A beautiful and glorious spring morning with temperatures in the fifties. Who doesn't want to wake up to that? So refreshing. We have transplanted peony and taken a walk through the gardens already. There is much to do this year. Not only do we have the usual pruning and cleaning up to do, but there is some significant damage from the harsh winter that needs attention as you will see below.
The first project of the day was the transplantation of these peony. We planted these two years ago in the ever expanding garden in the center of the back yard. The problem was that they were planted near the large grouping of sweet gum trees and were deprived of enough sunlight to flourish. Peony love full sun. So, they are now transplanted into this pot and in a sunny place. I expect to see a full turnaround and hopefully some magnificent peony blooms this year.
We are streamlining things at Crest Avenue. Inside and out. This year on the deck I intend to only have these three planters of Boston ferns. The deck is shaded in the morn. It gets the afternoon sun, but only filtered sun. The bamboo grove filters the sun and adds wonderful privacy to the deck. Everything else will be removed and we will place comfortable outdoor chairs with seats and backs made of a breathable mesh. This will open the space for visitors and give us a nice soothing place to sit and have a bourbon and branch or a vodka and grapefruit juice (otherwise known as a "greyhound") or a robust glass of red wine.
On another corner of the deck, temporarily, is this pot of hosta and sedum which we have been watching over the past few weeks. Since the last time we visited here, I have added an additional hosta. It is the plant in the foreground with the small green leaves. It is an Empress Wu hosta and is another of the giant hostas. You will remember the large hosta in the background with the large green leaves is called a Sum and Substance hosta. These will both grow to probably 4 feet in diameter. I cannot wait. Where will you place them in the landscape you may be thinking. Where the peony were removed this morning. Those spots will be perfect for hosta.
In the front, on the southwest corner, we lost an arborvitae. A full, mature arborvitae. This saddens me. The damage was twofold. First, there was a bagworm infestation in this tree last year. I didn't realize it until late in the season. Then the snow and ice came - repeatedly. The tree was already stressed and with the severe winter, it just couldn't repair the damage. This will be removed this week and replaced with another arborvitae. I love them. They are very sturdy trees. This one was just a victim of circumstances.
But, ... there is good news! Look at all the beautiful green popping up in the center of the enormous hydrangea.
And here is more green spouting in a hydrangea that was planted last year.
And more in another hydrangea planted last year. These are all in the same area. I hope to eventually have an enormous hedge of beautiful purple hydrangea in this area.
So, we have some difficult things we need to fix, but we also have some things which only need our loving attention. Things could be better, but they could also be worse. So, we move on.
The first project of the day was the transplantation of these peony. We planted these two years ago in the ever expanding garden in the center of the back yard. The problem was that they were planted near the large grouping of sweet gum trees and were deprived of enough sunlight to flourish. Peony love full sun. So, they are now transplanted into this pot and in a sunny place. I expect to see a full turnaround and hopefully some magnificent peony blooms this year.
We are streamlining things at Crest Avenue. Inside and out. This year on the deck I intend to only have these three planters of Boston ferns. The deck is shaded in the morn. It gets the afternoon sun, but only filtered sun. The bamboo grove filters the sun and adds wonderful privacy to the deck. Everything else will be removed and we will place comfortable outdoor chairs with seats and backs made of a breathable mesh. This will open the space for visitors and give us a nice soothing place to sit and have a bourbon and branch or a vodka and grapefruit juice (otherwise known as a "greyhound") or a robust glass of red wine.
On another corner of the deck, temporarily, is this pot of hosta and sedum which we have been watching over the past few weeks. Since the last time we visited here, I have added an additional hosta. It is the plant in the foreground with the small green leaves. It is an Empress Wu hosta and is another of the giant hostas. You will remember the large hosta in the background with the large green leaves is called a Sum and Substance hosta. These will both grow to probably 4 feet in diameter. I cannot wait. Where will you place them in the landscape you may be thinking. Where the peony were removed this morning. Those spots will be perfect for hosta.
In the front, on the southwest corner, we lost an arborvitae. A full, mature arborvitae. This saddens me. The damage was twofold. First, there was a bagworm infestation in this tree last year. I didn't realize it until late in the season. Then the snow and ice came - repeatedly. The tree was already stressed and with the severe winter, it just couldn't repair the damage. This will be removed this week and replaced with another arborvitae. I love them. They are very sturdy trees. This one was just a victim of circumstances.
On the opposite corner, we witness more snow and ice damage. The snow and ice literally "snapped" these arborvitae. They were healthy. No bagworm infestation. Do you know how severe the winter weather has to be to snap the trunks of arborvitae? Pretty severe. Again, these will be removed this week and replaced with new arborvitae. Such a shame.
But, ... there is good news! Look at all the beautiful green popping up in the center of the enormous hydrangea.
And here is more green spouting in a hydrangea that was planted last year.
And more in another hydrangea planted last year. These are all in the same area. I hope to eventually have an enormous hedge of beautiful purple hydrangea in this area.
So, we have some difficult things we need to fix, but we also have some things which only need our loving attention. Things could be better, but they could also be worse. So, we move on.
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