Gardening and Gardens

Just as the garden is always evolving, so too are the gardeners. This was my first year with an actual vegetable garden and I learned a lot. My beets never grew, carrots need more space and the zucchini needs a trellis. But the biggest lesson was to buy disease resistant plants. I thought about this is the beginning of the season, but in my rush and excitement to get my garden growing, I planted things that just looked good to me.  Now, in late August, my cucumbers, tomatoes, string beans and snow peas are infected with a fungus.  Last week I sprayed everything with an organic anti-fungal spray and though the plants look slightly better, I am not confident they will make it.  Well, lesson learned. I will be sure to do a  good clean up in the next few months and remove the diseased plants completely. And next year I will do my research early and plant disease resistant varieties. 

August is normally the hottest month here on Long Island, hardiness zone 7. But this year, we had a brutally hot and humid July, and instead, August has been dry, warm and simply gorgeous. The garden is pretty much on auto pilot these days, though I of course have to keep up with the weeding, deadheading and maintenance. Here's what's blooming in my garden this month: The Pee Gee Hydrangea is in full bloom. It's heavy blossoms bend the branches to a lovely arching habit. In the front yard, the Crape Myrtle is full of pink blooms and to the right is a Panicle Hydrangea, also in full bloom today. The Knockout Rose bush I planted this spring is thriving nicely and the Black-eyed Susans are still bright and cheery. Over in the new shade garden , the Toad Lily (Tricyrtis) is blooming. I love the delicateness of it and it's a welcome bloom in the shade for sure. The pink carpet roses keep blooming in the backyard. I love how maintenance-free they are! ...

The August garden is lit up by many bright, cheery Rudbeckias but one I am particularly fond of is Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' (also called Rudbeckia 'Autumn Sun'). It grows to a height of 4-7 feet and each flower is about 4 inches wide. The yellow petals droop downward from a green center cone.  It's striking in a large grouping and makes a wonderful backdrop to any perennial border, given its height and dark green foliage. And it blooms from late summer to fall!

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 ...

It's been hot and humid for the past few weeks here on Long Island. Between the heat and the mosquitos, tending the garden has been a challenge. Thankfully there are lots of carefree heat-lovers in bloom making everything look lovely. Here's what's blooming in my garden this month: This is such a beautifully colored daylily . I love the yellow center and it's magenta petals. The purple coneflower (Echinachea) is a nice compliment to the yellow Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia). Behind them is the wispy, purple Russian Sage.  I planted this Knockout Rose only two months ago. It is coming along nicely and I just love the color of the blooms. On the left is Rudbeckia "Cherry Brandy" and on the right are more Black-eyed Susans.  This Hosta is just coming into bloom. The stems are nice and erect with a lovely purple blossom. To the right, is Yarrow and more Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'.  The Crape Myrtle is starting to bloom! ...

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...

My Iris are blooming profusely in the garden right now. Their tall, slender stems emerging from wide, fan-like leaves and topped off with gorgeous pops of color. They remind me of popcorn that has suddenly burst open from it's kernel. They variety I have (below) is referred to as a Bearded Iris. Bearded Irises are the most popular type, but the Siberian and Japanese types are gaining in popularity and can be equally as stunning.  Bearded Iris in my Port Washington, NY garden So where is the beard? If you look closely on the lower petals which hang downward (these are called "falls," while the upright petals are called "standards") you'll see little fuzzy parts in the center. These are the beards. Bearded Irises are easy to grow, require full sun and will multiply over time. They come in a variety of colors including pink, blue, red, yellow and purple. The Siberian and Japanese Iris do not have the fuzzy beard and hence, are considered beardless. Most ...