Coronado Flowers

Tis the season for Spring Garden Tours.
My mom and I love going to different home tours and getting inspiration and ideas.

Last weekend we drove out to Coronado to see their Flower Show (I even got a later shift at work so we could go).
The plant sale started at 7am, and the paper said the show started at 10am, so we got there right about opening time.
We were surprised to find the show closed off, saying judging was going on, and the show wouldn't open until 1pm.
Um, wtf?

We couldn't wait around since I had to work in the afternoon, so instead of calling the day a bust, we got a program from the library and cruised around a few of the streets looking at home gardens.

Several home gardens had received blue ribbons for their designs.
I especially am attracted to plants with contrasting color and texture placed next to one another.
Sometimes a dark foliage is shocking next to a pale one, or a bold leaf can add a sculptural component.



I am definitely going to incorporate this stone path idea, with its organic lines, into my own garden







Bird of Paradise always reminds me of my grandmother's garden

Planted Wheelbarrow

I figured I'd copy the ideas I've seen on garden tours, and utilize unusual items as creative planting containers.
I've seen lots of items recycled into planters--chair seats, a grandfather clock, an old enamel stove, red wagons, coffee pots, pitchers, boots, wooden shoes...the possibilities are endless.
This is a way to incorporate mementos into your outdoor space, or whimsy, or pockets of treasure.

My mom had a rusted-out wheelbarrow spattered with concrete, its bare front wheel stuck in the ground at the tail end of my garden.
Last year I moved a few rocks in it, but since then it sat abandoned and unused.
It was time I brought it back to life--not with paint, but with plants.

First I covered the bottom with rocks to aid drainage


Then I added horticultural charcoal so collected water wouldn't sour (turns out there must be some rust holes in the wheelbarrow, because water actually drains through. Bonus)


Using the method I learned from The Garden Compass, it's most aesthetically pleasing if containers incorporate
"thrillers" (upright plants for drama),
"fillers" (plants to fill the area),
and "spillers" (plants that cascade over the edge)

I like to plant in odd numbers, so I chose five plants for now, and will watch to see how they fill in.
Later I may add more of the same plant, or I may eliminate.
Time will tell.

Two grasses for thrillers
Achillea "pink grapefruit" for filler (a pink-colored yarrow)
and I'm hoping the Mexican Primrose will bend and cascade as it grows and blooms, to become my spiller.

If you haven't seen Mexican Primrose, it's really beautiful, but it's invasive, so often best kept in a contained area (photo grabbed from google images)


Other garden happenings:
Zucchini still producing
Pomegranates are growing
Aloha Lily
Tuberose

Thrifty find

I'm still debating if this is really cool or really creepy.
It's a handmade ceramic head that I bought at a thrift store for $1.
It's signed on the bottom with a date of 1972.
Kind-of looks like JFK.
I thought it would make a fun garden ornament, but I didn't want to ruin it by putting it outside, so it's in a pot under the eaves.

Quilt Garden

What a fun idea.
A Quilt Garden is a feature of the North Carolina Arboretum.
"The Quilt Garden, located near the Heritage Garden is a unique interpretation of traditional quilt block patterns with plants, representing the close ties between heritage crafts and gardening and the contemporary art and craft of quilting in the Southern Appalachian region."

I hope to visit one day

Garden Inspiration

You know sometimes when you see a photo, or a place, or a special something...and it just speaks to you?

That's how I feel about the garden featured in the July/August issue of Gardening How-to Magazine
(a publication of the National Home Gardening Club).
The home garden is the sanctuary for gardening designer Laura Crockett.


Chartreuse plants are my favorite, and these bold grass-like shrubs are like architectural elements, accented by handmade ceramic globe sculptures.

Crockett has several sculptural items and other garden art in her space, but it is artfully arranged.
She suggests you arrange your art into "points of composition", and group it together like you would a table centerpiece, versus randomly spread out everywhere.


This perimeter fence absolutely slays me.
It is a steel frame, with polycarbonate panels, and adjustable wooden baffles.
The panels provide a hint of view, but allow for opening (like louvers) if you want the outside in.
In my case, I have a stream below my garden adjacent to the street.
I want to block the street so I can have privacy, but sometimes I like the view and sound of the stream.
This could be the perfect solution for me.

I have an estimate for a wooden enclosure, but I want to find out how much more expensive this metal version might be.

Recycled Tires

This is a fun recycling idea that I saw at City Farmers Nursery in San Diego.
Certainly better than having the tires go to the landfill

Staircase, or terraced area


Planters


Would be cute with toy or wagon wheels, or even old spoked wheels too.

More green flowers

Jade Sunflower


Bells of Ireland

Emerald (Mist) Rose
Green Anthurium

My Garden Green

I have something of an obsession for green plants.
Meaning either chartreuse foliage, or green-colored flowers.
I lurve me some green flowers.

Some of these are in my garden already, and the rest eventually will be.
Even looking at these pictures is like candy...
(for more info, click on the links)

Zinnia, 'Benary's Giant Lime'
(there is also a smaller green Zinnia called 'Envy')
I love zinnias--they remind me of my childhood, since it was one of the first things I ever planted.
These 'Red Lime' Zinnia are on my "gotta have" list.
Several Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) are available in lime colorations.
I want them all!!!
'Coconut Lime' Echinacea

'Green Jewel' Echinacea

Euphorbia portlandica 'Dolce Vita'
Another Euphorbia, amygdaloides 'Purpea', turns from green to wine-colored depending on the season.

Salvia mexicana, 'Limelight' is a stunning show of chartreuse and purple.
It's in the sage family.
This one looks amazing--in fact I'm going to order more for different parts of the yard.

'Emerald Tassles' (Amaranthus caudatus) is a green version of 'Love lies Bleeding'.

Evergreen Azalea, 'Green Glow'

I hope it works!

I have to do something about the gopher infestation I'm having, but I don't want it to involve traps or poison.
Basically I just want them to go somewhere else.
Shoot, I've got a few acres of weeds they're welcome to.

The reviews of Uncle Ian's Mole and Gopher Repellent are positive, so I'm crossing my fingers.
It's blood meal and chili powder, and the gophers supposedly don't like the smell or taste.
No harm to any plants, animals, or birds.

I've heard coyote urine works well too, but I can't find synthetic.
The real thing is harvested, in my opinion, unethically and inhumanely, but I would try a synthetic.

Anyway, I figured it was worth a try.

Garden Snacks

I'm still working on my garden.
In fact, I just ordered six more plants online, and I have big plans.
Dude, the gardening catalogs are better than porn...

See that patch of dirt in the photo?
The day before I took that picture, that space was a columbine, and Bush Ladybells.

Overnight, it got sucked into the earth...
evidently a tasty snack for a gopher.
Sigh...

It's looking like I'm going to have to place chicken wire around all my new plantings.
Traps are not an option.
I heard coyote urine scares them away, but I would only purchase a synthetic for ethical reasons.
I wonder where I can purchase that?

The plant in the photo here is a Violet Tubeflower (Iochroma cyaneum).
Next to it is a Salvia--gorgeous when it blooms in purple and chartreuse, I'll be sure to get better photos soon.

Gift ideas for gardeners

Flower Floozie Tee Shirt, from Annie's Annuals
This NRG ergonomic weeder rocks!
I bought mine locally at Harbor Freight Tools, but Annie's has it also.
As does Planet Green Spot.

Atlas Nitrile gloves, described by Finny as THE best gloves EVER.
You can buy these many places, like The Garden Basket.

Create the healthiest soil, with John and Bob's Soil Optimizer

Go organic with Dr. Earth products

If you live in California, try a subscription to Garden Compass Magazine