I had the day off on Saturday! Hooray, my first and only completely free day this month! I got a lot done outside including mowing, edging, blowing debris from the sidewalks, potting up that podophyllum delavayi, limbing up a couple of trees and cutting down three more trees in the great tree removal of 2013 project. Didn't take any pictures of that though. Instead, before I started working, I found some random things around the garden that made me smile.
Last year, I planted tiny artichoke plants because I love their foliage and think that the flowers are pretty cool too!
They've remained evergreen this winter and have put on a lot of growth recently. Isn't that foliage gorgeous?
Crassula arborescans, aka Silver Dollar Plant, that was found in a box store for a couple of bucks. It won't always look quite like this but right now I'm enjoying those chubby little circles!
I had to go to Lowe's to pick up some primroses to give to the para educators in my program and this trio jumped into my cart somehow. They're not hardy but succulents don't seem to mind being ignored most of the winter inside the house. Woa man, look at the colors.
Sedum adolphii, Graptosedum 'California Sunset', and Pachyveria 'Royal Flush'
I had to buy one of them because of this pot. Really, a backwards treble cleff? It was my duty to remove this from circulation! The cutesy factor nearly outweighed the inaccuracy.
Both continue with these flowers on the staff with some randomly placed notes. I like thinking of plants as garden music!
At $2.95 for 1.5 quart sized double primroses in pretty pastel decorative pots, these would be great appreciation gifts for several folks at work. You may remember my posting this pinky mauve one on the 15th. When I went back, they only had 5 left. However the store across town reported that they had 98 of them. Off I went.
The across-town store had no pink ones but they had this beautiful yellow/pink combination.
And this gorgeous cobalt and purple that reminds me of african violets. This is such a beautifully saturated color! I went with the blue for everyone. At that price, I couldn't resist bringing a couple of each home. They are currently on my back steps. Once they're done blooming, they'll find a spot in the garden.
This is an arisaema that I always forget about until it pops up each spring. Having a bad memory makes for a garden full of surprises!
I love me some pulmonaria. They have these great flowers in early spring and glorious spotted foliage until frost.
Common as dirt but Skimmia in ploom perfumes the whole garden!
Speaking of perfume, daphne odora earns it's name beautifully!
The non hardy fuchsia baskets have decided that they are hardy after all and have, for the second spring, decided to provide an encore performance.
Much as I hate to post bad photographs of a part of the garden that needs quite a bit of work, I love seeing the carpet of camellia petals all over the ground. This is a view from one of my kitchen windows. Time to run outside with the skimmer and clean the surface of the pond!
I hope that your garden is full of things that make you smile!
That artichoke reminds me of this weekend. I took a friend plant-shopping at Joy Creek and at one point exclaimed that they had little Cardoon plants for sale, and that she should get one. She looked horrified...and actually said, "I don't like it...it's kind of weedy-looking. But it would look great in YOUR garden!" grumble, grumble ;-)
ReplyDelete"it's kind of weedy-looking. But it would look great in YOUR garden!"...oh my. And you call this person a friend?
DeleteWho is this woman and why do you take her plant shopping? Really though, it does look like a giant thistle because it is one. I've always liked the foliage of thistles & artichokes don't have thorns on them.
DeleteI planted artichokes last year too, as well a cardoons. One of the artichokes is doing great, the other two not so great. And I need to move one of the cardoons. I love the carpet of Camellia petals with the Arisaema popping up! That blue primrose is electric!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll put a couple of the blue primroses in the camelia petal area. That'd look cool. Glad that one of your artichokes is doing well as the cardoons.
DeleteAs I'm writing this I can look across the street at huge gorgeous artichoke in front of my neighbor's house. It's the next best thing to having one in my yard. Love your carpet of camellia petals!
ReplyDeleteThe camellia carpet is one of my favorite things this time of the year. Sometimes the magnolia blooms while the ground is still pink and it's delightful.
DeleteYou have some lucky co-workers...and no quibbling over color choices (good move). Thanks for the smiles all around.
ReplyDeleteMy co-workers are wonderful! I'm the lucky one to work with them every day! Always happy to make people smile (cause it'll give 'em wrinkles and they'll look older than I.)
DeleteWhew! Thought you were going to make us watch you work on trees again. Nice cheerful post, I've been spreading mulch and definitely needed all bright color.
ReplyDeleteGarden music, conducting all those pretty plants together with the camellia petals. Very pretty.
Wouldn't want to worry folks with my carlessness. Actually, Tom helped by taking stuff to the yard waste place so I had to be careful because he was watching and I didn't want to get the safety lecture.
DeleteMarch muclhes are wonderful & good for you for doing it. I'll be getting and spreading mine during spring break. Par-tay!
I see you do the Black Mondo Grass/Angelina Sedum combo too. Don't you love it? The Skimmia and Daphne are divine right now, aren't they? I've got a place picked out for an artichoke plant. I grew it years ago but I'm ready to give it a go again. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI love throwing black mondo grass everywhere as it seems to pop with just about anything but this combo has been one of my favorites. Hooray for a new artichoke plant for you! Thanks Grace!
DeleteWow! Those succulents are, well...succulent! Great pics, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy! I've never met a succulent that I didn't like.
DeleteThe artichoke has lovely foliage indeed! And some nice plants you have! Glad to hear you had a productive day off, always a fulfilling and satisfying feeling when you know you've done loads in such a short period of time :)
ReplyDeleteIf I were half as productive as you I'd be even happier. My puttering makes me happy, though. With the completion of each job, there is one less nagging voice inside my head telling me that it needs to be done.
DeleteLove the silver dollar plant! And how sweet to buy primroses for your friends. I love the blue - great choice! The camellia petals carpeting your garden are lovely. There's just something romantic about seeing petals falling to the ground.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the petals and have been known to strew the petals of spent cut flowers along paths or float them in outdoor water pots. My favoirte is when all the cherries and ornamental plums begin loosing their petals. There are so many of both of those trees planted here as boulevard trees that it's possible to walk or drive a few blocks through a pink and white petal shower. Spring is a magical time!
DeleteLove that blue double primrose! Drop dead gorgeous! Do you have a particular type of pulmonaria that u like? I went to windmill today and swooned over maples and conifers. :)
ReplyDeleteI prefer blue flowering types over the pinks and love the ones that open pink and turn blue as they mature. Although I find the leaves of most attractive my favs are the broader leafed ones with silver polka dots. You must live in he area if you went to Windmill! Great place to visit!
DeleteHow great about those Fuschias! And we don't have Skimmia around here, so id doesn't look common at all to me.
ReplyDeleteThe fuschias never cease to amaze me! Skimmia is lovely, has a gorgeous fragrace and if both a male and female plant are present, bears clusters of red berries above evergreen leaves. The problem here is that, for a time, it was planted everywhere in public plantings and is sometimes associated with gas stations, fast food restaraunts, etc.
DeleteI'm going to have to check Lowe's for primroses. :o) Those are beautiful! One of your little succulents reminds me of a basket of red candy. I may have to stop by the succulents aisle, too!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much stuff the stores get once the season starts. We've had a couple of days without rain and temps approaching the 60's with another couple of weeks of the same in the forcast. Everyone is going outside to play again!
DeleteSounds like you had a very satisfying day. I have this week off to garden and the snow is only just beginning to go. Managed to sow some seeds and prick out some seedlings so far. Hoping to plant some plants later
ReplyDelete