Late Summer Gold

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldstrum’

As the summer begins to wind down, shades of gold can be found in every corner of the garden. Here is a sampling of August gold.

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’)

Daylily ‘The Goldilocks Effect’

Inula racemosa ‘Sonnenspeer’

Annual Sunflower

Coleus species

Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Hosta ‘Journey’s End’

Goldenrod (Solidago ‘Golden Dwarf’)

Perennial Sunflower (Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’)

Ligularia dentata ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’

Helenium ‘Double Trouble’

Rudbeckia nitida ‘Herbstonne’

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First Tomato 2017

Here it is! The first tomato of the summer! The plants that I started indoors while snow was still on the ground are now loaded with fruit. The first variety to offer a ripe tomato is Beaverlodge Slicer.

Beaverlodge Slicer was bred at the Beaverlodge Research Farm in Alberta, Canada and is one of the earliest maturing tomato varieties available, listed at 54 days. The tomato is one of almost 80 varieties of fruit, vegetables, grains forage, trees, flowers and berries developed at the Farm. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, the facility was originally established to meet the needs of early settlers in the short growing season of northern Alberta. It is located west of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Another tomato developed at the Beaverlodge Farm is Sub-Arctic Plenty, which was introduced in 1972. I have grown Plenty several times.

I picked the first sun-warmed tomato today and gave it my taste test. Slicer is a juicy tomato, and has a very mild flavor. I think I may prefer the flavor of Sub-Arctic, but in the end, the best tomato is the one on your plate!

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The Ghost

On a cloudy day, the pale white-splashed foliage of this statuesque plant gives it a ghostly appearance, and I have come to think of it as The Ghost Plant. It is actually Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’, a variegated form of Japanese Knotweed. Knotweed is a notorious invasive species with a wide-spread reputation for its aggressive growth habit. However, the variegated form is well-behaved, and makes an interesting addition to a perennial garden.

It is attention-grabbing across the seasons. In spring, the early sprouts poke through the soil in peach spears. The long stems have the segmented appearance of bamboo, though in fact it is not related to bamboo at all. I keep a watch for renegade runners, but in the 4 or 5 years it has been in the garden, it has made no move to expand its territory and requires little attention. It has taken on the appearance of an airy shrub, with the tallest stems reaching about 7 feet.

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Queen of the Early Summer Garden

Gay Paree

Peonies, undisputed monarchs of the early summer garden, seem to attract jeolous rain, bent on bowing their noble heads. Nevertheless, we enjoyed some beautiful blooms this year, before the rain was able to subdue the heavy royal heads. Most of my peonies are just a few years old, except for that which I have labeled ‘Acton’. I brought a division of this peony from our previous home, where the old peony clumps were probably 50 years old or more.

Honey Gold

Bowl of Beauty

Whopper

Acton

Cora Louise

Sword Dance

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From March to June

Here’s a photo of the garden taken on March 25th. The following photos were taken today, June 26th, three months later. The transformation is amazing. No matter how many times I experience the flow of seasons from winter to summer, I remain astounded by this annual miracle.

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Sunday Snapshot: Views of the June Garden

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Sunday Snapshot: Hellebores

Hellebores

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The Beauty of Tulips

Tulips are among my favorite flowers. Their rich, vibrant colours light up the garden at a time when many other plants are just beginning their summer growth spurt. Here is a photo essay that captures some of the brilliance of this year’s tulip display in my garden.

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Around the Spring Garden

Although many plants are just getting started, there is something new to see in the garden every day, now that spring is finally, in its two steps forward, one step back manner, here. Shared here are some highlights of the early spring garden that I have been delighting in daily.

Tulips: Love those lush, rich colours

Cushion Spurge (Euphorbia polychroma)

Our native Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphylium ) with a self-seeded Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum ) looking for growing room.

A little forest of native Mayapple umbrellas (Podophyllum peltatum )

Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum spp.), early flowers for hummingbirds.

This euonymus standard retains some colour all winter, but brightens with new leaf growth in the spring.

This comfrey (Symphytum uplandicum ‘Axminster Gold’ ), looks harmless in the spring, giving little indication of the giant it will become. The dark leaves belong to Geranium pratense ‘Dark Reiter’.

Henry the Samurai (Saruma henryi) has dainty yellow flowers.

Darmera peltata produces longstemmed pink flowers first and then follows up with large leaves.

This golden bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’) shines even on rainy days.

So does Hosta ‘Nancy’, with her brilliant gold leaves.

The impressive flower of a Crown Imperial Lily (Fritillaria imperialis).

Epimedium rubrum has put on a dazzling show of tiny dancers.

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and, below, the brilliant red bloom of the early peony Paeonia tenuifolia.

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Seedy Saturday 2016

Once again, the gardening season is at hand. I like to get things rolling by attending a local Seedy Saturday event. Last weekend, I made the drive up to Ottawa to join other gardeners in the joy of anticipating our return to the soil. A number of venders of heirloom and organic seeds and supplies come together to offer attendees, pictured above, a cornucopia of seeds. It would be possible to order the seeds by mail, but the buzz of excitement makes attending Seedy Saturday much more fun.

I mostly go to get a selection of tomato seeds. Last year I didn’t bother, and missed trying new varieties. This year, I purchased eight varieties from Terra Edibles and Gerta’s Organic Gardens:

Black and Brown Boar
Berkeley Tie Dye
Winterkeeper
Dancing with Smurfs
Pink Boar
Allegheny Sunset
Druzba
Persimmon

Seedy Saturdays are a project of Seeds of Diversity, an organization dedicated to encouraging the preservation and cultivation of heirloom and endangered varieties of food crops. You can locate a Seedy Saturday near you by visiting their website.

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