Birth of a Fairy Garden

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Wild Celtic Rose

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When I first purchased my home in May of 2010, the Southeast corner of the yard behind the garage was a jungle; the Hawthorne and huge old pear tree were being choked to death by an invasive species of Clematis vine known as Old Man’s Beard.

From The Life and Times of A Wild Celtic Rose

In November of that year, my beautiful (and huge) old pear tree blew down in a violent wind storm.

Since then, this “forgotten” part of the yard, not sunny enough to support garden beds or fruit trees (and still a battle ground for the dreaded clematis vines trying to regrow) has been left in neglect other than two marionberries being trained to grow up trellises on the back garage wall.

Until lately.

It started out innocently enough with three shade loving rhododendrons in the far corner.

Then I learned that crabapple trees will tolerate less then full sun, so I got a good sized one (tall enough for the branches to get sun) and plopped it in the same corner.

Azaleas… Yeah, and Camellias… That’s what the corner needed as well.

Oooh, Cyclamen, Begonias (tuberus), Periwinkle and some Foxglove for the fairies were also perfect for this little corner.

I found this lovely bench…

I also scored a fabulous bird bath…

Then the fairies started moving in, which was just a matter of time, as they love the Hawthorne and foxglove and are said to ride Corgis at night.

Soon Hellebores and Fuchsias appeared (as did more fairies)

So did Tulips, Daffodils and Winter Heather (Heath) in the sunny areas around the Hazelnut tree…

It was apparent who was “running the show” out there, so appropriate signage was posted.

This tree ent arrived.

and his friend the Bay Laurel ent showed up on the other side of the yard for good measure.

The area had been transformed just in time for Spring…

All of the residents seemed quite happy to be there.

Except this one…

It became very clear that she was not a garden fairy. She was fierce, a guardian… a….

Gargoyle.

So she now watches over the entrance to my home in her rightful place.

If she deters solicitors and proselytizers, all the better

No worries, the back has not been let unguarded.

I am looking forward to hosting BBQs, teas and garden parties and watching this area bloom and grow.

~ L

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Garden Season Has Begun!

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Wild Celtic Rose

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Today I got a great surprise.

As I was puttering around the yard on a rare dry and above 40 degree winter day, I discovered it on the sunny side of the house, next to the concrete basement wall, the warmest spot in the yard.

My first daffodil of spring!

Of course, the first blooms were my lawn crocus. The fall before last, I planted several dozen crocus and grape hyacinth bulbs around the Kwanzan Flowering Cherry trees in the parking strip. This fall, I planted about 80 more, so I’m hoping for a great display.

The front flower bed is a very busy place where more crocus are blooming, and hyacinth, daffodils and tulips are popping up

I got a little crazy today and decided to add some summer color by planting 3 peony, 8 Dahlias, 13 Asiatic Lillis, 30 Gladiolas and 50 Ranunculus.

The spring blubs (around 700 or so) already there will start with the crocus bloom in February then transition to the lavender, pink flowering dogwood, roses, summer bulbs and end with the Dahlias blooming through the first hard frost in the fall. It’s practically a mine field out there trying to walk more or less dig to plant anything, so I’m calling that flower bed full. I’ll be adding a few tulips and daffodils to the smaller bed on the other side of the front walk to compliment the lavender, roses and day lilies.

About a week and a half ago, I took advantage of another dry and above 40 degree day and ordered a load of Tagro. (it’s good poop) I got all the garden beds and containers out back weeded, cleaned out and topped off. I used the rest of it to top dress the blueberry bushes along the North fence.

This was after my friend Daniel helped me (helped means he did most of the work) put up a chain link fence to protect the garden from the dog and chickens.

I also pruned all the fruit trees and rose bushes and wrestled with the Loganberry bush to get it trained where I wanted it to go. I also relocated a Marionberry bush next to the other one which I’m training up trellises on the back of the garage.

While picking up fence material I scored a very inexpensive, big, beautiful Crabapple tree that still had berries on it, which is now budding out.

I also scored some rhododendrons, so now the boring corner of the yard will have fabulous color.

I’m also planning on adding a bird bath, some shiny things and making it the fairy corner since it’s so close to the Hawthorne.

Oh, meet my new assistant…. (he looks an awful lot like my friend Knut)

I have a few more photos available on my Flickr page

This is the best gardening start I’ve had this early in the year and I’m pretty darn happy about it.

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Cold, Wet Gardening

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Wild Celtic Rose

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After three weeks of not being able to mow or garden (rain-STP-rain) I finally got out into the yard yesterday.

