April showers bring May flowers ...

This double-blooming bearded Iris germanica White Hot is very showy and stands out against the azalea in the background.

The amazing High Noon tree peony blooms are very large and lightly fragrant. This flower is about 7 inches when fully open in the sun. It has an iridescent quality to it that makes the petals seem white but they are not. This also makes it hard to photograph properly.

A solitary red Camellia Japonica under a dogwood tree. I have to move this plant into the sun to get more blooms.

An enormous Declaration lilac bloom. It was so big the stem couldn't hold it up. And yes, the fragrance was just a big.

A very happy ostrich fern under the cherry tree.

A fluffy limb of Vanhoutte spirea (S. vanhouttei), the classic bridal wreath spirea.

This is the second year for Spiraea Nipponica Snowmound in the garden. The individual flowers have little yellow centers.

A perfectly formed Clematis Fireworks. The flowers are very large but don't droop. Its surprising that the tiny vine can support the bloom.

Rhododendron Hotspur Yellow is sold as an azalea and isn't yellow. I vote for a name change. Either way the flowers are beautiful and fragrant. We had one plant get completely chewed off at the root base. We stuck it back in the ground and it appears to have survived.

Two types of Creeping Phlox.

A warm Spring kicks off 2013

The vivid color of Flair tulips were a nice addition this Spring. The stems are very short at first but grow to about one foot.

Dicentra Bleeding Hearts is always a welcome spring flower. It grows very fast, blooms and then dies back to the ground in the summer.

The Kerria Japonica just exploded with blooms this year. It grew to about 5 feet tall and is covered in flowers. Its in the rose family but thankfully has no thorns.

Thunberg Spirea (S. thunbergii) or Baby's Breath Spirea in bloom. We divided and moved a larger plant this spring so we will have plenty of wispy white plumes next year all over the garden. It has a very elegant and graceful appearance if kept trimmed.

The lemon scented blooms of magnolia Betty were a little less pink this spring but still very nice.

Chromacolor daffodil, with strong stems and long bloom life will always have a home in the garden. Give it some sun, let them naturally die back and you will be rewarded each spring.

Our Declaration lilac put on a show this spring. Lots of blooms and fragrance  This lilac was developed by the Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit of the National Arboretum in Washington DC. 

A cluster of peach blossoms in the wind. We have a cherry that finally bloomed this spring. Next season it should be showy enough to make it on the blog. 

Helleborus orientalis or Lenten Rose is full bloom. This image is a little bright because it was taken when the sun was hitting the bed. They started blooming in late winter.

The last of the season. Fall chill in the air...

The gorgeous red leaves of Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Alice really stand out. They don't market the fall characteristics of this variety but should. The leaves are quite large at 12 to 14 inches across.

A true favorite in the fall garden is Aconitum Napellus or Monkshood. All parts of this plant are very poisonous. The principal alkaloids are aconite and aconitine. Of these aconitine is thought to be the key toxin. Ingestion of even a small amount results in severe gastrointestinal upset but it is the effect on the heart, where it causes slowing of the heart rate, which is often the cause of death.

A yellow Knockout rose giving it one last flourish.

Rosa Oktoberfest with a few water droplets on the petal.

This is a shot of Polygonum cuspidatum 'Crimson Beauty' from underneath. It grows about 6 feet tall and arches over (similar to Solomon's Seal) giving it a flowing effect.

The final blooms as fall approaches ...

 The color contrast in our Oakleaf Hydrangea Alice bed is very nice. The leaves are quite large and turn bright red as the temps drop in the fall.

The always prolific, bold and colorful Peppermint Schnapps Hibiscus.

Hydrangea Little Lime has blooms that turn reddish-pink as fall approaches.

Lantana camara Confetti is an aggressive plant with very touch stems. It blooms consistently from early summer through fall.

A stand of Erigeron annuus or Eastern daisy fleabane was a hitch hiker plant from an Amish garden center. It grows every year somewhere in the garden.

A repeat bloom for this red Canna lily. We picked these up for a $1.50 at an Amish garden center and they have flourished. A great buy.

A Buddleia davidii White Profusion bloom. This is another species that blooms again in the fall. Excellent fragrance and grows quite tall.

