I couldn’t resist. I plan to try my hand at shade planting Asiatic lilies. I shopped online at Brent and Becky’s and picked up 5 each of the following: Navona, Lollypop and Red Alert. I also picked up a 5 pack of the strap-leaf caladium Blushing Bride, which will be added to the front fence bed. I may even reserve one or two bulbs for potting. I could have gone overboard and bought more caladiums, a white strap-leafed variety to be preferred, but I’m not sure where else to put them in the landscape. A new internet source, Classic Caladiums, might persuade me to pick up some White Ruffles.
Author: variadm
Hosta and Kalmia
Daunted by the Musser Farm disappointment, back to Forestfarm I went. As much as I desired that lovely Kalmia latifolia Olympic Fire, I instead opted for the Minuet Mountain Laurel, which I hope will thrive in the full shade garden next to the front door. Here’s to hoping they supply us with a large healthy specimen. I also couldn’t resist picking up a Hosta Eternal Flame (at an irresistible tube price of $7.95), which so reminded me of the Fire & Ice that I purchased from Sooner Plant Farm about 2-3 years ago. I plan on locating it in the front fence bed, once it’s been weeded, amended and framed.
Spring gardening part 1
With the weekend temperatures at a cool 70 degrees, the fiance and I tackled two flower beds, framing them with stone and bricks. We also dug out the weeds and put in compost plus top soil to make the beds receptive to future plantings. Finally, we decided to go with black mulch to better set apart the colorful violas that I finally got around to planting in the front beds. (I had bought another flat of blue violas from Strong’s Nursery that went on sale.) The orange, blues, and whites popped against the dark background. And not to mention, the mulch will be help stifle the weed infestation that overgrew the bare beds. My only regret is that the violas didn’t get more ground time during the last month.
In addition to the new violas, I also planted a bag of lily of the valley, purchased from Home Depot. While the packaging advertised 16 plants, I discovered 2 sprouting bundles in the bag (similar to daylily rhizomes), which I quickly put into the front flower bed. It is supposedly a shade-loving plant, and further research indicated that this plant may actually grow like a weed under optimum conditions.
Speaking of weeds, I went ahead and invested in a spreader, plus a bag of weed killer. Unfortunately the yards are overgrown with weeds, not having enough turf to prevent it. But with the sudden onset of rain this weekend, I haven’t had time to apply it.
I’ve convinced the fiance to try a kalmia latifolia in the corner bed by the door, instead of the originally planned azalea. I had already made an online purchase for the Olympic Fire variety, but soon learned that Musser Forests in Pennsylvania was prohibited in shipping to Texas. Interesting. I’m going to have to find a local source somewhere…
Last thing to report…my japanese maple Asahi Zuru is showing signs of life. Green buds have begun to emerge from their red shells. This is exciting news, given that last year, the maple hadn’t leafed out this early. It seems that sitting by the patio door getting some morning sun has encouraged it to sprout early. I’m contemplating replanting in a bigger pot to help it spread its roots some more.
Dallas Blooms 2010
The Dallas Arboretum has announced its spring flower festival Dallas Blooms for 2010. It runs from March 6 to April 11. Can’t wait to be there! Another dirt-digging event to add is Argyle Acres‘ 2010 IRIS IN BLOOM event, running from April 10 to April 25. Lastly, North Haven Gardens has posted their 2010 event list. Exciting events such as their herb and daylily sales look to be a sure hit.
That time of year again
In the past week, the weather in Texas has been unseasonably warm. Hard to believe it’s winter! The fiance and I raked up some leaves, moved some stone work, and did general clean up work in the front and central yards. Getting a general feel for the planting areas…much of the yards are in part to deep shade. This will be an interesting change in landscaping, dealing with shade-friendly plants. Right now my attention is on the Chocolate Ajuga that I have surviving in one planter. I’m not sure how robust it still is, but I imagine that if it survives any future freezes, I’d like to use it in the center yard for under-planting in the beds. The flame red salvias are hanging on, but looking rather reedy in their pots. The white salvia unfortunately drowned. Two rosemary plants experienced extremes in watering and temperature…I’m fairly certain they are on their way to the compost heap–if we had one! Two salsa jasmines appear to be surviving, along with a thyme plant (strangely hanging on despite the horrid conditions). The potato vines and caladium I’m certain are DOA, the Silver Dragon type liriope specimens are gamely holding their ground, and the occasional dianthus is showing a bit of green.
Did I mention I had pulled all my calla bulbs last fall for storage in the pantry? I’m hoping they will survive for planting this year.
Of course, having all of these gardening catalogs coming in the mail is adding to all of the excitement.