May's beginning was very exciting with the publication of Country Gardens magazine's summer edition featuring my garden. Right there on the cover it states, 'English Garden Style: For Tough American Climates' -- that's my garden! What an honor to appear in a national magazine. I wrote about the photo shoot HERE describing those events when famed garden photographer, Rob Cardillo, and producer, Samatha Thorpe, came for two days in July. Rob's pictures are just spectacular and Samantha did a wonderful job writing a very accurate article. I thank those of you who read the feature and told me how much you enjoyed the article and the pictures of my garden.
After that excitement, the nonevents of the stay-at-home order were a bit of a letdown. The weather didn't help. As I described in my last post, temperatures fluctuated from plant-killing frosts to mid-summer-type heat and humidity. As a result, bloom times have been off kilter this May. If you look at the photograph at the top of the posting you will see that 'Globemaster' allium are in bloom in the cottage garden but not the peonies. Usually, the purple allium and red peonies bloom together, making a very striking picture. (The flowers on my pink peony, however, are opening.) Another anomaly this month is that the viburnum was in full bloom before the crabapple tree lost its flowers. I had thought that frost damage would prevent the crabapple from blooming at all, but its blossoms were late and spectacular. Other spring-flowering shrubs and perennials performed right on time.
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| The pink peony is blooming. I wish Blogger enabled you to smell these beauties |
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| Top: The rain garden decorated with petals of crabapple blossoms. Bottom right: Blooming crabapple (Malus species). Bottom left: Maries' Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii'). Pictures taken on the same day. |
I tend to post similar photos every year, so I'm happy to show something different. The viburnum below was not doing well for its first few seasons in my garden, probably because of deer damage, but now it is filling out and showing its lovely flowers.
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| Pink Dawn Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense 'Pink Dawn') |
May is English bluebell time; I picked some for the kitchen counter. Every year, on this blog I say the same thing, "How I miss the bluebells of my homeland." I grow them along Bluebell Creek to evoke wonderful memories of my childhood.
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| English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) |
Some of my favorite white flowers, right on time, at the front of the house:
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| Top right: lilac (Syringa Vulgaris var. alba). Top left and bottom right: Snow azalaea (Rhododendron mucronulatum). Bottom left: Bridal veil spiraea (Spiraea vanhoutte). |
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| Love my iris |
Of course, May is one of the busiest months in the garden. After dividing plants, weeding, and mulching, I planted the window boxes, and sowed and planted the Kitchen Garden. Duane and I put out pots and ornaments. I am so happy to display the new fish sculptures, a gift to myself as nobody took the many hints I dropped.
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| Five window boxes on the tractor shed planted with Supertunia® 'Vista Silverberry', Supertunia® 'Vista Bubblegum', and purple fountain grass. |
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| Top: Real koi fish Bottom: Ceramic fish sculptures by Maine artist Tyson M. Weiss |
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| Empty pots all around waiting to be filled. (Actually, I started that task and several are done.) |
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| All the direct sowing is completed in the Kitchen Garden |
Every day brings changes at this wonderful time of the year. Walking around my gardens this evening, I found more blooms: rhododendron, columbine, and amsonia. Their pictures are for next time. But before I close, let's take a Critter Walk and see the wildlife to be found in my garden this week:
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| The scarlet lily beetles, doing what beetles do, on my Turks' cap lilies. I've been hand picking them and dropping them into soapy water, but they have done a lot of damage chewing through leaves. |
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| Top: I find the antics of the chipmunks fun to watch. Bottom: Momma Robin on her eggs. |
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| Top: Bambi looked over by his Mum. Bottom: Young deer watching baby foxes at play in our upper field. |
The stay-at-home order has been lifted, finally, in my county, although with many restrictions. My first trip out will be to a garden center; I don't have enough plants for all those pots.
I am linking with Sarah in England for her 'Through the Garden Gate' meme. Thank you, Sarah, for hosting.
Wishing you a safe and healthy June, dear gardening friends.
Love,
Pamela x
I love reading your comments. I hope you leave one so I’ll know you visited!
I look forward to visiting your blog in return.
Congratulations again on being featured in Country Gardens, and on the cover too no less. I think we've had an extraordinary spring this year, not only because of lockdown but the weather too has played its part. Here, we've had no proper rain to speak of, grass everywhere you look is parched and huge cracks are appearing in the ground. There's some rain forecast for later this week but it remains to be seen if it's enough for what we need. Oh, I do love those ceramic fish sculptures and why not treat ourselves when there's something we want, I find myself doing it more and more these days. Loved seeing the wildlife, especially Momma Robin on her nest, how lovely.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first came to this country, Jo, the summers were often extremely dry while England was known for it frequent rain. I put soaker hoses in all the beds that I created. For a few years now I haven't needed to use the soaker hoses because it rains so much. Who would have known the situation would change so we have the rain and you don't?
DeleteThank you for your kind words!
Congrats on the feature! Your garden is truly stunning. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shannon!
DeleteYour garden is very beautiful. So colourful! I like the flowers. Congratulations on being featured in Country Gardens. I think you must be very proud of your garden and work.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to you from Slovenia, Margi. I'll visit your blog next. Yes, I am extremely proud!
DeleteYour fish are delightful - a perfect reward to go with being featured in the magazine!
ReplyDeleteWe had our first OUT today - walked down to look at the beach - almost all of us dutifully wearing our masks.
A new appreciation for our beautiful world as we come OUTSIDE!
DeleteCongratulations on being on the front cover of Country Gardens magazine and so well deserved! Your spring gardens are beautiful and I love all the garden critters too, especially the adorable chipmunk. Your white lilacs, azalea and spirea are stunning as well! Happy spring and happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteWhile my cottage garden peaks in summer, I do love spring, Lee. It is my favorite season with something new appearing every day.
DeleteI have to get my hands on one of those magazines. Your garden is looking just gorgeous here at the end of May.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dorothy. Here is a link to the Magazine Store where you can find it. https://www.magazine.store/country-gardens/2020/country-gardens-summer-2020/
DeleteCongratulation. That so beautiful and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Endah!
DeleteI love your fish sculptures! And your viburnum--congratulations to it for withstanding the deer and pulling through! And your bluebells! I'll have to look up the difference between English and Spanish bluebells--I have Spanish. Have you been able to find all you want at garden centers? My favorite is still doing curbside service only, with online ordering. My daughter has had a job there for the past three summers, but this year they haven't needed her yet. Agway's greenhouse is open, but what they have went quickly and they aren't restocking. Finally, congratulations on the magazine feature. You work so hard and put so much into your garden; this is a well deserved honor!
ReplyDeleteI can't find plain cedar mulch, Kimberley. I don't want the dyed stuff. I found most of the plants I wanted. I've cut down on annuals this year, filling many of my pots with the marigolds and zinnias I started from seed. But it was lovely to get outside to the garden centers. They are all open around here.
DeleteThat's fabulous: Congratulations on the magazine article! That first photo of your garden is so dreamy. What a joy to open up your blog and see that beauty! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Beth. Our gardens have been such a joy to us during the lockdown, haven't they?
DeleteYour garden is full of lovely blooms.
ReplyDelete