A Sweet Potato Vine Margarita Ipomoea batatas in the sun. We tried one this year and it did very well. The bright green color and low growing habit make it a nice ground cover. We'll have more next season.

The Conoclinium coelestinum or Mist Flower is dainty but very hardy. I should have taken a picture last week because it was in full bloom. This is a small remnant.

A single Rosa grandiflora Oktoberfest.

A Stevia plant in full flower. Stevia rebaudiana is called ka’a he’e in the language of the Guarani people of Paraguay and Brazil. The leaves have been used for centuries by the Guarani as a sweetener for their native tea (yerba mate) and for various medicinal uses. The leaves of this herb can be up to 300 times as sweet as sugar. 

The 2012 Tin Roof Gardens Hydrangea Edition...

This is the second season of Penny Mac Hydrangeas named after Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society. They have a few unusual traits. They bloom on old and new wood, are a repeat bloomer in the same season and have both large and small mophead blooms on the same plant. They definitely benefit from afternoon shade and require regular soaking when they get too hot. Yes, a little needy but just look at the display. To get pink, the plant must not take up aluminum from the soil. If the soil naturally contains aluminum, add dolomitic lime powder to the soil a few times a year. For blue hydrangea, aluminum must be present in the soil. This bed's PH is obviously a mess but we like the variation.

You cant beat the vivid color of Cityline Venice Hydrangea.

A beautiful cascade of pink Nikko Blue.

This Merritt's Supreme is nice but gets a little too much sun. The flowers have been on the small side but it always blooms. A key characteristic of this variety is very sturdy stems. No flopping on this one. We'll move it to a shadier location next spring.

This is an unknown variety that has a enormous flower. We bought a tray of Sister Theresa and this one was mixed in. Beautiful color with large petals. The picture doesn't do it justice.

The classic Nikko Blue in all it blue glory.

Originally named Petite Soeur Therese De L'enfant Jesus and bred in 1947, Sister Theresa needs partial shade. We bought these to use as an under-story plant for Oakleaf Alice. We saw these in Berlin and thought the compact white flowers on dark green foliage was a striking combination.

The classic southern Annabelle Hydrangea. To help with the inevitable flopping, I tied it up in the spring. It seemed to help.

We bought this scratch and dent Lady in Red Lacecap Hydrangea at an Amish garden center two years ago and it really came alive this season. The blooms are quite delicate so try to keep it out of afternoon sun.

I thought this was an interesting image of Heuchera Citronelle with a Lady in Red flower poking through.

This is a full image of Lady in Red in bloom. Look close and you can see the red stems. This image also has a pink Nikko Blue (back) and Variegated Maculata Lacecap (on the right).

Maculata Lacecap is a unique lacecap with variegated foliage. It can be blue or pink. I think it looks better when blue.

An unknown lacecap variety. A beautiful bloom. Wish I knew its name.

Another unknown lacecap ...

and yet another unknown lacecap....

and the final unknown lacecap. Someday I might find someone who can help identify these plants.

Our Oakleaf Alice produced huge flowers this year. After three years in the ground they are really starting to fill out. This is a large species so make sure you have plenty of room. The leaves are much larger than any Oakleaf I've seen. 

A classic American native Quercifolia Oakleaf. This one was mislabeled at the garden center. We thought it was an Oakleaf Alice but now we love it. We also discovered that they are mildly fragrant. They don't market them as fragrant but I will attest to the fact the our plant produced enough perfume that we could smell them from the patio chairs 4 to 5 feet away.

A closeup of the Oakleaf flower spike. They are quite fuzzy behind the white petals.

This is a dwarf Oakleaf PeeWee. The flowers are not as long as the standard but its a nice accent Oakleaf if you don't have room for the larger variety.

This was labeled as a Pinky Winky but its obviously not true. It is definitely a paniculata but maybe its a "PeeWee", "White Moth" or "Unique."

Here is a closeup of the plant above. It has a Japanese Zen quality to it.

Sometimes the immature flowers have a beauty all their own. This is a young Merritt's Supreme.

This is a young pink Nikko Blue.

This s a young blue Nikko Blue.

A young Oakleaf bloom before it starts to curve.

This is a climbing Hydrangea Anomala subspecia Petiolaris. It's really growing well this year. They say it takes a few years to get acclimated but when happy it takes off.