Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

The Sunny Border with Columbine, Ox-Eye Daisy and Peony.

Thanks, Carol (May Dreams Gardens) for your wonderful job of organizing Bloom Day....and now the blooms.




Spring's fabulous rainbow is fading just as the hotter colors of summer begin to move in...

The Spring Garden is not completely gone...
native Columbine still has a few blooms scattered about....but during this transition time one looks toward the texture and color of leaves to bridge the time between Spring's abundance and Summer's exuberance.



What ever would a late spring garden be without Peony?
I have seen many peonies, beautiful singles and fabulous doubles, but what makes Peony one of my favorites is fragrance. My Peony, General something or other, has the perfect rose fragrance that every Peony should have. Now, don't show me a pretty face and distract me with hundreds of blooms on one plant, a Peony has to have fragrance! I am firm on this!

Speaking of pretty in pink, isn't this...You did think for just a minute that I was going to flash a big photo of PPPP , come on admit it, you did didn't you?Showy Evening Primrose (Oenothere speciosa) is another plant with a sweet face, fragrance and long bloom time (March to August). This could be a Practically Perfect Pink Plant except for its tendency to want to be the life of the party and shove everyone else out the door. Very naughty girl. She arrived accidentally, piggy-backed on another plant. One plant and now there are a dozen! I shall be pulling her out for years!

Spiderwort has a large presence in my garden...even larger since it has produced so many babies!


Who couldn't love this face...the yellow and blue are stunning together.
Sweet Kate is known to produce lots of off-spring that look nothing like her.
It's hard to tell which are Kate's children and which are plain old Tradescantia virginiana... since Spiderwort has successfully naturalized all over the place!

I love this pink and have no idea from whence it came!


Whites can brighten the shade or glow in the sunshine:

Bluestar....doesn't it look white...it's a very pale blue, rather underwhelming; if it wasn't for the fall coloring this one would be out of here! The fall color is brilliant.

Sedum ternatum, a native of Tennessee, prefers moist shade, but stays here anyway!

Epimedium Nevium


Thalictrum aquilegifolium alba

Western daisy in the sunny front lawn.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have waited long enough, let me introduce Practically Perfect Pink Phlox ... Ms P, please take a bow!

You have been a wonderful gift for almost a month...
and you are beginning to fade, the rain and wind have taken their toll.
Thank you for beautiful color, food for bees and butterflies and your sweet fragrance.



A few yellows:

This is either a Thermopsis or a Baptisia....I have forgotten, The yellow is lovely and never lasts as long as I wish.

Yellow Star Grass, new to Clay and Limestone and very happy in glade conditions. She's leaning against a pot I set in the garden last fall of Russian Kale gone to seed...pretty flowerettes.

Golden Ragwort glory days are fading. Check out the fluffy seed heads...this guy has no trouble spreading about here and there...a very nice ground cover if you have the space.

Do you think this might work?

Clematis Jackmanii...I am going to use this photo to convince Mr. I Don't Blog to paint the house gray! "Honey, the flowers would look better with a painted background!" What do you think?



There are more lovely flowers, but this is the second time I composed this post. The first having been eaten by the ogres that live under the bridge at Blogger. I shall say good night or good morning depending upon when I do post this!

Gail

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Thomas H. Palmer, Teacher's Manual

Multiple Personality Gardener

Perhaps, I haven't a strong enough ego to resist the influences that are around every corner of the gardening world! I am bombarded on a daily basis with astonishing sites and sights. My defenses are weakened by perennial and annual urges to plant more and different.

Fellow bloggers I have to declare myself a Multiple Personality Gardener! Is there a support group out there for me?

Most of the time I am all about finding and planting glade happy flowers. They make sense, they grow here, they were here first and I love them. They are a necessary organizing design principle of the garden...they keep me from falling completely into the disarray of the dreaded but all too real world of Clown Pants.

Clown Pants being a diagnostic criteria for MGP...too much plant material, too many colors and not enough cohesion.

Even having principles, I am still tempted on a daily basis to ignore them and go beyond the Cedar Glade limits of my yard;)

...Just this morning, while visiting Yolanda Elizabet (Bliss) I wanted Clematis, well, actually I wanted more Clematis and to be able to grow Roses! Then a stop at Frances' place (Faire Gardens) found me fixated on the belief that there weren't enough Salvia Greggii in my front bed. At Pam's (Digging) I wanted to move my entire garden to Austin.

Was I becoming delusional?

Fortunately, a visit to MMD (Mr McGregor's Daughter) pulled me back to a semblance of normalcy with her wildflowers and wilderness. My inner child was happy playing in the garden and revisiting happy childhood memories. Inner and I then visited Joy (Gardenjoyforme) and played with bugs for awhile....

Once my adult came back into control, it took a forced rest at Carol's (May Dreams Gardens) and then I went south to say hello to Meems and north to visit Layanee. It's a good thing I can't grow a lot of the plants that Meems grows at (Hoe and Garden) or I might be in BIG trouble! While Layanee's (Ledge and Gardens) garden conditions seem similar to Chez Cedar, they aren't. Even removing the extreme weather differences from the equation, she has granite and acidic soil and I have limestone and nearly neutral soil. It's still a big carrot of temptation to try to grow the Korean Rhododendrons she so beautifully showcases.

