Garden Delights

My mother gave me these Irises 2 years ago. I moved them again last year which is why you haven't seen them bloom in my garden yet. This year they are hearty and thick. I can't wait to see them.


Wild Indigo - This is a new plant that joined the garden family last year. It's so deep violet-blue that we're excited to see what the blooms look like.


Lilies of the Valley


Forget-Me-Nots

Before & After

It's been cloudy and drizzling the last few days which is a great opportunity to weed. The rain has been really good to the plants too. We also decided to mulch today which will keep the weeds away and retain moisture. As much as I dislike mulch, I found it really difficult to keep up with all the weeding last summer.

I'm a sucker for before and after pictures, so here are some:


Last Year: Bought the boxwoods at the end of the season last fall for $3! I transplanted some lamb's ear and extended the "curved" garden area.


Today: The boxwoods have new growth and I realize the one on the far right is a different type of boxwood from the others. The pink Peony and Siberian Irises will eventually tower over the bird fountain. Since I transplanted them last year, it's likely they won't come up strong until next year. The bird fountain was a wedding gift from our Best Man. The autumn joy is another transplant which will add color to the garden when everything else is finished it's bloom.


2 1/2 Weeks ago:




After: I pulled the Firecracker plant back because it's very invasive and was swallowing up some other flowers. I may have to pull it back every year or move it completely to somewhere in the back of the yard. The Kansas peony is my favorite in a deep fuschia color. It's very tall this year! The white lilies were also a gift and have multiplied a great deal.


2 1/2 Weeks ago:


After: The line I drew is that I need to extend the garden bed some more. I divided the daylilies and autumn joy and spread them around.

April Showers Bring ...April Flowers?

Candy tuft (perennial, low ground cover)
It's no wonder that this plant sold like hot cakes. Last year I was only able to get my hands on one of these and a woman came along and grabbed ALL of them out of the nursery! It came in one little quart and has multiplied about 4-6 times it's original size this spring.


Lilacs: Just about my favorite and most fragrant flower out there. It's a shame that they don't last very long.


The lilac bush is huge now. You're not supposed to prune lilacs, but I may need to even out the branches because there is so much weight on one side. Plus, I think it will grow in thicker if I trim them back. I may not have any blooms next year though.


Crabapple blossom


Weeping Cherry Blossom Tree: This was our newest addition last year. It's gotten much more hearty this year. The blooms don't last long either, but it's beautiful when it does bloom.

Before Photos

I took some "before" photos of the garden as it is right now. Later this summer, we'll revisit these photos and see how the garden has grown.

This area is going to look the best based on last year's plantings. I don't need to do much else. Starting from the back: Rose bush, tulips, irises, peonies, arugula, cherry blossom (in the container), autumn joy (sedum), and around the dogwood tree is tulips, lamb's ear, candy tuft (white), and yellow day lilies.


This area has really filled in nicely. Once I have seen how things bloom this summer, I'll shape things up in the fall. I still feel like this area needs more "styling". I was able to thin some plants and spread them around. I am so tired of the chain link fence that I'm going to put up some rolled bamboo this summer.


Since we put in the sprinkler system, everything back here has doubled in size. I shaped the area here nicely except for my plot for the veggie garden. Starting this weekend, I'm going to expand this area and make it some curves. Then I'm thinking of planting a tree and other plants to camouflage the veggie garden.

Patience is a Virtue

Last year, I laid the ground work for my perennial flower garden and was feeling a little down about the way the flower garden looked - plants were small, floppy (from moving/dividing them) and there was no "style". The pictures in BHG haunted me - why can't my garden look like that?!

This spring proved it was worth the wait! The irises are tall and hearty. The roses are tall and bushy. The autumn joy, lamb's ear, candy tuft, and lilies have multiplied 3x their previous size. Even my $2.99 Clematis from Walmart has come back (it died last year). There is so much to go around that I have been dividing them up and planting them in new places in the yard. It's still early enough (in my zone) that dividing and replanting won't prevent this summer's bloom. I found that the key to dividing now is to keep the soil around the roots intact.



Now that I have enough plants to go around, I'm replanting the roses, irises and autumn joy to create some symmetry in the garden bed. I'm massing in color to create a bolder statement especially from afar. Also, I'm planning ahead and thinking about how I can plant things so that there is something blooming throughout the summer.

April is almost over

I can't believe it's the end of April already! I have been diligently working on the house and garden, so I haven't had time to update here. I have lots to share from out trip to Italy. I was so amazed by the container gardening there. I'm trying to catch up in the garden, so here's a quick update:

• cleaned debris
• weeded
• thinned out irises, coral bells, lilies, hostas, autumn joy
• planted tons of peas outdoors
• planted english cucumbers and lemon cucumbers
• planted yellow squash
• still tending to my seedlings
• expanded the garden area
• set up stakes and trellises