June Delights Abound - Aquilegia, Trollius, Peony, Geums, Crabapples, Cherries and more

 The nursery is looking great now with all the new plants that have arrived as well as so much color and texture. Linda does a great job setting up displays of things that really compliment each other.
This table is inside the nursery in front of the potting shed and now holds variegated iris, 'Black Beauty' Sambucus, lavenders, heucheras and Primula 'Green Lace'.

                                                     Aquilegia 'Yellow Queen'
Aquilegia 'Yellow Queen' is one of my favorite columbines with it's clear yellow flowers in two tones and long spurs for a dramatic effect. It would look great coming up under Sambucus 'Black Beauty' or any other purple leafed shrub. Also nice in a woodland garden with hellebores and pulmonaria's.

 This is one of those outrageous Itoh peony's 'Singing in the Rain'. It is a hybrid between and tree peony and an herbaceous peony- getting the stronger stems of the tree but the tidy quality of the herbaceous peony. When it started to open last week when I photographed it there was this great coral color. This week the petals are a soft yellow. One thing that's so fun about these peonies is their chameleon quality with the color. They are very hardy and good growers so even thought they cost a bit I think they are worth the investment - getting  bigger each year with more blooms for cutting.

                                                         Campanula 'Sarastro'
Campanula 'Sarastro' is a good clumping 26" tall perennial with fat long bells of a deep blue purple.
A terrific cut flower and will just keep on blooming if you cut them. It's a richer color than this photo shows.

                                Geum 'Double Bloody Mary'

This very true red geum does not show it true color so well in this photo. It is a long bloomer and has the ruffly blooms like a little rose. I also like to us geum's as a cut flower - they hold up surprisingly long inside. The foliage is evergreen so keeps a presence in the garden all through the winter as well.
Good for the front of the border.

 Nursery set up with Weigela ' Minor Black', Weigela 'Rubidor',        Phygelius 'Moonraker' & Euonymus 'Emerald and Gold'


Throughout the nursery you will find nice combos of plants that we have set up to both look nice and perhaps give you new ideas of what to mix together.

                         Wire planting cones lined with moss.
We have started potting up a few hanging baskets and thought a different shape would be a nice change to the garden of porch. This cone is large - 14" diameter at the top and once the callibrachoa fill in and trail down more along with the lobelia is will be quite stunning.

                                                     Prunus 'Royal Burgandy'
For the rest of June we are having our 3 different ornamental cherries on sale for 20% off. This 'Royal Burgandy' is a striking one with the deep purple leaves and double pink flowers. Of course the bark is a highlight on the cherries as well.

                                                             Malus 'Show Time'

This is a new crabapple for us this year. It was developed to take the place of 'Prairie Fire' who had great coloring but not such a good growth habit. Malus 'Show Time' does not get too big and has the most vivid color flowers as well as a purple tone to the foliage.

                               Viburnum pl. tom. 'Popcorn'

A great newer viburnum for smaller gardens. It gets only about 6' tall and wide so won't spread out so much as many of our older viburnums do. It is covered with clean white snowballs of flowers - or popcorn balls more to the point. Fall color of the foliage is an extra bonus with deep red / burgundy tones.

                                                        Eryngium 'Jade Frost'

We all like sea hollies and their dramatic star shaped blue prickily flowers. Jade Frost adds that extra kick of cream and pink variegated foliage so even a longer season of interest on this good perennial.

                                    Trollius 'Cheddar'

This is an early blooming perennial for a shady area with the most stunning flower color of the softest yellow.
 It likes fairly rich soil but is a tough plant too. I wish it had been named something else that more accurately describes the color,  as it deserves an honored spot in any garden. And yes it is another gorgeous cutting flower.

Hellebore Pink Frost, Pulmonaria Diana Clare, Clematis Apple Blossom & more

 Hellebore Silvermoon - a lovely hybrid of ericsmithii - is a prolific bloomer and holds up well though all our rain and cold weather. Soft tinges of dusty pink develop on the flowers as they age. Foliage has a silver blue cast to it as well. Another hellebore that is great paired with any of the euphorbia's with the purple or pinkish cast to the leaves - like Euphorbia 'Ruby Glow', 'Blackbird', 'Redwing', or even the old sturdy martinii.

 A variation of the evergreen armandii clematis - this is 'Appleblossom' with pink buds and flowers holding a pink cast.  Profuse bloomer and fragrant like vanilla!

 Nothing beats the color intensity this time of year like the pulmonaria's. This one is Pulmonaria longifolia ssp. cevennensis. A great blue and nice long tapering leaves which hold their silver color all summer and fall. A terrific shade plant but can also tolerate quite a bit of sun. Place it under hydrangeas for some early interest1

 This pulmonaria is a new one for me. Another form of longifolia called 'Diana Clare' It's flower clusters are a bit fuller than the previous one and a nice violet blue which will age into purple and then finally into pink. Heavily marked with silver the leaves give impact all season.

