Yep, Spring is Here!

BY SKEETER

 Nothing says Spring more so then a Forsythia in full bloom here in my GEORGIA GARDENS!

  And a blurry photo due to pollen in the eyes.

 The deer have enjoyed nibbling the leaf of my favorite Fringe Bush (Loropetalum)  this winter.

 But the nibbling did not keep the blooms at bay. Doubt I can say this for the Azaleas though. Sigh...

 The Smaller Pink Fringe is blooming nicely as well with more leaves in place.

 Ah, pink blooms say Spring.

 Bridal Wreath Spirea remind me of the snow we did not have this winter. Thank You Mother Nature!

 Millions of tiny flowers adorn the bushes.

 These bushes glow in sight from my sun room windows!

 Kitty is bird watching.

 The Lady Bugs which sought refuge inside the house are now outside in their warm world. Get busy on aphids please.

 A few more Grape Hyacinths have popped up.

 A few of these unknown name to me have popped up. I must have planted them but the memory is lacking today.

Flower Beds are becoming weeded and mulched.

 Lily are being attacked by either deer or rabbits. After todays rain fall, I shall get the Liquid Fence to work or I will not have blooms.

YEP, SPRING IS HERE, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Winter or Spring

BY SKEETER 

  I was out of my GEORGIA GARDENS for a bit to visit family and friends in Tennessee. I enjoyed seeing the ice on top of Monteagle as I drove over that big ole mountain. Click HERE for more on Monteagle. I had been working tirelessly on cleaning debris from the Georgia Ice Storm so I was looking forward to a relaxing visit. Even though my body ached from the clean up of an Ice Storm, I found this ice view very beautiful. The heated seats made the back better during the drive. Ahhhhh...

 Little did I know, I would be in the midst of another Ice Storm while in Tennessee!

At my parents house, we had about 2 inches of ice pellets fall and about 1/4 inch of snow on top of that. I kept the area around my car cleared as it fell that night. I also kept the window clear of ice for fear of a window cracking from a previous rock chip. Some areas such as where our Master Gardener Tina lives, had more ice and snow then our side of town. I ended up shoveling the entire driveway. That was a job but I needed some exercise after being cooped up eating chocolate and other fun treats while home bound.

My poor car has never experienced icicles before! Ice Storms are not so rare in Middle Tennessee but they normally do not last long as the temps rise and the ice melts within a day. This storm was followed by several days of freezing temperatures thus, shutting down the entire city! We had electricity as the ice did not stick to the trees such as the storm here in Georgia a few weeks prior. So not many trees fell over power lines like in Georgia. We also had food in the house, home videos and classic movies so I enjoyed some quality time with my mom and dad during this time.

The storm messed up many of my plans for visits but with Mother Nature being so darn Bi-Polar this winter, well, I did the best I could to visit those on my list. There is always the next visit.

  Wow was I shocked to see the things I saw in my gardens upon my return to Georgia. Not Snow covered bushes but rather the most beautiful Bridal Wreath Spirea's ever!

 Both of these bushes are outside my sunroom window and they just glow during the day and at night.

Forsythia is bursting with color!

 Wild Violets are blooming throughout two of my gardens and in control thus far. They are starting to jump the borders though so I must keep an eye on these beauties.

 Creeping Phlox are starting to open up.

 Grape Hyacinth's have multiplied since last year!

 Many different types of Daffodil are dancing in the March winds!

 Some may be Narcissus but I call them all Daffy's...

They really do cheer me up in the Spring.

 I only wish they would hang around longer for me to enjoy.

 They do not seem to all bloom at the same time. So I get to enjoy them longer and that makes for a happy gal. I want to add more and more of them as I just love those yellow faces.

 Pink, Purple and White Hyacinth blooming along with Grape Hyacinth and Narcissus! Where is the Easter Bunny?

 This view shows a happy Spring planter full of color...

The Wild Plum Trees are full of blossoms.

 Ever purchase one of something then regret not picking up more?

I so regret not purchasing more of these beautiful Red Fringe Plants. I just love the vibrant red of this beauty.

And of course, dandelion has appeared as well.

 As I started preparing this Posting, it was 47 degrees outside and the heater was on inside. By afternoon, I was out push mowing the Rye Grass while wearing shorts with the windows to the house open! Is it WINTER OR SPRING, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Oh Those Spireas! Proven Winners and More to Boot

I love spireas! I feel awful guilty about saying that too. Terribly guilty. Spirea japonicas are listed as a significant threat by the Tennessee Exotic Plant Pest Plant Council. Significant threat means that  the plant possesses invasive characteristics; not presently considered to spread as easily into native plant communities as severe threat. This fact makes me watch my spireas closely for self seeding tendencies. My spireas have never self seeded in my garden but do tend to spread by rooting along the plant. That is a good thing for divisions but if a gardener is lazy the plants can take over a select area. Nonetheless, I love my spireas and will not garden without them. I've removed ALL other invasives on the TNEPPC list but am keeping the spireas. Can you see why?

