Arts & Crafts: I Dug Through The Art Bins...

It's too wintery to go out.  I won't say it's freezing out there--because it is not--but it IS about 40 degrees and foggy and dark day after day.  With the enforced down-time, I've been working on an artistic collaboration with a friend.  It is the first time in years (at least eight years, I think) that I've worked with watercolors.  It was so sad to go through my supply of expensive, only slightly used tubes of paint and to find one after another leathery-dry and crystalized under the cap.  But I got what I needed, at least for the rough draft stage.

So, do you want to see it?  My first watercolor effort in eight years or more?  

I know...after all the build-up, it's a mere sketch.  Still, producing it took all day and rubbermaid tubs crammed full of materials co-opted every last bit of counter space in my kitchen.  

I ended up using watercolor, gouache, watercolor pencils, and micron pen.  It's far from perfect--in fact, it was interesting to note how some of the flaws became more noticeable once I scanned the original--but I am trying to move away from the pursuit of perfection and to actually finish some work.  A novel concept, huh?  With a portfolio filled with many unfinished ideas and very few completed works (those would be the "perfect" ones)  I think I need a new operating strategy.

Garden: Hydrangea paniculata "Quick Fire"

One of the plants still giving pleasure in the garden is Hydrangea paniculata "Quick Fire".  Over the years, I've grown quite a few hydrangeas but this one stands out.  Currently, amid the dreary days of winter, I really appreciate its papery, spent blooms and richly colored, red stems. The blooms are a little unusual in that the mass of fertile bloom is exceptionally dark and solid looking.  This gives the spent bloom a pronounced two-tone effect.  I wasn't entirely successful at capturing this effect--the mass of fertile blooms looks nearly black when seen in the landscape--not-so-much, I guess, when I am holding a bloom up to the feeble light of the winter sun.

Quick Fire hydrangea, January 17, 2014

Quick Fire hydrangea, January 17, 2014

When I planted Quick Fire last summer, I was immediately drawn to its substantial, rich green foliage and its strong-looking red stems.  

The spot where I planted Quick Fire has been an ongoing challenge for me.  Initially, the corner was occupied by about 5 large, red phormiums.  I'd no idea that phormiums wouldn't be guaranteed hardy in my locale because huge specimens grew at many homes in the neighborhood.  That year, however, became known as "The Great Phormium Killing Winter" (PKW) and nearly all the mature specimens were killed or quite severely damaged.  I decided not to replant with more phormiums because I don't care for the disappointment that comes with cheating my hardiness zone.  After that, I tried some red twig dogwoods and then a purple barberry but nothing was quite right.  I'd meant to give the barberry some more time to mature and bulk up but, in a fit of remodeling zeal, I spied Quick Fire and the barberry was roots-up in about an hour.

Quick Fire did not disappoint.  The blooms were early and very fresh looking.  The foliage, too, stayed clean and vibrant throughout the growing season.

"Quick Fire" on July 2, 2013

Even though I shouldn't have been, I was still a little surprised by how early the blooms colored-up. There is a pinkening Quick Fire hiding-out in the back of the picture, below.   It was a little jarring to see Quick Fire blooms turning pink when those on the nearby Annabelles wouldn't reach their peak for almost another month.  The Quick Fire blooms eventually matured to a very dark rose.

August 10, 2013

Quick Fire also displayed nice fall color.  At first, it was quite interesting to contemplate close-up the variety of greens, magenta, yellows, and oranges.  But from further away the view was less satisfying as the colors merged and appeared sort-of chocolate-y brown.  

October 7, 2013

Eventually, however, Quick Fire turned a very bright, clear orange.

Quick Fire, October 20, 2013

Although I do not have a long track record with this plant (having only planted it during the last summer) I was completely pleased by its willingness to thrive, its pretty blooms, its good foliage, its vibrant fall color, and the appearance of the persisting spent blooms.

Here's some information about Quick Fire from the Proven Winners web site:

The first to bloom! Quick Fire blooms about a month before other Hydrangea paniculata (hardy hydrangea) varieties. Extend the hydrangea season in your garden with a planting of Quick Fire Hydrangea. Flowers open white then turn pink, and will be an extremely dark rosy-pink in the fall. Quick and easy to grow. The flowers on Quick Fire are not affected by soil pH. They are produced on 'new wood' and will bloom after even the harshest winters. Beautiful for use as a cut (fresh or dried) flower.
Height and spread:  72-96 inches

Deciduous

Hardiness Zone:  3a-9b 

(Source:  Proven Winners Quick Fire Hydrangea page )

After taking their pictures I brought the blooms inside for yet another period of enjoyment.

Garden: Same Spot, Different Season

It's not a year-end retrospective, but it kind-of is…

I didn't plan to take a series of photos, but my garden is small so there are a limited number of photogenic angles possible.  This limitation has resulted in an unplanned progression of photos taken at just about the same spot throughout the growing season. The taller panel of fence (and the spires of the Digitalis parviflora, in later photos) make convenient reference points.

April 28, 2013

May 28, 2013

June 23, 2013

July 22, 2013

September 1, 2013

September 19, 2013

October 7, 2013

October 25, 2013

November 12, 2013

November 21, 2013

December 20, 2013

December 31, 2013

As I was putting together this post, it sure seemed like a lot of plants had come and gone!  In my defense, I will remind you that this was a rebuilding year.  I totally remade the right-hand side of the border in early spring and I remade the left-hand side in mid-Summer.  I hope that, now that I've established a good cast of characters, the pace of change will slow.

Garden: I Spy--A Design Flaw I Can Fix

This is the corner of my front garden bed.  While I am sure that there are lots of improvements that can be made, there is one flaw that I see RIGHT NOW that I can easily fix.  Right in the middle of the corner there appears to be a gap in the planting.  In spring and summer, this area is filled with "Jolly Bee" hardy geranium, a trio of Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats)  and various spires such as Digitalis parviflora, adenophora, and asiatic lilies.  Behind those, right in the corner, is a baby "Quickfire" hydrangea.  

Well...what if I replace the three Chasmanthiums with a Miscanthus "Adagio"?  In the spring/summer, I would lose some of the looser structure that I'd hoped to achieve by planting the Chasmanthium.  And I'd lose some of the continuity provided by the Chasmanthium which is part of a larger swath that wraps around the Eupatorium (dark brown hulking thing in the center back). But, I think I'd gain a much greater fall/winter value with the addition of the miscanthus' persistent, tan, winter foliage.  It would bring the blonde color of the pennisetum foliage all the way into the corner and would provide visual bulk to the corner throughout the year (but especially during the winter). 

What say you, yea or nay?

The spot in question--corner of my front garden bed.

Garden: GBBD--December 2013

Hey!  Better late than never, y'all.  Of course, a week of sub-freezing temps pretty much ended our floral display and a concerted search of the garden yielded...NOTHING.  So I tried to make something pretty out of the blooms I found.

*  Edited to add this photo for reference and comparison.  I think I like it better than than the below photo, but it doesn't harmonize so well with the whole photo story.

Hydrangea "Bombshell"

"Bombshell"

 H."Bombshell" with dwarf Deschampsia

Pennisetum "Hameln"

Sedum "Autumn Joy" with the pennisetum.

Rain on an ornamental cabbage.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, is a celebration of what is blooming each month in bloggers' gardens around the world.