Vista and vignette (Quince Street garden through the seasons)

Drone image of my Quince Street garden in midsummer

 My friend, Ross Shrigley (who happens to be CEO of Plant Select) took this picture a few years ago: it looks a tad parched and rather barren. But then, so do most of the steppes in the West for much of the calendar year. Appearances can be deceiving, perhaps. Here follow 99 images of this garden taken the last few years--unfortunately, not much rhyme or reason in what follows--although I did cluster more spring shots up front and end with West Ridge--my Western dryland madness...

Of course, the view is what I love best about the place: I like to think I have the best view of the Rockies in Colorado. It's never the same from day to day (and that view will pop up regularly in the blog post, just as it does in my day to day life. This is Mt. Evans in winter.

This is about a fifth of my mountain view, well north of Mt. Evans--with Downtown Denver looming in the middle. These are the Indian Peaks--and my home town of Boulder is half way to them (you can see the Flatirons on the righthand side) about 40 minute drive if it's not rush hour!

Adonis amurensis

 My flower season starts with a bang with this. I must have fifty photos of it in every stage of development (not including hundreds I nixed)...

It can do this in late January, but February is more like it...

Galanthus nivalis 'Viridapice'

 One of only a dozen Galanthus I grow: I know I should acquire more--but they have spread so nicely, I'm content with my dirty dozen...

Galanthus elwesii (giant form)

 Twice the size of normal snowdrops, I always look forward to this monster when it comes up...

Galanthus nivalis

 I'm not averse to growing the "typical" forms of things, like the common snowdrop which is spreading nicely!

Crocus sieberi 'Tricolor' and Iris reticulata 'Alida'

 I'm on a campaign to eliminate winter by having as many "winter" flowering bulbs as possible--here are just two of my dozens of reticulate iris and crocus species I keep stuffing everywhere as part of my "wipe out winter" program.

Fritillaria michaelovskyi

  I keep trying to get as many frits as possible. They seem to like my garden. This is one of my faves: I am amazed at how different it looks in different lights--compare this picture of the same clumps taken at different times of day below...

Cyclamen coum

 One thing I am sure of: one can never have enough cyclamen. It's taken a while, but C. purpurascens, C. hederifolium and C. coum have all begun to spread!

Iris danfordiae in the little patch of Blue Gramma grass prairie

Eremurus robustus emerging in early spring

Hepatica nobilis and Erythronium dens-canis

Anemone blanda and Corydalis malkensis

I have a few woodsy corners on the north and east borders of my property where I can grow some great ephemerals, ferns and even rhododendrons.

Draba hispanica

And of course the centerpiece of my garden is a rock garden featuring a pretty broad range of rock plants--my inventory says there are over 1000 species just in this one garden. Not counting quite a few dead ones!

Mt Evans in Alpenglow (Fullish moon a bonus)

I think I mentioned I love to look at the mountains...

Leontice ewersmanii

One of the choicest plants in my garden--brought from my PREVIOUS garden 25 where I'd had it for five or more years...

Trachystemon orientalis

Growing in a challenging spot in deep shade where it dries out from time to time. It was a thrill to find this in the wild this past May in the Caucasus.

Corydalis turtschaninovii

One of most treasured acquisitions from a dear friend in Michigan--this is the bluest corydalis we grow here easily.

Fritillaria pontica

I can resist a fritillary--this is one of the easiest woodland sorts to grow.

My companion, Jan, has a thing about Oriental hybrid lilies. come to think of it I do too!

Not every sunset is this garish! But I love it when they are...

Papaver dubium

Every year I pull hundreds of these--theoretically before they set seed. But every year I seem to have a few more. There are spots I don't mind this growing--but I do hate the fact that it's everywhere in my garden--I don't suggest you let this loose in YOUR garden!

I am always amazed at how vigorous and happy Arilbred iris are for me.  They seem to love my garden!

A typical vignette in "East Ridge" with Allium altaicum from Asia and Festuca mairei from Morocco

Gentiana acaulis

Gentians are one of my favorite groups--here on the rock garden

The more the merrier!

A little parade of Gentians with a carousing columbine in the middle...

Gentiana acaulis 'Alba'

And even a near albino...

Sedum (Hylotelephium) 'Matrona'

Lots of Sedums (Hylotelephium) in various gardens.

