Saturday, April 24, 2010

Dame's Rocket, clematis, roses, and a big pile of blue.

Dame's Rocket is suddenly one of my favorite early blooming spring plants. I wintersowed seeds in 2008. I planted out a few clumps and really just forgot about them as they grew larger and larger. They started blooming a couple weeks ago.



I have a lavender and a white. From what I've read, the white is less common. Both are fragrant.





Next to the perennial bed arbor, there's two large clumps. There's a weigela in there too. Golden Showers is the yellow rose. The clematis is blue, and came home with no tag.



Mountain Bluet was also sown in the winter of 2008. It bloomed nicely for its first year last spring. The show this year is much more stunning. I plan to divide and move some of these plants in the fall. I'll also scatter seeds into the meadow.



Salvia subrotunda seedlings are up near the street. I'll transplant some of these once we've gotten some rain. The finches love the seeds. The hummingbirds love the red dainty flowers that rise 5' or taller into the air. It bloomed all summer last year.



It's 63 degrees and cloudy. It's been sprinkling on and off this morning for an hour. No real rain, yet. This evening it should come.

2:35pm - It's 77 degrees. The sun was out for a few hours. I laid in the hammock, planted out a few more seedlings, and walked around the yard a few times drinking my second cup of coffee. I need a table and chairs. Need, not want.

The rose by the swing is blooming on last year's wood. That tells me something about when to prune. I'm going to be snipping off wayward canes after this flush of blooms. I'm hoping it sends out another. It may be a one time bloomer.





Charlotte got rain this morning. We got a sprinkle. It's headed right for us.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

okay..that dames rocket is gorgeous! if you get any seeds off it, remember me pretty please!

love how well your garden is all filling in..just beautiful!

Kris said...

Okay, now you've sold me on the dame's rocket. They would look terrific back along the golf course where it is always dappled shade. Now I have to get some seeds, especially for that white. You are such an tempter!

Unknown said...

The Dame's Rocket is beautiful...almost an early sign of the garden phlox to come later. The Mountain Bluets are a favorite flowers of mine, and are incredible this year, I think because of the rain and cold. I love their name, "Centurea montana" for some reason.

Hopefully you've gotten some of this rain. Seems like we're all still at a bit of risk for violent weather tonight, but hopefully it just continues as a steady light rain.

gld said...

Tom, I love Dame's Rocket too. This is my first year for the white but they aren't quite as far along as your. Mine has made a much clumpier plant than the purple ones.
I can't smell either this year.

I have never grown the bluet. It is very showy.

We got 2 inches of rain at last today and no storms unlike poor Mississippi. They had tornado warnings out for Arkansas which is just south of us. This is a nervous time of year!

F Cameron said...

Quite lovely! I didn't realize how early it blooms, but now I realize, from seeing your photos, that it was in Monet's gardens at Giverny last May.

The bluets are a favorite, but I've not grown them here (did at a previous house).

A much-needed rain tonight. I put out compost today and sowed a lot of zinnia and cosmos seeds.