With recent posts all about the breathtaking gardens seen on a trip abroad, the pouting Fairegarden was in need of some showing off. Call it sibling rivalry. As the mother of four offspring, we know all about the need for each to get their faire share of praise and petting.
The shed bed planting of Nasella tenuissima is simply shimmery in the early morning light as the bloom heads are forming. Belamcanda chinensis foliage is crisp and vertical whilst one of the Lilium Regales reaches for the sky. The stakes are for the developing Eryngium ssp., these supports need to be upgraded to something more attractive than rusted rebar if they are going to stick out like this.
On the other side of the shed, once blooming Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ is peaking and peeking over the metal tubs hanging on the shed.
In the ground three years and the first time blooming are Iris x louisiana ‘Black Gamecock’.
One plant purchased from local nursery Mouse Creek was divided into three and moved to a sunnier spot last summer. That may have done the trick, some iris need nearly constant dividing to bloom, it seems.
The bed below the garage deck is home to a kajillion voles. Many plants have been lost here, but the sinister plan of planting poisonous offerings, such as the foxglove family is paying off. All varieties of Digitalis are welcome here. This is Digitalis purpurea ‘Apricot’.
The pollen must be safe, however, for the bees are throbbing inside the fairy gloves.
The clemmies are having a stellar year with the rainfall of 2009 well above normal after two years of extreme drought. C. ‘Betty Corning’ is hugging the garage deck post with pale lavender blooms. It matches someone’s raincoat.
Also a vole haven, this raised block area was planted with a variegated Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ last year that survived any attacks. The Nasturtium ‘Yeti’ promises to brighten the scene with whiteish blooms. Coffee grounds were sprinkled over each seed planted to deter slugs and any other hungry varmints. It worked.
Borage brightens our day.
The seedling Heuchera that is growing in a patch of moss on a stone step bloomed this year. The stems and blooms turned out to be pink. That may require a rethink of the name we had settled on for it, suggested by the clever Mister Subjunctive of Plants Are The Stangest People, Faire Steel. Somehow that is just too masculine for this tough yet delicate flower. Any more ideas out there in the blogdom for a name? Japanese maple Crimson Queen, Hosta ‘Sunpower’ and a left behind Salvia ‘May Night’ from the round up of all blue Salvias for the Fairelurie complete the picture.
Looking the best ever, Aruncus dioicus with the horrible thug Artemisia vulgaris ‘Oriental Limelight’ and Japanese maple Garnet in the background.
From the other side, Garnet shades the now greening Hosta ‘White Feather’.
When we returned home from the England trip, The Financier asked how our garden measured up to those we toured. This was an idea that had never once entered the realm of thought, but instantly the answer was “Just as good.” I suppose that is bragging, but as with the offspring, a mother should love her own best.
*As ever, many thanks to Monica the Garden Faerie for the brilliant idea of Mish Mash Monday.
Frances
Fairegarden 
haha, of course it’s just as good – it’s yours! The last picture is great and you made me realize that I forgot to bye that fern today… I must have had to much on my mind at the nursery / kram gittan
That last photo is a great one!
I’m always in awe when I look at your garden. I love the rosa peeking around the metal tub. In the next to the last photo the aruncus dioicus looks like firework sparklers. Also, I will have to try the coffee grounds.
Frances, your garden is definitely as good as those here. Not just because its yours or it is right for your house and climate but because it photographs beautifully and I would love to imitate your garden. By the way the weather here is very, very different from when you visited us. It is now hot – we went from cold to hot in a couple of days. I can’t remember another May like this on.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
One of my gardens is haven for voles too. They do so much damage that when they started taking down full grown shrubs that I cherished I finally resorted to the “Black Hole” traps. It’s a jungle out there!
How lovely, Frances … I have the cutest miniature Goat’s Beard, luv it ❤ (miniature Lady's Mantle also … do you?) Which reminds me, I forgot to include them in my post 😦
It looks a magical time in your garden Frances 🙂
Fairegarden has a devoted gardener whose love shows in each and every photo~I envy you the foxglove and the happy bees~The bees are slowly coming back after their ground nests were destroyed by the flooding~poor bees. The aruncus has a bloom ~its first year here…I think the aforementioned rains helped it. Hoping it’s bearable outside~It’s quite hot here. xogail
It is always gratifying to feel that our own gardens are “just as good” as the ones we visit. All gardens have their own energy and each one is individual, unique and beautiful.
I surely have enjoyed this trip around Fairegarden.
It does sound like you have achieved armadillo — so sorry to hear it. We have learned that they don’t really like being disturbed and having an active guard dog on duty can really make them move on. Not that that would be a very successful way of dealing with them in a garden near the street. Good luck getting rid of it. They are such a pest.
More lovely pics of your garden. I love that grass. It’s calling my name to be placed in my garden.
I rather like that coat–the color is magnificent. I like something different.
Caffee grounds with seeds? Tell me more! I counted no less than ten varieties of seeds I planted this year that never came up. Didn’t know whether I got bad seeds or bad weather. Do you mean perhaps the slugs ate my seeds?
Whenever I return from a viewing of other gardens, like Spring Fling last year or the local garden walks, I tend to look at my own garden with disappointed eyes. But I agree with your assessment, Frances: the Faire garden looks as beautiful as anything you’ve shown from abroad! I love the foxgloves–I didn’t know they deterred voles, which is an added plus. And I’ll have to remember the tip on spreading coffee grounds to avoid the slugs–no shortage of those here:) Betty’s lavender garment is lovely; it really is one of my favorite colors, too.
Hi Frances, Firstly, sorry I haven’t been visiting or commenting as much. I’ve been a little, OK, I’ll say it, self-involved in my real life lately, HA! You sure have a lot of wonderful blooms going on in your garden. Love the goat’s beard and all those wonderful foxgloves. The Nasella–I like plants that either sway or even imply motion when still. And borage is the cutest. My winter-swon ones didn’t sprout and I’m not waiting for them–too much to plant out! I’ve also plated out my nasties, so far so good. Even the the groundhog isn’t around this year, someone (I believe a raccoon since it happens overnight) has eaten my beets and peas!!
I so love to come home to my garden after being away for a while…sounds like your return has been equally rewarding.
Will you post a picture of your Blue Velvet Plectranthus in flower? I keep thinking about it as I work in the garden, with the white flowered parent spread around me.
Frances, in your garden, I feel like a kid in a candy store. So many things to admire, to want for myself, so many new plants (for me), great combinations, ideas… Thank you for your time to put this post together!
Frances, your pictures are beautiful, as always. I love to visit gardens but truly there is no place like home. I get inspiration from seeing others, including yours. I had a huge vole problem until last year when I dug up the whole garden, enlarged it and raised it to level and encased it in a stone wall. Made it through last year with no voles and hope they still can’t figure a way in! Good luck with yours. Also love the coffee ground idea, I do battle slugs alot too.
We have been battling the armadillos here for some time, but it does surprise me to hear that they’ve moved as far north as Tennessee. They are such annoying little bulldozers.
Your feathergrass pics are magical. But the rebar sticking up gives me the shivers. Not because of how it looks, but because I always imagine tripping and falling on things like that.
Frances, you have so many beautiful and intriguing plants in the garden – what a pleasure to see them 🙂