joene's garden » gardening in Connecticut

Don’t Forget the Daffodils

joenesgarden — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:52 +0000

It's easy to walk past spent blooms of early spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils when so much else is blooming in the May garden. But don't forget the daffodils. If you haven't yet marked the locations of daffodils and other early-spring blooming bulbs, do so now.

As May progresses, bulbs that were once in full bloom now look more like this.

Spent daffodil blossoms do nothing for the attractiveness of a garden. To tidy up this scene simply snap off the heads … just the heads … of the spent blossoms. Leave the stem and leaf foliage to continue to photosynthesize as this is the process that produces energy for the bulb for next spring.

Leave the foliage in its natural state as long as you can stand it. When it gets really floppy use a tie-together method to maintain a neater appearance. Loosely wrap two outer leaves around the remaining gathered-together leaves and give the two outer leaves a quick, but loose tie … just like the first step in tying shoelaces. This allows the foliage to keep collecting and storing energy until the foliage browns. It's not advisable to gather, fold over, and rubber band daffodil foliage as this prevents the leaf surface of most of the foliage from photosynthesizing and sending energy into the bulb.

To maintain annual blooming, it's very important to allow bulb foliage to brown naturally. You can remove the foliage once it is completely brown but, before doing so it's a good idea to mark the exact location of your bulb plantings. My favorite method of doing so – with barrel rings - uses repurposed material and adds a rustic flair to garden beds. Barrel rings are sturdy enough to withstand a wayward footstep and heavy enough to not blow away. Their diameter is about the size of the mature plantings of daffodils in my garden beds.

I remove the barrel rings from decayed half-barrels previously used for container plantings. Rusty metal wreath frames are alternative found round objects that can be similarly repurposed as permanent bulb markers.

By marking bulbs now, you prevent accidently digging them up during later planting. Plus, the markers are a continuous reminder that this space is not totally empty.

Bulb suppliers often discount bulb orders made prior to July 1, so now is a good time to plan the bulbs you need to fill in gaps. If you don't manage to get to bulb orders until autumn, the markers are ideal reminders of where you already have bulbs planted and where more are needed.

Barrel rings work well for larger clumps of bulbs but I'm still searching for a smaller type of repurposed ring to mark crocus and smaller bunches of spring-blooming bulbs. Any suggestions?

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, Techniques.
Tags: daffodils, gardening in Connecticut, marking spring-blooming bulbs.

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A Connecticut Garden, May 2013 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

joenesgarden — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:19:25 +0000

A Connecticut Garden, May 2013 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Spring 2013 continues to take a slow journey toward summer. Chilly temperatures hold on – it dropped to 38 degrees early this morning – but weather forecasts promise warmer temperatures are moving into Connecticut. For this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, sponsored by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, my gardens are dotted with typically early spring blooms and filled with promising buds.

Daffodils/narcissi have had a long run in our chilly temperatures. The last are standing sentry over the garden beds.

Soon their foliage will be completely masked by the very aggressive hay fern.

Nearby, Lily-of-the-Valley share a sweet fragrance.

An early nepeta adds colorful contrast to white blooming flowers and food for early pollinators.

Common lilac bushes are filled with color and scent.

And white lilac blossoms have opened and are larger than I've witnessed in years past. I wonder if last year's lack of flowering, likely due to the combination of early warmth followed by a later bud-destroying freeze, enticed the white lilac to shove out such large blooms.

Pansy pots happily brighten the front porch.

Jack-in-the-pulpit is popping up here and there in the woods.

And my pink dogwood has finally decided to send out more than one or two showy bracts.

Still, much of the garden is in a state of anticipation.

Chives are in bud.

Allium hints at things to come.

Iris stand ready to put on a show next to the ever patient Irving.

There's even anticipation spewing from the robin's nest in the rhododendron

where two robin parents take turns keeping their three eggs warm and sheltered until they hatch.

You just have to love May!

Now visit May Dreams Gardens to see May gardens in bloom all over the world. And, if you are kind enough to leave a comment here I will reply in a few days … taking some time to visit family.

Garden thoughtfully …

Categories: Bloom Day.
Tags: allium, chives, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, gardening in Connecticut, iris, Jack-in-the-pulpit, lilac, Lily-of-the-Valley, narcissi, nepeta, pansy, pink dogwood.

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Finally, A Blooming Pink Dogwood

joenesgarden — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:32:27 +0000

Finally, A Blooming Pink Dogwood

This falls into the good-things-come-to-those-who-wait category. With visions of a small tree full of delicate pink blossoms each May, the very first tree I purchased and planted after moving to our current home 16 years ago was a pink dogwood (Cornus florida 'Rubra'). I've waited all these years for 'masses of rose-pink flowers' as promised by the plant tag.

I know, I know … this is not exactly 'masses of rose-pink flowers' but it's certainly masses more than the small tree produced in previous years. If I saw one bloom I was lucky. Last year my little tree produced an historic bumper crop … three rose-pink flowers. (I have no photos to prove this since it was just too sad a sight to take photos of.)

But this year it finally decided to put on a decent show.

Now … in all honesty … my little dogwood had a different home before settling into its current location. I moved it after about two or three years. It's only been resting in its current spot for about a dozen years or so. It also enjoyed a bit more sunshine last summer than it had in previous years … we had to remove a very large oak that shaded roof-mounted solar panels, as well as my dogwood.

Who knows exactly why this dogwood finally decided to put out masses of blooms. Was it finally feeling settled? Was it the additional light? Was it last season's weather?

It gave me a hint last autumn that it was ready to be a bit more showy. Here it is trying to grab the autumn-reds show from neighboring winterberry (Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red').

There's the dogwood, in all its burgundy glory, behind the berry-laden winterberry. The dogwood looked better last autumn than it has in all the years we've shared garden space, and it held it's burgundy color for a very long time.

Still, tainted from past disappointments, I did not hope for it to put out multiple blossoms.

But it did …

and I'm enjoying every second of the show.

I've been told by a local horticultural sage that flowering dogwood respond to a bit of abuse. Cutting into the root edges with a shovel, I was told, encourages it to bloom. I cannot say this advice works, or does not. My dogwood did not receive such treatment. All I know is that my dogwood had a bit more light last year than it had for many, many years before, and … maybe … after a dozen years in the same spot it finally feels at home and is ready to shine.

Categories: Focus on Flowers, Gardening.
Tags: Cornus florida 'Rubra', gardening in Connecticut, pink dogwood.

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