Scott's Supreme 18"

Do you have a garden chore you hate? For me, it's cutting the lawn. It doesn't help that we have never had a good, reliable lawn mover.

Late last summer, my husband peaked his head into the backyard where I was puttering away in the garden and called, "I bought something. Come see!"

I put my trowel down and followed him out to the driveway. The excitement in his voice made me nervous.

Even after twenty-odd years of marriage, my sweetheart of a husband still surprises me with bouquets of roses for no particular reason. But I am the one that gets excited about roses, not him! No, this had to be a guy sort-of-thing and was most probably a gadget of some kind.

He opened the back door of the car and that is when I saw Scott for the first time.

"I got it at the Goodwill for twenty dollars!", my husband said ever so proudly. He pulled Scott from the backseat of the car and placed him on the driveway for me to admire. "So what do you think?"

Hmm...Roses would have been nicer! 

No, that is unkind! This was a surprise that was not entirely unwelcome. Our latest gas mover had been acting up for weeks and was now refusing to start. In the meantime, the lawn was beginning to look a bit like a hayfield. 

So far, a Scott's Supreme 18" lawn mover is a pretty lean, mean grass cutting machine. Hey, at least the only thing required to get a hand mover going is a person to push it!

Scott does have his drawbacks though- he is a one-way sort of guy.  The wheels don't pivot or turn. We'll get off on a good roll only to get boxed into a corner. I figure what Scott really needs is a good set of balls like one of those fancy Dyson vacuums!

Most embarrassing is the sound he makes: Gobble-gobble-gobble! Gobble-gobble-gobble!

I have been glad to have the Scott at my beck and call this summer. The endless rain has meant that the grass has been growing nonstop.

What about you? Do you have a gardening chore you dislike?

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Place to Unwind

We are heading into the hottest part of the summer and if ever there was a time to take a break, relax, and enjoy the garden, this would be it!

A comfortable seating area where you can entertain friends or just unwind is just what you need on hot afternoon or a sultry summer evening.

Today I have two rustic styled seating areas to inspire you to create your own perfect place to relax.

In this first space in Brampton, ON the path leads you to a little foot bridge that crosses a dry stream bed.

Here is a closer look at the dry stream bed.

Adirondack chairs are grouped around a small outdoor fireplace (it is a good idea to check local by-laws before purchasing an outdoor fireplace).

The next garden in Toronto, ON is small. 

Now, I know I have gotten in hot water over my definition of "small" in the past, but I think I am on solid ground here when I say that this backyard is "small". I am sure that the long, rectangular space would not measure much more than 12 or 15 feet across.

As you walk down the narrow flagstone walkway at the side of the house you catch sight of a distressed blue chair at the end of the path.

See, what did I tell you. Tiny! A rustic arbor marks the entrance to the space.

Here is the view looking back to the blue chair. 

Before we go on, I want to stop to admire the pretty white Snowball Viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum which you can see peaking into the shot on the right.

I don't have a Snowball Viburnum in my garden, but I understand that they have a rounded shape and can reach as much as 20 feet high by 15 ft wide in the southern states. 

Snowball Viburnum perform best in moist soil and a shady setting. In more northern climates like Canada, shelter from cold, dry winds is recommended.

Other plantings like this Japanese Maple play off the colors of the brick house.

What makes both these spaces rustic and inviting? Surrounded by walls and greenery, they feel private and secluded. 

The chairs in both gardens have been left unpainted. They don't stand out from the landscape, they blend in. The goal here is to connect with nature, rather than to stand apart from it. 

Emphasis has been placed on rough materials like stone, brick and wood. Together the mix of contrasting textures and plant materials demands your attention and focuses your thoughts away from everyday concerns.

For me, one of the most charming details in this space was the "rock garden" in between the two adirondack chairs.

The planting is kept minimal with much of the sensual appeal going to the smooth, rounded pebbles. I love the contrast of these grey pebbles and the bright chartreuse of the fern fronds and Creeping Jenny.

I hope you are find a few spare moments to sit and enjoy your own garden this month.

Surprises

 

There is a lot of waiting in gardening. 

And then there are the surprises both good and bad.

I have been patiently waiting 3 or 4 years for the Chocolate Vine, Akebia quinata on the backyard arbor to bloom. 

I actually picked this vine because I liked the foliage and the fact that it was a vine that didn't mind a bit of shade. 

At the time that I bought it, I would even have been content if it never ever bloomed...

but after a while curiosity began to kick in and I started to wonder what the flowers on a "chocolate" vine were like.

Finally this spring, there were a few tiny flower buds. "At long last!", I thought to myself. 

Hopefully this is going to be good!

Imagine my utter disappointment when the tiniest, most drab colored flowers opened up a few days later. There are no pictures here because there was simply nothing worthy of a picture! 

