Around the Yard

~Song of Songs 2:12~ 

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

I thought I would share a few of our successes as far as perennials go here in VA. We've definitely had our ups and downs figuring out what to grow. I planted over 40 bulbs last year and they all rotted. I won't be trying that again. Our soil is too wet and the water table is pretty close to the surface so drainage is a problem. 

The old fashioned Roses were here when we moved in and are starting to bloom. 
I'm pretty sure they're Knock Outs.

When fully open, they're a delicate soft pink in color and will have multiple blooms on one stem.

Our brick walkway goes to the backyard and we had planted a beautiful Palm tree in front of the Artemesia but it died. It actually froze to death because we forgot to wrap it. 

That was a big disappointment. 

I replaced the Palm with a wrought iron plant hangar I bought from a friend last summer. Little did I know she would reach her heavenly home only a few months later. I'm glad I have this visual reminder of her. In a few weeks, it will hold a couple of annual baskets.

There are two large mounds of Ajuga on the right and I'll probably transplant or buy more to fill in the blank space on the left.

The dead looking clump in the top left is actually a divergent shaped ornamental grass. When at its peak, it is huge and gorgeous! It grows about 3' tall and drapes out at least that far, hiding the gas meter. :)

The Burgundy Glow Ajuga were in two small containers and they're spreading like crazy! I read somewhere that in some places it is considered to be extremely invasive. I like it and it seems to be hardy, so I'm keeping it!

I love how it stands out with the bright lavender shades in front of the Euphorbia.

Two small containers of Sedum Acre Gold Rush I planted last year survived the winter!

The yellow is brilliant against the dark brown mulch. It's a little slower to spread but eventually it will. I can be patient for this beauty.

While I was weeding the other flower beds, I noticed this clump of 'weed' (as my husband referred to it) growing all alone among the grass. I thought hmmmm....that's kind of odd. 

As you can see, I quickly dug it up before he mowed over it! I transplanted it into a pot until I could find out what it was.

Isn't it beautiful???

They're so delicate and tiny and they close up in the evening.

I knew this wasn't an ordinary 'weed'. 

It's actually a wildflower commonly known as a Rain-Lily!

The scientific name is Zephyranthes Atamasca and there are many genus of it. Turns out is common in SE VA. It thrives in coastal areas, preferring acid boggy soils rich with leaf mold. That about sums up our yard! I'll transplant it to back into the ground in the 'rock' garden area where the Palm was and hope it survives and spreads. 

And now for my indoor crowning glory...

Uh. Yeah. I have killed every Orchid I've owned. This one was in the dump bin at Lowe's last year with only one bloom on it. I brought it home and it promptly fell off. I was bemoaning its inevitable fate to my sister and she told me to water it once a week by running cool water over the bark, don't let any water touch the leaves, and don't move it from its location. It seems to like being nestled against the coffee pot.

A few weeks after following my sisters directions, that shoot came up, followed soon by three more! I was completely thrilled but thinking it was too good to be true.

Then one by one, those little tiny buds started opening and soon I had 13 blooms!!!

How about that???

It's a miniature Cattleya Orchid and the blooms are only a little over an inch across in any direction. As you can see, the color is a soft buttery yellow with pinkish purple freckles and streaks.

 God made something so tiny, intricate and delicate 
and blessed me with it! 

If you hung with me through this long post, CONGRATS!! haha

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of our triumphs here in VA. I'm really not much of an outdoor gardener. Yard work is not fun or even stress relieving for me, as it is for many of my friends. :-) 

I'm thankful to have discovered a few beauties that bring me great joy to see them flourishing, though!

How about you? Do you garden? 
What successes and failures have you had?

You Might Call Me Crazy!

1 Corinthians 3:6 

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 

I love plants. Seriously love plants. Now that I don't have small children at home or indoor animals, I can have as many plants as I want. Thankfully, my husband loves them too.  :-) 

I found a great deal on some large tropical house plants at my local grocery store so I bought several to place around our living room. The problem was that two of them had super dull looking leaves with what looked to be dried water residue and dirt all over them. I sprayed them down outside with the water hose but they still looked dirty and dull. Sooo, I went looking for solutions and found the perfect one on Chemistry Cachet.

Alexis, the chemist @ Chemistry Cachet, recommends cleaning house plants with a solution of milk and water mixed together in a spray bottle. Super simple to make and if you follow the link, you can get exact measurements and read all about why milk is good for your plants. She also recommends an Epsom Salt solution as a natural fertilizer. I'll be trying that in a few days. 

By the way, I read an article that said it's good talk to your house plants because as you talk to them you are breathing out carbon monoxide and that's beneficial to them too! I felt a little odd at first but once I got going, I had all kinds of things to say to Spike (above) and *Optimus Prime (below). Actually, that's when I decided on their names. Spike is obvious. He's spikey and I had to keep telling him not to cut my fingers! 

*Optimus Prime, on the other hand, has leathery like leaves that are absolutely gorgeous! He reminded me of a transformer toy with how his leaves transform from solid green to display striking streaks of red, orange, and yellow.

 *Optimus Prime (he's a Codiaeum variegatum, aka Croton plant) had the most dramatic 'transformation' in the cleaning too! See what I did there? hehe :-)

He has a lot of leaves! And they are fragile despite being leathery in feel. I found that if I bent one too far while trying to get into the ridges to get all the dirt out, the leaf would 'snap'. He calls for a gentle touch. It took me about an hour to water and clean these two plants but in the end it was well worth it!

Do you have any indoor plants? Have you named them? Do you talk to them? 

I would love to chat about your plants and any successes or failures you've experienced. 

~Happy Gardening~

*no copyright infringement intended - just naming my plants after a toy that my boys loved playing with when they were young.

The Nearly Perfect Plant

I've been a bit absent from blogging as I took a trip to FL last weekend to spend some time celebrating the upcoming arrival of a new 'great' niece. There was lots of food, fun and fellowship accompanied by much laughter, and a wee bit of stepping in the big Atlantic Ocean at sunset.

When I came home, my husband and son had put this beautiful fountain in the front yard.

 One of the plants I will be transplanting into the garden area around the fountain is Sedum, so I thought I would share a picture of some I took a photo of last year.

Sedum

Sedum

Light:

Part Sun, Sun

Type:

Perennial
 

Height:

Under 6 inches to 3 feet

Width:

6 inches or several feet wide, depending on variety

Flower Color:

Orange, Pink, Red, White
 

Foliage Color:

Blue/Green, Chartreuse/Gold, Gray/Silver, Purple/Burgundy
 

Seasonal Features:

Colorful Fall Foliage, Fall Bloom, Summer Bloom, Winter Interest
 

Problem Solvers:

Drought Tolerant, Ground cover, Slope/Erosion Control
 

Special Features:

Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance
 

Zones:

3-10

: : :

My Sedums are numerous and grow both in direct sun and partial sun. They reach at least 2' tall or higher and have white flowers when they bloom. 

Sedum are truly one of the easiest and most prolific perennials in my yard. 

This type of plant makes me happy. :)

What type of plant in your yard is one of your favorites?

Happy Gardening, Y'all!   

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