tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779Sun, 19 May 2013 12:18:32 +0000English-style Gardening in the Poconoshttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)Blogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8341770202650529653Sat, 18 May 2013 12:36:00 +00002013-05-18T08:36:35.262-04:00 Around the pond we have added three dwarf trees: a dwarf cutleaf maple (Acer palmatum) to shade the waterfall, a weeping Norway spruce to provide evergreen interest at the opposite end of the pond, and a lovely, weeping snowfountain cherry. The dwarf Japanese maple was a gift from our daughter to mark our 25th wedding anniversary. It is a smaller, slower-growing cousin of the upright http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/05/three-dwarf-trees-for-my-cottage-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-1343746312800557844Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:06:00 +00002013-04-18T07:42:57.185-04:00 The daffodils and the forsythias are in bloom so, according to ancient lore, it's time to plant the peas. I love the start of the gardening season -- digging,  planting, and getting dirt under my fingernails. Equally, I love PLANNING my vegetable garden. I have a fenced-in kitchen garden with picket fencing on two sides and pasture fencing on the remaining two sides. (I wish the picket fence http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/04/planning-and-preparing-kitchen-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6707693956844443810Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:03:00 +00002013-04-02T09:17:42.704-04:00 My Easter Gifts from H.H.  We heard a chorus of spring peepers as we passed wetlands about a mile from our house (as the crow flies) on our way home last night. The pond on Astolat Road was still silent -- it is at a higher elevation and winter lasts longer here. I suspect it will be a while before there is any frog activity around our own pond. But those peepers told me spring is just around http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/04/signs-of-spring-new-garden-toys-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5726715209254102296Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:53:00 +00002013-03-25T14:57:02.844-04:00 White on White. Only one of my snowdrop plants braved the unrelenting snow which just wont go away. I planted four new ones last spring, but they are still sleeping. Of the four, only two pushed up tender new shoots, but I am hopeful that they will all awaken next year. I truly believe in the old gardening adage: The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/03/sleeping-snowdrops-and-flowers-i-left.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3214700696037243107Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:05:00 +00002013-02-20T12:06:59.681-05:00 Mary Anne's Garden  It snowed the night before I left Pennsylvania on Saturday and through my windows I saw a winter wonderland. In my haste to get to the airport I didn't have time to take photographs, so my dear friend, Mary Anne, sent me this beautiful picture of her garden. Arriving in England, it was sunny and warmer (although four days later the temperature has dropped considerably.http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/02/from-mountain-snow-to-english.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-7291372255629801923Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:22:00 +00002013-01-25T18:22:35.320-05:00  Parsnips  Despite the similarity And vague familiarity The startling reality A CARROT THIS IS NOT Its look is bland and creamier  Its nutty taste extremier Some large and quite supremier THIS ROOT, IT HITS THE SPOT So now I have you wondering And clamoring and blundering "What vegetable?" You're thundering A PARSNIP WE HAVE GOT Eat parsnips all parsnipitty In stews you'llhttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-carrot-this-is-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4847790965772415750Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:56:00 +00002013-01-13T11:14:54.862-05:00 January Thaw  We are experiencing some topsy-turvy January weather across the USA, with warm weather where it should be cold and cold where it should be warm. In my Northeast PA garden, snow has thawed and fallen from tree branches and roofs. I can see patches of green on the lawn and in the fields and MUD everywhere. It's foggy this morning as all that snow evaporates. A January thaw http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/01/wacky-weather-signature-plants-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5163365788778187473Sun, 06 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +00002013-01-06T09:30:47.441-05:00 The fawn was my daily companion as I gardened in 2012 Looking back on 2012, to quote Sinatra, "It was a very good year" in my garden. Here are some of the highlights. My beets took a 'first' ribbon at the West End Fair and my zinnias took a 'second ' in the 'floor display' there.  