A Story - "Drone Flight" and Minnie Pearl Phlox, Evening Primrose, Wild Daisy, Mauve Clematis

A Story

Flying over the Icelandic moonscape, the drone smoothly closed in on the volcano.  At a safe distance, the operator took zoom photos of the lava flows, the crater.  Toxic gases drifted erratically threatening the lungs of the oblivious tourists lounging in the mineral waters of the Blue Lagoon a few miles away.  South of the volcano, Grindavik valiantly tried to hold the lava back with huge earth berms but, in a couple of spots, the black lava dripped ominously over the walls.

The drone's battery became low.  The operator regretfully terminated the dramatic flight over Iceland from his Colorado office.

Minnie Pearl phlox is an early blooming, shorter phlox. It helps to bridge the gap between spring and summer flowers blooming in the middle of June. It's not always easy to find but it is hardy and super reliable.

These evening primrose were initially given to me about forty years ago.  I have divided it and moved it around and enjoyed it every June.  It is somewhat aggressive so it needs to be planted where it can be managed with other strong growers.  If it's planted at the edge of the garden, the lawn mower can keep it in check. In the fall, the leaves turn a lovely dark red. It blooms best in full sun but will still give you plenty of colour in a shadier location.

The native daisies are so pretty I let a patch grow in our back lawn.

Here is a pale purple clematis I've had for several years.  Clematis like to have cool roots but sun for the top growth so you can either mulch the roots with hard scaping (rocks, patio stones, etc.) or put down wood chips.  Another way to keep the roots cool is to plant low growing, shallow rooted plants near it. I have pulmonaria near this one.

There is a lot of hoopla about how to prune clematis.  In my zone 4 garden all the clematis that survive the winter bloom on new growth.  I am very haphazard about pruning them and find they grow well no matter what I do. A little bit of slow release fertilizer in the spring will give them the nourishment they need for the season.

A Story - "Pause" - Pink Poppy, Hosta, Pink Rose, Astrantia, Lamium

A Story

This story is the bookend to the last story, "Attack".

Pause

When I remember the first year of Covid, I think of anxiety, sorrow, death, the world on pause.  I remember masked faces, people six feet apart, direction arrows in the stores.  I remember people scrambling to figure out work from home, parents overwhelmed as they cared for children while on video meetings.  I remember family and friends not able to visit or to travel to get home.  So much stress, so much uncertainty, so much pain.

But I will also remember the sky: so breathtakingly clear, so unbelievably blue, so incredibly beautiful. How it filled me with joy and hope.

I really like this frilly pink Oriental poppy.  It's so flouncy. I have some regular reddish orange poppies but this poppy is the one I look forward to. Oriental poppies are very hardy and reliable.  Mine are in a location that gets spring sun and part-shade for the summer.  They like adequate moisture. They will survive with dry conditions but will not bloom very well.

This interesting hosta is Snake Eyes.  I bought it from Botanus. I haven't seen another hosta with this kind of leaf markings. I also like the fact that it has decent vigor in its growth habit.  I have some other newer hostas that have nice leaves but they hardly get any bigger.  I have some old varieties of hostas that get really big but it seems the new varieties are bred for leaf colour and shape but not good growth.

This pretty Knock-out rose has survived for several years in my zone 4 garden.  I like the classic rose shape of the blooms.  The only downside is it doesn't have any scent.  Not prone to blackspot or other diseases. With my winters, there is always some die back so it doesn't get taller than 2-3'. Not super bushy but it is a reliable bloomer and will rebloom later in the summer.

I like the unique flowers of astratia (masterwort). No other flower is quite like them.  This pretty white one has pink ends to the flowers as they mature. The flowers are about 1- 1 1/2" wide and grow in clusters.

I had a failed attempt with astrantia several years ago.  I think the key is to have a constant level of moisture.  They like to be damp but not soggy and definitely not dry.  I mulched around this plant with some hard mulch - left over flooring, and it really appreciates the root protection. It is in a part shade location which it likes. It makes a nice big clump without getting out of control.  Does not spread by runners.

This red astrantia, which isn't fully open yet, was a pleasant surprise.  Two years ago I planted two bareroot plants and only one sent up leaves.  However, this spring the other one sprouted and now I have a lovely dark red astrantia.  I had a similar thing happen with a bare root giant fleeceflower.  It only sprouted the third year but has kept growing nicely since.  Don't give up on your bare root plants.

The lamium, geranium,  and euphorbia make an interesting combination.  The flowers of the lamium and geranium are exactly the same pink which helps to give the area a cohesive look.
 

A Story - "Attack" and White Rose, Columbine, 3 Iris, Early Lettuce

A Story

This story is about how our immune system fights off infection. Inspired by Covid but based on research. Quite amazing really.

Attack

The scouts came back with alarming news.  The enemy had infiltrated their territory.  Quickly, elite first responders spread out, stealthily searching for and swiftly attacking the foe.  Messages zinged throughout the area co-ordinating the operation, and special coded signals were dispatched to confuse the enemy.

Reinforcements struggled to replace the injured and dead, so chemical warfare was released strategically lethally.  Special sharp shooters stalked and eliminated fortified pockets of the hostile force.  Massive units arrived to surround and destroy entrenched enemy strongholds.

The battle feverishly raged on but finally, victory.

The Covid-19 test was negative.

Blanc Double de Coubert is a hardy rugosa rose with a lovely fragrance.  Plant habit is kind of scruffy and the flowers are delicate but they are so elegant and smell so nice.  I have found a new Youtube channel for all my rose questions :  Fraser Valley Rose Farm. Very good presenter with clear advice. He also grows some perennials. Some of his plants can be ordered through the mail but most are only available in his location.

I got this columbine last summer when the plants were on sale.  I have already had both the blue and pink version of this double Winky columbine and found them to be durable and bloom well.  I bought four of them but one mysteriously died.  Not sure why. Maybe something ate the roots. The bees like these columbine even though they are double. They are best in a part shade location and are hardy to zone 4.

So I have three different kinds of iris blooming right now.  These ones are Siberian iris in two different colours. They like to be wet. I wanted them in a drier location so I just kept giving them a good drink every few days, plus we did have quite a few rainy days.

This little iris, Bristly Iris, is native to some parts of North America.  It is only about 16" tall.  It can deal with wet or dry locations.  This one gets rain off the roof and is in a partly shady spot.  I was surprised to see a bumblebee go to each of the three petal areas and then later a swallowtail butterfly was feeding at it.

Here is a standard bearded iris.  An old variety so it's not as flashy as some new cultivars.  Bearded iris like a hot, dry full-sun location with their tubers partly exposed.  If they are not in a suitable location, they may still bloom but will likely flop over.

 The first planting of lettuce is doing well.  I started it inside in April. The challenge for me is not to start too many plants.  Do I need twenty lettuce at any time? No.  The seeds germinate so well and you get so many in a package  I find it hard to restrain myself. Fortunately, Pepper, my horse, will eat over grown lettuce.  I have made a new planting as lettuce gets bitter once it has reached maturity. Successive plantings are the way to go with lettuce and allow you to have fresh lettuce up until frost.