Sorry about the previous post but the photo link failed.

Hibiscus Lord Baltimore

Hibiscus Lord Baltimore

Ajuga and Euphorbia myrsinites

Camassia

Camellia "April Remembered"

Camellia "Snow Flurry"

Camellia "Snow Flurry"

Campanula

Campanula mix

Chive blossoms

Clematis "Nelly Moser"

Clerodendron trichotoum

Clerodendron trichotomum berries

Climbing rose "Altissimo"

Crocuses

Daylily

Euphorbia polychroma

Golden Chain tree (Laburnum) flower detail

Hardy Rosemary "Arp" flower detail

Hydrangea and Hibiscus

Iris (old variety unknown to me)

Magnolia "Bracken's Brown Beauty"

Oak Leaf Hydrangea (H. quercifolia) fall colors

Peony

Soapwort

Unknown rose from my grandfather - possibly a seediling

Winter Jasmine (J. nudiflorum)

Claire

:)
Dee

I don't think I've ever seen Clerodendron trichotomum - what a fun plant. Maybe it isn't hardy here.

NHBabs,
The Clerodendron has great fragrance, attracts a lot of butterflies, blooms in summer when most other shrubs have finished and continues with the bracts and berries into fall, but unfortunately it wouldn't make it where you live. It's at its limit here. The winter jasmine is also at it's hardiness limit here.

You responded to my question about ornamental trees and forwarded me here. Wow, such beautiful photos, thanks for the morning smile.

I'm jealous. Where I live, deer rule so most of these are out! (until we finally get that deer fence we've been talking about forever). Thanks again for all your input. Cindi

To Cloud9:
Your post shows you as z6 CT, so you should be able to grow the Clerodendron there. I am in zone 6 in RI. My earlier reply was to NHBabs and she shows zone 4a-5b up in New Hampshire. Too cold for her to try it but you should give it a try for sure.

Also, I have that same unknown old iris. I have lots and lots and lots of it. Nobody knows what it is. One day I hope a poster is able to identify it. I've even seen somebody post a picture of it on the iris forum and the only answer was that it was a "historic" iris.

I have posted a separate thread about my gropwiong clerodendron here in z.5.

Thanks much for the photos. So great to see photos of some more unusual plants, and so well grown!

best,
Mindy

Katy and Deb,
This is only the second year for the Magnolia. I'm not sure how long this type has been around, but I believe it's newer than "Edith Bogue" and a bit hardier, according to some web sites. I suppose this will be one of those expreriments!

Katy,
What are you trying to do by moving the Clerodendron when you say it's a problem? Not sure I know what you mean. It does seed easily but in the lawn mowing kills them off and in the beds I just pull them with all the "usual" weeds.

ego45,

The camellias are about ten years old. Snow Flurry is rock hardy even in the 2003-2004 horrific winter it was fine. The "April Remembered" died back to 2" wood but came back by the following June. That one does suffer bud kill if it's really cold, especially late in winter when the buds are starting to swell. It's a gamble some years but so worth it!

Deanna,
It is a really deep red for sure! Thanks for your nice comments! If I find the name of that iris I'll let you know.

Mindy,
Thanks for the comments! I have replied to your other post. I have to admit that Ajuga/Euphorbia combo turned out even better than I expected! The Euphorbia can be invasive, but regular weeding can control it. I've found that gloves are necessary as the milky sap can be irritating to your skin!

By nature Clerodendron tichotomum wants to become a large shrub and from its base it sends up sprouts and suckers (the larger the base the more sprouts and suckers). In my experience if I move the standard Clerodendron t. annually it disturbs the sprout and suckers enough as well as they are too young to survive without the mother plant. When given an extra growing season these sprout/suckers happily settle in and will spread just beyond the drip line of the plant; this of course translates into the larger the standard the larger the problem. These are not easily weeded from the garden and present quite a problem.

On a separate note, it was nice to see that my posting at least got some activity here! Unfortunately, so far, nobody else has contributed any photos.

Hope you sleep well!

Hemerocallis American Revolution

H. Frans Hals

Lillium Showboat and Adenophora

Miscanthus Malepartus seedheads

Platycodon and phlox

Rose Zepherine Drouhin

Rose Arch and phlox in July

Rose Arch, sedums, asters pokeberries, hoses etc. in September

Claire

Pondlily, as they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I think that sharing and inspiring is what gardeners and their gardens do best! That's why I like these forums.