Spring came very early with delightful daffodils ... I planted 100 daffodils in this bed several http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2013/01/it-was-very-good-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3536107035496042195Sun, 30 Dec 2012 04:41:00 +00002012-12-29T23:41:27.176-05:00 Red-bellied Woodpecker We had a white Christmas with snow and ice and an even bigger snowstorm today. Winter winds are whistling around my house and the temperature remains below the freezing mark. With no flowers blooming in my garden I am thankful for the many birds that visit at this time of the year. Birds that remain in Pennsylvania for the winter include many year-round residents such http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/12/backyard-birds-in-winter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-2719397039438072582Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:19:00 +00002012-12-17T22:19:18.921-05:00 Christmas display of poinsettias at Longwood Gardens (Euphorbia pulcherrima) When we visited beautiful Longwood Gardens for the first time in April this year, we vowed to return for the holiday display. We traveled there last weekend and what a wonderful experience it was to see the gardens decked out in half a million Christmas lights, thousands of poinsettias, and some unusual blooms for thehttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/12/longwood-gardens-then-and-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8460975256088099582Sat, 17 Nov 2012 11:01:00 +00002012-11-17T09:41:41.054-05:00  Pumpkins -- the epitome of autumn.  “November comes And November goes, With the last red berries And the first white snows. With night coming early, And dawn coming late, And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate. The fires burn And the kettles sing, And earth sinks to rest Until next spring.” ― Clyde Watson November is more than half over and I have been busy with last minute http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/11/november-comes-and-november-goes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6397879386646797026Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:24:00 +00002012-10-24T21:35:39.997-04:00 Cherry tree Prunus pissardii nigra I started writing this in a New York airport, while waiting for the shuttle to Pennsylvania, following a wonderful visit with my mother in England. My 93-year-old mum now lives in a sheltered-accommodation facility, or assisted-living as we say in USA. I moved Mum from her home last year when it became apparent that she could not live alone any more. It was ahttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/10/cherry-tree.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5333653865957701271Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:18:00 +00002012-09-29T23:18:18.238-04:00 My zinnias won a second-place ribbon at our local fair, earlier this month. I was so excited -- this was the first time I'd entered anything. I put them in the "floor-display" category under the theme "Tea Time." I interpreted the theme with an English display incorporating the London Olympics and the Queen's jubilee. This was such a special year for England and my display made me feel I http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/09/award-winning-zinnias-and-other.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-2279784498563648540Sun, 16 Sep 2012 02:48:00 +00002012-09-15T22:48:56.893-04:00 Clematis terniflora, 'Sweet Autumn Clematis'  It's officially the last weekend of summer and it feels like autumn in my garden with a cool wind blowing. I didn't go outside to take photographs for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day because I have an eye infection and the wind is bothersome. But as I haven't blogged for a whole month, I can't let Bloom Day go by without recording my September garden. http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-blooms.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8177139260113390829Fri, 17 Aug 2012 03:20:00 +00002012-08-20T13:05:00.734-04:00 Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed My garden and I are in the summer doldrums as the beautiful cottage-garden perennials die back, droop, and fade. I really thought I had little to show for Bloom Day, until I attempted to gather a bouquet for the tea table, and found more blooms than I expected: obedient plant, purple cone flower, shasta daisy, zinnia and black-eyed-Susan -- enough to make a http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/08/butterfly-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4650251400793288229Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:16:00 +00002012-07-31T16:16:33.087-04:00 Kitchen Garden 2012  I am not very adventurous when I plan my kitchen garden each year; I tend to stick with the 'tried and true'. This year was no exception. In my four raised beds I planted red beets, bush beans, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers. (Earlier, I planted lettuce, spinach, radishes, and snow peas. These cool-weather crops produced well and are long gone -- I gave the http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-kitchen-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-750214557580614290Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:09:00 +00002012-07-23T16:00:55.910-04:00  The problem with taking such a long break from blogging is that I have so many new photographs that it's difficult to know which to post. There are always many changes in my gardens as summer progresses and blooms come and go. The cottage garden