Author: susansdailygarden

Tulip planting time

It is tulip planting time. “What?”, you say. “Perhaps fall would be better?” you say. Yes, but these are bulbs from a watch’em grow vase our grandson, by way of Mom and Dad, gave me. They started to bloom before we went on our first ever planned “down south” vacation, and waited to wrap up blooming until a few days after we got back. Amazing! Maybe it was because we needed some cheering up during our covid bout.

Where should they be planted? Maybe up north. Maybe in the front of the townhouse. Or maybe at a new volunteer location, if approved of course. I will keep you posted 😁

To shamrock or not to shamrock?

We have two fairly good-sized shamrock plants in pots here. Most summers they can be seen in the area under the linden. One is purple and one is green.

Every fall I bring them into the house, and they eventually go into my office. They give me all-winter mini flowers, and occasionally I hear rustling in late fall from a ladybug who made it in with the shamrocks, usually the purple one.

I cannot say how long I have had the Shamrocks. Probably close to, if not over 15 years now. I remember buying them one St. Patrick’s season, at the grocery store across town. They were in those tiny 3-4″ pots, and very inexpensive. I thought it would be “fun” 😊 My husband and our younger son teased that Yes! We definitely needed more plants! Hahaha!

I have given divisions to other people and they haven’t done well. But those two shamrocks are very healthy here.

There have been years where I have been sooooo looking to get the shamrocks back outside. This year is not one of them. They are very happy inside this year.

But alas! They are part of the ecosystem here. In the spring they go out, and the robins pluck the dead stuff for their nests. Eventually the wind gets to them, and all the leaves die back, and then it is just soil until they grow back and fill in stronger than ever.

It looks like the robins are starting to pair up. I am thinking they will be starting to build their nests soon. The bird bath should go out today so they can have water to make mud, and the shamrocks could go out next week after our forecasted cool and rainy weekend.

When we do move them out, I will miss them in my office, but they are starting to get that “good material for birds nests” look. Yes, I put some egg shells in there. Another post about those on the way.

Survival Rates

Last Saturday was a springboard to glorious garden time days. I could not resist being out in the front gardens. Sunday morning the gardens out back also got some love.

The snow melted very fast and is now gone – even the giant snow plow pile. A very odd feeling after such a LONG SNOWY winter, but it is time! We may have another snow or two, but just like early fall, they melt pretty fast.

The perennial survival rates are good so far.

All of the sedum made it through the winter, and have new leaf buds forming. The non-productive tulips out front are also up, as well as one daylily.

Out back, the Purple D’Oro and Just Plum Happy daylilies are poking up, the two areas with productive tulips, crocus, and on one side hyacinth are up, and … the Blue Mouse Ears are starting to poke up!

Under the Linden, the Marque Moon daylilies are coming up.

No asian lilies, and no big hostas yet, but that is super normal.

With the Amur Maple situation out front, whether or not they replace the tree, our shade will be compromised, so I am very glad I did not put any Blue Mouse Ears divisions in front where there used to be shade.

Look super closely. A few days ago these were the Purple D’Oro daylilies. Just a tiny sprig of green.

Here they are a few days later.

Two days ago the South Seas daylily popped up.

And the Marque Moon daylilies are starting to come up.

Things will start filling in and covering the rock quickly now.

Coffee Time

Every year, as the perennials emerge, they get a haircut from anything I left for the birds over the winter. Then they get a sprinkling of coffee grounds around them. Not to wake it up, but to keep the slugs away. I started that years ago, and it has served the garden well. The holes we get on leaves each year since then are usually after the Japanese beetles hatch.

Last Saturday I gave the sedum out front haircuts. Then I sprinkled them with coffee grounds. There were also the tulips and one daylily starting to pop up, and they got some coffee grounds love too. May as well. Can’t hurt, I don’t think …

The tulip and crocus areas out back also got the coffee treatment. Hoping it deters sir bunimous from chomping down. If not, I have an all natural powder I buy. It worked at the little house up north to deter deer and bunnies. The downside of that is it looks not so pretty, and it is only good through a couple rains. Hopefully the coffee grounds will work and it won’t be needed.

Tulips

The runner-up to the first green of the season was a clump of tulips out front, the one below I am guessing they are the ones that do not bloom, but maybe they will surprise us. Later on Saturday I found another tulip shoot up, and a tiny daylily shoot.

Then on Easter Sunday morning I found the snow had melted enough to uncover yesterday’s pics. So they got first sharing. Those will probably also bloom, if sir bunimous does not get them first. I have, hopefully, a solution for that. Post upcoming.

Last few days

My husband and I tremendously enjoy the dark-eyed juncos that come to stay in the winter. It is always such a treat when we see the first ones, and always a bit bittersweet when we realize they are leaving. They migrate north in the summer.

We are seeing much less of the big pine tree’s dark-eyed junco flock these days. Bon voyage, friends! See you next winter!

And the winner is …

The winner of the first “green” spotted in the gardens at the townhouse is …

a sedum!

More to come.

70s ahead.

The amur maple and broken off limb are still sitting in the front yard 😂 The birds and squirrels have been seen sitting around the broken off branch – easy seed eatings, right?

A volunteer opportunity came along today, for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. (Angels sing)

Sooooooo tempted!!! It is even one of those opportunities where I can use my 16 hours of paid volunteer time through work! (That’s how I heard about it 🙂 ) The date listed right now is smack dab in the middle of a busy work week next week though. Still sooooo tempted. To be even a tiny part of that glorious place and love on the plants and be around others who love it and share and learn from and with them? (angels sing again!) Please believe me when I say I love and have loved that place since the kids were very young and we lived 10 minutes away and took them there to exhaust them – lol. Work events there, church events there, anniversaries there. And oh how it has grown! Contemplating. Seriously contemplating. Last time we were there I was actually jealous of the people weeding and working with the plants! It is just quite a drive now to get there. But still contemplating.

Did I say I am SERIOUSLY contemplating? Maybe a Saturday thing.