Bill, you have a lovely garden! Crazy about that ajuga and Euphorbia combo. Wondering which variety of ajuga it is, the flower spikes seem tall to me. I love Camassia. I had a small patch of it that just didn't come back one spring. I am going to try it again at some point. I am happy to see a photo of the whole 'Snow Flurry' shrub. Very attractive foliage and habit. 'Nelly Moser' is one of my favorite clematis. I am adding clematis where I can. Right now I have one established, 'Duchess of Edinburg' and a couple more that are still small and iffy. The panicles on the Golden Chain tree are so long, wow. I do enjoy that tree and you don't see it often. Magnolia 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' is the one I was trying to remember the name of. It's a beauty!

Your post certainly did stir up some activity. :-)

Bill

Oh and Claire, I could look at that rose arbor all day! What is the name of the rose you are growing on it? It is such a vibrant shade of pink and such abundant bloom!

I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with the roses, assuming they survive the winter, but it won't be another arch. The rose is just too vigorous and the winds are just too strong to allow another structure there. The name of the rose is probably Dorothy Perkins, a rambler that was very popular years ago but has fallen out of fashion.

Claire

On another note, I was looking for something else and found some cheerful, hopeful photos. All of these were taken in the end of April or beginning of May in the last few years. They're not blockbuster, in-your-face flowers, but I like them.

Forsythia and daffodils with hosta sprouts.

Epimedium Warleyense

Epimediums sulphureum and roseum

Epigaea repens AKA Mayflower, the state flower of MA

Claire

Maybe foo whales or porpoises to reflect the maritime location?

I really like your photos, and especially liked the forsythia composition. Yellow is my favorite color anyway.

And I like the Epimedium Warleyense a lot. I've never grown them. Are they good in dry shade under a conifer?

Bill

Or maybe a couple of foo octupuses (octopi?). I could use the arms to support the roses.

I was trying to tone down the yellow of the forsythia (an old inherited one) and I decided to plant Narcissus Lemon Glow, which is one of my favorite daffodils. It's a lovely pale yellow. Somewhere in GW there's a thread I started to discuss daffodils and forsythia - I just couldn't find it right now (I didn't try too hard).

All of my epimediums are planted in a strip between a big old white pine and the road. They're not too close to the pine trunk, but they're under the boughs and it's definitely dry shade. I also have hostas there and Geranium macrorrhyzum along with other stuff.

Claire

I may try some Epimediums under that tree. Thanks! What's there now is English ivy, but the roots are outside the drip line of the tree, so the stems are crawling and covering the dry soil. But I'd like something to break up the green.

And now I will upset about 80% of the world's temperate zone gardeners. I HATE hostas! Oh sure they're beautiful when those incredibly marked and textured leaves are lush in summer. And no doubt those first spring shoots look so good. But at first real frost they are a mass of mush, and provide no winter interest at all. But the real problem is that I have tried to grow at least 20 different kinds, all expensive big nursery plants, and not one has thrived. Same soil, water etc. as tons of other things. They just don't like me! I do have on plain old green one that my grandfather gave me 50 years ago, and it's huge and thriving. It figures that the plainest, dullest kind is the only one I can grow! I find it boring but don't have the heart to rip it out, partly for sentimental reasons, and partly because I respect how it's survived so long.

Bill

You certainly do have a compatibility problem with hostas! Maybe you're trying the wrong kind. Forget about the floozies, go for the stalwart reliable types.

I have a lot of hostas, they do well here, including many, many inherited plain, common ones (the old saw - I have both kinds of hostas, the green ones and the variegated ones).

People always gush over the lush, textured leaves and ignore, or even cut off the flowers. I love the flowers! They attract hummingbirds and some of them even smell good. I particularly like the hostas that bloom in late summer or early fall, such as:

Hosta Royal Standard (probably), lighting up the woods on August 26, 2009.

Hosta Aphrodte with white wood aster on September 3, 2009.

Hosta Red October with goldenrod on September 24, 2008. It smells like Grape Koolaid. You gotta love a hosta that blooms in late September, with goldenrod, yet.

Does your grandfather's hosta bloom? Some of my inherited hostas are so big I think of them as shrubs.

Claire

Bill

Maybe you (or your plants, that is) have a hosta virus, like Hosta Virus X, that came in on a nursery-grown hosta and spread with abandon.

Depressing thought.
Claire

I have very few hostas. I don't always enjoy the blooms, so I try to choose hostas that I do like the blooms. I have Guacamole that blooms in August and has very pretty large fragrant flowers. I bought two more the year before last, 'June' which is a variegated and 'Fire Island' which is a golden color with red stems. And that is the extent of my hosta collection. [g] That 'Royal Standard' has pretty flowers, Claire. 'Aphodite' looks like a very large flower. And I had not heard of 'Red October' That really is late for a Hosta.

