Stonewell Farm 9am June 3rd 2019

A week later and the golden Weigela (center) is starting to bloom, as is the blue Amsonia.

The Iris bloom is starting to wain and make way for the Peonies and Roses.

The blue Amsonia (left) hide the fading flowers of the Polygonatum.

These Iris flower later, due to the shade from the Philadelphus and Apple tree

Due to the cold spring we have combinations not usually seen. The Siberian Iris bloom is usually over before the Potentilla flowers.

The Allium have opened, The Peonies hardly. The identical plant placed in less favourable light can extend the flowering period considerably. 

This end of the driveway border is somewhat shaded by the Junipers causing the late flowering of creeping time to coincide with Miss Kim.

Here, the Allium are past, our second Miss Kim almost, and the Spirea (right) about to turn into a bouquet of white. The pink Rose between the wall and the variegated Willow is a beautiful combination.

Dart's Gold Ninebark (left} is now in flower, Diabolo (right) probably next week.

The golden Locust tree is a spectacular colour at this time of year.

The Chinese Fringe tree is in full bloom. if we are lucky, it may last a couple of weeks.

Not much change in this shot, I'll try and include some ducks next week.

I've included three shots from the front of our Lilac border and one shot of a particularly beautiful Clematis.

                                   

Propagation

I layered this oak leaf hydrangea last fall. over the winter the stem has produced roots and new leaf growth has emerged. I will leave it attached to the parent plant  until winter dormancy and then cut the old stem, dig up and replant.

This Spring I have layered several choice shrubs, including the Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple". First find a stem that can be bent to the ground without damage, then wound the stem by scraping away the outer layer of bark to expose the green cambium layer.

Scrape a channel in the soil, bury the wounded area of the stem, cover with soil and weigh down with a medium size stone, or other similar weight.

Other shrubs that we are layering.

Duetzia

Duetzia, right foreground

Rosa Rugosa

 worth propagating for its fragrance.

Viburnum horizontalis

Here past its best, but still an exceptional shrub.

Weigela

Sometimes no assistance is required, if the stem is resting on the ground it will produce roots as with this Cotinus.

This self sown seedling is of a different Wigela cultivar, but it may not come true to type.

These seedlings from the spirea back center may also show variations from the parent plant

At first I thought this must be a seedling from the parent rose

But it is an off shoot from a root. I've never seen this before on a rose.