I Have Become Obsessed With A Small Patch of Garden

[godfry n. glad]

Wow... This is a real talkative group.

Note to noobs in the northern hemisphere> Now is the time to plant spring bulbs. If you want daffys, tulips, hyacinth, lilies-of-the-valley, glory-the-snow, and narcissus of multitudinous variety next spring, now is the time to get those bulbs in the ground.

I got all my new iris in, and the gifts I got for my girlfriend I put in a pot, on the back balcony, awaiting for whenever she will claim them.

My katsura tree has gone yellow and is losing its leaves. It's a good time to check out future pruning jobs....but don't cut 'til they've lost their leaves.

The first rains of autumn have arrived with the fanfare of thunder and lightning. I actually turned on the furnace and closed up the back rooms.
I wish I was somewhere in the Maritimes or New England; I love this time of year.

I've still got scads of rose of sharon starts coming up in my back patio, out by the bunny hutch.

Always weeding to be done.

And I gotta get more itty bitty daffodils (tete-a-tete narcissus) for the front slope. Soon.

[Plant Woman]

Here is my first post and of course it would be in a garden thread. I live for my garden. I have a 1/2 acre that I have gardened now for 7 years, the last garden was 8 years.

I garden year round in the Pacific Northwest and there is something always in bloom, even in the dead of winter. I don't have a particular plant love, I want them all. I live within 10 minutes of Heronswood Nursery a dangerous place for a plant collecting addiction. I am known to drive 3 hours to Portland to shop at Cistus, Joy Creek and Collector's.

I have it bad. Is there anything I can do to stop?

Oh wait I don't wanna stop.

[livius drusus]

You're going to make godfry so happy, Debbie T. Is the picture in your profile a flower from your garden, by any chance? It's absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to FF.

[godfry n. glad]

Another specific nor'wester?

Ah, Debbie, I'm in Portland. In an inner city neighborhood. With a postage stamp sized lot. I envy you your half acre.... I have to take care with what I plant, for fear that anything too big will crowd out or shade out those things I love (like my sun-loving tall bearded iris).

[Plant Woman]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

You're going to make godfry so happy, Debbie T. Is the picture in your profile a flower from your garden, by any chance? It's absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to FF.

Why thanks livius, it is a flower from my garden.

[Plant Woman]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Another specific nor'wester?

Ah, Debbie, I'm in Portland. In an inner city neighborhood. With a postage stamp sized lot. I envy you your half acre.... I have to take care with what I plant, for fear that anything too big will crowd out or shade out those things I love (like my sun-loving tall bearded iris).

Yup, I have all ten webbed toes.

Sometimes I wish for a smaller garden, the upkeep is sometimes more than I want. I am working on more shade myself as it is easier to take care of. Trees just don't grow fast enough, except for the alder seedlings, of course!

Do you grow all kinds of iris or are you partial to just the bearded ones? I am partial to the Japanese iris and Iris siberica cultivars, and in my cutting garden I grow Dutch iris for cut flowers. I have only one bearded one right now that someone gave me, Iris 'Batik' which I love.

I know those catalogs you speak of for Iris, eye candy for sure.

So many Iris, so little time!

I was just down in Portland touring gardens about a week ago. Also stopped at Garden World and was overwhelmed by the size of the place. Bought a dwarf Ginkgo biloba tree there. And found a new nursery for me that specializes in hardy fuchsias, shoot can't remember the name at the moment, will have to dig through my stuff to find the catalog.

[godfry n. glad]

Ah... Well, I can't claim webfoot status, as I'm a dry-sider (from Umatilla County originally), but I've been in Portland so long that I've adapted quite well.

My true weakness is tall beardeds. Of course, my proximity to both Cooley's and Schreiner's has been costly, but ultimately rewarding. I love Japanese iris, but haven't really had much luck with them. As for Siberians, I'm the local source of violet blue Siberians for many, many friends, as they grow like weeds on my property. I've placed most of mine in the parking strip, where they seem quite happy these past 10 years.

I've been trying to wean myself over into more drought-tolerant species so I won't have to worry about my spacy watering practices through the three months of sorta dry that pass for summer. But, having started out with roses, I'm pretty much stuck with the watering, pruning and fertilizing habits they demand.

I had so-so luck with my iris this past year, losing some to agressive grass that choked out the iris. But my foray into black-eyed susans has paid off handsomely. I'll be placing more this coming spring. The same with the tete-a-tete narcissus. I had all sorts swooning over my "naturalized" front slope.

