Unsurprisingly, there is much good news as April approaches, and it’s about time. Temperatures are rising, and it seems there’s a real chance that spring is not just visiting, but here to stay. The off and on cold mixed with mild weather in recent weeks is not unusual, but it’s hardly enough to satisfy the…
Month: March 2015
Planting in March
A hazard of planting hellebores in March is that much of the surrounding garden remains dormant. It seems obvious that new hellebores must be planted where they can best be enjoyed when they are flowering in late winter, and this means planting along the driveway and the front walk where the garden is already quite…
Adding hellebores
Fourteen hellebore cultivars await planting on the driveway, twenty five plants total at last count, though additions are likely. There seems no end to my collecting of marvelous varieties, which is madness, I suppose, as my wife has pointed out frequently in recent days. Already, there are dozens in the garden, and more seedlings than…
A few Winter aconites remain
As is too often the case, a few years ago I planted too few Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis, below) for them to make a proper show. The bulbs could not have been too costly, but for whatever reason I purchased only a dozen or two when I should have planted no less than a hundred…
A productive clean up day
A remarkable amount of clean up can be accomplished in a short while if the gardener is unconcerned with tidiness. And I’m not, or at least I wasn’t on the recent Sunday when I made tremendous progress cutting back perennials and semi woody shrubs. The garden began the day as a disaster, and by day’s…
Snowdrops …. again
This garden is situated between foothills that soon rise to become the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Long ago I witnessed the effect of frost and freeze settling into this low point when snow lingered for days or weeks after it had disappeared from neighboring properties. Melting snow is further delayed by a…
A fit of enthusiasm
In a fit of enthusiasm (or desperation) through one of the darkest, coldest parts of winter, I ordered more than I should have from several online plant vendors. I am certain that these will be fine plants, and no doubt I will find a home for them all, but at the moment I haven’t a…
The ice is melting
Finally, ice on the large koi pond is receding. The pond’s pump was left running through the winter, so there has been at least a spot of open water, which has varied in size through the winter’s temperature fluctuations. Through the coldest parts of winter the pond was almost entirely frozen, with a hole only…
Winter casualties
A section of the stone wall that supports the lower end of the koi pond has collapsed, so its repair must be one of the first tasks undertaken once the snow melts and temperatures are more suitable for outdoor work. In recent years I noticed a slight lean to the wall, and now it has…
Close only counts in horseshoes
Despite optimistic predictions otherwise, spring failed to arrive this week. Perhaps next week, but today it seems a long way off. Indeed, earlier in the week the foot deep snow melted by half so that a few hellebores barely emerged from beneath the covering. But, here is another storm that buries blooms that would open…
Edible?
Numerous plants that are included on lists of edibles seem hardly worth the effort. Sure, I enjoy peaches and apples, but is it reasonable to put forth the considerable effort to attempt to grow my own? In fact, I have grown a dwarf peach (below) for two decades with marvelous pink blooms and attractive foliage….
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 