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garden

All photographs taken on my iPhone

A fern leaf peony is a flower that must be displayed front and center. The flower is a deep red double bloom that emerges early and lasts long. The blooms are large, but unlike taller growing peonies, the fern peony grows only about a foot high and has no problem of falling over under the weight of the bloom.


Why is this called Obedient Plant? When flower spikes are in full bloom, you can push the snapdragon-like flowers to hold any position you fancy to give them – very helpful when in an arrangement. Attractive green seed capsules follow the flowers and can be hung to dry to enhance dried floral arrangements.


This lily was grown from seed by my daughter Kelly when she was in first grade (she is now a college student). It has grown into a lovely addition to the garden.


The Grandiflora Rose ‘Gold Medal’ is one of the best yellow roses around! It is an upright, hardy grandiflora rose that produces high-centered, fully double, deep yellow flowers–sometimes blooms are streaked with orange and light red. The flowers are a “standout” against the dark green foliage.



Azalea[/caption] The Azalea flower is a symbol of femininity and of softness. The funny thing about the Azaleas is that they are actually a flowering shrub, so while they aren’t a flower, you are still going to get beautiful flowers off of them. These flowers are part of the Rhododendron family, which means that they are the type of flower that has a lot of volume. But, what makes them different is that they are actually a one flower one stem flower. There are all kinds of great colors that you can get Azaleas in, some of them are red, white, yellow, pink, purple, and much more.


Primula Vialii or Primroses come in many shapes and sizes. This species looks radically different from others, bearing upright stems with a rocket-shaped spike of flowers in a shocking combination of mauve-pink and scarlet red, appearing in summer. Great for cutting. This species is not always long lived, but may self-seed when happy. Good choice for the waterside and excellent in shady parts of the rock garden. Received a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (1993).


Despite their unfortunate common name, Lungworts are among the most dependable and showy spring-blooming perennials, and many types have attractive foliage throughout the season. This selection features clusters of upfacing deep magenta-pink bells, the green leaves are lightly spotted in silver. Plants should be cut back hard immediately after blooming, to rejuvenate the leaves, which will then remain attractive all season.


Generally, most types of Ajuga only reach a height of 6-9 inches when in full bloom. Ajuga–more commonly known as Bugleweed–grows along the ground, spreading by runners, and soon creates a thick carpet of foliage. Ajugas are members of the mint family, and like most mints, their rapid growth rate may create problems. If this invasive attribute of Ajuga is a problem, it may be necessary to use some type of edging material to keep it within bounds.


Clematis is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids have been popular among gardeners, beginning with Clematis × Jackmanii. They are mainly of Chinese and Japanese origin. Most species are known as Clematis in English, while some are also known as Traveller’s Joy.


Oswego tea grows up to three feet tall, bear greenish rough leaves and dark pink, red, or purple flowers with large, shaggy heads. The Oswego Indians of western New York made tea from the dried aromatic leaves of Monarda didyma and shared their fondness for it with colonial settlers who went on to use it as a substitute when imported tea became scarce after the Boston Tea Party. The Shakers thought the tea effective in treating colds and sore throats, while other settlers steamed the plant and inhaled the fumes to clear sinuses. Oh, and hummingbirds are absolutely in love with mine!


Shasta daisies bloom over a long period, from early summer until fall, forming tidy clumps from 2 to 3 feet tall and up to 2 feet across. The bright flowers contrast nicely with the glossy, dark green foliage, livening up any garden bed. The flowers are also suitable for cutting.


Asclepias tuberosa is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is commonly known as Butterfly Weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies. Hummingbirds, bees and other insects are also attracted.


Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a common name for all Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera.


Commonly known as hellebores, members of the genus Helleborus comprise approximately 20 species of herbaceous or evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, within which it gave its name to the tribe of Helleboreae. Despite names such as “Christmas rose” and “Lenten rose”, hellebores are not closely related to the rose family (Rosaceae).


Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis); also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus’s car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman’s trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine’s Day.


Echinacea purpurea commonly known as Eastern purple coneflower or Purple coneflower or Asteraceae (from the Aster Family). Native to U.S. A popular perennial with smooth, 2-5 ft. stems and long-lasting, lavender flowers. Rough, scattered leaves that become small toward the top of the stem. Flowers occur singly atop the stems and have domed, purplish-brown, spiny centers and drooping, lavender rays.


Rudbeckia hirta, with common names of Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan, Brown Betty, Brown Daisy (Rudbeckia triloba), Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Poorland Daisy, Yellow Daisy, and Yellow Ox-eye Daisy. It is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is an upright annual (sometimes biennial or perennial) native to most of North America.


Dianthus chinensis (China Pink; Chinese: 石竹 shi zhu) is a species of Dianthus native to northern China, Korea, Mongolia, and southeastern Russia.
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 30–50 cm tall. The leaves are green to greyish green, slender, 3–5 cm long and 2–4 mm broad. The flowers are white, pink, or red, 3–4 cm diameter, produced singly or in small clusters from spring to mid summer.


Osteospermum is a genus belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Osteospermum used to belong to the genus Dimorphotheca, but only the annual species remain in that genus; the perennials belong to Osteospermum.


Lysimachia vulgaris (Garden Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife or Garden Yellow Loosestrife) is a species of herbaceous perennial plants in the genus Lysimachia native to wetlands, damp meadows and forests of Eurasia. It is a 50–150 cm tall plant with an upright habit, blooming from June through August with erect panicles of conspicuous yellow flowers.


Chelone is a genus of four species of perennial herbaceous plants native to eastern North America. In Greek mythology, Chelone (Χελώνη, Khelônê) was a nymph or a mortal woman who was changed into a tortoise by the gods. “Khelônê” means “tortoise” in Greek, and the tortoise was a symbol of silence in ancient times.


Weigela florida ‘Alexandra’ – Rosy-pink flowers add a touch of romance when displayed against the dark glossy foliage. The foliage is much darker than that of older varieties like Java Red. It contrasts beautifully with the rosy-pink flowers, making for a high impact display in the garden. The trumpet-like flowers are adored by hummingbirds!


This dianthus cultivar is one of the cheddar pinks. It is a mat-forming perennial which produces numerous scented rose-pink flowers arising from tufted mounds of grassy, gray-green, linear foliage. Flowers are larger than those of most other cultivars in this species, hence the common name. Blooms in spring with some intermittent rebloom in summer, particularly if flowers are promptly deadheaded before producing seed.


This one’s not in the garden but rather in the front yard. I love to watch the worker bees harvest the pollen.


Bridalwreath Spirea, spiraea prunifolia, is a long-time favorite with its double, pure white flowers that bloom abundantly on arching branches in early spring. The clean, deep blue-green summer foliage develops an attractive yellow-orange to purple fall color. This spirea is rounded with ascending graceful arching branches that are leggy, and somewhat irregular.





Tina Flowering Crab is covered in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers with shell pink overtones and a pink reverse along the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive cherry red flower buds before the leaves. It has dark green foliage throughout the season. The fruits are showy red pomes carried in abundance from early to mid fall.