Purple in the Garden

Columbine (Aquilegia)

Purple in the garden! So formal and dignified, so royal and honourable. 

So many shades to choose from: mauve, lavender, violet, plum and aubergine.

Purple adds depth to light colours and stands out brilliantly if massed. Playful when it's a light tint, powerful when it's deep.

Big pom-pom heads of early spring Allium are a pinky-purple.

Aren't these pinky-mauve rhodos exquisite? Wish they were mine… (taken while on garden tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Incredible picotee Iris - so many shades and colours within a single petal.

Siberian Iris can only be described as blue-ish purple. So dainty on tall skinny stems.

There are so many varieties of lilacs but the shrubs I have are a pinky-purple, very pale in colour. And ohhhhh so very fragrant!

Some gardeners cut hosta flowers off before they bloom but I adore them. I am careful to cut them off when they have expired, though.

Deep purple bellflowers hang heavily on their stems

Many clematis blooms come in deep purple.

Lisianthus comes in many colours, including purple.

Finish the year with lovely autumn crocus!

Please visit my food blog - latest posts are recipes for Spinach and Lemon Risotto with Shrimp as well as Swedish Meatballs with Dill.

Early June Walk-about

I went for a walk around the front and back yards this morning and there's so much is in bloom! I just couldn't wait until GBBD on the 15th, so I'll show you some of the blossoms now.

It's true that raindrops on Ladies Mantle shine like diamonds in the sun.

A delicate white Columbine is close to a new, smaller "not-planted-by-me " neighbour!!

The Slender Deutzia bush is in full bloom under the Magnolia tree.

The peonies are starting to open.

 The perennial Bachelor's Buttons (Centaurea montana) are in full bloom.

Here is a wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis

My Weigela is starting to bloom.

And my herb pots are planted: thyme, rosemary, parsley and chives.

Speaking of herbs and food, check out my recipe blog! Latest post is Cajun Scallops with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto.

Top Perennials Part 1 (of many)

As you probably know by now, I am a Flower gardener not a veggie gardener. When we moved to this large property about 25 years ago, I envisioned endless beds of shrub/perennial combinations changing beautifully with the seasons.
Well…….. let's just say I have learned a LOT since we got here! Achieving this type of look involves a lot more than choosing favourite flowers and planting them close to each other. In previous posts I have talked about how important design is for a lovely landscape. This is most definitely true.
Design = good bones. The plants are the "makeup" and embellishments. But they are definitely the "fun" part!

There is certainly a lot to be learned about the plants themselves. I have experimented with many, many flowers and have had varying success with them. I wish I'd kept better records as to what I purchased and why a particular plant didn't thrive.

But I do know that some flowers prove reliable despite lack of experience and even neglect. Here are some that have never let me down. Part One of this series features the Columbine.

Aquilegia (Columbine, Granny's Bonnet) is a lovely spring flower that is known for its spurred petals.

I have had a number of columbines that have bloomed every year since we moved in. My favourite is a pure white one which grows about 18-22"( depending on the season's rainfall). It's in a front yard bed beside a wonderful small shrub called a Slender Deutzia, which coincidentally blooms at the same time. The Aquilegia blooms are long lasting and deceivingly fragile-looking. The stalks are strong and it even makes an excellent cut flower.

While on vacation last summer, I photographed two lovely columbines growing beside an old house.

I am not even sure anymore how I got the original plant, but one of the most interesting Columbines that I have is the self-seeding Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadansis). They pop up in different spots every year. They are very unique, growing 3 - 3 1/2' tall and being a strong red colour with a yellow inside.

Last spring I bought 3 pots of a new Columbine and planted them near the linden tree and rabbit statue.
Their official name is Aquilegia Clementine Rose (plant marker says: Clematis-flowered Columbine). "A unique series of Columbine, featuring fluffy double flowers that resemble a small Clematis bloom, held upfacing on stems, well above the lacy green foliage mound."
I am looking forward to seeing how they bloom this coming spring.

May 15 - Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

Here it is - May 15th! Another Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!!

What's blooming in my garden today? Lots of flowers and shrubs that usually bloom 

2-3 weeks from now. We're early this year. Therefore so many areas are already very beautiful.

Enjoy!!

Nepeta x fassenii - Catmint - Frankie, my neighbour's cat, just loves it!!

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Crabapple 'Profusion'

Bergenia cordifolia

Ajuga 'Black Scallops'

Red Twig Dogwood

Solomon's Seal

Bleeding Hearts

Violets

Ornithogalum - Star of Bethlehem

Viburnum f. plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii'

Viburnum opulus 'Snowball bush'

Tulip 'Queen of the Night' (looking more burgundy than black!)

Lilacs….mmmmmmm…the fragrance!!

Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-summer) Can be a bad spreader but I have it in an isolated spot.

Slender Deutzia - a lovely small bush that usually blooms in late May

One tulip 'Estella Rijnfeld' - there should have been at least 6. I guess the squirrels had 5 for lunch!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is a Meme created by May Dreams Gardens http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/
Gardeners post images of what's blooming in their garden on the 15th day of every month. All are welcome to participate.