Fairy Tales in the Rain: the Bloedel Reserve

Could these be the berries the princess was told not to pick?

Forests are always magical places to me, but the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island in the rain was like stepping into a fairy tale. If Dragonfly Farms was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, then the Bloedel was The Brothers Grimm come to life.

I was lured off the main path, into the woods, where I encountered strange creatures

and giants that had been turned to stone.

The mossy ground dampered the sound of my footsteps, and I was enveloped in a cocoon of silence broken only by the pattering of the raindrops on the leaves.

The path enticed me to venture deeper,

leading me to a clearing, where I found a charming little house.

Remembering the stories, I didn't go inside, but instead continued along the path. A bit further on, I encountered a parade of sorts

and wanted to follow. Beyond, I learned the fate of a fallen hero

and discovered a witch's tower.

Luckily, there was a magic portal to take me back to the real world,

and I found myself safely in an open meadow.

This could be a scene out of the Twlight saga.

Or was I? 

A Berry Nice Wildflower Wednesday

Smilacina racemosa a/k/a Maianthemum racemosum

With the return of the rains, the garden has revived and many plants are surging into new growth. Instead of showing these, I decided to feature the beauteous berries of wildflowers, some of which are quickly gobbled up by hungry creatures, others that persist for months, such as the Solomon's plume berries shown above, which will become a vibrant red very soon.

The fruits of jack-in-the pulpit also have a ways to go before reaching their full redness.

Arisaema triphyllum

Even green, the fruits are captivating. They remind me of the statue of Artemis as the mother goddess.  Moving right along....

Aralia racemosa

the berries of Aralia racemosa are more showy than the blooms. The maroon/ruby/chianti color shines even in the shade. I wish they lasted longer, but the birds enjoy them too much.

And now, something blue.

Caulophyllum thalictroides

one of my favorite wildflowers, partly for nostalgic reasons, blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). It's doing especially well this year. Too often, by the time the berries blue up, the foliage is a tattered mess because my garden is a bit too dry for its liking. The extreme amount of rain that's fallen since the end of July has saved the day this year.

Thanks go to Gail for hosting Wildflower Wednesday, the fourth Wednesday of every month.

Daylily Dissatisfaction

Hemerocallis 'Apollodorus': I think this one's a keeper.

Once there was a gardener who lived on a hill and had a sunny, south-facing garden. She saw some beautiful new daylilies, and it was love at first sight. So smitten was the gardener, that she joined the American Hemerocallis Society, planted loads of daylilies, and went to daylily shows. She could banter with the best of them about picotees, piecrust edges, diamond dusting. Then, she left the sunny garden and moved to a new house in the shade.

She brought her favorite daylilies with her, but it just wasn't the same. The magic had gone, but she didn't realize it yet. Then, one summer she noticed she had too many different daylily cultivars that all looked the same, so she dug up most of them and gave them away to good homes.

The years passed, she added a couple new daylilies to the mix, hoping to capture some of the old magic. The new daylilies were of the purple-eyed variety.

Hemerocallis 'Druid's Chant'

They were very pretty.

Fast forward to today. The gardener looks on her daylilies and no longer finds them pleasing. The problem is with the complex and changing colors of the blooms. The darkest, solid maroon blooms aren't jarring,

H. 'Grape Velvet'

End of July, H. 'Super Purple', with coneflowers and 'Black Beauty' lilies in partial shade.

but the others, especially the eyed-varieties, just don't sync with the rest of Squirrelhaven's summer blooms.

Hemerocallis 'Druid's Chant' looks awful with Phlox maculata

In the morning, the colors are just fine,

Hemerocallis 'Pink Lavender Appeal' in the morning

but by afternoon, they have faded to a sickly peach.

'Pink Lavender Appeal' the same evening

Just pathetic.

Then there is the issue of deadheading and the unsightliness of large, faded blooms.

One day after blooming H. 'Woodside Amethyst' bloom: do not adjust your monitor, it really does end up this color.

Because daylilies bloom for only a day (hence the name), deadheading must be done everyday, or the new blooms are marred by the sodden mess of the old. What is a gardener to do?

I could remove all the daylilies, but there isn't much else blooming in partial shade in July. Daylilies are extremely tough, shrugging off temperatures soaring to 100 degrees, and they are drought tolerant. Maybe I should rip out all the large flowered cultivars, or maybe just  the fade-to-peach ones, and replace them with small flowered dark blooming cultivars, such as 'Little Grapette'.

Notice how none of the supposedly "purple" cultivars actually are purple.

I'm still searching for a happy ending to this story.

Flocks of Phlox for a Blooming Blogaversary

the newest Phlox paniculata at Squirrelhaven, 'Shockwave'

Once again, I had forgotten about my blogaversary. Today, Mr. McGregor's Daughter begins its fifth year. I could say exactly what I said last year about it, but why waste time? Let's get to the Bloom Day eye candy.  It's funny, last summer was equally brutal to what we experienced here in July. However, the temperatures have returned to normal and the faucet is on again, set on "Deluge." The garden has responded enthusiastically.

August finds the floral interest shifted to the Nanoprairie where the Lycoris squamigera has opened just in time to join its partners Phlox paniculata 'David' and Echinacea purpurea.

