Lilies In Our Midst

Lots of lilies.

We follow the garden philosophy of if one is good, more is better and lots is best.

It pays to start with just a few, see how they perform in your particular conditions, soil and climate, and then add more of the ones that are stellar. The stellarest here are the Lilium hybrids made up of the Asiatic/Longiflorum varieties. The colors of Lilium ‘Royal Sunset’ are a jolt of happiness in the Fairegarden, in the lawn/meadow in the first image and along the Azalea Walk. Since certain cultivars can be difficult to locate, the tightwad gardener in me fiddled around with the little bulblets that appear around the mother bulb in late winter to see if free lilies could be obtained. These have been spread around over the last couple of years and are now blooming size, offering a grand show. The post with detailed instructions about this trick can be seen by clicking here.

Blooming at the same time as the Asiatic class is the pale pinky peachy Lilium ‘Tiger Babies’. One bulb produces a huge bouquet of blooms that open over a long period.

The little bulblets have not been noticed on this type, but I have not given it my best searching effort, either.

While Tiger Babies is pretty and faithful at providing bounteous blooms, it is the LA Hybrid Lilium ‘Royal Fantasy’ that started the lily ball rolling here.

Ten bulbs were planted, one per hole about eighteen inches apart along the Daylily Hill path edge several years ago. They have increased to at least ten times that number, never failing to bloom, usually the first week in June.

These LA hybrid lilies, sometimes sold as scented Asiatics help bridge the blooming gap from spring into the daylily season of early summer. There is some overlap as the earliest daylilies have already begun to open. A mass of this type of lily provides a wafting perfume, most noticeable when stepping outside from the addition, which is just a few tiptoes away from the daylily hill extravaganza.

A bag of mixed colors LA Hybrid lilies was ordered last fall and planted in the blueberry box, twenty five bulbs in all, on sale late in the season. A bag was given to each gardening offspring, as well. Ribbons of the appropriate color are being tied to the stems as they open to help with placement in the fall in the best locations. Also, several more varieties were ordered last winter, planted this spring, one of each, to experiment with color, height and bloom time. For there can never be enough lilies in a garden.

Frances

The Artfully Mello Garden

Iconic, as in the art world meaning of following a certain style, describes the West Asheville, North Carolina garden of artist Christopher Mello, where his personal, unique style shines through in every vignette.

As you approach the corner of Waynesville and Westwood, where his garden and studio are firmly entrenched in this funky, creative neighborhood, his infatuation with reddish foliage suggests that this plot of land holds a special magic. This is not a traditional, conventional bunch of plantings and art displays. Oh no, it is not.

The list of adjectives seems inadequate to describe what one will find as they explore and discover what lies along the paths. There are bits of metal reanimated into creatures and fantasy.

There are plantings of vividly inspired brilliance.

There is a playfulness, saying “Let’s not take this all too seriously”.

It is good to get into the proper frame of mind to fully appreciate what is happening here.

This is a beautifully planted garden in an urban setting.

There is whimsy along with horticulture…

…Along with a little romance. (Thanks to Greg and Ashley of The Hop Ice Cream Cafe, scoopers of Ashley’s delicious confections for two of the fling dining events, for allowing the use of this photo taken at Christmas under the enchanted light of the blue bottle tree in Christopher Mello’s garden.)

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This garden has been previously written about in early blog posts which can be seen by clicking here and here.

Other posts about Asheville Fling 2012:
Postcards From Asheville, The Fifth Fling

Frances

Wildflowers Of May 2012

Welcome to this month’s installment of praising the wildflowers in our midst, Wildflower Wednesday, sponsored by my dear friend Gail of Clay and Limestone. It is Gail who has led me ever so gently toward the appreciation of our native flora, including the Eryngium yuccifolium, now budding upward and onward by the knot garden.

Continuing on a yucca-ish theme and planted right next to the Eryngium is the red yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora. Both of these love hot, sunny, dry spots in poor soil, conditions met up at the top of the slope between the shed and the knot garden. It used to be a gravel alley for the trash pickup trucks to access the back of the houses on two parallel streets.

Gail also introduced me to Echinacea tennesseensis ‘Rocky Top’, bringing a potted plant of it as a hostess gift on her first visit here to the Fairegarden.

There has been some seeding about and mixing of genes with E. purpurea for interesting offspring, too. Muchas gracias, mi bonita amiga!

Procured in the ongoing effort to defeat LLS, Little Leaf Syndrome in the sunny white/yellow bed is Rudbeckia maxima. You can’t see much of the leaf in this shot, but it is a very large and glaucous soldier in the battle against foliage monotony. And I just liked this image.

With nary an intact leaf, the insects are feasting on all of the Heucheras and many others at present, I just ignore it, Heuchera ‘Caramel’ has grown into a nice sized clump since I have stopped dividing it. The Heucheras that include the H. villosa gene, like Caramel, or H. americana do best on my rocky, north facing slope. All others need not apply.

The Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly weed has been showing color on the buds for what seemed like an eternity. Finally they have decided to open up. Sometimes gardeners are unsure what to plant with this pure, true orange color. Here is the answer, red, in this case Astilbe ‘Fanal’, but anything that blooms at the same time would do. It has taken years for this epiphany to enter the thought process here. Red to the rescue.

Yellow is also nice.

Frances

Postcards From Asheville, The Fifth Fling

If you wonder what draws people to come to Asheville, North Carolina, whether to visit or more permanently, here are a few reasons, out of scores…
Above: From Bonnie Brae, the summer home of the famous Bulbarella.

The View.
Above: From The Biltmore Estate.

The Art.
Above: From the Peter and Jasmin Gentling Garden.

Nature.
Above: From the North Carolina Arboretum.

Creativity….
Above: From Wamboldtopia.

….Unbound By Convention.
Above: From the Christopher Mello Garden.

Some people, like the group of Garden Bloggers who met up in May of 2012, come to Asheville, NC for the friends.
Above: Lisa of Greenbow and Christopher of Outside Clyde, renewing their friendship.

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Frances

Ready To Fling

The time has arrived.

The arrangements are in place, including permission to visit the fabulous Wamboldtopia!, a very small portion of which can be seen in the above shot.

The peas have been picked.

The garden is ready for visitors who are stopping by the Fairegarden en route to the Asheville Fling 2012.

I can hardly wait!
Above: Water garden at the Botanical Gardens at UNCA, on the list of suggested spots to visit during a trip to Asheville.

Stay tuned for future posts about this momentous event.
Above: Gargoyle detail from the famous Biltmore, where the garden blogger attendees will be spending an afternoon touring the gardens.

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For the stories written about the previous garden blogger meetups, see the page Garden Blogger Meetups listed on the sidebar or click here.

Frances

May Bloom Day Means Time For…

It’s May and it’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day and it is also Carol’s, the thinker-upper of bloom day and a friend, favorite month of the year. Let’s check out what’s happening out there.

Above: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Dooley’

There is a lot in bloom, with some things just beginning and others finishing up a good run, like the foxgloves, mostly Digitalis purpurea, seen in the background in the above image. Taking center stage is Rosa ‘Fairy Queen’, a small dark pinky red. There are two bushes, now planted together. They used to be in separate beds, but new discoveries of what looks best led to digging one up to join its fellow fairy by the steps. Sooooo much better.

Labeled as Clematis ‘Betty Corning’ and believed to be her for more than ten years, it was thanks to fellow blogger Mr. McGregor’s Daughter’s keen eye and knowledge of Clemmies that we now understand that this is not Betty. Research leads us to think it might be C. ‘Prince Charles’.

Here is a better shot of the flower. Can anyone help with identification? Thanks to Janet, the Queen of Seaford, who posted a photo of her Prince Charles on facebook, it looks like my clemmie is not our fine prince. Dang!

Neither showy nor floriferous, but a sweet little native wildflower that was a gift from Claude da Mailman several years ago, Spigelia marilandica is treasured here. It blooms faithfully each year and is said to be favored by hummingbirds. That is reason alone to grow it. Maybe someday I will witness that delightful dining event, and maybe I will have the camera on and ready.

This fuzzy fellow is the first flower of the many crimson clover, Trifolium incarnatum seeds that were scattered in the lawn/meadow in late winter. It is sold in large bags as a cover crop for winter vegetable gardens. Next year I will sow earlier and get two bags of seed. I fear for the sea of red with the lack of rain, things are looking a bit crispy in the lawn/meadow at the moment. Maybe it will rain, or maybe I will have to break down and water. Added: I watered and it rained, funny how it works like that sometimes.

Silver tansy, Tanacetum niveum ‘Jackpot’ is a silver leaf xeric that is planted in the concrete swan planters on the middle terrace steps. These containers are in full sun all day and the planting area is small, they do not enjoy the luxury of regular watering and finding the best plant for them has been a challenge. We have hit the jackpot with the tansy.

Love in a mist, Nigella damascena doesn’t usually rate inclusion in the bloom day post since it is such a near-weed. But looking down by the raised planter box at the row of Bright Lights Swiss chard and seeing the little blue flower looking so disarmingly cute, well here it is.

