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.

today

I did an hour or two of work outside. My goal was just to clear out all the creeping jenny I could- I remember well when I was pleased how that had taken and spread! but now realize with dismay it's considered invasive in my area, and it did grow far more quickly than I expected. No way I could keep this clear of the back fence to prevent it going into the neighbor's yard and further. There was an area several feet square and it took me a while but I think I got most of it out, digging down with my fingers to extract all the root clumps and thin runners possible. I know I didn't get it all, and it will probably grow back in numerous places, but if I keep an eye out for those pale coin leaves and pull anything that recovers, I hope to get rid of it. 

While I was back there I yanked out a ton of japanese stilt grass, and weeded around the entire path of stepping stones. Found to my disappointment that the sweet woodruff is now growing in only three places between the stones, I'm pretty sure I had it around five or more stones before, I don't know why some of it didn't come back. The patch of purple lysimachia in that area is doing great, however, and the coneflowers are spreading. I don't mind them spreading sideways towards the oakleaf hydrangeas, but I pulled out quite a few that were encroaching forwards among the hellebores. 

Here's a plant I didn't really expect would survive winter in the ground, but it did: canna lily. Not sure if it will bloom for me, though. Something's been taking bites out of it (probably the deer ate that tip).

I'm glad they haven't touched my new bigger rhododendron

My two young spicebush have really grown! I hope to remove their wire protective cages, have read that deer don't really like to eat the leaves but not sure if I trust that. They've eaten other plants in my yard that were supposed to be "deer resistant".

I think my older oakleaf hydrangea will be large enough this fall to remove its protective cage- and then move that to be around the smaller one, which is getting crowded. This photo is actually from last fall- it's twice the height now!

The deer don't eat my sensitive fern clumps, but some bug or pathogen makes them look all raggedy brown and wilted partway through summer. Maybe it's just the heat. Some of mine are recovering now and growing back fresh foliage.

All the hostas are eaten to nothing below the larger sideyard, while the small group of blue ones near the garden are only half-chomped. I should have been out there more often scattering soap shavings, or buy some spray I've read is a very good repellent. (What we really need is the fence)

At least my baby stinkin' hellebores are untouched. Maybe I will just phase out hostas and grow things the deer don't like (sigh). Neighbors have said they jumped six and seven-foot fences to eat things they never had before, this year. 

Checked the milkweeds because I thought I saw bug holes- but it's not from milkweed caterpillars. Some other bug feeding on them a bit. Where are the monarchs? Come to think of it, I haven't seen any swallowtail caterpillars on the rue or lovage this year, either. 

But I did see the hummingbird again today! I was kneeling on the path behind the rear perennial bed, by the camellia, when I heard a faint buzzing hum, just louder than an insect. Looked up and there it was, hovering close over the echinacea, I even heard it give a little squeaky chirp before it darted up to perch on a twig of the oak. I almost felt like the tiny bird was checking up on what I was doing- ha. Looked it up- apparently they do feed on echinacea flowers, though I've never witnessed that. I always just see bees and butterflies at the coneflowers.

new duo

I told myself I wasn't going to go nursery shopping this season, to avoid the heavy work of planting stuff. But visited some friends of my husband, who have tons of azaleas in a beautiful huge shade garden. And when I admired certain plants, they gave me some (I turned another three down, because afraid the deer will just munch them). I'm taking chances on these, then. First, a nice large-leafed rhododendron, 'Solidarity'. Not sure what color it will bloom. I took out the sad dying bayberry, and planted this just uphill of it (my husband dug the hole).

Second, was this azalea 'Seigai temple red'.

It's a 'spider' azalea, I'd never seen one before. In fact, that's how I got it, on the walk through their garden, I pointed and said "what's that plant that looks fluffy?" because the leaves are so narrow and deeply cut, the whole thing looks soft and rounded from a distance. And the flowers (just one was open while we were there) look like little red fireworks.

I wanted this one close to the front of the planted area, to admire its delicate foliage (and to start moving our lawn edge forward). I put it midway between the pawpaw and the large straight oak tree.

I was just delighted with this plant, because it's so unique. It doesn't look like an azalea to me. It was really hard to get photos though, because it's small still, doesn't show up well against the background of everything else. Here from the side, looking at the oak (and you can see in the rear, eyesore of the blue tarp still covering the compost I need to finish putting around the perennials).