Sigh, sigh and sigh.

What's a Multiple Personality Gardener to do? There are so many fabulous blogs (more than I can mention ) that tempt me to push the limits of my garden. The urge to change, to add, to delete, to rearrange, to redesign, to EDIT more than I already do is strong.

I must hold on to some Guiding Principles, mustn't I? Just a few more plants won't matter...I have got to find a support group!

Gail

It's Possible

It's possible my garden is a spring garden...



I love spring blooming flowers,

wild or tame.


So each year I get more.

They crowd the beds

look gorgeous and then

there is no rainbow.

Just
green



or so it seems.....

The colors are subtle, and you must


look closely to see,


and appreciate the transition times....

Until the next wave of color arrives

to make you believe you have a summer garden, too.

Gail

"As the Garden Grows, so does the Gardener"

Practically Perfect Pink Phlox* Revisited

It's that time of the week when we visit the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox in all its pinkness. She's still lovely but close examination shows the pink beginning to fade and the delicate blossoms to look like they have spent too long in the wind (40 mile per hour gusts) and rain (three many days of rain).


She is still the center piece of the backyard wildflower garden and her fragrance still fills the air, soon Spiderwort and Penstemon will take center stage.

Gail

To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat. ~Beverly Nichols


* Phlox pilosa

For My Mom

Let me tell you a story. It's a gardening story about my mother and a little about me. My mother never in her 83 years of living tried to give anyone the impression that she liked gardening. She didn't like the hot sun and wasn't the least bit interested in sweating. She was city girl through and through. She loved air conditioning more than fresh air.

My mom moved to a retirement community last year. She loved it; made new friends and participated in most activities. She became part of a group of women called the Fun-shine Group. They were so popular the other residents wanted to sit with them. The tables were set up for four, but they always managed to squeeze in a few more chairs. She proudly told me about how the dining room staff had a special sign made just for their table. I think it said, "The Fun Shine Girls shine here. "

My mom was having a ball. Many times she would be too busy to talk to us. We learned never to call on Friday afternoons....that was Happy Hour in the lounge! We were tickled pink. She was blossoming.



The Fun-Shine Girls...Momma is the cute one in red.


I have no idea how she came to agree to help her good friends Jeri and Judy clean up the Rose beds, but she did. The grounds were lovely, but the roses were looking poorly. Someone organized the day and got everyone gloves and tools. Imagine my surprise, my mom in a garden.

I didn't hear from her that evening, but called the next day in eager anticipation to hear how she had faired at gardening! She told me all about it. How they cleaned out the old canes, weeded the beds and even how long it took. This was a total surprise, I thought my mom would be complaining to me about how bad it was, hating every moment of being in the sun, getting hot and dirty. But not one complaint from her! You can't imagine how excited I was to hear this tale; finally my mom and I would share an interest in gardening. I was off and running with fantasies of garden visits. I was so delighted. "Mom" I said, "so tell me, did you have a good time? Did you enjoy gardening?" "You've got to be kidding" she said, "I hated every minute of it! All the volunteers decided it was too hot and quit and Jeri and I were stuck cleaning the mess out all by ourselves." "You mean you didn't like any of it?" "Absolutely, not!" she replied. My balloon was burst, we weren't going to be bonding over the garden fence.

She supported her friend with out complaining or leaving her to finish alone. She was classy.

Nothing changed her opinion about gardening. She marveled at how much I loved to garden and how many plants I had stuffed into my yard. She told me that there was one plant she loved, it was the Hollyhock. They must have been special for her to even know the name of a garden plant! I planted them for her, but they haven't ever flowered.

This morning I went to the nurseries to see if anyone had Hollyhocks for sale. I suspect my mother liked the old fashioned single Hollyhocks that were around when she was younger. The pretty pinks, yellows and reds. Garden centers don't seem to carry them anymore. I'm going to look for plants or seeds. Maybe I can get them growing here and we can look at them and know she would have loved looking at them....from the house!

Gail

He loves me, He loves me not

Spring flowering Ox Eye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare. A member of the Aster family (Asteraceae) has made a place for herself at Clay and Limestone. She isn't as voluptuous as her cultivar offspring, but who cares. Each spring she lights up her corner of the garden and delights butterflies and bees.





Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful....Ox-Eye are introduced Eurasian natives that have successfully naturalized. Doesn't Ox-Eye look very similar to her larger cultivar Shasta Daisy?



Ox-Eye Daisy has a classic daisy form. "He loves me, he loves me not" while sitting in the grass, classic form! I couldn't pluck those pretty rays. Now tell the truth...could you?


For all her prettiness, she is a rugged plant and can form large colonies. She is equally happy in full sun or light shade. Ox-eye is a hard working gal; her nectar and pollen attracts skippers and smaller butterflies, beetles, small bees, flies and even wasps. Some moths and caterpillars even feed on her foliage. Livestock have been known to munch on her..."transpooping" the still viable seed to new areas in the field. Which may explain why this plant is so successful at naturalizing.


