Roses & Clematis

I have a nice healthy shrub rose bush Linda Campbell, I have read several articles about inter planting a Clematis vine at the base of a large rose bush so I decided to give it a try. Linda Campbell has a dark red bloom, I wanted to find a white clematis but in my Saturday AM trip to buy plants I could not find a white clematis at any of our local shops so I got a very pale lavender clematis to use. It was so windy this weekend I didn't plant it but did today after I got home from work, the ground was nice and moist from the inch of rain we received yesterday. This was Linda in her glory last summer.

Tired Garden Helpers

I think they wanted to come inside and take a nap.......lol..........

Freezing Temps in April

This is what the unusually cold temps we had in April did to some of the plants, the brown you see on this white lilac was new growth that was frozen. I was sick about my bleeding hearts which were about 8 inches tall and were frozen off to the ground, they have come back and are almost ready to bloom! I don't think the lilacs are putting on their usual wonderful show but they are blooming.

What's in bloom May 5th, 2007

It has been a very windy day here in Iowa today, I went plant shopping this morning which is always fun! I planted several herb plants in my new garden for the senses bed. So far I have rosemary, thyme, 3 sages, garlic chives, chives, oregano, coriander, 2 fennels, lavender, 2 parsleys, 2 basils, 2 scented leaf geraniums and probably some others that I have forgotten.

I took a few pictures today of things in bloom.

Judd Viburnum

When we were at Reiman Gardens Saturday, all of a sudden I was getting whiffs of a wonderful scent, I finally found the source, it was a Judd Viburnum shrub, the smell was wonderful! The 3 shrubs were in full bloom. Now I am on a mission to find a source for the bush. I found four sources at davesgarden.com. I am going to order two or three and they will be planted as close to one of my windows as possible.

Butterfly House, Atlas Moth

They always have the most beautiful floral arrangements on display and this time was not a disappointment! Hydrangeas are a favorite of mine, I need to count my favorites some time, I bet it is a long long list. There were several beautiful succulent balls.

Reiman Gardens

We needed a little break from digging and dividing so we decided to take a trip to Reiman Gardens yesterday to see what was in bloom there and of course to see the Butterfly House and their conservatory. The gardens there are starting to come alive, lots of tulips (red and yellow of course) in bloom, the daffodils were beyond their peak. The conservatory was a tribute to the honeybee, with their gardens shaped like a honeycomb and the have bees in a glass case. The butterfly house was the usual thrill for me, I would go there every day if I could. There was an Atlas Moth this time, last time I had saw a Luna Moth.

I will share a few pictures I took yesterday.

Today I was back outside, I planted a Viburnum Snowball Bush (viburnum opulus) and a few herbs in my new herb bed, I planted rosemary, lavender, Italian parsley and creeping thyme. That is all I am going to plant for the time being just in case the weather gets crazy and I have to cover the plants :).