Mears Garden news- Spring week 9- May 25, 2009

You know how I mentioned that there was this down time in the garden in mid May. It’s over. The riot has begun.
I think it was that first Siberian iris that got it started. Then the orchid cactus wouldn’t wait any longer to bloom. Then there were the allium and daisies and the baptista and little woodland anemones blooming everywhere. The line between weeds and flowers gets fuzzy at times. There was even the first pink Oriental poppy.
The tree peonies are finishing with the yellow one having rebounded from the hard winter. But the herbaceous peonies have started with the common double pink blooming. That is the one that seems to be in every tenth yard. You know the reason that they can’t hold their heads up, is that they were bred for the cut flower market in the early twentieth century. They were not meant to be on the plant for long. In fact if you cut them when the pink is showing and then refrigerate the buds in wet paper towels, you can keep them for several months. Imagine the treat of having a blooming peony in July.
And then there are the hosta. They keep getting bigger and bigger. I may actually have the biggest hosta contest later this summer. There is wingspan as one measure. Then there is leaf length.
Guardian Angel, which is pictured in the bonus, section almost gets a bed all to itself. Everything else has either been moved or needs to be moved.

So here are four pictures, but picking is becoming difficult as you can tell from the bonus pictures this week.

First here is a pink lupine. Lupines are wonderful. They like it cold. This was therefore a good spring for lupines.











Second is the yellow tree peony.
















Third is the tall pink bearded iris. Tall bearded iris are nice until they fall over. I just don’t know why I will stake Oriental lilies but draw the line at staking iris. Until they fall over the can be real nice.












Finally here is a blue Siberian iris. They are coming out all over the yard. The white ones are particularly striking.













Last week the epimedium was the overwhelming fan favorite. What will you like this week?

For your bonus pictures this week you can see the diversity in the garden this time of year. There is even a late tulip. The hosta is Guardian Angel. The pink spiky thing is an orchid. It is called the “common marsh orchid.” Its fancy name is Dactlorhiza fuschii. The yellow flower is a primrose, just planted this spring. It is listed in the catalogue as Polyanthus- Pacific Giant. The question will be will it come back next year.
















































































Enjoy the riot.
Philip