The Problem with Snow

In case you've been living in a hole - Boston (just down the road from me) has had it's third snowiest winter on record this winter. And most of that has been in February. I've got about 4 feet of snow on the ground in my yard right now.

The bit of plant to the right is part of a four foot tall Pieris 

Even our fuzzy dog is tired of it. 

But what problem is this causing to my garden? It's causing a problem that I'll have to deal with in April and/or May.

I'm still getting new catalogs from mail order companies.

I've ordered too many plants.

Because of the snow I'm not getting out of the house as much as normal. So I'm stick inside, bored, and longing for some green. And I've got this great big stack of catalogs on my desk. 

Add to that the fact that my garden looks like this...

and I can't exactly go outside and look at the garden and notice where the empty spaces are or where I could possibly tuck in  a new plant. I think I've ordered about 2 or 3 plants for each space.

Oh, look. I haven't ordered anything from the new High Country Gardens catalog yet...

Ghosts of Projects Past, Present and Future

Today you will be visited by updates on three ghosts projects:  The Ghost of Projects Past, The Ghost of Projects Present and the Ghost of Projects Future.

Enter The Ghost of Projects Past...

Earlier this year we moved some "foundation" plantings that were way too big - Pieris japonica that were in front of our windows.  I was pruning these plants several times a year to keep them below our windows.  I don't like to prune plants.  I like plants to fit their spaces.  But I really like the Pieris in the early spring when they are one of the first plants to flower.  And the bees appreciate the early blooms, too.  So we decided to try and move these four foot tall behomeths [excuse the bit of hyperbole but if you've ever tried to move established shrubs that are only four foot tall because of pruning you understand].  One long, sweaty day later and they were now in the back yard where they can get to be six foot tall [my estimated expected size] without pruning.

  I expected wilting, leaf drop, loosing limbs.  I'd be happy if one of the shrubs survived.

I didn't get that.  Instead I got no wilting, no leaf drop, no loosing limbs.  Sure they didn't grow any [above ground, I hope their roots grew].  But then this appeared.

Buds!  And lots of them.  Pieris produce the buds in last summer and hold on to them all winter only to bloom in the spring.  Looks like we'll have blooms next spring.  

The Ghost of Projects Past has been kind.

But now comes The Ghost of Projects Present.  Will she be kind?

Well, yes, she will.  Several of our neighbors have been working together on a vegetable garden this summer.  Wednesday nights is Wednesday Weeds and Wine where we open a bottle of wine and work in the garden.  It's a rip roaring success.  

Here is this Wednesday's harvest [one of the women brought bruschetta, too.  Maybe next week I'll have to bring our marinated tomato salad].

The tomato plants are growing like, well, weeds.  The Husband kindly stood next to a plant for scale.  The Mayor insisted on being included [he's such a politician!].

So The Ghost of Projects Present is generous.  But here comes the scary one.  The Ghost of Projects Future.

The main entrance to our house is poorly designed.  There is a narrow area between the house and the driveway where water pools after a heavy rain.  And ice forms a nice skating rink in the winter.  A lot of water gets dumped from the roof to this area.  So drainage is an issue.

We have started by removing the grass and bringing the level of the dirt down to the same level as the paving.  We still have work to do, though.  I'm going to try planting a rain garden.   We'll be bringing the ground level below that of the paving and planting vegetation that can take the water that will hopefully pool in the rain garden instead of on the paving or next to the foundation.

I hope The Ghost of Projects Future is kind to us and that this rain garden works to mitigate our water issues.  We'll just have to wait and see.

So now that we have been visiting by Three Ghosts of Projects what have we learned?

Good.  We learned that Projects are hard work but they can definitely be worth it in the end!

Now I just need to get that depression dug out before Hurricane Irene shows up!

Miscellaneous Monday

OK, so it's really Miscellaneous Tuesday but that isn't alliteration and I have a thing about alliteration.

1.  Big weekend project.  We had two very, very large Pieris japonica in front of our house.  They were planted as foundation plants but they weren't a petite variety.  Rather than prune them twice a year or allow them to block the windows we elected to attempt to move them.  Here they are in their new home.

We'll have to wait and see if they survive.  The Husband and I had a hard time lifting the larger one so if we didn't get a large enough root ball there is no way we could have.  (Piper, our dog, is overseeing my photography).

2.  I attended a work conference in Connecticut last week.  This meant that Logee's was on the way home.  Logee's is a complex of greenhouses that contain not-the-same-old house plants (they also have mail order).  I had a hard time restraining myself.  I limited myself to three new plants.

This Blue Sansevieria ehrenbergii (no common name).  It does have blue-gray overtones that are not obvious in this image.

A Philodendron called Prince of Orange where the new leaves come in, well, orange.  This is a bushy philodendron, not a vine.

And last, but not least, for The Husband, this Calathea lancifolia, also called a Rattlesnake Plant.  [This isn't the only plant called a rattlesnake plant which is why scientific names are so valuable.]  The leaves close up at night (they stick straight up), exposing their purple undersides.  

2b.  I also picked up this Dracena, probably Lemon-lime.  But I got this one at a Big-Box retailer when I was picking up something else.  I just couldn't resist!  I love pale, yellowy greens, especially in combinations.    And I like large leaves and strong lines.  This plant has them all.  So Sexy!

3.  May was a very rainy month for us.  And we all know what rain brings.  

4.  Back outside - all of my Aquilegia are blooming.  At this time of the year I can hardly get enough of these plants!  This one is Denver Gold.

E.  Lastly here is a new requisition for the outdoor garden.  I was just going to the Local Garden Center to buy some houseplant potting mix and I found this Centaurea monttana Black Sprite.  What a shocking color!  I hope the blooms stay easily visible.  It's in the light and I'll plant paler colors around it to accent it (I'm thinking Perovskia [Russian Sage]).  

I always like the odd and unusual.  You, know, Edgy stuff.

That's the wrap up for this Monday Tuesday at The Edge.  It's been a busy week.  The weather looks to be good this week as well so if you're trying to reach me I'll be in The Garden.

Promises

My garden is full of promises right now. 

Promises of blooms next month.

See how big my Aster 'October Skies' has gotten?  It's nearly 6 feet tall!

Here's my Autumn Clematis - I planted this earlier this year.  I'm expecting that this will eventually cover the side of the deck.

Promises of blooms next spring.

The buds on two types of Pieris.

Promises of blooms winter color and winter bird food.

My hollies have red berries, green (unripe) berries and blooms!

And promises of more, still needed, rain.  

 

Those clouds are from Earl.  We might get a sprinkling or we might get soaked.  I'm hoping for a soaking!