Bulbs in Pots

I forgot to plant the bulbs I bought last fall, so I potted them up. They've been a bit behind the ones in the ground, so I'm stretching the season! It was easy, I just layered them in big pots in the potting shed and watered them very occasionally through the winter. Then, when the ground-planted bulbs started to sprout, I moved the pots outside.

I'll probably put them in the ground for next year. The handful of lonely tulips alongside the driveway need some company. But maybe I'll get some more for the pots again, too.

Appreciating the Neighbors

Sometimes we get a bit of garden for nothing. My neighbor has some beautiful lilacs along our common fence. They smell great (and of course, look great), and I can just enjoy them every time I step out in the back.

The Chokeberry

The Chokeberry is in bloom. I planted this one last spring. It has done quite well in the front yard. This is a really nice little shrub. It gets to leaf out and bloom ahead of the larger oak and maple that frame it and shade it through the summer. The chokeberry kind of leads the pack, easing the wait for spring leaves. The birds like the berries through the winter, too.

For the Birds

The birds seem to be appreciating my spring yard cleanup. So far I've raked up about 20 bags of leaves--mostly long-lasting oak--and the birds like to follow behind. I guess they are scooping up the bugs I've disturbed with the raking and bagging. The process has definitely woken up a lot of moths that fly out of every clump I throw in a bag. I did mulch some of the leaves, but I'll need a more efficient piece of equipment to do much more of that.

I've still been doing a lot of cleanup of debris from years past. Every planting bed includes at least a handful of golf balls. Definitely not from me, as I agree with Mark Twain that "golf is a good walk spoiled."

To celebrate my new job I went out and bought a few new plants. I couldn't find a redbud, so I ended up ordering a few from the Arbor Day Foundation. But, I did pick up another azalea to place by the herb garden--a white one to balance the pink one that came with the house. Also, a bleeding heart for the bird bath area, and a mountain fire pieris for the east side.

I've been looking at several options for adding a garden path and for edging the planting beds. That would definitely add some polish to the yard. Better Homes and Gardens has a great website. Lots of ads, but lots of good ideas, too. I'm going to the flower show at Coney tomorrow. I'm sure there will be lots of cool concepts there. I'll just need to pace myself!

Apple Blossom Time

The apple tree closest to the house is half covered in blossoms (not to mention a few bumblebees)! The three young ones in the far back should follow soon.

The peonies have shot up, most to about 18 inches, but one is closer to 30 inches already. Flower buds are forming. It should be another good year for them. My crepe myrtle is finally showing some buds--I was a bit worried that it hadn't survived the winter. Even my heather is greening up.

The mowers cut off three of the four seedlings I planted last week. I guess I need to mark them more clearly! One may come back, but the other two look pretty well done for. At least they were freebies from the Arbor Day Foundation, but it still hurts since I nurtured them in pots all last year.

My wildflower area between the garage and the fence has an awful lot of dandelions. I've got to clean them out so the flowers I planted can come back. A few are starting, but I'm afraid the dandelions will choke out the desirables.
I can't let them go too much longer.

Still haven't found a redbud to add to the yard. I'd really like to get a few; they look so pretty this time of year. I may have to order them from the ADF...

Spring 2006

It's my second spring in my new house (garden!). Seems last year's hard work in the yard has had some good pay offs--lots of bulbs have been revived, resulting in some unexpected but much appreciated spring color.

Among my goals is to have a wildlife-friendly area. I've been planting lots of trees, as well as fruiting shrubs and butterfly-attracting plants.

Among my plantings, the primroses and dianthus are coming back, along with garlic chives, parsley, and thyme. My little trees are starting to bud, and the chokeberry is poised to bloom any day. The forsythia have been at it for a while already. The knock out roses are leafing out, too.

The peonies that surprised me last spring are emerging from the ground again. Such a cool plant.

The apple trees planted by a former owner produced apples last year, but the fruit was wormy and not much good. This year, I've used a pest control that's poured around the trunk (rather than a spray which sounded like too big a project for me right now). Hopefully I'll get some good apples this fall. They're galas, one of my favorite varieties.

The spring thunderstorms have left soggy patches, so I'm looking for the right plants to fill those areas. Of course, they'll also have to tolerate the late summer dry spells.

The bird and butterfly zone seems slowest to come back. I'm moving some decorative grass there. (A gift from a friend, I had planted it in the crisis to stabilize the lovely mud hole left by the former owners along the side of the house. But, it just doesn't fit there, although it has done remarkably well in the very, very bad post-construction soil there.)

The side planting bed between the house and driveway continues to slowly come together. The euonymous is very happy there, along with the cotoneaster. The creeping phlox have been slow to establish, but are looking healthy this week, so I'm planting some more where the decorative grass had been.

So, it's coming together, slowly but surely. But, getting there really is half the fun!