Drought Tolerant Perennials

  • Post published:08/29/2015
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My drought tolerant perennials: Russian sage, cosmos, coneflowers, and phloxI need water loving plants, but I have not forgotten that many need drought tolerant perennials. Some gardeners have soil that drains quickly, and we all fret about summer months when no rain falls, or have periods of very hot weather of the kind we’ve enjoyed recently. Fortunately there is a long list of plants that do not mind long periods of hot and dry weather. Some of them…

Views from Two Windows

  • Post published:08/26/2015
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View from the Bedroom Window in HeathThe views from two windows show what we are leaving and where we are going. Over the past couple of years I have been documenting the view from our bedroom in Heath, marking the changes in the seasons. These photos of the  foreground view of the lawn gardens, the mid-ground view of the fields and the background view of the hills are what we have enjoyed living with, admiring and working with…

Everything Changes – Even the Garden Rules

  • Post published:08/21/2015
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River Birch tree bedEverything changes. Our whole life is changing, but there are smaller changes in the world, like changes  in cultivation rules, come to all gardeners with some regularity. We have been planting trees and shrubs in Greenfield and have followed new rules, and rubbed up against others unhappily. One old practice, if not a rule, about planting trees was that you could leave on the wire cage if it came with one, and that you could…

We have a winner!

  • Post published:08/19/2015
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We have a winner for Beardless Irises: A plant for every garden situation by Kevin C. Vaughn. Congratulations to Cathy over at Rambling in the Garden.

Last Chance for the Beardless Irises Giveaway

  • Post published:08/18/2015
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  Today is your last chance to leave a comment here to win this book, heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs of irises you never heard of. At least irises I never heard of. Beardless Irises  is by Kevin Vaughn who knows all about Siberian and Japanese irises and even Louisiana iriseswhich I am familiar with, but also Pacific Coast Irises which I can't grow, and the amazing tall, water-loving Spuria irises which  sound perfect for my new garden.…

Bloom Day August 2015 AND Giveaway

  • Post published:08/15/2015
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On this Bloom Day it is clear I haven't spent as much time as usual on the Heath Garden. And yet, there are blooms like this tangle of phlox, coneflowers, Russian sage and cosmos. I can always count on cosmos to fill in. I'm trying not to capture the vigor of the weeds. Echinops There is also a tangle of Echinops down in a corner of the Sunken Garden which I often fail to mention. In all the…

Beardless Irises – and Giveaway

I recently reviewed Beardless Irises: A plant for every garden situation and now Schiffer publishing is offering a Giveaway of this beautiful, fascinating and useful book.   I have been reading Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Garden Situation by Keven C. Vaughn and published by Schiffer.  My own experience with beardless irises is with Siberian irises which are one of the most beautiful and easy care flowers in the world, and Japanese irises which often have a…

Progress Report – Home Outside Design

  • Post published:08/08/2015
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Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade” Kipling said, and I must add that they are not made by looking at a plan, even one as beautiful as the custom design I am holding created by Home Outside. Gardens are made by thinking and digging, moving compost, planting and getting very dirty. Lots of skull work, and lots of muscle work. Let me recap our adventures of planting a whole new garden in Greenfield. We took…

Drainage Problems and Happy Irises

  • Post published:08/01/2015
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The day after we planted all our water tolerant shrubs Greenfield was inundated by torrential rains. I was told over three inches of rain fell the afternoon and evening of July 7. We knew that our Greenfield house had a wet backyard and after planting nine shrubs we were fully aware of the heavy clay soil. However we did not expect several inches of standing water in the back half of the yard. Fortunately, our excellent plumber, Scott…