 Euphorbia 'Blue Lagoon' gets somewhere between 18" and 30" tall - not sure what accounts for the variation in information! About 2' wide and flowers larger than others I've had in the garden.

 OK here is the show stopper - Hellebore 'Pink Frost' paired with Euphorbia martinii!! The colors play off of each other and also pick up the red stems of the Cornus 'Ivory Halo'. A combo that is worth repeating a few times.

Can't get too many photos of this fabulous hellebore with such strong out-facing flowers! A long season of interest and tough during our cold snaps.

Berberis, Corylopsis, Osmanthus, Phsocarpus, Spirea, Hummingbirds, Helleborus Pink Frost and so many New Leaves

                                         Berberis darwinii - Evergreen 

 It's hard to believe it's already the month of April. My oldest daughter will be 37 soon and she worked in the nursery with me when she was 13 years old! What a treat it was to have a child so avid, as well as a sponge, that soaked up every tidbit she was exposed to then took it ten times further.
Her plant knowledge amazes me still - the relationships she could detect between plants went way beyond what I ever taught her.

Ah reminiscing is all well and good but the shrubs are impatient for us to notice the delights they have in store for us now. Starting with Berberis darwinii - the Darwin Barberry from South America discovered by you-know-who - is a terrific, low maintenance shrub with vivid golden-orange flowers coming from deep orange buds. If you want some screening from the neighbors or road this barberry will work well. You can also prune as desired if you don't want it to get too large. Powder blue berries form in the fall which the birds will eat. It's a full service plant with very little work required. Would be lovely incorporated into a hedgerow as well.

                              Corylopsis spicata - Spike Winter hazel

Gracefully curving branches on this winter hazel reach upward and out making for a lovely profile. Pale buttery yellow flower bells hang in groups with little red stamens giving a color detail for a closer inspection as you peruse your chilly spring garden with either clippers in hand or a cup of hot tea.

I like doing a bit of pruning on my old corylopsis this time of year so I can enjoy emerging flowers on the branches I bring in the house. The slightly heart-shaped leaves are a fresh vivid green with a pink rim - new leaves emerging with that same brilliant color keep this shrub looking 'spring-like' well into the summer. Yellow fall foliage takes us one step further along in the 4 seasons of interest. The silhouette is also attractive in the winter. 

                                            
           Osmanthus x burkwoodii - evergreen and oh so  fragrant


This very versatile shrub forms the hedge around the front entrance. It is a moderate growing evergreen which happily the deer are not fond of. It's massively budded up now ready to burst open any day with a delightfully sweet, fragrant, pure white flower. This is such a durable shrub, which gets to 12' tall if allowed, and is so underused in the northwest. Most effective as a hedge, yet escallonia is planted far more frequently probably because it blooms all summer. But during our past 2 winters the escallonia have lost most of their leaves and look downright scrappy for months before they leaf out again! Wouldn't you rather have a dependable evergreen with a shorter yet fragrant bloom time that will always look great all though the winter? It also has a little sister Osmanthus delavayi which also has very fragrant flowers of white and stays much shorter.  We have some fabulous looking 5 gallons in stock of this right now.

                                                  Ribes gordonianum - Gordon's Current

Delicate two tone blooms of coral pink and palest yellow make this a very showy early spring flower. The stock plant is loaded with buds now that the hummers anxiously await to open. It's a shorter grower than one of it's parents - the red flowering current and has a graceful arching habit. The color is definitely unusual and so elegant. There is nothing special about the fall foliage so put it someplace you can enjoy when in full glory in early spring.

Spirea 'Magic Carpet'

A vivid and small growing shrub which the deer and rabbits don't care for make this a perfect plant for long season interest in our Whidbey gardens. The new foliage starts emerging in March with a deep coral leaf. As the plant matures the leaves go to golden yellow but still have the tips of growth with the coral - making for a happy show for months. About mid summer bright pink flower clusters add to the color display useful in gardens where you want some punch among the standard greens. It only gets about 2-3' and is easy to sheer to size as it is naturally a mound shape grower. 

 

Physocarpus 'Center Glow'

Richly colored ninebark is both easy to grow and drought tolerant. I know at this time of year when all we see is rain, rain, rain, it's hard to remember we might head into months of little to no rain. Being a sole source aquifer, as we are on Whidbey, it's good to be aware of planting some of your gardens with drought tolerant plants like this stunning shrub with it's coppery colored foliage. It's bloom clusters are creamy white followed by hard triangle shaped seeds of a deep red - which actually stand our against the striking foliage. It's a good plant to use in floral arrangements with it's unusual color. Gets about 6-7' tall and 6-8' wide but takes to pruning as well. The stems do a neat exfoliating striping thing that shows up in the winter more when the foliage is off.

