As I noted in my past post, there comes a certain period of time most springs when there is a goodly amount of overlap between the "big players". Here at Oak Lawn Cheese Factory, I would consider the two biggest players to be the magnolias and flowering crab apples. In some years, lilacs can be a part of this group and to a small extent, that is happening this season. The tulips were definitely supporting players this year as well. The big show came on very fast this year due to temperatures in the mid 80's this past weekend and a very warm Friday preceding the weekend. Luckily this weekend was when we scheduled our open gardens and we hit it pretty close, although it was snowing petals a fair amount on Sunday. The majority of these photos are from both weekend days at 5:30 a.m. and there are a few from today as well. The flowering crab apple pictured above is 'Radiant'. It has a propensity for apple scab as do a couple others in the gardens, but this is a situation that I really haven't a solution for. I am not interested in spraying... I have been researching systemic drenching products and they appear to have plenty of drawbacks as well... I suspect they are questionable at best on a number of fronts. It would appear that this situation is something I just need to live with, short of removing more crab apples. Some of these trees are so majestic for a few days in spring (such as the two Spring Snows at over 30 in height) that I can't bring myself to destroy them. It's unfortunate that many of the crab apples frequently offered twenty-five years ago, ended up being so fungal disease prone. My newer ones have been carefully chosen and there are no signs of disease. As a gardener of many years, knowledge becomes a part of one's arsenal but oftentimes the years necessary for the appropriate solution and comparable replacement no longer exist. This is also the case with a great number of spruce trees in my gardens... many will have to go and that aspect of the landscape will be lost to me for my remaining time on earth. These are difficult decisions to be dealt with, but sooner or later the decisions make themselves as the questionable plants become undesirable enough in appearance that there is no choice in the matter of whether they should go or not.
Among my favorite flowering crab apples is "Flame" presumably so named because of hints of reds when in full bud. It seems to have reasonably good disease resistance and I love how it combines with the blue Phlox subulata and the hostas, particularly Montana aureomarginata. To the front is a fairly large Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor' which offers a nice color contrast as well.
'Flame' pictured from the opposing direction is pictured below, and then today when the 'Sargentii' and the related 'Firebirds' are coming into bloom.
There are so many secondary players in the design at this time of the year, including the heucheras...
This is a time when all manner of later players are also leafing out and adding amazing texture for now and color to the gardens later on...
The following photo pretty much encapsulates what I want to happen in my spring gardens... the canopy of colors, especially whites, and the textures and color at ground level... I especially appreciate the gnarled branches of the burr oak adding an element of age to the design, despite not being a particularly old tree at all.
Here is an overview of this scene from behind the rock garden...
From the opposing direction today, we see a wonderful variety of foliage and blossom colors, including Malus 'Tina' which begins it's show with wonderful red buds that slowly progress to a combo of red and white and finally to pure white. The lesson here is to not depend solely on blooms for dramatic color in the garden as the beeches and the oaks are equally as important to the design.
Among the later of the magnolias is 'Elizabeth' which always combines nicely with flowering crabs... including the later blooming 'Firebird' as seen in the second photo below...
Other late blooming magnolias include the deeply fragrant 'Daybreak'...
Later yet is the dramatically colored Rose Marie, just beginning its show...
I have managed to pot up a few hyper-tuffa containers for the 'xylophone'... for the most part using Lewisias, some saved over and some new...
Elsewhere in the gardens, my favorite weeping flowering crab 'Louisa' has come into full bloom, just as several 'Little Girl' magnolias are going over...
Other later blooming crab apples in addition to 'Tina', 'Firebird', and 'Sargentii', include 'Mary Potter' which is just starting to open...
The heat caused the 'Spring Snows', 'Floribunda' and others to drop prematurely, leaving a snow storm in May as seen here in the case of the 30' + 'Spring Snow' trees...
Just prior to petal fall, this was the view I woke up to each morning outside my 7' by 8' glass doors...
Phlox subulata 'Candy Stripe' is one of my favorites of the many subulatas in the gardens...
Everywhere in the gardens the hostas are looking fresh as they begin to unfurl....
'First Arrival' is particularly impressive as it enters the scene...
Mertensias join brunneras in lovely shades of blue, giving the impression of carpeting a forest floor despite there being no forest anywhere near this island garden in the midst of corn fields...
As noted before, lilacs are coming into bloom as tulips depart...
...and early irises are popping blooms throughout the landscape...
Most surprisingly in this late spring, azaleas such as this 'Orchid Lights' are two weeks ahead of schedule...
and across the street a work of art... the neighbor's marvelous apple tree creations that are at least 30 feet in diameter!
After suffering much damage from the rain and subsequent freeze in January, I've amended much of the soil in the rockery and added new primulas and epimediums in particular...
There are lots of seedlings under this pink Lathyrus vernus... definitely hoping they aren't just weeds!
Take care, Larry
