what's coming up

Actually, that was not so hot for April yesteraday. I suppose it just felt so. I looked it up- record temperature for this area in April was 97°. Doing more cleanup around the yard- clearing away dead stems and foliage that I'd left overwinter, spreading mulch (still have a good supply from the maples we took out last year). The oakleaf and pannicle hydrangeas are leafing out, and the rose of sharons just barely starting to. Lilac is nearly in full leaf- but oddly one side of the plant has hardly any. Insect damage? Too much shade from the neighbor's tree? 

 Cranesbill are all sprouting up, bleeding hearts are in full bloom and the columbines look nice across the rear of the front flower bed, where there's nothing much else yet. Later on they'll be obscured by coleus and more when they die back in summer neat. My peonies are putting up shoots, hosta and gladiolas are emerging, yellow salvias already in full leaf around the base of trees. Ajuga spreading bright color so nicely, and I'm very happy to see the ostrich ferns emerging- there seem to be a few more this spring! Beautyberry is leafing, which makes me very happy, and all the heucherellas are still here (not eaten up by rabbits yet). Joe pye weed is growing back. I need to tidy up the liriope and hellebores. I have not yet seen any growth on the black-and-blue salvia, milkweed or mums. And disappointing, there's no borage seedlings. I think a few had come up months ago in the garden, but I dug them out when preparing the beds for planting, thinking plenty would grow in the perennial spot, or around the mailbox. Nope. I wonder if they sprouted earlier when it was unseasonally warm, and then died in the cold again.

Here's a few hellbore flowers I cut and put in tiny jars on the kitchen windowsill to admire for a week.

Just now I planted out the mulberry seedling, mulched and watered it, fenced it around to keep off the deer. The young holly I moved to a spot just downslope of it on that hillside is still alive! The other two look dead but when I scrape a tiny spot with fingernail on the bark, still green underneath so I'm leaving them there in case they can recover. Dug and planted the two canna lilies in a spot near the ostrich fern where it gets pretty damp- water flows there from both the downspout on that side of the house, and output from our basement sump. I've been thinking of someday putting irises in that area, too . . . 

Lovage is thick enough to eat now, so I might strike celery off the grocery shopping list.

yard plants- in flower

I walk across the yard just to look at the 'little kim' hibiscus. It's like pale blushing crepe paper.

The other one has bolder color, not as pretty form (and this one particular flower is a bit ragged).

My sedums are lovely too, in a different way- these on the smaller sideyard are quite green still

while those further down the slope flanking the hydrangea have more bluish leaves, and reddish stems. Not sure if it's just from the difference in sun exposure, or are they different varieties. (The green ones I bought from the nursery, the reddish/blue were a gift from my mother-in-law).

First turtlehead bloom!

Joe pye weed going crazy with flowers, but the midnight salvia I moved (just in front of the stump) looks dead.

two new

things growing for summer- I have ripe figs now! Small, but pretty good. Rose of sharon is blooming- at least, the oldest one. Younger and smaller haven't started yet.

things happening among the plants

My 'Lavendar Magic' african violet bloomed and it is so pretty.

The runners on my plain spider plant have tiny babies now, and another one is sprouting. 

The 'wandering dude' plant (haha) is growing upwards against the window- I am wondering at what point the stems will become too heavy for themselves and fall over to make the trailing habit. 

Outside I thought the sweet peas were done since I left some pods to go to seed, but there's another round of flowers blooming. 

Zucchini and the others in the melon bed are getting big fast, so I hope I actually have a decent amount this year.

The unknown plant in my garden is getting huge- it's up to my hip now. And cardinal climber behind it have wound all the way up the trellis, so lovely, but I still haven't seen a hummingbird visit.

Some of the rumex I moved look shabby, but others are growing new leaves!

Monarda and echinacea are blooming-

Cicada noise is diminishing, and though the oaks and maples have lots of "flagging" with dried leaf bunches hanging down, all my smaller shrubs seem okay- even the youngest rose of sharon

and the two-year-old ones- have taken no harm.

Summersweet-

Bay laurel-

Oakleaf hydrangea- all okay!

Daylilies are blooming on the top of one sideyward by the driveway,

and on the opposite side, turtleheads are making a nice thicket,

and gladiolas coming up strong- though I do need to go out and pull some weeds

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.

digging and moving

plants on a rainy day again- first the bugleweed from around doomed a maple on the shady sideyard.

I put them all around the skirts of the lilac instead- where none of those planted last year survived. Not sure if I smothered them with the wood chip mulch or they just didn't make it through the cold.

Next I dug- or rather just scooped up from the ground in patches- the sweet william, and replanted it between stepping stones that circle behind the rear perennial bed.

If 'planted' is the right word! I really just pulled/dug weeds, scraped off an inch of mud, set the mat of woodruff in place, and pressed some globs of mud over some of the exposed stem to hold them down. Already it looks much neater back here. Except oops- I just looked it up and realized it can grow up to eight, ten inches tall. Maybe not the best for between the stepping stones! However it's safe back here for now and easy to relocate.

Then dug and moved my smaller oakleaf hydrangea. To pair with the other, across the path from it on the backyard slope. Once again, pleasantly surprised how easy it was to dig up a favored plant! Shovel just sank into the soil where it had been fed mulch of leaves and broken twigs for a year. Root mass heavy with wet soil though, so I needed the help of a wheel to move it.

Settled in place, gave it a blanket of scattered half-done compost and some wood chip mulch. Hope it settles in okay. Will need to remember to water it frequently all summer I think. Not the best time to transplant but I really don't want it to get damaged by the tree crew (unlikely) or the stump-grinder (more likely) or suffer from sun exposure when the maples are out (very probable).

Later in the day I went and bought a young rose-of-sharon (hardy hibiscus) from someone. It's supposed to be one of the ones I wanted because they're less invasive- pink 'Minerva', but the lady said they make tons of gorgeous flowers so there's seedlings aplenty crop up in her yard. Hm. Am I going to regret this? Looks like just a narrow stick w/leaves so far, at two years old. They grow fast, should get eight to ten feet tall. I'm looking forward to that.

fall blooms

More zinnias! 

I still cut a few for inside the house.

Celosia took me by surprise. These sprang up self-seeded after I pulled out the bug-ridden borage. Grew very quickly. 

Some even have the convoluted 'cockscomb' or 'brain flower' look. Might just let them grow on their own every year, instead of painstakingly starting them as seedlings in spring.

Lovely petals like crepe paper, rose-of-sharon

Even though it just got planted a week ago, 

my wandflower bloomed!

Liriope is making purple spires

and japanese salvia softer yellow ones- 

Some of my nasturtium plants recovered from the heat (and I sprayed for bugs)-

a week later-

The cardinal climber has wound all the way up to my deck railing

and one on the other fence is actually flowering now!

Thickets of turtlehead. 

Even the small patch at the very far back of the yard did better this year. Because I swiped off a lot of mealy bugs on stems early in the season? or because more sun reaches them now... 

Pannicle hydrangeas-

'Autumn Joy' sedums. Some are more pink than others.

Summersweet had plenty more flowers this year and occasionally I paused in the very back of the yard to lean into their vanilla scent. 

There's also marigolds and nicotiana of course... . .