The violent hail storm in June left the garden in tatters and many of my beloved hydrangeas beheaded. The damage was heartbreaking, and the cleanup painful as I removed tens of dangling, half-mature blooms and branches to the compost bin.
Right after the cleanup was complete, Joe the Gnome arrived from California in the company of my charming nephews Cole and Alan.
Joe quickly found a sheltered perch on a small ledge on one of the biggest Ponderosa Pine trees in the center of the back garden. It’s a great lookout, high above the garden hoses which could decapitate him, and prominent enough to see Joe from the kitchen and living room.
Since Joe’s arrival, things have been looking up in the garden. The remaining hydrangeas have “pulled themselves together” and are poised to come into full bloom in the next week or two:
A few early bloomers are cheering me up tremendously:
Hydrangea macrophylla “Endless Summer”
Hydrangea serrata “Preziosa”
Hydrangea paniculata “Quickfire”
No more hail storms, please!
Smilacina racemosa (False Solomon’s Seal)
Rubus parviflorus (Thimbleberry)
Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Heart)
Geranium x cantabrigiense “Biokovo” (Biokovo Cranesbill)
Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley)
Gaultheria shalon (Salal)
Wish I’d noted the variety back when I planted them. All I know is they’re early (!) doubles and are 10 to 12 inches tall.
