Garden Friends: Letters Across the Miles Vol.3
July 1, 2009
Garden Friends: Letters Across the MilesJuly 2009
Volume Three
A Month in Teza’s Garden
June 2009
Penstemon heterophyllum ‘Shock Wave’
Princess Cypripedium reginae!
My stands of Aconitum glisten to show their displeasure
Heat and humidity arrived last week…
The squeal of pleasure upon seeing
Arisaema ciliatum
The Asian species of the genus are much later to emerge,
Linum perenne
Penstemon heterophyllum ‘Shock Wave’
Princess Cypripedium reginae!
My stands of Aconitum glisten to show their displeasurewith the near constant humidity….. close to 95 degrees!
Heat and humidity arrived last week… lets just say that many of the Shaded Walk
children were quick to show their
displeasure!
The squeal of pleasure upon seeingCypripedium reginae’s unfurled slipper
could be heard clear across town!
Arisaema ciliatum
The Asian species of the genus are much later to emerge,but tend to bulk up over night. I now have six stems!
My favourite time of day is referred to as
Everything shimmers around the edges,
The tropical foliage of
Even my Astilboides tabularis is about to bloom!
A miniature rose from a Memorial display
Sun lovers now have a border of their own.
The Shaded Walk is turning into a Jungle!
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavander Towers’
White star shaped flowers bring a
Heat is helping to ensure that Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’
My first container!
The Shaded Walk never ceases to amaze me
We started off the month with unseasonably cool, wet weather, and while many of our fellow Bloggers were bemoaning the fact, here in Teza’s Garden, the results were nothing less than sumptous! The ‘children’ were stretching their limbs, sending forth new growth that helped to create a gorgeously lush tapestry – if I may say so myself! It’s so very easy to bet carried away, to the point of boasting – but one has to remember that ours is a very short gardening season! Frost up until the last week of May is always a dangerous threat, but this year it seemed as though it only toughened up the brood!
My favourite time of day is referred to as‘the Gloaming.’
Everything shimmers around the edges,and maintains a clarity that often
appears as a trick to the eye.
The tropical foliage ofDisporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’
that at maturity will resemble a stand
of Bamboo, with 3m spears that
emerge a dark purple with a papery sheathing!
A Dan Hinkley discovery!
Even my Astilboides tabularis is about to bloom!
A miniature rose from a Memorial displaygiven to me when my Grandmother passed away.
Her spirit floats through the gardens, keeping her
Her spirit floats through the gardens, keeping her
memory close to me!
‘Rosa Abby’
Sun lovers now have a border of their own.Dracocephalum ruyschianum is a guaranteed
conversation piece when in bloom
The Shaded Walk is turning into a Jungle!
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavander Towers’is close to rivaling Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’
in stature!
White star shaped flowers bring adelicate presentation to the garden!
One day, it will be a 2.5m shrub with
One day, it will be a 2.5m shrub withwonderful white flowers dancing
on brilliant red petioles
Gillenia trifoliata
Heat is helping to ensure that Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’is filling out in the corners of my container that houses
Acer palmatum ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa.’ I went with a decidedly
Oriental presentation.
My first container! 
The Shaded Walk never ceases to amaze mewith it’s lush, textural tapestry year after year!
Dear Anna:
I was thrilled to see your latest instalment – and fear not my friend, I am scrambling to get my own edited in time! I so thrill to the wonderful photos that accompany your letter and could picture myself sitting on the bench at Chavasse Park, taking in it’s beauty with nary a worry in the world to distract me…. but that would require a pair of eye-glasses with rose coloured lenses would it not?
The ‘superlambanana‘ that opens your letter made me smile. How utterly original and the wonderful floral pattern, not to mention her name. I love the British sense of humour! I am glad you were able to afford a visit with your parents. Longevity is such a reassuring quality that we hope to inherit from our parents! My Grandmother lived to 92, and was active throughout her life! I am sure that you will have great success with the African violet. I was never one for roses ( Gasp! I know what you’re going to say!) but when I planted a miniature rose that was part of a memorial display from said Grandmother’s funeral, I could hear her telling me that it would do much better out-of-doors. True to her ‘message’ – it blooms prolifically throughout most of July – a display I look forward to every year!
