a maritime gardener

Beautiful Big Island

2009-03-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

Chilling winds and frost added to the awe of this spectacular day on Big Island. Wooden breakwalls standing tall against the wind, lichen covered wooden posts standing strong in icy waters, and beauty everywhere just waiting to be discovered. Spring is just around the corner, although I can't quite feel it in the air on such a beautiful winter day. We are truly blessed.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

As fall eroded into winter, a much needed blogging hiatus has proven to be very beneficial.
Looking back on the haunting images of fall, I'm reminded of just how beautiful every season can be.

Our daylily seed harvest kept us busy in the fall, dreaming of all the potential beauties in years to come:).

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with health, joy, and happiness.

Warmest Regards,
Chey

Fuzzy Little Yellow Bear

2008-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

A Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar, Yellow Bear is an impressive furry orange fellow, soon to blend in perfectly with our autumn foliage.

The Colors Of Fall

2008-09-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is what we found in our maple today! The colors are changing!! I think that we're in for a brilliant fall palette with the exceptional rains that we've had this summer.

The Last Hurrah

2008-09-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

My mid September garden glows with the deepening hues caused by a few early morning frosts. The hydrangea have turned a blushing warm rose.
Daylily Baby Valentine is one of the last daylilies to bloom in the garden.
Liatris has mostly gone to seed with the exception of a few stray blooms.
The obedient plant has been frolicking in the wind today~ it was hard to get a shot in focus.
Weigela is reblooming although not as profusely as in the spring.
This white phlox has just begun to bloom.
Deep purple buds of Actaea simplex~ Hillside Black Beauty, add to the intense fall palette.
Wild aster always shows up in the garden.
The last of the sunflower bloom is an interesting sight with it's large geometric form.
Other sunflowers have yet to come into their prime.

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. If you'd like to participate, Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. There you will find gardeners from all over the world posting what's currently growing in their gardens.

Grasshopper Eggs

2008-09-08T08:06:00.001-07:00

She was cute sitting on a hosta leaf with her double striped self blending in with the foliage.
And she was cute sitting on a bright pink daylily with her little green body acting as a pleasing contrast.
She is not so cute laying eggs between my deck boards.
I wonder how many grasshoppers would come from this egg sack. I don't really want to be overwhelmed with a large population, therefore I'm afraid to say that the sack is probably compost bound.

Obedient Plant

2008-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Obedient Plant~ physostegia virginiana, is an ornamental perennial which sometimes may not be considered quite so obedient due to it's invasive tendencies in fertile soil.

Obedient Plant is also known as False Dragonhead due to it's similarity to Snapdragon. It also looks similar to foxglove in my opinion.
.
Obedient plant is aptly named for a tendency to allow its tiny flowers to be pushed to one side or another and maintain that position for awhile. My kids enjoy this plant, and I've planted my clump near their play area.

Russian Sage~ Perovsia

2008-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ah sunshine~ we had almost forgotten what it was like:). Russian sage was shining in the sun today. This plant freely self seeds in my garden.

Wordless Wednesday~ Last Petal Standing

2008-09-03T15:22:00.001-07:00

More Garden Whites

2008-09-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Simple and pure is the white bloom's allure.
Oxeye Daisy.

Privet~ has such a heavenly scent.

Daisy Fleabane.

Daisy Fleabane and Privet.

Shasta Daisies standing tall and proud:).

September Blooms

2008-09-01T15:48:00.001-07:00

September hydrangea, blushed with pink.

Wordless Wednesday~ Sunflower Sweet

2008-08-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Garden Critters

2008-08-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of winged garden visitors over the past several weeks.

Two striped grasshopper blending in with the hosta.

Damsel flies are so photogenic, and always pose for awhile.

Green bottle flies are pretty, although you don't want to think about where their little feet may have been:).

Another two striped grasshopper on a daylily. I'm not sure what vegetation these grasshoppers consumed, and didn't notice any significant damage in the garden.

Veronica

2008-08-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

After four weeks of rain, the sun is finally back again! Time to enjoy the rest of the summer. Here is some veronica, self seeded in my garden. These are tall specimens, and add a nice visual contrast to the other plantings.

Fossilized

2008-08-11T14:43:00.001-07:00

We took a trip to Arisaig Provincial Park in Nova Scotia, a 20 minute drive from home.It's an interesting place with a maritime flair.