The spireas shine and are so easy to grow. They are not fazed by drought, floods, clay, sand, or anything else in the garden. They bloom on and off all season and even when the shrubs are bare of leaves in the winter the shrub provides structure in the form of dense twiggy growth. The growth of spireas is a perfect mounded shape that spreads to about four feet wide by three to four feet high. No trimming is needed but a good haircut in the early spring may help the spirea to push out more blooms. This was the first time I have given my spireas a haircut and they sure are rewarding me with lots of blooms.

Spireas can be added in mixed borders or can be used as foundation plants. They are best used in my garden as weavers. That is they are the glue that ties together plantings. Their pillow form is a form that can fit in anywhere. Spireas are not fussy about conditions so using them in inhospitable spots is a bonus I take advantage of. I have spireas planted under trees, alongside a driveway, and in a shady border. All locations are diverse but work for the spireas.



The blooms this year have been fabulous. I have several cultivars including: Double Play Big Bang, Goldmound, Little Princess, and Dart's Red. I also just received a shipment of Proven Winners plants to trial and advertise recently that included two new spireas. They are: 'Big Bang Gold' and 'Big Bang'. I am ever so excited to add them to my garden and they are tucked into good spots on either side of a Japanese kerria in my Secret Patio Garden. I'll be sure to let you know how they do but for now those spireas are simply spectacular.



Also from Proven Winners are some daylilies called 'Going Bananas'. I already grew several of these daylilies in my garden but when my box arrived from Proven Winners it included another 'Going Bananas' daylily. I like this sunny diminutive daylily. It is a repeat bloomer and does well in my garden. The Proven Winners says this daylily "intermingles well with other plants" and I have to agree. I have it planted in my Front Sidewalk Garden right behind a 'Homestead' verbena. The yellow and purple combination rocks. Speaking of going bananas. At one time I grew some really REALLY tall hardy banana trees. This marker stone is a relic of those days and I thought it appropriate to include it in this post for you all to tie in with my Proven Winners daylilies.







Another few lovely plants in my box from Proven Winners this spring were some calibrachoas (Superbells). The two varieties pictured here are Sweet Tart and Cherry Star.

The 'Sweet Tart' superbells are the pink ones while the 'Cherry Star' ones are the bright red ones with the yellow star. I am not usually a container type person but decided to fill a few planter boxes with these Superbells. The superbells are doing great. I have another one in a hanging basket that only has the moss on the outside (allowing water to drain through quickly) and that one is doing just as well as these ones and I haven't even watered it! I received a few other plants from Proven Winners but will post on them at a later date.



And one last picture is of my beautiful golden retriever/lab mix dog who came from our local shelter ten years ago. BJ is an old man now and feeling every single one of his years. Like me he creaks a bit when he walks and sometimes just doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning. Here he is looking at me longingly because he feels he should not be locked up. He is perfectly able to wander around with me in the front yard but the evil dog (Lady) feels that if BJ is able to wander around then so is she. She will jump over our four foot tall chain link fence and leap high hurdles to follow BJ. So my poor BJ is relegated to the backyard when Lady is outside. BJ has been on my mind lately because he has a bad urinary tract infection and prostatitis. Poor guy. We are getting him better though. Note the ball right next to him on the ground? BJ is of course my avatar picture on my profile. He and I share many of the same traits and I find him to be a great friend so I borrow his picture for this part of my world in blogging....


in the garden....

One last announcement for my local readers. The Tennessee Yards Done Right workshop is scheduled for this Saturday. Call Karla Kean at 9316485725 to register.

Note: I had this post all ready to go and then last night the worst thing happened, the Ramsey's best friend and faithful companion for the past ten years, BJ, passed away suddenly. We are heartbroken and will miss him dearly. This last picture was taken the day before he died and shows him as he truly was-a beautiful and happy dog. 

I will be hit or miss on the computer as we grieve. We went through this last year with our dear dog Link so we know we will get through it but the pain is so real. The good part is that he did not suffer and all three of us were with him at the end. We are thankful for these small miracles to aid us in our daily lives because if we can see the good parts then perhaps the bad parts are not so devastating....

in the garden with my dear friend BJ.  

