I was in full spring planting mode this week, so there was no time for plant research. Instead, today’s blog is a simple photo-capture of what is happening in the Snoddy garden at the moment.
Above the rock wall near my guest parking area, a row of dwarf crested iris are putting on their spring show. They are interplanted with yellow daylilies and orange turk’s cap lilies, which will add color later in the season. Behind the Iris, a native Grancy Graybeard (Chionanthus virginicus) is in full flower. I found six other Chionanthus growing wild in my woodlands this week, along with at least a dozen native Piedmont (pink) azaleas. On my To Do list for this summer: Clear out the scrub trees and vines around these so they have a better environment. Here is a bit of trivia: The taller the Iris, the later it flowers.
Iris and Chionanthus
I am determined to improve the soil in my planting beds, so they get a top-dressing of soil conditioner twice yearly. It will breakdown quicker than a coarser mulch, but looks refined. The soil will be great if I live to be 100+. I weeded and conditioned the beds nearest the house before I moved all the annual seedlings from the greenhouse into their summer locations.
Candytuft (Iberis) in the front and Homestead Verbena flower early, giving an uplifting spot of color before everything else starts blooming. The open areas are now filled with Zinnia, Gomphrena, and Melampodium seedlings. This is a small area, so I am limiting my number of colors to yellow, salmon, and purple.
I have an area with a narrow, steep slope that makes mowing dangerous. It is between the kitchen foundation wall and the firepit on the north side of the house. The Zoysia sod was becoming thin and sickly from lack of sun. With help from my husband, I removed it and replaced it with stepping stones and sprigs of dwarf Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’). It looks pitiful right now, but in two years it will have filled in and offer a carefree lawn alternative. The stepping stones were a gift from my sister. When time allows, I will paint them with a slurry of concrete dye to make them mimic the color of the foundation wall.
Since this photo was taken, I have added two more stepping stones at the base of the steps as a landing pad.
The weather forecast contains a couple of cool nights ahead. We always have a cold snap after our last frost date — April 15, in my area. My grandmother called this “blackberry winter” and my blackberries are in flower right now.
Whether your garden consists of acreage or a single patio container, I wish you success in the coming growing season.