The rocks and fossils of Arisaig cliffs have been studied by geologists from around the world for over 150 years, and represent 40 million years of earth's history.

Brachiopods are the most common fossils at Arisaig, and were readily found by small fossil hunters.

It is not permitted to remove or disturb the fossils embedded in the cliffs, however the loose fossils on the beach may be collected at this time. We had a very successful fossil hunt:).

As Busy As a Bee

2008-08-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've been as busy as a bee.

The bees and I have been sharing our space.

Elbow to wing and wing to elbow, we have been working side by side in the garden dabbing and collecting pollen.

It has become a relationship of mutual respect.
Early in the morning the air is filled with an amazing sound of buzzing.

There are numerous types of bees in the garden. They are varied in size and color. Some are as large as a loonie~ I'm always amazed when I see these fly by. I've developed a new appreciation for bees since the news of declining bee populations. Our time together seems a little more special:).

Hemerocallis~Blue Eyed Whites

2008-08-09T14:03:00.001-07:00

Destined To See

Delta Blues

It's been a busy season in the garden, with such a fantastic display of daylilies. These are a few of my blue eyed whites. Some of them have very interesting eye zones. The whites aren't exactly white, but different shades of light cream. I tend to cross these blue eyed whites with each other.
Gerda Brooker

Mesmerizing Moon Snail

2008-07-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

During a walk on the beach today we discovered a mesmerizing moon snail. Lewis moon snails, polinices lewisii, are large predatory snails which feed on clams by drilling holes into their shells to secure a meal. It was interesting to watch this large specimen, plowing into the sand with surprising strength and speed. After watching for a few minutes we let him go about his business on the shore.

Echinacea

2008-07-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here are the various stages of echinacea blooming in the garden today. I love the spiked immature blooms as much as the full mature ones.

Rainy Day Barberry And Daylilies

2008-07-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Brer Rabbit's Baby

I really enjoy taking pictures of my blooms after a rain. Everything feels so fresh and clean. The water droplets seem to enhance the colors and add a bit of sparkle.

Golden Tentacles

2008-07-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tentacled daylilies are becoming more popular these days. The tissue on the outer part of the petals and and sometimes sepals extends to form tiny tentacles and teeth which often glisten in the sun. These daylilies have a very primitive look which I find very appealing.Here are some of the golden tentacled daylilies blooming in my garden today:

Golden Tentacles

Poet's Reverie

On The Fringe

Golden Tentacles and Poet's Reverie hanging out together, for a dramatic effect.

Poet's Reverie, reaching skywards.

When I first saw tentacled daylilies, they didn't initially appeal to me. The more time I've spent with them, the more I've grown to love them. They look like they belong in some tropical paradise, and here they are growing in my little own maritime garden:).

Wordless Wednesday~ A Hummingbird's Delight

2008-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Delightful Daylilies.

2008-07-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the daylilies blooming this week in my garden. I'm so pleased with their beautiful blooms and garden presence. Mississippi Blues

Ultimate Fantasy

Country Bumpkin

Arctic Lace

Victorian Lace

Golden Tentacles

Pink Ambrosia

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

A Day Of Flowers And Sand

2008-07-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

I consider myself very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. After a day of dabbing pollen in the garden, we were off to one of the local beaches~ Caribou, a 15 minute drive from home.

Coming upon the beach is a spectacular sight.

Large wild rose bushes grow profusely near the beach.

The sand is so interesting.I wonder who walked this way.
Seaweed and hermit crabs add additional interest.

And what's a day at the beach without burying your toes in the sand?
A young seagull.
Young seagull checking out the sandcastle:).
When we got home I felt compelled to snap a few more photos in the garden.

Can't beat the maritimes:).

A Pollen Feast

2008-07-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Asiatic Lilies
Outstretched stamens loaded with pollen.
Most people are not interested in pollen. Many are not impressed by it's effects.
If you do a little bit of hybridizing you are probably very keen about pollen, and the pollen eaters are your competition:).I always save some for them, but try to harvest mine before it's all gone. I use daylily pollen, but got a good shot of these little fellows with the Asiatic Lilies. They don't seem to be selective.

This little fellow has stripped his stamen bare.