This is what I'm saying to my sleepy plants these days. They're listening too. They stretch and yawn and unfurl new leaves and I love it! This time of year makes me giddy.
Last Saturday I went to Garland Nursery with my garden buddies Cate and Bobbi. We were planning on looking at plants...
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| A sweet Magnolia blossom. The fragrance was incredible. |
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| A new Dicentra called 'Valentine' is a true-red. |
...And sitting in on a presentation given by Judy and William of the
Garden Time TV Show.
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| Judy Alleruzzo |
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| William McClenathan |
For all of you locals, if you've never seen William and Judy live and in person, you're missing out. On the TV show, they're all business. But live, oh my gosh. William had us in stitches! He's hilarious.
The presentation lasted an hour. They showed us new plant introductions, container combinations and a new ergonomic tool line. Afterwards, we looked around a little before heading home. What did I buy?
This:
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| Spider Azalea --Rhododendron macrosepalum 'Linear' |
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| A close up of the flower and leaf buds. |
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| And the flower in full bloom! PINK. Now you know why I bought it. |
We kept our nursery romp short on purpose. With only weekends to tend my garden, I wanted to get home and do my due diligence to my needy garden.
Here are some of the waker-uppers.
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| Brunnera macrophylla is in bloom! |
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Hellebore 'Hot Flash' is still delighting me
even though the leaves have revered to solid green. |
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| Spiraea x bumalda‘Pink Ice’ What's not to love about this? |
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| Spiraea ...dang, Its all about the foliage on this one but I can't remember its name. |
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| Spiraea thunbergii “Bridal Wreath Spiraea” |
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| Spiraea japonica ‘Magic Carpet’ |
A few years ago while at Fry Road Nursery, I grabbed a rooted cutting of the below Hydrangea. It is really coming in to its own now. I am totally smitten with the foliage.
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| Hydrangea ‘Lemon Wave’ |
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| Hydrangea ‘Lemon Wave’ |
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| Aquilegia 'Woodside Strain' I've got these all over my yard now since they come true from seed so easily. |
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| An emerging Euphorbia... wakey, wakey! |
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| Pulmonaria 'Reginald Kaye' |
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| Physocarpus opufolius‘Coppertina’ (Ninebark ) |
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| Rosa 'Knock Out' |
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| Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' |
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| Persicaria 'Red Dragon' |
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| Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' (Star Magnolia) |
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Star Magnolia in full bloom.
I had planted some white crocus below it hoping for a color echo
but the crockies are already finished. Dang. |
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| Weigela florida 'Variegata' is one of my favorite shrubs. |
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Leopard's Bane Doronicum orientale
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Narcissus 'Geranium' These are my favorite daffodils.
They are usually the last to bloom but they're a few weeks ahead
of schedule this year. |
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My spread of tall Alstromeria is really happy thanks to slug bait.
These are going to be gorgeous when in bloom.
Notice the twigs on the left. These are my Lonicera hedge cut WAY back.
Such fast growers, in a month you'll never know I cut them. |
A few years ago I bought (on clearance) two four-inch pots of this sweet little straw flower. Since it had a cascading form, I planted them in a hanging container. They've survived two winters on my covered deck and look...they're getting ready to bloom.
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| Helichrysum |
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| Not a perfect-looking plant by any stretch but I like it. |
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| Mukdenia rossii ‘Crimson Fans’ which I need to replant. It's outgrowing its pot. |
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| Clerodendrum bungei, such sweet red baby leaves. |
And finally, I took this photo of a car in the parking lot where I work. I thought it was funny. The far left sticker reads, "Buy hemp and let the trees grow." My favorite is the far right one. "Non-Judgment Day is Coming."
