2026- Rock Garden Report #2

I suppose it's pushing things a bit to have two rock garden reports in the same month, but so much happens in the spring that I am going to do it anyway.

This first round of color with daffodils, grape hyacinths, and moss phlox is winding down, and we are entering the next phase with the geraniums blooming, the sedums coloring up, and some of the dianthus starting to bloom.

This is the front view today.

And on May 3.

So the thing about a rock garden is that they are usually meant to feature low-growing plants, so you aren't going to get bright, splashy long-distance views. What I'm hoping for with that kind of vantage point is a mix of areas of foliage color and sometimes larger swaths of things blooming.

Here's the top of the garden today.

And on May 3

I think you can tell that I'm beginning to get a patchwork of various contrasting colors. But the best things are always going to be the tiny details I can share.

Here's a really tiny detail! I THINK the donkeytail Euphorbia has finally produced a couple of babies. Can you see them?

I'll help you out!

The 'Blue Star' juniper has a broken section. I suspect a deer stepped on it. I hope it fills itself back in. I really love the way it looks- so tidy and mounded with the blueish color. I went back to the place I got this on sale last year, but they don't have any of them this year at any price.

And I'll show you one more thing today. (I'm saving the sedums to focus on another time or two- they are the backbone of my dry rock garden plants.) This is 'Cerise Queen' yarrow. Yes, it gets tall, but I am trying it in this space beside the retaining wall. Tall is fine there, and I need something tall enough to hide the cable that holds the wall. As I've learned by trial and error, the spaces by the wall get pretty hot in the afternoons. But this was planted from seed last year, and it looks like it's going to be ok. The name should tell you that the flowers will be a shade of red.

Several of the dianthus did not survive- bummer. A few other plants that did survive are VERY small. We shall see.

The Confidence Campers gave me a gift card at the end of camp. I've decided to spend that on plants, which is why I've ordered a few. And I think I'm going to go buy that other Heuchera.

Today was the first truly hot and humid day of they year. I melted into a puddle of non-functionality in the afternoon. Got to the post office 8 minutes after it closed, so I guess that will be on tomorrow's list. I did get the gardens watered, so they are happy. My body has to adjust to temps over 80. Maybe I can get a few things done this evening.

Took a little walk in Scottville. About 1/4 mile. I don't think that even counts.

See 2026 Rock Garden Report #1

Pink and White

Today we will switch to pink and white, specifically, light pink and white.

The pink geraniums are blooming now. These are much more tidy than the conquer-the-world, bright pink Bloody Cranesbill. This is Geranium cinereum. This first picture isn't focused as well as I'd like, but I think you can still see the brighter veins in the new flowers.

In the past couple of years I made an effort to get about three patches of this going so it would be more balanced in the rock garden. They are all blooming now. The camera doesn't pick up the pink very well, but these look nice from a distance.

The other spread of light pink is the Fleeceflower, Bistorta affinis. As I tell you every year, I really don't like this plant much, but it has agreed to make this large patch of color, so it gets to stay.

So much for current light pink. Now on to white. I have clumps of this in various places. I think it was on the property when we bought it. It's considered pretty invasive, but mostly it just barely hangs on for me. I managed to get a clump to come back in the driveway bed. I won't mind if it grows. Ornithogalum umbellatum, Star of Bethlehem. I'm going to try to get some going in the rock garden. It should tolerate the sun.

Most of the Star of Bethlehem is down in the not-reclaimed "big bed," so I think I'll move some of those bulbs. The other white plant blooming down there is a whole patch of this double pheasant-eye narcissus. I have no idea where this came from, but I managed to get a bunch of the bulbs in the same space.

I do like how long the daffodil season lasts with all the different kinds I have. I think this is the last one though.

Today, I worked hard to finish the first weed-through of the rock garden. It kept feeling like rain all day, but nothing happened, and the radar is blank. I think I'll need to get the hose going and water it tomorrow. That will make it look really nice, and with the weeds temporarily gone, you might get a rock garden report tomorrow.

Whatever was making the computer wonky, I guess all it needed was re-booting because it's been fine today, which is really good.

I thought I was going to do a bunch of errands today until I realized it's a holiday. So I spent extra garden time! Oh, and I staked the iris! Knew I had bought a box of more stakes last year. Couldn't find them. Looked in all the places. Then started looking in all the places again. There they were!

See Blue and Purple

Blue and Purple

It was damp and cloudy all day. Not enough rain to bother with. I'll probably have to water the rock garden this week.

