Flowers

Peonies & Baptisia

bluehousegardens Cutting Garden, Flowers, Perennials , ,
Photo of Peony Bouquet
Peonies and Baptisia make a wonderful combination.

I have a goal to bring something from my garden indoors all year round. We’re at the end of the Peonies and Baptisia right now, so I got one more bouquet out of them (looks like I didn’t quite dust the mulch off some of them!). I love this combination. I used some variegated Red-Twig Dogwood leaves but they’re a bit limp to be on their own.

We’re on the verge of summer flowers now. I see the Coneflowers close to blooming, and the Black-Eyed Susans are starting. I’ve got some Dahlia tubers coming this week, too, to get started for fall. Better late than never!

Irises in All Their Glory

bluehousegardens Cutting Garden, Flowers, Landscape Design
Iris with Euphorbia flowers and Hellebore leaves
Euphorbia robbiae

It seems as if there’s something new blooming every day at this time of year. Walking around the neighborhood I see iris, lilacs, late bulbs, early roses, dogwood, salvia, tree peonies, azaleas, bluebells, weigelia- an embarrassment of riches. Here at my house I have dozens and dozens of irises blooming, all thanks to a friend who transplanted some from her home almost 6 years ago. I want time to stand still now, but of course it’s their transience that makes flowers so special.

Strolling Through The Ringling

bluehousegardens Flowers, Garden Structure, Landscape Design, Plants, Travel, Trees , , ,
Photo of Ringling Museum
The exterior of the Ringling Museum, Sarasota, Florida.

We had a superb visit to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. It was a perfect day to enjoy the grounds. In the central museum courtyard are enormous terra cotta pots with bougainvillea as the only color spots- and nothing more is needed. Classic and simple, and I wanted to live there! Although if I did live there, I would add lemon trees. Then nothing more would be needed.

First Day of Spring

bluehousegardens Flowers, Great Outdoors ,

Photo of Forsythia in the Snow

Well, it’s the first day of spring, but that’s no guarantee of anything when it comes to the weather. Here in the DC area we’re enjoying a wonderful snow day, which means no school, hot chocolate, bootcamp in the snow, fellow exercisers pushing my car up a hill afterwards, working at home while looking out the window at sleds and snowballs- oh, and a trip to Livin’ the Pie Life so we can bring a Mile-High Pie to dinner next door. Here’s hoping for another slow day tomorrow!

Perennial’s the Word

bluehousegardens Cutting Garden, Flowers, Great Outdoors, Landscape Design, Perennials
Photo of chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are perennial if we give them a chance.

Take a look at this gorgeous photo and ask yourself, “Why am I buying mums every year when they would quite happily show up on their own?”

Okay, it’s great to put them in pots for some front porch color, but really, isn’t this amazing? My far-seeing neighbor planted these years ago and they come back reliably each fall. A definite garden goal for me, and something I’m trying to encourage more with my clients. If you’ve got mums that are starting to fade now, consider popping them in the ground for color spots next year. What’s the worst that could happen?

LaDew Topiary Gardens

bluehousegardens Cutting Garden, Flowers, Garden Structure, Landscape Design, Travel
Photo of building at LaDew
The Cafe and Studio at LaDew, seen from the Cutting Garden.

I’m so glad I finally made it to LaDew Gardens. I’m seeing so many new things this summer. This building is now the little cafe and artist studio area. Highlights of the garden are, of course, the topiaries, but also a wonderful butterfly pavilion and so many different garden rooms. The house tour was also so interesting, thanks to their great volunteers. Definitely a trip worth making.

Cityline Hydrangeas

bluehousegardens Cutting Garden, Flowers, Landscape Design
Photo of pink hydrangea
From the Cityline Hydrangea collection- ‘Paris’

You may have noticed some intensely pink hydrangeas at your garden center. They’re probably part of the ‘Cityline’ collection from Proven Winners. I’m testing out this one (‘Paris’) in a pot this year. So far, the shrub is still tiny but it has plenty of blooms. This group just started opening a couple days ago. I think I’ll use it for a new bouquet!