Spring Creeps in Slowly

The ground is continuing to thaw. Not quite as cementy underfoot when I take my morning peak and poke to see what might be coming up. And this morning, the air smelled like things were starting to grow.

My repairman George returned to do more tests on the dead ovens. This time he brought tools that were more closely associated with the task he had come to perform. No hangers with bendy bits, but another electronic control panel. He is now more certain than he was before as to what part he needs to order. As a side note, he isn't really my personal repairman, but, I've just started to feel a sort of kinship knowing that he'll probably be back several times before I can make those brownies I crave so badly.

Less moss on the newer seedlings - seems as if it was a temperature problem - too cold in the basement. However, the germination still isn't quite where I want it, so I'll move stuff about today. Thinking I'll take some of the tropical bulbs off the heating cable and replace them with seeding pots.

Continuing on with my Favourite Plants for 2008 based on my photo record here is the best of the lovely month of June:

Favourite Plants for June 2008

Hydrangea heteromalla

This is the first hydrangea I ever grew from seed and in June of 2008 (believe I started it in 2002/3) it bloomed. I do have prettier hydrangeas, but this is a case of mother's pride. It has been a brave little plant having had to be moved 3 times from it's final pot. Recovered well each time and seems to be a hydrangea that doesn't need much water. Growing in fertile soil - sandy base. Looking forward to seeing what it does for me this year.

Calamintha grandiflora 'Variegata'

Have had this plant for 3 years. Originally from a Quebec nursery - carried it home on the train and stuck it in the shade, in the ground, in this pot. From time to time it sends out a dark green shoot that I'll yank off. It blooms beautifully for about a month, and then the rest of the time, it just has these nice spotty leaves. Not as vigorous as other mints that climb out of prison and do their worst all over the garden - a really good little 30cm (1') plant.

Pinellia tripartita

This is a plain vanilla pinellia (again from seed). Growing in dry shade, this little aroid originates from Asia. It took about 4 years for it to achieve this size. It is very slow to emerge in the spring. This is the first year it was photo-worthy.

Athyrium 'Ghost'

Dependable, blendable, memorable. A lovely shade-loving fern that handles dry sandy soil and looks lovely all summer long.

Thermopsis caroliniana

A biggish perennial (175cm 5+ feet), it dependably blooms and has no insect damage whatsoever. This year with the backdrop of the Persicaria polymorpha - I thought it looked quite handsome.

Clematis x durandii

Here is Clematis x durandii doing what it does best - mingling with a bushy plant - my Persicaria polymorpha. The internodes are very long on this clematis - so it looks very sparse between the party of its leaves and flowers and it's skinny stems. I had planned for it to be a vision of purple/blue with my lovely yellow Elizabeth magnolia - however, Liz fizzed in a matter of 3 years and so Durandii just scrambled along the ground and made friends with one of my all time favourite plants - Persicaria polymorpha (seeing how many times I can mention this plant in one post....think that's 3). C. durandii blooms for at least 6-8 weeks and requires nothing more than a friend to lean on.

Deutsia 'Chardonnay Pearls'

I am not a fan of Deutsia generally - there's that 48 hour period when I do love them when they are big and blousy and blooming. However, this all comes to an abrupt end and they become big and green and a giant waste of space. However, this Deutsia is chartreuse, and its little blossoms look like wee pearls before they open. It keeps its good leaf colour all summer long and has the manners to stay nice and small.

Japanese Tree Peonies

I know, the blossoms don't last long, but I don't care - they are beautiful. Heard Stephanie Cohen offer this advice, "Buy the most expensive one you can afford - because it will last longer than you do!" This $10.00 White Rose unnamed treasure enchants me every year. Chances are I would have had more blossoms sooner if I'd spent more money, but at the time $10.00 was all I had.

Hosta 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake'

A great piece of punctuation in the garden - love those pointy leaves. Slugs were bad last year, but this fine little specimen did just fine. It is a lovely front-of-bed hosta.

Anemone virginiana

Also called Thimbleweed because of its seedheads. A dainty - slightly overfertile - woodlander. Excels at dry shade.

Echium russicum

A relative of our very common blue viper's bugloss. Bought one plant, and then ordered a seed package. I enjoy their twisting spirals and how they changed colour throughout the month. My soil is probably too fertile in this part of the garden - but here they'll stay as they are front and centre in my early a.m. coffee drinking window. Don't know how perennial they'll be for me, but now that I know how easy they are from seed, I know I'll be planting more to replace any that don't make it.