reached its peak a couple of weeks ago, and is now definitely on the downswing with some of the 'mainstay' perennials beginning their die-back. http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/07/dragonflies-and-daylilies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4900062544020137632Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:24:00 +00002012-06-17T22:11:18.991-04:00  I took pictures of my garden yesterday, Flag Day, for posting on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day today. I am taking a break from blogging, reading blogs and visiting Blotanical, mainly due to pressure of work in the garden as I prepare for a large group visiting next week. But as the purpose of this blog is to record the monthly happenings in my garden, I will provide a brief picture for June, http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-flag-day-happy-june-gbbd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5140175030010377890Thu, 31 May 2012 03:58:00 +00002012-05-31T00:00:34.640-04:00 We just returned from a fabulous trip to Phoenix, Arizona, where we visited my son and his family. I will be writing about his desert garden soon; so different than mine. As we pulled into our driveway, I was surprised to see my roses are in full bloom, giving a wonderful display of pink, yellow, white and red. I had already decided the rose would be my June signature plant for Diana's meme, http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/05/rose-my-fifth-signature-plant-in-danger.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5451508727583262795Tue, 15 May 2012 17:40:00 +00002012-05-15T17:14:53.975-04:00 Maries' Viburnum Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii' It is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and the rain is coming down in buckets. The crazy 2012 weather gave us no snow in January or February, record-breaking high temperatures in March, March winds in April, and April showers (actually downpours) in May. Makes me wonder what the summer will bring. I took some pictures yesterday when the rainhttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/05/rainy-may-bloom-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4893728444561994014Wed, 09 May 2012 03:42:00 +00002012-05-09T09:07:02.838-04:00  Grow flowers of gratitude in the soil of prayer.   ~Terri Guillemets  I love 'before and after' pictures of gardens, so I am taking photographs of the Prayer Garden at our church as we revamp it. The Prayer Garden was created several years ago in remembrance of two beloved church members.  It was built originally as an eagle scout project by the talented son of a church member, http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/05/prayer-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-7803401156705490125Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:41:00 +00002012-04-29T18:02:20.303-04:00 Blooming lilac and crabapple in my garden today. As a gardener, three sources of inspiration for me are garden books, garden blogs, and visiting beautiful gardens.  1. BOOKS Years before I gardened, when I needed an escape from the stress of my job, I read about gardening and began collecting garden books. My personal library continues to expand, but last week, for Earth Day, I read a http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/inspiration-from-books-blogs-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8125434980444612192Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +00002012-04-16T23:17:13.293-04:00 Creeping Phlox P. stolonifera Yesterday was Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Carol at May Dreams Gardens asked, "What’s blooming in your garden today?  Are the blooms early?" My answer -- flowers that normally bloom in May are in full swing in my garden already! This includes the lovely Creeping Phlox (P. stolonifera) that forms large patches of purple color at the edge of my http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/signature-plant-for-bloom-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-1302253171490223716Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:25:00 +00002012-04-11T10:00:41.677-04:00 Primrose, barren strawberry, grape hyacinth, heuchera, and lamium. I don't have my soil tested every year, but following last year's above-average rainfall, I wondered how many nutrients were washed away, and decided it was worth the effort this spring. As well as nutrient deficiencies, a soil test can tell you the soil's acidity (pH) which is important because if the pH level isn't in the http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/testing-soil-in-my-gardens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-867042193464564791Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:25:00 +00002012-04-02T07:19:57.711-04:00 Yellow looks like daffodils Yellow sounds like goldfinches Yellow feels like the soft petals of a primrose Yellow smells like honeysuckle Yellow ... Daffodils by the picket fence; honeysuckle on the arbor Forsythia along Bluebell Creek (weeks earlier than last year.) Forsythia x intermedia Heuchera Havana Cushion Moss Primrose with yellow center Primula http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/march-was-mellow-yellow-month.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)28