In Memory--April 30, 2011

In memory of Anna Pauline Dayhuff, a.k.a Bobbie and Meemaw

I don't even know what kind of tulips they are, but red tulips were my mother's favorite flower--and these always bloom on the anniversary of her death, April 30th, 1990.

April 29, 2011--A Real Spring Day, at last!

As with most of "life," garden moments can be "all or nothing."  After a week of rain, drizzle, and cold, today's dawn had a sunny glow.  I know because I was already awake watching the royal wedding in London and had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful sunrise and a beautiful wedding this morning.  It was not only the sunrise and the eternal hope a wedding brings, but also the opportunity to hear The English Lady speak last night that energized me to spend time in the garden today.

The English Lady

Baroness Maureen Haseley-Jones, known as The English Lady, encouraged gardeners to connect to the Earth with mind, body, and soul--and manure!  She claims manure will manage all the problems in your garden--and in your mind.  "Just go play in the dirt and forget all your cares," she recommends.  I tried it today and it works. 

I stopped at Paul and Sandy's for more composted manure and a three-tine cultivator--not as expensive as this one from Garden Tools, but a replacement for the one I gave Sara when we moved.  I thought I wouldn't need it anymore.  What was I thinking? It's good for breaking up the "cap" (The English Lady's term) on the mulch and incorporating the manure and old  mulch into the soil.  I also sprinkled some Osmocote on the manure before mixing it all up around the dripline of each shrub. 

I'm hoping that this mixture will boost the front shrubs' recovery from the whitefly invasion last summer.  I used the insect soap spray somewhat successfully last summer and hope those pests don't overwinter!  Where were those lady bugs that swarm on the screens each fall when I needed them?

I deadheaded the Tete-a-tete daffodils.  They were so lovely, but very short-lived. I'll leave their leaves to die back naturally, absorbing energy in the bulb for next year, but also gave them a "better late than never" boost with Bulb Tone.  This should have gone down before they bloomed. I also put some Bulb Tone on the tulips, grape hyacinths, and other daffodils still blooming in the side and the back garden.  The English Lady doesn't like the term "yard" and wants gardeners to refer to all planted areas, including the lawn, as gardens.



Chaenomelis speciosa "Toyo-Nishiki'



Lastly (remember everything at once?), the Flowering Quince is blooming. It has pink and white blooms on the same branch. I have needed to prune it the last two years and it may be still too big for its spot near the bedroom bump out on the south side of the house. I am considering moving it to another spot but we planted it on Easter in 2009 after my melanoma surgery and I feel that I should leave it alone.

What is a gardener to do with so many things happening at once?

Go out and play in the dirt!

Tuesday, April 26th--a very strange day!

It started out foggy and cool, but when the sun burned away the fog, the temperatures soared into the 80s!  We are just not prepared for that kind of weather in late April.  We were wearing fleeces last week (because we couldn't bear to put on our winter coats) and still shivering while working in the garden. I planted Mary Ellen's Nikko Blue hydrangea yesterday afternoon and expected rain overnight, but none occurred.  She carried out many watering cans full of  water for the poor thing as it withstood the sun, southerly wind, and high temperatures late this afternoon.

The landscapers are mulching this week and word has it that they cover anything that is not a shrub with mulch.  I pulled the concrete stepping stones out of the landscape bed so that I would not lose them under the new mulch. Alice and I made them two years ago by filling giant hosta leaves with concrete.  We had fun and were pleased with the results --but it was a mess!
A couple of the stepping stones broke this year. I should bring them into the garage next year.

Hosta leaf concrete stepping stones

I chopped up the old mulch, which had crusted over to an almost inpenetrable layer, so that it will further decay under the new mulch, and add some nutrients to the poor soil left after construction of our stand-alone condo in this "active 55 community" we live in.  Still no sign of earthworms in the thin layer of contractor's topsoil on top of the compacted clay of the landscape beds. The 'Ogon" spirea in the front bed is blooming.  The small, white blossoms have five petals only 1/4 inch across, but are so profuse they color the whole shrub. The bloom is followed by charteuse green leaves on willowy branches.

 Spirea thungergii 'Ogon" in bloom

I moved the Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' "grass" (actually Japanese Rush or Sweet Flag) from the south side of the garage to the north side of the house under the birch tree.  I hope it does better there (although it seems to have survived this harsh winter of 2011 with no problems) where it may escape the brutal sun and drying winds of August.  I love this grass-like plant with a subtle fragrance and evergreen leaves that are actually variegated yellow and shiny--but it doesn't like to be dried out!

Japanese Sweet Rush under the birch tree

I helped clear out the gazebo yesterday evening with the Belltown garden club.  It went quickly with lots of help this year and much pruning and dividing done last year.   We were able to divide a couple dozen perennial plants, mostly Siberian Iris, for the plant sale   I have about 8 newly divided and potted plants to "nurse" along until the end of May. I moved them to the back of the house for the impending mulching.

So, strange, summer-like weather, some ordinary "spring housekeeping" garden chores, and assorted memories from past years provided my garden moments for this day.

Easter Sunday 2011: The Sun Arises!

