garden 2024 - the done list

We all know that I am a terrible blogger, but this does still serve as my personal archive of what projects I have gotten myself into, and when.  So before I totally forget what happened, here is the done version of my 2024 garden wish list. 

• impatiens in the window boxes ✔️
• flowers in pots on the porch ✔️
• bring out the houseplants to the porch ✔️
• small herb garden by the back door ❌
• cutting garden - zinnias ✔️
• fertilize azaleas & rhododendron ✔️
• fertilize boxwoods  ✔️
• another raised bed ❌
• replace camelia  ❌ - 2025
• replace gardenia ❌ 
• move peony ✔️
• new peony ✔️
• move Cramoisi Superieur rose ✔️
• butterfly bush ❌ (I got one, but it died)
• design & plant new hydrangeas and possibly boxwood ❌
• Clean out back garden ❌
• treat all hemlocks ❌ - I got one treated, and have more treatment for 2025
• creeping phlox  ❌
• transplant some rock iris ✔️
• transplant some hosta ✔️ (In pots, but thriving)
• make garden spaces to the right side of wooded path - ❌ - waiting on Sally Sue

garden to do list - spring 2024

 So much to do, so little time.  I have one more weekend left before the burn ban goes into effect, and then I can turn my attention to the garden.  Spring is almost the only time I have flowers blooming, thanks to my seemingly epic amounts of shade, and clay soil.  I am determined to do something about that this year.

Here are my plans...some of these will be for the fall or next spring, after we're finished with the back hoe work, but here is the wish list:

• impatiens in the window boxes
• flowers in pots on the porch
• bring out the houseplants to the porch
• small herb garden by the back door
• cutting garden - zinnias
• fertilize azaleas & rhododendron
• fertilize boxwoods 
• another raised bed
• replace camelia
• replace gardenia
• move peony
• new peony
• move Cramoisi Superieur rose
• butterfly bush?
• design & plant new hydrangeas and possibly boxwood
• Clean out back garden
• treat all hemlocks
• creeping phlox
• transplant some rock iris
• transplant some hosta
• make garden spaces to the right side of wooded path

pond project - recap

 Slow and steady wins the race.  ;)  

October 2022 

Where we started

Where we are 

December 2022

Where we started

     

       

October 2022

December 2022

 

Where we started

October 2022

Where we started

October 2022

                             

Where we started

Where we started 

October 2022

december bloom day 2022

I have a bloom in December!  I bought my first Camelia this year (it's still in a pot, don't judge), and I have blooms!   It's so nice to have blooms this time of year, and I'm looking forward to planting it in a prominent spot near my driveway this spring. 

march bloom day 2022

Happy Bloom Day!  Thanks to a nice snow this weekend, my daffodils have lost their blooms, and the the hellebores are the stars of my garden right now.  I quite enjoyed the snow this weekend.  It was my favorite kind of snow, a fluffy 3 inches, and the ground was warm enough that the roads were dry and clear. Enjoy the hellebores! 

PS:  It's been quite a while since I've posted here.  I like this corner of the internet, and hope to be back more often! 

may bloom day 2021

I'm a little late....BUT here's a look at what was blooming in my yard on or around May 15th, 2021.

The Iris bloomed for the very first time, and the peonies were putting on a small, but beautiful show. Out of 5 plants, I had 4 blooms this year. This is what happens when you live in the shade, oh well. I'm enjoying what I had, and planning for new peonies in a sunnier spot.

Iris

Peony - Pecher

   

Peony - ? 

My antique roses are settled in and doing their thing. It makes me happy that Buff Beauty is starting to full out and really show off. I also found a Cherokee Rose that must have been planted by my great grandmother. It is in the woods off the driveway, and very close to some of the trees that came down last year in the tornado. I've been in my house almost 10 years now, and this is the first year it's had enough sun to bloom. I'm hoping to take some cuttings, well see how my propagation efforts go!

Rose - Buff Beauty

Rose - Cherokee

Rose - Cramoisi superieur

new plants 2019 / 2020

SURPRISE! I bet you didn't expect to see me here again.  Spring is the time that I most miss my blog, and this year, after conversation with Dava (@davastewart), who I first met at a Chattanooga Blogger's meetup years ago, I got nostalgic.  I miss the blogging community and really getting to know people online in a way that doesn't translate on 'social media platforms'.  It's also really nice to be able to have an archive to dust the cobwebs of your memories.  I was nostalgic enough to say to myself, well, I do have a couple of things I could blog about....so let's see if I can do this again.   

My conversation with Dava got me thinking about 2 things I loved about blogging... being able to look back on how far my house/garden have come, and getting to know some of the amazing people in the blogging community.   I'm hoping to bring those both back into my life.  If the pandemic has taught me anything, its to put my needs first, and that good online relationships are just as nice as in person ones.

