Mulch and new things

I've been putting in lots of annuals, and gift plants. I put a smilax beside the front porch. I should be able to train it up the side and over the top of the porch. I have also put in ginger lilies, more helleborus, hollyhocks, iris, kniphofia, purple oxalis, and zinnias. I put caladiums in the planters near the pond, but also in the ground behind the pond.


My iris are really beautiful, but I have found that I have some dark purple ones that are rather short, and can't be seen where they are. I will need to move them.

The roses here are an older climbing Bourbon rose Zephirine Drouhin. They did not bloom last year, but are putting on quite a fragrant show this year.

The small plant we got at a plant/yard sale. The lady called it a Mexican violet. I can't find that name anywhere, for anything resembling this plant. I'll watch it grow and try to figure out what it is. I just hope I have it planted in a good spot.

A nice surprise

I love iris. Bearded iris are my favorite, but I like them all. Perhaps this is because it was the only flower my mother grew, and I always enjoyed picking them when I was little.

I have gotten iris from many different places. Some from the house I grew up in, which have now moved 3 times with me. Some from friends and some from plant sales. Often I don't really know what they will look like when I plant them. Yesterday my husband bought a huge bunch of purple Dutch iris at a yard sale.

My great surprise is pictured here. I planted some iris last summer, too late for them to bloom. I didn't know what they would look like. This is the first to bloom, and it is a stunner! I've never seen one with such a mixture of purple and white. It has a lovely scent as well.

Spring is busy

Although I've been very inactive on this blog, I've been busy in the garden. This is such a great time to move things.

I was given some more iris, and my crinums were far too crowded, so we dug a new bed in the back yard, and moved the iris and criums there. I have added dianthus to the front bank, as well as hens & chicks (sempervivum tectorum). I've also added them to various bare spots around the yard. I moved two hardy begonias to the far back of the yard. They were not doing well where they were. I was given several more helleborus, and I have planted those in the front south gardens (with others which is one of these photos) and in the back. I also added two white azaleas to the back and moved some money plant (Lunaria annua) and hostas to the back. We have a nice shady area around the pond.

I've divided hens & chicks, aromatic aster, and canna, and given those to other gardeners. I've also added a number of annuals to the yard, such as marigolds, petunias and dusty miller.

I am not going to do many vegetables this year, but I am adding more herbs to the garden. I planted a scallion plant, and I have some oregano from another gardeners to add. I also plan to add chives and perhaps some other great herbs.

I am excited about some of my perennials. I have many more crocosmia than last year. Also my bourbon roses have lots of buds. They did not bloom at all last year. The catmint is coming up, but I have seen no sign of the butterfly weed I planted in the fall. So far, the lantana has not returned either. My biggest surprise is the Clematis I planted beside the deck last summer. It did nothing, but this year it is robust and blooming. This is a good photo of it.

More snow!

Only 2 inches of snow, but it is pretty. I would have like a day at home. This follows on more than 2 inches of rain over the past few days.

It is fun to see daffodils blooming through the snow. I am also beginning to see other perennials emerging, such as aromatic aster, sedum and spiderwort. New leaves are appearing on my two climbing "bourbon" roses.

Getting ready to plant.

Yes, I realize it is only the middle of February, but there is really is so much to do. We treated the grass with weed & feed yesterday. Today we cut back the monkey grass, the butterfly bushes, lantana and angel trumpet. I also mulched more leaves and spread mulch around.

Yesterday I picked my first daffodils! I have hyacinths with buds. My dark red camellia is just beginning to bloom as well.

Taste of Spring

We have had a week of very warm weather, so early blooming has started. I have Lenten roses, crocuses, and daphine blooming. My daffodils are about to blooms. Around town I have seen early ornamental fruit trees and some star magnolia in bloom. My star magnolia has buds.

I think that cold is coming back in the next few days.

Lots of cold

We have had two deep cold spells in the last few weeks. Temperatures below 20 are not particularly common here. I have a small gardenia bush in the back yard that was hurt two weeks ago. Most of the leaves are now brown. I don't think it will survive. Daffodils are still budding. I think the cold will just delay their blooming. With temperatures up in the 60s this coming weekend, they will probably bloom.

Lenten roses have not bloomed yet, and my daphine is just beginning to bloom.

It is time to start planning for the summer garden. I also planted so many new perennials that I'm looking forward to watching what comes up.