Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Canna buds & Garden Comparisons - 1 Year Apart

I don't really have any new bloomers for Jean's Blooming Tuesday, but I do have a two gorgeous canna buds to show you. They are both on the same plant and will open into big yellow/orange flowers.

Yesterday I bought a new Elephant Ears. I put it behind the pot I already had by the arbor. It looks like it's all one big arrangement.
This one has black stems.

In the gardens, all of my flowers bloomed a week to two weeks early this year. Here is a pic from last year in early August. The lilies that finished last week were still in bloom last year in early August.

2009 - 1st week of August: I had just bought, stained and installed this arbor. The lavender was in its prime...this year it is finished already.


I had a lot less Asiatic lilies in '09. I must have moved a ton of them to this area last fall.



The front of this border had about 15 feet of creeping phlox. It was beautiful for 2 weeks in the spring, but then just looked blah for the remainder of the year.


This year I was getting really tired of weeding out the grass in the heavy mat of creeping phlox. I did not get to it until late this spring, which killed off some areas and made the display less than it usually is. The blooms went all around this garden to the same spot on the other side.
I decided that this was prime real estate in my garden and it needed to do more than look pretty for two weeks. So my big project this year was to remove almost all of it.

I finished the removal on Sunday, July 25, 2010. This year all of the Asiatic lilies are finished, but I still have quite a bit of color since I added those big canna leaves and moved a lot of daylilies to this area.

In this pic, I have also removed all of the creeping phlox around the border, but not yet planted it all.

Sunday, July 25, 2010 -- I finished replanting this area with a number of different perennials.
Here is more of the border that was once all creeping phlox.


I am sure I will miss all of that creeping phlox next spring, but I really think this planting will serve me better throughout the gardening season.


The more I look at this area, the more I think I need a red daylily right behind that lavender.....maybe I am not done moving plants.

Don't forget to visit Jean to see what everyone has blooming. I will be doing that after work today.

17 comments:

  1. Your garden is looking very lush & pretty this month. Mine is struggling with the heat & lack of rain. :( Love those Cannas, they really add some flair.

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  2. This area is beautiful anyway you look at it.

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  3. the garden looks lovely. I think that removing the phlox was a great idea too. How about scattering some hungarian breadseed poppy for spring/early summer delight and then you can casually pull it out when the big guns begin! If you like, I'l send some seed. The little poppies are amazing - a garden staple for me and always self-seeding, so they can be sacrificed and WILL return! LOVE your cannas - ours never made it into the ground this year. Living vicariously thru you and your beautiful acreage!

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  4. Wow. Your yard is gorgeous. Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  5. The garden is gorgeous! I love the way you have everything planted, very artistic. I also know what you mean about the season being ahead of itself, so many of my flowers are already done for the season and it is only July. That's a great idea to put in some new color in the areas already done blooming, I think I will give that a try too. Thank you!

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  6. Hi Zoey. Girl I love the leaves on the first Canna. Cannot wait to see the blooms. I just look and look at the pictures of your large garden trying to pick out all of the beauties in it. I just love your garden. I love how your dark leaved cannas pick up on the lavenders and purples blooming.

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  7. A gardeners work is never finished! I enjoyed viewing the comparisons. From my angle it is all lovely!

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  8. Zoey, I am in awe of your artistic eye in the garden. Everything looks perfect as always.I just buy a plant and stick it where ever there is room. The dark stripes in the canna are beautiful, even without blooms. Great post! Jean

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  9. Your gardens are so lovely -- especially with those pretty woods behind them. Just beautiful!

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  10. I'm glad you get so much pleasure in your gardens. It's a living quilt!

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  11. Your gardens are lively - the canna's are amazing!@ Too cold for them here and I love them@ Thanks for sharing, Paula in Idaho

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  12. Your garden is lovely. I really enjoyed looking at all of the color and texture. I have many plants that need to be moved to new homes in my yard. That is part of the fun of perennial gardens. I'm not exactly sure that my husband agrees, but he is always a willing helper.

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  13. What a beautiful garden! I would have loved to walk there, and see all the gorgeous flowers! Thanks for sharing

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  14. Your tropicals are gorgeous! I think I will try more of them next year. They seem to like the heat.

    Just in case you don't get my other reply, I order the oregon moss from Kinsman on line, medium bale.

    Eileen

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