the bark tree

Garden Tour - part 3

We stared and stared at all of the lovely spring things blooming in the front garden beds at Marianne Howell's beautiful home. She wrote the thoughtful descriptions of the all the gardens in the invitation and is quite humble about her own, which could also be something from a fairy tale.

The Howells Garden is in the English garden style and is filled with flowers. Annuals, perennials and bulbs fill the front bed. In the back there's a rose arbor, shade-loving plants and a koi pond featuring Big Daddy and Big Mama and many generations of fish that bring their liveliness to the garden. 

Loads of dianthus, alyssum and bolting winter cabbage in flower were interspersed with roses, some remaining tulips (alas, we missed most of them) and other emerging bulbs. 

I mentioned how I neglected to take photos on the tour last spring, but I actually did get a few shots of her radiant gladiolas that are showing their foliage in this year's shots.

We admired this simple, elegant container along a calming driveway transition zone from front to backyard, enhanced by a robust Boston Ivy, which has one of my favorite multisyllabic botanical Latin names, (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) crawling up the side of the house.

Her backyard is a well ordered shady oasis with flagstone paths, hellebores, japanese maples, oak leaf hydrangea. Designed by Carl Neels, (seen below with Marianne) it has the a similar feel of enclosure.  The fence is completely obscured by lush, green plants with plenty of texture, color and height variations.

Always a luxurious stop on the tour, she generously offers lovely snacks and wine for the guests, not to mention a visit to the charming bathroom in the guesthouse. We took great delight in peeking into this little backyard hideaway. Someone mentioned her mother had once lived there. I absolutely adore this old fashioned floral wallpaper along with the bamboo motif furniture and sweet little glass nicknacks.

We chatted with other guests and sat a spell admiring the koi and basking in appreciation of the lovely setting, but we finally realized we had better scoot to the final garden before it was too late. 

Thank you, Marianne!

The Bulb Hunter

When I still lived in Brooklyn, I was excited to read this new York Times article about a guy from my home state who collects and saves wild bulbs.



This spring I had the honor of meeting Chris Wiesinger and getting a signed copy of his book when he gave a riveting talk and slide presentation about his bulb hunts at North Haven Gardens where we stock Crinums, Oxblood Lilies and other old fashioned bulbs from his Southern Bulb Co.

Spring photo dump

Not much to say, just some pix to get you more or less up to date!  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Low budget daffodils

Always a good idea to throw in a few more daffodils.  Possibly the best delayed gratification for the least effort in a plant that will perennialize in Texas.

Then again, I thought I was adding to my collection.  My limited budget, combined with my nagging addiction, says that I must add a few each year to bulk up over time, but the bulbs I planted last year did not return.  Boo!  These and the ones planted last year are 'Fortune' which have lovely larger blooms, but are apparently unreliable.

There are several clumps of inherited daffodils in too much shade around my backyard which I've been meaning to dig up and move to sunnier spots, but somehow my low budget method hasn't been motivational in this regard.

Spring daffodils and bulb excuses

As I mentioned with my tulips, I have been a bit lazy in the past when it comes to bulb planting and always regretful.  Part of my excuse is the more compressed growing season in Brooklyn, NY, where I gardened for ten years. 

As both a professional and a personal gardener, I found myself weary at the end of a long stretch of non-stop plant nurturing.  Since fall and early winter is the time to plant bulbs, my laziness often prevented me from the delayed gratification of a pretty spring display.

I did have these gorgeous Narcissus poeticus in Brooklyn and I must grow them again.

In spring of 2008, having missed the bulb planting window, I purchased some sweet little 'Tete a tete' narcissus already blooming in a plastic container at the farmers market. Once plunked into the ground they bloomed each spring.

In Dallas, I enjoy the varied ebb and flow of the long growing season. Though the leaves drop from the trees in winter, the ground doesn't freeze so we don't have to stop gardening. The scorching summer, however, forces us to hibernate, to a certain degree, in July and August. 

When the heat finally lets up in late September, I am refreshed and eager to get out there again. Hence, my lovely daffodils this year! Unlike my tulips which were planted at the same time, these beauties will naturalize and expand with each year.  

