How Does Your Garden Grow?

Even More Room To Grow!

2010-05-29T14:23:00.004-05:00

With so many little plants waiting for a new home, I decided I needed another new bed! But after last year's two-day hand digging adventure, I took Karen's advice and ordered up a sod cutter and tiller from Diamond Lake Rental. I roped Rebecca in as spotter/supervisor. The delivery guy, whose name I didn't get, let's call him "Joe," arrived promptly at 10 AM, but there was a problem. While my rental was for two hours, they needed to use the delivery truck on another job in around 45 minutes. With Rebecca still 15 minutes away, there was no way I was going to get the job done that quickly myself. Luckily, "Joe" said they decided back at the shop he would just bang out the "small job" for me at no additional charge! Woo-hoo!

While Karen said the sod cutter was not that hard to use once you got it started, the task looked quite a bit harder than I expected. "Joe" said tight turns are difficult to maneuver with the cutter, but he really did a good job, the circle and the curves came out very nice. Rebecca said we probably would not have been able to get such neat lines. After he cut the sod he was running short of time so we decided to just till the phase one section in the middle. That was the idea, but with time "Joe" couldn't get the tiller to dig in the hard soil. He didn't have time to mess with it and said he'd take the tiller of the bill. He recommended we water the area some, break it up with my "Garden Claw" and call them back to get the tiller. I gave "Joe" $25 for his hard work. Check out the video of a professional at work with the cutter.

Here's the "small job" area before (panoramas made with PTgui):

And after Rebecca and I removed the sod:

And a lot of sod it was. Rebecca did warn me that grass is heavy, but I did not believe her. Now I do. We couldn't think of anything better to do with it at the time, so we piled it up on sheets of cardboard and covered with a tarp. I know the city won't take it. I'll have to sort it out. For now, out of sight, out of mind.

The area around the table and bench will be step-able ground covers, primarily creeping thyme, and mulch. I'll remove the stone pavers from the bed under the windows and re arrange the plants there. I don't want to put all the new plants in the new bed. I'll move and split things from the exiting beds-- some Karl Foerster grasses, Lady's Mantle, Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Siberian Iris and Moonbeam Coreopsis.

It in right side circle, I want a small tree with multi-season interest. I am leaning toward a tree-form 'Autumn Brilliance' Serviceberry which has Spring flowers, Summer berries and colorful Fall leaves.

Before all the planting starts, I need to kill and remove the remaining grass and weeds around the table and get a layer of Preen down before the new weeds get going. Good thing its a long weekend! Then there's the 55 feet of edging to pin down. I'll save that job for when my dad comes to visit in a few weeks. He can help me plant the tree as well.

The Tragedy of the Sawfly and Other Success Stories...

2010-05-22T15:05:00.003-05:00

This post was going to be titled "The First Six Weeks of Spring," but recent events with my Northern Lights Azalea have caused the story of our early Spring to be pushed below the fold.

[Our top story tonight...]

On Sunday afternoon, while wandering the garden, I noticed my garden tour (2008) freebie azalea was starting to flower. The flowers were lovely, but it looked like the leaves were being devoured by something. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a couple of green worm-like things crawling on the remnants of a jagged leaf. Then I saw more of them and then more still! (There are at least two in the photo below.)

I wasn't sure what they were, but ran for the only weapon I could find-- Hot Pepper Wax. I doused the shrub in the spicy spray hoping to see the little worms explode. They didn't, but they didn't seem to like the stuff. I did a bit of research and confirmed they were not actually worms, but Azalea Sawflies. More research lead us to order some All Natural 3-in-1 Garden Insect Spray. A few hours later I went back out to see how the sawflies were faring only to find them generally happy and thinking about dinner. Again I drenched the shrub in Hot Pepper Wax.

After work the next day I checked back to find the fly larva continuing their campaign of destruction. I feared they would strip the plant of all its leaves before the garden insect spray arrived. Then it dawned on me... The active ingredient in the insect spray we ordered is rosemary oil which is the same active ingredient in the Bioganic Crawling Insect Killer we had in our kitchen cupboard! Well, I thought, that certainly should do to hold back the bugs until the garden spray arrives. Yet again I covered the plant. While the rosemary oil spray did not make them explode, they did seem the slow down and a few kind of curled up a bit. With the garden filled with the aroma of all natural bug killing oils, I felt confident my pretty little shrub was safe.

As I arrived home the next afternoon, my heart sank. The azalea leaves were completely brown! What had I done?

Only a few leaves are still green. I have no idea if they will be enough to sustain the poor thing through the rest of the season.

[We'll bring you further updates as they become available. And now back to the rest of today's headlines...]

Also in the pests department, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar population has exploded this year. There looked to be millions on the University campus, sometimes they would seem to rain from the trees. I even found half a dozen in my yard around the Ash tree, but haven't seen any tents. Please do not let them get established in my yard!!!

Speaking of the Ash tree, ours is at least 60 years old-- my neighbor can remember when it was planted. Being such a nice tree, I was very concerned about the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the Twin Cities. I had the tree treated by Rainbow Tree Care, something that will have to be repeated annually. The cost of ten years treatment is about the same as removal, but it would be another forty years before a replacement would be a nice.

Spring came early to Minneapolis this year. With no snow at all in March and unseasonably high temps in April gardens all over were weeks ahead of schedule. By the second week of April not only were all the usual early blooming flowers at their peak, over two weeks earlier than last year, Pasque flowers, species tulips and crocuses...

... but the Magnolia tree was in full bloom over three weeks early!

Not long after, a handful of Yellow Trumpet Daffodils saw fit to do more than just put up loads of leaves. But there was a smaller surprise for dafodills-- the diminutive Tête-à-Tête daffs were lovely (right)! I keep trying to plant tall daffs in hops to have lots of sunny yellow blooms around the garden, but I have yet to see more than half a dozen per year. I have officially given up on having daffs in the spot near the front of the house. Summer two years ago I re-dug the spot to see what happened to the second no-show batch of 25 bulbs only to find nothing there! My third try also resulted in nothing appearing in that spot. At least in other areas I get leaves. Maybe I should try some Tête-à-Tête daffs in that spot.

Other minor bulbs were also very nice this year. (But for some reason I did not get any good pictures of them.) I was happy to see my Chionodoxa, Siberian and striped squill all starting to spread under the apple tree! I plan on buying a bunch more althoughI have recently come to understand squill and the like are considered invasive in these parts! How can that be? The folks at MinnesotaWildflowers.info say:

... Sadly, the same traits that make it attractive as a garden plant (besides the vivid color) are also what make it invasive. Large colonies of squill can be seen in the eastern counties of the state, from Duluth to Rochester. There is even an infestation at the University of Minnesota St Paul campus, just a block away from the Bell Herbarium...

I think they are lovely. Where they see an "infestation", I see a nice sea of blue.

Photo taken from the Minnesota Wildflowers website.

© Dan Ondler taken in Oronoco, MN

I did find one squill growing under the Ash tree at least 30 feet away and another single one all the way on the other side if the house in the hosta bed... Hum.

