planting out

My biological marker is blooming in the landscape: forsythia. 

So it's time to plant lettuces and the other cold-happy ones. 

As you can see in the photo above, half of my lettuce trays did not germinate. I didn't get any crisp mint, grand rapids, ceasar/romaine cross or 'leaf' lettuce (saved seed from I didn't really know which plant). So those packets will be getting tossed. Most of the other trays grew plenty of each, though my chards have been looking rather sad- collapsing stems- 

I think really they do better planted straight in the ground. I pricked them out first, swiss chard in bed 2

and leaf beet chard in bed 3.

Lettuces (they look so small!)

and tatsoi in bed 6,

collards 

blue 

and yellow, in bed 10.

Then realized I hadn't any spot for the tokyo bekana. I cleared straw out of bed 4 where the tomatoes are going to go, used the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket to mark rough circles where the tomato cages will be, and planted the chinese cabbage around them:

It's a good new start.

work!

I made a list of tasks for the garden, and surprised myself by getting more than half of them done today. Plus a few other things that I just started to do while out there. Spent much of the day outside, it felt great though my muscles are very sore now!

Broke apart a straw bale and spread it over the garden beds. I had four bales and was surprised that one was plenty for all eight beds- and a good two inches thick, at that. That stuff is really compact! I already like this better than dry leaves as winter mulch- it doesn't blow off and around the yard again when it's windy. Got to figure out how to store the other bales to keep dry. If I don't have any problems with the mulch (mildew, or tons of wheat sprouts ugh) I will happily use more on the beds in spring, around the plants.

I cleaned up the smaller sideyard today. Cut back joe pye weed where the dead leaves had blackened (from aphids I think). Pulled out flopped over gladiola foliage that was going through fence into the neighbor's space. My black-and-blue salvia is so lush and thriving over there! It had spread to almost completely cover the lamb's ears (which are nearly all gone- or dormant- only one sad plant could I find) and somehow, I don't care. I trimmed the blue salvia a bit, and gave it leaf mold mulch, and pulled up vinca around it much as I could.

Moved some plants around in the front bed, under the house windows. I dug up and moved forward the two small newer azaleas, and moved to the back the one young beautyberry that's doing great, and put in the same row two more beautyberries. They had been in the back side bed flanking panicle hydrangeas, and must've got too much shade or competition, because just thin slender bits compared to the one that's been in front. So hope they will grow more here, and grace my front yard, I can just picture them draping lovely over the edging onto the lower bed (it's two tiers kinda). There's two very cut back little evergreen shrubs in between the beautyberries, maybe they will show some green when I cut the beauties back. Or maybe they will get overwhelmed, not sure how that will work out.

I pulled up and cut back more yellow salvia in front (not so fond of it anymore). Yanked out some sensitive fern- likewise loosing my admiration for that plant. It just looks dead half the year- from heat especially it suffers. I mulched the two young arborvitae- they're actually doing well! Dug up and moved a few pulmonaria, and dug up and moved (divided also, to spread it out) the calamint  that was in front right by the porch (an azalea has taken its place now). I put it along side bed 4 in the garden. Except- there was something else there growing up new sprouts already. I don't remember what else I took cuttings of and stuck in the ground here. Wild geranium?

Broke up the bottom end of last year's leaf pile- the thick mulchy stuff that's (just like my compost pile) full of tree roots. I did a rougher job of it, this just for feeding plants. Gave plenty to the black-and-blue salvia (two bucketfulls), a bucketfull spread around the new redbud out front, and half a bucket each to the young trees on the larger sideyard (redbud and japanese maple hybrid). Also fed one rhodedendron, the smaller forsythia, spicebush, all the plants I moved around in the front, the larger established beautyberry (I had to prop up trailing branches off the ground- it's going to need a good cutback later this winter!), the row of boneset, the oakleaf hydrangeas, and my three surviving ferns in the way back. There's maybe two bucket's worth left to break up and decide who gets it.

I also cut back seedhead fluff off the larger 'chocolate' joe pye plants and the boneset, and scattered in places where I would like more to grow.

Sorry no pictures. Maybe I will get some tomorrow to add in.

dug up

Again, just an hour's work before I get too tired. I trimmed the euonymus near the garden. Was hesitant to do so a week ago because I thought a bird was preparing to nest there- we saw a pair of finches on the deck (I think house finch or purple finch? the male had rosy color on its back and head) the male held a bunch of dried grass or stems in its beak and was quivering wings at the female (brown and black-streaked) and they were twittering very fast. My husband said "those birds are sure excited". I thought we were seeing courtship behavior, and had seen birds going in and out of the shrub. But they're not there now. (Lots of robins about, and a few cardinals. A pair of mourning doves taking up residence nearby again, and I've seen the wren going to and fro the woodpile. But no catbirds yet). 

Well, realized I shouldn't be so pleased about the euonymus seedlings I grew into decent little shrubs (here's a better photo of those two in the back)

I found out they're considered invasive in my state. I should have guessed, anything that came up so easy to propagate. I promptly went out and dug up the smaller one on the other end of the property line. Dug an offshoot from my forsythia (it's the first opportunity I've had for that) and moved into its place. Probably too hot a day to do so, but this plant is tough. Doesn't look like much in this picture (that's a mayapple next to it) but it's already twice the height of the euonymus I took out. I know forsythia is an aggressive grower too, but I feel I know how to control this one (my older plant is still clear two feet to the neighbor's fence, and I intend to keep it that way with pruning every season).

