Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – Sept. 15, 2007

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http://hayefield.com/2007/09/15/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-sept-15-2007/

About Nancy J. Ondra

Nan gardens on 4 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In the firm belief that every garden ought to have a pretentious-sounding (or at least pretentious-looking) name, she refers to her home grounds as "Hayefield." There, she experiments with a wide variety of plants and planting styles, from cottage gardens and color-based borders to managed meadows, naturalistic plantings, and veggies--all under the watchful eyes of her two pet alpacas, Daniel and Duncan.
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9 Responses to Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – Sept. 15, 2007

  1. Carol September 15, 2007 at 4:22 pm #

    Thanks for joining in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. The more the merrier!

    Carol at May Dreams Gardens

  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter September 15, 2007 at 8:25 pm #

    I’m always on the lookout for things with which to pair Colchicums, & I’ve never seen it grown with lamb’s ears. I like the idea that the Stachys foliage holds up the blossoms. How does it handle the big Colchicum foliage in the Spring?

  3. Nancy J. Ondra September 15, 2007 at 9:29 pm #

    You know, I think that was the very reason I put those colchicums there: The ‘Big Ears’ foliage was in perfect proportion to the bulb leaves and did an excellent job covering them up as they turned yellow. It’s worth the small effort of editing out a few of the lamb’s ears leaves to make it easier for the bulb flowers to emerge now.

  4. Layanee September 15, 2007 at 9:57 pm #

    Those are great combinations. I couldn’t find ‘Fireworks’ but found a little Solidago ‘Lauren’. Short but nice. Thanks for sharing your combos!

  5. Nancy J. Ondra September 15, 2007 at 10:41 pm #

    Thanks for your comment. ‘Laurin’ is indeed a lot shorter, but it’s very cute in its own right. I often see it described as a fall bloomer, but here, it blooms in July and August, finishing up a few weeks before most other goldenrods color up.

  6. Kim September 15, 2007 at 11:00 pm #

    Gorgeous… I’ve looked at growing a dark-leaf cotton as an annual, but never actually did it. Now that I see your combo there I definitely will have to try it. (I have no source for the seed right now, though. If I do find one, I’ll come back and let you know.)

  7. Pam/Digging September 16, 2007 at 1:24 am #

    How fun that you replant your foundation garden every year! This year’s pineapple sage/salvia coccinea combo is delightful. Do you have any evergreens tucked in for winter interest, or do you let that bed go dormant in preparation for next year’s changeout?

    Also, I love the textures and colors in the last photo.

  8. Alyssa September 16, 2007 at 2:18 am #

    Welcome to the Blooms Day. Very beautiful pictures and I love how you’ve put together the plant combinations. The edible garden strip is very pleasing to the eye and tasty too. Is the Lady in Red edible too? What a surprise to see the fall blooming crocus – I should put some in. They are very pretty. And those little sunflowers are just “too cute”! Great post.

  9. Nancy J. Ondra September 16, 2007 at 10:52 am #

    Thanks, Kim, Pam, and Alyssa! Nope, not much winter interest in the foundation planting. It’s basically empty in the winter, except for some purple heucheras, ‘Angelina’ sedum, and hellebores at the end by the front door. I’m not sure about the edibility of the ‘Lady in Red’ salvia; I assume the flowers would be safe to eat, but I don’t know how they taste.