Pink Flamingo Lawn Ornaments

I had the opportunity to visit Narragansett, Rhode Island a few weeks ago. It is a lovely seaside town and each home looks peaceful and well manicured. Driving around the neighborhood, I saw many beautiful shrubs in bloom like Hydrangea, Crape Myrtle and Rose of Sharon. When all of a sudden, my 4 year old son calls out "Look, a Flamingo!" I stopped the car immediately, knowing full well that Flamingos were not indigenous to the Northeast. So imagine my surprise when I saw roughly 20 pink Flamingos on the front lawn of house across the street. 

Have a look:

As you can see, these Flamingos are not real. To me, when I think about pink Flamingos as lawn ornaments, it screams tackiness. But to be honest, there was something intriguingly appealing about these. Maybe it was the sheer number of birds, their haphazard placement across the lawn or the fact that each was standing in a different pose. Maybe the owner loves Flamingos. Maybe these birds were placed on the lawn as a prank by a friend (or foe?). Maybe they were left over decoration for a party.  Whatever the reason, they certainly caught my attention and the attention of the children in my car. I had to drive past this house 6 times before they allowed me to drive way!

What do you think? Tacky? Cute? Let me know!

What's Blooming: June 2012

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's what's growing and blooming in my new garden this month:

The Hydrangeas are in full bloom now. I didn't know what color these were going to be, but I just love this hot pink.

The front garden, under the Japanese Maple tree is blooming nicely. Lychnis, Impatiens, Shasta Daisy and soon-to-bloom Russian Sage are looking good.

The path to the backyard is lined with all kinds of different Hostas. Some are shooting out flower spikes (like the one below).

The garden by the front sidewalk is also in full bloom with Gaura, Achillea, Shasta Daisy and a few remaining Salvia.

These Tradescantia are a nice pale blue and I can just see one Black-eyed Susan starting to bloom around the midsection.

In the backyard, the Astilbe are blooming and enjoying their shady spot. 

And a beautiful blue lace-cap Hydrangea is blooming along the back patio.

Does anyone know if this is a weed? My gut says yes, but since I don't know what has been planted here, I can't really tell for sure. 

As always, any thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  

What's Blooming: July 2012

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's what's growing and blooming in my new garden this month:

Flower box just outside the front door is blooming with Lobelia, Petunia and Bacopa.

This little beauty is just starting to bloom. Looks like a Pee Gee Hydrangea to me. Do you agree?

Finally my Impatiens have filled in. I love the mixture of pinks and oranges. It's called "Samba Mix." Hot and spicy!

I love this combination of purple Russian Sage and the yellow Black-eyed Susan.

Another Hydrangea starting to bloom. This one looks more like the Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' maybe?)

At the curbside garden, the Hostas along the sidewalk (to the right) are getting too much sun. The leaves are yellowing and it doesn't look healthy. I'm not a big fan of this type of Hosta and its flower stem is long and wispy. But the Hosta in the back (left foreground), I like.  The leaves are green with yellow margins. The flower stalks are shorter and stay more erect. It just seems like a more lush and compact plant. I might think about swapping out some of the others for next year.

Another favorite combination of mine is the pink Echinacea next to the Black-eyed Susan. There are Sedums to the left and back of the Echinacea just waiting for their turn. You'll see them on next month's blog post!

As always, any thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. 

Hydrangeas in Port Washington

This is what a Hydrangea bush looks like to a 4 year old. My son took this photo and I think he did a great job!

We were walking past this lovely corner garden filled with blooming Hydrangeas. Upon closer inspection, I realized the color shift in the blooms. Have a look:

The flowers on the far side of the photo are deep blue and the ones closer to me are more lavender color (the true purple flowers are a separate plant and cultivar altogether). To get blue Hydrangeas to turn pink, one can amend the soil with lime to make it more alkaline. So it would seem that the soil pH changes right under these bushes!

This photo shows that even the flower head itself is two different colors:

The Morning Dew

As I walked around the gardens this morning, I noticed beaded drops of water on everything. The humidity in the air was keeping the dew on a little longer today. The song "Morning Dew" by The Grateful Dead popped into my head. And so, that song, along with the beauty of the early morning, are the inspiration for this week's post. 

Walk me out in the morning dew my honey, 

Walk me out in the morning dew today.

I'll walk you out in the morning dew my honey

I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. 

Tranquility of Ponds

Whether you have a basic pond with a few fish swimming around or an elaborate pond with a big waterfall and caverns for the Koi to hide, you can't deny that a pond adds a certain tranquility to a garden setting. As I've mentioned before, I like garden structures and statues when they are tastefully integrated into the garden. I like them even more when they are added as compliments to a pond to emulate the natural environment.

Below is a photo of a pond I visited a few weeks ago:

I love the statue of the birds overlooking the pond and the waterfall to the right. The blue lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla normalis) is a soothing compliment to the red rosebush below the statue. And the contrasting foliage of the Caladiums add a nice touch to this garden. I can easily imagine spending a lazy day of summer here, under the shade of the pine tree and listening to the water trickle into the pond.

The Day of the Dead

On November 1 and 2, Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead, or El Día de los Muertos. While one may think this is a time for grief and sadness, in fact, it is a time when Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved relatives that have died.

Looking around the garden today, I'm feeling very much the same way. Many of my beloved plants have died for the season (or at least gone dormant). The vivaciousness of their lives a few months ago is now replaced with skeletons of what they once were. And yet, I do think there is still beauty to be seen:

Seed pods of Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria) nestled amongst 

Black Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry')

Seed pods of Abelia shrub (above and below)

Seed heads of Black-Eyed Susan (Rubeckia goldsturm)

Brown and dry Hydrangeas

Fading Montauk Daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)

These plants may be gone for the season, but certainly not forgotten. Spring will be here before we know it. And we'll be able to enjoy them in their glory all over again.