Friday, April 22, 2022

Spring Garden Walkabout

Hi, Lovely Friends,
How are you? I hope you are doing well.
I hope that you had a wonderful Easter. 
We did! We had a family gathering formerly known as a super spreader situation. 
I hope you know that I'm joking and that we've been so conservative the last two years. It's been three years since we have had a normal Easter.
 Hallelujah.


Conventional lore for my area states that it is safe to plant annuals at Easter. 
I looked at the ten day forecast and there was no cold weather on the horizon so I got to work a little early. I always think I'm too tired to do yard work but once spring arrives, I cannot stop myself. 
Exhausting days in the garden are good for my spirit. I spent a solid week in the yard. 
Here are some highlights for you. 


This yellow iris is new. Bill and I have found a huge pile of irises in the trash while we were on a walk. I had one bloom two years ago but none last year. Moving them seems to have done the trick. There are five blooms on this one. I have been on a yellow kick so I was thrilled to see this blossom. 


The classic purple ones are gorgeous though. I'm about to up my iris game and order some new colors. 


I have a feeling that it is going to be hot soon, so Bill pushed the stock tank pool up from behind our fence. We've still got to get the pump hooked up and fill it. The water will be chilly for a while but we've already had days in the 90s. 


We moved the green house last August. I am so in love with it in this spot. 
The plants that over wintered in it did survive. I had some die back but they will bounce back soon. 
We had quite a few freezing temperatures. 


It has had a good cleaning and is ready to house garden tools and empty flower pots. 
It is like a playhouse for garden loving grown ups. 
Now that the foggy window are repaired, I can see it clearly from the kitchen sink.
Every kitchen window needs a good view. 
 

I want to scale back the plants on the deck but I just cannot do it. 
Can I squeeze in one more? 
Pinks and purples are my favorite colors for the garden. 


I'm determined to be successful with Supertunias by Proven Winners. So far so good but it's only been three weeks.  


There were several very old junk trees right behind our fence. A huge portion of one fell on the arbor and fence. The arbor was damaged further when the tree came down. Removing those two has allowed more sun to spill into the yard. It will be fun trying some sun loving plants since we didn't have much sun at all. The arbor has since been repaired. We will finally have grass in some spots that had too much shade.   


We also have the benefit of being able to see into the woods behind our house. We've spotted a pair of barred owls which is just so cool. 

The fountain got a good cleaning. 


This photo is from last year.  I love the sound of water in the garden. 

The deck also got a good cleaning but we still need to stain it after I stripped it last fall. 
It needed to rest after being power washed and new boards needed to age at least three months. 
That's on the spring list. 


An iconic lawn chair got a couple of coats of my favorite green spray paint. Moss Green in a Satin finish by Rust-Oleum. 




It took over a year but some seeds finally bloomed. There is one more mystery plant in the pot ready to bloom. 


Our oxalis has gone crazy this year. 



I'm trying cleome for the first time. 


That is all for now. 
I know we are early here in Texas. I hope that this inspires you to get into the garden when it is your turn to plant. 
What is the conventional planting date in your area? Have fun and have a fabulous weekend. 
Katie 

5 comments :

  1. Your yard looks beautiful, what a great spot to sit and relax. We've had a few freezes this last week, so we're not safe for planting containers yet. Iris won't come out here until early May, same for lilacs. Your iris are gorgeous, how amazing that you'd find a whole pile of them. My azaleas are about ready to bud. I thought they might have been frozen, but I can see them starting to open up. The tulip tree had a freeze so we only had a few blossoms which was terribly disappointing. Have fun in your garden. I need to get started early with some seed which I haven't done lately. Glad you were able to be with your family this year for Easter!

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  2. It all looks beautiful Katie. Glad you could be together with family for Easter. Happy Friday. Have a good weekend. xoxo Kris

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  3. I'm in the Texas hill country, so we have similar planting dates :-) I've had a pot of irises for a few years (given to me by my sister when she separated hers). I'd never really grown them so they haven't gotten any special care and seemed to just survive, only having a bloom or two. This year they went crazy and I had dozens of blooms! I wish I know what was different so I can make that happen again - they were so beautiful just in time for Easter! On a funny note, the people that built my house apparently threw out an amaryllis bulb between my house slab and the 50 gallon rain barrel (about 6" space between them). It blooms beautifully every year. I'd love to move it, but can't get to it until I can empty the rain barrel. Until then, I'll appreciate that bit of beauty in a very unexpected place :-)

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  4. I am happy to hear you were able to enjoy your family for Easter. That is what we did too. We can plant at the end of the month for sure, but I planted early. I had to cover things and bring things inside, but I don't mind. I think winter is over now. Suppose to heat up here next week. Your flowers look beautiful. Enjoy your weekend!

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  5. Hi Katie - Your yard looks beautiful! I also love Iris' and want to get more. I recently bought a new hydrangea and hope it will do well in our yard. I have had mixed success with them. Annuals planting in my area of mid-northern Maryland is after Mother's day. We are expecting frost this week Thursday and Friday morning. I can't wait to clean up the deck and get my furniture cleaned and my pots planted. Have a good week!

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