Gordon's Garden Diary

6 Jul '09 8:33 am

Thanks for sharing those lily pix. Wow! Warmth and light and colour!

On the tiny topic of blue Himalayan poppies, I planted one (a gift) last year and I reckon it's disappeared. Gone. So what's Scotland got that Gordon and I haven't got? They grow so well there that all the tourist shops use the image on postcards, notebooks, journals, etc.

6 Jul '09 8:45 am

Gorgeous lilies Gordon. Hope you're keeping seeds and making your own colour concoctions for next year. Smile

6 Jul '09 3:09 pm

Hi, Moosey and Kerole-

I hadn't thought of crossing the lilies, but it's not a bad idea!

And, Moosey, I really wonder what Scotland has that we haven't. Did you know that blue poppies grow so wonderfully at the Reford Garden on the St. Lawrence River in
Quebec Province, that they have become one of its big attractions, and the temperature drops well below freezing there with feet of snow each winter!! It really makes me wonder. . .

Well, cheers - it looks as if we're in for a night of rain, so I'd better get out and move the dwarf double daylily that I found growing amid the jungle I call the "Front Garden". The deer ate all its leaves last spring but it bloomed anyway. That's when I realized it was much too short for that location and decided to move it. Well, the other day I moved a dwarf daylily from that part of the garden only to have it bloom today and it's a single yellow, not a double pink!! So I went back to search for the double one and eventually found it, doing quite all right, thank you, but completely hidden in the overgrowth! So, it's coming out to where I can see it next year - right now!!

Cheers again-

gordonf

6 Jul '09 4:17 pm

Well, here I am again, folks, after transplanting the dwarf daylily that I mentioned in the last post. It didn't start raining yet, so I concluded my gardening for the day with another round of pictures, beginning with the daylily that I transplanted by accident the other day. I think it might be a "Stella d'Oro" but what do you think?

I also have a progress shot of the Tibetan tree peony shooting for the sky after dying down to the ground last winter! I think it's competing with the bamboo for honours in growth per day!!

Then, I discovered my tiny Lilium Duchartrei in bloom; only 2 flowers this year, so I guess it needs more sunshine (another pending move!). There are 3 pics of it as I think it's just SO CUTE Rolling Eyes

!

There are others, but I just had company arrive so I'd better get on with it!

Cheers!

gordonf

7 Jul '09 8:27 am

What a cutey little lily! I'm pretty sure the day lily is Stella - she's very popular here.

Now don't go mentioning sorrel to Moosey. She has severe issues with the weedy variety taking over her garden. I'm pretty sure she calls it bloody sorrel - amongst other things!! Laughing

8 Jul '09 12:56 am

I love garden art and your garden is awesome. Enjoyed the garden tour. Beth www.iflorist.co.uk

8 Jul '09 2:16 pm

Hi, Beth! I'm glad that you like the pictures of my garden, but maybe you should think again about including your advertising in your posts. This isn't a commercial site (other than Moosey's ads that serve to keep it going), as far as I'm aware. So, I would concur with Kerole in asking members not to put up their personal advertising unless it's done privately.

Thanks.

Cheers!

gordonf

11 Jul '09 3:44 am

You are awash in flowers, Gordon. I've just gotten back from a trip up to Portland, Oregon so I've missed a lot. I agree with everyone about the dark Lily. What a stunner. I've always been a fan of Corydalis and I want to start growing the yellow one. It should be a lot easier to please around here than the blue one.

As for the blue poppy, I believe if you catch a leprechaun you get your choice between a pot of gold or the secret to growing those fussy poppies. One time I grew it and it came back to make one or two flowers in the second year before fading away. That time I grew it on the North side of our two story building. I've given up on that one now.

As sour grapes, I sometimes meditate on the notion that the blue flowering Morning Glory would be much sought after if it were as hard to grow as that poppy. Here it -the morning glory- grows everywhere as a weed covering the banks of the creek, whole fences and racing nearly to the tops of redwood trees festooning everything with wonderfully blue flowers. Since this one is relatively promiscuous it doesn't win our favor. Can you imagine those blue poppies coming up everywhere, perhaps like our California poppies do. Wouldn't that be a nice bit of weeding to have to do?

While in Oregon I visited several gardens so I should post some of those pics soon. That may have to wait though as I'm getting ready to accompany my brother and his family on a trip to Southern California starting this Sunday. I'm planning to go again to the Huntington garden. Oh boy!

11 Jul '09 4:03 pm

Hi, Mark!

It's good to hear from you again. Isn't it odd - you have blue morning glories growing over everything, and we have white ones doing the same!!

And, do you think blue poppies would be as loved if they grew like Welsh poppies? I accepted some from a friend when I was starting my garden and now I can't get rid of them!! In my garden, they're as welcome now as is oregano. It took off from a potted plant a few years ago and before I realized how invasive it is, it had nearly won the war!!

Today I've been emptying my compost bin for the first time in 2 years. Of course, I have to empty it from the bottom up, so now there's a hole at the bottom shored up with buckets so the upper, less composted stuff doesn't collapse as it did the last time. It's lovely compost, though, and I'm using it to fill in the holes where I dug out all of the plants that had to be moved last month. Once that's done, I can begin moving the wild ginger into the empty spots so it can eventually become the ground cover there.

That's about all of the news from here for today. I'm taking it easy: just deadheading a bit and picking away at the compost when that area is in the shade. I discovered some surviving toad lilies today that I thought had been killed when I was moving everything, so they'll need to be moved soon. And I'm still trying to decide upon good places for the PC Irises so I can better integrate them into the garden at large. So many plants, so little room!! Woe is me!

Cheers, and have a great time at the Huntingdon! I'm envious!

-gordonf

12 Jul '09 3:47 am

I got so caught up in the blue poppy thing I forgot to comment on how well your new moon gate came out. Well done! I've always loved this sort of entry for looking through, so picturesque. I may yet manage to work something like this into my garden but where ... ?

Gordon's Garden Diary

Lily Crosses

After the Transplant

Please - Don't Advertise!

Floriferous-est! (Floriferousmost?)

Morning Glories - Oh, My!!

The Moon Gate