Category Archives: alley bed

Deadheading Asiatic Lilies

alley bed, bulbs, education, perennials

Tonight some garden volunteers worked to spiff up the Grand Ideas Garden for the Michigan Garden Plant Tour taking place July 28 – August 8. The whole group of us scoured the garden, removing spent blooms and making sure the plants looked great for the upcoming visitors. Throughout the garden, many varieties of Asiatic Lilies needed deadheading. I was on such a roll with the task, I decided to do the same with the lilies in the Back Alley Bed of the Lot when I returned home.

A Lily is Not a Lily is Not a Lily

Many plants with the word “lily” in their name are not true lilies. Examples of this would be the peace lily (of the genus Spathiphyllum) or day lily (of the genus Hemerocallis). True lilies belong to the genus Lilium, such as Asiatic lilies and Oriental lilies. Both grow from fleshy, scaly bulbs.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension site, Asiatic lilies “are among the easiest to grow. They’re very hardy, need no staking, and are not particularly fussy about soil, as long as it drains well.” Asiatics love full sun, are available in various colors / heights, and bloom from around mid-June through September, depending on the cultivar.

Asiatic Lilies on the Lot

Here is a photo of the lilies in the full sun, Back Alley Bed around Bloom Day (the 15th) of this month. These lilies had been abandoned on the front porch in a pot. Since we moved in and transplanted them to the garden bed, they have happily multiplied.

Asiatic-Lilies

When to Deadhead Asiatic Lilies

Since then the petals have faded, fallen off, and we are soon left with the plant stalk and leaves as seen in this photo.

Spent Asiatic Lily

If left alone, the lily would begin to create seed pods. Deadheading removes this part of the plant and redirects the plant’s energy into the bulb instead, creating larger nutrient stores for the following season. So, off with its head!

How to Deadhead Asiatic Lilies

With most types of Asiatic Lilies, the top part of the plant can be removed just below where the last petal stalks join the stem. One snip and its done.

071713_Asiatic-lily-snip

The remaining plant stalk and leaves look tidier now and are left to soak up all the sun and get ready for next season.

071713_Asiatic-lily-deadhead

As Fall approaches, the leaves and stalks of the Asiatic Lilies will turn brown and die back the same as tulips or daffodils do at the end of spring. After the die back, I usually clip the plant down to the ground so there is less clean up after the snow melts.

Bulb & Bed Update

alley bed, backyard bed, bulbs, fence bed, front bed, gate bed, house bed, loki bed, sidewalk bed, spring

The main reason I‘m using blogging in combo with gardening is to keep track of what is blooming when, which plants I’m introducing to our lot and what in general is and isn’t working. It’s a bonus to discover other gardeners and read about their garden experiences through their blogs. Being the beginning of April, here is an update on what is going on in the lot’s beds.

West House Bed
The daylilies are well on their way. After cleaning up all the old foilage last month, healthy new blades are springing up.

South West House Bed
The bed houses a rose which I should probably trim soon. I’m a bit hesitant though since we’ve still been having some frosty nights here and there. This bed also has iris blades, a dash of purple crocuses, some Star of Bethlehem and a huge grape hyacinth. The grape hyacinth was a surprise, having just popped up last week.

South Front Bed
This bed is full of tulips and Star of Bethlehem. I also found several daffodils. In addition, I noticed this last week two of the three lupine I planted at the end of last summer are beginning to wake up. I hope the other one makes it as well.

East Sidewalk Bed
Toward the south end of this bed, there are a whole lotta yellow, white and purple crocuses. Beautiful. Also in this bed the sedum and irises are well on their way. The lilies, coral bells and astilbe are beginning to stir.

