Caroline's Garden

Winter Visitors

2008-03-01T23:05:00.002-05:00

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Blue Jay

Snowfall

2008-01-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

December Remembered

2007-12-30T20:33:00.000-05:00

Just laying here realizing December is almost over and I'm feeling the need to read something to get back in touch with the gardens. I was south of the border this weekend and in the newspaper was an article about dirt by someone named Nardi. I decided it was something I wanted to read more about so this will be one book I'm going to get Life in the Soil. The other I came across by accident but it's about native plants and I really do want to plant more shrubs and maybe a couple trees, my goals in finding the right ones are winter interest and attractiveness. So this will be my second book - Bringing Nature Home. These should take care of some winter blahs for a while.

Just so December doesn't slip by without being remembered I will post some pictures of the beautiful snowfalls we've had.

Ohhh, that's what it is....

2007-11-24T20:59:00.000-05:00

http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Solanum_dulcamara_page.html

Okay, so maybe on second thought it's not such a good idea. I'll stick to clematis for now....

What is this??

2007-11-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

Geez, I've been away for so long!!! It seems that due to unforseen circumstances it has become a Christmas time ritual to have our house under construction of some kind. Last year it was the kitchen (finished the night before Christmas Eve so we could have our Christmas Eve gathering) and this year it is the 'Late October, Heavy Rainfall, Poweroutage Flood'. The basement flooded so the kids rooms, reckroom and everything else had to be redone. Drywall, baseboards, doors and frames....anyway that's my excuse.

So on to why I'm posting.....what is this vine? I'll be getting a snipping of it in the spring but I have no idea what it is. My sister in law has in at her cottage and she transplants snippings very easily. Apparently she got it from northern Minnesota??

2007-09-13T21:36:00.001-04:00

Awwww.....Fall!

2007-09-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

Finally, after a busy, labourous summer, it is Fall. I've never looked forward to fall since it signifies the coming winter and I'm not much of a winter person. However, my last icefishing escapades were fun - as long as the weather is mild and there's a nice scenic, challenging snowmobile trail to get us there (not too picky). That's half the fun!!

This year I'm happy to see fall - I'm ready. We've been busy - I'm happy with the gardens, the way they're blooming and filling in. The deck at the back of the house has been keeping us busy. We're in the staining process now but the railings are tedious. Would like to get that done soon. It's hot pepper and pickle time now. Peppers I grew myself in pots, but the cukes came from a farm down the road. Next year I want to have a pumpkin patch, just like my gardenerd buddy!! I think some wine coloured mumms will look good at the front door this year.

So thinking about next year, we have a portion of the lower part of the deck that needs to be extended and then I have an idea for a nice lattice type wall for some privacy since the 10 foot cedar and the huge tree need to come down just beyond the deck. The tree is reaching over the house and is a potential hazard. The cedar is in the way of the deck extension, but it's too big anyway, even if we were't extending. So that is where I plan to rest my Mordon Sunrise And Tahitian Moon roses. The Tahitian can climb the lattice. Still needed and on the new list are:

* Summersweet (for the humming birds, to accompany the roses by the deck)
* Browella(annaul to plant in pots around the front of the house)
* Cosmos (for back shade garden - gets more sun than I thought, for the birds)
* Viburnum (for the birds!!, not sure where yet)
* daisies (for back shade garden, good for birds)
* zinnias (everywhere, good for birds)
* Milky Bellflower 'Loddon Anna' (Campanula lactiflora)
* Sweet Woodruff (more!!)
* Alyssum (white)
* weigela
* tall phlox

Some 'Growings' On in the Garden...

