Fishtail Cottage Garden 4/20/15

Our temperatures here in Seattle have certainly woke up much of the garden.  We’ve had a few days of upper 60’s and the landscape is loving it!!!  I’ve been busy in the gardens any chance I can get!  Over the weekend I worked on my metal wheelbarrow ~ I enjoy changing this out every year and trying out new plants.  This year, I decided on all perennials and plan to place them in the garden beds as the flowers diminish. I planted a beautiful “Dalmatian Peach” digitalis surrounded by “Pino Gris” heuchera Sensatoin Deep Rose Salvia, Carnation and sandwort along with some white allysum seeds. I think it will flourish nicely throughout the summertime. 

 

I may have to replace the digitalis with something else in a few weeks as the blooms of these won’t last too long, but they are so gorgeous right now…I plan to save the seeds and grow more in the garden beds!  Maybe delphinium, or a lily of some kind? Who knows, I’ll decide when I’m ready! For now, I’m enjoying how stunning this wheelbarrow looks in the garden.

 

Its so fun to see what is returning and flourishing this year.  No matter how many photographs I share with you, and comparing them to previous years ~ the photos of the landscape are never the same…everything is always evolving and new shapes and color scheme to keep me interested and of course in love with the beauty all around me! I mail ordered three Florida Dogwood trees in 2007, when they arrived they were about four inches in height. I planted them in the landscape and after stressful areas for them, I ended up moving them a few times until I felt that they were finally in a happy spot.  I was told years ago that this Florida Dogwood would never make it in my area.  But I’ve been patient and waited in hopes of a performance like this one.

Last year I had maybe five blooms total on this tree, but look at it this year…can you see them all?  So excited! Unfortunately one did not make it past the first move, but the two I have are doing just fine.

 

I know you spotted a lilac appearing next to the dogwood ~ you are right! My neighbor across the street has had blooms on hers for a few weeks now, mine has just finally bloomed! So far only two of them!

Another fragrant favorite of mine is the Northern Highlights Azalea ~ if you are curious about how fragrant, think of a Daphne.  One you can smell when you are clear across the other side of the gardens! I started with one, and have accumulated six more. Only a couple blooms have appeared, but already can smell them when I walk out my front door!

More blooms such as pictured are “Centaurea Montana”, Columbine, a sea of “English Bluebells”, tree peonies (lighter pink one is “Paeonia Hanakisoi”), “Cunningham White” & “Jean Marie” Rhododendron’s.

This has got to be my favorite view in the garden right now – this photo is taken from my back patio where I sit and enjoy my morning coffee!  Everything is so green and lush, yet still so much to look forward to!

Thanks for coming over and reading about this weeks blooms at Fishtail Cottage!  xoox, tracie