Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up June: Welcome to my Long Island Garden!

Welcome to my June Garden!
Welcome! It's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to celebrate what is blooming in gardens all over the world! As the daytime temperatures settle into the mid to upper 70's to mid-80's, the garden is alive with blooms everywhere! Join me for a tour of my June Long Island garden!
Knock Out Rose 'Radrazz'
One of the best additions to my garden, which have given me such joy, are Knock Out Rose ‘Radrazz’. Robust bright red blooms start in early June and continue throughout the entire summer into fall. The blooms are fragrant too and can be enjoyed from the back patio.
Siberian Iris
To the left of the patio is a garden that started long ago. My mother planted this iris garden back in the 1960’s while I was growing up here on Long Island in the home I never left. While the other gardens of the property have evolved, this one remains in tact. It continues to bloom every spring and has so much to offer.
Back Pool Secret Garden
Come along to the back southwestern garden. Just two weeks ago, the Rhododendron were all in bloom, so I had to share. Viburnum ‘Summer Snowflake’ (white blooms) and Nepeta ‘Walkers Low’ (bluish-purple blooms) carry on the display and will continue to bloom throughout summer.
Rhododendron Blooms (Look Back 2 weeks ago)
Rhododendron blooms are short-lived but yet so beautiful!
Back Raised Garden
In the back northeastern side of the property is Japanese Kousa Dogwood ‘Greensleeves’ in full bloom along with Hosta ‘Patriot’ and ‘Minuteman’. Juniperus ‘Gold Lace’ is to the right.
Japanese Kousa Dogwood 'Greensleeves'
Here is Kousa ‘Greensleeves’ close up. This is a newer, improved cultivar of the well-known Japanese Dogwood. The blooms have the slightest green tinge to them and and are more abundant.
Dwarf Weigela 'Monet'
Several years ago I received this dwarf form of Variegated Weigela, Weigela ‘Monet’, which finally matured enough to produce blooms, and wow…it was worth the wait! This new form of Weigela cultivated by Proven Winners stays at a compact 2-3 feet tall by wide! I will now look forward to this display year after year!
Foliage Combination
In the front driveway garden is another form of dwarf Weigela, called ‘Spilled Wine’. This cultivar displays rich burgundy foliage and deep pink blooms on a compact plant. This view is from just a week ago and now the foliage continues to add color to the space.
Pool Garden
Moving along to the back pool garden is Allium ‘Globemaster’ and Daylily ‘Stella D Oro’. There is also Spirea ‘Limemound’ and Weeping Japanese Maple ‘Red Select’ to the right and in the backdrop.
Stella D' Oro Daylily
Here are some of the ‘Stella D Oro’ Daylily in bloom. As you probably know, this variety of Daylily is my personal favorite for hardiness and prolonged bloom time!
Patio Garden
Along the back patio is Peony ‘Bartzella’ finishing up its blooms. The purple blooms of Saliva ‘May Night’ are now in their prime, and blooms of Daylily ‘Parden Me’, Astilbe, Lambs Ear and Echinacea will follow. There is a new perennial in the center, Echibeckia, which I purchased last summer. It is a cross between Echinacea and Rudbeckia, and is going into flower.
Pollinator Friendly Plants
The pollinators are very happy! Here is a friendly bumble bee enjoying the purple spikes of Salvia.
Back Shade Garden
Along to the back shade garden is Leucothoe ‘Axillaris’ pushing out its new foliage, with hues of pink and green. Joining Leucothoe are Japanese Forest Grass and Hosta.
Back Right "Secret Garden"
On the other side of the shade garden is Weeping Norway Spruce, Heuchera (Coral Bells) ‘Caramel’, and Astilbe ‘Visions’…
Garden Whimsy
while in the full sun garden is this assortment of groundcover sedum surrounding a statue of garden gal and kitty!
Veronica 'Royal Candles' (Spiked Speedwell)
One of the newer additions to the sun garden is this perennial Veronica ‘Royal Candles’. It produces a profusion of purple blooms all summer and is a welcoming plant for pollinators!
Back Island Bed Right
In the back island bed, Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ adds a bit of deep burgundy next to the foliage of Sedum ‘Brilliant’, which will bloom later in the summer. Also is Mugo Pine, Gold Lace Juniper, Golden Hosta and Saliva ‘May Night’, which is blooming now. A 'Sioux' Crape Myrtle takes center stage and will bloom in late July.
Back Island Bed Left
Here is the other side of the island bed with a view of Hinoki Cypress ‘Compacta’.
Front Driveway Garden East Side
Moving along to the front driveway border is Skyland’s Golden Oriental Spruce with Nepeta ‘Walkers Low’ (in full bloom) with Weigela ‘Spilled Wine’ (done blooming) and Coreopsis ’Zagreb’, just starting to bloom! The Nepeta and Coreopsis will bloom all summer into fall.
Skyland's Golden Oriental Spruce Seed Cones
Did someone say purple cones? The seed cones on the Skylands Spruce are purple this time of year!
Front Driveway Garden West Side
On the opposite side of the driveway planting is Spirea 'Magic Carpet', which is now in bloom along with Salvia 'Caradonna' in the backdrop and Variegated Iris to the right. A cluster of Siberian Iris (on the left) from the original planting on the property has crossed under the fence to join the outer planting and it works for me!!!
Front Island Bed
On the front island bed, Spirea Double Play 'Big Bang' is blooming along with the foliage of Weeping Norway Spruce, Dwarf Cryptomeria and Barberry (non-invasive cultivar).
Front Island Bed Another View
Here is a view of the other side of the island bed with Weeping Japanese Maple in the backdrop, Osmanthus 'Goshiki' in the foreground and two varieties of Hosta.
Front Entrance Garden 
For more foliage combinations, there is Weeping White Pine, Golden Variegated Sedge, Liriope, Japanese Garden Juniper and Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar along the front walkway. Purple spikes of blooms will appear on the liriope in late summer. For now, the foliage is a nice bright yellow.
Front Entrance Garden
The Weeping Redbud 'Lavender Twist' that I planted last spring is coming into its element with quite a bit of new foliage.
Weeping Redbud 'Lavender Twist'
Here is is up close with its heart-shaped leaves.
Container Planting June 2021
And last, but not least is the newest patio planter that I created recently. In the center is the new mini form of Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Jean's Dilly') that only grows to three feet tall. There is also a dwarf Hinoki Cypress in the center and two Oriental Arborvitae 'Frankie Boy'. I could not resist their unusual wispy foliage!!!
Thanks for Visiting!
Thank you for visiting my June garden. As always, I enjoy hearing from you and seeing what's growing in your neck of the woods! Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday FotosMacro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling WoodsImage-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday with NC Sue and Gardens Galore Link Up Party every other Monday with Everyday Living. I am also happy to join the Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden
 

