Update on Poetry Post Plantings

Petasites Japonicas 'giganteus' in the morning light

I think that My Pirate is slowly becoming a gardener.  Last year at the Rare Plant Sale he impulsively bought a Japanese Coltsfoot, Petasites Japonicas 'giganteus'.  We cut the plant into three sections and planted it in the Shock and Awe Bed.  (Although lately, we're referring to it as the Shockingly Awful Bed.)  It's the place in the front where I plant fun plants.  We added our new poetry post to the area this spring.    

Petasites Japonicas 'giganteus' leaf

 The Japanese Coltsfoot is a beautiful thug.  In one years time it has covered a ten by ten foot area.  It's over four feet tall and the leaves are over two and a half feet wide and they are still growing.

I also planted a Tetrapanax papyrifera 'Steroidal Giant' in the front corner.  Pure insanity.  

 And those leaves are over three feet wide now.  

Tetrapanax papyrifera 'steroidal giant' leaf

My Pirate keeps complaining about how big the Shock and Awe Bed has become.  The other day, I offered to rip out the Japanese Coltsfoot for him, and he said, "Look at those leaves, it's too beautiful to rip out.  We'll just move it."

And I laughed.  He sounded just like me.

My Garden at Dawn and Bloom Day

Sleep was elusive last night.  So, I eagerly awaited the dawn.  My garden has many moods and dawn is my new favorite.  The birds murmur and call as a soft thin white light pulls the colorful sunrise into the sky.  Then there is a flurry of activity from the birds and squirrels and I feel like every leaf is shaking itself off and stretching. 

I stood outside with my camera aimed at the fog-smudged garden while my neighbor swept her sidewalk at 5 am.  Fishermen drove by pulling their boats with their coolers filled with snacks and gave me a quiet nod.  That is all that is needed from others at 5 am, a simple nod of acknowledgment.  The hummingbirds and The Assistant accompanied me through the garden while My Pirate and Barnaby slept snuggled in our bed.  A French press of coffee steeped while I explored the damp morning.

The mock orange is covered with fragrant white blossoms.

 A pea blossom has wandered into the potatoes.

 Borage volunteers are beginning to bloom.

 Gold cape fuchsias are popular with the hummingbirds.

And so are the fuchsia cape fuchsias.

And so is the Husker Red Beard-Tongue Penstemon. 

 The last Royal Wedding Oriental Poppy Blossom decided to open today, but it still looks like crumpled tissue paper at dawn.

 The Wild Spice Rugosa Rose blooms will continue to bloom until fall.  I'm charmed by how the blooms close up at night.

 The bears breeches, Acanthus Mollis, blooms are beginning to open on long spikes.

 The hosta blooms are opening.  I love to use them in bouquets.

 The meadowsweet, filipendula, flowers are beginning to open.

 Another hosta bloom.

The hardy fuchsia is over six feet tall and blooming it's heart out.  A hummingbird went after Barnaby yesterday when he went to close to the fuchsia.

 The masterwort, Astrantia Major,  flowers keep attracting my camera lens.

 The honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica 'Purpurea', fills the backyard with its sweet fragrance.  My favorite.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please don't forget to visit our lovely hostess, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Now, I must go.  My Pirate rented a sod cutter, so I can fit more plants in the yard.  Have I mentioned how much I love this man?  Have a wonderful weekend!

Golden Oregano in the Garden

My Princess Victoria Louise Oriental Poppies flopped over in the rain and now the blooms are opening on top of the golden oregano.  A charming combination that I didn't plan.  Golden oregano is one of my favorite herbs to add to ornamental beds.  I keep digging up starts and trying them out in different places.  It's tough and thrives on my sloping front bed.

Plus, golden oregano is a delicious herb that is a workhorse in my kitchen and I use the oregano blooms in bouquets.  But it's those chartreuse leaves that thrill me.  

Gardenia Blossom

Gardenia radicans 'Frostproof'

I picked a fragrant gardenia bloom off of my new Gardenia radicans 'Frostproof' from Xera Plants.  Then I tucked it in my favorite small vase and gave it to My Pirate.

Gardenia radicans 'Frostproof'

He loved it!  Only one flower is necessary to make a bouquet, if it's the right flower.  I hope this new gardenia thrives in my garden.

My, What Big Thorns You Have!

Yesterday, I stabbed a big spike of wingthorn rose, Rosa omiensis 'pteracantha',  into a big bouquet and smiled in approval at its thorny beauty.   

The wingthorn rose continues to catch my eye and camera lens in the garden.  I carefully placed it so that the sun shines through the thorns and the thorns glow like stained glass.  Pedestrians stop and admire it.

The older thorns turn brown, so I chop my rose bush close to the ground in early spring to encourage those sexy red thorns that I adore.  The Neighborhood Miscreants haven't messed with it yet...imagine that.

“But he who dares not grasp the thorn 

Should never crave the rose.” (or the thorn)

―Anne Bronte