Last week started with a bang…. literally. My beautiful car crashed and is out of commission. But now it is sunny again, we have a rental car in the driveway and no one is injured. So, I am happy to be back in the garden cleaning up, harvesting and playing in my greenhouse.
There are so many kinds and they seem to be in endless rotation so I don’t even put clematis names on my consulting lists any more. Instead, I suggest you choose the ones you like when you find them. If it is early colour you need try the ones that bloom on old wood (Type #1) and never ever cut them back in fall. Instead cut them as soon as they finish blooming in the spring.
Yes we all love early blooming alpine flowers and summer-long showy annuals. But sometimes it is the humble shrub that wins praise with its fantastic blooms and ability to welcome the world of pollinators. When I walked outside and saw my ninebark ( Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Tiny Wine’) in bloom I was surprised by the range and number of bees attracted to the flowers.
There is no easy answer to keeping plants moist and if they dry out from lack of water or too much wind, they do get stressed and stressed plants get diseased. Sometimes they even die.
Do you want to make your own glass-dish flowers for the garden? Artist Wendy Savi Start suggests you start off with clean dishes so that the silicone will adhere. “I often give the dishes a wipe with rubbing alcohol after I wash them.” Play around with your arrangement till you find something that works for you. Silicone the dishes together with GE Clear Silicone II and let the arrangement set for a day. Don’t be skimpy with the silicone! Read More…
GWA members were in Buffalo, New York last week to see the gardens and learn the trade. Here are some images from my trip to Buffalo including glass flowers
