Author: susansdailygarden

Waves of forget-me-nots

Quite a few years back I planted forget-me-nots.  We had lost my father-in-law and a beloved neighbor within weeks.  It was a tough time.  Gardening lends itself to seasons of expression.

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Every year the forget-me-nots have come back better and better.

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I have read, however, that they can be invasive.  So although we let them mature and bloom, I am careful as to where I let them seed.  I would not, for instance, plant them and leave them to naturalize up north, but here I can keep a close eye on them.  I pluck them after bloom except farther back among the asian and day lilies, so they only seed in that area.  They bloom first, but I love the lacy look that even the drying seeds form among the lilies.

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What a difference a day makes!

Day 3 of the asian lily blooms –  one more apricot bloom.

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A bunch more pink blooms!

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Still waiting on the red blooms

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And the white ones are weeks away.

The squirrels have been very naughty.  They dug up one of my daylily seedlings that I nurtured for 2 months from seed.

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Was not happy about that.  Repels granules are now on the way.  So sorry squirrels …

But not these two.  They are good 😉

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Restless

Something about the garden at the townhouse has me restless right now.  I should be content to sit in the lawn chair on the patio and enjoy the view.  The garden is lush and full.  But I’m restless, looking and saying it needs adjustments.

Up north this would not bother me at all.  But the scope here is so much smaller, drawing attention to planned symmetry and proportion that seems to be stretched this year.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking at new gardens, the refreshes that we’ve done in the association.  They are at the start of their life and nothing is crowding anything.  Nothing is blocking the view of anything.  Their full potential is ahead of them.

That’s part of it.  But there’s more.  Things are looking good in parts of the garden here, but “missing” in others.  Moving the aureomarginata out of our garden here last fall, and into other association garden refreshes, left an odd empty space now that the tulips and crocuses are fading – one I don’t like.

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There are hostas I wish I had moved/divided last fall that are now overgrown in their current space and that I wish we had divided last fall and put as a post-tulip layer in place of the aureomarginata, like the ‘Rainforest Sunrise’ out front.

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Under the tree is bothering me too.  It feels hodge-podge this year.  I love the ‘Rainforest Sunrise’ hosta there, but other hostas there feel crowded and random.

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Maybe it just needs some daylilies to start blooming 😊

And then there are irrigation patterns that I need to consider, like how the sprinkler hits daylilies that have gotten tall.  And there are mysteries – like why two ‘Just Plum Happy’ daylilies aren’t doing well this year, but everything around them is.

This weekend I know one decision for certain will drive some planting.  The lavender I planted last year definitely didn’t survive.

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There are two to be pulled out that  will make way for the remaining two daylily seedlings from last year’s Purple D’Oro’ seeds.  The other two I planted here are doing fabulously, and the two available spots are right around the corner, making a nice pattern.

Wait!  Back up!  Is that a new “mini rock feature”!  Why yes, it is!   The old two pavers at the bottom of the downspout were not enhancing that space, so I gathered a number of rocks we have collected and previously scattered in the garden, and put them together for a new look.  Really liking that.  We’ll see what else this weekend brings for ideas.

 

 

Clematis blooming, settled on daylilies up north

The clematis are beginning to bloom at the townhouse. First the white ones bloomed, and now a new pink volunteer we haven’t seen blooms on before is starting.

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I had a few volunteers over the past few years that really took off this year, so I had to buy a couple extra trellises.  Not easy in the current shopping environment, but it turned out ok.

Last weekend we went up north.  I tell you!  It’s amazing how fast things grow up there!  You might say it’s wild – lol!  The ferns that were fiddleheads last time were waist high!!  We have thousands, and unfortunately some have to get cut back so we have a homesite/campsite that is reasonably free from ticks.

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The butterflies and bumblebees were enjoying the dandelions.  It was a fabulous sight to see.  We don’t prevent dandelions up north so they have a nice supply of food.

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A walk through the farther trails taught us we have an abundance of wild roses we didn’t know about, and even some scrubby maple trees.  (I thought we were too far north for maples.)

By far, however, the big news is … the baby daylilies are doing well up north!!  The deer are leaving them alone so far, and they are holding their own with just the natural rain.  I am hopeful!  The asparagus also survived the winter, and it looks like one asclepias.  I cleaned up the raised beds, and put more black dirt in one.  Man, I wish I had that $300 back!  I don’t like the steel and boxy look nearly as much as I thought I would, and they heaved in the center so they look weird, but oh, well.  Live and learn.

