Spectacular Growing Season

May 8, 2010 at 5:36 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

With the past cold and abundant rains of winter, spring has given us a banner year of blooms and growth.  2010 will be one of those benchmark years by which the memory will remember as a spectacular year for everything.  All the ornamentals, and if the weather continues to be good, the fruits as well will be outstanding this year.

The flowering trees and shrubs have been giving us the beauty of Nature as the season marches on.  Wonderful magnolias, breathe taking flowering cherries, and now the dogwoods are the familiar groups of spectacular showy trees, and there are many others from which to choose.  Meliodendron, Halesia, Styrax are just a few.  The maples are especially showy this year as well.   They like abundant water and we have had just that.  They will be simply irresistable all year from now onwards.  Flowering shrubs are no exception to this either.  Deutzias, Kerria, Spirea, Viburnums, (Oh those lacecap and snowball forms!), Weigela, Syringa(the lilacs), and many more are all doing wonderful things this year! Those vine enthusiasts can have their wisterias in over a dozen selections, clematis and now the climbing roses, just to name a few groups.

Edibles are hot this year!  All fruit trees, shrubs like blueberries and honeyberries, currants, etc. and the smaller things like those Alpine Strawberries (just LOVE them!) since they are ever bearing, look neat as fillers or borders, and make great potted plants too.   Have you thought of using artichokes as specimen accents for a bold splash of dramatic silver grey foliage and imposing form?  Plus the buds are wonderful to eat and if you miss a bud, they blom out to purple flowers. (don’t let them go to seed or they will revert back to giant thistles!)

Rhubard is another showy bold perennial with dramatic form.  Red stems and large broad foliage give an imposing specimen in the garden.

There is still time to put in your veggies.

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