Undaunted Gardener: May 2015

A new season begins. I want to capture what the garden looks like early in the season.

If you are reading this - remember this blog is for me to chronicle the season - so not very exciting photos for a viewer! This post is just a place holder for me so I can record new flowers planted, how they do, and how the garden changes over time.

I dug up the mustard plant that was in this top bed that was evasive and choking out all the flowers previously planted here. Once I got it all out, I planted three delphiniums, a bell flower, two lupine and am trying a hydrangea bush here. I've never been brave enough to try a hydrangea, but found two for a really cheap price so thought I would try them. Locating them in two different places to see if the location will matter.

Who would think a day would come when I would be digging something up to remove it!

Hadley's Patch - full of poppy's coming up.

The bed just next to Hadley's Patch.
This is where I put the other hydrangea bush.
I also added a Red Valarium - will see if it will come back.
The Hops Vine is coming up everywhere in this little patch.
The Bleeding Heart, just to the left is coming back after the snow storm.

Added a delphinium where one didn't come back.

Decided to try planting under the Aspen trees one more time.
Put in two columbine and two lavender.
I put the columbine in the back hoping the deer will leave it alone.
I also dug up some Siberian Cat Mint and placed it here too.

The pot on the front porch.
Don't know how long the Pansy's will live - but they are pretty now!

Tried a couple of Fox Gloves in the pots this year.
The other pots have lavender.
One yet to plant but ran out of potting soil.
It's hard to see in the photo, but to the left in front of the pump, are Aspen tree shoots.
I've been babying these for two years and every time they get about this size, the deer mow them.
Fingers crossed they'll leave them alone and they can grow a good bit this year.
It would be wonderful to have a grove of these right by the front door.

The recent rains have given the grass a chance to green up.

Planted Salvia and Lavender -
the deer mowed the salvia down.
Plants in this bed are coming back.

Another shot of plants under the Aspen trees.

The Aspen trees further away.

and again...

Looking in to the garden from under the Aspen trees.
The deer fence is right here.

All that mustard plant I dug up - I placed under the snow fence.
It would be great growing here and that mustard plant seems to need very little water
and very little care. Probably won't do much this year.

A nice size terra cotta pot I picked up at a garage sale for $5.00
The deer mowed both of these plants down. Boo.

The entrance.
This is where I put the new pot...for now!

Hard to believe that in a month or so, the arbor will be covered in Hops Vine.

Another shot of the small bed next to Hadley's Patch.
You can see the Hops Vine spilling over the bottle edging.

The Japanese Cherry has budded.
I think I missed the blooms.
Soon these green leaves will turn purple.
I miss the green color when the leaves change.

Finally found some Wave Petunias for the wagon.

Decided to try a geranium in the stump.
Also stuck a few Hops Vine seedlings. Will see if they take off.
You can see a new plant at the base with the orange flowers - forgot what's it's called,
but have it in another bed and it is so pretty at the end of summer. Trails off all over the place.

Koby's Korner
Some of the plants here don't appear to have made it over the winter.

Far end of the top bed.

The lower bed is so sad - the voles have eaten everything as they have tried to come up.
There is just the one dephinium - the others are all eaten to the ground.

Another shot of the top bed where I planted new things - just a different angle.
You can really see the Hydrangea bush in this shot.
I put the tomato cages around the Delphinium. Maybe help in the wind since
this area is not protected?

Note the one lone tulip in bottom left.
The voles ruined the rest.
I'm wondering why I see no traces of all the Allium bulbs I've planted anywhere in the garden.
hmmm.
Too early or voles?

See how sad the lower bed is ...

Trying Coleus in the pot this year.
Wondering if it will be too much sun.
There is a Geranium and a few petunias here too.

This is what the lower bed can and use to look like in August.

This is what it looks like today - and after the vole attack.
Sad, sad...
This is the bed that has all the Delphinium you see in the shot above.
Fingers crossed that it can be revived in time - setting traps again this year for the voles.
Have caught about six so far.