Another Daisy at Clay and Limestone is Western Daisy (Astranthium integrifolium).

She is lovely with her bluish/pinkish tinted rays and yellow face. A perfect small flower for a little girl's tea parties or for tiny little vases.



Western Daisy is a resident of the lawn at Clay and Limestone. I'm not sure when she moved in, but she is more than welcome to stay. I promise you, she is in there along with Lyre Leaf Sage and a few other beloved 'weeds".

So sorry this is blurry, but it 'clearly' shows her pinkish hues.




In full sun she really shines and has a greater presence.... Western Daisy's an annual so I don't mow, but let her go to seed each summer... I always want this flower to feel welcome.

There isn't much written about Western Daisy, most people would consider her a weed in their lawn, but I love the sweet flower and the spot of color she provides. It doesn't hurt that she provides nectar to small butterflies and is so easy to care for...two fine qualities in a plant. I've never tried to collect seeds...preferring to transplant her to other parts of the lawn.

Is she is your lawn?

Gail

Penstemon X

I found this guy growing in the back yard in a shady, damp place the first spring we lived at Clay and Limestone. He was growing in a beautiful stand of moss right on top of the wet weather springs. Wildflower books describe most Penstemons as loving dryer soil. He might be Penstemon digitalis, they like moist spots in woodland settings...but this flower is more purple than white. Let's call him Penstemon X for now.If you look closely you can see that the stem and flower bud have little hairs....that could be a clue to identity! (click on any photo to enlarge)


Don't you love the moss at the Penstemon base. Each spring water seeps from this spot; moss and sedges thrive in the cool wet soil. I don't know why the Penstemon is so happy, but it is. It's beautiful back there among the mosses, but it's home to mosquitoes and ticks! One day I will transplant a bit of moss to a pot and enjoy it in a shady spot in the front garden....but for now I visit to get more Penstemon; it's seems to be the perfect nursery bed.


I have transplanted him all over the garden. He seems to be happy anywhere. The photo above shows him growing in the front porch wildflower garden, in semi-shady conditions that are not at all moist! The tall brown seed head rising above the new bud is from last years bloom. The clasping leaves are typical of Penstemon, as is the basel rosette.
Hmm, I wonder what that pink flower is? Could that be the PPPP growing with the Penstemon X?

When we built the front porch all the sun loving plants were moved to this bed along the driveway. Penstemon X is happily growing out there in full sun! Perhaps, he is a Practically Perfect Penstemon!


I have been looking at three different wildflower books to identify him. Book One is Wildflowers of The Central South (T Hemmerly), my go to book for Central Basin endemics. He identifies two Penstemon, P hirsutus or P tenuiflorus.
It could be P hirsutus, but Book Two offers 3 more choices to the mix!
He is kind of hairy! But let's give the experts a try.

Book Two is-- Gardening With Native Plants of Tennessee (Margie Hunter). She writes: "There are several eastern USA species of Penstemon. Their differences are slight, which makes positive identification difficult for an amateur; even the experts disagree. " Well, we may not be able to positively identify which species of Penstemon we have growing here so let's guess!

Margie identifies 5 possible candidates....P calycocus (listed by one expert as P laevigatus), P hirsutus, P digitalis, P laevigatus (Eastern Beardtongue)...P hirsutus and P calycocus are very alike; it seems the main difference is one grows in Northern Middle Tennessee and the other is found growing throughout Middle Tennessee. Goodness gracious, with this kind of confusion among the experts what is a girl like me to do?

Before today I just said I had Beardtongue. Now that I think about it...this is exactly why I stopped trying to figure out which one I have! The problem is detail...I am not a detail person.

Here is what I have eliminated from the running.

P digitalis. It looks nothing like the flowers in Book Two or Book Three (Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians by Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl)...they are too white. (Husker Red is a form of P digitalis, in case you were curious or getting bored.) This guys flowers are more violet or purple.

P smallii.

P smallii, as you can see, above, just looks different, less hairy! He is also growing in the Porch wildflower garden and doesn't mind the semi-shade or dryish conditions. I like the reddish coloring at the base of the clasping leaves.

The three remaining are the almost identical, P calycocus, P laevigatus and P hirsutus. Uh oh, we almost forgot P tenuiflorus, identified in Book One! Let me assure you, the reason I forgot it was that I took it out of the running earlier and forgot to tell you. No way, no how is it P tenuiflorus....which is found in the glades and has a very different looking flower! Sorry to not let you know earlier.

It could be any of the three remaining Penstemons.......I give up!

Here is what I am going to do. The flowers of each of the three are all slightly different in size, minute differences, so when he blooms...I will take lots of photos and measure the flowers and then I will ............You do know I am kidding don't you! I will take more shots and try to identify him; living up to my amateur abilities as plant identifier and photographer!

In the meantime, here is one more shot of Penstemon X in flower...can you identify him?
I am leaning toward a Hairy Eastern Caly-Beardtongue!

Gail