2007-08-15T20:42:00.001-04:00

Daylillies
'Raspberry Swirl'

'Mini Stella'

'Thumbalina'

'Little Lassie'

'George Bingham'

'Glowing Canteloupe'

Various lillies

And Some Others....
'Coneflower'

'Iris'

'Bee Balm'

'Sneezeweed'

'Black Eyed Susan'

'Coneflower'

Wildflowers

2007-08-15T20:05:00.001-04:00

Wandering around the yard
here are more wild flowers
growing along the tree lines
and near the bottoms of the
trees.....

anemone canadensis

lupine

campanula

Gardening Shed Bed (Part Shade - South East)

2007-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

Finally after what began in May of buying plants (a little impulsively too soon) rotatilling, weeding, rotatilling, weeding, laying 8 layers of newspaper and shoveling 9 loads of soil the planting is complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was tall grass, weeds and raspberry bushes - so I had my work cut out for me and hopefully there's enough newspaper down to smother those roots!!! Fingers crossed and saying prayers!!

At the very end (to the left is a double flowering almond and in the middle is a dwarf burning bush.

I'm really hoping the two elders do well and grow nice and big. They're at the back close to the shed. That shed by the way is going to have old barn board on it eventually! I've got three of my daylillies from the old house and the bright pink lilly and the melon lilly, both from the move, in here as well. Hopefully they tolerate the late transplanting!!

Babies

2007-07-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

This little guy was hiding by the garden shed. He could have fit in the palm of my hand!

And this little babe seemed to be away from his nest so I lifted him to a higher branch ..... hopefully mom found him. "What To Do When You Find A Baby Bird"

More New Blooms....

2007-06-19T20:47:00.001-04:00

Daisy

Balloon Flower
Creeping Phlox

New Blooms.....

2007-06-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Chives

Peonies
Peonie ready to bloom
Pretty in Pink Peonie
Pansies in Bacopa

New Guests....

2007-06-16T16:26:00.000-04:00

In the rhubarb......

After the rain...
Charlotte's Web.... :-/

:-(

2007-06-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

We've been enjoying some great hot weather lately and I can't wait for the weekend. Deck work should be starting and I'll be digging into the back shade garden and weeding it. Pictures of the front will be coming soon - just need to stain the boardwalks. My poor lophospermum fell off the wall last night and smashed on the ground, spilling the dirt and breaking off many trailings with tons of buds. I guess when it's being watered, it's too heavy. We'll have to fasten the hanger better............

Got My Roses!!!

2007-06-10T20:12:00.000-04:00

As part of my 'going away' party, from my coworkers at my old job, I got some gift certificates for the greenhouse so now there was no reason for me to "wait" to get the two roses I wanted. 'Morden Sunrise'
'Tahitian Moon' (so tall already)
'Tahitian Moon'

For Trena

2007-06-06T20:42:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to show you where the gift has gone......
the front yard close to the house.

Front Yard Flower Bed (West - Full Sun)

2007-06-05T21:55:00.000-04:00

I finally got some planting done on Saturday. I added some pink lillies, a brownish coloured coneflower and a couple daylillies that overwintered in the vegie garden (from Castlegreen) along with the new aster, sedums, coneflower, rudbeckia, phlox and spirea. I can't wait till it fills in!

"thumbalina"

"raspberry swirl"

Recent Visitors....

2007-06-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

My favourite sign of spring...

Peek-a-boo.....just outside our front door....
There he goes.....
This little guy has taken up residence under the back shed.....

Wandering around the yard.....

2007-05-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

Geranium

Sweet Woodruff

Under Construction - Phase 1

2007-05-27T08:01:00.000-04:00

Update

2007-05-25T23:10:00.000-04:00

Well, today we started getting rid of all the white crushed rocks in front of the house. Old railway timbers along the driveway came out too. We'll probably finish getting rid of tomorrow and hopefully shape the two beds in front of the house, lay sod and maybe even get the shrubs in. I'll have to go get some weed mat and mulch of some sort tomorrow too. I have on order from my gardenerd buddy a pretty lophospermum which will hang somewhere either at the front entrance or by the garage! Looking forward to seeing that.

Maybe this rose???

2007-05-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

'Tahitian Moon' Shrub Rose

Okay - so this seems like a pretty, hardy, beginner type rose for me. It's yellow (which I love) and fragrant. Zone 4 but I could winterize it. Can also be a climber but maybe not in our climate. There's a couple at the greenhouse close to here so I just might..........

