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Important Perennials Give Garden Beauty

If you want all season garden beauty, then perennial plants are the go-to category for planning for flowers and interest throughout the year.

Flowers Of May: Bearded Iris

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This old fashioned favorite is top of the list for many gardeners. Although the peak bloom for most of this class of iris is May, they can start as early as April and flower into June (or late summer if you count the reblooming types). Called "Bearded" because they have what looks like a bushy tuft of hair growing on it's fall. Named Iris from the Greek goddess who rode rainbows, because … [Read more...] about Flowers Of May: Bearded Iris

Tip for Blooming Peonies

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Planting Depth For Peonies . "Plant peonies for a lifetime of spring flowers, but remember not more than three inches below the surface" From Kim, Hypertufagardener If the growing points are too far below the soil surface, it hinders or even prevents the plant from blooming. A general rule is to place the plant about two inches below the surface. More about Peonies, here. … [Read more...] about Tip for Blooming Peonies

How To Grow Lavender For Its Heavenly Scent

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Growing Lavender Plants in your Garden First thing to remember is that Lavender requires full sun to grow well. Choose a sunny spot, which means it has 6 hours or more of sun exposure. Good drainage is the next most important condition.If your garden does not have good drainage, plant your lavender in a raised bed, or get the planting area built up so that the roots will not sit in … [Read more...] about How To Grow Lavender For Its Heavenly Scent

Daylilies Grow On You

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I just wrote a page about Daylilies, and then saw Kathy Purdy's post on Facebook with a delightful portrait of  a variety called "Going Bananas". It got me thinking about what colors of Hemerocallis I like best. Time For Daylilies, on Ilona's Garden From earliest memory when visiting old fashioned gardens that often had a circle of daylilies somewhere in the yard, it was the "Lemon lily" … [Read more...] about Daylilies Grow On You

Do You Like Lavender?

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I love it. It is a plant that I have been growing during most of my gardening career, starting with the first herb plants I tucked into my city lot garden. It was in that garden on Glen Echo Drive that I discovered how perfectly paired English lavender (Lavender vera) and dark purple petunias (Purple Sails, at that time) could be in a summer garden. Dark purple petunias, not only for their … [Read more...] about Do You Like Lavender?

You’ll Rue The Day…

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Rue with no view of the flagstone pathEver heard that saying? It might become all too meaningful if you are working on a hot summer day, especially while trimming back the "Herb of Grace" Ruta graveolens, AKA "Rue". The sap from cut or bruised plants can be very irritating. Some people actually blister from it. I was doing just such a task today, and noticed my skin feeling prickly and … [Read more...] about You’ll Rue The Day…

Arrange the July garden around lilies

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Every month has it's supreme leading lady flower of the garden; June has the Rose, but July has the Lily. Especially now that the "Orienpets" have been created. They were the belle of several beds at the Inniswood Gardens Metro Park, and I would love to have some in my garden next year. "Orania" was the one I was most taken with because of her blonde and blush coloring, but there were others that … [Read more...] about Arrange the July garden around lilies

Hellebore Happiness

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This month, during a couple visits to Whole Foods, I picked up some indoor pots of hellebores that were on sale. Considering that they are pricey to order, I have the enjoyment of blooms on my windowsill, and later (hopefully), three new hellebores to put into my garden this year -all for a sale price. These are true Christmas roses(H. niger), while the one that has been growing in my garden for … [Read more...] about Hellebore Happiness

Siberian Iris, Hardy Elegance

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Siberian irises are one of my favorite garden plants, and they hold a sentimental value as well. Growing up, we had an impressive stand of a deep purple variety that I believe was "Caesar's Brother" that old centurion of perennial gardens. Beware "Hand-Me-Down" Names For me, they were something out of the Japanese prints my father was partial to, and my mother mistakenly called them … [Read more...] about Siberian Iris, Hardy Elegance

Making New Plants: Lavender

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This post is for Kim, aka Black Swamp Girl, blogging @ "A Study in Contrasts" who, by the way, has some of the loveliest photography- I am green with envy over that! Not so good way to be green;). She indicated an interest in the how-to of making starts of lavender. There is the "best way" and the way I do it- which is the lazy way. The "lazy way" means you might not worry about losing a little … [Read more...] about Making New Plants: Lavender