Planting Time in August

So, some of the many plants waiting in their pots finally got into the ground the other day, at the Cottage.  I got a section of  the road-side lawn tilled and ready for them... at long last.  

Some Daylilies got placed, and a couple roses, a Pieris, a bamboo, and a couple other treasures.

It was a small strip to mow, and one of the slightly shaded areas of the property.  Now - oh dear - I need to get more of the plants on my wish-list to fill this space!  

     On the way to another planting area, I enjoyed these blooms...

I also got some vines and perennials planted around the geodesic arbour.  So it's looking less like a playground and more like a garden feature.  

How do you like the old feed-bag / manure bag / shade for the wilting grape vine?  I also placed a couple Kiwi vines, Daylilies, another rose, etc.

     So what's the reason for this sudden progress, you may well ask? (If you call planting things in the heat of August progress!)  Well, our garden club is coming to visit on Monday.  What great motivation!

Blooming Successes

Around the house here in Hants County, there are a few blossoms that please me a great deal.  Even the Easter Lilies, above, are sort of a novel and fun addition to the weedy border by the driveway.  

This Trumpet Vine brings me great joy, finally blooming this year.  (There was one stem of three blooms last year, which waited until I was out of town for a few days to do it's thing, so I missed it!)  In a way, these flowers are a bit anticlimactic, being rather sparse and faded looking, and the vine refuses to stick to the stone wall.  Now it has loose branches breaking down again. Yet the novelty of having this rather tropical (in my eyes) vine prospering now is something I count as a success.

Along the sunny and dry side of the house the hardy Glads are starting to bloom!  As I write this, we are getting some more well-needed rain. 

 And the solitary Eggplant is looking promising.  I think a slug has already sampled the fruit.

Around the other side, in a shady nook, the random combination of things is rather pleasing.  The Hydrangea was put there temporarily, but now the Aralia "Sun King" sets it off nicely, I think.  

I hope you all can enjoy the random combinations that turn out as if you had well-designed them.  

A Friend's Garden

Since I started blogging, a mere five months ago, I thought it would be great to feature the gardens of others.  As we head toward the backyard of this friend in Cumberland County,   NS, and view the geraniums hanging along the porch, one might expect a fairly traditional yard.  

And in a sense, it is traditional, but the collection of clematis, roses, and daylilies is truly wonderful.  And it is filled with plants in every corner.

These first shots I took on June 22, in the gardens of my friend Phil.  Roses and Daylilies are two great loves in his gardening.

When I returned, a few days ago, other roses were blooming.   This one, below, is Crocus Rose, a beautifully scented David Austin.  I was impressed with it so much I bought myself one.

And, of course, it is now daylily season here in Nova Scotia.  In the background there are also some Asiatics and others.  mercifully, the dreaded lily beetle has not yet arrived in this part of the province.  

Daylilies are not affected by the lily beetle.  The unidentified little critters above seemed merely to be revelling in the nectar and pollen.  Phil said there had been a multitude of these in the daylilies just lately.  

     This yard is packed with botanical treasures, well tended by the gardener, who has recently retired.  

Of course, there is much more than roses and daylilies.  Here are a few parting shots around the yard.   

 

Whenever I get to this town, I visit my friends here, see how things are growing, and we share our horticultural wisdom over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.  
     Well... maybe I should say that we talk about what grew and what didn't!  And we never mention goutweed.