This Was Not so Easy

Cool today, in the 50s and damp. A rain soaker coming tomorrow, and we got another quarter of an inch overnight last night.

Well, we put it together and I now have a shed by the potting bench.

This was not at all easy to assemble.

Jim did a great job, but the instructions were very frustrating and unclear, the quality is chintzy. and nothing was plumb or fit together. It's a shed, not fine furniture, but I expected more for the price.

It does not seem very watertight, although I can caulk where needed perhaps. There is a gap at the top of the doors where they meet. The overhang will direct water off it, but I may try to put something there too. I like that the hinged lid lifts up to get at shovels, and the front doors open to get at bags of things on the floor inside.

The idea is to keep gloves, and pruners, and boxes of twist ties, and the mini-tarps and things that need to stay out of the rain in here. Right now I have to walk back and forth all the way around the house to the garage to get any small item, or my gloves, or tools.

The shovels fit angled into the corner. I'll add some shelves and baskets.

It smells wonderfully of cedar. The color will turn silvery by the end of the summer.

With some pots of flowers nearby, and my potting bench used now for empty pots and watering cans, it will look nice. And by the time I add shelves and hooks and baskets and clippy things inside, it will be sooooo functional.

In other news of the day, I dug holes.

I have three sweet birches coming and three blue beeches, and a hop hormbeam, all of which will go out in the meadow. The day was cool, the soil is moist, so I did the clearing and digging and hauling fresh dirt to each spot today. Then, when the trees come I can concentrate on planting.

I got four holes cleared from the still dormant weeds, and dug them out and hauled some of the soil + compost to them (actually I dug five, but I changed my mind about a spot in the middle of the flat meadow. Too wet, soil was very heavy and I didn't like the placement).

Three more to dig out by the road cut and then I'll wait for the trees to arrive!

Humid and Springlike

Today was cooler than yesterday, in the 60s, but with a springlike, almost summery feeling of humidity.

It rained a quarter of an inch last night, enough to wet the top dusty layer of soil, and thunderstorms are threatening for tonight.

I pricked out the seedlings from their trays and potted them today:
  Dahlia Black beauty -- almost a dozen and they look hearty
  Salvia Hummingbird -- a dozen, looking good
  Regatta Rose Lobelia -- roots weren't really developed and they were very dry
  Morning Glory Blue Picotee -- only three came up, but they look ok
  Butterfly Weed -- only a few came up, but they are good

I dug out the area where the twig towers are and settled them deeper in the soil so they won't blow away (I hope). Planted Variegated Queen nasturtiums in each, and also at the side of the new arbor, as the kiwi vine won't be big enough this season to climb much. This nasturtium is a trailing type, in mixed colors and I hope I can get it to go up the towers and up the side of the arbor.

I scattered the tiny Lauren's Grape poppy seeds.

I planted the Kintzley's Ghost honeysuckle next to the Japanese maple in front, and added a lot of soil and compost to the bare spots in the kinnikinnik. It had quite a bit of winterburn this year, which I cut off as best I could. Popweed is everywhere in that square and I need the kinnikinnik to spread more.

You can see some of the winterburn here.

The color combo going on in the front is wild. The heath is blooming bright pink and the Angelina sedum is bright gold.

The whole effect is a clashing color riot, but it's the brightest thing going on in early spring right now. I don't think the two gauras on either side  of the green sedums are coming back. They can be finicky.

The star magnolia is opening. Too early, of course. We have no frost in the next 10 days, but we are a month away from the last frost date, and the blooms will turn to mush. Unless the flowering is already over by then.

Dramatic Change

Sunday was bitter and cold, Monday was delightful and pleasant, and today, Tuesday, was too warm! I kid you not. It was in the 70s today and I got hot and tired working outside. What a change.

There was lots to do.