Gate Bed
As the snow has melted and rain has fallen this spring, I noticed this bed is very damp. It only receives sunlight for a fraction of the day. Also, a downspout from our gutters runs underneath the sidewalk and discharges underground near this bed. This summer I would like to run the pipe further into the backyard before allowing the water to discharge. However, there is still activity over the past several weeks. The silver mound I planted late last summer is beginning to show new growth. The foam flower is also beginning to perk up. No signs yet from my painted fern, hosta, moonflower, maiden grass or blood grass. The ice stick tulips have finally broken through the ground this past week. I thought for sure the squirrels had dug those up, but it seems some have survived.

Fence Bed
No sign at all from the balloon flowers or hibiscus, but the savory and hollyhock are both waking up. Also in this bed, more ice stick tulips appeared and queen of the night tulips are well on their way. I haven’t seen signs of the red anemones or butterfly tulips yet.

Loki’s Bed
This bed is also very damp and currently the only full shade bed on our lot. The catnip has shown new growth. The grape hyacinth planted in this bed have just broken ground this past week.

Backyard Bed
This was the most established bed on the lot when we moved here late last spring. I placed some grape hyacinth here as well near the garage door. It’s interesting because these hyacinth are above the ground and already showing parts of their purple blossoms. I wonder if it’s due to the fact this bed gets sun all day long and isn’t as damp as Loki’s bed. New growth is appearing on the foxglove (thank goodness), sage, lamb’s ear as well as others. There are also some Star of Bethlehem that found their way back there.

Alley Bed
Tulips are well on their way. The sedum is also happy and prospering. Opposite the drive from the alley bed I planted Scilla bulbs within the lawn. I’m afraid the moles may have gotten them, but my fingers are crossed.

Pruning, Containers and Guerillas

alley bed, bulbs, containers, future plants, guerilla gardening, pruning, sidewalk bed, spring cleanup,

Pruning Mission Accomplished

Last weekend, Miss A stopped by our lot to help me with some pruning. After doing the research on butterfly bushes, I took a crack at trimming ours by myself. I think it turned out okay. Here are some “before” and “after” shots.

However, when it came to pruning the dappled willow and a few other multi-stem shrubs, I called Miss A. She has much more experience under her belt with gardening than I do. She patiently walked me through the process, answering my constant questions. Even my cringes when the little handsaw came out were politely tolerated.

Here’s what I learned.
  • Keep up on your pruning! Growth neglected last year gave us some difficulty this year. Plus, constant upkeep gives more control over the shaping of the tree or shrub.
  • Remove older canes near the base. This was important on the dappled willow since the new canes are usually the shoots that have the prettier, dappled leaves and red bark. In most instances, removing the older canes will lower the overall height of the shrub. Plus, it will thin out the interior of the shrub, allowing more light in and encouraging new growth.
  • Afterward, we inspected how the branches of the shrub were growing. In some areas, the branches had crossed. This leads to the branches rubbing together, opening wounds and possibly introducing disease to the shrub. So, I had a few hard choices to make about which branches would stay and which branches would go.
  • The next step allows more fine-tuning of the shrubs height and shape. Miss A and I clipped off any winter damage we found and any longer branches seeming out of place. She said this is also the point we could lower the shrub further in height if desired.
  • Overall, when pruning a shrub, be sure the cuts are at an angle. The cut should be made between the length of the branch to be removed and the “collar” area where the branch meets the shrub. This area will allow for the cut to properly heal.
Bulbs Sprouting Indoors
Remember the bulbs I had forgotten about and tossed in some containers? Here’s an update.

Three of the five containers have healthy bulbs growing in them. As my better half commented of the other two, “if these haven’t shown activity yet, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing anything from them.” I think I may be leaning toward agreeing with him, though I think I’ll give the containers a bit more time. After all, I’m not in need of the pots right now anyway.
Notes for This Fall
This picture is from Miss A’s cottage garden. My better half expressed genuine affection toward these little guys. Note to self: order snowdrops for next spring.

Guerilla What?!
This is just fantastic. I’ll be looking around on the community boards to see if there is a chapter near us.

Crocus-time Continues
Hoorah! We also have purple AND white in the sidewalk bed.