Mid May to June 10 Garden

Garden -May/ June 2016

Clematis- Integrifolia Durandii June 6/16

It has been such a very busy, busy time the last few weeks, Not only digging, weeding and planting in my garden, but also with our grandchildren, my quilt guild and with my new volunteer job with Animal haven Rescue.

We took over 30 perennial diggings out of my flower beds which all found new homes with friends, family and neighbours.

Potentilla shrub, Persian cornflowers and asiatic lilies coming up.

You would think my beds were bare after all that removal, but there are still many perennials left. Chris and I did dig out the helianthus at the centre of my round angel bed. It was so badly overgrown with long grass, (some quack grass and some from the Karl Forrester calamagrostis reed grass.) We removed maltese cross and also divided my big Monkshood into 2 chunks (and some was given away.)

 It opened up the centre of that bed and I planted a Hydrangea shrub called “Quick Fire” there (Planted a second Hydrangea bush in my long bed.) There, too, I dug out maltese cross, anemonies, daisies and even one of my three Sea Lavendars. (Gave to Chris W).

There is more room now for the delphiniums to grow and many more lilies.

Surprise this week: I thought my little Morden Centennial rose bush at the end of my long bed was dead but it has sprouted some leaves now. I guess I need to dig it up and put it in a more sunny spot. Where?????

Dominion Day red peony and bearded irises next to the steps

We dug up the white peony from the far end of the long bed where it was always too wet and not enough sun and replaced it with 2 bergenias I got from Wendy G.  I transplanted the white peony into the flower bed next to the house (where there used to be some Campanula bell flowers.) That spindly peony has 2 buds!  

The dark pink peony that I had transplanted from under the spruce tree 2 years ago has lots of fat growth this year but narry a bud! Boo hoo! My peony curse isn’t over. (I'm sure it did get a flower or two last spring, only  6 months after I moved it there. But I guess peonies set buds the  previous summer so maybe that's why. Perhaps I did end up planting it too deeply after all. Darn! )

Julia Rose peony planted last summer 2015

Wendy G had also given me 3 day lilies. It took a while to figure out where to plant them.

Two of the day lilies were planted in the flower bed at the front of our townhouse in Stettler. Our renter Alicia had complained that a neighborhood cat was using the flower bed as a litter box and it smelled. Chris dug all the soil out of that bed and we got rid of it. He bought bags of fresh dirt and shoveled it in. I planted the 2 day lilies and 2 pink geraniums there, and A said that she would also plant some daisies from her Dad.

I think I will plant the third daylily over by the pond next to the big yellow one there. (I wonder what colour the new one will be?)

Bleeding Heart. Came up early this year but the frost zapped it so I had to cut it back. It has made a nice come-back.

My Morden rose bushes and my Turbo are all leafing out beautifully in the stack-stone bed. The wild rose bushes are going, well, wild, there. My friend K said she wanted wild rose bushes for her yard, so when she came to the lake this week she helped me dig 4 of them out which really opens up that flower bed.

Clematis: my Integrifolia Durandii is growing beautifully and has lovely deep blue flowers. The Nellie Moser clematis has really tall stems and small leaves, but no flower buds at all, sadly.  

Poppies: I seem to be poppy challenged, too! I tried mixing poppy seeds with some sand and sprinkling it in my stack-stone bed and something is sprouted but I think it’s chickweed. :(

My big oriental poppies sure look great in my long bed! 

Oriental Poppy June 6/16

Dahlias:

Since me rose bushes and my Siberian iris have grown so much, there’s really no room for my Firebird dahlia in its usual spot in my stack-stone bed. Plus one of the Franklin ground squirrels (not marmots, I found out) have planted a stash of sunflower seeds there which have sprouted. Cute!

Siberian Irises

My Rocket ligularia is up and growing well as long as I keep my false Dragonhead in check. It loves to try and take over! 

Speaking of take over, I dug out most of my white daisies last year and planted 4 or 5 real shasta daisies. The white daises I left in are all blooming nicely right now along with my Siberian Iris. The real Shasta’s have only got foliage so far.... :/

This week I planted the tubs by the road. It’s all a bit of a mishmash this year, so we’ll see what grows and what it looks like when it blooms. I planted a red geranium ( which I had overwintered) and a purple wave petunia in each tub as well as a pink pansy and some licorice vine. I added a small white daisy in each tub as well. I’m thinking about planting either a cosmos or a dark snapdragon there too.  

Clematises: Nellie Moser on left, Durandii on left

Surprise :  The Eldorado reed grass that I had planted in those tubs last year all survived and started turning green again. (I thought they would die over winter.) Chris helped me to divide them since they took up half the tub. I planted a small chunk in the centre of each of the tubs at the bottom of the stairs, too. I had initially planted 2 expensive grasses there, which I had bought at Tail Creek greenhouse a month or so ago, but both of them died. (Did I forget to water them enough after planting?) 

Tiger lilies are sprouting up

 My lilies are all up and growing well. Time to get out and spray the new growth with Bobbex to deter the ground squirrels and the deer from having them for lunch.

Splendins is blooming now; Miss Kim lilac (behind) has many buds

 My Blue sage continues to amaze me at its abundance of deep purple/blue flower spikes. It seems to love the sunny dryish growing conditions at the top of my rock garden bed. The Creeping phlox, the blue flax and the pink dianthus are all so pretty in that bed as well.

Blue Sage is the bee favourite right now.

Last but not least, the white daisies ( which are impossible to totally get rid of) are blooming profusely now and looking really nice! 

Note to Self: Next week when the flowers are in the end stages, cut them all off ruthlessly!