On Monday we took a ride down to Broken Arrow and I picked up a Parrotia 'Vanessa', a Styrax japonicus fargesii, a new St. Johnswort, and a zenobia, although it is not the blue-cast variety that I already have.

The new Styrax to shade the gravel seating area

The new Parrotia at the back edge of the Drive By Garden

Either the St. Johnswort or the zenobia will go where the (dead?) rosemary is now.

I also got one more Tide Hill boxwood to complete the row in the gravel garden.

Today, in warm sunshine I planted the trees and the boxwood. I'll hold off planting the shrubs for now.

I edged some more around the front, and more of the Drive By Garden. I moved the most forward camassias in Meadow's Edge, and divided them at the same time. This is not the right time to do that, just as they emerge and before bloom, but I did it anyway. It was just a few that were in the wrong spot.

And . . . we got 3 yards of soil + compost delivered this morning. After planting and edging and moving a few things around, I was too tired to shovel and spread the dirt where it is needed. And too hot, amazingly.

I don't know if it is the sudden warmth, but I had no energy by the afternoon. Nada. Pffft.

But what a lovely day to sit outside and look at my new (dormant) trees!

We need rain. It's surprising how quickly we went from the sogginess of March to a dry April. The soil is dusty. Some rain is expected tonight.

Blown Sideways

After two nice days we got two days of wind. Cold wind. Yesterday and today we were blown about. Temperatures were in the 30s until lunchtime, but then got up into the 40s and 50s in the afternoons --- but even at those temps the wind felt bitter and nasty.

I have to anchor these twig towers better, and then plant the trailing nasturtiums inside soon. They blow over every windy day, so I'll need a better way to keep them from toppling over.

Despite the cold, Jim and I went to Harken Stone in East Windsor and got another bluestone to add to the entrance of the arbor. Boy, they have every stone you could want. We got the exact size for $39 and braved the bitter wind this morning to install it.

Not as easy as I thought it would be! And leveling the one above it was worse. But we got it done. However, the creeping thyme that was so lush around the original two steps is now kaput. I thought I could save it, but it got trashed in the stone setting work.

So I ordered 25 more plugs from Whiteflower Farm and will replant the whole area and fill in the bare spots around the steps and on the berm at the top of the driveway too.  It is Thymus serpyllum 'Albus'.

Remember how pretty the thyme looked originally when it was strewn with rose petals and was blooming in June? That's what I want all over this area again, although the roses are now gone.

Remember this?
June 2009, when it was so lush and had spread so well. It bloomed forever.

Speaking of kaput -- I think the rosemary is as dead as a bag of hammers.

It always looks tired and brown by early spring, but this year every needle falls off when I barely touch a branch. The whole shrub feels like tinder.

Does this look dead to you?
Yeah, me too.

My wonderful winter hardy, beautiful rosemary did not make it this time. I will need to take it out. It did survive winters before, and I loved its mass and shape in this spot, but I was asking too much to have it carry on each winter.

I'm thinking of replacing it with a St. Johnswort. I'd like to try again with Hypericum frondosom 'Sunburst'.  Remember how nice it looked in Meadow's Edge a few years ago?

It had a real bushy rounded shape and blue green foliage. It won't give me the dark mass in winter anchoring this end of the garden, but in summer it will be nice and the flowers are showy.

I loved this St. Johnswort but it was too crowded behind the doublefile viburnum and got too much shade.
It was voles that did it in, though, in 2011.  I'd like to try it again.

There is so much to do outside. And pots to get ready and seeds to think about sowing outside soon, and on and on before all the plant shipments start to arrive. But I can't deal with the wind any more, so I'm staying indoors until it calms down and I'm not blown about so much.

Chevron Garden

Yesterday and today were beautiful days. The wind finally died, the temperatures were cool in the morning but up to 60 degrees in the afternoon, and there was sunshine. Oh my.

I spent both days outside edging, digging a new garden strip, edging some more, expanding garden areas, removing sod ... achy body!  Good feeling!

