April is busting out all over

This has been a great spring for early blooming shrubs and trees (with a few exceptions like forsythia and magnolias). I confess the redbuds are my favorite anyway. So pink!

And it is not just in my yard but it's everywhere, even along the edges of woodlands. Which brings up a question I have: ornamental pears have proven to be invasive, which is bad of course, but no one complains about volunteer redbuds, perhaps because they are native?

My fruit trees are not that old, but are making a great effort this year. Top photo is apple blossoms, bottom is cherry.

The serviceberry is already past its prime, but the sand cherry out front surprised me this morning. I hope the neighbor across the street comments on it so I can remind him that there used to be two in his yard. I missed them, so I planted my own.

My experiment of tulips in containers has not been very successful, or at least not what I envisioned. The bulbs were free, and maybe the species is not the best for container growing. Or maybe it was the weather or something about my technique. The colors are gorgeous, but the stems are short. It looks like many will not bloom at all. I can't even blame this failure on rabbits.

I have to admit I am not taken with the fact these particular tulips will not bloom again. For all the effort involved with fall bulbs, I would rather plant something that comes back year after year. I wonder how perennial tulips would perform in containers?

More time for fun

For over 20 years, I've pooh-poohed the need for a riding lawn mower, primarily because mowing was part of my exercise protocol. The past couple of years, though, it seemed like too much effort for too little return. Last summer my son did all the mowing, but he is not available this year. So I bit the bullet and purchased a Toro 'Timecutter'.

Given all the stuff I need to mow around, I opted for a zero turn mower. It's a little tricky to learn to maneuver, but I anticipate it will suit my needs. I still use the Personal Pace Toro for narrow margins and the string trimmer for up-close-and-personal work, but this 32" beast will greatly reduce the time spent on lawn care, which means more time for actual gardening.

I have three redbud trees, all the same type, all from the same source, all planted in the backyard at the same time, yet they each perform a little differently. Two are close to the house, one near the back fence. This one at the southwest corner of the TV room has the densest and the most intense blooms this year. The other two are pretty but do not have the visual impact of this over-achiever. I don't think of my yard as having micro-climates; apparently I am wrong.

The serviceberry has never achieved its full potential, thanks to rabbits that girdled it its first winter here. It looks more shrubby than treelike. As long as there is not a heavy frost, it blooms nicely. The robins strip the berries before I even notice them, which is okay. The cherry and apple trees are blooming too, although scantily. If I pay attention, I may get to the cherries before the birds.

The weather this spring is predictably unpredictable, with an unusual number of rainbows accompanying the April showers. I have yet to spot a pot of gold.

First customer of the year

I took a little drive to Spencerville a couple of weeks ago, to pick up some shrubs from Riverview Native Nursery. With the erratic weather, part of me wanted to GET GOING, while the saner part of my brain reminded me it was not even April yet. But by purchasing these shrubs early, I got the pick of the crop (so to speak).

It's impossible to tell from the photo that I have a smooth hydrangea, a chokeberry, and a spicebush.

Last summer I whacked away at the forsythia, cutting two to the ground, leaving one for early spring yellow. I assumed the scanty blossoming was due to the severe pruning, but as I drive around town, no one's forsythia looks good this year. I blame the weather.

Daffodils rarely fail, although they may flop a bit. The blooming rate is random, too, instead of the usual steady march through the varieties.

Gardening rarely lacks surprises, but I feel like I can't count on anything anymore.

Bed by bed

Anne Lamott wrote a book called Bird by Bird. It's mostly about writing, but maxims for writers can apply to gardeners as well. The title reflects how to attack a large project: bit by bit.

Native sampler

My yard is rather large, which I consider a good thing, but sometimes the sheer amount of work to keep it up overwhelms me. Despite my attempts to make things easier, they seem to get more complicated. But if I can take things one bed at a time, I shall prevail.

Native sampler getting fenced in

For several years I've contemplated adding another structure to the yard, leaning toward a screened-in gazebo. The new fence provides so much privacy now, that idea has evaporated. But my g'daughter has been trying to build a clubhouse of sorts in the bushes. This inexpensive resin shed should serve that purpose, plus give me some place to store lawn furniture in the winter.