Moved another, much smaller plant. Embarrassed I can't think of its name right now. Growing in the corner of my garden bed 7 is the parent plant-

and I dug and moved this baby one that came up nearby under the deck in the gravel. When it flowers I'll probably have a better idea.

Also dug today some plants that self-seeded out of the rear perennial bed, coming up around the walkway. Black-eyed susans, baby hellebores and in the back there a few yellow salvia from behind the panicle hydrangea

and a couple echinacea. Planning to take them to the plant swap next week!

bright yellow

I'm actually happy with my forsythia this year! Surprised how much it grew- I know the deer eat the ends of the twigs but now it's tall enough to avoid most of that damage, I think. Bloom is best ever! I can see it from the house, so bright and airy. It makes me want to plant more of them.

Another pleased note is the small row of volunteer euonymus I dug and transplanted years ago. In spite of the deer, these two are finally getting some height too.

It looks pretty messy and bare back there, still- I haven't yet cleaned up the stems of monarda (new growth showing at their bases) but some of the ground covers are greening up- I found a few bits of woodruff showing itself

Nearby the patch of purple lysimachia, which hasn't filled in much noticeably yet (here's one of the dozen or more individual plants)-

and I thought this was the same plant that's coming up in a few places in the lawn- but not sure now

I'm still liking the creeping jenny- here's how it was last season

and now filling in more- but have to be careful to keep it from spreading too far- it could be invasive I've read (if it got into the neighbor's yard and then further into the woodland behind)

Also to note nearby, the younger St. john's wort I grew from seed

and planted out last year, is looking better this time. Since I cut it back it's filled in and not as leggy

a few around the yard-

Photos from when I was doing work planting the week before- I noticed my lady's mantle plants are all withered or eaten. It didn't do well, which disappoints me. However, the stinking hellebores look fine! and I liked their different look, the blue-green hue. Want more.

This plant has cropped up again in various places. I let it grow, especially near the garden. It still seems to attract pests away from other plants.

I found this- I do believe it's a chocolate joe pye weed seedling!

And this one, which I pulled up. Looks awfully familiar. Maybe scion of the forsythia?

Young pokeweed that sprang up in a corner of the garden- next to a marigold. I let it be for a while.

Those cuban oregano cuttings I took and stuck in the dirt next to some garden edges, are growing just dandy.

I made a thing

four things, actually. 

When at the nursery last week I mentioned in dismay how the deer ate all my hostas this year, and the nurseryman remarked "unfortunately, once they discover your yard, they'll always come back" and I thought: wait a minute. They didn't just discover my yard this year. I've found their tracks and droppings every season. Why did my hostas get eaten this year and not the ones previous?

Then I remember what I forgot to do. This year, I didn't put out chunks of irish spring soap. I guess it really was working! Dang. The plastic baggies I used before are all tattered now and some water pooled in them- so I fashioned this hanger thingy. I made a little mesh pouch, strung it on a loop of fishing line threaded through two tiny holes poked in a piece of plastic (from food container) to make a little roof. To keep off the rain. 

I hung them on the forsythia, on a rose of sharon (near the hostas that got eaten), and on each oakleaf hydrangea. Even though those have fencing around them now, this might keep the deer from coming to eat the hostas nearby.

text only

I was waiting until I had time to upload some pictures to accompany new posts, but that's not going to happen soon. Here's a few updates so I don't forget when things happened. All my first seedlings came up except the chives (but the overwintered pot is sprouting new growth so maybe that doesn't matter).  Lettuces were up a day after sowing but I didn't check on the tray for two days so they got leggy.

They're spending most time in the coldframe house now. Which will soon move into another gardener's hands (hopefully) as I've built a new one! out of another wooden pallet that was lying around. It's larger, sturdier and the door fits squarely in the frame so I won't have to deal with leaks off the roofline all the time. 

Early february it already felt like spring was here- rain and muddy ground, tulips are poking up in my front yard a month early, hellebores are heavy with bloom and forsythia is already brightening the neighborhood. I need to go out and plant the carrots, beets and peas, and start a second sowing indoors.

My fishes are getting a third round of treatment against the parasites in tanks. 33L and the 20H got another dose of Levamisole, which finished it so I used Prazipro in the tenner. I don't know if the worms are all gone. Some of the fishes still have white feces. But the angelfish tank is still unaffected and Laddie's appetite is back, so I'm glad of that.

caught up

I've been catching up on posting all the photos taken over past few weeks, with no time to really sit down. Here's the yard plants I've been admiring. Rumex- busting out with growth. Turned out to be a very attractive plant!

It's behind the liriope, which I cleaned up just the other day, cutting back the older foliage. The new leaves appear to glow.

Summersweet also appears to glow with more vigor than I've ever seen. Guess it likes the broken sticks I scattered under its branches all fall, winter, and early spring (whenever I clean the yard).

Forsythia in the far rear corner responded similarly- it has doubled in size, and nearly filled its space, just like I envisioned:

Panicle hydrangeas opening all their green leaves in a hurry:

Columbine:

How I love the ferns. On the left, hellebores, on the right behind the ferns, monarda:

Black-and-blue salvia. A few leaves got nipped by cold- or stepped on? but overall it looks great

Monarda in the back is already a thicket, and echinacea are just as lush:

The echinacea I moved to the edge of the front yard are doing pretty good- I'm no longer anxious to water them every day we lack rain. Already insects are visiting the salvia I planted next to them.