View of it from the rear, looking up towards the house. You can see how empty the garden beds are. And how the deer have eaten all the lower half of that bright euonymus shrub against the house corner.

Speaking of the pawpaw, here's a much better photo of it. Grown enough I can actually see it from the kitchen window, inside its little protective cage.

around the yard

I took photos of plants, just because they made me glad. The soft blue-green lamb's ears in front of green gladiola foliage

Deeper blue-green hostas- though I should have kicked off the sprinkling of dead leaves first.

Blue and purple salvias behind the lilac- again thinking of digging up and moving these, to clear around the skirts of the lilac. And just let the ajuga fill in. Maybe next year.

My peonies grew up quick- and already full of fat buds! To the right of it there, just out of picture- can see the mountain laurel is budding up too. I think moving that one was a success. 

I'm surprised at this plant- 'peach screamer' nicotiana. I thought wouldn't survive the winter, but would self-seed enough to keep a patch going year to year. I don't see any seedlings. They all grew back.

Plants are growing up to shroud the maple tree stump. The hostas don't show any damage from increased sun yet, though a lot of the yellow salvia have scorched leaves. Well, if they suffer a lot I will move them to more shaded areas next season, and let the turtleheads spread here.

Pink columbine!

Slope behind the large oak and the hellebores is full now- the monarda and echinacea crowd.

I'm liking how things turned out with the mayapples. They come up while the oakleaf hydrangea is still naked, and by the time the mayapples have hit their prime, oakleaf hydrangea is well-leafed out and fills in. When the mayapples fade I won't even notice because I'll be admiring the hydrangea instead.

Finally my rhododendrons are big enough to notice and actually look pretty! I would really like to put a fourth one in, where that pale narrower trunk is on the upper left. It's a small pine tree growing under the maple- overshadowed and rather scrawny anyway. In the foreground is the bayberry, which I thought was looking unkempt and sickly, but it has a sudden flush of new leaves now. 

Another I thought was doing badly- my 'limelight' coleus. I moved them too abruptly into their potted places, and they got leaf burn. 

The new emerging leaves look okay though, so I think they will adjust.

I know it wasn't cold damage because other coleus nearby that have been out overnight on the same schedule but in a more completely shaded spot, are fine.

yard and garden update

Already some of the tokyo bekana are bolting, and the tatsoi. The seed pods of older tokyo bek are getting fatter, I pulled most of the tatsoi but left three that are still shorter rosettes. Maybe if I save seed from those, my tatsoi will last a tad longer in the garden next spring. Sugar snap peas are flowering, so is the arugula (which we ate only twice, ha) and the purple clematis!

Over in the perennial bed, one of the columbines I grew up from seed last year, is blooming now. Pinkish.

Most of the transplanted ostrich ferns are okay- 

and here are two of the strawberry begonias

next to the 'chocolate' joe pye weed.

My rhodies on the back fence are starting to flower-

and the older rose of sharons have grown twice as much. It looks clear through the fence behind them, because it is. My neighbors have cleared small trees and brush from most of their yard, making it all lawn right up to the edge. I suppose they like open spaces, or maybe are afraid of ticks (good reason). And here I'm trying to fill my yard with plants, ha.

outside plants

My rhubarb is flourishing since its move. Hope it continues to do well.

One that's not so well is the inkberry. I cut out all the dead branches and it is very reduced. I recently moved all the remnants of my old wild cherry tree- short trunk sections that have been sitting on-end here and there convenient for me to place things on- away from the under-deck area and across the yard for shrubs. They're starting to decay (which is probably why I've see the wren so often flitting about below the deck and through the garden- I bet it's feeding on insects in the old wood). I put most of the wood pieces on the downhill side of shrubs. Idea is that as they continue to decay will feed my bushes, and being on the downhill side, when rain sweeps down the hill maybe it won't push as much mulch down against the fence, but some will get caught and stay in place under the shrubbery. Well, the inkberry got a full circle because it needs the most help.

I do like foliage so I hope it makes it

The bayberry nearby is doing much better.

Pannacle hydrangeas each got a log piece too

and the rhodies

Also the little hollies.

My arum is springing up again in the cooler weather- among zinnia 

Center of that yellowed hellebore definitely looks more normal green, so I hope this one recovers

Joe pye weed had big poufy blooms and I didn't want it reseeding all over the yard, so cut them off. It's so grown through the pokeweed now, hard to distinguish between the them. Soon will cut that back, too.