Dragonfly Farms, Bainbridge Island; I Became Alice

part of a project assigned by David Perry during a workshop on Bainbridge Island

Seattle is a mecca for gardeners, and Bainbridge Island is a magical place for gardens. The day the traveling party called Seattle Fling 11 made its way there, the skies clouded over and rain became our near-constant companion. It put a damper on those of us trying to do a photo project assigned by David Perry to shoot only one part of the Bloedel Reserve (more on that later) as if it were for a magazine article.

As I'm sure you've come to suspect, I subscribe to the belief that most rules should be treated more like guidelines (to steal a line from "Pirates of the Caribbean"), so when the rain finally abated, I found my "story" at our last stop of the tour, Dragonfly Farms, a retail nursery whose tagline is "Where Abnormality is the Normality."

I was wandering alone through the display gardens when I spied an intriguing garden behind a line of trees and hedge.

As I searched for the entrance, I found myself feeling very like Alice, trying to find a way into a beautiful garden.

It then occurred to me that all of the Seattle-area gardens are Wonderland. One feels suddenly small when surrounded by towering plants that often are merely waist-high at home. I'd swear I'd drunk something that made me smaller, and I never did find the bottle to make me large again until I went home.

The colors of the blooms are more intense there as well. I saw many Geraniums that I grow that were vibrant and vivid, while mine are pale and insipid after days of highs in the 90sF.

Geraniums, Thuja and Brunnera (probably 'Diane's Gold')

I finally found a way in,

but I think it was the egress rather than the entrance.

No matter, the paths lured me further inside. Behind shrubs and through plants were glimpses

Geranium and Cotinus coggyria

that demanded further investigation.

A Geranium and a Lychnis provide bright zings of color.

Plants were repeated throughout this garden area, but in combination with different plants each time, giving the garden a feeling of unity.


I saw fantastical creatures: giant slugs

and dragons,

green dragon (Arisaema dracontium I think)

and things that weren't always what they seemed.

I didn't notice any caterpillars, so I can't tell you whether they were smoking hookahs, but it wouldn't have surprised me if they were.

horsey-soccer

Dragonfly Farms is a gem of a nursery, with inspiring plantings, cool garden art and a good selection of plants.

And yes, I did buy something to bring home. It's Hosta 'Dragon Tales', a mini that ties Seattle Fling to Buffa10 fling in my mind, as the Shadracks' Hosta garden in upstate New York inspired me to plant mini Hostas in containers.

Many thanks to Heidi Kaster, the owner of Dragonfly Farms for opening up just for us. It was a whimsical delight.

Postcard from Seattle Days 2 & 3

Dear Gardening Friends,

I finally made it to Seattle after 6 hours in the airport. My long delay won me a door prize, but more on that later. Suffice it to say that I'm seeing wonderful gardens and hanging out with great people. Wish you were here.

Barbara, Mr. McGregor's Daughter

Postcard from Seattle

7/23/11 This post didn't work like I thought it would, as no text came through. I saw this combo in a parking lot. I believe the tree is a redbud (Cercis canadensis).

Early July Wildflower Wednesday

Echinacea purpurea

Just a short post today, as I wrap things up around here in advance of my trip to Seattle to fling with other garden bloggers. I figured I may as well post this now, as I doubt I'll have time to get a post ready when I get back. Besides, I'll be wanting to download and edit the gajillion photos I'll have taken.

Liatris spicata

I'm making up a list for my Very Indulgent Spouse (VIS) of plants to water in my absence. I think I'm going to use left over flags from the last time the utility companies marked the lines here to indicate which plants in the garden need the water the most. The greatest chance of rain will be only 50% on Sunday. The forecasted highs for the next two days are over 100F. As you can see from the above photo, the front lawn is brown and crunchy. Despite the heat and dryness, the coneflowers and Liatris just do their thing as usual.

In the woodland garden, one wildflower is starting to bloom.

Aralia racemosa

The berries of spikenard are much more showy than the blooms. The black cohosh (Actaea racemosa a/k/a Cimicifuga racemosa) should be starting to bloom by the time I get back.

