A Tree for the Price of a Rose

I wanted a rose that would fill up one corner of the flower bed.

I got Mutabilis.  And it has done exactly what I wanted - it completely fills up this corner.

Actually, it's outgrown it's allotted space!

I want to eventually limb up Mutabilis like a tree.  I think I'll get that, too, in a few years.

Mutabilis

I saw a Mutabilis limbed up like a tree years ago on a trip.  It was unforgettable.  I had my husband stop the car and back up just to get a closer look.  I wish I would have had my camera.  That tree has been in my imagination all these years.  One day I'll have a Mutabilis tree of my own.  I can hardly wait!

Mutabilis in April, 2010

I'm already planning what to plant under the shade of the mutabilis tree.  Doesn't that just sound melodic, romantic, and exciting?

Mutabilis now

Mutabilis is almost thornless, evergreen, and grows in zones 7 through 10.  Some people keep it trimmed to a much, much smaller size.  But if you want, you can let it grow into a tree!

Garden Book Reviews October 2013

"The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World".  I looked at the title.  The most beautiful gardens in the world?!  I had to have this book!

The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World

by Alain Le Touquin

This is a large, heavy, coffee table type book filled with glossy photos of over 30 gardens from all over the world.  Although everyone has their own idea of what makes a garden beautiful, I guarantee there is a garden in this book that will delight your senses no matter what kind of garden style you find personally beautiful.

Some gardens included are no surprise: Versailles, Giverny, and Sissinghurst.

Other gardens are not as well known: 

     Iran's Bagh-e Fin, with its pools of marble,

     Italy's Vill Gamberaia, where Princess Ghyka "aged and her beauty faded, she cloistered herself there for the rest of her days",
     Germany's Schwetzingen, which was the first to have a garden planted in a full circle.

Levens Hall, with topiaries that remind me of Alice in Wonderland (shown on the front cover), Portrack House, with its Garden of Physics, and Huntington Botanical Gardens, home to such diverse plantings as a Rose Garden, a Jungle Garden and a Desert Garden, are included in this list of varied gardens.

There are several gardens with water features.  There are grottos and carved stone.  There are trees.  Lush plantings.  Sculpture, modern and ancient.  Even France's Villandry's vegetable gardens are included.

This book would make an excellent Christmas present for a gardener.  The best part of the book is the numerous fold outs that show panoramic photographs.  There are about a dozen of these, and they are each magnificent.

An example of the panoramic fold outs

A few pages of the history and a description of each garden is included.  I do wish each garden's plans could have been included in the book.  As big as this book is, there just wasn't enough room for a photo of every part of every garden, and having plans to illustrate the descriptions would have been helpful.

This book has introduced me to several gardens that I had never heard of before, and some that I want to learn more about.  It's a wonderful introduction to some of the most beautiful gardens in the world - and what gardener wouldn't love that?

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Now it's your turn!  Please join us on the 20th of each month with your own Garden Book Review.  Any book with a gardening influence qualifies.  And, as always, please visit the other participants.  You may find just the type of garden book you've been looking for!

Raindrops on Roses

Autumn's here!  How do I know?  The days are shorter, the temperatures are cooler, and it's been raining!  Here's a glimpse of my garden after the rain...

Heritage

Home Run

Pink muhly grass decided to lay down, but it still sparkles in the sunlight

Heritage

Lichfield Angel is still blooming beautifully - on the ground

Mutabilis' blooms are probably all ruined

Antoine Rivoire didn't like the rain, either

Heritage

Canna

Blackfoot daisy is always happy

Abelia

James Galway

Heritage - again.

And although I've been stuck inside for three days, and it's too wet to do much in the garden today, I never, ever complain about the rain!  To me, it's a beautiful thing.

Garden Inspiration!

Do you need some inspirational garden ideas?  Well, feast your eyes on these photos taken at the Idea Garden located at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.  Lots of garden inspiration here!  Click on any photo to enlarge.

black coleus with red zinnias

Loved the crazy strands of this red Porterweed,
Stachytarpheta mutabilis  

Planting something red next to Variegated Tapioca,

Manihot esculenta 'Variegata',
really shows off its beautiful red stems. 

Another red stemmed beauty is this 

curcuma 'Red Emperor'

Another beautiful curcuma ginger in the middle of this planting.
From bottom left going clockwise around the ginger:
pink Texas skullcap, coleus, purple fountain grass, caladium

Reds planted here include pentas, firecracker bush, and red salvia

Purple salvias look great next to this tall black ornamental grass

Yellows include dahlia and lantana

How about planting purple and yellow together?  Gorgeous!

Black and yellow look nice together, too.

 This black elephant ears plant was another dark accent.

In this garden, colorful foliage is used as much as colorful blooms.

Here's a long view of the garden.

Very inspirational!

I hope you found something inspiring to use in your garden.  I know I did!

I'm joining May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Digging for Foliage Follow Up.

Cloud on the Ground

When my Iceberg rose blooms, it reminds me of a cloud.  A cloud on the ground.

Iceberg rose

Since this rose is so light and airy, it would probably benefit from a solid background.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough room for that.  But on my to-do list is to plant something in front of it to hide its bare legs.

Some Texans won't have Iceberg in their garden.  It has a tendency to get blackspot.  I love it anyway.

Mine seems to drop her leaves every spring, but she grows them back quickly, and she's as good as new.  I can live with that.  She doesn't bloom with bare stems, and she doesn't keep ugly leaves for all to see.  I have come to accept her spring leaf-dropping quirk, and she accepts my laissez faire gardening.

Iceberg rose grows in zones 5 (maybe 4) through 9 (maybe 10) and is resistant to mildew and rust.  She grows to about 3 ft x 3 ft in my garden.  This was one of the first roses I ever purchased, and I moved it three times before deciding to just leave it alone and let it be.  I felt like she had been tortured enough!

In return, she has turned into a beautiful white, shimmering cloud on the ground.

Thank You!

To the Fed Ex delivery man who came back to give me some Lycoris radiata bulbs, I want to say

Thank you!

The red spider lilies are blooming beautifully.  They are a delight to see, and I am thrilled to have them in my garden.

I know I promised that I would give you a rose cutting (non-patented, of course) in return, and I apologize for not doing that already.  I have not forgotten.

I am trying to root some cuttings now, and if they take, I promise to order something that requires delivery by Federal Express.  Then, I can make a delivery to you!

Lying Down on the Job

I returned from my no-internet-available trip, and I was anxious to see how the garden was faring.  This is the peak time for roses to bloom in Texas, and I was not disappointed when I drove up the driveway.

James Galway

But, that's not the point of this post.  This post is about things other than roses.  The things that were lying down when I returned.  :(

My little man.  Or, you may know him as the statue by the fish pond.  He blew down!  This is one heavy dude, and I was shocked that we had a wind come through that could blow him over.  It looks like the asian jasmine cushioned his fall.  I have not checked, but I'm hoping that he is not cracked on his underside.  For now, he'll just have to wait.

The wind also blew down my spiral obelisk.  :(

It is bent in places, and broken in others.  I looked online and it is no longer available for purchase, so I don't know what I'll do in this space.  I had two in a pair of raised beds, and so, in addition to figuring out what to put in these two spaces, I'll have to find a place for the one obelisk that didn't fall over.  I just hate it when my designs get changed by something other than me!

But, that design change will have to wait, too.

Souvenir de St. Anne

I can't worry about those things right now.  I'm busy enjoying the roses!