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T20:46:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful Mother's Day today. No work, just play! My daughter brought home a sweet woodruff for me today and also made a pretty little painted rock at school. I'll have to post a picture ASAP! I had no idea the woodruff smelled so "sweet"!!

My Visitors ......

2007-05-12T19:26:00.000-04:00

who may present a few challenges......

Amy - this is for you!

2007-05-12T19:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.waltersgardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=gallery.images&catID=16&image=306

No Deeper than a Spade.....

2007-05-12T03:33:00.000-04:00

I learned a valuable lesson tonight, over drinks with Amy. Never dig deeper than your spade when adding and amending the soil. So that's what I'll do!!

For the Birds.....

2007-05-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sambucus canadensis 'Golden Elderberry'

I think that for my shady garden by the garden shed I'm going to plant some elderberrys. I think they'll grow to make a nice backdrop and transition between the lower growing plants and the treeline background. I like that they provide berries for the birds, that's a must! I've also read that if you plant more than one variety they will produce more berries. Sounds good to me! One variety that I will definately try to find is the 'red-berried elderberry'. It's importance lies in the fact that the berries ripen just in time for the baby birds to feed on. That's so awesome!!

A Rambling Rose....

2007-05-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

Rosa x multiflora 'Ghislaine de Felighonde'

So one little visit (first of the season) to Landale and now I'm planning an area by the back deck for a rambling rose. Will have to consult Amy about this. Not sure about the colour, I really like this one but I also like the idea of a creamy flower as well. This particular one seems good for a beginner though. The plan is that we have to take down a large cedar at the end of the existing deck and we like the privacy that it creates but it just won't go with the garden I'm planning for this area of the new deck. It's ground level, no railing, just bench seating so what I thought was I could make a lattice privacy screen and hopefully (if there's enough sun) I can plant a climbing or rambling rose. If not, I can always plant a clematis.

Need Help Here Amy!!

2007-05-02T19:42:00.000-04:00

This is the boardwalk - where I can't decide if I should line both sides with shrubs or a mounding perrenial. Shrubs would be boxwood or spirea of some kind. It gets mid day sun.

These two rock patches are going, probably just going to plant grass there. Now, the front existing bed to the left under the window - that whole area is where I want to build it out and shape it and plant the annabelle hydrangeas, yews and hostas. That area is full shade all day until evening.

This is the right side of the entrance. I plan to leave the cedars where they are for now, maybe just a few hostas in there so we don't obstruct the window. That path is coming out, the bed reshaped and out a bit further from where it is and maybe continue with the boardwalk. We've talked about some lockstone too.

Just a little footnote - the siding is going to be done soon and so is the windows. Siding is going to be a khaki colour and the window, door trim and garage will be sandstone. Very nice combo.

Old (side of the house) Garden

2007-05-01T16:05:00.001-04:00

Out With the Old, In With the New.......

2007-05-01T16:00:00.001-04:00

Well, this seems like a good place to start. My old flowerbeds, some of which I dug up and brought with me for the move......have been nestled in my new vegetable garden for the winter (almost all so far have sprouted since I last looked). Those will be spread out amongst the new beds waiting to be designed out of old ones. Then there are a couple completely new beds to dream up. I have one deep shade garden to design for the front of the house (faces north) and another part shade garden for the tool/garden shed out back. I'm really excited about that one, just have to wait for the shed to be sided before I can get started. The one in the front of the house gives me some anxiety as that is part of the entrance and I want it to be pretty, welcoming, not crowded. I'm thinking yews, annabelle hydrangeas and hostas. It's the layout mostly that gives me stress. Then there is also a boardwalk to the front entrance that will require some plantings and I want to tie that into the other. Right now I've just put some solar lights along the boardwalk but I'm thinking either two rows of very short compact boxwoods, or spireas well rounded and shaped or some kind of perrenial that mounds. hhhhmmmm, any ideas?