As part of another project which I will describe later, I'll be moving some narcissus and other bulbs up from the shadier backyard to get more sun and add to my springtime display. 

Love this companion plant, Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria) which was alowed to grow from a scrawny $1.49, four-inch transplant into this bursting evergreen silver perennial!

I repeat: patience is a virtue.

Tulips!

Continue improving.  That's all you can do, right?  Every year at this time I kick myself for not planting tulips when I see them blooming elsewhere.  They are so showy and require little effort.  This year I did plant them (Tulipa 'Passionale') and they are lovely!  

Planting took me roughly ten minutes in December. I dig large, deep holes and dump in a minimum of 7 bulbs to get a bouquet effect. Since they cannot perennialize here with our mild winters and therefore lack of chilling hours, they are a bit of a luxury item. But they are so luxurious that next year I will plant more! All my neighbors have stopped by to appreciate them and that (plus the pleasure they have given me) makes it all worth it.

Welcome readers from Dirt Du Jour!

Artist's garden

While looking for information about Amy Stewart's lecture at the Hort Society of NY, I noticed that an artist exhibiting there was also opening his garden to the public. He happened to live in our neighborhood so I was quite curious to see it.

Ricci Albenda's garden was a beautiful surprise. It's filled with woodland ephemerals and exotic delights.

He created the paths himself with bricks and chunks of concrete.

Ricci served a spread of snacks and champagne mimosas while we chatted with other guests. I met Alex Feleppa, the Director of Horticulture at the Hort Society of NY (whose sunglasses are in the photo, left) and we spent a long while with Ricci discussing the myriad of plants he has stuffed into this tiny garden. Brandon had actually met Ricci, as well as some of the other guests, before in art circles so we were in good company.

We truly enjoyed meeting this wonderful host!

Crown Imperial

Wow! Look at this fabulous Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis).

Last year I bought this at the farmers market in a pot already up. I felt a little silly about it, not having planned ahead and ordered the bulb less expensively. It's been a favorite of mine since falling in love with a botanical illustration so I couldn't help myself when I saw it.

Last fall's planting was a distant memory so it surprised me when it sprouted. We've been enjoying watching it grow the last few weeks.

Neighborhood amusements

A church near our house put these cactus in a glass sided box that might've held a nativity scene. They're not looking too happy about it.

The one mismatched tulip in this bunch, planted inside a fenced memorial triangle which I pass daily, has made me smile two springs in a row. The double flowered cherry tree below is in the same compartment.

Wonderful Ginkgo biloba trees are all around our 'hood.

In it's limited space, this little yellow magnolia looks quite pretty.

It's hard to get good photos of birds with an ordinary camera. Here's a lady Cardinal in our urban setting along with telephone wires and weedy Ailanthus tree.

More spring signals

Starting to get a little impatient for warmer weather. We're supposed to have another drop into the 20s tomorrow night, but the low temperatures won't last much longer. Weather-wise, this March has been more tolerable than last year's. I'm trying to appreciate each little thing as it appears. Here are more tiny signs of spring...

Horned poppy and oriental poppy are small, but looking vigorous.

The spirea bush is beginning to leaf out as is the rose.

Artemisia 'Silver Mound' looks cute emerging.

Hey! What happened to my little crocus! Something or someone bit the flowers off.

Bright spot

Yearning for a spot of color, I popped in a few daffodils and pansies from the farmers market.

Awww! They look so lonely over on the barren east side of my garden – maybe even a little embarrassing, but I couldn't help myself! I was seriously craving some cheer and they're a nice little bright thing to greet each day – plus the daffodils will return next year. The pansies on the other side look more at home.

Tiny signs of spring

A few pretty things revealed by last week's clean up: I planted these Crocus two years ago. Last year they came up, but didn't bloom so I thought they didn't have enough light. They just needed more time. I was so pleased to see them.

Chionodoxa sardensis is a signature plant of Wave Hill, where I work. I have some in my garden to begin the spring.

Healthy hydrangea buds are ready to leaf out. Spring is here!