Hello Yellow

Is it just me or does yellow seem to be a very dominant color in spring? The color Yellow symbolizes renewal and hope so it’s only appropriate that it be a leading color in spring. In Elizabethan England, by law only the wealthy were permitted to wear this color. Holistic healers believe yellow is the color of peace. Studies in psychology suggest it increases concentration, that’s why legal pads are yellow. It also speeds up metabolism. The list goes on and on… I also read yellow is the most difficult color for the eye to process so it can overpower other colors if overused. Everywhere I look the garden seems to be filled with yellow.

Here are the same old yellow irises you guys see in spring of every year. These guys seem to bloom forever in our garden. They sporadically produce flowers until fall.

This tattered ‘King Alfred’ daffodil caught my attention for some reason. It’s still holding its color despite the wind beating it relentlessly against the rock behind it. I felt such diligence should be rewarded with a photo.

The weather was just perfect outside yesterday. Our new baby, Maxx was enjoying the spring day too. He seemed to be particularly interested in the scent of the ‘Ice Follies’ daffodils. This photo was a complete accident. I was actually taking a picture of the yellow iris when he decided to take a sniff of the daffodil.

Maxx can sniff the daffs all he wants I prefer the scent of the jasmine.

Is yellow a dominant color in your garden? I love it, yellow can bring sunshine to your garden even on a cloudy day.

A Little Color

Things are starting to wake up around the garden and I’m concerned that the cold weather may wipe out a few things and we may lose some spring blooms. I noticed yesterday the Bridal Wreath is putting out its spring growth. I also found a few blooms.

The Carolina Jasmine is full of Buds. This actually isn’t planted in our garden, but it grows on a common fence. Jamie and I are the ones that take care of it. I have a interesting story to tell sometime about this Jasmine.

The Japanese Magnolias are also putting out buds for new blooms. I think this one is ‘Jane’.

The Forsythia is also starting to burst into bloom. The shrubs never even completely lost the foliage this year, they’re still covered in red leaves.

Blooming July 25, 2008

Another week has come and gone. Before we know it, fall will be here and the growing season will be over. Despite the heat and total lack of shade the garden is still managing to give us a few blooms. We are at a point that we are able to look around at everything and see what we need to do differently next year. Just when I think I’ve made up my mind what direction we should head, I change it again. I know I want to create some privacy, which is definitely a priority this fall. We will watch the eventual outcome as it unfolds, on with the blooms.

The daylilies have really slowed down on the blooming, but we can’t really complain because they have worked their little hearts out for us this summer putting on a show. The one below is one of the latest additions to our collection.

‘Sea Gold’

Last year while traipsing around deep in the woods I came up on a grove of what I believed to be Amaryllis from an old home place. They turned out to be Swamp Lilies, but I still think they are really pretty. They remind me of Peruvian Daffodils. Not a bad score for something that grows wild in the woods.

‘Swamp Lily’

Both of the new Agapanthuses are blooming right now. Well, just between you and I this one is really kind of deformed. It has a flat, curled up stem, but at least we get a preview of the color. I love this dark color and I had wanted one for some time.

‘Elaine’

About a month ago Jamie and I got these Encore Azaleas marked 75% off the regular price because they were half dead and very crispy. Isn’t it amazing what a little TLC will do? They are rewarding us with blooms just four weeks later. They are also covered in new growth.

‘Conlea’

Earlier this summer Jamie and I bought this Jasmine Tree. I flip flopped back and forth over it because it was a little more than I’m willing to pay for a single plant, with the exception of Japanese maples. Boy, am I glad we got it! It has bloomed, and bloomed, and bloomed, and bloomed and it has such a wonderful scent that you can smell all over the back yard, just from this single plant.

Orange Jasmine Murraya paniculata

Here’s a close up of the blooms. I wonder how such strong scent can come from such a tiny flower.

One of the true work horses we have in the garden now as far as blooms go is the cannas. We have over thirty different types. They’re good, inexpensive filler plants with beautiful blooms. Unfortunately a lot of the ones we planted just don’t seem to fit where they are so they will be coming out of the ground and passed along to someone else.

‘Yellow King Humbert’

‘Red King Humbert’

The Buddleias are doing nice, but I would have liked to see a little more growth out of them this summer. Pictured below are ‘Adonis Blue’, ‘White Profusion’ and ‘Nanho Blue'.

This year we planted six Crepe Myrtles in the yard, ‘Rosado’, ‘Natchez’ and ‘Tuscarora’. I wish they were all full grown now! This is a picture of the blooms from one of the three Tuscaroras.

'Tuscarora'

This last daylily was purchased as an ‘Orange Flurry’, but that isn’t what it is. I really don’t like to have unidentified plants and there must be hundreds of yellow daylilies. I guess since this one is such a pretty color it can stay.