Category Archives: sidewalk bed

Roses?! Rock on.

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Yes! Both of the rose bushes on our lot have flower buds. These poor plants have been receiving threats from my better half and Miss A since the day we moved in. They didn’t do anything last summer, preferring to concentrate their energy on hamstringing my husband while he mows and snatching pets away from neighbors. Could it be my promises of getting them a real, genuine big-rose-bush trellis to climb on if they behave? I’m not sure. I can’t wait to see what colors they are.

The little bed I recently yanked sickly roses from has been reseeded with sweet peas and snapdragons. The sweet peas are well on their way and will need to be thinned soon. I just have to figure out how to train them up our wooden privacy fence.
The bearded iris is in full bloom. There are two versions on the lot. The first has a lavendar top, deep purple bottom and yellow beard. The second is a white iris with a deep purple trim. As mentioned in a previous post, the irises along the sidewalk bed will be adopted out. However, I will have to thin them from the SouthWest bed as well. They are on one of the rose bush’s turf and things are not going well.
The peony bush in the back bed has a lovely, white bloom. The peony in the sidewalk bed has color in it’s buds. These guys really surprised me this year. They are just a shadow of the scrawny, frail plants from last spring. I’m a bit worried about moving the one in the sidewalk bed. I don’t know quite when I should do it. Plus, I’ve been told peonies are fussy about getting relocated. Any tips?
Other updates: the lupine in the south bed is in full bloom with beautiful white petals. I didn’t realize how wonderfully fragrant they were. Bachelor buttons are popping up in the front bed from last year’s wildflower mix. I’ll move those once the seedlings are a bit older. Other plants in bloom include Jupiter’s Beard and Foam Flower. Lastly, the lilies in the sidewalk bed are sending up shoots with buds, allow with the Coral Bells and Lamb’s Ear.  

Double the Daffodils, Double the Fun

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I’m doing a bit of a time warp, using the date of my photos to backtrack and log the happenings about the lot. The crocuses have left our lot to be replaced by a whole-lotta tulips. The front bed is going bonkers with red and yellow tulips popping up all over. I’m seeing these tulips all over the neighborhood in the front of homes. Since our house was built in 1927, I’m wondering how old these flowers are. Was the neighborhood planted all at once? Were classic, red and yellow tulips in vogue one year? Or, maybe the bulbs have been divided over the years and gradually migrated down the streets, being handed from  neighbor to neighbor. 

As a pretty accent to the tulips, there are several groupings of double daffodils throughout this front bed. This is an introduction for me to the concept of “doubles.” A double flower has many overlapping petals that make the bloom appear very full. Personally, I think it makes the flower look like a poser, the flower actually wanting very much to be viewed as a type of rose. But, that does not mean I don’t find them pretty!

There are also some pink tulips and orange/yellow striped tulips in the southeast corner bed. Another orange/yellow striped tulips emerged from the sidewalk bed. In this bed, the scrawny, non-blooming peony from last year is well on it’s way with a full bunch of leaves. It has at least doubled in size. There are two other peonies in the backyard bed. Maybe I’ll see more than one bloom among the three of them for this year.

Bulb & Bed Update

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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.