Out to the Island of Long

I had not intended to choose echinacea when I went out shopping today, but there they were. Exciting colour: not your grandmother's echinacea. I tweaked the plans in my head a little and tomorrow they will be planted with a lot of other, very cool perennials, shrubs and small trees.


Below, click on the picture to see the worm better. The seed cones of the flowers are a good food source for birds, too, later in the season as they move south again ahead of cold weather. I like to make gardens for birds.

Below, Clematis integrifolia, quite lovely, as it is very delicate and not at all as in-your-face as some clematis can be. It tends to be sprawly rather than twining.

Clethra - known as spicebush. The air was filled with its scent. A native, it does well in dappled sunlight.

One of my carts. The stripes are an Iris ensata cultivar. It's been a week of arguments about stripes and spots and variegation. Some silver-spotted pulmonaria we planted last week must come out, which is sad, as they were lovely and very happy. Out, too, comes the Solomon's Seal and a lightly striped carex. I think they - spots/stripes etc can be wonderful in the right place. Not everyone agrees. I think these iris are gorgeous.

The bright chartreuse up front are a dwarf campanula and a veronica. The garden, on the Upper West Side, will be planted on a long, narrow terrace with sun one one side and shade on the other. I can't wait to get it planted. With various bureaucratic hold-ups it has been a year in the planning.

Our carts. Parked.

A good day after a rough start. We saw bunnies and butterflies and chipmunks. And birds and bees.