After last week's craziness of no electricity or WiFi for days, I am in sore need of a vacation. As such, I will be maintaining blog silence during that time. See you on the flip side, and stay cool!

For other Wildflower Wednesday posts, visit Gail next Wednesday at Clay and Limestone.

Power Restored July Bloom Day 2011

Ruellia humilis at the edge of the Nanoprairie

Thanks as always goes to Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

As I sat in the library typing this, it was day 4 without power here at Squirrelhaven, so this post is necessarily truncated. The power was finally restored nearly 120 hours after it went out during a short, but violent storm.

Eryngium 'Jade Frost', free trial Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIHM1' Twist-N-Shout, Phlox paniculata, Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice' and Lavandula 'Hidcote'

All the Hydrangeas are blooming.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey' blooming for the first time

I don't think I like the following combination, but they're both blooming there for the first time.

Lilium 'Purple Prince', an Orienpet hybrid, and mystery daylily

from left: blooming for the 1st time Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise',  coneflowers, Campanula persicifolia 'Telham  Blue', Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice', and Campanula 'Sarastro'

not black peony-flowered poppies, but still good

I'm out of time. There's lots more blooming, including several Clematis and the Aralia racemosa. Happy Bloom Day, appreciate your electricity.

Added 8 a.m. July 15
also in bloom:
Aquilegia vulgaris Heart of Gold type
Aquilegia vulgaris 'Sunburst Ruby'
Callirhoe involucrata
Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue-Eyed Blonde'
Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Alba'
Clematis 'Betty Corning'
Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud'
Clematis 'Evipo 031' (Bonanza)
Clematis 'Evisix' (Petit Faucon)
Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon'
Clematis 'Silver Moon'
Clematis 'Venosa Violacea'
Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'
Corydalis 'ex Dufu Temple'
Dicentra 'Bountiful'
Dicentra 'King of Hearts'
Geranium 'Bob's Blunder'
Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise)
Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne)
Geranium 'Jolly Bee'
Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'
Hemerocallis 'Chosen Love', 'Druid's Chant', 'Evening Sea', 'Grape Velvet', 'Little Grapette', 'Pink Lavender Appeal',  'Super Purple', 'Woodside Amethyst'
Heuchera 'Citronelle'
Heuchera 'Frosted Violet'
Heuchera 'Smokey Rose'
Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'
Hosta 'Candy Hearts'
Hosta 'Maui Buttercups'
Hosta 'Sweet Home Chicago'
Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA1' (Invincibelle Spirit)
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Billow'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Claudie'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
Knautia
lily seedlings
Lobularia maritima
Monarda 'Grand Marshall'
Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'
Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'
Phlox maculata
Phlox paniculata 'Nicky'
Phlox paniculata 'Red Super'
Phuopsis
Platycodon grandiflorus
Stylophorum diphyllum

Reviewing "The Bad Tempered Gardener"

I'll be posting about the storm damage here at Squirrelhaven as soon as power is restored to my home. In the meantime, read my review of Anne Wareham's The Bad Tempered Gardener on Carpe Geum. I wrote it and this post at the library, using their Wifi. Wish me luck.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter

Midsummer Malaise

drought-stressed Phlox paniculata 'Grenadine Dream'

The grass crunches under my sandals. The rain barrel has run dry.  After more than two weeks without even a drop of rain, the lawn and garden are suffering and so am I.

In less than a week, the lawn went from green and lush to this.

While the Chicago area is not considered to be in a drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, under NOAA's definition of an Agricultural drought, when "the amount of moisture in the soil no longer meets the needs of a particular crop," Squirrelhaven is in drought.

Some trees have started shedding leaves.

Corylus 'Red Majestic' bearing only the vaguest resemblance to its name. Note the brown willow leaf.

I'm tired of dragging the mile-long hose around to water the woody plants, and I'm ready to let the container plants shrivel.  Well, not really, but I'm heartily sick of lugging the watering can around, too.