The fact that daylilies are doing well up there makes my harvesting decisions much easier going forward.  It means I will probably harvest seeds from our townhome gardens again this year, and sow some in the ground up north as well as start seedlings in the winter again.  Probably.

It’s also about this time of year, as the summer garden comes into full form, that I start to realise what fall divisions will be needed.  The townhouse garden is getting pretty mature, and I will need to divide and split quite a bit this fall.  This ‘Rainforest Sunrise’ hosta has definitely overgrown the space.

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I love the coloring, and the leaves are a bit more tender, so I will keep the divisions at the townhouse.

I’m tempted, however, to try some of the ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ hosta divisions up north, as the leaves are deer resistant.

So many ideas … but a bit of time to chew on them.  For now, the daylily seedlings are all planted except two, which will go into the townhome garden in the next day or so.  The lavender seeds are starting to sprout in pots – we’ll see how far they get – and the tulips are fading back and making way for the Asian lily blooms to come center stage next.

 

Forget-me-nots and new pine growth

Many years ago I planted forget-me-nots when my father-in-law passed away.  Last year I stood in shock as I saw the lawn service for the association spray them and leave weeds alone.  They moved so quickly I couldn’t get there fast enough.  It was heartbreaking.

I understand I have to watch that they don’t get in the lawn, and I do.  But they are an absolute delight in the rock.

Here’s a few that survived.

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It is also the season that the pines get their new growth.  Such a wonderful sight!

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This year we think we have two nests in that particular pine.  We’ve watched a robin and a couple house finches fly in with a beak full of nesting material.  I leave small twigs and the shamrock die-back, and they take it like crazy.  We have a bird bath too and they really enjoy that.

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Hopefully we will soon hear the familiar chirping choruses of a nestful of hungry baby birds welcoming their food.  Such a wonderful time.

Bonus! Free nail filing!

Gardeners worldwide know that we don’t need a gym during the tending season.  But did you know that Amur Maples come complete with free spring nail filing?

Let me explain.  Our Amur Maple out front is delightful.  When it blooms it is heavenly.  No scent like it.  In the fall, the seed pods turn a lovely pink color, and the leaves form a multi-colored carpet.

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Then the seed pods fall and blow all over.  Helped by our squirrel friends, in the spring the seedlings can be found by the hundreds in the rock gardens and the lawn.  The pines have nothing on these guys.  Left to mature we could start a forest.

So every spring I get in garden shape, and also get a free nail filing, by going around and plucking out hundreds and hundreds of Amur Maple seedlings.  Bucketfuls.

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What the hey – may as well grab linden sticks and the occasional pine or cherry volunteer too.  But mostly Amur Maple seedlings.  Like these

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Is it a pain?  Yep.  If the Amur Maple had to be replaced, would I hope the replacement would be something less invasive?  Yep.  But I’m used to it.  I love the spring blooms, the fall color, watching the squirrels “harvest” the seeds, and the spring tradition of getting back in shape and getting a “plucking” nail filing!

Cherry trees and tulips

The cherry trees in the association stated blooming a couple weeks ago.  Who doesn’t love their blooms?

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They are stunningly beautiful for two-three weeks and then fade to the background to start building for next year’s show.

Similarly, the tulips take center stage at the ground level at about the same time.  Immediately following the crocus, they put on quite a show.

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I love it all!  Here’s my dilemma – Unlike the cherry trees, the tulips are more of a “one and done” most years.  Essentially they are fall planted annuals that bloom the next spring.  In the years after the initial bloom year they are awesome at growing … leaves, but no blooms.

This spring, last years tulips looked like this.

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As beautiful as the tulips are, I have another plan.  I am going to dig them out, reclaim that real estate, and plant some of the baby Purple d’ Oro daylily seedlings in that spot.  If they take off, in future years they would look absolutely lovely in front of the sedum.

Having repurposed that space, when the spring bulbs start showing up for order and purchase later this season, I have an alternate option.  I have, in past years forced tulip, hyacinth, and crocus bulbs in large plant pots.  Maybe I’ll do that this fall again.