Comments Off on Ribs
Sunset Tuesday, Aug 4 2015
gardening and Modern Photos and Trees photography 19:47
The big Cucumber Magnolia, looking up at sunset.
Comments Off on Sunset
Black Snakeroot Thursday, Jul 30 2015
gardening and Modern Photos black snakeroot, bugbane, photography 20:29
(also known as Bugbane, for those who aren’t southern New Englanders!) Doing its thing, looking good even when it has fallen over in a somewhat untidy spot. It could, of course, be standing up at about seven feet tall, but it is equally happy to snake about going where the wind and sun demand; hence, I think, its name. The bumblebees adore it, their whole attitude is that they can’t quite believe their good fortune: that fast, almost frantic shift from one little flower to the next. You’ll find four or five bees at anytime on every spike.
Comments Off on Black Snakeroot
Hosta lancifolia Tuesday, Jul 28 2015
gardening gardening, hostas, photography 21:26
Hostas are sometimes over-used, sometimes abused, sometimes very useful indeed. The multitude of fancy hostas is right up there with daylilies, rather overwhelming.
Now, I like the fancy hostas in the right place; where they can be very elegant, as below.
But, with so much attention on the leaves, the flowers get overlooked. In fact, in situations where the effect of the foliage is the important point, they can be a distraction. In most cases, aside from the giant whites, the flowers of the variegated hostas are little disappointing: their tendency is toward pale lavender, small flowers.
Sometimes, it is worthwhile to look back at the original plant that started it all. In this case the straight H. lancifolia.
A plain green leaf, granted. But one with a nice shape, well defined ribbing, and a nice growth habit. The flowers are a steel blue to deep, genuine lavender and generous in their size and flowering. The bees and hummingbirds like it as well. It does reseed and spread, but in a modest fashion.* There is something to be said for all that.
*the deer probably help keep it down, it is very tasty!
Morning Constitutional Sunday, Jul 26 2015
gardening and Landscapes and Modern Photos gardening, photography 20:05
Little Kitchen Garden: Daylilies, Black-eyed Susans, Jacob Kline Monarda, Raspberry Monarda
A tiny portion of the baby brigade which numbers around twenty (the bachelor band, eight strong, comes through in the evening)
Red Daylily, classic old fashioned hostas beyond
The Big Garden
Orienpet Lilies (Holland Dreams and Lavon), some Jacob Kline Monarda
Casablanca Oriental Lilies, Black Snakeroot in the foreground
Beneath the Library
I’m eating your daylilies!! (actually, he was enjoying the Boltonia that shouldn’t be growing there.)
Peas! Saturday, Jul 25 2015
gardening and Modern Photos gardening, vegetable gardening 19:21
Comments Off on Peas!
Snapshots Tuesday, Jul 21 2015
gardening and Landscapes gardening 21:10
…the scent of lilies drifting beneath diamond pane library windows, their cream, gold, and raspberry balance tones a balance to the green and white building.
….a flash of neon pink and orange in a green bowl: the monarda, garden phlox and daylilies set off by the white shasta daisies and all against the green trees. Hot, hot colors and a cool setting
….the arching blue bells of the hostas, hundreds of them scattered through the woods, and a determined hummingbird visiting each and every one.
….sheets of rain racing across the hills, then golden fog, and clearing sky
Rockets Saturday, Jul 18 2015
gardening and Landscapes and Modern Photos gardening 21:08
Firmly ignoring the nonsense of the world, high drama in the garden!
Left to right: Black snakeroot*, hybrid lilies, ostrich plume astilbes, and garden phlox. The snakeroot is hitting seven feet this year.
*Better known as Black cohosh, Bugbane, or cimicifuga racemosa, snakeroot is the Connecticut term for it.
Thalictrum Friday, Jul 17 2015
gardening gardening, native plants 20:45
Also known as Meadow-Rue. Now, which Thalictrum it is I don’t know. (It is ‘a difficult genus with poorly understood species boundaries’ according to Wikipedia, Oy!) Our common roadside one though, doing admirably as a garden plant under the library windows. Very consistent structure to its blossom spikes and quite capable of getting six feet tall.
When given more space, as is the case with the end one, you can see it can be fairly substantial. The others are kept lankier because of the hostas they are competing. It will self seed, which isn’t a problem with this plant since the seedlings are very puny for the first few years.
Comments Off on Thalictrum
Acair Fearann 