Another One Bites the Dust

All it takes is some tropical weather and a little rain (0.75" this time) to finish off the peonies.



But as for the climbing roses, everyday and in every way...



...they are getting better and better.



It probably won't be a banner year, but I'll take what I can get.

Meanwhile, the yucca is asserting itself, despite the close quarters with the asplenifolia and sandcherry.



I think the white yucca blossoms will look stunning next to the purple sandcherry.

Which reminds me, I need to do something about the shasta daisy that pooped out. It was planted amongst some red bee balm on the east side of the house. The two bloom at the same time, producing quite the spectacle. But not this year. I'm wondering if my attempts to keep the soil acid beneath the nearby rhododendron is the cause of the daisy demise.

I Was Right

The mystery plant is keys of heaven. I planted three of them several years ago, and two were hiding in the spreading bee balm. The third is looking wilted, and I have no idea why. The 1.25" of rain Friday night didn't help.

I moved most of the bee balm today. Three little plants that had turned into three large clumps are now a dozen small clumps along the fence. I left a little bee balm around the keys of heaven, just in case that is why the rabbits haven't eaten it (yet).

Yesterday I started listing all the plants/shrubs/trees I have in my yard (see sidebar) and realized just how much I have planted over the years that has not survived. The rabbits do a fair share of damage, but sometimes things just don't make it through the winter around here. Dry summers and too much shade may be factors as well.

There is an incredible bird racket this afternoon. Some fledgling starlings are learning to fly. Yesterday a litter of young squirrels were playing follow the leader in the front yard - six of them! And last night, ducks were roosting on the house.



We came back from walking the dog and there were ducks on my roof!



And I think I forgot to mention that a week or two ago, I spotted a woodchuck scurrying into the culvert under a neighbor's driveway. I'm glad some of the creatures of the wild can coexist with us two-leggeds.

Besides moving bee balm, yesterday I moved the chives, after clearing out the bed formerly known as the strawberry pyramid.



I'm not sure why, but after several successful years, the strawberries disappeared. Probably a severe winter and lack of diligence on my part (I forgot to cover them with straw.)



Strawberry pyramids are okay, but I decided to try using this area for herbs instead. Besides the chives, in one quadrant I planted some cilantro, parsley, and sweet basil from seed. If they sprout, I'll make successive plantings in the other three-fourths.



I hope rhubarb likes chives and herbs.

The honeysuckle vines are putting out the welcome mat for hummingbirds, but I haven't seen any yet.



I don't know why the yellow is so much more robust than the yellow. Might be a shade thing, but both of them will get plenty of sun this year.

Traveling around the yard, we see that it is almost showtime for the climbing rose...



... while it looks like curtains for these peonies...



... but not this one, a later variety.



And - surprise! - Betty Corning is blooming.



I planted two of these clematis two years ago, and have been disappointed with their performance. But I think they are going to make up for it this year. Both plants are tall and bushy. Like they say, first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap!

Just So I Will Know Next Year

When most perennials and shrubs are bursting with life in the spring, there are always a worrisome few that are late to get started. I'm not talking about late bloomers. I'm talking late-to-show-any-signs-of-life-after-a-long-cold-winter. So here is proof that some of those ten o'clock flowers are still alive.

It is difficult to see in this shot, but the hibiscus survived.



It's surrounded by the Queen Anne's lace I let into the garden last year. (Big mistake.)

And the trumpet vine.



I planted this four years ago and it has yet to bloom. I think it doesn't get enough sun, but now that the silver maples are gone, maybe that will change.

In the foreground is the Rose of Sharon.



A neighbor a couple of blocks away has a larger specimen, and it is just as late as mine.

Now, onto the current bloomers.

Not a good shot, but this is thyme that is planted in the pot with a miniature apple tree.



It is just starting to bloom. We moved the apple trees to the north side of the backyard, so that they will be close to the other potted plants, just to make watering easier.