Here's the new strip Jim and I dug out. He helped me with it and it was hard work. It's a chevron shape that will be filled with Hemerocallis fulva, the common ditch lily. Just a narrow strip with tiger lilies in a row, angling out on either side of the birch tree.

You can't see the yellow blooms on the Cornus mas in front here. They are all over the little tree, but not visible yet.

I did not want the prettier, showier hybrid day lilies. This defines the back edge of our space, the meadow is beyond, and I wanted something natural to make the transition. Showy flowers are in the round bed in front. This chevron cradles the back arc of that garden and I really like it.

Plus I just love July's tiger lilies. They don't bloom long and the foliage is awful after, but they make me so happy. A pop of orange in early July in this far garden strip is what I want, then it can fade into the background for the rest of the summer.  The garden in front is the real show.

Common daylilies can spread rampantly. But we will be mowing on either side of this area and that should keep them in check.

I do like how it defines the back corner.

We will get a delivery of soil from Envirocycle on Tuesday - 3 yards - and we'll fill the strip.

I spent the rest of the days edging several gardens, fixing their shapes, expanding some areas, and you would not believe how much sod gets taken out with that work.

I dug several redtwig dogwood rooted runners today to give to Cheryl. It was not as easy as I thought it would be to find young runners that were easy to dig, but I got several dug and potted for her.

I added some lime to the clematises today. Buds are showing.

Now, late in the day the wind is kicking up again, but the light is beautiful, I can see progress on some of the harder digging tasks in the yard, I have a glass of wine, and my body is tired.
: )

I'm Pooped

Despite another day of bitter wind, I put on my parka, a hat and gloves and went outside to chop out edges of the gardens where we need to neaten up and where we also need to expand areas.

It wasn't as bad as yesterday and by afternoon it was ok. Cold, blustery, in the low 40s, but ok. I expanded the area under the first birch, and edged the entire Birch Garden. It was four wheelbarrow carts of sod, dumped on the back hill.

So much more to do. Both of the other two birches need a lot of expansion to tie them to the Birch Garden area. And all the other gardens need edging.

I also took every last brown leaf off the witch hazels, by hand. They look so much better now!

Doesn't the Angelina sedum look spectacular? It's a bright, rich gold. This is its season.

It just pops from afar and brightens everything up. Both heaths have a smattering of pink flowers, but not much to look at yet. Maybe they will bloom more fully in a day?

The cornelian cherry in back has opened its bright yellow buds, but it's not quite full yet. You can't see any blooms from the house, but maybe in another day or two we will. The Dawn viburnum is opening too, but I detect no fragrance. The pink blossoms are not quite fully open.

I also fussed with adding a bluestone step at the entrance to the new arbor. I moved the one from the patio opening all the way over to the arbor (heavy lifting even using the hand cart!) but it was a different size and didn't work. We'll have to buy a new stone the same size as the other two. So then I carted the stone back to the patio and reset it. Ooomph.

Now I'm pooped. Really pooped. It was a full day of physical work in the cold wind. But it kept my mind off both boys' troubles --- my heart aches for both of them as they work out their relationships and deal with separations and lost loves.  sigh.

Cold Tears

Today is cold and windy, the kind of day where being outside makes your nose run and your eyes tear up. It was in the 20s overnight, and at midday in the 30s, with a bitter bite to the wind.

Chris from Bartlett came today. The problem with the funny crooked leader on the spruce in back is due to prior damage from white pine weevils. They affect the top branches of spruces, not just white pines. In fact, all of the spruces on the berm have top growth problems because of pine weevil damage.

He sprayed for it today, but the lingering effect is that the leader on these trees gets distorted and overtaken by side branches, which need to be pruned.

Jim and I can do some work with the pole pruner, but Chris carefully explained exactly how to subordinate all the side branches, and I think it is too much to try to do with a pole pruner. You need to be up on a ladder to see what needs doing. Not us.

