Urban Knitting

This was the ultimate surprise when I entered Reiman Gardens' butterfly wing a couple of weeks ago.  A new type of graffiti, yarn bombing, began in the Netherlands in 2004...yep, as an illegal, in the middle-of-the-night, anonymous-type of knitting craze.  Of course, the display below is legal and pretty cool.  What a wonderful way to draw attention to the beautiful detail of plants.

A Summer Beauty

I discovered Allium 'summer beauty' a few years ago and fell in love.  Strangely, it was the foliage that first struck me...long, narrow slightly twisted leaves (similar to daffodil foliage) compact and beautiful spring through fall.  The very light pink, almost white round flower clusters pop up in late July/early August.

It's not only beautiful but also drought tolerant (one of the few plants in my garden this year that still looks amazing...it's been hot and dry in Iowa), plus can be divided.  These were pretty rare a few years ago, so I had to buy one at an auction.  Every couple of years I gently divide it in hopes of having more beauty all summer.

Oh, and to top it off, I just found out that Midwest Groundcovers now has a smaller cultivar available called Allium summer peek-a-boo™. It only get's better!

Bright Spots Today

As I was walking through campus yesterday I noticed many of the shrub roses blooming. The top rose is "All the Rage", the middle photo is "Yellow Submarine" and the last is still unknown to me (any thoughts?). All are about three feet tall...and growing in zone 5a. A big thanks to campus staff for helping me identify them.

Sweet Peonies

As with everything else in the garden, our peonies are blooming early.  I snuck a few in the house to fill the air with sweet scents.

Sprinkling the Strawberries

A few weeks ago my husband planted our new strawberry patch...with an eager three-year old helper.  I heard it was a fun evening filled with lots of sprinkles.

Ferns

Recently, someone mentioned to me how they detested ferns and wanted them all pulled from their yard.  I shrieked inside knowing how much I love them.  Ah, the sweet little fern...they are either loved or ridiculed.

I've attempted to trace my fern adoration to the idea of magical woodlands and grandmotherly gardens (though I haven't experienced either).  Strange how I have no special memories of this plant, but have somehow grown attached to it.  Could it be it's strength and dependability as a shade plant, while still having a meek and delicate disposition?

Image on left source unknown and image on right courtesy of Letterology

Image courtesy of Robert Hasty Photography

Don't Forget the Trim

An essential part of the perennial border often not given the deserved attention is the front...the extreme front.  Often we jump into plants that are 18" to 24" tall in this location, but what makes this part of the border special is the beautiful trim of really short plants...those 12" or less.  I've been experimenting with this living trim for a few years and have discovered a few beauties.  One of them is Veronica x 'Waterperry Blue'. This plant only grows 4-6" tall and has an amazing blue flower in the spring.  The foliage also has a slight burgundy tinge making it extra nice throughout the growing season.

Geums are Jems

I discovered this flower only a couple of years ago and now cannot imagine living without it.  In early spring it pops out like orange polka-dots all over my zone 5 sunny perennial border.  The foliage is wide and round giving much needed coarse texture to the garden.  The flowers balance above about 12-18". There are many different cultivars, so I may be creating my own sweet little geum collection soon.

Bright Spots Today

This odd weather is making everything bloom very early.  I thought it would be fun to capture these bright spots once in awhile.  Below is what I caught on film today walking through the Iowa State University campus.

Succulents

Succulents have been really popular the last few years...for good reason.  They have a soft, yet strong beauty, can be tucked in practically anywhere and are virtually indestructible.  I am always enamored with all the beautiful photography of succulents used in weddings, placed in frames, and spilling out of unique containers.  If you'd like to try some for yourself, I encourage you to visit the many online stores that sell succulents, including the one in the first image below.

Image courtesy of Succulent Designs

Source of image on left unknown, while image on right via Sunset Magazine

Image courtesy of Simply Bloom Photography

A Sweet Little Allium

Sometimes it's a struggle finding a plant that always looks good, plus has the bonus of blooming at an odd time...like fall.  Allium senescens ssp. glaucum falls into that special category.

I found this plant while looking for another allium and it's been such a fabulous addition. I've been quite happy with its beautiful blue-gray twisted foliage, plus its sweet little purplish-pink flower.

I have it right in the front of my border, because the foliage stays small and tight (only about 6" tall).  The flowers start to pop out in August and stay as tight buds until September when they finally burst open.  It's now the start of October and they are still blooming (we've even had a couple of frosts already).  The flower heads are only about 1.5" wide and about 12" tall. Oh, and I live in central Iowa (zone 5a/4b) so you can compare to your own area.

The added bonus...they are easy to divide.  Eventually they can be spread along the front of a border to give a polka-dot like feel in the fall.

To find out more about this cute little plant visit Missouri Botanical Garden's Kemper Center For Home Gardening plant database.