BERBERIS THUNBERGII 'ROSEGLOW'

When designing my yard I wanted to enclude some Barberries. There are so many to choose from, and I really only wanted one type in the front yard. I could have had several varieties of barberries, but didn't want a yard filled with deciduous shrubs only, especially stickery ones! When looking at the textural and leaf colour combinations that I was creating in the beds, I decided on Roseglow barberries. They has beautiful marbled foliage in shades of cinnabar and pale pink and when Autumn arrives the leave turn an electric coral colour ( see posting on November 6th, you can see their fall colour in the collage). Thriving in full sun I had the perfect locations for them. In Spring they fill their more mature branches ( they bloom on second year old wood) with myriads of tiny yellow flowers providing some early nectar for the local Mason Bees. And in fall, after the foliage drops, you get and additional show of small oval red berries. You can see what Roseglow Barberries look like when a little more mature in the posting on November 18th.
From time to time they need some pruning, which is best done in Winter or right before they leaf out. Generally Roseglows develop a vase shaped plant and unwanted stray branches and older wood need to be removed.

This plant should have a space in every yard if your looking for something very hardy with months of beauty and interest.

GOBBLE GOBBLE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

here's a collections of samples from the garden

FALLS GENTLE EMBRACE

Winter is knocking on our door and even though Fall isn't completely over (according to the calendar), it feels as if it has already parted. Every last leaf has been blown off by our recent storms and with temperatures dropping to the mid-thirties, Falls gentle embrace feels like a fleeting memory. It doesn't seem like that long ago the trees were starting to turn in a warm Indian Summer afternoon and the Fall Asters were in full bloom. The Dahlias were still going strong and the Ornamental Grasses were at their peak. Now the garden stands silently in our soggy landscapes waiting for Springs return.
This is a time for the garden to take a much needed rest from the prosperous growth of the previous season and to rejuvenate. And one day, in the not so distant future, will see the Spring Bulbs start to brake above the ground and the Hummingbirds and Gold Finches begin to return.

THE GARDEN REVISITED AGAIN

Here are a few more shots of the garden earlier in the year. Enjoy!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Here are some pictures of one of the beds in the front yard. The two photos were
taken about 4 years apart. It's always nice to view pictures like this to see the progress of the garden and enjoy its maturity. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was planting those shrubs and perennials, but now it's looking well established. Since the beds have filled in, this spring I'll take some divisions.
The women in the photo is my good friend Suzanne who has been available to shovel some of the 90 cubic yards of soil (so far) that I have brought in. Now that's what you call a friend!

Hope you all are blessed to have many wonderful friends to lend a hand in some of the bigger tasks in your gardens.
I know I am. Bob of Bobs garden.com

JAPANESE PAINTED FERN

Now that the garden has been cut down and started its dormancy, I reminisce on some of the successes of the past year. One of my favourites is my plantings of Japanese Painted Ferns (Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'). I planted a few small clusters several years ago in a shady well enriched soil location nestled amongst some Cimicifugas, Primroses, Hydangeas, Kalmias, and Heucheras. I waited for 3 years for these small starts to start preforming and finally they developed into robust specimens. This Summer and Fall they unfurled to be beautiful full ferns nicely filling there allocated space and added a soft counterbalance to there many large leafed neighbors. This plant really does look as though it has been painted with silver, purple, grey, and green all on the same leaf. I look forward to next year when I can take a few small divisions off this hardy fern and share them with some of my fellow gardeners.

VERY BERRY

Well, I should say " very berry, fruit and seed".
October and November are a wonderful time to celebrate the harvest of the season and see what nature has produced. Often forgotten by many gardeners, the fruit and seeds of many of our ornamentals are very important. Its such a lovely site to come upon a Viburnum, Hawthorne, or Rugosa Rose with their beautiful fruit. What a shame that this charming feature is sometimes overlooked.
Adding to the texture of fall these precious gems give us one last boost of colour before their winter rest, adding to Autumns glory.

PLATYCODON

As with many of us in the North half part of United States, our gardens start to wind down due to winters approach giving us a time to reflect on our gardens progress. Since there is little growing during this time I'll share little treasures that bloomed earlier in the year in hopes that you'll consider finding a niche for them in your own yard.
Here's a picture of Platycodon grandiflorus. The hybrid I have growing in the garden is a dwarf variety of which I don't recall the name. Any who, its a wonderful little gem that comes back every year and requires the minimum in care. The colour is the most vibrant blue and its perfect for featuring near the front of the border or nestled amongst some rocks. Growing best in full sun with moderate summer water it blooms mid-summer (late June through beginning of August) and once planted it should be disturbed. Differently mark were this plant is located because it is very late to appear in spring coming up much later than just about everything else in garden.

GARDEN REVISTED

A couple of shots of the garden earlier this year. I'll share more later on this fall and winter.
Hope all you plant lovers are doing well and enjoying all the garden catalogs of next years latest and greatest. Now is a great time of year, as the our yards tend to need less upkeep, to find what we can't live without in our gardens.

AUTUMN COLLAGE

To celebrate the season
A selection of foliage and fruit
From the garden
Creating a Autumn Collage

LACE-CAPS

Here are some photos of a lace-cap hydrangeas in my garden for Becky. I only have two hybrids in the garden right now. These are pictures that came from the same flower, showing how it changes colours as it matures. This Hydrangea is 'Lady in Red'. It has red stems and red veins on all of its leaves and in fall it turns a beautiful red. The flowers start out white and slowly change to an intense parrot blue. Sorry I don't have a good pictures of the wonderful red foliage. The resent hard frost took care of any Autumn colour. In the future I'll share some photography of an amazing variegated hybrid that I recently planted.
Thanks to all the wonderful feedback, BobsGarden.com

A PAINTING

Well the rains started in the other day, and here in the Pacific Northwest it suppose to rain until next March. So during this time of year I'll share pictures taken earlier this year. Not being a photographer or a writer for that matter, I'll take a picture that may not be as centered as it should or as in focus as it should, but from time to time a photographic miscalculation can turn into something rather lovely. This shot above, although slightly out of focus, turned out to be one of my favourite rose shots. To me it doesn't look like a picture but more like a painting. Either way I really like it and I hope you do too. The rose is "Queen Elizabeth" a floribunda thats been around along time (since 1954 to be exact) and its a real keeper.

SEDUM SPATHULIFOLIUM

Sedum spathulifolium is a west cost native that I cluster plant throughout the garden. The cultivar that I have is 'Cape blanco', which was selected for its wonderful blue grey foliage. I love to tuck it in the nooks and crannies around the garden as well as next to the river rock walkways. There's something that I like about mixing it with other hardy succulents and locating it with decorative gravel and rocks that appeals to me. Maybe because its very textural creating a living tapestry. Even a low shallow pot filled with an assortment of sedums and sempervirens and accessorized with some attractive rocks can make a statement. Either way its a wonderful little plant that deserves a place in any garden. Plus its very easy to grow.

IRIS FOETIDISSIMA VARIGATA

Here is a picture of Iris foetidissima varigata (Gladwin Iris) from earlier this year. I love this plant. It has beautiful foliage that does not die down in winter. Actually, it looks good year round. The variegated form of Gladwin Iris are generally non-bloomers, but in my garden they seem to flower every year. The non-variegated forms are more popular because they are prolific bloomers setting large seed pod filled with bright orange seeds in fall. This plant is not that easy to find at most nurseries. I purchased my plants from the famous Herronswood Nursery when I had an opportunity to tour there. This is the sort of plant you can easily combine with many other plants to add interest and form to your garden.