Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Mother Nature is NOT Being Nice to Me this Year

My newly-purchased potting soil is waiting in the garage...

 along with my order from Breck's that has been sitting on this shelf unopened for over three weeks. 
I have no idea why this company keeps sending me dahlias in early April when I can't even think of planting them until June 1.  I can't remember what else I ordered...I guess I should open the box and take a look...maybe tomorrow.

I had intended to plant them today before they rot in the box.  I even called DH from work and had him run out and buy the potting soil. Once planted,  I would have to keep them in the garage for another 3 weeks (at least) until it was warm enough to put them on the deck.

Unfortunately when I got home from work today it was in the low 50's, rainy, overcast...not a good day to work outside.  So the box of dahlias will have to sit on the garage shelf for another few days.

I did get out yesterday for about an hour after work.  I spent half of my time on this little area near the large arbor. 

Yes, that overflowing wheelbarrow load of pine needles/winter debris came from the tiny area in this picture.

I was happy to see that the hens/chicks survived another year on the big piece of Lake Huron driftwood.
It is pretty difficult to kill hens/chicks...even in Northern Michigan where they sit atop a piece of driftwood with little soil all winter long.

On the opposite side of this area, I have some Bergenia budding out.


I was distressed over the big bare spot between the Bergenia and the Lamb's Ear. I kept thinking that there was no way I would have left this big bare area when I planted it (it's not bare in this picture because I forgot to take a pic before I replanted, so I ran out a few minutes ago and took a picture).

I decided something must have died out over the winter and I  planted two of the Silver Mound Artemisia I bought last fall:Since I had silver-leaved Lamb's Ear on each side of the Bergenia, I thought silver in the center would be good.

Something kept nagging at me that another plant was already in that area.  When I got up this morning, I looked through some of my Gardens 2010 files and saw that I had indeed planted a nice hosta in this area.
I saw no sign of that hosta when I dug out the space for two Silver Mound Artemisias--maybe I moved it last fall?

After work today I snuck out between the raindrops to take a look:
Look--- there it is!  The little nubs broke ground over night. I was so lucky that I did not dig into the hosta.  Now I will probably have to move the artemisia I planted yesterday. 

I will wait for a warmer day to do that.

9 comments:

  1. I would trade places with you today...It is 90 degrees in Atlanta...to early to be this hot. I am already having to water my flowers everyday because of the heat. But at least the sun is shining!
    have a great day,
    Regina

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  2. 90 degrees here in Chicagoland Zoey, but it is going to cool of again major by the weekend. Open that box up and see what those Dahlias look like, may need to be soaked before planting.

    Eileen

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  3. hope it warms up for you soon...
    I know you are getting anxious to get outside..

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  4. I share your frustrations too. This week it has been beautiful here but I'm traveling for work and can't do a thing!

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  5. Your garden has a great start Zoey. Wonder what mine will look like when I arrive back home.

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  6. Zoey, things are looking good in the garden already. You must open that box, there might be other goodies in there in addition to the dahlias! ;-)

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  7. Zoey, I hear you, boy do I hear you! Same thing here, though today it's supposed to be in the 70's, with the threat of hail and thunderstorms and MORE rain.

    Don't you hate it when you can't remember what you planted where? I thought I was the only one with that problem, lol. We clobbered so many hostas putting the rocks in, most of mine will look like a herd of cows rampaged through them. (And I am getting SO sick of transplanting flowers......why did I put so many in??)

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  8. It's been gorgeous here all week so far with temps going in the 60's so perfect for doing yard work...except that with my head cold, I'm so stuffed up, it's hard to do anything! lol I really need to get at my faerie garden, it has about 2 inches of pine needles all over it that needs to be cleared away. Just watch, by the time the my cold is gone, the rain will arrive! lol

    It's a good thing you take pictures and keep track of your flowers every year, otherwise you might have missed the fact the you HAD planted a Hosta in that spot:-)

    The first of my daffodils opened up yesterday and today I noticed that my tulips are just about ready to open. About time! Usually they're all in bloom for Mother's Day but not this year.

    Hopefully your Dahlias are ok in the box. I have some in storage right now and like you, never plant them before June 1st. xoxo

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  9. Zoey, Good for you that you keep such good records. That artemisia is a beast. It is not a good neighbor, in my garden. I am thinking the creeping phlox and those bellflowers are better neighbors!! yikes....

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