By the third week in April, the darwin and other standard tulips were blooming all over. This is the second year for the darwins (top).

While mainly species and darwin tulips are the ones known for returning, I was pleasantly surprised to see one Greenland, three Queen of the Night, three Monsella (left) and three Angelique Tulips (right, no longer double) all returned. The Monsellas are back for their third year running and this is the second year for the Queen of the Nights (only 3 of 10 returned). On the other hand, the other two took a year to rest before returning this year.

I got a free Gladiator Allium Fall 2008 which was very interesting last year. Wanting more, but not wanting to pay $5+ a bulb, I found a great deal on 15 younger bulbs sold by EdensBlooms.com on eBay last Fall for around a dollar each. The old, full sized bulb has two stems in its second year with blooms around 5" across (foreground). I did not expect the young bulbs to bloom this year, but eleven out of 15 flowered with three inch blooms (background)!

Some other nice Spring blooms:

Helleborus

Barbara Harrington clematis

Bearded Iris, the first bloom of a big Fall planted patch.

Species Tulips

Columbine

In a bit of cart-before-the-horse, I have a load of plants waiting for their home in the yet-to-be-dug new bed. There's a flat full of plants I got at the Friends School Plant Sale.

A bunch of recent bargains: a grab-bag of 40 lily bulbs from Brecks.com; two large bunches of bare-root Sweet Woodruff and Lamium from eBay; 60 "wild" daffodils, also from eBay; three varieties of Heuchera (Silver Scrolls, Venus and Tapestry),

20 plugs of Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' and 10 plugs of Sedum 'Red Carpet' from Premium Plant Plugs. The plugs are tiny-- 13/16" X 1 1/4", but the roots look great and the plants are a good size. And they were only $6 for 10! I transfered the Ajuga to five 4-packs to stretch their roots while waiting for their permanent home. In a few weeks they should be as big as the more expensive packs in the garden centers.

Not only that, but I am waiting for a box of several kinds of sedum coming got a big box of four kinds of sedum from my new trading buddy, Lily in Chicago! There's Sarmentosum, Kamtchasticum, Angelina and a big bunch of Dragon's Blood. She also sent me a few daffodils and a handful of green garlic plants. I "planted" about 60% of the sedu in a cardboard flat of dirt to wait with the others for the rumored new bed. I'll tuck the rest of them in around the existing beds this weekend. I repeated the process with most of the remaining Sweet Woodruff.

The waiting area is getting a little full... The cages are for their own protection.

[Finally tonight, a cute animal story...]

Last weekend I had a little company while I was out in the garden. I crept up to take a few pictures expecting he would run off, but he sat tight the entire time I was outside. He must trust me. I keep telling the rabbits to eat the dandelions, maybe this one will take my advice and earn his keep!

Planting 2010

2010-05-16T18:54:00.002-05:00

It's Sunday, May 16 and I've been planting, weeding, cleaning and enjoying the sunshine for two days. Here are a few pictures of my progress.

I planted four tomato plants. The front two were given to me by Elleni and her Mom. They are Hillbilly heirloom. The one in the rear left is another heirloom, Mortgage Lifter, and on the right rear is a Big Boy.

I also planted two rows of beans, Blue Harvest Bush. Then one row of cucumbers, Muncher.

My neighbors thinned some Daylilies, so I planted some around a small tree by the front curb and the others under a tree out back.

Elleni and Karen worked at the Friends School plant sale so I got seven varieties of flowers, from alyssum, balloon flowers, coreopsis, to two kinds of daylilies, foxglove and periwinkles. I also bought more alyssum from Mother Earth Garden and a realtor sent a packet of zinnia seeds so I have lots of stuff that will hopefully come up.

The hostas along the back are mature and will need to be divided this year.

I went to Ace Hardware and got some red and yellow begonias plus white and purple petunias to make planters.

I put lights around the patio umbrella. It looks very festive at night.

The first rose of the season. I'd like to have more rose bushes, but probably not this year.

The front flower boxes have Painted Paradise impatiens combined with the foxglove.

Along the front curb are the last of the tulips. They were great this year. I planted purple and gold alyssum and Zamphir coreopsis along the front.

The front of the house and Georgie supervising through the screen door.

Gardening Season Begins

2010-04-01T22:59:00.011-05:00

I spent three solid hours this afternoon cleaning up about 60% of the garden. There's a lot more to do before the rain comes tomorrow afternoon, but the bulk of it is done. It is over two weeks earlier than last year!

As much of I love my coreopsis, there is an awful lot of it to cut down in the Spring. Luckily the lack of any real precipitation in March and recent unseasonably warm temps has made everything nice and crunchy. I found an ant nest in the dead middle of one of my Karl Foerster grass mounds. I really need to divide those (and other) things.

All that cleanup revealed the things I hate about gardening-- Bouncing Bet, quack grass, sapling trees. After the cleanup, I'll probably make another futile attempt to get rid of some of it.

On the brighter side, lots of things are coming up-- pictures of those coming soon.

[update 4/2/10] It took another two hours this morning to finish. I bundled up the last of the debris just as the rain started.

The crocuses, squill and chionodoxa have been blooming for a week or so. I have high hopes that we'll finally see daffodils in this patch as well.

Two of the three hellebores I bought last Fall are flowering as well. I stepped on the emerging buds of the third plant during the Fall cleanup. Today, the first tulips showed their appreciation for the clear out by opening up. In addition to all the other tulips, the sedum, lady's mantel, euphorbia, irises, even the lilies and one of the clematis are starting to to make a showing.

Spring! (Almost)

2010-03-14T21:14:00.006-05:00

Its the first day of Daylight Saving Time and Mother Nature celebrated with a (record?) high of 64 degrees! All the snow is gone from the yard. A month ago, it had completely covered the sedum in the main bed.

Inspired by my friend Caryn's kids, I, too, potted up some bulbs that really should have been planted in the Fall. (I can't pass up a good deal, even when I should know better.) The poor things spent the Winter months sleeping in the mini fridge. I did plant about 15 crocuses last Fall in a small pot. Their albino stems grew throughout the Winter in the chilly fridge. I moved them to the porch today. I'm not sure if they will regain their normal green color, let alone bloom. Unfortunately, three months was too long for about 25% of the tulips. I tossed the shriveled and moldy ones out in the yard-- a peace offering to the bunnies and squirrels. I filled another big pot with a variety of white daffodils (and a handful of crocuses) which seemed to survive the Winter of the Refrigerator better than the tulips. I covered both pots with wire grates to keep the plague of squirrels from undoing my hard work. There are still a few bags of bulbs left in the fridge. I'll find a place in the garden for them soon. Really.

Elsewhere in the garden, there are real signs of Spring. Luckier tulips planted Fall of 2008 are pushing their was back up through the warming ground. Soon enough the bunnies will notice them and the fight for the flowers will begin again.

Summer Blooms and Room to Grow

2009-08-02T21:26:00.014-05:00

Huge Oriental Lilies.

Tall Balloon Flower.