However, more things are beginning to bloom, and I'l feature blue and purple today.

Remember the iris I planted in the driveway bed two years ago? They came up last year, but weren't established enough to bloom. This year, there are 11 stalks with buds! Two have started to open. Of course their survival will have something to do with the amount of wind we get. I might have to put in some stakes for them. Although I dug random rhizomes to move here, they seem to be all purple.

The other thing in the driveway bed that is starting to bloom is the Meadow Sage, Salvia praetensis. There are cultivars, but I have no idea if this is a particular one.

I want to show you the two ajugas in the same post. This is the Bronza Ajuga, Ajuga reptans. Common name is bugleweed. I don't know if this has a particular variety name, but it might because the leaves are very dark. It was free long ago. Today, I want you to notice that the flowers are approaching purple. This plant is in both my front bed and the rock garden. It fills in very tightly and I have to fight it all the time to keep it in its place, but I love how it looks.

Bonus story: I got this from Matthaei Botanical Garden. No I didn't steal it, although I certainly could have. It was on a freebie table. I worked on the grounds crew a couple of summers in addition to the grad school research I was doing there. One of the jobs I did (because everyone else hated it) was to weed a big flower box full of this that was under one of the entrance signs. You just have to be a little careful, and I didn't mind that. I also got to dig weeds from between paving stones because I didn't mind that either.

If you think they don't look very purple, compare them to the variety 'Variegata,' that I bought maybe 3 years ago. I now have this one at the other end of the front bed. It doesn't spread as aggressively, but it seems to be expanding a little. And it's much more blue.

I worked on a bunch of stuff today, including plant records. Oh, and I ordered another plant. It was reasonably priced, but the shipping was as much as the plant. Hope I like it as much as I think I will.

See Driveway Bed 2025

Little Critters

I've never gotten a picture of one of these butterflies before. This is the American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis. It's on the moss phlox in my rock garden. At the link below there is a Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui, also enjoying the rock garden. The Red Admiral is also a Vanessa, Vanessa atalanta. I just learned that the White Admiral is not in the same genus! Huh. It is in the same family, but not that close a relative. Common names are so problematic!

I'm still fighting the bees- I'd love to have them except not in the house. But I caught one with its pollen baskets full, so that is fun.

And, no pic, but I looked up from my chair this morning to find a squirrel staring in the door at me. I'm glad the door was shut. Last year, a chipmunk kept coming under the flexible screen and running in the house. Not sure I care to have a squirrel doing that!

And I saw my first Monarch butterfly of the year this week, too.

Did the usual stuff, and went shopping, and did errands. Went to four garden centers. I bought one plant. You'll see it soon. Found another one I would like, but they wanted $20 for it. We'll see. I have to think about that.

More weeding, more discovered casualties. C'est la vie.

See A Couple of Critters

Things Change Fast in the Rock Garden

I'm about half way on the first weed-through of the rock garden for this year. Pretty sure there are a few more casualties, but the next round of blooming has begun.

This is the variegated vinca. I rip it out by the bunch and try to keep it trimmed after it blooms because it's so agressive, but I really like the large pinwheeled blue flowers at this time of year, and the light-colored leaves are nice all season.

Also in the category of attractive nuisances is the Bloody Cranesbill. I've railed against this plant a lot in the past, and will continue to do so. But I'm trying to hack it out except for a few places. This is the plant that pretty much covered the entire rock garden before I reclaimed it. It's just starting to bloom.

This is just starting. It's the 'Morning Star Deep Rose' Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima). I bought it off a markdown table last year, badly damaged, but it's looking promising now! Stay tuned.

The donkeytail Euphorbia is just about done, but I thought I'd show you a closeup of its actual tiny flowers. You can see the new growth for next year in the blue-green leaves. Supposedly this spreads easily, but so far, not for me. It's readily available, so if it really doesn't spread, I'll probably buy another.

And I just can't resist showing you the Sempervivum 'Gold Nugget' again. It is still changing. I really like this two-toned phase. The older, smaller one is doing similar things but it doesn't seem to get any bigger, and the colors aren't as vibrant. Perhaps I need to move it a bit. I haven't got to that space in my weeding yet.

Today, I felt fine. Not sure what that little blip was about yesterday. Worked on most of the projects.

Oh, and I ordered a couple of plants today. Half off, but the shipping still makes them expensive.

See Rock Garden Details