Narcissus 'Sempre Avanti'

Finally, some sunshine! After more than a week of rain, drizzle, mist, fog, and cold temperatures, the sun broke through the fog this morning.  The daffodils by the bird bath drooped with their leaves and petals covered in water droplets.  A few held their trumpets more upright like the large-cupped 'Sempre Avanti' shown above. 



Non-blooming Viola Sorbet 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Babyface'

 My terra cotta garden frog near the garden hose liked the rain, but the violas have not yet bloomed.  They were everywhere in the garden in early April last year (as shown in the banner photo behind the blog title), but are sparse and non-blooming so far this season, even though they are a variety that tolerates cold.  I've heard that we are two weeks behind our normal bloom time with the damp, cold weather we've had this spring.  If the sun cooperates this week, we may make up for lost time.

April 15th--Halfway to May Day!

Such a beautiful day with light breezes, plentiful sunshine. My kind of temperatures in the mid-60s.  Jacket weather!

Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete' 

The little bag of Tete-a-Tete miniature daffodil bulbs I got at a garden club meeting last year were blooming today.  They have naturalized along my front walk.  Their diminuitive, soft yellow flowers with slightly darker cups stand "head to head" very early in the spring.

I found plants yesterday at the garden center in Middlefield and planted my driveway planter and a planter at the clubhouse today.  In my driveway which is in afternoon sun I planted Viola 'Tiger Eye', Heuchera "Green Spice' (coral bells), and Sedum 'Makinoi Limelight' along with the chocolate grass I'm watching for signs of life.

Driveway planter at 12 South Hollow

At the clubhouse, the planter is under the deck on the north side and very shady.  I planted it like Cathy Testa showed us last year with several holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and covered with used dryer sheets to keep the soil inside. I lined the planter with plastic cut off below the lip to hold the soil for easy removal next year. Don't forget to make some slits in the bottom for drainage! It was half full with her special soil mixture leftover from last year (and never used!). I brought two more bags of Soilite sterile potting soil which has a wetting agent and a chemical to discourage fungus and disease.  I planted Arenaria montana (Sandwort), Vinca minor 'Bowlesii' (Periwinkle), Liriope muscari 'Big Blue', and purple pansies. I used Cathy's three-part design system of thrillers (Liriope), fillers (Sandwort), and spillers (Periwinkle) and a dash of color (pansies).

Lastly, I put some Holly-tone around the holly, azaleas, and boxwood in my landscape beds before calling it a day in the garden.  I'm concerned about the Buxus (Boxwood) because it had a lot of snow damage.  I trimmed it back about a month ago to restore its shape after many branches broke from the three feet of snow that covered it for a couple of months.  It's also not in a good spot with full sun, but I need an evergreen in the front landscape bed.

We gardeners are never happy with things as they are and are ever alert for problems and changes.  Good thing we get to do planter designs within small spaces and with limited choices each year and enjoy plants that naturalize themselves in larger spaces with only one decision and no upkeep over time.

This 'n That

It's been a busy week with many activities, but that's April. With improving weather, we all come alive again after a long winter.  The weather has not been good--very rainy and cool at the beginning of the week.  The sun is out today with stiff breezes and temperatures in the 60s.  At least, the improvement was a lift for the spirits so low after the death of a friend's husband and another friend's mother. It made me feel liking tidying up some loose ends. 

• I planted the chard in the veggie and herb boxes on the deck this morning after yoga. It rained so hard the past two nights that I was concerned the young plants' leaves would be battered--but they looked fine!
• I noticed a planter outside the clubhouse exercise room where we meet for yoga and recalled that I never planted it last year.  Tomorrow I will take a Heuchera and some pansies and topsoil with me to yoga and plant it up after class. 
• I put the black cherry twigs I cut from Sara's tree on Sunday in water and they are sprouting already. I was hoping to use them to replace the Bradford Pear twigs I forced at the public library, but the timing may not be right.
• I pulled the planter out from the garage and cut away the old banana plant stalk. The chocolate grass Carex comans 'Milk Chocolate' still looks good (since it is brown anyway), but didn't show signs of renewal yet.  I'll give it some more time. Sara's grass from the container gardening workshop last May with Cathy Testa showed little green sprouts at its base on Sunday, but I don't know the name of her Carex.



Carex comans 'Milk Chocolate'

• I think I will stop at Country Flower Farms in Middlefield on my way to Wallingford this afternoon to meet a friend for dinner. I'm still looking for Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' to plant for my neighbor in memory of her mother--even though it is too early in the season, I've been told by the local nursery professionals. Isn't that typical of the amateur gardener?

More on my Herb and Veggie Mini-Gardens

I found rainbow chard yesterday afternoon at Paul & Sandy's Garden Center in East Hampton. I put the six-pack out in the planter box on the deck but did not plant it yet. Last night was warm and rain is expected today. I didn't cover any of the plants. I would like to find the garden cloth mentioned at the UCONN garden conference that allows light and rain to pass through. Then I would make some mini-greenhouses with some hanger wire and the cloth. But by the time I find it, it will not be necessary. I'll give the chard a few more days of T.L.C. (in case of severe rain, wind or low temperatures I can bring the six-pack inside) before planting them with the lettuce, bok choy, and spinach already in the planter boxes. This is a great article about hardening off tender young plants and getting them planted in the ground that arrived in my email today from Fine Gardening. Get Those Seedlings in the Ground - Fine Gardening Article