Iris reticulata

I have tucked reticulate iris into almost every part of the garden.

Iris reticulata 'J.S. Dijt'

This old selection has been especially reliable--I divide it every few years and have dozens of clumps.

Paeonia mlokosewitchii

Ribes x gordonianum

Orostachys spinosa

Paeonia tenuifolia

Paeonia tenuifolia a few years later

Phlox alyssifolia

Primula ellisiae ("rusbyi")

Draba polytricha

Erythronium 'Kondo'

View of the back garden

Pots by the waterfall

Phlox paniculata--which was growing in the garden when we first moved in: we thought we should leave it!

View of the rock garden from below

Here's the same spot, only taken from above looking back

If you compare the last two images, you can see why rock gardens are so magical! Their perspective is so radically different everywhere you look. That's Tulipa orphanidea, by the way.

Three poppies growing together

Daphne cneorum 'Potzka' and subulate phloxes

Delphinium pylzowii blooms all summer, as does Origanum acutidens

Closer look...

Woodland planting of Epimedium colchicum and various Solomon's seals

View of the back yard from our kitchen window

Closeup of Mt. Evans from the back yard in spring

Back lawn

Verbascum sinuatum making a screen

Echium vulgare in the wall

Street planting of mullein and Salvia recognita

Peek into the garden from the street

Verbascum bombyciferum

Every year there is some spot where the Turkish mulleins do their thing in style!

East ridge with Asphodeline lutea

Horned poppy time on East Ridge

Front yard in late summer looking West

Looking east towards where the last picture was taken (this one in spring)

Campanula 'Dickson's Gold' in bloom (next image is a tad earlier)

The same vignette as the last, only a month before the bellflower blooms

The Aeonium tabuliforme isn't hardy...in case you wondered.

Slope in the rock garden in summer: that's Kniphofia porphyrantha from my own collection!

This was the last year I let Melica ciliata have it's wicked (but beautiful) way

There's a lot less of that grass in the garden this year. And there will be less the year afterwards (been there done that!)

Origanum 'Kent Beauty'

Each year I take out much of my 'Kent Beauty'--but it keeps spreading back....

My pride and joy Daphne hill--'Anton Fahdrich' on top and Iris graeberiana below

Closeup of the rock garden Asperula nitida and Salvia caespitosa cheek by jowl

Another vignette from nearby--Delosperma dyeri and Moltkia petraea in front

A better view of the Moltkia

Fritillaria assyrica and phlox

West Ridge with Penstemon palmeri

Boy, has this slope changed!

Vegetable garden

Arum korolkowii (with Cyclamen purpurascens below)

Arum maculatum from a hedgerow in Nottingham

Dracocephalum origanoides

Draba bryoides

I was lucky to see this in the wild this past May in the Caucasus!

Iris henryi

My tiniest iris, with flowers about the size of a nickle. This is the spidery flowered form above...

Iris henryi

And this is a much fuller form...

Thalictrum tuberosum

This seems to have settled in nicely several places in my garden: now if I could only get T. orientale to do the same!

Lilium croceum

I know it's big and coarse and vulgar, but I still love it!

Ikonnikovia kaufmanniana

A plant only a father could love: my collection of a strange Plumbaginaceae from Kazakhstan. You won't find this in Walmart soon....

Sedum (Hylotelephium) 'Cherry Tart'

One of the most dramatic of recent sedum hybrids--this one by Chris Hansen.

I think I liked it even better in bud!

Amsonia jonesii

I have this dryland native in several spots in my garden--here outside the fence on the street.

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blond Ambition'

This is seen all over town (and America!) these last few years--I planted mine three years ago, and it's become sandwiched between various cacti. I kinda like it that way!

West Ridge

A rather dramatic depature from the east side of my house with green lawn and borders--the West side is a madhouse of mullein and cacti, grasses and native shrubs galore. Scares most of my visitors witless.

Other parts of West ridge are milder...somewhat

Cylindropuntia viridiflora and Opuntia engelmannii

But who doesn't love a cactus when it's blooming?

 

My largest yucca--with rosettes over a meter tall, and flowers climbing another six or more feet. The best way to wrap up this blog: one of my favorite spectacles in my garden. Thanks for hangin' in there!