Clearing Out for Spring

Are you getting itchy?

 

All of this nice weather makes me want to get out to the garden, clear off the mulch and dead plants from last fall, and get ready for spring.

 

So that is what I did Sunday. People were coming to take raspberry canes from a different flower bed so I worked up front until they arrived.

So many plants are making their way.

 

The tulips are quite high.

 

The hollyhocks are making an appearance.

 

The sedum is in a tightly knitted group, making me wonder if I should not do a little separating.

And there are a few things to look forward to seeing.

Hello, foxglove. Never had one of these before.

 

 

And then there is this plant. I am still not sure what it is although my guess would be grape hyacinth. Hopefully the picture is here although it was not on my preview.

I am trying to leave some of the mulch just in case another nasty ole freeze comes out way. But let me tell you, that is really hard to do. Instead, I plan to plant scarlet runner and black-eyed susan vine on one section, and hyacinth bean goes to another place. While I am at it, perhaps I will throw down some poppy seeds.

How are you getting at spring gardening chores?

  Related Posts:

         Bird and Flowers in the Garden

         Surprises in the Garden

         Getting the Impatiens Planted

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Birds and Flowers in the Garden

Wordless Wednesday

 

Enjoy these pictures of birds and flowers.

Moonflower

 

Sedum

 

 

Obedience Plant

 

 

Purple vine that is new to me, do not know the name but it is lovely.

 

 

Sunflowers

 

Birds in the sunflowers. Many times we have Goldfinches who are too shy for the camera.

 

See the hummingbird? Sometimes we get two or three fighting for territory.

 

What is in your garden right now?

Surprises in the Garden

Every year, I can count on not knowing what is going to appear next.

Last year I was surprised by the super-tall sunflower and strawberries in the flocks. The year before that, I had a volunteer tomato plant in with the flowers.

There is always something surprising.

This year has been a whole host of surprises.

First was the pink Impatiens plant in the flat of red flowers the husband picked up for me.

 

Pink in a sea of red.

When I planted these guys, I noticed the first one. The second one was a surprise because not all of the plants had bloomed. The third one was placed in the middle of the red ones on purpose.

The next surprise was a plant I had never seen before, certainly did not plant and did not recognize until I did a search only to find it at an Illinois wildflower site.

Evening Primrose

I thought this was a Joe Pie Salad plant. Wrong!!! But it is lovely just the same and blooms in the evening. That was a nice surprise.

The other day I was looking at a new lily I planted. Could have sworn I order an orange-colored flower. But this is what came up.

It is not a Surprise Lily but what is it?

 

I was expecting a different flower than this. Problem is I don’t know what I have. Oriental Lily, yes. Variety, not sure.

While I was pondering this, I looked up and noticed another surprise.

Cream Hollyhock

 

A pure cream-colored Hollyhock. My other cream-colored flowers has veins of color running through them but not this one. I think I know at least one flower I am showing at the County Fair.

Right before I put the camera away I had been trying to get a picture of butterfly. Neither one of us was very patient for that. However, that is when this bright patch of blue grabbed my attention.

Bachelor Button Blue

 

This plant is hidden in the Obedience Plant and another Hollyhock. But here is it, so deeply brilliant. Makes me wonder what I might see next week.

What surprises are in your garden?

Discoveries in the spring garden

My Garden is really growing now. The peony bushes are standing tall and the spider wort grassy stalks are nice and thick.

I have volunteer plants coming up everyday. Some I know right off and others I am taking a guess at who they are. Now I have to decide who gets to stay and who does not!

The Obedience plant which will get a nice stalk of flowers late in the summer. It can also handle when times get dry.

Lets start with the Obedience plant. I like these in the back of the garden because they do get about three feet high. This one will get white flowers that the butterflies love. I have another grouping with darker green leaves that have a light purple flower. Mixed in all of that are the ones that have cross pollinated and have a light pink flower. It is a keeper until the plant roams to far forward.

Sunflower seedlings

Sunflowers can be a great flower. Kids love them and so do the birds.

But a weed is anything that you do not want in a specific patch and I do not want these in this spot.  When they first started coming up I was not sure what they were so I waited to see what the seedlings would be.

There had been a multiple sunflower hanging over that spot last year, so I think my guess is correct. Sometime this week, sadly, these seedlings are being given the boot.

Black Eyed Susan, heat tolerant and quite hardy.

The one corner of my garden always has these Black Eyed Susan’s. I enjoy the oval-shaped leaves that grow in  a cluster. The flowers will come in July all bright yellow with that nice black center.

Their height is only about 2 feet for the plant but the flowers soar another foot after that. I try to get Shasta Daisies in the garden so they can look good off of each other. I have not had any luck getting my Shasta daisies to come back despite mounding with compost in the fall. So in a few weeks I will be buying those and cone flowers to fill in my from periannual bed.

I have more pictures but it will have to wait another day.