April 14, 2016
The Garden Awakens early this year! It’s hard to believe that it is only mid-April and so many of the perennials are already budding and, or, blooming! Yesterday was a particularly beautiful day here in Kentucky.
The pink crabapple tree has been blooming for a week or more. It is such a beautiful tree, especially against the bright blue sky we have been seeing!
The columbines are already budding and should be in bloom any day now. Last year, these were transplanted from a different location in the garden. They were being crowded by some daylilies.
These little plants are pretty care-free.
The White Bleeding Hearts are already blooming! It’s easy to see why they are called bleeding hearts. We used to have the pink variety at our last home, and I am thinking we need one here, too.
I could not resist capturing this beautiful blue vinca flower! Isn’t it just gorgeous?
The year before last, a couple of vining vinca were planted in the burlap lined planters attached to the wall next to the patio. Even though there were none planted in the planters last year, somehow, they began to grow around the pond and this year they are blooming along the wall. They were so pretty, I ran to get the camera!
The vinca can be invasive and we will have to be careful with it, but for now, I am enjoying the pretty flowers.
A couple of weeks ago, we reserved a D.D.Blanchard Magnolia at Showplace Garden Center in Hebron. The weather has not been the greatest, with all of the wind and rain. It was a perfect day for picking up the tree and planting it, and so we did. When I say we, it was pretty much Dave. Memphis and I just told him what to do!
First, we decided where we wanted the tree. I tried to think how big this tree would grow and allowed for that. That would seem to be common sense, but there are those who plant trees right next to their homes because the trees are little at the time. That always amazes me, don’t they realize trees will grow?
Under ideal circumstances, this tree will grow 50 feet tall and 25 feet wide. It needs full sun.
Dave removed the sod and patched a few places in the yard that needed it. Then he dug a hole. We decided to only bury half of the root ball and mound soil around the exposed half. Before we buried it, we teased the roots out, which had started to grow in circles around the pot. It really wasn’t bad, but if you don’t do this, the roots will continue to grow in circles.
At the back of the yard, we have a compost pile and some pretty nice soil from it. That soil was used to fill in and mound around the tree. Before mounding the soil, we used the hose on a light trickle to water around the root ball and help get rid of any air pockets around the roots.
Soil filled in and mounded, Dave went to buy some mulch.
Remember that mulch needs to be kept away from the base of the tree and should be in a layer of 2-3 inches deep around it. After the mulch was applied, Dave used the watering can and watered the tree again.
Danielle, at the garden center, said it needed to be watered well, but not over-saturated, the first year and not to let the roots get dry. Weekly watering would probably be sufficient unless we have a dry summer.
As the garden awakens, it becomes more beautiful each day!
