September 20, 2009

The Daffodil Drive


It started Thursday. CG had not seen them in the store prior to that day. The first, fresh stock of the product. A moment of contained celebration. After months of dormant thoughts and memories, daffodils are back! A bag of 6 bulbs was selected after much perusing (of the Ice King variety- they seemed to be last year's favorite).

There's an internal drive within many gardeners; a drive for continual improvement and seasonal renewal. CG believes that daffodils are the best fuel for that drive. With many varieties, daffodils can transform any plain patch of ground into more than six weeks of colorful splendor. And with each passing year, they will multiply, offering continual improvement for zero work. Daffodils are also the most profound signal of the emerging freedom from the grips of winter and the renewal of vibrant energy with the beginning of spring.

CG will begin planting his daffodils from now till mid December. Some are ordered on-line, some are mail-ordered from a catalog, and many are hand-selected after much deliberation. (So far, the best deal on bulk quantities have been found by CG's wife at Sam's Club: 100 bulbs for $15 -a generic yellow/yellow variety).

Throughout the summer, CG was marking patches of existing daffodils, (before the last of their foliage faded) and marking areas primed for adding daffodils. Dozens of 3X5 cards have been consumed by calculating overlapping bloom times, mapping swaths of color, and wish-listing exotic varieties. Catalogs were collected and clipped, digging tools were cleaned and sharpened. All efforts in preparation of this moment.

Now is the time when the confluence of inspired thought, physical work, and the wonderment of nature are tamped into place.

September 15, 2009

Mid September Landscape Notes

  1. nandina bushes did well this summer
  2. one of the two honeysuckle bushes lost majority of its leaves too early (maybe still recovering from being moved)
  3. white crepe myrtles need to be staked
  4. forsythia bed looks thin, but all mature plants have survived
  5. weed control in the front yard is a year-round endeavor
  6. two burning bushes on the back row are weak/distressed
  7. azalea bed looks ok, waiting for them to really fill-out
  8. finally, have the right plant combination in the rock island bed
  9. had a few weeks of drought, will look at installing a rain collecting barrel before next summer
  10. plan to grow at least 40% of annuals from seed next spring

End of Summer!



Summer in Arkansas can be a challenge when dealing with a young landscape. Root systems are not fully established, so a short drought of a little more than a week can take its toll. Not much time can be spent taking photos when there's always something that could use some watering.



Many cannas were irreparably damaged early-on, but most still managed to bloom.



The California Poppies enjoyed the harsh summer, but CG was not able to grow as many as he wanted...maybe next year.




Crepe Myrtles and most types of daylilys performed well.

August 15, 2009

Mid August Landscape Notes

  1. missed a few watering opportunities in late June and early July- some plants never fully recovered
  2. still fighting dallis grass
  3. planted an aster plant close to river birch trees -to fend-off bagworms, and it seems to be working
  4. had a lot of rain- heavy rainstorms, no garden-friendly soaking showers
  5. will have to move only one azalea bush this fall
  6. fall ordering of daffodils and Louisiana iris needs to be done at the end of the month
  7. bog bed did well...will consider installing more for next year -they require zero weeding and overall less water than regular landscape beds
  8. crepe myrtles provide dependable summer color -but they still need a few more years
  9. next year, may consider planting some annuals
  10. need to consider trying to keep bird feeders and bird bath full next summer

July 25, 2009

Hallelujah!

Success!

The California poppies are starting to bloom!

It was a long, arduous journey.

From seed to sprout.

From sprout to first leaf.

From first leaf to plant.

Now in glorious (albeit singular) bloom!

July 23, 2009

Backyard

not looking too bad for mid-summer

(the other 1/3 of the yard is still grass)

the forsythia bed (foreground) is thin, but they're still establishing good roots

(black pots are marking existing daffodil clumps

some of the asiatic lilys are re-blooming!

July 15, 2009

Mid July Landscape Notes

  1. the past 4 weeks have been extremely dry
  2. haven't been able to do anything other than try to keep plants watered
  3. river birch trees are tolerating the hot/dry weather well
  4. no signs of reblooming iris -yet
  5. dallisgrass is very persistent in the front yard
  6. tried sowing more Calif. poppies last week
  7. will be planting aster perennials close to the river birch trees (in an attempt to control any future bagworm infestations)
  8. forsythia bed is doing well (have back-up cuttings ready to replace the ones that transcend during the remainder of the summer)
  9. daffodil patches have been marked; will have an idea of 'where, how many, & what type' to purchase locally and order on-line
  10. CG will be looking forward to the day when he can go outside after lunch and tend to the planting areas for more than 30 minutes (and not worry about heat stroke)

July 8, 2009

Wednesday Garden Tour

With over an inch of rain Saturday nite into Sunday morning, things are looking better in the garden.

The St Joan daylilys are still setting blooms.


Cannas are going full force and multiplying

and...

the season's first cucumber!

July 5, 2009

California Poppy Update

one of 3 that have survived:

CG now understands why these aren't seen too often in Arkansas

(spring weather here seems to be too rainy and prone to late chilly snaps -not to their liking)

the foliage does interest CG, and they are extremely drought resistant

not too sure if they will ever bloom...

July 2, 2009

July Blooms

July begins with stifling heat and the continuation of a 2+ week-long drought.

For CG, seeing just a single plant blooming under these conditions is a botanical blessing.

Surprisingly, only one newly-planted forsythia off-shoot has transcended.

The next chance for rain is Saturday. CG will be doing all he can to get at least an inch of rainfall:

  1. Leaving lawnmower outside of the shed
  2. Car windows down (after washing it)
  3. Rigging a clothesline in the yard and hanging laundry to dry
  4. Preparing breakfast outside with the electric toaster







June 29, 2009

Cannas

Just one of the many canna plantings.





Cannas are a durable staple of CG's garden.





They can tolerate extreme weather conditions, and don't require being dug-up for winterizing here in zone 7B.







The red ones seem to be the first to bloom; yellow, orange, peach, and speckled red/yellow should be coming soon.

June 27, 2009

Daylilys

All of the non-stella daylilys seem to be blooming all at the same time.

The deep wine colored ones are a favorite:



This one (mis-labelled at the nursery) is CG's favorite: