GBBD – July, 2013

It’s my first time I write on GBBD. Now after a few weeks of hot and sunny summer my garden is in blooms!

I show you the Canadian and Dutch roses. They have always pleased me with their resistance to all weather conditions and diseases. They staunchly resist rain, wind, snow, severe frost. In winter time, when I see a big snowdrift and some rose branches sticking out, I do not worry for them. I have two varieties of Canadian roses: ‘Martin Frobisher’ and ‘Therese Bugnet’ and Dutch varieties Pink Grootendorst and F.J. Grootendorst (red). 

 

Other roses are quickly starting up behind these ones. ‘The Fairy’ is one of the most unpretentious and well known roses. In the spring it already has buds when I open its covering. 

 

Rose ‘Blanc Double de Courbet’ grows by itself, doesn’t need any covering for winter as well. This year it blooms well.

Floribunda rose ‘Anadia’ is silver-pink, was badly damaged last winter and now it has a few buds.

I've planted two new roses. One is a 'Pristine' rose and another is ‘Pride of England’ which so far have a few flower. The rose 'New Dawn' is blooming well, it's three years now.

Shrub Potentilla (Bloodroots) has white and yellow flowers, and Rubus odoratus (Thimbleberry) has purple ones.

Finally lilies have bloomed. I have some lilies because they badly grow in this soil such an inappropriate for them. The most unpretentious Asiatic lilies survived and are blooming.

Surprisingly this summer gladioli bloomed early. I have different varieties in big tubs, the germinated bulbs were planted in April. 

The first Delphinium flowered in my garden, it turned out the blue one. Previously, all delphiniums didn’t flower at all, have no idea why.

That's all about the Northern GBBD. Hope in August I will be able to show you other plants in blooms.
What new plants do you show in this GBBD? Do you have any problems with them?

Ornamental Shrubs In the Garden

     I love ornamental shrubs because they beautifully set off other plants and flowers. Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark) grows 6 years in my garden, it has reddish-beet leaves, variety ‘Diabolo’.
It blooms in May and June, but its main quality is his leaves. It goes perfectly with lilies, peonies, bergenia, grey spirea, rodgersia.

Several years ago I purchased a small willow (Salix purpurea), variety "Nana". These plants have dense rounded crown, consisting of a very large number of small leaflets. Purple stems are very thin and flexible. Small narrow thin, pointed leaves are very graceful. From above they are painted in a bluish-green color, the lower part of the leaf is blue-gray.

 

In that summer I did a little pruning to my willow, then I planted some cuttings in the greenhouse and covered Salix for wintering.
What the horror was in the spring when I opened my beauty: it was sick, the fungus grew on its branches! I tried to cure but it died. What to do?
Then I remembered the cuttings that grew in the greenhouse. The two of them wintered well and gave the roots.They grew up and became beautiful small willows “Nana”.
A slim and slender meadow-rue grows near these willows. It is a little higher but its airy flowers beautifully look next to the gentle and delicate willow branches.

    When I stayed at the resort hotel I liked the big tree in a flowerpot. Looking closer, I realized that this was somewhat of Ficus Benjamin trunks intertwined as pigtail. Having arrived to St. Petersburg I found not far from my summer house three thin young willows growing in a ditch. I planted them in front of the house and the next spring I twisted their thin trunks as pigtail. 

The 8 years have passed and my twisted willows-“niwaki” grow well and the hostas, potentillas and lady's mantles are near their trunks.

Just a Summer Day

    How quickly time goes: spring was fast, the snow quickly melted, the leaves quickly appeared, grass began to grow too quickly. Constantly I have to mow the lawn. July began. Summer is in full swing. Days are very hot, with rains and thunderstorms. Permanently water tanks get empty after watering and filled with new rain.

However garden pests are not asleep. Gooseberry badly damaged, some berries fall off. Onions also withered: onion fly ate all the green shoots. I like to watch tomatoes. Grow and grow and turn yellow. I hope that in a month they can be removed and put in a box for ripening.

Strawberry has become to blush on a bed, and some berries are always on the table for breakfast.The wild strawberries ripen as well. It is not clear why they like to grow near my garden pond, some hang in the water.

Finally at the end of June the roses began to blossom. This spring, when the snow melted I saw that some of the roses died, their trunks blackened. I threw some, but I felt sorry for one of my favorite one variety "Margaret Merrill". I cut it at the root, and thought that it wouldn't come to life. But! Now the new shoots are growing, and the first bud appeared. 
Blooming roses is always fun in the garden. 

As always Pink Grootendorst roses (left) make me happy, they are very resistant to frost and disease.

White rose variety "Blanc double de Courbet" (left, under) is growing well, blooms and pleasantly smells.

Another light pink 'New Dawn' rose (right, two pictures) has blossomed, because last fall I told it to throw in the trash, unless would bloom. She's got it!
In the garden new assistants have appeared. They help around wooden compost boxes.

At first they hide, looking at me through the trees and then without any fear start checking grass and search for grass seeds. Usually is a pair of Bunting bird (Emberiza citrinella) - mom and her grown up nestling.

Clematis often suffer from winter frost. I try to warmer close them in autumn. Always a pleasure to see they come alive in the spring and start blooming. 

Here is my clematis "Rouge Cardinal" flowering on a trellis.
In March, I had a post where I talked about seeds which I purchased and planted on the windowsill. My seedlings were grown and now petunias and nasturtiums grow well in hanging vases, and gladiolus are starting to bloom in large flowerpots.

What a pleasant summer care, a pity that summer is very short here in the North! So I enjoy every day, no matter sun or rain, heat or coolness. My plants grow and the garden has become my favorite place.