Tag Archives: Lil’s Garden

flowers, garden

Lazy Sunday

July 24, 2011 Lillian Davis 4 Comments

I’m going to be lazy today and just post some blooms and plants without too many comments.

We finally got the rain we were waiting for
and it has cooled off a bit,

so rather than sit here and do a lot of writing,

I’m going to go out and enjoy the rest of the day….

Self sown Echinacea or Coneflower

Blackberry Lily finally bloomed

More self sown coneflowers ( I’ve got these everywhere)

Diablo Ninebark ~ Physocarpus opulifolius ~ newer leaves on stem tips

older leaves

Gazania Daisy

Blanket Flower ~ Gaillardia

new buds on blanket flower

Portulaca grandiflora

Honeysuckle reblooming ~ Dropmore Scarlet

Wormwood ~ Artemisia absinthum

ARTEMISIA ‘SILVER BROCADE’

Lambs ear doing well

second round on the Kmart rose

Wha’cha doing mom?

container gardening, garden

Container Gardens

July 22, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment

Trailing Vinca on the front porch ~ pre-potted for me but my favorite!

Every year, I like to experiment with plant combinations in pots and tubs.

It’s fun throwing colors and textures together and then waiting to see how they grow.

Some turn out some don’t, but I enjoy the experience non-the-less.

Annual Purple Feather grass & Potato vine and Impatiens & Torenia

Hens & Chicks and Blue Spruce Sedum

close up of chicks

and finally an update of the White & Fuzzy Tub….

The washtub is almost hidden from view & the snow in summer is starting to trail the ground and the Yarrow is now completely hidden…

Oh, no wait…. Here it is…. Maybe next year it will flower.

birds, container gardening, garden, Illinois

White roses, Green tomatoes & an Uncooperative Chickadee

July 20, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment

Last month I ‘rescued” a miniature white rose from my IGA store. You know, the little roses you find sitting among assorted house plants and such in the grocery store’s floral section.

This little rose was sitting there all by it’s self, looking lonely, and loosing it’s blooms for lack of light~

so of course I had to take it home.

(Yes, this is an addiction…. and when they come out with the TV show, “Plant Hoarders Intervention”, I will probably be one of the featured guests!)

Anyway, I gave it a new home with lots of organic compost and plenty of sunshine.

It really loved this and was quickly covered in new growth and fat little buds!

Isn’t it pretty?

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And, I finally have green tomatoes! Yay!

I got my garden in late so I’m very happy to see these now.

There’s nothing better than a garden grown tomato! These are Rutgers.

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And last, my garden has been made home by a family of Chickadees this year!

I’ve been trying to get pictures forever of these quick little guys

but by the time I snap the picture, they’re off and flying again!

This is one of the babies and he’s not afraid of me at all.

He’ll sit on the feeders right next to me as I work in the garden!

He just didn’t want to hold still for the camera!

container gardening, Illinois

Bonsai! ~ sort of…..

July 16, 2011 Lillian Davis 3 Comments

You may remember in a previous post that I showed you this Red Japanese Maple in a nursery container.

Well, I decided to keep it in a pot until I can find the perfect place to plant it.

I found this really cool pot that is made from resin, fiberglass and rock dust.

Not exactly a Bonsai container but I think it suites the tree.

container gardening

Blooms & Barrels

June 29, 2011 Lillian Davis 3 Comments

As summer carries on…

the Daylillys are popping

Double Old Orange Lily ( Hemerocallis fulva )

The label said Stella D’ Oro when I bought this lily, but it’s a little more orange than it should be

The Butterfly weed has finally bloomed

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

The Foxglove is Foxy

Digitalis

The Tick Seed is ticking

Coreopsis

And the Arrowood has Berries

Arrowood Viburnum ( Viburnum dentatum )

My Barrel ( container ) gardens are doing great too!

Catmint, Coreopsis, & Obedient plant ~ there is a barrel under there somewhere, Honest!

The herb gardens (notice the wire around the strawberries? Annie ate last years plants! Wire seems to be working!)

Purple Ruffles Basil from seed~ really easy, get soil wet, sprinkle seeds, lightly press in with fingers and don’t cover seeds. It needs light to germinate. If the soil is warm enough, Basil seed will swell and sprout within 24-48 hours!

