Thursday, April 16, 2015

Welcome, Spring!

It's amazing how quickly things are greening up!  Just a few weeks ago I was walking the grounds, looking for signs of life.  I've already spent countless hours outside weeding, digging, dividing, and cleaning up debris.  This is just the beginning.  In July, my garden club will be coming over for a tour, and I have to ensure my gardens will be off the chain.

Let's start by covering the new additions that arrived mail order...
  • Cote d'azurs - a groundcover that's supposed to mimic the effect of creeping phlox, with bright pink flowers in June-July.  I'll keep you posted if it lives up to it's reputation.
  • Northern Agapanthus - a new introduction, supposedly hardy to our zone.  I have them planted in various locations throughout the yard, including a pot.  I feel in love with this flower when I visited San Diego several years ago.
  • Narcissus Erlicheer - a summer blooming daffodil.  Can't wait to see that!
  • Raspberries - Red and one year old plants.  Look nice.
  • Asparagus - 25 roots, a good start... I won't get to try them out for 3 years though. Gardeners are patient folks.
And, of course, wild horses couldn't keep me out of Lowe's garden center. They already have plenty of clearance.

Let's take a virtual tour, shall we?

Meet Tahiti.  One of my favorite daffodils.  They flank my entry.  I look forward to the day when there are plenty to bring inside for bouquets.  I cut some today, because I couldn't take it any longer, but I selected sparingly.

 
I know it's hard to see this, but trust me, the Sweet Williams are in outstanding show this year.  This is what my entire wooded area looks like, dotted with these beautiful and fragrant blossoms, ranging from pale purple to rosy pink.

 
The driveway garden has a nice pop of color, with the creeping phlox, and assorted sedums tucked into the wall.  The redbuds lining the other side of the driveway play off the purple color.

 
I love how this living wall is turning out.  Every once in a while, I snag a start of a sedum from my collection elsewhere in the garden and stuff it in the crack of the rocks.

 
Bleeding heart

 
Phlox!  It looks soft and fluffy and I just want to brush it with my hands. You couldn't put your finger in between these packed flowers.

 
A beautiful vignette of red bud tree, with golden cypress in background.  I love the composition of this area.

 
Lowe's... hanging planters 2 for $10... they make great fillers for pots.  And they're way easier to maintain this way because they don't dry out as fast.

 
More Lowe's finds... $3 each.  The yellow one is Tiny Bee Asiatic lily, which I also purchased last year.  The orange is a new double Asiatic lily that I haven't seen before.  Stunning color combo.  I love hot colors mixed in the garden.



 
I had to get Tyler in the shot to give you size perspective on these Chives.  They are seriously large, and covered with blossom stems that are going to put on a good show.

 
This little tree is the first of a large order of trees that we have purchased.  It is a dwarf crabapple called Sargentina.  It only gets 5' tall and wide, and blooms white.  At the garden center, the top of the root ball was visible, and we were convinced we could take it home and plant it same day.  They went to get the fork truck to lift it out and we were a little puzzled as to why they'd need such heavy equipment.  The root ball came out of the gravel at about 3' across and deep.  Note to self... a dwarf tree that is half it's mature size will have a root system equivalent to half the mature size.  It was on the trailer to haul home before we could object.  That root ball must have been 500 pounds.  We gave it everything we had to get it into place.  The hole we dug was so deep I was able to stand in it up to my knees.  Several hours later and many sore muscles later, let's hope the tree doesn't disappoint.

 
 
This forsythia wreath from Kohl's just had to come home with me.

 
Tahiti daffodils surrounded by the Sweet Williams that grow wild in our woods.  A tip to the wise -- daffodils excrete sap that is poisonous to other flowers, so protect your bouquets.  I banded the daffodils with a rubber band, then immersed them in a sealed plastic sandwich bag into the center of the vase, then filled the rest of the vase with water and slipped the Sweet Williams in around.  A delicious color combination.