Rain, Snow, and Sunshine

It seems to me that only gardeners or meteorologists keep up with rainfall totals.  If I start talking to anyone else about the amount of rain (or lack of) that we have received for the year, the temperatures, or the stress of the weather conditions on plant or animal, it is usually met with a blank stare.

Photo borrowed with permission - copyright reserved (KBH)

The weather has traditionally been a topic of safe conversation with new acquaintances.  No more, it seems.  With heating and air conditioning, indoor work, personal transportation (with heating or cooling), and so many people staying indoors after their working hours, the general public (IMHO) has become immune to the changes in the weather.  They don't have to suffer hours, days, or weeks of unbearably hot weather.  The snow is pushed aside for them to journey to their jobs without worry.  Hasn't rained for weeks?  Didn't notice.  As long as the sprinkler system keeps working, and the garden guy keeps showing up, they are oblivious.  At least, this is how it appears to me.

Gardeners, however, are always aware of the slightest change in weather patterns.  We know if the plants are suffering from lack of rainfall.  We worry about a late freeze.  We record the first freeze of the season, and whether it was later or earlier than normal.  Because our garden's life revolves around the weather, our lives seem to also revolve around the weather.  Talk to a gardener, and you can have a very long conversation on the simplest subject - the weather.

People around me have started asking me about the weather.  They know that I watch the rainfall totals.  They just have to ask and I will let them know if we are in or out of a drought.  If it snowed the last two years (yes, unusually).  How much, and usually why (hurricane or cold front) we received rain.  We were expecting a large amount of much needed rain last night.  I woke up, not to thunderstorms as expected, but to the sun shining.  Such disappointment!  Most people would see a beautiful day.  I only saw missing rain.

Mr. Holleygarden has looked extensively for historical records of rainfall totals, to no avail.  If you know where to get historical records for a certain area, please let me know.  I have started keeping records for about a year.  I have now publicized that record in a new page on my blog, and will update it monthly.  Since this is a garden blog, and the weather is such a big part of the success or failure of my garden, I feel it deserves its own special page.

Want to know if someone you just met is a gardener?  Ask them about the weather.  Then see if they know a little more than it just being hot (or cold) from their office to their car.  Want a long conversation with a garden blogger?  Ask them how many pictures have a hose in them!

Dutch Treat

"Dutch treat" is a term used to mean that each party will pay their own way.  I have been having a different kind of dutch treat in my garden this year - my dutch irises have been really putting on a show!  Specifically, Iris x hollandica 'Blue Pearl' has been holding me spellbound.

These beautiful dutch irises are such a deep purple, I would classify them as a royal blue.  The yellow is an unexpected detail to this flower that elevates it to show-off status.

A couple of plants in my garden are playing "dutch treat" with my dutch irises this year.  Separately, they each pay their own way - beautiful and striking, great contributions to the garden.  But combined with the dutch irises, these plants make a composition that is truly mesmerizing.

Here, I have Blue Pearl growing with the white rose, 'Iceberg'.

This perfectly white rose looks lovely next to the dark blue of the irises.  The yellow on the iris, instead of competing, compliments the white rose perfectly.  It's a crisp combination.



It also partners perfectly with coreopsis.

Here, the yellow is the dominant color, with the blue being the accent.

Blue Pearl grows in zones 4 through 9 to a height of about 2 ft.  Grown from bulbs, you need to plant them in fall for an enchanting spring pleasure.  Like the crocus, another spring joy, dutch iris may not bloom as long as you would wish, but while they are blooming, you will be thrilled.

Slapped!

I was walking around the main rose bed, surveying all the new little buds and blooms, the companion plantings, and the few weeds that had emerged.  This is a daily ritual, and I usually saunter through slowly.  Completely absorbed in each plant as they came into my sight, I was taken completely by surprise.  I turned a corner and - BAM - I got slapped in the face!

All of a sudden, the rose Mutabilis was in front of me.  Startled, I took a step back.  The whole bush was in bloom!  It was covered from head to toe with colorful, open blooms.  Just yesterday it only had buds.  But today - BAM - full bloom!!!!  And what a sight to see!

Mutabilis is known as the Butterfly Rose.  It has open, delicate blossoms that change color from apricot to pink, then rose, then mauve.  Many times you will see individual blooms with multiple colors on the petals!