Heliopsis Summer Sun, bloomed in the bright shade of the garage bed. I've been surprised by the things that have bloomed in that shadier-than-I-expected bed.

Some kind of Oriental Lily. I don't buy pink things generally, so I wonder if these were mislabeled-- I'll have to check my records.

There are Snapdragons here and there around the garden, volunteers from seeds of last year's annuals.

I seem to have run out of room in the existing beds, so I decided this weekend that meant I needed to dig out a new bed! Day one entailed cutting the edge and removing the grass. Today I dug a trench and pinned the plastic edging down. This would have been a great job for my Dad and Sister! Too bad I didn't think of it while they were here. I am hoping this area will get enough sun with a couple of hours in the morning and again in the evening. This area already has a small patch of tulips. I will be adding more bulbs in the Fall, but mainly I'll add things salvaged from other areas of the garden. The Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue' Switch Grass is the last remnant of three planted in the main bed three years ago. One-by-one they failed to return each year. This year only a few stems came up on this last one. I felt bad digging it out of the main bed to replace it with a different variety. So, it gets a second chance here. And the sad little Coneflowers were outside of the soaker hose area of the North bed. They, too, should find a happier future here.

The Garden Goes On

2009-07-29T12:05:00.004-05:00

Morning Glories on the front railing.

Many flowers have come and gone since the last post, in particular some lovely Orienpet Lilies. The Orientals are just about to open, so I'll have to get snaps of those!

Past, Present, Future

2009-07-01T22:18:00.016-05:00

As Spring gives way to Summer, earlier week's flowers have faded while others are hitting their peak and still more are gearing up to put on a show...

The Siberian Irises have past their prime.

One of my favorite plants, Heliopsis 'Prairie Sunset'. I first saw this variety at another house in the neighborhood. It took me three years to get this mature plant. I have two more younger plants in other areas of the garden.

Waves of Moonbeam Coreopsis fill many areas of the main bed. I just planted six small pots of the pink variety, Coreopsis American Dream, in among the existing yellow plants. (This photo is the desktop picture on my new MacBook!)

My 2008 Menard's 'General Sikorski' Clematis is starting to bloom. I hope the whole trellis will be covered in flowers in the next week or so.

Asiatic Lilies are starting to bloom all over the garden. These are from BloomingBlub.com.

More Asiatic Lilies--planted three years ago. They've become a mass that probably should be divided.

New Asiatic Lily from the Spring NSLS sale, I don't remember what the name is, but I bought three of them.

The Hydrangeas are in full bloom, even though I never trimmed off last year's dead flowers.

There are a couple of Coneflowers blooming currently...

... but most are still working up to it.

Not all blooms are large and come in bold, bright colors, some are more subtile like this Karl Foerster grass. It seems a bit early for it to be flowering.

I haven't spent all of my time wandering around the yard with my camera. In the last two days I bagged 120 apples on the tree in the front yard. The bags are to protect the fruit from flies that lay eggs in the tiny apples. "They" say you should get them covered by July 1st-- although I'm not sure the flies have a calendar. Many apples had small specks of sticky dew on them that I suspect were the result of the flies already doing their business. There is a lot more fruit this year than last. Last year I bagged 65 apples, but once the squirrels ran out of unbagged apples from the top of the tree, they went after the bagged ones. I ended up harvesting the last nine apples early to keep them away from the tree rats. I hope this year turns out a bit better.

This Week's Best Blooms (wk of 6/22)

2009-06-24T20:18:00.009-05:00

Hudine Clematis
In its fourth year. It took three years to finally bloom and is very nice this year.

Martagon Lily
Jealous, Karen? While the petals are shiny, they are not as glossy as it looks in this picture. I picked the largest bulb I could find at the Fall 2008 NSLS sale. I was rewarded with two stems of flowers!

Allium
In catalogs, these are shown close-up in tight groups that make the flowers look quite large. However, the flowers are less than an inch and a half across.

'Purple Emperor' Sedum
I finally moved these last year after two years in a poor location. They are much happier in their new location.

Asiatic Lilies
My first lilies of the season. I ordered six yellow lilies a couple of years ago and found that five were these mystery variety. This year I have to remember to move the odd yellow one to a new spot.

Yarrow
Last Summer, I moved a few sprigs of these from one of the many a wild patches in the lawn to the new "garage bed". In their former location, they could only grow in the two week spurts between mowings. Now they are free to reach their potential.

Oriental Poppy
Unfortunately, these poppies were in bloom a very short time this year and I missed getting a picture of them at their peak.

Summer solstice weekend news

2009-06-23T09:11:00.002-05:00

The beans I planted from seed a week ago are really coming up. They've grown at least another inch or so since I took this photo. I was worried I was planting them too late, but with the rain and sun we've had, they're off to a great start.

Lupins! I only bought one plant since the ones last year didn't make it, but this one seems to be thriving, even blooming for me. I teally like lupins so will plan to put in many more in the years to come.

This Week's Best Blooms (wk of 6/15)

2009-06-15T17:51:00.003-05:00

Siberian Iris

Peony

Geranium 'Okey Dokey' (I think)

Lady's Mantle

Finally, some planting is done.

2009-06-13T22:24:00.010-05:00

In the front of the house near the sidewalk, I put in three kinds of pink plants; begonias, impatiens and astilbe. I also have purple petunias in a hanging basket near the door.

For the window boxes I chose all whites; begonias, alyssum and impatiens. We'll see how they do on the shady left side of the house.

Here is the new raised bed. I've put in three varieties of tomatoes and some cucumbers. I may add some beans from seed if there is still time. Next year I will be able to fill this out better.

I put the herbs in a planter so I can bring them inside in the fall. Oregano, sage and basil.

I made a new hanging basket with some yellow begonias. I'm hoping they spread out and get real full. I have a red one that is just ridiculously lush (see it in the background of above image of herbs).

This rose bush survived the house painters. I'm hoping I can get a second bloom from it if I play my cards right.

My peonies are not getting many blooms. Dry spring I guess.

Report Card

2009-06-12T23:32:00.016-05:00

Well, the season seems far enough along that I can pretty safely say some of my Fall 2008 plantings are not coming back. I believe most of my failed purchases were do to inaccurate zone hardiness reporting. So, the losers are...

MichiganBulb:

SpringHill:

Blue Ocean Carpet Dutch Iris x 40
Gladiolus Hardy Mix x 24
Dwarf Aster Snow Flurry x 3 (twice!)

DutchGardens

Belladonna Delphinium x 3

I was really looking forward to the Rose Coreopsis. I have Moonbeam Coreopsis and the Rose is supposed to be a slightly shorter, pink version.

I took some time tonight to email all three of the mail order shops-- they all offer "lifetime guarantees" on their products, to report my failures. I asked for credit for the orders from MichiganBulb and SpringHill, except the Liatris and Aster. (The Liatris arrived early in the Fall and I sat on them until pretty late in the season before finally planting the corms. The asters have already replaced once before, so I'll just let those go.) And I asked for replacements for the Delphiniums from DutchGardens. Unfortunately those only ship in the Fall from them, so I am not sure what they'll do for me.

