Daffodil Tour Part Two 2

Daffodil 'Merlin'

The second part of the Daffodil tour is a bit late since many of the varieties have finished blooming. Late blooming Daffodils are among the best because their fragrance is unmatched by the earlier blooming types. Later ones also have more unique shapes and colors. Unfortunate this year a mid month snowstorm/ice/extrema cold ( down to 22.F ) put a damper on the second half of the display. none the less it was still enjoyable!

Daffodil 'Tahiti' 4/20/20

Daffodil 'Rosey Cloud' 4/22/20

Couple of Double Daffodils here Tahiti is one actually an old variety with red/orange color in the center. Rosey Cloud is newer and is almost more of a semi double then an actual double. Finding double varieties that don't flop is hard because the extra added weight of the petals makes them susceptible to bending. These two varieties did very well!

Daffodil 'Thalia' 4/22/20

Unknown variety 4/22/20

I don't recall what the Daffodil on left is, and the tag has been lost. Its a nice lemony colored one surrounded by white petals. Thalia is a unique almost spidery-looking one with full white on white coloring. I have been enjoying how different it is

Daffodil 'Double Fashion' 4/22/20

Daffodil' O'Bodkin' 4/22/20

Double Fashion showed it being a really nice ruffly Daffodil in the photos but instead its a semi-double with a nice orange center. This other one I bought as O'Bodkin but honestly it looks nothing like the photo which showed it being a multi head blooming type. I still like none the less, such nice pink coloring!

Daffodil 'Geranium' 4/24/20

Daffodil 'Marinette' 4/24/20

These two Daffodils are multi headed ones, these types are the most fragrant of all and it is quite sweet. They remind me of paper whites the way they grow!

Daffodil 'Scarlet Gem'4/22/20

Daffodil 'Cheerfulness' 4/24/20

 More Muli-headed Daffodils. Scarlet Gem is extra fragrant for some reason. I love to smell the blooms- oddly this one is one of the first to come up but among the last to flower. Cheerfulness is a double blooming one also nicely fragrant. It looks like its loosing a bit of its double-blooming nature meaning it may not be a stable cultivar.

Daffodil 'Poets' 4/30/20

Poets Daffodil is always the very last one to bloom in my yard, its special in that its tall with smaller blooms which are intensely fragrant. They bloom so late because they are from a region in Switzerland that is cold until very late in the season. So naturally these love cool springs and dislike heat. These will bloom into May meaning I've had Daffodils from February all the way into May- not bad at all! I love seeing Poets Daffodil even though it means the season will soon come to and end.

Thuja The "living" T-Rex Arrives

Thuja ( T-Rex )

Introducing Thuja! The latest Dinosaur in my yard. Standing nearly 6' tall it is now the second tallest in my collection. He is also completely made out of plant! So how does one get a plant-shaped dino? It was actually not a simple process but a very planned out that was nearly a year long project in the making. Last year back in the summer through the Ted Lare Garden Center, I requested from a company in Oregon to see if they could custom grow a 5' Dinosaur made out of Arborvitae. They responded telling me they never made one before but they agreed to take on the challenge! They initially informed me it would take a few years to produce because they usually want things to grow and flush out a few times to shaping reasons a process that takes multiple growing seasons. After conversations and requests from me, they allowed it go ahead and be sent this year and this week it finally arrived after 8 month of waiting.

Thjuas spot in the front lawn

Thuja goes for a ride

The name Thuja comes from the first part of the scientific name from the plant in which it is made ( Arborvitae ), and also because sounds super epic! I was not there for the process of formation which would have been super-cool to see, but from looking it is made up of two Arborvitae shrubs that were put into a Dinosaur shaped wire cage then wrapped with netting. It was delivered to my house by a couple of my co workers in one of their trucks and then shortly after began the difficult task of planting/setting- a process that took all many hours, a cart, careful measurement and at least one helpful neighbor to help me get it near the edge of the hole. Thuja was so heavy I needed to start with tipping on the side and spilling most of dirt out of the giant  wood box and lightening the weight enough to cart to the planting location. The planting hole was measured three times to make sure it was the proper depth because there was only one shot- taking it back out and adjusting later wasn't going to be an option, after this it was dropped in and luckily it was right on first time! It was then backfilled, mulched and watered in really well. The bulk of the work is now done but there will be some continued yearly. This form of plant art is called a topiary that will require yearly trimming/haircuts to maintain the shape, but because it is a young freshly made topiary, he needs some time to grow and fill some which is why you can still see some of the metal frame. You can actually see that the topiary had a very swamp-man look in the truck photo as apposed to the photo after planting, this is because I spent a couple hours carefully teasing some of the branches out of the netting to give it a fluffier natural plant look. Not some time to grow and it should be looking great and I can now, it can be said I have a living dinosaur in the yard! Thuja is prominently located right out in the front yard where everyone can see, partly because it is the sunniest place in the yard and also because it was the side lacking Dinosaurs the most- since planting right away  I've had numerous people point out and to slow drive bys to get a glimpse.

Work-To-come; Thjua while looking awesome as-is of course, there is still some things that will be added, I've hired a local artist to custom make some eyes, teeth and claws to give a more fierce look, plus a Dinos gotta have teeth to eat right? I'll post updated photos once those have been added.

