Cold Climate Gardening

Griffith Buck rose ‘Wanderin’ Wind’ with catmintYikes! The last day of June! So many things I wanted to share with you, and the month just flew by. If I want to share my favorite plant combinations of June while it is still June, I’d better get started. This is the same rose I mentioned in my review of hardy rose books. It’s a Griffith Buck rose called ‘Wanderin’ Wind.’ Last year it didn’t do much, but this year it is putting out a lot more blossoms. I really like it surrounded by ‘Six …

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Yes, I know the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day was yesterday the day before yesterday. I didn’t get finished in time. So just pretend this is May 15th, okay? (As always, hover your mouse over any thumbnail for a caption, and click on any photo for a larger image.)
Narcissus
Let’s start off with the narcissus. The early daffodils are all gone, but the later ones are in their prime. Do you remember those new ones I told you about? Let’s start with them.

Left to right, the most recently opened first: Malin Head, Achnasheen, Rimmon, Eland, and (second row) Vernal Prince. Angel doesn’t look like it will bloom, as Mr. Burdick suspected. It’s been a cool spring–until today, when it got up to 88F–and many of my daffodils have remained good looking for a long time. Here’s more that are blooming right now:

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May is always a busy month, what with birthdays (3 this month), Mother’s Day, a garden going to weeds, and homeschooling paperwork, but this past week had additional expected and unexpected busy-ness. It’s very easy to miss the spring ephemerals if you’re not careful. I know, because I’ve done it before. And if you go traipsing off in the woods, it’s very easy to use up whatever time you had to spare for blogging. Been there, done that, too. Well, dear readers, here are some posies to make it up to you. Violets in purple and white, and false strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) in yellow. I actually grow a yellow violet on the north side of the house, but it bloomed and went by before a photo was snapped.

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Okay, it wasn’t really Santa Claus. It was just the mail lady and the UPS man, bringing my two plant orders of the season on the same day. But I felt the same excitement I had felt as a kid on Christmas morning as I made my way down the stairs, wondering if Santa had brought me my heart’s desire.

Well, I knew my heart’s desire was in those boxes. Hadn’t I pored over catalogs, agonized over prices, and checked and rechecked my bank balance? Shoot, I even created some spreadsheets so that the total automatically incremented as I added each plant to the order. That’ll keep your feet grounded like nothing else will, believe me. The other big reality check is to have a column for where you’re going to plant each coveted botanical treasure.

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