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Dec. 28th, 2007 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sexy_romulanMan...three days after christmas and the gardening itch hits. Dammit. There won't even be seeds to browse through until February.
Have I mentioned how truly, deeply, and passionately I want to grow roses? Bizarre, since I've never been that fussed about them as a cut flower. I love the shrubs and climbers - they're classic, yet wild; lavish and rambly at the same time. I love the whole cottage garden look for the same reason. Hard to do without full sun though. Must keep my eye out for a place with a south-facing yard (or at least a sunny wall). Then I can plant lilacs, too.
Ooooo, google has just spied me a nursery west of Kanata that stocks many roses in addition to perennials and shrubs. I think I will have to pay them a visit in the spring!
Roses are total pie-in-the-sky daydreaming, though. Must find ways to deal with the shade, since I have so damn much of it.
On my Vesey's shopping list:
* Astilbe (3 for $10, woo!)
* Gigantor ferns
* Hardy cyclamen
* Toad lilies? They're tiny, but shade-tolerant and cheap
* Bugbane is GORGEOUS but mad expensive. I suppose I can allow myself one mad plant purchase each year, but I don't think last year's dappled willow is doing too well. If it actually leafs out in the spring I may allow myself to indulge again.
The bed by the fence is pretty much done, I think - just need to pepper it with some impatiens (hey, now THAT is what I should interplant with those damn ferns! Should have thought of that ages ago!) and keep the forget-me-nots from taking over and it should be good to go. I could be wrong but I think the foxgloves have already self-seeded. I'll plant some more seeds just in case and if I'm right I'll just plant more elsewhere, they're gorgeous anyway.
The other bed - not to mention the wild and woolly section - needs some work. There's part sun there, sort of, but apparently not enough to sustain hollyhocks. I'll try some rudbeckia again, I guess. What else would go well with lilies? Poppies, maybe? I don't think a single one of those came up last year. I could try hostas, I suppose, but bleah. Well, mixed in with the lilies, that might not look half bad. I could try mixing some columbines in with the wild and woolly stuff, I guess, since those did actually come up in the other bed.
In the sort-of-sunny former ground cover bed, meanwhile, I have the rose, hydrangea, and phlox. I doubt the ferns will be back, but you never know. There's tulips and squills there for the springtime, but then those die back and there's nothing to take their place. I will probably transplant some of the forget-me-nots over here, since they are apparently indestructo-plants, and I could try the rudbeckia and marigolds here. Beans or morning glories on the climber, although I still didn't get many flowers last year. One of the gigantor ferns, too, and some astilbe in the shadier part.
In the bed next to the house I have raspberries, rhubarb, hordes of oregano, a bleeding heart, some columbines, a couple of phlox, and (hopefully) a dappled willow. This would be the place for the bugbane, if I spring for it, with its nice dark foliage. A gigantor fern would be good here too - the huge expanse of wall kind of calls for height. I wish, wish, wish I could find a climber that would tolerate this much shade. Hardy kiwi maybe? I am NOT planting any more virginia creeper!
Have I mentioned how truly, deeply, and passionately I want to grow roses? Bizarre, since I've never been that fussed about them as a cut flower. I love the shrubs and climbers - they're classic, yet wild; lavish and rambly at the same time. I love the whole cottage garden look for the same reason. Hard to do without full sun though. Must keep my eye out for a place with a south-facing yard (or at least a sunny wall). Then I can plant lilacs, too.
Ooooo, google has just spied me a nursery west of Kanata that stocks many roses in addition to perennials and shrubs. I think I will have to pay them a visit in the spring!
Roses are total pie-in-the-sky daydreaming, though. Must find ways to deal with the shade, since I have so damn much of it.
On my Vesey's shopping list:
* Astilbe (3 for $10, woo!)
* Gigantor ferns
* Hardy cyclamen
* Toad lilies? They're tiny, but shade-tolerant and cheap
* Bugbane is GORGEOUS but mad expensive. I suppose I can allow myself one mad plant purchase each year, but I don't think last year's dappled willow is doing too well. If it actually leafs out in the spring I may allow myself to indulge again.
The bed by the fence is pretty much done, I think - just need to pepper it with some impatiens (hey, now THAT is what I should interplant with those damn ferns! Should have thought of that ages ago!) and keep the forget-me-nots from taking over and it should be good to go. I could be wrong but I think the foxgloves have already self-seeded. I'll plant some more seeds just in case and if I'm right I'll just plant more elsewhere, they're gorgeous anyway.
The other bed - not to mention the wild and woolly section - needs some work. There's part sun there, sort of, but apparently not enough to sustain hollyhocks. I'll try some rudbeckia again, I guess. What else would go well with lilies? Poppies, maybe? I don't think a single one of those came up last year. I could try hostas, I suppose, but bleah. Well, mixed in with the lilies, that might not look half bad. I could try mixing some columbines in with the wild and woolly stuff, I guess, since those did actually come up in the other bed.
In the sort-of-sunny former ground cover bed, meanwhile, I have the rose, hydrangea, and phlox. I doubt the ferns will be back, but you never know. There's tulips and squills there for the springtime, but then those die back and there's nothing to take their place. I will probably transplant some of the forget-me-nots over here, since they are apparently indestructo-plants, and I could try the rudbeckia and marigolds here. Beans or morning glories on the climber, although I still didn't get many flowers last year. One of the gigantor ferns, too, and some astilbe in the shadier part.
In the bed next to the house I have raspberries, rhubarb, hordes of oregano, a bleeding heart, some columbines, a couple of phlox, and (hopefully) a dappled willow. This would be the place for the bugbane, if I spring for it, with its nice dark foliage. A gigantor fern would be good here too - the huge expanse of wall kind of calls for height. I wish, wish, wish I could find a climber that would tolerate this much shade. Hardy kiwi maybe? I am NOT planting any more virginia creeper!
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-29 03:58 pm (UTC)Paul's out for the afternoon and evening, too. (Getting together with a friend of his - finally! He's quite the hermit. ;-)
When do you want to come over? 5pm-ish? :-)
Mmm... Beebalm... :-D
I think Sweet William will grow in shade, too. At least it grows in partial-shade, so it might work. :-)
Re: hostas and Lilies: yup. :-) Plus: even the little ones provide good ground cover. Be warned: The slugs like 'em. ;-)
Duly noted about the bugle weed. :-\
Periwinkle also gets Everywhere, but - hey - I think you can walk on it without totally destroying it, so it's not so bad if it gets all over the place. ;-)
Mini-road-trip sounds like fun! :-D
no subject
Date: 2007-12-29 04:10 pm (UTC)Yeah, I've run into slugs in my yard, although to my knowledge they're not eating anything so far. Well, if I need to, I can arm myself with beer (one for the slugs, one for me ;) )
I don't think periwinkle chokes stuff out when it gets everywhere, this is the thing. Or maybe I just planted it far enough back in the shady section that it's taking a while...?
no subject
Date: 2007-12-29 05:21 pm (UTC)See you at 5pm. :-D (I will feed you dinner). :-)