I bought three "Batik" rhizomes this year. I saw them in the beds at Cooley's and just loved them. Yeah, so many iris, so little time. So little sunny space, too.

[godfry n. glad]

Well... I was urging spring bulbs in mid-October and I finally got mine in late December. Today, in fact. Gorgeous day...50+ degrees, overcast, no rain, but everything was soaked. It was mucky work planting bulbs today.

I couldn't find more tete-a-tete narcissus (they sold out fast, I'm told), and I procrastinated hoping I'd find them elsewhere. Elsewhere didn't have them, either, so I bought some "Quail"...small, multiple blossom, yellow, rather like tete-a-tete, but taller.

Should have done it sooner. Only lost a couple of bulbs to mold.

Any day I can garden is a good day.

[Plant Woman]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Well... I was urging spring bulbs in mid-October and I finally got mine in late December. Today, in fact. Gorgeous day...50+ degrees, overcast, no rain, but everything was soaked. It was mucky work planting bulbs today.

I couldn't find more tete-a-tete narcissus (they sold out fast, I'm told), and I procrastinated hoping I'd find them elsewhere. Elsewhere didn't have them, either, so I bought some "Quail"...small, multiple blossom, yellow, rather like tete-a-tete, but taller.

Should have done it sooner. Only lost a couple of bulbs to mold.

Any day I can garden is a good day.

I still need to get some alliums in the ground. I planted about 300 bulbs, mostly in pots. That way I can display them when they are gorgeous, then whisk them away out of sight when they need to have the sun, until the leaves die back in July. I buy the bulbs wholesale, so if you want I can order some extra Tete-a-tetes for you next year. You might like February Gold too, they bloom a little earlier.

[godfry n. glad]

I found my first blossom of the year this past weekend.

On Saturday, we had a break in the ongoing deluge of rain, rain, and more rain, so I took the opportunity to do some pruning and half-fast cleanup. In clearing away some mulching leaves from the front slope, I found a white primrose in full bloom.

The winter daphne odora is budding nicely, too.

Spring is on its way.

[livius drusus]

Spring in January? Oh well,

[godfry n. glad]

I didn't say it was here. I said it was "on its way".

As I understand it from my Yorkshirite neighbor, Europeans consider the solstices and equinoxes to be "mid-season", as in Midsummer Night's Dream taking place on summer solstice. That means that early spring should be around Mr. Valentine's Day.

The next demonstration for equal nights should be on March 22.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

That means that early spring should be around Mr. Valentine's Day.

That all depends on Punxsutawney Phil.

[Plant Woman]

Godfry if you are interested I have a list of plants that if you want you can have something blooming all year round.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Debbie T

Godfry if you are interested I have a list of plants that if you want you can have something blooming all year round.

For sure, Debbie!

During our "nice" weekend (actual sunshine!), I had a chance to do some duff-clearing and a bit of weed-pulling. I found another primrose, this one violet, blooming happily away under the duff. However, the white one, as well as the new blue one, are showing sure signs of that dastardly villian -

The SLUG

Gotta get myself over to the store and get me some Corry's.

[inland wave]

My grandfather had a rose garden when I was kid. They were so lovely, you could smell them from the driveway. He also had deep red irises. We would get to cut one iris bloom to take home with us when we visited him. The side yard was covered with blue bonnets in the spring. I wish I had his way with flowers. I'll never forget.
Seed catalog came in the mail just yesterday and they have already started putting seeds out in the garden centers around Tulsa. I always get the itch, just never scratch it, maybe this year......

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

that dastardly villian -

The SLUG

Slugs are evil. I know this because when I was at university, some friends stayed in a terraced house with the kitchen at the back. One evening we went into the kitchen and found two slugs sliming up the opposite wall from the back door, heading for the light switch.

Some good came of this horror, even so: my friends drew up a short monograph entitled "101 Uses for a Dead Slug".

[Plant Woman]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Gotta get myself over to the store and get me some Corry's.

Hey godfry, Might I suggest Sluggo instead? It won't hurt pets or other wildlife who might ingest it and dissipates into the soil, harmless.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Debbie T

Hey godfry, Might I suggest Sluggo instead? It won't hurt pets or other wildlife who might ingest it and dissipates into the soil, harmless.

Sure. I'm always willing to accept suggestions. I'll trial anything that the warning label doesn't scare me off. I still haven't obtained yet, so I'll pick up some, if they have it (since we're relatively close, it should be).

I am known to "post" my yard with an empty box on a stake, as a warning to walking dogs, all of which should be on leash. Other wildlife is very limited, and has, in all cases observable, ignored it.

