Home of Stella's Gardens

We are now living full time in Northeast Iowa, and working on the new gardens. It will keep us busy for quite a while...

As an avid gardener since I was about 7 years old, that gives me over 45 years of experience gardening in this part of the world. And every year teaches me a bit more.


Thursday, May 31, 2012

It is the last day of May, closing out a most unusual Spring for us all. Of course the fact that March was officially warmer than April was unique here in the Midwest. Then May has been as dry as I have ever seen - the home garden more than doubled the May rainfall with 0.86 inches during the last night. We are all thankful for that!
Here is the pot of geraniums and lobelia which are pictured in a previous post, coming into bloom and a lot more substantial looking! Hidden in the center are several Purple Majesty millets which I hope will be the vertical element, before too long.
The new Knockout rose which is going gangbusters in the back yard.
And scenes from the gardens up north, including the peony Felix Crouse, with a barely visible picotee of yellow on the center petals; Dianthus Diana's Blueberry; Penstamon Strictus, one of several Rocket snapdragons that survived the mild winters. And in the other flowerbed Achillea Summer Berries.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

It's been a busy spring, where work has interfered with my true calling.... The flowers and tomatoes and peppers are in the home garden now, and we will visit the northern garden to see how all those alliums have fared. It was good in April but May has turned a bit dry, so crossing fingers. The flowers and the few mates and pepps will go in up there this weekend. The pot of geraniums pictured before are starting to bloom, and there are wee grasses in the center, Purple Majesty millet, which I hope will grow up as the vertical accents; pictures to come of it and the northern gardens. Still need to have something pithier to say, but not tonight.