  

 Hummingbird Mask 

Ok I figured if you got this far on the blog you needed something entertaining so here is my great Mother's Day gift from my husband last year - a customized mask for being able to get within 6" of our hummingbird feeder. It works like a charm. I just have to stand still and the hummers can't see my face inside the welders mask which Tom covered with various red paper. If you look closely you will see the bird flying in for a feeding - it's the large dot between the feeder and the orange cup devise on the mask. The birds get so close with this mask on I have to wear my reading glasses to focus on their feathers and the rapidly beating chest as their powerful little heart moves the breast feathers.

There is one other plant combo I must tell you about. Unfortunately my camera has not returned from repairs or I'd include a photo of these 2 incredible plants together. Picture if you can a blue green Euphorbia martinii leaf with the deep rose pink reverse. It is sitting next to the very showy Hellebore 'Pink Frost'. This is a recent development and really stands apart from other hellebores. The pink starts out lighter from deep pink buds then ages into a melony / coral / rich dusty rose pink. As you can see it is hard to pin down just how to describe it. One thing it does is change color alot as it ages and is always stunningly beautiful. And if that weren't enough it is a strongly out-facing flower so you can see all it's glory. The pink on the flower and the pink reverse of the leaves of the euphorbia marry with each other in a magnificent way. It almost looks like whoever did the hybridizing was trying to match these plants up. Come on by the nursery and check them out along with all the other things. New plants arriving almost weekly and with it spring things change rapidly.

Showy red flowering Aesculus Briotti and Acer Hotwings

 

The bare root plants have arrived and there are so many exciting things to write about. I decided to focus this blog on red / pink flowering or leafing trees and shrubs.

One of my favorite trees from years of seeing it at the Washington Park Arboretum is the horsechestnut Aesculus x Briotti. The photo gives you an idea of how lovely the flowers are - just imagine the whole tree holding up those fat pink candles!

It has no disease or pest problems and gets a soft yellow fall color to the foliage.

This new maple is just stunning with it's abundant production of the winged fruits called samara that really cover the tree in mid summer. This is a good tree for smaller home gardens where you need alot of interest off of any tree in the landscape. It is adaptable to may soil types from wet to dry, although will do better with some summer water.

It has outstanding red fall color so will contine to give interest into the fall.

It's only going to get 25' x 25' so won't take up too much space.

Underplant it with some of the shorter shrub fuchsias or smaller hydrangeas.

Corylus x 'Rosita' is a mid size shrub / small tree selected by Oregon State University for it's excellent deep red foliage which lasts well into the summer. It will also make hazelnuts - but is grown more for the ornamental leaves. It prefers full sun and is hardy down to USDA Zone 4. I like using the branches in floral arrangements all summer long - but especially early in the season as the new leaves unfurl they are a deep luscious purple red with a great texture - stunning with white flowers, pinks or blues as well as striking with orange.

Betula 'Royal Frost' is a burgandy -red foliage birch tree whose leaves contrast strikingly with the creamy white exfoliating bark of the older tree.

 It can handle heavy moist soils and will make a graceful statement when planted in clumps.

We have potted the bare root materail into 3 plants per clump - with one pot holding 5 individual trees.

One of my clients planted a number of groups in her garden a few years back and they have grown fast - already making good impact.

Cotinus 'Purple Supreme'

 Striking purple foliage on this smokebush which persists into the summer.

Airy plume like inflorenscence turn from purple to dark pink. Prefes sun and well-drained soil but adaptable  to many conditions. Rich soil can inhibit the development of it's normal stunning red fall color. Don't plant in soggy wet areas. Best pruned in late winer once the threat of extreme cold is past.

There are more options for red foliaged plants her as well.

Heucherella Sweet Tea is one of the most lovely patterned and richly colored perennials.

It looks crazy gorgeous with euphorbia with the purple tinged foliage.

Come see all the great combos Linda has set up this week.

There are still some $1.00 plants in our sale area as well as some old Golden Rain trees for only $10.00!!

Can't beat that ........

Spring Re-opening of Cultus Bay Nursery

                                      Espaliered Apple Walk leading into Nursery

 The weather is still so variable but so many of our garden plants are responding to the growing hours of light and the occasional warmer days. 

 One night not too long ago I was returning home on a chilly night and a deer was on the driveway. She hesitated in the car lights and expelled her breath of warm air which was visible as I drove forward - it was a magical feeling as the little cloud of her breath was dispersed by the car. 