It will grow large - mine is over 5 ft tall, and I have it in a corner where it can grow as large as it wishes.  In fact, in the South, it is sometimes seen pruned into a small tree.  To give you an idea of how fast Mutabilis grows, I've probably had mine in the ground about 3 years.  I expect it to grow to around 10 ft. at maturity.

Not only is this rose beautiful, but Mutabilis is an easy rose to grow.  Grown in zones 7 to 10, I only worry about it when it gets too cold.  But so far, it has not been damaged by the freezes we have had.

Another great asset of Mutabilis is that it is evergreen.  If you are located in the right zones, I highly recommend this rose.  If you want, place it in a corner where you will be slapped in the face by its beauty as you walk by!

This post is being linked to Cottage Flora Thursdays.  Have a look there at what's blooming in other gardener's gardens!

Miss Bateman

I went to high school with a Miss Bateman.  She was one of the popular ones.  Pretty, lively, cheerful, and sweet.  Quite enjoyable to be around.  I loved the times when I was in her company.  She always brought a smile to my face.

The same is true of 'Miss Bateman', my clematis.  Isn't she a beauty?

Clematis are a little tricky.  They fall into three groups, with different pruning requirements for each group. Confusing?  Yes.  Especially if you're like me and don't know the names of most of the clematis in your garden.

I know 'Miss Bateman' is a group 2.  Pruning on a Group 2 clematis is to be done after flowering.  But, like most plants, they will usually survive the gardener's mistakes or inattention.  In fact, I read all sorts of contradictory advice on clematis, so if you prune yours differently, that's probably o.k. too.  The first few years a hard pruning is usually advised to give the clematis a bushy form.  That has never been a problem for me, as I usually break the vines moving them around the first few years.

'Miss Bateman' is a fairly popular clematis to have in the garden.  This is her third year in my garden.  (Second year in this spot.)  She grows in zones 5 through 9.  I look forward to her growing larger and multiplying her blooms.  Unfortunately, she is placed in a spot where she doesn't receive a lot of sun, so hopefully she'll continue to be happy.  Clematis like their roots cool, so I always place a rock on top of the soil to mark their planting spot.  The rock also serves as a reminder to me where they are planted while they are dormant.

There are so many different varieties of clematis, and some have the most incredibly unusual blooms.  Although 'Miss Bateman's blooms are not so unusual looking, they are lovely.  Cheerful.  Sweet.

While she is blooming, I am going to enjoy the company of 'Miss Bateman', the clematis.  Just as much as I enjoyed the company of Miss Bateman, my high school friend.

April 2011 Hope Grows Day

It's Hope Grows Day again!  Last month, my hopes were for my crabapple trees and my crossvine to be in bloom, and for continued blooms in the bulb garden.

I am happy to report:

The crabapple trees put on a beautiful show:

And my crossvine is in full bloom:

As for the bulb garden, well, it looks a bit messy, but the Dutch Irises are beginning to bloom.

Hope Grows Day is hosted by Sweet Bean Gardening and these are the simple rules:

Post a photo of something in your garden that you are looking forward to in the next month.  It could be a plant you're hoping to see bloom, a project you're hoping to do, really anything that you are hopeful to see/do in your gardens.  Next month (on the fifth), come back and show us:
1.) the results of what you were hoping for, and
2.) what you are looking forward to for the next month

So, for next month, I am hoping that all my roses will be in full bloom.  Some roses have blooms, but all of them seem to have buds just waiting to pop open:

If they all bloom by next month, as I expect they will, it will be a little early.  But everything is a little early this year as we've had warmer than average temperatures.  It may not seem like a lot to hope for, but my garden is filled with roses - it is definitely the majority stakeholder in my garden - so this will bring my entire garden to life.

And, of course, I am still hoping that the bulb bed will be a success.  Since this is my first year with it, it is a surprise to see what emerges!

Since this is the first year for the bulb bed, I figure some bulbs are still getting their bearings.  Like the above, aren't those cyclamen leaves?  I think they were supposed to have bloomed several months ago.  So, will they figure it out next year?  This bed will probably be ever-changing for several years.

I did plant peonies in this bed, too.  Was that a mistake?  Will they get too big and shade out all the rest of the bulbs?  I may never know.  Peonies are not common in Texas, but I have "heard" (but never seen) that it is possible to grow them here.  Do I have what it takes?  Will they die before they are mature enough to bloom?  All these questions won't be answered for several years.  


