around the garden

I've been doing some work on the garden structure- the bed edges and such. But too tired from that to write it all out now, so here's some incidental pictures from the past few days. More on the actual work tomorrow. Found an unknown caterpillar- black and spiky!- on the boneset plant.

Which is doing great- it grew so fast, 

already the height of my small camellia.

I want to get more of this plant, or the common one that blooms in summer. Near it is the yarrow- so thin and small- I really admired some yarrow in a relative's yard several states south this past weekend, where it's warmer- hers so bright and thick and feathery! I suspect now mine would do better if I move it to a sunnier location.

Funny though, the same gardener had arum growing here and there in her yard. She asked me what it was- they'd been pulling it out! I like the bright, exotic appearance. She thought it might be an objectionable plant. I shrugged and said: well, if you like it, leave it be- but if you don't want it around, you'll probably have to dig up the tuberous roots. Here's mine, regrowing in fall-

I dug up a few echinacea to take to the plant swap soon. Here with other potted extras on my little bench- several catmint, a few beautyberry, and two pots of the miniature geranium (which I've grown tired of).

Not sure I'm going to take the beautyberries to the swap, though. Half the larger ones I transplanted died, or look like they did. This one by the hydrangeas is just a few thin sticks with a few leaves- 

but it does have three clusters of bright purple!

The side bed it's in, starting to look a bit neater and more deliberate. I've dug the stones into their places in the ground, to make the edge. Pulled more grass from behind the edge, and transplanted some errant ajuga out of the lawn, back into the bed.

When I was doing that work (actually about a week ago) I trimmed a bit of the wild chrysanthemum, and just stuck the cuttings in the ground on the other side of the little ornamental cypress. Wasn't sure if they'd take- but not only did they survive, they're blooming! Hard to see in this photo, I'll get a better one soon.

across the front

My front bed has needed a lot of cleaning up. So many weeds and young volunteer trees to pull, mulch to spread, things to trim back. My clumps of clary sage have lots of bug holes-

 But I was pleased to find, next to this baby cranesbill, a new clary sage as well! At least one of them self-seeded (even though I cut the flower stalks back to try and get a second bloom).

A few catmint have popped up here, too, next to the brunnera. Those traveled far!

Even though I only pinched back the mums once, they grew quite thick so I hope flower without flopping over too much this year.

In the other front corner by the driveway, I've weeded and mulched around the daylilies- and you can see that little pink lily is still here!

Some of the lyreleaf sage I planted under the lilac are finally looking okay.

And this one is grown really thick and lush. I think it might be one of those ajuga actually getting a foothold now- it looks very much like the lyreleaf, I won't really be sure until it blooms in spring. Feel silly not recognizing my own plant, but hey.

I'm dismayed my lilac is still apparently dying. The right half is still bare, in fact the barren branches seem to be spreading. And there's very little bug sign on the foliage this year. I'm stumped. Is it the encroachment of the black-and-blue salvia I put in the corner behind it? Did I really overdo it with leaf mulch those early winters, and it got rot down in the root crown? I just don't know.

the edge

I'm working on two main things in the yard right now. One is to re-straighten all bricks that edge my garden beds, which have started leaning. I did one side of bed 1, and it looks so much better! and then to press stones with flat edges into the soil between them, to start 'paving' the paths (tired of trimming grass and pulling weeds there). This is a long-term project because I'm stubborn with my repurposing- it was costly enough just to buy those bricks and prep them for the beds edging, I'm fine to wait until I get hold of pavers and bricks that are leftovers of others' projects, or rock castoffs from my husband's collecting forays, to make the paths. It will be all mismatched but I don't care. More pics on that later. 

The other, is to clean up and tidy the outline of the perennial bed that is main side of the back lawn. There's still large bumpy roots that come out from the old tree stump, that I have to maneuver the lawn mower over/around, which is a pain. Grass and weeds creep in, and bugleweed (ajuga) creeps out, so the edge gets indistinct. So I've been painstakingly pulling out grass from between the bugleweed, and pulling some bugleweed out of the lawn to replant into the bed. And breaking up/removing the roots which are exposed, to make it flat lawn area, and edging the whole thing with irregular rocks. Not done- I'm going to realign that edge so it's got a nicer even curve, or is straight, undecided still. But this is about halfway there.

I can't quite remember the name of this little shrub. I think it's a dwarf cypress? I planted it at the request of my older kid- who's gone off to college now. I wasn't too fond of it when we first got it- but now it's kind of growing on me.

