The Parsley Patch

After a long, hard winter and cold rainy spring, it finally feels and looks like springtime as the garden has come alive on May Day with a riot of color.

We had one of the hottest and driest summers ever, but the garden prospered.

The garden didn’t change much from last year, in fact much was planted exactly the same. But there were some things and spots that really shined this year.

Roses are an obsession. You can’t have just one. The more you have, the more you want. It is a vicious cycle. I refuse to use chemicals and so only treat the roses organically. That means dealing with some black spot and munching here and there, but the rewards of gorgeous, deliciously scented blooms is worth it.

This is the first year that our oak leaf hydrangeas have bloomed and they were magnificent. Lining the stairs up to the driveway, whey are under planted with hostas.

This year there were some firsts in the garden, namely the intense blue of the hydrangeas and the first bloom of the four-year-old oakleaf hydrangeas. Some things are starting to get overgrown and will need to be thinned next year.

As the garden season for 2007 comes to a close, let’s take a look back at some of the great moments from this year’s garden. With hydrangeas, daisies and lots of daylilies, color and bloom were constant from the spring garden right into Autumn.

Even though crisp Autumn air moves in, the garden still flourishes in a colorful finale featuring mums, Joe Pyeweed, grasses and a scarecrow right out of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’

Drying winds and rain by the bucket followed by scorching sun made for a difficult gardening year, but things didn’t end up too bad. We added many new roses this year, turning the Medicine Wheel garden into a rose garden.

From tulips and viola to allium and roses, spring is finally in full bloom in the garden, delighting the senses with color and scent.