Sculpture Garden

Last Fall I ordered  a "Humongous Hosta Mix" for Fedco Seeds. The description said they would choose six of the biggest hostas they could get their hands on.  Total cost + $34.50.  A good deal!

The shipment arrived in late April, I potted them in potting soil temporarily and last Friday I planted them in the Sculpture Garden bed below.  See the holes. The black mound in the front is a pile of compost which I added to each hole. The collapsed inukshuk sculpture is still there too.  I did get landscape adhesive to put it back together.

All the hosta plants looked healthy but this one was already putting out leaves. It's Olive Bailey.  Eventually it will reach 30" tall and 60" wide.

Photo below from the internet.

Here are the other varieties I received.  Again photos from the internet.

Blue Umbrella 

32" tall 48" wide

Snake Eyes

30" tall 48" wide

T-Rex

30" tall 80" wide

Earth Angel

30" tall 40-60" wide

Guardian Angel

30" tall 40" wide

I also got three of this variety which I planted closer to the front of the beds.

Velvet Moon

24" tall and 36" wide.

I may have planted them a little too close but there is room to space them out once they mature.

Here's a volunteer I found near my compost bin.  Turns out its black cohosh also a shade loving plant.  I put it into the bed too.

Temperatures warmed on Monday and will continue to climb all week into the 80ºs.  time to purchase some annuals to fill some pots and bare bed spaces.

Mother's Day 2022

 Today I'm celebrating the mothers in my life starting with my Mom, Dorothy, who is no longer living but whose lovely face keeps an eye on me here at my desk.  I learned so much from her and miss her every day.

Another mother to celebrate is Dan's Mom, Virginia.  Though in failing health and mental capacity she does remember me and says "Love you" at the close of telephone conversations.

The other mothers to celebrate are my three sisters.  From left to right, Bonnie, Suzie, Marie, Mom and me.

And last but not least my two daughters, Emily and Sarah.  Wonderful mothers to my four granddaughters.

Happy Mother's Day!

Collapsed

 I spent three hours working on the gardens Thursday.  It wasn't until almost the end of my time out there - ran out of steam - that I noticed this.

Not sure what knocked it over, but before I attempt to restack the Inukshuk I will have to follow Tom's advice to get some landscape adhesive.  

It was a gorgeous day here yesterday.  I had to shed several layers as I worked in the sun.  Here's the view of the field behind us with buds showing on the near tree branches.

Over top our well is this forsythia which has yet to burst into full bloom even though there's one across the street blooming.

Some blooms near the bottom but

the stems don't look like there are buds.

I planted several things. Here's one of three creeping thyme

that I hope will fill in around the stepping stones in the deck garden.

I also planted irises that wintered over in the barn, three day lilies and a bleeding heart on this side.  And out of view around the corner to the right two lavender in what will be my herb garden. I still have 9 hosta to plant plus enlarging and transplanting some perennials from the front porch garden.

Walk Around the Yard and Plans

Monday morning I did a walk around the yard and took photos to share with you.

First here's the view of the field and hill to the west of us. Grass is green but no leaves on trees here yet.

At the bottom of our deck is this clump of daffodils planted by someone else.  I counted the blossoms - 20, so it's got to be at least that old.

Saturday was a good day to work in the yard.  I had Dan remove a large clump of day lilies that were mixed up with too much grass to be weeded properly.  I planted instead three day lilies I got from FedCo Seeds called "Simmons Overture",  They are supposed to grow to 24" tall with giant 6" blossoms in lavender-rose with dark purple eye zones.  When they bloom I'll share a photo.  I also transplanted a clump of Siberian irises and a clump of what I think is spider wort.  I still need to put rocks around the top side and mulch that new little bed.

Here's a new face in the yard from one of the bulbs I planted last year.

Here's another.  Both of these are in that little bed.  Daffodils and day lilies go well together because the foliage of the day lily covers the drooping foliage of the daffodils.

Across the yard is this new bed created last year when we had the hemlocks limbed up.  It's where my Inukshuk is still standing without adhesive.  Look carefully and you'll see 6 holes where I plan to plant 6 humongous Hosta I purchased from FedCo.  I need to think of a better name for this garden.  Maybe Inukshuk Garden or Rock Sculpture Garden as I plan to try my hand at more rock sculptures.

We cleaned out the compost bin and Dan dumped the compost in that bed for me to use in planting.

In the back Hosta Garden the first Hosta is showing up.

So is this ligularia. I hope I get some volunteers of this one from the seeds it put out last year.

Pansies from last year wintered over.

Wild ginger, I think, is showing itself.

And lamb's ear survived the winter.  Not shown are two purple heucheras that survived.  One yellow one did not.

This bluebird box is new to our yard.  Emily had it but it was too close to her apple trees so I took it and placed it on the property line.  Saturday I spied a female bluebird near the deck and a male sitting on this box.  They have a lot of boxes to choose from [unlike human house hunters - tight house market here].

In the garden next to the deck, the white irises that Blogger Vickie Lane sent me are growing.

The peonies are getting bigger.

I still need to clear off leaves and see what is showing up in this front bed. Last year there was a fence dividing this bed and the view into our yard from the street.

In the front yard the beds next to the porch will undergo an overhaul this spring.  I want to move the hosta out and add lavender and annuals.  I want to widen them a bit too,

Looking into the yard from the front that propane tank is such an eye sore.

We did plant a juniper on the deck side of the tank to block our view of it from there. We had the tank moved away from the house because snow got trapped behind it and was rotting out the clapboards.  I wish we could paint it.

So as you can see Spring is still a work in progress here.