Another day of planting

August 16th -  I started to dig out a place for the Little Quick Fire hydrangea that I bought on Saturday. And discovered that some idiot previous owner had laid a sheet of plastic in the bed. I don't know what purpose it was intended to serve, but subsequent owners put soil and bark chips and straw right on top to a depth of about 6" so if you aren't digging down deep enough, you won't discover this plastic. I ripped out what I could and kept digging, then amended the soil with purchased top soil from the garden centre. I realise this is not the best amendment, compost would be far better but I don't have enough. I will add compost to all the plants once my compost bin begins producing significant amounts.

This is a smaller version of Quick Fire hydrangea, called Little Quick Fire. It blooms one month earlier than other hydrangeas and the blossoms turn pink, then almost red by the end of the summer.

It will only grow to about 5' in height so it is perfect for under this bedroom window. I will leave the hosta that is in front of it for now. It gets nibbled by the deer so hasn't amounted to much in this spot. 

Then I dug in front of the maple tree by the driveway. Grandson Isaac was helping, he loves to do stuff like this and loves getting dirty. He also mowed half of the back lawn with a mower that probably weighs as much as him.  Isaac is only 6, about to turn 7 at the end of this month, but he is a little powerhouse and is constantly active.

I placed a mini fence in front of the wisteria in the hope that small children will realise something is growing there and not jump on it. The soil here was completely sandy; however the maple has survived, so I added mushroom compost and filled the hole with that and popped in the wisteria, hoping that it will take. So much of this is experimentation for me; I have never had the opportunity to try out such a variety of plants before. So the learning curve will be steep and the effort will produce some results, I hope. I have visions of this plant growing quickly and climbing the tree and covering it with its lovely purple blossoms. This wisteria is called Blue Moon, so it won't grow as quickly as the Asian wisterias and unfortunately, it has no scent. Go baby go!

August 17th -Before the sun gets  too strong, I dug a large hole in the back yard right next to the neighbouring lot. Then I mixed the existing soil with purchased top soil and put some back in. Into this went a pink rosa rugosa, purchased at the Parry Sound nursery. The poor shrub must have been in the pot for ages, because there were three runners coming out the bottom holes and I had to cut the pot off the root ball. Then I found large woody stems that were all wrapped around the bottom of the root ball. I roughed up the edges of the root ball in the hope that some smaller stems would loosen and begin to extend into the new soil. I left the woody ones in place, hesitant to cut them. Wild roses are pretty hardy, they grow on the beaches of Nova Scotia in soil that is a mix of sand and gravel so I think this one is probably pretty happy to be placed into a hole with lots of black soil to grow into. It will also  receive full sun in this location, a necessary requirement if you want to get lots of blossoms. 

A quick trip to the local grocery store netted some purchases. They had some lovely perennials that were just brought in from a local nursery. I could not resist.

First up is a rudbeckia. I don't know what is the difference between rudbeckia and black-eye susans, but the fellow there assured me there was a difference. I think black eye susans might grow taller and these flowers seems to have a more composite flower, with a double layer of petals.
No matter, I love them and my daughter suggested that I fill this bed beside the driveway with daisy-like flowers as they seem to thrive almost anywhere.

The other plant in this bed is a rose mallow which is technically a hibiscus. It has smaller blooms and this one seems to be promising a red or deep fuchsia flower. This bed gets a lot of morning sun and last year I had nasturtiums in here and it seemed to be too hot for them. They looked scorched, perhaps the siding reflects too much heat, I shall have to check this out further. If so, I am sure I can provide some protection from that with a simple cover on the siding behind the plants. 

This is a  view of the bed to one side of the chimney. Right next to the chimney is the climbing hydrangea. I will put more yellow blooms in the space between the rudbeckia and the rose mallow, or perhaps a purple cone flower if I can find one tomorrow at the Gerber nursery in Killaloe. So much fun! I also got a digitalis and a sweet william at the grocery store and haven't decided yet where to plant those. 

I also planted this astilbe in the front bed below the living room window. This bed receives no direct sun and at the end is the sad hydrangea from which I have taken  three cuttings. There are some astilbes in this bed already, one I planted in May, and this one is a coral shade I believe.
They seem to be doing well in this location and there are a total of 4 astilbes here. So it  seems right to place this new one next to its relatives. There is a gentle beauty to a bed of astilbes, their feathery flowers are so delicate, almost like froth. They also last for a few weeks, which is a good stretch for a perennial flower. I will continue to add more astilbes to this bed, plus lady's mantle.

Tonight is the monthly meeting of the horticultural society. I might try to get to that, although this is soccer night for the kids. And on Saturday is the summer flower show, I will definitely be taking that in.