Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Gardening

There is an excellent view of the mountain where clients #3 through #5 live (center left, half way up) from Client #2's where I was pruning roses today. It took me ten hours to prune 52 or so roses. That works out to five roses an hour. Not too shabby for such detailed work.



There was still plenty of daylight left when I got back at four and I headed out to the ridge top garden to finish off the last of the stick removal. Mostly this was cutting down the remaining dried stalks of the perennial wild flowers.

A new daffodil opened today, 'Rip Van Winkle'.



And there were new patches of crocus in their prime. When you look there is always more. This is one of the new patches that was planted last fall. I think Bulbarella forgot to put daffodils in some of her new plantings.



All this cleaning is making the very tiny minor bulbs like Chionodoxa forbesii much more visible.



If I do say so myself this is the cleanest the ridge top garden has been since I arrived. It only took me three years to gain the upper hand. This round of tidiness should last until about mid-June when the explosive growth really kicks in.



I just need to do a light raking of all the paths and everything will be ready for the Bulbapaloozathon, at least up here. Next I must attend to the sunny utility meadow. There are far fewer branches from the trees in there and it is mostly the dried sticks of last year's perennials. A quick zip through with the hedge clippers and all will be well. As well as the level of tidiness that is going to happen in the wild cultivated gardens.



The big pink Puschkinia scilliodes is back and happy. I do believe there are more of them this year.



The Iris reticulata 'Harmony' blooms have been lasting for a good long time. The warm days ahead may finish them off.



The old fire pit was planted last fall with tulips, crocus, snowdrops and something else seems to be coming up in there, but I do not know what yet.



Just think if you buy, divide, seed and plant several hundred bulbs every fall for 20 years, picking up and flattening all the dead brown sticks could be an important part of a proper display in the spring.

5 comments:

lisa said...

LOVE that Rip Van Winkle! You sure have a running start there...congratulations!

Lola said...

Boy, you sure have been busy. Makes me tired just reading. lol
It's all looking very pretty. I too like the Rip Van Winkle.
Don't go too fast.
I'm in the process of getting plants in the ground that my brother brought down to me. Even a white Brug that he rooted.

Siria said...

I don't know where you get all your energy, but you sure do make the most of all the daylight hours! Can you bottle some of that up and send it my way?! The Rip Van Winkle is stunning.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Your stamina shames me!

I adore the Iris reticulata and I love the ridge.

All spring joys,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Our forest walk at the park is full of trilliums and bloodroot. The Dutchmans breeches are making a carpet of white on the hillsides. Mayapples are showing up too. Do you have any of the wildflowers showing up yet?