So even though this post is supposed to be about plants, I have to acknowledge 2020 as the year that will go down in history as quite the year.  I spent the spring dealing with the aftermath of a tornado and adjusting to pandemic life.   My mom had a hip replacement just before Covid, and my grandfather passed away in May at age 93.  As soon as I was ready to turn my attention outside to something normal  - maintenance and garden work.... I herniated 2 disks in my neck.  Plans were interrupted, and much of the heavy garden work was put on hold.  I picked up a few houseplants, and started propagating some of my grandmother's houseplants (mistletoe cactus and spider plant, both 40+ years old), but that was it.  

The biggest project was a May 2020 unplanned mowing of the underbrush in my front yard.  It more than doubled the size of my front yard, and makes me anxious to complete my dream project of being able to see the whole pond from my front porch. 

Looking back past 2020 to 2019 is hard.  2019 a blurry and distant memory.  I can't remember much of what I planted.  I know I was gifted a peony by my sister that bloomed from a large pot on my front porch this year.   My Instagram tells me that 2019 was a maintenance year. I cut back ivy and laid pine needles on the front steps to the pond, mulched, pressure washed, and cut back "volunteer" bushes.   It's nice to look back and see how nice it looked, but it's crazy to see how quickly things grow back after even one year off.  2019 was also the year I re-discovered embroidery.....more on that another day.    😊

New plants 2019/2020

• Peony, from my sister
• Mistletoe Cactus, cuttings from Grandmother
• Spider plant, cuttings from Grandmother
• Baby Jade
• Mini Orchid
• Wandering Jew, from Clemson
• Ponytail Palm
• Monstera, from my sister
• Snake Plants, from Clemson

new plants 2017

2017 was a hot mess, wasn't it?  My focus wasn't really on my yard, other than trimming out some undergrowth to help the view of the pond. 

There are 3 new plants from this year that stick out in my mind

1) A new antique rose - Buff Beauty.  This is my second attempt at growing this rose.  I have some animal roaming around that thought the first one was pretty tasty.  I planted this rose in the spring, and by fall I had a couple good 4' canes - despite my lack of regular fertilizing.  I'm hoping it will continue to grow, and will bloom this year.

2) Three white Encore Azaelas by the pond.   This was definitely a discount find, and a pretty big risk.  Azaelas like sun - of which I have very little - and hate wet feet.  Planting them by the pond was not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I would love for them to grow, and be the first thing you see when you turn in my driveway.  I planted 3, and 1 survived and bloomed through fall.  I'm calling that enough of a win to consider building a retaining wall and trying again next year.

3) Magnolia cutting from my grandmother's house across the street.  In my quest to improve the view of the pond from my front porch, I'm also improving the view of my house from the road in the winter.  I like my privacy, so I'd like to add some more evergreens to this section of the woods.  Trees that I can 'limb up' over time and still see the pond, but will also provide screening from the road.  Well.  I looked at magnolias at our local nurseries, and let me just say they're crazy.  They have very nice trees, but there is no way that I'm paying $200 for a magnolia that won't even get very tall.  They grow wild here, so I took a rooted lower limb from one of my grandmother's trees, and put it into my holding bed.  If it survives the winter, I'll check its root situation, and see if it's ready move it into the woods. 

Here's to enjoying my yard more in 2018!

hostas and ferns

Ever wonder what your go-to plants are when you life in the woods?  Hostas and ferns.

I have one guiding principle when it comes to my yard: if it was happy in my yard when I moved in - plant as many as you can!  Since my yard was fairly neglected before I moved in, this translates into drought tolerant natives, and southern standbys.  For example, I had one beautiful azaela when I moved in, now I have 7.  I also had a bed of miniature hostas, and a few wild wild ferns scattered about.   Enter the theme for this spring - hostas and ferns EVERYWHERE!

I have wanted to edge one section of woods for a while, and this is the spring to make it happen.  The vision is complete in my head - it's just a matter of finding time to make it happen.  My hope is a fairly naturalized look.  No formal edging, a variety of plants, spaced fairly far apart, following the natural curve of the treeline.  I started a couple of weeks ago by transplanting a few clumps of daffodils, and finally planting my Amber Gem hellebores.  Sunday, I added miniature hostas and two types of ferns, leaving room for larger hostas, more ferns, and possibly some additional hellebores.  The minature hostas are divisions of a 15+ year old hosta, so one plant became 10.  The ferns are a mix of cheap Autumn ferns & about 6 smaller, wild ferns from around my blackberry fence.

I've stolen from this minature hosta bed by the woods twice.
I'm hoping to find some new varieties to fill in the holes.

Because I had extra divisions, I took what was going to be a one area project, and doubled the scope into an area that has potential, but has been on the back burner for a while - expanding the bed along the driveway/rock wall.  I've always planned to widen this bed, and now is the time to do it.

