Emergence

There is life anew in the garden.Imagination needs to be brought in. And squinting, to look into the future.Sedum spectabile ‘October Daphne’, actually this shot was taken in November. Maybe photos from last year will help the mind’s eye.A very exciting spear arising from this plant shared by Christopher at Outside Clyde. It was admired on a visit to his North Carolina mountainside growing near his veggie bed that is protected by the scary Uncle Ernie. Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’ has orange flowers and red stems. A photo from our files could not be found.This photo is from the online catalog for Annie’s Annuals. Annie says about this plant:

Highly dramatic, heat & drought tolerant & VERY deer resistant, Euphorbia is an excellent perennial for any LOW MAINTENANCE area or hillside, as well as being a bold & exciting choice for the large perennial border. To 3’ tall & 2’ across, its attractive, deep green, red ribbed, copper-tinged leaves are held upright on sturdy red stems & stay attractive all season long. Most glorious of all are its fiery orange & brick red flowering trusses, which appear in early summer & last for a month or two, just in time for your summery, hot-colored blooming schemes. Spreads somewhat by rhizomatous roots, not is not aggressive or invasive. Tolerates clayish soil, & will spread fastest in sandy soil. Cut back to the ground at the end of your gardening season.

Fritillaria raddeanaTaken March 20, 2008 this picture shows the first years bloom from the fall before planting. Some other large fritts, F. Persicaria, have not returned for a repeat show. It looks like at least two of the three bulbs, so far are making a comeback.Another fritt, this one F. uva vulpis. Shown in the right foreground in this early April photo taken in 2008. These line the long wall behind the main house. Twenty holes with six in a hole planted in 2001 have turned into many many more. They should be divided. Since the tulips are also in the shot, let’s see what they look like right now. These tulips were chosen for the markings on the foliage. The more pronounced stripes are on Tulipa greigii ‘Oratorio’. The coral flowers of T. greiggii ‘Toronto’ bloom before the reds of Oratorio, but the markings are less pronounced.The red Toronto about a week later, 2008. We are hoping for the blooms to be together this year.These may look like daffodils with a wider blade but are Lycoris squamigera, Surprise Lilies or Naked Ladies. The photo taken July 28, 2008 shows the pale pink with a sheen of lavender trumpet shaped flowers. Planted in the shrub border amidst the Sedum spectibile ‘Matrona’ gives a color echo of the reddish stems.There are many tulips, hyacinths daffodils and lilies showing emerging foliage that holds the promise of voluptuous spring bloom. But nothing as alluring as this bud already showing on the Chinese tree peony, Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Hatsugarasu’. The dark red bloom is expected in April, but with the full bud size already in view, will it be an early bird? To see this beauty unfurl do read last April’s post about the blooming. Click here to view a knockout show.
Frances