I know I sound like a whiny little brat when compared to the suffering endured by my friend in Houston, Cindy of From My Corner of Katy, who has been gardening through an "Exceptional Drought," or Dee in Oklahoma at Red Dirt Ramblings. But it's not just the sky's stubborn refusal to drop any moisture on me that has me down. The Japanese beetles are back to munch on Clematis 'Betty Corning'. Ordinarily, they feast on my rose, but it's not in bloom now. I'm waiting for them to discover the new blooms of the Echinaceas, four of which plants I've had to yank so far this summer due to aster yellows. The early-blooming bearded Irises have iris borers. I can blame myself for this one, as I failed to remove promptly the faded bloom stalks and browning leaves. The smell and the mushiness of the infested rhizomes is sickening. I refrain from posting any images.

It's not been a good year for the Lilium longifolium 'Black Dragon Strain.' The number of blooms was paltry. Some of the buds on my new 'Purple Prince' lilies have shriveled, but at least the ones that remain are smashing.

The first blooms opened yesterday.

I notice that every July, I publish a post of unhappiness (Feeling Austin, Texas from 2010,  Reality Bites-July from 2009, and Trouble in Paradise from 2008). It is the time when the gardening compost hits the fan. I know I've said I don't like to leave my garden during the growing season, but this year, I'm more than happy to walk away. Fortunately, Garden Bloggers' 2011 fling in Seattle is just a couple of weeks away. I can't wait to see green, lush gardens and forget about my flagging one.

Color Combinations: the Problem of Pink

Digitalis in shade

There are some flower colors that are easy to work into combinations of contrasting or monochromatic schemes in the garden, such as blue.  Then there is pink, which has to be the trickiest color of all. It's just too easy to get it wrong.

Here are a couple of examples of nails-on-the-chalkboard yellow and pink combinations.

Sorry about the quality of this one. I took it in the middle of the day with my phone.

What is it about orangey-yellow day lilies that makes people want to pair them with pink?

I saw the above two scenes on garden walks last weekend. The top image is also from a garden I visited. That garden made me realize that one can get away with a lot more colorwise in the shade than in the bright light of full sun, where jarring colors are intensified.

So why is the top image pleasing, and the next two irritating? It's that clash of values. A strong yellow just doesn't work with pink, especially bright pink. In the shot of the foxgloves (Digitalis), the yellow is soft and pale and the pink is purpled. That brings up another aspect of dealing with pink: it can be warm or cool and they should never be mixed. Many a gardener has been brought up short when a plant they planned for a perfect color composition blooms for the first time in the wrong temperature of pink. To clarify the difference between warm and cool pinks, consider the following:

Heuchera 'Vesuvius' and Diascia

Both the Diascia and the Heuchera have blooms of a warm pink. It's not a perfect match, but it isn't painful to view either. By contrast

Please, don't try this at home.

this combination makes me feel slightly queasy. Lavender and coral should be kept far, far apart.

Now lets try it with a cool pure pink.

The pinks in my garden are mostly from the cool shades, such as this Phlox maculata. Rest assured, the Phlox is planted nowhere near the Heuchera.

So what does work? How about this?

Asclepias purpurascens

A darker cool pink is a good partner. But lets get a little more daring.

Cool pink and magenta work well, especially the magenta of the Callirhoe involucrata at the right bottom corner of the picture.
Now, lets have some real fun, Christopher Lloyd style.

This type of combination is not for the faint of heart.

The actual combination I have in my garden is with the chartreuse of Alchemilla.

Phlox maculata with Alchemilla serrata 'Gold Strike'

I find the combination of this jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) with Coleus 'Electric Lime' supremely pleasing.

Pink also pairs well with purple.

Fuschia

My favorite pink combination is exemplified by Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'.

Cool pink and maroon really floats my boat. Here's another version.

Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon' and 'Comtesse de Bouchaud'

I have no images of combinations with warm pinks because they are not my thing, but a warm version of the above photo could be done with a warm pink and a scarlet flower.

What combinations with pink have you found attractive?

Part I: Yellow