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The Many Faces of Spirea Foliage and a New Proven Winners Spirea

Do you like spireas? I love them. Yes I know they can be very aggressive and in some cases even downright invasive but I still like them and can't seem to remove them from my garden. In fact, I keep adding more. I just can't help it. Spireas are easy to grow and bloom all season. I also like them as substantial plants in a border or garden. I simply adore spireas and so far I haven't met one I don't like. Today I'll discuss a few of the lower growing mounded varieties in my gardens. These are generally known as 'bumalda' or 'japonica' spireas.

Last May I received a shipment from Proven Winners that included a 'Double Play Big Bang' spirea plant. Proven Winners sends some garden writers plants to trial and I was lucky enough to be on their list. It was like Christmas when the FedEx man pulled up with that box I tell you. While most of the plants in the box were annuals I was very excited to get this spirea. As I am wont to do I tend to grow the plant for at least one year before I post on it. I'd hate to post on a new plant only to have it later die. Well, that has not been the case with this 'Big Bang' spirea. The foliage (pictured above) tends to grab your eye. It is quite a stunner in the garden and came back admirably-even after having to suffer through the drought last summer and other indignities such as being moved at least once. I am really looking forward to seeing some blooms on it this year. To give you a good idea just how special this spirea is I thought I'd compare it to two other spireas I have growing in my garden.





The first comparison is to the newly emerged foliage of 'Goldmound' spirea. This spirea foliage starts off a brilliant chartreuse/yellow color but will gradually darken to a green as the season progresses. It is a beautiful color and shines in the garden almost as much as 'Big Bang'.





The last spirea I am showing you is 'Magic Carpet' spirea. This foliage is definitely an improvement over the 'Goldmound' spirea. The contrast between new and old growth is very nice being a somewhat dulled down version of the 'Big Bang' spirea. 

I tell you I really like all three spireas and it would be tough for me to pick a favorite but if I had to pick I'd choose the one that has the most wow power. For me that is the 'Big Bang' spirea....


in the garden....


Which one of the three spireas do you like the best???


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Winter Damage

By Skeeter The sun is shining in my Georgia Garden today! A perfect time to take inventory of any damage the weekend snow fall may have caused. Above is the picture of my favorite Azalea Bush weighted down with snow. As you can see, she is a tough girl as she is once again standing tall with no damage! The Azalea's in the woods, even though protected a bit from the trees above, had a white blanket on them as well. Now standing tall and proud! I was not too worried about the front planters as the Camellia and Japanese Maples are stout thus, looked as though they were holding their own. However, the Nandina was a mere blob under the heavy snow. Upright she stands today! The snow really did weigh heavy on the Nandina's and I just knew there would be damage. But no damage could be seen by my eyes! The branches of the bush are pretty flexible to say the least. The snow covered planters were really pretty covered in white. I am thrilled to see them happy in the shining sun today! The Butterfly Bushes were so full of snow they were lying on the ground as if dead for sure. But a few hours with warm sunshine on them, and they sprung back to life as well... Since we do not normally have such snow falls in our neck of the woods, we do not own a snow shovel. In order to keep the snow off the front walk way to the house which faces north, I was sweeping the snow off with a broom every 40 minutes or so. One time as I was sweeping I heard this awful snapping. I turned to see this tree fall into our yard. Yikes, good thing we postponed our planned Virginia trip over the long weekend. We now had work to tend instead of playing. Arggggg, it never ends around here... The snow continued to fall after the tree was lying on the ground. It was a pretty piece of art work made by nature but must not stay in place. This tree is always the first to drop her leaves in the fall. I do not think she was healthy for a long time. She was leaning really badly towards our yard. I have talked about this tree in the past. If you missed that Posting, Click HERE to see the Winged Elm's story. As you can see, the tree was practically uprooted. The Elm was sitting in a pool of water. Look at the puddle under the root ball. We have had excessive amounts of rain fall the past several months and this ares is where the rain drains or should I say does not drain properly like most of our backyard. The tree is actually over our back fence and belongs to the land owners behind our property. They do not have a house on this land as it belongs to nature for now. So we decided to not bother the land owner and remove the tree ourselves. It also knocked over the fence post so we will repair that as well. We spent the day cutting the smaller branches and twigs and relocating them to the brush pile. The yard is so soggy that we were making ruts in the ground with the wheel barrow. We have decided that since the tree is arched and not too much of her is touching the ground, that we will leave her be for now. We fear we will do more damage to the yard if we cut up large heavy logs with the ground being so fragile. We will wait until the yard dries a bit to remove her. Gee, that condo living is sure looking good right about now. hee hee... Lookie lookie what I spotted today! The first bloom on a Spirea! Also the trees are budding! And my most happiest moment was when I spotted this bud on a Daffy! I never have luck with daffodils returning for me so I am most excited to see this bud...
Here are some of my friends that were not bothered by the white stuff falling last Friday evening.

Over all, One tree lost but no more WINTER DAMAGE, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden