Spring Cleaning 2014

The house is not the only thing that gets a thorough cleaning each Spring.  The garden is much more labor intensive when it comes to Spring cleaning.

It can be pretty nasty work but it's worth it when you also have these coming up.  These little snowbells are one of my favorite bulbs.

These little Tete a Tete miniature daffodils are only about 1-1/2" across.

Here's the ugly in the garden right now.  This huge Lambs Ear really took a hit with the frigid winter we had but it's greening up.  It's in desperate need of cleaning out.

After pulling out alot of the brownish grey dead leaves you can see the pale yellow of the new growth. It will get nice and green now that the sunlight can get to it.

The pink sedum is coming back nicely.  The only cleaning up required here was snipping off the lead stalks.

With the extra daylight I have now I can do a little each evening when I get home from work.

Weekly Stroll

The garden is beginning to come alive with some color.  Here's what was going on in the garden this week.

Firecracker Plant - this will have red bell-shaped flowers that the hummingbirds love

The Silver Leaf Dwarf elephant ear is peeking through; I see that it is spreading this year, which is what I want it to do

As is Black Magic

the gladiolas came back this year

A canna getting ready to pop open

Lantana

Red Yucca - the hummers love these too

Salvia came back.  I have a white one as well that I transplanted to a different spot

The Amaryllis was especially beautiful this year - a friend at work gave this to me for Christmas 3 years ago.

Yarrow

Spring Cleaning 2013

It's been a busy March and April for me and I haven't spent the time I need to in the yard.  I have been( able to get out and do some cleaning, trimming and planting in the front bed. 

Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantine) is not a baaaaad plant to have in the garden.  OK, that's pretty corny, sorry.  I love the thick, velvety leaves.  During a trip to Virginia one year Lovey and I toured the homestead of James Monroe, Ash Lawn-Highland.  It's not far from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and is a much, much more modest farm.  The  most interesting thing I recall from that visit was their colonial herb garden.  They grew a large variety of herbs that had medicinal purposes.  They used the leaves of Lamb's Ear as a band aid, to stop the flow of blood on cuts.

I cut back the purple fountain grasses (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum').  There is debate whether or not this will come back.  Most of what I read is that it is an annual but in warmer climates it comes back like a perennial.  If I don't see new growth by the time the weather decides to stay in the 80's I'll have to buy more.

The zebra grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is coming back after its little trim.

Behind these whispy volunteers of Mexican Feather grass (Nassella tenuissima) are the plants from whence they came.  I cut the older ones back then dug these two up and planted them at the back of the driveway.  There are actually tons of these new plants throughout the garden and I'll transplant those as well when they grow to a certain size.

The muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) received a trim as well.

 The Threadleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum ) is returning to its pretty little self.

My two Red Yuccas (Hesperaloe parviflora) are donning their flower spikes for the first time.  I bought these as very young plants at a plant sale so it has taken them a couple of years to flower.

Finally, an update on the Finch family.  5 eggs seems to be the final number in the clutch.  Momma is sitting on the nest.  I checked the nest yesterday evening and none have hatched yet.