The Lady's Green Room

The Lady is surrounded by leafy splendor in her garden room. There are walls of verdant trees, and, overhead, foliage arches across the ceiling.

Of all my garden spaces, the Lady Garden is becoming my favorite. The arbor swing has a great view of the hydrangea walk and is up close to bird and other wild life activity. I like to watch the trees and listen to the sounds in the garden. Squirrels play, and the gentle tunes of wind chimes mingle with bird song. It is a peaceful place that Lou and I both enjoy.

Most of the planting beds feature hostas. They are well suited to the filtered sunlight this area receives. As June begins, they are growing full and I love their colors and textures:Clockwise from upper left: Francis Williams; Sum and Substance; Whirlwind; Big DaddyAnd here is a birds nest fern, an indoor plant spending the summer outdoors. As long as I keep it watered it likes the subtropical temperatures.

While green predominates, as it usually does in my part of the world in summer, there are some colorful red accents:

And a few other things which add some interest:

The Lady Garden, 2011, is still immature. I am waiting for ground covers to cover the dirt floors. Boxwood and tea olives have yet to grow together to form hedges which will delineate two sides. I am still tweaking the stone paths. The planting beds need lots more plants! Meanwhile, garden ornaments, colorful pots, and temporary plants help to fill in. But things are growing, and it is beginning to feel like a real outdoor room.

One of These Flowers Doesn't Belong!

All of the following flowers are blooming in my garden now. Can you guess which one doesn't belong?

First is Lychnis coronaria, also called rose campion. It was a passalong plant from a fellow garden blogger, Eve of Sunny Side Up. It has neon pink flowers and fuzzy silver leaves. Passalong plants are special, because they always remind me of friends who gave them to me.

Next is Asclepias tuberosa, also called butterfly weed. It has been slow to establish, but it looks good this year. I am hoping it will live up to its common name!

This lavender version of crepe myrtle was suppose to be miniature, growing to three feet. Ha! It is about six feet and would be much larger if I didn't keep it pruned. I love its pastel blossoms.

Bees love caryopteris! This soft, mounding shrub is also known as blue mist spirea.

Another shrub with lovely flowers is butterfly rose, Rosa mutabilis. The flowers change colors as they mature from rose to peach to crimson.

This purple verbena was growing on the property when we moved here in 1985 and has bloomed every year since. It's a classic!

Another classic planted by the original owner of my house is the common day lily. Did you know the flower pods are edible? They are delicious raw or stir fried in olive oil.

Gardenia 'August Beauty' has a wonderful smell and will bloom for two to three months.

Calibrachoa 'Apricot Punch' is also called superbell. The flowers look like miniature petunias. This annual will bloom non-stop till hard frost.

Buddleia, or butterfly bush, has just begun to bloom. Butterflies really do love this plant.

And finally, here is a a brightly colored chrysanthemum.

Which one doesn't belong? The chrysanthemum! It was in full bloom when it was given to me last November. It is supposed to be a fall bloomer. What provoked it to start blooming now, I do not know, but it doesn't seem to mind the hot temperatures we are experiencing this week. I plan to cut it back after the blooms fade. Hopefully it will bloom again when cool weather and football season arrives. Or could I hope there is a new variety that blooms all summer and into fall?

One of the fun (and sometimes not-fun!) aspects of gardening is the unpredictability of plants. We may think we have it all planned, but in the end the plants have the final say.