Time for a Flower Break

Sigmund Freud starts off this drizzly Tuesday morning blog with his revealing statement of why we surround ourselves with beautiful spring blossoms. "Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts." That's a flowerful! So what to plant for restful spring days?

Here's an 'Annie' suggestion. Surround yourself with a compact, nicely formed Yak Rhododendron that knows how to dress for the occasion. With a name like ‘Mardi Gras', it must be a show-off shrub with some dynamite features. Think of Peppermint stick candy and you’ll get the drift of its flower power. This Yak Rhododendron has bright pink flowers that fade to white; perfect as a blossom-filler for early to mid-May. Its large, dark velvety green leaves sport a fuzzy cinnamon-colored underside called the indumentum. Consider this a slow-growing, compact shrub. Not one of those monster-size Rhododendrons, this Yak takes its time. Something we should all consider when trying to finding restful moments on a drizzly Tuesday morning. And if you can’t find the ‘Mardi Gras’, at least make time for a flower break.

Image of a Rhododendron 'Mardi Gras' by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The Leaves Have It

Picking your plants for form and texture is an important part of your perennial garden. So on this Monday morning, it’s images and shapes to give you an idea of why I’m saying the ‘Leaves Have it.’

This image of a Hosta ‘Paul's Glory’, voted Hosta of the Year in 1999 is in its early season leaf flush.  This hardy perennial is easy to grow and has a long seasonal display with the best part surprising you later in the season; its variegated leaves.

Lupines have an extremely distinctive leaf. This form is what you’ll see before it sends up its tall spikes, giving you a beauty of a blossom.

Now you can see why we love Epimediums. The foliage is its most astounding feature! Hope some of you made it to the Garden Vision Nursery Open House. There’s still next weekend.

When we think Siberian Iris, striking purple flowers unfurling in the garden may be what first comes to mind. A bit of an old-fashion perennial, we shouldn’t overlook this ‘blade of grass’ texture in our borders. It gives impressive vertical accent!

Let’s end the post with an Albert Schweitzer quote. “Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.” That’s the simple outcome for this beautiful sunny Monday morning – the leaves have it!

All images by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Garden Vision

Everyone knows we are big Epimedium fans and for any garden lover within a stone’s throw (how far is that actually?) from Phillipston, Massachusetts, don’t miss out on Garden Vision Epimediums Open Nursery weekend. It starts today, running Friday-Sunday, May 4-6 & 11-13 (10AM-4PM, rain or shine.) So if you plan on venturing out this afternoon, don’t let a few sprinkles prevent you from heading there. This is your opportunity to see the best Epimedium collection around. The nursery is located at 10 Templeton Road, Phillipston, MA. And if you can’t carve a time into your schedule, Garden Vision will have a smaller collection of Epimediums being sold at other events throughout New England, even Valley Forge, PA. I’ll list the additional events and directions for the Phillipston, MA nursery on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/abilowz. And if you haven’t already joined us there, hope you come on board; all you have to do is press the like button and leave your comments, too!

It’s time to wrap up this Friday post and end with a profound Helen Keller quote. “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”  Need some vision for your garden? Don’t overlook Epimediums as a plant choice and check out Garden Vision Nursery if you can!

Epimedium images in our Garden by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/