Save The Hostas and Hydrangeas

Here is a neighbor's house that sits behind ours. According to the Allegheny County Website, it was built in 1890. The picture above was most likely taken in the 1980's or 90's and the residents then loved to garden. To the right of the foundation of this house are ferns, a few of which remain today. On the right side of the house, plants are now growing in the middle of a hedge of weeds, wild bushes, and poison ivy that separates this property from ours.

It was only this season that I spent time investigating this hedge. I found a hydrangea arborescens annabelle bush which has grown about 12 feet wide and 5 feet tall. Hydrangeas are not in my garden ambition because I always thought they were hard to maintain. And here they are, blooming non-stop inspite of this year's late frost.

In May it was a joy to see blue-green foliage on the ground until recently, I found hostas in trouble. I believe they are the blue umbrella ones. These hostas were just a dream and now they are here. They have spread about 15 feet wide, around the hydrangeas. They are approximately 2 feet tall.

There is a lot of vinca on the ground and forsythia is in abundance. There are wild bushes of berries which explains why i see the backyard birds underneath. Poison ivy is everywhere.





There are lilies growing under the tree by the road. I do not know for sure what they are, all I remember from the past seasons is orange blooms. They have not bloomed yet this year and there are no buds. Right in front of the lilies are blue ornamental grass, 'fescue' as I was told.



Like any gardener I have dreams for my backyard. For now, I would like to save the hydrangeas and hostas and whatever other treasures there are. As a new gardener and a transplant from Southeast Asia, I am clueless where to begin, and how to clean up the hedge. All I know is that my backyard has some good plants, and I would like to preserve and propagate what a previous neighbor had planted with love and devotion. I am blessed with what is growing in my backyard, it is a gift.


Between the hydrangea and hosta blooms, are stems with buds ready to open. More lilies i think.

Introducing Clara And Curtis

I purchased two Chrysanthemum Clara Curtis perennials. I named them Clara and Curtis. I am quite happy with their growth. In three months they have grown four times their size. Clara bloomed within a month's time. Curtis took two months but I did not mind.

One picture shows Clara in the background, with 'tiarella foam feather' on her right. Around them are weeds that have been pulled out. Clara has been continuously blooming but her first blooms were the best. Right now I am having moisture issues even if I have been watering pretty well. I planted them with Soil Moist and they get babied with my everyday watering. The leaves don't look dry at all, it's the blooms that look so fragile and quite dry.

As I try to get to know them more, I find out that Chrysanthemum Clara Curtis is an exceptionally hardy mum that grows from zones 4 to 10. It lasts long and my child(ren) will grow up with it. Chrysanthemum Clara Curtis is also known as "country girl" which is so.... me.

You go girls!!!

I'm Starting With My Pieris (My First Garden Project)

So many things are possible in my garden. This year, I finally started planting on the flower bed that had been prepared for me a year ago. After spending a lot of hours online finding the plants I like, I plotted my perrenials on a piece of paper keeping in mind the times they bloom, their mature size, and the colors and texture of their foliage. Fragrance has not been a priority to me this year.

My first garden project is my patio bed, and at one corner of it is an existing 'Pieris Japonica' that was planted there two years ago. It looked very sick and I made a promise to bring it back to life. I naturally went online again to read more about it, only to find out that my pieris is a woodland plant and which is sensitive to harsh winds and is sitting under too much sun.

I looked for a garden forum and consulted someone on how to get rid of the pests on my plant. That was the least I could do because there is no place to replant it at this point. Three months later, my pieris is doing well!

While caring for this plant, I am caring for its sister which is sitting on the bed covered with rocks. About the rocks, this is another story for another time.

Gardens Visited 2007

My Open Gardens Day Tour

This isn't an ongoing affair, I thought to myself, it's already finished. I asked Judy and her husband, "What’s next?"

In celebration of spring and the arrival of new plant growth, blooms, butterflies, backyard birds, nestlings and their nocturnal concerts, the Botanic Garden of Western Pennsylvania gathered people and nature together on June 10 for an annual fund raising event they call Open Gardens Day. On this occasion, several private gardens were opened to the public. As I look forward to the event with anticipation, there were no great expectations of exhilaration that occur when I visit public gardens. The opportunity to see what homeowners create in their backyard was enough motivation for me.

As I arrive in these homes, volunteers of the Botanic Garden warmly greet and lead me into the gardens, telling me the owner's names and the points of interest. The gardeners proudly show guests around while strolling along paths, talking about certain plants, flowers and trees, their gardens' names and history. Gardening tips are exchanged and questions are very much entertained.

The entrance to the 28 acre property is indeed enchanting. I hesitate to drive on what looks like a wooden bridge. The arrows and speed limit signs installed in front of a huge natural lake are quite reassuring though. As I walk into a blue and white garden, I am greeted by a happy Botanic Garden volunteer who introduces me to Susie Fitzgerald, a sweet woman in her early 70's, full of energy and enthusiasm. Her garden is one of color and romance, with lots of pink and blue, birdbaths, fountains, streams, ponds and decorative ceramics around her pool. I am not surprised that people go there for wedding photographs. Susie says she is fortunate to have a greenhouse that allows her to have a collection of tropical plants. In her garden I find something special: an annual strawflower called Bracteantha Sundaze flame. Its two toned yellow and orange colors are what attract me. The flower feels like straw and though the petals crackle when you play with them, they are soft and don't sound and feel as brittle as raffia.

Susie also showed me a snail vine, with flowers shaped like a snail. It smells like sampaguita, the Philippines' native flower. This is great, I thought, it reminds me of my country far away.

In a country club setting, there is a gardener who has her own backyard retreat. I think it is nice that she has her own peaceful and serene escape as her husband most likely plays golf in the far distance. On the side entrance to the garden I capture a mourning dove with my camera, with a little squirrel just sitting there waiting for me to do something. Birds are all around, so close that I feel like I am walking on their ground. As I tread slowly on stone in between fishponds, I listen to the refreshing sound of cascading water. If I were on a hammock with my eyes closed, I swear I would think that I am in a far away vacation resort. All I need now is a masseuse. This is why her garden is aptly called Serenity. I walk on slowly, and then hear a bird call. I look up and see nuthatches hopping up and down a tree in this home's private woods. I think of my 1 year old, who has never seen nuthatches, and my husband, who should be here to enjoy this. Here, in the woods of Serenity, inhaling the scent of pine, I all of a sudden find inspiration for my future retreat bench.
Here is a garden that I like most. The very warm and accommodating couple who moved from New York began creating their own little paradise 10 years ago. They gracefully curve the beds and think of everything to provide "contrasting textures and colors" year-round, as described by the Botanic Garden of WPA in the program. Though they call their garden a ten-year 'ongoing affair,' it looks finished to me. Every corner is beautiful and made. I could not find space for another plant. I do not know much about plants and gardening but this garden is it and this garden is complete. "What's your next big project", I ask. The couple look at each other and Judy's husband tells me of a home they are building at the beach, and they are "taking" their garden there. It is going to be their retirement home because their son is moving on to a private college. Disbelieving, I have to ask, “Could you leave this garden behind?" I know I couldn't. I like this garden because of the immediate intimacy I feel as I step into it, which best reflects the warmth of the family and their passion for beauty.

The end of spring approaches. I look forward to fall so I can sow seeds, transplant and cultivate. I am filled with anticipation for the day (or year) my garden will be made, where birds find food and shelter, and family and friends gather. It will be a warm, loving and graceful garden, hopefully a living work of art. The bonus is, someday, The Botanic Garden of Western Pennsylvania will be complete. A stone’s throw away, I will be a regular guest filling my senses and finding inspiration.