Sunday, 28 June 2015

Fitting things in

It's time for another round of "Birthday Perennials"!  Wasn't that my last post, a year ago?  Adding items to the garden, gets harder as I add items to my life.  Since July 2014 I have doubled my summer paid-work schedule, volunteered to be on a conference planning committee, accepted more responsibility in a couple of organizations, and taken up training for an ultramarathon.  Hours and energy are running out faster for me than space in the garden.  It was surprising how easy it was to find sites for the six new perennials I scooped up from the nursery this year (it was somewhat helpful that a few of last year's lot perished).

Irish Saxifrage (Saxifraga andrewsii): Forms rosettes of leathery, toothed leaves, making small offset plants and eventually forming a good-sized mound.  Taller red stems in spring hold sprays of small starry white flowers marked with pink freckles.

Dwarf Korean Goat's Beard (Aruncus aethusifolius): Low mound of light green ferny foliage, bearing short spikes of creamy white flowers.

Chinese Pagoda Primrose (Primula vialii): Upright stems with a rocket-shaped spike of flowers in a shocking combination of mauve pink and scarlet red.

Red Masterwort (Astrantia major 'Ruby Wedding'): Unique umbels of starry flowers.

Bressingham Thyme (Thymus doerfleri 'Bressignham'): Forms low evergreen carpet of grey-green leaves, studded with dusty-pink flowers in early summer.

Spiderwort (Tradescantia Blue Selection): Long display of blue triangular flowers over a clump of grassy leaves.

(Photos to follow, eventually, of those that survive long enough and are deemed blogworthy.)

A huge thank you to B, who planted them for me and will be the one to "water until well-established", and to Mom, who I expect is paying for them.


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