Roses will be coming on soon! Blooming now…..
Every year is different, isn’t it? Even though we had a challenging Spring, we are moving right along with the new gardens in the back yard. Stone walkways are going in. I’m seeding a lot of easy plants directly – poppies, sunflowers, mallow, hollyhock and larkspur. We’ll see how that goes as the summer progresses. Patience is definitely a virtue I need to cultivate!
The perennials in the back gardens are a combination of 1 or 2 year old plants I moved from the front yard or got from friends’ gardens, small herbs I bought at Desert Canyon Farms on our way back from a trip to Santa Fe, and some very nice unusual perennials I ordered from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. Oh, and a few interesting rugosa and noisette roses I ordered from High Country Roses. And I had to have another Darlow’s Enigma rambling rose, didn’t I? Endangered herbs, such as Osha, and some of the more medicinal herbs, like Elecampane, were obtained from Strictly Medicinal. Harlequin’s Gardens in Boulder had the currants and hostaberries I was looking for.
More on all of these later.
Here are some of the plants that are blooming now.
I love Spiderwort! This one gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Perfect!
I grow Spilanthes every year. The flowers have amazing medicinal properties. I dry some every summer, powder and blend into coconut oil with Prunella to make a stimulating, healing toothpaste. Can also be tinctured to be used as an antibiotic. Very young greens can be added to salad for an extra zing! If you ever get a toothache, this plant will help!
This is actually two clematis plants we installed together..It’s a very large trellis they are growing on, and we wanted to get maximum coverage and drama. They didn’t look so good last year, but they are very happy this Spring! A big pile of mulch (10″ deep) over their roots means they can take the hot afternoon sun that comes to their location around noon each day. Then back into shade around 4:30 or 5:00 pm. Love this color!
I adore this Geranium ‘Bill Wallis’ – tiny perfect flowers! Lots of them! This is a zone 5 perennial that reaches 15″ tall x 20″ wide, has a very long bloom season AND reseeds! Reblooms when cut back after the initial long bloom. So charming!
Electric Blue Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus) is one of my favorites! Loves a well drained hot exposure. Here, it is growing next to Sulfur Buckwheat – another one of my favorites for hot sun, low water locations. More photos later when it really gets going.
Rocky Mountain Blue Penstemon. A must have for every Colorado garden. Gets bigger each season, and is especially important for bumblebee populations. An infused oil of Penstemon flowers makes an amazing first aid remedy or moisturizer.
A hybrid Penstemon. Love the color! Yet another plant that likes hot sun, well drained soil and relatively low water. Bees, especially bumblebees, love this plant!
Arnica is a beautiful plant that spreads nicely and reblooms after deadheading, Linament!
Rosa Glauca! A species rose that REALLY likes growing here in my Berthoud gardens. It has reached 8′ or more, and there are buds lining every single arching branch from top to bottom! It produces small rose hips, which I will leave for the birds. Such a simple and lovely rose with blue/green foliage. Spreads by root runner when happy. Zone 3.
Prunella lanceolata is beginning to bloom! An antibiotic herb, it’s also great to use in dental formulas like mouthwash and tooth powder. Helps regenerate receding gums. A charming plant that is fun to grow.
Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis) is a nervine herb that is a lovely addition to the sunny garden. Here, on June 7, it’s in bud. Blooms with a vibrant lavender/purple bloom. Harvest leaves prior to bloom. Dry and infuse as a tea – tastes similar to black tea.
Shade garden with the very large, purple flowering comfrey and soon to bloom elecampane (to the right), violet, primula florindae (Giant Cowslip) and Osha. The comfrey is a nutrient generating plant, elecampane purifies the soil and is an amazing respiratory herb, Osha is an endangered antibiotic herb, while Primula and Violets are soothing, nourishing herbs. Flowers of Primula were used topically in olden times to restore and preserve the beautiful complexions of the ladies, and the tincture was given to calm hysteria. Violets are highly nutritious! We juice the leaves and add them to salads.
View from the mailbox. The Roxanne Geranium is stunning this year! Catmint is growing and blooming all along the front next to the sidewalk. It’s great for choking out bindweed and other weeds, and the bees adore it! Deadhead for reliable rebloom and save the seed! You can barely see the red rose next to the blue geranium – it’s just getting started – and you can see the Rocky Mountain Penstemon in the background. Bees are very happy about all of these plants!
Other plants in my garden that I’m looking forward to with great anticipation:
Angelica stricta ‘Purpurea’ – reaches 4′ tall and wide with large purple flowers.
Sunflower Italian White – a vigorously flowering plant, 4′ x 4′ with branching habit.
Verbascum olympicum – 8′ tall x 3′ wide – impressive! Major bee plant, respiratory herb.
Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’ – zone 4, 30″ tall, purple mullein. Reseeds. ‘Nuf said!
Hollyhock Alcea ‘Halo Cerise’ + Sunflower Lemon Queen = Oh Snap!!!
Nicotiana – the fragrant, tall white flowering version
Alpine strawberry – Produces highly nutritious, small, flavorful berries all summer.
Brown Eyed Susan – smaller, more plentiful flowers than blacked eyed variety. Bees!
Pink Muhly Grass – 3′ x 3′ cloud of pink grass in September. I must be patient!
Anthemis “St. John’s Chamomile” – vibrant orange flowers
Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Blue Barlow’ – violet blue blossoms to 30″ tall in part shade
Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis’ – color-changing flowers! Lovely!
Penstemon pseudospectabilis – hot pink flowers for the hot dry garden.
… and lots MORE!!!!
As always, we enriched the soil with compost, manure, glacial rock dust and mycorrhizal inoculant. My favorite organic plant food is Age Old Grow. Amazing!
Blessings to you and your gardens,
