The Japanese Garden, Buffalo, New York

The Japanese Garden in Buffalo, New York is located

near the lake in Delaware Park

This area is peaceful and serene

Each area of the garden is carefully planned

Tranquil pathway leads to upper garden

I thought you might enjoy this glimpse of a tranquil garden which has

many perennials best suited for shade gardens

Herbs, Tomatoes and August Garden Chores

This year I did not grow vegetables -

but I do have some parsley on hand.

I grew two patio containers of tomatoes and have had a wonderful

crop so far - there is nothing like tasting a tomato picked fresh from the vine.

I have several varieties of mint which has a pleasant odor and helps to repel mosquitoes. Also, cats do not care for the smell of mint.

Caution: mint can be very invasive

so be careful where you plant it. One method is to plant it into a plastic plant container and place into the soil. The container will contain the roots as they try to spread around.

August garden chores

WEEDING: The main chore this month is weeding: Every weed pulled now is a hundred or more that you don’t have to deal with later. Don’t let them go to seed.

Take a look at each flower bed weekly, since weeds are not just unsightly but steal moisture, nutrients and light from desired plants.

DEADHEAD: faded flower stalks and blossoms of annuals and perennials unless they have showy seed heads, or you want to collect the seeds later (non-hybrids only).This will stimulate regrowth of new stems and bloom.

DIVIDE: spring-blooming perennials like gaillardia, violets, Louisiana iris, bearded iris, Shasta daisies, etc. Replant into a bed to which you have added compost, humus or manure, and water well to help them re-establish.

DAYLILIES: can be dug and divided as they complete their bloom cycle, right into fall, if needed.

A walk around the Peace Garden at the end of July

Buffalo  in Bloom

Side Garden

Front Garden

Rear Garden

You will notice that the primary colors that I choose in the Peace Garden are pastels. 

Pink, lavender, blues, yellow, white. 

The only splash of brighter colors are the Day Lily with bright orange or deep red colors. 

This is how the garden looks on this, the last day of July. 

Tansy, Buddleia, Russian Sage, Echinacea Purpura, Goldenrod and Cosmos - July Blooms - 2009

Tanacetum Vulgare - Tansy

The old herb garden Tansy, native to Europe and Asia, is widely naturalized across

North America. It loves the sun and grows freely. This perennial  has aromatic foliage on 3 foot high stems and pleasant heads of golden, button-like flowers. 

This plant is invasive and survives most trauma so when planting find a location

that you feel comfortable with  it taking over and you will enjoy it's beauty.

Buddleia - Butterfly Bush

This perennial shrub originated in China and was introduced into Europe by French missionaries in 1864. Grows 12 to 15 feet high and has fragrant lilac to purple flowers. 

As it's name indicates, butterflies are attracted to this bush and it brings many

unusual butterflies into your garden. Grows well in full sun and is very hardy in colder climates.

Echinacea Purpura - Purple Coneflower

This perennial plant is native to the grasslands of the east-central United States. It has stiff stems about 4 feet in height. In the summer, spherical black buds open and long purple-pink 

petals unfold and hang. The great central disk is cone-shaped and orange-brown in color. 

They love the sun and are hardy under snow to Zone 4.

Goldenrod - Solidago

This has been considered a weed but most gardeners love the golden blooms. They

have often been mistakenly blamed for causing hay fever but this is not true.

They usually just show up among the flowers and in the spring I weed out many

but always leave some in certain parts of the garden for a wonderful show of color.

They can be invasive but are easily weeded. They thrive in the sunshine and 

are hardy to Zone 3.

 

Monarda and Queen Anne's Lace

 Cosmos bipinnatus

 Commonly called the garden cosmos or Mexican aster, is a medium sized flowering herbaceous plant sometimes grown in gardens. It can be found in the wild in much of North America where it is a garden escapee, sometimes becoming weedy.

This species is considered a half-hardy annual, although plants may re-appear via self-sowing for several years. The plant height varies from two to four feet. The cultivated varieties appear in shades of pink and purple as well as white.

Flowering is best in full sun, although partial shade is tolerated

The plant is tolerant to drought after germination, and is seldom subject to insect or disease damage. The flowers of Cosmos attract birds and butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly

 This annual is easily planted by seed in early spring. Germination takes between 7 and 10 days at the optimal temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 °C); flowering begins between 60 and 90 days after germination.

They provide a wonderful splash of color in the garden and are easy to care for. 

Moonbeam Coreopsis, Forget-me-not, Yellow Rose, Monarda, St. John's Wort, July Blooms - 2009

Moonbeam Coreopsis (Tickseed)

Moonbeam' s pale yellow flowers are borne in great abundance above delicate, needle like foliage and seem to blend well with practically every color we've. Flowers from late June through August, with repeat bloom till frost. 'Moonbeam' is one of those rare plants that can't be used badly. It makes a superb front-of-the-border plant but can also provide summer color superbly with the blue racemes of Adenophora. It's one of the great perennials.

