If you are new to my blog, here's the story of my why I'm loving living in my Great Grandmother's cottage house. If you are new to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for a full list of participating bloggers. It's so neat to see what is blooming around the world, and it's a great way to get ideas for plants to put in your own garden!
First up is one very confused bush that I have yet to identify. There are two in what will become by patio space. I know they are not supposed to be blooming yet, and I hope the inevitable hard freeze doesn't do too much damage. These are just one species of plant that I will write down the name this spring, when I take a walk around the property with my grandmother.
Next come the resilient daffodils. In the 20 years since my great grandmother passed away, there have only been one, possibly two, times when the garden has gotten any serious attention. I knew the daffodils would survive, but I didn't know how many there would be, or where they would be. I'm beginning to find out!
The neat thing about my new-to-me yard are the surprises. My great grandmother died when I was 9 years old, and the only time I visited the house before I moved in this past Thanksgiving was when the house was renovated in winter of 2001. So I am familiar with my great grandmother's style, but not exactly what she planted.. This is going to be a fun spring :)
My first surprise was not what I consider a good one. Call me weird, or young, or something, but I am not a fan of irises. They are gorgeous when they bloom, but I think the leftover foliage is stark and ugly. It's also very tough, which is great for the plant, but doesn't biodegrade easily and leaves an unsightly mess. I'm all about low maintenance plants, and I haven't found a good way to make irises low maintenance. I was not thrilled about seeing a clump of irises come up, but at least they are off to the side of the driveway, and not front and center. If anyone has any other thoughts or feelings please let me know. I'd like to have a better attitude towards irises.
The best surprise so far has been the discovery of hyacinths! I've never grown them, and I think they're so pretty & colorful. The interesting thing is the fact that they are in a a very unexpected place. The center of my circular driveway. This garden is edged with hedges, and has a large bush in the center as a focal point. Most of the interior of the circle is moss, and these bulbs are popping up through the moss in one corner. I am so curious about what else will pop up when spring really arrives!
I hope you have enjoyed these first blooms in my new yard. It's going to be such a fun spring!!
What a wonderful adventure you have ahead of you in discovering your grandmother's garden!
ReplyDeleteI have found golf tees very useful in marking plants, especially those whose foliage dies down in summer. Just push a golf tee into the ground, use a marker to write a number on the top, and keep a notebook for identification of plants. That will prevent accidently digging up something, or will help you find something, bulbs, etc. that you want to move to another place.
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
That is such a great idea, and one that appeals to my inner engineer :) Thanks so much for the suggestion!
DeleteI almost forgot about the iris.
ReplyDeletePut them along a fence or something that will give them a background to show off against. And for the best blooms, leave the roots half uncovered. If they get completely covered they won't bloom! I'm sure when your grandmother comes to visit she will be full of great advice!
Best Wishes!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Great tip! I'll have to take a look at the 'clump' I have. What kind of spacing am I looking for? I'm sure dividing is in my future.
DeleteIts going to be fun watching your grandmother's garden have some new life and fresh blooms. Have fun and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tony! I hope you enjoy watching and reading along with me!
DeleteEmily:
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful adventure moving to your great grandmother's house. Watching the flowers come up will be like Christmas all the time the first year. Try to appreciate the spiky shape of iris foliage after the blooms, I know, it's hard to like them sometimes.
Thanks Rhonda, it has been so much fun. Last night when I went to take pictures of the daffodils I was giddy when I stumbled on the hyacinths!
DeleteWhat fun surprises! I wonder what other garden surprises you will encounter? I second the suggestion of putting the irises off to the side or the back. I like to use the spiky upright stalks against a different textured plant, as a way to make the iris useful after it has bloomed.
ReplyDeleteI know I have a few hostas waiting to come up, but other than that everything will be a surprise. It's going to be a great spring :) I'll try and keep an open mind about the irises, and maybe find a better place for them!
DeleteWhat a wonderful story, discovering all those plants as they bloom. I had to laugh when I clicked on your links at my blog--Clemson Girl! I am a Charleston native, and my dad is a mechanical engineer, courtesy of Clemson--but I went to USC (since I don't care a whit about football, the rivalry is only a source of amusement).
ReplyDeleteSmall world! Charleston is one of my favorite cities. I spent 10 years in Clemson between school and work. I fell in love with the people and the beauty. I think it's great that you're also in a small house growing your garden. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from each other!
DeleteNice to meet you and happy gardening!
How exciting to sit back and see what surprises your new garden has to offer! And obviously your great-grandmother was a gardener. Your grandmother will have lots of stories to tell, I bet. There are daffodils that still bloom at my great-grandmother's house, too (but no one lives there). I love driving by there in the spring to see those neglected bulbs come to life. I love irises and my first reaction was to try to talk you into them, but it's your garden - do as you please. If you don't like them, give them away (maybe your grandmother would love some), and turn this into your garden. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting & commenting Holly. Both my great grandmother and grandmother were great gardner's in their day, and this backyard has been a Certified National Backyard Wildlife Habitat since the first years of the program. (#17xx I think, the online database doesn't go back that far!) I'm going to give the irises a year to grow on me before I decide whether or not to find them a new home, either in my yard or someone else's!
DeleteI live in a really old house, too, and the first few years of watching the plants come up were so much fun. I love the old-fashioned flowers like daffodils (my grandmother called them jonquils) and hydrangea. Iris are great for spots you don't want to deal with. They are tough, as you said, and are good along fences or places that might otherwise require a weed-eater.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to compare notes sometime! I'd like to keep and bring in as many antique flowers as possible - I think they're pretty and it fits with the style of the property. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHappy GBBD! There is something so exciting about that first year in a new house...finding out all the secret little things that are planted here and there!
ReplyDelete