But, if Sluggo provides as good a kill as does Corry's, that's great.

I have my first iris reticulata in bloom today. Also, my first blossom on my daphne odora. I gotta pick up some more sacrificial primroses to plug in, too. It promises to be sunny and in the 50:degree:F (low teens C) this week, but with overnights dropping into the high thirties (about 5:degree:C), so I'm not absolutely convinced last frost has happened.

[godfry n. glad]

I went to the supermarket today and found nice robust red primroses, iris reticulata, and....ta da... potted tete-a-tete narcisuss! I bought the entire stock of what they had out (just seven pots).

And seeds, too! Johnny-jump-ups and tiny trailing zinnias.

O boy! I get to plant this week!



(...oh...No Sluggo, but it was the super, not a nursery. I'm still looking.)

[godfry n. glad]

What a gorgeous Sunday. Temps in the upper 40:degree: F (7-10:degree:C), calm and sunny. Blue sky. It's been dry for a week, other than a very light sprinkle overnight, so I waited until afternoon to move my lawn. :mow: The first time this year.

I plugged in my new narcissus, primrose and mini-iris sets and pulled away some more accumulated leaf duff. Spread some Corry's around along with some time-release fertilizer. I've still got some seed scattering to do. I think the last frost is a thing of the past, even though overnight temps plunge to near freezing. I suspect with things jumping the gun due to early sun and warm temperatures that March/April hailstorms will take a higher toll of the tender stuff.

I'm having an open garden on May 27. Anybody interested is welcome. I'm going to have my favorite Lebanese restaurant cater it. Just PM me for explicit directions.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

I think the last frost is a thing of the past, even though overnight temps plunge to near freezing.

WRONG!

When I arose this morning and went to get the daily newspaper from my front porch, there was a heavy frost on everything. Plus, weather forecasters are predicting a really cold front to sweep through on Friday, leaving high temperatures of 34F (1C) and lows around 20F (-12C).

Damn Canucks. They can't keep their weather to themselves. They always have to share it around, eh?

At least I didn't put down any seeds last weekend.

[Plant Woman]

Winter Flowers for godfry



Viburnum bodnantense 'Charles Lamont', 'Dawn', and farrerii 'Nanum'
Sarcococca confusa (althought the flowers are inconspicuous, the fragrance is fabulous!)
Lonicera fragrantisimma
Hamamelis 'Pallida'
Mahonia x 'Charity' (above photo), 'Winter Sun' and 'Arthur Menzies'
Cyclamen coum
Helleborus
Camillia sansanqua 'Yuletide'
Edgeworthia
Iris reticulata
Chimonanthus praecox var. luteus
Rhododendrons 'Christmas Cheer' and 'Praecox'

[godfry n. glad]

Thanks, Deb.

I already have iris reticulata and I keep putting more in each year.

Mahonia, eh? State flower of Oregon. The governor's residence is known as Mahonia Hall. It does have a lovely scent, too. I think I've a place for some. Excellent suggestion.

I'll check the others out against my Sunset handbook.

The cold snap seems over, but temps are still cool. They're still dry, though, so today I spent a couple hours pruning down my roses. I was a little harder on them this year, going below knee height on several canes. Now I've got to weed and groom the beds underneath them. It also looks like I should lift and clean the roots of one, which has a nice stand of harebells growing up through it. The harebells are volunteer, but I still want to save them, so I'm moving them across the back yard to behind the bird bath.

I'm still trying to get one of my friends to commit to loaning me a chain saw for a weekend. I must get that Stewartia down soon. The grapes have to be pruned, too; but that can wait.

Weeding is definitely in order. Tomorrow.

I got mud on my mucks. How 'bout you?

[godfry n. glad]

Okay... Since last we heard, I've managed to prune all my roses. I pruned pretty hard this year, to below knee level. (ETA: Is there an echo in here?) I took out a lot of older canes, too. I'll have to reprune to take out those that don't leaf and some inward-pointing limbs. I still have pruned limbs laying about on the back lawn, ready to be downsized and outsourced.

I've got most new acquisitions in the ground, including new bunches of tete-a-tete narcissus. I'm waiting for more reliable weather to put down seeds. And I still have to cut down that tree.

My early tete-a-tete collection on the front hillside is nearly at full glory. I've a few blue primroses, but they're looking a little tattered from the recent blast of Canadian weather.

I've got a red camellia blooming at its top in the back jungle. Future muck.

Around the neighborhood, the forsythia are in full bloom and a scattering of daffodils. The plums are blooming.