Resin shed

The brand/model is Keter Manor (purchased at Menards), size 4'x6'. And it is a BEAR to assemble. It takes two people, and it is especially helpful if one of them is tallish with a certain amount of upper body strength. And power tools. My SO did most of the actual labor while I supervised/assisted. Be prepared to argue over discuss the instructions.

The garden proper evolves, and will continue to do so in the near and distant future. We removed the movable fence, then reduced the footprint by doubling the height of the raised beds and shoving them closer together. I have a reminder on my calendar to take photos from these five perspectives throughout the growing season, so we can track further changes.

Looking SW

Looking NW

Looking NE

Looking SE

Orchard - looking SW

Today it is rainy, so I'm glad I soldiered on yesterday. Not much is blooming - a few daffodils, even fewer crocus, the forsythia. Many buds look ready to burst on the early-blooming shrubs. Hope a frost does not ruin the show.

Wait! Wait!

This is the first time I have tried planting tulips in containers. I kept them in the garage, watered them sporadically, and all seemed well. BUT with the mild weather we have had UNTIL NOW, the tulips made an unreasonably early appearance. So I dragged the pots outside, in hopes that the wildly fluctuating temps would cool the tulips' enthusiasm. And I think it's working.

New growth seems to have halted... for now.

Now that my interest in big pots has been stoked, I'm contemplating removing the boxwood in front of the picture window and placing one of the pots there in its stead. Once the tulips start to fade, I can replace them with some summery annuals and let the creeping phlox have its way with that area. The mugu pine that is crowded behind the boxwood would probably appreciate more room, too.

I think one of the hardest gardening lessons for me to learn has been that it's okay to remove something that no longer works, no matter its size or health. The first thing to go were the silver maples in the backyard. I was sad to lose the shade but relieved to be rid of red buds and whirlybirds in the air conditioner, leaves in the gutters, and branches scraping the roof of the Florida room (which is also gone). Change is good, or can be. If I wanted a static yard, I would just grow grass.

Spending my children's inheritance

Oh, my goodness, where do I begin? I've started ordering plants and seeds for the coming season. In at least one case, the shipping charges exceed the amount of the order. After a lifetime of scrimping and saving for retirement, I want what I want and I'm going to get what I want.

The vegetable garden is basically all planned out, and it's not going to have many vegetables. Instead, I am going to cross over to growing plants for dyeing fiber. There will still be asparagus, strawberries, and raspberries, plus pole beans, zukes and cukes, and broccoli (which I've discovered is rather long-seasoned as one can enjoy side shoots for many weeks after the main head is harvested). I expect to have some tomatoes and peppers and herbs in pots. But otherwise, it will be dye plants.

Most dye plants that will grow around here yield primarily greens and yellows, not my favorite colors for fiber. But with certain mordants and after dye baths, one can obtain a variety of other colors from the following plants: dahlia ('Black Satin'), hibiscus (Hibiscus Moscheutos 'Luna Red'), hollyhock (Alcea rosea), madder (Rubia tinctorum), yellow cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus), dyer's coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria), dyer's knotweed (Polygonum tinctorium). Of all of these, I have grown only hollyhocks and hibiscus; the rest will be new to me.

Other dyes may be obtained from plants and trees I already grow: marigolds, apple trees (bark), cherry trees (bark), elm (bark), goldenrod, rhubarb (also a mordant), daffodils, Queen Anne's lace (I don't grow this on purpose), yarrow, even dead tomato plants. Once I exhaust myself sampling all these, I may just go back to vegetables!

In the non-vegetable, non-fruit, non-dyeing realm, I'm going to concentrate on adding more trees and shrubs to the rest of the landscape, Specific shrubs are black chokeberry (to replace the one that died from rabbit girdling), smooth hydrangea, coralberry, and spicebush. I can purchase all these from a local grower, Riverview Native Plant Nursery. For trees, I want a Prairie Fire crabapple for the backyard and a 'Perfect Purple' crabapple for the front.

And to make everything look pretty, I'm considering a power edger of some sort.

What are your plans for the coming season?

It's just WRONG!

I spotted the first of the daffodil sprouts BEFORE Valentine's Day. This is unheard of, as are tee shirts in February unless one lives much further south. It's discombobulating.