Interesting to note, SpringHill, MichiganBulb and Breck's are all part of the same company. None of them have very good ratings at Dave'sGarden Garden Watch Dog. However, I have had good luck with SpringHill and DutchGardens in the past, but this was a disappointing first order with MichiganBulb. The Lavender Mountain Lilies from them are doing well at least!

[Update, 6/13/09]

I got a positive reply from DutchGardens today-- on a Saturday!

Dear Elleni,

Thank you for taking the time to write us with your order issue. I do apolgize that the Delphinium has not performed for you as expected. I have set up to have another 3 shipped out for you this fall as requested. You should see those arriving to you around the end of September.

Thanks for making Dutch Gardens your source for bulbs, perennials, and gardening information. Please let us know if we can help you with anything else.

Sincerely,
Jonathan, Customer Service
Dutch Gardens

[Update, 6/14/09] Positive reply from SpringHill...

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. I have processed your request for a replacement certificate in the amount of $19.00.

You will be receiving it shortly through the mail which you may use for any merchandise through our catalog or website.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

However, the CS folks from MichiganBulb did not read the part about wanting a credit...

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. A reship has been issued for the item(s) requested. Your order number for the Coreopsis Rose and for the remaining items your order number [are enclosed]. Your order will ship at proper fall planting time in your area. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks from 08/31/09 for delivery on items that are available. I am enclosing the copy of your both the invoices of replacement orders for your review.

I've emailed them again requesting a credit. I have a feeling this could get complicated.

[Update, one hour later] Well, that was easy...

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. I have processed your request for replacement certificates in the amount of $25.97 & $9.99.

You will be receiving them shortly through the mail which you may use for any merchandise through our catalog or website.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Hum, now to go (online) window shopping!

Window Boxes 2009

2009-06-12T06:13:00.009-05:00

How do you plan your gardens?

This year I didn't pre-think what I wanted to do with my window boxes. I walked up and down every annual and greenhouse aisle at Bachman's. Inspiration struck when I saw this beautiful Coleus:
I was torn between plain white Petunias and these because I couldn't tell if these clashed or complemented the Coleus:
I couldn't say "no" to the Dracena for a splash of drama, even though it was NOT cheap:
And, that's a variegated Vinca for some trailing off the sides of the boxes:
I didn't replace the soil in the boxes from last year so seeing how these plants fare will be an experiment!

Not in vain!

2009-06-09T19:50:00.000-05:00

Hooray! My brand-new rain gauge finally has a reason to exist! One whole inch of rain fell on Saturday and another on Sunday. This rain gauge with its butterflies will look great once all of the zinnas that are straining at its feet finally get to blooming. Hope these metal bugs doesn't scare away the real deals.

Been watering my garden every damn day since May 14, which sucks because the link between the spray attachment and the hose leaks so I get watered along with the plants I'm trying to spray. I've tried unscrewing and rescrewing. Screw it. I'll just get wet I guess.

Before this year I've been a hand-waterer. Get out "old yellow," the watering can. Fill it up a few times, hoist, and pour. This year I've been lazy. Just get 'er done.

I ordered this rain gauge from the same company from which I got my strawberry plants. It was..um... some company whose name I forget and whose name is also on a piece of paper on my kitchen counter which is aaaalllllll the way downstairs. Another time, I promise.

My hubby keeps asking me whether the rain gauge's measurment beaker shouldn't have a wider opening than this thing that looks like a test tube. "It'll be fine," I say and think to myself, "But this one was much prettier." :-)

Finally!

2009-06-08T20:52:00.015-05:00

After nearly three months with basically no rain in the Twin Cities, we got 3/4" of steady rain during the day on Saturday and another 3/4" Sunday over night. Boy did we need it.

I took advantage of the sun on Sunday and planted the new iris patch. I removed two dead 'Dewey Blue' Switch Grass plants (a third one is barely hanging on) and shallowly planted around 25 irises. They should be a mix of blue irises I got from eBay and a variety of colored and named irises from dreamingdaylilies at GardenWeb. I still have around 10 blue irises as well as six poorly placed yellow and/or white (I don't remember which are which) that I planted two years ago that have never bloomed. My guess they are not getting enough sun.

I have attempted to protect my new patch with chicken wire (and a spare window screen) and several dead stems trimmed from my Barberry shurbs. I hope the thorns will make the squirrels and rabbits will think twice about digging up my irises! The lengths we'll go to to protect our gardens.

Elsewhere around the garden more things are blooming...

... And other things will be any day now-- purple Siberian Irises.

Last weekend I finally (after a year) set up my second rain barrel. The Russian Sage at its base is a bit crowded. I wish I could move it about six inches to the left, but it is probably safer to leave it. I think it will survive. Not far away, the apples are starting to look like tiny apples!

Clematis (Big and Small)

2009-06-01T21:22:00.006-05:00

I've been taking stock of plants that have and have not decided to return to my garden this year. Check one and check two for the clematis (clematises, clematii?) I planted last year:

I cannot understand why two of the same plant would fare so differently. They were nearly identical when I planted them but "lefty" is much more well off than "righty":

Bastard Squirrel!

2009-05-27T21:56:00.005-05:00

There is a squirrel nest in my Ash tree. That stupid squirrel and his/her stupid friends dig holes all over my garden beds and uproot new plants. They taste-test bulbs and tomatoes, but never finish anything. And worst of all, like the rabbits, they destroy the pretty flowers!

This was my first bearded iris... I bought a "mystery box" of irises, daffodils and tulips on eBay two Falls ago. My first iris finally bloomed on Sunday. I went out yesterday to take a picture, but this is what I found.

There would have been four flowers! Dang squirrel took a bite out of one of the buds and just left the remnants on the stairs. Bastard.

Rebecca's Progress

2009-05-26T12:47:00.010-05:00

Early May:

This is the backyard before cleaning up for the spring. Hard to tell anything is growing here.

After cleaning and now you can see the hostas coming up and other various plants.

This is the front yard. I won't be doing much planting till after I get the house painted around the first of June. Then I plan on putting up the window boxes and putting in some plants near the sidewalk. It is a very shady front yard, plus the pine tree makes the soil very acidic so choices are more limited.

Late May:

This has been a banner year for the spirea bush. My crabapples, on the other hand, did not really bloom much at all. My neighbor says crabapples bloom well every other year, and last year was certainly a good one. Next year will be the test, I guess.

This was taken just a few days ago. You can see considerable progress from the first photos.

Late Spring Update

2009-05-23T16:37:00.021-05:00

The colorful tulips are all but gone. Only the free-with-my-late-Fall-order Queen of the Night tulips are left blooming. Not as tall as Karen's from last year, but that could be because mine were planted in a shady spot by the garage.

I planted another freebie in that bed-- a Northern Lights Azalea. At last year's neighborhood garden tour, some folks were giving away three of these shrubs as they needed more sun. I took one and for some reason I thought the new bed by the garage would be a perfect sunny spot for it. It actually only gets about two-and-a-half hours of sun a day. Before this week, I figured the poor thing was dead, but its got a few nice yellow and white blooms on it now!

