Sunday, March 20, 2011

Maybe this time...



Every Spring I believe with all my heart that I will get a the garden right this time. I will have space to walk, so I can nip the weeds in their infancy and move things so the sun can reach them, and perhaps cause them to finally bloom. Such is the case with my peonies. Filed under: What was I thinking when I planted them? All the peony roots planted in the Spring of 2008 were in the back row, where they got 20 minutes of sun per day. Never gonna bloom there, and so despite warnings to transplant them only in the fall, I dug them up and repositioned them yesterday. I have high hopes, maybe not for this year, but for next. The roots were huge, I mean HUGE, and were kept intact in the move. I found ten plants and moved them all, and then later found one more, after I had run out of steam, and space for that matter.

In moving them I had to lift about 20 hosta plants which were exceedingly tightly packed together. Which means finding a new home for them too. Hmm. I just put them in a box and covered them for the day. They are not finicky about being moved. Today I will figure out where they can be set, perhaps start a new hosta bed. We'll see.

I was happy to find that the astilbe survived and look healthy, altho they are being nudged by a self seeded bleeding heart. I must have just the right stuff for Bleeding Hearts as they are already setting blooms and filling their boxes.

This lily is going nuts and has pushed itself and its family of smaller sets out of the ground. Methinks it needs to see more of the sun and will be moved to the pond side of the yard. This will make room for some of the hosta in waiting.

If you have been with me for some time it may surprise you as it did me that this is our fourth Spring in this house. Where has the time gone?
In the interim the hosta originally planted in the fall of '07 has reached the dividing point. So that is on my to-do list too. It is becoming evident that I must pick a spot for another hosta bed.

Our water pump in the front walk broke during the winter and was replaced by this new Jim-Dandy red one, which is shorter and moved out of the middle of the walkway. Dave got this super four spigot diverter, which is a bit of an overkill but it works so much better than the old version, that I am not complaining.


I noticed that the goldfish are hanging out in the shallow end, soaking up the warmth. Sitting ducks should that local heron show up. Altho I must say we have enough fish to share...
Hard to believe that at one time we had only three goldies, and now we have three generations.

The weather is cooperating and we are having our meals on the porch, in the soft Springtime sun. What was once our dining room table, works better for us outside.
Just right.




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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:27 AM

    I love seeing all your garden photos. I have some of the same plants in mine - hosta, astilbe, bleeding hearts, and then peony - tried but no success. Right now, they are all under the snow...but, awakening and getting ready for their time to sprout. Spring Equinox is here!

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  2. Sigh! We have 1 tulip up about 2 inches. Alas, our garden plants will never get here!

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  3. I was worried about moving my peonies, too, but they lived and thrive in their new location. I bet they'll be happy!

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  4. If your peonies aren't blooming, it may be that they have been planted too deep. They eventually will overcome that depth but it will take longer.

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  5. I have a peony to move too...and three penstemmon that died in our exceptionally cold winter...so there's a sunny spot for the peony now; I'll try it too! Ouy neighbours have one in full sun, that's certainly what they love.

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  6. We moved three peony plants from my in-laws house five years ago. They had been in their former location at least forty years, and we had three or four flowers the first year. For the last four years, they have bloomed wonderfully.
    It's so nice to see your garden photos---we still have a lot of snow, although it is finally melting.

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  7. It's so fun to see that I have exactly the same plants in my garden here in Norway, but they will still be covered with snow for a while. I have a bed with hostas, astilbes and bleeding hearts in the shadowiest corner of my garden and they just grow and grow. I also have a couple of peonies in a sunny spot. They fill the whole space now, but it took a couple of years before they bloomed. To see your garden coming to life gives me hope that spring is right around the corner here, too!

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  8. Wow, all those goldfish from only the original three! That's amazing! You must have the perfect conditions for them!

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