a bright yellow-green and the grass is looking fuller each day. After such a long winter, it's wonderful to see everything coming into bloom. In addition, a few things I planted later in the year last year are finally pushing forth fuller growth now. Here's what's blooming around my Long Island garden this month.   Beautiful columbines in full bloom. I love the pink outside and the white flower inside.  Variegated red-twig dogwood looks stunning in front of the blooming viburnum in the background. Heuchera 'Miracle' is one of the beautifully leaved coral bells. The new growth is really coming out now and its dainty little flowers shouldn't be far behind. In the shade garden, the Kwansan cherry tree flowers are falling to the ground, creating a pink carpet. But through that, Phlox 'Home Fires', bleeding hearts, ferns, astillbe and anemone are living quite happily.  Here is a close up of ...

As you may remember reading, in May 2013, I cleared out an overgrown area full of English Ivy to make room for a new shade garden in my front yard. (You can re-read that post here .). By now, it's the middle of July and things are growing well, filling out and blooming. So far, they seem happy in their new spot. Have a look at the progression below:   May 8 The Kwanzan cherry tree above began to drop its petals, creating a beautiful pink carpet on the shade garden. Little plants were still getting settled in their new homes.  May 28 By the end of the month, the Phlox 'Home Fires' and Aquilegia 'Biedermeier' were blooming! June 15 A month later, the plants were really starting to take shape.  In the far end, I have Tricyrtis 'Tojen', Ghost Fern, Astilbe 'Peach Blossom', and Hosta 'June'. Towards the middle, I planted Hercherella x Rosalie, Japanese Painted Fern, Phlox 'Home Fires', Polygonatum Varigatum and ...

June is my favorite month in the garden. Everything is bursting with color and new growth, the birds are chirping in the trees and the weather is still comfortable enough to enjoy the outdoors all day long. Here are a few things blooming in my garden this month: Ah, beautiful pink carpet roses. They stay low to the ground, are disease resistant and keep flowering without the need to deadhead. When in full bloom, it really does look like I have a pink rose carpet in my garden. I have grown quite fond of Astilbe over the years. These in particular are wonderful. They look like fluffy pink feathers and have a wonderful sweet aroma that I catch every time I walk by. These used to be in mostly shade, but now, after the backyard renovation last year, they are in mostly full sun and seem to be tolerating it really well (thankfully!) Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla normalis) is so beautiful, unique and elegant (in my opinion, of course!). The bees love the blue "lan...

I have always admired shade gardens. Varying shades of green, different textures and even a few delicate blossoms to enhance the woodland effect of such a garden always intrigued me. After we did the renovations last year, I suddenly had mostly sunny areas to plant. I wondered if I'd be able to find a spot to grow my lush woodland garden. But then, I noticed a rather boring spot along the side of my front yard that was covered with English Ivy. It is shaded by a Kwanzan cherry tree on one side and a Forsythia hedge on the other. I knew it was the perfect spot for my long awaited shade garden. The first task was to remove the ivy. Judging by the spread and depth of the vine, I'm guessing it was here for a long time. Their roots are not very deep, so its relatively easy to pull out, but it was still a big job, given the amount of it. The ivy was removed and the area was raked clean. The soil beneath had not seen the sun in many years and was quite compacted. I laid a nice ...