This area looks great in the spring when the daffodils are blooming, but after they're done, there's nothing but moss.  I'm proud of the lack of ivy, but it's nice to have something to look at along the driveway when I come home.  So I sketched out what I hope to make as a swoosh-y the shape of the bed, and got to work.  The ground is not so bad on the top layer, but the clay starts about 5 inches deep, so planting was a process - breaking up the dirt, watering the hole, digging a deeper hole, mixing in soil conditioner, watering again, and finally planting.  With some supervision, I spaced out the plants and got it done.

This bed is going to be gigantic, and I probably filled in 15% of it.  I just have to decide what will do best here...probably more hostas and ferns, but maybe a balloon flower and some fall blooms.  I do know one thing, this is an area that needs some soil work, so it will get heavily mulched in preparation for whatever finds its way into the ground.  All in all, I could plant another 30 hostas this year, and still have room left over.  SOOOOOO, if you or anyone you know have hostas that need dividing, and/or a new home.....let me know & I'll do the digging!

plant swap!

** draft from 2015**

This was the *perfect* weekend to be outside in Chattanooga, and for me that meant working/playing in the yard.

Saturday was one of my favorite spring garden days - our 3rd annual plant swap + Belle's Garden sale at Green Thumbs Nursery! As always, I made out like a bandit.  From the plant swap I got black stemmed peppermint, white Japanese iris, early blooming daffodils, a jade plant, and ranunculus.  From the Belle, I got a 'winter wonder' hosta, a Japanese painted fern, 3 cantaloupe colored cone flowers, and some yellow hellebores. If you're a gardener in Chattanooga and want in on our plant swap, let me know, we have one in the fall too! It's a great way to get rid of your extra stuff, and acquire free plants that you know survive in our area.

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous, and I spent the day planting, mulching, burning brush, and even mowing the grass.  (I have so much shade, mowing the grass is something I do about twice a year.  It only takes 45 minutes, but it's a big deal.)  I worked all day, and I'm feeling it this morning! My calves and hamstrings are not happy. BUT my shade garden & fence gardens are coming along nicely, and my rock garden is getting the mulch it so desperately needed.  The soil is so bad, I feel like it eats mulch. I'm weeding as I go, so it's slow, but I'm about halfway done, and hope to finish up this week. 


For whatever reason, it feels like I haven't done too much in the yard this year.  I think I've worked in the yard two weekends, at most....with is not a lot for me.  Ever since I moved into my house, every spring has brought a huge garden project.  First there was clearing the ivy, then massive mulching of all the empty beds to improve the soil, and then working and planting in those beds (some of which were infested with tree roots btw).   This year there are no big projects, just maintenance and a few additions.  I've trimmed out the spent blackberry stems, and this weekend I filled in a few holes with new plants  All that is left is to finish the mulching, planting one or two more things, figuring out what is wrong with the boxwoods, and putting impatiens in my window boxes.  I'm not going to lie, it feels good to have things "under control".

happy earth day

I woke up in a good mood this morning.  Trust me, that is not normal.  But I played in the yard yesterday after work, and read a book last night.  The day before I spent the evening outside too.  Being outside makes me happy, and today is the day to celebrate that.

Happy Earth Day Everyone!!

 

 

 

 

 

 These Confederate Violets found a home in my front path yesterday.

april bloom day 2015

Happy Bloom Day everyone!  Today is also tax day, and my refund arrives day.  Not even the rain is getting me down!  Even though the tulip show managed to fit itself in between bloom days, I have quite a few pictures to share, and not much time to type.  So lets get to it, and take a walk around my yard.

Shade Garden:

Just a few wide shots for perspective

Wild columbine & woodland poppy, 2nd year purple azalea, 3rd year double columbine

2nd year wild geranium, 2nd year trillium (woodland variety)

Side yard:

Bird's foot violet, spiderwort

Dwarf rock iris with wild fern, dwarf rock iri, rue anemone

 Front Yard:

 

1st year purple tulips

Late daffodils, dogwood & half of my front yard

 new-to-me confederate violets

Wild Azaleas:

 

The wild azaleas are so pretty and just smell so good.  The bees are so happy, and you can hear them as you walk towards the plants.  At my house, the white azaleas bloom first, followed by the pink.  Some of the older azaleas are taller than I am, up to around 8-10 feet tall.  I am continuing to clear out underbrush around them every year, and the habitat is expanding. I'd love to nurse back the grove that my grandmother always talks about from her childhood.

Assorted:

There's not a good way to photograph the blueits and capture the carpet that covers my yard.  My yard is mostly moss, and I only mow a few times a year.  This has allowed the blueits to take over, and I think it is so pretty.

You can also see that my hellebores are very happy with my shady home, and are well on their way to multiplying & establishing little colonies.

Ok, that's it.  Not bad for a quick post!  As always, thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!! If you'd like to see more of what's blooming around the world today, stop by her blog.