More Blooms in June -2011 - Purple Flowers

This the entrance to my home -

As you can see I love purple flowers

The Blue False Indigo Plant

False Indigo

My neighbor's little dog 'Spice' poses in the Peace Garden

Japanese Iris

Purple Columbine -Aquilegia

Bearded Iris

Japanese Iris line the pathway.

More Blooms in June

Hello dear readers - I have finally returned to the Peace Garden Blog after a long winter.

In the Spring the flowers started peeping through the soil but we have had so much rain that most only lasted a couple of days and were gone. Due to the rain the weeds are thriving and I have not spent enough time tending to the garden.

So, I am taking time to post this blog and will start to write at least weekly.

Purple Columbine -

Aquilegia

Iris

Dogwood Tree

White Japanese Iris

Bleeding Heart

Bearded Iris

Purple Japanese Iris

Spiderwort, Miniature Rose, White Japanese Iris - June 2009

Standard Bearded Iris 

They do well in Zones 3 - 10 and they love the sun.

This perennial does well in border beds and requires very little 

attention from the gardener. They come in every color except red. 

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Spiderwort is yet another plant that traveled the highways with me in the journey from Massachusetts to Western New York.

This sturdy and non invasive perennial  has three-petaled flowers on two foot stems rising from clumps of long, narrow leaves. Each flower lasts only one day but they open in succession for continuous late spring or early summer bloom.

Zones 4 - 9. 

Spiderwort (Tradescantia)

Miniature Rose

Miniatures are true roses that have been bred to stay small and compact in size. Extremely cold hardy, northern gardeners will adore these roses  for their ability to withstand even the harshest winters down to USDA hardiness zones 3 or 4. 

Use miniature roses in perennial borders, in pots or patio containers, along walkways or adjacent to decks. Plant miniature roses in front of larger roses or tall perennials to hide bare canes and branches with a blooming carpet of color. For a dramatic impact in your garden, plant miniature roses in mass plantings of five or more roses of the same variety. Miniature roses also make wonderful gifts that will offer years of enjoyment in the garden.

My miniature rose is set right by the front entrance to the house where I can see it when I leave and return, thus bringing much enjoyment to all who enter my home. This rose is resilient and grows to only 2 1/2 feet in height. 

It blooms from May until early December. 

Yes, even when the snow is on the ground

White Japanese Iris alongside White Canterbury Bells

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June chores

One of the ongoing chores is to remove the faded flowers,

thus encouraging new flowers on the stems.

Train and prune vines as needed - this is the time

to get them started on the trellis.

Keep the garden free of weeds.

photos by peacesojourner

Welcome to the Peace Garden

This is your first glimpse of the  Peace Garden

which is located in the rear of my home

Bearded Iris

Bearded Iris - yellow and purple

Lilac

James Macfarlane Lilac - Single Pink

(Syringa X Prestoniae)

I moved to Buffalo almost two years ago and the rear garden was mostly uneven black asphalt and plenty of weeds. Oh, and did I mention the tree that was lying uprooted from a neighbor's garden that was covering the entire area.

We finally got the tree removed months later and I was lucky to find a wonderful woman in the community who did a lot of the heavy work for me. She dug out, and prepared  a border on three sides of the garden and I was able to plant some of the many plants that I brought with me from Massachusetts. 

The weather and temperatures are very similar in Western New York and Western Massachusetts so most of the plants survived the harsh winter.

There are days when I wish the TV Makeover people would knock at my door and announce that they are here to transform the area. But no luck there, so it has been a long, slow, plodding, hard work process to get the garden established. 

Those of you who are diehard gardeners will understand when I say that the work is rewarding. :-)

In the photos above you can see the beginnings of the now named 

"Peace Garden"

Japanese Iris - June 2009

Japanese Iris (Iris ensata or Iris kaempferi) flowers are distinctly 

different from those of bearded or Siberian Iris

There is often a confusion that surrounds this group: Once they were known as Kaempferi Irises, today many call them "The Butterfly Irises", but the correct common name is simply "Japanese Iris." 
In luscious colors of purple pink, and endless bicolors, they have been cultivated in Japan for over 500 years, and were once restricted to enjoyment by royalty only. 

 Though many think they are, they are not water dwellers. 

They require about the same conditions as ferns, astilbes or impatiens--just moist ground, which most all gardeners can easily provide.

As you can see by the photos, these iris blooms are quite different from the tall "stand-up" flowers of the big Bearded Irises. With Japanese Irises, both sets of petals are more flat, forming a simpler, flatter--and many think more beautiful--flower. Japanese Irises form large lavish hardy clumps and are highly decorative. They're also great for cutting.

Height: 2’ to 3’ width: 1’ to 2’
Perennial
USDA hardiness zone 2 to 9
Blooms late spring to mid summer

 I moved to Western New York from Massachusetts two years ago and I left behind most of my furniture.  

However, I did bring the things that are most important to me.  I made several nine hour drives to transport my personal mementos, books and flowers. Yes,  most of those trips were to bring the flowers from my English flower garden to my new address.

The house that I moved into is over 100 years old and what was unbelievable to me was there was not ever one single plant, flower or shrub in the garden.  

To my mind, gardening is a blend of art and science. This new landscape was an empty canvas waiting to be painted with the colors of flowers, and foliage. 

The flowers that you see here are some that I transported from my previous garden. I now have a full sun garden and they are doing very well here.  They fiercely multiplied this past year.

It has been very chilly here this week but today I was able to spend time outside with some of the usual garden chores with weeding at the top of the list. :-)

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Photos by peacesojourner