Saturday, July 9, 2011

Triumphs and Tragedies

It's the weekend and that means it's time to go for a walk.  This past week the weather has been hot and humid and flowers are busting out all over so lots of photographs were taken on the walk.  I started at the front doorstep with the peony blossoms which are as big as my hand.


Some of these blooms made it to a vase inside the house as well as a certain person may have gotten too close with the weed whacker.  ahem.

From the door I turned right and walked toward the front yard admiring the last of the lupines and bleeding hearts.  These plants are beginning to form seedpods and will go dormant in the summer's heat.


In the entrance bed I'm having a bit of a dilemma.  Some plants put in this bed last summer have grown to epic proportions which is really nice.  They're obviously happy here.  Unfortunately placement wasn't given a lot of thought at the time they were planted and now they are too large to move.  In the below photo you can see the apple tree to the back left with blooming Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla) at it's feet and Meadowsweet (Filipendula) to the right.

The Meadowsweet is almost as tall as the tree!
There's no room to get under and around the apple tree for pruning or picking with the other plants this close.  But while they are this large and blooming I'm unable to move them.  So for now I will have to wait until fall, or even next spring to dig these plants up and move them.

From the entrance I backtracked to the veggie garden and found the feverfew sending out blooms in the herb area.


Marigold blossoms also caught my eye.  I bought a variety called Durango this year.  They're double blossoms in shades of orange, yellow and maroon.  I love the smell of marigolds but insect pests don't so I always include them in my veggie beds.


In the back garden I found some yellow blossoms I've been excitedly waiting for.


Unfortunately, I wasn't so excited when they finally opened.  This plant was marked as a Euphorbia when I took it home from the plant sale.  I should have noticed the leaves but I read the label and didn't think twice.  This isn't a Euphorbia but rather Lysimachia punctata or Yellow Loosestrife.  Not nearly as desirable.  To me anyway.  In fact, I think it's going to get pulled.  While this Loosestrife isn't as invasive as it's purple cousin it still has travelling tendencies that I would prefer not to have in the garden.  Which I know is ironic considering that's the very invasive Plume Poppy planted behind it but I really like the leaves on the poppy.  The Loosestrife however, does nothing for me.

A yellow I do like is this lovely dahlia.  


It's actually a bit early for the dahlias to be blooming but I had a hard time finding good storage this winter for this large tuber.  I wasn't able to keep it cool enough and it began sprouting in March so I threw it in a cardboard box with some potting soil and it began to grow.  By the time it was planted outside it was already a very large plant.  The result is super early dahlia blooms which I don't mind at all.

14 comments:

HolleyGarden said...

Very pretty blooms. I hope you enjoy them inside as well as out. Even your marigolds look lovely.

Casa Mariposa said...

I'd pull the loosestrife, too! I love the little feverfew flowers and can't beleive your dahlias are bloming before mine!! After your endless winter, I'm glad you have such cheery color in your garden. :o)

Melanie J Watts said...

Were you hoping for Euphorbia polychroma? I agree it is a much more desirable plant than loosestrife. Your other blossoms look great too.

Unknown said...

Peonies. Ah, you are a lucky girl.

Laurrie said...

You have some great triumphs, especially the peony. And you are where every gardener winds up: contemplating moving stuff that you had planted and it's just not in the right space. In my garden almost everything got moved after the first or second year.

Marguerite said...

Holley - I had to laugh when hubby brought me a 'bouquet' of peonies. I knew something was up!

TS - I actually have another 4 or so dahlias that aren't blooming. This particular tuber was so large that finding storage space was difficult. Finally I just potted it up so it's had months more growing time than the other plants.

Melanie - that was exactly what I thought it was!! Should have paid attention to the leaves as that would have tipped me off but I just threw it in the ground and didn't think twice.

Tufa - I am lucky. They came with the house and I haven't put any effort into them at all.

Laurrie - It's funny, even as I'm planting up other beds I'm questioning the placement and thinking about putting the plants elsewhere. Seems being indecisive is part of gardening!

Diana Studer said...

Not indecisive, thoughtfully plotting and planning. And we learn as we go.

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

What a lovely spot you have on PEI. I'm a displaced Newfie living in Lunenburg Co NS. I have a very modest veggie plot in a community garden and my ever expanding shade garden at home. My hands are always dirty!

greggo said...

weed wackers need love too.

Marguerite said...

Diana - Try as I might to be thoughtful about my plantings it seems I can't help but change my mind as soon as the plant goes in the ground. Perhaps over time I'll be more comfortable making decisions on how to place things.

Welcome Sandy! Nice to hear from another 'local' person. I'm completely new to the maritimes so I've got lots to learn about the climate here, not to mention what to grow and how to grow it.

Greggo - LOL, I've got love for the weed whacker, it's made some chores around here much easier. We just need to be more adept at using it properly!

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden said...

Hi Marguerite,
That pink peony is so pretty. I am glad at least some blooms survived the weed whacker! I am not a fan of that yellow loosestrife either. I already have enough invasive plants, thank you very much. Planting up the yellow dahlia tuber looks to have been a great idea. What a nice treat to have blooms this early.

Marguerite said...

Jennifer - the peonies have been fleeting this year. Cut down by machinery and then days later knocked down in the rain. Lucky there are pictures to remind us.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

I love your yellow dahlia - and smiled at your comments about the lysimachia. I have some Lysimachia cletheroides that produces stunning white plumes and has lovely leaves, but boy does it travel... You have some great colour going on, and you will be able to move the plants around the apple tree in the Autumn.

Marguerite said...

Janet - I wonder is that the gooseneck loosestrife? I've seen photos of that plant and thought it looked really lovely but heard it wandered a lot. Having a few plants that wander is okay but having too many could get wildly out of control. The plume poppy alone keeps me busy. I'm still digging up strays that got left in the old bed when it moved.