Not only has it been warm, it has been dry. Yesterday my SO helped dismantle the fencing around the vegetable garden. I anticipate fewer varmint problems this summer because 1) I am growing fewer vegetables, and 2) the helpful gardening dog loves to chase rabbits and squirrels and chipmunks and cats and presumably woodchucks as well.

Today I whacked at the 'Limelight' hydrangea. Depending on the source, one is supposed to A) just remove the dead blossoms and/or B) do some light shaping and/or C) cut it back by two-thirds. I have done A and B in the past, thought I would try C this year.

Helpful gardening dog

It's been almost two years since Betsy Beagle went to doggie heaven. After a hiatus from dog ownership, I decided it was time for a new pooch. Since moving to Fort Wayne 24 (!!!) years ago, I've relied on Animal Care and Control as my source for canines. First came Charlie, a basset mix, then Betsy, and now Watson, my constant companion.

They classified him as an English pointer mix, with the "mix" being beagle. He's 2 years old and tips the scales at 28 pounds. And he is one bundle of energy, which is a good thing. It is very easy for me to talk myself out of taking a walk. Now I feel compelled to make two circuits a day around the nabe with Watson.

He hates being left behind, likes riding in the car, and loves racing around the backyard. He barks but isn't yappy. Someone gave him some training - when the treats come out, he sits and comes, and in the backyard responds to a whistle - but he needs to learn better to walk on a leash and to leave the squirrels alone.

Watson has a great personality, is friendly and not aggressive at all, but the cats are not amused. Finn is smart enough not to run, but Beau either flees at rocket speed or puffs up every hair on his body, including the ones between his ears, giving him an electrified look. Watson whines and yips and wants to give chase. Someday they will all learn to get along. Right?

It's going to be HUUGE!

If you are a garden blogger, you might consider going to the Garden Bloggers Fling. This year's fling is in the Washington, D.C. area, June 22-25. Not only do you get to see a wide variety of public and private gardens, there is lots of swag plus the opportunity to win stuff.

To qualify, you need to be a semi-active blogger and most of your blog needs to involve gardening of some sort. The garden bloggers I met last year ranged from gardening experts to a few bloggers like me. The one common denominator is they all love gardens. They are also a friendly bunch, eager to share their knowledge and experience if you but ask. This year's tour includes a winery visit and a dessert bar. Neither appeal to me, but then I am old and ascetic.

I'm wavering over whether to attend this fling as I have something else going on the week before. I haven't been to DC since the 1971 May Day protest against the Vietnam War. At the time, I was not yet a gardener but even had I been, gardening was not the point then.

But YOU could go! And share your pix. And if I can't attend, I can be there vicariously through YOU!

Winter clean up

With our weird weather, there were some tasks I usually accomplish in the fall that I just now completed - cutting back the clematis and asparagus. It took a polar vortex to push those plants to complete dormancy. While I was at it, I also cut back the ornamental grasses, as they had been smooshed by heavy snow that was topped with an icing of freezing rain. While I was in the vicinity, I also whacked the 'Autumn Joy' sedum.

I never did get the azalea wrapped in burlap, but apparently the snow protected it from the bitter cold, as it looks pretty good. Fingers crossed. Similarly, the lawn was protected and is rather green. At least the grass is not actively growing.

The ground is not frozen, either. Of course, we still have a couple months of winter to face. Hopefully, it won't be a nuclear winter.

Just in the nick of time

Today it is snowing. Depending on which weather forecast one listens to, we are expecting 4"-8" inches OR it is the end of civilization as we know it. At any rate, it is a good day to stay inside close to one's computer.

Yesterday, I performed what I consider the final fall cleanup. The dead plants are (mostly) still standing, but I rounded up the few that winter over in the garage. Also, the garden carts and wagons and sit-upons are now in the shed, sheltered from the winter weather. The hoses are disconnected from the faucets, but alas, too stiff to roll up, so they will just have to remain in situ for the time being.

There are a few tasks I never got to, but one I *must* do before the arctic winds descend this week: protect the azalea bush. It is already surrounded by poultry netting, but I want to add some burlap to that. While this particular type of azalea is supposed to grow in my zone, I don't really trust that information.

Bedtime

I grow vegetables in raised beds because I grew tired of fighting my heavy clay soil. One aspect of raised beds is they can be moved. Some may consider this an asset while others would disagree. In general, I haven't moved them... much. But this year I decided to reduce the footprint of the vegetable garden. One way to do that was to butt the beds up against each other instead of maintaining a path all around each one.

