Spring arrived late to Connecticut this year. On March 14th a blizzard dumped a foot and a half of snow on my garden. Usually March snow doesn't hang around long but the storm was followed by a few of weeks of lower than normal temperatures. I was just about ready to rent a giant blowtorch, when normal weather returned.
With no established garden areas yet, I don't have much but here goes:
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| Cornus mas 'Variegata' is thriving in it's new home |
In the fall of 2015 when I made the decision to move, I immediately started thinking about plants I wanted to take with me. I had many small, choice trees in my old garden, but only one was small enough to survive a move. Cornus mas is unique here for it's early season bloom (often beginning in March although not this year). When I saw this variegated cultivar offered for sale in the Fairweather Gardens a few springs ago, I just had to have it.
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| Even the Hellebores are late this year |
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| I inherited this lovely double white Hellebore with the garden. |
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| A single Chionodoxa managed to hitch a ride to my new garden |
Chionodoxa was naturalized in some of the beds and the front lawn of my old garden. A single bulb must have been in one of the perennials I moved. I smiled when I saw it blooming and made a mental note to add some to my fall bulb order this year.
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| Inherited Daffodils |
I brought a few later blooming daffodils from my old garden but also inherited many. I'm currently battling a plethora of invasive plants in the center section of a tiered rock garden in front of the house. Last weekend I raked it out and started digging out everything except these daffodils that are thriving despite the neglect.
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| Pansies are tough to resist after a long winter, |
OK so I planted pansies in a couple of pots. In a month or two I'll be yanking them out or pinching them way back to tuck into mixed containers but for now I'll enjoy their cheerful little faces.
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| Why in the world would someone plant this much Forsythia? |
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| A hedge of Forsythia in the front yard of my new house. |
Yes, I have Forsythia. Lots and lots of Forsythia. I apologize in advance to any die hard Forsythia fans out there but I will eventually be removing all of it. Since it's an absolute bitch to dig out, I'll likely start with the "specimen" plants situated around the property and work my way up to this "hedge".
If you follow me on Instagram you know that we (i.e. Dave) are currently knee deep in a back yard DIY tree removal palooza in preparation for the patio installation next month. I'm hard at work improving and enlarging garden beds. At times all the work seems overwhelming and I have to remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day. I do enjoy the process though and look forward to seeing things come together.
Before I forget (because it's been a while), let me thank Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this widely popular monthly meme. With any luck I'll have more to offer in May.
~Sue~
The Cornus tree is lovely and appears to have settled nicely into its new location. In light of your horrendous weather and your active DIY effort, you made a respectable Bloom Day showing. The climate extremes are getting worse and worse it seems - although we're officially out of the drought mode for the time being, we've been warned not to get used to "normal" winter rain.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have to say I was unaware of the Forsythia wall--although it sure provides lots of cut flower opportunity. I don't have aPansy to my name this year, so it's nice to see yours.
ReplyDeleteI actually forced some Forsythia in a house a few weeks ago. I'd never tried it before but was happy with the results.
DeleteGorgeous, even with the delay due to snow! Pansies are cute, and your Forsythia is pretty while it lasts. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteIf you need any Chionodoxa Then I have bags full. In our garden it is so rampant we have to treat it like a weed. I have spent many hours pulling it out which is not so easy as the bulbs are quite deep!
ReplyDeleteI guess I can see that under the right conditions. In a couple of spots in my old garden they were getting quite thick. I'm willing to take a chance ;).
DeleteYa gotta start somewhere, and it looks like you've already begun. We also inherited a huge Forsythia, although nothing compared to yours. It was lovely, for about 2 days out of the year...
ReplyDeleteExactly...
DeleteI have mixed feelings about Forsythia myself. We used to have a hedge on the east side of the house. It all had to be removed when we waterproofed the basement. I wasn't sorry to see them go, but then I have a single Forsythia bush in a mixed hedge that I'm going to hang on to. Looks like a great start for your new garden!
ReplyDeleteI had a really nice variegated cultivar of Forsythia in my old garden-'Fiesta'. It stays smaller and is well worth growing for a longer season of interest.
DeleteWhat a great new home and site for a garden. And knowing your energy level, it won't be long before your bloom day posts need lots of scrolling.
ReplyDeleteSome days I feel like I'm too old to start another garden from scratch but most days I can't wait for the challenge.
DeleteYou've got a beautiful property!
ReplyDeleteIt must have been hard leaving your gorgeous garden, but what a fun opportunity to start anew. I'd probably rip out the forsythia too. Not that there's anything wrong with forsythia - just that there are too many other fun options out there.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful property and I bet the house is amazing. Don't you love spring bloomers?
ReplyDeleteYour first Hellebore color matches your new house. Beautiful color--yummy plummy.
ReplyDeleteThere is no Forsythia in Southern California, as far as I can tell. We have weed palms instead, I guess.