Maybe when there is a greater abundance of flowers I'll be impressed, but for now, I have gone back to liking Chocolate Vines for their foliage.

Early this morning I was picking roses for the house when I got another surprise. The first of the Japanese Beetles were lurking in among the scented petals!

They are late to appear this summer and I even started hoping they might be a no-show. Maybe that full-on Canadian winter we had this year did them all in? 

That has proven to be a bit of wishful thinking! 

Sadly, this Canadian Explorer Rose above happens to be one of a Japanese Beetle's favourite snack foods.

The surprises aren't all bad though. 

There is a climbing rose on the same back arbor as the Chocolate Vine. For years it has been rather pathetic and scrawny, but this summer it has come into its own and it is simply glorious!

Then there is this Agastache 'Blue Fortune'. I was pleased that it took off so well in its first summer. This is it blooming last August. 

OMG! You should see it now! It is the size of a small shrub after just one year. 

What was I thinking when I put it in a tiny spot in a narrow flowerbed!

'Blue Fortune' is not the only thing out of control. There has been so much rain that the 

garden at the side of the house is a veritable jungle. 

There is actually a path leading to the front door in there somewhere!

This clematis on the picket fence is reaching skyward.

I have always found the view along the front of the white picket fence lacks a little color in early July and so last week I added some hot pink Veronica, 'Red Fox' to the present mix of soft pink 'Fairy' roses and cobalt colored Meadow Sage, Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' .

I also bought this beauty to add in there somewhere. This roses start of deep maroon and fades to a deep mauve. ( Wild Blue Yonder Rose, Rosa X 'WEKisosblip')

Along the driveway, these two roses have been putting on quite the show this summer. 

(The deeper pinky-red rose is Hybrid Musk rose 'Marjorie Fair' and the lighter pink 

is the Hybrid Musk rose 'Robin Hood')

 Close-up of Hybrid Musk rose 'Robin Hood'

Who dosen't like that kind of surprise?

Here is wishing that all your gardening surprises are happy ones!

The Red, the Whites and the Yellows

 

Mrs. Edward Harding: Perfect form of white. Blooms mid-season.

Though I have often fantasized that rolling out the door to work outside in summer would be simply amazing, in reality growing flowers for a living has got to be really tough job.

For me bugs, bunnies and other pests are an annoying nuisance. It would a much bigger issue if insects had left bullet holes in the flowers I hoped to send to market or the crop of perennials I had been cultivating for years was wiped out by some mysterious disease or natural disaster. It would take heartbreaking to a whole 'nother level.

Add to this the fact that Mother Nature likes to operate on whims. You never know what the weather will bring.

I got a small taste of how hard it must be when we dropped in to see Blossom Hill Nursery. Joe has retired to devote himself to work at the nursery full time. Hazel holds down a regular job and then comes home and works alongside her husband in the evening. 

After she finished watering young seedlings, she still had to cut peonies to fill an order from a florist on the evening we paid the nursery a visit. That's a long work day!

Let's take another wander through Joe and Hazel's fields of peonies and look at some of the beautiful red, yellow, coral and white flowers.

Coral Supreme

Legion of Honour: Semi-double, strong cherry-red with a golden centre. Blooms early.

Longfellow: Non-fading crimson red with golden stamens. Slightly fragrant. Blooms mid-season.

Port Royale: Japanese/anemone shaped peony that is a dark burgundy-red. Fragrant. 

Blooms mid-season

White Cap

Bartzella

Golden Wheel: Originally called Huang Jin Lun. A double yellow that even has yellow roots. Blooms mid-season. The catalogue warns that there are limited quantities of this peony available.

Mildred May: Semi-double pure white with a ring of golden stamens. Early mid-season.

Miss America: Semi-double, APS Gold Metal winner. Soft pink fades to white as the flower opens. Fragrant. Blooms early.

Orchid Annie: Double, very soft pink. Good foliage and upright habit. Blooms mid-season.

More information: 

The time to order peonies is mid-summer for fall planting. 

I have done my best to identify all the peonies that happened to catch my eye on the day of our visit, but if you want to order peonies for your garden, please confirm the identification is correct in the Blossom Hill picture gallery and catalogue. There is also lots more peonies to choose from there.

Blossom Hill Nursery specializes in delphiniums and peonies and is located near Peterborough in Ontario.  

They have over 600 varieties of peonies including species, tree, herbaceous and Itoh (Intersectional) peonies. Visitors are welcome at the nursery to view the perennial beds and gardens. Business hours are by appointment or chance. 

They ship to both Canadian and USA destinations. Link to Herbaceous Peony Pictures. Link to Itoh and Tree Peony Pictures. View the online catalogue.