There are a few other flowers out now. Surprisingly few of the daffodils I planted have bloomed. There's lots of green, just few flowers.
A Columbine and yet another freebie, a giant Allium are also in flower now.Like many gardeners, I enjoy purple plants. Several of mine are coming along. Penstemon 'Husker's Red' (I think) and 'Purple Palace' Heuchera.

I am looking forward to two new Geraniums planted last Fall. My 'Purple Emperor' Sedums should be a good size this, their third, year.I am also really looking forward to my three Clematis vines. The Huldine is on its forth year and the Clematis 'General Sikorski' is finally coming on in its second year. I just planted a third clematis, a 'Ville de Lyon' and have ordered a 'Niobe' that should arrive soon.

Tuilp Progress and More

2009-05-10T17:35:00.014-05:00

I planted my 150 "perennial" tulips over ten inches deep in several areas of the yard. I think it is the deep planting that has made them more slow to bloom than those of my neighbors. Finally the flowers that the rabbits and squirrels have not eaten are blooming.

Half of the blooms by the front railing have been plucked or otherwise destroyed by the critters in my yard. For the third attempt running, there's no sign of the daffodils directly across from these.

The second largest area is in front near the forsythia bush. I had planted some Dutch Irises over top of the tulips, but they have not made any showing there or the other spots where they were planted.

Toward the end last Fall I found I might have over done it with the bulb orders. I ended up planting two sets of 30 and 20 in the grass! They seem to have found their way through the (semi-frozen) turf.

Our apple tree is in full bloom! The yard smells wonderful. Two years ago we had a ton of apples. Last year there were not as many. I tired thinning the apples out and bagged around 60 of them to keep the files from spoiling them. It worked pretty well until I found the squirrels had finished eating/wasting all of the apples up high and started to steal the bagged ones. In the end, we only got about 10 small apples. It seems that me might have a lot more flowers this year than last. I'm guessing we'll see another big crop of apples. The question is, who will get to enjoy them-- us or the squirrels?

I thought my General Sikorski clematis was dead, but some encouragement from the folks at gardenweb proved right. I found 3-4 tiny stems coming up from the base! My Huldine clematis is over two feet high with five stems!

Blooms

2009-05-05T20:10:00.008-05:00

Blooms everywhere!

Bleeding Heart:

Cherry Tree: planted 2008—it didn't die!
Classic Tulip: planted 2008—squirrels left the bulbs and bunnies have spared the blooms!
Turkish Tulips:
Rhododendron:Wake Up Sleepyhead Fern!
Garden Cat!

Weeds

2009-05-05T12:50:00.007-05:00

A rose in a corn field is only just a weed. Sometimes they are a welcome spot of color. Sometimes they make you want to take out every chemical you own, plus a flame thrower, and boiling oil. My neighbor adores creeping bellflower and I continually rip it up whenever and wherever I spot it. Here are my thoughts about a few chosen weeds I'm encountering.

Purslane
I don't have any photos of purslane because, for some reason, I can't grow it. I have tried. I've even purchased seed for a larger English variety. No real luck. I love the way it tastes. It's great in vinegar with onions and cucumbers. Sigh.

Clover
I have a fondness for many weeds. I adore clover. I have wonderful memories of sitting in a patch of clover in the yard, hunting for four-leaf clovers. One patch was sure to offer up such a find. My sister even found one with five leaves once. I envied her all summer. In fact, I think I might have stolen it from her. My grandfather had a large planting of clover in his back yard for his honey bees. I've planted clover in my lawn (back when I had a lawn.) I think it's a huge asset: it blooms and it doesn't grow too high.

Violets
Every year I end up yanking out clump after clump of violets. And it makes me feel terrible. I love violets. I have a few clumps of the freckled variety that, since I purchased them, I feel I can allow to spread in their slow, slow, slow pace. But the ones on the boulevard and in the cracks in the sidewalk have to be removed eventually. But they are so sweet when they bloom. And you can eat the flowers.

Creeping charlie
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's really rather pretty blooming in small amounts in yards where the grass is having a hard time growing in the shade. The smell reminds me of my grandmother's house. And you can make gil tea (not really very tasty) from the plant. But the winding, tenacious little creeps need to get out of my flower garden. I do enjoy the feel of pulling out a really long vine of the stuff. It's a little like carving a long single strip of apple peel when preparing to make apple sauce. Truly satisfying.

Columbine
I apologize for hating columbine. I feel terrible about it. But they are everywhere in my garden. I can't get them out of the strawberries. They never keep their foliage because the leaf miners and inch worms totally destroy it. But the plants manage to get their blooms up and matured so seeds can go everywhere. I did enjoy when Black Bart and Nora Barlow hybrids mixed. But enough with the prosperous offspring of the wild variety. Seriously. No more columbine. If you visit and see it in anywhere in my garden, you must rip it out.

Garlic chives
These suckers are going to send me to the nut house. Everywhere. I'm going to have to dig up the narrow strip of rock garden all along the side of the house so I can get rid of the suckers. Then next year I'll probably have to do the same. You see I really love to use garlic chives in my culinary pursuits. I use it often enough to keep the flowers from even opening. But every year I must miss a few. I have onion chives on the terraced slope in back of my house. I found them while whacking down to size all the bushes planted there. I found twice as many chives as I did dandelions.

Milkweed, elm trees, buckeye trees, plantain, nightshade, mallow, buckthorn .... I have to stop now. My blood pressure seems to be going up just a bit too much. But before I go, here's a good resource for identifying and getting suggestions for eradicating local weeds: Control Options for Common Minnesota Lawn and Landscape Weeds

Evidence: Exhibit A and B

2009-05-04T20:40:00.009-05:00

I love bunnies—they are cuter than cute. I say that even though I've had my first true bunny flower massacre. I didn't have anything growing worth munching until last year but the great Hail Storm of 2008 beat the bunnies to my prized gardening efforts then. Above you'll see Exhibit A of bunny shenanigans. Below, Exhibit B. You be the judge—is this the work of bunny foolishness?

I think the evidence looks suspiciously like the ONE tulip (out of six) that has lived long enough to bloom...

They're Multiplying!

2009-05-03T17:02:00.010-05:00

[updated below]

Rebbecca and I took at trip to Menard's this afternoon. As we were unloading my mulch from her car, we startled a couple of rabbits near the fence. I looked over and saw a nest of brand new baby bunnies! Grr. Now I have to be nice to them. I had chased off three rabbits this morning. I guess they were getting ready for the birth. The nest was not there yesterday.

The mother rabbit kicked one of the babies out of the nest as she ran off to hide. Rebbecca used a stick to shovel it back in with its siblings. She got this picture with her iPhone.

By time I got back out side with my camera, around 15 minutes later, mom, dad and aunt/uncle looked to have pushed the babies all further into the nest. Either that or they decided to move them.