The Fairegarden has moved into lily mode, a few weeks early, but that seems to have turned into the norm for 2012. Many new Lilium bulbs were planted last fall and early this spring, including this martagon type, Lilium ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’. For its first year in the ground, this lady has surpassed expectations. That bodes well for the lily blooms yet to come. Next will be the daylilies, then Eryngiums, and so on and so on…

Frances

How To Make A Lamb’s Ear Lamb

It was a post from my first year of blogging, showing some things that had been made with the abundant supply of Stachys byzantina, lambs ear, that has been grown in all of our gardens. Such a sweet plant with those silvery velvet leaves, it really does lend itself to crafts. The original post can be seen by clicking here. It has been one of the most viewed posts I have ever written. I believe it is the little lamb made from the Stachys that is the cause for its popularity. The time has come for more detailed instructions to be offered to help out those who want to make these little lambs. I suggest you read through the entire post of instructions before you begin assembly.

You need a good supply of lamb’s ear, the Stachys byzantina that blooms, not the sterile type. When the flower stalks look like the above photo, it is time to cut and craft with it. It needs to be totally dry, not wet, even from dew. Watch out for the bees, they love the little lavender flowers. Harvest lots, you will need several types of pieces for the various body parts. Be sure and shake any insects off before bringing the stems inside.

Lay the stems out to dry and harden a bit. In the course of selecting and cutting the pieces you will need, it will become dry enough to work with. At the top of the image is one of the old lambs that was made at least fifteen years ago. I made them to give as Christmas gifts to friends and family and kept a few of the weirder ones for holiday decor. They are quite fragile. It is time for some fresh ones. Let us begin. Besides the Stachys, you will need a hot glue gun and glue sticks.

Choose four leg pieces that include the longest pieces of stem you can find attached to a roundish flowering bit that is below the top flower head down the stem length. Having plenty of length to work with will make it much easier to trim the legs on the finished lamb so it can stand up reasonable well. It is best to pull off the flowers now, too. Use your thumb and finger to gently grasp the flower and pull it straight out, it will come out easily. The part you want to remain is the calyx. Remove the leaves at this time, too, saving a couple of smaller ones for the ears.

Above are all of the body parts, some cleaned, some not yet ready to use. Removing the flowers will make the lambs more attractive as they age, without the brown bits. You will need to have a head, I use a tip that is fairly large but without all of the flowers opened yet to form a more pointy nose. Two smaller leaves for the ears, eyes are black peppercorns, like you use for a pepper grinder. A rounded bit, like that used for the legs with the stem cut short for the neck, the four leg pieces explained previously, three or four larger tips, depending on the size of them for the body, and a smaller tip for the tail.

Move to your hot glue gun work station. I like to sit at the bar in the kitchen because there is good overhead lighting and a plug nearby for the glue gun. I work on an old bread cutting board to protect the countertop. Begin by assembling the body. Squirt glue on one of the body pieces you have selected, being careful not to touch the hot glue, it can burn you badly.

Immediately press the two pieces together and hold for a couple of minutes until set. Use a liberal amount without making a mess, easier said than done, I know. I haven’t used a hot glue gun in many years and actually had to buy one for this project. I found that swirling the gun in a circular motion as you pull it away from what you are gluing left the fewest strings of glue. You can cut them off later.

Depending upon the size of the body pieces you have selected, use three or four. I used four when taking the pictures for this post, but thought the body was too bulky and square so made another one using only three with two on the bottom row and one on top in the middle for a more natural body shape. Both came out cute and can be seen in the first photo of this post. The one on the left was made using three pieces for the body.

Apply the legs to the messiest side of the body, since it won’t show. Apply glue to the leg piece, then place it on one corner of the upside down body, holding it in place until the glue has set well.

Add the rest of the legs, angling them outward slightly to help the lamb stand more steadily. Having more length than necessary will make it easier to trim them for better balance if you are like me and have to cut many times to get them right. Let the lamb set up well, take a break now, before turning the project over and proceeding.

Assemble the head to the neck, this is the angle you want. Apply glue to the neck piece with the shorter stem end. I like to turn the head sideways just a bit to add a little personality. Press the pieces together and hold until set. Cut it if need be before gluing to make a flush connection of head to neck.

Leave a stem piece of one quarter of an inch to attach to the body. Apply glue around the stem and press the head assembly firmly to the body. Hold in place until set. Apply glue to the tail piece and attach at the rear of the lamb with the wider end at the top of the body back in the center. Apply glue about half way down the tail piece, then press into place and hold until set. Allow everything to set up well, you are almost done!

The is the fun part, adding the ears and eyes. I use needlenose pliers to hold the black peppercorn and get a bit of glue from the tip of the glue gun on it, then press the peppercorn on the head, about one third of the way down from the top of the head. Use a toothpick or other pointy tool to help hold the eye in place while you release the pliers without moving the peppercorn from where you want it. Do the other eye, then attach the ears on either side of the head just above the eyes. Trim the legs if needed for better stability. You will immediately want to make another one, so don’t compost the leftover bits until you are completely done.

I hope you have fun with this, there is no right or wrong, each lamb will be different, just like people. The finished lamb is a whimsical creature, full of spunk and mischief. Kitty thinks they are quite cute. Enjoy!

Frances