Scattering Snow

This morning I have thus put 42 wheelbarrows full of snow around the hydrangeas and viburnums planted Fall 2008. This will give them the moisture they so need to start the Spring season. Still more snow to scatter. The compost & snow will provide a good organic bed for future understory perennials.

Winter Reflections

Well, November was a busy month putting my many gardens to rest. Along with laying out & preparing new beds on our outlying lots, I planted ten (10) new viburnums which were generously fed last years compost. Then logs with character placed to age & decompose. All this so transplants & new woodland perennials have a Spring home to move into.

The idea on both lots is to preserve native trillium, cranesbill, mertensia, ferns & so much more.

It took my new shredder hours to make big piles of leaves into chomped down bits which were mixed with perennials shredded. Then many a branch from dead trees & shrubs shredded & added to compost. So sitting in two large 10'x10' framed bins are future Black Gold for gardens of 2009.

Lastly now comes time in January & February to do the planning. Plan for transplants and plan for any new material. Picture in your mind bloom times as your gardens transition the seasons.

With our home being listed as a habit for wildlife I consider two other factors being food source & protection for nesting.

Take time now to reflect likes & dislikes of your gardens / landscape of 2008. Enjoy now the icy & frosty magic of winter that put our landscapes here in Illinois in a deep sleep.

Happy Composting!

Today is a good start on my compost pile. Sixteen wheelbarrow loads of leaves and cuttings from the garden beds added to recent grass clippings. The push lawnmower then did its job cutting them into very fine pieces to speed up decomposition. My recent baking of cookies had many egg shells to add with the mix.

As leaves continue to fall and I clean garden beds, my Compost Gold for 2009 will continue to grow. Whenever town, villages and cities have pick-up service of fall's leaves which are hauled to a farmer's field, I am please. For what better way to recycle Mother Nature's fertilizer!

A little TLC goes a long way!

Today I fertilized all of our hydrangea's with a 5 gal mix of fertilizer (Miracle-gro acid loving plant food). Then I started mulching and using our compost to prepare our hydrangea macrophylla for winter. A little tender car goes a long way to enjoy next year's blooms!

Hauling rocks!

New garden along the front side of our property.


We gathered flagstone for a bench in the new garden.


New flagstone viewing ledge at the pond.


Tucker checking out the new ledge.

This past week I went to the quarry with Janet to get flagstone for the pond to create a ledge for children to stand on safely to feed our koi. First I removed a larger juniper and replaced it with a smaller cedar so the fish are more visible and there is easier access to the new flagstone ledge. I am reminded that when designing, I must take in mind the many aspects of function and view when choosing plantings.

I also created a new bed in our front so as to lead the eye down our side yard. Janet had the idea of adding a stone bench in our new bed. I, physically and mentally, found a way to get the mass of rock home and in place, and it was worth the effort as it adds charm and character to the bed. I’ve also started a rustic curved fence as a backdrop to the new garden.

All I have left to do is mulch the new plantings for moisture retention. Then I’ll continue cleaning up the existing beds. I feel like gardening is caring for toddlers — they both have needs of care so they can grow to flourish! :)

Weather and Blooms

This year has been a hard year to predict bloom time as in a "normal" year.

I had a Garden Party June 29th this year and Spring Blooms were two weeks behind because lack of heat (BTU's).

On top of that we followed now with record rainfalls (7 inches over norm for month). This has caused many plants to curl as if swimming in a pool way tool long. The only thing we as gardeners can do is provide plants with excellent drainage.

This week I had to replace a rose that had its feet soaking in water. After I removed the rose from site I used pea gravel & peat to provide a proper home. Then fertilized with Bayer Rose Fertilizer with a systemic to prevent disease.

As my grandfather once told me, "We can not change the weather, so we must learn to work with it!"

Garden Competition

The celandine poppies are a welcome site as the shade garden comes alive!

I continue to attack the garlic mustard so that it does not have a chance to go to seed.

This week I worked at a customer's home updating and adding to a butterfly garden. I was saddened to see how much grass had grown into the perennials, so I quickly started to make a trench and remove the grass from the midst of flowers.

Seedlings most definitely need not compete for water or nutrients with grass. One need not put in plastic or metal edging if they periodically create a trench with a shovel, for grass roots do not like air and will not then creep into flower beds. This creates a softer, more natural edge to the flower bed.

I've been out in the vegetable and rose garden today prepping the soil getting ready to
turn it over, fertilize and have it ready for the cool weather plants that I'll be putting in this week.

Plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce - all the cool weather plants - can go in now here in Illinois, but our warm weather ones are still a few weeks away. Our last freeze date here technically is May 15, so don't rush the tomatoes or you'll just have to plant them again!

It's important to know your USDA plant hardiness zone and know your last frost date before you put in your warm weather vegetables.

Keep your eyes open for garlic mustard as Spring evolves! With a diligent hands-on approach of removing it, you may keep it from invading your gardens. It is INVASIVE and can choke out other plants. Garlic mustard is difficult to eradicate because seeds can lie dormant for years, so don't allow it to go to seed in your garden.

Starting to get busy!

Of late I've been raking up the leaves and mulching them so they're ready for compost and adding them to the gardens. Been working on a new compost bin. Also been doing maintenance for other people and coming across ornamental grasses that have not been cut yet. It's getting right to the end of cutting the ornamental grasses. They should be down 6-8" because they're starting to shoot new growth. So if you haven't done your ornamental grasses yet, now is the time.

This week I'll be going around fertilizing all the evergreens to green them up. They've had plenty of moisture this year because we had a record-breaking snowfall, but we're a little short on chelated iron in the plants around the pond. So I'll be adding an evergreen fertilizer to add the supplements ammonia sulfide and chelated iron and things that keep to them nice and green and promote growth.

I'm also going to get ready to fertilize the shrubs now - the spring blooming ones, lilacs - and I'll probably fertilize the hydrangeas and other things too so they're ready for the summer along with any of the other shrubs that look like they might need a boost. So spring is coming in!

I've also been going out and dividing some of the plants. Now's a good time for division just as they're breaking ground and popping. If you can get out there and divide them they won't go into too much of a shock because of the cool nights and plenty of moisture to help them to promote root growth. I'm glad spring is here and I hope you're looking forward to a productive spring as you add plants, divide, multiply, or re-create your gardens with a design that's more suitable for you're area. Enjoy your gardening!