Loves full sun – does well in arid conditions – Zones 3 – 9

Forget-me-not - Myosotis

Myosotis ( from the Greek: "mouse's ear", after the leaf) is a genus of flowering plants  that are commonly called Forget-me-nots,  first used in English in c.1532. Similar names and variations are found in many languages.

Last year I scattered a few seeds that had been given to me as an advertising promotional and I didn't remember them again until last month when they happily appeared in the front garden.

Yellow Rose

A bouquet of yellow roses now brings to mind all of the sunny, cheerful feelings of warmth and happiness. In contrast to the romantic meanings attributed to other roses, the yellow rose is purely a symbol for friendship. 

Yellow roses can send the perfect message of appreciation and platonic love without the romantic subtext of other colors. They can represent feelings of joy and delight, and are an ideal way to brighten someones day who may be feeling down. 

A Butterfly is visiting the Monarda

A native Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) bears delicate whorls of light lavender blossoms and softly hairy, aromatic, grayish blue leaves that can be dried and used in teas. This plant is resistant to mildew and at home in an herb bed or perennial border. Deadhead to extend bloom and to prevent self-seeding. A favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. Deer resistant.

Monarda - Wild Bergamot - Bee Balm

Is a North American genus with several species, all of which share tartly fragrant foliage and the square stems that typify members of the Mint family. The late-summer flower blooms in brilliant colors.  Under these conditions, they are vigorous to the point of invasiveness.

Full sun - Zones 4 – 9 – blooms July to September

St. John's Wort

Loves the sun - blooms during summer until autumn -

 Zones 5 - 8 - grows 24" high - is drought tolerant

This is another plant that I purchased last November. It looked as if it had no chance and when I got it home the ground was already frozen, so I left it outside in it's plastic container. This spring I planted  it in the garden and hoped it would revive. Well, here it is - it survived the snow and ice of a Buffalo winter, all of this tells me that this is a very hardy plant.  :-)

Rudbeckia, Morning Glory, Lily, Russian Sage, Cleome, Queen Anne's Lace - July Blooms - 2009

Rudbeckia - Goldsturm

  - attracts butterflies - starts blooming in July. Prefers full sun and well drained soil. Best placement is in tall borders and flower beds. 

Cardinalis - Morning Glory

Vigorous climbing vine. Can be trained on poles, trellises and fences.

Annual plant. Likes full sun. Can grow to 12' high. This particular flower is small and dainty.

Place of origin was Mexico and Arizona -  introduced into Europe in 1769.

Propagation by seed in Spring.

Easter Lily - Lilium longiflorum

This flower is forced for Spring blooms and is popular during the Easter season. However, it normally blooms during the summer. I have several in my garden that were about to be discarded by various people after Easter - I planted them and now they are happily blooming in the middle of July. They originated in Japan and were grown and naturalized in China. Introduced to Europe in 1819.

These are doing well in the full sun.

Russian Sage - Perovskia atriplicifolia

Blooms midsummer to early fall. Loves full sun. 

This perennial  grows 3 - 4  feet high and is hardy in Zones  5 - 9

Has an aromatic flower that is beautiful with day lilies and phlox. 

This photo shows the new fence that we built last week. 

Cleome Spinosa  (annual)

Great for border backgrounds or cutting. 

Attracts butterflies. Cleome loves the sun and grows  3-4 feet high.

They have long (2-3 inches) extruding stamens.

Propagation by seed in early spring.

Queen -Anne's -Lace

This flower forms only roots and a rosette of leaves the first year, then they flower and set seed the second year. This is actually a biennial, perennial weed. Yes, this beautiful flower has been designated a weed because it it is fast, tough and invasive. I usually pull up those found in the flower beds but I love them alongside the border of plantain and day lilies. 

How could one just discard them :-)

Hint: they are great for drying at the end of the season. Place the stems through a screen, such as 1/4" hardware cloth. the stems hang loose below, and the flowers are supported face up by the screen. 

Some Odds and Ends in the Peace Garden

This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson has travelled with me wherever I have lived.  

It is on the door that leads to the Peace Garden.

A container of Yarrow, Nicotina and Eucalyptus in the Peace Garden

This clump of Shasta Daisies is next to the entrance of my home. 

Every time I come and go I am filled with wonder when I look at them.

An ancient sundial indicating  that it is 10 in the morning. An age old way to tell 

time before we had clocks. It is always accurate.

A spider's web is glistening in the sun - it is linked from flower to flower.