The garden wants attention

I returned from the Garden Bloggers' Fling in Austin, Texas to face a garden in need of attention.  Although many parts of the US are currently enjoying the first real days of spring, my garden has already experienced summer-like conditions with periodic flashes of heat, including 2 days of temperatures in the low 90sF while I was away.  There are flowers to be deadheaded, dried bulb foliage to be cut back, bare spots to be mulched, and Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) to be thinned to prevent the rampant spread of seedlings.

The back garden presented few surprises upon my return.  The Alliums, Achillea 'Moonshine' and Agapanthus have produced their first flowers but I can't yet say I'm seeing the usual early summer stampede.  The mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) is still utterly bare of foliage, not to speak of flowers.  However, the Mexican feather grass was downright blowsy.  

Scorching temperatures had burned the foliage of the peach foxgloves in the cutting garden in early April and another round of 90 degree temperatures during my absence, combined with inadequate water and an assault by opportunistic aphids polished off the plants.

The peach foxgloves and calendula in the middle planter (next to the exuberant Euphorbia 'Sticks on Fire') were unsightly, although the white foxgloves in the first planter and the sweet peas in the third planter appear to have taken the heatwave in stride.

My husband failed to act on my request to water the cutting garden if the temperature soared while I was gone but in that he used his time to wash all our windows inside and out plus the screens, I'm not lodging any complaints.

I took this photo of the back border from inside our living room.  You can't even tell there's glass there, can you?  My husband did a great job on the windows.  This photo was taken 2 days after the one at the top of the post, after all the Mexican feather grass had been thinned.

The clean windows also give me a good view of Leucospermum 'Brandi', blooming at last, from my home office window

Pulling out the sorry-looking peach foxgloves provided room to transplant some of the dahlia tubers I started in pots in early April.  Dahlia 'Terracotta' is already off to a great start and needed more room to spread its roots.  Generally speaking, the tubers I grew in last year's cutting garden are sprouting faster than the new ones ordered this year even though all were potted at the same time in early April.

'Terracotta' was VERY vigorous last year and it's looking as though it'll be a strong performer this year too

The plant sprawled badly last year so, instead of stakes, I'm using a tomato cage to corral it.  If the plant gets as big and bushy as it did last year, the cage should be hidden once the plant matures.

I pulled the rest of the peach foxgloves after planting 'Terracotta' and popped them into a vase.

This isn't one of my best efforts but I didn't give it much time.  In addition to Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmation Peach', the vase contains Achillea 'Moonshine', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Antirrhinum majus, Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', and Salvia lanceolata.

I picked up more bagged compost on my way home this afternoon, so I'll plant the other dahlias that have sprouted this weekend.  As I'm already late getting my sunflower, zinnia and other summer seeds sown, that task is also at the top of the weekend's project list.

Where all these seeds are going to go is still a question

We're experiencing weather whiplash here again with drizzle projected for Saturday.  Of course, as the last rain forecast on May 1st fizzled, I'm not holding my breath.  At least it should be a cooler day to work in the garden.  May the weather favor you however you're spending this weekend!


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party