Columbines...another perennial...are starting to open up.
Little surprises cause a sense of wonder. I was given a big clump of wild geranium last year. It didn't look like much, but I split it in half and planted it. Wilted last year, and covered with flowers this year...possibly tripled in size.
A spontaneous greenhouse purchase, the Japanese anemone huddled against the soil last year. But this year, nodding bells open up into beautiful white flowers.
Hostas are coming up in places where I maybe, possibly remember tucking little bits of split-up hosta plants last year...
The huechera! I selected them for their gorgeous leaves...
...and had almost forgotten about the delightful flower spikes that start nodding in early summer.
Did that little dried-up lily of the valley twig really come back? Sure did, and then some.
Last year's lupine certainly didn't have any flowers...
...and I just don't remember planting FIVE foxgloves last year, but here they are nonetheless!
I remember buying two peonies last year, not five, but that's how many stalk bunches are coming up. One is over three feet tall! I have no idea what it will look like when it blooms, but looks like I might find out soon!
I was unimpressed with the pricy spirea I picked up at the Lowe's clearance rack last year. A few sad, dried leaves clung to the spindly branches, and it looked dead...but for $3, I could afford to take a chance. This year it's covered with bright, healthy leaves.
No matter how rough a plant looks, I remind myself, they want to live. It's a good lesson to learn, because last week I got the opportunity to pack my car with new plants! A local woman posted in a Facebook gardening group - too many plants, need someone to come and thin them out. I was the fifth person to stop by, and even after loading up my car, the yard looked almost untouched! I came away with hostas, ferns, toad lilies, surprise lilies, four or five different types of daffodils (all in big clumps), several different types of irises, daylilies, chocolate mint, sedum, and more. In the end, I think I had over 500 bulbs/tubers.
It can be overwhelming to contemplate planting so many things, but I was determined to get everything in the ground. I started a new shade garden under the pine trees by the driveway with the toad lilies, hostas, and ferns. I've never been completely happy with the bare slope of lawn that terminates at the pond's edge, so I decided to plant most of the daylilies and irises there. I envision having plants on both slopes and a garden bench in between, under the big pine free.
If you think those look sad, check out the tired heap of leaves in this 4-foot swatch of surprise lilies...maybe 50 in total planted here! The daffodils clumps were split, mixed and planted in three big groupings by these same bushes.
They look awful, and they will look worse as the year goes on. The leaves will never stand up and will turn yellow. They will look dead. But next year, I suspect I'll have a fantastic display in this area. Because plants want to live. They're just recovering from the relocation. Next year they'll be ready to shine!
(so says prognosticator Claudia, my garden assistant)
Bosewichte promises to forecast good news too, if I let him outside.
But I already have some good news...two loads of compost have been delivered (only 1 shown in pic). Now this field just needs to be plotted out...spread with compost...and plowed.
How is she going to fill a huge field? You might wonder. Well, I'm starting to experiment with propagation again...taking a bit of root or stem from various plants and rooting it in soil. Then, of course, there's my thousands of seeds. And happy reseeding from last year, too! I noticed little yarrow seedlings in a front garden and decided to dig them all up and move them into a side holding bed. In the end, I transplanted 55 seedlings. I also saw quite a bit of reseeding around my white coneflower, and ended up moving 50 seedlings. Total time investment: 1 hour. Considering I spent $10 each for ONE yarrow and ONE white coneflower last year, it certainly seems worth the trouble! When the field gets plowed, they'll be moved to a larger holding bed and then distributed around once they get large enough, and I decide where I want them. They won't look like much this year, but should be amazing next year and especially the year after. I look forward to giving a lot away to friends, too!
I hope that it looks quite different soon.
Have a great week!
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