I know I said I was going to pull out that Phlox and replace it with a colored one because I can't stand the faded blooms. My foot problems really slowed me down during the spring, and only now can I use a shovel properly without foot pain. 'David' will be removed. Eventually.

Here's more of the Nanoprairie.

the native Allium cernuum

I should start selling these. According to the USDA Allium cernuum is threatened in Iowa, Minnesota and New York, but it acts like a weed in my garden.

Above the Alliums:

Eupatorium 'Phantom', Liatris spicata and Echinacea purpurea

On the front porch, a container has finally fulfilled the vision.

Heuchera 'Havana' blooms with Tricyrtis 'Gilty Pleasure'

The basket is to keep the squirrels out.

Across the front walk, Sedum 'Purple Emperor' has begun blooming.

Around back:

Geranium 'Bob's Blunder' and Hosta 'June'

Phlox paniculata 'Nicky' and Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise)

A random phlox.

Phlox paniculata 'Goldmine'

The last hydrangea to bloom, the lacecap 'Claudie'.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Claudie'

Another random phlox.

Phlox paniculata 'Grenadine Dream'

This one is shorter and more compact. There are other phloxes blooming, but you get the idea.

There are other things blooming beside phlox, such as the last of the 'Black Beauty' lilies

and the annual South African foxglove. (Thanks for the seeds, Nan Ondra.)

Ceratotheca triloba alba

The Clematis have staged a revival, the Lobelias are all in full bloom, and the ex-asters of the woodland are starting to bloom. The rose and Calycanthus floridus 'Athens' are in full rebloom again. Hello, Fall, I see you coming.

Heuchera 'Citronelle' and Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

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

The list:
Actaea racemosa
Aster species
Astilbe pumila
Callirhoe involucrata
Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'
Campanula 'Samantha'
Campanula 'Sarastro'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue Eyed Blonde', 'Telham Blue', 'Grandiflora Alba'
Clematis 'Betty Corning', Bonanza, 'Madame Julia Correvon', Petit Faucon, and 'Silver Moon'
Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'
Dicentra 'Bountiful' and 'King of Hearts'
Eurybia divaricata
Eurybia macrophylla
Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne), 'Jolly Bee', hybrid
Heuchera 'Fire Chief', 'Frosted Violet', and 'Raspberry Ice'
Hibiscus 'Red Heart'
Hosta 'Halycon',  'Krossa Regal' 'Maraschino Cherry', 'Winfield Gold'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'
Knautia 'Mars Midget'
Lavandula 'Hidcote'
larkspur
Lobelia 'Monet Moment'
Lobelia 'Sparkle DeVine'
Lobelia siphilitca
Lobularia maritma
Lonicera
Penstemon 'Pike's Peak Purple'
Phlox maculata
Phlox paniculata 'David's Lavender', 'Laura',  and 'Starfire'
Phlox pilosa 'Eco Happy Traveler'
Phuopsis
Rosa 'Carefree Beauty'
Sedum 'Xenox'
Stylophorum diphyllum

I Went to a Garden Party...

From back facing camera: Willi, Cindy, Shayna, Katie, Shelley, Judy & Dee in Lorene's garden

to reminisce with my old friends and meet some new ones. The fourth installment of the traveling garden tour and blogger party known as Fling rolled into Seattle with high expectations and great relief, especially for the bloggers from Texas and Oklahoma. For four days, we traveled in tour buses to see beautiful gardens.

It was a chance to let our hair down and have some fun.

In beautiful surroundings, we walked,


we took lots of pictures,

we talked.

Bloggers traveled from near and far.

Local blogger Tatyana with the Brits, Victoria, Michelle and hubby

I wish I had a photo of everyone, but each year the Fling has gotten bigger, and with 70 attendees, I didn't even get a chance to talk with everyone.

Pat and I in Denise Lane's garden

Thanks go to the organizers, Debra, Lorene, Marty, In the Garden with Marty Wingate (who managed to avoid my camera), and Mary Ann for all their hard work. Seattle Fling exceeded expectations.

List of victims subjects in order of appearance:
Willi, Digginfood
Cindy, From My Corner of Katy
Shayna, Kitten Heels & Compost
Katie, The Garden of Words
Shelley, 29 Minute Gardener
Judy, Botanical Interests
Dee, Red Dirt Ramblings
Barbara, B Wise Gardening
Frances, Fairegarden
Jennifer, The Garden Life
Lorene, Planted at Home
Gail, Clay and Limestone
Leslie, Growing a Garden in Davis
Layanee, Ledge & Gardens
Mary Ann, Gardens of the Wild, Wild West
Suzi, Garden Media Group
Kathy, Cold Climate Gardening
Lisa, Natural Gardening
Kylee, Our Little Acre
Debra, Debra Prinzing
David Perry, A Photographer's Garden Blog
Helen, Toronto Gardens
Caroline, The Shovel-Ready Garden
Vicki, Playin' Outside
Jean, Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog
Janet, The Garden Show Blog
Anneliese, Cobrahead Blog
Robin, Bumblebee Blog
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Bonnie, Vintage Garden Gal
Nan, Plant Soup
Melissa, Houston Garden Girl
Pam, Digging
Cyndy, Gardening Asylum
Diana, Sharing Nature's Garden
Andrea, Grow Where You're Planted
Tatyana, My Secret Garden
Victoria, Victoria's Backyard
Michelle, Veg Plotting
Pat, Commonweeder