Making an effort

I've been working on cleaning away winter's debris from the yard and getting a few flowers out. The grass under the magnolia tree is patchy and I wanted to fill it in with something that can survive shade. Mom mentioned that the lily of  the valley was taking over near the garage so I dug out a bit and put it under the tree. I put a few impatience around for color and will probably add more. I love the instant color that impatience give. 

I filled the buckets of the yard people with salmon impatience and had enough for a small silver bucket that Mom didn't want and brought to me. (Standard procedure for Mom. Give it to Marge.) A neighbor brought over a pink double impatience that sits on a low table on the front porch. My sister gave me a Gerbera daisy for Easter and it now rests in a large pot near the front porch. I don't know much about them so hope it does well.

I repotted the red hibiscus tree that has grown so much in the past year. I waited until it was warm enough to drag it outside and still had quite a mess. It's heavy and cumbersome but it looks wonderful. I've enjoyed it so much because the bright blooms are so welcome in the cold of winter.

I scattered zinnia seeds in one of the beds by the back door. The other bed has little tips of gladiola peeking through the soil. Last year I moved a rose bush to that area and it seems to be happy there. It has more buds now than it's had in a total of 5 years. 

The peonies are looking good. The two at the back of the yard didn't bloom last year but I had just moved them there from my grandmother's house. I hope they bloom this year but I know it may take another year for them to establish themselves.

The begonias that I put in the basement last fall in the hope that they would survive actually did. They are small but they're outside now, so they should be fine.

I bought a new set of loppers and have lopped off any wayward stuff that I've found. There's a big pile in the driveway, most from an attractive parasite vine that was climbing the tulip tree, to be put out front Monday for the chipper. I love that the city picks up that stuff. 

I had a piece of fence in the garage that I bought years ago for some obscure reason. It now sits in the alcove at the corner of the house as a climber for morning glories. I put the seeds in water to soak a few days ago and we've had rain ever since. It let up enough today for me to get the seeds in the ground and to plant a start from an old fashioned lilac that a neighbor thought she wanted but didn't. I'm glad to have it. It's at a corner of the front porch. I've decided that I want blooming things where I can see and enjoy them. Bees may cause me to rethink that.

A gift of flowers

At gift giving time my son often buys blooming plants for his children to give to this grandma. Three years ago, one of the plants was a pink hydrangea. I read several articles about what to do with it and the chances of it blooming again. I took a chance, planted it in a sheltered spot, and it has bloomed for the last two years. I was certain the mum I planted the same year would come back, but it didn't.

Not being a garden person, my son doesn't know that there is a difference in plants from the florist and from the garden center. Some can be planted outside, some just die. This year I received 2 plants for my birthday, pink tulips and an Easter lily. I will keep the tulips in a pot until fall, then plant them outside and hope for the best. The lily will be planted outside when the weather finally stabilizes. It should bloom next year.

Walmart is a good place to find plants on sale because they never take care of them. As long as the plant isn't dead, even the most scraggly plant has come back with a little care. I may look for a few Easter lilies there. 

Photo courtesy of FreeTulipPictures.com

Did you plant?

The weather forecast for tonight is snow. That shouldn't be surprising. Midwest spring weather is iffy, at best. One day it's 65 degrees and the next brings frost. I used to get anxious to get annuals set out, ready to see the instant color they give. After losing them a time or two, my mother suggested that I wait until the first part of May to plant flowers. Wow, that's a long wait. I've found that it's worth the wait. By that time there is a better selection of annuals at garden centers and I have to buy them only one time. 

In the meantime, I browse online sites to get new ideas and view new plant varieties. Visit Great Garden Plants  http://www.greatgardenplants.com/index.php?pageId=15 or  

Summer Hill Seeds http://summerhillseeds.com/new-for-2009-c-37.html.