Poppy - 'Falling in Love'

The last 2 years I have been trialing a new Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) from seed called Falling in Love from Park Seed Co. The description is as follows.... "a bright large-flowered mixture of semi- and fully doubles in shades of red, carmine, crimson, scarlet, and rose.....plus coral, pink, and white in solid and bi-colored forms. This Dutch introduction offers rich, watercolor shades hard to find elsewhere in the garden. Cupped and rounded, the 3 inch blooms look like silk, and arise very heavily on plants 9 to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide."

Here is a nice group of fully double coral colored ones.

This bicolor pink semi-double is pretty and refreshing.

A close up of a rose colored double form.

A single stem of a red and white bicolor, blooming amidst the other flowers.

Same flower as above, photographed from below with the summer sky as a backdrop.
(This is my Red, White and Blue photo for this year. Happy Fourth of July to everyone!)

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My conclusion about Falling in Love poppies? For me, they didn't really live up to their lofty description. Although I find them pretty, I prefer the old fashioned single Shirley Poppies I have grown for many years, for several reasons. They are taller, bear more and larger blooms, which hold on the plant longer and bloom over a longer period. I love their translucent , delicate, papery petals that just have more of a cottage look to me.... and, as whole, make a greater impact in the flower garden. And the best thing about Shirley poppies? They self sow so freely, a trait that I am fond of... which these didn't seem to do.

Sounds like I will need to do a post dedicated to the Shirley Poppy someday. :-)

Our Resident Toad

There's been a big toad around our house for several years now. We only see him in the warmer months. The rest of the year I guess he hibernates somewhere below the frost line. I usually see him in the flower bed on the north side of the house, where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. But after a rain, we have spotted him in various other places in the garden. On a cool, rainy day this week I spotted him in an unusual place that startled me a little.




As I passed by a flat of Cosmos seedlings on my porch, to enter the house, I noticed that one plant was dug up and lying with it's roots exposed. Upon closer inspection I was surprised to see Mr. Toad settled down into the nice cool potting soil. I think he was feeling invisible. He is camouflaged quite well, isn't he? As soon as the sun came out again, he was gone. I only wished I could have shown him to my 3 year old Granddaughter, who likes to read Frog and Toad stories.

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This post is for Annabelle.... with love from Nana. :-)

Spring in Bloom

Here it is almost the end of May, and my poor blog has been quite neglected! So to remedy that, here are some photos of a few of the blooms currently gracing my gardens....

This Columbine is a favorite of mine. I don't remember the name, but it is one of the McKana types. I like the two toned pink color, and the yellow stamens. It blooms longer and stays a nice compact size, in contrast to the bonnet types....which I often end up pulling out because they outgrow their space.

I am fond of these 'Cutie Pie' Violas, and as you can see.... the bees like them, too!

My daughter gave me this lovely Spanish Lavender plant for my birthday. It is a new variety called Lavandula stoechas 'Anouk'. After the first flowers have faded, the stems can be cut back for a second bloom time. And the best thing about it? It is a zone 5 plant, so I can overwinter it here... instead of having to replace each Spring.

A close-up of the wonderfully scented 'winged' Lavender blooms.

This week brought the first blooms of Periwinkle, Vinca Major 'Variegata'. I love the soft creamy color on the edges of the leaves, which really brightens up the rock gardens.

The first bloom of Clematis 'Niobe' opens it's dark red flower on the porch post.

There is a pleasing contrast of the white anthers against the dark blooms.

Also making an appearance now are the Lupines. The blue ones are a wild form, which I think have a nice Cottage look. If you click on the photo to enlarge, you can see a bed of Iris in bloom, behind the birdhouse.






And lastly.... a favorite vintage, weathered wood planter filled with Impatiens and hung from the light under the front porch, where it gets a little morning sun, and then shade for the remainder of the day. This was a great yard sale find, along with 2 others of similar style.

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Thank you to so many of you, for your get well wishes, as I have been down with a bout of Pleurisy. Recovery has been slow and is still not complete, but I have been able to do a few small tasks in the garden each day, which helps my spirits! And I have a wonderfully helpful husband, who has been called upon to do many of the tasks I don't yet have strength for.