Garden tour – May 9th, 2018

Posted on May 9, 2018 by jmarkowski Posted in Bulbs, Spring .

The garden has arrived and I’m silly with excitement.

The difference one plant makes

If I may say so, the recent addition of this Persian Shield and its dark foliage brings this section of the garden to life.

As the surrounding perennials grow, so will this annual and by summer it will be a frickin delight to witness as you approach my front door.

We need to talk about the Bee Balm

It’s infiltrating the entire garden year after year and I’m still not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

I appreciate how it easily fills in bare spots.

I appreciate how it smells (and how much the deer disagree).

I appreciate how it combines with others when in bloom.

The question becomes: When is it too much of a good thing?

It’s OK to open up

The relocation of my Trollius ‘Golden Queen’ can now be considered a success since they are blooming and looking healthy.

Still, year after year I wonder why the flowers don’t open up like this.

They never move beyond what you see in the pics below.

Daffo-delight

Narcissus ‘Decoy’

Narcissus ‘Green Pearl’

Narcissus ‘Mount Hood’

Other bulbs

The consistency and continued growth of Leucojum aestivum ‘Gravetye Giant’ (Summer Snowflake) has not gone unnoticed by this easily distracted gardener.

I’m still getting tulips in year two. Hell to the yeah baby.

Soon enough …

Phlox yeah!

Always a welcomed sight to see the Moss Phlox blooming. The perfect groundcover along a walkway or in a rock garden.

The only issue I’ve had is in trying to divide it to make more plants.

Most don’t survive or struggle mightily. It may be due to their short root system.

Malus ‘Prairie Fire’

While fleeting in flower, nothing signifies spring like this Crabapple tree.

Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’

Happy to see flowers in spring.

Solid and healthy looking green foliage all summer.

To die for color in fall.

Oh deer

This was the worst year yet.

The deer bombarded the Viburnum carlesii one night this past weekend and devoured nearly all of the about-to-bloom flowers.

And they messed with me by leaving a few along the bottom of the shrub.

A big F You.

Up next

Baptisia time is right around the corner.

Panning out

Posted on May 1, 2018 by jmarkowski Posted in Bulbs, Spring .

Too often I get caught up in trying to perfect all of my garden photos. Most of these pics are of the close-up variety and I’m very liberal with the cropping tool. While they may be pretty and all, they’re often not a fair representation of what’s really going on.

So today I opted for a different lens. I stood further back. I limited my cropping.

Hopefully this is a more realistic version of how all of our gardens look this time of year; at least in the Northeast U.S.

New growth is still exciting to capture in all its infancy, but even better when taken in conjunction with surrounding plants and even the occasional weed.

Daffodils in bloom, while a sight for sore eyes, are still dwarfed by bare earth and yet-to- show-signs-of-life grasses and shrubs.

Did I mention weeds are a plenty already?

Some times our flowers don’t cooperate and face away from the direction we want them to.

I like to pretend that I don’t have a driveway. I like the illusion that it is all gardens, all the time out here in the country.

I lied.

A suckering shrub was cute at first. Now I’m terrified.

Oh, pretty bloom you got there, John.

Well, maybe it does look a bit lonesome.

Fine, one close-up.

But I had to demonstrate that every one of my perennials has to battle through ornamental grass clippings each spring. They are everywhere. Next year I should wait for a non-windy day before cutting them all down.

My neighbors would be happier too.

One angle shows my attempt to fill in between the Catmint with Hyacinths that bloom in early spring and are then enveloped by the Catmine foliage by late spring.

Another angle shows me pretending to have purposely put together this little vignette.

If I’m being honest, this happens more often than I would lead you to believe.

Yes, I was laying on my back while trying to take a photo of the aforementioned Hyacinth.

It’s called dedication.

The first tour of my garden in 2017

Posted on April 12, 2017 by jmarkowski Posted in Spring .

Daffodils in bloom

Some of the Narcissus (Daffodils) are in bloom now, no doubt pushed by the 80 degree temps we had here in New Jersey yesterday.

Flowers soon to arrive

Viburnum carlesii.

The tiny Muscari.

Golden ragwort (Packera aurea).

Daffodils that will hide the recently cut down ornamental grass.

More daffodils, ‘Kokopelli’, on the way.

New foliage growth, almost as exciting as the flowers

This is Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’ or False Spirea. Say that 5 times fast.

I get a lot of anxiety in early spring, fearful of what plants didn’t survive the winter. While this pic of Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ may mean little to you, it means the world to me. I’m so thankful to have her back for another year considering I recklessly moved her around three times last summer.

This is the plant I’m most excited to watch progress this year. It’s Filipendula rubra (Queen of the Prairie). This will be its third year in my garden and I hope it can reach upwards of 6 feet in height with plenty of pale pink flowers in summer.

This is Diervilla sessilifolia (Southern Bush Honeysuckle) with its variegated foliage emerging over a mass of Bee Balm rosettes. This combo should be killer by early summer.

Photos that make me think

Baptisia is here, yeah. So are the weeds, boo.

I like to sing the praises of Bee Balm (Monarda) and its agressive nature, but this spring they have marched into enemy territory. Enemy territory being other perennials. Here it is challenging Heuchera (Coral Bells). I think we know who will win.