The Arley Hall Garden Festival looks so divinely tempting….. I think I would need a truck to take home the innumerable treasures I would surely find. Imagine, forty nursery vendors with their wares for sale….. I’m somewhat relieved that I am not tempted with the likes of such here in Canada! I should be broke and living on beans and bangers the whole growing season long! The double herbaceous gardens, not to mention their being the first in England are stupendous in depth, texture and beauty. To have a large estate whereupon to garden in such context….. when my days upon this Earth have passed, I should like to come back……
I was waiting for your mention of Wimbledon! I love watching this most Grand of tennis slams! I was a huge Agassi fan, he with the blond mane and less than subtle tennis apparel, and in recent years have been equally smitten with Rafael Nadal. He brings a new personal strength to the game, which I am encouraged will bring new ‘blood’ to the sport. It doesn’t enjoy a strong following here in Canada, the land of ice, snow and HOCKEY! With Rafa not defending his crown, I wonder who the new crowned Prince will be? Something says Federer – and while he is very talented, I don’t think he would be my first choice. Alas….. may the best man win! Time for some Garden chatter:
June is one of my favourite months in the garden. By the end of May I have completed my yearly inventory, and can sit back and watch as the garden fills itself with the wonderful, if somewhat eclectic collection of plants. Of course the highlight of June was the return of my most beloved Cypripedium reginae – better known as the ‘Showy Lady Slipper’ orchid. If it were the only bloom in the gardens, I would still be a very happy gardener.
We started off the month with unseasonably cool, wet weather, and while many of our fellow Bloggers were bemoaning the fact, here in Teza’s Garden, the results were nothing less than sumptous! The ‘children’ were stretching their limbs, sending forth new growth that helped to create a gorgeously lush tapestry – if I may say so myself! It’s so very easy to bet carried away, to the point of boasting – but one has to remember that ours is a very short gardening season! Frost up until the last week of May is always a dangerous threat, but this year it seemed as though it only toughened up the brood!
And then the rains came – torrential downpours that drenched the gardens, or a few drops that could be counted on one hand – but the point was, it remained cool and wet for much of the first two weeks. My Corydalis thrives in these conditions, and this was the first year that all of them rewarded me with astounding floral displays. My first aquisition, Corydalis elata seems to be languishing, only a third the size of last year, but I notice that the tips of his stems are weighted down with buds yet to open.
I was honoured to receive so many wonderful birthday greetings on the 2nd, and spent the 3rd taking photos of my favourite shade garden – lovingly created and maintained by two wonderful people who were happy to let me wander through their true Shaded Sanctuary. I was honored to hear that they were intrigued with the results – another personal view of their garden creations!
June has been somewhat slower than expected at the nursery, but with the cooler, damp weather, many gardeners were happy to stay inside watching the raindrops coursing down the windows! The recent heat-wave will hopefully trigger more activity, but for this gardener, it also heralds in a time of heat inspired misery! I do not deal well with heat and humidity, and unfortunately, there aren’t many shaded retreats at LittleTree.
Of course Sunday evening shortly after dinner, saw a storm system move through the area, dispensing winds rain and HAIL! There is no other weather element to strike the fear into this gardener than the razor sharp hailstones that vary in size! It can shred a garden filled with lush and tropical foliage in no time. Thankfully it didn’t last longer than six or seven minutes, and the actual stones were relatively small. The only one of my treasures to be damaged was Heuchera villosa ‘Brownies,’ whose leaves are an unnatural hand’s width across. Luckily they will quickly be replaced with new growth within the next couple of weeks.
The 1st is our nation’s birthday – we are a relatively young 142 years old! Our’s is a country with a relatively peaceful historical existence. It would also have been the birthday of Diana. Is her memory still honoured? I followed her star power from the time she became engaged to Prince Charles, and was one of her staunchest fans throughout the ‘tumultuous’ years! It’s been a tragic week for the passing of celebrities this week, all of them far too young!
Alas, the ‘children’ beckon – the rains have subsided long enough to go check for weeds and slugs! Do not worry about the deadline for August – we’re all entitled to a vacation now and again, but I would enjoy photos of your journey! Pretty please! Have a most enjoyable July and we shall talk again soon!
Friends in Gardening,
Teza
Teza
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Despite the miles between us it seems that the month has ended on a hot and humid note for both of us. We did not have your hail though I most glad to say !
The little African violet is flourishing and now has three flowers with more to come. You must be delighted that you have managed to keep that miniature rose going in memory of your grandmother.
It was good to hear that you are an Agassi fan too – Wimbledon has not been the same since he retired from the game
Over here we are disappointed that Andy Murray has not made it through to the final. My money is on Mr Federer this afternoon. Must go and do some housework now before I sit down to watch the final !