Thursday, May 20, 2010

Beds beside the paddock


The scrawny little beds between the house and the paddock are just getting started. Below is one of the beds on April 21st. It has dahlias and baptisias. If one of the dahlias doesn't come back a baptisia goes right in its place since there's a buried pot there. Beyond that is the bed that turns the corner and wraps around the front of the paddock. Aster 'Miss Bessie' is straight ahead, the two trees on each side are tulip poplars, and above 'Miss Bessie' on top of the hill is one of the neighbor's miniature horses. The mulch is hay. Every winter the horses find some of the hay to inedible (even though it looks and smells OK to me), and what they don't eat goes on the garden as mulch.


If you were to back up in the above picture you'd come across
this bigger bed which houses Baptisia 'Twilight Prairie Blues'.


These pictures were taken on May 4th; the stalks now sport a number of green seed pods.


Not the strong color pairing you see in glossy ads, but lovely nevertheless. A little strange too. The flowers were two-toned when I bought it. The pH affecting the flowers perhaps. The smoky lavender took on gray and chocolate tones as the flower faded. I wonder how it would look with Iris 'Beotie'.


To put it all into perspective -- the small beds, the Baptisia, the entire garden -- here is a view from the top of our hill during the first week of May. At the bottom is a basin that fills up when the creek floods. I chose not to mow the yellow daisies. I think they are beautiful. A lot of them are going to seed now, and as I was filling a wheelbarrow with shavings tonight I saw two male goldfinches fluttering above the seedheads looking like two yellow-and-black butterflies.


There is a bed between the horse's paddock and the driveway that is filled with Rosa palustris and various other things. At the corner is this combination of R. rugosa rubra and Felicia, which I love... the rubra is the most vibrant fuchsia pink and both roses are very fragrant. These pictures were taken in early May before the palustris started blooming.






The rubra seedling is the same color as 'Purple Pavement' (which I expected to be more purple but it's beautiful nonethless), seen here with Tradescentia 'Concord Grape' and 'Zwanenburg Blue'. The rugosa hybrid 'Basye's Purple' is at the corner.


Basye's Purple starts later than my other rugosas and is in full bloom now with the palustris. The
flowers look just like velvet. They start out as a deep red and eventually turn a deep purple/ red.


The Rosa palustris and Purple Milkweed are now in full bloom and I'll show them in the next post.


21 comments:

  1. When I see long shots of your property, like some of these, it just amazes me what you've done SB. I don't know if I'd know where to begin with so much space. The last few days, I've been involved in "discussions" about various property line issues with my neighbors and it makes me want a little more room. I don't know I could make it look half as beautiful as you have tho. I am just imagining the goldfinches fluttering like butterflies and it makes me smile. Good idea to leave the daisies!

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  2. I love the shot of the driveway with the post and wire fencing. Back when I was in Texas ( was born there ), my grandparents had that around their property. So out if all your lovely as usual shots, that is the one I like best ! I left you a comment a few days back that appeared to not ever get to you, hope this one does ! take care on your beautiful country lot, Gina

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  3. Sweetbay, I am so jealous of your property! I dream of living in such a place one day, though the thought of leaving my half-acre garden is a sad one. I love that Baptisia, as well as your lovely roses and that field of daisies. Wonderful! I think I see a clump of spiderwort growing among your treasured flowers. A very encouraging sight as I struggle with that spiderwort dilemma.

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  4. I always look forward to your posts. I can't wait to see more of what you have blooming. Have a wonderful day! Carla

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  5. SweetBay ~ I just love your place, of course you know that as I've said it several times already. Your purple flowering plants, your roses, your home, your property all are so peaceful and wonderful. A lot of work and love go into what you have there. ~ Wish I could grow rugosas. I 'had' Felicia. She was a favorite. Your deep colored spiderworts are wonderful. I'm in love with your haven.

    Enjoy all that beauty that you have surrounding you.

    FlowerLady

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  6. Your roses are lovely. Looks like my galicas will not bloom again this year. I've moved them several times but they still must be getting too much shade.

    I loved the way you described the baptisia. Smokey blue with gray and chocolate... It sounds like a combination flower and delicious dessert:)
    Marnie

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  7. Awesome shots. I think the designs are spectacular-really a nice scale for the property. This is not an easy thing to do and you've done well!

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  8. You have been blessed with such beautiful country to live on. I love the natural look of it all. Oh, I can't wait to see purple Milkweed...

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  9. Hi Sweetbay~~

    I love your roses. And they're growing in such a beautiful setting.

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  10. Sweetbay, love your wonderful, natural garden. The roses are so beautiful, the dark pink with the soft Felicia. The colours together are superb. I leave the grass too with the wild flowers. So many birds and butterflies and other creatures enjoy a natural habitat. We mow small pathways in the wild garden.

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  11. it does look like Twilight Prairie Blues to me~I love that baptisia. Sweetbay, I am sighing over those roses and hoping that I get a few Rosa Carolina blooms this year! gail

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  12. The Bayse's Purple is stunning. (I want a t-shirt in that colour!) :)

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  13. I had to let out a sigh of contentment as I viewed your photos. You have such a serene setting, and your gardens are lovely! All of your roses are wonderful, and I really like your field of daisies!

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  14. It's so beautiful where you live. I would love to have so much open space. Your roses and other flowers are such vibrant colors. My Baptisia has quite a few buds on it this year, I'm excited to see it bloom.

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  15. Thank you!
    Your photos are gorgeous. I love your roses. I lost many of mine a few years ago and debate and debate about replanting.
    Your are inspiring. I just might have to plant a few.
    Sherry

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  16. While all the flowers are lovely, I spent the most time drooling over the picturesque setting of your beautiful farm! Can I come live with you? I just need to bring along 2 horses, a fat dog and a few scraggly cats...

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  17. It's interesting to see your baptisia Twilite Prairieblues. I have one that will bloom in a couple weeks. Last year it was a little disappointing --- lovely but kind of faded in color. Like you I was looking for the more saturated two tone colors you see in the ads! Your roses are beautiful, I love them mixed together.

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  18. Love the R. rugosa rubra.

    I keep debating whether to grow Tradescantia. I like the blooms amongst the quite large amounts of strappy foliage.

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  19. Your setting looks 'out of a story book' ... so picturesque. Lovely roses!! I would not mow those daisies either... hope the finches did not get the butterfly!

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  20. The close up of the roses are fantastic, and thanks for giving us the bigger picture.

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  21. I love the roses you grow, and the fact that you don't spray them. I had stayed away from roses because I don't want to use chemicals. I have tried a few that aren't supposed to need them. The white one isn't doing well. The 2 miniatures, one in a pot, the other in the ground are blooming. The one in the ground has very small flowers, about half an inch in diameter. Oh, and I see your spiderworts are blooming nicely. Everything looks great in your beds.

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