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Feature Blooming Shrub: Dwarf Weigela

This Month in the Garden
Welcome to This Month in the Garden! As a garden designer, the most often request I receive is for a "low maintenance" garden. Experts in the horticultural industry are constantly striving to create cultivars that are not only hardy, but that produce more abundant blooms on a smaller sized plant. While numerous species of Weigela have been enjoyed by gardeners for years, two newer dwarf cultivars, 'My Monet' and 'Spilled Wine' have been introduced into the gardening world.
Weigela 'My Monet' Foliage
The first, Weigela 'My Monet' is a dwarf cultivar, reaching a height and width of 12-18 inches high by 18-24 inches wide. Hardy in USDA zones 4-6, 'My Monet' prefers a location with full to part sun and a medium moist, well-drained soil. The blooms, which appear in early to late spring, form on the previous wood of the season, so it is best pruned after flowering. Due to its small size, 'My Monet' may need no pruning at all!
Weigela 'My Monet' Blooms
This beauty was cultivated from its original, Weigela florida 'Tango', and is the first dwarf variegated Weigela to be introduced. Variegation changes depending on light exposure. In partial shade, variegated appears whiter, while appearing more pink in full sun. Weigela 'My Monet' is butterfly and hummingbird friendly and also not preferred by deer.
Weigela 'Spilled Wine' Foliage
While Weigela 'My Monet' is loved for its variegated foliage, 'Spilled Wine' is another dwarf cultivar displaying deep burgundy foliage throughout the growing season. Hardy in USDA zones 4-8, Weigela 'Spilled Wine' produces the vibrant pink blooms of  its parent plant 'Wine & Roses' on a more compact 24-36 inch high by wide shrub. 'Spilled Wine' prefers a location with full to partial sun and a medium moist, well-drained soil. Its blooms also form on "old wood", so any pruning should occur right after bloom. The blooms are an attraction to both butterflies and hummingbirds and 'Spilled Wine' is known to be moderately deer resistant. (Depending on location and deer population, deer may nibble on the new growth of the season.)
Weigela 'Spilled Wine' Blooms
I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden. Be sure to stop by on the 1st. and 15th. of each month as I continue to share gardening tips, information and horticultural adventures! (Linking with: Floral FridaysMacro Monday 2Ruby Tuesday and Image-in-ing Weekly Photo Link-Up.

For gardening info and tips: Visit my Author Page/Purchase My Books  Be sure to check out my newest book: Gardening by Month for 12-months of interest in the landscape!😊
Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2021. All rights reserved.