Gordon's Garden Diary

23 Jul '08 8:07 am

Thanks for clearing up the orange robe inquiry! I agree with Faith and Dixie...these old time towns look like the sort of place I'd love to live. But again, I really doubt I could cope with the winters.

24 Jul '08 6:30 am

Just getting caught up a bit. Most of my computer-time has been devoted to uploading my vacation photos to flickr for safe keeping. I have literally thousands so it takes a while to go through, decide what to keep and then crop them.

Looks like you've been traveling too, and through some pretty colorful places. The town with all the art and craft sure is well kept up and nicely painted. Looks like fun, though I'd have a hard time trying to hit the spittoon from that barber's chair.

Another season to prepare for your move will probably help. It would probably help to know exactly where you'll be and perahps even do some advance preparation of the site before you move your plants.

Take care,

16 Aug '08 5:24 pm

Hi, everyone!
Sorry for the long gap in postings but I've been pretty busy and for some reason, my Photoshop can't seem to recognize my camera so I can't download the latest pictures Sad

. Anyway, here are the last ones that I WAS able to download a couple of weeks ago. I hope you enjoy them.

The first 3 (Abutilons) have to be taken into the shed for the winter here; up north, they'll need to be right in the house.

I have a lot of newer pics in my camera and I'll post them as soon as I figure out how to download them; must have accidentally hit a button or something, or else when I had the computer serviced last month perhaps a setting was altered somewhere!

Anyway, my phloxes are now in full bloom (the scent of late summer!) as are the phygeliuses and Fuschia majellanica and the last of the lilies. Soon the first of the autumn bloomers will be coming on, like the Michaelmas daisies and Schizostylus, not to mention the colchicums and Autumn crocus. There's lots more to come! Let's hope that I can get my move over with in the next month to give them all a good start in their new (temporary) homes!

Well, that's it from here for today. All the best, everyone!!

-gordonf

17 Aug '08 7:24 am

I look forward to seeing those more recent photos. You have so many great looking plants. The pink flower along the steps is very full but I'm not sure if I know it.

Sounds like your move is in the works then. Have you found a buyer for your old house yet? It will be interesting to see what you do in the new climate up there. I get the impression you already know what to expect as well as the plants you have to choose from. Good luck!

17 Aug '08 9:50 am

Hi, Mark-

Well, speaking of my move, right now everything's on hold once again. Late August is an extremely slow time for real estate sales here, as everyone is making the most of the hot weather and the last couple of weeks of holiday time before school begins. Even people who have no children seem to follow this routine, so, no, I haven't sold the current place yet. But it's been only 2 weeks since it was first advertised (I'm impatient, though - perhaps it's the Universe telling me to calm down and remain "in the moment" Smile

).

The pink flower by the step that you asked about is an astrantia major. There's a closer-up picture of another one in the same post. I grew them from seed, if I remember correctly. I tried to grow some burgundy ones from seed as well, but I couldn't get any to survive.

I still haven't figured out what has gone wrong with downloading my pictures from the camera to the computer. I don't know whether the fault lies in the computer or with the camera - very frustrating! I'd love to post a picture of my Himalayan Honeysuckle, which is beginning its first flowering in 4 years from seed. It's at least 6 feet tall now, after being the spindliest seedling I've ever grown! Now it's trying to take over that area of the flower bed!

17 Aug '08 11:20 pm

Thanks for another lot of great photos. The Clematis seems quite unusual to me. I love the Astrantia, don't think I've ever heard of that before.
The Shasta Daisy is very special. Sad

I hope you can sort out your camera soon.

21 Aug '08 3:51 am

Hi Gordon, is that the plant which has little lavendar 'berries' after flowering? If so I've admired it for some time now. The flowers are just as wonderful. I'm determined to make a place for it in my garden.

This fall/winter I'm considering making a major overhaul of my main island bed. It used to be so nicely layered but lately not so much. While I'm at it I think I'll bring in a mound of dirt and make the whole bed more of a berm. This will be a pretty big change but nothing like pulling up stakes and moving to another location altogether! Best of luck my energetic and adventurous friend!

24 Aug '08 1:25 pm

Hi, Mark!

Nope, the Thalictrum doesn't get any "berries" or anything that even resembles them after flowering. Are you sure it's not a shrub that you are thinking of? If so, I have 2 that DO have little berries, one burgundy, the other purple ones.

Anyway - great news!!! I finally got my camera to download pictures again last night!! Woo-ee!! I hate to admit it, but I had it plugged into the wrong port Rolling Eyes

the whole time!! I guess that there's such a rat's nest of wires back there that after I had the computer serviced a few weeks ago, I must have mixed up the cables when I reinstalled everything. I think I must belong to the wrong generation for all this technology!!

Anyway, here are some of the pictures that I haven't been able to upload; some of these plants are no longer blooming, but better late than never, I guess!! Enjoy!!

24 Aug '08 1:38 pm

I first noticed Monk's Hood in England and love the color and shape of the flowers. Your's is great. I really like the photos that show the whole garden. It gives me a sense of being there. I think you will also appreciate looking back on these photos the most when you miss your garden, which I assume you will even after your new garden is in and thriving. Your Abutilon 'Kentish Belle' looks a lot like the one I grow which I'm very fond of. While the red epi is spectacular too the star of this batch has got to be the yucca flowers. Aren't they beautiful? Mine is much smaller so far as I can tell but the shape and color of these seems to be common to all the forms and sizes.

The berry I had in mind might actually have been an unopened bud. I'm not sure but its growth habit was nearly identical to your Thalictrum. I'll have to go find it again the next time I get to SF and let you know. You've inspired me to put up a couple new photos too. See you there?

24 Aug '08 5:43 pm

The Pelargonium Post is great. I'm adding Yucca to my wishlist. I've sort of had it in mind for a while but I'd heard yuccas don't do well in cooler climates. Though I have seen a few of those around here. Do you need to protect it in winter? Does it have a fragrance?

Gordon's Garden Diary

Hi Gordon.

Finally, some garden pics!

Nice show, Gordon.

Moving

Thalictrum rochebrunianum looks familiar ..

Thalictrum

Great collection of photos Gordon!