We’re running now – here and up north

As I enjoyed my “putz and pamper” time this past weekend, I had time to reflect on the gardens so far this year.

After a very long winter, and months of feeling like a horse at the gate, we are running quite fast now – both here and up north.

The cherry trees wrapped up their bloom here quite a while ago, but a pleasant surprise was that we got a glorious “re-do” during one of our trips up north. Such a treat to get multiple blooming schedules.

At the townhouse, sadly, my favorite long-lived bunch of purple tulips has faded. They were an icon each spring. I will try to find something just as iconic, but maybe a different species. Not sure what yet, but it might be harvested daylily seeds. Just thinking at this point.

The new tulips I planted here last fall were glorious this spring.

Now the blooming season of early clematis has also passed and the weigelia has hit it’s peak bloom. Soon the asian lilies will start blooming.

What I did not expect was a hosta bloom so early – yet here it is, beginning to form. And on the ground in that garden the forget-me-nots are beginning to pop up.

To watch here this year – two plants from 2017 harvested daylily seeds – both from ‘South Seas’ – one of my favorites. We’ll hopefully see a bloom or two on them this year, and discover what we got with the help of our pollinator friends. What I know for sure is that daylilies are deer munchies, so I have decided they will not be making the trip up north, as divisions or as seedlings.

In pots, the hibiscus and the gladiolas here are squirrel favorites. I have put chicken wire around a number of the potted plants and bulbs – not a flattering look – but needed.

The Aureomarginata hostas here are gigantic again this year, the daylilies I added last year are looking good, and the Blue Mouse Ears are more full than ever.

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Which leads me to options. Up north, the trail cams are showing us oodles of deer, a coyote, lots of bunnies, and a bear. Makes sense – there’s lots to eat, including wild strawberries all over the property that just wrapped up their season. I wanted to divide the Aureomarginata hostas and bring them up there but it’s probably not the smartest. I will be fighting a munching battle that will only make me sad.

There’s also a sedum that has been crowded here for a couple years. I wanted to bring it up north and put it in the sunny garden to let it shine. But despite web lists that say sedum is on the list of “deer-resistant” plants, I am hearing reports that they too are tasty morsels up north.

What did work in the year one test garden up north is two types of seeds directly sown into the raised beds – malva zebrina hollyhock, and cinnamon mint. Some free carrot seeds are also sprouting, and two asclepias plants have survived, so far. Coneflower seeds did not sprout, asclepias seeds did not sprout, and all of the kale and asparagus died back. I think it needs more water than we can provide. We are just depending on watering when we are up there, and rain.

And, after much deliberation, and my husband mentioning he doesn’t think he’d like the look, I have given up the idea of using a dog kennel as a critter-proof option. Alas, I don’t like the look of chicken wire here. I probably wouldn’t really like a dog kennel asthetic up north.

So the lesson so far is – some things will stay townhouse garden plants, and we will embrace what’s already on the land up north, plus seed sown additions that can survive with just rain, and that are not attractive to critters.

I heard lupines may be an option. They do naturalize beautifully …

A day’s difference

What a difference a day, and especially two, make at this time of year. Two days ago only the cherry trees had leafed out. Today this site was common.

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Yesterday our ninebarks hadn’t leafed out. Today they looked like this.

Two days ago the clematis was inches closer to the ground. Today it looked like this.

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The tulip are starting to show buds. The sedum are starting to round out. The daylilies are up 4-6″. The asian lilies are popping up in back. Even the new red asian lilies I planted in front popped up overnight. And a few hostas are starting to come up. Not as many as I’m used to this time of year, and that slightly concerns me. We lost some very healthy full hostas during the 2017-2018 winter and I was at a loss as to what happened. I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again.

But almost all the daylilies are up, including one from last year’s seedlings. And THAT is very exciting.

Fall planning begins

A few weekends ago I had time to sit on the patio, look at the garden areas, relax in the shade, and think. Our small pine tree, the one with the bird feeders, has become a little ecosystem. Finches and chickadees and cardinals and doves, squirrels of different colorings and even a mama squirrel comes by. Our garden had humingbirds and monarchs and bumble bees and dragonflies. All coming to feed and some stopping for quite a while. It is peaceful. I need that time, sometimes even with no phone to take pictures. Yes, that was very healthy.

During those few weeks, it seemed as if the stores were sometimes quite successful in getting fall merchandise out the door – in 92° weather! Scarecrows were showing up down the street!

But now fall is definitely here. Our linden is shedding yellow leaves, one or two at a time, but there is a growing pile on the lawn. I have gotten out my boxes of tea for hot beverages. The sweatshirts that sat in the closet over the summer are starting to come out.

In the garden, the daylilies and hostas are all done blooming.

The sedum are in full bloom.

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But our little tomato plant, although looking quite tired, is still bearing fruit. It had five waves of blooms!

