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Showing posts with the label hard to grow

Parkway Tulip Tips Shoot Up - February 2024

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We've had a VERY mild Winter.  There was a span of about three weeks when it was brutally cold and it seemed like it snowed every.single.day.  But, overall...it was mild.  And that's likely turned a number of gardening variables on their ears.  Emergence.  Bloom time.  Exposure to late Frosts.  And, more, I'm sure. One of the 'mild Winter' related change that I saw VERY early in January was that the tulip bulbs that I had planted around the parkway tree had ALREADY come up, out of the mulch.  By January 5th.   J A N U A R Y. That seems VERY early.  It was BEFORE that three-week spell of 'brutally cold' weather that I mentioned above.  But, tulips being tulips, the foliage didn't mind the weather.  (or...the snow blanket was sufficient insulation.) I'm *very* aware of mulch volcanoes around trees and worry that every year - when we add another layer of mulch - that I'm burying things and creating problems.  Everyone says that you're supposed t

2nd Bird's Nest Spruce - In Conifer Garden - November 2023.

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Today marks me getting pretty close to the final conifer that I planted in my Fall Planting Spring of October 2023.  It features a second (new) Bird's Nest Spruce (3rd overall with one in the back) and is planted in the new part of the Conifer Garden down by the sidewalk.  Same story as the previous one - a dwarf, low-to-the-ground conifer that tolerates sun and - when established - is drought tolerant.  This one is a 1# small shrub, like the others have been.   I planted this in mid-October, but posting it in early November 2023. 

Sedum kamtschaticum 'Variegatum' - Three Planted - November 2023

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What's better than *some* sedum groundcover?  MORE sedum ground cover is, well...the answer we have on hand.  As part of #FallPlanting, I added three quart-sized Stonecrop groundcover plants to the front yard.  I put two down by the sidewalk IB2DWs (extended) and one on the southside by the patch of Angelina Sedum close to the front porch. For keeping track of to-do's and what-have-you, I'm saying these 2 plants go toward 3 goals:   #2 (IB2DWs extended), #3 (plant and improve front porch bed) and #17 (keep going with Groundcover).  This is a variegated sedum - you can see the sign above.  And, it was jumping off the nursery bench to me at the end-of-season sale at The Growing Place.  Here's what Gardenia has to say (screenshot below): Below is a look at the one in the front porch bed: And here's one of two down by the sidewalk: I'm posting this in November 2023, but I did this dividing and transplanting in mid-October 2023.

Silver Mound Artemisia - Planted October 2023

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Influenced?  Or inspired?  What do you call it when you come across something on Instagram (or YouTube) that shows you something new, isn't pushing a product but...does...indeed compel you to act - and purchase something.  I'm going to say that I was inspired.  Not influenced.   And that inspiration came from seeing a 'white garden' that was planted up with silver and white perennials and exposed me to something new (to me):  Artemisia.   There are a few varieties that you'll see out at the nursery, but the one that I think might be the biggest (not the best) in the trade is Silver Mound Artemisia.  It is a soft-texture white plant that Walters Garden describes as a 'cushion' .  Here's what they say: Aptly named, 'Silver Mound' has soft, feathery foliage and forms a compact, silky, cushion-like mound. It has many applications in the garden including: edging, rock gardens, pots, or a filler plant for hot, dry areas. It has long been one of the mos

Sempervivum ‘Hopewell’ - Planted IB2DWs

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Over the years, I've bought dozens of succulents and - without thinking about it - potted them up as container plants.  I mean...they're not hardy for our zone, right?   That's what I've sort-of thought.  On occassion, I'd come across something succulent-looking in a garden and sort of wonder:  why am I not growing those?  Sometimes they're sedums.  But...other times, I think they're something called Sempervivum.   The reason that I bring this up is that at the end-of-the-season sale at Lowes, one of the kids wanted to buy a Sempervivum 'Hopewell'.  It was 50% off $5, so for $2.50, we were going to get an experiment. I ended up planting it down IB2DWs - by the sidewalk in the 'hard to grow' area right near the Shenandoah red Switchgrass .  What is Sempervivum ‘Hopewell'?  Sempervivum ‘Hopewell’ is an historic garden plant with succulent foliage. It will form large, open rosettes of emerald-green leaves with leaf margins that turn maroon i

Other Side of Parkway - Biosolids Applied - March 2023

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A few days ago, I shared some photos of the initial application of municipal biosolids to our parkway - the part of the parkway that is closest to the driveway.  I mentioned that I would need a few more trips of 10-12 gallons of material to finish the parkway.  This past weekend, I made a stop at the biosolids station and filled up my 2+ buckets.  I brought the material home and spread it on the smaller section of parkway that is on the other side of the driveway.  This is the IB2DWs parkway area.  See below for a look at the material after I raked it in: This section of grass is particularly rough to deal with and be successful with grass.  It is not-so-great soil that also sees A LOT of road debris and gets filled up with those tiny Locust leaves each Fall.  My neighbor's section is irrigated (I think), so his does better than mine.   Looking at these photos - including another one below - I'm thinking that I could put a second application on top of this one to try to help i

Hydrophobic Mulch - Alfalfa Cubes To Amend and Add Nitrogen - March 2022

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While I can't get started with Spring clean-up just yet, the warm(er) temperatures have me wanting to be outside in the garden working on things that I'd like to get done this season.  One of the projects that has been on my mind since last Summer is thinking about a plan to address the hydrophobic mulch that is present in a few spots - but specifically under the Norway Maple outside of our Front Porch.   I don't think (I can't find) that I've posted specifically about hydrophobic mulch.  And the problem that it creates.  It is something that I'm dealing with in a couple of spots, but as I've gotten to learn more about it, I'm still trying to figure out both what CAUSED it and how to address it.   One of the VERY COMMON reasons for hydrophobic mulch is that it was applied too thickly.  That's true for me.  Especially under the Norway Maple.  I've had a lot of trouble growing under that tree - h ere's a whole post on the topic - so I'm no

Between Two Driveways - Dry and Troublesome Spot - September 2021

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When I put together my 2021 to-do list , I included as #3 the idea of working the 'in between two driveways' area.  I mentioned that I needed to add a layer of mulch and think about doing even more.  I did some of that - mulched AND added a trio of Serendipity Allium to the bed .  And, the Chanticleer Pear Tree (after some hard pruning) seems to be on track.  (I'm not sure that's a good thing...but that's for another day.) But that's the extent of the work over there so far. Revisiting what I wrote back in late February about this area, I mentioned doing more: Later on (after I published my list), I wrote a post expounding on this area and even had some thinking about the area and converting it from turf grass .  But, I never got around to doing that very thing. Why post about it now?  Because, after a hard Summer of sun beating down on it, I am reminded why this area is so problematic.  See below for what it looks like right now:  Hard, dry, brittle and brown.