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Stepping Into May

Rhododendron 'Klondyke' and Geranium maculatum May is already here and the garden suddenly explodes with growth. We spent the weekend watering (already?) because there hasn't been significant rainfall in a while. We don't have a sprinkler system so it is all manpower, dragging hoses and sprinklers. It takes two days - one for the back and one for the front - to water everything. It is possible to get it all in one day if we start really early. The rhododendrons are beginning now - 'Mandarin Lights' 'Jean Marie De Montague' 'Percy Wiseman' - beautiful but suffers from lacebug. I'm considering replacing it or maybe I will try and treat it. A favorite right now is the Chilean Potato Vine ( Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin'). This plant is hardier than you might imagine. Some sources list it as a "9", others an "8".  It is going on its third year in our garden, having been moved once. It is sheltered somewhat by a fence but ...

Napping under maples



Someone once expressed a lack of appreciation for Japanese Maples to garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence to which she replied, "Then you have never crawled underneath one on an October day."

Try this sometime - I think she has a valid point.

Comments

  1. Hey Phillip...pretty maple!

    You've got a blogspot crazy word wrap thing around your photo. Happens to me all the time and drives me a bit nutty trying to fix it without publishing it 10 times to see how it really looks (preview is terrible, isn't it).

    If you put the html code for a line break before and after your photo it should fix it. That would be a
    used the same way, before and after.

    Hope this helps.

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  2. Of course, it took out my html code for the line break when I put it in my comment!

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  3. Thanks Cameron, let me see if I can fix that!

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  4. I love Japanese maples, mostly for the leaves, shape and color. Since they seem to be a favorite of Japanese beetles, I don't grow them. My loss, I know.
    Marnie

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  5. Beautiful! Thanks...I really wanted to read what you had to say, too. :-)

    Cheers,
    Cameron

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  6. I love staring upwards into trees. This would be the perfect spot for a hammock!
    Best ,
    Philip

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  7. The colors you have been posting are fantastic.

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  8. Beautiful! If scares me that Marnie says that Japanese beetles eat Japanese Maples. We have both, but fortunately the beetles must prefer other snacks.

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  9. I simply adore the J. maples. Can't believe anyone would not appreciate them.

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  10. I love Japanese maples, too, and your photos are gorgeous. But lying on the ground in October in Virginia?--umm, I'm guessing someone in your household might share my views on that idea. I think dragging out the tarp, the yoga mats and the umbrellas might kind of spoil the moment. Kidding--you've really captured the magic of looking up into trees.

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  11. I love your photography! Would you mind sharing what your equipment is?

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  12. Thanks Louise. I have a Nikon D50 with various lenses. I also use Photoshop to tweak color, contrast, etc.

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