The Garden of Bogturtle

 I believe this plant, that appeared on the property, somehow, is called 'Star of Bethlehem'. An old fashioned gardening choice that is said to become a pest. The one may disappear, here, if I don't move it. Inch wide flowers on a plant about 8 inches tall., I recall it from my childhood in a nearby garden in the city.Ornathogonum nutans is my guess.  Among the tangle of vines on the fence that hides the sides of the above ground pool from where we park, an occasional bloom or two shows up from Clematis montana 'Mayleen'. Usually blooms about 2 inches wide.  A truly huge bush, now, overhanging the start of the exit drive. This is Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine'. On a sunny day I will be able to photograph a more encompassing view.  Over by the toolshed, a Southern native, Styrax obassia has been planted. A small tree or large shrub.  I really wanted a red Rhododendron, and the only one I knew of is the old Ironbound red, that is so hardy. But a fine nursery offe...

Seemed to stress out the program, so I have to change the date and start a new group.  Really never noticed before, but the dwarf, red-barked Japanese Maple 'Fjelheim' is just about the color, now, it will turn in Fall.  Really difficult managing blogger. This Rhododendron, called  'Purple Passion' is actually a little deeper than the picture shows.  Not much to look at, but one of the first perennials I planted here. So dependable. And evergreen Geum called Geum borisi, or sometimes 'King Boris'. The Southern evergreen called a Leucothoe. A common name might be 'Dog Hobble' and any southern hunting hound would find it impossble to get through a thicket of it. Creamy white, urn shaped flowers show it is a member of the Heath family. After bloom, I will cut it to within 6 inches from the ground. I expect it to return as beautifully as it did, when I did that about 5 years ago. A heavy, wet snow, that broke so many trees, here, has it quite distorted now. ...

  Plans gone awry, and I will just go with this. I planted, years ago, along the front walk, bulbs of the Spring ephemeral Scilla hispanica, which is similar to the English Blue Bells of their woodlands. That, I think, is S. nonscripta. I planted the three common colors offered. A white, a violet blue and a kind of orchid pink blooming. Now I see only the bluish and pinkisn sort seeded and blooming among the stepping stones of the path. More and more, and while I will weed the path, I will leave these to bloom. Few are still along the left of the path. A group of blue are spreading to the right.  And here, along the front walk, are shown the two different kinds offered to me as Azalea 'Tradition'. A rather doubled. I think the lighter is the more genuine variety.  One corner of the main perennial garden, which we face, when we park, is being dominated by Epimedium colchicum. A few yellow flowers, but a solid covering of really attractive foliage.  Terribly out of foc...

  Just outside the kitchen, where the faucet for the garden hose is, a native, planted years ago, is spreading. Chrysogonum virginianum. A common name is 'Green and Gold'. Just about evergreen, here.  Really a flood of blooming coming on. Hardly able to keep track of it. I planted a form of perennial Forget Me Not in a planter by the little pool. I think they have started, but, last year, they shed seed onto the ground outside, and those hav grown an bloomed much earlier. And a few bloom white, which is fine with me. Myosotis silvatica, I think. But it does not seem a biennial at all. It returns, as far as I can tell, perennially. And at least a hundred species have been named. Kerria japonica 'Plena', with its doubled marigold like flowers is coming into bloom. A colonizing plant, spreading now into areas where it is not welcome. 'Dependable' might be the word. And around the exit drive, a growing clump of cream colored ones bloom. Not snow white. K. J. 'Al...