This is not a good shot, either, but it is yarrow that is starting to bloom.



I hope its neighboring bee balm holds off until I can get it moved. Tonight I pulled "weeds" where I want the bee balm to go, so maybe tomorrow I will move it. I read that bee balm is relatively shade tolerant, so it is going next to the fence and hopefully will block some of the invading catnip and nettles.

I have two peonies of one variety and one of another, so while the former are past their glory, the latter is just coming on.



This one is also more white than pink.

Some blossoms are easy to miss. These are on my asplenifolia.



They will turn into little orange berries that the sparrows love.

And the burning bush blooms as well.



I can't recall if there is resulting fruit. Probably. Mother Nature would not waste a perfectly good flower, would she?

Well, maybe she would, if it is true that the white onondaga blooms are sterile.



These photos show better the different stages of the blooms, from closed red to open pink to white border.



This is the best year ever for the onandago.

And for the "Blue Muffin" arrowwood viburnum as well.



This will be the first year I will get to see the blue muffin effect that earns this shrub its name. (Knock on wood!)

Now, what is this nestled amongst the bee balm?



Might be Keys of Heaven. I planted some but I don't think I have ever seen it bloom. I'll have to try not to disturb it when I move the bee balm.

And the columbine is still with us.



Tonight the weather is threatening. We really need a good soaking rain. Maybe if I wash my car....

A New Love

My yard now has two trees. This is my new laceleaf Japanese maple. It is not the smallest size available, but almost. Anything bigger froze my plastic-wielding hand. Trees are expensive!



My dad clued me in on how to successfully grow these: water. Lots and lots of water. He leaves his hose dripping on his 24/7. I'm not going to go that far, but I will definitely put it on a daily watering schedule.

I have not had much luck with coreopsis on the east side of the house, but that doesn't mean I can't try again.



This is 'Jethro Tull" which I believe is supposed to be more winter hardy. It too went into the ground today.

I also moved some bee balm this afternoon. (My lower back is not happy.) The bee balm grew so tall last year that it blocked my view of the pestemon, but I did not move all of it. For one thing, I want to see if it survives my clumsy relocation efforts. For another, the new site may be too shady.

While poking about in the back garden, I realized the English bluebells had appeared.



They are easy to miss, especially since I made the mistake of letting Queen Anne's lace get established back there.

The north side of the house is Hosta City.



These guys all love their compost.



This particular bed is becoming full: hostas (with two flowering times), coral bells, bleeding heart, spring phlox, leftover iris that I keep promising to move, volunteer violets, a few struggling lily of the valley.

The south side is all pink and white right now, with white iris and pink peony.



The climbing rose is getting ready to add a little red to the mix.



This poor plant looks half-dead half the time, but when it blooms, it is gorgeous. Hope this is one of the gorgeous years.

I also mowed front and back, even though (once again) it was not really necessary. My neighbors had both mowed, though, which made my lawn look like the scraggly one. Tomorrow we may get thunderstorms. I hope so - we need the rain.

I (heart) Compost

Earlier this spring, I spread a little love around my yard in the form of compost. The shrubs and perenniels are responding favorably. Compost is such a gentle but potent way to feed the soil which feeds the plants.

Another photo of the onondaga viburnum...



... which doesn't do justice to the contrasting colors of the unopened buds and the creamy flowers.

The chives are almost the same shade of lavendar...



... as the spring phlox that reappear in my yard each year.



There are a lot of mushrooms as well.



I presume the spores piggy back on the mulch.



And I presume these are not edible.

The cotoneaster is recovering from the whacking I gave it earlier this spring.



It is just starting to bloom, as are the columbine...



... and the peony.



The iris is in full swing.



No, this is not poison ivy, but virginia creeper. It got a foothold several years ago and I just let it go, to see what would happen.



Unfortunately, what is going to happen is that it will get whacked when the Florida room is replaced. Not to worry, though, as there is more growing in the back garden.