While we wait for the asparagus, beans and annuals started from seed to get bigger here, there are lots of little things happening in the borders surrounding this garden:
Above: Blue perennial cornflower, a pot of annuals and a red peony about to bloom make a nice combination in one corner, while...
Above: lilacs are still blooming; asparagus (planted this spring) is getting ferny; Jacob's ladder and martagon lilies are starting to bloom in a shady corner; peony opening up; and calendula started from seed is beginning to bloom.
To see how this garden area has progressed over time, click here and scroll down.
Also, check back over the next few days as I post pictures of other areas of my garden as well!
Do peonies need to be sheltered? I bought four last year at the end of the season quite cheap... 3 have come back but they are in the middle of the yard and take a fair bit of the north wind and the hot south/west exposure?
Posted by: Tammy | July 04, 2011 at 05:05 PM
Hi Tammy,
This particular peony (above) doesn't get very big and it's fairly sheltered but I still grow it through a smaller metal peony ring because the blooms are so heavy that they'll flop at the slightest wind or rain.
I have some bigger peonies in the Adventure Garden which is quite exposed, and they grow through much larger peony rings and sometimes they still flop anyway - if I was a peony perfectionist I would have to stake each bloom individually to get them to stay up. But I'm not, so I just cut any that flop over and bring them into the house to enjoy - their fragrance is awesome!
Hope that helps,
Janice
Posted by: Calgary Garden Coach | July 05, 2011 at 03:21 PM