The Townhouse Garden 2010 - Iris Came Back For Mothers Day

It's been a few years now but Iris is back, looking more beautiful that ever.

Iris on Mothers Day 2010

It was in the summer of 2007, when Iris, having been ripped from the only home she'd known and kicked to the curb, found her way to me. I welcomed her in, cleaned her up, and gave her some fresh soil. I didn't have a permanent spot for her to stay at the time, as her arrival was quite sudden.

In 2008, Iris was showing some recovery,with some new, healthy growth. Still in her temporary accommodation, news was that a more permanent home was just around the corner.

2009 brought some setbacks for Iris, a recent renovation left her a little worse for wear, being walked all over and garbage thrown at her.

Early Spring 2010, Iris is looking strong and healthy, in her 3rd year here, she's getting settled and really putting down her roots.

Mothers Day weekend, and Iris is back, a real star in my garden, and just to think only a few years ago she was unloved and unwanted, well I love you Iris, and you can stay as long as you want.

Time to make some Mothers Day flower arrangements, I went around the garden and cut some of the best flowers that were available today.

Lily of the Valley

Rhododendron "Jean Marie de Montague"

Forget-me-not

"Basket of Gold" Alyssum

Variegated Euonymus

Purple Columbine

Lilac "Mme Lemoine"

Curly Parsley

Arrangement for my Mother In Law

Arrangement for my Mom.

The Townhouse Garden 2007 - The Front Garden Grows

2007 wasn't a busy gardening year, with no big projects ahead, I can take time to watch the front garden grow.

The Crocus's are the first flower to bloom in my garden. I've planted them in front of the Lavender bushes, the Daffodils are planted just behind and are just starting to bloom. Later in the season the Lavender hides both the Crocus and the Daffodil leaves, as they can be kind of ugly at that stage.

Spring time and the Daffodils are in full bloom and the Japanese Maple is just starting the leaf out. The "Basket of Gold" Aurinia saxatilis is also just starting to bloom, I love how this plant will cascade over the rocks.

The "Basket of Gold" is starting to cascade over the rock border and the small yellow Rhododendron is blooming.

I don't know the name of this pale yellow Rhododendron, but is looks like it can be kept small. I transplanted it from the back garden last year and it seems to be doing much better in this location.

Closer to the house is mostly a shade garden, the small cedar hedge make sure of that. It's the perfect spot for some Ferns and a Hosta. I've also planted a Hydrangea, Astilbe and a "Nelly Moser" Clematis growing up a trellis on the down spout.

I added interest to the entrance way by removing some of the agrigate bricks and plastic edging that were there when we moved in and replacing it with some flagstone and re-worked the planting area with some more of the bricks. This to is shaded 80% of the day, I've planted some Bleeding Hearts, Ferns and more Hosta's. I tried growing some moss between the flagstone but this area was just to shaded. I'll have to rethink what I should use to replace the moss.

The red Rhododendron in the distance is a well know variety, Jean De'Montague. I've always loved the Rhodo's that have big clusters of red blooms and dark green leathery leaves, and now I have one of my own. The Dahlia's are just starting to come up. Shasta Daisy's are planted just below the living room window and a Rosemary and Bay Leaf bush are planted below the kitchen window. A Late Dutch Honeysuckle is climbing up a trellis attached to the downspout. I started this plant from a cutting off a 30 year old Honeysuckle that's at my parents house.

The west facing side of the townhouse is a tough area to grown plant's in. It needs watering every day in the summer, to solve this problem I installed a drip irrigation systems to water all of the front garden. Sherri from Lee Valley Tools was a speaker at a recent Richmond Garden Club meeting, she talked all about installing a drip irrigation system, using the products offered by Lee Valley. I looked really simple, so I gave it a shot, and I'd have to say it was money well spent. What use to take me at least 30 minutes to do, now takes me about 2 minutes, to hook up the hose and turn it on, and if I get really lazy I could always hook up a automatic timer.