The apple walk buds are still tight but the structure really shows off at it's best when out of leave. It's a good time to see the garden when it is in it's more dormant state as you can really tell what the bones of the garden are. The deep purple iris reticulata are blooming as well as the crocus.

We will be getting in our bare root plants next week - a large mixture of trees and shrubs. If you are interested in planting any of these from bare root come on by the nursery on the weekends in March to check out what we have - or give us a call if you have specific needs.

                                                Japan pepper - Xanthophylum pipertum

This fragrant leaved shrub is rather unusual. It has very attractive foliage and makes non-showy flowers that become what we know of as Szechuan pepper - which is used in Thai cooking.

The plant has a lovely spreading form and looks great in the landscape. Deer tend to stay clear of this plant due to the fragrant foliage. It can be pruned but if you have the space give it room to branch out. It would be a great shrub to use as a scaffold for a medium size growing clematis to get a bit of extra punch out of the garden space.

                                                   Viburnum trilobum 'Wentworth'

I'm always talking up this viburnum - it is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It grows about 12-15' tall and is generally multi-branched. It can be pruned down to a single trunk so there is more planting space beneath the shrub. It makes white lace-cap flowers in June which are followed by the very showy red shiny berries. The cultivar Wentworth makes a larger berry set. These berries can be made into jelly or left on the plant to give you winter long interest.

Fall color is a very brilliant red and is especially lovely if back lite by setting western sunlight.

                                                                Weigela 'Carnival'

One of the best long blooming weigela's for our gardens -'Carnival' is a triploid hybrid so it does not set seed. With out that function plants bloom longer since the aren't producing seeds.
This plant make multiple flower colors simultaneously from palest pink into a mid pink as well as a darker pink. It is really quite a show to have so many shades of pink on one plant at the same time.

It is very showy as well as  low maintenance. It will get to be about 4-5' tall and as wide.  It will want some summer water. This is one of the shrubs that is arriving bare root and will provide a terrific show of flowers this year.

As the weather improves I will be ordering alot of new plants, but will approach this season more cautiously since last year we had some very late frost dates and we lost a number of plants that had recently come out of greenhouses.

All the plants in the nursery now are very tough and can go right into the garden or sit in the pots until you are ready to plant.

Our hours will be weekends in March from 10am- 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Winter doldrums

The skies remain gray much of the day but if I kick myself and get out the door it is lighter and brighter than it appears from an interior window. Even that filtered mid-winter light enters my psyche to make my step quicken.
A jaunt back to the compost pile will take me by the old specimen of Corylus maxima  atropurpurea 'Superba' . The dangling long tassels of dusty mauve are a delight and the color matches the softer tones of  Northwest winter skies. The goldfish are near the surface of the little pond and I dream of showing our grandchild the fish. The summerhouse which Tom worked on most of last summer is basically complete. It has added a very creative, magical and charming aspect to the very personal and welcoming space I call the nursery.

Just before Thanksgiving there was a snow. We were getting ready for the Holiday Open House and the snow really set the mood. 

 A wreath on the door to welcome all the folks that decided to go check out the new building. The dusting of snow on  the floor reminded me of how my mom's family, who had a ranch in the foothills of the Rockies, would clean their rugs. Fresh powdery snow would be brought inside, sprinkled on the rugs and swept up - taking bits of dirt and debris with it. I thought of this as I swept the snow off the new cedar floors and saw the dirt it took with it.

 Inside the summer house Tom has fired up the pizza oven for the first time and our daughter Brita and her boyfriend Amos are here to celebrate with us. You can see the little cedar birds which Tom has made for the open house hanging from the rafters. 

 The pizza oven is in full swing with candles lighting the sides and twinkle lights above.

The pathway to the summer house from the greenhouse has not been made in this photo but the stones are waiting for laying down. The path has been put in as well as some plants between the cracks. I have been impressed with a rather quiet but useful ground cover Herniaria glabra, common name Green carpet or Rupturewort.

http://www.stargazerperennialscatalog.com/images/herniaria_glabra.jpg

I used various thyme's for years and though I still like them I've found the Herniaria to be more persistent in the winter. 

The small beds in front of the summer house are planted with very low plants so the part boat/barge/sled footing structure will always show. I used a mixture of Adiantum venustum - Himalayan Maidenhair fern, Helleborus 'Joseph Lemper', Sarcococca humilis, and Saxifraga primuloidies, the dwarf london pride. I can't sing the praises of this little Saxifraga enough. it will grow in both alot of sun as well as shade here the cooler clime of the PNW. Evergreen, compact, tidy, sweet little white flowers, the texture is so appealing. Great for adding interest into small areas where you don't want a plant to take over the scene.