And my Newest project!

Red Japanese maple

Daisy Says~

“Don’t miss next week’s episode to find out what Mom does with the Maple!”

container gardening, garden, Illinois, organic, perennials

White & Fuzzy Progress

June 29, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment


I’m really pleased with how this is turning out! The only thing I’m disappointed with is that the Yarrow in the back isn’t keeping up like I hoped.

flowers, garden, hostas, Illinois

"Gimmie More Flowers!"

June 22, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment

Here’s the latest round of summer blooms

Tall Phlox ~ can’t remember the name right now… of course!

close up of Phlox flowers

Penstemon ‘Lilac Frost’ ~ Did you know there was an American Penstemon Society? I didn’t. Here’s a link to that too ~> http://www.apsdev.org/

close up of Annabell Hydrangea

lots of blooms this year~ they really love this rainy weather!

Yellow Sunset climbing rose is still going

The hosta I can’t remember the name of is now blooming

such clear white flowers on short stalks~ I wish I could remember how big it’s supposed to get!

As much as they are over done, you still can’t beat a sunny orange marigold!

My favorite Salvia- the annual ‘Victoria’

Okay, no blooms here and only a weed, but I’m still fond of this little guy~ though mistakenly called a clover by many, this is actually a yellow woodsorrel ( Oxalis stricta ). It’s completely eatable~ One of my neighbors (now passed) told me he used to eat them as a kid to settle a sick stomach. I just loved the exploding seedpods when I was a kid! Here’s a link ~> http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/yl_sorrel.htm

Vinca Major close up

I have these in a window basket on my deck railing

flowers, Illinois

Bee Tree in Bloom

June 21, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment

My Little Leaf Linden tree (aka Bee Tree, Basswood or otherwise known as Tilia cordata)

is in full bloom today and smells just like honeysuckle! My Husband and I just love this tree!

It was a Wal-Mart rescue about ten years ago, and I had brought it home in the back of my van.

It is now over twenty five feet tall!

One of my favorite trees!

flowers, garden, Illinois

Summer Flowers, Grapes & Labrador Proofing

June 20, 2011 Lillian Davis 1 Comment

The first day of summer is almost upon us

and the flowers continue to bloom in my garden…

……as I spend all my time in the Garden Center! (sigh…)

I don’t care what anybody says about spirea! I love my little spirea! It blooms with abandon in almost dense shade and does very well in the dry sandy soil against my house…

A closeup

and a little sunlight

Another itsy bitsy spider… Very hard to get the auto focus on the camera to fix on this. I think it took about ten minutes to get this shot!

Dappled light on the Pachysandra

A perennial Geranium called “Splish Splash”

Also a mail order plant of several years ago….

More Blooms on my dark pink clematis

The House Bunn’s veggie barrel ~ celery, Kale, oakleaf lettuce & seedlings, Cos lettuce, tiny thumbelina carrot sprouts on the left (very tiny right now) and red and white Swiss Chard sprouts on the right (also very tiny). Our Bunns are very spoiled rabbits….

Butterfly weed or asclepias tuberosa ~ also started from seed a long time ago. It’s almost ready to bloom.

A Heliopsis or False Sunflower I planted from seed several years ago,,, from this one planting in my front yard, is has reseeded itself all over my backyard…. But I love it and so do the yellow finches!

A metal butterfly I painted and attached to my arbor….

And in the vegetable garden….

GRAPES! I have grapes! Yay! This is one of two grape vines on my back fence. This one here is a seedless Red Reliance

And this one is a green seedless~ I will have to go out and look at the tag on it because I can’t remember the variety at this moment… Both of these came from Dan & Jerry’s Green house five years ago… Last year was the first year it had grapes and I’m glad to see them producing again.

….and finally, the Labrador proofing!


I got my garden in ‘very’ late this year (I’m so embarrassed!) because every day off I had, it was pouring down rain! So last week it was finally nice enough to get out and till, compost and plant! The chicken wire is to keep my black Lab, Annie out because she ate the entire garden last year! Yes, everything! Even the strawberry plants! This dog’s number one hobby is eating!