The grass in the back was a total jungle. It was finally dry enough to mow by about 7:00 PM. (note to self, replace more grass with something else; there is still too much of it out there)

One thing about our crappiest summer ever (seriously, only 78 HOURS of temps over 80 degrees so far the entire summer) is that the cherries like it. (along with our butt cold winter) My Lapin cherry tree is loaded. (I already ate all the Royal Anns)

My tomatoes, lovingly started in the basement under grow lights and on heat mats, then moved to the greenhouse; then moved outside in protective wall-o-water insulators are growing vigorously.

Now we just need some heat so that these lovely Juliets will turn red. These were my favorite tomoatoes last year, they are a parent to the popular grape tomato.

If we ever get any warm days, the blueberries will be ready…

The cold weather crops (broccoli and peas) are doing well.

It’s taking every bit of self control I have not to snap off these beautiful asparagus spears when they pop up; but I know if I leave the bed alone this year, I’ll be harvesting more than I can possibly eat on my own for years to come.

I’m glad I paid the money for two year old crowns so I only have to exercise this much self control for one season (best to hold off on harvesting until the 4th year)

My Liberty apples are the only ones (out of three varieties) that are fruiting well.

My Braeburn apple is badly infested with Apple Scab due to the cold, wet miserable excuse for a summer we’ve had (Liberty is resistant) I may end up pulling that tree out and planting a resistant variety. The Summerred apple never bloomed at all (we got a hard freeze at bloom time)

Yesterday, I had to spray some copper on the apple trees. You can’t really treat scab once it breaks out, but I want to keep it from spreading.

It’s just been a rough year all the way around for fruit trees; many of the trees that did bloom/pollinate dropped their fruit almost immediately.

My plum tree dropped it’s fruit and is now covered in aphids, I had to hit it with some organicide yesterday.

Oddly enough, I am getting some peaches which are considered a warm weather fruit.

I am very lucky that my roses aren’t succumbing to blackspot or powdery mildew. They are looking very good this year (they’ve certainly had plenty of water)

The lavender out front is doing well. I’m hoping that it will grow large and bushy and fill in the gaps this year, so folks won’t stomp through my flower beds to steal tulips next year. It stayed pretty small and spindly last year and a lot of it died over the brutally cold winter.

I have some more photos here (make with the clicky clicky on this link to see them)

It’s Starting to Look Like Spring (well… in the Garden)

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Wild Celtic Rose

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Spring is doing it’s best to spring, and I’m trying to help it along.

All the hard work of planting (704) flowers bulbs is paying off. Despite tricky weather conditions; they all appear to be doing well and since I planted them well and deep and will fertilize after they bloom, they will come back each year and in most cases even multiply.

The daffodils budded out right before the first of two snow storms and deep freezes, they don’t seem any worse for wear as my first King Alfred finally opened up all the way. (I have a dozen other varieties planted as well)

In addition to the yellow/orange crocus, the purple ones are blooming as well.

As are the hyacinths

The lilacs from RainTree Nursery (a local nursery that is really great) arrived in fabulous shape, ready to bud out and bloom.

I planted the three of them along with three new roses to replace the ones the roofers smashed along the sunny side of the house. (I moved the flattened ones to containers in the back yard in hopes that I can save them)

The roses in the front yard already have plenty of leaves on them. Hopefully now that they’ve had time to develop a strong root system, they’ll really take off this year.

The blueberries are budding out, one even has some leaves already and the plum trees is just about ready to bloom (Francine and I saw one on 11th St that was blooming yesterday)

The girls took advantage of the sun to enjoy a nice dust bath.

I don’t think I posted a picture of the potting bench after I got it put together. The next time we get a nice day, I’ll move it a bit closer to the greenhouse (need to finish leveling out the ground first)

I got my Urban Farm Seed Co order in (Territorial seed order is on the way) and planted my first batch of seeds last night. (Lettuce, Spinach, broccoli, three types of tomatoes including Brandywine) corn, onions, cayenne, anehim and bell peppers, peas, pole beans and watermelon. I’ll sow the carrots and radishes directly. I have artichoke, another tomato, infrared sunflowers, and asparagus crowns coming.

Once they have tiny leaves they’ll be moved down to the basement under the grow lights to join the lavender (which I need to thin tonight) and Drama Queen poppies.

Even the Christmas Amaryllis is getting into the act. Once it’s done, I’ll move it into my special garden corner along with the paperwhite narcissus that Ana gave me and the parrot tulips I planted in Karen’s memory.