New Hampshire Garden Notes

A Dose of Garden Ugly

Assessing the gardens is a frequent activity and I occasionally force myself to snap pictures of the eyesores.  There are always those ugly little areas that need attention.

Multi-Blue Clematis Not Looking So Good

Clematis requires patience, and my Multi-Blue is demanding plenty of that. A few years in the ground and so far, though I love the flowers it can produce, the plant does not impress me much.  This year I tried giving it plenty of water and was generous with the mulch.  My efforts so far have not produced noticeable results.

Multi-Blue Clematis in Bloom Earlier This Year

I am still a Clematis rookie though, so I will try to learn more and see how Multi-Blue does next year.

Grass Pinks, Dianthus in Bloom, top right - Picture taken earlier this year

Grass Pinks have been in my garden for years and the same problem always emerges… Grass growing up through it.  There comes a time when pulling the grass out from under the perennials is just too tedious.  This is that time.  I’m at the point where I will be digging the mature dianthus plants out entirely to remove the grass. 

Grass Pinks have gone to seed, weeds growing up through it. Hosta is looking ragged.

This year I let this entire planting go to seed to ensure some new dianthus plants.  Letting anything go to seed is difficult if you’re the type who goes around deadheading and cutting old stems back every day. I’ve been trying to ignore the ugliness of this garden, or maybe I’m just putting off dealing with it.  Though you would not think so from looking at the above photo, this is a perennial worth growing for it’s great clove fragrance, blue foliage and pretty pink flowers.

A Younger More Manageable Dianthus Plant

With many of my perennials, like; echinacea, candytuft, coreopsis, daisies, and heliopsis, I deadhead while leaving a few seedheads to continue the cycle.  You never know when you will lose the mature plant, so it’s always good to have new ones forming.

Yellow Daylilies Not a Good Fit for Rock Garden

Do you ever plan a renovation for next year, and then find yourself doing it now?  These daylilies have been in this rock garden for years, though they just don’t fit. 

Daylilies Have Gone By

By late Summer the daylily leaves dried and turned brown. I innocently started weeding this garden and ended up digging out everything. 

Lots of Daylilies

Some gardening friends will be enjoying some of these when they bloom in their gardens next June. 

Gardens can inspire…So please share the Good, the Bad… and last but not least… share your Garden Ugly.