Gotta Garden

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Garden Trips: Maymont Flower and Garden Show (Part 2)

Picking up where we left off, here's a scene that we might expect from a flower show, but it's nonetheless very pretty and lovely to see this time of year:

IMG_2446 fountain

This picture holds more interest to me than you might expect. That's an 'Ann' Magnolia in bloom in front. Surrounding it (the evergreen shrubs) are Kleim's Hardy Gardenias (unfortunately, not in bloom. You may remember that I write about my Kleim's and Chuck Hayes gardenias because where I live, we are probably at the outer edge of their hardiness zone...about an hour an a half north of Richmond).

IMG_2458 ann magnolia with kleims

However, it was the sign accompanying the Kleim's Hardy that was noteworthy. Read carefully:

IMG_2448 kleims sign

Did you catch that?? "...white daily like flowers cover this shrub..." (emphasis mine). Now, I thought about this and I suppose it could mean two things, i.e., 1) that it has daily flowers (I do think they last longer than a day, however...or does it mean they will open daily?) or 2) daylily like flowers. You can probably guess where I'm going! I prefer the second explanation and I can only say: Woohoo, daylilies have come a long way to now have gardenias being compared to them!

I don't just look up when I'm at shows (laughing), I look down:

IMG_2459 looking down

Another nice scene:

IMG_2473 typical scene

Who doesn't like frogs?

IMG_2499 another sweet scene

These delphiniums were beautiful, especially since they are so difficult to grow in this area:

IMG_2506 delphiniums

Here was a garden filled with orchids (the other side was also, but the lighting was poor, so I was unable to capture it...sorry):

IMG_2482 orchid garden

Actual koi in the koi pond:

IMG_2512 koi

Obviously, not the real thing, but bright and cheery:

IMG_2505 mushrooms

Shopping galore:

IMG_2515 shopping

As I was leaving, I just had to have a picture of these pink tulips:

IMG_2522 pink tulips

Look what I found as I was taking the pictures (such colorful leaves!):

IMG_2521 Abelia grandiflora 'confetti'

It was a nice show, wasn't it? One last image, this of a building near the convention center (taken from my car window...as if you can't tell)...:

IMG_2528  building

Garden Trips: Maymont Flower and Garden Show (Part 3)

What I bought (you know you want to know! I'm just kidding with you...but don't you wonder what your friends buy???)........:

IMG_2532 purchases

Burr Nelly Isler "Swiss Beauty'

Dendrochilum glumaceum 'Virginia'

(scroll way down the page to an October 11, 2005 entry)

Tiarella "Heronswood Mist'

Helleborus x hybridus 'Metallic Blue Lady'
(scroll down to find this particular one)

Lillium OT Hybrid 'Honeymoon'


Lillium OT Hybrid ' Conco Dor' perhaps Conca d'Or'

I have had numerous lilies not be what I purchased them to be and I am not encouraged that the second one appears to have the name incorrect (google corrected it); however, for $1.49 ea...I'll take a chance...



***I am not affiliated with any of these sites. I simply googled the name(s) to try to find an image and a description.

Impulse Purchase

I couldn't help myself! Besides, those gerbera daisies were $12 on sale and these cute miniature roses were only $8.99. The daises lasted a little over a week. Here's hoping I can keep the roses alive (they really don't like being inside, let's face it)...because if I do, I can plant them outside! They're hardy and most miniature roses are own root as well.

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And yes, you're not imagining it...there are two different ones in there!

Garden Tips: Indoor Composting

Here's a picture of my copper compost container:

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I keep it by the sink where it's easy to just toss in those veggie scraps, coffee grounds, banana peels (nice greens) and even the occasional toilet paper or paper towel roll (nice browns). As it fills, I take the contents and toss them into a small compost tumbler that I have downstairs by the deck. Scraps like those above and some leaves I raked in fall will give me great compost.

Just think. It's all stuff you would otherwise toss in the trash. My roses in the backyard which received this compost last spring (and will get some more this spring) never looked better! If you're curious, those light green bags are called biobags. They're made of cornstarch and break down also. They help to keep things a bit tidier.

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(I'm not ready for a worm bin just yet...but I'm thinking about it.)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

US Botanical Garden: Amaryllis

If you were waiting to see the Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) from the US Botanical Garden,
here they are:

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Rosetta

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Lemon Lime

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Grandeur

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Giraffe


For further discovery, the U.S. Arboretum has a gallery of Amaryllis photographs.
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