Here come the Hollyhocks
They say you can’t have a cottage garden without hollyhocks, which is good because I like cottage gardens and I really like hollyhocks. They are such tall stately flowers able to withstand so much weathering.
I have had trouble with the deer eating them in the spring, but this year I figured out a place where the deer won’t eat them and my hollyhocks are taller than I am. I have old-fashioned double hollyhocks, the blossoms look like small peony blossoms, I would like to get some single ones next year. They’re such intriguing flowers since they bloom from the bottom up. They are beautiful from the multiple buds on the top of the flower stalk to the partially opened buds down to the full flowers.
Here are a few photos from one of my hollyhocks (all from the same flower stalk from top to bottom).
I love how all the buds form at the top of the stalk and then as it grows the buds space themselves out on the stalk.
The buds are so neat when they begin to pop open. You can finally see what color the flowers will be.
Down a little more and the buds are a little more open, beginning to reveal the ruffled petals.
Going down even farther you start to see a little more of the flower.
And finally the full blossom at the very bottom.
Here’s a larger photo showing a foot or so of the bloom stalk.
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Morning Dew
I always enjoy walking around the gardens in the morning while the dew is still on the plants. Last week I snapped some photos of dew on a few flowers. This is Snow Crystals Sweet Alyssum, it’s less that 2 inches tall (it would be a bit taller, but I often find the Chiots laying on it).
Lady’s Mantle is one of my favorite plants, last year I ordered some seeds from Richters in Canada and set out to start my own. I only got 3 plants out of it, but I love them. It’s so much more satisfying when you can start your own plants from seeds. The plants are still small, but they’re doing beautifully this year.
I’m hoping next year they’ll start seeding down around the gardens. One of the great things about Lady’s Mantle is the soft fuzzy leaves and the way the leaves hold dew in the morning. Just beautiful. CAUTION, you may want your own Lady’s Mantle after you see these photos!
This is one of the small inner leaves that is just beginning to unfurl.
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The Last Peony
This morning I noticed that the last peony blossom is out, it will be gone soon so I snapped a photo of it. I’m not sure what the name of this particular peony is, I inherited this plant when we bought this house.
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Before & After
I like before & after photos. It’s always good to see how much you have accomplished.
A month and a half later:
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Roses
I have 2 white rose bushes that I adopted 5 years ago. They are supposed to be climbing roses, so they were planted on both sides of our front porch to climb up the posts. Well, they’re not hardy enough for zone 5 to be climbing. They’re so finicky, always with some black spot or aphids. Since I don’t like to use pesticides in the garden and I don’t want to baby plants, they will be gone next year – anyone interested in some white semi-climbing roses? They are beautiful and they bloom all summer long.
