| Hi - I am originally from and moving back to central Maine - Skowhegan area. Yes - since it is lovely sunny if cool and the first blooms are blooming down here in NJ/Pa -I sometimes think it's abit nuts to head north to garden. Schneekoppe is a rugosa with white/lavender blooms - like a white flower in a shadow - lovely - also called snow pavement. I love perennials - many kinds. I love natives - and I photographed alot in my dad's woods last spring - and donated lots of food to the local mosquitos. I've also really been enjoying the tender perennials for the last few years - plants that are perennial and need to be grown for a longer period - and are of course more expensive. I often use them in the jungles I call containers. Some I've grown from seed - lots are available at nurseries (which is often where I work). Here's a list of some of my favorites plants - heavily influenced by the flower show I went to this week - my lists change daily: Peonies - I love peonies - It's the only thing I've planted in Maine so far - bought some pale singles at the CG fair last year. I will miss tree peonies! Phormium - great spikey foliage - good colors Melianthus - also great foliage - lovely serrated edges - stinky though. Coleus - I didn't like these for many years - but now I love them. Unfortunately I didn't keep my favorites over the winter this year. Clivia - I know it's not a garden plant but my orange ones are in bloom right now. I took a photo of an absolutely magnificient yellow one at the flower show to inspire my tiny little hopefully yellow one. Poppies and Irises - Almost any kind. Brunnnera, mysotis, pulmonaria - all these blue for-get-me-not relatives are lovely. I like the pink ones too. Helleborus, Hepatica, Columbines, Thalictrum, Aconitum - hmmm the whole ranunculus clan including of course Delphiniums. The blues are wonderful - and they don't love NJ at all - so I'm looking forward to having happy Delphiniums again. All right that's enough for today. What kind of gardens do you have - what colors do you like? I'm having lots of fantasies - and I have a small field and a large pile of manure - but I have to keep myself in check until I get practical things like walls and floors in my house. bye now agmss |