Ka-Boom

I grew up in Florida, the land of thunder and lightening. A good thunder storm was one of things I missed living in Hawaii. There, they were infrequent to rare.

Now at 4000 feet up, we can be pretty close to the bottom of a thunder storm.



As if to announce the seasonal wheel's shift to a new phase with a definitive click, a thunder storm rolled directly over head today. Lightning struck so close I could see a flash of light in the full daylight ahead of the storm. The thunder was immediate and penetrating. It freaked me out just a bit. You grew up in Florida. You grew up in Florida. It's just thunder and lightning.



A quick half inch of rain was followed by a burning sky. There is a certain thrill to thunder storms.

The Goldfish Bowl

At Client # 1's



Heading into summer

A Box Of Tropical

The most amazing package arrived in the mail a couple of days ago from Raleigh, North Carolina. A former resident of the island of Maui had been getting some of her tropical fix from my island gardening blog, Tropical Embellishments. Perhaps a bit confused and a little sad, she watched my move to the high mountains Outside Clyde, NC and decided to send me a great big box of Aloha.




The main event is two Musa basjoo, a Japanese Fiber Banana that is said to be hardy to as low minus five degrees if properly mulched. This box of tropical also came with an Ensete maurelii, a handful of seedling Sabal minor and eight assorted Alocasia and Colocasia. All the plants were well rooted, a nice big size and expertly packed. I was blown away.




There has been a new addition to the front entry bed that I have been anticipating since late last fall. Imagine driving all the way to the scenic top of a mountain in North Carolina and what do you see? Bananas growing by the side of the road. I hope it doesn't cause any accidents, but it most certainly appeals to my sense of the absurd. Besides something important, something bold, needs to mark the entrance to Ku'ulei 'Aina.



Your typical country roadside vegetable garden on one side. This picture could be an ad for the weed suppressing power of a thick layer of mulch. Good thing all the weeds outside the mulch are pretty and attract tons of beneficial insects.



The bananas arrived at the perfect time, with the onset of our hot weather, to be added to other side of the entry. It almost hit 80 degrees up here this week. Close, anyway. If it stays nice and hot, these bananas could reach ten feet by the end of the season. Won't that be somethin'?



T and I met online in the forums at Dave's Garden. We had a tropical connection. Now there is a closer NC connection with a tropical twist. The beautiful collection of Elephant Ears and other goodies will be potted up to decorate the decks for the summer. There is a good chance they will be house plants in a brand new cozy little cabin this winter. It has lots of big west facing windows and will get ample light. Soon enough they will grace the patio built with dry stacked stone walls beneath the cabin.



Mahalo T. There are two Musa basjoo planted in the low spot on a North Carolina mountaintop because of you.

The First Week In June

Client #1 is very happy. "The best the garden has looked in years", she said. On my. Thank you.

Half of a roof for a cozy little cabin gathers form. You may understand how I could be a bit wore out at the end of the day.



When it is done, metal roof and all, it just needs to be put on top of the shorter front end of the cabin.



At the end of the day I can read, but no words seem to come out of my keyboard at times. The often slow picture loading process to Blogger takes time. That wears me out even more. We are so easily spoiled with free technology, aren't we? Good thing there is a mountaintop garden to wander in the evenings.

Deutzia 'Pink Pompom' has burst into bloom. Nice shrub.



The Columbines come in an array of colors, light pink to deep purples and the red and yellow one that seems out of sync, but is still quite striking, if you like red and yellow together.



Is it a wildflower, the Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis? I do believe it was introduced to this specific location, but it has been on its own ever since. Like many plants in the meadow, they move about.



A black and white affair. If there were more truly black flowers, this could be a whole garden theme. Let your mind wander. Think of the foliage that could be used for elegant couture.



The name of the black Iris has left Bulbarella's memory, but the catalog from which it was ordered, Schreiners is still with her.



The Mountain Laurels, Kalmia species, follow the Rhodos and Azaleas. The unopened flower buds are intriguing.





There is a bit of overlap



And commingling.



The other Peonies are scattered about.



No two seem to be alike.



You turn a corner, round a bend, take another path and there is another Peony,



With an outrageously huge flower fighting gravity.

Sunlight On Sedge

The day is gone before I can get to everything.
Let me assure you much is being done
And much is being seen and captured in pixels.

One Thing I Saw

One of many
Sockless in my Slogger swag
Sockless
It was that warm.



Another Peony
A pink ruffled Peony



Right now I am too tired
To show you more.

Multiplication

A few more nice plants fell out of the ground at Client #1's today. Some Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum and Shasta Daisy, Chrysanthemum maximum. Lest you think I am totally horrible, what fell into the ground and caused this disruption was an Aesculus pavia, three Exbury Azalea, one Blueberry, a dozen Hosta, Pentas and Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland'. Tomorrow a Contorted Filbert, Corylus avellana and a Smoketree, Cotinus coggygria will be disturbing some Rudbeckia.

The Shasta Daisies got divided into eight starts and placed between what I hope is the purple Coneflower, Echinacea and a row of Daylilies.



A little higher up the hill and closer to the driveway, the beginning of a mulched bed has commenced. The Joe Pye Weed landed behind the Salvia where the one I bought and planted last fall has shown no sign of returning.



And some of the baby plants I grew from the seed exported from Chicago were planted in the ground.



There is more Salvia nemorosa to begin the huge drift of this I have in mind. The first Texas Bluebonnet, there are more, and Campanula were added. They are just filler flowers in this bed as a garden grows. It is starting to look a bit like a garden in spots.

Down Below