Welcome to 2015

   

      Just checking in to report progress, especially on all of those Veseys great buys last year. Garden time is here and I can't be spending time indoors!!

After a record-breaking snowy winter (almost  550 cm. in total) spring arrived sluggishly. It was very chilly long into April, but the snow FINALLY all went (people were still finding snowbanks in June in some places) and I got the plants, started in the house, out into the poly-tunnel at last. While the snow lasted we took advantage of our extra height (on snowshoes) to do some pruning up high. Fred did the spruce hedge and I tackled the apple tree. This will be the big fruit year for the Golden Delicious so I didn't think it would affect the fruit production. I never get to harvest the ones at the top of the tree anyway.

     These are striped squills, from Veseys, never had these before. Anne has the blue ones, Siberian, we think, and they are amazing. Very bright and visible blue. These were lovely, though. They are in the south corner of the bed beside the house. The fritillarias did really well there this year, and the spring anemonies have spread in an amazing fashion. I love that their seed heads are almost as attractive as their blooms.

       I dug this bed by the lilac hedge about a foot wider and put in a lot of the tulips and grape hyacinths I had bought at Veseys there. (Next fall I shall prepare ahead of time!) But they did well, in spite of the fact that they went in in November. I had bought quite a few daffodils, but there weren't many of those in evidence this spring. It may have been too late for them. I am pleased that only one of the peonies didn't make it. I am looking forward to a bloom on the "Callie's Memory", it is an Itoh and was listed in the catalogue at $59.00.  My 3 bearded iris "Immortality" has one bloom between them, but the 3 "Ziggy" German ones don't have any. They are alive, however! There are many perennials I haven't yet seen - pink buttercups, Petrovska, baby's breath. I may have spotted the papaver "Harlem". Fingers crossed.

     I am planning to make a "woodland" garden in the area to the north of the shed - the trees are mainly evergreens, unfortunately, but there are larches, which allow in some Spring sunshine from the east. I need to beef up the evergreens at the back because the spruces are getting on in age and their lower branches are dying back, so the chilly northerlies are getting in. I am thinking cedar as it is quite dark back there.
     Anyway I planted a clump of Erithroniums at the edge (Veseys, $2 for 5) and they were the sorry-est-looking bulbs you've ever seen. But look! They bloomed! and they are doing well. I have bought a spurge at the Flower Patch, and I may move my geums in there as well. Then the oranges and yellows will be together. I have to build up some beds for plants along the edge by the fence, and then a path to a seat at the back, in front of the cedars. It would be a great place for rhododendrons on the other side of the path.  I have a couple of cornus alternafolia there too, bird-planted I think. One for sure is a keeper.

     Anne was over for a couple of days to help shore up the poly-tunnel - we put a frame around the bottom and a 2x4 ridge, and plastic doors front and back. It seems to be holding up against the wind, though I don't know if it will be able to withstand snow load. I should be able to stick a couple of posts up under the ridge, though, and that might help. Of course,  I don't know if it will be enough, if we get the amount of snow we had last winter!

To this

From this

Much better!!!

Unbelievable!

Autumn Anemone

          Today I was out in the garden, planting more garlic, harvesting leeks, and digging up gladioli corms. It was an incredible 17 degrees Celsius out there, most pleasant for working. In fact, I should still be out there, cutting the grass. I wouldn't be the only one doing that on PEI today.
        Removing the gladioli made the anemones stand out rather. I am so pleased with them. They are even more lovely than the spring ones. Quite a few came through the summer and are now blooming - I hope they increase in size as they go on.  They are all this colour save one - a white with pink centre. 
     The frost has gotten a lot of things, however - my painted ferns are all frozen, as are the pink pelargoniums - I did mean to bring them in, but too late now. I have some cuttings, however. And, most distressing, I missed the opportunity to bring in my Mary Garden (which David and Sue made for my birthday, with all sorts of plants which are now or were once known as Mary-something: ie., Mary's Gold = marigold). There was a lovely white tuberous begonia I had hoped to overwinter indoors.
      I also cleared up a couple of beds - though there's more to do. I was listening to Scotland's Gardens about hardwood cuttings today - they are easy to do, all I need is a bed where they can be undisturbed for a year (but weeded and watered). Hmmm.
     We went cranberrying recently, and I collected some more plants for the cranberry bog. I think these ones will be more successful than the last, as there were many more roots on these. I plunked them into the bog immediately, to join the 4 or 5 from last year. Who knows. Maybe there'll be no more need to go cranberrying - some time in the future!
     The Christmas cactus, which spent the summer on the deck, is now full of blooms. A strong suggestion to get on with Christmas presents! Even though the weather is belying the late date.