So I e-mailed Mike to ask Bartlett to come out with their tall ladders and do the pruning.

Just walking around the yard with Chris my eyes were watering from the cold wind, and tears were running down my cheeks. Wow, it was cold out.

Too Early

It's too soon for this.

A tick, embedded on my upper stomach when I came in from working on the back hill today.

It has been in the 20s and 30s overnight, no higher, and the days have not often gotten into the high 50s. One of the advantages to scrabbling around in the underbrush in March and April is that you can work out there in the cold without worrying about ticks.

Right?

I had on socks, long sleeves, long pants, a tight fitting camisole under my shirt which was tucked into my pants. And yet the tick was on me, under the camisole. I found it in the shower. Of course I had to check everywhere, all over. This is way too early to be worrying about ticks.

I spent the morning weeding the Drive By Garden, hands and knees work, pulling by hand.  The globe onions I transplanted from the patio are peeking up.

Then I fertilized some of the trees on the back hill, especially the male American holly and the white pines, which were looking a little yellow.

Rain moved in this afternoon.

I put out the small glass hummingbird feeder to attract the early scouts. I got a larger one at Moscarillo's and will hang that as the season gets underway.

Much Has Been Done

Despite the cold drizzly start to Thursday, much has been accomplished in the past three days!

Thursday afternoon cleared off a little, and Friday and Saturday were cool, partly sunny days, in the 50s, perfect for work outside.

Jim helped prune the conifers that had too much growth up top, although we held off on the spruce with the crooked top branch, since it turned out that there are no other tall branches. That crooked one is the leader. I'll ask Bartlett about it.

I even turned the compost pile. Phew. Hard sweaty work, but the air was cool enough for it.

Perennials were cut back, carypopteris chopped back, lespedeza too. A lot of clean up, including the miscanthus grass at the corner of the garage and the three Northwind plumes at the back of Meadow's Edge.  Boy do I hate grass clean up in spring.

It all took the better part of two days to get most stuff cut back.

Then Jim and I assembled and put up the arbor at the entrance to the gravel garden, without any dispute. : )

I moved the dwarf spruce to the right side (it had been right next to the Star magnolia, not a good place as the magnolia gets bigger).

I will need to get another bluestone to make three steps into the gate area. I dug up all the thyme around the area, added more fill and raised the topmost stone up, and then replanted the thyme. I also used some of it to replace browning patches along the top of the driveway. Dying thyme has been a problem along there.

And I have a kiwi vine on order to put on the left side of the arbor, to climb over the arch.

The whole thing is horribly flimsy. It's just wobbly aluminum, inexpensive and lightweight. If I decide I like the look, and if the kiwi vine takes off and drapes well over the arch, I may consider getting a sturdy natural wood arbor and gate, and have it installed. For now, we'll see how this does.

Picture it all, if you will, in summer, in this very spot - - -

I dug out a lot of the edge on the back side of the border on the left to expand the width a little, and will put in a styrax there, just to the left of the first twig tuteur. That will shade (someday) the front part of the gravel sitting area.

Plans (and Conifers) Gone Awry

Despite the predictions of cool, clear weather for the next three days, and my plans to get so much clean-up and pruning and even digging done during that window of time, the weather has gone awry.

I woke up ready to go, put on some clean(ish) garden pants and waited for the temperature to get up out of the mid 30s.  By mid morning it had started to drizzle. Pffft.

Know what else seems awry? A couple conifers have odd growth up top.

The rightmost spruce on the berm needs a lop:

It's funny how it mirrors the slant of the ancient white birch across the street:

One of the Austrian pines needs some shaping on both the left and right sides toward the top:

This is the tree that I want to grow a clematis up this year.

The skies seem to be clearing, but it is still only 39 degrees now at lunch time. If the rain holds off after lunch I can still do some work out there, dressed for the chill.  Jim will need to help me with the extension lopper.