Rose Fever

I don't know how this happened, it came on very slowly.  I put in a few Knockout Roses in the front garden and a few more in the back garden.  I figured I could handle these because they are supposed to be virtually carefree.

Red Double Knockout

Then, I saw a tall elegant rose up in town when I was shopping at the garden shop and I had to have that one also, Carefree Beauty.  I now have two of these.

Carefree Beauty

Many new Knockouts were introduced and I had to try all of them, Blush, Sunny, Pink, Doubles and Rainbow (my favorite) and All The Rage.  Throw in a few Pink Meidilands, winning floribunda and hybrid tea, Cinco de Mayo and Pink Promise.

Rainbow Knockout

Pink Knockout

All The Rage

Cinco de Mayo

Pink Promise

Pink Meidiland

Least I forget I had to have at least one rose (I have three) with fragrance so Mary Rose (David Austin) is the queen of the garden.

David Austin's Mary Rose

As I had previously mentioned I was invited to a luncheon in Chicago by Proven Winners Choice to meet the hybridizer of a new rose called Home Run, both pink and red.  I just had to try these so I ordered one pink and one red from a grower in California.

In the meantime, Spring Meadow Nursery who markets Proven Winners Choice asked if I would like to trial the Home Run Roses.  I said sure, what's one more rose!  Hence, I now have six little red Home Run roses and they are already blooming.

These are the first four I received, two more after this, small but healthy and all ready to bloom.

Home Run Rose

I have a small garden and there are roses peeking out everywhere, and as I said I'm not sure how this happened!

All of my roses are being fed Bayer Systemic 3 in 1 formula but I am not spraying the new Home Runs.  I have already had an infestation of rose midges and aphids on my other roses for which I have had to spray.  Home Run is supposedly disease and insect resistant with no deadheading, so far there is not an insect or disease in sight on these roses. 

*The Home Runs are placed in many different conditions, full sun, part sun, between many perennials, by themselves.  They are very little right now and are blooming with an eventual height of three to four feet.  Their flowers are stunning, bright red with a distinct yellow center.

*No remuneration from Proven Winners

Northwind

When up in Wisconsin over this past weekend, I paid a visit to one of my favorite nurseries, Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, Wisconsin.  I have visited many times over the past several years and they are always expanding their gardens so that now it is experienced as a small arboretum rather than just a nursery.

The beginning of a wonderful journey!

Horse Chestnut Tree
Fort McNair

Hyacinthoides

I will definitely be planting these next fall, blooming after the daffodils and tulips.

Amsonia

I am not sure which variety this one is, but they do not carry Hubertii (Plant of the Year).  Northwind has developed their own Amsonia introduction called "Amsonia Northwind Select," don't think it is available anywhere but there.  I purchased two of them, thin leaved like Hubertii and according to them superior!

This is the same nursery where Panicum Northwind was found on the property and we know that this grass is a winner. 

Roy Diblik is one of the owners and is well known in the Chicago area for being one of developers along with Piet Oudolf and others of the Lurie Gardens in Millennium Park

I am in the process of understanding the philosophy of Piet Oudolf who does not believe in a programmed looking garden design.  I am reading Designing With Plants over and over to digest the idea that it should be a design but not look like a design.  As I looked at Roy Diblik's plantings at Northwind I know he understands what Piet Oudolf is talking about!

Halcyon Blue in the foreground and we would love to know what is in the background?

Artifacts appear unexpectedly.

Geranium Karmina

Nepeta Walker's Low

Looks much better than mine!

 

Geum Prairie Smoke

I can see that Northwind has also incorporated the idea of having many pathways leading out from a main area like the fingers leading out from the palm of your hand as in Gordon Hayward's book Art And The Gardener.

I know, I got the idea that you can never have too many paths leading to interesting areas.

Paths leading to ponds

Benches and ponds

Benches on pathways

Art in the garden is a major feature at Northwind.



Donkeys in the garden

Goats in the garden

Cat in the garden on the lush perennial table

Lots of great choices, good prices - gallons $9.80, well tended

Great artwork for the garden!

Northwind is right outside Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, about ninety minutes from Chicago.  Check out their website for more photos of the farm.  http://www.northwindperennialfarm.com/





Around The Garden

We have had such terribly wet weather I am not sure it is worth going around my garden, but we'll give it a go.

The Pagoda Dogwood is beautiful again this year.  It did not bloom for the first five years and then I pruned it severely after the cicadas hit and it shocked it into glorious bloom.

Up close it is amazing!

I had Dianthus Firewitch on the south side of my home and it was not doing well.  It is supposed to take heat and drought but I guess this was too much for it.  Last fall I moved it into a back garden area and look what happened, it loves the new location!

Geranium Magnificum

I brought this geranium from my last home and it has not bloomed in six years.  I moved it last fall to a sunnier location and voila, it is blooming!

Geranium Karmina

I also brought this one with me when I moved and it has been very fussy until I found out what it wanted.  No cutting back in the spring, just neaten up after flowering or it cuts down on flower production, not much fertilizer or you just get leaves.  This is going to be its best year.

Geranium Max Frei

This is a very low growing mounding geranium, not fussy, seems to bloom no matter what.

Rockfoil

This is the plant I bought at Home Depot in early spring.  The rabbits were eating large chunks of it until I put down the granular Plantskydd.  I have four of them and the eaten ones are coming back, but what is notable is that it is non-stop blooming.

Zinnia Zahara Highlight

I grew these from seed and have not seen them in the nurseries in my area.  They are a luminescent yellow very striking!

Silver Tidal Wave Petunia

I grew this one from seed, can grow to two feet high and two feet wide, border or trailing.

This is also Silver Tidal Wave, goes through a range of orchid tinted hues.

Hosta Undulata

Hosta Thunderbolt

Astilbe Maggie Daley and Ghost Fern

Ninebark Summer Wine

I replaced the Rhrus Aromatica with three of the ninebarks by Proven Winners.  I love the dark leaves and they are ready to bloom.

Weigela Dark Horse

I put two of these in last fall in the front garden when I took out the roses.

The Veggie Garden

The lettuce loves it but the warmer season vegetables are on hold, can't even see my tomato plants in the backgrouund.