Before (pic from last year)

While my SO helped me rearrange the beds, I joked that this was the LAST TIME we would do this. Well, ha-ha. A few days later, I decided the new configuration needed some tweaking. We are relocating the gate into the garden as well. The reduction in paths would mean that after entering the garden through the gate, one would have to walk all the way to the end of the beds to get across the garden, a real pain if one were, say, pushing a wheel barrow full of manure.

After-after

I wasn't sure how my SO would greet the idea of moving beds *again*. Fortunately, my son was willing to open up a path in the offset middle. Now gardener and accouterments can take a short cut to the back.

Wide path installed

Even this big boy, a gift from my SO, will fit.

A side note: While moving the beds, we discovered that even though they are made from cedar, the beds are starting to rot where they are in contact with the ground. Very disappointing.

One down

A while ago I learned that burning bush is invasive. I have a burning bush, but had never noticed any seedlings sprouting nearby, so I thought, Pfft! Well, my neighbors have an ornamental pear, they are considered invasive but I've never seen any pear seedlings, and yet the wooded empty lots in the area are FULL of volunteer ornamental pear. They may be full of burning bush as well.

Before (with gold mop trying to grow around it)

So every time I looked at the burning bush, I thought, That has to go... sometime. This year, it's time has come. The invasive issue is just a smoke screen, though. The real reason I want to get rid of it is it crowds the Chamaecyparis 'Gold Mop' growing next to it. I love my gold mop, but its beautiful shape is marred. I'm hoping that with more exposure, the asymmetrical growth will even out.

After, unexposed foliage is green instead of gold

Now I am eyeing the Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy' that also grows in that bed, is also reported to be invasive, and is also crowding the gold mop a bit. Just this year I added Creeping Broad-leaved Sedge 'Banana Boat' for contrast. *sigh* Sometimes it hurts to be environmentally conscious.

We all fall down

The leaves have been changing at such an erratic pace this year that it has been difficult to capture a shrub or tree at its peak. I don't have much flashy fall foliage, but I do appreciate the more subtle colors of autumn like yellow and cinnamon and blush.

Redbud tree leaves

Tulip tree leaves

Rhubarb leaves

The tomato and pepper plants have been pulled, but there are still a few flowers valiantly trying to hold on.

Azalea

Mexican sunflower

Zinnia

The zinnias, while fading, are still interesting to look at, but not for long. The forecast calls for frosty weather. When I have trouble sleeping at night, I picture cross country skiing in snowy woodlands. Hopefully, that dream will come true this winter.

Pigs will fly

When the Cubs won the World Series, I had a premonition about the election. Sadly, my fears came true. I don't remember ever bursting into tears over election results before. My one consolation is voter turnout was low, so we are not so much a nation full of hate but one of apathy and/or frustration. Let's hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

To distract ourselves last Tuesday, my SO and I took a road trip to the Toledo area. At the recommendation of a friend, we stopped at Grand Rapids OH along the way. Despite the Trump signs, we enjoyed our visit there. We ate pie at Miss Lily's Restaurant, made some fiber and decor purchases at the Natural Fiber and Yarn Co., and strolled along the Maumee River.

There we found a small but interesting river/water theme garden. Besides the fish planters and red hand pump, a spigot serves as a perch for the birdhouse on the left. (I assume any avian residents of that house are sparrows. Tired of housing sparrows, I donated my bluebird boxes to a local nature preserve group - maybe they will have better luck attracting bluebirds than I did.)

These red, white, and blue samples of garden art caught my eye, as they look like alliums.

Closer inspection revealed that they are made of balled up CHICKEN WIRE mounted on plastic covered rebar! I've been wanting to add a splash of color to my hosta bed, and these may be just the ticket. Even with my limited skills set, I should be able to wad up poultry netting and spray paint it.

My SO identified the gingko trees that line the main drag of Grand Rapids. I know a few things about gingkos - they adapt well to urban environments but the fruit produced by female plants is stinky. I did not know that they are so pretty in fall, tolerate clay soil and some shade, and are known as "living fossils".

I would consider them for my yard, but they are not native and appear to provide no habitat for wildlife here in the states.

I can still enjoy them elsewhere.