Tagged With: Pink

Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’

Photograph taken on Saturday, April 09, 2022 by Henry
Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’

Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’

Last year’s cicada swarm did some serious damage to two of my camellias as well as to the two dwarf apple trees. They all survived, but I wouldn’t say any of them are thriving yet. There are a few flowers on this plant, Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’, which was planted in the spring of 2010. It’s still only about three feet high, which is disappointing, but at least it’s still alive. ‘Dad’s Pink’, planted two years later, has even fewer blooms and I’m not 100% sure it’s going to survive. The healthiest camellia I have at this point is ‘Hokkaido Red’, planted only two years ago and in a spot well protected from both the cold wind and from deer.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’

Apple Blossoms

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 24, 2022 by Henry
Apple Blossoms

Apple Blossoms

As mentioned in my preview post, we wanted to be outdoors today because it was so nice. We went to the Agricultural History Farm Park and after going through the woodland garden and the Master Garder’s Demonstration Garden, we walked around one of the fields adjacent to the central part of the farm. Between two fields there is a line of a dozen or so apple trees and they were in bloom, which was a really nice bonus. I don’t know how much car these trees get but it appears to be the right amount, at least in terms of their flowering. They were absolutely lovely and the bees and other pollinators were a buzz.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Apple Blossoms

Flower Arrangement

Photograph taken on Monday, May 16, 2022 by Henry
Flower Arrangement

Flower Arrangement

Margaret had a visitor today who brought her this lovely flower arrangement. Writing this now over a month after the fact, the arrangement is gone, of course, but it lasted a surprisingly long time and was on the table next to Margaret for all that time. It was such a thoughtful thing to bring and of course, the visit was a blessing, as well. If anyone wants to visit her, don’t hesitate to give her a call. You don’t have to bring flowers, naturally, but we’re not going to turn them down if you do.

Sometimes Margaret will tell us to put them in the kitchen or dining room where we can see them but lately we’ve been ignoring her and leaving them in her room. They were brought for her, after all, and she really should get the benefit of them. We’re in that part of the year when things are blooming in the yard, so we’re not short of flowers ourselves, anyway. I have three new roses this year and the first of those is starting to bloom, which is really nice.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Flower Arrangement

Rose ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 05, 2022 by Henry
Rose ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘

Rose ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘

A few years ago my cousin Lyn rooted a rose that’s been growing in his yard for many, many years. It grows and blooms prolifically and it’s become established on our back fence. We had a few flowers on it last year and more this year. Although it looks like ‘New Dawn‘ it only blooms once, so I’m guessing that it is ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘, of which ‘New Dawn‘ is a repeat flowering sport. ‘New Dawn‘ has the distinction of having plant patent number 1 (October, 1931) and it shares with ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘ very shiny, disease resistant foliage and lovely, pale pink flowers.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Rose ‘Dr. W. VanFleet‘

Camellia ‘Winter’s Star’

Photograph taken on Saturday, November 12, 2022 by Henry
Camellia ‘Winter's Star’

Camellia ‘Winter’s Star’

I love camellias of all types and although they are still not very large, I have six in the ground and one more ready to be planted. One that I planted in April, 2020, is a hybrid called ‘Winter’s Star’ that was developed by Dr. William Ackerman and introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum in 1991. This is similar to the Camellia sasanqua ‘Cleopatra’ that my dad had, and which survived better than most in very cold winters. This one is a cross between Camellia oleifera ‘Lu Shan Snow’ (for its cold hardiness) and Camellia hiemalis ‘Showa-no-sakae’ (for its flower form) and is considered to be hardier still. Native from North India to China and Japan south to Northern Indonesia, Java and Sumatra, many are not reliably hardy this far north. Anything that blooms this nicely the second week of November is a winner in my book.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Camellia ‘Winter’s Star’

Mertensia virginica (Virginia ‘Pink’ Bells)

Photograph taken on Saturday, April 08, 2023 by Henry
Mertensia virginica (Virginia ‘Pink’ Bells)

Mertensia virginica (Virginia ‘Pink’ Bells)

Cathy, Dorothy, and I went out to enjoy the bluebells (Mertensia virginica) today. They were pretty much at their peak and it was really lovely. Although they are called bluebells and that’s the predominate color, the buds generally start out being pink or purple and then the flowers turn blue as they open. We found a handful of them, however, that never made the switch, so we dubbed these Virginia ‘Pink’ Bells. There were also trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) and many, many spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), as well as yellow ‘violets’ (Viola pubescens).

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mertensia virginica (Virginia ‘Pink’ Bells)

Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Photograph taken on Friday, May 12, 2023 by Henry
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

The garden is coming into full bloom at this point. We have roses starting to bloom, including those I planted over the last few years, and they are wonderful. I also have this peony, called ‘Coral Sunset’ with more blooms on it that it has ever had. Peonies are wonderful plants and continue to grow, year after year. They can take a while to really get going but they don’t disappoint. I can’t say I have one favorite peony out of all the wonderful varieties available but I certainly do like this one, with it’s fabulous color and strong growth.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Photograph taken on Wednesday, May 08, 2024 by Henry
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Our peonies are in bloom and once again, I couldn’t be happier with these amazing flowers. They don’t have a particularly long blooming period and in general, they take longer to become really well established than some other plants but it’s hard to argue with even a few flowers like this. When I first planted them they sent up leaves and then a single bud on each of the three plants. Now I’m getting multiple flowers per plant and it should only get better as the years go by. These are especially wonderful in the morning when they are in full sun. What’s not to like?

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Peony ‘Coral Sunset’