I am way excited to see that tulips have, knock on wood, survived the winter and appear ready to bloom. Even better is the fact that this small ornamental grass will strategically cover the decaying tulip foliage as it gets larger with the warmer temps. Hopefully by allowing the tulip foliage to decay, it will energize the bulbs and provide a repeat display of flowering next spring.

I’m totally cool with the Leucojum aestivum (Summer Snowflake) expanding its colony even if it’s underneath this evergreen shrub. I say “evergreen shrub” because I can’t recall the name even after a search through my garden archives.

Finally, and I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I can’t bring myself to cut down this pairing. I’ve loved it all fall and winter and can’t end it quite yet. It is Little Bluestem grass, with its stellar orange hue, and Mountain Mint with its still upright seed heads.

I’m going to enjoy it for a few more days before cutting them both to the ground.

Garden optimism

Posted on February 28, 2017 by jmarkowski Posted in Spring .

A break from all of the baseball posts today.

Our trip down south unfortunately has come to an end. I now turn my attention from photographing athletes throwing a ball to photographing all signs of green that are popping up all over my garden.

And for the sake of a smooth transition, I like to think that I went from the promise of a new baseball season where all teams still think they can win it all, to the promise of a new season in my garden.

No weeds to deal with yet.

I like to think every plant in my garden will have survived the winter and will perform better than last year.

Optimism still exists.

So far, all of the Sedum plants appear to be intact.

And an endless number of daffodils have announced their presence.

The new irises I added last year (‘Wow Factor’) are ready to go and I cannot wait to share these killer blooms with you all.

But the plant I am most excited to see return is Allium ‘Globemaster’.

This is the first year, knock on wood, that it has returned for a repeat performance and that has me all sorts of giddy.

One last note:

Thank you all for your feedback/comments on the book I have in the works. I am putting all of your comments in motion and hope to share a sample chapter or two with you in the very near future.

An early spring garden tour

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Bulbs, Foliage, Spring .

Even with temperatures dipping into the 40’s here in Central New Jersey and wind gusts of up to 40 mph, I still managed to spend a good deal of time in the ~~great outdoors~~ garden on Sunday. There was still dead perennial foliage to be removed, a first wave of weeds to eradicate and the never ending task of cutting down all of the ornamental grasses. When there is an available window of time for garden chores, you take it, no questions asked.

After the “tasks” were completed for the day, I grabbed the camera and did my best to capture what’s going on. Things seem to have slowed down a bit in the garden after the colder weather arrived this past week but there are still signs that we are in fact moving forward. And that is a good thing.

Bud break on the Viburnum ‘Amber Jubilee’ promises stellar foliage is coming in the very near future.

Same goes for the Sambucus ‘Lemony Lace’ which lived comfortably in a container last season but has now made the jump to the big leagues and is in a very prominent spot in the garden.

Variegated Siberian Iris will enjoy it’s first spring in my garden and here’s hoping it enjoys it’s stay.

Bee Balm rosettes threaten to take over all other perennials and I’m OK with sitting back and watching how it will all play out.

Daylilies … um … are green or whatever.

The cool season ornamental grasses are showing signs of life as seen here with Calamagrostis ‘El Dorado’.

The buds on Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’ have turned to their usual pre-blooming pinkish hue and it won’t be long before that killer scent is wafting in my front windows and carrying me away to my happy place.

I couldn’t bring myself to cut down the Panicum ‘Northwind’ yet. With nothing but cold temps and wind on the horizon, I still need to watch them dance a bit more before I can bid them goodbye.

And on to the bulbs.

Daffodils, not the most original and unique of blooms but it is still color and they come back without fail year after year after year. An underrated attribute I do not take for granted.

More Narcissus not too far away.

Leucojum aestivum (Summer Snowflake) is starting to bloom and is one of the few bulbs that can withstand wet soil conditions over the winter. Hence, I have got a lot of it. Loved how the back lit sun was captured here.

The Hyacinth blooms are mini in stature but I’m just psyched that they came back at all again this year. It is the first time I’ve had repeat bloomers. It’s the little things that make me happy.

Bulbs

Posted on October 3, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Bulbs .

I know what I am doing this weekend.

In a prior post, I waxed poetic about my new found love of Allium. After opening up the box from Bluestone Perennials this past week and seeing my beloved Allium bulbs inside, I am close to full blown swoon.

Daffodils are just about the only fail proof bulb for me as the deer and rabbits leave them alone, but most importantly, they seem unaffected by the poor draining and often times waterlogged soil. It has become a rite of fall to add as many of these as I possibly can. I am most excited by the ‘Green Pearl’ and in typical ONG fashion, I haven’t a clue as to where I will plant them.

Home boy is about to shake things up. Only once in the history of my gardening life have I attempted to plant Muscari. And that friggin bombed. I was presented with one small and pathetic bloom as all of the others failed to deliver.

And even if I am an extreme mouth breather with a deviated septum, I still am capable of smelling the sweet scent of the hyacinth. I miss it in the spring and desperately want to share the nasal pleasure with all of my visitors.

So with that in mind, I am going to give it a go in between my six Catmint planted along my front walkway. The soil here is actually very sandy and somewhat dry from when the walkway was installed almost a decade ago. The bulbs will not rot from the wet fall/winter/spring. I know, kind of an awesome idea.

How about you? What are your gardening plans this first weekend in October?

Daffodils

Posted on April 27, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Bulbs .

The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Tag Archives: daffodils