The "Shade" Garden by the Basement Stairs

All my garden is part shade, but this is the part I'm calling the shade garden.

Moving from the sidewalk in toward the building, the first plants are some of the plaintain lily that were already there. Tucked in next to the hostas are some bee balm (perhaps purple from my mother's garden in New York) that didn't bloom this year--and this wonderful little thalictrum--mini meadow rue--that I'd gotten in 2002 from the Garden Fair.

I love this pink/green leafed annual (Ace). I thought it was coleus, but it's something else.

Behind the plaintain lily, toward the south fence, are columbines (Wagner), blue campanula carpatica (Jaffe), filipendula "Captain's Feather" (from my grandmother), a grass from the 2001 Garden Fair--it was orphaned and I'm afraid I didn't take the tag, and tucked in the middle of the grass is, I think, a volunteer trumpet vine from Susan.

Next past the grass on the left, are more columbines (Wagner), some geranium leaves (Jaffe), one stalk of volunteer filipendula (George), an orange lily (Jaffe), Japanese painted fern (Jeanne Buiter), and lady fern (Jaffe). And lots of pink impatiens, the pink/green guys, and some coleus (Ace/Andershocks).

This is closer to the lady fern. There are spring blooming geraniums and pink geranium sanguineum (Jaffe), Pulmonaira saccharata "Mrs. Moon" lungwort (Ace because the Jaffe one died), cinnamon fern (George), little yellow guys (Jaffe), astilbe (George), glossy leaved ginger (George).

The back of the wood garden got flattened by men working on the windows (why, I don't know given the layout). There should be a maidenhair fern (Vanya), wild ginger (Wagner), ajuga (George), and cimicifuga (Wagner).

The Boulevard Garden

Annuals mixed in the length of the garden: Wizard "pineapple" coleus has been wonderful, Disco yellow marigolds that open flat have been great, Sweet cream are big, Fantasy mix petunias have been cute and bright and small, some of the "French" marigolds are nice--short and colorful.

Bulbs: daffodils from Jaffe/Wagner, a few tulips, some aconite (Wagner), hopefully some Dutchman's Breeches and the little purple dicentra, and a bag of the strange yellow guys--Erythronium? naturalizes.

The planters have evolved. Sweet potato vine got killed in the cold spring wind of May. Now it's a great assortment of marigolds, scaveola "new wonder" going great guns, asparagus ferns, dwarf dahlias (not so happy), some trailing nasturtiums. They look pretty good.

I didn't get a good shot from the sidewalk of the "Icebur" white floribunda (2003 Garden Fair) rose and double red impatiens (Ace), but I did get the blue campanula (Jaffe). Daffodils are there and a couple of sprigs of Captain's Feather. I'm working down from the steps to the corner.

Echinacea pupurea "magnus" from the 47th Street Co-op (nicely double) and phlox (Jaffe) that's faded.

Next stop, a campanula from George (cherry bells?), allium (Wagner), ribbon grass (Wagner), iris (Jaffe). There's a mystery plant in there. That's a Stella D'Oro day lily that hasn't done much (got it somewhere cheap--maybe too cheap).

I'm very happy to see that this sedum (Jaffe) seems to be thriving and the campion (Wagner) is too. There's a little bluestem in here that's only an inch or so tall. Got it from Mollie's, so may be totally awful for it.

Peone (Susan orphan), and this odd plant from Vanya--maroon leaves earlier, then they shade toward green and then these lovely yellow flowers appear all along the plant, the flowers facing down. It's very windblown.

Caught in the sunlight is spurge (Vanya), purple fountain grass that was supposed to be in the planters but didn't like the cold and wind (Ace), and heliopsis (George). Out of view is the spiderwort (Vanya)--a really rich dark blue. Bee balm.

Out of view is the dead stem of the tea rose from the Wagner garden. Climbing on it and up the fence is a Painted Lady scarlet runner bean grown from seed--no flowers yet, started it late. The delicate small loppy blue plant I have called veronica (Jaffe), white obedient plant (Jaffe), evening primrose, campion, Captain's Feather (grandmother), Autumn Joy sedum (Wagner), coral bell (Wagner--she got it from the woman who founded the Morton Arboretum. I'm thrilled that a lot of it has survived).

Tiger lily (Wagner). I've waited all summer for this to bloom. There are two, the second one blew and broke yesterday. Staking is the moral! There's spicata liatris sprinkled throughout the garden. Two are blooming.

Iris (Wagenr), "Morton Arboretum" coral bells, bee balm (mother), day lily frond, balloon flower (Hyde Park Farmer's Market).

Day lily fronds to the left, feverfew (Jaffe), nasturtium, iris, cardinalis sylvatica (Garden Fair) by the fence.

Astilbe, columbine (Wagner), lily, fern from the Jaffe shed.

White filipendula (Garden Fair), red leaf coral bell (Ace), day lily--I think this is "Little Business" a nice red one from Ace.

Coral bell (very red, Ace), columbine (Wagner), "Silver Scrolls" coral bell--white flower on 24" stems, blooms spring into summer (Garden Fair).

Allium (Wagner), roman candle (mom), Robert Lythrum (Jaffe), red bee balm (mom), iris (Wagner)

Rose of Sharon (George), clematis (Garden Fair),

Astilbe under the cardinal flower (Ace), Lobelia cardinalis (next year, stakes!)

Rudbeckia (47th Street Co-op)

Tall Veronica (Jaffe)

Geraniums (Jafe/Wagner), clematis (Ace), sedum (I hope some is that white kind), coreopsis (not doing well-from Marx's stand in Indiana)