Yeah. I just got back from my local Lowe's and they had Acapulco Orange and Acapulco Purple agastache on sale. $3.33 each. I purchased my Acapulco Salmon and Pink a few seasons ago at almost $8 or $9 for just one plant from High Country Gardens. I love it and always wished I had more. Now I do!
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Now where to put them....

New Year's Resolutions

I hope everyone is having a nice New Year's Eve. With the new year year hours away, it is time to think of your garden resolutions. Here are three of mine for 2010.
1. Add more items for cutting--- In particular, I have pre-ordered some roses. I love cutting flowers from my Graham Thomas rose, and I really want to add more. Therefore I recently ordered three roses; Jubilee Celebration, Fragrant Cloud, and Queen of Sweden. They should fulfill my desire for fragrance, large blooms, beauty, and flowers for cutting.
2. Add more fruit--- The cost of fruit at the grocery store can be outrageous. In particular, berries. Oh how I love berries. Four dollars for a tiny container is just too much for me to spend on berries weekly. Therefore I recently ordered berries!
Strawberries--- 100 Fort Lauramie everbearing strawberries. These will go in flower pouches, a strawberry pot, and along the newly removed edge of the sidewalk.
Grapes--- I've never tried growing a grape before, so I ordered one Reliance vine. A seedless, red grape with disease resistance to cover the entire raised porch railing.
Blueberries--- Tied with strawberries for my favorite berry, I just had to find room for blueberries. I was going to order some half-high bushes, but decided to sacrifice my stone wall space (where I typically grow my tomatoes) in order to grow three large, highbush blueberry bushes. The varieties I chose in order of ripening were Patriot, Blueray, and Chandler. The benefit of having them near the stone retaining wall is that they will be easy to net upon fruiting time.
Raspberries--- After discovering that my one and a half year old loves raspberries, I had to find some room for raspberries. One each of Fall Crop (yellow) and Caroline (red) everbearing raspberries. I am still deciding which plants to move in order to accommodate their spreading habits.
Blackberries--- As requested by my dear husband, I ordered a thornless, upright blackberry bush named Navaho.
3. Add more fragrance--- Two years ago I planted an Acapulco and Salmon agastache and absolutely love it's strong lemon fragrance. The scent always made my day. I've decided that I need to incorporate more plants that will do the same. I have moved my Golden Zest rose closer to the agastache. Their fragrances will compliment each other well. In order to add fragrance near the back porch I will plant the Fragrant Cloud rose. I also plan on starting Ellagance lavender, a perennial, from seed to form a small patch by the front door to greet visitors.

Speaking of High Country Gardens

I'm pretty impressed with High Country Gardens. I placed my first order with them last fall. I ordered the Acapulco Salmon and Pink agastache that I just mentioned along with this Fireworks goldenrod. Again, it was a tiny plant that could just fill the palm of my hand with great roots last fall. This season...bam! It took off. It is now around 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It does live up to its name. It looks like fireworks bursting in the sky. I've never been a big fan of yellow in the garden. I always associated it with weeds. This is one of the few yellow plants that I really do like. It started blooming a few weeks ago, and it is going strong now. It provides a great introduction to fall.

My Favorite Plant....EVER!

Last fall I ordered an Acapulco Salmon and Pink Agastache from High Country Gardens (back left). This has quickly become my favorite plant ever! Not only has it bloomed NON-STOP, but bees love it. I have it between the sidewalk to my house and driveway. This highly-scented gem fills the air with the scent of lemons. Rain or shine. I wish I could afford more of them to place all over the garden. It's a nasal treat. :) I've never had such a fragrant, free bloomer.

This plant looked like nothing more than a few dormant twigs last fall. Look at it now. It took no time to fill in and be a real stunner. This photo doesn't do it justice...at all.

Front Garden

Plants in order of top to bottom of picture:

Assorted hosta and heuchera at the very top and out of view

Black Adder Agastache- A bee magnet! 4'x2'; Sterile (doesn't not set seed), puts all it's energy into blooms.

Lime Rickey heuchera- lime green foliage

Stella De Oro Daylilies- A heavy Spring bloom followed by light rebloom.

Moonbeam Coreopsis

Acapulco Salmon and Pink Agastache- Purchased in the fall from High Country Gardens. A blooming machine. The colors are breathtaking, and if you rub the foliage it has a lovely lemon scent! I love this plant! Very healthy, clean foliage, no pest problems, 2'x2', overwintered well here in my zone 6b garden with a light, shredded leaf mulch. Have I mentioned that I love this plant!

Strawberry Candy Daylilies

Twilight Coneflower- front, left.

Goldmound Spirea- front right.

I love green!

Everything is turning green. Flowers have begun to bloom. It's a beautiful time of year. Here are some pictures that I took today of the garden. Luckily the brush with a frost last night didn't cause any noticable damage. I did cover up most of my annuals and tomatoes last night with sheets, blankets, and towels though.

This first photo is of my 'Pink Champagne' clematis that I purchased at Lowes last year. It is the first clematis that I ever had bloom...I just bought my first ones last season. This year the three I bought are branching out nicely.

'Eskimo Pie' hosta. What a beautiful hosta. I've heard recently that it can be finicky. For it beingmy first hosta EVER, it's great! I just LOVE the coloring of this hosta. I ordered it from Jung Seed Company last year, and it appears to be thriving. I hear that it is quite a sight in its maturity. I hope to be lucky enough to see it for myself.

As for an update on my 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose, it is branching out nicely. The new foliage is a beautiful shade of burgundy. There are no signs of pests or diseases on this rose. I am very happy with my first order from David Austin Roses so far.

This final picture is of a shade/part shade section of the front yard. In the back you can see a pink azalea in full bloom. The cultivar is unknown. It came with the house.

There are also many types of heuchera in this section. Five 'Hollywood' (left of the pink azalea, 'Lime Rickey', 'Plum Pudding', and 'Midnight Rose' heucheras. Last season I bought my first heucheras, and I'm hooked. They are leafing out beautifully and have delicate-looking blooms. The variations in the cultivars are astounding.

In front of the azaleas and to the left are three 'Razzmatazz' daylilies and the rest are 'Stella de Oro' daylilies. The Stellas have already put out a bloom and are getting ready for their big opening show in the next few weeks.

The taller plant in front of the azalea and to the right of the photo is a 'Black Adder' agastache. Toward the front, right (you can just see some of the foliage in the corner) is another agastache called 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink'. Both were new to me last season. This will be the first time I see the 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink' in bloom. I can't wait. If it looks anything like it does in pictures, it will be a real stunner.

Finally, that is an unknown bearded iris in the front of the photo. This iris came with the house as well. The white foliage below the iris are from some annual dusty miller plants.