A Trip to the Countryside

Marnie's garden near Bracebridge, ON

Summer is at its best and this the perfect time for a little trip to the country.

Hollyhocks in a garden near Uxbridge

Hollyhocks

Beth Powell's country garden

Daylilies

Culver's Root in Marnie's garden

Marnie's house

Delphinium with raindrops

Marnie's garage

 Rudbeckia in Marnie's garden

Private garden near Mahone Bay, N.S.

Tiger Lilies

Private garden in Uxbridge

Rudbeckia and red Monarda in Marnie's garden

Verbascum in Marnie's garden 

Heather's back porch

Japanese Anemones in Heather's garden

Marnie's vegetable garden and shed

Marnie's shed

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

H is for Hollyhocks

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while will know that I have always admired hollyhocks.  Satiny, crepe-paper flowers held aloft on tall, graceful stems; I have wanted to have some of these beauties in my garden for years!

Hollyhocks demand a fair bit of real estate however, and I have never had a spot for them...that is until now. In the last few weeks, I have been busy digging up a bit more of our nondescript lawn and now have a spot in the sun that should be perfect for them. 

Hollyhocks usually act as short-lived perennials, but re-seed themselves each year. The single form are said to be more resistant to hollyhock rust and so that is what I think I will try out in my garden next summer.

For now, I will content myself with admiring them in other gardens.

A stand of hollyhocks at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, ON

A private garden in Waterdown, ON

The Royal Botanical Gardens again.

Larkwhistle Gardens on the Bruce Peninsula.

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. We finally got some rain. We had a terrible thunderstorm and then it came down in buckets. The garden took a big, thirsty drink. Sadly, a number of area homes caught fire when lightening struck them and now these families are out of house. There always seems to be a little bit of bad to balance any good.

My garden alphabet so far: 'A' is for Astilbe, 'B' is for Butterfly, Three 'C's, 'D' is for Delphinium, The Letters E and F , G is for Geranium and now H is for Hollyhocks

A Rose Covered Cottage, Waterdown Ontario

Known locally as the "Griffin Stone Cottage," this Regency styled stone cottage in Waterdown, Ontario was built sometime between 1840 and 1849. The property was originally owned by Ebenezer Griffin, often referred to as the "father" of the small town of Waterdown. Ebenezer and his brother Absalom established a small industrial empire along Grindstone Creek with the establishment of a flour mill, ashery, carding mill, sawmill, and general store.

If there was a recipe for a cottage garden, I think romantic flowers like roses, hollyhocks, delphinium and lavender would definitely be on the list of ingredients. Such a recipe would also call for a dash of colorful annuals to fill in window boxes and containers. Finally to add a bit of spice, a cottage garden recipe would suggest that you stir in of few whimsical touches such as a birdbath, a classical statue or a decorative stone bench.

In the town of Waterdown, Ontario, Sharon Roberts and her husband have mixed up a pretty courtyard garden at the front of their historic cottage. A wrought iron fence with posts toped with decorative acorns frames the small front yard beautifully. The courtyard is intersected with flagstone paths and filled with a combination of roses, annuals and perennials.

When we happened upon Griffin Cottage in late June, the climbing rose that covers the front of the small stone house was just finishing flowering. 

Tiny pink 'Fairy' roses were blooming all along the fence.

Delphinium 

Lavender was growing just inside the wrought iron gate.

A climbing hydrangea covers the side of the cottage on the left. The charming gate to the back garden can be seen in the photograph on the right.

Red begonias hang in baskets by the side door.

Nasturtiums

A small water feature hangs on the stone wall of the cottage near the back gate.

Pale yellow hollyhocks grace the side of the house.Today, I am going to link up to Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time. To see other great gardens please click the link.

Color Essay Number 11: Burgundy

The bouquet of carnations in my front hall has got me thinking about the color burgundy and its uses in the garden. (Carnations are so common that you can forget to appreciate them for little beauties they are. Not only are they inexpensive, I find they last forever as a cut flower. I always try to pick a bouquet that have a rich, spicy scent.)

In the garden burgundy is a color that can be found not only in flowers, but leaves and stems as well. Without further delay, let's take a look at great places to find burgundy in the garden. 

In my garden and elsewhere as noted, I hope you will find a few ideas of how to inject a bit of burgundy into your planing schemes.

Burgundy hollyhocks in a neighbor's garden.

Burgundy hollyhocks look pretty mixed in with different shades of pink here in the Lucy 

Maud Montgomery garden in Norval, Ontario.

A daylily from my own garden. Sorry, I am not sure of the variety.

A birdhouse to break things up a bit.

Japanese Blood Grass in the background with the burgundy stems of Heuchera (coral bells)

 in bloom in the foreground. Private garden in  Eramosa Township.

Deep burgundy mix with peachy pink dahlia in this bouquet from the local farmer's market.

Late in the summer, sedum can be counted on to add a show of pink and burgundy colored flowers. Last two images are from Edward's Garden in Toronto. 

Dragon's Blood (left) is a great burgundy colored groundcover in my small rock garden and an unknown variety (quite possibly Sedum 'Autumn Joy') from my circle garden (on the right).

"Purple Petticoats"a new Heuchera that I added to the front garden last fall.

The grey-green leaves and burgundy stems of the the Sedum on the left and the Heuchera on the right do a nice job of breaking the expanse of green leaves.

If you are thinking of adding a splash of burgundy to your own garden this spring, don't forget to consider some shrubs. The Ninebark shrub on the right really makes a nice backdrop for this bed of annuals at Edward's Garden in Toronto.

I have been trying to resist Barberry because I hate their fine, sharp thorns, but when I see a planting like this, I find my resolve weakening. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

Barberry effectively injected into the sea of green on the left and up close on the right. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

In terms of trees, Japanese Maples are a great way to add a hit of burgundy into an 

expanse of green leaves. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

A personal favorite, Euphorbia 'Bonefire' covered in frost crystals in late fall.

A final bit of burgundy in my front garden. Mums, which I add to my beds in the fall, help to keep the flowers going into late October.

The dark stems of my Dogwood carry the color burgundy right through the winter. 

This shot is from Canada Blooms.

Have a great weekend!