That is part of what makes gardening such a fun hobby.  You just never know for sure.

They Make a Handsome Couple

Plants that compliment each other, placed together, are a gardener's dream.  Some gardeners can do this instinctively.  Others learn.  Then there are those of us that just get lucky and do it accidentally!

I am pleased to have some pairings of plants in my garden that I feel are really quite pretty.  This accomplishment, though mostly through accident, still gives me great joy.  Just look at what's popping up in my garden:

Dianthus and roses.  This particular pair was accidental.  I just needed something to fill in here until I decided exactly what I wanted to plant with these roses.  I bought the dianthus as an annual, (unnamed mix) last summer. When the rose above it bloomed (a Knockout), it amazed me how close the two colors blended.

I could not have picked a better match if I had tried!

The second pairing I love is dianthus 'Fire Witch' with boxwoods.  The contrast of the bright green of the boxwoods, the grey of the dianthus, plus the pop of bright pink against the green make this a very cheerful pairing.

They surround the rose 'Ebb Tide', which is grown here as a standard.  The color above is not accurate - Ebb Tide is more purple, while Fire Witch is more pink.

Another pair of beauties is a purple iris (unnamed) with May Night salvia.  The two purples play off each other and really draw the eye.

This last pair is my favorite.  A complete accident, it thrilled me when I first saw this combination.  'May Night' salvia rises above the groundcover phlox 'Candy Stripe' in a delightful combination.  I'm going to use this pair in more areas, now that I see how pretty they are together.

I can't wait to see which plantings make great couples this summer!

Do you have a favorite spring plant pairing?

Death of a Salesman

Like most gardeners, I have learned to save the tags from plants in order to have the latin name.  This is the only way to guarantee you will get the exact same plant, as there as many varieties of some plants, should you want to purchase more.  So, it was a bit frustrating to me when I purchased a plant just labeled "Rock Rose."  I looked at page after page of different "Rock Roses", but none looked exactly like mine.

So, it was with excitement and delight that I spotted my "Rock Rose" from afar at a local Lowe's.  I ran over to the display in order to steal the tag make note of the latin name.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I gingerly raised the tag to read the name, and the label said only:

"Rock Rose".

&#@###$$%&^!(()##&@  What stupid supplier put these ##@$&% tags on this plant?


I wondered if the supplier was a small operation, or if they, too, were unsure of the latin name.  As I was cursing them under my breath pondering these questions, I realized there was a lady standing close to me.

Being the helpful gardener that I am, I launched excitedly into the fine attributes of this plant that I have come to love:
1) Easy to grow.
2) Drought tolerant.
3) Grows to around 3 ft. tall.
4) Blooms in the summer heat when other plants go dormant.
5) Spreads easily, but not aggressively, and the seedlings are easily removed.

Not wanting her to think I was employed by the stupid supplier, I also told her about its fault:
1) The blooms close at times.  Almost like a reverse four o'clock, the blooms close in the heat of the day, but are a wonderful open bloom to wake up to in the garden.

After my helpful comments, I realized that she was looking at me like a serial killer in an odd way, and I felt it was time for me to venture closer to the boring boxwoods, where no one would need my helpful commentary.  As I continued to watch her I saw her leaving the garden center in what seemed to be a hurry, BUT (and this is where you should pay attention)

I once went to a seminar and the lecturer said when someone says the word BUT always pay attention to the ending.  Like when someone says, "I love my husband, BUT -- I'm having an affair." , hopefully you paid attention to the ending.

Back to my story - BUT BUT BUT!!!  She left without the Rock Rose!!!  After I had told that old biddy her that it would do well in her garden!  I felt a little rejected, and decided I would try hard to not talk anyone else into a plant for their garden.

But YOU!  You might want this fine plant in your garden!  I highly recommend it, if you find it for sale.  It's sometimes sold with a tag that does not list its latin name.

BUT - (and you know what to do now) On my last shopping spree visit to the Lowe's garden center, I was delighted to see Rock Rose for sale - and this time the Latin name was on the tag!  Yes, I stole a tag for my records.  Pavonia lasiopetala is this wonderful plant's latin name.  It grows in zones 8 through 11.  Be on the lookout for it!  And for helpful gardeners.  :)