Tight Acres: In My Garden

Here are a few things you'll find in my garden depending upon the season.

Japanese Iris:

A small part of the garden two weeks after several deer decimated it:

Tigridia:

This year was a particularly bad year for dahlias. We had the wettest Spring on record and one of the coldest as well. Seven plants survived and their flowers are small, some deformed. I'm disappointed, obviously. Finally in August, we're getting weak blooms. More pictures to follow:

The last Dahlias of Fall, 2014:

Spring 2015 is here and I've finally begun to get a few things done in the garden.

I have a large garden that is bordered by natural wooded areas. While it's very private, it's also difficult to keep clean due to the large amount of year-round debris from trees and wild shrubs, we have a number of destructive pests including deer, rabbits (non-native, thanks to the neighbors who thought the kids would like a bunny on Easter, then let it escape when it became a chore to feed and care for it), birds who love to crap on our patios and windows, and weeds. Lots of weeds. Add to this the care for the plants (flowers, potted plants, a large lawn, and ornamental shrubs and trees) and keeping the pavement clean including patios, a long driveway, and a parking area, and it all adds up to a mix of reward and frustration. I try to keep it to a minimum but that in itself is something of a task of organization and focus, denying myself what I would like to try in favor of those things I know I can manage.

Here are a few shots of several garden areas. It's not looking good but in a few weeks, it will be cleaner and in full leaf.

Dwarf blue iris:

Sea Pinks and Creeping Jenny:

Central garden bed near garage and front patio:

In the above bed, there is a Japanese maple in the center, pinks, dwarf iris, sedums, hostas, jenny, coral bells, lemon thyme, and sword fern. Once the ferns and hostas have fully leafed, the bed will look much fuller. The pot traditionally holds geraniums but I may rebel this year and plant creeping vines or anemone.

Rhododendrons have begun to bloom:

I've transplanted some tall bearded iris that were in a very wet, shady location. The rhizomes are partially rotten and the leaves are anemic. I'm trying to save them, as they are a particularly beautiful and large yellow flower and the leaves themselves are large and fleshy, all in an area of the garden that needs help:

Once I scrub the rocks (Moss Out mixed in water and a wire brush -- these are granite boulders) and clean the beds and pavement and once these iris and jenny become established, it will look much better.

Do you enjoy hostas? Sometimes called Plantain Lilies, these fleshy, almost tropical-looking foliage plants are beautiful and shade-loving, so they're suitable for my needs. They come in a huge variety of sizes, colors, and leaf shapes. They're extremely easy to grow and they discourage weeds, are pest-resistant (mostly) and only need mulching in really cold weather when they are dormant.

Here's a large one coming into full leaf:

(The white powder is slug bait. These plants wouldn't survive a few days if I didn't use it.)

Here's one that is just coming out of the ground:

And here are some tiny hostas from the seeds the larger plants have distributed themselves:

I'll give these a half-strength food twice, then transplant to individual pots and at the beginning of Fall, I'll plant them in the garden in their permanent locations. They get very large, so they need plenty of space between them: one of their great advantages is that you just keep feeding them and they get bigger and bigger in the same location for decades. You can also divide the larger plants. They do bloom and their flowers aren't much, but some varieties have a wonderful scent and will perfume an entire area.

They also look great in pots:

This one is still unfurling its leaves but will look great on my front porch.

Mid-April update as follows (April 18).

Some azaleas (Mollis, Exbury, and evergreen) and rhododendrons:

Chrysanthemum rhododendron, native to Taiwan:

Larger area of garden in the process of Spring cleaning and feeding (hostas, iris, azaleas, rhodies, heather, sword fern, thyme -- woolly and lemon, and a few other odds and ends):