Yesterday I did a bit more transplanting- dug all the catmint out of bed 8. Put the smallest ones in pots, and replanted the larger ones around the yard. Three went to the left of that yellowish dwarf shrub, in a row in front of the pannicle hydrangea that's gotten so eaten back by the deer this year. I'm not sure if the scent of the catmint will keep the deer from approaching- but it's worth a try!

The others went onto the larger sunny sideyard, in a row on the outside edge at the top of the bed, and then curving around behind the patch of gladiolas. Which look nice and straight, btw- even though the ones on the smaller sideyard are flopping all over (I tied a ropeline to prop them up a bit). I don't have any pictures because my camera battery died at that point.

another puzzle

Today I dug up young plants, what I still think is volunteer shiso from a few garden beds and paths, and moved to a row against the fence like before.

Found this one growing in the same area. Feel once again, like I ought to know it, I recognize, but can't remember what it is. 

My first thought was that joe pye weed had scattered its seed downhill- but the leaves are slightly different color and not quite as long. Here's the joe pye- all grown in thick and fast!

Would be nice if it was a little bit of black-and-blue salvia, but that doesn't quite match either.

I looked more carefully comparing it to lemon balm- nope.

Then went and scratched my head over bed seven, that my kid used once- this plant I thought was sprouts of catmint 

(here's the catmint)

Well, it isn't. Here they are next to each other- you can see the catmint is slightly darker and bluer in hue, with leaves a tad narrower and more toothy.

I thought with happiness- maybe it's the blue sage! Because there's quite a few of these unknowns now growing across that bed, and I do love the blue sage. But here's one alongside bed four, where I know I grew blue sage last year, and the foliage matches my older pictures of that.

So I've got more looking through photos to do, for both of these. Or just wait and let them grow up and flower, and then yank them out if I instantly recognize it's something I don't want (like I did that yellow maybe-it's-false-indigo plant. 

And by the way, here's the real false indigo starting to flower. Lovely!

not much

in the garden, so I admire more what is there. I was out pulling weeds (purple dead nettle mostly) from beds five and seven, noticed right away that the one which I'd mulched with cut monarda stems just recently, already the soil is softer and holding moisture. Here where it's been untouched and bare all winter except for the weeds, dry and compact. I took a break after weeding to just sit and admire some of the foliage colors- especially the ones that are kind of blue-green: lovage

catmint 

the one collard

Lavender.

Then found myself once again staring at a plant, feeling sure I recognize it, but not able to remember its identity, if I want it or should pull. 

(I thought it another catmint at first, but those have toothier margins)

Had the same experience with a bug. Twice the other day I saw an oblong beetle fly to a plant stem and settle. I instantly had the urge to step close and slap it between my hands- felt sure it's a bug I don't want around, but I couldn't recall why.

Later I remembered ha, of course- it's that beetle that wrecks part of my garden every year. I wonder how how the emerging insects will do with an empty garden. Will they leave, looking for host plants elsewhere? or stay around and eat other plants instead. 

I'm mostly thinking of the pests, in that case. I'm glad if the beneficial ones are still around, and anxious if they don't have enough plants! I saw a black swallowtail yesterday landing on the lovage and carefully curling its abdomen to lay a single egg on a leaf here, another one there. I'm planting a few flowers for the hummingbird- though maybe it would have enough with just the black-and-blue salvia.

Which is coming up now!

more things sprouting

Dill and chervil in the seedling trays.

Lovage outside in the garden.

Lemon balm

Catmint has been up for quite a while, now getting more lush.

Both clematis have spring leaves,

and the pink one a few buds already.

My garlics are doing great!

pot of hyssop is thick with new growth

and the rhubarb (not yet pictured) is showing above ground again. I might actually eat it this year.

plastic cloches

I thought I wasn't going to use them this year, and actually considered tossing all my cut-off plastic bottles in the recycling bin- but then we had a few cold nights (almost down to forty degrees) so I went out and put them over all the youngest plants in the garden beds-my kid's herbs, and my amaranth and benne that got planted out so recently.

His catmint- 

My amaranth 'calaloo'- 

the herb bed- with my lavender in the foreground corner, just starting to flower!

the amaranth/benne bed- with a few marigolds on the far left end

As you can see, I didn't have enough cut-off bottles to use, so upended a few deep plant drip trays and semi-opaque containers I've used as tomato starter pots, for the smallest plants. Two nights of cover, and now it's warmer again. Sure looked silly for a bit, though.