Mears Garden picture contest-Week 9- January 30, 2011-Goodbye January

Welcome to week 9.
I have been thinking about simplicity for the garden a lot recently. Sometimes but not always, simplicity means less work. With my hosta for example I find that a single big plant makes a better statement than 7 different hosta plants, all up next to each other. At the same time, and pulling in the opposite direction, is the need and the wish to have more of everything. I really must get more of that really nice trillium. Or I don’t have that plant. Or wouldn’t that interesting hepatica be nice. But where oh where is the room for those extra plants?
So I must try to balance simplicity with acquisition. This is so true about many things. Gardening as metaphor for life, or maybe just as metaphor for the spare bedroom.

Here is Iowa City it is still grey and kind of cold. Springfield Missouri, where my mother lives, got up to 65 degrees yesterday. I will have to ask about daffodils. They at least should be coming up.

How about the contest? In last week’s voting there was something really bizarre. The blog poll was rolling along and by midweek 71 people had voted on the poll. Then all of a sudden 20 votes disappeared. The poll total said 50. I restarted my computer and it still said 50. It went up by one or two votes over the next 24 hours but it was still missing the 20 votes.
Then Friday morning the votes came back. I really have no explanation. I don’t think it is possible to take back a vote. Even if that was a possibility the idea that 20 people took back their vote and then revoted 2 days later doesn’t work for me. I have thought about a wrinkle in time. I have thought about a zone of hallucination. Maybe it was a just a cosmic lesson. There are some things with no explanations. Accept it and move on.

So in that voting the winner was the leucojum. Imagine that.
The totals were
Leucojum 35 for 43.6%
Poppy 23 28.6%
Lily 19 for 25.3%
Iris 3(including my vote) 3.8%
Total voting 80


This week is another week of sort of pink flowers. It seems like there are a lot of them

First up is this picture of a wonderful lily called Triumphator. The picture was taken on June 25. It is a cross between the Easter lily that most people know and an Oriental lily of some kind. It is certainly a keeper.

Second is this daylily called San Ignacio. I have 3-4 daylilies that can reliably give you good pictures. This picture was taken on June 19. 2010 was an early year for much of the garden. Mostly daylilies are in July. This past year they were in full flower by July 1.

Third is this slightly different crocus called roseus. It is a species called tommasinians. The species is note worthy as tasting bad. Who doesn’t like the taste? Squirrels of course. That is the main critter of concern when it comes to crocuses. I am getting these established which is good. This picture was taken on March 11.

Finally here is another epimedium, with bluebells. The variety is called Sweetheart. The picture was taken on April 17.

Have fun voting.

For your bonus pleasure this week there are more crocuses.




I have also included a picture taken at the Missouri botanical garden last March 18. This shows you what is possible if you just naturalize your plants. It helps to have paths so people don’t walk on the lawns.

Let’s all see what happens with the groundhog.
Philip