Spring Private Garden Tours 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia

Several years ago I joined a local Charlottesville Virginia plant exchange and garden discussion Facebook group. It's an active group with many sharing plants or collecting my excess! We're all happy that plants will find new homes and not simply be tossed on the compost pile. Select times of the year you can sign up for tours of home gardens.

Yesterday my mother and I visited three gardens located in the Key West neighborhood of Charlottesville. Our car navigator led us a bit astray and we initially drove right past the first garden on our list. On our way we noticed a colorful flowerbed that stood out from all the rest. It ended up being the home we were trying to locate! Leslie's garden is not easily missed as you cruise through Key West. This time of year the Iris is showing off as are the Peonies.

Leslie's garden was an empty palette when she began gardening their property 13 years ago. Originally starting small with a 12' long strip of flowers her gardens now encircle the home. Recently a massive swath of pink Daffodils have been added to the adjoining forest area and happily cascade down the back hillside to meet the Rivanna River. I'm told by other neighborhood gardeners she is often spotted tending to her plants. 

All three Key West gardens that we visited are located in deer country so a wide array of tactics are employed to help protect plants. Electric fencing, the rotation of various deer repellant products, and extremely tall fencing and netting help keep the deer away from special plant areas. Also plant selection is crucial, planting things they don't usually dine on unless extremely desperate but nothing is 100% when you're dealing with deer.

One pretty spot in Leslie's garden is the Lotus pond. The pink flowers tend to burst upward in June and crescendo on July 4th. Leslie invited us to be sure to come back and see the show!

We so enjoyed our day out meeting fellow nature lovers and seeing a diverse set of gardens that were all equally amazing. I hope this peek at Leslie's garden gives you a taste of what's on tour this year.

~Rebecca

  

A look back at Gardening in 2014

Entryway to our front door, the Rose Trellis 

As Fall of 2014 winds down, I just stashed away my last digging fork and managed to crack my favorite spade shovel in half. At least it was during my last transplant of a native Red Cedar. I only had to use half a shovel for the last scoops of dirt. Such is the life of a gardener, wearing out tools and putting holes in gardening gloves.

One variety of my Grandmother's Peony collection

I seemed to stay around the house a little more this year. This tends to happen as plants get established and regular insect visitors come around more and more. My Grandmother's Peony collection is coming along so nicely that I transplanted (what I hope to be) the white doubles to a new section of my front flowerbed. This bed looked really good this year and pollinators tended to hang out here more than other beds in the yard.

One of our Eastern American Toads on guard for pests

My vegetable garden was a disaster and shockingly the only tomato plants I had success with were in pots or sprung up on their own beside the well fertilized chicken coop. Pepper plants grew and grew producing a lot of fruit this year... I gave up on trying them in the garden and now only grow them in pots on my very hot upper deck. They love to bask in the sun.

Just this year I discovered that Kousa Dogwood bear fruit.

Tiring of planting veggies that never produce or get eaten by critters, I switched my focus to fruit. I now have a nice assortment of Black Raspberries, native Blackberries, and Thornless Blackberry plants. I finally have an Elderberry that has made it past the deer and rabbit nibbling stage and actually saw some berries this year. My lone Blueberry plant is doing very well and I transplanted it to a more open spot, holding my breath that I did not kill another one.  My Fig had a few teeny figs this year as did my favorite grape, the Muscadine. I never have paid attention to the suggestion to dig up old Strawberry plants. I just let them keep laying down new extensions of themselves and seem to have some fruit to enjoy. I even decided to transplant native Strawberries 2 years ago and man have they taken off. I adore them (this is the wild berry that has white blooms - not the yellow blooming tasteless aggressive plant that is most often found in yards).

Freakiest bug of the year, Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar

The only fruit damages that came about late in the season were to my Sickle Pear tree and my Peach trees. Darn those deer. Obviously someone has been having a good time rubbing their antlers on my young trees. I should have known better to leave them unprotected and alone in the back field - my fault really. They are not dead yet but they might never recover.

Lovely assortment of Dahlia's from Ted's Garden

My friend Ted has an amazing assortment of plants. A collector of Dahlia bulbs, you never know how many or what variety you will discover in late Summer. This is the first year that I noticed he has two Persimmon trees in his yard (the Latin name means, Food for the Gods)! He has been nice to share some fruit with me. In the past I've tried using the fruit in cake and cookies but have never found a pleasing way to use them until this year. They are a great addition to my morning oatmeal and to pancakes! High in Vitamin A & C and found to be a cancer cell killer! Ted's yard bursts with color and variety, I love exploring and each year I seem to find another interesting plant.

