And then I noticed these little guys blooming in the shade garden. What a mood lifter!
Aren't they sweet?
Since the gardening catalogs are coming willy nilly in the mail I decided to peruse one or two for some plant ideas. Park Seed has always been an agreeable read, along with my old standby Thompson and Morgan. I came up with a new wish list for this year, and tried to keep it within reason. Kim and I have managed to save some money towards this year's gardening season which will include buying TWO! new pairs of garden shears, fertilizer, and mushroom compost from Zamzow's. There should be enough left for a modest trip to our local greenhouse, Edwards.
So, my 2009 Garden Wish List;
1. Caladium 'Carolyn Whorton' - our shade garden needs some perking up. I think these bulbs would fill the bill.
2. Wild Sweet William (Phlox divaricata 'London Grove Blue')
Mmmmmmmm.......so pretty. At 8-10" they would fit nicely into my Moongarden which I'm trying to expand beyond only white with pink and blue.
3. Hardy Geranium 'Starman'
Another Moongarden candidate. Small, tidy plants, 12" tall. Needing some pink along with the blue.
4. Aster 'Alma Potschke'
I can never find this plant locally. Maybe I need to look harder. "Magenta-pink blooms over a long, lovely late season in the sunny garden. Thriving even in heavy clay soils." At 34-40" and zone 3-8, I need this plant.
5. Red Bishop's Hat (Epimedium x rubrum)
Perfect for growing under our Globe Willow tree in the front garden. "Thrives in the dry shade beneath trees."
And three more for the shade garden -
6. Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'
"Large, silver-splashed leaves with clusters of raspberry-red blooms in spring. Resistant to powdery mildew and to slugs."
7. Bleeding Heart 'Gold Heart'
Yes, we have a bleeding heart plant, or two, but one is growing old and needs replacing. I like the gold leaves on this one.
8. Hosta 'Sum and Substance'
Big filler is what we need in the shade garden. With 2-foot leaves and at 3' for the plant, this could fill the bill.
And one plant just for fun;
9. Baby Lilac Shrub (Leptodermis oblonga)
"1-inch lavender flowers with a fragrance similar to lilacs smother this compact shrub from late spring till frost. Need no pruning, are drought resistant." Zone 5-8, height 2'. I could fit a couple of these, at least, into my perennial beds. Bluestone Perennials calls it a "blooming machine". Nice.
So, what's on your wish list this year?
10 comments:
Lovely wish list. I have Hosta's. You do know... they die off in the fall.. and go back into the ground and then come back in the spring. And your first plant will not be that big....How do ferns do over your way? The don't receed and look good all winter... at least here they do. I also have a verigated hosta. I'll try to find some pictures...if I took any last year.
I was thinking about that very same bleeding heart too. There are always SO many things on my wish list. Hopefully I'll be able to afford a bunch of them this year!
Nice list. I also need some more plants for the shady area, but I decided to try get the other beds done first.
Oh my you have me drooling over the lovely choices you have made. You have given me some flowers to think about getting.
In my old garden I had the Alma Potschke aster and it was stunning.
I am going to look for the Wild Sweet William here love the blue flowers.
My wish list for this year is to have the muddy back yard sodded( waiting for the contractor) so I can then plan gardens and plant some trees.
Okay, admit it, you're just buying flowers that will go with that pretty pink sweater you knitted for yourself, aren't you?
I don't know what that sweet little thing is bursting forth in your garden but it's really gorgeous!
Wes is already starting in with the garden talk. le Sigh. Like we can grow anything with a yard full of baby goats! They chewed his dying kung pao pepper plant to bits--now there's just little dried up peppers lying in the pot but no plant! Too funny. Wish I'd seen the reaction the first time one of them tasted one of the peppers.
Those little snowdrops are the sweetest things!
Thanks for those reminders that spring is not far off - I really needed that :)
Love your choices - all of them! I'm crazy about caladiums, and I love that bleeding heart.
I see some I'll have to add to my wish list. I got my firt Pulmonaria last summer - I can't remember it's name but it blooms pink and purple both. Raspberry Splash looks great too. I think I'll add it.
What a nice wish list Victoria. It sounds like many of these plants would do well in my garden too. The only one I'm familiar with is Epimedium rubrum ~ love it. Anything that works in dry shade is good for me! You have a great assortment of seeds started too. I can't wait to see your garden this summer! Thanks for visiting my blog.
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