All the perennials that are left to stand through the winter need to be cleared out before the early spring show begins. It is much easier to cut them all down with a pair of hedge clippers when the bulbs are just beginning to show. I can get a closer and neater trim when the bulb foliage is not in the way.
Cleaning all the iris foliage around the pond was left for another visit. This is most likely Iris virginica, the Blue Flag Iris. It has not bloomed with any significance that I remember and is more foliage than anything else, squashed and matted brown foliage right now.
I should have taken a before shot. This side bed has daylily, Shasta daisy, Baptisia, Echinacea, Iris, Mallow, Perovskia, Joe Pye Weed, Rubbeckia laciniata, Rudbeckia hirta and hundreds of emerging tulips, daffodils, crocus and muscari to name the bulk of the perennials. It is ready for the upcoming show.
Last fall I planted another 500 bulbs, mostly tulips. The bulbs are poking up through the ground all over the place.
Even this island bed in the parking lot is filled with tulips. There is also lots of tunneling activity in the soil, so I wonder how much loss there is to what ever critter this may be. The mole is the benign one as far as bulbs are concerned. The vole is the enemy of bulbs.
The weather diagnosis says I need to prepare for some more cold and snow headed this way during the week. The bulbapaloozathon will be here in due time and I will have more time to finish the preparation.
The sky blooms for me every day. I can wait a few more weeks for the bulbs.
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I'm not sure why, but I always assumed your client's garden was residential. This looks more like an office, or did I mis-read the photos? Not that there is anything wrong with that, in fact it always pleases me to see companies take the effort put in great gardens and landscaping, and this one looks interesting. I hope you will bring us back as the bulbs begin blooming.
What excitement. Tulip greens. Happy Valentines Day.
Happy Valentines Day.
Very good pix. It does look like an office of some kind. I know it will look lovely when you get it all straightened up.
Have fun, stay warm & stay happy.
Les, it is a professionl office building that is incredibly landscaped for an office. The doc believes it helps calm the patients with big picture windows out onto the pond and waterfall and he is a bit of a plant nerd. I work at their residence to.
Lisa it is getting close.
Lola at the office the doc gets his way and the perennials are left through the winter. At their house, the Mrs. gets her way and cleanup is done in the fall. I think I like his way better. The beds look so naked when they are stripped bare.
Hi Christopher, happy Valentine's Day to you. I would go to that doctor's just to look out the window. Would that all professionals with waiting rooms full of nervous people had interesting garden views. Almost bulb time, and so exciting. About those voles, I have had results with kitty poop from the littler box placed in the tunnels. The voles are put off by it and I have an endless supply. :-)
Frances
Hi Christopher! I remember previous photos you posted of photos taken at client #1's and the flowers were beautiful. It's interesting to see the before "blank slate". I'm looking forward to seeing all the bulbs in this garden and also in your own as they start coming up! And if you find a good solution to the vole problem, please pass it on as I have a vole problem myself! (I wonder if doggie poop might work in lieu of kitty poop) :-)
Frances I'm not sure Client #1 would appreciate me bringing cat poop to his garden. I do have a hillside where it could be easily mined though.
Siria, the long standing solution here has been to out plant them and rely mostly on the poisonous daffodils that they won't eat. Next time you are here though you are welcome to all my cat poop.
"Bulbapaloozathon"...I love it! You're probably well aware, but there are dips for bulbs that can repel furry thieves, as well as wire cages in extreme cases. I'm just sayin'.
Lisa, I am a hardcore survival of the fittest type gardener, another way of saying cages and potions are way to much trouble.
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