Claire, I keep hemming and hawing about adding a little goldenrod. I don't want something that is going to become a nuisance but I have seen a variety I like called 'Little Lemon' and I'm tempted to try it. I only have part shade though. How has your experience been with it?

I actually bought some goldenrod and planted them a few years ago, but most of my goldenrod have showed up unannounced. I have a lot of different volunteer varieties, most in part shade. I don't mind their vigor - they go well with the volunteer asters that I love. I enjoy letting Mother Nature help with the garden, but I live in a rural area where the volunteers are usually native (except for oriental bittersweet which is not welcome).

Claire

I am just itching to try that Little Lemon Goldenrod and I did want to grow it with Chocolate Eupatorium and asters. I might go for it. Maybe the dry part shade will slow it down and what's the worst that could happen? [g] I would LOVE to have natives volunteer! None here.

PM2,
You and Claire have inspired me! There are so many more kinds of Epimediums than I thought. May I ask where you buy yours? Claire the same question. I have never seen many at any local nurseries, and the catlalogs (paper or online) don't list that many.

Bill

Bill: The local nurseries here sometimes carry them, but I usually buy from Plant Delights. Cheap they are not, but they carry wonderful plants, and the descriptions are often funny.

Claire

Generic epimedium leaves:

I have a few different Geraniums (Macrorrhyzum Ingwersen's Variety, Biokovo) in that bed with the epimediums.

Claire

Claire, I did recognize the Geranium leaves, but it was the reddish flowers that I liked.

Bill

Claire

Bill, your Prickly Pear Cactus had me looking up cactus and succulents the other day. I know it's not exactly what you are aiming for, having something that is hardy enough in your zone to grow outdoors, but I thought you might enjoy some pics of some beauties I found the other day. I hope to grow them in pots and take them in for the winter....

The name of the above plant is Crassula tecta, seen on Highland Succulents website. Another from their site is Echeveria 'Afterglow' below....

And from Absolutely Cactus.....Agave Victoria Reginae

And....noto-leninghausii

I'm finding a sudden interest in growing these and excited to try them.

If you want pads of Opuntia, they are all over my driveway and soon I will sweep them away. Let me know. There are a couple of dozen at least and you merely lay them on the soil and they root.

Drainage is a problem for me. I've had trouble growing salvias, agastaches, lavender, creeping thymes, etc due to my clay soil. It motivated me to create some raised beds and that does help some. I do have limited space with good drainage and full sun, since my garden is more part sun than anything else, but I may figure a way to include a few of these. Thanks.

If you build a mound starting with rocks and even concrete rubble, bricks, cinderblock etc. then a layer of medium stones, then gravel and finally a nice sandy loam, you'll have a great start. This could be a feature of your garden or even used as a berm for interest. (I think multiple levels in a garden make it much more interesting than a flat site.)

I mentioned "White Sands" because of the intense red flowers. I am hoping to create a dedicated cactus and succulent garden soon, now that I'm retired. Well placed rocks will create the backbone, but they MUST be to scale. Small ones just look wrong in my opinion. I'd rather have a few large ones placed with the striations going in the same direction, as you see them out west in natural rock outcroppings. NO WAY would I place small round rocks painted white! Yeccch!
For accent, I envision spiky yucca and agave, with mounds of prickly pear and echinocereus here and there most likely placed against a rock. Between them and the rocks, I would fill in with sempervivums, sedums and ice plants. There are also a lot of xerophytic plants that have a very soft look and would contrast the spikiness of the other plant material. Portulacas are good annuals, as are gazania and most of the mediterranean herbs too, like hardy rosemary and thmye.
It's a different kind of gardening but can be very beautiful too. You don't really need full sun all day for most of these to do OK. Just because they CAN tolerate sun all day doesn't necessarily mean that they have to have it. I've seen plenty of cactus out west doing just fine in the shadows of huge cliffs or among pine trees where they get dappled light part of the day.
Would you like some prickly pear pads? They will tolerate our wetter soils better than other types. Basically you can throw them on the ground where you want them to root and walk away! Of course you can give them a little more attention by rooting in sandy soil in a pot for a few weeks.

Bill

I love the sound of the bed you are planning. You have it thought through. I have a very flat, level lot with no elevation changes and I miss that. So I really like berms too. And Rocks! Although I've used mine to outline and raise beds, I especially like large ones well placed in the landscape and you are so right, they have to be in scale. I have grown a lot of portulacas around the edge of my sunniest bed and they reseed nicely. I have some plans to grow some gazania this year too.

So are you just starting this spring to work on this new bed? I will be very interested to see how it goes.

PM it's not a problem to send a few pads to you. E-mail me at cactuspads@cox.net.

Bill