Visit to Glen Burnie Gardens in Winchester, VA

The Grand Allee at the Glen Bernie Gardens in the Shenandoah Valley

One of the first stops on our family trip to Virginia this year was to see the gardens at the Glen Bernie House in Winchester, VA. It was a great stop, even with the intense heat that day. I found this garden randomly through UK garden blogger Charlotte, who had posted a photo of the gardens with the above allee of crabapple trees flowering pink in the spring.

They have created a tourist stop that appeals to history buffs as well as gardeners by building the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley on the house property. It includes a Civil War room, a portrait gallery, rooms full of art and artifacts from the region and a room full of miniatures which were collected by the creator of Glen Bernie, R. Lee Taylor. We, of course, set out directly for the gardens and walked through the museum to cool off after lunch.

The Pink Pavilion courtyard was one of my favorite areas at Glen Bernie. The topiary was very neatly kept. A very classical look for this bench area with an iron gate and flanked by busts.

Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day - July 2012

Potted red Japanese maple (Acer) on our back steps, which are becoming nicely clothed in ivy. This was one of the first turf areas to be planted with ground cover.

I am joining in very late with a foliage post this July. Here are a few green scenes from Gilmore Gardens, which are truly carrying the garden until the fall flowers begin.

Picking Blueberries in July

July is the month for pick-your-own blueberries in PA, zone 5.

Picking blueberries in July is a summer tradition at our house. Usually just after Independence Day (July 4th) we make our first trip out to the local blueberry fields with more trips to follow; once a week for three to four consecutive weeks. This year, all of the berries were ripe nearly at the same time and we made two trips in one week, bringing home over 18 quarts of blueberries! Hint: Picking goes much faster with two milk jug buckets tied on your waist at the same time.

Rain!

White meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens) in our Back Woodland with raindrops.

We finally had rain yesterday, which all of the flowers and foliage have been yearning for weeks, not to mention the gardeners. It started with a cloud burst and ended with a nice slow rain for the rest of the day well into the evening. Here are a few wet scenes after our downpour in the afternoon...

Hosta, a Christmas fern and Brunnera 'Jack Frost' around a maple on the Shade Path.

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD July 2012

Lavender and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in the Driveway Garden for July

Welcome to Pennsylvania in July! It has been a hot dry summer here this year, as it has been in most of the US. My gardens have had very little supplementary watering this season. Everything was looking tired around the edges until we had a garden clean-up this past weekend.

Sunny Plant Combination: Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and Sedum 'Red Carpet'

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and Sedum 'Red Carpet'

Two great plants that seem to live together in harmony... the North American native Yellow Tickseed, Coreopsis 'Moonbeam', and the low spreading Stone Crop, Sedum 'Red Carpet'.  

 I caught sight of these two playing nicely at a family stop on our summer trip to Virginia. We also stopped at two great gardens along the way. More photos coming soon!

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and Sedum 'Red Carpet' are thriving in this extremely low maintenance garden by a walkway.

Hello Mr. Snapping Turtle

On a walk a few weeks ago, thought I spied a new lawn ornament near one of my neighbor's sidewalks - and then it looked at me. It's grey color just matched the concrete so perfectly. Such a large snapping turtle is so rare to see at all! Let alone right in the middle of a large neighborhood. There is a bit of wetland just around the corner, so perhaps he was trying for a relocation. 

Driveway Garden at the end of June

Driveway Garden in June: Asiatic Lily 'Rosella’s Dream', Geranium 'Orion', Lavender, Allium sphaerocephalon

Summer is in full swing around here in PA! It has been hot and the hose has been out more than once for the kids and the new perennials which are barely hanging on through this heat.  It has been a warm summer for sure and quite dry. I am a bit sorry for my garden, though really I am mostly enjoying that it is not a cold and gloomy summer like it is some years.

True Red Clematis 'Madam Julia Correvon'

True Red Clematis 'Madam Julia Correvon'

Clematis 'Madam Julia Correvon' is a beauty which is hardy from zones 4-9. It is a taller clematis, reaching to 10 feet and beyond, which makes it a great candidate for pairing it with a climbing rose, like the famous, Rosa 'New Dawn'. She has a truer red color than does the more pink Clematis 'Ernest Markham'. She usually blooms in mid-summer, but is early this year as the rest of my flowers are also.

Red Clematis 'Madam Julia Correvon' is on the first trellis, and two earlier-blooming clematis are on the other trellises surrounding the Circle Lawn. You can just see blue Clematis 'Perle 'd Azur' on the tree by the Shade Path garden.

Kid play in our garden

My three playing under the tree slide in our backyard. A pruned branch from another garden task adds to the magic.

My kids love to be outside. Give them a few sticks or an unwanted branch (that I finally pruned) and they are happy for hours. When our old tree had to come down (tears) I horded away logs and chips from it for the kids to play with later. Every little thing outdoors is an invitation to explore the world and imagine what they might like to create. Make a place for them to hide and/or climb, add some loose objects - like wood ships, stones, shells or sand - and see what happens!

Grace sniffy those smelly allium! They are from the onion family after all.