Daffodil Tour Part 1

Daffodil Garden 4/1/2020

 My favorite flower and time of year. The Daffodils are in full bloom. Daffodils have been my favorite flower for as long as can remembered, they have been in every garden I've ever made since I was under 14. The first time I recall seeing them was in my aunt Ruthie's garden, we would enjoy them every spring in Wisconsin. Now that I own my own house, saying Daffodils are a mainstay plant in my landscaping would be an understatement. So far there are around 1,500 bulbs, over 45 cultivars. Each one strategically placed so they would look their best! Among the collection, there all colors and are 6 divisions. This part of the tour is part 1 because there will be blooms that come later on.

Daffodil 'Pink Parasol'

Daffodil 'Apricot Swirl'

Starting with pinks, like typical pink fusion, this color of Daffodil tend to start out a pale yellowish turning to pink color after a day or two of being open. Apricot Whirl is a beautiful split cup Daffodil with peach-pink coloring. The petals are ruffled. Ryker in the background is enjoying them. Pink Parasol is depicted of being yellow petals with a pink center, but in my opinion the yellow is so pale it has the appearance of being white. This is variety is quite a lot shorter then I thought it would be.

Daffodil 'Pink Charm'

 Daffodil 'Pink Charm' is a classic hardy pink variety that at current, is the pinkest, pink Daffodil I have. There is only have a single patch of this, its a very nice Daffodil if you're looking for that classical look with a modern coloring.

Daffodil 'Trepolo'

This is Daffodil 'Trepolo' its a newer variety that is supposed to have a split-star shaped cup. Their first spring they looked just as I described, however the next season around they morphed into what is pictured here, So what happened? The breeder may have been just a bit too quick getting these to market and probably didn't test them long enough to know if they are a stable cultivar. The Daffodil ended up reverting thus loosing its split up and turning into a regular white Daffodil with an orange up. I don't at all mind this though, I really like this color and the fragrance of this Daffodil is unmatched by any other. It's one of my absolute favorite for the scent it has.

Daffodil 'Marieke'

Daffodil 'Dutch Master'

 Among my favorites are still the classical yellow Daffodil, nothing beats its strong sturdy nature and that bright sunny-yellow color. I have several types of common yellow. To most they look the same, however Marieke has a long trumpet and Dutch Master has a larger bloom with a more stout trumpet.

Daffodil 'Red Ranger'

Daffodil 'Dinnerplate'

Red Ranger is a new one that was added last fall in the brand new garden bed out front. It has a cup that reminds me more of an Ice Follie but has that yellow-orange combination that really like because they tend to glow, especially on cloudy days. Dinner Plate looks exactly like Ice Follie just much more stable with its yellow-center and the bloom size is larger.

Daffodil 'Jack Snipe' Backround 'Monal'

Daffodil 'Ice Follie'

Speaking of Ice Follie, here it is. This is a very old-time Daffodil that has been around forever- its one of the first in my memories in my childhood gardens, so because of this, I always made a point to have it in my garden. Ice Follie has a wide cup, yellow center with white back petals. The yellow isn't strong however, it fades to white after a few days. To the left Jack Snipe, a mid sized Daffodil with long yellow cups and white petals. This Daffodil mixes well with others! Daffodil Monal is in the background. This one blooms earlier on and has some of the richest orange I've come across so far.

Daffodil 'Fortune'

Daffodil 'Avalon'

This Daffodil is a very modern color, Avalon is all yellow except for a white circle around the center of the cup. The white is currently very faint currently, but it fades in and becomes quite pronounce in a few days. This pattern makes it really stand out from the rest. Fortune, is a really tall Daffodil with yellow petals and a orange cup in the center- it's an an old cultivar. The tall nature of this one is very pronounces, its is one of the tallest Daffodils I've come across, probably a good idea to plant this one in a sheltered area.

Daffodil 'Tete a Tete'

Daffodil 'Winter Waltz'

I have couple miniature Daffodils as well. Winter Waltz is a second year addition and the first with the petals that are snapped back, wasn't sure how that one would but it quickly became one of my favorites. I'd like to add others with that look next year. Tete a Tete is another very popular choice and one that has made the cut in my gardens every time. It has that classic-yellow Daffodil look but the blooms are 1/4th the size. They make up for it in abundance, they're and early bloomer and have a very sweet scent. You often see these for sale in floral shops in January and February.

Daffodil Tête Bouclé

Daffodil 'Tête Bouclé' is basically a double flowering Tete a Tete. It is a brand new variety, You don;t usually see me choosing the newest of the new but just this one time it would be cool to give a shot. Its not a showstopper for me but, its nice enough. The scent disappointingly is non existent with this which is typical when breeders try to get double flower development.

Forsythia 'New Hampshire Gold'

Forsythia is in full bloom now, its really nice the way this combines and adds to the Daffodil display. When shopping for Foysthia ALWAYS to your research on the varieties. Most are perfectly hardy to Iowa but not all are flower-bud hardy, they fail at temperatures below -7 which it falls to all years ( expect one 2012 ) Besides New Hampshire Gold, Northern Sun, Northern Gold and Sugar Baby Scarlet all types flower bud hardy to -20.

Anemone Windflower

Hyacinth 'Pink Pearl'

These aren't Daffodils but they are still nice additions to the spring garden. Hyacinths are once of my favorite spring flowers because their fragrance is unmatched by any other flower out there. You don't even have to be near them to get a whiff of their heavenly scent, I know its spring when the scent of the Hyacinths waifs through the air on warm southerly breezes. Anemone Windflowers are on old flower but brand new additions for me, its the first time I tried these in the garden and it can be said the color is very intense, its a nice addition.