Thursday, June 21, 2012

Miniature Painting


I absentmindedly made this small oval planter planter one morning while I was casting larger troughs.  As often happens, I had cast a couple large troughs and had leftover hypertufa once the large trough molds were full.  My garage is full of cast-off plastic objects that I stashed once upon a time, thinking that they might become useful on just an occasion such as this.  I grabbed the nearest thing (an old deli container that once held fruit) and cast the leftover mix as a trough.

I'd always figured that this trough was too small to grow plants.  Wrong.  The semps are happy as can be.  And we have a centerpiece for our outdoor table.  I'd bet that I look at this group of plants more than any other in my garden, just because they are in front of my nose when I sit outside with coffee.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

And An Old Trough

I kind of forget about this shady trough most of the year.  In fact, I gave up on it last season when the Annabelle hydrangea flopped over it and the trough dried out, leading to early retirement of the mini hostas for the season.  The trough looks great this year, with the hostas and bergenia co-habiting nicely.  With all of the rain we've had lately, the moss on the trough is gorgeous now too.

I just need to remember to whack (I mean "selectively prune") Annabelle back this year.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

New Troughs

After I sold most of the new troughs this spring, I planted up five that I had left.  This one is a short cylinder with a mugo pine, sempervivum and a phlox.  I stole the rocks from work.

The middle trough is an Oslo trough, with a couple dwarf conifers, an iceplant, and a veronica.

This is a Helsinki trough with a dwarf arborvitae, a white saxifrage, a dianthus and a couple other things.  That little round trough holds an erodium, which is tender here.  I bring it inside for a couple months in the winter.

Another Helsinki, this time with a geranium, a sedum, another dianthus, an iris, rosemary, etc.  That's a dwarf quince behind it.

Can't ever have enough troughs...




Sunday, June 3, 2012

Teasing Georgia


No, not the pink one in the foreground (that's Queen Elizabeth), but that yellow one in the background. That's Teasing Georgia.  I'm not a big fan of yellow in the garden, but I love this rose.

Teasing Georgia is a David Austin rose named for the wife of German TV personality Ulrich Meyer.  The "teasing" part?  I have no idea.  

I ruthlessly cut it back to a 3' framework in the early spring.  It rewards me with a giant burst of growth loaded with buds.

I love the soft yellow.  It looks almost edible.

She has her moment in May, but blooms off and on lightly all summer.

We'll keep her.