[update, 5/4/2009]

I checked this morning and this evening. No sign of the bunnies. The front of the nest does look like it was disturbed, but otherwise there is not any sign of an invader. Some sites say mother rabbits can't move the babies, others say she will relocate if she thinks the nest is not safe. There doesn't look to be any fluffy bunny fur lining the nest. I put some twigs in an "X" over the spot to see if it is being visited by the mother. Who knows.

On a Happier Note

2009-05-02T14:16:00.004-05:00

Despite the efforts of the horrible rabbits that live in my neighborhood, there is more life popping up all over the yard.

The first daffodils have bloomed!

My Tarda species Tulips (the bulbs were included free in my order placed very late last Fall) from Blooming Bulb have opened! I thought the foliage was lilies until the flowers finally opened.

The Pasque Flowers are at their peak!

And the apple tree should soon be in bloom.

Bastard Rabbits!

2009-04-30T21:07:00.007-05:00

[updated with photos, 5/2/09]
~~I was too mad to get the camera to provide you photographic evidence, but~~ Believe me, RABBITS SUCK! Yesterday there were six pink tulips (returning gifts from the squirrels several years ago) just about to open. This evening they were all gone-- only a couple of crumpled pink petals lying on the ground remain. For a moment, I thought some person came into my backyard and stole them. But, no, just the flower heads were gone, the tall, headless stems remained.

They've also bitten several not-yet-open flower heads on my new Greigii Tulips IN HALF. The ones that have been spared are very pretty! And to top it off, I'm out of hot pepper spray. Crap.

At least I know I am not alone in my suffering.

Birds!

2009-04-27T10:45:00.005-05:00

Birds and gardens go together. This flock of cedar waxwings visited over the weekend. They were in the bushes and the neighbor's trees. Most visited my bird bath. This is only the third time I've ever seen waxwings.

If you're a fan of both birds and plants, you might be interested in Birds and Blooms, and magazine with reader generated content and a Web site.

Theodore Wirth Park gardens

2009-04-24T10:08:00.005-05:00

We're lucky to have some very fine municipal parks in the Twin Cities. One of my favorites is the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. I took a hike through the park yesterday. Hepatica is blooming and the trout lillies are also blooming in sunnier locations. Even a few trillium are showing their little white faces. The bloodroot are beginning to drop their petals, so if you want to see them you better visit the park today.
The bog walk is just a fairly short distance from the wildflower garden although I usually chose to drive from one to the other. I saw a pair of wood ducks on the pond and heard the riotous noise of the spring peeper frogs. Yesterday was a severe weather warning testing day and I could easily hear them over the sirens.

This would be a good time to visit the Lake Harriet Rock Garden to see all the pasque flowers.

Garden Tasks on a Weekday?!?

2009-04-23T20:08:00.010-05:00

I am annoyed with our lawn company... I asked them to clean up the lawn, but not to remove the leaf mulch from the garden beds. Of course I got home yesterday and they vacuumed up all the shredded leaves and mulch from two of the beds-- under the Ash tree and the one under the kitchen window. Luckily the workers must have realized their mistake as they did not clear off the main bed. They are going to give us some adjustment on our bill. Perhaps the one useful thing that resulted was I that I could see all of the Bouncing Bet that was growing under the mulch. I went out tonight and ripped up two giant fists full of the weeds and spread out a few wood chips and as much shredded leaves as the wind would let me get down. I'll try to get out Saturday afternoon, when there is supposed to be a break in the rain, and put another inch or so down.

On a happier note, there are a few more flowers making their debut. Today was the first day for magnolia flowers. Only about a third of the buds have opened.

I've not seen any Glory-of-the-Snow Chionodoxa yet. But some of the new Scilla Blue are finally coming up. I'm not sure what the larger leaves are. I did not plant any tulips in this bed. But the squirrels have been known to leave little gifts in random places.

All four of the Red Bells Pasque Flowers survived! I've not seen the flowers totally open yet, but they are a bit more red then this picture shows.

One disappointment, our Fiesta Forsythia only has flowers on a couple of branches for the second year. We planted it two seasons ago on the West side of the house. I had wondered a couple of weeks ago if the higher branches were looking really brown. They all have tiny leaf buds now, but there are only flowers on a couple of low branches. Are Forsythia like Magnolia and Azalea, forming flowers in the Fall that may not survive the Winter? Maybe the spot we have it in is not sheltered enough. Or maybe the spot is not sunny enough. (Try to ignore the Hydrangea branches on the right.)

Springing up

2009-04-22T09:27:00.006-05:00

They aren't the showiest tulips, but these species tulips should naturalize. They were the first green to come up and the first green to be eaten by garden visitors. One day I hope to have a mass of them.

The checkered lilies are up. There's a hyacinth in the background that's not doing so well. The former owner of the property planted it.
I absolutely love daffodils. These are my earliest bloomers. I just wish they'd pick their heads up a little higher. A small bouquet will be presented to my mother today. I always associate daffy-down-dillies with her.

A little more colorful, but less prolific specimen. They are so worth the bother of planting in the fall.

I love wildflowers but my heavy clay soil doesn't support them very well. So I'm terribly proud that I have a bloodroot that's still giving it a go.
I found my hepatica! Poor baby. It's also not very happy in my soil. I amend it as much as possible with compost, but the clay and the damn silver maple roots are still a major challenge.
I love hanging clothes on the line about as much as I love gardening. The rows and the colors and the care are pretty similar. I just don't have to water the clothes after I put them in the garden.
Garden cat!

The Forecast Calls For...?

2009-04-19T21:55:00.003-05:00

What happened, Mr. Weather Man?!? I thought we were going to finally see some rain in the Twin Cities! We were supposed to have rain off and on all weekend from Saturday night through Monday. I set my rain gauge back up, I readied my rain barrel... I was ready! We got drizzle at best. It is supposed to be cooler this week, so I can probably get away with not starting to water the garden. There's another chance of rain forecast for next weekend. We'll see.

Garden Clean Up, part two...

2009-04-18T20:35:00.017-05:00

I had planned to wait until after the coming rain to start eradicating my Bouncing Bet, but this morning, I had the itch to do some damage. I decided not to go the Round-Up route-- I'll save that for the recurring rose bush. Instead, I used a more earth-friendly product, Bioganic Weed & Grass Killer. It works pretty well, but it took an entire bottle to cover everything. I've got another bottle ready for the other sprouts hiding in the fluffy mulch. The whole yard smelled of vinegar for the rest of the day, but that is better than the traditional commercial alternative. After just a few hours in the sun, check out the results in the before and after pictures below.

I didn't see as much difference after using it on the Quackgrass going wild along the chain-link fence shared with my neighbor to the South. The label says it works in 12 to 24 hours, so maybe there's still hope. (Do you get the idea I have nearly as many weeds as plants?) I also gave the struggling Tulips and Crocus another shot of Hot Pepper Wax, hoping to protect them from the hungry bunnies.