Spending Fall on the trails around Monticello

It's always sad to see barren Winter approach but I do love sitting beside the wood stove planning next years gardens and adventures. My garden beds will spring up refreshed full of new grow and energy, I hope to feel the same way!

~ Rebecca

One of the best flowers to grow, Foxgloves

The Peony Flower

Red single Peony on Forsythia Hill

Is the Peony the perfect flower? It is very difficult for a plant lover to narrow the list down to just one Species but when thinking about how much delight a Peony blossom brings and weighing it against the others, it just might come out narrowly ahead. The top competitors in my garden are perennial Iris, Daffodil, Hibiscus, Lily, Daylily, Rose, Dianthus, and Primrose.

Pale Pink Tree Peony, 50 + yrs old in Ted's Cville Garden

Peonies are long lived, being recorded to live in flower beds for centuries. This Peony Garden article published by China Daily talks about plants over 100 years old and one 170 years old!

Top competitor, My Grandmothers Primrose, 50 + yrs old

Also long lived are Daffodils, Primrose, and Iris. I have some that my Grandmother planted 50+ years ago. I LOVE Dianthus and at one time collected it but they don't make it from year to year in my garden. Store away a little seed each year, from non-hybrids, to ensure you have a backup plan if they peter out.

Climbing Rose, Seven Sisters, on my trellis on Forsythia Hill

Roses are breathtaking and I have several, but once again, it all depends on the type of Rose as to its longevity. I tend to go for Climbers, Grandiflora, or Rugosa as for me they are easy to grow and require only pruning to keep alive and happy. Generally, if it does not have a glorious scent then I am not interested.

Faithful perennial Hibiscus, stunning in its own right

Daffodils are by far my favorite Spring bloomer and I collect them as well but most don't have the color variety or size like the Peony to make you GASP. Perennial Hibiscus is also a knock out plant that lives many years in the garden but it doesn't have the layers of petals like the Peony. Lilies and Daylilies come in all sorts of varieties and seem to last a very long time as well but I go back to the massive pillowy layers of petals in the Peony that brings out romance and reminds me of the finest of old fashioned floral arrangements.

This Double Peony head is heavy and will kiss the ground

My only complaint about the Peony is that often the big doubles get so top heavy they sink to the ground when it rains. To assist, I shake mine off and fluff them up. Also planting a few other clumps of Summer blooming sturdy plants in front of them helps to prop them up. That is one reason I lean toward the single Peony. It has less weight and is more upright. In my collection I have a Red and a single Pink that was my Grandmothers, planted at least 60 years ago and in appearance to the original Peony that all were bred from.

I don't have any Tree Peonies because they are so ungodly expensive but hopefully one day someone will want to share!

Glorious Single Hot Pink Peony on Forsythia Hill

After the Peony bloom dies, you can cut off just the bloom and leave the foliage (never cut this down because like Daffodils it provides needed energy for next years blooms) until it withers away. The leaves are actually very pretty as well and can provide a nice backdrop for small Summer bloomers.

What can outshine a faithful plant that returns each year, blooms its head off, and provides such delight. I would love to know!

-Rebecca

Glorious Gardens

Bronze Peony and assorted Pansies.

A loaded down pink and cream Foxglove.

As previously blogged, I traveled Friday to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia.  I am so glad that I went.  I have been to the Christmas light extravaganza several times (amazing) and to the gardens on the only other FREE day, July 4th.  I have never visited the gardens in the spring and let me tell you, the gardens are spectacular right now.  All trees have leafed out and the Peonies are peaking as is the Rose Garden.  I forget Richmond is a bit warmer than Charlottesville so ahead of our bloom schedule.  I get to see a similar show in a few weeks right here as the Peonies and Roses are budding up on Forsythia Hill.  Several of my favorite plants were budding or in bloom, False Blue Indigo, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Native Wisteria, Foxglove, and Allium. 

The new Conservatory was loaded with Orchids and Bromeliads.  It was a glorious Spring day with perfect weather.

Vermicelli Bowl with Fish Sauce on side to die for.

My first stop in Richmond was to my favorite restaurant, Vietnam 1.  It is always delicious.  When my friend Ed lived in Richmond, he took me to this wonderful place.  It's nothing fancy but the food is inexpensive and so good I eat until I nearly pop.  I always get the Vermicelli bowl with crispy vegetable wonton. 

I also checked out Trader Joe's which is said to be coming to Charlottesville soon.  Oh man, did I fall in love with this store.  I can't wait until they arrive.  Great prices, fresh produce, and I'm loving the Cat Ginger cookies (for people).

Native Wisteria at Lewis Ginter Botanical G.

Have you visited a lovely garden this Spring?  Please leave a comment and tell us about it.

-Rebecca