Hidden Hills Garden

 Some call ajuga invasive. The beloved Leandra calls him her favorite. (Beloved is not descriptive enough. All my children are beloved. She is better described as Leandra, the lovely and talented, middle child.)

 I’ve grown ajuga in 3 different places in the yard. He was just OK in the other places, but he loves it here. All the water from my front yard either seeps through the basement walls (a huge problem last year, but I’m not talking about that) or drains along this path. I think all that extra moisture is what he really likes. The lighting is good here too, about half sun and half shade. 

Ajuga is a quick spreader, so if you are in the area and you want some, let me know. He is like strawberries in the way he sends out babies on runners every spring.  I have to do something with the babies. They would overtake their neighbors if I let them. The babies start putting out roots in anticipation of touching the ground.  Once the roots are 1/4″-1/2″ long, cut the runners from the main plant, and root them in potting soil. It’s a lot easier than waiting for them to get settled into the garden and then digging them up. Again, let me know if you want some.

 Last year I didn’t get a chance to deadhead the ajuga. It’s at least a 4 hour job. I did notice a few seedlings in the area that year. So don’t say I didn’t warn you. Remember some call it invasive. Leandra and I still like it.

A few other tidbits about ajuga:

• Evergreen with a purple tint during winter
• Vole resistant (I’m assuming this since it is still alive)
• Deer resistant (I know this for sure)

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Ajuga and Foam Flower 'Black Velvet'

When it comes to my garden I’m extremely fickle. Favorites change daily, and right now it’s Lenten Rose, Helleborus. This one is a fabulous variety called ‘Mrs. Betty Ranicar.’

Helleborus 'Mrs. Betty Ranicar'

Here’s what I know about Helleborus:

• It was chosen as the 2005 perennial plant of the year. (I’ve grown 15 of the last 20 plants on the list, and it is a most excellent list.)
• In general they need some shade, or you can plant them under deciduous trees where they will get sun in winter, and shade in summer.
• They bloom for a long time, 6-8 weeks, in late winter or early spring in lots of different colors, and they are pretty floating in a bowl.
  

  Blooms of Mrs. Betty Ranicar and Green Heron

• Zones 4-9
• Drought tolerant once established.
• They need well drained soil, and if it is fertile and has organic matter, you don’t need to add fertilizer.
• Seldom bothered by deer or voles
• They grow about 12-16 inches tall and wide.
• Although they are evergreen, the old foliage starts to look pretty rough after a hard winter, but you need to wait until the plant is just about to flower before you cut every bit of the previous year’s growth off at the ground. If you cut it back too early, you weaken the plant and it may delay blooming.
• Plants will self sow. Keep the mulch thin under the plants, and you may get new seedlings. The best chance of getting a new plant just like momma, is to separate different varieties by at least 25 feet. Many plants are hybrids of several different varieties, so even if you space them, the babies may look more like grandma or grandpa than mommy. (I’ve read that Mrs. Betty seldom has babies, but when she does they look just like her.) Some babies are slow to mature; it can be 3-4 years before they bloom.
• The seed needs a cold cycle, so watch for seedlings the following spring. (I read this somewhere, but I sowed seed last spring, and what popped up in fall sure looks like a baby Helleborus. I’m staying hopeful.)
• Separate babies or divide plants in the fall. You know how you can divide daylilies all the way down to just one fan? Don’t do that with Helleborus. They don’t like it at all. (If I had known this last year, I wouldn’t have separated that one tiny piece. Rest in peace little baby ‘Green Heron’.)
• Tony Avent, from my favorite nursery Plant Delights, knows way more than me about Helleborus. You can read his article here.

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This ‘Green Heron’ was planted in fall of 2009. The flowers fade from near white to celery green on a very heavy bloomer.

I posted pictures of this ‘Winter Moonbeam’ on February 22, but that was during the time I didn’t realize the camera’s auto focus wasn’t working. I wanted to post another picture where you could actually see the stunning foliage.

The last picture is from someone else’s yard. Most of the older varieties look a lot like this.

 You may wonder, “What was blooming the first half of February?” Not much in my garden. (I need to work on that.) There were a few, the witch hazel was still blooming, and the winter jasmine had just gotten started, but neither one was at their best.

 The most fabulous man on the planet gave me this for Valentines Day. It’s better than chocolate. It’s a calla lily. The mystery of what Mr. Hill got his wife for Valentines Day is solved!! Dale’s 10^th grade geometry class has been asking, but he wouldn’t tell. They were starting to wonder if the gift was inappropriate.

 LOVE this plant! I dug this winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) from Jennifer’s garden. She has tons, and I thought they were planted much too close together, so I wanted to help her out and thin them a little. (Don’t tell Jennifer, but they really were fine that close together). The plant is similar to forsythia in that it sends up long shoots that fall over and root wherever it touches the ground. You can space it farther apart, and it will creep together. (Jennifer will never miss them.) He is a carefree, tough plant, growing about 6-10 ft. high and, like me, he gets wider each year. He flowers best in full sun, but he’ll take some shade.

My dad visited last week, and we went to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. He made me lean over to feel this one and make sure it was real. The flower petals look like shiny plastic. It was growing in the shady woodland garden. I think I need one.

Keep viagra generika online out of the reach of children. cialis is used to treat male sexual function greatly. This viagra 50mg complete system can also lead to a decrease in your overall well-being is erectile dysfunction. The way we behave and buy viagra pills the way you possibly can make the procedure less complicated. The rise in cancer survivorship is cialis online cialis credited to several different factors.  This is not a very showy flower, but it is unusual. It’s a ginger (Asarum maximum, ‘Ling Ling’). I’ve killed other Asarum in the past, but he really lives up to the “easy to grow” description. (I fall for that one all the time.) It’s another ground cover for the shaded garden.

 I’ve forced paperwhites inside for Christmas before, but this is their début in the garden.

 After the daffodils bloom, you have to leave the ugly, brown, dying foliage. Some people tie it in knots or braid it, but that’s just wrong. I plant them in-between my daylilies. The dead foliage just looks like a few brown leaves on the daylily.

 This leatherleaf mahonia is last for a reason, it is very invasive, and I don’t recommend it. But it is pretty.