Later in the afternoon, I spent two more hours cutting down the rest of last year's remnants and thinning out the shredded leaf the mulch to uncover this year's early Spring growth. I decided to leave most of the leaf mulch out on the beds. I think I've uncovered the crowns of most plants and evened it out enough for it to stay in place. We'll see. In the end I was a good citizen and bundled up my yard waste and piled it next to the spare rain barrel. I hope the shelter of our giant White Pine will keep the bundles fairly dry until I figure out when the City will pick them up.

Further along, my Striped Squill and Pasque Flower became the second and third flowers to bloom. Lots of other things are putting up new growth: the Phlox, Sedum, Coreopsis, Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle), Salvia, Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Echinacea and even my I-ordered-a-Multi-Blue-but-that's-not-what-I-got Huldine Clematis! I have not seen as many of the nearly 1000 bulbs I planted in the Fall as I expected, but there is still lots of time. I think I found one bunch of Allium coming up, but the other bunch a few feet away has not. And a few new Asiatic Lilies may be coming up in the South bed, but I can't remember where I planted all of them.

Garden Clean Up, part one...

2009-04-17T19:54:00.015-05:00

Since it is supposed to rain this weekend (finally), I figured I'd better get last season's Winter decorations cut down. I spent three hours cutting down Sedum, Coreopsis, tall Balloon Flower, Peony and grasses. I made it through about 2/3 of the areas that need tidying up. There's still a small area left in the main bed as well as bunch more Coreopsis, Sedum and Coneflower on the South side of the house. I should be able to get those done tomorrow before everything gets soaked (hopefully). The poor plants in the North bed tend to have to make due on their own. Although, I may go out and trim the old flower heads on the Hydrangea.

Before:

After:

I also removed six Ash saplings using the dig-and-cut method suggested by someone on GardenWeb.com:

[I said] Don't you find cutting the saplings just brings them back thicker later? I have one that is at the edge of one bed that I remember snipping with the pruners (just above ground) either early this year or sometime last and it now has TWO branches coming from the 1/2" (??) "stump". Darn!!!!

[garystpaul said] As far as the saplings are concerned, when I cut them a few inches below the soil line they don't for the most part return. But [if] I don't get them that way they do hang around and throw up a couple of new branches, yes (grrrr).

I hope I went far enough down... You can see the old, above the soil line cuts from earlier seasons that just sprouted new branches.

There are still another half-dozen saplings hiding out behind the Karl Foerster grass along the fence. And one old one growing smack in the middle of one of the Peonies. It was twice snipped above ground and now the "stump" has FOUR branches coming up! I have no idea how to get that one without really disturbing the Peony. I made end up letting the tree grow and leaf out this year and try to kill it with Round-Up. I love our giant Ash tree, but I do hate the it wants very badly to have babies.

The sad thing is, my poking around revealed my Ground Ivy problem is alive and well. Happily hiding below the protective layer of shredded leaves, its already winding its way between my other still dormant plants. I have Creeping Charlie in the lawn, with its pretty purple flowers, but the stuff in the garden beds has bigger leaves, can grow far beyond the suggested 2-3 inches high when it wants more light and I've never seen it flower. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it definitely looks like this picture here.

I actually don't mind the Ground Ivy, or whatever, but its the Soapwart, aka Bouncing Bet, that I am growing to hate. When we first moved into the house, I thought it was pretty nice with its little white flowers, but now its just tall and messy. It spreads like crazy via runners AND a million seeds. I was a bit excited today to see lots of little green sprouts in the South bed-- I thought they might be Euphorbia that was finally spreading, but as I looked more closely, I am pretty sure it is Bouncing Bet. Oh well. Maybe I can try to Round-Up the little sprouts while they are still the only thing above the leaf mulch.

On a happier note, I righted my first rain barrel and scoped out a location for the second one. I'll have to get the hack-saw out to get it in place and find the right combo of pavers to raise it up. I'll do that eventually. For now, the one barrel is enough. Bring on the rain!

Blooming continues in the brown

2009-04-15T16:09:00.008-05:00

Seeing splashes of color amidst all the brown of last season's dropped leaves is probably a pretty good metaphor for hope. I know that to keep a nice and neat garden, I should rake away all of last year's leaves. But my soil is in such need of organic material that I leave them. And I'm a bit on the lazy side. And I like how my ground looks more like the ground of a forest floor.

The squill is on its way to taking over my strawberry patch. But it's a very good companion. Its leaves are on their way out before the strawberries get very big.

The crocus were planted two years ago and are doing fine. I'm looking forward to them naturalizing the area. I'm not sure how quickly they will do this or if I'll need to divide them to help them along. The squill certainly needed no help.

A few years ago I purchased a potted weeping pussy willow for the house. I decided to give it a chance outside and it has done just fine, except for being chewed up by bunnies or ground hogs. This hear I got some hardware cloth around it and it seemed to be doing fine. I didn't see any pussy toes, however, until I pulled up on the stems. The blooms were all hiding under the fallen leaves. So maybe I should rake a bit next year.

I didn't expect to see the pulmonaria blooming already. But it was new for me last year. I'm certainly not going to complain.

Now where's my hepatica? At my former house, it was always the first to bloom--sometimes when there was still snow on the ground. Perhaps I just can't amend my heavy clay soil enough to make it happy.

The checkered lilies are about ready. And just for Karen, I'm posting a photo of my garden kitty.

First Bloom!

2009-04-14T21:00:00.005-05:00

My first bloom appeared today, a Dutch Iris! I posted more progress pictures on Flickr.

Crocus Alert (with added cat flavor)

2009-04-14T20:30:00.006-05:00

Remember the other day when I said my Eyeliner Lilies were coming up? I lied. Those were apparently the Crocus (?) above. This garden bed is chock full of random bulbs from multiple years. Can't wait to see what all is in there!
Chopper Cat, get out of the photo frame!
Chopper Cat, stop chewing on the freshly sprouting flowers!

Six days later...

2009-04-12T22:15:00.006-05:00

I posted a picture of the Crocus and Daffodils under the apple tree on Monday. Look how much they've grown in six days. I also noticed a couple of squill coming up in another area of the same bed. No sign of any of the 150 "perennial" tulips or 150 (new) daffodils I planted. Most of the daffodils are still hidden under several inches of leaf mulch. And I am assuming my tulips are slow in appearing as I planted them quite deep-- 10-12". I think next weekend I'll start thinning out the leaf mulch.

Garden Tasks for Today...

2009-04-12T21:51:00.005-05:00

Today I planted 36* little purple and purple/white Pansies in our front window boxes. I also put the top layer on Mom's second raised veggie bed and re-hung the rain gauge! Hum, no rain forecast until Friday.

*Karen would say I over-planted.

Early Spring Inventory

2009-04-12T13:57:00.008-05:00

Jacob's Ladder that I thought I had gotten rid of a few years ago. Xteen dug it up from my yard but apparently it really wanted to stay, and spread. I'm letting it "naturalize" in an area where it seems really happy...

Sedum I got for free from a co-worker...

Hmmm, my garden map does not show there are tulips in this location (!). I think these are Monsella Tulips, planted fall 2007...

Eyeliner Lilies (asiatic), planted fall 2008...

