Friends from Maggie's garden

Rarely am I delighted when a student doesn't show but today that is just what I needed as I had a bunch of plants that needed planting ASAP.

On our trip to Boston to celebrate my friend Rocky's 60 birthday I stopped by my cousin's Rustam and Maggie's who have a wonderful house and garden in Cambridge. Maggie took me through her garden with a bunch of pots and a spade.
What I love best is to have plants with a bit of a story like the Irises from the lake of Geneva. They came from Jean Flügel, now 84 and in a Senior home in Geneva, she had a fabulous garden while her husband Felix dealt with antiques. She couldn't figure out what species these particular Irises were so she called in an Iris expert to identify them and he didn't know either - so Maggie relayed the story. I hope they are going to take to their Southern location and I will post a picture if and when they bloom next spring.
Along with the Irises came some pink Anemones, a little peach tree, some Sheffield Mums still in their pink bloom, Painted Fern that landed in the shade bed near the fence, some creeping thyme from Rustam's kitchen garden which I planted close to the kitchen and hardy Silphium that grow to 8 ft. I was warned that they are really invasive so I pulled some holes in the ivy and planted them towards the neighbors house, a side that could use a bit of bright yellow happiness....we'll see. I also sprinkled some Baptisia seeds in various locations.

Some of my perennials joined this moving party, Ballon flowers, Anita's Fire Lilies, a really tall Aster with a snow fall of little white blossoms also still in bloom and some little mumish looking white flowering plant in bloom have to find out what it is.

I love big flat rocks in the garden, like stepping stones in a creek they make the garden manageable and they add character. We've brought them home from Exeter - New Hampshire, Deer Isle - Maine, Cornwall - Connecticut, the Balkans via the Catskills and of course some local Wissahickon Shist.

Gotta fill the new wheelbarrow and roll them up the block!

...And So It Begins!

October 13, 2014

Day 1 - 324 Harrison Avenue Garden

Marlis is has a green thumb and a passion for gardening. Anyone in our neighborhood knows that! The garden in front of our house at 7846 Montgomery Avenue is a landmark!

But that house is too big for just two of us, so we've been thinking about what we would want in our next home and came up with an informal list, including a backyard big enough to have a garden that is as enjoyable to us as our street garden has been to our part of Elkins Park. 

From the first time we saw 324 Harrison Ave, just about 10 houses down the street, we knew that it had everything that was on that list, but to top it all off -- a perfect sized backyard that's a clean slate! 

Though we are a couple of weeks away from settlement and won't move in until later in November, we wanted to start moving perennials before there's a hard frost. Thankfully the sellers are happy to let us get a head start on our new garden!

STEP 1 -- Dump soil from Primex!

STEP 2 -- One wheel barrow full after another, the first corner of the new garden takes shape!

STEP 3 -- Back to 7846 Montgomery Ave to start moving some plants

PS - Know anyone looking for a GREAT house in Elkins Park? 

STEP 4 -- Back to the New House!

Selfie with the first plants in the new Garden!