July
15 - 31, 2003, Continued
A Rainy Day in Perry Parc....
Click
images to enlarge.
We had more rain this summer than in all
of New Jersey's history
of recording the weather, since the 19th century!
The garden loved it, but we got more green and less flowers as a result.
I think the ground just got too acidic with all the rains. But, oh!
Did Perry Parc smell great!!!
The aroma of the wet boxwoods and the wet ground was delicious! Not
to mention,
the strong fragrance of the lilies and and some of the other flowers.
And, WOW! Is it GREEN!!
We sure wish, that we had put out some grass seed, first, though!
But, who knew?!
We did get the grass planted later.
I will add photos of the new grass with the new camera when I get
a chance.
Click
images to enlarge.
Click
image to enlarge.
Fortunately,
Tom had mulched and edged the front yard beds and pruned the yews
and ivy, before the rains.
Click
image to enlarge.
Before
and After. Mid-June mulch pile on the left. Mid-July mulch pile on
the right.
Not much mulch left now!
Click
image to enlarge.
With
all the rains, work has turned indoors now....
Yogi is removing several layers of marine varnish from the back porch's
stone floor.
Tom had asked around, as to what would be a good sealer for the stone,
that would last a long time.
Some crazy fool told him to use marine varnish. The following year,
it all turned a hideous yellow!
It is taking Yogi weeks to get it off with a potent, varnish stripper.
Click
image to enlarge.
The
sun came out long enough one day for Tom and me to do more pruning.
This double-leader Holly has a tendency to be thin. After last winter's
freeze browned the tips of many of its leaves,
we decided it was a good opportunity to do some harsh pruning on it,
to try to get it to thicken up by springtime. As you may have noticed,
plants tend to be thin when grown in the shade.
So, we need to get gutsy-er with our pruning. This was our first courageous
haircut! It will look better next spring.
Click
images to enlarge.
Meanwhile,
a few blooms appeared as well. Shown above are budding euphorbia (left),
St. John's Wort (center), Alchemilla and Impatiens.
Click
images to enlarge.
The
tiny, intensely flavored Alpine Strawberries delighted in the cool
moisture and put out new berries.
But, the birds seem to have eaten most of them, before we got a sunny
day to collect them.
So, I took the opportunity to do some thinning, heading back and dead-heading
in the beds.
Click
images to enlarge.
The rain seemed
to help bring back part of the camellia that froze last winter.
It was beautiful for several years, always putting out lots of coral
red blooms in early March.
No one could believe it! But, when I purchased it by mail order from
Winterthur Gardens, the DuPont estate in Delaware,
the catalog said, it was hardy enough for our climate zone. My further
research revealed, it was not that hardy.
So much for the experts at Winterthur!
But, I do know of a specialist camellia grower in North Carolina, who
has bred camellias for this zone... very rare.
She sells them by special order. So, one of these days.... Maybe in
the front yard, in the newly mulched area,
or in the Secret Garden!
Camellias are my favorite plant. So, I'll try almost anything to get
then to grow in Perry Parc!!!
I had lots of them in my garden in Charleston, South Carolina, 36 years
ago. I'm starved for them by now!
They bloom in late winter and late fall.
They love shade and need a lot of surrounding protection, which we do
have here.
Click
images to enlarge.
Click
images to enlarge.
For
those not familiar with them, or, those who just love them, above
are some photos of camellias.
which are available from N. C. The
last one above is appropriately named "Winter Hope."
A garden is never finished! Gardners always have a wish list
for years ahead!
Some of these are on mine.
To Perry Parc, August 1
- 15, 2003
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here
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return to Index,
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Page 10, Perry
Parc Log 2003
