gardendude's Blog
gardendude's Blog
new additions & update
Apr 23, 2008 | 8:51 PM PST
I had some more free time the other day....so naturally I went over to the nursery and bought some plants to fill in the last of the bare spots in the garden. Came home with coral bells (the green type) and one of the new Encore azaleas, Autumn Sangria. Can't wait to see them both grow and bloom! Also added a columbine, Black Beauty. We had two days of a good soaking rain, and I was amazed to see just how quickly all the plants responded to it. Most of them grew at least another few inches it seems. The foxglove, blanket flower, and gerbera daisies are all getting ready to open their flowers! I looked at the butterfly bush and I can see the new fleshy stems growing off the wood from last spring, should be much more upright this time around, with the way I pruned it. While I was out there, I also pruned back the long, winding and arching branches on the forsythia, to hopefully make it bushier and less lanky. And I found a pleasant surprise....the clematis my mom planted a few years ago behind the Rhododendron is really taking off and climbing up the trellis at a good pace. The last few years it really struggled and nearly died, despite weekly waterings. But for whatever reason, it's healthy and thriving back there. Lastly, the lettuce is coming along nicely. We planted three lettuce seedlings in a long narrow container, and after the rain and damp conditions we had recently, they definitely got bigger and are growing leaves like crazy. Next thing I need to do is to clear out weeds from the pathway, put in some stepping stones and those "stepables" groundcovers, and throw on a new layer of mulch on the "horseshoe" bed.
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Apr 23, 2008 | 8:51 PM PST
I had some more free time the other day....so naturally I went over to the nursery and bought some plants to fill in the last of the bare spots in the garden. Came home with coral bells (the green type) and one of the new Encore azaleas, Autumn Sangria. Can't wait to see them both grow and bloom! Also added a columbine, Black Beauty. We had two days of a good soaking rain, and I was amazed to see just how quickly all the plants responded to it. Most of them grew at least another few inches it seems. The foxglove, blanket flower, and gerbera daisies are all getting ready to open their flowers! I looked at the butterfly bush and I can see the new fleshy stems growing off the wood from last spring, should be much more upright this time around, with the way I pruned it. While I was out there, I also pruned back the long, winding and arching branches on the forsythia, to hopefully make it bushier and less lanky. And I found a pleasant surprise....the clematis my mom planted a few years ago behind the Rhododendron is really taking off and climbing up the trellis at a good pace. The last few years it really struggled and nearly died, despite weekly waterings. But for whatever reason, it's healthy and thriving back there. Lastly, the lettuce is coming along nicely. We planted three lettuce seedlings in a long narrow container, and after the rain and damp conditions we had recently, they definitely got bigger and are growing leaves like crazy. Next thing I need to do is to clear out weeds from the pathway, put in some stepping stones and those "stepables" groundcovers, and throw on a new layer of mulch on the "horseshoe" bed.
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Apr 24, 2008 | 2:53 AM PST
You sure were busy. Rain, not just water, really does make the plants jump, doesn't it? I wish that I had some. |
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Apr 24, 2008 | 4:53 PM PST
I love walking the gardens after a good rain--the plants seem so alive! Nothing like a good soaking from above. It amazes me every year at this time to go about and see the many varieties of plants in different stages of bloom--how surprised I am to see the Bleeding Hearts thriving even though I have watched this for the past 15 years--same time and same place every year! My Cleamtis is always an expected crowd pleaser--but I must admit it was also hard to get rooted--I had about 3-4 years that it looked kinda iffy, but it is rewarding me now. It sounds like you have an english cottage garden--such a variety. Congratulations on that Clematis ;) Jo |
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