Garden Calendar for April

2009-04-06T22:56:00.003-05:00

From the UMN Extension Yard and Garden News:

... There is still time to start seeds of fast growing warm season flower and vegetable species indoors for outdoor transplanting after danger of frost. These plants include: cosmos, marigolds, tomatoes, and zinnias. Cold hardy annuals can be direct seeded in the garden during April and include: calendula, sweet peas, peas, and larkspur. Cold hardy annual transplants we have started ourselves or purchased from the garden center can also be planted and include vegetables like cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) and flowers like pansies, snapdragons, and stocks. ...

Always filled with interesting garden info, this month's Yard and Garden News also contains a story on Early Spring Lawn Care Tips, which seems to say it is still too early to be out cleaning up the lawn!

Hints of Spring...

2009-04-06T22:36:00.005-05:00

I took a little walk around the yard today and while most everything is still covered with leaf mulch, a couple of spots are clear and showing signs of Spring! (Updated with better pictures.)

Pasque Flowers coming up. They've been in flower as early as April 15th, but usually around mid-May.

Crocus and a couple of daffodils just starting to emerge.

In addition to these, I noticed one Peony with eyes showing!

First bloom!

2009-04-03T11:10:00.008-05:00

I love the couple of alpine plants I have, but apparently not enough to have saved their tags. I think this might be a Dionysia tapetodes. This is its second spring. It blooms well before anything else. It's right outside my back door.

I bought this plant at a whim. It was on sale in late summer and I felt flush with money. It had probably been 2-3 weeks since I had made my last plant purchase, so I was due.

The tulips planted by the former homeowner are coming up in front. This first photo shows the plants next to the skull of Kip, my niece's horse. (He died at their farm, was thrown into the compost, and after a couple of years I got his skull.

The next photo shows tulips coming up next to a random goat skull. My sister has dairy goats and composts their remains when they die. I really like bones and since I don't have access to interesting large rocks, I've used them in the garden.

North Star Lily Society Spring Lily Bulb Sale

2009-03-31T21:07:00.008-05:00

Saturday, April 11. "[The] spring sale brings a wonderful, fragrant and colorful collection of hard-to-find Oriental and Trumpet lilies. Add 'Aroma Therapy' to your summer evenings with the scent of these beautiful lilies. We also have a very nice collection of Asiatic, LA Hybrid and Orienpet lilies. We have happily acquired new varieties not seen before at our sales. We will have two very special Minnesota Hybrids: Hugh and Ruth Cocker's 'Sweet Surrender' and Louise Koehler's 'Hiawatha.' Add a bit of MN lilium history by adding one of these beautiful lilies to your garden. We also have a great selection of 'Pixie'-sized lilies. These gorgeous little lilies may be planted at the front of your garden's border, or will grow well in pots on patios and decks." Bulb Sale List

I have nowhere to actually plant anymore bulbs, but... I'd like the L. 'Dimension', L. 'Montezuma' and maybe the L. 'Rio Negro'.

I am really waiting for the Fall sale to get a few of the beautiful Asiatic lily, Desert Storm. The grower, Tim Zimmerman, says he will save me some before the sale!

Tomatoes and Peppers and Cukes, Oh My!

2009-03-30T19:57:00.006-05:00

I took a half-day off work and for fun I ventured all the way out to Gerten's. By "all the way out", I mean drove about 12 miles to Inver Grove Heights.

I had no idea Bachman's had any competition in the sprawling-garden-center department but I think Gerten's has 'em beat!

Seeds purchased include...

Vegetables

Black Beauty Squash
New England Pie Pumpkin
Spacemaster Cucumber
Sugar Snap Pea
Super Sweet 100 Tomato
Sweet Red Pepper
Tendergreen Improved Bean

Herbs

Chives
French Rosemary
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Mammoth Dill
Sweet Italian Basil

Garden History: 2008

2009-03-28T01:03:00.002-05:00

A photo chronicle of our garden from 2008. The garden was redone in Summer 2005. This Summer will be the third year. This past Fall I tucked nearly 1000 bulbs in around the various beds. The one shown below got white and yellow dafodils and Blazing Star Liatris.

Garden History: 2007

2009-03-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

An archive of my old Splashblog site. The garden pages.

Boulevard, Phase 2

2009-03-26T21:21:00.003-05:00

I've talked about putting in a boulevard garden for years. Last year the project actually got started... as evidenced in the top right of the above photo. It doesn't look like much but that's because it's still winter.

Phase 2 of the boulevard garden will begin promptly in June—with the killing of the grass shown in the above photo. I know it looks dead already but that's because it's still winter.

It's still winter.

Friends School Plant Sale

2009-03-25T07:32:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been to the Friends School Plant Sale? They just announced their 2009 catalog online.

I plan to go for the first time this year... with a strict budget.

Expecting...

2009-03-24T23:38:00.003-05:00

I planted nearly 1000 bulbs last Fall-- the last of which required the assistance of hot water to allow digging through an inch of early December frost. Assuming the bunnies don't eat them all, there should be quite a show in the coming weeks.

The Best Plants For 30 Tough Sites

2009-03-24T23:24:00.001-05:00

From UMN Extension Office: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG8464.html

This bulletin is written in celebration of 30 years of Master Gardener teaching in Minnesota. Here are the BEST plants for 30 tough garden sites: dry shade, slopes, lakeshores, all locations that call for tough, durable plants. Also included are hard-to-find plant lists of special traits and useful characteristics: self-seeding, fragrance, long-blooming, minimal litter trees. And who better to recommend these plants than the University of Minnesota Extension Service Master Gardeners? Drawing on their 30 years of teaching and experience, Master Gardeners list here their selections for these tough sites.

Winter sowing

2009-03-23T16:52:00.007-05:00

Elleni, Kare11, and Northern Gardener inspired me to try some winter sowing—an easy and economical way to start some hardy perennials from seed.

If all turns out well, these mini-greenhouses will hold multiple Pasque flower plants (courtesy of Elleni). The hardest part of this project was punching holes in the bottom of the plastic juice bottles.

My neighbor probably thinks this is trash in my yard.

Garden clean-up

2009-03-22T20:32:00.004-05:00

So the pictures from Casa Double will be coming soon as the yard is a mess. Why is it when the snow melts, a month of work is revealed? Every year I am surprised by the magic of the meal, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. This year the plan is to make a privacy fence that is attractive and out of cheap materials and greenery to make a chain link fence attractive. Quite the challenge but we are ready and up to the challenge. Bring it on Spring!

This is NOT something growing

2009-03-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

From a distance this green caught my eye. Upon closer inspection I realized it was NOT something wonderful sprouting up through the mulch. Alas, it was a green glitter ball cat toy that Asteroid barfed up in my shade garden. Nice.

First weeding of the year

2009-03-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

I got all excited seeing the little heads of daffodils leaves poking up in the front garden. But what was that patch of green there and over there? The creeping charlie and some sort of mullein were already bright green and had new leaves. I yanked those suckers right up.

On the brighter side, I also saw my first bluebird of the year today.