Friday, April 22, 2011

So Much Going On


The tidal wave of spring has begun. Will the gardener successfully ride the wave or be engulfed? With all of these open sun gardens and the Lamium purpureum takeover I feel like I'm carving my gardens out of weeds every spring. I hope to get Lamium pastures going in the open spaces around the gardens next year. (It's not the Lamium I really mind, other than the fact that it's greedy. The Chickweed and Shotweed get all over my last nerve.) As always I feel I need more Baptisias and woody plants in the gardens below the house and that there can never be enough purple.

But first, the new leaves.

The new leaves of Serviceberry remind me of Pussy Willows; silvery and velvety and as pretty as the flowers which have faded just as the leaves emerge.


I love, love love Heuchera for foliage effect. The leaves are beautiful all growing season. This is Heuchera villosa and I even like the delicate late summer flowers, which remind me of a fancy grass bloom. The insects love them too.


Janet Queen of Seaford recently wrote a post about river birches, which grow in abundance in the floodway on our farm. I think these trees are their most beautiful in their youth, when their bank peels in elaborate scrolls and is colored in warm shades of pink, gold and fawn. Their leaves are most beautiful in the youth of the year.



I did not begin to capture much of the beauty of the new leaves this spring, like the golden bronzy new growth of the oak trees and the wisteria or the cool blue-green of iris foliage against the velvety bright green of Monarda.

And then there are the azaleas. It's a little corner of my garden that reminds me of the sisters' garden for its colorfulness, although most of my azaleas are deciduous natives and almost all of theirs are evergreen.


Pink and white Piedmont azaleas









Semi-double evergreen pink from DH's grandmother's garden


Encore 'Autumn Amethyst' often doesn't have a whole lot of flowers in the spring ~ it tends to bloom much more in the fall here ~ but the color has a lot of impact.


The fuzzy buds of Coast Azalea

open to deliciously fragrant flowers.

More to come ~ there is a lot going on. I hope you are able to get out in the garden and enjoy spring.


12 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!

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  2. The native azalea are gorgeous, and I bet they smell heavenly. I have to focus on that group of plants soon.

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  3. I just love your Piedmont azaleas, and that one from your DH's grandmother is just a delicious color.

    Can't wait to see more.

    FlowerLady

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  4. So beautiful...I especially love the little "whiskers" on the Azaleas...so charming!

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  5. Sweetbay,
    Pinkster will always be be my favorite. These photos are stunning.

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  6. Zazdroszczę dużego ogrodu, w którym można zasadzić tyle różnokolorowych azalii. Ja mam tylko dwie. Pozdrawiam i WESOŁYCH ŚWIĄT.

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  7. Thanks for the link to my River Birch posting. You have a great stand of them!!
    I love your azaleas. I got three native azaleas at the native plant sale and dream of the day they are the size of yours!

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  8. Hello!
    Your photos are beautiful.
    Azaleas are beautiful trees in the background with very pretty.
    Thank you for visiting.
    I am very happy ..
    Have a Happy Easter ...
    Soňa

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  9. "I feel like I'm carving my gardens out of weeds every spring..."... I spent most of yesterday on my knees in one area of the garden, and just don't get it, the never ending supply of them. BUT once that is done then I wrestle with all the holes the voles and moles and ... lol.

    Sweetbay, beautiful is your garden and the azaleas simply stunning!

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  10. Those Piedmont azaleas are spectacular! I wish I could grow them. Maybe I need to try some of our native azaleas again ...

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