Now my mind is beginning to consider plant moves – like the sedum that didn’t get much sun this year because the ‘Aureomarginata’ hostas have gotten so big.

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Poor thing! It needs much more spacious accommodations.

Some things have been fading, too, like the beautiful pink asian lilies that are getting crowded by hostas and sedum out front. We have had them for probably a dozen years. I don’t want to lose them, if possible.

It’s not quite scarecrow picks in the ground time at our house yet, but I’m thinking … What do I want to move around so next year is even better?

Fall was also starting on the north shore when we were there last week. One of the days we were up there we took a gondola ride. Check out the start of fall color!

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Sedum and more seeds

The official start of fall is almost here and the sedum are starting to really shine. The front of the house is starting to look ‘fallish’.

The ‘Purple D’Oro’ seed pods are opening and showing an abundance of seeds.

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I counted 28 seed pods on the ‘Purple D’Oro’ daylilies alone. Very exciting!

This spring I planted one spot in front with some of last year’s ‘Purple D’Oro’ seeds and got greens. I’m considering tucking more in the front among the sedum next spring and seeing how sedum and daylilies co-habitate in our garden. (Sedum I previously had among asian lilies and tulips were not so nice – lol – but I’m hoping the daylilies might be able to hold their own.)

Should be fun to see what we get in the next few years.

September showers bring … falling leaves

What a delightful weekend it was. Our guest in the garden was here. He got a new collar (fancy padding on the inside even 😍).

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We spent a lot of time just relaxing, watching the young chickadees and cardinals. The monarchs are coming through, and the hummingbirds too. There were also quite a few dragonflies.

The bees are all over the ‘Chocolate Drop’ sedum (out front) now,

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and the daylily (and hosta) seed pods are starting to dry. A few early daylily seeds were added to envelopes again this weekend.

Yesterday cleared up just in time to give a beautiful sunset.

We expected it would be rainy and today did not disappoint the predictions. The linden was shedding early leaf turns all weekend, and the rain is assisting.

It’s transitioning into fall.

Mid-August

Today the last ‘Hush Little Baby’ bud bloomed, and the last ‘Purple D’ Oro’ daylily on one of the 3 plants bloomed today as well.

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It happens every year. I’m not surprised. But once again, I’m not quite ready. The daylilies are winding down. I already miss their profusion of color, even on the same bloom.

This time of year, especially, I have to remind myself to stay in the moment. The lilies are still blooming. They are not done yet. Then there will be the gorgeous ‘Rainforest Sunrise’ hosta scapes, and the sedum’s slow progression of color, and if we’re lucky and get a long fall, the hosta leaves will even put on a color show. But for today, lilies. Gorgeous lilies.

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Darby’s Sedum

With the exception of our first dog, all of our dogs have been rescue dogs. They were, and Sandy still is, wonderful. But if I had to choose one and only one dog to be able to clone, I think it would be Darby. We found Darby online. He was classified as a female by accident, which was in our search criteria. Darby was definitely meant to be ours.

Darby and I clicked from second one. He was impish and just a tad stubborn and was absolutely adorable. He was an Irish terrier, mixed with, we think, a border terrier, and ohhhh, was he a terrier. He had definite opinions on how things should be, and bees were not part of that plan. It was worth it to Darby to get stung, even in the mouth, to kill a bee. Yah.

One day we were headed out the door on a walk, his absolute favorite thing to do, even above eating. He was pretty excited. We opened the screen door and Wowee! Bees on the sedum! Jump! Chomp! Four tall sprigs were sacrificed. Mommy was not pleased. A shout of “Darby!!!” could be heard around the neighborhood.

At this point, a little extra explanation is in order. This was not an ordinary sedum. It was a sedum my Dad had given me. It, along with another, was planted around the same few days as my hosta “experiment” (see “Dad’s Hostas” blog). It was, like the hostas, doing fabulously, getting huge. I was not pleased with Darby’s disregard for the sedum’s welfare.

If I recall, my huband moved us along and onto our walk. But when we got back, I did not toss the split and broken sprigs. I concocted another “experiment”. I trimmed them and put them in soil to see if they would root. Root they did! So I planted them in a line in front of the air conditioner – four of them. 5 and 6 years later they looked like this.

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They did well. So much so that I was getting concerned that if they got much bigger, they would be too close to the air conditioning unit.

This spring I made a few big decisions regarding the gardens. Spirea were out, and sedum were getting more spotlight. (I did try to find a home for the spirea, with no takers, so I sent them to compost.) Two of “Darby’s” sedum replaced the two remaining spirea out front. It was my Mother’s Day gift from Robin and Missy to do the digging and replanting. Soooo awesome!!! Saved me hours! Now 2 of Darby’s hostas are out front, close to their Mama. (1 went to my sister and one stayed in place.)

Darby would give me a dirty look, I would suspect very similar to the one below. That would not suit him at all. But they make me smile 😃

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